Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero - Promise - Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero - Promise - is a series of web novellas written by Jun Eishima , depicting the thirteen days leading up to the events of " Final Fantasy XIII " . New chapters involving Snow , Fang , and Vanille were released in a published Light Novel . The first part of the series , titled " Encounter " , is told from Serah and Lightning ' s point of view . It is about Lightning ' s first meeting with Snow , her relationship with Serah , and trying to plan a vacation for her birthday . It ' s also about Serah becoming a l ' Cie and her relationship with Snow and Lightning . The second part of the series , titled " Stranger " , is about Fang and Vanille after they awake from crystal stasis , trying to adjust to Cocoon life , and their arrival to Euride Gorge . Part three , titled " Treasure - Family - " , is about Sazh and his son Dajh as the boy becomes a l ' Cie , Dajh being placed in PSICOM ' s custody as they try to determine his Focus , and Sazh trying to save Dajh from his fate . Part four , titled " Search " , is about Fang and Vanille after they are separated in Euride told from Fang ' s point of view . It is about Fang worrying about Vanille , meeting Cid Raines and Rygdea , and joining them to find Vanille . Part five , titled " Friends " , is about Hope and his mother Nora on vacation in Bodhum preparing for the upcoming fireworks display , taking a trip to Euride , and Hope ' s relationship with his friends and family . Part six , titled " Present - Gift - " , is about Snow and Serah as they look for Lightning ' s birthday present , and Snow slipping away to buy engagement necklace s . The seventh and final part , titled " Tomorrow - Future - " , is about Vanille and Fang becoming l ' Cie on Gran Pulse during the War of Transgression , what happens to Vanille after the events at Euride Gorge , and on the two days leading to the Purge . Story . Stranger . Vanille and Fang awaken from crystal stasis but Fang has no memory of their Focus . Not wanting more people to get hurt , Vanille pretends that she also lost her memory . Although Fang ' s l ' Cie brand is scorched and unchanging , Vanille ' s brand is still active . When they go outside it ' s nighttime with lit buildings all around them . When they look at the sky , they see the lights of a distant city instead of stars and realize they are in Cocoon , the home of their sworn enemies . Fang and Vanille return to the temple in disbelief . The Oblatorium is the chamber they awoke in where customary offerings of food were left for the l ' Cie enshrined in there along with their weapons and equipment . The food is long spoiled and the festival garments and Fang ' s spear show signs of decay . Fang theorizes that she and Vanille might have slept as crystals for centuries and says they should find food outside . At dawn Fang and Vanille go to the ocean and Fang easily spears a large fish . This attracts the attention of a passing elderly couple admiring their fishing skills . Questioning the couple ' s friendliness and whether they would return with friends , Vanille and Fang return to the temple on high alert . They are confused the people they pass by are so unwary . Fang kills a white bird and they pilfer vegetables from a nearby field . Outside the temple , Vanille and Fang use a priest ' s ceremonial garb and staff to start a fire and cook the fish and the bird , but the food is tasteless . They put out the fire and return inside the temple . Fang proposes they go into the city the next day to find answers and a way to help restore her memory by exploring enemy territory . Vanille reluctantly agrees . The next day , Fang and Vanille head into the town of Bodhum , now more at ease being surrounded by people from Cocoon . They blend into a crowd and find a shopping district . Vanille starts to think that despite Cocoon stealing many resources from Gran Pulse in the past , and its people , houses , and food being very different from those on Pulse , the people from both worlds are alike on the inside . They are approached by two young men who invite the pair to have lunch with them . Fang and Vanille cautiously join the men at a restaurant . The men say they ' re from Eden and attend its university . As they eat and engage in conversation , Fang and Vanille baffle the men with their foreign habits and lack of basic knowledge of Cocoon life but manage to get by . When Fang brings up the temple , the men refer to it as the Pulse Vestige , and say that the fal ' Cie brought it up from Pulse over six centuries ago . Fang and Vanille ask if the vestige getting taken caused trouble for the Pulsians and the men laugh . They say the people on Pulse were useless barbarians no better than animals who should be grateful Cocoon is putting their resources to good use . This infuriates Vanille . Fang asks the men to step outside with her and knocks them out . Fang and Vanille search the men ' s pockets and find their ID cards . As they try to figure out how the cards work , a large human - like white bird startles them and promptly takes off . Fang and Vanille overwrite the original owners ' information and get the ID cards to work . They run at the sound of approaching voices , with Vanille concluding the young men were enemies after all . Back at the vestige , Fang and Vanille find signs that someone is inside . At the deepest part of the temple , Fang and Vanille find Serah Farron unconscious on the ground of the fal ' Cie Anima ' s throne . While Fang debates whether or not to kill Serah , Vanille finds a l ' Cie brand on her arm . They take Serah outside and Fang says that as they don ' t remember their Focus the girl was chosen as their replacement . Vanille however believes Anima saw through her lies and blames herself for Serah ' s misfortune . When Serah begins to wake up Vanille and Fang retreat to the shadows . When Serah spots the mark on her arm she falls apart and the l ' Cie brand evolves , affected by her fear . When Serah walks away crying Fang says they can only complete their Focus in time and return to Gran Pulse , but Vanille says they should forget their Focus . Fang isn ' t willing to let Vanille turn into a Cie ' th because they had promised to always be together . The next morning Fang and Vanille explore another part of town where beverages and produce are being sold in colorful stalls , but can ' t stop thinking about Serah . They notice more things Cocoon and Pulse people have in common , and everything is so peaceful there is no reason to fight anyone . Fang starts thinking about their Focus again when they overhear a passing group of older woman talk about a fal ' Cie tour in a place called Euride that can be reached by train . Fang thinks seeing a Cocoon fal ' Cie will bring back their memory . They get a map , ask for directions to Bodhum Station , and find the right platform . The following day , Vanille and Fang board the train bound for Euride and sit behind Sazh and Dajh . They take in the sights of airbikes flying by the train , Bodhum ' s floating islands , and the distant city of Eden . Vanille wishes Cocoon and Gran Pulse didn ' t have such animosity towards each other so that people could freely travel between the two worlds . She curses her weakness for feeling lost and not wanting to fight , fearing that her past choices and whatever she does here on out will only lead to sorrow for everyone , Fang most of all . The train arrives at Euride and Vanille and Fang approach the energy plant where the fal ' Cie Kujata lies . Treasure - Family - . As part of their tour package , Sazh brings Dajh to Euride Gorge to see Kujata . At a pet shop , Dajh says he wants " the yellow one " . A panicked Sazh thinks his son wants the big yellow Ectopudding , but to his relief Dajh really wants the yellow chocobo chick . Dajh promises to wait outside the shop and Sazh tells him to stay put , knowing Dajh is planning to play a game of hide - and - seek . At the store , the baby chocobo makes a bee - line for Sazh when the shopkeeper opens the cage . After paying for it , Sazh leaves the store with the chick riding on his head , but Dajh is nowhere to be found . Thinking Dajh is playing , Sazh pretends to look around and give up , but Dajh still doesn ' t respond . Sazh runs to the energy plant ' s entrance and the ground trembles . An emergency siren sounds off and tourists rush toward the entrance . Sazh tries to push through the crowd and white mist begins to fill the area . When Sazh reaches Kujata he hears the sound of air escaping and discovers Dajh laid out along a resting bench . Sazh finds a strange mark on Dajh ' s right hand and thinks it ' s either a sticker or kids ' body paint , and begins to carry Dajh out . Soldiers on the security force intercept him and place Dajh on a stretcher to be brought to the first - aid room . The first - aid room is crowded with tourists either injured or made unwell in the commotion . Now laid on a bed , Dajh wakes up and several PSICOM soldiers march in and declare a state of emergency , with the plant and area surrounding Euride now under their supervision . A young woman with glasses leading the soldiers says the place is off - limits , but a tent in the plaza has been set up as a waiting area for anyone who has already seen a doctor while everyone still waiting for one goes to the first - aid tent . She orders soldiers to separate everyone into groups and have them form a line leading outside . Sazh and Dajh go to the end of the line for the first - aid tent , but the woman asks if Dajh is the one who collapsed in front of the fal ' Cie . She introduces herself as Jihl Nabaat , and asks Sazh to come with her . As she is someone of high position in PSICOM , all Sazh can do is comply . PSICOM pretends Sazh and Dajh are emergency patients and loads them onto an airship . Nabaat keeps saying it was a " lucky accident " that PSICOM was at Euride . They are flown to Eden and placed in the military ' s medical facility , where Sazh and Dajh are placed into separate rooms . The following day Sazh remains unaware of what ' s going on , but learns some of Nabaat ' s history . He figures that what happened at Euride wasn ' t a mere accident for someone like her to be involved . Sazh uses a terminal to access the library and find information about the " The Mark of the l ' Cie " that Nabaat mentioned before . With the chocobo chick ' s help he finds an image of old text with symbols and writing carved into rock . Recognizing it as the mark on Dajh ' s hand , Sazh reads the accompanying text and pales . Two days later , Sazh meets with Nabaat in a medical observation room , and watches Dajh play with a puzzle on a monitor . Nabaat apologizes for keeping Sazh waiting for three days and tells him Dajh was chosen as a l ' Cie by Kujata . Sazh accuses her of joking , and says l ' Cie are but an old story . She tells him they were surprised as well since a l ' Cie hasn ' t been chosen since the War of Transgression . She claims that a Pulse invasion is under way and explains that what happened at Euride was not an accident , but the work of enemies from Pulse , and it ' s thanks to Dajh being chosen that little damage was done . Sazh asks what a six - year - old child can do against Pulsian forces . Nabaat says the enemies escaped and are still at large , and there can be another attack , so she asks Sazh to cooperate . She says Dajh is the key to saving Cocoon and will have the Sanctum back him ; all they want Sazh to do is watch over his son . PSICOM is investigating what Dajh ' s Focus might be , as well as what sort of powers he has been given . In the evening the next day , Sazh is called into a new room with a huge two - way mirror , where Dajh is unable to see him on the other side . Yaag Rosch is playing with Dajh who seems to like Rosch . Sazh believes Rosch either likes kids or takes his duties seriously . Nabaat comments on how Dajh isn ' t shy and listens to others . Sazh tells her how Dajh has gotten used to playing with other adults , after going through babysitters and child care ever since his mother died three years ago . Sazh asks Nabaat if Dajh can be cured , and she says it ' s impossible with human technology . Sazh asks about a skin - grafting procedure , but Nabaat says nothing can be done about the mark . She says Dajh seems able to sense Pulse entities , and can find the fugitive l ' Cie and their fal ' Cie master . Sazh realizes both PSICOM and the fal ' Cie only want to use Dajh , and that he is the only one who can help his son . As the door to the other room opens , Dajh leaps into Sazh ' s arms . He wants to see fireworks , with Sazh noticing Dajh is more insistent than usual . Nabaat guesses Dajh is talking about the fireworks festival taking place in Bodhum in a few days . Dajh whispers to Sazh that something is there but doesn ' t say what . Nabaat tells the boy they will see the fireworks , believing it ' s worth checking out if Dajh can sense something Pulse - related at the festival . Search . Fang shakes off pursuit from Euride soldiers returns to the Vestige the next morning . She doesn ' t find Vanille and the food they had brought back hasn ' t been touched . Fang thinks Vanille hasn ' t returned to Bodhum or is still hiding . She assumes Vanille is lonely and crying in her sleep as usual . Fang goes to the shopping mall to get a drink from a vending machine and catches another glimpse of the human - looking white bird . Believing the bird to have brought luck whenever she and Vanille saw it , Fang thinks she can now find her wayward friend , but is quickly discouraged . Someone tells Fang to pick up the can she had placed on the ground . Fang ignores the voice , but is pursued by a soldier in an unfamiliar blue uniform . She leaves the mall and keeps running until she gets lost . The soldier jumps her , but claims to not be an enemy . He introduces himself as Rygdea , a member of the Cavalry , and asks Fang to come with him . Now surrounded by soldiers holding her at gunpoint , Fang is handcuffed and blindfolded , although Rygdea promises she won ' t be bound for long . Fang is forced onto an airship where she meets Cid Raines and her handcuffs are removed . Raines identifies Fang as a Pulse l ' Cie , an enemy of of Cocoon , and introduces himself as the Cavalry leader . He claims to not be Fang ' s enemy even if it is his job to help protect Cocoon . He takes out a wireless communicator to ask Lieutenant Jihl Nabaat of her status , who says a perpetrator is still on the run . Raines tells Nabaat things are also coming up empty on his end . Nabaat says once she ' s captured , the fugitive is to be delivered to PSICOM headquarters . Raines asks for the details of the Euride incident , but Nabaat says it ' s classified and under PSICOM ' s jurisdiction . Raines turns off the communicator and tells her the Cavalry doesn ' t agree with PSICOM ' s actions , nor does the Cavalry align with them . Fang remains unconvinced , believing the Cavalry captured her to get intel on Pulse . She tells Raines that she has no information he could want because she ' s a broken l ' Cie , and that she doesn ' t have time to help him since she ' s looking for a friend . Raines says it ' s up to Fang whether or not she ' ll help , but says she will be staying with them . Raines asks Rygdea to take Fang to the residential area . Fang realizes they are on an airship . Despite most of the creatures and people in Cocoon being weak with the exception of a few like Rygdea , it has a vast assortment of technology , potentially making them a worse enemy than Fang and Vanille imagined . Rygdea tells Fang not to try anything since PSICOM has set up barricades around Bodhum . Cavalry had overwritten PSICOM ' s surveillance system and sent them false info to capture her without PSICOM ' s knowledge . Fang is given a room with only a bed and a table . Rygdea says the Cavalry looked at the security footage from Euride , and they could tell Vanille is strong like Fang . Fang is relieved Vanille hasn ' t been captured , and thinks about how Vanille always cries , wakes up from a bad dream and holds on to Fang begging not to leave her alone , and how Vanille would sometimes laugh at the strangest things , ever since they were children . Rygdea offers to look for Vanille if in return she and Fang don ' t let themselves get captured by PSICOM . Now believing she can trust Rygdea , Fang agrees to the deal . Rygdea believes Vanille is somewhere in Bodhum . He meets Lightning again and asks of places where teenagers like to hang out , and gives Lightning a vague description of Vanille as an outgoing pigtailed girl who ran away from home . Lightning tells him there is a café by the beach where many young people hang out . At the café Rygdea sees many tourists and locals but no sign of Vanille . Remembering him from the other day when PSICOM searched him , Yuj offers Rygdea a seat at the counter as Lebreau is making drinks . As she fixes Rygdea something to eat , Maqui appears and asks Lebreau on Snow ' s whereabouts , to which Lebreau says that Snow just left to meet with Serah . Seeing how everyone around him is acting without a care in the world , Rygdea notes how PSICOM has covered up news of the Euride incident , and how only perceptive people like Lightning know something big must have happened if PSICOM is moving in . Rygdea describes Vanille to Lebreau who promises to inform him if a girl matching his description comes by . Rygdea later returns to the " Lindblum " and Fang is not surprised he returns empty - handed . She says Vanille might be near a forest or ocean for food , as she likes cooking even though some of her meals turn out terrible . Fang asks why Rygdea is with Raines , and if it is because something about Raines appeals to him . Rygdea simply calls himself a man who relies not on his feelings , but on whether or not something makes sense , and that he does not fight unless he is sure to win . He says Fang misread him , but Fang disagrees , thinking Rygdea lets his emotions dictate his actions more than he wants to admit . Rygdea rushes to the airship ' s bridge as PSICOM announces they are lifting the blockade around Euride . Fang worries how much time Vanille has left as her l ' Cie brand is still evolving , and decides to look for Vanille herself . She sneaks out of her room and plans to find the ship used to bring her aboard the " Lindblum " and escape , but runs into multiple dead ends . Raines appears and says barriers were put up to restrict Fang ' s movement . Raines offers his sword to Fang , saying she can take it and do whatever she wants to him when his men arrive . Fang takes the sword and follows him to a room . Raines shows Fang an audio recording of a conversation between Yaag Rosch , Galenth Dysley , and Nabaat concerning Euride and the fugitive Pulse l ' Cie . Rosch and Dysley ponder whether it was too soon to remove the barricade , and about the rumors spreading that what happened wasn ' t an accident . Nabaat says they can use that information to their advantage , but Dysley claims the fal ' Cie Eden reprimanded him for hiding the truth from the public . He wants to end the investigation after lifting the barricade so everyone ' s lives would return to normal . Rosch disagrees since the l ' Cie remain on the loose , but as the fal ' Cie spokesperson , Dysley can ' t defy their commands . An inside man recorded the conversation , which Raines calls " the real Cocoon " where Dysley thinks of the citizens as sheep . As long as Cocoon remains under Sanctum rule the people remain tools of the fal ' Cie . Raines believes Fang ' s Focus is to defeat the Cocoon fal ' Cie and possibly destroy Cocoon by extension . This makes Fang think her and Vanille ' s Focus may not be to destroy the structure of Cocoon itself , but its core . Raines claims that Fang has the power to destroy fal ' Cie , and asks her to lend them that power because he wants to destroy the fal ' Cie Eden and the Sanctum . Fang asks if Raines is willing to betray Cocoon . Raines answers he will do anything to achieve his goal , but Fang says she will make her decision about helping him after Vanille is found . Raines tells her about Bodhum ' s fireworks festival and that PSICOM won ' t be able to make a move against her if she blends in with the tourists . Fang agrees to stay on the " Lindblum " until then , though she still hasn ' t decided on whether or not she will help Raines . For the next two days , Rygdea continues unsuccessfully looking for Vanille and Fang has no luck trying to recall the missing pieces of her memory . The following day Raines lets Fang attend the fireworks festival as promised , giving her a wireless communicator and a device to give her quick access to her weapon . She returns to the Vestige and sees the priests ' robes thrown on the floor and Vanille ' s weapon , meaning she had been there . Fang folds up the priests ' clothing to let Vanille know she is looking for her . She spends the rest of the day looking for Vanille in the areas around Bodhum they previously visited . PSICOM enters the Vestige to conduct an investigation and surrounds it with army vehicles . Believing that Vanille would avoid the Vestige from now on , Fang walks to the shopping mall as it gets dark . As fireworks light up the shopping mall and beach full of people , Fang looks everywhere for Vanille . Exhausted , she stops at the café for a drink and tells Lebreau , who serves her , about looking for her friend . Lebreau tells Snow that Serah is waiting at the usual place . As he leaves , Fang doesn ' t get a good look at him but remembers his clothing . Fang describes Vanille to Lebreau who tells Fang about the wishmaking tradition . When Fang leaves , she looks at the sky and prays she will find Vanille . Rygdea tells Fang through the communicator to return to the meeting point as something terrible has happened . During the fireworks festival , one of the low - ranked Cavalry members intercepts information from PSICOM about a Pulse fal ' Cie being found in the Vestige . PSICOM seals off the Vestige and most of its forces are heading for Bodhum . The Cavalry and Bodhum ' s security force are ordered to pull out . Raines thinks that PSICOM is stalling for time before the info gets leaked and will reveal the discovery after they ' ve barricaded the city to contain the panic . Raines gets a call from his inside man and asks Rygdea to step outside , making the latter suspicious for how Raines ' s demeanor suddenly changes . After Fang is picked up , Fang unleashes her fury upon learning the Cavalry is going to leave Bodhum . Rygdea assures they will continue to search for Vanille in the regions outside of town . Raines tells her that the Sanctum will Purge everyone in Bodhum to Pulse , and bring them to the Hanging Edge by train before sending them to Pulse along with the Vestige . Raines reaffirms his desire to destroy the fal ' Cie and Sanctum , but Fang says she doesn ' t care about his power struggles , and asks what he really wants . He tells her he wants the people of Cocoon to have rule over their own hearts and live as humans , neither as sheep nor tools of the fal ' Cie . Fang thinks she recognizes the same kind of look in Raines ' s eyes that she saw in the eyes of those on Pulse whose homes were destroyed by Cocoon fal ' Cie . Raines promises the Cavalry will use all of its power to find Vanille , but they can ' t ignore the lives of the people in Bodhum being destroyed simply for having the slightest brush with Pulse . Knowing the Cavalry would have to make sacrifices to save Vanille from a heavily guarded Purge train , Fang says she owes Raines . She closes her eyes and prays that her and Vanille ' s Focus is to destroy the Cocoon fal ' Cie , and that she is not making a mistake with her decision . Fang tells Raines once Vanille is found , they will help him crush the fal ' Cie . Two days later , on the day the Purge train leaves Bodhum , the " Lindblum " lands on Lake Bresha ' s surface . As Fang rides in a smaller vehicle toward the Hanging Edge , Rygdea says the Purge train will arrive in an hour . Fang spots the strange white bird as it disappears into clouds . Now seeing the bird as a sign of luck , Fang smiles at the knowledge the Hanging Edge is close and that she would find Vanille . Friends . Hope and his mother Nora are on a ten day vacation , staying in a beach resort condo in the seaside town of Bodhum for the annual fireworks festival . Having planned it half a year in advance , Nora hopes to use the vacation to try and heal the rift between Hope and his father , Bartholomew . One evening , Bartholomew calls Nora and says he has to go on a business trip but will join up with her and Hope for the festival . Hope is unsurprised and doesn ' t believe it since his father often neglects him and Nora for his job . Hope resents Nora never blaming his father for breaking his promises and for making excuses for him . Nora wants to go to Euride the next day as the clean - up operation after the accident three days ago has ended . When Hope says his father is not coming just as he thought , Nora says there is nothing Bartholomew can do about it since the Euride incident affected his job . To change the subject , Hope helps Nora wash vegetables she got from Yuj , Maqui , and Lebreau . At Euride Gorge the next day , Hope and Nora see the plaza is closed off and the place is full of PSICOM soldiers on guard . Nora sees a pet shop that sells chocobo chicks . Some kids run past Hope and hearing them mention the Sunleth Waterscape makes him think about his school trip there six years ago , and the misadventure he had there with his two classmates Kai and Elida Karmic . He thinks about what his father said about keeping promises no matter how small they are . Hope believes his dad no longer keeps his promises to him and Nora . All Hope can remember about the last time he began a conversation with his dad was how Bartholomew had brushed him aside . Having seen the fal ' Cie Kujata , Hope and Nora return to the entrance . When he was younger , Hope had wanted to become like his father , but he now doesn ' t wish to become the kind of person that feels work is more important than family . The people passing by were talking about a boy being hurt in the accident , and how the local security force could barely look at his father . Nora hopes the child does not die since there ' s nothing worse than a child dying before their parent . Hope ponders that regardless , when a family member dies it ' s still sad for those left behind . Nora asks if Hope hates his father , and says Bartholomew isn ' t good at these kinds of things , but many people in the Sanctum depend on him and he wants to do a good job . Hope says he ' s not mad since his father will join them in time for the fireworks , which is the most important part of the vacation . Hope thinks about talking to his dad on the night of the festival . Bartholomew may not say much , but Hope strives to make his mother happy . As they approach the plaza , the numerous PSICOM soldiers make Hope feel nervous . Seeing his mother looking worried , he says they should return to Bodhum , and Nora suggests they visit the shopping mall again . Hope thinks about talking to Kai and Elida when he gets back to Palumpolum and tell them about his vacation , making it the first time they ' ve been together in three years . Present - Gift - . In two days it will be Lightning ' s birthday , so Serah is in the shopping mall with Snow to look for a present , but she can ' t find one she believes her sister will like . Though Lightning has been like a mother to her , Serah still hasn ' t told her about being made a Pulse l ' Cie , an enemy of Cocoon . She told Snow three days ago and tried to break up with him , but he promised to help her figure out her Focus and complete it . Snow tried asking people what they knew about Pulse or l ' Cie , but had no luck . He even thought of confronting the Pulse fal ' Cie about Serah ' s Focus , but she objected because that could make Snow a l ' Cie as well as , and endanger everyone in Bodhum . Serah and Snow had decided to tell Lightning everything on her birthday , but Serah doubts she has the courage . To cheer Serah up Snow points to a large stuffed Carbuncle toy in a store window . Serah jokes Lightning would like a Carbuncle doll , and they move on . Due to Lightning ' s job as the raid leader of the Bodhum Security Regiment , Serah thinks of getting her a good - luck - charm . They enter the accessory store Serah bought her cat earrings and Snow ' s NORA necklace . Planning to propose to Serah at the fireworks festival , Snow looks at rings on a corner table , but dismisses the idea . Serah overhears him , but believes he is thinking of getting a ring for Lightning . Snow moves on to the next display showing bracelets . He considers the ones with birthstones but relents after seeing a middle - aged woman use a bracelet as a collar for her tiny dog . Snow and Serah move on to the next table displaying earrings . She notices Snow has been acting oddly . He is about to tell Serah to forget about it and help pick out some earrings when a voice from a young couple catches his attention . He sees them wearing two halves of the same set of earrings . After seeing two other couples in the shop wearing them as well , Snow forgets about buying earrings for his marriage proposal since they ' re so popular . Serah agrees with Snow ' s suggestion to go to a different store . He says he ' s trying to find something to show someone how he feels but nothing seems good enough . Snow spots a pair of necklaces in the shop ' s display window , having missed them when they entered . To stall Serah , Snow makes up the excuse of having to go to the bathroom and tells her to go on ahead . He calls out to one of the shop attendants to look at the necklaces and recognizes the person as Sonia , a childhood friend three years older than him who was like a " scary sister " to him as they grew up in the same town . When Sonia has another attendant get the necklaces , Snow realizes Sonia has been managing the store for less than a month and it ' s gotten busy thanks to her work . Since the Sanctum pays tuition , Sonia worked at Palumpolum ' s main store after graduating from boarding school . This way of life troubles Snow because it means he could take anything he wants from the Sanctum , but instead he and his friends choose take as little as possible by farming , hunting monsters , and doing things their way . Sonia accuses Snow of being unemployed and says he can ' t go on like this forever . Guessing Serah to be his girlfriend , Sonia tells Snow to get a job or do something with himself for Serah ' s sake , but Snow declares to make Serah the " happiest woman on Cocoon " . Sonia hands Snow the necklaces , small metal sculptures of Cocoon . Sonia offers to gift - wrap the necklaces , but Snow declines , pays for them , and bursts out of the shop . He doesn ' t see Serah , afraid she might be looking for him . He thinks about proposing to Serah tomorrow night before wishing for their happiness on the fireworks . Despite knowing that Serah ' s time is short , Snow decides to believe in a bright future . Serah has found a present for Lightning , a good - luck - charm she would carry with her : a survival knife whose blade is said to be able to cut connections with evil . As she catches up with Snow , Serah says Lightning visits many places because of her job so she wants Lightning to survive whatever happens and return home safe . Snow assures Serah a survival knife isn ' t a strange gift , and they enter the weapon shop to buy the knife Serah spotted in a display window . Tomorrow - Future - . Three priests clothed in red , black , and purple lead Fang into the temple housing the fal ' Cie Anima with Vanille in tow . Fang and Vanille leave their weapons and climb the stairs , stopping at moments to pray for a total of 13 times before continuing onward . They reach a door the black priest says will only open for the pure of heart . Fang and Vanille pray , the symbol on the door glows red , and the door opens . Fang says she is the one who will be made a l ' Cie , not Vanille , so she has nothing to be afraid of . Everyone climbs another flight of stairs and repeats the praying ritual . They come to another door of trials and the purple priest says it will open to those who hold strength instead of weakness . Fang and Vanille pray and open the door . Everyone passes the gate of the center and leaves the hallway of ten and three . They stop and pray 13 times as they climb the next flight of stairs . When Fang starts to complain , Vanille scolds her by saying the priests called the process a test . Fang calls the priests weak and harmless . Fang , Vanille , and the three priests climb stairs and pray 13 times until they come to another door . The red priest says the gate of endings will open for those full of honor . Fang and Vanille again pray together , the door opens , and everyone continues onward . At the top of the final set of stairs stand ten priests with spears guarding the entrance to Anima ' s Throne . Vanille can ' t go further , and Fang is led up the stairs . The thirteen priests surround Fang and lift their arms in prayer , chanting that she is the chosen one who will stand against Cocoon . As the door to the fal ' Cie opens , Fang shakes off the priests holding onto her and yells at Anima for turning countless people into l ' Cie when only a fal ' Cie like itself could possibly destroy Cocoon and Lindzei . The priests try to hold Fang down with their spears , but she shakes them off , takes one of their spears , storms into Anima ' s chamber , and continues yelling at it . The priests chase after her , but Fang defeats them with her spear before continuing towards Anima . Fang says she will become Anima ' s l ' Cie and destroy demons , but hates that the fal ' Cie sits around doing nothing . The red , black , and purple - clad priests shield Anima from Fang , who says human lives are nothing to the fal ' Cie . The priests claim the human lives Fang speaks of are nothing but orphans cared for the purpose of being made l ' Cie , which is the only use they have . The red priest calls Fang a fool unable to see the true intention of those who cared for her , and the enraged Fang stabs him . She defeats the other two priests and faces Anima , announcing her intention to destroy the fal ' Cie for it being the cause of her friends becoming Cie ' th and the Cocoon fal ' Cie doing as they please . Fang charges at Anima but its hands throw her to the floor . The ten priests rush into the chamber , surround Fang , and point their spears at her prepared to kill her for her traitorous actions . Vanille runs in and covers Fang with her body , begging the priests to forgive Fang , but they claim her sins for insulting them and Anima are too great . Vanille asks the priests to let her atone for Fang ' s crimes and asks for both she and Fang to be turned into l ' Cie to fight Cocoon . The priests gather together to discuss while Fang begs Vanille not to go through with it . Being next in line anyway , Vanille had decided ever since entering the temple that she wants the two of them to be together . She says they might be orphans , but they were raised together as a family and will protect everyone together . The ten priests surround Fang and Vanille , raise their arms in prayer that they be turned into l ' Cie . Vanille says they will be together no matter what happens . " In the present day . . . " After Vanille was separated from Fang following the Euride incident , the station has been closed off . People demand the soldiers to free them , but are told they will be put on the next train to Bodhum after going through an ID check . People complain , but follow the solders ' directions and wait in the tents that were set up in the plaza . Vanille nervously hands a soldier her stolen ID card and it gets accepted . She takes the next train back to Bodhum and waits for Fang on the platform , but there is no sign of her . Vanille returns to the Pulse Vestige , but cannot sleep and decides to visit the mall to look for food . After seeing the strange white bird again , the nervous Vanille gets the courage to enter a store and make purchases with her stolen card . Over the next four days , she begins to feel more at ease and see Cocoon as a peaceful paradise , but is still haunted by the guilt she feels towards Serah and Dajh , the girl and boy dragged into her and Fang ' s problems . The guilt Vanille feels is like a thorn in her chest close to overwhelming her until she meets Serah on the beach . Three days later in the afternoon when Vanille is at a rest area in the shopping mall , it ' s announced on the news that a Pulse fal ' Cie has been discovered in the vestige . People panic , and it is announced Bodhum will be barricaded for Cocoon ' s protection . Worry turns into anger as some confront the PSICOM soldiers , who begin threatening them . A frightened Vanille flees , but finds all roads leading to the vestige blocked and the structure surrounded by military vehicles . Regretting she had left her weapon behind in the vestige , the sight of approaching soldiers makes Vanille return to the mall . As she thinks about Fang she walks around aimlessly and finds herself at Bodhum Station . Vanille guesses she might find Fang back at Euride and runs toward the station only to find the walkway blocked off . In front of the station she sees tourists arguing with soldiers , among them Nora begging for Hope to be allowed to return home . Vanille returns to the shopping mall and tries to stay in populated places away from soldiers . Another announcement is made that everyone in Bodhum will undergo a Purge to Pulse and everyone goes quiet . Vanille watches in amazement as the fear of Pulse causes everyone around her run around screaming and crying with fights breaking out . It ' s announced that the Pulse fal ' Cie will accompany the Purge train and be returned to Pulse . Vanille realizes if she stays in Bodhum she will be Purged with everyone else , and if she returns home to Gran Pulse , then she won ' t be able to complete her Focus which will remain unchanged . She slumps to the ground , holds her knees , and remains this way until night falls . Now in an empty mall , Vanille slips past the soldiers and walks down the beach where the fireworks festival was held the previous night . She whispers goodbye to the floating world she had come to like , and turning back the way she came , Vanille comes across the field where she and Fang stole vegetables from the day they awoke . Thinking she will never see Fang again , Vanille cries herself to sleep . The following day , while walking along the promenade , Vanille looks out into the ocean and sees the Pulse Vestige in the distance , surrounded by army vehicles and Cocoon soldiers . Remembering the promise between her and Fang that they will always be together , Vanille apologizes and reminisces about what happened after Euride eight days ago up to her encounter with Serah . While she ' s lost in her thoughts , Vanille feels a PSICOM soldier ' s gun at her back and she fearfully apologizes . He lowers it and softly tells her to hurry since everyone is checking in at the station . Vanille runs to the shopping mall and doesn ' t look back . Unlike yesterday , there is no commotion in the mall and Vanille sees a line of impassive people heading towards the station to board the Purge train . Realizing everyone sees being sent to Gran Pulse as a death sentence , Vanille wishes she could show them the things Pulse has to offer , and that they could live there if everyone worked together . Vanille apologizes for she and Fang waking up being the cause of everything happening to the Purgees . Once Vanille enters the station building , she hears soldiers calling out instructions on megaphones ordering everyone to stay in line and that their baggage will be returned once they reach Pulse . The sight of the soldiers ' weapons makes Vanille uneasy and gives her the impression that everyone is being escorted out of the city by force . Someone yells and the line of people shifts as though someone tried to run away . Gunshots ring out and the people panic , but quickly revert to their quiet state when soldiers point their guns at them . They are demanded not to leave the line for their own safety and the line continues moving . Vanille sees Lightning talk with a soldier . Though she notices she looks like Serah Vanille thinks her guilt is making her see things . She sees Lightning give the soldier her weapon and line up with Sazh standing behind her , and sees a baby chocobo pop out of his hair . As Vanille begins to laugh she doesn ' t look where she ' s going and bumps into Nora . After making sure Vanille is not hurt , Nora and Vanille talk about where they ' re from until Nora stops asking questions . Vanille thinks it ' s because Nora has other things to worry about , and sees Hope silently looking down at his feet and shaking . After debating whether to stand behind Nora and Hope or behind Lightning , Vanille settles on the former because she wants to be with kind people if she ' s going to be treated like a prisoner . Soldiers explain that everyone would arrive on Pulse today or tomorrow . Vanille thinks of helping everyone adjust to Pulse and apologizes to Fang for breaking their promise to stay together . Reflecting on Serah ' s advice from four days ago to face reality later if it ' s too much too deal with , Vanille reflects on how Serah ' s words saved her . Thanks to Serah telling her to look at her problems from a distance to find a way to get through them , Vanille has resolved to run from her Focus to avoid hurting more people even though she ' ll become a Cie ' th . Vanille knows Fang is not in danger of turning into a Cie ' th and can look after herself although she will be upset . As soldiers begin directing people onto the train , Vanille feels worried , but tells herself she will soon be back on Gran Pulse with people waiting for her who will be happy to see her . Drama CD . A special edition drama CD was released on January 27 , 2010 , a CD only available through buying / ordering the limited edition version of the " " . It features Part 1 of the web novellas . The CD consists of seven chapters with characters including , Serah , Lightning , Snow , Hope , Nora Estheim , the members of NORA , Lightning ' s former superior in command , Amodar , as well as Lightning and Serah ' s mother . Chapters . Each chapter lasts approximately 1 – 6 minutes . The Drama CD is under the name " Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero - Promise - Fabula Nova Dramatica Alpha " . The first pressing includes a script booklet and a limited edition sleeve case . The CD was released on September 15th , and includes a bonus story titled " Real - Reality - " . Another Drama CD under the name " Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero - Promise - Fabula Nova Dramatica Omega " was released November 17th in Japan also priced at ¥3 , 000 including a bonus story titled " Departure - Starting - " . Translation . There are a few people on the web translating " Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero " , an example of such being here .