In the royal palace of Midgar, Seraphina stood alone in the archives, scanning a set of forbidden texts.
The candlelight flickered as she turned the fragile pages, her heart pounding.
The legends of the Hollow Emperor. The ancient wars. The forgotten past.
And then, buried within a passage that had been lost to time, she found it.
A name.
A title.
Something that had existed before all else.
She whispered the words, barely able to comprehend them.
"… The Shadow Monarch."
Her hands trembled as the realization set in.
Shadow was not just a man. He was not just a legend.
He was something far beyond mortal comprehension.
And if the texts were to be believed…
He had always been here.