雷電 将軍 の 後継者
(Raiden shōgun no kōkei-sha/The Successor to the Raiden Shogun)
TRIGGER WARNING FOR DEATH, SPOILERS FOR EI'S LORE, SPOILERS FOR GENSHIN, AND INFANTILIZING READER!
Inazuma feared you, some still do. You're human, much like a majority of the nation's residents, but you're far above humanity at the same time. A confusing thing, a human with humanity in reach but you lack it as if you were a doll.
In a way, that's sort of right. You're a doll. You're fragile to the point servants watch your every step despite you being grown. You're beautiful, but the kind of beauty that people only admire from a distance and are forbidden from touching. You're quiet, so much so that people often believe you are incapable of speaking. You can speak, you just never get the chance. Instead, your "mother" speaks on your behalf. Well, the puppet she left behind does anyway.
Yes, the mortals beauty known by nicknames such as the "Beautiful Heir", "The Beauty of Inazuma", or sometimes "Doll Shogun". That last one bothers you, being called a doll. You know they don't mean it as an insult, you know they mean it as a compliment, comparing you to a beautiful doll. But, it bothers you, because to you a doll isn't a thing of beauty, it's a thing of horrors. Sure, it has been centuries since you saw your mother in the flesh, but her puppet is always there, making sure you never leave Tenshukaku.
All your life, the puppet, Raiden Shogun, has been watching everyone and everything around you, treating you as if you are incapable of acting on your own despite being an adult for two hundred years now. It's hard, you feel like you're not allowed to be mad at a puppet following the directions of your mother Ei, but on the other hand the puppet is her, same hair, same face, same voice, same everything but cold and empty.
"Where are you going, child?" The puppet asks.
"I was going to visit Aunt Miko at the shrine," you tell it.
"It is almost sunset You know the rules, you are not to venture outside the grounds three hours before sunset," it responds.
You take a deep breath. You want to yell that you can do whatever you want because you're a grown adult, but you know where that leads, a duel and however long your mother dictates in the Plane of Euthymia, alone. So, you sigh and turn away from the door and towards the dinning room. You sit next to the puppet, who insists on being at the head of the table despite not being able or need to eat, and look at your food.
"I thought I asked the chef for a sashimi platter," you tell a servant.
"I am sorry, Kokeisha Reader but the chef received new orders," the servant explains.
You didn't bothering asking who gave the new orders. You knew your mother used to puppet to change your orders, she always did that, ever since you were small. She controlled everything about your life, so you missed out on so much. But, you just took it. You quietly ate your food while the puppet just watched creepily.
"I am full. I am going to my room," you say.
"No," the puppet says.
"Why not?" You ask.
"Your plate is still full for food. I will not have my child underfed," the puppet says.
You go to argue back but the puppet shoots you a cold look. Your argument dies in your throat and you go back to your spot at the table, but you don't eat. You just stare at your food. You can feel the puppet's glass eyes staring into your soul but you can't bring yourself to eat while a pit forms in your stomach.
"I told you, I'm full. I cannot eat anymore. I am going to my room," you grumble out.
"And I said that I do not want my child underfed. So you will eat and I will watch until every grain of rice is gone," the puppet says.
You try to get up from the table but your legs won't move. So, with no other choice you grab your chopsticks and starts eating what's left of your food until everything is gone. You push the bowl towards the puppet and it nods, the go ahead to leave the table. You stand up, bow to your "mother" and walk to your bedroom, slaming your door shut.
"I wonder what our nation are like now? I bet our people are wonderful, and I wonder what the humans and yokai are up to?" You ask yourself.
Your mind runs wild with thoughts of the kinds of things the people of Inazuma did all day, working, laughing, enjoying the nation and each other, all while you could do nothing but watch from your window. You did this often, just watching people live their lives with joy and freedom you were never allowed. It made your heart ache so much, but you couldn't tell anyone. The servants tell that puppet everything so you have no one.
You think back to the last time you were free, to the last time you were allowed to live freely and it was when you were a young child. You don't have many memories from back then, but you do remember the night your mother told you your aunt had died. The violet eyes that were once full of passionate maternal love and light were cold and empty that day.
The menoto rocked you gently, trying to shush you. You squirmed in her arms. You missed you aunt and your mom and you haven't seen either of them in awhile. The war was scary but it's been over and now your mother and aunt were gods!
The scent of ozone filled the space as a door opened. You and the menoto both turned your heads and there, standing in the door frame was your mother. You ran and hugged her legs, but she doesn't hug you back, instead she fell to the floor with tears in her eyes as she held you close. There, on that floor is when you were told your aunt was dead.
But, more then that it was the same floor where your mother died and in her place a cold, empty husk came into existence that only cares about keeping everything as it is, including you. Despite being an adult you never got a seijinshiki, your outfits are still in the style of children's clothing, everything about your life is stuck as if you're a child with no sense or free will and not an adult with the blood of an archon running through your veins!
You sit on your futon and just stare at the ceiling of your room in silence. A festival is happening tonight, and as normal your "mother" told you that you couldn't go. It's unfair, you do everything "she" asks and yet the on time you dare to ask to leave, with servants and guards, you get told no. Your powers flare up as you vent your anger by screaming into your pillow. Once done you collect yourself and sneak out of your room and into the servant quaters.
"Hey, Shojiro! I need a favor!" You whisper yell to a servant.
"Yes, Kokeisha Reader. What is it you need?" Shojiro asks.
You ask for his clothing. Confused Shojiro asks why and you tell him that he owes you this favor. He shrugs and hands over a set of his work clothes. You run back to your room and put the clothes on, the rougher materials rubbing against your skin in a way you've never felt before. Then you go to one of your handmaidens, Hana, and have her tie your hair in a braid and put makeup on your face until you can barely recognize your own reflection in your copper mirror.
You thank them and grab your geta. Now, you have to find a way to sneak out to the festival. Thinking, you notice kitchen servants going between the outside and and kitchen. You sneak into the kitchen and do everything you can to blend in with the servants. Once outside you break away and run through the grounds, dodging guards, until you reach the gates. You duck behind a rock and wait until the gates are opened and once they are you quickly sneak out and once on the other side you run as fast as you can to the festival.
"It's beautiful," you quietly say.
You put your geta on and start walking around the festival. The lights of the lanterns cast a golden glow over everyone and everything. Children, both yokai and human, run by with snacks and prizes while adults drink to their hearts content. You explore every single inch of the festival, playing games, eating snacks you'd never tasted before.
Then, the fireworks start. You stare at the sky with wide eyes as colors explode against the inky blackness of the sky. You can't rip your eyes away from the sky no matter how bright the colors become. You can't help but basket in the light of the fireworks with everyone else as for once in your life after the horrible day you feel free and you feel happy. Then you smell ozone, and the sky goes dark as the fireworks stop and people murmur in confusion.
"Reader! Come here, this instant!" A powerful voice orders.
Your head snaps towards the voice and you freeze. Standing tall a d powerful amongst the crowd is your "mother", flanked by guards on both sides. You don't move, you can't. She repeats the order while staring at you but you still don't move. You look around for help but no one dares interrupt the Raiden Shogun. Eventually your legs start working again but instead of moving towards the puppet to take off like a bat out of hell in the other direction.
"Come back here!" Raiden yells.
You run as fast as you can but the geta get in the way so you ditch them and run faster through town as the guards are got on your trail like a pack of rabid wolves. Sticks and rocks stab your feet but you don't care, all you care about is getting away. Then, something fast zips past you face and lands with a thunk in the ground. You freeze and turn around briefly, only to be met with Sara pointing her loaded bow at you.
"By the order of the Raiden Shogun, you are to turn yourself in," she orders.
"But I'm the Kokeisha, I don't have to take orders from you!" You yell back as your powers flare up.
Sara doesn't seem to care as she repeats the order. In panic and anger you go to use your powers only for someone to grab you. You thrash and squirm only to see your "mother" holding you while glaring down at you. Each time you try to free yourself nothing happens except her grip getting tighter until you feel like she'll break your wrists. Once you stop moving, she whispers a slow, emotionless apology before a burning, electric pain shoots through every inch of your body before the world goes black and the smell of ozone fills your nose.
By the time you wake up every part of your body hurts and the sun is daring to shine through the windows. Your eyes flicker around the room and you quietly figure that it's yours. You try and sit up but the pain is bad, not so bad you scream but bad enough to make you whimper loudly. At your whimpers a cluster of servants come in with trays of creams and medicines in bottles. You finally get a look at your arms and see them covered in bandages.
"What happened?" You ask.
"You had an accident in a storm, Kokeisha Reader," a servant says.
"But there weren't any storms last night. There was a festival that night. I saw fireworks! " You shout.
The servants don't respond, instead focusing more on changing your bandages, applying the creams, and giving you medicine that numbs your body. All the while, Ei watches from the Plane of Euthymia, a slight pang of guilt popping up in her chest. Though it is quickly replaced by delusions of having no other choice.
"They will thank me for this, someday," she says to no one.
She might be right, someday you might thank her for this amd everything else. For now though, you hate her and this with ever burning spark in your soul.
