Etro ' s gate Etro ' s gate , also known as the unseen gate and the Door of Souls , is a gateway to the afterlife in " " . It is operated by the goddess Etro . The gate resembles an eye in appearance . This may relate to how Etro can see all things from Valhalla on the other side of the gate , but can only observe , because to influence the mortal world , the gate must open . According to the , the universe is divided in two halves : the visible world , or the world of the living , and the unseen realm , or the world of the dead ; if the balance between the two worlds is broken , the universe is in danger of collapsing . Despite this , Bhunivelze and his fal ' Cie creations are compelled to find the gate to ensure the former becomes immortal . Datalog . " Final Fantasy XIII " . XII . The Door of Souls . " When our earthly vessels meet their end , the souls they housed must leave this world . Would the path of their migration not be the same one as our departed gods ? Must they not pass through the same doorway the Divine employed to reach that place that lies beyond ? " " If this is the case , it stands to reason that , should a great many lives at once be cut short , a flood of souls would surge through the aforementioned portal . The Door would be thrown wide , and perhaps we might even glimpse the gleaming light of Divinity beyond . " XIII . Fabula Nova Crystallis . " Children of Hallowed Pulse scour earth , searching substance for the Door . Those of Fell Lindzei harvest souls , combing ether for the same . So have I seen . " " The Door , once shut , was locked away , with despair its secret key ; sacrifice , the one hope of seeing it unsealed . " " When the twilight of the gods at last descends upon this world , what emerges from the unseeable expanse beyond that Door will be but music , and that devoid of words : the lamentations of the Goddess Etro , as She sobs Her song of grief . " " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . Etro ' s gate . " The instant Etro ' s gate opened , a world - devouring darkness slipped through from Valhalla . The goddess turned back the river of time and that terrible darkness — the Unseen chaos — was sealed away . " " Her power exhausted , Etro fell into a sleep from which she would never awaken . It was Lightning who sensed that someone meant to exploit that weakness and destroy the goddess for good . She learned of the man named Caius Ballad . " " If the goddess is destroyed , the chaos of the unseen realm would be unleashed , and the mortal realm devoured by Valhalla . Lightning decided to stand and fight , to protect Etro and see her benevolent will upheld . " Appearances . " Final Fantasy XIII " . Upon a person ' s death their soul turns into crystal energy and passes through the gate to the afterlife . The fal ' Cie , being machines , lack souls and thus cannot access Etro ' s gate . The fal ' Cie believe the Maker , the god who created the world , has departed beyond Etro ' s gate , and devise a plan to send as much crystal energy through it as possible by destroying Cocoon , believing it would force Etro ' s gate wide open and reunite them with their Maker while the world would be reborn . This would destroy the balance of the world , and Etro stopped the first attempt during the War of Transgression by turning the l ' Cie tasked with destroying Cocoon into crystal . Lightning ' s group hears of the fal ' Cie ' s plan from Cid Raines in the Fifth Ark . Later , before ascending to Edenhall , the party observes crystal energy glimmering in the air . They wonder of its significance and Barthandelus appears in the guise of Galenth Dysley , explaining it means the Maker is soon to return . As Barthandelus disappears inside the tower above Edenhall Etro ' s gate opens on the sky of Eden . After the party defeats Orphan the lights of Cocoon go out , all but of the mysterious light that is Etro ' s gate . As Ragnarok crystallizes the world of Cocoon , Etro frees the Pulse and Cocoon l ' Cie from their fate before the gate closes . The gate itself is only ever mentioned in the two final Analects , and in the battle theme " Born Anew , " whose translated lyrics spell , " l ' Cie , you promised to open the gate , full of eternal light ! " " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . Due to Etro freeing the l ' Cie of their fate , chaos leaks into the Visible World and drags Lightning through the Historia Crux to Valhalla , the middle world between life and death , while warping the timeline . During Lightning ' s battle with Caius Ballad in Valhalla , Noel Kreiss emerges from Etro ' s gate that opens over the Temple of the Goddess , but Lightning rescues him by summoning Bahamut to catch him mid - air . When Noel enters his dream world and relives his final days in the Dying World , he prays for Etro to gift him with the power of chaos so he can follow Caius to Valhalla . A light opens on the sky and he is pulled towards it , presumed to be Etro ' s gate , but before he can enter it he is woken up by Serah . When Lightning meets with Noel and Serah at New Bodhum in the year 700 AF , she tells them the nature of Etro ' s gate and how Caius is intent on finishing what the Cocoon fal ' Cie had started in the slaughter of Cocoon ' s people to force Etro ' s gate wide open . After defeating Caius in Valhalla and solving the final paradox , Serah and Noel emerge from Valhalla using a Time Gate . However , when Noel killed Caius the Heart of Chaos he had stopped beating , killing Etro . Etro ' s gate is smashed apart by the chaos that is no longer bound by Etro , and chaos enters the mortal realm . With Etro ' s gate no longer present to act as a gateway between the worlds of living and dead , Valhalla and Gran Pulse merge into a new world , which in time becomes known as Nova Chrysalia . " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " . Etro ' s gate is depicted in multiple places throughout Orience , even though it is not mentioned by name . Relic terminals and the Altocrystarium have Etro ' s gate depicted on them , and when Arecia Al - Rashia summons Bahamut ZERO , an image of Etro ' s gate appears in the summoning crest , Bahamut ZERO emerging from the gate . Pandæmonium has images of Etro ' s gate and eye - like symbols based on Etro ' s gate inscribed throughout its architecture , including , the image turned on its edge . The also have the symbol of the gate on them , symbolizing how each Crystal wants to birth the Agito : the one who can open Etro ' s gate . Arecia ' s reasons for creating Class Zero is to use the power of a soul with great power to force Etro ' s gate to open . This becomes known in the legends of Orience as Agito . Serving Lindzei in opposite to Arecia being a servant of Pulse , Gala believes the sacrifice of billions would be a better method , and sends his forces to slaughter everyone when Tempus Finis begins . After they both fail , Arecia resets the world and prepares for the next experiment . The two continue their experiment for 600 , 104 , 972 spirals . Eventually , Arecia is convinced to end the experiment and leave Orience forever . Whether either Arecia ' s or Gala ' s method would actually work to reveal the gate is unknown , as the spiral revolves over 600 million times without result . " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " . It was said those who die will meet Etro when she opens the gate to give the departed souls entry to the afterlife . Near - death experiences are steeped in the legends and lore of Etro , and it is told that when one is dying and one ' s soul pulls back from the borders of mortality into the afterlife , upon seeing the light of the opening gate they gain the graces of the Kingdom of the Dead and are bestowed with a great power . Noctis Lucis Caelum was said to have this blessing through his experiences . Musical themes . " Etro ' s Gate " is a track that appears in " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " and was composed by Masashi Hamauzu . It plays during the FMV of Lightning being trapped in a paradox and falling through the Historia Crux . It has the slow - paced melody of " Blinded By Light " included in several moments .