Cid Kagenou, formerly Minoru Kagenou of Earth, was a young teen with a mentality not quite 'normal' compared to his contemporaries. The teen, forgetting his raw strength and technique for just a moment, stood apart from those his age in only a single thing: His single, tunnel-visioned, urge to become the Eminence in Shadow. A figure who stuck to the shadows, worked from the shadows and manipulated everything from behind the scenes.
And he was! Or at least that's what he'd been pretending for the last few months. His first and only friend's as his subordinates in the secret organisation Shadow Garden. An organisation created to combat the secret super-cult: The Cult of Diablos.
But, of course, it was all make-believe. Cid knew that, and now he knew that the seven girls knew as well. Leaving him in the kindest way he's sure they could come up with; the girls saying that they needed to leave to expand the influence of Shadow Garden to fight the Cult. He's glad that even if they left him, abandoned him, they kept his make-believe world intact.
So despite that kindness, despite his self-proclaimed "trimming of the fat" in his life to focus on nothing but being the greatest Eminence in Shadow possible, despite the fact that he'd gone seventeen years as Minoru without any hesitation.
Why- Why now did he falter? Why did his heart ache and his mind continue to circle back to the girls?
"This is dumb. The girls have just grown up, it's just natural. It happens to everyone." Cid muttered to himself, swiping a hand down his face and looking at one of the notebooks that Beta had gifted him once.
Beta had always been the notetaker of the seven though Eta, depending on the topic, matched or even outstripped her. He supposed it was her love of literature and writing but now he'd never know.
And, without fail, the notebook brought his mind back to the girls. Futilely, painfully, he tried to drag his mind away from them. The young teen choosing to instead focus on his last battle.
The last 'mission' he had gone on with them.
Those bandits had been pretty boring in all honesty, except that last burly one that had come out of the wall. In a secret tunnel of all things!
God secret tunnels were an amazing invention. There was so much Eminence in Shadow activities he could do if he had his own secret tunnel! He could walk out of it and say something like "The darkness within the tunnel is but-"
…
Darkness…
"Didn't that bandit say something about that?" Cid asked himself, falling back on his bed with his hands folded behind his head.
He had, he remembered now. The man had said something about the darkness of the world. Regular bandits didn't really talk about stuff like that, they just screamed about him being evil and how they'd rough him up real good. Not to mention those pills that he'd taken before he'd transformed.
He'd never seen them before, but their effects were way too prominent to ignore. He'd been able to sense it after the man took them but before he'd attacked, the way his magic had been moving and going out of control inside his body as he transformed.
In all honesty it felt like the Possessed, with the way their magic went completely out of control and transformed them into a chaotic mass of flesh and body parts. It…Felt exactly like the Possessed actually, just less chaotic. More…controlled.
'Now i'm beginning to think like Alpha. What's happening to me?' Cid groaned, smacking himself in the face to try and get rid of these stupid emotions and memories.
"We believe it's the Cult that's taken your sister. We're looking for them as we speak."
Heh, the Cult of Diablos. Arguably his greatest creation in his playing pretend. The girls had gone along with it so dutifully too, even turning bandits into the Cult just to facilitate-
'How can bandits induce pseudo-Possession?'
The thought, unbidden amongst a hundred—a thousand—others burst to the surface of his mind with all the strength and subtlety of a nuclear bomb. An uncomfortable connection being made in an instant that had him bolt upright in half a second.
Now, Cid when not playing as Shadow, would be the first to admit that he wasn't a genius. Though if you ever managed to worm the truth out of him, he'd also be the first to admit that he believed himself to have above average intelligence. Especially factoring into account his knowledge from his previous life.
And it was exactly that intelligence that bit him in the ass at the moment. Abusing his lowered mental walls thanks to his heart ache at his friends leaving him and making connections and jumping gaps that Cid never wanted nor thought to connect or jump.
"There's no way…" Cid muttered, launching himself out of his bed and rushing into his wardrobe to grab a stack of papers that Alpha had given him once.
She'd said something about it being a brief summary and overview of their preliminary research on the Cult. Cid had remembered being impressed with their work ethic.
He also remembered dumping it the moment he had been left alone in his room because he didn't want to read fake documents no matter how dedicated the girls were to their roleplay.
"Ah ha! Here they a-...re…." Cid's voice cracked and died off as his eyes caught sight of the words, his brain on overdrive and churning through them at a speed that didn't leave his conscious mind able to keep up with what it had just been told.
The Cult's age easily predates the Marshinial Period, making them 2500+ years old.
The Cult's wish is to resurrect the ancient demon, Diablos, for reasons that are unknown currently.
The 'disease' known as Possession is a curse laid on those with blood of the three great heroes that vanquished Diablos. It creates a drastic magic imbalance within the body. Theoretically the magic imbalance should create an increase in strength both magical and physical but Possession proves that without any form of control it mutates the body beyond any help.
The Cult of Diablos is confirmed throughout the Midgar and Orianna Kingdoms. The likelihood of infiltration of every kingdom in the continent is not only likely but all but officially confirmed.
"...No. No! This can't be!" Cid shouted, clutching his head between his hands and stumbling back a few steps, his eyes hazy and his mouth gaping.
And then suddenly he paused mid-stumble, clarity returning to his expression as he stared up at his ceiling.
"Wait…Why am I sad about this? Doesn't this make me….an actual Eminence in Shadow?" And for the briefest moment, Cid felt the dark and gloomy emotions swirling in his heart clear away for bright blue skies and warm sunlight.
And then it came crashing down like the hindenburg as the exact meaning behind that dawned on Cid.
"I'm an Eminence in Shadow that has no idea what any of my subordinates are doing. WAIT! I don't even know what the hell we're up against! I don't even know where everyone is or what they're doing! Oh my god! Oh my god oh my god ohmygodohmygod-" Cid fell to his knees, pressing his palms tighter and tighter against his temples, as if he was trying to pop his own head.
He was an idiot. He was a failure. He had achieved his dream but in the worst possible way! Was this even achieving his dream? Was he actually an Eminence in Shadow now or was he just an imposter with epic one-liners and a shit-ton of power?
He didn't know! And he couldn't just track down Alpha and the others—and wow knowing that they didn't actually abandon him made him feel strangely relieved, like he could fight a hundred thousand men without a break—and say 'hey i know that you all think i'm some kind of supergenius who knows everything but i was actually lying and i need to know everything Shadow Garden is doing'. No way!
If the girls knew the truth they'd be disgusted, they'd totally lose all hope and faith in him and throw him away. He'd go from wondering if he was actually an Eminence in Shadow to some loser thrown out of his own shadow organisation! He couldn't allow the girls to find out, no way in hell.
Ok. So Shadow Garden was real, great, awesome, literally his dream and he'd already achieved it by pure accident at thirteen. Now he just had to figure out everything that the girls had probably told him that he'd zoned out on instinct. Things such as who was in the organisation, what they were doing, where they currently were and of course how the hell he could be a proper leader and puppetmaster of both Shadow Garden and society at large.
'Ok. Calm down Cid. Take this one step at a time. You've already spent an hour freaking out over this. You can't afford to waste anymore time.' Cid thought to himself, cupping his chin in two fingers and propping his elbow up with his other hand as he started to pace around his room.
"The girls are gone, not forever but they said they needed to spread out if we needed a chance at fighting the Cult. Which makes sense, they're totally ancient and all over the place. But until they come back I sorta can't figure out anything about Shadow Garden. I don't even know where the hell they've gone…"
So, if the girls were gone and his only clues as to what the hell was happening was in whatever papers or reports they had given him that he hadn't destroyed, he simply needs to hunt all of them down. And work on stuff that's bound to be useful for fighting ancient cults, like looking into myths and legends and learning ancient techniques and stuff.
And then once he knew all this, he could show up while the girls were raiding a Cult base and be all like "Did you think the darkness that you hid within was truly dark enough? You know nothing of the depths of the Shadows." while taking the big boss out and being a proper Eminence in Shadow!
Ok, the game plan was decided, now Cid just needed to remember where the hell he had hidden all of the girls papers and reports.
XXXxxxXXX
The Next Afternoon
"Alright. I think this is all of them. Man, I really destroyed a lot of these." Cid mumbled, slumping a little at the large, but comparatively small, stacks of paper that he'd spent all of last night and this morning fishing out of hiding and collecting.
He had to be careful while reading these though, he couldn't let his parents, sister or a maid catch him reading any of this. They'd definitely want to know what he's reading and come over to investigate and hiding it would either out him as being way too strong or make him look way too suspicious and neither option could be allowed. So, using the bare minimum magic possible to heighten his sense of hearing and smell beyond their already enhanced levels he sat down at the desk off in the corner of his room and began to read through them.
And, though it was boring and immensely tedious, Cid stuck it through because he refused to allow himself to be even more of an imposter than he already felt like.
Though admittedly he had to re-read multiple pages more than once because he found out that he'd zoned out about two sentences in.
But in the end, he finished all of his reading—with a break for dinner and hygiene—by the time that the moon was high in the sky. Usually he'd be out training right now, but tonight was different.
What Cid had found in his hours of reading was that the girls tended to repeat information quite constantly, especially on the older and more dated papers. As the papers got newer and newer the repeat of old information started to lessen but it was still there.
He couldn't figure out why they repeated it so much, potentially because they came from multiple girls instead of just one but on that same token it could be because they were trying to memorise it while being efficient.
He could respect that, he actually quite liked that line of thought. So he'd choose to believe that version of the truth.
But in terms of the Cult there wasn't much more to add that wasn't already in Alpha's preliminary report that he'd read the day before. Mostly extra things like suspected members of the cult, the best places for the Cult to infiltrate from multiple perspectives (money, politics, military, etc), and marking down confirmed locations of the Cult.
What the papers had given him some insight into, though, was the girls' thoughts and plans on expanding Shadow Garden. Basic, rudimentary encryptions and codes that they could use, ways they could communicate, where and how for them to expand to grow the organisation's power as soon as possible. Everything they did came down to a matter of almost pure efficiency, cutting out the fat while making sure that it looked as inconspicuous and natural as possible.
It actually gave him a really odd sense of Deja Vu, he couldn't quite figure out why.
But at least now he knew vaguely what the starting line and ideas for the future of Shadow Garden were going forward. He'd seen some offhanded mentions of recruitment but no matter how intensely he scrutinised the pile of papers he had collected, he was unable to find anything explaining it. So those specific papers must have been one of the piles that he destroyed instead of trying to hide.
"Alright. Starting line. I'm there now. Soon I'll be a true Eminence in Shadow! Now I need to start looking into myths and legends, do we have any of that stuff in our library?..." The young teen muttered to himself, looking in the direction of the Kagenou family library.
Though because he was in his room, it just made him look like he was staring blankly at his wall before he suddenly stood up and stretched, popping his back.
"Woo! Man that felt good after sitting down for so long. Alright, well I guess I'll need to start getting used to doing this from now on huh…?" He spoke to himself once more, before grabbing the stacks of papers and systematically shredding them into paper dust.
And then promptly opening his window and using some magic to fling it outside and scatter it to the seven winds. Immediately sneezing harshly as the paper dust got in his nose and irritated it.
"Dammit! That totally wasn't cool…"
XXXxxxXXX
A week later, outside the Kagenou residence
Cid hummed to himself as he slowly moved himself through the forms of the technique he'd managed to find in an old book of myths in his family library. A rather unique technique that seemed to involve a specific combination of sword strikes to close off an enemies escape. Pressuring them more and more until one or multiple attacks broke their stance and left them open for a killing blow.
The specific technique came from a legend about the Human Hero and was universally considered a point of embellishment by a clearly unknowledgeable author. Though now, knowing what he did, Cid couldn't help but wonder if the details of the technique had been warped and shattered by the Cult to avoid it ever being recreated in the future.
Specifically the part that made it so impossible was that according to legend, the combo was meant to physically bend the space around the user. Creating a move that struck multiple times simultaneously, with no gaps in between.
Obviously, such a thing was ridiculous and impossible to pull off, even with the greatest magic control in the world. And the details given of the technique were so ridiculously impossible that trying to actually turn it into a workable technique seemed like the work of either a god or a madman.
Cid was one of those things. And as a hint, he couldn't perform miracles.
At least not true ones. Faking a miracle was surprisingly easy.
So instead of aiming for a technique which literally bent space and time to strike multiple times at once, Cid was going to break the technique down and rebuild it in his own image. And said image looked like the technique he was currently practising. Though he already had plans on how to improve it, things like throwing his killing intent out to make his opponent believe that two attacks were happening simultaneously or to hallucinate one attack when he was actually doing a completely different one.
Say what you want about Cid Kagenou, but when it came to combat and everything surrounding it, he was second to none.
And then he paused mid-combo, an eyebrow perking up at the energy signature that he could sense rushing towards him at a speed that should have had him nervous. But it didn't, instead all it did was make a smile break out across his face before he even realised his lips were moving. A small, deep, part of his heart that had been doubtful of his 'revelation' about the girls not leaving him finally dying for good.
'They didn't abandon me…'
"BOSS MAN!" Delta screamed excitedly as she launched out of the bushes surrounding the small clearing he was in.
The girl cleared the twenty metre gap between the bushes and him without touching the ground once. Her speed, still so great that when she struck him he had to spin on the spot to avoid hitting the ground or being flung away.
Usually in this position his mind would go straight to how he could turn this position around and kill the person even if he had no wish to. But, strangely, he didn't do that this time. Instead a simple, soft, smile covered his features as his spinning came to a stop and he reached down to pet Delta's head.
"Hey Delta, how have you been?" He asked, his face twisting uncomfortably as Delta's expression lit up like he'd just told her the secret to immortality.
Though, Cid supposed, she'd probably be more excited to learn the secret to infinite snacks…
"Hehe! I've been great! I've saved so many new members! And told them all about you Boss!" Delta giggled, still hugging his side fiercely, nuzzling her face into his ribs.
"Hm? Is that so?"
'Alright Cid. You can do this. You just need to keep your cool.'
"Uh huh uh huh!" Delta nodded enthusiastically.
"Hm. Shadow Garden is growing well." Cid nodded seriously, hoping that Delta would give out some number of subordinates for him to work with.
"Yep! We're all working so hard for you Boss!" Delta beamed, completely missing Cid's deadpan as his plan fell straight through the floor and into the mantle of the planet.
'It's Delta. I don't know what I was expecting.'
"How many have you recruited, Delta?" Cid asked, getting a loud whine from the wolf beastkin.
"I've been doing my best Boss Man! Promise! But the others keep stealing them all before I can help them. I need to keep my pack safe so I take out the bad guys and when I'm done they've cured them all! I've only managed to beat them to seven!"
'So they're using Delta as the muscle while they cure the Possessed? Smart.'
"It's not a competition, Delta. Protecting them from bandits and the Cult are important. And when it comes to fighting you're second only to Alpha."
"And Boss Man!" Delta added in excitedly, finally letting go of the hug and pumping a fist in the air, her tail wagging quickly.
"Hmph. That's a given." Cid replied smugly, on instinct, before freezing slightly, not looking at Delta for a moment.
'Shit! That slipped out before I could stop it!'
But, looking at Delta, he clearly didn't need to worry. Since the girl was nodding as if the words he had spoken were a law of reality.
"So so! What are you doing out here Boss Man? I don't think you need to practise!"
At this, Cid let out an amused huff. The young teen placing a hand on his hip and shaking his head.
"How many times have I had to tell you, Delta? Never stop refining your skills. Even if that means practising what you already know."
At his admonishment, no matter how lighthearted it was, Delta whined and knelt down, her ears and tail drooping.
"I'm sorry Boss…"
"It's….fine." Cid mumbled awkwardly before shaking his head a little. "But I'm recreating a technique from one of the three heroes."
And just like that, Delta's bad mood was extinguished in exchange for star-struck awe.
"A technique from one of the three heroes!? That's my pack leader! But don't you already know it, Boss Man?"
At Delta's innocent question, Cid's mouth pressed thin and his eyebrows furrowed for a moment. Getting a further confused tilt of Delta's head before Cid slowly, almost hesitantly, spoke.
"Do you believe me to be…perfect, Delta?"
"Nope!" If Cid had been walking he would have face planted, he knew it.
"You..don't?"
"Nope! Boss Man is super strong! The strongest! But if he was perfect he wouldn't need his pack. And I'm part of Boss' pack. And that would make me sad, so I'm glad you aren't perfect, Boss Man!" Delta smiled at him, her eyes closed as she did.
So she missed the surprised look on his face that slowly softened. What it ended up looking like, neither of them would ever know. Because by the time she opened her eyes again, the expression was long gone.
"So why are you learning a super old technique like that Boss Man?"
And the answer left his lips before he even realised he'd said it, or before he realised the pose he had pulled while saying it. He regretted neither action, they were just entirely instinctual.
"History casts its shameful shadow long and wide. Anything hidden within that shadow is our duty to claim and reinvigorate."
'Hell yeah! That was perfect! I didn't even have time to practise that one and it came out a 10/10!' Cid celebrated internally, entirely missing the way stars shone in Delta's eyes and her tail was moving a mile a minute behind her.
Delta's boss was so smart! She had to tell the others what he'd said!
XXXxxxXXX
Shadow Garden Headquarters (Abandoned Village), A week later
"Ah. Delta, you're her-"
"BOSS MAN IS RECREATING AN ANCIENT TECHNIQUE!" And like a wrecking ball in a house of glass, Delta shattered the calm atmosphere of the Seven Shades meeting as she burst into the cabin.
And while usually she may have been admonished for such an exuberant outburst in the middle of a meeting, the news that she'd brought was too exciting for any of the other six to ignore.
"An ancient technique?" Alpha inquired, curious as to what Shadow was doing in their absence.
"Uh huh uh huh!" Delta nodded enthusiastically. "And he said 'History casts its shameful shadow long and wide. Anything hidden within that shadow is our duty to claim and reinvigorate.'"
The beastkin parroted his words perfectly, the immediate scratching of a pencil on paper being heard as Beta quickly wrote the words down. And in the relative silence following the wolf beastkin's words, Zeta's mind began to drift. Thoughts and ideas coming to mind, especially given their recent need to find a new base of operations.
'Anything hidden in history…? Is Lord Shadow telling us to look in history for our new base?' Zeta thought to herself, amazed at just how thoughtful and knowledgeable her Master was when it came to them.
But she could gush and fantasise over Shadow for as long as she wanted later, right now she needed to find the oldest books she could. She couldn't let his valuable hint go to waste.
XXXxxxXXX
Hola and welcome to my first chapter of my first ever EiS fanfic. This author's note will be pretty short but not all of them are guaranteed to be. I have no idea when I'll continue/post chapters but EiS is one of my favourite anime and between the manga and the somewhat soon-to-be season 2 I'll probably have heaps of muse power for this fic.
Also I have a discord, come check me out
discord code: ctMzhq3