HA\LF: Dead nor Alive

Archie opened his eyes weakly and saw the sunlight was blinding him, he slowly lifted his hand and covered his eyes. He sat up and noticed that he was nowhere near the lake, he looked around and saw nobody around him. He immediately stood up and look for the others, and before he could look for them, the green-haired witch came out from the tree with the branches of the tree behind her offered him meat.

“You seemed to be in a hurry? Are you looking for your friends?” The witch asked.

Archie looked at the meat and grab one and immediately ate it. “Yes, have you seen them?” he asked as he chewed the meat.

The witch looked at the end of the forest and pointed her hand over there. “They have left the forest and went back to the city,” she answered.

Archie furrowed his eyebrows and looked at the witch with confusion. “They left? How long did I fall unconscious?”

“It wasn’t that long, you only slept for four hours,” The witch answered.

Archie squinted his eyes with suspicion. “Then why are they leaving without me? Did something happen?”

The witch looked at Archie and smiled gently at him with her eyes closed. “Well, they were bugging me and asking me since they were curious about what’s really happening. So, I just told them what I want to tell them,”

“What do you mean by telling them what you want to tell them?” Archie asked as he shook his head with confusion.

The witch looked at the meat and grabbed one then put it in her mouth. “That the humankind cannot be saved, their existence is leading to their extinction,” she answered.

Archie just looked at her and thought to himself that she nor the other witches ever cared about the humans. He should have known that they would say whatever they want to the humans and make them miserable since they knew they were superior to the humans. He forgot that the only reason they didn’t kill Ruby and the others was that they were obeying him as a superior race to them and because they were afraid of the being that chose us.

“Then what happened?” Archie asked as he grabbed his bag and pulled out his shirt and pants.

“They covered their ears and glared at me with really funny expressions, so I’m not sure if they heard my words or not. Then, after I said that, I left them there, and not long after that, they ran and left the forest,” The witch answered.

Archie hummed as he put on his shirt and jeans.

“Archie,” The witch called him quietly. Archie just glanced at her and waited for her to say whatever she wanted to say. “The reason why we brought you to that lake and threw you down there was that we were told to do that by it,” The witch explained.

Archie stopped putting his shoe on and immediately glared at the witch. “Was it them who ordered you to guide me there?” he asked.

The witch nodded. “Yes, and the reason why we brought you to her was to test you as a Drautnir and as the chosen. It was a trial that they have prepared long before you were born, and the reason why there was only one parasite like The Mother of all the places in the continents was that because they had done it first and you’re the last one to complete the trial,” she answered.

Archie tied up his shoelaces and looked at the witch. “A trial? For what?”

The witch sat down and looked at Archie. “A trial to attract her,”

Archie glared at the witch from the corner of his eyes. “What did you just say?” he asked. “A trial to attract her? What do you know and why did you say it like you know what you’re talking about?” he looked at her with suspicion.

“Because I have seen and heard it so many times that I understand the pattern,” The witch answered. “The Drautnir that entered this forest and was chosen by it miraculously moved to the other side of the continent. He had achieved what you have achieved now, and he came back here but he changed drastically,” she continued.

“Changed?” Archie asked as he raised his eyebrow.

“He looked so obsessed at something, something that made us think that he had gone crazy. But, it wasn’t really the case, he told us that he had met her, the woman that he had been looking for,” The witch said as she stared blankly at the ground. “We were so confused at first because we had no idea what he was talking about until he explained everything to us,” she continued then she looked at Archie. “That was the last time we saw him and we know that he died not long after he said that,”

“What happened to him?” Archie asked as he grabbed his swords and put them on his back.

“We believe he went to see that woman, Eve,” The witch answered. “You’re also looking for her, right? And all of you have the same mission to find her, right?” she asked as she looked up at Archie.

Archie nodded as he kept staring her in the eyes. “Yes, that’s what they told me. They want me to find her first then they will give me another mission once I met her,”

“Don’t make the same mistake as him, Archie,” The witch said with a worried expression and grabbed Archie’s hand so tightly.

“What do you mean?” Archie asked as he crouched and looked at her with confusion.

“We are a new race that’s modified from a human body, and we are slowly changing our behavior that isn’t a match for a human being anymore. You can feel it yourself, right? You’re not attracted to the humans anymore and you’re slowly losing your sympathy and empathy toward them,” The witch explained. “You’re not even attracted to us even though you’re seeing us as the opposite sex of yours and clearly we don’t have anything on us that for a human being will make them feel aroused or uncomfortable. Because deep down, you’re looking at us as nothing but someone who’s inferior to you and you’re not attracted to us because we are like your servants,” she continued.

Archie thought to himself and that was exactly how he saw the witches. He also realized how he found everything related to the humans uninteresting as what the witch said.

“I see what you mean, but what’s the meaning behind of all that?” Archie asked.

“What will happen to you once you see someone that’s equal to you and you found that person attractive?” The witch asked. “You would get closer to that person, right? But unfortunately, that person isn’t someone who you think they are, what if that person is actually never interested in you in the first place? That person will lure you in and once you lower your guard that person pounce on you and chop your head off?” She continued as she looked at Archie while she was explaining it to him.

Archie looked at her while he raised his eyebrows, then he started to chuckle while he shook his head with disbelief. “You think it’s funny and stupid isn’t it?” The witch said seriously as she pulled his hand down. “Archie, she’s the only woman that they chose. If they want you to be with her, do you think you can resist her once you see her? She’s a woman, and you have no idea what kind of thoughts a woman can have. Do you think she would be sane enough after living for hundreds of years?!” The witch explained.

At that moment, Archie’s smile and chuckle disappeared immediately because he realized if the first Adam was chosen after the meteor strike the earth, then that also means Eve was chosen before the first Adam was chosen. Nobody would stay sane after living for hundreds of years and it had been proven by the witches and Gideon Armen that he fought not long time ago.

“Do you understand now, Archie? That she’s the same as you, she possesses unlimited growth and she’s hungry for power like you are. What makes you think she would settle down after she’s meeting with one of you? One of you fell into her honeypot and she won’t stop and she would never be satisfied,” The witch asked. “I believe that everything that you have achieved now is leading you to a new trial, and that trial is to meet her, Archie. You will be tested whether you pass or fail the trial and that means either you survive or die in her hand,” she continued.

Archie looked at the witch that looked genuinely worried about him, he nodded with understanding as he slowly pulled his hand from her. “I will keep that in mind,”

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