The Eminence In Shadow In Multiverse

What exactly is The Eminence In Shadow?

Before answering that, let me ask—haven't most people, at some point in their childhood, dreamed of being heroes?

Whether it was knights in shining armor, valiant warriors, or masked heroes saving the day, we've all felt the desire to stand in the light and fight for justice.

Cid wasn't any different.

Except… he never wanted to be a hero.

He aspired to be something far more extraordinary—a Eminence In Shadow.

What is a Eminence In Shadow?

Neither the protagonist nor the final boss, but a figure who lurks in the shadows—manipulating events, revealing overwhelming strength at critical moments, and then vanishing as mysteriously as they appeared.

That's what Cid yearned to become.

And why, you might ask?

Because it was cool.

Imagine it—stepping out of the shadows to effortlessly defeat enemies that even the protagonist couldn't touch. 

Disposing of threats with calm precision. Speaking cryptic, thought-provoking lines that leave everyone guessing your motives.

And then, without looking back, fading into obscurity.

Or even better—showing up at the final confrontation to put both the protagonist and the villain in their place. Something like:

"Is this really the extent of your strength? How disappointing."

Now that was cool.

And if the Eminence In Shadow turned out to be a sleeper villain in disguise? Even cooler. Dramatic betrayals, sharp monologues, and an air of absolute dominance—those were the scenes Cid lived for.

While other kids outgrew their childhood fantasies, Cid didn't.

Maybe it was fate. Or maybe it was a chronic case of chuunibyou—the so-called "eighth-grader syndrome."

But unlike others, Cid didn't just daydream about his fantasies. He acted on them.

In his past life, he devoted every spare moment to training.

Swordsmanship, karate, mixed martial arts—anything that might bring him closer to his dream of power, he pursued relentlessly.

Yet reality was harsh.

No matter how skilled he became, a single bullet was enough to end it all. That truth weighed heavily on him.

He refused to accept it.

If he couldn't become a Eminence In Shadow with ordinary strength, then he'd seek out extraordinary power.

Magic, spiritual energy, qi, mana, divine blessings—whatever it took.

As long as it allowed him to transcend human limits and become the ultimate being in the shadows, he would stop at nothing to claim it.

….

Cid Kagenou knew perfectly well how absurd it was to search for supernatural powers in the real world.

But then again, wasn't the very idea of becoming an Eminence in Shadow already absurd?

So why not take it one step further?

No one could prove the supernatural existed—but no one could prove it didn't, either.

To Cid, even dying in the pursuit of such powers was still dying in pursuit of his dream.

And then, as if fate itself was entertained by his determination—he really did die.

By some strange twist of luck (or misfortune), Cid was reborn in another world—one roughly equivalent to the era of the First Industrial Revolution.

There, he found it.

Magic.

Yet, despite the discovery, the world he found himself in wasn't exactly what he had hoped for.

Sure, it wasn't peaceful per se, but it wasn't chaotic enough to warrant the rise of an Eminence in Shadow either.

Most enemies were trivial—bandits, petty kidnappers, or the occasional rebellious noble trying to usurp the throne.

But there were no shadowy cults plotting world domination.

No immortal villains pulling strings from the darkness.

Nothing worthy of an Eminence in Shadow.

….

That's not to say the world was completely devoid of intrigue.

There were rumors—whispers about something called 'Demon Possession.'

According to the Church, it was a curse that transformed humans into monsters. Victims' bodies would rot as if decaying from within. Most died shortly after the symptoms appeared, but the Church still went out of its way to capture the afflicted.

They called it 'purification.'

To Cid, the entire thing reeked of medieval superstition. Still, he held out hope that it might lead to something real—something worthy of investigation.

Then, at the age of ten, that hope was shattered.

He encountered a so-called Demon Possessed and, after a month of research, reached a conclusion.

It was just a blood disease.

Disappointed, he treated one of the afflicted—an elf girl who had been left for dead.

Cid had intended to send her on her way after curing her. But instead of leaving, the elf insisted on repaying her debt.

And that's when it hit him.

An Eminence in Shadow needed an organization—a secret group operating from the darkness.

Because, let's be honest, any proper Eminence in Shadow worth their name should have one.

So, he made something up on the spot.

He wove a tale about an evil cult—the Diabolos Order—that lurked in the shadows, spreading corruption and orchestrating the rise of the Demon Possessed.

He told her the world was teetering on the edge of ruin and that he, as the mysterious force opposing them, was the only one who could stand in their way.

To her, it was the truth.

To Cid?

It was just roleplay.

But that didn't stop him from naming her Alpha and founding an organization called Shadow Garden.

It was the ultimate setup for his fantasies—an elite group dedicated to rooting out evil and protecting the world from darkness.

And the best part?

They believed every word.

…

Three years passed.

By then, the organization had grown to seven members.

They called themselves the Seven Shadows.

And for Cid, those years were some of the best of his life.

Until the day it all came crashing down.

…

His lie was exposed.

Or so he thought.

Back then, the seven of them had stood before him, saying they were leaving to expand their operations and fight against the Diabolos Order elsewhere.

Cid knew what they really meant.

They'd figured out the Diabolos Order was fake.

Still, maybe because he had saved them, or maybe because of the bond they'd built over the years, they decided to keep playing along with his Eminence in Shadow act.

I mean, there was no way the Diabolos Order actually existed, right? (laughs)