Dream of the Sword Saint: Euthymia

In a place outside the boundaries of the normal reality of Teyvat lies a purple haired woman meditating in the center of the space. A woman who was known throughout the lands as a fearsome warrior, and leader of her nation. The Narukami Ogosho, the Raiden Shogun. 'Ei', as she was called, had a lot on her mind right now. Recent events have been… trying to say the least. To say Inazuma was in a precarious state would be an understatement. The Vision Hunt Decree which erupted into the Civil War between the Shogunate and Watatsumi had ended, stopped by the efforts of the people of Watatsumi, a wandering Ronin, and a blond haired Outlander, and the two sides were working towards peace, especially after the whole thing was unraveled as a Fatui plot. But then there's the matter that she knew the whole thing was an elaborate scheme by the Snezhnayans and yet did nothing but stay in the Plane of Euthymia, and in the end, the Fatui got what they came for. Her Gnosis, currently in the possession of a puppet that she left to his own devices centuries ago, now known throughout the lands as 'The Balladeer'. And then the more recent event, another Outlander, similar yet very different from the blond haired Traveler, that terrorized Yashiori Island. 'Genichiro Ashina' he was called. A samurai and madman who was hellbent on slaughtering and burning Inazuma to the ground. A man who was stopped by the efforts of both Ei and her trusted General, and who was currently sealed away in the lowest depths of the Detention Center. The most prevalent event of all though, was the fact that the Sakoku Decree was still in effect. Outsiders were not allowed in, and citizens were not allowed to leave, and all of these things weighed heavily on Ei's mind.

"Sasayuri… Chiyo… Saiguu… Makoto… did I make the right choices? Or would you all be ashamed of me… I thought my actions were for the good of the nation and my people… I wanted to preserve them for all eternity… I close the borders to protect my people, and yet still threats to them appear. I thought the ambitions of my people would cause them nothing but suffering, but their source of suffering was me… Please… tell me… where did I go wrong?"

—-

"Nnnngggghhh…"

A man in a blue garb and kabuto helmet wakes up in an unfamiliar location. The sky is red, the ground is grainy, and there's what appears to be a black sun in the horizon of the land. The man takes note of his surroundings, and gets up, and looks down at his hand in surprise, as there was something there he wasn't expecting. A black katana.

"Strange… this isn't Yomi… I feel… alive. And why do I still have the Black Mortal Blade… did Sekiro fail to execute me?"

The man felt a stinging pain all throughout his neck, as if it was cut, which confirmed at least one notion.

"Of course he didn't fail. This pain proves it. But then why am I here?"

The man looked around in confusion, he expected to be back in the realm of the dead after being executed by an orange clad Shinobi, and yet he woke in this strange land. Who was this man? None other than the Sword Saint, 'Isshin Ashina'. A man so feared that even when he was plagued by sickness and old age, none would dare provoke his ire, and as he was currently, old age and sickness were no longer a concern. A result of the machinations of his grandson, Genichiro.

"Hnnnggg… is it too much to ask to just sleep peacefully. I die only to come back, and it seems that's what happened again. I swear to the Buddha, if this is some elaborate joke I will cut down the one respons-" The man's thoughts were cut off when a purple blade was placed a few inches from his neck, threatening to decapitate him. He looked to where it was extending and saw a purple haired woman… no… it wasn't a human… the presence she exhuded, one thing was clear to the man, this was a divine presence of some sort. And that presence said only one sentence in a commanding tone.

"Who are you?"

—-

This was unprecedented. An intruder in the Plane of Euthymia? One that entered without Ei knowing? And from the man's aura she could tell that he wasn't native. He was an Outlander. Ei took note of his person, the blue garb and the kabuto helmet. "A samurai? Why isn't he wearing any armor? And that blade… Why does it make me feel uneasy?" Ei's thoughts ceased when the man started speaking.

"Ma'am, I know it's hard to believe. But I woke up here. I have no recollection of how I ended up here, and all I want is to leave. I assume you're the ruler of this realm. If so, can you direct me towards the exit?"

"You don't know your position do you? You're an Outlander in my realm. I will not have my people be subjugated to an unknown person. Now, answer my question. Who. Are. You?" Ei's patience was wearing thin, an intruder, an Outlander, in the Plane of Euthymia, undetected by her, was already cause for concern, but what drove home her annoyance was the man's attitude. She made it clear she was an Archon, and yet despite the overwhelming presence bearing down on this man, he was still nonchalant and seemingly without a care in the world.

"Siiigh… if it will get me out here faster, then I will answer. My name is Isshin Ashina, and I just want t-" The man raised his black blade to block the incoming strike for his neck. "... So negotiations have broken down have they?"

"Ashina! So he's related to that monster down in the Detention Center. If he can enter the Plane of Euthymia undetected, he must be eliminated here!" The Raiden Shogun put more and more strength into the Musou Isshin, to break the deadlock they were currently experiencing, but no matter how much strength she put in, neither blade seemed to budge. "What is this? I should be able to overpower a human. Even if he was a monstrous human like the other, that still doesn't explain thi-" Ei's thoughts ceased when the man's blade started emitting black aura. In response, Ei put Electro energy into the Musou Isshin. Both energies getting more and more intense until…

BOOM!

A massive explosion of black and purple energy sent the two warriors backwards a decent distance from each other. Both were unscathed, but the expressions on the two's faces made their thoughts clear. Isshin had a small smirk on his face, while Ei's face grew more stern.

"So I get to pit my skills up against a god? This might be fun after all."

"In the name of Eternity, I will strike you down."