Endless Pursuit (Yandere! Ei[Raiden Shogun] X Fem Reader)

Chapter 1: Rulers Of Teyvat

[Y/n's PoV]

A few weeks have passed since my conversation with Jikanrah during which I had submitted my paper. Surprisingly, the paper was accepted by the Akademiya within a short amount of time, and I was allowed to begin my research.

I could not hide my joy when I found out that my paper was accepted. It had gone a lot smoother than I expected after all. Perhaps I was more suited for this work than I initially thought.

Now that I had gotten the go-ahead from the Akademiya, all I had to do was find a way to reach the Archons. It would be an arduous process to be sure, but I was prepared to see it through to the end.

There were many documents, files and a few old images about them that are scattered on my desk.

I had spent every waking moment in front of the desk doing research. Everything I had was focused on finding a way to get an audience with the Archons. All of my efforts, time, and resources had been consumed by this single goal. It was no exaggeration to say this was the culmination of my entire academic career thus far.

The images and texts were fascinating — albeit scattered and disorganized. But after carefully analyzing and piecing them together, I began to get a clearer picture of the past and the Archons's history. Yet the search wasn't over just yet... There were still things that required clarification. For that, I had to get my answers directly from the source.

It went without saying that I was now on the lookout for the next step of my research. The amount of knowledge in the pictures and documents that I had gathered was impressive but inadequate. Only by speaking to the Archons directly could I acquire the needed data, but actually getting a chance to talk to them was the difficult part... It's not like I can just waltz up to their territory and ask them questions, right?

"Hmmm..."

I carefully observed the scattered photographs of the seven Archons, thinking who is the best way for this approach.

This was the tricky part.

Which one would provide the best outcome in answering my questions, based on what I know about them?

The problem was that the Archons didn't always act in a predictable way. Their values changed as the circumstances changed, which meant that they could react to certain situations completely different than I expected. Therefore, being cautious was the safe option.

"The god of Wisdom... a very fine and probably the safest choice thus far, however the sages prohibited me to ask our own Archon and wanted to conduct this research in a foreign land."

I put her image aside and focus on the other gods.

I continued looking at the pictures and details of all the Archons. Each one of them had their own distinct characteristics and traits, which made it hard to decide which one was the best to approach. I was even thinking of making multiple reports, each for a specific Archon, to cover every possible outcome.

"The god of Justice... She may be close and extroverted among her people but I highly doubt a scholar like me would enlighten her being due to how prideful and self-centered she is..."

I moved another image away.

The list of Archons continued. From their names to their personalities, I took note even the slightest details.

"The god of contract... One holds such information about the past, however it's such a pity I didn't even had the chance to meet him before his demise."

"As for the god of freedom... It's been so long since his people last saw him. I doubt he will show up just for a scholar's curiosity like me."

I continued eliminating possible candidates and keeping some of them on the list for further inspection.

"Murata of Natlan, The Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya, and... The Raiden Shogun of Inazuma... All of the remaining individuals seems to be harder to interact with other than the four Archons due to how their nations are currently in internal conflict as well as the combat prowess they possessed..."

The three remaining prospects certainly looked more difficult to obtain an audience with. However, if I could figure out a way to reach them, I had a higher chance of gaining valuable insight. They were all powerful and prideful, but they also held immense knowledge about Teyvat's past that a mere scholar like me couldn't normally obtain.

But reaching those Archons was only the beginning. It was not enough to just meet them. I needed to find a way to get them to open up and answer my questions...

I looked at it with a bit of curiosity as a sudden breeze had entered the room and made the documents scattered. It was only a mere breeze, nothing more. But the only image among the scattered papers that remained was the one of the Archon of Inazuma. Why was that? There was no way that could mean something, right?

I took the picture and inspect it once more.

"The Raiden Shogun, huh?"

The image of the Raiden Shogun was certainly intriguing. I examined it again with intense focus and detail, trying to find even the smallest detail I may have missed the first time.

My gaze remained locked on the Shogun's portrait as I thought— it was just a simple portrait, yet for some reason, it had been spared from the breeze that had swept away the other papers. Was it really just a coincidence, or was it a sign? The Archons were well known to do the latter when they had something to communicate...

Why was it spared? Why was it staring at me now, demanding my attention? Why was it left behind, when every other document and image has fallen to the ground and blown away..?

Despite being powerful, intimidating, and prideful like the other Archons, there was something different about the Raiden Shogun. Was it her looks, which were certainly beautiful to appreciate? Or was it her aura, which was distinct from those of the other Archons? Or was it something else entirely that made me hesitant yet intrigued? Whatever it may be, the Shogun was certainly an interesting figure, and I couldn't help but wonder what more could be learned from her.

It was no exaggeration to say that reaching out to the Archons was a game of chess with one's life at stake. A single mistake could be disastrous, and the consequences would be severe. Yet I needed to weigh the risks against the potential rewards.

I couldn't afford to miss the chance to learn valuable information about an Archon's history and the world's past if it meant playing it safe. And although the Shogun appeared to be more intimidating than the others, there still may be a path towards obtaining an audience with her.

"Hmm..."

I recalled that the Akademiya had once researched the sudden absence of Electro Visions being granted, but the cause behind it was still unsolved. Some scholars suspected it might have been related to the Raiden Shogun's will and the Vision Hunt Decree that she issued two years ago, but no one was certain. The idea that such a phenomenon could be caused by a single being was rather surprising, and it also raised many more questions.

"A god that is full of hidden secrets."

The Raiden Shogun's nature was certainly mysterious. She had ruled Inazuma with an iron fist for centuries, yet her inner thoughts and motivations were still a mystery to many. Yet her many secrets were precisely why my interest in her remained. As a figure with such importance in Teyvat's history, she was the perfect person to seek answers from.

"My life could end here in just a flash of her blade. Yet despite that..."

I just smiled at the image in my hand.

"...I want to know her secrets."