Disclaimer: I do not own Eminence in Shadow series.
Identity_04
The night sky began to reveal a blurry shade of sunlight.
Alpha was standing on top a building across Midgar Dorm. She was watching the investigators packing their stuff after hours of examining Cid's room. Once they'd left, she launched herself through the air and landed inside his room in one swift jump. To make sure the group was gone for good, Alpha approached the door to listen in, checking on the fading sounds of footstep.
Good, this part of the building was empty. Other students were evacuated for safety measure.
Alpha looked around, taking in the current state of his room. Prior reports and Rolapoid images collected by the investigation team of Shadow Garden produced no positive result so far. This time, she would personally examine the scene on her own to be sure.
They said the hole on the wall was caused by an explosion. Yet, the condition of the room suggested a different reason. Not a trace of burning could be found. Scanning through the damaged interior and furniture, she noticed the central part of the floor had been sunk in. It was likely the consequence of a handmade chandelier fell down and made a dent on the wood board. That was also her first assumption. But the surrounding once again displayed a different scenario.
Alpha looked up to see the chandelier stuck deep into the ceiling. It literally pierced through the concrete wall. She noticed the bedframe was bending way from the dent. She wasn't entirely sure if there existed a physical technique that could cause such an impact. For now, she will go with the assumption that this was the work of magic. However, there was barely any mana residue in the room.
How confusing.
Shadow was strong, a league of his own. If this was a direct attack, he would see it coming long before the culprit even manages to lift a finger. That has always been the case. Yet, Shadow decided to let it happen for a plan only he himself knew about. His civilian life was now sitting in the palm of public's attention. What kind of benefit expected at the end result for him to change his mind? Why was he keeping silent about it?
Alpha couldn't understand. This was not something desirable for Cid Kagenou.
"Shadow." Alpha muttered softly as she gazed into the hollow surface of the wood floor.
Hm?
Alpha blinked. She thought her eyes were being deceived by a simple lighting trick from the sun at dawn. But it was real.
Something was glittering inside that place.
Step Step Step!
Abruptly, the echo of someone's footsteps reached her ears. Quickly, Alpha hid herself from view the moment Cid's door swung open without a warning.
It was his sister, Claire.
While letting out many gasps, a mix of worry and tiredness filled her expression. Claire entered the room as the door carefully locked behind her and wiped her damped forehead using a handkerchief.
"Heh! Finally..." Claire smirked briefly. "I finally managed to sneak into my brother's room."
That sounds wrong. Claire probably meant that she'd successfully sneaked past the guards to reach here.
"Don't worry, Cid. Onee-chan will find out the truth and rescue you right away."
Alpha silently nodded in agreement to her future sister-in-la...to Cid's sibling. Everyone in Shadow Garden understood the weight of her concern.
"And after rescuing you, Onee-chan will make you compensate for our bonding match this morning. Next! I'll clear my schedule and force you to accompany me for a whole day. I'll give you some of Onee-chan's tough lo...an earful scolding for being so careless." Claire declared so as she emitted a dark aura.
Shadow might need a headup about this. However, Claire's words got Alpha wondering. Maybe she could ask him the same thing too, there was that promise with a dance between them.
"Now, to begin my investigation."
Claire slowly paced around, taking a short glance at various places in the room. She noticed the dent on the floor, the stuck chandelier on the ceiling and the collapsed desk. She placed a hand under her chin, contemplating about a possible hint as she stood in front of his bed. Alpha was listening to her every word and action.
"Hm." Claire uttered a soft hum. "Aye!"
Thud!
Then she proceeded to jump on the bed. Despite the disfigured bedframe, she still decided to lie on top it.
"Hm. Hm." The same sound left her lip.
Alpha's lip parted slightly as she was observing Claire, who rolled around for a bit and patted a couple spots on the mattress. She grabbed the pillow and gave it an intense glare.
Sniff.
Eh? Alpha didn't expect this. Claire buried her face in the pillow and inhaled a long and deep breath. A moment later, she pulled away, eyes closed and lost in thought.
"I see." Frowning, Claire announced the conclusion she discovered. "He wasn't in bed last night. He was staying up late before the attack happens."
How...how did she know that? There was no evidence indicating such timing about Shadow's action.
Gasp!
Alpha gasped softly as a gleaming light flared up in her mind. An explanation just came to her on a whim. Could this be some kind of unique forensic method only Claire knew about? As expected of Shadow's sister, the promising Dark Knight, she also carried in herself a valuable knowledge.
"And..." Claire continued speaking to no one but herself. "He didn't bother to use the new shampoo I bought for him last week. The fragrance from that bottle could last for days, but it isn't here."
Alpha finally grasped the concept. It was the smell!
Claire was analyzing a past event based on Shadow's scent. Such a method was also possible in tracking down the clues. Perhaps, the fruitless efforts of Shadow Garden's investigation team were due to this. She recalled none of the members in the dispatched unit was a beast-kin. Maybe that was why they found nothing on scene.
This...this is good, most definitely useful. They could apply this new method to a second team.
But when did Claire memorize his scent?
"Let's see if he's hiding something under here." She searched underneath the bed. "Nothing. No uncensored books or weird objects. Good, good. Though, lots of dust. Could use some cleaning."
Claire moved on to the collapsed desk. Her eyes squinted, scanning each object. She picked up one particular notebook and brought the cover close to her nose.
Sniff!
"There is it. There's no mistaking it." Claire said with a determined expression. "He was using this book yesterday. Approximately from twelve to one at midnight."
Impressive, Alpha admitted. Such a simple action had shredded light on an important detail left in the dark.
"There's nothing on these pages." Claire started going through the note. "He was writing something but it doesn't show. Wait, I can see some outlines here and yet, there're no words. Did he use an eraser?"
Hearing that, Alpha's eyes widened in surprise. If possible, those outlines could have been a hidden message he left behind this whole time.
Gasp!
Suddenly, Claire took a step back. Her face filled with shock. The notebook slipped from her trembling hands and crashed against the wooden floor.
"It can't be! T-That deep red mark on the last page!" Claire looked like she just reached a horrible true behind her brother's disappearance. "So that's it. They hurt my little brother. They HURT him! How dare they!"
Enraged, mana flows shot out from her body. For Cid's sake, she quickly came back to her sense.
"A-Alright, Claire. Calm yourself down. You need to take a better look. This...this is the Kingdom map drawing in pencil!? Cid must have made this for some reason. While he was under attacked, the culprits took their time explaining to him their evil scheme, he used that opportunity to mark the location using his own blood to tell everyone of his captor's whereabout. This mountain is where they're keeping him. Yes, that makes sense! That makes a lot of senses!"
She wasn't calm down at all. Claire was still furious. For whatever plausible reason, Claire decided she could save more time by jumping through the big hole on the wall.
"Hang on Cid! Onee-chan is coming!"
She performed an elegant landing before sprinting through the streets at full speed, towards the rising sun in the distance. For her safety, a few Numbers would be assigned to watch over her.
Alpha returned to the room with a new lead. She had retrieved a glittering fragment of the wood board from the dent on the floor and kept it inside a cylinder. It was small in size and barely noticeable. If it wasn't thanks to the sunlight, she would have never discovered it. The clues she found will be sent to Eta's lab. Further research is required in order to reach the answer they're seeking.
As for the notebook, Alpha picked it up and examined the map that gave Claire a huge shock. A mark resembled a drop of blood spilling over the name of a mountain located west of the capital city. The sight may have looked convincing enough for someone to deduce from it. This clue alone was simply a piece of the full message. By combining it with the invisible outlines Shadow left in his note, they can arrive at the true answer.
"Perhaps this is everything." Muttered softly, she gave the note one last look before closing the pages.
Then...
Then...
Alpha thought about the advanced forensic method Claire had done. Curiosity aroused. And for the sake of gaining firsthand experience, she tried it out.
"Oh."
The Oaktree aroma from those pages smelled really nice.
But...
Alpha still wasn't sure how Claire could identify his scent in such a confident manner. Maybe there are certain things only sibling know best.
Or...
Or maybe she should need to know what Shadow actually smells like? She could ask Delta and Zeta about it. However, that was out of the question since those two were also busy in their search for him. If she was going to establish a case of her own to push the investigation forward, she would have to do this by herself.
Slowly, Alpha's eyes drifted to Cid's untouched wardrove. Believe it or not, this was part of the investigation.
Not because she felt like Delta's boldness or Zeta's opportunistic nature earned them a step ahead of others in what supposed to be a neutral contest between the Shades.
Not because that gut feeling inside were whispering to Alpha in the ears, telling her to reaffirm the closest position to Cid in Shadow Garden.
What she's about to do was completely necessary.
Carrying the newfound evidences back to Mitsugoshi's Headquarter, Alpha was greeted by Gamma and Nu who waited for her return.
"Alpha-sama, new reports just came in." Gamma informed.
"Have you read through it all?"
"I have. Though I'm afraid there's not much to say about the current progress of our investigation."
"It's alright." Alpha smiled kindly. "I came back with some good news. It seems I received a bit of luck in my own investigation."
Gamma's eyes sparkled, she was happy to hear that. Nu prepared a tray for Alpha to show them her findings, a colorless bag containing a cylinder, in which a fragment of the wood board was kept, and Cid's notebook.
"Oh my! Something is glittering in it. What about the notebook?" Gamma asked.
"It contains a hidden message, written by Shadow himself." Alpha explained. "Nu, there's something I need your help with."
"Yes, Alpha-sama?"
"Deliver these to Eta's research lab to have her analyze the message Shadow's entrusted us. With haste."
"Right away." Nu bowed her head. "But if I may ask, Alpha-sama. Are you feeling alright at the moment?"
"Yes. I am perfectly capable of managing the operation for as long as until we know what's transpired and Shadow's well-being. Why do you ask such a question?"
"Well..."
Nu trailed off as she seemed to try to find the right words. Gamma stepped in and offered her help. They shared a look of concern, most likely seeing something on her face.
"Your cheeks and ears are red."
Alpha heard it.
Her eyes didn't go wide, she was still keeping a neutral look.
Her body didn't startle at the face of that surprising truth, she took a seat and drank the cup of early morning tea Nu'd prepared.
Her expression didn't change, she remained a calm and collected leader in front of her subordinates.
"Is that so?" Alpha simply spoke. "I may need to take a short rest then. Gamma, proceed with the missions. Nu, after the delivery, inform others to be on standby. We need Eta to decrypt the message first before we decide to begin Stage One of Fade-Out Protocol. Now you may leave."
"Yes, my Lady!" They responded in sync.
Along with the clues, Nu disappeared from sight. At the kind of speed naked eyes couldn't follow, she merged herself into the shadow of the streets outside. In a hurry, Gamma also left.
"Hyah!"
Alpha picked up that cute squeak behind the closing door. Goodness, Gamma. She tripped over again.
When the sounds of footsteps become fainter, Alpha leaned back on the sofa with a small sigh. The Slime Suit dissipated and replaced by an elegant black dress.
Now that she was alone.
Now that they pointed out the change on her expression.
Now that she began to think about it.
"Gyyuuhh!"
Alpha's hands shot up to cover the face while an awkward voice slipped from her lip. She felt hotter in the cheeks and that feeling was about to spread all over her being a second time.
The first time was when she took out Cid's student uniform from the wardrove. Alpha'd blushed once she gave her sense of smell a delightful dose of Shadow Wisdom.
She didn't expect it to be so good.
/
Author's Note: While Shadow Garden is trying their best to reach the truth (and take their chances), Cid is having fun fulfilling his fantasy. Such is the comedy of Eminence in Shadow. I hope my writing captured enough of that element.
Thank you for reading. Take Care!