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— ☆ —
Strumming along the strings of the guitar, the woman of otherworldly origin played a tune that would forever be tied to home.
It was a pathetic endeavor, music was weakness as well, music was not strength as it too stirred emotions within oneself.
The emotions of fear, agony, grief.
She remembered everything, especially the fire that burned so violently, took away lives and especially took away her parents who she could not help in the slightest.
What a weakling.
She did not want a scenario like that again, she did not want to be unable to save anyone that she cared about again–
No, no.
Care? Caring was also a weakness, so she should not even get attached in the first place.
Oh Skirk, tiny pitiful Skirk, still having her fragile emotions remain intact like there was anything worth keeping, like she had anything worth keeping, all was gone…
All was futile.
Even if she had something, she would be turned into ash in the end because her fate was that she was to face her own master, no matter how many times that she pleaded with him that she did not want to do that.
But what did he say?
“I don’t care what you want, what you want matters little to not!”
“I have told you this several times: erase all your futile emotions, forget about from whence you came as they’re only weighing you down— even after death, you let yourself be weighed down by weaknesses?”
“Ha, you cannot be serious… I did not force you through forgery just for these pitiful pleads, now pick up that sword and swing it until your bones not only crack but break! Let it pierce through your skin, let yourself be forged furthermore by agony!”
“And always be reminded… that I will destroy you if you don’t defeat me, scatter your fragments around the stars like worthless dross even!”
Threats, sadistic pleasure that reveled in the cries of the young girl who tried her best not to cry. She was scared of crying so after some time, she may have gotten used to it but these sessions did not get any better, they still hurt as much as they did before but the only difference was that Skirk was able to mend her own skin back– not in the way she wanted but in the way her master, Surtalogi, wanted.
He was very satisfied about this outcome, he did not even care that she had practically lost every single one of her limbs, turned into a numb “creature” of habit who knew of nothing but violence, her hands reflexively inflicted agony.
And it terrified her when she did that because the first time that it had happened was when Surtalogi, for once, tried laying a hand on her hair to give her the smallest praise that she earned painstakingly but what did little Skirk do?
She twisted his hand and then stared at him in horror when she realized that she hurt him.
Surtalogi on the other hand scoffed at first, then he chuckled with the eeriest grin plastered on his face, looking proud.
“Good Skirk, you at least know not to trust anyone.”
“But I…” Skirk was still visibly shaken up, she opened her mouth but the continuation of those words felt like they would set her tongue on fire so she accepted—
*Crack…!*
I don’t want to feel that way.
Skirk’s eyes widened, her hands freezing on the spot when she realized that she felt uncomfortably cold again.
She sighed and focused on relaxing her grip on the guitar, otherwise she could break it out of sheer frustration that once more, her repressed memories were flaring up in her mind uncomfortably, like those flames.
“Master…? Why did you stop playing?”
Huh–?
Skirk snapped her head to the side, her facial expression finally showing anything other than pure blankness.
She was surprised.
The ginger haired little boy was surprised that she was able to express herself but more than surprised, he was frightened. “Ahah… did I… do something wrong?”
“No.” Skirk’s gaze reverted back to her usual dull and emotionless one. “But you are supposed to be training the bow right now, Ajax.”
“A–Ahh but the bow is so annoying!” Ajax pouted, his cheeks puffing up. “Besides, why can’t I just take a break and listen to you play? I didn’t even know that you were able to play an instrument, Master!”
“With that attitude, you won’t be able to get stronger.” She nonchalantly reminded him. “A true warrior adapts to each and every single one of the weapons, they don’t stick to just one pick – that is how the weak lose, by limiting themselves to just one.”
“...I know, I know, still–”
“Still what?”
“Why can’t I listen to you play?”
This child… how can a child be so competent yet also so needy?
Skirk received no answer but she couldn’t help but realize how absurd that question sounded to her.
Ajax was just a child.
She too was a child when she lost her limbs and innocence but this did not mean that the same had to apply to him.
Sure, he had already become too bloodthirsty, a natural side effect of falling into the abyss and having to fend for himself and fearing for his life–
Fear…
It was too late now, Skirk had been enabling his bloodshed too much already, there was no turning back from that.
And since the boy loved training under her, abruptly making that come to a halt would no doubt produce furthermore unhealthy ways of coping with what he went through, he could feel like he is not good enough for her.
In Skirk’s perfectionist lens, he already was not but outside of that lens; he did not need to be perfect for her.
Which was what solidified her decision to cast him out of the abyss, she was going to train him to a point of “perfection” and then send him back to where he had belonged, where he was meant to be.
This child had a home, unlike her. His parents must’ve been worried about him, his siblings too.
And that was also another one of the reasons why she was not going to train him until his bones broke. She wanted him to come out stronger with his limbs fully intact, that would be a feat way more impressive and also fitting for a child like him who still had hopes and dreams.
“Very well.” Would Skirk actually make an exception, gesturing for him to sit down on the other box crate. “Just this once but afterwards, I expect you to continue your training and take it just as seriously as you did before.”
Ajax’s eyes lit up as he nodded enthusiastically, doing as she said and sitting down on the crate, with his ears wide open; he waited for her to play.
So Skirk did, after all, her hands no longer felt as cold as before.
She also allowed herself to reminisce about the past, just this once, after countless years of ignoring it.
Also she knew she would regret it later, that was a cycle of its own but in a moment as pleasant as this, she chose to forget her own reality that was her end still hanging above her head.
Because of how much she had let herself be free, she found herself accompanying the tune of the instrument with her own voice, singing along to it – revealing the truth behind how this tune actually sounded like.
“When you miss us, you can hum this along, sweetheart.”
…I do miss you all, especially you two, mom and dad.
And Ajax listened, it was unbeknownst to him that Skirk was also grieving in that moment as he was more focused on the song itself.
That was good, just as she wanted.
A child like him shouldn’t bear more than he is supposed to.
A child like him should not be around her, she was certainly not a good influence on him.
A child like him shouldn’t ever be associated with her, it could tie him to the fate of impending doom that was her master: Surtalogi.
Besides, he also should not rely on her alone to get stronger. It had to be something that he wanted for himself, not for her – being selfish was the key.
When she was done playing the tune and singing along, Ajax beamed. “That was so good, Master! Your singing made it even better–!”
“...Thanks.” Skirk begrudgingly accepted the praise even though it felt wrong to. “Now go back to training.”
“Aw– but can’t you play a second time?”
“I won’t let you hunt again if you don’t.”
That seemed to do just the trick as Ajax huffed and puffed at her before running back to his training grounds.
Yeah, he would probably be a little upset with her but since he always came around in the end, she expected that this would not be any different either.
Speaking of hunting though, it was her turn to bring food back.
So she set her guitar down and grabbed her sword, setting on her way…
….
— ☆ —
“This tastes… slightly better…” Ajax commented, still speaking with a mouthful of food.
“Chew your food first if you don’t want to choke.” Skirk reminded him.
And that reminder made him realise that he accidentally ended up speaking to her again despite him being supposed to be mad at her for upsetting her.
It was embarrassing for him so he reverted back to ignoring her, giving her the sting eye again but due to his flustered state, he could barely keep up his “stern” look.
And that secretly amused Skirk. “Secretly” because she would not ever admit something like that to his face, her honesty would both frighten him and it would also make his face go redder.
So she casually shared a fact, pretending like she did not feel a single thing. “I used a different mixture of ingredients this time, to make it more bearable on your palate. Don’t expect me to do this all the time though.”
“W–Wait, really–” Ajax paused, he couldn’t help but frown in defeat when he realised that she got him to speak again. “I… urgh, okay, I am no longer mad at you, Master.”
“You were?” Skirk played dumb. “I didn’t realise.”
“H–Huh..? Oh… uh…”
“Relax, just enjoy your food before it goes cold, rotten even since things are different here in the abyss.”
“Rotten–?! Not again!” Ajax dug into the food.
This child… he fell for that again, at least this white lie does the job efficiently.
White lies only went so far though. Had Ajax been able to differentiate between “normal” abyssal food and rotten food, he would have been able to tell that he had been being lied to all along.
No doubt that he would get upset about it in the future once he realised that but that was the least of Skirk’s worries.
What her worries were at the moment was his wellbeing. Hopefully for the rest of the days to come, she would be able to send him back to Teyvat in one piece.
“Master, aren’t you going to eat too?” Ajax remarked, obviously noticing her staring at her own food with a zoned out expression.
“I will and am going to now.” Skirk answered, taking a bite or two out of the fish.
That different mixture was really bearable on the palate compared to the usual ones that she made. No wonder that Ajax tended to complain about them but alas, she couldn’t always make this dish that way, sources were limited here and she intended to use them wisely.
“Master, can I ask you a question?” He suddenly blurted out.
“You already asked one before.” She took another bite out of her food and looked at the expectant boy for a brief moment before giving in. “Alright, what is it?”
“For how long are you going to train me? Please say that you’re going to train me forever, this is already so much fun!”
“Who knows? Maybe it is going to be forever, maybe it isn’t.”
“Eh…? What’s that supposed to mean…?”
“Figure it out, I already answered your question.”
“But–”
“Want more?” Skirk distracted him by pointing at the third plate which contained the rest of the food. “If you do, take more.”
“Really–? Don’t mind if I do, Master!” Ajax took the bait and had more of the fish in delight.
The reason why she was being more generous with the servings was because she merely just wanted to make more of their time together until she sent him back home.
So until that day had arrived, she would look after him extra carefully.
….
— ☆ —
Change of plans.
Skirk did not expect such an occurrence to happen but she couldn’t send Ajax back home that soon.
She thought that only a week alone was enough for her to send him back home.
Only if she hadn’t noticed that he had awakened “it” that she would have proceeded on with that plan.
No matter, she could perhaps spare some more time for him since time passed on slowly in the abyss.
How lucky Ajax was, for wanting their time to be extended on for longer and then getting his wish.
How unlucky Ajax was, for unintentionally awakening it, being tied to some fate like she was and having to face a threat in the future.
So since Skirk could not let him face it underprepared, she would agree to train him for a while longer and increase the difficulties of these training sessions.
After all, for a child, weaponry was a good starting point.
….
— ☆ —
“Our time has come to an end…” Skirk slowly walked past him, while gazing up. In the underbelly of the abyss, she could sense “it” swimming under but thankfully, it did not possess a threat to the young child.
She opened her palm, revealing a floating crystal in her palm which also triggered other crystals to appear around her. Then turning her head to the side for a split second, she would allow him this: “–before I send you back to where you belong; you may ask me three questions and I will answer them truthfully.”
Ajax did not look too happy about that in the slightest, he had protested against it before but since Skirk would not budge at that moment? She certainly wouldn’t budge now either.
“First…” He raised a finger up, thinking about it for a bit as he closed an eye and then posed the question. “Why did you agree to train me?”
“You awakened ‘it.’” Skirk simply answered while still gazing upwards, summoning the crystal in her palm again. “This combat training will prove useful in the future… If you want to survive that battle? You must get stronger.”
Ajax looked a little confused. Instead of feeling fear, he simply didn’t understand what was there to do since Skirk already said that his training was complete– what did she now mean by saying that he still had to get stronger?
“But I've already mastered all kinds of weapons!” He frowned. “What else am I supposed to do?”
“Weaponry is just a starting point.” Skirk sent him a side glance once more. “Besides, your bow work is sloppy.” She placed great emphasis on that part so that he didn’t think that he had achieved perfection.
Closing her palm once more, she would then crack open a “mirror” that would show him these “visions.”
A fight with self – reforge yourself over and over until no weak part of you remains. Never let it conquer you.
“When you’ve truly mastered tangible weapons, you’ll be ready for the next level.”
From the shards be reborn, piece yourself together and fight your battle as whole, not incomplete. Be your own weapon, rely on yourself for the finale.
“Heaven and earth become your blades, all of creation bends to your will.”
And face “it.” Your greatest and final enemy that you are meant to use all this strength against.
“After that, you can follow in my master’s footsteps and seek even higher power.”
*Crack…!*
Skirk shattered the “mirror” – revealing herself once more, now in her abyssal attire with the crystal shards floating around her for one moment and then floating away the next second, like those memories that were meant to be bygones.
“Whoa…” Ajax almost let himself show his amazement but compared to before, he was not as easily swayed now, he crossed his arms and put on a huffy act again but right after – he asked his final question: “...Okay, final question: why do you scowl all the time? Doesn’t getting stronger make you happy?”
Skirk sighed, slowly approaching Ajax closer.
“Uh… Master?” He didn’t know what to say to that but before he knew it–
She had grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him off to the abyssal portal, from there, she said her final words:
“Traverse the wreckage of the stars one day and you will know the world as I see it.”
Then the portal fully closed, leaving Skirk all alone to herself again.
This was for the best.
He was making her focus more on her weak parts anyway and she was spoiling him a little too much.
It would be much better for their paths to no longer be intertwined like this, for her own and his sake.
“Goodbye, Ajax.”
Hopefully, she would see him be stronger than before, like she would be too – pursuit of strength never stopped after all, no matter what.
At all costs, she had to get stronger.
….
— ☆ —
Amidst the snowy plains, there Skirk sat on a snowy rock, guitar in hand as she mindlessly strummed along a few chords, trying to think of a suitable tune to play in this solitary spot.
But her thoughts came to a halt when she sensed something swift, an elemental projectile that was heading her way and was about to strike it down.
With her camouflaged “Cryo” abilities, Skirk froze over the arrow that she turned her her towards – almost like she did that with just a mere stare.
Since it froze over quickly, she was already able to tell that the arrow had been infused with the Hydro element.
She also did not need to identify the place of the shooter or who it was either, she already knew who it could be that would attempt to try her like this.
And this “archer” soon appeared in front of her when she was not looking with a swift flash, utilizing a second power of sorts.
Unfazed, Skirk quickly snapped her head back to the incoming strike and channeled so much overwhelming amount of Cyro-natured power into the Electro blades that the shooter, who was none other than Ajax, yelped in surprise and found himself stumbling back.
“Hello, Ajax.” Skirk nonchalantly greeted the tall ginger haired man as if he did not just attempt to strike her down. “You have gotten stronger, I see.”
Ajax panted, slowly gathering himself back up with a smile as he stood still. “Master… I forgot how sharp and cunning you are– that just makes our battle way more exciting! Don’t you think so?”
“I suppose.” Skirk did like the sound of having a sparring match with him but she already knew what the outcome would be. “But you’re still not ready for that yet.”
“Me? Not ready–? I, Tartaglia, have been training nonstop with every chance that I had! Surely I can make you use both hands on me now, Master?”
“Tartaglia… so that is one of these names you go by now, Ajax?”
“...Huh–?” Ajax looked a little worried now. “Am I really not strong enough for you to use both hands? Is that why you’re dodging that question of mine?”
“No, you are strong enough for me to use both hands but not strong enough to last long.” Skirk bluntly clarified.
Ajax did not seem to be deterred by that though, instead, he looked even more excited at the fact that he had a chance to go against her now– thrilled even. “That’s fine, I want every chance that I can get with you, Master…”
“Alright then.” Skirk set her guitar down and hopped off of the rock as she formed her swords. “Have at me, get it out of your system.”
When Ajax quickly obliged to that, Skirk tightened her hold on her weapons and immediately parried the incoming strike that was him attempting to slash her with the force of what seemed like a vision’s power: the Electro element.
Skirk was a little curious about that one considering the fact that one of the laws of this world was that no one could wield one than one vision, with the exception of The Traveler according to many eyewitnesses in Teyvat but upon meeting them did she understand that they did not possess one either, they were just able to harness elements naturally.
So what was this power that Ajax was using?
While Skirk was both pondering and deflecting strikes from Ajax, he gradually realized that she was not breaking a single sweat while she was defending herself against him so naturally, frustration slipped through the cracks of his thrill – his yearning for a fully serious battle.
Noticing that, she kept that up on purpose no matter what he threw her way.
Weaponry? Easily counterable.
Usage of vision? Also easily counterable.
That secondary source of power? Same as the previous.
Both of them combined? That was alright, the camouflaged version of her powers could still deal with that.
Ajax then resorted to clashing with her so much to the point of leading her up to the sky, from there, they clashed there and created mini explosions.
“More, Master! Show me more of your strength!” He laughed with a hysteric expression.
“Didn’t I teach you–” She dodged one of his incoming shots of the bow that was infused in Electro. “–to not openly use battle talk against your opponent in dire situations, Ajax?”
“I know and remember everything that you taught me, Master…” Ajax took a swing at her again but she parried it, making him back off. “–and so let me show you my strength!”
Right as Skirk was about to throw her sword at her, Ajax imbued himself with the combination of the two elements and then harnessed abyssal energy, transforming into his Foul Legacy form.
Skirk would’ve mercilessly struck him down had she not been a little curious as to what he could do now.
Should I switch to my abyssal attire as well? Hmm…
I might accidentally use too much of my power on him though, so perhaps not.
She waited on standby until Ajax’s transformation was complete.
This time, he lunged at her faster, tried to use more force to prevent her from parrying his double-edged sword which looked somewhat possible at first but then Skirk decided that she did not want to play defensive anymore so she not only parried it but also swiftly sneaked around him and landed a nasty gash on his back.
Ajax did not take that too kindly and released a burst of mixed energy to put a distance between them but Skirk wasn’t fazed as she used her own power as a shield to endure it and used his own trick against him, knocking him away.
“Maybe you lasted longer than I expected…” Skirk began, in the blink of an eye would she appear right above him and effectively dropkick him down to the ground. “–but that is only because I wanted to see how far you’ve come.”
Unable to avoid that in time, Ajax ended up crashing onto the ground with such a heavy impact that his presence made a dent in the snowy ground but also in that moment, the shell that was his Foul Legacy form cracked away after it sizzled intensely.
Beside him, there Skirk was with her weapons absent and Ajax was not able to recover from the shock of it all in time because– how?
“You did well, Ajax.” She said after making sure that the damage that she did to his Foul Legacy form did not reflect too much on him physically, that way, she was able to walk away without a single fragment of her conscience weighing her down.
Thinking that she was going to leave him so abruptly, Ajax got up on his feet and went after her without thinking much about how sore his own body was.
“Master, wait!”
In reality, Skirk was just searching for her guitar and eventually, she found it – which meant that they returned to the spot that they were initially at.
“Found it.” She would pick up the instrument, sending him a side glance. “Why follow after me? Do you think I am being dishonest with my praise?”
“No…” Ajax shook his head. “It’s just– it’s been so long, Master.”
“Eh, it’s been longer in the Abyss but I digress.” She acknowledged. “Just like before, I will let you ask me three questions—”
“Can’t we talk a little more?”
“That’s question one and by ‘little’ – guess I can do that, what is your next question?”
Instead of scoffing, Ajax surprisingly took that well and thought about what he was going to ask next.
Why surprising? Skirk didn’t know, maybe it was because he was right, it has been quite a long time and she didn’t even get to watch him grow up which meant that she still saw him as that same little child who was both brave yet incredibly helpless, all alone in the Abyss until she found him.
And that was ridiculous, he was a grown man now.
“Can you play that tune again?”
Out of everything you can ask me… you ask that? Skirk wanted to say but she held tongue.
“...That tune? The one from my homeland that you liked so much to the point of pestering me nonstop about it?”
“Okay you don’t have to put it like that– haha, can you blame me? You have a beautiful singing voice, Master.”
“If you liked it that much then I guess I do… ah, right, the answer to that question is yes – so long as you don’t ambush me again in the middle of playing.”
“And for the last question! I want to ask you this: will we meet again?”
“That depends, I still need to get stronger but maybe, like this occasion, fate may intertwine our ways.”
“Then, should I visit you in the Abyss?”
“That’s another question and you have already reached the limit.” Skirk went ahead and sat on the same spot that she previously chose.
Guitar in hand, she adjusted her hold on it before looking at him, sending him a questioning look of if he too was going to sit down beside her on the other rock.
Ajax was a bit taken aback but with an apologetic smile, he obliged.
She began playing the instrument, prepping for a bit before starting to sing along to the tune that she no longer felt stiff playing.
The memories still stuck by; as did her origin but with a less heavy heart, Skirk gave it her all, knowing that if she did feel troubled – Ajax may be able to pick up on it this time.
Thankfully, no trouble plagued her mind, for she was able to give Ajax one of the things that he had been wanting all along: to hear her sing again.
He was soothed, now looking more willing to let her go.
“You’re silent.” Skirk pointed out. “You don’t have anything else to say to me?”
“Well, I already learned a good thing or two from you…” Ajax trailed. “I think I now understand you better too, though I hadn’t traversed the wreckage of the stars like you did– I get it, your battle still isn’t over.”
“Correct.” She got up and slowly took a few steps forward, carrying the guitar with one hand now as she extended the other out, opening up the abyssal portal.
But she did not go immediately, she looked at him once more and said. “Go home, take care of yourself and get some rest, cherish your family. You’ve done enough for today, you can do more so long as tomorrow exists.”
“Huh…” Ajax realised that she showed care for his current condition and that earned an even wider smile from him. “Yeah, sure Master! But just you wait, when we meet again– I'll get so strong that I will be able to finally land a scratch or two on you!”
Skirk subtly smiled. “...Very well, I’ll be looking forward to that day then. Goodbye, Ajax.”
Ajax chuckled, giving her a little wave. “Goodbye, Master.”
She turned her back to him and did not look back a single time.
Because she knew that this wouldn’t be the last time they’d be crossing paths again, so no need for furthermore dwelling…
….