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If Ajax had been honest with himself at that moment, he would have said that he was bored.
After returning to Snezhnaya, a couple of months later, he was sent back to Nod-Krai. The Harbingers could not agree on which region to send him to next so that he could, in their words, develop comprehensively. Therefore, the choice fell again on his previous place of deployment.
Wait for new orders. Obey Sandrone. Don't cause too many problems.
Sandrone didn't want to spend time with him either. Instead, she locked herself in her laboratory, listening to the endless lullabies of Columbina, who was not allowed inside and remained sitting outside the door. Perhaps it was because of the festival of the Moon Goddess and the general atmosphere, but this was a rare occasion when Sandrone did not yell at Columbina and did not order Pulonia to take her colleague far away.
Ajax looked at the holiday preparations and couldn't understand why he had been sent here. He had not been given clear instructions or directions on what to do. The only thing left for him to do was to wander around the islands like a stray cat, Scaramouche, or watch the merriment of all these strangers.
Why couldn't he go to Natlan with Capitano? Why did he have to wait for an official promotion to get there? Was he not powerful enough?
All these questions tormented him all this time. When he asked Felix what the possible reasons could be and whether he was really not good enough, his subordinate, with suffering evident even to Ajax in his face and voice, said that the problem was definitely not with him and that Capitano would simply be too busy to constantly keep an eye on Ajax.
And here it was again. Why did he need to be watched over all the time? He could take care of himself. Archons, he didn't need nannies and guardians.
He needed comrades with whom he could develop and improve. Or, as Tonia liked to say, he needed friends.
After several weeks of wandering around the islands, he grew tired of beating weak opponents. Even Sigurd no longer pleased him. At some point, Ajax began to feel that even this strange ghost had grown tired of him and was starting to avoid him.
Monotony never suited him. And, as luck would have it, a week after his arrival, Kyryll was forced to leave for a meeting of the Lightkeepers.
Traitor. Wasn't he staying there too long? How much time does it take to discuss a few issues? Here, the Harbingers, having barely gathered together, are rushing to finish their work as quickly as possible so they can disperse and not see each other's sour and gaunt faces for another few years. Why can't the Lightkeepers do the same?
Ajax also wanted to ask Kyryll about the strange ghosts he had seen last week. The inhabitants of the Nod-Krai and other fatui called them phantoms.
At first, it seemed to him that he had found many new enemies and weapons. A pile of objects and monsters constantly caught his eye and beckoned him to try them all.
But after the first, fifth, and even thirtieth time Ajax tried to interact with the phantoms, he realised it was useless. Even his Abyss information report worked strangely on them.
Although it shouldn't have worked on them at all. Nothing he encountered was human. And although Ajax knew that his power, to quote Dottore, only worked on humanoid intelligent beings, he still decided to take a chance and try to find out new information about something comparable to air.
After using the power of the Abyss on the phantoms, some of them seemed to have just noticed his presence. They tried to interact with him, but failing, just like him, lost interest.
It drove him crazy. It was like an endless cycle.
The only thing that saved him from boredom was photography.
Although Ajax loved his country with all his heart and soul and adored its beauty, he liked the landscapes of the Nod-Krai just as much. Perhaps even more, if he was honest.
A vivid abundance of colours and shapes. Interesting mountains and caves. Strange plants and animals that complemented these views.
Perhaps it was the Abyss's influence on him. After visiting a place where everything seemed the same and monotonous, he couldn't stand it in his everyday life. It tired him and reminded him of the worst times in his life.
That's why he liked to travel and see the differences between countries and regions. Even in the Nod-Krai itself, all the islands were different from each other.
When he wrote about this in a letter to Tonia (he couldn't write to her about how many monsters he had killed that week, could he?), his lovely sister lamented that she would also like to see it and how sorry she was that her imagination was not enough to picture it all.
And that's when Ajax thought about it.
Buy a camera. Take photos. Send photos. Make his sister happy.
Share some of his successes and achievements that his family could understand and accept.
But it turned out to be more complicated than he had imagined at the time.
Although he had access to the Captain's personal account at the Northland Bank (he had never seen such an absurd number of zeros and couldn't understand why the hell he had been given something like that), he still didn't want to spend the money. Was this some kind of test? Or was the account fake, and Ajax would be sent to prison as soon as he used the money?
He didn't know. He didn't understand how his strange superiors and future colleagues thought. But he wanted to make his sister happy, so he bought an inexpensive camera and paid for it with money from the First Harbinger's account.
To his horror, nothing happened. The bank employees just looked at him with weariness and indifference and, after looking him up and down, said:
"The rumours weren't lying." And before he could ask, they added, "Don't hold up the queue, sir."
Ajax left the bank with mixed feelings. There were so many rumours about him that it was pointless to even try to figure out what they were about. It would have been more successful to overthrow Celestia with the help of a five-year-old child.
The inexpensive camera turned out to be not the best companion. The photos came out blurry and their quality was questionable. Or maybe it was just Ajax's poor skills.
This pastime reminded him of fishing. You have to sit still for a long time and wait until your task is completed.
The main thing is patience. If you learn to wait, everything will be fine—
"Argh, why are all the photos so blurry?!"
...Ajax tried to convince himself as he went up to his room and looked through the photos he had recently taken.
No, he was simply ashamed to send them to his sister. He wanted to look like an almighty knight in her eyes, not a loser whose hands grow from the same place as his feet.
Meanwhile, the festival was coming to an end and he didn't have much time left...
Of course, Ajax could have sent his sister the usual photos of nature (which also didn't turn out as well as he would have liked). Tonia always said she was grateful for any gifts and letters he sent her.
But she would clearly have liked the authentic city, burning with all the colours of the rainbow and seemingly built entirely of metal, much more.
Muttering quietly to himself, he opened the door to his room and immediately stared at the fishing rod near the door.
"What should I do?"
Maybe he should go fishing? Or loot, excuse him, test Sandrone's new robots? Or maybe he should go to the kitchen and cook himself something to eat?
Ajax's thoughts raced at a speed clearly exceeding the speed of light. For although his eyes were looking at his room, he could not see that he was not alone in it.
Finally, he realised that a young woman was sitting on a chair near the table, looking at the few successful photographs he had prepared to send to his family.
Ajax's first thought was how wonderful it was that his room was perfectly tidy, in accordance with all army regulations. His second thought was how beautiful the fair-haired lady looked in red, and his third thought was
"Who are you?"
Why hadn't he sensed her?
Finally, the lady looked up from the photographs and onto Ajax. Her eyes, sparkling like fire, looked at him with amusement and interest.
"Can't you tell who I am just by looking at me?"
Only then did he remember this very useful skill. Although it bothered him that she clearly knew some very personal information about him, he decided to leave it aside for now.
So, before him...
Looking at the name, organisation, and titles, his heart began to beat faster, and his fingertips began to tremble slightly. He had heard about the Hexenzirkel when the Jester told him about the various organisations and factions that existed in each region.
But never in his life had he hoped to see the head of this almost omnipotent organisation, which stood above the principles of Teyvat, the witch Alice herself.
How old was she?
"Ah, stop, this is where the virtues of the Dodo-King end. There's no need for young people to know unnecessary information, is there?"
She winked at him and got up from her chair. Not for the first time, Ajax cursed his growing body, because he had to talk to a very ancient non-human with his head tilted back again.
"Although you now know my identity, I should still formally introduce myself and give a monologue about my motives, so that you don't get the impression that I'm a villain who sneaks into rooms under the cover of night to do bad things."
Raising her right hand, she bowed her head in the opposite direction. Ajax wondered if some kind of magic was being used to keep that bulky hat in place. Maybe she and Scaramouche even shopped at the same store.
He wondered if he could learn the same magic. Or would it be better to master combat magic right away?
"My name is Alice, but many know me as Witch A. I am the head of the Hexenzirkel and currently sustaining the borders of Teyvat. It was this duty of mine that allowed me to meet your mother, ahem, master. You may call me Aunt Alice."
Ajax paid no attention to the slip of the tongue. As soon as he heard the cherished words, all his thoughts immediately rushed to one point.
"Are you a friend of the Master?!"
If she is friends with the Master, then they communicate, which means Ajax will have the opportunity to meet her?
Alice seemed to read his thoughts. She looked at him with understanding and said regretfully:
"Skirk and I rarely meet, and we mostly talk about how her stay in Teyvat is going. She is too busy with her affairs in the Abyss."
She felt sorry for disappointing this child. She knew firsthand how much all kids want to spend as much time as possible with their parents and role models. Although she was quite busy, she still tried to visit her sweetest daughter, her angel Klee, as often as possible.
The next time she saw Skirk, she would definitely ask her about this boy.
Little Ajax looked very upset and sad in front of her. He would have looked very appropriate with his ears down and his tail between his legs.
Alice, remembering that she couldn't be away too long that night, otherwise Nicole would talk her ear off, hurried to explain the reason for her visit.
"It's you who's been playing with the phantoms in the Nod-Krai, isn't it?"
Ajax waved his arms and began to talk loudly:
"I didn't do anything like that! I just wanted to touch them a little, that's all! I didn't break them or anything like that."
He was afraid that someone would start accusing him again of ruining and destroying everything. Given Lady Alice's status and responsibilities, the consequences would be disastrous for him and everyone else.
He didn't want his father to be right. Although Ajax was a warrior by nature, he was capable of more than just destruction and causing trouble. He just needed an opportunity to prove it.
It seemed as if the whole world had conspired against him.
Alice laughed loudly at these awkward attempts to justify himself. This boy reminded her of another friend's child. They would definitely have to meet in the future.
"Don't worry, little Ajax, you haven't caused any trouble." In response to his sigh of relief, she winked at him and added, "And even if you had, your almighty Aunt Alice and the Dodo-King would have fixed everything!"
Ajax had no idea who the Dodo-King was, but he was still curious about why this awesome witch had appeared in his room.
"You used the power of the Abyss to make them react to you, didn't you?"
Ajax nodded.
"I don't know if the Master told you or not, but I can't use the energy of the Abyss often or for everyday purposes. I'm not like her, the sinners, or the other people of Khaenri'ah. The only thing I've achieved is that the phantoms perceive me as part of their environment, unlike other people. But we can't fully interact."
He thought about using the transformation to test how much he could influence them. But then he heard the voices of Capitano and the Master urging him not to use this power for trivial matters.
Only in extreme cases. If you are nothing without the guidance of the Abyss, then forget about being a warrior.
He couldn't lose his already slim chances that they would stop seeing him as a child and start perceiving him as an equal and fighting seriously.
Alice clapped her hands and smiled as if she had been handed a precious stone or some other luxurious trinket.
"Thank you for your story. It gave me a very good idea."
She came closer and ran her hand through his red curls. Ajax felt a strange mixture of warmth and deep pleasure from this and shuddered. No one had touched him like this for over a year.
He growled in protest, which, unbeknownst to him, made him look even more charming to Alice.
As she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered something and snapped her fingers. Several photographs flew off the table and began to circle around them in the air.
"Have you ever read the Teyvat Travel Guide?"
Ajax frowned. As a kid, he'd come across some books and newspapers describing different places, but he wasn't sure if there was anything like that among them. His father never mentioned the titles of the books he showed him.
In any case, he definitely hadn't seen or picked up a book like that in the last two years.
"No. And why would I? It's better to see everything with my own eyes!"
It wasn't as if he had any freedom of movement at the moment. And it wasn't certain that he would have any in the coming years.
Alice pulled two photographs towards her with magic and showed them to him. They were the few that had turned out best.
"You have a great attitude, little Ajax, you talk just like an adventurer. You see, I'm the author of this guidebook, and I could use a photographer to help me." Seeing his wide eyes, she added mischievously, "Of course, our partnership won't start right away, you need to gain more skills, but if you want..."
And then she snapped her fingers again, and two things appeared in the air. Ajax recognised the first as a new and obviously very expensive, very sophisticated camera, and the second resembled a round version of Alice in the form of a toy.
"This is a dodo communicator. If you want to work with me, we can communicate through it." Then she pointed to the second object, which had caught Ajax's eye from the moment it appeared. "And this is the latest version of the camera straight from Fontaine. It went on sale just this month and, as far as I know, is the best one available at the moment."
Alice looked at Ajax, who was listening to her with great enthusiasm and was already reaching out to touch this marvel of technology.
"Will you agree to help your lovely Aunt Alice?"
Ajax looked at Alice, and for the first time during their meeting, excitement and doubt began to flicker in his eyes.
"Won't I get into trouble for this?" Noticing the confusion on his visitor's face, he explained. "You're not going to ask me for anything more, are you? Like, secrets and mysteries of Fatui or something like that? Would it be considered treason if I work for someone else and take money from another source? Will I even get a salary?"
These were indeed sensible questions for a fifteen-year-old boy. Relying entirely on Skirk's stories about the boy, Alice initially thought that he would agree without hesitation, influenced by his impulsiveness, or start asking irrelevant questions, such as why Alice looked so excited or something like that. But he surprised her by showing prudence and loyalty to his current organisation.
Perhaps some Harbingers really can be trusted with children.
Alice tried to resist the urge to pinch the boy's cheeks. She would have another chance to do so later. There was no need to frighten the little fox any more. After all, she would like to be able to watch over him from close by, with his cooperation.
"What are you talking about, Ajax? Of course I will treat you fairly, not like a bad person. I wouldn't want to look like a villain in your eyes. All work should be rewarded, no matter who does it." She paused to let him digest this statement and, waiting for him to nod, continued. "And don't worry that I'll start demanding that you disclose work information. After all, if Fatui's affairs interest me, it will be something clearly greater than what the ensign can tell me."
Although the last statement was meant to reassure Ajax, in reality it caused him a wave of irritation.
“You'll see, I'll soon become an even more important person in the hierarchy! Don't look down on ensigns, they are also important people to Fatui.”
Alice giggled and ruffled his hair again.
"That's not what I meant at all. So? Do you accept my offer?"
Ajax shifted his gaze to the objects dancing in the air, which were clearly trying to seduce him with their peaceful swaying.
"Can this communicator be made smaller? Or turn it into something else? I can't take it with me into battle, and I don't dare leave something like this lying around."
Alice clapped her hands happily. Everything was going perfectly for her, and she didn't mind making such a small concession, even though she herself preferred the dodoco design.
"Of course. What would you like?"
He looked around the room thoughtfully, trying to come up with something inconspicuous and small. His gaze fell on Alice's vision, hanging on her hat clearly as an accessory and nothing more. A nice pacifier.
And then an idea came to him.
"Can you turn it into a red earring?"
For reasons unknown to him, his parents and other villagers were quite negative about the idea of a man wearing earrings. His father grimaced every time he came across a character with such a distinctive feature in a newspaper or book. In real life, he avoided such people altogether.
And although for the past year Ajax had been driven by a desire to regain the favour of his father and the rest of his family, to earn their recognition and love, the more failures he suffered, the more his inner resentment grew. It seemed to him that no matter what he did or attempted, his father would reward him with nothing more than a sullen grimace. When teaching him to play chess, Pulcinella said that this situation was called zugzwang.
So what if he allowed himself this little joke? One more conflict, one less. And let it be Ajax's problem in the future, when he returned home and was forced to endure it with a smile on his face.
"Sure. Do you want me to pierce your ear?"
Ajax looked at the small red crystal. It was impossible to tell that it was a witch's disguised trinket.
"Yes. Let it be the left one."
Before he could finish the sentence, it was over. He hardly felt any pain. Ajax raised his hand and wiggled the crystal with his finger. The strange sensations of imbalance and difference in his earlobes bothered him, but he figured he would get used to it soon.
As soon as Alice left, he immediately ran to look at himself in the mirror.
"Hmm, it looks pretty good. It suits you very well."
With a smile, she gave her final verdict. It wasn't a lie, but she chose to remain silent about how much such a small detail had changed the boy's appearance. He looked less like a lost village child and more like a teenager from the city who had returned from a party with friends.
What a pity that fifteen years ago his father had been so foolish as to choose that cursed name. And now, after all these years, out of ignorance and stupidity, he continues to blame his son.
The boy had a chance at a long and happy life.
This reminded her of something else.
"There's another number in your communicator, a friend of mine. If you're in Mondstadt, call him and make an appointment." Noticing Ajax's gloomy face, she decided to say the cherished words and change tactics. "He once drank with Skirk for several days, and they share a hobby. You can talk to him about her."
Ajax thoughtfully analysed her words. The Master would not associate with weaklings, let alone allow anyone to remember her, which meant—
"Is he powerful?
Oh, this child.
"He will not fight you. He simply does not enjoy it and prefers a peaceful and quiet life full of wine, music, and freedom."
This sounded extremely confusing to Ajax. Such an idle life was not for him. Why would a strong warrior give up that intoxicating feeling of adrenaline to spend all his days drowning in alcohol? Doesn't that destroy the mind and body, as Capitano said?
Or is this someone extraordinary again?
"I see you've started thinking about something else again. I have to go now, but I'll call you in the next month. Or later. If Aunt Alice is too busy, don't be angry, okay?"
Ajax stared at the floor. Although he tried to speak as calmly as possible, his trembling voice still betrayed his mood.
"Can't you leave a little later?"
He didn't raise his head and didn't see Alice's gaze soften as she looked at the top of his head. She never liked to be the cause of children's sadness. It contradicted her nature as a merry witch, but at that moment she couldn't give any other answer.
"I'm sorry, Ajax, I can't." After thinking for a couple of seconds, she added some advice. "If you're looking for something to do, try going to the Adventurers' Guild. Maybe they have some monster orders. Or see what competitions are currently being held among photographers, maybe something will interest you."
Seeing that he was still in the depths of despair, she tried one last resort.
"I can take these two photos and give them to Skirk the next time we meet."
This had the desired effect on him. He looked critically at the two objects and, finding them good enough, nodded. He thanked her in a quiet voice.
"Thank you, Aunt Alice."
She smiled at him, ruffled his hair one last time, making it look like a bird's nest, and disappeared as quickly as she had appeared.
For almost a minute, Ajax just stood there holding the camera, staring into space. He didn't know when it had ended up in his hands. It seemed that if it weren't for this material evidence, everything that was happening could have been a dream.
But there was something else.
Putting his new toy on the table, Ajax opened the bathroom door and entered the small room. Turning his head from side to side, he began to examine his face.
Alice had done a really good and neat job. Nothing was swollen or festering. He had heard several stories from other Fatui who had had unsuccessful piercings in various places.
Twisting the crystal between his fingers, it dawned on him.
How does this thing even work???