HALF: Dead nor Alive

Archie and Ivan were hanging out in the room while drinking vodka after a long day of work. Archie helped Ivan deal with the parasites and got paid the same amount as last time.

Archie told Ivan about his story after he entered the Central Nation, he told Ivan that he joined the Valor special force. Ivan wasn’t surprised since he knew how strong Archie was and he would be more surprised if he didn’t pass the test.

“So, do you care on telling me what’s happening? You suddenly appeared in the alleyway and then asked my favor to hide you from the security cameras. Did you do something in the Central Nation?” Ivan asked while he drank his vodka and sat in front of Archie.

“Well, it’s because I don’t want to be bothered, that’s all,” Archie answered and then took a shot.

Ivan hummed and then he tilted his head and looked at Eve who was sleeping on the bed. “By the way, she’s really pretty, where did you find her? Is she someone you know? Or is it that she’s your girlfriend?” Ivan raised his eyebrows with a huge grin on his face.

“She’s someone that I know from a long time ago, one of my goals in life is to find her,” Archie answered and stared at Eve who was still asleep even though it had been two days since he came to the Northern Nation.

“Wow, how romantic,” Ivan said while he chuckled. “By the way, everyone heard about what happened to the Sky Station,”

“Sky Station?” Archie raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah, the one on the south, about the King-type parasite,” Ivan answered and nodded his head. “We saw a photo of that creature and that’s fucking terrifying to see!”

“Oh, you guys saw it?” Archie asked and poured vodka into the glass.

“Of course, we saw it! It’s all over the news and everyone knows about it,” Ivan said as he dragged his chair and then sat next to Archie. “How the hell did you fight that thing off?! You guys are fucking crazy!”

“Well, it’s our job as the Valor special force, but it’s mainly because I have experience with that thing,” Archie answered. “My friends from the Eastern Nation also joined the Valor special force, we dealt with the parasite and managed to send that thing off,”

Ivan hummed with understanding. “But still, I can’t believe you guys can fight that thing. I mean, just imagining myself in that situation, I would shit my pants immediately,” Ivan said while shaking his head and staring blankly at nothing.

“By the way, you said that she’s sick. Are you sure she will be alright here?” Ivan looked a bit concerned.

“She will be fine, I just need to wait until she wakes up,” Archie said but Ivan could tell that Archie was worried about her as well.

Eve got a high fever and Archie didn’t know what to do other than put a towel on her forehead, armpit, and crotch to cool down her body. If he didn’t notice, her body temperature would keep rising and he was scared that she might die from the fever.

“Do you need more ice?” Ivan asked as he stood up. “I see that you already used all of them. You want me to get you another one?” Ivan looked at the empty ice box.

“Yeah, if you can get it, that would be nice,” Archie answered and nodded his head.

Ivan scoffed and shook his head. “Alright, I will bring a bigger box this time. I will be back in an hour,” Ivan said as he grabbed the ice box and then left the room.

Archie walked toward the bed and then sat down next to Eve while he checked her body temperature on her foot. She was still boiling hot and he decided to change her shirt again since she was drenched in sweat.

When Archie was about to remove her shirt, Eve’s hands suddenly grabbed his hand which startled him. He was shocked that she suddenly moved her hands and when he looked at her face, he saw Eve was slowly opening her eyes with her eyebrows furrowed.

p、and a-n、o、vel “Eve?!” Archie called her with disbelief and relief at the same time.

Archie couldn’t move his hand because Eve was holding it so tightly that it started to hurt.

“Ar…chie…” Eve said weakly.

“I’m here, Eve,” Archie said as he tried to free his hand from Eve’s grip.

“An…tica,” Eve said quietly that Archie couldn’t understand what she was saying. “An…ar…tica…” Eve kept mumbling the same word over and over that Archie finally understood what she was saying.

“Antarctica? You want me to bring you there?” Archie asked.

Eve slowly and weakly nodded her head then she slowly removed her hands from Archie’s hand.

“Okay, I will bring you there now,” Archie said as he carefully lifted Eve’s body up and then left the room.

Archie had to cover Eve with a blanket because he didn’t want her to feel cold and to cover her face in case people were looking for them. He wore his hoodie and put on a mouth mask to cover half of his face then he left the building and stood in the alleyway.

“We are going to Antarctica, hold on, Eve,” Archie looked at Eve but she was unconscious again.

It was a bit hard to fly from the ground because Archie got support by jumping off of the cliff back then. In a situation like that, he couldn’t help but try his best to fly from the ground and didn’t care if anyone saw it.

Archie was surprised that he managed to fly on the first try, it would be because of Eve since she wanted him to bring her to Antarctica. He then flew away while carrying Eve in his arms, and he didn’t bother to look down or hide his presence.

It took Archie four hours to reach Antarctica and the moment he landed, he put down Eve carefully. Eve could feel the cold that it woke her up, she stared at Archie and smiled with relief. Archie knew why she looked so relieved because her body was steaming and got cool off by the cold weather around her.

Archie touched Eve’s forehead and he was surprised by how hot her body was, it felt like he was putting his hand in lava. He immediately removed the blanket from her body and let the cold cool down her whole body.

Hours had passed, and Archie just sat there next to Eve and stared at her hoping that she would wake up again. Archie decided to lie down and stared at the aurora with a blanket covering his body. It was so peaceful and calming that he slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep without him realizing it.

“Drautnir,” A familiar voice was calling Archie.

Archie opened his eyes the moment he heard that voice and he realized that his surroundings were nothing but darkness. It was the same feeling that he had when the parasite took over his body, he panicked because he didn’t want to experience it again.

“Do not be afraid,” A familiar voice was echoing and Archie finally realized it was Throne who was speaking to him.

“Throne?” Archie asked as he looked around.

A presence suddenly appeared in front of him, the same being that he saw back then.

“Drautnir, Eve has chosen you as her Adam,” Throne said and stared down at Archie.

“I know that already, she told me about it,” Archie replied and looked up at the rings and the eyes.

“No, Drautnir,” Throne slowly floated closer to Archie. “Your Eve has made up her mind and it’s time for you to kill the other Adams before they made a catastrophe,”

“A catastrophe? There are only five Adams left, what kind of catastrophe are you talking about?” Archie asked with his eyebrows furrowed.

“A big one that is enough to wipe all the living beings on Earth,” Throne answered as the fire grew bigger and started to blaze.

Archie stared at Throne and he believed Throne was talking about the same thing that Eve mentioned back then. A being that strong enough to bring an apocalypse, something that had been sleeping deep down in the unknown.

“Drautnir, all the Adams are now working together to bring the end of Earth and everything in it,” Throne warned Archie. “Your real test has finally started. Everything on Earth is now your responsibility, only you and Eve can save it from them,”

Before Archie could ask about the being that Eve mentioned, Throne disappeared and he suddenly opened his eyes.

Archie groaned and realized that Thorne visited him in his dream, it made his head spin and ache. He looked to his right and noticed that Eve wasn’t there, so he jolted from his sitting and looked around.

“Eve?” Archie asked as he looked at Eve with her very long silver hair touching the ice.

Eve turned around and her pupils were like ice, it was bright blue and they glowed in the night.

“They paid a visit in your dream?” Eve asked calmly as she slowly walked toward Archie.

“They did,” Archie nodded his head.

Eve gently touched Archie’s cheek with her right hand and kissed his left cheek. “Then you should know what’s our next mission, right?” Eve asked with her soothing voice and she acted so gently all of a sudden.

“Yes, we have to find the other Adams and kill them,” Archie stared at Eve who smiled at him.