One single change can lead to a greater understanding of the situation. For Cid, that moment was when the bandit leader that kidnapped his sister directly referenced, by name, the cult he thought he'd made up.
Now very aware of the real state of Shadow Garden and the Cult - and still lacking a lot of important details - Cid will do what he does best: act like he knows what's going on so his subordinates don't find out. At least he's finally achieved his dream.
But I made it up? by The_Real_Lee is a The Eminence in Shadow fanfic that follows a Cid that actually realizes he's already become the shadowy overlord he's dreamed of being, and how this effects his decisions.
It can be found here
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The fic contains the following tropes:
- Anti-Climax: Chapter 10 ends with Cid seeing something horrifying. Chapter 11 reveals it's just that the piano got destroyed.
- Bavarian Fire Drill: Cid's already good at this, but his impromptu infiltration of Lutheran's attack as Panoptes stands out.
- Cliffhanger: Chapter 10 ends with Cid walking into a classroom during the hostage situation, and seeing something that makes him declare everything is ruined. See Anticlimax for what.
- Conveniently Timed Attack from Behind: One where the attack is actually convenient for someone else. Before Gaunt can attack Cid to determine if he's Faking the Dead, Rex attacks him, seeing his obsession with the background character as a delusion and weakness.
- Cover-Blowing Superpower: Cid strikes Skel at superspeed, counting on no-one being able to notice him. Lutheran is able to notice it with his enhanced senses, making him suspicious.
- Dies Differently in the Adaptation:
- Rex is killed fighting Gaunt instead of Cid.
- Instead of getting stabbed repeatedly, Lutheran is drained of his magic by Shadow, leaving him to die from his (magically-accelerated) disease.
- Dramatic Irony:
- Iris is convinced that Cid couldn't possibly be a member of either Shadow Garden or the Cult.
- Cid notes that, unlike one of the Crimson Knights, he does not want to be part of a 'lame' harem plot.
Cid: Really, how could anyone miss multiple women flirting with them.- Rex thinks Cid is uninteresting, is confident outside threats like Shadow 'Guardian' aren't as big a worry as internal threats, and is convinced no one saw him exit or leave Lutheran's office (the previous section showed Nu was watching the office the entire time).
- Early-Bird Cameo: 599 is mentioned as taking part in the invasion of the Academy.
- Embarrassing Nickname: Alexia continues to call Cid 'Pooch'. After accidentally calling him that if front of Iris, Cid responds by giving Alexia the nickname 'Kitten'. Only one of the sisters seems to enjoy this development.
- Feigning Intelligence: Shadow, not wanting his subordinates to know how out of the loop he really is, acts as though he's already aware of anything they learn. This, unfortunately, still leaves him in the dark about a lot of details (such as how to translate the coded cult documents Shadow Garden keeps sending him).
- In Spite of a Nail: Even with Cid's increased awareness, plenty of events still proceed as they do in canon, even if some details are changed.
- The fight with Grease is largely unchanged, aside from Cid realizing he isn't just a bandit.
- Cid's fake relationship with Alexia, torture by interrogators, and battle against Zenon play out roughly the same as in canon.
- Cid still gives Sherry some chocolates in passing.
- Cid is still forced to take part in the Bushin Festival, and tests his failing techniques against Rose Oriana.
- Cid still takes a hit for Rose when the Academy is attacked.
- Lutheran is still killed by Shadow, and Sherry is left crying over his body. This time because she realizes he caused the attack.
- Internal Reveal:
- Marco recognizes Nu as Nicoletta, his allegedly deceased fiancée.
- Cid ensures The Crimson Order (including Alexia) overhears Lutheran's plot during their final duel. This also causes Sherry to learn of her step-father's involvement in the plot.
- Shadow intentionally unmasks as Cid to Lutheran before he dies.
- "It" Is Dehumanizing: Lutheran only refers to Sherry and her late mother as 'the Asset' or 'it'.
- The Mole: Cid is brought in to the Crimson Knights, helping/hindering their investigation into the Cult and its relics.
- Point of Divergence: Viscount Grease namedropping the Cult of Diablos in front of Cid is what sets the fic - and its changes - into motion.
- Properly Paranoid: Lutheran becomes excessively cautious around Cid once he realizes the boy's stronger than he looks. Rex thinks he's just going crazy, but the audience is aware he's right to fear Cid.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: After realizing Cid is carrying out some act, Lutheran realizes Cid is deliberately sabotaging Sherry's research by giving her useless books to read over. However, the conclusion he reaches is that Cid is actually another member of the Cult vying for the Rounds seat, and that Zenon targeting him earlier was an attempt to remove another rival.
- Secret Identity: Cid gets another new identity as Panoptes, a Laughing Mad agent of the Cult sent to determine if Gaunt is worthy to become part of Rounds. He 'conveniently' disappears by the end of the battle.
- Serious Business: Seeing the piano destroyed before he could play Moonlight Sonata during the school invasion angers Cid. He resolves to ruin Gaunt's plan in retribution.
- Skewed Priorities: Cid, as usual.
- When Shadow first learns the Cult is real, what's the main thing he worries about? How 'cringe' it would be if the Shades learned he was wrong about something.
- When Gaunt is preparing to attack Cid's "corpse", all Cid is worrying about is how having to defend himself would ruin his big reveal.
- Cid goes out of his way to keep the Crimson Order alive... because he doesn't want to waste his infiltration by seeing it collapse early.
- In the midst of the school invasion, Cid laments that a piano got broken in the chaos before he could play the Moonlight Sonata on it.
- Slashed Throat: How Rex dies, curtesy of Gaunt. He deliberately makes a shallow cut to drag the death out.
- Spared by the Adaptation:
- Grease's daughter is cured of her corruption before she can mutate into a kaiju, allowing Shadow Garden to rescue her.
- Glen isn't killed fighting Third Children, thanks to Shadow and Nu intervening.
- Spotting the Thread: After seeing how fast Cid really is, Lutheran looks over Cid's file and realizes he's too average: no one could achieve average scores and grades across everything.
