Warning: The following contains spoilers for The Eminence in Shadow, Episode 29, "The Key," now available to stream on HIDIVE.

After the conclusion of the Great Trading Company Conflict arc of the Eminence in Shadow, which primarily involved John Smith, Yukime, and Gettan, Cid left on a self-searching journey. His journey took him to the Oriana Kingdom, which is currently embroiled in an internal war.

In the Eminence in Shadow, while Cid ponders how he has always done everything that fits into becoming the Eminence in Shadow, he also states that he does not have a clear vision of what the Eminence in Shadow should be, so he embarks on a self-searching journey. Now in the Oriana kingdom, with the Perv faction and the anti-perv action going against each other, a new plot involving Rose Oriana, number 666, unfolds.

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The Seven Shadows must now figure out what Shadow meant by a message he left behind regarding the Mitsugoshi Hot Springs Land.

A Recon Mission

As Rose promptly wakes up from a nightmare in which her father doesn’t forgive her after she killed him, she, now in the Oriana kingdom, laments at how the now-destroyed Oriana kingdom used to be so beautiful with bustling streets. In the Oriana kingdom for a recon mission, Rose (number 666) is with numbers 664 and 665. However, the one who would be leading the mission is number 559. At night, numbers 664, 665, and 666 are joined by number 559 at Fort First, a small castle town that should be of little importance. However, the Cult of Diablos secretly deployed their elite forces, so there must be something there.

As number 559 briefs them on the mission, she reveals that she doesn’t have a good impression of number 666 and states that she specifically asked for her to be on the mission. Number 559 then states that, apart from the Seven Shadows, she and number 666 are the only ones who received power directly from Shadow; however, number 666 is weak.

A Traitor Of The Oriana Kingdom?

After revealing Rose’s true identity, numbers 559, 664, and 665 get ready to take action as the cult members appear. With Kouadoi the Gale, a leader of the cult, and an entire entourage of first children, it seems the Cult of Diablos is going all out for their plan. After getting to some ruins at the back of the castle, the members of the cult activate an ancient relic and call for her royal majesty, Reina Oriana, Rose’s mom. With her royal blood, Reina Oriana is able to activate the ancient relic, and a ring of legend protected by the hero Freya appears. Seeing the ring, number 559 decides that they must retrieve it at any cost, even though the others declare that their mission is a reconnaissance one.

As number 559 declares that the ring is the ‘key’, she promptly attacks Rose’s mother, only to be stopped by Rose herself. By protecting her mother, Rose causes discord among the members of Shadow Garden present, and the cult gets an advantage.

Princess Rose Returns

Meanwhile, back in the Midgar kingdom, Gamma reads a report from Nu, as it seems that the recon team sent to the Oriana kingdom has engaged the cult in battle. Talking about how Mordred, the Ninth Seat of Rounds, and Perv Asshat have both been absent, Gamma wonders if it was all a trap. However, as Nu laments on how Mordred has been able to control the Oriana kingdom from the shadows for so long, Gamma stares at a newspaper that says, ‘Princess Rose Returns, Citizens Revolt.’ Gamma and Nu plan to send reinforcements to the Oriana capital, as security around it has been considerably lessened due to Perv Asshat having to deal with civil unrest.

Moreover, because of the ongoing crisis, Perv Asshat has expended a large number of pawns in an effort to keep Shadow Garden in check while exploring various ruins. As Gamma decides to let the cult have Rose, Nu states that would increase the likelihood of Perv Asshat and Modred making their move. However, Gamma believes that would be better for them, as it was the will of Shadow that led Rose up to the point she is currently at, meaning Shadow is the one who envisioned the board and surely envisions the end of the game.

The Eminence In Shadow Gets Involved

Meanwhile, while everyone thinks Shadow has some grand plan, Cid is absolutely unaware of the intricacies of what is going on and only has surface-level knowledge. Thinking there must be a place for him in all this, Cid plans to get involved as the Eminence in Shadow and crown a new ruler of the Oriana Kingdom. Envisioning a grand plot in his head, Cid decides to make Rose Oriana the next ruler. Unsurprisingly, Cid has no idea why Rose murdered her father but believes she decided to walk a path of carnage and become a supreme tyrant.

Believing in his own delusions, Cid decides to make Rose the next monarch and envisions a future where he’ll be able to play his Eminence in Shadow role. As Cid tries various things to get a foothold for birthing the Tyrant Rose, he finally comes across the numbers sent to Fort First for the recon mission.

Meanwhile, number 559 had been fighting the members of the cult sent to the fort continuously for three days and three nights. As her magic power drains, she begins to lose the upper hand until Shadow makes an appearance. Giving her power, number 559 is energized and disposes of her enemies. As Shadow approaches them, number 559 reports Rose Oriana’s betrayal and the course of events that have occurred over the past few days. As numbers 664 and 665 try to refute number 559’s accusations against Rose, Shadow, who has no idea what’s going on, sees a poster saying that Princess Rose has announced a marriage to Chancellor Asshat. Enraged, Shadow displays his power as he proclaims that he will not tolerate her betrayal. As he blasts off, Shadow ponders why she then killed her father if she was going to give in to marriage and give up on becoming a tyrant.

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