Chapter Text
Long before the primordial one created humans, they created the three realms. These were the abyssal void realm, the elemental light realm, and the human realm. The latter came after the creation of the first two realms and was fashioned in a way that made it closer to the light realm. The light realm was better known as Celestia, and could often be found floating over the human realm, Teyvat. However, the abyssal void realm did not mix well with the other two realms due to its composition. The darkness within the realm wrought havoc and despair to Teyvat’s inhabitants, and thus needed to remain separate from the two realms that remained on the surface of the world–hence, it lay far below the surface, with neither light nor warmth.
It remained a mystery, even after humans were created and gods were chosen amongst the mortals. As far as everyone knew, no god or mortal had ever explored the abyss since it remained too far away from the surface and was virtually unreachable. Thus, though they knew of its existence due to myths, they became reluctant and unwilling to understand what it was. It was too far from Celestia, too far from the energy they needed as sustenance. And so, they never discovered what was happening down there, too high and mighty to stumble upon what lay beneath.
Both the Abyss and Celestia had formed their own entities, which ruled over the opposing sides. In time however, the Abyssal entity soon evolved; it wished to overturn Celestia and destroy the human world, despite lacking the power to do so. To do this, it sought out energy from all the realms it was connected to.
Soon enough, it had established enough to tear through other worlds, picking unfortunate people to keep as hostage and forcing them to go through neverending pain and suffering. This was what powered the Abyss and allowed it to expand even further. It fed on the despair of its inhabitants to acquire strength before using this very same strength to abduct more victims.
It was a vicious cycle–an infinite cycle.
Under the ignorant eyes of the gods towering over them, the Abyss had slowly entrenched itself into different alternate universes and worlds. It had a system; every so often, it would open up a hole in the human realm and swallow up a mortal before pushing them to their limits. After procuring enough energy, it would then repeat that process. As for what remained of the mortals acquired by the Abyss, it was better left unknown.
This was how Ajax fell into the Abyss.
He was merely an unfortunate victim–one of many who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Although still a teenager, he was perhaps not the youngest of all the mortals captured by the Abyss.
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It all started like this: Ajax had wanted to go on an adventure, so he did. The boring life he lived at home was simply starting to bother him, and so he decided to
steal
borrow one of his father’s shortswords and took a bag of bread with him. After all, he didn’t want to starve on his adventure.
Loud squeals of excitement and the heavy footfalls of an energetic teenager on snow were all that could be heard. Ajax was having fun. This was the first time he was exploring all by himself, the first time he was venturing into the deeper parts of the woods, the parts everyone told him to stay away from.
Ajax scoffed; he didn’t understand why his parents and the townspeople warned him about this place. Everything was calm and his only companions were the harsh winds that blew over the land and his own thoughts. He mindlessly wandered around, looking up at the sky and wishing for adventure.
But perhaps that jinxed it, because within seconds Ajax was met with the sounds of low growls and harsh barks.
Shit.
Ajax ran, his breath was unsteady and he was heaving with the effort it took to run for his life. In the end, it was useless. As his pace slowed down, Ajax tripped on a rock and scrambled for purchase on the snowy grounds. In a matter of minutes he was surrounded by the creatures running after him. Left with no other choice, he hesitantly looked up, taking in their drooling mouths and their teeth, much sharper than his mother’s knives back home. They stalked towards him slowly, like hunters that had finally caught their prey.
He closed his eyes, praying for help to reach him. He couldn’t speak, frozen in fear. He knew if he made any sounds right now, the creatures would be even more frenzied. He would definitely be eaten.
Ajax hoped for a savior, and if a savior didn’t come, then he hoped for a quick death. He could see it all in his mind, the creatures pouncing on him and tearing him limb by limb as they chewed on his flesh and drank his blood. He didn’t want that, he didn’t want his remains to be a grotesque scene for his family to find. His mother would be screaming, and Ajax knew that his father would at least shed tears over their discovery.
Ajax didn’t want that. He didn’t want any of this. He wanted to live.
The creatures were coming closer. They loomed over him as Ajax felt their breath on his hair, and smelled the bloody scents coming from each of their exhales. He screwed his eyes shut even harder. He was scared; he could feel his body trembling, gasping for air and shakily breathing out with each and every shake.
At the very last second, right as the creatures were about to bite into him face-first, the ground beneath him opened up.
Ajax fell.
He opened his eyes and saw only pitch black darkness around him. He was still falling, except now he was also screaming.
The fall was endless.