What you recognize I don't own. This is Cid's story of the decade he had been thought dead by the Hideaway, and it's short simply because of the fact that I did a lot of time skipping in the main story and also the fact that Cid doesn't really do much except for one thing and thus that's what Cid will do and the asterisks will be Eikon's talking to their Dominant

Cid drinks from the mug provided to him and after a moment thinks back to when he first woke up after being stabbed in the heart

Ten years ago

Cid suddenly gasped and felt his chest for a wound and found none, and then suddenly heard Ramuh in his head for what would be the final time

*Cid, I have managed to save your life but everyone thinks you are dead, once I finish telling you some things I will give what's left of my power to Clive so that he knows that you're gone. I can't tell you everything but you must seek out someone important to the future that will change everything, I can also tell you that you might want to stick to the coastlines though not Isolde for Byron will certainly find you and tell Clive about your survival, which cannot happen at this time, goodbye Cid and good luck*

With a sudden gasp the connection Cid had felt with Ramuh for so long suddenly disappears and Cid quickly realizes that all he had on him was the clothes on his back and surprisingly his swords, but he had no magic thanks to no longer being Ramuh's Dominant

"Right then, this complicates things, now here's to hoping I find the person I'm seeking quickly"

Ultimately Cid would be traveling for a year before finding Elise and that was through pure luck because he was about to leave the town he was visiting when he heard Elise cry out in fear. He would join the fight and be shocked at Elise semi-priming

"You're...you're a Dominant"

"Yes, I'm the Dominant of Leviathan"

"But...but Leviathan's been gone for so long she's nearly a myth"

"She's still around...and now I have an important question for you, are you willing to listen to a crazy story without any understanding?"

"Sure"

"I was told that Leviathan was too strong for me alone when I first became her Dominant, I think...I think that you're my other half, my fellow Dominant of Leviathan, I hear her calling out to you"

"If that's the case then all we have to do is shake hands I think"

"You're right"

As soon as their hands are touching both of them fall unconscious and remain that ways for three days, waking up in the tavern and not under guard surprisingly enough

"You two had heatstroke according to the Physiker but your fever finally broke last night thankfully, once you're strong enough you can leave"

"Our thanks"

Once the two were released Elise and Cid found a private place to truly talk about their new connection and what they were going to do now

"I'm going to look after Sanbreque for someone I know"

"Then I'll help you, this will confuse enemies too since they won't know that there are two of us who are Dominant's to Leviathan, and if we wear a cloak our features will be disguised which will help even further"

"Then let's do it"

And so Elise and Cid would protect Sanbreque and more specifically the Dragoons until the day Cid was captured by the Ironblood after falling unconscious during battle, right after semi-priming actually. This is because Cid and Elise had separated during the fight because Cid had a feeling that he was needed where he was and it was true Terence needed all the help he could get and Cid provided it, but then the Ironblood joined the fight unexpectedly

"Well, what's someone not part of the military doing in the middle of battle?"

"That's my business and you can't make me talk"

"True, but we have other means of getting answers, take him"

And so Cid starts fighting against the Ironblood and quickly resorts to magic which mildly surprises them initially

"He's an unbranded Bearer, he'll catch a high price for us"

Cid though didn't like those words and continued fighting and was doing fine until several strong enemies surrounded him

"Bollocks, I was hoping to avoid this"

With that Cid semi-primes surprising the Ironblood even further, unfortunately though between his injuries and using up so much magic already Cid would quickly lose the fight and consciousness

"So they're a Dominant, we could use one since it's been a while"

"Then let's take them before they wake up, put on the fetters"

"Right"

And so the Ironblood puts the fetters on Cid and takes him away, not knowing that someone was aware of what had just happened. Elise had gotten separated from Cid during the fight but had gotten back just in time to watch Cid getting captured and thus knew that it was no longer safe to remain away from the Hideaway and in fact remembered something important she'd been told early on in her partnership with Cid

Eight and a half years earlier

"Elise, we need to talk"

"Oh?"

"Do you remember me telling you about how I have friends that think I'm dead?"

"Yeah, you also said that you have to remain that ways until a certain event happens though you won't explain what event it is you're waiting for"

"I need you to make two different promises, and Leviathan is backing me up on this, if I am captured then I want you to find my friends and tell them about my capture without giving away my identity, it would be too much for them to learn I was alive and a prisoner all in one go, we'll tell them everything once I'm free. However if I should die before I reunite with them I want you to find them and tell them about our time together and that I'm sorry I never sought them out or returned to them when I could have, if needed explain the Leviathan situation"

"I will but...if you die what's going to happen to me? I mean..."

"If the worst should happen and I die, the half of Leviathan's powers that I received will disappear with me, Leviathan has already promised me this, and the same goes for if you die, your half would be lost while I retain my half of the power"

"Very well, I promise, it won't be easy I suspect but I promise, good thing you told me who your friends were when we first started truly talking to each other"

"Indeed, and we'll keep an eye on them in the meantime too just to make sure that you know where to head in the worst case scenario"

"Right"

Elise's present

Elise holds herself back and then talks to herself

"I have to get to the Hideaway, and fast"

And with that Elise travels to the last known location of the Hideaway reaching Eastpool just in time to join the fight to free it and then let the Hideaway know about Cid's situation without giving up his identity

True present

Cid goes quiet for a moment before continuing

"And that's what happened, I don't have much more to tell you guys really since the Ironblood didn't do much with me until the Nysa Defile for some reason"

Jill speaks up

"Their way of controlling you Cid, and you know why I know that"

Cid nods

"Right, makes sense now that I think about it, so now what?"

"Now I head to Phoenix Gate"

And with that the planning for the next stage of changing the future for the better in the fight against Ultima began