A Worthy Replacement

Chapter 6 - Ginger Hair

you walked next to jester around an area that was previously under attack by the abyss order. however, it was an interesting circumstance that led seat number 1 to the area. 

"show me the child."

"yes sir."

the agents ran ahead, then brought back what looked to be a teenager. he looked to be a little younger than you, a mop of unruly ginger hair was sitting on top of his hair with blood splatter all over his face. his blue hues held little life inside of them, yet contained a monstrous sense of hunger. how could someone so young look so bloodthirsty?

"you," jester said to the child. "were you responsible for the abyss order's retreat?"

"yes," the kid replied curtly. "what about it?"

so this kid drove off an abyss order attack? who is he? huh... i could have sworn i've seen him from somewhere.

"you possess a great amount of power," jester said, looking down at him. "what is your name."

"my name is ajax," he said proudly. "i'm 14 years old."

he's only 14?! holy shit i need to get stronger. what have they been feeding this guy?

"i see," jester replied curtly.

the young boy then looked up and over to you, familiarity flashing through his gaze, "wait... i know you."

"you know me," you asked him.

"yeah! i know you," he said, oddly happy. "you're that neighbor girl that hung out with my older siblings."

"i did?" you thought back, and all of a sudden you remembered that your old friends all had the same ginger-colored hair. "huh... i vaguely remember them since it's been some time, but i didn't know they had a younger brother."

"yep," he said. "what are you doing with this guy?"

you could see jester stiffen from being called 'this guy', making you inwardly chuckle. "i'm his apprentice."

"cool," he remarked, then turned back to jester. "how strong are you?"

"stronger than you," he said simply. "now come Y/N, we must be leaving. let's not linger here any longer now that the investigation is complete."

"wait no," you heard him yell as jester began to walk off. "i want to fight you!"

jester turned around with a cold gaze, "i don't believe you know who i truly am, brat. your skills may prove to be effective against the abyss order, but my power rivals the gods themselves. i suggest for your own safety that you don't run around and challenge individuals that you have no knowledge about."

you shuddered a little at the tone, but when you looked at ajax, he looked astonished and then a bloodthirsty smirk rose to his face. "until we meet again then. i'll be sure to challenge you once i gain enough power."

rather than stick by this kid, you decided to just leave with jester as your mission was over. you ran over to him and caught up, and judging by the pissed-off aura he was giving off, you maybe wanted to try your hand at calming him down. "that kid has some nerve, huh."

he said nothing, continuing to walk back. an awkward silence fell over you both for another few minutes before he spoke. "he has a lot of potential, that one. but not enough to beat me or you."

"me? huh," you asked confused. you were met with his single blue eye looking at you. 

"you too will have the power that rivals gods," he said. "after i am done molding you into my masterpiece, the whole of teyvat will recognize your strength."

you remained silent, thinking about his words carefully. having that type of power is a great responsibility... will i be up for it? clearly after choosing to live, i don't really have a choice. but... this is for my family. i need revenge on the abyss order for what they've done to the people i love.

"you seem to have made a conviction," jester said, breaking your train of thought. "or maybe you reminded yourself of your goal."

you nodded, "i have."

"now let's pursue that goal of yours, Y/N," he said confidently. "back to training."

you inwardly groaned, but you still kept thinking about the feeling of revenge. the strong emotions that you felt fueled your practice for the rest of the day, even though fatigue ate away at you. you didn't want to give in, and you wanted to grow stronger.

"Y/N."

"yes sir?"

you paused and looked at him from the punching bag, seeing his gaze that twinkled with amusement. "you have the same look as that kid from earlier."

"you mean ajax?"

"yes," he confirmed with a slight nod. "you look like you have more ambition than last week."

"i'm just following your orders," you replied curtly. "i'm in pursuit of my goal."

he gave you a smile, a very dark and evil one. "i knew i made the correct choice making you my disciple. well said Y/N.  you're already slowly morphing into the brighella i imagined you to be."

you both heard a knock on the doors to the arena that you used for practice, jester sitting up alert. "who is it?"

"jester, her majesty requests a meeting with all harbingers," a very sultry voice speaks. "she requests your attendance."

"i understand," jester says, standing up and looking at you. "continue working."

you nod, "yes sir."

he opens the door and leaves, behind him was a very tall woman who had platinum blonde hair, her dress was very revealing underneath her long coat. her heels echoed on the floor as she passed by the doorway, paying no attention to you. you sigh, then continue to work out. i wonder which harbinger she is... maybe i should refer to that sheet that alexei gave me.

you decided to keep working as told, then after jester got back and dismissed you, you ran to your room and grabbed the harbinger reference sheet.

la signora? that's her?

the notes on the paper said that she's a very harsh and cold person who schemes quite a bit. from what you saw from her photo, her eyes held a mixture of emotions you couldn't define, but she had conflict all over her eyes. maybe one day you'd be able to talk to her.

but that day would come sooner than you thought.