The forest was silent.
Cid's small footsteps sounded softly against the ground carpeted with wet leaves. One hand stayed in his pocket, his face blank—as if he were simply walking without any particular destination.
Yet inside his mind, a grand stage was being prepared.
If he truly is a candidate for the Shadow's right-hand man… then our first meeting cannot be ordinary.
Cid stopped.
He looked around at the surrounding trees, narrowing his eyes as though trying to grasp something invisible.
Too bright? No.
Too dramatic? Also no.
The shadows had to feel… natural.
Cid gave a small nod, satisfied with his conclusion.
"A meeting in the forest—no," he murmured. "In a hideout… classic. But effective."
He began to compose his dialogue in his head.
Cid cleared his throat lightly, then spoke in a low voice—as if someone were truly standing before him.
"I know you're there."
He paused, frowning.
"…No. Too cliché."
He slowly shook his head.
"If you have chosen to live behind the shadows," he continued, trying again, "then you must understand why I have called for you."
Cid fell silent.
A faint smile slowly formed on his face.
"Hm. Not bad."
He went on, his voice now steadier.
"This world is full of lies. And the shadows are the only place where truth can breathe."
Cid clenched his small fist.
Good.
This is good.
Very good.
But then he let out a quiet sigh.
It still felt lacking.
No. That was too long.
Someone worthy of being the Shadow's right hand doesn't need explanations.
They will understand—without words.
Cid started walking again.
Better to keep it short and ambiguous.
He tried again.
"The shadow… is breathing?"
Cid gave a faint smile.
"Yes."
"That fits."
He stopped once more, looking up at the sky now veiled by dense leaves.
Shadows do not invite.
Shadows only give signs.
If he truly is the chosen one… then he will come.
Cid nodded in satisfaction, as if the entire plan had been approved by the universe itself.
"Now all that's left is to wait," he murmured lightly.
And with that, he walked away, leaving the forest behind with relaxed steps—confident that his candidate would appear in due time.
{Author's note: This is Cid's arbitrary claim. Or in other words, what Cid thinks 😌}
***
Inside an abandoned cabin deep in the forest, dimly lit by a single lantern, wooden crates were piled up haphazardly.
Some of them were open, revealing a variety of contents—ranging from valuables to things that were practically worthless, in other words, just trash.
(Note: this is the loot Cid stole from a bunch of bandits lol~)
However, the true focus was not on those crates.
Atop a stack of wooden boxes arranged like a crude throne, Cid sat calmly.
His back rested against the cabin wall, his right hand supporting his slightly tilted head, while his legs were crossed in a relaxed manner.
His position was directly facing the cabin's entrance.
Anyone who stepped inside would immediately be confronted by the figure already waiting there.
Cid was now fully clad in his alter-ego's attire—the Lord of Shadows—perfectly blending into the dark, silent atmosphere of the cabin.
"Perfect position," Cid muttered in a low voice, satisfied.
A moment later, pale mist suddenly began to seep in, slowly filling the cramped cabin.
"Mist…?" Cid murmured quietly, a hint of genuine confusion in his tone.
Having already claimed this place as his base, Cid immediately realized—this was not a natural phenomenon.
Though he remained seated calmly on his throne, his eyes moved swiftly, scanning the entire room, alert yet controlled.
Unbeknownst to him, the mist enveloping the cabin was Dark Matter that Gabriel had silently released. It was not a conventional magical attribute, as it possessed no color, no scent, no weight, and no fixed form.
Dark Matter was a pure medium capable of writing its own laws, completely subject to Gabriel's will.
By redefining its fundamental characteristics, Gabriel shaped the mist zone as he desired—a domain where reality bowed to the definitions he set.
And the way it appeared so suddenly was not teleportation.
Through Gigan, Gabriel directly manipulated Cid's perception—bending his vision and sealing off his senses with Dark Matter, which was able to erase the moment of Gabriel's presence from the target's awareness.
To Cid, Gabriel had not arrived yet. In reality, however, he had been there from the very beginning.
Thud.
The sound of a wooden stopper being pulled from a glass bottle broke the silence.
Cid glanced toward the source of the sound on the other side of the room.
His pupils widened slightly.
There, Gabriel stood calmly, pouring a deep crimson liquid from a bottle into two crystal glasses. His movements were relaxed and precise—as though this place had always been under his ownership.
Perched on his right shoulder was a tiny silver-haired woman.
She did not speak a single word. Yet her presence pressed down on the surrounding space—silent, cold, and impossible to ignore. Not because she meant to threaten, but because she felt no need to explain herself.
Cid stared at her for a moment.
"So that's how it is…"
"Of course," he murmured inwardly. "A right-hand man would never stand alone."
He gave a slight nod, satisfied.
The arrangement of the stage felt… right.
A moment later, Gabriel's voice echoed—calm, as though the mist itself had been waiting for its turn to speak.
"On a moonless night…" Gabriel said, pausing briefly, "accompanied by the Pale Mist."
He lifted one of the glasses slightly.
"Isn't that beautiful?"
Silence once again filled the cabin.
Cid did not move.
Hoh, he thought. So he knows how to open a meeting too.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile curved his lips.
Interesting.
At last, Cid moved.
He lowered the hand that had been supporting his head and rose slowly from his "throne," his steps quiet and composed. His gaze fixed on the crystal glass Gabriel was offering.
Cid took it.
"Beautiful," he replied simply.
One word.
Without excessive intonation.
Without a question.
Exactly as it should be.
He lifted the glass slightly, as if paying respect to the atmosphere, then drank it without hesitation.
Sweet.
Slightly sour.
Strawberry.
Cid blinked once.
But his expression remained flat.
Syrup…?
No.
Calm down.
This has to be symbolic.
Within his mind, a grand conclusion took shape.
He's testing me.
Simplicity behind theatrics.
A rejection of false luxury.
Very… Shadow Right-Hand.
Cid looked straight at Gabriel, unblinking.
Then he lowered the glass calmly, as though he had just tasted the rarest wine in the world.
"The taste is simple," Cid said softly. "But not excessive. Fitting for a night like this."
A perfect answer.
Gabriel smiled in satisfaction at his partner in this little game.
On the other side, Cid swirled his glass, letting the red syrup catch the candlelight within the mist.
"If you came here," he said calmly, "then you understand one thing."
He paused.
"Do shadows… breathe?"
Silence fell between them.
Cid did not repeat the question—as if it did not require an answer.
It was Gabriel who replied.
"They do," he said quietly, "as long as there are those who walk within them."
A thin, almost imperceptible smile traced the corner of Cid's lips.
Not a smile of pleasure, but the smile of someone who had just received confirmation of something he had believed from the very beginning.
Before him stood Gabriel—shrouded in pale mist, bearing Ash's calm, alien persona.
Cid turned slightly away.
In his mind, there was only one conclusion.
Pass.
A few seconds later, without many words, they each raised their glasses.
Crystal touched crystal softly.
Clink!
The two of them smiled faintly—not because of the atmosphere, nor because of the drink—but because, somehow, this moment felt incredibly cool.
On Gabriel's shoulder, Morgan sat with her legs crossed and her tiny arms folded. Her brows knit slightly.
She closed her eyes.
…Why am I even here?
Listening to the dialogue full of shadows, breaths, and theatrical silence, Morgan suddenly felt incredibly stupid for having to witness this high-level role-playing between Cid and her Master.
The next moment, Morgan vanished without a trace.
She returned into Gabriel's grimoire—
deciding that storing her sanity there was far safer than staying in this room.
Her departure went unnoticed by the two of them, both already lost in their own thoughts, silently weaving the next chapter of their narrative without needing to agree on it aloud.
A few moments later, Gabriel spoke.
With calm steps, he walked toward the exit, subtly focusing to erase the remnants of Dark Matter still drifting in the air.
"Cid—no. Shadow," Gabriel said, stopping right at the doorway. "There is a place Ash wishes to visit. Will you come?"
"Take me there," Cid replied without the slightest hesitation.
At that very moment, Cid's mind began to race.
A direct invitation.
Initiative from the other side.
This was no ordinary meeting—this was the first step toward something far greater.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on his face.
Good, Cid thought.
Shadows do not wait.
They move.
___
Author's note:
The Eminence in Shadow season might be quite long, and by the way, none of this is in agreement with Gabriel. They have different opinions. 😌
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