AN: An update! It's a Christmas Miracle.

No excuses, I'm just easily distracted, and I kept making changes. Got to keep reminding myself that "perfect is the enemy of good." Sorry, enjoy the chapter! Hopefully the next one comes out faster.


Sherry couldn't take her eyes off of Cid's fight. For a brief moment she hid behind her hands, she couldn't bear to watch him take hit after hit. She could still hear it, and her imagination did not help. Peeking through her fingers was better than being completely blind to what was happening, and it still gave some of the comfort of covering her eyes.

Cid got up again. This was the 8th time. It was impressive that he kept trying, she couldn't help the flutter in her chest as he coughed, and stood tall once again. She didn't like that he was getting hurt, but seeing the boy who brought her the best books get up was incredible.

Sherry glanced over to her father, Assistant Principal Lutheran Barnett. He hated fighting, preferring peaceful means to all issues. He was clearly in awe of Cid's determination, jaw dropped at Cid's willpower. It was easier watching the Principal. Looking at the awe in his face, it was easy to imagine that Cid was winning, instead of the painful hits he was taking fighting against someone insurmountable.

Then, the fight was over. "The winner is Rose Orianna!" The referee announced, as Cid was taken away, still ready to fight.

Sherry got up. She had to go see him.

Sherry ran as fast as she could down from the stands and to the other end of the stadium, only stopping a few times to catch her breath. She was nervous about seeing Cid, and it was a pretty long way to the infirmary.

Then she saw him. He was already out of the infirmary, with a few bandages on. He was beaten down and bloodied, and he was already back up. He was so cool.

"U-umm…" What was she supposed to say?! She should have thought about this before seeing him!

"Sherry? Why are you down here?" What should she say to him?! Sherry turned to look to Assistant Principal Lutheran and she saw something concerning. He didn't follow her. She was alone.

"Are you hurt?" Sherry felt like an idiot, he was slashed with a sword a dozen times.

"I've just barely avoided… anything serious?" He sounded a bit uncertain.

"Do you… um… need help?" What was she asking? How could she help? She wasn't strong enough to have him lean on her! Even if she was, it would be too nerve wracking to do that with a boy, let alone a boy as incredible as Cid!

"I'm alright, you don't need to worry about me."

"I'm glad to hear that. I watched your fight… I don't usually watch battles, but I thought it was really cool the way you stood up over and over again…" Knowing he had that strength, it made her feel safe just being near him.

"I… lost?" At those words Sherry felt her gut twist. Cid felt bad about losing! She could do something!

"But you kept getting up!" Cid was about to say something, but he was her friend, he brought her books that were endlessly fascinating, and he used his position to ensure that everyone had access to a lot of Mitsugoshi treats! "You were like a hero out of a story! Nothing could keep you down! You were so… Determined…"

"...Determined… I, uh, really?"


What was Cid? Lutheran saw him "fight." He was fast, he was skilled, he could have won. He intentionally lost in such a way that would look devastating, all while not being hit but somehow still bleeding. Where did the blood even come from?

He watched the rest of the Oriannan Princess's fights. She took first place, beating Claire Kagenou. While those two were decent, Cid was on another level. He just didn't know what level. What level allowed someone to give an absurd twisting and bloody intentional defeat, without being touched. He still wasn't sure where the blood came from.

Lutheran walked into his office. He tried to set up the asset with Cid. Afterall, a happy tool was more efficient than a sad one. It worked with its mother, Lucretia, a kindly smile and caring for that spawn ensured loyalty after he had its husband killed. The husband had a quiet death, not the kind he enjoyed, just a bit of poison to look like disease. Lucretia's killing was far more satisfying.

Lutheran grabbed Cid's student file. It made no sense. He knew how he reached the Royal Bushin Section 1 class, Alexia dragged him up there. However in every other area it was average. He was aggressively average. His swordplay was average. He was average in every class. Everything was average. Now that he was looking at it closely, it was not normal to be this average.

How much was he hiding? Was he working for someone? Was Cid part of the Cult?

Was Cid a part of the Cult?

Was he another upstart like Zenon, trying to steal his chance to reclaim the 12th seat? He was glad the fool was gone, he stole the Eye. Lutheran hated admitting that he only had a chance to get it back was pure luck. He couldn't risk losing it again.

It would explain why Cid was blamed for kidnapping Princess Alexia. He wasn't just a convenient fall guy, it was a targeted elimination of a rival and securing the Royal Blood. It made sense, but it was galling that that upstart had better information than him. Unfortunately all that information was gone. Destroyed by Shadow Garden.

It also made sense why the asset was failing. Cid was sabotaging the research. He kept giving it books that weren't helpful, but were too interesting to ignore! Cid understood the asset, how to twist and manipulate it. Cid was twisting it the same way Lutheran twisted Lucretia. At least, it was almost the same, the asset didn't have a husband to poison.

Then again, Cid seemed to be making himself husband material. He knew what the Asset liked, its hobbies, taste in books, and food. He was introducing new things that it loved, and he wasn't even spending his own resources for it. He was spending money from the royal coffers, ostensibly for the Princesses, but he kept giving so much to the Asset.

Lutheran had been encouraging a relationship, afterall, happy tools were efficient tools. Was he throwing a prodigy he invested years into at a RIVAL!


Cid did not like his coffee black, but Shadow had to have it black. A true Eminence in Shadow couldn't have it mixed with milk and sugar. Sacrifices, unfortunately, must be made.

They also need to notice things, like how by testing multiple arts of Mob-Fu made him look like a Determinator. He was so excited to test out those techniques! He even got to test them before an audience, and it was convincing by the audience reaction. Unfortunately, now it made it look like Cid had Protagonist levels of determination. He screwed up. If anyone knew he made such a stupid mistake it would be humiliating.

Shadow drank the perfectly brewed coffee Gamma presented. At the very least he could understand that it was great, that Gamma was really good at brewing coffee. Knowing that he was getting something so high class, even if it didn't have milk and sugar, it was nice.

"It seems that the slashers were 3rd children…" Cid zoned out. He had started to learn what was important to listen to and what was okay to ignore. The 3rd children were low rate mooks. Didn't even have names. What they did wasn't important. Fighting them also wasn't fun. They weren't smart enough to understand anything beyond their orders. You couldn't get information out of them, they didn't even talk to each other.

"... Named First Child Rex, the Game of Betrayal." Wait! That was important! First Children were actually important, and named ones were actually fun to play with! "He shouldn't be much of a concern. He's not a leader, as his title suggests. Hopefully we can figure out who he's taking orders from soon. Even better if we can find him and set a tail on him." He sounded disappointing, like he barely counts as a mid-boss at best.

"There's been an increase in suspect bribes. We believe that the Cult is moving a lot of people and resources into the city. We aren't able to get a good idea of what their purpose is." Probably going for the Eye of Avarice. The Cult had it before, they probably want it back. They might even attack the school! That would be great!

"We don't believe that it's related to their plans targeting Mitsugoshi. That seems to be led by the Garter Corporation. At the moment there are 4 other relevant corporations working with them, as well as 15 small ones that are hardly relevant. From what we can tell, there don't seem to be any Named leading any of the companies challenging us."

Shadow nodded as the report continued. Mitsugoshi had a lot of competition, but none of it was really competing. Mitsugoshi was more chic, had more new products, and had multiple decisive monopolies. Also, Tuna King was clearly better than Turkey King. Though he wasn't sure if those two businesses were separate, they used very similar branding. Which could just be because there is no copyright. He was afraid to ask if Turkey King was under their control.

"Anything on the Crimson Order?"

"Nothing has changed with them. Still only 8 members, and in our investigations we haven't found any ties to the Cult. Still, with both Princesses there is no doubt that they will try to infiltrate. We're still looking into the families of the members, but we haven't had enough time to do a thorough investigation of their families." Gamma seemed disappointed with that.

"And their contractors?"

"We've made some discoveries with Sherry Barnett. She witnessed her mother's murder when she was 9. From the autopsy report, it was brutal. Her father died shortly after her birth, but with how gruesome her mother's death was I thought it would be prudent to investigate his death as well. Eta is currently testing some hair and flesh we recovered from his grave."

Cid nodded. They were both murdered, no doubt. It made way more sense for a tragic backstory for someone who gave off tons of Major Character vibes. There's probably also a betrayal there too.

"Lutheran Barnett, he's a former champion of the Bushin Festival, but his career as a swordsman was cut short by illness. After that he held a few different low level positions, before becoming the Vice Principal of the Midgar Academy. He will likely be the next Principal whenever the current one steps down. He adopted Sherry after her mother's murder."

If he had to guess now, Lutheran betrayed Sherry. There really wasn't anyone else she was close enough to that could betray her. He'd need to know more to see if there were other options. "Betrayal…"

"My lord?"

Crap, he didn't mean to interrupt her. "When the traitor's hand strikes, it strikes with the force of a Legion. There's more to Lutheran than there seems. Keep an eye on him." That sounded deep enough to be important, but vague enough that Lutheran could be innocent and he wouldn't look stupid.

"We will redouble investigations into the people close to the Royal Family and all of the leadership at the Academy." Gamma bowed.


Nu thought that coming back would be different. Nostalgic, maybe. Instead she was quietly following Lutheran Barnett.

Well, following was being generous. She was watching him from the building opposite his office. He had quite a bit of work he needed to do, and he finished it very efficiently, delegating as needed and what he needed to do personally was finished quickly. In fact, he had already finished his work and was looking at student files in his office. Specifically Cid and Claire Kagenou. She didn't like that.

Lord Shadow was suspicious of the Vice Principal, she didn't see anything odd about him. Of course, she wasn't Lord Shadow. He clearly knows something she doesn't. It seemed that the Vice Principal was also looking into Lord Shadow. Of course the student files wouldn't show anything important, they listed Lord Shadow as an, at best, middling student.

Really, the Vice Principal was very boring. The only reason this assignment wasn't nightmarishly boring was that she got to see Lord Shadow regularly. Sure, that would also be the case if she was at Mitsugoshi, Lord Shadow visited much more often. Mainly to drain money away from the Royal Family.

Lutheran placed an envelope in his desk drawer, and locked it. That was new. The Vice Principal lightly coughed as he left his office. It was time for him to join his adoptive daughter and the Crimson Order, where Lord Shadow would be watching him and giving everyone there more Mitsugoshi treats, paid for by the Royal Family.

Lutheran shouldn't be returning to his office today. She could afford to watch.

So, she sat there. Watching an empty room. As it slowly got darker. And the street lights turned on. She wished she had watched the research. Sure, she wouldn't hear anything or have even a mediocre view, but it would at least be interesting watching Lord Shadow. It would be easier to imagine what life would be like if things were different.

Walking through this school as a student once again. She could be Nicoletta again.

She shook her head and refocused. It was foolish to think this. Her life is better now. She had sisters who she trusted. She was following Lady Gamma. More importantly, she was serving Lord Shadow. As much as she liked to imagine that had she never suffered from Demonic Possession that she could have potentially had a relationship with him, she knew that was an impossibility.

Lord Shadow was simply too good. She still had trouble seeing Cid Kagenou as being the same person as Lord Shadow. They were just so different. His magic, the way he moved, what he ate, how he took his coffee, how he talked, the sound of his voice, and even his height was different. Cid simply wasn't the kind of guy she would spend time with, a boy she would naturally overlook. It was a way of blending in that she strove to achieve.

Even then, he was somehow able to take an identity that made him be beneath the notice of everyone, and make a Princess he loathed fall in love with him. She wasn't sure how he did that.

She did pity Princess Alexia. She clearly cared for Lord Shadow, as she should, but Lord Shadow didn't care for her. She didn't want to imagine a world where Lord Shadow loathed her.

She was shaken out of her thoughts as someone entered the office. She checked the time. It was almost 3 AM. He was a young man, who looked immensely annoyed. It was Rex, the Game of Betrayal, and a Named First Child of the Cult.

Lord Shadow was right.

He was always right.


Rex hated Sir Gaunt. That old relic needed to die or choose a successor to take over his role. Instead he was paranoid about a loser who lost in the first round of a tournament. Not even a real tournament, a school tournament. The only people worth noticing for non-humor related reasons were Rose Orianna and Claire Kagenou. They actually had something approaching talent.

Rex unlocked and opened a drawer in Sir Gaunt's desk. He pulled out his orders and almost held back a groan. It was more paranoia about Cid Kagenou, the incompetent Kagenou. The only things notable about him was how easy it was to overlook the mediocre jackass and how durable he was. He could take a hit and keep going. That was the only compliment Rex could offer the pathetic Kagenou.

Cid Kagenou was nothing. He was almost irrelevant. The only bit important about him was that Princess Alexia seemed to like him and he was related to Claire Kagenou.

He did not justify the majority of their First and Second Children starting their attack in Cid's classroom. It is paranoid nonsense. Sure, they would still have enough to secure the school, but they should have some semi-competent people deal with the Crimson Order. Instead they're sending Thirds and an unnamed Second. A Second barely counts as a person!

Well, at least with Sir Gaunt losing his mind, a bit of betrayal would be appropriate. While Rex didn't know what artifact they were going for, he knew it was in two pieces, and that it was powerful. He could figure out how to use it after Sir Gaunt fixed it. Rex cheerily left the office, no one was watching. Security in the school was still terrible. Between Sir Gaunt and the thankfully departed Zenon, the school's staff and security was a joke.

He left the academy as easily as he entered. He could relax. There was no one competent for him to worry about. Well, except for Shadow Guardian, or Garden, or Game. He wasn't sure. Not like it mattered, threats within the Cult were more important than the outside threats, and even if the plan went to shit it would make things difficult for Shadow Group or whatever it was called.

For now, he had to distribute orders to the trash beneath him and get ready himself. It would all be going down in just a few days.


Sir Gaunt was leading his elites, including Rex. His forces were all in position, and with the final changes he was ready. He would have liked to have more people to throw at this, but with the threat of Cid precautions were needed. The Eye was active, everyone but his resources wouldn't be able to use magic. Now, it was time to deal with Cid.

He trailed behind his forces as they charged up. Multiple classrooms were being attacked, but he specifically brought more with him for this. Capturing Cid's class, and as his timing was obviously perfect they would take the Student Council President as well. No matter how powerful Cid was, he was going to lose.

Some irrelevant second kicked in the door and marched in. "We are Shadow Garden, and we are taking over this academy."

Sir Gaunt followed them in, one of the Seconds shattering the swords in the rack by the door. The students were terrified, but with one order most of them stayed in their seats. Even without the Eye, most of these kids were, at best, a non-issue. He looked up and saw Cid…

Why the hell did he look excited?

In an instant, Cid's expression went from excitement to calculating. His eyes were darting back and forth, Sir Gaunt could see him absorbing the situation. He was right to look at him as a threat, he didn't descend into fear like the trash that filled this school.

"You don't seem to understand what kind of place you've invaded. Tanking over an academy of Dark Knights? This is hardly the act of sane people." The Princess of the Orianna Kingdom stepped forward. Some of his rivals might make a move on it for its blood, but with his future power, it could be a move he makes himself.

"Drop your weapon."

"I refuse." Was it worth the risk to keep it alive? Probably not, Cid was a threat, and there was no point in risking potential power when the Eye provided absolute certainty.

"Then you'll make a perfect example." The nameless Second swung at the Princess.

The look of shock was beautiful. The Second wasn't really trying. It was an obvious, telegraphed swing. Sir Gaunt knew that if someone attacked him like this he would feel insulted. The Princess's sword shattered, no magic for it to reinforce the weapon. His tool made another swing.

"STOP!" Cid was in front of it. Taking the hit. Going down. Bleeding out.

What.

Sir Gaunt looked to where he had been sitting, how did he get there so fast? Why did he protect her life? Just… Why?

"NOOOOOOOO!" The Princess screamed as it cradled him. "Cid Kagenou… You idiot. Why did you protect me?"

He opened his mouth and coughed blood. It looked real, but was it? Sir Gaunt reminded himself of the weird hits, Cid flipping over and spraying blood with no wounds. That looked convincing too, since no one else noticed it but him.

Was he going crazy? Was Cid actually some nobody?

This wasn't right. He focused his magic, enhanced his senses, and put all his attention on Cid. A content look was on his face, and Sir Gaunt felt his pulse stop. This wasn't right, he couldn't be wrong!

He chest tightened, and he let out some deep, rough, wet coughs. He needed to focus on other things. His resources were leading the students out to be taken to the auditorium. All that was left was him, Rex, and Cid's corpse.

"Wow, he was so dangerous. I'm so glad you changed deployment just to focus on this nobody. I'm sure the utter garbage we sent after the Crimson Crap has no risk of failing. Just a buncha Thirds against two people."

"I know what I saw, Cid Kagenou is a threat." This wasn't happening. Cid was more than he seemed. He did not just die on the floor.

"So you're delusional?"

"I know what I saw."

"Well, it's a very scary corpse. Truly, your paranoia was completely justified. I am in awe."

"Unless he's in pieces I won't believe he's dead." Sir Gaunt knew he was capable. He was not delusional. Rex was not right. Sure Cid had no pulse and there was a lot of blood on the floor, but he was not delusional. Cid was not dead, this is some kind of trick. Rex was being fooled, and Cid was toying with him.

He was not delusional. He would cut off Cid's head, no trick can get past a beheading. He would be dead, and a threat removed. But if Cid was actually a nobody, a waste of time?

It would still be satisfying to cut off its head.


AN: I will say, I am not satisfied with this chapter. Then again, I'm never satisfied. I also feel like it should be longer, but this was too good of a point to stop. Next one will hopefully come faster.