The Power of Revelation: The Truth Shall Set You Free

Chapter 13: A senseless journey with no end

Tartaglia tightened his grip on himself. Ever since he had gotten out of the Abyss, her words had always haunted him.

Because she had been right. He might still be using Ajax's physical body, but the soul of an innocent boy had long been lost to the devouring depths. He had gotten to see his family.

But his family never saw Ajax ever again. Because Ajax had died in the Abyss.

Zhongli didn't need to be a god to tell that every single being in the room, immortal or not, was shaken to the very core by the Abyss Herald's words; most of all Tartaglia himself. The thought of losing oneself, giving in to the darkness... it had seemed like such an abstract concept, when Yae had first mentioned it.

Then, they saw the effects of the corruption firsthand, the immense strain on a young child's mind as he tried to hold himself together, to push forward, desperately trying his best to go home and see his family again.

Or perhaps, it was only because the boy had been so young, that he had managed to survive and adapt.

After all, adults were too rigid in their way of thinking. There was a saying "You can't teach an old dog new tricks", and it was an accurate saying at that. Adults were too set in their habits, too stubborn, and when something as dark and as ancient as the Abyss started messing with their minds, they are completely unable to adapt, to comprehend what was going on, and they shatter like ice, like a brittle rock.

Maybe that was why Tartaglia had survived, and even managed to thrive in the Abyss, his young mind being much more susceptible to instantaneous changes, his child-like mentality being much more malleable than that of a fully grown human.

He was as fluid as the element he controlled, being able to adapt to any situation so quickly it would give anyone whiplash, even being able to adapt to somewhere as corrupted as the Abyss.

Zhongli was considering calling for a break, to give Tartaglia some time to calm down, but the Harbinger seemed to want to power through it for the time being, glancing over at the ex-god and shaking his head.

Very well, the ex-god would respect his friend's wishes... but if things got too bad... he wouldn't hesitate to take action.

Ajax followed behind the Abyss Herald as she trudged over some mountains, stepping over the cracks on the ground, as they made their way... somewhere. He had already killed most of the monsters in the area, save for the larger, more savage beasts, but neither he nor the Herald wanted to bother those creatures yet.

He wasn't weak by any means, not after all his lessons and training, but even his and the Herald's combined power were nothing compared to those monsters. Their claws were as huge as mountains, and they could swat them away like they were nothing but annoying fleas. One of the most ancient creatures in the Abyss, who could be considered manifestations of the Abyss by just how much of their essence consisted of pure, corrupted darkness.

"Oh... Archons..." Keqing gasped in fear. Liyue had managed to win against Osial and Beisht, but these creatures... they could probably stomp the entirety of Liyue Harbor flat with one foot.

Ningguang seemed to share her sentiments; with how prevalent the Abyss Order was being, it didn't seem too out of the question to think that they could somehow teleport these gigantic beasts onto the mainland. Even if they didn't have any control over the beasts, their sheer size and corrupted nature would no doubt through the entirety of Teyvat into chaos.

The young Snezhnaya could feel the energy radiating off these beasts; it felt so similar to the ground that he was currently walking over.