Hey guys, happy new year. Hope you have enjoyed the festivities as i did. now here is a new chapter.

Enjoy and review

Chapter Nine

Eidolon

Éclair could only feel a terrible pain.

Her chest was burning, literally burning and she wouldn't have been surprised if she did see flames rising from her body. The pain was strong, but Éclair can still hear what was happening around her. She can hear the sound of winds rising across her and the soft yet mechanical sound of something alive coming and then screams...

She looked up.

A large mechanical being was standing right in front of her, wearing what seems to be a white cape similar to a Knight with his large shield and strong double headed sword. Éclair can feel the power emitting from the creature, as it stood there for a few minutes before it suddenly raised his large sword, his attention fixed upon…

"Vaan, Paine," she yelled.

The two other youngsters had fallen upon their backs, their eyes wide in fears seeing the large creature was about to attack them. But Éclair was glad that she had her speed, for she had arrived just in time to block the attack with her own sword.

Éclair stood fast, her hand trembling slightly from the force that was behind the blow.

"Éclair," Vaan yelled, getting on his feet.

"STAY BACK," Éclair yelled to him.

She pushed the large blade off grunting as she did so and poised herself in a battle position.

"Let me help," Vaan yelled.

"No," Éclair said, "This is something I have to do alone."

She heard Vaan let out a yell of shock.

"W…What?"

"Just trust crazy girl," Paine said, holding unto Vaan's back, "She think she can handle it, then let her."

Éclair let out a silent thank you to the other girl before refocusing her attention toward the…creature in front of her. Its face was of a man with glowing eyes which were now focused on her. Éclair didn't know why she didn't want the others to help her but, something was compelling her to do it alone.

Almost like she was proving herself…

But…why?

Then the creature raised his hand toward her and Éclair feel as if something had landed against her, bringing her to her knees, causing her brand to burn even more than before.

Prove yourself to me, Child of Zanarkand, a voice spoke within her mind, Prove you are worthy of my power…

Éclair looked up at the creature in front of her, and knew that the voice she was hearing was coming from him.

Prove yourself…or face your DOOM.

"I will prove myself…Odin," Éclair whispered.

Then she charged forward just as the same times as Odin did. His sword came flying at her but Éclair dodged it and by jumping in the air and, coming down toward his head with her sword but it was blocked by a large green shield of some kind appearing around Odin's form.

Éclair landed on the ground, looking up at Odin. Then Thunder came out of nowhere, crashing toward her causing her to gasp slightly at the display…

"Watch out Éclair," she heard Vaan yell from somewhere behind her.

She raised her shield to parry the thunder strike, hearing them slamming into the ground around her and felt the shock of the power running through her. She fell on her knees, and heard the weapon whistle through the air and Éclair knew that it was Odin's sword coming at her for the kill.

I'm not done yet, she thought.

She raised her shield to bloke the attack as the blade slammed against it and lightning crashed upon her shield causing Éclair to scream out in pain as her entire body took the lightning strike..

"ÉCLAIR," Vaan's voice screamed.

You are weak, Odin's voice spoke in her mind, and a failure. The price will be your life and the life of your companions.

No, Éclair thought.

Groaning, she turned her head seeing Odin turning toward both where Vaan and Paine were standing at. Pulling herself to her feet, Éclair took hold of her fallen sword and noticed that Odin was almost on top of the two when Éclair's sword started to crackle with power.

In her anger, she had sparked her blade with magic and had now sparks of electricity running around it and Éclair jumped forward.

"LEAVE THEM ALONE," she yelled.

She launched herself at Odin and the crackle around her sword intensified as she aimed the blade toward Odin's back. The spell slammed upon him drawing the attention back toward Éclair.

You have finally awakened your magic Child of Zanarkand, he spoke, It is a great honor to serve you once more, Éclair Farron.

Éclair seemed confused at this.

"You…You and I have met before?" she asked.

I was your Eidolon for many hundreds of years, Odin's voice spoke to her, You might not remember…as it was such determined. But, I will gladly lend you my power in this new Focus that you have been tasked with.

With that Odin fell on his knees in front of her and extended his blade toward her. Surprised but all together content, Éclair took hold of the large sword. She had expected it to be heavy but to her surprise, it was extremely light in her hand and feels some kind of electric current run through her body and the burn in her brand appeased greatly.

Call my name whenever you are in need of my assistance, Odin spoke, call my name and the Thunder will answer…

With that the sword and the Eidolon disappeared in a flash of pinkish light leaving behind a small glowing crystal which floated into Éclair's hand. Then the glow dimmed until all that was left was the crystal in her hand.

Then, out of nowhere, exhaustion hit Éclair's body so suddenly that she falls down on her knees, her breath coming in gasps. She heard hurried footsteps coming over to her, and a hand touching her shoulder.

"Hey, you're okay?" Vaan asked.

"Damn, that was some crazy shit, crazy girl," Paine told her.

Éclair stood back up supported by Vaan.

"I…I feel exhausted all of a sudden," she said.

Vaan and Paine exchanged glances, speaking to each other using their eyes and then Vaan turned toward her.

"That was magic wasn't it?" he asked.

Éclair looked at him.

"I…I suppose that was," she said.

"Damn," Paine said, "You really are a Pulsian."

"So what was that?" Vaan asked her, "That creature..."

Éclair stood back up on her own, her exhaustion seemingly dissolving away like left over sleep in her body. She felt stronger than before now.

"It was an Eidolon," Éclair told him, "My Eidolon."

Paine scoffed.

"Like that tells us anything," she murmured.

Éclair give her a light glare.

"You're an l'Cie."

The two girls turned toward Vaan who stood there, his eyes wide as if he had just discovered something.

"A what?" Paine repeated.

"She's an l'Cie," Vaan told her, "I told you my great-grandfather went to Pulse for studies. All of these stuffs are in his journals. He had deciphered most of the scripts that he had found and had put them all in there. I'm sure I have read something like that before….Agh, I can't remember."

Vaan had a hand against his forehead, frowning in frustration at his inability to remember. Éclair then glanced at them.

"I…I will like to apologize for earlier," she said, "I…I was just shocked that Basch had turned against me so easily."

"As long as nothing like what just happened happen again crazy girl," Paine told her, "I think we will just be alright."

"We are on your side Éclair," Vaan said looking at her with a smirk, "You won't be getting rid of us that easily."

Éclair smiled softly.

"Thanks."

She was glad she had companions…at least for a little while. As she had gathered so far, a Pulsian was bad news for Cocoon and with Basch and that Colonel, Lightning Farron knowing who she was, Éclair was sure that the entire of Cocoon will be against her.

"So where to next?" she asked, "We can't stay here forever."

"We'll head to Palumpolum," Vaan told her.

Paine raised her eyebrows.

"And why would we go back to our city?"

"My great-grandfather's journal," he said, "It had most of the things related to Pulse considering his works upon them. We can learn more about this situation that we have here."

Paine glances at him.

"Guess that's reason enough," she said.

"Now we have a destination in mind," Éclair said, as they started to walk, "How will we get there?"

Vaan chuckled a little.

"I'm still working on that."

The trio walked off heading toward a direction away from where they had come from, not wanting to run into the S.A. but they knew they will have to run into them eventually. While they walked, Éclair thought back at the woman that looked exactly like her. She never thought that it was possible that someone sharing her own physical prowess and voice…

It's almost like she is my twin, Éclair thought.

She glanced toward the two that were with her. She couldn't fathom why they would come with her. From how Basch and Lightning had acted, it was like she had announced she was here to destroy Cocoon…

A flash of a bronze planet crashing upon a world below…

This image caused her to stop in her walk drawing short gasp from her.

Was I…really going to do that? She thought, Was this…my Focus?

Éclair didn't fully understand why…but something within her didn't like the idea of destroying a world where she had made friends.

Lightning Farron was glad that she was wearing long sleeves.

The burning she had felt in her arm was something that she had decided to ignore fully, knowing this was the Pulsian magic that had been upon her to causes her to lose focus. But she wasn't going to fall upon the Pulsian's curse…

She was too strong for that.

But there was something that keeps flashing upon Lightning's mind. The brief vision that she had seen before, she woke up. She knew that it must have been part of the Pulsian plan. She had recognized the city of Eden. Anyone in Cocoon's military would have recognized it even if it was for a brief second…

But what was bothering her was the golden figure she had seen...and a place that she knew didn't exist upon Cocoon. She was the Colonel and she knew mostly every secret there is to know about the Military and the Primarch had trusted her above anyone else.

If he did, why he didn't send forces after the Pulsian, a voice said in the back of her head, he should move out immediately knowing how dangerous it would be for Cocoon.

Lightning never doubted the Primarch before, and she wasn't about to start now.

She then glanced toward her companion. Basch was silent as he sat upon the rock, his back turned toward her. The man hadn't uttered a word since the Pulsian escaped, an act caused by his own brother, his own flesh and blood. By laws, she knew that the young man was a traitor to Cocoon.

She didn't know what she would do if a sibling of hers did that?

It would have been the worst betrayal possible.

Sibling…Serah…

The soldier feels the burn against her skin from her forearm. Her little sister was sickly and spends most of her time in a hospital since she had a sickness that no one seems to be able to cure. She had been investing most of her incomes into the possible way to find a cure for her.

Let's find this Pulsian and get this mess served with, she thought standing up.

During that time, the sound of two Sanctum craft roared above the ruins causing her to glance skyward.

"About time they get here," she said.

Basch looked up at the voice.

"They have arrived already?" he thought, "I had expected them to take longer."

Lightning scoffed.

"This isn't the Cavalry Sergeant," she said, "We the S.A. do things faster…but I guess the whole red alert must have gotten them nervous. C'mon, let's go great whoever grunt they send here because of my alert."

Éclair suddenly turned around.

"What is it?" Vaan asked her.

"I heard something," Éclair answered.

"She is not the only one," Paine said.

The noises were suddenly loud above them and they saw two small ships flying above them heading into the direction they were walking toward at.

"Must be the Sanctum," Paine spoke, looking at the ships that were going.

"What?" Vaan said, "Do they know about Éclair being a Pulsian already?"

"I doubt that," Paine said, narrowing her eyes thougfully, "They must be doing a sweep of the Ruins."

"There is our ride to Palumpolum," Vaan said suddenly.

Paine and Éclair looked at him.

"What?"

"We hijack one of those ships and make for Palumpolum," Vaan said, "This is the perfect opportunity."

"Hijack?" Paine repeated, "What are you? A thief?"

Vaan sighed.

"Well, call it 'borrow without permission' if that makes you feel better."

Éclair raised an eyebrow.

"You know how to fly a ship?"

Vaan give her a smirk.

"Well, I have my skills."

Paine shook her head.

"You are hopeless," she said.

"C'mon, let's go," Vaan said, already running forward.

The two girls glanced at each other briefly.

"Well, be best going make sure he doesn't get into trouble crazy girl."

Éclair shook her head as the teen rushed forward after Vaan.

"I have a name you know."

But she followed after the two, a small smirk working its way on her lips.

And their quest continues..I enjoyed seeing how many hits this story had, for that i'm grateful to you all.

Next chapter is: Narrow Escape.

That's all for now

Jacques0 out.

R&R.