Orphan ' s Cradle Orphan ' s Cradle , also known as the Nascent Throne , is the final dungeon in " Final Fantasy XIII " . It exists in an alternate dimension created by the fal ' Cie Eden , accessible only by a cathedral - like room in the Sanctum building which towers over the city of Eden , called Edenhall ( actually the fal ' Cie Eden itself ) . Unusual for a final dungeon , the main body of the area is one room , the Tesseracts , which reconfigures itself several times . A tesseract is the four - dimensional extension of a cube , sometimes known simply as a hypercube . The Cradle is the resting place of Orphan , the fal ' Cie that powers Cocoon . The fal ' Cie Eden ' s servants create two portals inside the first chamber , one of which enables the player party to return outside to Edenhall , and another leads to the Vallis Media on Gran Pulse . There is a third portal that leads to the Narthex , but it cannot be used until further into the Cradle . Orphan ' s Cradle comprises the game ' s thirteenth chapter . Datalog . " This is the dimension created by the fal ' Cie Eden at the command of Barthandelus . The very structure itself is the true form of the being that sits at the center of Cocoon , overseeing the endless functions that keep the floating city running . " " The sea of data flowing through Eden has materialized as physical matter , forming a shell that shelter the sleeping Orphan in a space that hovers between reality and dream . " Story . " Final Fantasy XIII " . The party walks into the heart of Edenhall where three statues flank the front and sides . They discover the Cavalry has turned into the Sacrifice Cie ' th , and as they walk in , the room collapses , revealing a different dimension where floating platforms whiz past . Three feminine fal ' Cie — white , black , and gold — reveal warp zones for the party to return to either the city of Eden or Gran Pulse , which Hope figures to be a " gift " from Barthandelus . As the party encounters more Cavalry members turned into Cie ' th , Hope remarks it to be a part of Barthandelus ' s plan to get one of them to become Ragnarok by making them feel guilt . The party opens the gate into the Narthex where Barthandelus awaits . Barthandelus provokes the party by crushing Serah and Dajh ' s crystallized forms , but Lightning realizes they are fal ' Cie smoke and mirrors . The party defeats Barthandelus and he collapses into a pool , merging with and awakening Orphan . Orphan entices the party into giving in to hatred to summon Ragnarok and deliver its end . Fang succumbs to its demands , but her friends try to stop her . Everyone but Fang and Vanille turn into Cie ' th , and attack Fang , She transforms into an incomplete Ragnarok , unable to defeat Orphan before reverting , and Orphan tortures her to have her become Ragnarok again . When Vanille defies the fal ' Cie her friends revert the Cie ' th transformation , and Fang is released . Deducing it was another fal ' Cie illusion , the reunited party decides to fight Orphan , who has shown its true colors as an enemy of Cocoon . Orphan ' s final form emerges from the pool , and as they decide to save Cocoon , their l ' Cie brands burn out and turn white . After Orphan has been defeated Orphan ' s Cradle vanishes , as the fal ' Cie Eden — the entity in charge of projecting it — loses power . The party is left hovering midair above the city of Eden , as Cocoon falls from the sky . " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . The Narthex is glimpsed during Lightning ' s monologue with Yeul sitting on the bench . Creation and development . Seventh Ark was once considered to be a downloadable location , if DLC was to make an appearance in " Final Fantasy XIII " . It was intended to be accessed from a portal in Orphan ' s Cradle . It would have been where Lightning and her companions could have fought powerful enemies . There were once plans to have Orphan ' s Cradle crash in Oerba after the events of " Final Fantasy XIII " , as a concept art for it exists for " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . Musical themes . The theme " The Cradle Will Fall " is the background track of Orphan ' s Cradle . The event sequence that marks the game ' s finale plays a succession of " Fighting Fate " , " Born Anew " , " Sinful Hope " , " Fabula Nova Crystallis " , " FINAL FANTASY XIII - Miracles " , " Focus " , and " Nascent Requiem " . Other appearances . " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " . Orphan ' s Cradle ' s Tesseract default area appears as an arena for " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " . Orphan ' s Cradle is a large , long arena , the central area consisting of a circular platform with two staircases and various archways and protrusions around a small circular platform in the middle . At one end of the arena is a series of rectangular platforms spaced evenly apart , while at the other end , there is a four - pronged platform with two ends arcing downwards . Uniquely , the arena is ringed by a continuous banish trap that teleports characters to the central area - there are no walls or ceilings . The archways are destructible , and thus the only solid surface is the ground itself . In the stage ' s Ω version , other platforms of various design and size appear in the air . The stage is unusual in that the banish trap always resets fighters to the center of the stage , rather than the nearest solid platform . The Fal ' Cie Husk is the battlegen item obtained through stage destruction in Orphan ' s Cradle . Story . Lightning , Vaan , Laguna , Yuna , Kain , and Tifa rest before making their final journey to the manikin s ' spawning area , before being ambushed by Golbez and Exdeath . Kain fights Exdeath alone , letting the others escape , and kills Exdeath before bidding farewell to Golbez , having assisted the warlock in his plans thus far , but choosing to help his comrades succeed in sealing the manikins rather than remain behind to live to the next cycle of the war . In the 13th cycle of war , after Cosmos ' s demise , Ultimecia explains her goals of time compression to the Cloud of Darkness , which involves compressing time and space so as to erase all from existence with exception of Ultimecia herself . These actions do not worry Cloud of Darkness , who sees the witch ' s actions with pure apathy . " Theatrhythm Final Fantasy " . Orphan ' s Cradle appears as the BMS for " Blinded By Light " , " Fighting Fate " and " Desperate Struggle " . " Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call " . Orphan ' s Cradle returns as the BMS for " Fighting Fate " and " Desparate Struggle " .