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After what felt like an eternity, Adam's helpless body slowly twitched as he woke up. However, as he gained his senses back, he felt the tightness of a rope on his hands which were tied around him to a bark of a large tree.
Slowly opening his eyes, he tried making a thin slit out of it to see if there was anyone near him but just as he did, all he saw were two human nostrils sniffing him profusely, barraging him with their warm breath on his face.
"Urgh!.. Move!", he said while moving his face away.
And to his astonishment, cold air blew over his body, and just as he tried looking at the nostril assailant of his again, he saw her sitting on a wooden bark, looking at him with caution.
" Fast...", he muttered.
The woman, however, kept on looking at him.
Adam noticed that he was tied to the bottom bark of the same tree he was hiding behind, and he also saw his only lifeline, his wheelchair beside the woman. His gun was also in her hand, but, a poor woman...she was visibly dumb as she couldn't even use it. She was using the nozzle to scratch her leg, all the while looking at him.
Seeing that the woman was not speaking at all, Adam tried exercising his previous Professor like eloquent self to this new creature in front of him.
"Hello, miss. May I know your name?", Adam asked with a forced smile on his face.
However, the woman kept on staring at him without saying anything. And after what felt like an eternity, she finally opened her mouth.
" Weak Snow-elf.How did you Survive?", she muttered in a low voice.
And all that came out of Adams's mouth was a," Huh?"
After which, silence prevailed as the entire atmosphere became tense. And every breath of Adam became ragged.
'Me?A Snow Elf? And how can she speak English? I never knew Elves can speak English and considering the amount of time that passed after the Second Evolution, English should be a dead language by now. Did it get passed on? That means there was someone alive from our Era, right,? , Adam pondered, panting profusely.
The woman kept on staring at the confused man all the while examining the Plasma Magnum in her hand and after some time she asserted.
"How?"
Bringing himself back from the long inner monologue as he heard her speak for the second time. Adam decided to answer her.
"I am lost, miss. I got separated from my village as we were hunting for food. "Adam said, making up a story.
'This is the best course of action for me now.' he thought.
However, the woman just tilted her head and asked," There is a village on this side?"
'Shit!'
"Yes, there is but..but...", Adam said while holding down his forehead trying his best to seem as if he had lost his memories.
Seeing that the weak man in front of him was fumbling to explain himself. She unwittingly changed the question.
" Screw that. How did you survive, Weak Snow elf? I don't remember that the Great Mivendell Kingdom was so lenient that they decided to spare Half-Breed Elves, much less from the human lineage?"
Adam's eyes widened as he heard her explanation.
Adam Smith? A crippled 26-year-old genetically enhanced human Scientist and one of the last surviving humans was being identified as an Elf?
"What kind of joke is this? I am human. And I have black hair and short ears. From what I can see you are a Snow Elf as well. How can it be that we have two different body features?", Adam asked cleanly riled up.
However, to his surprise the woman just looked at him silently, before moving her hand up, muttering in a strange language.
Instantly, a large icicle inform of a mirror manifested over her palm, glowing brightly under the bright sunlight.
Adam's eyes twinkled as he mumbled under his breath," Magic..", eyes affixed to the visible miracle happening right in front of him.
After a while, the woman examined the icicle in her hands before getting up from her seat. Walking silently on the thick cover of the snow she reached him. Crouching down on the ground, she held the icicle before Adam and declared in a monotonous voice.
"See for yourself..."
Adam all this while gazed warily on the thick icicle, counting his last moments after waking up. But to his surprise, she just held the icicle before him, asking him to look at himself. And with a snort, he looked at the icicle, visibly annoyed. But what he saw in his reflection, made him cuss.
"Holy Shit!"
Clear blue droopy eyes covered by eye bags, and with a jawline, so sharp that it might even cut paper. However, that was not the most astonishing thing.
He had white hair!
Yes. His hair had turned completely white. His eyebrows, eyelashes, and even his facial hair had turned white. And his skin colour. It was as pale as a corpse!
Adam was a half-Latino, and as his mother was somewhat brown-skinned, he also had some of her melanin from her. But here, so many years in the future. How did it turn out like this?
He looked unnatural. Maybe if he were like those dancing monkeys from those boy bands the girls were so thirsty for, he would have had a good time among them.
Noticing his shocked expression, the woman questioned him.
"You have never seen yourself in the mirror?"
"No..." Adam muttered while being dazed.
"Figures. Anyway, what is that thing you were holding. A weapon, perhaps?".
Adams's eyes shook, coming out of his stupor as soon as he heard her question.
'The real questions are starting '
Adam steadied his mind, getting ready to answer her question without slipping out. Taking a deep breath, he announced.
"It was the last keepsake my mother gave to me before we got separated."
'Sorry Mom', he thought.
However, the woman looked suspiciously at him. And it was clear that she didn't believe him. Closing her eyes, the woman took a deep breath, before abruptly opening them as she declared.
"I'll be leaving you here for the Demon Beasts to eat you. I would have taken you with me to another village to keep you safe but..seeing that you are lying to me, I'm afraid I can't."
Adams's eyes widened at the declaration from the woman. He would be left alone? Furthermore, tied? For the Demon beasts to eat?Hell no! And how did she even realise that he was lying?
"But..but.." He fumbled looking completely lost.
The woman then glared at him but looking at his lost expression she calmed herself down. Taking the icicle again, she cut the ropes tying him, much to his surprise.
'I see. She took pity on me.' he thought.
Getting up from the snow, the woman then moved in the opposite direction moving past his wheelchair, walking leisurely. However, the woman still had his gun, so Adam decided to ask her.
"Uh.Miss..my gun"
And to his question the woman stopped in her tracks, turning briefly towards him as she said,
"So this is called a gun, huh? Might come in handy for me. The metal looks hard enough. Perhaps it can be used as a hammer. Who knows.", declared the woman, while examining the Plasma Magnum.
Looking straight into his eyes from afar, the woman declared.
" Survive without this. That is your punishment for lying to me. If you would have just told me that you were a fugitive, I would have escorted you to my village but.....Sigh."
Turning around she kept moving forward into the forest saying "So good luck, trying to survive. The Demon beasts haven't had a feast in a while, that too of a Snow Elf...."
And just like that, Adam lost his only weapon in this forest full of Beasts capable of tearing off his flesh in one bite, in this new world, to a lone woman.
~~~~~
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