Finally watched Eminence in Shadow and goddamn— Cid is a refreshing take. Because he's not edgy, he just wants to live his edgy fantasy. He's living in his own fictional world. Everyone else is just there to be amazed at him and he knows it
Distracted by nothing, knowing nothing but somehow always end up to know everything
What a fucking guy lmao
Hyped for season 2. It's got a fucking hunter from Bloodborne. That, and John Smith shenanigans
〖 Chapter 3 〗
⦕ I Am… Lurking... in the Shadows ⦖
It has come to my attention that I may be sharing the same classroom with a Named Character.
What's a Named Character you say? Well, to sum it up, it's a character that has a name in a story. An important character. Not necessarily the protag, could be the antagonist, could be a fan-favorite supporting character— but nevertheless! A Named Character is a character that often Mob characters (me) orbit around to accentuate their strengths and/or weaknesses. Picture it as the dudes that go 'Holy crap! It's him! The guy!'
Anyway, I have a sneaking suspicion that Hyoudou Issei is no longer one of us… And he's a rare one at that. Why is he rare? By my unflawed logic of movies and novels, Named Character more often than not is easily separable from the Mobs. This guy isn't.
Or so I thought…
Now that I think of it, he and his two fellow girl-crazed idiots are outliers to the boys here… As in; they're really fucking unhinged. They even tried to get me to be the watchdog while they peek at the girl's changing rooms. The Kendo Club girls. Obviously I refused. I'm open with befriending the trio because they are pretty funny, but there's more to it than that; I thought they were the perfect Mob characters, and Mobs stick together.
Mobs together pog. That is my creed.
But alas! Even my calculations can be wrong… sometimes…
And I'm 100% certain Hyoudou Issei is not, for a fact, a Mob. A character even lower than an NPC. A filler. Like what I as Cid aspire to be and retain. It seems that this 'Cid' guy is a Kuoh Academy transfer student. A typical setting for MC's to fall in to, but fret not, Cid Kagenou is no such guy!
Why am I sure Issei's not a Mob? Or perhaps have been elevated from his Mob status?
Well, because he was fucking dead. As far as I'm concerned, dead people don't attend school. Yet here he is, in the flesh, fit as a fiddle.
I saw his life fade away just yesterday. Gruesome, sure, but I don't treat this world like I treated my old world. I considered my 'story' as finished, and this world and whatever is going on in here is just the extra stage. Moralities? I don't care that much. I'm here to do what I've wanted since I was born as… some guy in my previous world. Don't remember my name or my past but I don't care about that stuff.
And thus why I'm seeing people as Named Character, Mobs, NPCs, and so and so. Edgy? I guess, but it makes things easier. Harder to play chess when you draw people's faces on the pawns.
Anyway, back to the topic— if that wasn't enough proof to label him as a Named Character, there's that thing about Sacred Gear. Man, adding 'sacred' in front of anything automatically doubled its coolness factor. I gotta one up it. Divine Gear, maybe? Metal Gear Rising? Revengeance Device? Eh. I'll figure it out later.
Right now, the guy is freaking out about his girlfriend-turned-murderer. Apparently nobody knew or even remembered about her. Anyone apart from me, of course… I don't know why or how, but my memories didn't get tweaked. Maybe they forgot— AH! Must be due to my perfect performance as the Mob. I've blended so well into the background that whoever they are didn't even regard me enough to have my mind wiped. As expected of a True Mob... Well done, me.
"Look, bud, I know you're desperate—we are too—but this is a bit much…"
"I'm telling you guys the truth!" Issei wails, scrolling his phone, searching for a picture that he took yesterday with that fallen angel girl. …Whatsherface? Ray…Ray…Reynault— Bah. Let's call her Ms. Exhibitionist for now.
He never found his pics. "Wh…what the… I… don't get it? I swear I took like five yesterday?"
The bald guy, Matsuda, sympathetically pats him on his shoulder. "Issei, buddy, let's stop here. It's getting depressing. We're your pals. We're the last people on earth you should pretend to have a gf."
Issei tilts his head. He might start to doubt himself, I guess. "...Huh…? Was it all a dream?"
"Probably," Motohama, another fellow Mob, adds. "A dream so real you thought it was real… I had dreams like that too… Waking up is very… depressing."
Issei sighs and scratches his head. "Man… this blows…"
I guess I should say something as well. "Well, at least it was a pretty good dream, huh?"
"...Y-yeah… I died at the end though. I got stabbed."
"If you got stabbed and died then how are you here, dingus?" says the four-eyes. He's got a point. Even I'm starting to think it was a dream. But it wasn't… right…? Right? Why am I the one getting confused here?
Whatever. My brain still hurts from processing the 'Lost Realm' bit. I'll just nod along and pretend to care.
"Kyaaaaa~!"
"Y-Yuuto-senpai!"
Oh boy. Speaking of Named Characters, here comes another one.
You can easily tell Yuuto Kiba is one because not even one second has passed since he showed his face in this classroom, all the girls squealed and flocked towards him, demanding his babies. And unlike Issei here, he's got the face and the brains. European-like. Smart. Top of his class. Athletic. He's like a character straight out of a girls' manga. I can practically see flowers blooming around him wherever he struts. Look at him. One smile and all the girls around him are swooning.
And as per usual for popular Named Characters such as him, he's got to have haters; the unpopular Mobs that want nothing less than crucify his handsome ass.
That's us. Well, Issei, Motohama, and Matsuda, specifically, I'm just here for moral support. I've got nothing against the dude.
"Tch— here comes prince charming…" so says Matsuda, ever the spiteful.
Motohama follows. "Why's he here out of all the classrooms? Can't he tell he's polluting the air us mere mortals breathe?"
Heh. You fools. He's obviously here for plot reasons. What's the plot? I have no fucking clue, but it's bound to reveal itself. It's the only explanation as to why he's here, and why he's scanning the classroom as if he hasn't spotted the guy he's looking for.
"Is Issei around?"
Whoop de fucking doo— there it is! Bingo. Yep. Issei's not a Mob anymore. Named Characters shouldn't even notice let alone seek out and talk to a Mob. As all the girls whine and complain and lament the fact that their prince charming isn't looking for them, but instead, a fellow guy, all our eyes turn to see the man of the hour.
"Huh? Me?" Issei points at himself, dumbstruck, before getting mad. "Hell do you want to do with me? I'm not coming with you."
Matsuda eggs him on. "Yeah, Issei. Go tell him."
"President Rias would like to speak with you."
Issei stands up almost in an instant. The guy practically rocketed the moment he heard that name.
"Gladly, much obliged. Please pardon my manners."
"TRAITOR! SARACEN. GO BALD, SHITSTICK." Both Motohama and Matsuda exclaim in vain, watching their friend-turned-traitor leave the classroom in a gusto, inching closer towards the treasure these two cannot possess. I have to play the part too, so I'm yelling as well.
Issei's exit is also accompanied by the wailings of the female students.
Is it just me or everyone in this school rather comically dramatic? The girls have returned to their circles, returning to whatever topics they were talking about before blondie showed his face. It's almost as if they didn't realize what they were going nuts over the blondie.
Something fishy is going on here… and it ain't related to maritime life.
There's only one explanation for this… memory altering stuff. Blondie there has to be a fallen angel as well.
And by the way, aren't the girls' skirts too short? And where are the male teachers? And why do the 'Mob' characters have weird hair colors? That girl has pink hair, and that one's green. That one's orange. Sorta. Are those even real colors? And compared to the dudes; we're all dull. All of us either have brown hair or black, or in the case of Matsuda's; wet tennis ball crew cut.
Eh, well. Otherworldly stuff I guess. As long as I can have my own share of fun; I don't give a crap how things here work.
As long as it doesn't bother my Mob life, I can't give a crap. Sorta. And Issei actually turning out to be a Named Character is beneficial for me… He now stands out compared to the M&M and me. Sticking like a sore thumb amidst the averageness of our being. All eyes should focus on him.
Obviously I'm waiting for the perfect moment to reveal Shadow's existence to the… I guess, the supernatural side of things, but now I'm standing at a crossroad. A new 'path' opened up yesterday thanks to the Lost Person thingamajig.
But if I take that path and head for the 'mysterious otherworlder', then I'll have to say goodbye to being the Eminence of Shadow of this world. It won't make any sense if an otherworlder can untie the knots of this place despite only having arrived for like… barely a month.
That's definitely an easier role to play. I won't have to work as hard. Won't have to study as hard about the workings of this world.
But will that satisfy me? (read: his chuuni fantasy)
Hell no.
Who do you take me for?! A chessmaster doesn't take the easy road! I'll be the Eminence in Shadow whatever it takes goddammit, even if I have to start a friggin cult to figure out the inner workings of your supernatural world! While these guys are busy flipping skirts, I flip stones!
…
I say all that, but I honestly have no idea yet what I want to do. First thing first though, is to make sure I don't fuck up my introduction again, because the next time Shadow appears, it has to be at the most momentous moment possible. There needs to be AT LEAST THREE people that go 'who the hell is he?!' or 'How is he so strong!' Anything less, then it means I've royally screwed up and will have to make another moniker. Preferably, there's someone strong enough that just look at me and give 'The Nod'. You know, the kind of nod that acknowledges my power.
As long as magic exists in this fun world, nothing is out of my grasp.
…Damn that was a slick line. 'Nothing in this world is beyond my grasp'. Very appropriate for Shadow.
Speaking of which, I need to get a better outfit as Shadow, because dressing up takes me minutes, even if I do it in the Shadow Dimension. It needs to be magical… something that allows me to slip in and out of it in a flash, preferably with a badass visual effect like black smoldering smokes, like a miniature stormcloud but with violet sparks. Yeah. Yeah that sounds rad.
Let's work on that next time.
Break
I decided to lay low for the week; that means going straight to my part-time work and delving into the Shadow Dimension after that.
Yes, yes, I work part time as a McRonald employee because I refuse to live on benefits, and because I. WANT. MONEY.
But let's leave my financial situation for another time, preferably once I can brag about it. To summarize; your boy is broke yo.
There's one thing I note when I'm in the Shadow Dimension; time in the real world does move when I'm in that place, but significantly slower. I tested the time dilation and difference (with a wall clock. Nothing that fancy), and it seems that for every hour I spend in that place, a single minute has passed in the real world.
Which is, as you may perceive, dope as hell.
That means I can slip in and out of this reality within a blink. The possibilities are already running amok in my head. I can make it so that I appear behind my enemy's back in an instant, say a one-liner, maybe like 'too slow' or 'you're fast, but not fast enough', before BAM. As the Eminence in the Shadow, there needs to be a huge rift between me and whoever I fight against. The discrepancy between our skills has to be ridiculously big that they'll have no choice other than to embrace despair, or force themselves to admit I'm far beyond their reach.
Problem is, I don't know how 'strong' I am compared to the supernatural dudes and dudettes. I don't think the exhibitionist I met the other day was anyone special, likely a random mook that got lucky. She's laughably slow but her being low-ranking might be the reason why.
I was hoping I could test my powers against a bad guy but NOOO. This town has no biker gangs or rampant criminal activity… Hell, I've been here for nearly a month and other than that incident with Hyoudou last wekk, it has been so ridiculously peaceful. They say it's the calm before the storm, but what if the storm is late or has gone to do storm stuff somewhere else?
So here I am, late at night, walking around the town… well, above the rooftops, because I gotta train my control on magic. I can't yet fly, but I can make steppable platforms right under my feet. Worked hard on it for two days, falling and slipping before I got the hang of it.
The magic in this world is so… what's the word here… raw? Flexible? It's like a playdough. Once you're able to play with it, by that I mean able to tap into its powers; you can mold it into anything you can think of. I'm still a newb though. Thin, transparent, plate-like magical platforms are my limit for the moment, but this is just the beginning. Soon, I'll be able to make a sick outfit.
And I hope it happens real soon, because running around the skies in a trench coat is pretty stuffy, although I bet it looks so fucking cool. A shadowy figure seemingly threading through the air, my dark cloak billowing theatrically despite the lack of any breeze, lit by the vibrant moonlight…!
I can see it. I can picture it. Just don't ask me to paint because I can't. Believe me, I tried. It's a good thing it's not a requirement to be an underground mastermind.
Nevertheless… soon, me. Soon™
Tonight, I decided that I'll scrounge around the ruined industrial zone. Apparently the place burnt down years ago, and what's left is the skeletons of the warehouses and nearby factories. You'd expect some rascals to vandalize the place, but, oddly enough, it's left mostly alone. Just soots and ashes among the ruins and debris. It used to store heavy machinery and I'm pretty sure it's been scrapped by either looters or authorities, but you'll never know what you can find here! And I guess I'm a bit of a romantic, because I've always dreamt of finding unexpected buried treasures and pawning them off for a million Yen.
Because goddammit if I ain't broke.
The residents of this town are too docile, I'm telling you. They're too well-behaved. If a robber walks into their house, the people of this town will get confused instead and serve the robber a nice hot tea and ask them if they got lost.
Anyway, it looks like my random wandering has paid off, because I can hear some excitement at one of the warehouses, one that's in the far corner of the district, and its position is likely the reason why it's the only warehouse standing. The fire had probably died before it could lick it.
It's pretty small compared to the rest. Probably could fit a single commercial airplane there. If I was a kid, I'd turn that place into my hideout.
Talking about hideouts; I gotta think—or rather, dedicate—one too in the future. No way in hell I'd let Shadow step in my cheap apartment. Cid and Shadow can't have a single connection between them.
Anyway let's leave all that jazz for later, because I'm getting pumped up. The 'clang' and 'bam' coming from the warehouse are without a doubt the sounds of a violent clash, and judging by the erratic mana flow around that place, it's definitely the supernaturals' doing.
Break
In a mannerism unlike that of Shadow, Shadow wormed up on the roof of the warehouse to have a peek through the skylight, lying prone. And what he saw shook him to the core.
Not out of fear, mind you. He was shaken completely to his core because never in his life had he been so amped up by excitement.
Down below, amidst the flat area of the place, was indeed a fight between the supernaturals. He took note of an entity in particular because that had to be a monster. The lower body of a mammoth yet the upper body of a human woman.
'It's like a centaur that has really let herself go… What's her parents like? A human and an elephant?'
And fighting against such abomination— 'WHOA. Did she just fire lasers out of her nipples? …Seriously?' —was a group of people, albeit it didn't seem that they were taking the threats seriously. …And more to that, Cid recognized them.
Well, most of them.
The one having a go at the monster was unmistakably Yuuto Kiba.
'Oh, he's pretty fast. Is he faster than me though?'
At the moment, the blondie seemed satisfied with darting here and there, avoiding the monster's slams and attack as it kept on raging. Shadow figured out why, however, as by diverting the mana to a string-thing line, he caught wind of the conversations occurring at the sideline through the vibrations. It worked very much like two cans tied with a string.
"...is a Knight. As you can see, his speed and agility are greatly enhanced."
"D-damn… Even my eyes can't keep up with this. I feel like I'm in a shounen anime…"
'Me you both— wait a minute… This voice…? Huh? Hyoudou?' Cid squinted his eyes to focus at the figures standing under the shadow cast by one of the pillars and— 'Well well well. Fancy seeing you here. And next to you is…'
A beautiful crimson-haired woman with noticeably large chesticles that was even more pronounced due to her hands crossed underneath, propping them up. She wore the uniform of his school, he noted, as did the rest. They were all students of his school, as a matter of fact, and Cid would've recognized them sooner if he remembered their faces or bothered with remembering their names. He was by no means an outgoing student.
'...Risa? Risa Gregory I think? Wait, that sounds off…
Because it was. Unless Rias had a name change, Rias was still Rias. Cid was the kind of person that remembers faces, not names.
'Now who's the midget here…'
White haired. Short. Flat. And yet she could easily lift the monster that was the size of a small house with ease, thanks to her 'powers' from the 'Rook' piece.
A fact that Shadow simply scoffed at.
Borrowed powers are no true powers.
The 'fight' went on for quite a bit. Really it felt more like a lecture rather than a fight, but Shadow didn't mind. He'd gotten a better grip of who they were, why they were here, and what they were doing. The key words were 'Devil', 'Stray Devil', 'Evil Pieces', 'Knight', 'Rook', 'Queen', 'Pawn'. The playing pieces of that board game which sales skyrocketed by that one TV series in his old world.
Cid knew because he got hooked on it as well. Not because of the TV Series, but because he thought that Shadow must have Shadow-esque hobbies. Playing the piano was one of them, chess was another. It was a shame he was so absorbed with his Mob life, as purely playing online chess had prevented him from being acknowledged as an actual Master or any other title.
'Devils, eh…? So blondie's not a fallen angel… Hyoudou's also one of them as well, and he's a Servant… Bit weird choice of word but eh.' If it were up to him, he'd picked 'associate'. It sounded more formal and therefore cooler. 'Hmm… Are they enemies with the fallen angels? Or do they just coexist and simply tolerate each other's presence? And what about the angels? Any angels around?'
Sensing the 'lesson' was almost over, having absorbed it all like a sponge, with utmost patience, Shadow positioned himself by the skylight, his (fake) crimson eyes affixed on the ferocious battle before him. His fingers twitched with anticipation, and a mischievous grin crossed his face as he prepared to make his grand entrance.
'A clean sweep~' echoed in his mind as he envisioned his grand entrance. Before those devils could finish her—Visor or something—he'd leap down, shatter all the glass for the dramatic flair, and drive his magic-infused crowbar straight down her head, throat, and lungs. It would perfectly depict Shadow's brutal efficiency and elegance.
It was a brilliant plan — according to him. As long as it made him look good, it was a good plan for all he cared about. Consequences be damned. He could deal with it anyway.
And the plan would have been perfectly executed, if the stray devil's head hadn't been lopped off her shoulders that were turning redder and wetter by the moment as her gigantic body slumped down lifelessly, her head rolling off onto the corners, eyes wide open. Dead before she even knew it.
Thus, Cid expressed his disappointment eloquently in his mind, 'You're shittin' me. Who's writing this goddamn scene?! I did! How dare you steal my spotlight!'
Fuming, livid, scathing, Shadow nonetheless kept his composure and let Cid do the fuming bit in his mind. Shadow should never lose his cool even in the face of the unexpected, which was truly the reason why Shadow retained a cool demeanor despite the smoke of frustration oozing out of his head.
And it became apparent to him that it wasn't the devil that ruined his scene, because they were at a loss as well.
"...if that was neither of us," Shadow listened to her, the Gremory—or as he dubbed her, 'Busty Redhead'. "then who did?"
Stepping out of the shadows, unveiling their presence to the dumbstruck and highly-alerted devils, and most unforgivably, stealing Shadow's spotlight, held the figure of a woman.
With deliberate steps, she emerged from the shadows, the darkness reluctantly releasing its clutch. Her black boots struck the cold factory ground, each footfall echoing like a distant drumbeat. The sound seemed to reverberate through the air, sending shivers down the spines of those fortunate enough to witness the scene unfolding before them. As she edged closer to the dim lunar glow passing through the skylight, her details began to emerge.
Draped in a flowing black kimono that bled seamlessly with the shadows, she revealed herself to the devils. The fabric whispered its approval as a gentle breeze swept through, and mystical purple flames danced around her, giving her a rather intimidating air and consequently making Cid envious as hell, but at the same time, also inspired him to up his ante should his moment ever arrive.
"You…"
"N-Neesama…!"
"Hello there, sister~"
Kuroka, the embodiment of feline grace and ferocity, emerged from the depths of darkness. Her lithe form was adorned with a black kimono. The moon's luminance played upon her golden feline eyes, aglow with a predatory brilliance that hinted at both danger and fascination.
Whispers of her name, Kuroka, echoed through the air, spoken in hushed reverence by those who knew of her legendary persona. She was a fabled being, a living enigma with a past as shrouded as the night itself. The atmosphere seemed to shimmer with an almost palpable anticipation, as if the very air was charged with the weight of her reputation.
And at that moment, Cid's envy had been replaced by curiosity, 'Catgirls exist too? Huh. How many races are there in this world? Any wolfgirls around? What about mermaids? Aliens? Any aliens?'
Moving on— beneath the silken cascade of raven hair that framed her face, her ears – distinctly feline – twitched with heightened awareness. The moon seemed to spotlight her with an ethereal glow, as if the universe had conspired to acknowledge her presence.
In that suspended moment, Kuroka smiled a tightlipped smile, a smile so simple, and yet one that easily managed to strike fear into the devils.
"Why… Why are you here? Have you been following us?!"
"Why? Do I need to have a reason to see my sister?" Kuroka whirred as she extended her hand toward the group. "Shirone-nyan~ let's go."
"If she wishes so, then I'll allow it. We're not keeping her against her will, Kuroka. Your sister is safe with us."
"Safer with me than you," Kuroka chirped. "Come, Shironyan. You don't have to stay with these people anymore. Be free like me, no?"
"Life as a criminal is hardly a life of freedom."
"Oh but I'm free to do anything I want."
"As long as you don't get caught."
"I happen to be slippery~ cat-like and whatnot… But what I am not is patient. So… Hand her over, devils. I won't ask twice."
She received her answer soon enough. Koneko anxiously hid behind Rias.
"There you have it. She's staying with us. Her family."
That flared the anger in her. Kuroka clenched her fists. Her gaze flicked to each member of the peerage, her amber eyes holding a concealed mix of anger and desperation. "I finally found you," she declared, her voice edged with a hint of sadness. "I'm not leaving without her nyan~"
Akeno —Busty Girl no. 2— stepped forward with a gentle smile that betrayed the sparks of thunder flashing by her hands. "Koneko-chan has told us about you, Kuroka-san. She's grateful for your concern, but she's found a family here. We won't force her to leave… and neither should you."
There was hostility in their stare. Shadow could feel the tension rising, and Cid edged closer to the skylight because this heightened tension could mean altercation, and altercation meant he could jump in at the perfect moment — a chance at redemption!
To be continued…
Get cockblocked, Cid. Next chapter for sure you'll have your perfect dynamic entry
Cid really is a sociopath. Canonically and here, so don't expect him to show sympathies or empathize unless it's beneficial for him. He's here to live out his fantasies and have mad fun goddammit, and have mad fun he shall, and be the best mob around
Mobs together pog. Repeat after me. Mobs together pog. :moggers:
And who do you think I am? Following DxD's storyline? BAH. No. I want Kuroka. I want Delta. I want Kuroka and Delta. I want to write the two of them going cats and dogs at each other and more shennanigans. Can you see it? Kuroka tossing a frisbee or a bone to get rid of Delta, or Delta stealing Kuroka's yarn, or randomly bark at her because Kuroka's part cat
It's perfect. Perfect I tell you.
I went overboard with Kuroka's introduction because that was how Shadow saw it. He envisioned her entrance to be as cool as shit, and i hope you did too at least
And lastly, there will be a harem for sure, but just like canon, Cid isn't the kind of guy that's interested in that sort of thing, and he'll be denser than a blackhole because he's socially inept. so it'll be a one-sided harem. heresy, i know, considering this is dxd, but that's also what makes Cid/Shadow stands out amidst the sea of garbage MCs. guy knows what he wants and just goes for it full stop no brakes
I hate to say this, but he's sigma male incarnated
REVIEW GODDAMMIT. ALLAH WILLING, I WILL POST THE NEXT CHAPTER WITHIN A WEEK
If you're confused as to what to say, just tell me what you like most during the chapter, thereby i can add more of the same scenes with different flavor. stroke my ego a little here. throw me a bone