Sunleth Waterscape The Sunleth Waterscape is a location in " Final Fantasy XIII " and " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . Located in the Riparian Corridor valley in Cocoon , it is a nature reserve where many types of rare monsters run rampant , including edible flan . It is maintained by a fal ' Cie capable of changing the weather . Rain affects some of the creatures , making them either stronger or weaker in battle . In " Final Fantasy XIII " , the Sunleth Waterscape is an unrevisitable location that comprises the game ' s sixth chapter . In " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " , the Sunleth Waterscape has lost its lush green and become more " autumnal . " New species of giant monsters have moved in , and they can be used as transportation , along with the vines hanging throughout the area . Datalog . Off - limits to civilians , this unusual nature reservation is often visited by Sanctum officials engaged in ecological field studies . Research into the local ecosystem is conducted via climate - control mechanisms installed in the area . These mechanisms provide direct access to the fal ' Cie in charge of manipulating weather conditions . The Sunleth Waterscape is a nature preserve located inside Cocoon . After the catastrophe , the various fal ' Cie that controlled the weather became dormant and the light of the fal ' Cie Phoenix , which once served as Cocoon ' s sun , dimmed considerably . Fragment s . For these reasons , the native biosystem has broken down and the site is now a haven for monsters . Jars of concentrated miniflan mucus are sold exclusively at the local Academy branch office . Known as Firaga for the Tongue , the spice is wildly popular with chefs who need to give their dishes an extra dash of hellish heat . Story . " Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero - Promise - . When Hope Estheim was eight - years - old , he and his close friends Kai and Elida went on a school field trip to the Sunleth Waterscape . With Sazh as the pilot of their airship , Hope , Kai , and Elida and their class landed at a temporary landing facility near Lake Shayra . Their teacher told the class they would walk from Lake Shayra through Rainbow Pass and along the forest trail before turning back . Guided by a researcher , the class went along the lake ' s edge and up a hill to Rainbow Pass , all the while taking pictures with their toy cameras and learning about the scenery and wildlife . Trekking through the slippery Tree - Shaded Path , Hope and Elida were fatigued but Kai was still full of energy despite being covered in dirt . The class returned to the lake ' s shore for lunch . Hope recovered from his fatigue and wondered what to do now that his camera was full . Kai sought to climb a tree and take a picture for his younger brother Hal , but Hope had a bad feeling about it . Kai had dropped his camera , so the three searched the area but found nothing . Kai thought he lost his camera somewhere between Rainbow Pass and Lake Shela but the path had been closed off . Thinking about Hal and how disappointed he would be , Hope suggested they sneak back onto the path and look for Kai ' s camera . The trio took a side path to slip past the researchers cleaning up the main route . They encountered a Flandragora that chased them until they escaped and got themselves lost . Following advice from his father , Hope used a sharp rock to mark a boulder with an ' X ' to designate their starting position , and he , Elida , and Kai continued onward . Around noon they found a machine panel which Elida activated . After failing to use it and call for help , the trio continued along a rocky path and came across a climate control orb Elida touched against Kai and Hope ' s protest , causing rainfall . They retreated in a rock tunnel for shelter but Hope recalled a researcher saying certain monsters enjoy rain . He made a run for the orb to shut off the rain but several Mud Frogs and Hedge Frogs appeared near him and Elida . The monsters advanced towards them but turned away as someone stopped the rain . Thanks to Elida tampering with the panel , their airship found them and they were taken back aboard . Kai ' s camera was returned to him as a researcher had found it while cleaning up the path and brought it back to the airship . Hope regretted suggesting to go look for it , causing the misadventure , and putting himself and his friends in danger . After returning to their seats Hope wanted to apologize to Kai but the latter enjoyed himself and was not angry . In the evening the airship prepared to leave Sunleth . At Elida ' s insistence , Kai took a picture for Hal as he promised : a night view of Sunleth . " Final Fantasy XIII " . Following the fresh smell , Vanille leads Sazh to the Sunleth Waterscape after the pair leaves the Vile Peaks . After they spot PSICOM ships flying overhead heading in the direction of Palumpolum , Sazh comments that Lightning and Hope could be in trouble . Vanille doesn ' t think there is anything they can do to help , and suggests running in the opposite direction — towards the city of Nautilus . Sazh recounts the story of how his son Dajh became a l ' Cie for the Sanctum during the Euride Gorge incident , and how he joined the Purge to save Dajh from his Focus . They come across the port to Nautilus , and wait to catch a boat in the pouring rain . Vanille asks if Sazh hates Gran Pulse , to which he replies he did not use to . He claims to have suspected the Sanctum ' s motives for their propaganda until he got sucked into their stories about Pulse . Sazh believes the Purge and everything after it happened because Dajh sensed a Pulse fal ' Cie in the Pulse Vestige back in Bodhum . Vanille tells him Dajh wasn ' t at fault and Sazh turns the blame onto the Pulse l ' Cie who caused the Euride incident . Vanille seems to be hiding something as she runs out into the rain to hide her tears . " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 Fragments After " . After the fal ' Cie Cactuar and Snow get caught in a temporal distortion the two witness many events , including Serah ' s death . Snow requests to be made a l ' Cie and Cactuar gives him the Focus of fighting alongside Serah during the final battle . They arrive at the Sunleth Waterscape in the year 300 AF where they are confronted by Royal Ripeness , and Cactuar is driven away while Snow stays to fight the beast . " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . While in search of Lightning three years later , Serah Farron , Noel Kreiss , and Mog travel to Sunleth Waterscape at 300 AF . Since Cocoon ' s fall , the fal ' Cie that used to maintain the Sunleth Waterscape have become dormant . In 300 AF , Noel and Serah find Snow overcome by Miniflan constituting Royal Ripeness , a monster threatening Cocoon ' s crystal pillar . Concluding this event to be a paradox , Serah and Noel use a giant Enlil to reach an artefact that leads them to the Archylte Steppe of another era where they find the anomaly : a Faeryl that ingested a Black Hole Gem that caused devoured Miniflan to be sent to the 300 AF Sunleth Waterscape . Defeating the monster , the number of flan in the Sunleth Waterscape decreases and they find Snow fighting the reduced Mutantomato . Having told him not to exert himself , Noel berates Snow for believing himself to be everyone ' s hero and protector , asking if he had ever really saved anyone , and if he realizes how his recklessness affects the people around him , namely the ones he is supposed to protect . Snow entrusts Serah under Noel ' s protection and disappears as the paradox affecting the area has been corrected . Noel , Mog , and Serah leave through a Time Gate and Caius Ballad and Paddra Nsu - Yeul appear , the former asking if their actions in this time are acceptable . In 400 AF , the Academy has made Sunleth Waterscape a protected observatory as they find the young Miniflan have begun to form communities called " Flan Schools . " Serah , Noel , and Mog help the Miniflan find their missing friends , but once the flan are reunited they threaten to take out the crystal pillar with their rough housing . Being a teacher , and having experience with troublemaking kids , Serah scares the Miniflan into promising to behave themselves . Areas . In " Final Fantasy XIII " , the Sunleth Waterscape is a mountainous area covered with lakes , large trees and cliffs . It ' s connected with the Vile Peaks and has a seabus transportation service to Nautilus . Gazing into the skies reveals distant landmasses beyond the clouds . The area is lush in vegetation and has many flowers and butterflies . In " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " , the area seen in the first installment is not available for exploration , and the new area is located near the crystal pillar and its surroundings are explorable on various tree branches . The area appears autumnal and the party can move via vines hanging from the trees , and use large tree trunks and branches to navigate to different locations . Creation and development . Lightning travels through the Sunleth Waterscape in the E3 2006 trailer , but she does not visit the area in the final game . It is likely she was simply used as a placeholder , as she was the first character unveiled for the game . The area in " Final Fantasy XIII " where Sazh and Vanille board the boat to Nautilus is only seen in a cutscene , but can be made playable via hacks . When asked why Sunleth Waterscape is populated by flan in " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " the lead scenario writer Daisuke Watanabe answered : " We are aware that most episodes in the game are very serious . So we thought that the Sunleth Waterscape location offered an opportunity to introduce a humorous note and the flan creatures are perfect for this purpose . " Musical themes . " Final Fantasy XIII " . The eponymous theme , " Sunleth Waterscape , " plays as the background music . It is one of the few location themes in the series to have distinct English lyrics . The song is performed by Frances Maya , alternating with a piano melody and background percussion and violin . " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . In the year 300 AF , " Starting Over " plays as the location theme . It is composed by Naoshi Mizuta , sung by Joelle , and mixed by GOH HOTODA . An alternate version , " Starting Over - Aggressive Mix - " plays whenever monsters appear , and unlike the original version , it is not mixed by GOH HOTODA . At 400 AF and 300 AF in the southern parts , the original theme from " Final Fantasy XIII " returns as the background theme , but the lyrics are from the Japanese version instead of the overseas English version . Other appearances . " Theatrhythm Final Fantasy " . The Sunleth Waterscape appears as the FMS for its eponymous theme . " Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call " . The Sunleth Waterscape returns as the FMS for several " Final Fantasy XIII " themes : " Final Fantasy Record Keeper " . Sazh and Vanille split from Lightning and flee through an uninhabited valley .