HALF: Dead nor Alive

Archie, Eve, and Nova went to the barrack and the place was massive compared to the one in the Western Nation and Eastern Nation. Everyone was looking at the obstacles in the middle of the field, it looked like a normal test to join the military.

“Are we going to do all that?” Archie asked Nova who stood in front of him and Eve.

“Yeah, you have to clear all the obstacles as fast as you can, and this is just the first test. There are five more and it will get harder and harder,” Nova answered while looking back at them.

Eve looked at those people who were waiting in line while Faye and Aster watched from the side with a stopwatch in their hands. “Why do we have to do that?” she asked.

“In an emergency or in a dire situation that you have to run away, this will prove that you’re capable of surviving on your own,” Nova answered as she pointed at the obstacle.

Eve giggled and started laughing, everyone was looking at her weirdly but her laughter and beautiful face made them unable to look away. “Run away? Surviving on our own? That’s really stupid,” she said as she still laughed.

It was funny to Eve but not for anyone else, Archie would think it was ridiculous but after he spent months with the Axis Humans, they weren’t as strong as him. The only person who understood her was Archie himself but he didn’t want to make fun of those people in front of him.

Nova chuckled awkwardly. “I guess it’s funny to both of you, but since we have been living a good life, it’s a bit different from what you both have been through,” she said. “Anyway, we should go in line and get ready,” she continued as she walked to the front. Both Archie and Eve followed Nova to the field and waited for their turn.

Eve who wore casual clothing that didn’t fit the occasion could still clear the first test so easily and was the fastest to clear it. Archie was the second fastest and everyone was watching them both with disbelief and understood that those two were indeed different from them.

Nova caught her breath as she approached Archie and Eve. “What the, how did you guys do it so fast?!” she asked as she rested her hands on her knees.

“Those obstacles are nothing for me. Out there, there’s no such thing as an obstacle, if you run, you die, your only option is to fight and win,” Eve answered and everyone was eavesdropping on her, even Faye and Aster started to pay attention to her.

“But still, that’s amazing that you could do it so fast,” Nova said as she stood straight and exhaled deeply.

“Wait until you see the-” Before Eve could finish her sentence, Archie covered her mouth with his right hand from behind. Everyone was listening to her and whatever she was planning to say, would be dangerous for her and for him.

“It’s better if you don’t tell them about the kings and the current situation,” Archie whispered into Eve’s right ear.

Eve slowly removed Archie’s hand and looked at him. “Those are bugs, not kings,” she said with her eyebrows furrowed.

Faye squinted her eyes the moment she heard Eve mention a king. She looked at Aster and they both nodded at each other, they both looked at her name and it was weird that her name was Eve without family or full name. Aster pointed at Archie’s name and they both looked at how close Archie and Eve were so they kept an eye on both of them.

The three of them went to another place and this time they went into a building that looked like a stadium. All of them sat down on the spectator seats while Faye and Aster were standing in the middle of the arena. It looked like a colosseum and the second test was to fight a parasite, the test was varied because they had to choose their own opponents. The higher the Gen of the parasites, the higher the points.

“There are so many people in here and they’re going to test them one by one? This is going to take a while,” Archie said as he looked at hundreds of people sitting in the spectator seats.

“Yeah, it will take at least half a day because it depends on how fast they’re going to kill the parasite,” Nova answered as she looked at Faye.

Faye seemed to be having a conversation with Aster and then she left the arena. Aster was the one who will score the second test and he started to call a name to the arena.

While the three of them were watching the guy in the arena fighting Gen 3 parasites, they saw Faye next to them standing on the stairs. “Archie, Eve, can you both come with me?” Faye asked and Archie was a bit shocked when he heard Faye call his name and thought she remembered him.

Archie and Eve nodded and left Nova alone while she was staring at them.

Faye brought them into the building and walked in the hallway, they both could sense hundreds of parasites were below them but those parasites were in fear because of Eve’s presence. Archie wondered what kind of parasites resided inside her body that could make her presence scary to the parasite.

“You said you know her, Archie, but why are you so quiet now?” Eve asked.

Faye turned around and looked at Archie, she furrowed her eyebrows and she didn’t recognize him at all. “Do we know each other?” she asked. Eve squinted her eyes as she stared at Faye.

“We used to and it has been a while. I know you before you became an Axis Human,” Archie answered with a bit of a smile on his face.

“I see, maybe that’s why your name sounds familiar to my ears,” Faye said as she stared blankly at nothing. “I might have lost some of my memories during the experiment and I can’t remember anything about you. I’m so sorry, maybe Aster knows about you so I can remember,” she explained as she smiled at Archie.

“It’s okay, it’s unnecessary because we are not that close and I don’t think he knows me since I never talked to him,” Archie answered as he shook his head.

Faye raised her eyebrows and just nodded.

Faye brought them into a big room and it looked like a place to spar. “I overheard your conversation and you mentioned the kings, so I believe you both are from the Eastern Nation like Ruby?” she asked.

“Yes, we are,” Archie answered.

“Okay, that’s good because I have prepared a Gen 8 parasite just for you both and I want to see if you’re really as strong as Ruby,” Faye said. “Please bring it inside,” she said to the camera on top of the corner.

The gate on the other side of the room was opened, and they could see a massive parasite similar to when he fought Iohann after he became an Ex-Axis Human. It kind of brought back the bad memories in Archie’s head.

“Ruby could defeat the same Gen parasite on her own, so I just wanted to make sure if you both can do the same,” Faye said as she looked at Archie and Eve.

Archie smiled and nodded with understanding then he removed his swords and gave them to Eve. Eve looked at him and took the sword from his hand with a smile on her face.

“What are you doing?” Faye asked with curiosity while Archie clenched his fist and tightened the gloves.

“What’s wrong? I’m going to kill it of course,” Archie asked back.

“What about your swords? Are you not going to use it?” Faye asked as she looked at the swords in Eve’s hand.

“I don’t need those, my hands should be enough for this little guy,” Archie said and then he ran toward the parasite.

The parasite growled and charged at Archie but before it could do anything, Archie leaped toward the parasite and kneed the face of the parasite. Archie broke the parasite’s jaw and he immediately grabbed the parasite’s head and tore its face with his bare hands. The parasite didn’t even have a chance to do anything and Archie already killed it.

Faye was shocked and looked at him with disbelief. “Did you just kill it? Just like that?” she asked.

Archie smiled and nodded. “Yes, it’s not that hard to kill that parasite since we used to fight those back in the Eastern Nation,”

Faye couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief. “I guess you’re right, and unfortunately, that’s our last one and we don’t have anything that’s stronger than that parasite,” she said as she looked at Eve.

“You don’t have to worry about her because if I can do it, she can do it better,” Archie said as he looked at Eve.