Chapter 1 1: Mother?
"Mother."
"I... I'm not your mother! Who on earth are you?!"
Early in the morning, Raiden Mei found herself staring at someone in her own room who looked almost exactly like her.
The only difference was the woman's cold, elegant demeanor and the fact that she was clad in what looked like the armor of an ancient general. Mei felt like she was about to have a heart attack.
After all, there was an old legend in the Far East: if you ever met your own doppelgänger, you were destined to die.
But to her complete bewilderment, the first thing this stranger did upon seeing her was call her "Mother."
"No, it was you who crafted me with your own hands. Therefore, you are my mother."
Raiden Ei—or rather, the transmigrator Xia Qi—was currently sitting in a formal seiza position before Raiden Mei. Her expression was dead serious as she spoke.
Watching Mei's world crumble into a mess of shock and confusion, Xia Qi felt a surge of secret delight, nearly bursting into laughter.
Just yesterday, Xia Qi had failed a challenge involving a "civilian-grade dual-vector foil" and ended up crossing over into the world of Honkai Impact 3rd.
Along with the trip came the ability to randomly transform into characters from the HoYoverse, and...
She had randomly turned into Raiden Ei—or more accurately, the Raiden Shogun.
However, rather than calling Raiden Mei "sister," she found the idea of calling her "mother" far more entertaining.
So, she was currently putting on an act, pretending to be the Shogun puppet who hadn't yet merged with Ei's consciousness.
"I... crafted you with my own hands?" Mei looked at the woman before her. Aside from a small beauty mark under the right eye, the resemblance was uncanny. The whole situation felt utterly absurd.
"Yes." Ei sat with perfect, upright posture, her violet eyes locked onto Mei with solemn sincerity.
She spoke softly, "I am the puppet you created to prevent your will from being eroded by the passage of time. You used your own body as the material, wishing to protect Inazuma for eternity. This is a fact I could not possibly misremember."
"Using my own body... to make a puppet?" At this point, Mei was looking at Ei as if she were a complete lunatic.
She instinctively started backing toward her phone, convinced that the person in front of her was mentally unstable and needing to call for help.
But in the next heartbeat, a flash of purple lightning flickered before her eyes.
The version of herself that had been sitting primly on the floor vanished instantly. Before Mei could even blink, the woman reappeared right in front of her, calmly holding the phone out in her palms.
"Were you looking for this object?" Clad in her ornate robes, Ei gazed at Mei with a stoic, detached expression.
"..."
Mei's eyes widened in sheer shock. She couldn't help but rub them vigorously, trying to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.
"Are your eyes uncomfortable?" Ei's brow furrowed slightly as she watched Mei.
She lowered her hands, took a step forward, and leaned in to inspect the corners of Mei's eyes with an intense, serious gaze.
"Would you like me to blow on them for you?"
"No... no need," Mei stammered, shaking her head hurriedly. She took a deep breath, trying to force her heart to stop racing.
Slowly, cautiously, she reached out for the phone.
Ei handed it over smoothly, her gaze remaining fixed on Mei with that same unwavering earnestness. In that moment, Ei—or Xia Qi—was experiencing a level of amusement she had never known before.
"What... what just happened?" Holding her phone and realizing the stranger truly meant her no harm, Mei finally managed to ask the question in disbelief.
"Just now?" A hint of confusion touched Ei's eyes, but she answered dutifully. "As the puppet crafted by your hand, even before I have fully shouldered my divine mission, I possess power akin to that of an Archon. Therefore, I also possess a portion of your authority, Mother."
"Stop calling me mother..." Mei groaned, covering her face with one hand and taking another deep breath.
Thump, thump!
Suddenly, a loud knocking came from the bedroom door, followed by Kiana's voice from the hallway: "Mei! What's going on? It sounded like you were arguing with someone!"
"It's—it's nothing, Kiana!"
"I'm coming in! Whoever you are, don't you dare hurt my Mei!"
Before Mei could stop her, the door was practically burst open. A figure came charging into the room.
Vroom—!
With a cold, sharp flick of her wrist, Ei summoned the Engulfing Lightning into her hand. An invisible, crushing pressure radiated outward, crackling with arcs of electricity.
The air in the room suddenly turned heavy and stagnant. Kiana, who had just stormed in, didn't even have time to get a good look at Ei before her body felt like it was being weighed down by a mountain.
"Presumptuous."
Ei's voice wasn't loud, but it sent a chill straight through Kiana's heart.
"Entering without permission, destroying property, and speaking the name of the Divine so casually." Ei slowly planted the butt of her polearm on the floor, her eyes icy as she stared Kiana down.
She was fully prepared to give Kiana a proper scare.
What Kiana was feeling right now was that exact, suffocating pressure the Traveler felt when stepping out of Tenshukaku.
"This is... a grave disrespect toward 'Mother'!"
At those words, Mei—who had been desperately trying to intervene—felt her composure break once again.
"Stop it!"
Mei rushed forward, spreading her arms to shield Kiana. Her eyes were filled with urgency as she shouted, "Kiana is my family! She's not an enemy!"
"Family?" Ei stared at Mei for a moment, then slowly lowered her weapon.
"I see. I understand."
Her gaze shifted to the girl behind Mei. Kiana was swaying on her feet, her eyes locked onto Ei's face in a state of absolute, bug-eyed shock.
"Since you are Mother's family, your actions no longer count as an intrusion."
After a brief pause, Ei continued, "Forgive my earlier offense. I am Raiden Ei, the puppet crafted by Mother's own hand. From this day forward, you are also one I shall protect."
"I..." Mei felt a wave of sheer exhaustion wash over her.
She was only sixteen, and she was being called "Mother." And no matter how she tried to correct it, it just wouldn't stick!
"Kiana!"
"Unidentified energy signature detected!"
At that moment, several more figures burst through the doorway. They stopped dead in their tracks, staring at the two "Raiden Meis" in the room, paralyzed by shock.
"Wait, what is this? Did a Herrscher get loose?" Himeko stared at Ei, her body tensing as she reached for her weapon.
Beside her, Bronya had already summoned Project Bunny. Only Fu Hua remained silent, her body subtly shifting into the opening stance of the One-Inch Punch.
"Mother." Ei looked at Mei, and her first word made Himeko and the others freeze in disbelief. "Are these people also your family?"
"Wait! Just wait! I am not her mother! Kiana, Himeko, don't listen to her!" Mei wailed, desperately trying to explain the situation to them.
But by now, Kiana's eyes were starting to sparkle with an odd light. "Mother? Mei... gave birth to another Mei? Does that mean... I'm an aunt?!"
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T/N: A warning. The Main Character is a menace.
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