DIRECTLY ABOVE CID;
King Maros stepped forward, his gold-trimmed cloak dragging behind him like a banner of arrogance. His face was a mask of contempt. He raised his voice, sharp as a blade, cutting through the murmuring crowd gathered behind the gates.
"Hear this, people of Virehold. Tarn Vireon, once called a hero, died a coward's death — and left behind only shame."
The crowd stirred, whispers spreading like wildfire.
"Do not weep for the traitor's son. He was too weak to die with his father. Too weak to speak in his defense. And soon... too weak to stand."
IN A PRISON DIRECTLY BENEATH THE KING'S PLATFORM;
Chains rattled in the dark.
Cid's thoughts:
I was weak. Small. Fragile.
I wasn't strong enough.
Not strong enough to protect him...
Flashback — Father's voice (soft, tired):
"When despair grips you, don't run.
Let it pass through you, like wind through fire.
If you survive the burn... you'll rise brighter."
Cid's fists clenched against the stone floor, chains groaning.
BACK ABOVE — King Maros sneered.
"He was nothing but a deserter. A traitor. A man who turned his back on his brothers… and died screaming like a dog."
But Cid didn't hear him.
All sound bled away, like water draining from the world. Only one voice remained — echoing deep within.
His father's voice.
Cid's Thoughts (inner monologue):
They called my father a coward...
And I said nothing.
They shattered his sword. His name. His memory...
And I knelt like a broken dog.
I begged. I hoped. I obeyed.
And for what?
His nails dug into the dirt.
Chains rattled as his fists trembled.
I was weak in strength.
Weak in voice.
Weak in will.
Power? I never understood it.
I thought it was something earned.
Given — by blood, by titles, by kings.
But now I see—
The ground trembled.
A hiss of steam escaped from beneath the stone.
"Power is not given."
It's taken.
Seized... when there's nothing left to lose.
His breathing deepened.
Each inhale a furnace blast.
You died because I wasn't enough, Father.
Not strong enough to fight.
Not strong enough to protect.
Not strong enough to be your son.
The square fell still.
The air dropped in temperature — unnatural, sharp.
Cid's shadow twisted.
And then... it moved.
It rose.
First like smoke.
Then like liquid cloth — thick, black, rippling with slow, hungry intent.
A whisper bloomed from within — not his voice, but his soul's:
"Then stand tall, Cid... and crush the weak name above you."
SFX: SHHHHRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!
His shadow erupted.
Black tendrils lashed out, coiling around him, forming armor —
thick and jagged, slamming into place piece by piece.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
The first step cracked the platform above.
The second made it groan.
The third—
SFX: THROOOOOMMM!!!
The entire stage exploded upward — torn apart as Cid's Titanus form burst through.
Black-armored. Towering.
Eyes glowing like molten judgment.
Wood, steel, and debris rained down from the sky.
The square fell utterly silent — breath caught, eyes wide, mouths agape.
A Titanus.
Cid's towering form, black armor gleaming ominously under the harsh sun, stood over thirty meters tall — a rare and terrible sight that sent chills through every soul watching.
The crowd froze, some stepping back, others trembling in shock. Whispers spread like wildfire:
"A Titanus… alive…"
"Impossible… they haven't been seen for centuries."
"We are…screwed"
King Maros's face twisted in horror and disbelief.
Suddenly, from the edge of the crowd, a figure moved with impossible speed — the Spectare, cloaked in silver robes that seemed to ripple with the wind itself.
With eyes glowing faintly, the Spectare's voice cut through the stunned silence like a blade:
"Guards! Protect the king. Evacuate him from the city — now!"
Without hesitation, the royal guards snapped to action, rushing him toward the palace gates.
Cid's Titanus form raised a massive arm, sending a shockwave that shattered stones and overturned carts. The ground trembled beneath its weight.
King Maros looked back over his shoulder at the devastation — dread etched deep into his features.
King Maros (voice trembling):
"A Titanus... here... after all these years..."