Rain fell softly against the crimson-tiled roofs of Midgar's northern quarter. The kind of rain that didn't cleanse the streets—just made the filth glisten. Somewhere in a dim room beneath the sprawling compound of Shadow Garden, Cid Kagenou leaned back in a leather chair, fingers laced behind his head, eyes half-lidded in thought.
He wasn't bored.
No, this was the calm before a perfect storm. He could feel it.
There was a whisper—a rumor of a cult. Small, erratic, desperate… but unmistakably familiar. The reports he gathered showed alarming signs. Symbols that mimicked those of the Cult of Diablos, rituals eerily similar, and scattered disappearances of children from remote towns. It didn't take a genius to recognize what this was:
An impostor cult.
Which was impossible. Because the original one was shattered.
Cid didn't smile. He never smiled. Not when he was Shadow. But inside, he was grinning.
"This… is the perfect stage for a shadow war."
He rose from the chair, his cloak whispering behind him like a ghost. He had to inform the Seven Shadows. But when he arrived at the Shadow Garden command chamber, there was only one person waiting—arms crossed, golden hair glinting beneath the chandelier.
Alpha.
"Where are the others?" he asked, voice low and composed.
"On missions," Alpha replied, her sapphire eyes narrowing. "Delta is hunting rogue vampires. Beta is investigating historical ruins in the north. The rest… scattered on long-term assignments."
"I see," Cid said, stepping forward. "Then I'll handle this myself."
But Alpha shook her head. "I've read the reports. These copycats are more organized than they appear. I've already begun my own investigation."
There was a slight edge in her voice. Not of anger—something else. Concern?
"I would prefer we go together," she said, more softly this time.
Cid paused. In his mind, "teaming up" was often an excuse to steal the spotlight. But he could sense the tension in Alpha's posture. This wasn't just about the cult.
"All right," he said. "Let's go together."
Her expression didn't change—but he noticed how she stood a little closer as they left.
Lawless City was chaos on a good day, but when Cid and Alpha arrived, disguised in plain gray travel cloaks and worn boots, it looked ready to explode. Whispers of missing merchants, black-market artifacts, and sudden bursts of energy had the whole town on edge.
They walked the crowded streets without drawing attention. That's when they bumped into him.
A man sprinted around the corner—filthy hair, torn shirt, arms filled with papers and a rolled-up flier sticking out of his mouth.
"Whoa!" Cid caught him as he stumbled. The man dropped everything in a flutter of parchment and weirdly oily flyers. Together, the three scrambled to pick them up.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" the man blurted. "I'm late! Again! They'll burn my waffles this time!"
He snatched the last flyer, turned, and yelled over his shoulder, "Name's Pan Cake! Remember me! You'll want to later!"
Then he vanished into the crowd.
Cid blinked. Alpha looked at him.
"Pan… Cake?" she said slowly.
"A pseudonym," Cid muttered. "Clearly."
Alpha rolled her eyes. "Of course."
That night, Alpha crouched on the edge of a building, her eyes scanning the streets below. Beside her, Shadow emerged from a pocket of darkness, arms crossed, his presence silent but commanding.
They watched. Waited.
Then—boom.
An explosion shook the street. Two masked figures burst from a nearby pawnshop, dressed in all black, eyes glowing faintly beneath enchanted hoods. One clutched a pouch of glowing red gems.
Alpha didn't hesitate—she leapt into action, dashing across rooftops and then down to the ground, shielding civilians from the blast with a barrier spell.
Shadow descended like a god from the sky, his cloak flaring as he landed in front of the thieves. He struck a dramatic pose.
"When the alley cat howls, the moon trembles."
The thieves froze.
Alpha barely refrained from sighing.
Combat followed—a blur of steel, magic, and shadow. It was over in seconds. Shadow knocked them out cold, his blade never stained.
As Alpha cuffed the thieves with mana chains, Cid rummaged through the bag of gems—and found something strange.
A blueprint. Detailed, archaic… and unmistakably dangerous.
"A nuclear weapon?" he whispered, eyes lighting up.
His heart beat faster. This wasn't just a cult of imitators. This was something deeper.
And darker.
He handed the blueprint to Alpha with a casual shrug. "They have nothing."
But his grin betrayed him.
Because this was only the beginning.