With some trepidation and a great deal of reverence, Kujou Sara passed the threshold of the chambers of the Raiden Shogun. The last time she'd done so had been without invitation, following the horrible revelation that her foster father was part of a conspiracy to deceive and mislead their deity. She had prayed then that her insolence would be forgiven, given the urgency and importance of the information she carried.
This time, though, she had been summoned; a rare opportunity to speak with Her Excellency in person. Sara's heart was racing with anticipation. The Shogun represented all that Sara aspired to be, the very pinnacle of being. The strength to sunder islands, the wisdom to shape history, the determination to pursue Eternity itself, all with a grace and beauty that any poet would weep to behold. For all the amazing feats that Sara had accomplished in her short life, hers were but a candle's flicker next to the blazing sun of the Shogun.
Once she had positioned herself at the proper distance from her liege, Sara knelt and bowed deeply enough that her forehead touched the immaculately polished wood of the chamber floor. "I have come as summoned, Your Excellency!"
"Lift your head, Kujou Sara," the Shogun commanded. "We have much to discuss, and I would prefer not to waste time on formalities."
Without hesitation, Sara complied, climbing to her feet to stand at attention. "As you command!"
"My, so obedient," a familiar voice spoke with the barest hint of mockery in the tone. Sara realized then that the Narukami High Priestess was present, someone she'd failed to notice, focused as she was on the Shogun herself. Normally, it would be a shameful oversight, but what intruder could possibly threaten the God of Thunder herself?
No, Sara scolded herself. That was no excuse. Her father had allowed his unshakable faith in the power of the Shogun to serve as an excuse for his dereliction of duty, and Sara would not repeat his mistake. She would settle on an appropriate punishment for herself later. At least in this case the slip was minor; Yae Miko was among the few individuals in the world allowed unrestricted audience with the Raiden Shogun.
"And so naïve," the Priestess continued. The words raised Sara's hackles. Sara was not ignorant of the distain with which the High Priestess regarded her. It was irksome that the woman would choose to speak ill of her in front of the Shogun herself, but not enough so to prompt Sara to speak out of turn. "Are you sure she's the right choice? I do think that there's a better than even chance that you're going to shatter her fragile little world."
"I have the utmost confidence in General Kujou," the Shogun answered evenly. "Her record is spotless, and her loyalty is unquestionable." Sara felt her heart swell with pride at the words of acknowledgement. Yes, whatever it was that the Shogun wished of her, she would move heaven and earth alike to see it done!
"Suit yourself," Yae sighed. "It's not as though I have any better recommendations." She then addressed Sara directly. "A word of warning to you, little Tengu: Do try to keep an open mind. The things you are about to learn may not well suit your preconceptions."
The General of the Shogunate had little appreciation for the High Priestess's condescending words, but held her tongue. Ignoring her and addressing the Shogun directly, Kujou Sara asked, "How may I serve you, Your Excellency? Name it, and it shall be done."
"Before I answer, it is necessary that I reveal some hidden truths to you," the Shogun answered calmly. "Some of these truths are as ancient as Inazuma itself, and yet your knowledge of them is necessary if you are to be of use to me. It is of the utmost importance that these truths remain a secret outside of these chambers. As perhaps some of us are wont to forget?" The Shogun turned her face slightly to fix Yae Miko with a disapproving gaze.
"Please," Yae snorted. "It was just Ganyu. She's a dear friend, and any secret I choose to share with her will remain so. What, do you think that she'd idly spill the beans to the Traveler and a funeral consultant while picking Glaze Lilies or something? Don't be ridiculous!"
That was… oddly specific.
"Be that as it may," the Shogun continued, "it is of the utmost importance that what I tell you now remain within these walls. Is that understood, General?"
"Of course," Sara answered. She would take any secret shared with her by the Shogun to the grave, and no torture, bribery, blackmail, or extortion she could imagine would be enough to coerce them from her lips.
"Excellent," the Shogun nodded. "The first truth you must know: the one before you is not the Raiden Shogun."
Kujou Sara froze. There were few words she would have expected less. "I… beg your pardon?" she asked.
"I am the Shogun's kagemusha," her liege explained patiently. "It is my duty to take the place of the Raiden Shogun while she is otherwise occupied."
Sara nodded, hesitantly. The practice was far from unheard of among the noble houses of Inazuma, but it was a bit of a shock to learn that the Raiden Shogun herself had a shadow. And the resemblance was… well, uncanny. Perfect. Even now that the deception was revealed, Sara could find no discrepancies between this person and the Shogun she knew.
"Furthermore, the Shogun has, in fact, been otherwise occupied almost without interruption for the past five hundred years."
"F-five hundred years?" Sara couldn't help but stutter.
The Shogun nodded. "Prior to the abolition of the Vision Hunt Decree, few alive in Inazuma had ever seen the Shogun in person. You were no exception."
That would explain the uncanny resemblance. If Sara had never met the original, she'd have none to compare her to. Still, the notion left her feeling somewhat queasy. Since the day the Shogun had seen fit to bestow upon her a Vision – and in so doing, saved her very life – Sara had revered the deity, devoted her life to her, attempted to model her very self by the example the Shogun set. The ecstasy Sara felt on each rare occasion when the Shogun chose to make a public appearance could hardly be described, and the words she spoke were etched upon Sara's very soul. To learn that those words, those appearances had been those of a sham…
No. There was no need for Sara's faith to falter. Even among mortals, a kagemusha was no mere imposter. A noble's shadow had the original's utmost faith and trust. Their words and actions could be said to be the noble's own. If the Raiden Shogun, in her infinite wisdom, had seen fit to choose a kagemusha of her own, then the individual before her now must be worthy of the position. Her words were the Shoguns words. Her deeds were the Shogun's deeds.
"You must understand, as well, that the position of kagemusha is one that I inherited from the current Raiden Shogun."
"CURRENT Raiden Shogun?" Sara couldn't help but burst out. "The Shogun is eternal! What possible meaning could there be in those words?"
"You forget yourself, General," the Shogun said sternly. Obediently, Sara quieted and continued to listen. "The one who held the position of Shogun previously was her twin sister. Five hundred years ago, a disaster befell our land, an invasion of monsters uncountable. The Shogun's shadow fought in defense of Inazuma, while her sister, the Shogun herself, journeyed to Khaenri'ah to investigate what was believed to be the source of the disturbance. There, she lost her life. After that day, your Shogun ruled in her place – and eventually, I in hers."
The revelation was akin to blasphemy, but Sara held her tongue, even as the wrongness of it all roiled within her. Eventually, she asked, "Was there…" she swallowed. "Was there another Shogun before this sister you mention?"
"No. Since its founding, Inazuma has had no other."
Sara relaxed a bit as she found her spiritual footing. The Shogun and her shadow, ruling as one. Even as one perished, the other continued on – reduced, perhaps, but still eternal. This was not to say that it was not still a shattering revelation, but Sara could endure.
"After the loss of her sister, the Shogun came to the conclusion that the demands of her pursuit of Eternity were not compatible with the demands that came with ruling a nation. It is for this purpose that I was created."
'Created?' It was an odd choice of words… 'Selected' or 'Appointed' would have been more appropriate – but Sara was not about to jump to any conclusions at this point. This entire meeting had been surreal in the extreme.
"I am an artificial life form," the Shogun explained, validating Sara's decision. "My body was created to be indistinguishable from that belonging to the Shogun. After my creation the Shogun shed her physical body and imbued the Musou Isshin with her spirit. There, she created a plane of perfect stillness, within which she could contemplate Eternity without interruption or disturbance."
Sara was perfectly quiet as she mentally digested the Shogun's words. Her eyes flickered briefly to Yae Miko, who was calmly regarding her in turn, an amused smirk upon her lips. Her eyes returned to the Shogun's shadow; her countenance was an image of seriousness. The absurdity of it was more than Sara could bear. The Shogun was… a ghost? Meditating inside a sword while a facsimile ruled Inazuma? A facsimile to which Sara herself had sworn fealty?
She glanced again at the High Priestess. The woman was known to enjoy amusing herself at the expense of others. Was that what this was? An elaborate prank, with Sara herself as the victim? Surely, though, not even the Priestess was arrogant enough to debase the Shogun's own inner chambers with such nonsense – and even if she were, to rope the Shogun herself into the scheme? Or… could the Shogun herself be an illusion?
Or, perhaps, not a prank at all, but a test? But to what purpose? Did they seek to test Sara's gullibility, to see what degree of nonsense she was willing to swallow if the source was someone she trusted? Was this a test prompted by her blind loyalty to her foster father, whose false reports had undermined the Shogun's rule?
Sara closed her eyes and sighed deeply. Her father was one thing, but this was the Shogun herself, even if by proxy. To refuse to trust her words now would stand contrary to the very structure around which she'd built her entire life. She would choose to trust the Shogun's judgment, just as she always had, even when Her Excellency's decisions were beyond Sara's own understanding. Perhaps, one day, she would gain enough wisdom to understand them herself.
"This is… a lot to take in," Sara admitted, eventually. "Your Excellency… Might I ask why you've decided to share this information with me?"
"The answer to that question is simple," the Shogun responded. "I have selected you to take my place as the Shogun's shadow."
Sara's eyes widened in shock.
Author's Notes:
I find fanaticism to be an interesting phenomenon (preferably one to be observed from a healthy distance), and I think it's made pretty clear that Kujou Sara embodies a stiff dose of it. As fanatics go, she's far from a terrible person, but I think there's little question that she molds her life around the Raiden Shogun both on a personal and a religious level.
The game also makes it brutally clear that the pillar atop which Sara has placed the Shogun has some pretty rickety foundations. Just as is the case with the other Archons we've met, Raiden Shogun and Ei are people, and like all people have faults by the cartload. In Ei's case, as I've discussed, she has a tendency to bull ahead without thinking things through, and the Shogun has many of the foibles possessed by artificial intelligences in fiction (literal-mindedness, difficulty with empathy, little patience for social niceties, and so on). On top of this, Sara's Vision, the gift that set her on the path of her faith, wasn't gifted by the Electro Archon at all – a fact of which Sara is ignorant.
It's easy for Sara to miss or gloss over these things as her relationship with the Shogun has always been at a respectful distance – that of a loyal soldier accepting commands, and nothing more than that. How will Sara hold up when forced to observe the Shogun's imperfections up close?
The Shogun expects professionalism and doesn't see a problem. Yae gleefully anticipates disaster and likely wishes she had a box of popcorn.
I also couldn't help but take a jab at the way that Ganyu matter-of-factly mentions that Inazuma has had a change of leader since the Archon war - something that's supposed to be a secret. I suspect that the whole story of Inazuma was underdeveloped at that point in the game's development, and that's why she presented it as though it were general knowledge.