The First Woman, Lilith and Serina
I thought if we could just keep living like this, I’d have no other wishes in the world. But something keeps catching in my throat.
The werewolf attack. Should I really just let it slide? It’s frustrating and suffocating. Still, I didn’t want to ruin the happy mood by bringing up something so dark. Seeing Serina smiling like that, I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud.
After dinner, feeling restless, I suggested we go for a walk.
“Serina. Let’s take a short walk.”
“Right now?”
“Yeah. Remember that reservoir we saw before? Want to head over there?”
“Sure!”
Serina took my hand and we walked toward the reservoir. When I stayed quiet, she tilted her head and peeked up at my face.
“Is something wrong?”
“N-no! I was just spacing out for a second.”
“Okay.”
Even after we reached the reservoir, neither of us spoke. It took a long while before I finally turned to her.
“Serina.”
“Yeah?”
“Can’t you tell me a bit about yourself?”
“What about me?”
“That day you first came to me. What exactly happened?”
Her eyes changed instantly. They turned ice-cold.
“Why do you want to know that?”
“I’m just… curious. Tell me. I want to hear it.”
“You don’t need to know.”
“I think I do.”
“I said you don’t.”
Serina’s voice grew sharp. She pressed her lips tightly together.
“So I really am nothing to you.”
“That’s not it.”
“Then why won’t you tell me anything?”
“I told you that’s not what this is.”
“It is. Just be honest.”
“These aren’t stories you can handle.”
“Whether I can handle them or not, I won’t know until I hear them.”
“You don’t need to hear them to know.”
“Haa…”
The conversation was going nowhere. It felt like the witch saw me as nothing but a weak, fragile creature. I could sense it in her tone and her eyes. She wasn’t wrong. But I still wanted to be helpful to her.
I couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“The werewolves came.”
“What?”
“The wound on my neck. It’s from when they attacked me.”
I shot up from my seat. The emotions surging through me made it impossible to stay still.
“Allen. Wait, just stop for a second.”
“Forget it. I guess I’m not reliable enough in your eyes.”
“That’s not what I mean. You have no idea how terrifying and powerful the dragons’ army is.”
“See? You think I’m weak, so you won’t tell me.”
“Isn’t that obvious? Besides, the one I have to face is the Dragon King. He’s not someone you can do anything about.”
“I know that. But I can still listen to your story, can’t I?”
“Even if I tell you, it won’t solve anything. You’ll just end up worrying.”
Her words made sense. What good would it do for someone like me to know? Still, it stung my pride. The fact that I couldn’t be of any help at all.
“Tch.”
I clenched my fists and suddenly bolted down the slope.
“Kyaa!”
I ran at full speed, but the witch was already standing in front of me, blocking my path.
“Hold on.”
“H-how did you—?!”
“Just stop. Let me talk.”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
I tried to shake off her hand and keep going, but she grabbed my wrist in a vice grip.
“Let go.”
It was useless. There was no way I could break free with my strength.
“Listen to me before I rip your neck off.”
“F-fine… talk.”
“I wasn’t ignoring you, so stop misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding my ass.”
“Clear up the misunderstanding.”
“W-what…”
“Clear it up.”
“Ah… I did. I cleared it up. So please let go of my hand.”
Serina had squeezed my wrist so hard that a nasty bruise was already forming.
“Good boy. Now hold my hand.”
“O-okay, I’m holding it.”
She held out her palm. With no choice, I took it.
“Kiss.”
“Mm…”
I gave her a quick peck on the lips. Only then did her expression finally soften.
“Don’t make that scary face at me again. Got it?”
“Yeah…”
“I get scared when you look like that. I don’t know what I might do.”
“W-what would you… Never mind. I won’t do it again.”
“Good. Don’t make me angry.”
“Okay…”
And so I followed Serina back to the house. She turned off the lights and lay down on the bed. I settled on the floor.
“Come up to the bed.”
“Huh…?”
“I said come up. Why are you sleeping on the floor?”
“Got it…”
I gathered the blanket and lay down beside her. Serina turned to face me, our eyes meeting. She brushed my bangs aside and kissed my forehead.
“Allen.”
“Yeah…?”
“Witches… no, we… are born with something called fate.”
“Fate…?”
“Yes. The reason we exist. That’s what we carry.”
“And what is it?”
“To defeat Beelzebub and become king.”
“Beelzebub? You mean the Dragon King you mentioned before?”
“That’s right.”
“Then those wounds back then…?”
“We were attacked by dragons. Because of that, our entire clan was wiped out.”
“That’s awful…”
“Beelzebub tries to nip us in the bud before we can reach our complete form. They drag us away, force us to bear their children, and then kill us.”
“Then you just have to fight the dragons before they take you.”
“Maybe if we were in complete form. But when the dragons move as an army, there’s no chance of winning. All the witches in our village who fought back died. My one remaining sister… I don’t even know where she is.”
“You had a sister?”
“Yes. We were twins.”
“Oh… I see.”
“We got separated while running away. She said something about finding a priestess.”
“A priestess?”
“Yes. There was a prophecy once told to the first witch by a seer. We’ve always believed in those words.”
What is this, O morning star, son of the dawn? You have fallen from heaven. You who once crushed the nations now lie fallen to the earth. You who said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens and make myself like the Most High.” Yet you have been cast down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. Even so, you shine brightest in hell. And in the end, when the head of Beelzebub falls, before him shall stand the priestess who serves me, and you, the archangel.
“So that archangel… is you?”
“Yes. We were taught that we are the physical vessels of the fallen archangels.”
“I can’t believe it.”
“You don’t have to. Before I met you, I killed eight males.”
“What?”
“Some were human. Some were monsters. There was even a dragon.”
“Why are you telling me this all of a sudden?”
“None of them had a pure enough soul to make me complete.”
“What…?”
“I think I’ve finally found one. So please don’t disappoint me. I’m trying to like you too, you know.”
“You wouldn’t say a word earlier, so why are you telling me all this now?”
“The reason I’m telling you is… because I’m going to make it so you never heard it.”
The moment her story ended, Serina’s eyes began to glow. Allen lost focus. Then, without warning, he fell into a deep sleep.
Serina leaned close to his ear and whispered.
“The witch history books say this: Among all races, humans are the most cunning, so you must doubt them again and again. I still can’t trust you yet. I’m sorry.”
She gently stroked the sleeping Allen’s hair and pulled him into her arms.
*
“Ugh, my head…”
Allen woke up first, clutching his throbbing skull. This kept happening. The fragmented memories. He wondered if the stress was causing it.
Serina was still sleeping peacefully beside him.
“Serina. Wake up. It’s morning.”
He kissed her and whispered. She frowned as if it tickled and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Just a little longer…”
“Aigoo. You’d sleep all day if I let you.”
“You slept all day yesterday too.”
“Yeah, that’s true…”
I got up first and went for a walk with Melo. The weather was nice. I decided it was my turn to make lunch. Since Serina seemed tired, I thought I’d pick some mushrooms and make mushroom stew.
If I went a little deeper into the forest, there was a cool, shaded spot where mushrooms grew in abundance. As I ventured further in, I spotted something shaped like a person.
Melo ran ahead first.
“Woof! Woof woof!”
Up close, I saw a frail woman collapsed on the ground. Her face was pale yellow from exhaustion, and she looked completely drained of strength.
“H-hey, are you okay?”
“Ugh…”
“Miss?”
She didn’t even seem to have the energy to respond. I hurriedly lifted her and ran back to the house. It was an emergency. She was completely naked, but I didn’t even register it. A life was on the line.
Once home, I quickly gave her water to drink, laid her on the floor, and threw some clothes over her. I looked around for something to feed her and ended up spooning a bit of the leftover stew from yesterday into her mouth.
“Mmm…”
She swallowed the stew. I wasn’t sure, but it seemed like she had passed the critical stage. Serina still hadn’t woken up, so I had no idea what to do. I was worried that if she woke up and saw the woman, she might try to kill her.
Ah, well. From the way she acted in the village, maybe she wouldn’t. I should hurry and go gather those mushrooms.
*
After Allen left for the forest, back at his house.
Serina woke up. Allen was already gone. As she looked around, she noticed a woman lying on the floor.
“Who the hell is this bitch?”
Serina’s face twisted in confusion.
“Ah… what is that guy? There’s something dignified about her. I can’t just act recklessly.”
The woman who had been lying down muttered to herself as she sat up. Serina looked at her with disbelief.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? Why is a witch in a human’s house?”
“Hah… have you lost your mind? You’re Lilith, aren’t you? That aura I felt back then… it’s exactly the same.”
“And if I am? What are you going to do about it?”
“You must be crazy, wanting to die so badly.”
“Heh. Anyway, you can’t kill me.”
“What?”
The woman sneered at the witch.
“I can’t kill you either. But you can’t kill me.”
“What? Weren’t you the one who ran away from me last time?”
“Hmph. That wasn’t entirely because of you.”
“You’re hilarious. What do you mean I can’t kill you?”
“You are the vessel of a fallen archangel. I am the First Woman. God simply made us this way. So let’s not interfere with each other.”
“Hah… this bitch is really bold, isn’t she?”
“What if I am? That human boy is mine, so don’t touch him. Such incredible lust… pure yet overwhelming. Ah… my nipples are getting hard just thinking about it…”
Lilith caressed her own breasts, licking her lips.
“Hah… look at this crazy bitch. Have you completely lost it?”
“You keep calling me bitch this, bitch that. We’re both bitches here.”
“You stay away from Allen. He’s mine.”
“He’s the male you’re going to use to reach your complete form, right? Go ahead and try. I’m the expert when it comes to seducing men.”
“What…? Are you done talking?”
“Yup. All done. No matter how hard you fly around, he’ll end up coming to me soon enough.”
Serina’s hands trembled with rage as she lunged for Lilith’s throat. But the moment her long nails reached Lilith’s neck, they were stopped by a strange barrier.
“See? I told you. We can’t kill each other. Our fates are on completely different paths.”
“What the hell is this…”
“If you’re angry, go complain to God. Though honestly, isn’t this just another one of God’s sick jokes? Tsk tsk…”
Lilith grumbled to herself. Serina, unable to accept the situation, screamed and tore at her own hair.
“Allen… is dead.”
Serina spoke in a voice filled with pure fury.