Chapter Text
In all honesty, it was a normal day. He finished his work at the Northern Bank and went to his temporary residence. But he stupidly decided to go for a walk after he finished dinner.
As he walked, the ground tore open, just like that day when he was much too young. Not much can be done after falling into the abyss.
You just kinda wait until you hit the floor.
Maybe he could've done something, but his mind stopped working. He hadn't felt this relaxed in such a long time…
When he got close to the ground, he shifted his body so that he would land on his feet, but, of course, he was not so gracefully lighted. Childe recognized the smell of the abyss, murky, bloody, and humid. How disgusting. He hated it here… but surprisingly enough, no monsters approached him. He wandered for a bit, looking around the place.
It felt so familiar…
He hated that he could still remember every single detail of this place.
He knew that if he turned right at a purple crystal formation, he would reach a castle.
The castle only got worse over time. Broken and chipped, covered in mud, moss, and blood. He heard something behind him and immediately whipped around, his blade at the creature's throat.
“L-lord A-ajax, please calm your fury, it's me” The abyss lector stuttered out. She was a violet lightning type of abyss lector. On her head was a flower crown, which Ajax had placed on her head when he first fell in.
“Flores?” He asked. “Huh, so you're still alive.”
“Y-yes! Along with the others!” Flores said excitedly, “We have been in hiding ever since the ‘Abyss Princess’ came to this section, we’ve been waiting for you, Lord!”
Tartaglia couldn't help but smile. When he first fell into the Abyss, his teacher, Skirk, taught him how to fight, but she left him one day to fight for himself. He met Flores, who was injured because of a strange woman in white clothes, and helped her heal. She brought him to her comrades, consisting of anything between Slimes to Abyss Herolds. They greeted him warmly and taught him to fight. But even if these creatures appeared kind, they were cruel and merciless. Childe supposes that's where he gets his personality from.
“Is Joryu still alive?” Tartaglia asks. He was an Abyss Herold who was especially mean, yet took time out of his (not) busy schedule to train Ajax.
After 2 years, he was able to beat all of his comrades, except Joryu. Ajax saw Joryu as a father since his own wasn't the nicest…
“He is… “ Flores responded solemnly. “But he was injured when the Abyss Princess’ people attacked us in order to convince us to join their side. But we fought back because Lord Ajax is the only God who deserves our respect!” She said, fire in her voice.
Tartaglia chuckled, “Let's head inside, yes?”
“Mhm mhm!”
The two arrived in a room where everyone resided. “Joryu! Joryu!” Flores said happily
The abyss lector looked up from his spot on the floor. One of his horns was broken off, along with the spear on his arm. Many parts of the fabric were torn, scratched, and dirtied.
“Flores? What's gotten you so-” He stopped when he noticed Childe. “Lord Ajax…? It's truly you, isn't it? What are you doing back here?!” He said worried, his voice was like an old man's,
“I fell back in again…” He chuckled nervously, he sat down next to Joryu, petting a Rift Hound who had immediately floated over and sat on his lap “Are you okay?”
“I should be fine, I'm an Abyss Herald for a reason M’lord.”
Childe smiled, ignoring the multiple hilichurls who were happily climbing all over him, not unlike how a child would.
“Lord Ajax is back!” He heard someone yell before multiple Abyss Mages teleported in front of him.
“Lord Ajax, Do you remember me?!” One asked happily, a hydro mage.
“Abyssal God Sir! Look! I'm big enough to use the staff you made me!” An electro one said, balancing the staff on his foot.
“God of Abyss! Please marry me!” A cryo one shouted
“Hey!! I was going to say that!” A pyro one responded. The 2 of them started to fight before a Fathomless Flames Lector came in and picked them up like children.
“You both are much too young!” He said in a stern voice. “Now, go play and leave Lord Ajax alone… all of you!”
“Yes sir Tarega…” the 4 mages disappeared with a small flash of light.
“I see the quartets have grown up quite well.” Ajax could still remember finding the 4 of them huddled in a corner, injured and crying. That's why he learned the ancient language they spoke so that he could communicate with them.
The Flame Lector sat in front of Joryu and Tartaglia, watching Flores try her best to pull the hilichurls off of Tartaglia. He had a bandage wrapped tightly around his leg, along with the beautiful smell of iron. “M’lord, how have you been?”
Ajax thought for a second “It's been lonely without you guys… part of me wished I never left”
“What?” All 3 said at the same time
“Ajax! You mustnt think like that!” Tarega said worriedly, “A human can't survive down here!”
“I'm not a human anymore,” Childe responded, flopping down onto the lap of Joryu. The Abyss Herald ran his claws through the boy's ginger hair.
All 4 of them were quiet.
“Human isn't always a good thing I suppose,” Flores said, a stutter in her voice. “When I…” she faltered, but continued on “When I was human, everything was so hard… i wasn't strong, or brave or- or!”
Tarega nodded, patting Flores’ back. The 4 stayed in silence.
“I got married,” Tartaglia said, trying to break the awkwardness
All 3 of the lectors gasped, like in those really bad soap operas; super overexaggerated and loud.
“Congratulations Abyssal God!” Flores said, her hands by her cheek. Joryu ruffled up Tartaglia’s hair, and Terega clapped happily.
“Sir Ajax, married?” A hilichurl asked, before falling onto Ajax’s lap, hitting the sleeping Rift Hound.
“That's a right little one, it means I found someone who I love,” Ajax said smiling at the baby hilichurl, lifting and holding him like an infant
“Love…? I love mommy! Should I marry her?” Another hilichurl asked, before climbing onto his head and sitting on top.
“Sure, whatever you like,” Ajax said softly, before handing both of them to Flores. “Flores, how old are you again?” He asked,
“514! Or as Joryu says, ``You have the mind of a baby hilichurl!” She mocked, in a deep voice.
“Ah, then why don't you go and play with the others? We need to talk about some serious stuff”
“Okay, Lord Ajax!” She picked up the remaining hilichurl and skipped off.
“What's wrong M’Lord?” Tarega asked once she left the room.
“I need to leave, but I want to find a way to take you all with me…” Ajax said, frowning at the two.
“Lord Ajax…” Joryu started before he was interrupted by Tarega blowing his nonexistent nose.
“S-sorry, he's just so… so kind!” The flame lecture almost broke into tears.
“I know the current Abyss Princess is able to freely travel between Teyvat and the Abyss, so I believe if you became the true God Of The Abyss, you would be able to do that very same thing!” Jaryu continued on, ignoring the weeping Tarega.
“A God? How would that happen?”
“Well, most gods reached divinity during the archon war, due to how many were dying”
“That was over 500 years ago…” Ajax said
“The time in the abyss is… complicated. You of all people should know that. 3 years in here is 3 days up there”
Ajax nodded. “Are you suggesting that I could…”
“Travel back to when the archon war started?” Tarega finished for him, finally finished with his crying “Indeed! We do that kinda stuff all the time to avoid facing trouble with the Abyss Bitch- I MEAN PRINCESS.”
Both Jaryu and Childe had to stifle a laugh.
“Give us some time and we can open a link between now and when the archon war started,” Jaryu said standing up.
“Alright, but don't hurt yourselves,” Ajax said, eyeing the broken sword on Jaryu’s arm, and the bandaged leg on Tarega.
“Don't worry M’lord” The herald said, “Please rest, or train, whichever you need.”
Childe nodded and walked away into a room that he remembered as the training room. If he were to become a powerful god, he needed to get stronger.
In the 3 days he waited for Jaryu and Tarega to finish linking up a portal, he trained like his life depended on it, which it technically did. He brushed up on all his weaponry skills and forms.
In the abyss, his Foul Legacy was the most powerful, which made sense. He could use it all he wanted and no energy would be used. If he trained his body to get used to it, he could use it against the gods without being incapacitated afterward. He walked around in it for a day, surprising many with his newfound appearance. The children loved it, climbing all over, though it was quite hard to navigate the place since of his height and size.
The day arrived when Jaryu walked in.
“Are you all prepared my lord?” He asked, Childe, nodding in response. Childe flipped a hood over his head, covering his hideously scarred face.
“Please, keep everyone safe.” He said, looking at Flame Lector and Herold. “I'll be back soon,” He slung a bag over his shoulder and walked through the portal the two created.