DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Metal Gear is created by Hideo Kojima and owned by Konami. Genshin Impact is owned by miHoYo.

METAL GEAR SHOGUN

Prologue
WASH AWAY THE ANGER

/-\ Plane of Euthymia /-\

A dark red sky shone upon the gray landscape of the Plane of Euthymia, emanating from the ever-present moon looming just over the horizon. In the distance, torii gates of various height stood atop the ground, forming a circle around a large insignia. In the center of the symbol was a woman dressed in a kimono decorated in various purples and crimsons, and bearing long, braided violet hair.

This woman was the Raiden Shogun, otherwise known as Ei. She sat on her knees, meditating in a silent contemplation, pondering many things. For her, today was another day of reflecting upon her eternal rule of the nation she governed, Inazuma. Another day of waiting for the answers to achieve her ultimate goal of Eternity.

Another day of solitude.

Yes, Ei was indeed alone. Though she sometimes spoke with Yae Miko from time to time, many of her days, like this one, were spent alone. Still, her nation was not without leadership, as she had created a vessel, a doppelganger of herself meant to manage the daily affairs of Inazuma. Despite placing a puppet in the position of Shogun, she knew that all would be well in her absence.

But being disconnected from the outside world left her at the mercy of those not bound to the world.

BGM:

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater – The Sorrow ~ Everlasting Fight
By Harry Gregson-Williams & Shuichi Kobori

Ei was awoken by the sound of burning flames. She opened her eyes to see a location completely different from the Plane of Euthymia – a forest on fire, with her standing about waist-deep in a seemingly endless river. Ei was somewhat fazed, as she did not expect to see a change so drastic. Was this some kind of illusion? Or perhaps a deliberate attack?

Ei knew she would not find the answer to this question by standing about. She chose to trudge down the river towards its end – if it even had one. After several minutes of walking, she began to hear the sound of rain. And eventually, a great downpour was brought forth, silencing the raging fires. Thunder boomed in the distance.

Suddenly, a ripple formed ahead of Ei in the river, with a humanoid figure levitating out of the waters, his back turned to her. He was dressed in dark gray clothing with a hood covering his head.

"Have you ever seen true madness…?" The figure said in a tired male voice.

Ei attempted to summon forth the Musou Isshin, yet somehow could not conjure the divine blade once held by her dear sister. The levitating man turned to face the God of Eternity.

"Such techniques do not work here." The man spoke, pointing his finger at Ei.

"Who are you?" Ei commanded. "What is the meaning of this?"

With that, the man lowered his hood. He had swept-back white hair and wore glasses over his eerie, dead eyes.

"I am The Sorrow." He spoke, the hooded coat slowly vanishing from his shoulders. "And you are just like me… burdened by sadness." The Sorrow then blinked, a trail of blood pouring out of his left eye, as the corresponding eyeglass cracked.

"You have seen sadness beyond that which any human could endure… the loss of comrades, family… the horrors of war and death. Yet, you persevere. Despite the weight of your sorrows, you continue to pursue that which drives you."

Ei thought about The Sorrow's words. She had seen more than her share of tragedy in her long life, especially during the Calamity that took the life of her sister, Makoto, 500 years ago. "That is because my pursuit of Eternity is far from over." She responded. "To that end, I have sworn to preserve the integrity and prosperity of my homeland, and I have sacrificed far too much to give up now. I will not rest until I have reached Eternity."

"You seek…" The Sorrow asked, "An Eternity…? Ah, yes… A mission for you to finish. An ultimate goal." The Sorrow pondered what Ei had said to him. "But for all your time searching, what have you found? What do you have to show for your efforts?"

Ei tried to answer his question but was interrupted. "Nothing. Your inability to find this Eternity you speak of has earned you nothing but emptiness. You keep trying to find something, anything to fill the empty void within… but all that can fill it is more sadness… and that sadness deepens the hole in your heart, thus bringing more emptiness and sadness. I pity you."

She was beginning to grow tired of the man's taunting. "Enough." She spoke to him. "If you have summoned me for no other reason than to berate me, then I have no reason to stay here. Now release me." Ei turned her back to the man and began to wade down the river in the opposite direction.

"What if I were to offer you…" The Sorrow began, "An answer for the Eternity you seek…?"

Ei stopped in her tracks. An answer for her Eternity?

"Do I have your attention now?" The Sorrow chuckled. Ei turned back to face him again.

"You really have a way for me to reach Eternity? What is it?"

"I regret to inform you that I do not have the answers you are looking for."

Ei was dumbfounded. This was ridiculous! This man says he could help her in her pursuit of Eternity, but had no answers for her?

"But rather…" He continued. "A means for you to find these answers."

"What do you mean?" Ei asked.

The Sorrow elaborated. "Like yours, my world is one of sadness. Grief, from the loss of others, from the pain instilled upon the living… many of them may never achieve true happiness. But you… you may be able to make a difference… to mitigate their sorrows."

"What do you propose?"

"My world desperately needs people such as yourself. More specifically… a person similar to you. I am able to bring you there, but what you do there… and whether you find your answers… is up to you."

Ei tried to make sense of The Sorrow's riddles. "Are you saying that I will find a way to achieve Eternity by healing the sadness of others?" She asked.

There was a pregnant pause between the two. Ei stood in the river's waters while The Sorrow continued to hover above the surface, his feet only barely submerged.

"That…" The Sorrow spoke. "Even I cannot say for certain. But you want to reach your Eternity, don't you?" That was true. Ei had dedicated most of her life towards the prosperity of Inazuma and her eternal rule. She was beginning to consider whether there was some truth in The Sorrow's words.

"Then… you'll have to take my offer." He continued.

Ei thought of the possibility that she could find the answers she needed from this deal, but what if it were an empty promise? Still, The Sorrow was right. Even meditating in the Plane of Euthymia for years had not given her any answers. If she wanted to pursue Eternity further, she would have to take up his offer.

"I accept." She spoke.

The Sorrow smiled. "I see… then you shall walk the path of another person. Through their footsteps, you will learn the truth of what you seek." The Sorrow began to slowly hover towards Ei, stopping a mere few feet away from her. He rose his hands and placed them on Ei's head, taking hold of her spirit. Ei experienced a feeling of weightlessness and nausea before her senses were deprived from her, leaving only a silent void of darkness where the forest once was.

"The spirit of the warrior…" The Sorrow's voice echoed. "Will always be with you."

BGM end

The first thing Ei felt was powerlessness. It felt as if all of the strength had left her body. Her limbs felt impossibly heavy. She even had difficulty opening her eyes. And it wasn't just her physical strength. She realized that the power she once commanded as the Electro Archon had faded as well. What happened to it? Was it in the Shogun's hands?

Not that it mattered, anyway. Ei tried to form words to anyone who may be nearby, but all she could do was cry in high-pitched wails. Then she realized – she had been reincarnated as a human infant. The realization set in, instilling a deep confusion within her. Why had this happened to her? Was this the only way The Sorrow could bring her to his world? What could even be gained from this?

The next thing she knew, a brisk air assaulted her, chilling her to the bone. Given how newborns were especially frail against most elements, it was not much of a surprise. Then, she heard a voice.

"Doctor…" The tired voice of a woman called out. "Is it over…?"

"Yes, ma'am." An accented voice responded. "Congratulations. It's a girl."

Ei felt a cloth wrap around her new body, shielding her from the cold. She was then gently embraced by a pair of arms, presumably from the woman who spoke.

"Oh, baby…" The woman spoke. She made a shushing noise, trying to calm her child. "Don't cry…"

Ei opened her eyes, albeit slightly, and saw a middle-aged woman with dark hair holding her. Ei concluded that this lady must have just given birth to her – as strange as that may have sounded.

She looked around and saw they were in a small white room, probably used for medical procedures. Apart from her "mother," who was lying in a bed, she saw two other people in the room with them. A dark-skinned man dressed in white and wearing a mask and gloves, most likely a doctor, and an androgynous man with bright platinum hair, sitting by the woman's side. He was most likely her husband, and by extension, Ei's "father."

"She's beautiful, dear…" The androgynous man said, in a slightly raspy voice. "Just as beautiful as her mother."

Then she heard the crack of thunder. Startled, Ei instinctively let out a cry. Everyone else in the room was shocked by the sudden loud noise.

"Oh… it's raining…" Her mother said. "This is a bad omen…"

Indeed, it was raining outside, rather heavily. Ei didn't notice due to the sound blending in with the rain she heard when she was with The Sorrow. Disoriented, shocked, and dumbfounded, she let out a shallow whine. Then her father wrapped his arms around his child and wife to comfort them and spoke something that caught Ei off guard.

"Kuwabara, kuwabara…" He recited. With that, Ei began to calm herself. She recognized what he had said, specifically a phrase spoken by the people of Inazuma to ward off lightning during storms. Perhaps this world had a similar custom.

The family that embraced her began to calm down as well, eventually taking notice of their daughter.

"Look, dear…!" Her mother pointed out. "She's settling down…!" She seemed ecstatic.

"Who's afraid of a little thunder?" Her father chuckled.

Ei had many thoughts running through her head. So many of them could not be answered, and the answers she did come up with did not make any sense. However, the most prevalent question of all, was how this would teach her how to reach Eternity. If only she knew the destiny that would befall her next.

And the prologue is finished! To be honest, the whole thing with The Sorrow reincarnating Raiden Shogun is a bit of a plot MacGuffin, but don't worry. I'll be sticking to Metal Gear's craziness from now on, as opposed to Genshin Impact's craziness. Also, it's somewhat fitting that this chapter be uploaded on Raiden Shogun's birthday, June 26th. I'll do my best to fill in what isn't told to us in the MGS games about Raiden's childhood, so hang in there!

-Azzy Asbourne

Music: watch?v=OxQN5Wm_aoE&t=178s