Skirk's Reasons

"Ajax, the main property of the Abyss is to devour. Controlling you are able to take the strength of your surroundings and use it like yours, increasing your power by a great deal" Skirk explained "I already imprinted my technique, the Foul Legacy, in your body so it won't be difficult for you to use it. Just close your eyes, feel your surroundings and absorb them."

Ajax close his and opened his mouth. A vortex was created over his mouth that started absorbing the Abyss energy released by Skirk around him.

Finally closing his mouth, a dark aura appeared around him. He opened his eyes and directly glared at Allen viciously as he felt all his body full of energy, feeling at his strongest.

"Your mine!" Ajax jumped towards Allen but just as he made the first step, his aura disappeared and he collapsed to the ground, unable to move as his muscle pained all over his body.

"What happened?!" Ajax asked in shock "I can't move."

"I had long since discovered that you don't learn by my words that's why I opted to directly made you experience it." Skirk explained "The technique is quite strong, however, it has some important drawbacks."

"The first is that is not that easy to control. You will need to train it or the absorbed energy would immediately scatter along yours making you." Skirk lifted her arm, invoking a gauntlet over it "For some unknown reason the high use of Abyss element takes the form of an armor, so until you reach the point of manifesting one, you will not be ready to use it."

"The second is that the new energy is not truly yours so you are not used to it" Skirk explained "That means that you will put a great stress over your body everytime you use it, having a prolonged state of weakness after using it. I won't advice of using it again while in that state."

"And third. Here in the Abyss you can affect your surrounding and is full of your own element making your ability to use it almost limitless. But on Teyvat that ability is greatly reduced, you will find it far more difficult to devour it there where you can't control the elements. So don't be too full of yourself here, because once you are outside it won't be that big of a change."

"You are talking about control, would it change if he were to obtain a Vision?" Allen asked, remembering the fight against Childe in the Golden House.

"Visions let you have partial control of one element, so it would certainly help, making it far easier to absorb that element" Skirk answered "But rather than trust in something alien to you, it would be better to improve your own control."

"Yes!" Ajax saluted.

"Any question? Not related with fighting again" Skirk glared at Ajax who lifted his arm, quickly lowering.

"Is there really a need to unleash it through the mouth?" Allen asked.

"Skirk said that it was devouring, devouring is eating and I eat through my mouth."

Allen and Skirk face palmed "No. There's no need, you can use every part of your body."

...

"So how do you feel?" Skirk asked. After a week, they were finally finished with the treatment, having refined Allen's body completely.

"Like shit" Allen cursed tiredly "Better ask tomorrow."

"Even when I pampered with your nerves to lower the pain, I can't really think of more painful methods. You were good lasting until the very end" Skirk congratulated "I thought that you will forfeit just at the start."

"I won't lie, sometimes I wanted to stop but lacked the capability to even talk" Allen sighed.

"My fault" Skirk winked. "But we could have stopped the next day."

"No. Once I was in my right mind, I wanted to continue. If not it would be as if all of it would have been a waste."

"It's funny how you think of yourself as being in the right mind. You are crazy, never doubt it"

"Yes, yes" Allen sighed "Now I'll need to start getting used to it. Let's see how far I can reach."

"Yes, let's make some t-" Suddenly, Skirk stopped still "I need to go somewhere. Rest until tomorrow."

"Something happened?" Allen asked curiously.

"Nothing, just the normal" Skirk yawned and turned around, waving goodbye while she left.

"What would have happened? It's not the first time that she excused herself, but it didn't seem anything important by her reaction." Allen mumbled.

"Shall we follow her?" Ajax appeared and stated "I'm quite curious to know where she goes."

Allen thought about it and finally nodded as he really doubted it was something truly dangerous.

Both boys went towards where Skirk had left, Allen taking Ajax's arm, making sure that he didn't get lost. Allen had left Skirk's layer sometimes and it didn't seem too dangerous, meaning that the most dangerous that could happen would be falling through a shortcut and appearing nowhere, think that won't happen while in contact with Allen due to his anomaly.

"Where could had she gone?" Ajax looked at the darkness around them.

"I really can't really te-" Allen suddenly stopped and turned his gaze over what he would tell is the north. He could feel it. That strange feeling of someone calling from him and at the same time to run away, but this time was far, far stronger than before.

"I'm sure she is there." Allen pointed forward his instinct telling that Skirk was in the middle of everything. "Let's go, but be very careful and be prepared to escape at any time."

Seeing his seriousness, Ajax nodded and followed Allen until both of them froze once they reached a cliff, their eyes wide in shock.

"What's that?" Ajax asked unable to avoid his eyes.

"I don't know" Allen answered.

In front of them, over the horizon and immense black hole stood. They could feel it from their place, the energy coming from it was incomparable with the one that they had experienced, Allen really doubting if his strong soul would be able to last in such a place.

But it didn't finish there, from the hole, an army surged. Hundreds of monsters surging from it and marching forward. That werewolf that Allen thought was strong, was a simple common solider with dozens of them plus far stronger monsters that exuded a strange aura, making it difficult to even tell their true form.

"We need to go" Allen took Ajax's arm, trying to push him away to return to Skirk's layer, this place was too dangerous!

However, Ajax stood in his place "Look there! She is fighting them" Ajax pointed at the middle of the army.

Focusing on it, Allen was finally able to see it. Skirk was in the middle of it while wearing a full body armor, she crossed over the army of monsters with swift and coordinated movements that resembled gymnastics while cutting every monster around her, leaving an empty space over the huge horde.

She seemed to go well, but the enemy's sheer number was far superior "Will she be fine?" Just Allen asked for himself, Skirk turned over their position, her eyes connecting with Allen.

Blank eyes lacking any light or focus. Allen could recognize that look in her eyes. That wasn't the look of someone facing an army and putting her life in danger, is was not even the look of someone fighting. It was the kind of dead look that a normal worker made on Mondays, the look that said here we go again with the routine.

'She is not in danger. She is extremely used to this' Allen thought seeing those eyes that quickly changed, focusing on him and Ajax, showing some anger in them as she stopped attacking the monsters, staying still in her place.

The monsters took the opportunity, charging at her from every side. Skirk looked around and a helmet formed over her face. The helmet was pure black, without any eyes cavity and resembled a bird with 9 horns.

"Die!" Allen was unable to listen it, but the mere intent around her seemed to shout it. Then, countless slashes appeared all over the battlefield, encompassing the two kilometers long horde into a cage of slashes for an instant and then nothing. The slashes didn't last more than a mere instant and in that same instant, all the monsters died and disappeared.

'It's not about forcing my eyes. I was unable to see anything at all!' It wasn't even the true slashes what he saw but the trace of them over the monsters that disappeared slower that the attack itself.

*BOOM!* Skirk kicked the ground, causing an explosion and with a mere 3 jumps in less than a second, she crossed their distance, landing in front of Allen and Ajax.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" Skirk reprimanded.

"T-that" Ajax started trembling and stuttering again similar as he was before the Abyss "THAT WAS AWESOME!" He jumped happily, his eyes shining brightly "Master you must teach me to do it!" For the first time Ajax named Skirk as master, not only she was the one that had taught him how to fight, but now it became the one that he looked up the most, even more than his parent.

"I really can't expect anything from you" Skirk sighed "If you train over a hundred of years, you might reach something like this" She stated before turning to Allen "My disciple is too idiot to think about it, but you, Allen. Do you have some excuse?" She asked with a angry tone.

"It was only curiosity." Allen answered "It was not the first time that you left and as you never said anything I wanted to discover it myself."

"And did you not think about the possible danger in wandering the Abyss?"

"I thought about it, but with my condition I won't get lost and if I followed you I was quite sure you won't be in any danger and in the worst case, you could protect us." Allen answered.

"So you don't trust me, wanting to discover my secrets, but you trust me with your safety?" Skirk asked.

"Basically, yes" Allen nodded.

"Are you an idiot?!" Skirk cursed "Bah! Whatever! Nothing happened, let's quickly return this is not a good place for even you to stay."

"But what is that?" Allen pointed to the black hole.

"That's the door of a cursed place. The door to Khaenri'ah." Skirk answered.

"Khaenri'ah?" Allen's eyes went wide. Khaenri'ah, the last region of the game, the place destroyed 500 years ago in the cataclysm that forced all Teyvat to fight, risking its destruction.

"It's too early for any of you. It might always be" Skirk stated with a sad look at the hole "Some people go there for answers, but they must be ready to lose their life as even if they survive, they won't be able to continue living in the same way." That left even Ajax thoughtful, his and Allen's eyes fixed on it.

"Let's return." Skirk took both boys, dragging them away.

"Skirk, why are you here alone?" On their way, Allen asked very seriously at Skirk.

"What do you think is it?" Skirk let her answer open.

"If that quantity of monsters were able to leave the outside, it would be a disaster, but there's really a need to be alone here without any recognition? I think that I know a little about your character and you don't seem like a hero who sacrifices herself for the world. With that strength, you could do anything."

Allen wasn't sure of Skirk's limits and was unable to fully grasps her strength, but he was sure of something, she was far stronger than Tomoki and would be able to easily deal with the Shogun's Musou no Hitotachi. She was far ahead of them.

"You are quite right" Skirk stopped "I suppose that I am waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

"For her to make her decision," Skirk said with a melancholy look "Until she decides to move, I'll try keeping this false peace leaving her with the options open." She said before starting to walk again, not wanting to answer anything else.

'Her decision? Who could it be?' Allen thought before quickly following Skirk 'Someone who has her loyalty like that...'