Uncovering
Have you ever heard the rumor, that the skies of Teyvat are fake? This mysterious world is filled with secrets, its lands shaped by magic and the will of the Archons. Long ago, seven opportunities for seven gods to ascend to Celestia opened, and there was a great war to determine who would be the seven mighty archons. In the end, there were seven remaining, who successfully ascended to Celestia and became the rulers of one of the lands.
But, not everything was simple for them after that. Each of them suffered great loss, even death. Some were even slain, and had to leave everything behind. Today, I will be talking about one of them amongst the seven, which is Raiden Ei, the god of electro. Her story explores themes of loss, duty, and different ways of getting peace. Ei’s journey reflects the struggle of upholding a deal, and ruling in a way that is beneficial for the people.
To begin with, Raiden Ei wasn’t supposed to be the Electro Archon from the start. In fact, that was meant to be her twin sister, Raiden Makoto. Makoto was slain during the Khaenri’ah cataclysm, 500 years ago, which meant Ei had to become the archon and rule Inazuma, her nation. Makoto’s death shattered Ei’s world, and overcome with grief and guilt, she resolved to honor her sister’s ideals through an unyielding pursuit of eternity, believing it was the only way to protect Inazuma from further loss. Ei then concealed herself in the Plane of Euthimiya, a place where she would go into an endless state of meditation, and left the land’s fate uncertain, while also transferring her mind into the Musou Ishiin, a powerful sword which embodied her will.
Meanwhile, back in Inazuma, Ei left an autonomous puppet to rule in her place, called the Raiden Shogun. Shogun was an emotionless ruler, who was as cold as ice, and only did what she thought was best for her country, and eliminated anyone else who got in the way. Soon after, Shogun enacted the Vision Hunt Decree, a rule where everyone’s elemental visions had to be confiscated. The unfair law caused unrest and rebellion amongst the people.
During all the chaos with Shogun, the traveler arrives in Inazuma, and steps in to help with the conflict. They help reveal Ei’s true motivations, and the differences between her and Makoto’s vision for Inazuma. Ei comes to see that her pursuit for eternity was wrong, and she needed to change her ways, to honor Makoto’s true wishes for Inazuma.
With the Traveler’s help, Ei realized that eternity could not be achieved through isolation or fear. Inspired by Makoto’s vision for a thriving, free Inazuma, Ei returned to lead her nation with renewed purpose, embracing change and connection as the true path forward
By: Aadhya Pathikonda
Write and Win: Participate in Creative writing Contest & International Essay Contest and win fabulous prizes.
