Theory The Eminence in Shadow (TEIS)
What if, all along, it was us that Cid was manipulating in the shadows? Everything he thinks he's 'made up' in his head turns out to be reality, giving the impression that he's just lucky or oblivious to events. But what if, in reality, he knew all along? What if his role as "an ordinary young man playing at being a Shadow Eminence" was just a smokescreen designed not only to manipulate the characters in the story, but also us, the readers and viewers?
Perhaps he's not just playing a role in his world: he's also pulling the strings in the narrative itself, leading us to believe that he's acting by coincidence when in fact he's orchestrating everything in secret. This would not only be the story of a character who manipulates the world behind the scenes, but also that of a protagonist who manipulates the spectators themselves, leading us to believe that he knows nothing when in fact he controls absolutely everything.
If this theory is true, then The Eminence in Shadow would not simply be a story of conspiracy and manipulation... but a meta work in which we have always been Cid's pawns.
What if, all along, it was us that Cid was manipulating in the shadows? Everything he thinks he's 'made up' in his head turns out to be reality, giving the impression that he's just lucky or oblivious to events. But what if, in reality, he knew all along? What if his role as "an ordinary young man playing at being a Shadow Eminence" was just a smokescreen designed not only to manipulate the characters in the story, but also us, the readers and viewers?
Perhaps he's not just playing a role in his world: he's also pulling the strings in the narrative itself, leading us to believe that he's acting by coincidence when in fact he's orchestrating everything in secret. This would not only be the story of a character who manipulates the world behind the scenes, but also that of a protagonist who manipulates the spectators themselves, leading us to believe that he knows nothing when in fact he controls absolutely everything.
If this theory is true, then The Eminence in Shadow would not simply be a story of conspiracy and manipulation... but a meta work in which we have always been Cid's pawns.