Chapter Text
The alleyway he had chosen to collapse in was dirty with trash and gutter water, which was flowing down in abundance due to the heavy rain currently pouring. Despite it being the middle of summer and, ironically, his birthday, Ajax felt cold, almost freezing.
Well, that could be blamed on the huge fucking dagger still lodged into his side.
His own weapon too.
It was starting to feel like this day was filled to the brim with shitty ironies.
Foul Legacy, he had called himself. The most dangerous man in all of Teyvat. Belonging to a group of assassins, all masters in their craft, each deadlier than the last. Ajax had left his home country and taken his art international, for a good fight or difficult target could not be found sitting in one place his whole life. Despite being just shy of 21, the ginger had made a name for himself in the killing world, skilled in both ranged attacks and being savage whenever he could get close to the target.
His style was a bit messier than the rest of the organization he had belonged to, some of his comrades called him a messy toddler at the dining table, whenever he was finished with a kill, but hey, if it was dead, it was good enough for him. It sounded strange, but the thrill of a fresh kill made him feel alive.
Ha...another irony, given his current state
But damn, those twins were a bit much to take on, his fault for getting cocky.
The Luminar twins were siblings high on the hit list of many a billionaire. Still young but already taken a stake in almost any company in the world that they deemed worthy. Slipping into their party as a disguised waiter was child's play, and flirting with both the blondes was fun in its own way, even if the objective was to get them alone together to take them out. What he hadn't counted on was that Lumine Luminar was a beast in the fighting department, no wonder people joked that the twins didn't need bodyguards since they watched each other's backs like hawks.
They had managed to lead the fight on the roof, Ajax feeling proud of himself for managing to land a quite few hits on the twins, when Lumine, still dressed in her finest, had given him a hard kick in the stomach, making him stumble, which gave Aether ample time to grab for his dropped dagger and plunge it into his side, deep enough to fuck him up for good.
Sure he was out of commission, the twins rushed back to the party, no doubt to call for reinforcements, which meant Ajax had to get out of there and fast.
He spotted the fire escape ladder going down the side of the building, which landed him in the dirty alley he was now bleeding out in.
Well, not really the way he pictured himself kicking the bucket, but at least it was while doing something he loved.
Breathing was becoming more difficult each second he worked his lungs, which signified his end was near and he closed his eyes in defeat.
Although his mother always took them to church each week, he guessed that the next time he opened his eyes would not be in front of the pearly white gates of Celestia.
---
Well... It wasn't a forever-burning inferno either.
As Ajax slowly peeled his eyes open, what he was met with was...an elevator..?
At least the room he was currently inside seemed to resemble one and the familiar feeling of descending was present.
The pain he was feeling just a few moments ago was gone, so that was a relief.
The ride took a while, but when it stopped, the plush red and gold doors slid open and a classy hallway covered in more gold and blood red was revealed.
Ajax took a cautious step outside and went down the only way possible - straight ahead. I felt like the hallway was infinite and his footsteps echoed on the dark marble floors. After what felt like an hour, another door could be spotted in the distance, and as he neared it, the confused chatter of people seemed to flood the walls of wherever he had ended up in. As he finally reached the door, the others he heard had also reached the same destination, all as confused as he was.
As he looked around, he spotted both men and women in various shapes and sizes and various....states, he could say. A man next to him had an axe sticking from his head, though he looked just a bit puzzled, not how a person should look with a weapon sticking from his head. A girl a few rows down had her white dress ripped and stained with blood, a huge gash in her stomach, but she was also as calm as ever. Ajax was surprised he didn't see any guts sticking out.
When it seemed like everyone had arrived, the heavy doors in front slowly opened, revealing another hallway and Ajax wanted to rip his hair out if the walk was going to be as long as the last one. This hallway seemed to be large enough to accommodate all people present at once and they started the journey.
As the parade shuffled on their way, a young man with a pair of scissors sticking from his right eye approached him. He was attractive and looked to be his age and wasn't bothered by the object lodged in his face no less than the rest of the people present.
''Hey, I'm Kaeya. '' The man; Kaeya, introduced himself, sticking out his hand in a greeting. Ajax just shrugged and offer his hand back, squeezing the tanned hand in a handshake.
''Ajax.'' The ginger offered in return. ''I don't assume you know more about what is going on than the rest of us?'' He asked, hoping Kaeya knew more than he did.
''Can't say that I do. But judging from the freakfest around us, I would assume we are in some sort of hell.'' Kaeya answered, unbothered by the fact that they were now in hell.
''Well, I was not hoping for Celestia either. Leaves only one place.'' Ajax shrugged. Kaeya giggled next to him, the sound deep and flowing like honey.
''Hmm, then we all did something bad when we were alive. What are you in for?'' His new companion asked.
''Was an assassin for the Fatui. Was rank eleven before two blondes skewered me with my own weapon.'' Ajax pointed to the dagger still stuck in his side. ''What's your story?''
''Ah, my country was obsessed with prophecies and shit, and since my family took over the previous dynasty, thought we would bring ruin and sacrificed us in the main square of the capital. Said my eye was a symbol of a curse so they went for the weak spot. Seems they were right, for me to end up here.'' Kaeya laid out his story as the crowd continued down the hall, growing closer to the hopefully last door of the trip.
''Wow, that's heavy. Now I feel like a loser.'' Ajax sighed, which made Kaeya giggle again by his side.
''Eh, happens to the best of us. Let's just hope this life won't be as short as the last one.''
The crowd stopped at their destination. The door slid open and Ajax almost screamed as he saw another hallway, but this one was a bit different. It branched into 3 paths and a short blonde man sat in the middle of the room at a podium. He raised his head as the crowd filtered inside, standing up from his tall chair, and opened a book sitting on the podium, which was out of reach to anyone else.
''Welcome, mortals. As you may have all gathered from the states you are currently in you are all dead. Deceased. Cold. But this is not the end of the line...well, for most of you. My name is Albedo and I am here to sort you into groups. What these groups mean you will find out after a guide imp shows you to your exit. Now then, let's proceed.'' The...demon? called Albedo started to sort the people in the room by age and gender, which meant Ajax had his new companion next to him while they all waited for what was to come.
''Well, this is going to be interesting. Have you read about demonology while you were still kicking?'' Kaeya asked in a whisper, as they listened to the blonde drone name after name from the list book.
''Can't say that I have. Never really was interested in what came after I plunged a knife into somebody.''
''I also haven't had the pleasure to read about the creatures I am supposedly descended from if we can believe the priests of Khanriah.'' Kaeya's statement made Ajax snort, and thought the crowd that they were a part of was on the larger side, the sorting had finished quickly, and Albedo turned towards the group.
''With the sorting process now complete, please follow your designated imp companion to your respective exit. We here at the Abyss hope you all enjoy your afterlife.'' And with a golden poof of smoke, the man was gone.
The crowd now muttered amongst themselves, when tiny girls, none looking more than ten years old appeared in front of each group.
Unfortunately, Kaeya had been sorted into a different group than his own, so Ajax had to bid farewell, as the tan man was led away by a girl in a purple outfit, looking more like a zombie than an imp, but the tiny horns sticking through her cap were proof enough.
As the rest of the groups left, Ajax was left alone with his group, which still waited for their companion to show up. A few minutes passed and a ball of pure fire dropped from somewhere above, and it only could be called above, since there was no ceiling whatsoever in the place they all were currently at. The ball landed and formed into another tiny, blonde girl with pointed ears, a mix of an elf and an imp, one of her tiny horns sticking out beneath her messy red cap.
''Klee is sorry, Klee was in solitary confinement, but Master Jean let her go. Now Klee will show you where you need to go.'' The tiny girl, called Klee flapped her red wings, leading the group through the only remaining open tunnel.
It was dark, only illuminated by the light of a fireball Klee had conjured in her tiny palm. And when they exited on the other side the room suddenly grew in scale.
The room they were now in was not even half full with all the people that had come with Ajax, almost resembling a large ballroom you only saw in castles in fairytales, but blown up to 100 of the scale. It was covered in gold and amber, red and blue crystals hanging from...something, the point of their beginning invisible. A large fountain with 3 statues sat in the middle of the room, water falling from the statues' hands as if they were the ones pouring it out.
The statues were of 2 men and a woman, one of the males was shorter than the other, and the woman was tall with an intricate braid, which was pictured beautifully in the statues.
The room was not silent, sounds coming from every possible direction, almost forming into a strange shape of music. The crowd waited in confusion when a deep rumbling sounded in the room and 3 humongous thrones emerged from the ground. The fountain started to shake, the water going out as the naked statues began to move and climb down the length of the fountain. They headed towards the thrones, and with each step they took, the marble of the statue fell away, revealing skin, which was immediately covered by fabric and the figures grew in size. When they reached the thrones, they were large enough to sit down on the 5 story tall chairs.
Talk about making an entrance.
The figures settled in their respective thrones, resting their hands on the armrests, and after a moment the middle figure, the tallest one of all, spoke in a deep, rumbling voice.
''Welcome, souls of the recently deceased. We welcome you all to the Abyss. This will be your final resting place and the place where you will spend your after-lives. And as anything living, there must be a purpose for your existence, just as it is above in Teyvat and Celestia. We provide you with that purpose. But before we do that, we must introduce ourselves.'' The large being gestured to the shortest one next to him.
''My precious little souls, I am pleased to introduce myself to you all. You may call me Venti. I am the Overlord of Freedom here in the Abyss. Be free to do anything your little heart desires, because what else can you possibly do more when you're dead already?'' The demon lord giggled, and a shrill sound struck through the room. The Overlord was dressed in flimsy white fabric, two pairs of white wings hanging from his back and a hood covering his head, 2 bright blue braids hanging out it. It looked like with just a particular move of his long, slender legs, his manhood would be revealed, but the overlord seemed like he could care less.
Two normal-sized figures entered from behind the throne of the Overlord of Freedom, one male, and one female.
''But if you find yourselves bored of drinking and lazing around, my generals are here to kick you around if you want. Master Jean, for those who want to take this thing a bit more seriously, is here to provide you with a cushy job.'' The woman who had entered before bowed her head. Her blonde hair was tied back and she was dressed in a uniform similar to a knight. ''But for those who crave violence, Master Diluc is here to help you find outlets for that ever-burning rage.'' The man who had entered bowed his head next. His hair was also tied back, but his uniform looked a bit torn, with chains hanging from the outfit and his gloves decorated with them as well, a large weapon hanging from his back.
The middle Overlord shook his head as Venti giggled and then gestured towards the Overlord on his other side. The Overlord was dressed in purple robes, that fell to the ground and an intricate headpiece sat in her braided hair.
''I shall keep it short. I welcome you souls to the Abyss. My name is Ei and I am the Overlord of Eternity. I uphold the centuries-old traditions of what the afterlife of demons consists of. The old book of demons is my philosophy. My two generals are here to help you find your place.'' Two new generals entered the room. A woman dressed in purple robes, armor covering her points of weakness. Her face was fixed in a hard stare, no readable emotion in sight. The man next to her was also dressed in purple, a large veiled hat obscuring his face as he stood with his hands behind his back, making no motion to uncover himself for anybody.
The Overlord of Eternity had finished her introduction and lowered her head to let the middle Overlord make his own. The middle Overlord was dressed in intricate golden and brown robes, which also fell to the ground, and two large, branch-like horns stuck out of his head. His face looked calm, but wise at the same time, hidden wisdom concealed, and Ajax couldn't help but stare at the beautiful face of the demon. The other Overlords exuded power and danger, but this Overlord looked the most normal.
''As do the other Overlords, I welcome you mortal souls to our ancient realm. My name is Morax, but you may call me Zhongli if you prefer and I am the Overlord of Contracts. I believe in a world and life of order, no matter the circumstances. Rationality, humanity, and emotion are my domains. My two generals will help you settle with a contract that is most beneficial to all of us involved.'' The last two generals entered. The male one looked as serious as humanly or inhumanly possible, but the female general looked like she didn't have a care in the world, playing with a floating soul.
''With this introduction, I hope you all understand your new purpose in life. Do not consider yourselves damned or cursed. For without the Abyss there would not be a Celestia. Without desire and emotion, there would be no Freedom, Eternity, or Contracts. Master Albedo has already sorted you all into groups that are the most compatible with each Lord. Please speak to a respective general to receive your role, and then follow your companions to rid yourselves of your mortal possessions. Your new afterlife is about to begin and I hope you all enjoy it to the fullest.''
With that, the 3 Lords rose from their seats and changed shape once again.
The Overlord of Freedom shrunk to a bird-sized spirit and floated away with the wind.
The Overlord of Eternity disintegrated into a flash of lightning and disappeared into the darkness.
And The Overlord of Contracts morphed into a large beast resembling a dragon and weaved his way through the crowd. In awe, Ajax stood in place, catching a pure amber-colored eye, and for a moment, he felt the Lord stare back. Out of all those hundreds of souls, that burning gaze had somehow found him, and Ajax felt something warm wash over him, starting from his hair to the tips of his toes and he took a deep, new breath of air, as he watched the beast move up into the darkness he now called his home.