The seconds passed slowly. The black veins seemed to devour him from within, and his lungs, still in shock, barely remembered how to breathe.
Audrey watched expectantly.
She had seen many faint in the second minute of assimilation. Others screamed desperately from the pain. And some simply died on the first attempt.
This young man clenched his teeth. Despite his weak physique, his eyes remained conscious.
He had pain tolerance. He was also intelligent… and he lied well.
Besides, chance, mystery, and misery seemed to follow him closely. He had fallen into absolute disgrace in the Ash Field… and yet he survived long enough to be found at the last moment.
He's a survivor, she thought. You can tell by how he reacts. He could become an exceptional Seeker.
Ten agonizing minutes passed.
The young man panted haltingly. The pattern of black veins was now barely visible beneath his skin.
"Is… the moment of assimilation when a Seeker is at their weakest?"
Audrey nodded.
"You noticed. Yes. It's the most vulnerable instant."
She paused briefly.
"But you can compensate when you have a singularity like Sira."
Beside her, the horned Bengal tiger raised its head slightly upon hearing its name. It let out a soft snort, deep, almost proud, and fixed its eyes back on the dark forest beyond the clearing. Audrey rested a hand on its back.
"While you assimilate… someone must watch over you. In time you'll even be able to fight in that state… but don't forget something."
Her eyes sharpened slightly, with a hint of amusement.
"Pain is an anchor. When you stop feeling it… it will probably be because you are no longer human."
Soren could not fully process those words. Fatigue enveloped him like a thick tide, and his eyes closed, surrendering at last to the darkness.
The next morning, a delicious smell slipped through his nostrils. It was a starchy, steamy aroma, with a sweet touch.
His eyes snapped open.
He was covered with a thin but comfortable blanket. Audrey had tucked him in. He sat up and checked the leather pouch, which flickered like a firefly. All the singularities were there.
He followed the scent with his gaze.
Audrey was cooking by the campfire.
The morning light filtered through the trees and slid over her bright yellow hair, almost golden, falling loose over her shoulders. Her eyes, deep and marine, had that watery gleam that always seemed to hide something beneath the surface. Her expression was calm, focused on the simple task of turning the branches with the potatoes… as if she were not the same woman who spoke of killing so coldly the night before.
Four large potatoes were skewered on branches around the fire. Their golden, crispy edges made his mouth water.
"Are you hungry? Come eat."
"I'm always hungry."
His body was scrawny, almost skin and bones, but in his previous life he had been someone who enjoyed eating. After going hungry on the streets, when he finally got resources, one of his few pleasures was tasting delicious food.
The potatoes looked perfect.
He sat down beside her naturally.
"Where is Sira?"
Audrey did not look away from the fire.
"She's exploring the surroundings and tracking some prey to hunt along the way."
The young man exhaled through his nose.
"That singularity is incredible. She can transport two people, protect you, fight for you when you're weak… and also track?"
Audrey picked up a yellow jar of butter and a smaller one with salt. She took a potato from a branch and held it out to him.
"Eat. We'll leave soon."
Her tone was dry, but she did not look away.
His stomach growled, but he did not start immediately. First, he paused briefly.
Giving thanks was still important.
He held the branch with two fingers and broke off a small piece. He used it as a knife to carefully open the potato. Then he began to slowly mash the inside, adding butter and a little salt.
Every movement was precise, almost automatic.
Audrey's eyes widened slightly. There was no mockery, only attention.
He noticed.
He tasted the first bite. His face showed satisfaction. His shoulders lowered a little.
"It's very good. You browned the skin, but left the inside soft."
It did not sound like flattery. It was a direct observation.
Audrey did not answer. Her hands simply moved.
She repeated the same movements.
He tilted his head slightly.
She was not imitating him. She was doing it seriously.
She had always eaten potatoes with butter… but not like this.
When Audrey opened hers and began to mash the inside, she did it with less hurry. He noticed.
When she tasted the first bite, her eyelashes lowered a second longer than normal. Her fingers paused before taking another.
The flavor had changed.
She kept eating, now more slowly.
"You like to cook, don't you?"
Audrey let out a slight smile.
"Yes. I enjoy making myself a good dish from time to time."
She added nothing more.
But she did not let go of the branch until she finished it.
He watched her for a moment.
The same woman who spoke of losing humanity had watched over his assimilation all night. And now she was turning a potato over the fire with the same concentration.
It was not just about eating.
There was something more there.
Audrey felt his gaze. She did not look at him immediately, but she noticed. And it unsettled her slightly.
"Do you also have a Nest of Hot Potatoes singularity?"
"Most Seekers have it."
She finished the last potato.
The fire crackled beneath the ashes. The young man set the empty branch aside.
For a moment, only the forest could be heard.
Audrey spoke without looking at him.
"I haven't asked your name."
The young man went still.
Name.
The word felt strange to him, like something he had not used in a long time.
He did not know what he was called. He had not even thought about it. In this world he had no identity. He had only been moving forward, reacting, surviving.
He tried to remember something more concrete… but all that came to him were loose sensations, fragments without clear shape.
Nothing he could hold onto.
He frowned slightly.
And then he knew.
Not as a clear memory, but as something that simply fit.
"Soren," he said.
Audrey looked up. She studied him for a few seconds.
"Soren…"
The wind passed through the trees.
"Audrey Nova."
Her voice was low, firm. She said her name naturally.
"If we're going to travel together, it'll be easier if we know what to call each other."
Soren nodded.
The words remained between them, simple.
The fire finished dying out. The last embers faded with a soft crackle.
And for the first time since he woke up in this world…
Soren stopped feeling like someone who was just enduring.
Now he had a name.
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