Chapter Text
For as long as I remember, I have always been fascinated by a certain archetype of characters. Much as children all look up to the heroes, wishing to become like them and get all the glory and superpowers, I wanted to become a master puppeteer, the one who controls everything from behind the curtains, the one who remains unseen, at the same time being in plain view, yet unrecognized even by those closest to him. That's who I wanted to become.
"Is that to your liking, my Lord?" a tall, voluptuous woman with long cyan hair asked, leaning in closer to a man clad in black and gold.
"That is…" he paused to take a word, "acceptable."
"Fu-fu-fu~" she giggled, "your standards sure are high, my Lord… As they should be!" she added enthusiastically, "After all, what is priceless treasure for high-ranking noble is merely a small gem adding to your peerless shining form!"
"Utmost correct, Epsilon," the corners of his lips twitched, "However, I have a feeling you praise me a tad bit too much."
"Nonsense!" she shook her head, her voluptuous chest following, "You are peerless existence, Lord Shadow! One of a kind! A blessing unto the world! There is none comparable to you in kindness, power, h-handsomeness…" she blushed slightly, "We are – all of us! - are incredibly lucky to have someone like your in your lives, Lord Shadow!"
"Well, now that's certainly a view if I ever saw one…" he rubbed his chin and regally took a bite of his dinner.
"Though, if there is one thing I have a problem with…" she paused.
"Say it," he waved his hand, "we have known each other for long enough that I would take your opinion to heart and mind."
"Well… forgive me, then, but… Lord Shadow, everything I said applies to you perfectly…" she paused again, trying to take right words, "Right, to you, as in, to Lord Shadow… Uhm, yes…"
"…Do continue, please," he encouraged her.
"Yes, Lord Shadow, you are peerless existence, as I said before. I see no need in Cid Kagenou as he is, though."
Silence.
"I mean, what purpose does that role of yours serve? Especially now, when you could simply call anyone from Shadow Garden to your aid? He just has no meaning whatsoever! Literally no purpose!"
"I-Is that so."
"…Oh, sorry, Lord Shadow," she hung her head in shame, "Of course, compared to you, we still are wet behind our ears… Cid Kagenou probably has much grander purpose that we could ever dream of."
"Mhm, yes, of course."
"Do forgive me for this outburst, my Lord."
"No worries, Epsilon. Even if you made a mistake, that is not the end of it," he paused, "After all, making mistakes means you have room for growth, opportunity to become something grander than you are now. Be not afraid to make mistakes so long as they don't affect negatively those around you."
"As always, Lord Shadow," her smile was brilliant as thousand suns, "Your wisdom is our saving grace."
"I am glad you think so, Epsilon. And worry not, I took your thoughts to my mind."
And heart.
The Eminence in Shadow.
A title reserved only for those who have the whole world in their hands, while nobody is even aware of that.
The pinnacle of what it means to be someone who is able to turn situation on its head. To make hero – a villain. Villain – a hero.
The whole world is his stage, all roles are carefully chosen and nurtured by him.
All he has to to do is take a mask, and lo and behold – a new grand play is starting! And even his own allies are unaware of a change for so long as he desires!
Yes, that is someone who would be unfettered by constraints of society, by opinions of masses.
This is the kind of person I wanted to become.
"Oi, Poochie, whatcha thinking about?" white-haired girl stared with her fresh blood-red eyes at an unassuming black-haired boy with blank gray eyes.
"Nothing you would be concerned about, princess," he replied lazily.
"Oi!" she pouted, cupping his head, "I'll have you know, such magnanimous woman like myself is very hard to find! Especially for someone like you! So, be a good Poochie and take my kindness as you should – with reverence and gratitude!"
"Big words coming from someone like you…" he mumbled quietly.
"Whaddya say?…"
"Nah, nothing. Just how lucky I am to have a beautiful, understanding, kind, generous, charitable… And, most important, humble princess in my vicinity."
"Fu-fu~! Now you understand it!"
"Right, right," he rolled his eyes.
"Oh, you just can't appreciate what's in front of you, now can you, Poochie?" she sighed and let him go, "Mark my words, someday you will regret opposing me… And I will be laughing about that!"
"Yeah, sure, whatever you say."
They both went silent for a moment.
"Hey, Poochie, you heard about all these things Shadow did, right?"
"Only a blind deaf unable to speak monkey would be unable to see, hear and talk about everything that is happening right now," his lips twitched.
"Pfft," she chuckled, "yeah, right, anyway, I just wanted to ask your opinion about him. Could have an honest one when everyone around either licks my sister's boots or makes god out of that guy."
"Well, if you want my honest opinion…" boy rubbed his chin, "I think that his power is not something to be underestimated, and honestly, I fail to see how all of that could be achieved through a mere artifact, no matter how powerful it is."
He went silent for a moment to gather his thoughts.
"I mean, if it was simply an artifact, sooner or later that would be caught on, right? Someone like Sherry would pinpoint its location, how it works, et cetera, et cetera…" he waved his hands around, "So, even if he has an artifact, he still must have his own mighty prowess, right? And a high one at that, too."
He coughed a bit.
"Of course, that's just his power. More importantly, with that power, if he wanted to, he could just raze the capital of Midgar, and no one – I repeat, no one, - would be able to stop him. But he didn't, and that speaks something of his character and goals."
He went silent, giving princess time to digest his opinion.
"So… If I got everything correct…" she mused, "He is something 100% opposite to you, something that you will never ever be, right?"
He flinched, if barely.
"Ha-ha, sorry-sorry! Of course he might be strong, but you still are my Poochie! Don't dream too high and stay content with what you already have! Not everyone could say that they have a princess as their friend!"
"Yes, of course…" he rolled his eyes again.
"Aww, don't let it sting you that much!…"
That did, in fact, sting a little.
There was just one problem with that.
Minoru Kageno was but a single man.
Yes, he trained himself to the peak of human ability. Yes, he was capable of taking down groups of people, even if they are military professionals with loads of equipment and support. Yes, he was, in fact, also one of the few people in the world gifted enough in sciences.
That did not mean anything in face of a nuclear warhead capable of obliterating entire cities.
And how could The Eminence in Shadow allow something as mere as a big bomb to defeat him?
"…And that concludes my report, Lord Shadow," said the kneeling blonde woman with sharp ears.
"I see," was a reply from tall figure clad in black that was sitting on the throne with his head resting on right hand, "Is there anything else you want to tell me, Alpha?"
"No, my Lord, that would be all."
"Understood. I shall leave everything in your capable hands, then," he nodded and turned his gaze to the side.
"As you wish," woman nodded back and stood up as did everyone else in the room.
"You may take your leave," the man waved his hand regally.
"Understood," she turned to everyone else, "You heard Lord Shadow. You have one hour to prepare."
"Yes, ma'am!" was the reply.
Shadow merely watched as the group scattered around to gather their bearings for the task and turned his head back to Alpha.
"Well, everything goes according to your plan, Shadow," she addressed him with a smile.
"Indeed, Alpha," he nodded sagely, "Everything that goes does so according to my will. Nothing shall ever escape my sight."
"Ha-ha, it is as you say, Shadow; were you ever wrong? Right, you weren't," she chuckled, "Honestly, if not for you, I am afraid all of Shadow Garden would fall down in days… Nay," Alpha shook her head, "without you Shadow Garden wouldn't even start, correct? After all, it was thanks to you we could become one. You were the one who saved us back then, weren't you? So, yes, Shadow is someone who saved everyone back then."
"…Yes, of course," he nodded slowly.
"I don't think we will ever be able to thank you enough for what you did for us back then, Shadow… But we certainly will. I am sure of that."
"…Mhm, that you will."
"And, hopefully, when the time comes, you will need no longer to play the role of lowly baron son, Shadow. I am sure you are aware how many in Shadow Garden despise the need for your Cid Kagenou persona."
"…That I am."
Of course he was.
That's right.
Nothing should ever be able to defeat The Eminence in Shadow.
Even the mightiest weapons should not ever leave a scratch on him unless it goes according to his plans.
Shadow must be undefeatable. That is a rule. A law. An axiom.
Even defeat is but another step forward for his plans. And even then, it must be gracious. Beautiful. The kind that makes the onlookers and the participants alike think, 'That was the greatest thing I have ever seen!'
That's what it means to be Him.
…
Do you understand it now?
"Hey, Ciddy, I was just rummaging through my old things and found a couple of these-" a beautiful black-haired girl found herself stuck at the entrance to her little brother's room, her gorgeous blood-red eyes focused on his back.
"…Ah, Claire, sorry…" a dry laugh escaped his lips, "Just feeling a bit unwell, that's all."
"Unwell, you say?…" she rubbed her chin, sighed and sat closer to him, gently placing her hand around his neck in a soft hug.
He spoke nothing of it and continued staring at the wall.
"Come on, Cid," she nudged him, "what's gotten into you? Rarely I see you being so downcast… Nah, 'rarely'? That must be the first time ever I saw you sulking so badly!"
"Hmm, that must be correct," his reply was half-minded, more focused on whatever was going on inside his brain.
"Oh by Beatrix, Cid, what's wrong?" now she seriously started worrying.
"Nah, it's nothing… just…"
"If you have trouble with someone, don't hesitate to tell me about it, alright? You hear me? Don't you dare to be silent if someone bullies you! I will bully them back so hard they wouldn't be able to stand upright for half a year at minimum!"
"…Pfft," he snickered at her.
"What? Don't tell me I am wrong! Humph!"
"Sorry, big sis, it just sounded really funny."
"Humph!" she raised her head highly, "Well, at least you are not so downcast anymore!"
"Yes, that's right…" he slowly stood up, "Thanks, sis, I really appreciate that."
"Well, that's the duty of big sister, to help her little brother out!" she put thumbs up, "Don't ever hesitate to count on me, okay?! And be absolutely sure to call form, alright?!"
"But of course," he smiled as she passed through the door.
She quickly turned back.
"And don't you dare to forget about that, you hear me?! Immediately tell me if something's wrong!"
"Will do so, Claire."
But he will not.
…
Why?
Because he is unneeded.
Isn't that right, Cid Kagenou?
You are unneeded.
…
Cid brought his face closer to his knees and curled.
He did not, in fact, feel so good as he told Claire he did.
But that's alright, isn't it?
That was his role, after all.
…
There is not a single person, barring Claire Kagenou, that wants to see the true you.
And even then, that need is not something born out of love. No, that is something born out of instinct; instinct that is ingrained deep into every living being.
The instinct to protect, to nurture the young.
Leave your blood bond aside, and what is left?
…
Sometimes he wished to tell everyone around him the truth.
To Shadow Garden, that he simply used the knowledge taken from another world.
To Midgar, that he and Shadow were one and the same.
To Claire…
…
That's right, Cid Kagenou.
Nothing.
Because, really, who needs you? You are nothing but a mask to be put on, a role to be played.
Nothing but a distraction created with sole purpose in mind: to be discarded whenever the moment calls.
…
Cid found himself walking to the mirror.
The edges of his room were covered in shadows; shadows, that were ready to devour any and all light that dared to pass near them.
And as he came closer, the shadows continued to grow, until he stopped in front of the mirror.
He stared blankly at his own reflection, dried blood-red eyes gazing back at him.
…
My name is Shadow, the one who lurks in the shadows and hunts down the shadows. The master puppeteer that fooled the whole world for his own purposes.
And you, Cid Kagenou?
A mere mask for master puppeteer.
Who are you without me, then?
That's right...
Shadow caressed the mirror, a perpetual domineering smile that was oh-so-beloved by Seven Shades adorning his face.
Nothing.