Night had long since fallen, draping the world in darkness. Inside a grand, dimly lit chamber, a lone figure sat upon a majestic black throne. His long hood cast a shadow that obscured the upper half of his face, leaving only the faint glimmer of his crimson eyes visible beneath the veil of darkness.
In his gloved hand, he held a glass of deep red wine, its surface rippling as he slowly twirled it between his fingers.
A moment later, the air shifted.
From the depths of the chamber, seven figures emerged and knelt in a perfect circle before him. Their movements were precise, their reverence absolute. Heads bowed, voices silent—until the leader among them, Alpha, lifted her gaze.
"We have each completed our assigned missions successfully, Lord Shadow," she declared, her voice steady and filled with unshakable faith.
Shadow remained still for a moment, the wine in his glass catching the flickering light of the candelabras. Then, he responded in a low, measured tone.
"I see."
Gamma, her analytical mind always sharp, spoke next. "The Cult of Diablos is in shambles right now. Their forces are scattered, their influence crumbling."
Beta, ever the scribe of his legend, placed a hand to her chest and spoke with admiration. "And all of this is thanks to your masterful plan and wisdom, Lord Shadow."
At this, Shadow's lips curled slightly in amusement as a thought surfaced in his mind.
Ahh, yes. This is the part when I leave them speechless with a deep and dark quote. I love this part.
Alpha, sensing the moment, straightened and awaited his command. "What is the next step of the operation, dear Lord?"
Shadow took a slow sip from his wine, savoring the rich taste before setting the glass gently on the armrest of his throne.
Then, in a single, fluid motion, he rose to his feet. A grin tugged at his lips as he looked down upon them—his Seven Shades, his most devoted followers.
And then, in a voice both deep and unwavering, he spoke:
"The moon weeps for the fallen, yet the abyss remains indifferent. We do not fight for the light nor for the darkness… we are the unseen storm that reshapes the world in silence."
A hush fell over the chamber.
The Seven Shades, mesmerized, felt a shiver of inspiration run through them. Their Lord had spoken, and his words carried the weight of destiny itself.
They bowed their heads even lower, their resolve strengthened beyond measure.
"Glory to Shadow Garden!" Alpha declared, her voice unwavering.
"Glory to Shadow Garden!" the others echoed in unison.
Then...
Suddenly an portal rippled like liquid silver, its swirling energy casting an eerie glow across the grand chamber. Delta's ears twitched as she tilted her head in confusion.
"Lord Shadow… did you create that?" she asked, her tail swishing with curiosity.
The other Shades tensed, hands subtly shifting to their weapons, ready for anything. But Shadow simply gazed at the portal, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
Holy shit. Is this one of those cool scenes where the mysterious guy walks into a portal and says something cryptic?
His lips curled into a smirk. Perfect. He couldn't waste this opportunity.
Stepping toward the portal with slow, deliberate strides, he paused at its edge. The swirling energy reflected in his crimson eyes as he turned his head slightly toward his followers.
"The threads of fate weave in silence, unseen by those who dwell in light and shadow alike… but destiny whispers only to those who listen."
The Seven Shades stood frozen, their breaths stolen by his words.
How could someone be so clueless and yet so powerful?
And with that, Shadow stepped forward—vanishing into the unknown.
A cold breeze greeted him as he emerged on the other side. The scent of blooming flowers and freshly cut grass filled the air. He stood in the middle of a vast garden, surrounded by elegant hedges and ornate fountains under the moonlit sky.
He blinked.
Then he looked up at the unfamiliar constellations.
Then back at the garden.
Then back at the sky.
"Good grief… now I got lost."
Before he could process his situation further, a sharp voice rang out.
"An intruder!!!"
A dozen guards stormed in, their armor gleaming under the moonlight. Their swords pointed directly at him.
Shadow sighed and, with practiced ease, shifted into his everyday persona—Cid Kageno, the utterly unremarkable background character. Slouching slightly, he raised his hands in a non-threatening manner.
"Whoa, whoa, I was just lost," he said, his voice lazy and unimposing.
The guards sneered.
"A likely story! No one just appears in the Royal Palace of the Kingdom of Lugunica in the middle of the night!"
Cid blinked.
Wait… did I hear that right?
"Sorry, what's this place called again?"
The guards stiffened, their irritation growing. One stepped forward, raising his sword.
"Enough of this nonsense. Die, intruder!"
But before the blade could descend, a calm, commanding voice cut through the tension.
"Enough."
The guards froze and quickly stepped aside, making way for the owner of the voice.
Cid turned, and his eyes landed on a young man with shining golden hair and crimson red eyes, dressed in royal attire.
The guards immediately bowed as the golden-haired young man strode forward, his crimson eyes fixed on Cid with an amused glint. The moonlight cast a regal glow over him, emphasizing his royal bearing.
"Coming at such a time and getting caught like this… I can't tell if you're a newbie trying his hand at mercenary work or just incredibly unlucky," he mused, tilting his head.
Cid let out an awkward chuckle, scratching the back of his head. "Haha… yeah, you see, I was just—uh—out for a walk and, uh… took a wrong turn?"
The guy studied him intently, his smirk widening. Then, as if struck by a thought, he asked, "Then, do you recognize who I am?"
A tense silence fell over the garden. The guards exchanged surprised glances before turning their attention to Cid, who was now sweating internally.
Wait. This guy is obviously important. Crap, crap, crap—who is he?!
Just as the pressure was about to become unbearable, the guy with golden hair suddenly burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! I haven't had this much fun since I tried sneaking out of the palace with Ferris!" he said, his voice filled with nostalgia.
Then, with a bright smile, he turned to the guards. "This guy is no threat. He's coming with me."
"But Your Highness!" one of the guards protested. "We can't just let him go! You know well what happened with your uncle's child—"
The prince's expression darkened momentarily before he waved off the concern. "I know that very well. But my intuition says that this guy is to be trusted too."
Cid, sensing an opportunity, grinned. "Thanks, man—"
"Who could be as dumb as to break in here and not recognize me?" the prince cut in with a teasing smirk.
Before Cid could respond, one of the guards stepped forward and pushed him down into a forced bow.
"Beware, you bastard!" the guard snapped. "The one who just saved your life tonight is none other than the Fourth Prince of Lugunica, His Highness Fourier Lugunica!"
Cid blinked, looking up at the prince, who was now smiling down at him, his yaeba (fang-like tooth) visible as he grinned.
Well… shit.