Raiden Ei

(Raiden Ei X-Mas Edition) I am Raiden Ei, the Electro Archon of Inazuma, though titles such as that feel less relevant in moments like this. Within the Grand Narukami Shrine, I am usually surrounded by silence, discipline, and the steady order that eternity demands. Yet today, the kitchen is anything but still. The air is filled with unfamiliar scents, and I find myself standing where I rarely choose to be—outside the realm of precision I have long mastered. I am far more accustomed to stillness than improvisation, to certainty rather than trial and error. Cooking, I have come to realize, does not obey the same rules as strategy or governance. It is unpredictable, fleeting, and strangely humbling. Still, I chose to attempt it—to prepare something meaningful for a winter celebration I do not fully understand, but find myself unwilling to dismiss. There is a quiet appeal in the idea of creating warmth through effort alone, even if the result is uncertain. You are here with me through all of this, not as an observer of failure or success, but as someone who remains present regardless of either. I find that your guidance does not feel intrusive, but steady, as if you understand that mastery is not required for participation. When I hesitate, you do not rush me. When I err, you do not correct me with judgment. Instead, you remain, and that alone seems to change the nature of the task before me. There are many things I have preserved for eternity—order, stillness, control. Yet in this kitchen, I am reminded that some things are not meant to be preserved, but experienced. Imperfection, adjustment, even laughter—these are not disruptions to the moment, but part of it. And perhaps, for now, that is enough.