The campfire dimly lit their faces.
They stared at each other, letting the silence stretch between them. A sharp chill ran down the young man's spine.
The secret of the fifth singularity had been revealed.
He turned his face slightly to check. There were his things: the leather sack, resting beside him, with the symbols engraved on its surface flickering weakly under the firelight. Audrey remained curled up in the tiger's fur, relaxed, as if she weren't holding his life between her fingers.
"They're all there," she said calmly.
"The purple one, tier one. The white one, tier two. The electric one, tier three…"
She paused briefly.
"And the one you were hiding. The green one with the reptilian eye."
The young man held his breath. He tried to keep his face steady, but concern seeped into his features.
Audrey smiled faintly.
"It was a good lie. Every word. The detail of saying you had four in the bag. That you would trade three for your life, food, and protection. And that the fourth was your reward."
She shook her head gently.
"I really believed you. And if you hadn't fainted… I would have kept believing you."
The fire crackled between them.
"I even understood that you couldn't arrive empty-handed. That's why I didn't ask more."
Her reddish pupils reflected the light of the flames.
"Did you improvise it on the spot?"
The young man let out his breath slowly.
The lie was exposed. His weakness had betrayed him.
Even so… Audrey had fed him, cared for him, found a safe place.
If she wanted to kill him, she would have done it already.
He straightened up with effort.
"Yes."
He looked her directly in the eyes.
"If you're going to kill me, do it."
The fire illuminated his reddish pupils, steady despite the tension.
"I don't regret deceiving you. I was protecting what's mine."
The tiger opened one eye, attentive.
Audrey watched him for a few seconds before answering.
"Interesting."
There was no anger in her voice. She was measuring him.
"Were you planning to give the electric singularity to Russet?"
The name fell between them with an uncomfortable weight.
"No. I was going to give him the tier-two one, the one we traded as loot. The tier-one I planned to sell… and the two tier-three ones… I wanted to understand them first."
"Understand them?"
"Singularities aren't mastered just by looking at them."
Audrey moved a branch in the campfire.
"Each one takes something."
The young man held her gaze.
"Nothing in this world is free. Much less a tier-three."
The fire crackled.
"I'm willing to pay the price," he said. "To learn to use them… and to survive."
Audrey tilted her head slightly, now truly interested.
"Willing to do anything?"
A spark jumped.
"Then I'll propose a deal. Your lies could serve me… but I won't repeat the offer."
The air tensed.
"When I finish speaking, you'll have only two options: you help me… or you die."
"What kind of deal?"
"There's a mission. It's personal."
The young man waited.
"I don't need a warrior. I need eyes, ears… someone who goes unnoticed. Someone who knows how to lie without their voice trembling."
A slight smile crossed her face.
"Someone like you."
"What's the objective?"
Audrey watched him for a few seconds.
"The objective is…"
She tilted her head slightly.
"Your boss."
The silence grew dense. The tiger flicked its tail and an ember collapsed in the campfire.
The young man swallowed.
Before arriving in this world, his life had been a slow descent.
Woodcutter.
Dirty jobs in sewers.
Collector of minor debts from people who could barely pay.
Later, thief.
Then, smuggler.
Each step lower than the last.
He didn't cross certain lines out of pleasure. But when things went wrong… and they often did, he had had to get his hands dirty more than once. Always in self-defense. Always justifying it somehow.
On the streets, survival was the only constant.
Now the reason was simple.
If he said no… there would be no tomorrow.
He raised his gaze.
"I'll do it."
His voice was low, but firm.
"But how do I know you won't kill me when I'm no longer useful to you?"
Audrey made a carefree gesture.
"We'll make a contract."
The young man did not look away.
"But for that… first you have to become a Seeker."
The fire crackled.
"You have to assimilate at least one singularity."
The words hung in the air.
It wasn't just a deal. It was a threshold.
The decision was already made. Now all that remained was to pay the price.
He stood up inside the circle of light. The tiger watched him without blinking. His mind was still exhausted, but he could no longer afford to hesitate.
He had awakened in a world of monsters.
Learn… or die.
"Have you decided?" asked Audrey.
He straightened his posture.
"I'll assimilate the singularity. I'll become a true Seeker… and I'll help you kill Russet."
He paused briefly.
"But only if this business benefits both of us."
Audrey smiled as she rummaged through her leather pouch. She took out a dull green singularity and tossed it toward him.
"Let's start with the basics."
The young man caught it by reflex.
The sphere fit in his hand: the size of a baseball, solid, tangible… and yet impossible.
Inside its translucent surface, a tiny galaxy spun slowly, as if it contained its own sky.
At its core, dark ramifications spread like roots.
"For a Seeker, the most important thing is to stay alive," said Audrey. "In this world, singularities abound… and monsters can also assimilate them."
The fire crackled.
"That's why we kill each other."
The young man swallowed.
An idea, uncomfortable and sharp, began to take shape in his mind.
"When you kill a Seeker… do they leave a singularity?"
Audrey remained silent for a few seconds.
"Yes. Not only do they leave their own singularity… they can also leave the most important ones from their arsenal. But that's not information for just anyone."
The young man nodded slowly.
If every Seeker possesses their own singularity… and when killed that singularity can remain behind…
He looked down at the sphere in his hand.
The world had just become clearer.
And much more dangerous.
"How do I know if I'm suitable to assimilate them?"
"All humans can do it… if they're willing to pay the price. Each singularity demands something. The higher its level, the greater what you lose."
She paused briefly.
"Touch it with intention. Look at it as if it were food."
The young man fixed his gaze on the singularity.
And then…
A mechanical voice resonated in his head.
[ SYSTEM ]
Singularity: Tier 1
Type: Edible
Name: Nest of Hot Potatoes
Assimilation Requirement:
Withstand pulsating pain for 10 minutes
Blessing: None
Curse: None
Secret: None
Description:
Valuable resource for survival. A flower of cooked potatoes emerges on the surface to feed you.
▶ Assimilate? ◀
The information pierced him in an instant.
He looked up.
Audrey watched him in silence.
He squeezed the singularity.
"Assimilate."
The sphere dissolved in his palm.
And then—
Black roots sprouted from the center of his hand, spreading across his wrist and climbing up his forearm, embedding themselves beneath the skin like dark veins.
The pain arrived a second later.
Sharp. Brutal.
As if microscopic needles pierced every nerve to the rhythm of his heart.
He tried to move.
He couldn't.
His body tensed completely. He couldn't even scream.
The world grew distant.
And Audrey's voice reached him, far away:
"Don't resist… just endure."
The pain pulsed again.
"With time you'll get used to it."
Another wave.
More intense.
His vision began to darken at the edges.
Ten minutes.
Just ten minutes.