Chapter 203

(A short 900 words Chapter)

[Third Person's PoV] 

A Few Timeless hours Later: 

Cid was slowly drawing and constructing a godrune in front of him, shaped like an Egyptian eye. His fingers glowed with Aether, shining beautifully along his fingertips. He made one last curve towards the side of the eye, then extended his hand and closed it into a fist.

The inside of his fist glowed a bright purple, lighting up the entire room as the godrune solidified. Once the light dimmed, Cid turned his hand over and opened it. The godrune floated majestically above his palm, ready to be used.

Using Ruler's Authority, Cid controlled the godrune, turning it around before positioning it on his forehead. As it made contact, he closed his eyes, feeling the godrune begin to merge with him.

Markings appeared all over his face, leaving the center of his forehead empty. Slowly, a straight line formed in the empty space where the godrune rested. The line opened into a slit, and Cid winced slightly as it widened, feeling as though his head were being split open. For those who knew that feeling, they understood it was far from pleasant.

The slit revealed a black eye with a glowing purple pupil, radiating power and creating a mesmerizing sight. Cid opened his own eyes, revealing his dragon eyes, and what he saw left him nearly stunned. Multiple strings of different colors shot out from his body: red, blue, a mix of red and gold, and three golden strings directed towards his shadow. Among them was a single grey string that extended beyond the walls.

"The Strings of Fate..." Cid muttered.

He touched one of the golden strings, and his vision followed it down into his shadow. His eyes widened in surprise as the string he touched, along with another, passed directly through Alpha's stomach.

As he let go of the string, his vision returned. Cid laughed in amusement, "I see, the golden ones represent family—they're my children."

He smiled to himself, continuing, "The others are relatively easy to decipher. The red-gold ones represent those I love and consider family, like Alpha and the others. The red ones are for love and care, while the blue ones must signify friendship and companions, like the rest of the Shadow Guard. That would explain why there are so many of them. As for the grey one…"

Touching the grey string, Cid saw Yuuka, the nurse who had put a hit on him and was targeting Akane. "So, indifference? Or is it grey because their future is bleak, meaning they're going to die?"

"It's probably indifference since I couldn't care less what happens to her. Now, for the reason I started this in the first place…"

Closing his eyes, Cid muttered, "Jin-Ah," focusing entirely on his other sister. Slowly, the lines connecting to him began to fade away, one by one, until only a single string remained.

When he opened his eyes and saw the line, he smiled softly, but his brows furrowed in confusion. "Why is the line going down to my shadow?"

Cid snapped his fingers, causing time to return to normal as he sank down into his shadow, entering his shadow realm.

…

Upon landing, the others there were thrilled to see him. "BOSSU!" Delta yelled excitedly, jumping on his back.

Still, Cid's brow furrowed as he continued to stare at the string. He was too nervous to touch it and preferred to observe it with his own eyes.

"What's with the third eye?" Epsilon asked, sitting nearby.

"I'm looking at the strings of fate," Cid muttered, beginning to walk.

Alpha, who was holding Celeste in her arms along with her puppy, exchanged glances with the others as they watched Cid walk, following something unseen. Delta clung to his back, while the others followed, confused but curious.

As Cid followed the string, he noticed it was mostly golden with a mix of red. The sound of clashing swords rang out as he approached his destination.

He soon stopped when he saw Igris and Claire training together. They paused upon noticing him, and Cid's expression quickly turned to one of disgust.

He put a fist over his mouth before swallowing hard. Claire tilted her head, hoisting her sword over her shoulder and placing her hand on her hip.

"What? Why the disgusted look? You picking a fight or something?"

Cid raised a finger, turning slightly away. "I'm sorry, the Jin-Woo in me just threw up in my mouth a little. Oh god..." He shuddered.

Claire's expression turned deadpan as she narrowed her eyes. "I see. So you really are looking for a fight. You pop up out of nowhere and call me ugly? I'll show you who's ugly in a second," she growled, her sword crackling with electricity.

Igris placed a hand on Claire's shoulder to stop her. "Let go of me, Igris! I'll teach this bastard to respect his older sister!"

Igris ignored her, asking instead, "My lord, are you implying that she's…?"

Cid, still covering his mouth, nodded, glancing at the single string connecting them. "Yes, unfortunately so."

Claire looked between Igris and Cid. "What are you guys talking about? I'm what?"

Cid sighed in exasperation. "It seems you and I are destined to be siblings no matter what life we live. You are the reincarnation of my little sister from one of my previous incarnations."

A collective "Eh?" echoed around the area, especially from Claire, who tilted her head in utter confusion.

"I'm the what?" Claire asked again.