The Eminence in Shadow

Season 1 | Chapter 1: Cid Kagenou

Before we begin the story, I want to make a few things clear:

While this is an "Eminence in Shadow" fanfiction, it's not going to be very lore-accurate. I liked the show and found it very entertaining. But I had a lot of ideas for things that I thought would be interesting. So, here's some of, but not all, of the changes.

1) This isn't an isekai. While this will take place in the world that Cid reincarnated in, this will not be an isekai.

2) Characters will not be the same as in Canon, specifically Cid. Some characters will be mostly the same, like Delta. But others may be quite different. Cid especially.

There are more changes but I think it's better if you see them while reading the story. But the point is: if you're looking for a character-
accurate or lore-accurate fanfiction, you're not getting one. Not everything will be different, though. This will not be an isekai and lore may be different, but the premise will be mostly the same. Shadow Garden will remain.

Oh, and if you're here for the pairings; I'm sticking to the show, it's a harem. If you want to know who all in specific, this is some, but probably not all, of them: Cid x Alpha, Alexia, Claire, Rose, Delta, Gamma, Epsilon, Iris, Eta, Nu, Beta, Zeta, Beatrix. Basically every female character in the show (No, not really all. But probably most).

And without further adieu, let's begin...
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A cell door opened, revealing a small, frail black-haired little boy with black eyes. "Come on, they're calling for you," the guard said. Meekly, the little boy followed.

The little boy trudged the dark hallways, the guard in toe. It was time, they were going to experiment on him again. They reached the room and when the door opened, a dark-haired woman led him to a table that he'd be lying on for the experimentation. They placed his arms into position and he heard the familiar sound of manacles clicking.

They injected him and forced vials of strange liquids down his throat. Eventually, the foreign substances in his system caused him to pass out.

When he woke up, he was being dragged by his arms by two men. He struggled, trying to get free. "L-let me go," he said, his voice weak and raspy. "I can walk."

Despite his proclamation, the guards insisted on their restriction of him by his arms. So he struggled harder but to no avail, until a dark spike shot out from him and impaled the two guards before flinging them against the wall. Realizing he had an opportunity, he ran.

He ran as fast as he could and somehow managed to evade capture. His running led him to the doorstep of the Kagenou family, where he promptly passed out. He woke up in an unfamiliar place, on a large bed.

"Are you okay? How are you?" he heard a girl ask. He turned to look at her. She smiled kindly. "What's your name?"

"Uh, C-Cid."

(A/N: If this were a show, this would be the perfect time to cut to an intro)

"Hi, Cid. My name is Claire."

That day he was adopted, at the behest of Claire, his now older step-sister. She'd always wanted a little brother and so when she got one, she was excited. She was also very protective of him, especially considering the way in which they came to meet.

But that protectiveness emboldened when she was bathing with him one day. The scars that littered his body was, to say the least, off-put- ting. Naturally, she had been inquisitive. But as hard as she tried, she couldn't get anything out of him. So she decided to leave it alone. Though her worries were never spared.