After a few days of travel, Kildea and Blaine passed through North Gate and entered the Burmecian realm. They had finally returned to their own territory. The sun was starting to set as the two were passing in front of Burmecia and Blaine suggested that they find somewhere to stay in the rainy city.
Kildea have never been to Burmecia before, she hadn't really been to anywhere other than her birthplace in Cleyra until the attack. Feeling the magical rain fall onto her body was an unusual experience for her. She seemed to find the rain fairly refreshing, but it didn't compare to the dry, sandy winds of her home. It was a little saddening to see the city in ruins, but she was happy to see the Burmecians busy rebuilding their city. It would take some time, but soon Burmecia would rise from the ashes and become a big, bold and proud city once again. The thought made Kildea smile; for she hoped that her home would also rise from the ashes and stand tall once again.
Blaine led Kildea through the city, which he knew like the back of his hand. He waved out to a couple of his friends that they saw in the building groups. They were heading straight for the heart of the city, the Royal Palace of Burmecia. They didn't go all the way into the palace though; the two arrived at a small, subtle cathedral that was stood in front of the palace. Surprisingly, the cathedral was still standing tall, and the building look almost untouched from the outside. Inside, there were burn marks on some of the walls and a few signs that the black mages had been inside the building.
"I guess I was quite lucky, my home was not that badly damaged during the attack." Blaine said. He showed Kildea through the main part of the cathedral, which would be used for services and praying through to the back where there was what you would find in a house. Blaine led Kildea up a set of stairs and opened a door at the end of the wooden corridor, revealing a rather small and cosy bedroom. "This will be your room for tonight."
"Thanks Blaine." Kildea replied gratefully. "So, this is the city of Burmecia, the rainy city I heard many tales of when I was living in Cleyra."
"You didn't exactly choose the best time to come and visit." Blaine replied with a little smirk.
"I suppose not, but seeing all of the Burmecians working hard to restore their home filled me with hope." Kildea mused. "I only hope I can make a similar effort to restore my home..."
"I'm sure that you will, and I will be by your side to witness the rebirth of the city that sits between the earth and the heavens." Blaine said warmly.
Kildea smiled at him, but did not say anything. One of the things she admired about him was his willingness to help her restore Cleyra when she was certain that he would have been equally concerned about reconstructing his birthplace.
"So, just what were some of the stories you heard about Burmecia?" Blaine asked with a curious expression. "I'd like to know how the Cleyrans depicted our city."
"I only heard that Burmecia was a city that had endless rain, thanks to a magic that is similar to the kind that provided the protection of the sandstorm in Cleyra." Kildea explained. "I was also told about the time that Burmecia and Cleyra were one, and how we separated from the Burmecians because they valued the arts of war, where we wished to isolate ourselves and live a peaceful life."
"So you knew very little history about Burmecia concerning the period before the Cleyrans left to settle in the Vube Desert?" Blaine asked looking a little concerned.
"Well, we kept and valued the old traditions of Burmecia that were maintained before we left." Kildea replied. "The Cleyrans knew quite a lot about how life was lead in Burmecia before we left to settle in the great tree."
"Interesting, but I suppose you know nothing about events that have taken place outside Cleyra whilst you were settled in the tree." Blaine mused.
"No, we had to be isolated from the rest of the world to ensure our safety..." Kildea responded. Her ears then fell flat as she was reminded of her friends, and how they had been slaughtered and destroyed so mercilessly. She didn't know why the sandstorm had faded, or what the Cleyrans had deserved to warrant such an attack. The attack on the Burmecian realm was unjustifiable.
"It's alright. We shall put things right." Blaine tried to reassure her. Kildea looked up and gave a little smile. They could not change the past, but they could certainly make a better future for themselves.
The two Burmecians rested themselves up for the final part of their journey. They woke up early in the following morning and Blaine bid his farewells to his friends as he and Kildea set off to Cleyra. With their chocobo mounts, they managed to make good time and arrive at the remains of Cleyra that afternoon.
Returning to the ashes of Cleyra was a very morbid and solemn experience for both Kildea and Blaine. The painful memories returned to Kildea as she recalled the relentless attack on Cleyra by the black mages and the eidolon which had reduced her home, her birthplace, the history of the Cleyrans into nothing. The smell of fire and blood seemed to linger through the air, a harsh reminder as to what had occurred in the great tree city.
A firm, friendly hand placed itself on Kildea's shoulder, and Blaine passed the sacred jewel of Cleyra to Kildea. "I think it's only right if you summon him." Blaine stated. "I know how much this means to you..."
"Thank-you Blaine..."Kildea replied, trying her very best to compose herself. She took a few steps forward towards the ashes of her home.
"Just focus your mind, and use your heart to call forth the eidolon." Blaine told her. "I know you can do it."
Kildea knelt in front of the smoky remains of the Cleyran tree and placed the jewel in the sands ahead of her as she began to pray. She shut off all of the other thoughts in her head and concentrated on her prayer.
"Burmece, the great Holy Spirit of the Burmecian Realm and the creator and guardian of our kind, please answer my call. Come forth and use your magnificent power to restore the tree of Cleyra to its former glory!" Kildea chanted.
Suddenly, the jewel glowed with a bright blue light. The sky darkened as streams of white energy began to pour out of the jewel and swirl past Kildea. The Cleyran was stunned as the light and energy seemed to dance around her. There was a blinding flash and Kildea was knocked back by the energy.
After the energy had stopped flowing and the jewel returned to its normal red hue, Kildea slowly got back onto her feet. Ahead of her, she could still see the ashes of Cleyra, and the desert that lay behind it. No eidolon could be seen in the sands in front of her, nothing had come from the jewel.
Kildea was shocked to see that nothing, and felt that she had done something wrong. She turned towards to Blaine to see what he made of the situation, but as she turned around, she saw something that made her heart skip a beat.
Blaine was no longer there. Instead, there was a massive blue creature towering over the Cleyran, which looked identical to the one that Kildea had seen in the book of Holy Spirits which Blaine had shown her. The figure was a large, muscular Burmecian with large, dragon like wings sprouting from his shoulders and another, smaller set emerging around his legs. The creature was an aqua-blue colour, and Kildea could almost see straight through the majestic eidolon. The sheer size of the spirit was also astonishing. The Holy Spirit was nearly as tall as the Cleyran tree, and Kildea could have quite happily sat in the creature's palm and had enough room to walk around and lie down without touching the eidolon's fingers.
"You have called me forth, Miss Kildea..." The eidolon boomed. The voice was crystal clear, and was filled with courage and intensity. Oddly enough, Kildea could swear she didn't see the creature's lips move, she felt as though she had imagined the words. Yet they had seemed so real...
"Wh-What have you done to Blaine...?" Kildea stammered, her voice beginning to falter in the presence of the titan.
"I am Blaine." The creature replied, using the same strong tone. "There are eidolons that can manifest themselves, take on different forms for their own means. I am one of them. I take on the form of a Burmecian to mingle with my children and watch over them. It also helps me to understand your societies and aid you in your daily lives..."
Kildea was taken aback by this new information. Blaine, the Burmecian Priest she had trusted and happily talked to and even admired. He was the power that she sought to restore her home, he was the creator of her race, and a man who wielded incredible power. She couldn't believe it, it was too much...
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I feared you might distance yourself from me if you knew who I was, and I was afraid that someone may have tried to abuse my power if they knew my identity." The eidolon apologised, his large ears falling slightly. "However, to make it up to you, I shall obey your command and make your dream into a reality. You want the return of Cleyra? I shall use my creative power and make it so, for it is also a wish of mine..."
The eidolon began gather its power, and Kildea watched in awe as mist began to gather around the eidolon and condense. Kildea began to feel a little afraid as the ground beneath her began to shake from the power being emitted from the blue guardian. White energy shone out through the mist and the shape of the original tree began to appear gradually. The eidolon was pouring out its power, the white energy flowing from its entire body. The shape of the tree grew brighter, and Kildea had to protect her eyes from the brightness. There was a flash, and once again Kildea was thrown back.
Kildea gave a groan and struggled back up to her feet. Then she looked back up at where Burmece had been floating. Kildea's expression was filled with joy and amazement. She saw the majestic tree of Cleyra standing tall in the sands in front of her. The Burmecian guardian had done it; Burmece had regenerated a tree that would take thousands of years to grow naturally.
"My work here is done." Kildea heard the eidolon's voice, but could not see where the voice was coming from. "I shall dismiss myself, but I will maintain my Burmecian form so I can escort you into Cleyra..."
Floating above the tree of Cleyra, the eidolon glowed a bright white before exploding into many pieces of blue shards and then gathering into a warm, blue stream of energy and flowing down into the jewel which lay still in the sands before Kildea. As the last of the energy went in, a single shard stayed out of the jewel, and hovered in the air before glowing. It flashed, and the form of Blaine reappeared before falling face first into the sands in front of him. Kildea instinctively rushed forward to aid the male Burmecian.
"It's nothing, I'm fine." Blaine said before getting back onto his feet. "I usually feel a little light-headed after doing that...I'll be alright."
"Are you sure?" Kildea enquired.
"Yes, now come on. I'm sure you're eager to explore your home." Blaine answered sharply. He then began walking forwards towards the tree; he looked a little shaky at first but quickly regained his confident stride. Kildea hastily followed him, and the two began the long journey up the Cleyran trunk.
Disclaimer: No, I do not own FF9 or its respective characters and locations. However, Burmece and Blaine are my own characters and are figments of my imagination, so I can mess with them as much as I wish...
Author's Notes: Dodges brick I'm sorry this update has taken so long! I've had my birthday pass a few weeks back and several things have gone off at once. With any luck the next update for my stories won't take as long. I'll be focusing on War on Burmecia now and trying to finish that before concluding this story...
Dazz Cambo: I'm sorry I got your name wrong. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Lady Freya Crescent: Yay! You've started reading my stories! Try to tell me what you specifically like and dislike in each chapter, and about how events may be different. Keep reading my love...