The Void The Void is a recurring theme in the " Final Fantasy " series . It can be taken in reference to either the physical phenomenon or the ideal of nothingness , though both tend to go hand - in - hand . In " Dissidia Final Fantasy " , several characters from different games speak of " The Void " as though it were the same dimension across all its appearances . Nature . The Void — as it is referred to as an actual , physical area in space — often takes a form chosen by its " wielder " or current denizens , though it is often seen against a backdrop of pure darkness or celestial atmosphere . The term " Void " is also used in reference to the power to distort , or remove entirely , large parts of space . This is the most present form of the Void in the series . In most , if not all , instances in which the Void is prevalent , so is the nihilistic attitude of those seeking to make use of its power , often to unmake the world . Oftentimes this starts out as a simple desire for incredible power , but inevitably leads to an intense desire to reduce everything to a state of non - existence . Whether this is due to the Void being sentient , or if it is merely the result of gaining the state of being to make use of such power , is not known . In " Final Fantasy V " it is told the Void existed before the world , and that the Crystals that sustain the planet of " Final Fantasy V " were born in the Void and thus created the world . From this it can be drawn that the Void is the original state of the universe from which all life has formed , or the realm of formation . The otherworldly structures associated with the appearance of the Void that seem to transcend time and space , such as the Interdimensional Rift in " Final Fantasy V " and Memoria in " Final Fantasy IX " , could thus be explained as the realm of the formation " bleeding " into the human realm . Also akin to this is the Void ' s power to transform . Those being sucked into the Void do not always transform however , but may become stranded " outside of time " . The Void appears as the connective tissue between the different worlds in the " Final Fantasy " multiverse , as some who were sucked into the Void later pop out in other worlds , most notably , Gilgamesh . Appearances . " Final Fantasy " . While never mentioned by name in the original game , " Dissidia Final Fantasy " elaborates it was the Void that allowed Garland to time - travel to the past to become Chaos . " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " explains that the Chaos fought in " Dissidia " is a manikin , created by scientists from Onrac using crystal ore recovered on an expedition into the Void . The world of " Dissidia " , World B , is a near mirror image of the world of " Final Fantasy " , called World A , and lies on the edge of the Void . " Final Fantasy III " . The Cloud of Darkness dwells in the World of Darkness and desires to use the power of the Light and Dark to return all existence to the void ( nothingness ) . The Warriors of the Dark that had been imprisoned within the Dark Crystals of the World of Darkness explain to the hero party that a delicate balance between the powers of Light and Darkness must be maintained to hold the Void at bay . Whenever an imbalance or " flood " of Light or Dark occurs , the Cloud of Darkness appears to follow through with its plans . Whenever an imbalance occurs , four individuals are selected to become the Warriors of Light or Darkness depending on the imbalance ( i . e . Light Warriors against darkness , Dark Warriors against Light ) . To combat the Cloud of Darkness the Dark Warriors decide to aid the Light Warriors in the battle so their combined powers may overwhelm it . One of the Warriors of Darkness explains the Void was the beginning of everything and existed before the world was born , and that Light and Darkness cancel each other out if they come into contact and nothing is left where they meet . In " Final Fantasy Brave Exvius " , the Cloud of Darkness ' s description states that whenever an imbalance occurs , both Warriors of Light and Darkness are chosen if there aren ' t any . " Final Fantasy V " . A thousand years ago the two worlds had been one , but the world was split by the power of the Crystals after the necromancer Enuo was defeated and consumed by the Void . The Void itself was cast in the Interdimensional Rift , and the worlds split in two to seal the entrance to the Rift so no one could enter and take control of the Void ' s power again . The warlock Exdeath destroys the Crystals and merges the worlds releasing the Void to control it . Exdeath descends into the Void and is able to control it and swallow several cities into nothingness . Once defeated by the Warriors of Light , Exdeath himself is consumed by the Void and re - manifests as Neo Exdeath . Once Neo Exdeath is killed , and the Crystals are restored from their broken shards , the Void seems to go into remission , and all the areas and people it had swallowed are restored . In the Game Boy Advance and subsequent versions , the final areas ( at least ) of the Sealed Temple , known collectively as the Lethe Court , are implied to be within the Void . The final room in this area ( subtitled The Void ) is where Enuo is fought . There is also a town known as the Phantom Village that seems to be stuck in the Void . Nero the Sable can manifest a darkness to swallow victims within . This ability was gained from the Mako associated with the dark being Chaos . Nero can also manipulate this darkness to create items . Those absorbed by the darkness are killed . He can bring people into a Hell - like realm called Oblivion , which is where he fights Vincent Valentine in his Arachnero / Gorgonero form . " Final Fantasy VIII " . There is a unnamed void where Squall Leonhart finds himself trapped after briefly traveling through time after felling Ultimecia in her final form . This void differs from the normal Void concept of the series in that the area appears to be outside of normal space - time continuum and presents itself as a barren desert with a gray warping sky . Rather than being part of the more familiar Void concept , Squall is left in it because he is unable to focus on a place and time to return to where he felt he belonged due to his habit of leaving no attachments with those he encountered . With no sense of belonging to , or being attached to anywhere , he became lost in time after the time compression began to unravel . As Squall traverses the landscape , gradually getting more tired , the land disappears behind him until he becomes stranded on a small piece of land floating within the void . As his memories begin to be warped , he is saved by Rinoa Heartilly , who retrieves him and brings him back to his world . In the Japanese version , Ultimecia describes the time compression in a more detailed manner than in the English version , explaining the party ' s very existences will be absorbed by the time compression causing them agony as their thoughts would be ripped apart with their memories fading away leaving them unable to do , think or feel anything , giving a more thorough explanation to what Squall is experiencing within the void . The final battle against Ultimecia also takes place in a void - like realm , as Ultimecia is in the process of absorbing all existence . " Final Fantasy IX " . Although not directly referred to as the Void , Kuja deems everything unfit to live with his sudden knowledge of his limited life span , and goes out of his way to destroy the Crystal , the origin of all life , to revert everything to nothingness . This passion is shared with Necron , a mystical being that has deemed the lives of living beings are suffering due to their fear of death . Necron refers to the concept of a world with no life as the " zero world " . There is also a black Void - like area between Memoria and the Crystal World that Zidane and his friends must cross to get to the beginning of all time , the Crystal . Going through Memoria is implied to be reaching back through time , until there is nothing but Void left , and the Crystal at the end of the Crystal World . This would comply with previous interpretations of the Void as the original state of the universe before the worlds were born . " Final Fantasy XI " . While never called such , the Void is heavily referred to by the " " expansion in the form of the Emptiness , specifically the areas Promyvion and Apollyon . The Emptiness is a phenomenon that eats away at Vana ' diel ' s five mothercrystals , which would eventually turn the world into nothingness , reflected in Promyvion as a pure black void with dusty , crumbling " islands " floating within it , inhabited by unworldly monsters composed of the remnants of the crystals ' devoured memories . " True " Omega lies in wait as the final boss of Apollyon . " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . When Lightning meets Noel Kreiss , she says he " crossed the Void " to get to Valhalla . As said by Mog upon Serah and Noel ' s first visit to the Void Beyond , the place is a " shadow of Valhalla " that serves as a passage between the Time Gate s . Time travelers run the risk of getting lost and appearing within this plane during their travels . There are areas that appear to exist within the Void Beyond and thus outside the normal realm : Serendipity and Coliseum . Serendipity is said to have formed from the desires of its denizens , or at least its owner . The Coliseum seems similar , reflecting the philosophy of its leader , the Arbiter of Time , as the place where warriors battle one another , " the weak must serve the strong " . This would fall in line with the Void ' s depiction as the world of formation in other series ' s entries . Paradox es twist the timeline and may cause rifts in the time continuum . A Void - like area consumes portions of Oerba in 200 AF , which the party can fix by resolving the local anomalies in the Temporal Rift . There are also monsters that are trapped in the space between time , called the Rift ; one such monster is the Gogmagog that appears in various time periods to challenge Serah and Noel . " " . After Nova Chrysalia is destroyed and Bhunivelze is felled , their remains are sucked into a new unseen realm with Yeul and Caius remaining behind to act as the shepherds of the dead . The living remain in a black void where Lightning and her companions gather around a glowing blue crystal . It shatters and sends the souls of the living to a new world where humanity can start their lives anew without the control of the gods . This is similar to concepts introduced earlier in the series where worlds are born from the Void , and where crystals are progenitors of new planets . The realm of Cosmogenesis where Bhunivelze resides also resembles the Void in appearance , and in being a realm of formation . " Final Fantasy XIV " . The void is a generic term that Eorzea ns have given to a dark realm they believe exists beyond their own . When a creature is deemed to be too unnatural to be " of Eorzea " ( such as ahrimans ) , they are categorized as " voidsent " , based on the common belief they were sent by a sinister force from beyond the corporeal realm . The void is said to be the origin of the creatures present on the Dzemael Darkhold and the Thousand Maws of Toto - Rak . Upon advancing on the instances , some of the creatures will " retreat into the void " , while others will emerge from it , effectively changing the monsters currently on the area . The Allagan emperor Xande has been attempting to open a portal into the World of Darkness from within the Crystal Tower . Despite the adventurer killing Xande as NOAH arrives with Doga and Unei , the only blood relations of Xande to undo the pact and close the portal , the Cloud of Darkness spirits the two away to hinder the attempt . In Patch 2 . 5 , the final part of the Crystal Tower story , the World of Darkness , takes place in the Void itself . In " " , it is revealed the Allagan civilization researched the void , even making some synthetic voidsent with bioengineering . The ancient city of magic Mhach utilized the void to power their sorcery ; Voidsent was commonly used by the Mhachi as a weapon of war against their rivals , Nym and Amdapor . They even created a flying ark powered by thousands of voidsent sealed within coffins . It is eventually revealed that the Void was originally one of the thirteen mirror worlds that were created when Zodiark was defeated in ancient times . On this world , the powers of light were defeated and it was completely consumed by darkness , transforming it into the Void . " Final Fantasy Dimensions " . The Void is briefly mentioned as a " space beyond space " that connects parallel universes . After the Warriors of Light and Darkness " defeat " the empty armor suit of the Avalonian Emperor , a rift opens leading them to the Void . The Void houses the places engulfed on the Dimensional Shift that linked the worlds of Light and Darkness — such as Castle Lux , Alfheim , Castle Burtgang , and Castle Falgabard — along with its inhabitants and lingering spirits . Deep inside is a force of nothingness known as Nil , whose purpose is to bring everything back into nothingness . Nil created several deadly monsters that lurk within the Void known as the " Armies of Nil " of which the most powerful are the " Blades of Nil " , the monsters Despair , Suffering , Anguish and Misery . Despite being forces of nothingness , the Armies of Nil are sentient and seem to be negative on nature . This is further evidenced by how the Blades of Nil focus on stealing certain parts of humanity , such as Hope , Trust , Dreams , and Love . This makes it so far the only time in the series in which The Void behaves in a malignant manner . " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " . As Tempus Finis commences Pandæmonium rises from the sea and floats up to the sky with a fiery emblem of Etro ' s gate , the doorway to the afterlife , in its middle . As the cadets make their way through the temple to the top they walk into the fiery depiction of the gate to start the final battles . After walking into the fire , the cadets appear on a platform suspended in a void with clouds and stars on the background . When the Rursan Arbiter is defeated the cadets appear back at Akademeia in their old classroom . Whether the fiery image of the gate is truly the gateway to afterlife , or merely a depiction of it , is unknown , but the cadets passing through it to a void - like area refers to the " " series ' s of the deities of the world wanting to use human souls to open the gate to the unseen realm . The void - like area appears otherworldly and is where the Arbiter is to mete out its judgment on those seeking to become Agito . As the cadets defeat the Arbiter , it dissipates into soul crystals and vanishes into the void , whereas the cadets find themselves back in Akademeia on the verge of death . Soon after Arecia Al - Rashia , Tiz and Joker meet in this place . The voids in the " Fabula Nova Crystallis : Final Fantasy " games are shown as areas dislodged from time and the rest of existence , like the Void Beyond in " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " , and the void that forms after the end of the world in " Lightning Returns : Final Fantasy XIII " . The void in " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " may be where the elusive Rursan Crystal exists , as it is the one who brands Cid Aulstyne to become the Rursan Arbiter after Cid seeks it out . Phantoma is the life energy of all living beings in Orience that can appear in varying colors and types . White phantoma and its variants are described as the energy of the void , and are generally useless for augmenting spells in the Altocrystarium , apart from the Ivory Phantoma that does nothing on its own , but boosts the power of other phantoma . When the Rursan Arbiter is defeated , it disperses into what appears to be white phantoma . The four Crystals of Orience refer to the Four Symbols , four mythological creatures in the Chinese constellations : the Azure Dragon of the East , the Vermilion Bird of the South , the White Tiger of the West , and the Black Tortoise of the North . While originating from China , the Four symbols are also widely known in Korea , Japan and Vietnam with each region having distinct names for the symbols . Pandæmonium appears at the peninsula that stands at the middle of Orience . In the mythology of the symbols , the original incarnation featured the Shenlong or Koryu , the Golden Dragon representative of the Wu Xing element of Earth , the direction of center , and the highest powers that govern over the rest of the Four Symbols . Its Japanese analogue rather sees no beast represent the aspects of center , and instead represents the element of Sky , or the Void . In " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " , Pandæmonium appears to be a portal to the Void with its final area beyond the depiction of Etro ' s gate on a platform suspended among " nothingness " . " Dissidia Final Fantasy " . It is implied through the course of Shade Impulse that with Cosmos remaining dead , the imbalance of harmony and discord will cause the worlds to sink into the Void , along with the heroes and villains who had been summoned to fight . Exdeath and the Cloud of Darkness retain their desires to return existence to the Void , and both sink into the Void when defeated for the last time . " Dissidia " also establishes that it is the power of the Void that allowed Garland to travel back in time in the original " Final Fantasy " . " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " . The Cloud of Darkness tells Laguna the manikins are cursed puppets that crept out of the Void from its rifts . The creation of a portal to the Void by Exdeath has allowed the Warriors of Chaos to summon the manikins as minions , allowing them to overwhelm the Warriors of Cosmos . In the 12th cycle ' s final battle , Kain , Tifa , Laguna , Yuna , Vaan and Lightning locate this portal and sacrifice their lives to close it and stop more manikins from coming through . The gateway s in World B are smaller portals to the Void that allow temporary travel to other worlds , which is why arenas from other " Final Fantasy " games manifest inside them . The Reports further expand on the Void and how it connects the world of " Dissidia " to the world of " Final Fantasy " . A team of scientists from Onrac used crystal ore recovered from the Void to create the first manikins . Because they were mindless automatons , Cid of the Lufaine was recruited to endow a manikin with memories to give it a sense of self . This manikin became Chaos , and was raised by Cid and his wife . Onrac used Chaos as a tool of war and controlled him with a clone of Cid ' s wife , who would become Cosmos . When Cid and his wife attempted to rescue Chaos from Onrac , Cid ' s wife was injured and in his rage Chaos opened a portal to the Void , drawing himself , Cid and Cosmos to World B . Shinryu , a dragon that travels the Interdimensional Rift , visited World B , and the four entered a pact : Chaos and Cosmos would be made gods and summon warriors from the worlds connected to the Void to fight each other . When one side lost , Shinryu would absorb the memories of the battle from them and grow stronger , imbuing Chaos with more power . Eventually Chaos would grow strong enough for him to open a portal to the Void again , and he , Cid and Cosmos would return to World A . " Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call " . The Void appears as the BMS for several final boss themes throughout the series : The void is mentioned in the Legend of the Crystals story . It is the emptiness that existed before the universe was created . It was ruled over by the " dark monarch " . After endless cycles , the creator and four crystals emerged in fear of the darkness and created the world . Etymology and symbolism . There are a few different origins where the concept of the Void in the " Final Fantasy " series may have derived influence . In astronomy , voids are the empty spaces between filaments , which contain very few or no galaxies . Vacuum , a space empty of matter , can also be referred to as a void . These interpretations of the word " void " can be similar to the Void ' s representation in some installments of the " Final Fantasy " series as a vast emptiness . The concept of four elemental crystals that sustain the world that occurred in early " Final Fantasy " games likely derives from the . These five elements are , in ascending order of power : Earth , Water , Fire , Wind , and Void . The element of Void is not represented as a crystal , but may have taken the form of the Void as a dimension that connects the different " Final Fantasy " worlds . In Japanese philosophy 空 " kū " or " sora " , most often translated as " Void " , but also meaning " heaven " or " sky " , represents things beyond everyday human experience , particularly things composed of pure energy . Bodily , " kū " represents spirit , thought , and creative energy . In martial arts , particularly in fictional tales where the fighting discipline is blended with magic or the occult , one often invokes the power of the Void to connect to the quintessential creative energy of the world . In the " Final Fantasy " series , villains , notably Exdeath in " Final Fantasy V " , have tried utilizing the power of the Void for their own ends . The term void can also refer to a Buddhist philosophical concept , the theme of emptiness ( " śūnyatā " ) that emerged from the Buddhist doctrines of the nonexistence of the self and dependent origination , but the exact definition and extent of emptiness varies from one Buddhist tradition to another .