Datalog / Events The following is a list of Datalog entries for the Events of " Final Fantasy XIII " . Chapter One . Defiers of Fate . Lightning and Sazh are held aboard a military ' Purge ' train along with a group of civilians destined for exile . In a stark contrast to the uncertain and despairing people around her , Lightning appears determined and focused . She seizes upon an instant of inattention to disable a guard , and her impressive display inspires Sazh and the other civilians to take up arms against the soldiers . After clashing with army forces , the train crashes to a halt in the war - torn district known as the Hanging Edge . Sazh attempts to figure out Lightning ' s angle , but she shows little desire to share . The former soldier throws herself into battle without the slightest hint of hesitation — what could be driving her . . . ? Fields of War . Suspect citizens of Cocoon are wrenched from their tranquil existence and threatened with exile to the world of Pulse . The Purge has begun . The ' land below ' is said to crawl with unknown perils , and terrified civilians begin to rebel against the Purge . A revolt also occurs on the train transporting Purge deportees , as Lightning ' s battle against the guards galvanizes the other prisoners into action . The train comes to a halt in the district of the Hanging Edge — now a hellish warzone where soldiers open fire indiscriminately upon civilians . Lightning makes her way through the middle of the conflict , all but ignoring her uninvited companion , Sazh . She seems determined to press onwards even when the path before her is destroyed by military strikes . Another Rebellion . The peaceful citizens of Cocoon live in constant fear of invasion by the forces of Pulse — the world below and supposed home of terrors unknown . Were even a single Pulsian agent to be discovered on Cocoon , panic and civil unrest would be sure to follow , threatening the very fabric of society . To prevent such a calamity , the Sanctum ( Cocoon ' s governing body ) initiates the ' Purge ' — a government initiative officially entailing the deportation of all those who may have come into contact with corrupting Pulsian influences . However , the Sanctum army is now brutally slaughtering the civilians they were supposed to be deporting . Realizing that the Purge is nothing more than a massacre in disguise , Snow leads the young freedom fighters of NORA in an effort to protect the Purge ' deportees ' from the Sanctum soldiers . The Warpath Home . The Purge is a Sanctum initiative designed to protect the stability of Cocoon by forcing potentially dangerous civilians to relocate to Pulse . However , the relocation is simply a facade to cover the massacre that ensues . The government ' s true goal is the brutal extermination of all possible threats to society . Having discovered the horrific truth , Snow leads the members of NORA against the government soldiers of PSICOM . Inspired by the actions of this handful of brave young men and women , the beleaguered civilians take heart and join the battle in the hope of returning to a normal life . Among the citizens who stand against the forces of PSICOM is a mother who wishes for nothing more than to protect her son . Fallen Innocence . Cocoon ' s citizens have always been terrified of Pulse and the mysterious horrors that are said to stalk its hostile wastelands . Their fear is so great that if a Cocoon native were to have even the briefest contact with Pulsian elements , former friends and neighbors would consider them corrupted and dangerous . In light of this fact , the Sanctum orders the Purging of Bodhum in an effort to remove all potentially Pulse - tainted civilians . Accordingly , soldiers round up all those identified as candidates for relocation and inform them of their impending exile . However , PSICOM , the elite arm of the Sanctum military , then begins to massacre the helpless civilians . This prompts Snow to lead the people in a rebellion against the army . Tragically , one of the civilians who decides to follow him , hoping to protect her son , dies in the act of saving Snow ' s life . From afar , the boy witnesses the moment of his mother ' s death in shock and disbelief . The Fal ' Cie Awaits . A massive object is transported through the sky over the Hanging Edge . This object is a Pulse Vestige — a lowerworld artifact that had been nothing more than a Bodhum landmark . Two days ago , it was discovered that the Vestige housed a long dormant Pulse fal ' Cie . The fal ' Cie had slumbered undisturbed on the outskirts of a Cocoon city for centuries . The Sanctum decrees that the presence of the Pulse entity and its corrupting magics have tainted the entire population of the city , and orders the Purge . For different reasons , Lightning and Sazh now make their way towards the very being that was the catalyst for so much tragedy . Snow , meanwhile , is crushed by feelings of guilt after many die under his command . He only emerges from his gloom when Gadot reminds him that the fal ' Cie is holding a certain young lady captive — who needs her hero now more than ever . Into the Vestige . Snow still cannot shake his feelings of guilt . Despite his efforts to protect the Purge deportees from the Sanctum forces , many have fallen . The death of one woman in particular haunts his thoughts : a mother fighting for the sake of her son , who gave her life to save Snow . In the moments before her death , the woman begged the leader of NORA to take care of her child , but slipped from Snow ' s grasp without revealing the boy ' s identity . With Gadot ' s help , Snow breaks out of his depression . He figures that if he just goes ahead and protects everyone , then the woman ' s son will be saved as well . After checking to see if the children are safe , Snow leaves the waning battle to his fellow NORA members and sets off with new determination towards the Vestige . His fiancée is still held captive by the Pulse fal ' Cie . A boy watches him leave , eyes filled with rage and loathing . To his grief - stricken mind , Snow is responsible for his mother ' s death . Fates Intertwined . For centuries , a Pulse fal ' Cie has slumbered undisturbed on the outskirts of a Cocoon city . On the day the lowerworld entity is finally discovered , Cocoon ' s peaceful society is plunged into chaos . The government judges the city ' s inhabitants to have been tainted by their unwelcome guest , and begins a merciless campaign to expunge both the fal ' Cie and the ' corrupted ' citizenry from the face of Cocoon . Instead of the exile they were led to expect , the civilians face extermination at the hands of the Sanctum army . The people attempt to fight back , but are hopelessly outmatched by the military . Lightning cuts her way through this battlefield , doggedly followed by the desperate Sazh . Snow , meanwhile , seeks to rescue his fiancée . . . . And a boy spurred on by dreams of revenge pursues Snow with the help of an unusual young lady . Though driven by their separate goals , their paths all lead to the same end : the Pulse fal ' Cie . Chapter Two . In Pursuit of Snow . Hope has fallen into a panic . In his single - minded pursuit of Snow , he has rushed into the lair of a fal ' Cie and is only now recalling the terrible nature of the being that lurks within . The Pulse entity could use its power to curse them — to turn them into l ' Cie . Pulse l ' Cie are the doomed servants of the fal ' Cie who created them , despised and feared by the people of Cocoon . Hope ' s companion , Vanille , seems unconcerned by this dreadful possibility . Bemused by her indomitable cheerfulness , he nervously follows her in search of Snow . It was Snow who convinced his mother to fight . It was Snow she was protecting when she died . And it is Snow who must be made to pay . Where Men Fear to Tread . To the citizens of Cocoon , the lowerworld of Pulse is a hell rife with unknown terrors , and the recently discovered Pulse fal ' Cie is an invader from that hell . In an effort to quell the growing panic in the wake of the entity ' s discovery , the Sanctum initiates an extreme measure known as the Purge . Under this initiative , not only is the fal ' Cie to be cast out of Cocoon , but all of the civilians living nearby as well . Any person coming into contact with the lowerworld being ' s foul energies could already be corrupted , and no potential enemies of Cocoon can be allowed to remain . The ensuing ' deportation ' claims the lives of countless civilians , Hope ' s mother among them . After witnessing her death and chasing Snow into the Vestige in a blind rage , Hope suddenly realizes that he may soon share the same fate as the Pulse fal ' Cie : relocation to the world below . Vanille , however , calmly accepts the situation , and lends her support to the distraught boy . Unaware of his young pursuers , Snow begins exploring the arcane halls and chambers of the shrine - like Vestige in search of his captive fiancée , Serah . Open Doors Beckon . The Pulse fal ' Cie — an entity that threatens the peace of Cocoon ' s society — holds Snow ' s fiancée captive . As the determined Snow delves ever deeper into the alien structure , Lightning and Sazh arrive at the Vestige after fighting their way through waves of Sanctum forces . The unlikely duo ' s progress is halted by an impassable gate , which finally opens as if in response to Lightning ' s whispered words of apology . Did her plea reach the mind of the fal ' Cie ? Or was another being responsible for opening the portal ? Sazh follows the ex - soldier into the Vestige , bemused by the lack of explanation , but driven on nonetheless by a purpose he has yet to reveal . In the Shadow of l ' Cie . Military ' weapons ' stalk the halls of the Vestige . Though the PSICOM recon team that uncovered the lowerworld being two days previous is still trapped inside , Lightning and Sazh know that the real threat is not part of the Sanctum army , but the Pulse fal ' Cie and its servant l ' Cie . Pulse l ' Cie are former humans who have become agents of destruction . Those residents living near the Vestige face being Purged simply because of their proximity to the fal ' Cie and the possibility that its power has bound them into servitude . With tales of l ' Cie haunting his thoughts , Hope hears Snow ' s voice calling in the distance . Although he plans to confront Snow over his mother ' s death , the reality of the situation becomes too much for Hope to bear . He cannot go through with it . Not yet . Saving the Enemy . Pulse l ' Cie are cursed beings who wield supernatural power and whose very existence incites panic and destruction . Hope explodes into a rage upon hearing that Snow plans to rescue Serah , now a l ' Cie herself . Even if she is Snow ' s fiancée , nothing good can come of helping a sworn enemy of Cocoon . The situation only serves to magnify Hope ' s hatred of the man he holds responsible for his mother ' s death . Shaking with fury , he is unable to form the words he so desperately wants to say . Oblivious to Hope ' s anger and worried for their safety , Snow decides to bring Hope and Vanille along on his mission . Meanwhile , Sazh explains the cruel fate of a person cursed as a l ' Cie . L ' Cie are bound in eternal service to a fal ' Cie , and failure to carry out a focus results in a transformation into a mindless abomination — a Cie ' th . A person shackled by the l ' Cie curse is beyond salvation . As Sazh comes to this grim conclusion , Lightning angrily compares him to those who insisted on the Purge . She knows full well the doom that awaits a l ' Cie , and will do anything in her power to save her sister from that fate . The Gift of Eternity . A legend on Cocoon states that if l ' Cie complete the Focus given by a fal ' Cie , they turn into crystal and gain eternal life . And just as the legend describes , Serah , Lightning ' s younger sister and fiancée to Snow , glows with an incredible light and turns into crystal . But has she truly gained eternal life ? And what Focus has she completed ? This timeless crystal sleep seems nothing more than another form of death to Lightning , and she turns her feelings of grief and anger upon Snow . Snow , however , refuses to give up hope of a future where Serah will return to him . Just then , the Sanctum army begins its assault on the Vestige . Though it may mean sharing the Vestige ' s imminent destruction , the group heads ever deeper into the complex . Snow seeks to persuade the fal ' Cie to release his fiancée , while Lightning and Sazh have other plans in mind . . . Pulsian Menace . Snow pleads with the Pulse fal ' Cie . He offers himself in Serah ' s place if it will release her from her fate . The fal ' Cie remains silent . Seeing Snow ' s desperate pleas go unanswered , Lightning and Sazh draw weapons on the lowerworld being . Even if the fal ' Cie will soon be destroyed along with the entire Vestige , they have reasons to defeat it with their own hands . They work together to bring down the fal ' Cie , and the Vestige now plummets towards the lake below . A final wave of power explodes from the dying fal ' Cie , transforming the water and surrounding area into solid crystal . Lightning and the others do not witness this breathtaking event — upon defeating the fal ' Cie , they are drawn through a rift into a dimension where an immense , otherworldly presence awaits . Onto their bodies , it sears cursed brands ; onto their minds , the vision of a beast destroying Cocoon . Swept along by unimaginable energies , the helpless companions are swallowed in a lightless void . As Snow drifts in the darkness , one memory fights to the surface of his consciousness . . . Bound in Darkness . Lightning feels nothing but anger towards the Pulse fal ' Cie . It had taken Serah and cursed her with a l ' Cie ' s doomed existence . It is the underlying reason for the Purge . And it is an enemy to be cut down if she is to fulfill Serah ' s final request : to save Cocoon . Lightning ' s aggression provokes the fal ' Cie into action , and it attacks her . Sazh draws his guns with grim resolve , and Snow joins the battle without hesitation . As they deal the killing blow to the master of the Vestige , a flash of light rends the air . They are pulled into a swirling void of chaos , where they are bound by an ominous and inexorable entity . Branded with arcane markings , the companions are then assaulted with the vision of a terrible beast tearing Cocoon apart . Soon after , the Vestige finally succumbs to the combined attacks of the Sanctum forces . In the midst of the chaos , a memory surfaces from the depths of Snow ' s fading awareness : a marriage proposal made to his beloved Serah under a night sky lit with the colors of exploding fireworks . Can his wish for a happy future ever be granted now ? Chapter Three . Branded . After being caught in the destruction of the Vestige , the group awakens directly under the Hanging Edge on the expanse of a solidified Lake Bresha . An after - effect of the energies released by the dying fal ' Cie , the waters of the lake are now frozen in crystal splendor . Despite having survived a fall from an incredible height , the companions are unable to appreciate their luck as each one of them now bears a brand of alien design . The mark seared on their bodies signifies their servitude to a fal ' Cie and the ' gift ' of magical power . It is the brand of a cursed l ' Cie . Worse , they must now complete their assigned Focus if they are to avoid becoming monstrous Cie ' th , though none can say for sure what their mission actually entails . Their only clue is the vision they all witnessed of the great beast laying waste to Cocoon . Ragnarok . Though all signs point to a bleak and tragic destiny , Snow alone remains optimistic . Convinced that his Focus is to grant Serah ' s wish and save Cocoon , he sets off full of confidence . A Vision Shared . Now that they are Pulse l ' Cie , Lightning and the others try to figure out what their Focus could be . The only thing they know for certain is that the rampaging beast Ragnarok is somehow involved . Snow is convinced that their Focus is to protect their world by defeating the beast . But one fact contradicts this belief : Pulse l ' Cie are the hated enemies of Cocoon . A Pulse fal ' Cie would never assign such a task to its servants . Lightning is infuriated by Snow ' s refusal to accept this logic . As she sees it , the fal ' Cie not only made them into l ' Cie , it also took her sister from her . The former soldier could never bring herself to meekly follow the orders of such a being , and Snow ' s apparent surrender to its will , however misinterpreted , is more than she can stand . As they trade heated words , Sanctum soldiers surround their location . Arguments will have to wait — for now , they must concentrate on surviving . Partings and Promises . Is she dead or merely sleeping ? Serah , now a silent statue , is trapped in a crystal embrace . Lightning doesn ' t wish to leave her behind , but reluctantly says her farewells . The army is on their trail . If they stop to dig Serah free , their pursuers will certainly catch them . However , Snow is not ready to say good - bye . He elects to stay behind , protect Serah , and somehow fulfill her wish to save Cocoon . Knowing they cannot change his mind , Lightning and the others continue on their way . Hope drags himself away from Snow for what might be the final time — and the chance to say what he is burning to say is lost . Casting the Net . Lightning and the others leave Snow behind with the crystallized Serah . As they continue their flight across the glassy expanse of Lake Bresha , the four companions spy a large contingent of Sanctum soldiers . In order to hunt down and exterminate the Purge fugitives , the government is mobilizing an inordinate number of troops . The excessive reaction is further proof of Cocoon ' s fear and hatred of Pulse . Even those who have barely come into contact with lowerworld elements cannot be permitted to exist . This all - consuming fear of some imagined corruption is the origin of the Purge . The entire population of a town was subjected to the Purge simply for living " near " the uncovered Pulse fal ' Cie . It was Cocoon ' s citizens , in their terror , who allowed such an extreme policy to become a reality — the government simply acted in response to the will of the people . And Eden , the fal ' Cie who guides the Sanctum , gave its tacit consent through silence . Now , after untold bloodshed , a military net is closing around the fleeing l ' Cie , driven by the clamoring of a panicked and angry populace . The Only Way Is Up . Lightning and the others are now cursed l ' Cie . If they don ' t complete the Focus given to them by the fal ' Cie , they are destined to become mindless Cie ' th . But how can they complete a Focus that they don ' t understand ? Their shared vision of the great beast Ragnarok laying waste to their world is their only clue . That , and the fact that Pulse l ' Cie are held to be the mortal enemies of Cocoon . . . Could their Focus really be to orchestrate the destruction of their own home ? Snow doesn ' t think so . He believes their task is to fulfill Serah ' s parting wish by keeping Cocoon safe . After all , wasn ' t she a l ' Cie , just like them ? His shaky logic only serves to infuriate Lightning , who holds him responsible for her sister ' s fate . Their confrontation is cut short by the arrival of their Sanctum pursuers . Having made their escape , Lightning and the others pass through the ruins of a city damaged several centuries ago in the war with Pulse . Amidst the rubble , they happen upon an airship which they board in the hope of finally shaking the relentless army . Snow , meanwhile , remains being with the crystallized Serah . . . The Twin Sisters . There is no doubt in Snow ' s mind . They may be Pulse l ' Cie , but there is no way they can be enemies of Cocoon . Serah ' s last words before she turned to crystal are proof enough for him that their Focus is to defeat Ragnarok and protect their world . Snow stays behind to defend his trapped fiancée after Lightning and the others decide to continue onward . Brought to his knees by wave after wave of PSICOM soldiers during a protracted battle , the desperate young man is suddenly overcome by a strange phenomenon . The Twin Sisters of Shiva , Stiria and Nix , appear before him in a blinding flash of light . They easily dispatch the remaining troops , and then turn on Snow . He manages to defeat the icy Eidolons , but is soon captured by an unfamiliar Sanctum unit . A striking woman accompanies the soldiers — a woman with a l ' Cie brand . Meanwhile , try as they might , Lightning ' s group cannot shake their determined pursuers . Crippled by enemy fire , their airship plummets toward the ground . . . Chapter Four . Nothing but Grief . Their airship damaged during the escape from the army , the l ' Cie are forced to make a crash landing in the Vile Peaks . Accustomed to the rigors of conflict , Lightning immediately sets off to outdistance any pursuit , trailed by Hope . Exhausted and on the brink of despair , Sazh cannot bring himself to follow . He knows the army will never stop chasing them and even if they do somehow evade capture , they face transformation into Cie ' th . How can they complete a Focus they don ' t understand ? Despite the futility of the situation Sazh cannot leave Vanille behind to fend for herself , and he forces his reluctant legs to carry him onward . Far ahead of the others , Lightning recalls a conversation with her old superior , Lieutenant Amodar , in which he had warned her not to get involved with anything connected to the lowerworld . She , of course , subsequently chose not to heed his warning , and after confronting the Pulse fal ' Cie found herself branded a l ' Cie . Now , anger smolders within her . Anger at her transformation into a l ' Cie , anger at being forced to flee like a fugitive , and anger at herself for allowing it all to happen . I Wanna Be Purged . The Sanctum announces the Pulse fal ' Cie and any civilians who may have come into contact with its influence are to be deported to the world below . Knowing that Serah is being held by the offending creature , Lightning reasons that the only way to reach her sister before they are exiled is to board the train and be Purged herself . After coming to this conclusion , she acts without hesitation . She knows the risks , but there are some things you just have to do . . . As Hope listens to Lightning ' s tale , he begins to realize how different they are . He knows he doesn ' t have the strength to charge into certain danger , even if he has no other choice . Unable to keep up with the battle - hardened soldier , Hope falls into despair . Meanwhile , Sazh and Vanille fight their way along a different route . Like Lightning , Sazh had joined the Purge voluntarily , but now he simply acts as fear and despair prompt him , his former resolve seemingly forgotten . Hope and Despair . As a resident of Palumpolum , Hope should never have been a candidate for the Purge . The radical government policy only concerns the inhabitants of the town of Bodhum . Unfortunately for Hope and his mother , the Sanctum announces the Purge on the day they are visiting the coastal community — and the Sanctum soldiers rounding up the deportees make no distinction between locals and visitors . Later , at the Hanging Edge , Hope ' s mother is killed in the violence which erupts when the true nature of the Purge is revealed . This indirectly leads to Hope ' s encounter with the Pulse fal ' Cie , and transformation into a cursed l ' Cie . Now , he rails against his cruel fate . He curses the government that started the Purge , the fal ' Cie who made him a l ' Cie , the army that hunts him like a criminal . . . But most of all , he chokes on the hatred he feels for Snow — the man responsible for dragging his mother into that battle that claimed her life . Sazh wants to help Hope return home to his father . The boy shows little enthusiasm for a family reunion , but Sazh is insistent . He knows how it feels to be a dad . Taking in the Trash . The War of Transgression — the conflict between Pulse and Cocoon . A towering wreck is all that remains of a lowerworld airship shot down during the battle that took place centuries before . . . At that time , forces from Pulse attempted to invade Cocoon only to be repelled by the efforts of the Sanctum fal ' Cie — though not before the invaders had rent a great wound in the floating world ' s shell . Though the Sanctum fal ' Cie subsequently repaired the damage using debris from the surface of their routed enemies ' planet , the psychological wounds inflicted by the conflict are evident even now in the Cocoon citizen ' s unreasoning fear of all things Pulse . And reminders of the lowerworld threat still remain . Mechanical terrors brought in with the debris replace their rusting parts and wander the area , while government troops struggle to contain them . The Pulse fal ' Cie buried in Bodhum may have arrived in the same fashion , sleeping away the years until its eventual discovery . With lowerworld terrors lurking in every shadow , Sazh creeps forward , doing his best to shield Vanille and Hope . . . Fugitives in Futility . Lightning says little of her feelings , but Sazh senses her frustration . Despite braving the dangers of the Purge and the Vestige in an effort to save her sister , Lightning was helpless to prevent Serah ' s transformation into crystal . Now she is forced to flee as a fugitive — a Pulse l ' Cie and hated enemy of Cocoon . And then there is their Focus . If they don ' t complete the task they have yet to figure out , they face transformation into mindless Cie ' th . Should they fulfill their Focus , eternal crystal slumber is the only reward . And should they stop too long to ponder their fate , they risk capture and execution at the hands of the relentless Sanctum army . All roads seem to lead to despair — something Sazh understands only too well . The question is : will Lightning help them find a way out of their hopeless situation ? Unbeknownst to Sazh , the answer has already begun to form in her mind . . . Eden or Bust . Lightning makes a decision . The Pulse fal ' Cie transformed her and Serah into l ' Cie . The Sanctum fal ' Cie , Eden , directs the army hunting her down . Pulse or Sanctum , ' fal ' Cie ' means one thing to Lightning : an enemy responsible for ruining their lives . A clear - cut enemy is something she can deal with . Having a target is something she can understand . The former soldier means to infiltrate the Sanctum capital , and take out the fal ' Cie Eden . She knows her plan is reckless . It could be disastrous for Cocoon , and flies in the face of Serah ' s last wish . It could even end in battle against Snow , who will do anything to save Cocoon . But it is the only path that will satisfy her rage . Sazh and Vanille oppose her idea , but Hope embraces the opportunity . This is his chance to grow stronger and finally confront Snow . Lightning is done running away . Now she runs forward , her mind set on toppling the Sanctum . But even Lightning cannot foresee how this journey will end . . . Thunderous Hooves . Hope makes a choice to fight alongside Lightning , but quickly finds himself exhausted by the pace . Lightning grows ever more agitated . Their enemy is the Sanctum army . She cannot afford to look after the straggling Hope while she faces such a dangerous foe . Losing all patience , Lightning curses his weakness and tries to leave him behind . In that moment , her l ' Cie brand burns with radiant pain . As if to strike down obstacles in Lightning ' s path , the Eidolon Odin appears and attacks the bewildered Hope . Lightning moves without thinking . She blocks the deadly blade aimed at the boy she meant to abandon moments before . Lightning defeats Odin , and brings the entity under her command . Why did the Eidolon appear in the first place ? There is no answer to her question , but one thing is certain : she no longer wishes to leave Hope to survive on his own . Loathing and Fear . Sazh and Vanille decide against joining Lightning in her vendetta against the Sanctum , though doing so leaves them without a road to follow . It seems all they can do is keep running . And then there is Hope to worry about . But he ' ll surely grow tired of the fighting and make his way home — won ' t he ? Sazh also harbors another fear : with the entirety of Cocoon in an uproar over the recent Pulse activity , any incident involving l ' Cie could spark a full - scale panic . After all , not even Sazh can shake his dread of the lowerworld . If Cocoon is to know peace , he argues , l ' Cie like them all need to die . Even as the words pass his lips , he immediately regrets giving voice to such sentiments , suddenly aware of his companion ' s feelings on the matter . But Vanille just smiles bravely , and urges Sazh to keep on moving . They have to stay ahead of the army if they want to survive . Cold , Hard Fact . As Lightning and the others make their way through the Vile Peaks , Snow is escorted aboard the airship " Lindblum " after his capture at Lake Bresha . His captors are members of the Wide - area Response Brigade , otherwise known as the ' Cavalry ' . The Cavalry is not directly involved with the Purge or the tracking down of l ' Cie . Nevertheless , their commander , Brigadier General Raines , calmly explains the reasons behind the Sanctum and PSICOM operations , and their plans to hold a public execution . If the l ' Cie are killed in plain sight of the populace , he asserts , the panic threatening the stability of their society will be defused . Are Raines and the Cavalry also tools of the Sanctum ? And who is the woman who works with them ? Isn ' t she a Pulse l ' Cie and enemy of Cocoon ? Full of questions and unsure of his captor ' s motives , Snow recalls another time when he felt this powerless — a time when one cold fact robbed him of the strength to stand . It was the moment he learned that his beloved Serah was a Pulse l ' Cie . Separate Paths . If l ' Cie were machines , they would seek to complete any Focus without question . But l ' Cie are human . And no human willingly desires the slavery imposed by a fal ' Cie . Sazh and Vanille support each other in their desperate flight . What is their Focus ? They are scared to even contemplate the answer to that question . Snow , by contrast , chooses to pursue his objective without hesitation , not because he wants to obey the fal ' Cie , but because it is Serah ' s wish . He believes without the slightest shred of doubt that his Focus is to protect Cocoon . Lightning and Hope , meanwhile , choose to fight . They turn their anger against an unjust fate and a world hostile to their very existence . On their way to Eden at the very heart of Cocoon , Lightning and Hope prepare to enter a military - controlled zone . . . Chapter Five . A Strategy for Change . Rejecting the fate chosen for her by the fal ' Cie and set on exacting revenge on her cold - blooded government , Lightning enters the Gapra Whitewood along with Hope . It seems they ' ve managed to lose their PSICOM trackers , but the Whitewood is a Sanctum military zone , and their chances of encountering hostile units are high . Yet what choice do they have ? It ' s the only road that leads to the Sanctum capital . Lightning now intends to fight on Hope ' s behalf after Odin ' s appearance forces her to rethink her decision to leave the boy behind . But she isn ' t the only one to have had a change of heart . Having relied on Lightning for protection from the beginning , Hope resolves not to flinch from danger , choosing instead to put himself squarely in the line of fire . Sensing the shift in his attitude , Lightning entrusts the lead to her young companion . Weapon of Choice ? Taking the lead of his own free will , Hope precedes Lightning into the depths of the Gapra Whitewood . He needs to be stronger . Hope joins Lightning in her fight against the Sanctum because he thinks the experience of battle will toughen him up . He cannot show fear . He cannot show weakness . If he does , he ' s afraid Lightning will decide to go on without him again . So , even if it is a lie , he puts on a brave face , and pushes his terror aside . Seeing that he is struggling to control his fear , Lightning gives Hope a knife in an attempt to boost his confidence . The Price of Vanity . A Woodlands Observation Battalion patrol passes by . Strangely enough , the soldiers don ' t appear to be looking for intruders . From her own experience as a soldier , Lightning realizes why : these troops still don ' t know about the l ' Cie fugitives . PSICOM , wishing to cover their failure to exterminate them in the Vile Peaks , is suppressing information . As an elite unit under the direct command of the Sanctum , PSICOM has its reputation to consider . That pride has left a hole in the security net for Lightning and Hope to sneak through . It seems their journey through the Gapra Whitewood will be easier than expected . After all the ill fortune that has befallen them so far , they ' re certainly due some luck . . . No Rules . Thanks to PSICOM ' s reluctance to share intelligence , the security level of the Gapra Whitewood is comparatively low . Now that they have a little space to breathe , Lightning and Hope ponder the fates of their fellow l ' Cie . Sazh and Vanille must still be on the run . And who knows how Snow must be faring ? Out of the blue , Hope asks Lightning why Snow ' s gang calls itself NORA . Though puzzled by his sudden interest , Lightning supplies him with the answer : it ' s an acronym that stands for ' No Obligations , Rules , or Authority . ' They wish to live without restrictions , she explains , though some might argue that what they " really " wish is to live without responsibility . Hope ' s face darkens at this explanation . Spurred on by his agitation , he hurries onwards through the waiting gate . Where ' s an enemy when you need one ? He needs an outlet for the anger that suddenly threatens to consume him . Of Revenge and Regret . Lightning learns the reason for Hope ' s animosity towards Snow : his mother ' s death during the chaos of the Purge . Believing the responsibility to lie with the NORA leader , the grief - stricken boy has been feeding his rage ever since . Hope ' s motivation in joining Lightning in her vendetta is to experience battle and grow strong enough to challenge Snow . The blade in Hope ' s hand shines brightly . Will the gift Lightning gave him to boost his confidence become the instrument of his revenge ? The weapon Hope stares at so intently awakens memories in his companion . On Lightning ' s birthday , Serah confessed to her sister that she had become a Pulse l ' Cie . Not willing to believe the story , Lightning pushed Serah away with disdainful words . By the time she discovered that Serah had been telling the truth , it was too late . . . Now the knife was all she had left of her sister — a birthday gift , and symbol of unbearable regret . Operation Nora . As Hope reaches out a hand to a fallen soldier , Lightning stops him with a harsh reminder : they have chosen the path of war . They will face many soldiers on the way , and it ' s kill or be killed . If you allow yourself to be controlled by compassion , if you allow yourself to falter , then you are lost . Lightning teaches Hope a strategy for removing hesitation : decide upon a goal and shut out everything else . Hope takes these words to heart , and comes up with Operation Nora . Named after his dead mother , it is the means by which he will exact his vengeance upon Snow . Though he knows it won ' t bring his mother back , it ' s nevertheless something he needs to do . Lightning soon realizes her mistake . Her lecture to abandon compassion was intended as a warning against the hesitation she fears will be his undoing , but he has clearly interpreted it as a cue to hurl himself headlong into harm ' s way . Regretting her words , Lightning continues in through the Whitewood . Driving Forces . Hope now concentrates all his efforts on Operation Nora — his plan for taking revenge against Snow . Though she feels responsible for his newly acquired recklessness in battle , Lightning finds herself unable to say anything . She is afraid that if she prevents Hope from fighting , he will lose the drive he needs to keep going , and succumb to despair . Not knowing how to reach Hope , Lightning rescinds her earlier decision and suggests they visit the boy ' s father in Palumpolum . Meanwhile , Snow struggles with his conscience as he prepares to help the Cavalry track down the other Pulse l ' Cie . Snow swore to do whatever it takes to save Cocoon . What has happened to make him act against that promise ? Now clear of the Vile Peaks , Sazh and Vanille approach a stretch of beautiful countryside that promises an easier road to travel . Chapter Six . Sun - dappled Flight . As they flee with no particular destination in mind , Sazh and Vanille spot warships passing overhead . The military craft appear to be flying in the direction of Palumpolum . Lightning and Hope were heading towards that city . . . Could the army have found them ? Though Sazh is worried for his former companions ' safety , he knows that any attempt to rescue them from Sanctum troops would be suicide . Still , they can ' t just walk away — can they ? Sensing Sazh ' s uncertainty , Vanille swiftly agrees that there isn ' t much they can do , and suggests they run . Reasoning that it would be best to put as much distance between themselves and the army as possible , she suggests heading in the opposite direction — towards the city of Nautilus . And so Vanille skips off through the dappled shade of the Sunleth Waterscape , only too eager to put danger behind them once more . A Wish for Daddy . Sazh and Vanille make their way through the Sunleth Waterscape , trying to distance themselves from the Sanctum forces assembling in the city of Palumpolum . Vanille ' s offhand question about family fills Sazh ' s head with memories of his son , Dajh . . . As fireworks illuminated the night sky with brilliant color , Dajh had made a wish out of concern for his dad . Touched by the insight of his little boy , Sazh smiled , pretending to be cheerful — but all the while an unbearable pain gnawed at his soul . This pain plagues him even now . But what is the reason for Sazh ' s misery ? And who is the enigmatic woman with a more than passing interest in the boy and his father ? Father and Son . With a heavy heart , Sazh reveals the fate that has befallen his son , Dajh . When Pulse l ' Cie invaders attacked the fal ' Cie powering the Euride Gorge Energy Plant , it chose the closest human to become its servant and defender : a small boy who had wandered into the facility . Now a Sanctum l ' Cie with the ability to sense the presence of Pulsian energies , Dajh has been held in custody and monitored by government officials ever since . It is thanks to Dajh ' s unique ability that PSICOM was able to discover the Pulse fal ' Cie in Bodhum . However , with his exact Focus yet to be determined , the boy is doomed to become a Cie ' th . This is what prompted Sazh to board the Purge train . Guessing that Dajh ' s Focus might be to destroy the Pulse fal ' Cie , Sazh seized the only means available to him to reach the accursed creature before it could be carried to the world below . If he could slay it somehow , he reasoned , he might just be able to save his son . So , now that the Pulse fal ' Cie is no more , has Dajh gone through the same crystal transformation as Serah ? Or was his Focus not to rid the world of the fal ' Cie , but of the l ' Cie servants it created ? If that is the case , then Sazh and his companions must die to spare Dajh a fate worse than death . Chain of Events . Sazh ' s son , Dajh , was branded a Sanctum l ' Cie when he stumbles into the midst of a Pulse attack on the Euride Gorge Energy Plant . With the help of the l ' Cie powers Dajh gained during the incident , the military discovered the Pulse fal ' Cie in Bodhum , instigating the Purge . In the ensuing violence , Hope lost his mother , and Lightning and Snow witnessed Serah ' s transformation into crystal . The whole series of events that has thrown their lives into chaos and threatens even now to shatter Cocoon ' s peaceful society can be traced back to Euride . Had that incident never occurred , could these tragedies have been avoided ? Who can say ? There is little point lamenting that which cannot be changed . Yet though the past cannot be changed , it " can " be forgotten — for a while , at least — and so Sazh and Vanille make their way to Nautilus , ' City of Dreams , ' as storm clouds gather overhead . Meanwhile , Lightning and Hope enter one of the largest cities on Cocoon — as quite another kind of storm approaches . . . Chapter Seven . The Capital of Commerce . With events spiraling out of control , the Sanctum army mobilizes all of its forces under its command in an attempt to apprehend the Pulse l ' Cie thereby preventing Cocoon from descending into chaos . Prioritizing its mission over its reputation , PSICOM accordingly enlists the aid of the Guardian Corps soldiers . Under the general command of Colonel Rosch , units of troops occupy positions across Palumpolum in anticipation of a l ' Cie attack . Originally planning to take the Eden - bound train from inside the city , Lightning is now having second thoughts . She can ' t help but feel concern when she sees the rage - fueled Hope throwing himself into battle . It doesn ' t help that it was Lightning herself who inadvertently encouraged him to concentrate on his goal of revenge in the first place . And that goal is what drives him now . He must complete Operation Nora , and make Snow and the Sanctum pay for the death of his mother . But who can say how much time remains for a l ' Cie who ignores his Focus ? Ignorant of her worries , Hope leads Lightning to an underground complex that will allow them to sneak past the Guardian Corps troops and into the city . Under Their Noses . Under the command of Colonel Rosch , PSICOM and the Guardian Corps occupy positions across Palumpolum in anticipation of a l ' Cie attack . In order to avoid the increased security , Lightning and Hope travel through an underground complex that reaches far beneath the city . If they can enter the town undetected , they should be able to find a way to reach Eden — the capital that lies at the heart of Cocoon . Hope hurries onwards , eager to continue Operation Nora , and exact revenge on Snow and the Sanctum . Yet l ' Cie who fail to complete their Focus become Cie ' th . It ' s uncertain when the exact moment of transformation will come , but time is not on their side . Even though there may be no light at the end of the tunnel , they have no choice but to keep trudging along in the dark . Hope ' s grim determination is a source of pain for Lightning . Her attempt at giving him a reason to survive has backfired , fanning the flames of his hatred and setting him on the path to a deadly confrontation . He is her responsibility . She has to protect him . No Way to Live . The Sanctum fal ' Cie treat the people of Cocoon like pets . Upon realizing this fact , Lightning comes to understand herself . Since the moment she was born , she was raised under fal ' Cie care . Sheltered and protected , she never realized how much she depended on them . But after becoming a Pulse l ' Cie , she is removed from that protection . And like a child separated from her mother , she wanders in confusion and doubt . Added to the anxiety of being a fugitive , the grief of losing Serah , and her rage at an unjust fate , Lightning finds herself on the brink of blackest despair . It is all so clear now . Thinking of a future without hope would be too much to bear , so she made the Sanctum her enemy and sought to lose herself in mindless combat . But it was all just a way to avoid facing reality . And now she ' s got Hope doing the same . If he loses himself in revenge , he may gain temporary respite from the horror of his predicament — but it will solve nothing . Overcome by guilt , Lightning tells Hope to abandon Operation Nora , much to the boy ' s disbelief . If he gives up on revenge , what else is there to live for ? The two l ' Cie have much to think about . . . The Weight of Vengeance . Lightning knows that Snow is not Hope ' s favorite person . But the only way to ensure the boy ' s escape from the swarm of Sanctum troops is to leave him with the man he despises . Her mind made up , Lightning shoves Hope at Snow , then charges the enemy soldiers , intending to cut a path through which they can escape . She may have failed to give him hope , but the least she can do is keep him alive — even if it means sacrificing herself . After appearing out of nowhere with an Eidolon and felling soldiers left and right , Snow explains how the Cavalry picked him up . The rebel brigade is part of the Sanctum army , but it seems they have plans to topple the government with the help of the l ' Cie . Hope , of course , couldn ' t care less . The man responsible for his mother ' s death stands right in front of him . Operation Nora might be over , but his rage will not be satisfied by mere words . As Hope runs through streets sheathed in Shiva ' s ice , he can feel the shape of the knife Lightning left in his care nestled against his side . . . It ' s Called Interference . Colonel Rosch , PSICOM Director in command of l ' Cie operations , decides to escalate the military presence in Palumpolum . Authorizing open warfare in the streets while civilians are still being evacuated is inviting disaster , but he is willing to make that sacrifice . If the l ' Cie are not put down here and now , the Pulse - phobic populace will reach boiling point : Cocoon ' s towns will erupt in riots , and the loss of life will be staggering . Meanwhile , the l ' Cie — who are currently split into two groups — choose Hope ' s house as a rendezvous point . But will they all make it ? Every word that the oblivious Snow says feeds the flames of Hope ' s anger . Has Snow forgotten what he ' s done ? Has he " forgotten " how he got Hope ' s mother killed ? Hope ' s patience has finally run out . During a radio conversation with Lightning , he states his intention to carry out Operation Nora . . . and take his revenge . With that , the line goes dead . Lightning tries to reason with Hope , but her desperate plea never reaches him . The Pulse L ' Cie . The hellish lowerworld feared by every citizen of Cocoon is known to Fang as Gran Pulse . On the way to Hope ' s home , she begins relating her past in response to Lightning ' s probing . Fang reveals that she is a l ' Cie from Gran Pulse — the world below the floating shell of Cocoon . After completing a Focus , she had turned to crystal . When she awoke , Fang found herself very far from home in the nest of her enemies . And she was not alone — Vanille , a fellow Gran Pulse l ' Cie , was with her . Meanwhile , in another part of the city , Snow and Hope spy a group of Palumpolum civilians being herded by Sanctum troops . The government means to Purge them too . . . Thinking to rescue the people from their fate , Snow leaps into action , ever the cheerful hero — but this serves only to further agitate Hope . What does a l ' Cie with no hope for the future have to smile about ? Shaking his head in disgust , Hope awaits his opportunity to take his revenge . Mob Injustice . Snow has seen the merciless nature of the Sanctum army . The military ' s goal is not the protection of civilians — it is the extermination of l ' Cie . As long as the Pulse servants are killed , the number of innocent deaths is inconsequential . Snow threatens the citizens , hoping to make them run as far away as possible , and thus protect them from ending their days as ' collateral damage . ' But his good intentions are misunderstood . An angry mob tracks down the two l ' Cie , and advances on them with a mix of trepidation and determination . They believe they are doing the right thing — that they are standing up in defense of their homes . The scene reminds Hope just how much everyone on Cocoon hates l ' Cie . Hates " him " . Coming face - to - face with this cruel reality , Hope falls ever deeper into despair . Even if he makes it back to his home in Felix Heights , there is no salvation waiting for him there . His mother , Nora , is no longer around to shield him from the dangers of the world . Snow saw to that . Over the Edge . Hope finally unleashes the anger he has been feeding for so long . Channeling his hate into deadly power , he blasts Snow with fiery magic . But just as he prepares to deal the killing blow , he is hurled from the roof of the building they are standing on by a nearby explosion . Snow doesn ' t hesitate for a second . He hasn ' t forgotten the dying wish of a mother who fell during the violence of the Purge . Catching the boy he now knows is her son , Snow shields Hope with his own body as they crash to the ground below . Elsewhere , Lightning listens as Fang makes a confession . . . When Fang and Vanille awoke from crystal stasis , they had no memory of their past . Thinking it might give them a hint about their Focus , they decided to attack the Sanctum fal ' Cie in Euride Gorge . Unfortunately , Fang left the scene none the wiser , and is still desperately trying to figure out their task in order to prevent Vanille from becoming a Cie ' th — and to stop the creation of any more l ' Cie . The Gran Pulse native then reveals that she believes Serah was chosen by the fal ' Cie to carry out the Focus they no longer remember . Lightning takes the news with mixed emotions . Fang deserves to pay for what happened to Serah . But at the same time , she gives Lightning hope — her sister may not be a crystal forever . Until She Wakes . Just as the citizens of Lightning ' s world fear the lowerworld of Pulse , the people of ' Gran ' Pulse — as Fang calls her home — fear the floating nest of vipers that is Cocoon . It would seem that the two women are not so different . They each grew up in fear of another world , bear the mark of a Pulse l ' Cie , have a Focus they don ' t understand , and live as fugitives from the Sanctum . But unlike Lightning , Fang has not given up hope . She still plans to track down Vanille , finish their Focus , and then get back to Gran Pulse . Hearing this , Lightning laments the fact that she has no plan and no reason to keep fighting . Fang responds that she has all the reason anyone could need ; to stay alive until Serah wakes up from her crystal sleep . As Lightning comes around to this idea , there is an explosion in the distance . Could Snow and Hope be in trouble ? Trading worried glances , the two l ' Cie race off in the direction of the fighting . Sustained by Hate . Hope regains consciousness to find himself being carried on Snow ' s broad back . The self - styled ' hero ' staggers under the boy ' s weight as he forces his wounded body forward . Pausing to rest , he talks about the anguish and guilt he hides behind a cheerful mask — before returning the knife to Hope ' s hand . The NORA leader is defenseless . With one thrust , Hope can finally claim vengeance for his mother ' s death . This is the moment the boy has fought for . His chance for revenge . But Hope hesitates and then the moment is gone . Hope reveals that he always knew killing Snow wouldn ' t bring his mother back , but he had no choice but to cling to that goal . He didn ' t survive this long to see revenge — he saw revenge as a means to survive . It is his hatred of Snow that has sustained him through countless battles . In a strange way , the man who made a promise to his mother has been protecting him all along . When he is later reunited with Lightning , Hope tells her that Operation Nora is over , and gives her back her knife . He doesn ' t need it anymore . Having avoided further military pursuit , the group finally arrives at the Estheim household , where Hope breaks the terrible news to his anxious father . . . Healing the Rifts . The knife Serah gave her on her birthday has become a symbol of regret for Lightning . Because she refused to believe her sister ' s story that day , Serah ended up a prisoner of the Pulse fal ' Cie , and Lightning herself became a l ' Cie when she later tried to save her . Since then , the former soldier has sought out battle to avoid dealing with the guilt she feels for turning her sister away . Now , however , Lightning finally faces the truth of her emotions , and accepts responsibility for her part in what happened . She meekly apologizes to the injured Snow — the man who always believed in Serah , and protected Hope from harm . The rifts between the l ' Cie are healing , but the reality of the situation is still grim . When Snow talks about taking down the Sanctum , Hope ' s father , Bartholomew , points out the flaws in their plan . If the government is toppled by l ' Cie , how will the people react ? Will they not see their worst fears realized , take up arms , and hasten the very cataclysm they wish to avoid ? As the l ' Cie ponder their strategy , PSICOM commandos bursts into the house . Hope stands against the soldiers , while the wounded Snow takes care of his father . Here Comes the Cavalry . Colonel Rosch , Director of PSICOM , explains the necessity of his actions to the l ' Cie , declaring that the Sanctum ' s — and the fal ' Cie ' s decision to order the Purge was anything but arbitrary . Had they not initiated such measures , he contends , and ignored the cries of the people , Cocoon ' s panicked society would have torn itself apart . If Rosch speaks the truth , then the l ' Cie ' s enemy is not the government , but millions of Cocoon civilians . Yet even if this is so , they must somehow find a way to survive . Overcoming his desire for revenge , Hope sets out in search of a new goal . Somewhere beyond the maelstrom of hatred and the grasping will of the fal ' Cie is the future they search for . Hope bids farewell to his father , and boards the Cavalry airship . Elsewhere , Sazh and Vanille are still on the run . The two fugitives wander aimlessly , riding the currents of fate to the doorstep of the City of Dreams . . . Chapter Eight . The City of Dreams . Nautilus , the City of Dreams — the biggest theme park on Cocoon — is crowded with tourists . If Sazh and Vanille can lose themselves in the crowd of people , the army will never find them . Even so , Sazh finds it hard to feel relieved . His son , Dajh , has been made into a l ' Cie after wandering into an incident at Euride Gorge . But unlike his father , he is now a servant of the Sanctum fal ' Cie and an enemy of Pulse . As he is locked away under the watchful eye of PSICOM , Sazh has no way of knowing how his son is doing . If Dajh ' s Focus is to destroy the Pulse fal ' Cie in the Bodhum Vestige , the he should already have turned into crystal . . . But what if his Focus was to kill the Pulse l ' Cie ? Sazh and his companions would have to die to save Dajh from becoming a Cie ' th . But one other thing is gnawing at his mind : after telling Vanille about his son ' s situation , the ever - cheerful girl has completely lost her spark . Making the Most of It . A newsflash is broadcast throughout Nautilus . During the scenes of combat shown from Palumpolum , Vanille catches a glimpse of Fang . Although it ' s the first she ' s seen of her friend since they were separated at Euride Gorge , Vanille finds it hard to give into her joy . Not after what Sazh has said about his son . Dajh is now a Sanctum l ' Cie — a sworn enemy of his father . And she is directly responsible . If Fang and Vanille hadn ' t attacked the fal ' Cie at the energy plant , the creature would never have chosen the nearby Dajh as a l ' Cie . The young woman is overwhelmed by guilt . Ignorant of Vanille ' s involvement , Sazh attempts to cheer her up , but his misplaced kindness only makes her feel worse . The parade is about to begin . For now , she will lose herself in its dream , knowing that when it is over , the suffering she has been running from will finally catch up with her . Eidolons on Parade . The Pompa Sancta parade is a spectacle of light and sound that commemorates the war between Cocoon and Pulse . An embodiment of evil , the Pulse l ' Cie appears with plans for the total destruction of Cocoon . Hard - pressed by a Sanctum l ' Cie , the lowerworld servant takes the form of an infernal beast — a shape meant to resemble the monstrous Ragnarok . The final battle ensues , and the Pulse l ' Cie is defeated . It could almost be a foreshadowing of how events may truly unfold . . . While other onlookers are transported by a dream of the past , Vanille is yanked into the present by a nightmarish vision of the future . The two l ' Cie hurry away in the direction of Nautilus Park . No Place Left to Run . Tired of fleeing with no hope in sight , Sazh quietly says his good - byes to Vanille . He intends to give himself up to the army and beg PSICOM to let him talk to his son . Even if it ends in his execution , it will all be worth it if he can see Dajh one more time and tell him about his encounter with the Nautilus Park chocobos . Not willing to let Sazh just give up and die , Vanille tries to talk him out of it . Revenge is her best bet . If she reveals the identity of the culprit behind the Euride Gorge incident that sealed the fate of both father and son , then maybe Sazh will have something to live for . The culprit , of course , is Vanille herself . But how to explain . . . ? As the young woman searches for the right words , sniper bullets bite into the ground around them . Sazh covers Vanille as they run for the exit . It ' s all fine if he gets captured by the army , but he has to help Vanille escape . The Euride Incident . Upon becoming a Sanctum l ' Cie , Dajh gained the ability to sense the presence of Pulse beings . With the help of his powers , the fal ' Cie that had slumbered for centuries in Bodhum was subsequently discovered on the night of the fireworks display . Since that time , no one has been able to work out what Dajh ' s Focus actually is , but now it reveals itself in the cruelest manner possible . He uses his sensory ability to track down the fugitive l ' Cie — and turns to crystal the instant he embraces his father . It seems the boy ' s task was to capture the servants of the lowerworld fal ' Cie . As Sazh collapses in shock and despair , Colonel Nabaat , the PSICOM officer supervising Dajh , appears before him . With sadistic glee , his captor at last reveals the truth to the distraught Sazh : that one of the people responsible for his son becoming a l ' Cie has been at his side all along . Vanille flees and Sazh gives chase . Colonel Nabaat does nothing to stop them . Just think of the data they could collect by watching l ' Cie fight each other . . . Sugar and Rainbows . Sazh loses his will to go on . With his beloved son transformed into crystal , he has nothing left to live for . He curses Vanille for her part in the tragedy , but killing her won ' t bring Dajh back . Sazh ' s brand suddenly glows with burning intensity , and the Eidolon Brynhildr appears before the despairing father . He doesn ' t even try to run . Maybe death is the easiest path . But then Vanille puts herself between them . Sazh may despise her for what she ' s done , but she can ' t let him die . Once the Eidolon is defeated , Sazh turns his gun on Vanille . Unable to shoot the young woman , he then turns the gun on himself . . . Soon after , Vanille becomes a prisoner of PSICOM . She faces transportation to Eden and public execution — the Sanctum ' s chosen doom for Pulse l ' Cie . Watching the news broadcast onboard the " Lindblum " , the Cavalry ' s flagship , Lightning and the other l ' Cie learn of the impending execution . . . Chapter Nine . The Sanctum Skyfleet . The Sanctum plans to transport its l ' Cie prisoners to Eden , then carry out their execution before a public audience . Brigadier General Raines , the Cavalry commander , suggests that by showing the deaths of the Pulse ' monsters , ' the Sanctum fal ' Cie hope to quell rising panic and reaffirm their dominion over society . Lightning and the others can ' t stand by and let their companions be sacrifice to ensure fal ' Cie subjugation . Deciding to mount a rescue , they plan to use a PSICOM craft to slip aboard the " Palamecia " , flagship of the Sanctum Skyfleet and prison vessel for the captured l ' Cie . Galenth Dysley , Primarch and representative of the people , is also on board . His presence almost certainly signifies a trap , but what other choice do they have ? The " Palamecia " . The ease with which the l ' Cie slip aboard the " Palamecia " is , as they had anticipated , simply a part of the plan to lure them into a trap . They make it onto the Skyfleet flagship with the help of the Cavalry , only to be greeted by a squad of PSICOM soldiers as soon as their feet hit the deck . The l ' Cie do not back down . This is more than just a rescue attempt — it is a battle that could affect the future of Cocoon . The Primarch heads the forces aboard the " Palamecia " . If they can capture Dysley and force him to reveal the fal ' Cie ' s schemes , it may be enough to liberate Cocoon from the Sanctum ' s tyranny and free the hearts and minds of her people . If they can prove how the government has manipulated its citizens into hating Pulse , and change the way people feel , then maybe the l ' Cie can find a place in Cocoon ' s society — and some hope for the future . Time to Split . Despite being driven to the brink of suicide by the sight of his son turning into crystal , Sazh is still alive . Having been captured by Colonel Nabaat in Nautilus , he and Vanille are now on their way to Eden to be executed . The only reason they still live is so they can be murdered in front of an audience . When Sazh learned that Vanille was the one responsible for his grief , he was consumed with rage . Now , he listens calmly to her tale : Once a l ' Cie who fought in the war against Cocoon , Vanille spent centuries in crystal stasis . When she finally awoke , she found that her companion , Fang , had lost all memory of their previous Focus . Afraid that their new charge would culminate in another horrific battle , Vanille chose to feign memory loss in an attempt to flee from her destiny — a decision which has led to untold tragedy . Somewhat ironically , hearing Vanille ' s melancholy tale sparks a flicker of hope in Sazh . If Vanille can emerge from crystal stasis , then maybe Dajh can too . Stirred from his despondency by this thought , Sazh helps Vanille to overpower the cell guards and the pair begin their escape . But this time , they ' re not running away from their fate — they ' re taking charge of it . Meanwhile , elsewhere on the ship , the other l ' Cie battle through waves of enemy soldiers in an attempt to rescue their friends . Luck Be a Lady . Colonel Jihl Nabaat is growing frantic . All her carefully laid plans and contingencies are crumbling around her as the seemingly unstoppable l ' Cie rampage through the ship . To make matters worse , the airship ' s main reactor has suddenly shut down . Jihl has yet to grasp what is behind the loss of power . . . Sazh and Vanille are able to retrieve their equipment soon after escaping confinement . At the same time , their companions make good progress as routes open up across the ship . And the sudden engine failure has quieted the wind howling across the deck . As if guided by fate , the l ' Cie are reunited — and their success gives them renewed vigor to attempt the impossible . And now , at last , they know what they have to do . They will topple the Sanctum , overturn fal ' Cie rule , and put the fate of Cocoon in the hands of the people . If they can just make it to the bridge of the " Palamecia " , they ' ll show the Primarch what l ' Cie are really capable of . . . A Focus Revealed . To the amazement of the l ' Cie , the Primarch reveals himself to be a fal ' Cie whose true name is Barthandelus . Showing nothing but contempt for his human tools , he proceeds to casually slaughter Colonel Nabaat and her subordinates . Barthandelus then shrugs off the l ' Cie ' s attacks , and , with mocking laughter , declares his intention to ' enlighten ' them . In order to fulfill the Focus given to them by the Pulse fal ' Cie , he states , one of the l ' Cie must become Ragnarok , and bring about the end of Cocoon . Serah ' s task was simply to assemble the tools to achieve this end — to bring Snow and the others into contact with the lowerworld being . Her wish that they protect Cocoon was just that — a wish . It had nothing to do with her , or their Focus . Confounded by the naked truth , the dumbstruck l ' Cie flee the plummeting " Palamecia " on an airship provided by Barthandelus . Their craft is guided by an unseen power that protects them from Colonel Rosch ' s onslaught and flies them towards the ' reality ' hidden beneath the capital of Cocoon . . . Chapter Ten . What Fal ' Cie Want . Shortly after their reunion , the l ' Cie ' s newfound conviction is shaken by the fal ' Cie masquerading as a human Primarch . If what Barthandelus says is true , then their Focus really is the destruction of Cocoon . One of them must become the beast from their vision , and doom the floating world to annihilation by killing the entity that keeps it aloft — the being known as Orphan . But does Barthandelus desire the destruction of his own world ? Why else would he explain their Focus in such detail ? The l ' Cie cannot fathom his true intent , but there is no denying that a power beyond their understanding prevented their demise . Their airship flew with a mind of its own , evading Rosch ' s attacks , and bringing them to this place — a sprawling relic of Pulse architecture nestled right beneath Eden , the capital city of Cocoon . Each of them feels lost and confused , but Snow , in particular , seems to have been hit hard . Believing Serah ' s wish to be his Focus is what kept him moving forward all this time . Now that he has learned that she , too , was an enemy of Cocoon , the very foundation of his belief has fallen into ruin . . . The Power Within . Fang and Vanille remember a legend from their homeland — a legend about the Arks . Arks are supposedly huge armories filled with living weapons , their occupants kept in stasis for the day war comes to Gran Pulse . But why is one of them on Cocoon ? It was probably transported in the same manner as the Vestige in Bodhum , but if it became known that such a facility existed so close to Eden , even the massed ranks of the entire Sanctum army would be powerless to stem the resulting tide of panic . Could it be that the government has been kept ignorant of the Ark ' s existence in the event that such a crisis be required ? The Arks are also known as training grounds for l ' Cie . As their brands burn with the awakening of new powers , the companions begin to understand Barthandelus ' s intention in sending them to this place . The fal ' Cie posing as the Primarch really does wish the l ' Cie to complete their Focus and bring an end to Cocoon . Why else give them this opportunity to hone their skills ? The Dreams of Man . While exploring the Ark , the l ' Cie meet Cid Raines , who reveals the horrendous truth of the fal ' Cie ' s agenda : The divinity responsible for creating both fal ' Cie and humans — known only as the ' Maker ' — departed long ago , leaving the world to fall into ruin . To save it , the Maker must return , but to call back the Maker , millions of lives — no less than the entire population of Cocoon — must be sacrificed . Thus the Sanctum fal ' Cie carefully nurture the people within their floating shell in preparation for this bloody tribute . Yet , unable to unmake that which they themselves have made , the fal ' Cie have long sought suitable tools to carry out Cocoon ' s destruction . The Pulse l ' Cie , in short , have been surreptitiously watched and protected so that they might gain the strength necessary to complete their terrible Focus . . . Raines , the bearer of this awful truth , reveals himself to be a l ' Cie under the control of Barthandelus . So far , he has guided Lightning and her friends as his Focus required , but now he chooses to exercise his final shred of free will in an act of rebellion against the fal ' Cie — if he can kill the Pulse l ' Cie , then Cocoon will escape destruction . His last wish as a human is to fight for the survival of his world . Even in defeat , he turns to crystal , and gains his eternal reward . On Wings of Misery . Seeing Raines turn to crystal , not as a consequence of completing his Focus as a l ' Cie , but from fulfilling his wish as a human , has lifted Snow out of his uncharacteristic despair . It seems that it doesn ' t matter what his Focus is . All he needs to do is remember Serah ' s words , and fight to protect Cocoon just as he originally intended . And ultimately , if ignoring his task were to turn him into a Cie ' th , wouldn ' t that still be better than ignoring his fiancée ' s wish and destroying the world ? Snow decides to spend whatever time he has left in a way that would make Serah proud . Though the others warm to his idea , Fang stands apart . She ' ll never let herself , let alone her friends , turn Cie ' th . Even if it means tearing Cocoon out of the sky , she ' ll complete their Focus to save them from that fate . Her spirit in turmoil , Fang feels her inert brand blaze to life , and looks on in stunned amazement as the Eidolon Bahamut is summoned from the skies . Eidolons ' save ' l ' Cie who waver in their conviction by ending their indecision with death . Realizing that Bahamut is a danger to all of them , Fang is forced to rethink her path . Unable to stand by and see her friends hurt , she helps them to defeat the Eidolon and finds a new road has opened up before them . Terra Incognita . The fal ' Cie hope to restore their world with the help of the Maker , but calling back the lost divinity requires the energy generated by the deaths of millions of people . Now , the beings who built Cocoon as a place to nurture their ' tribute ' seek to manipulate Pulse l ' Cie in the final stages of their grand scheme . Lightning and her friends have been monitored and assisted by the fal ' Cie from the very beginning . Even their clashes with the military have been carefully orchestrated to ensure their survival . Countless Sanctum soldiers , unaware of the callous fal ' Cie ' s true objectives , have been thrown into the jaws of the l ' Cie in an effort to nurture ever - stronger beasts . Knowing this , there is no clear path for the l ' Cie to take . Ignore their Focus and become Cie ' th , or give in to the fal ' Cie and condemn millions to death . Their only hope is to trust their own strength of will . They have to follow Raines ' s noble example — and Serah ' s parting wish — by going through with their plan to protect Cocoon . More determined than ever after the battle with Bahamut , the l ' Cie begin their journey to the untamed world of Gran Pulse . Chapter Eleven . A Fruitless Search . The l ' Cie scour Gran Pulse for some way to overcome their Focus , but even after days of searching the bleak terrain , they discover nothing but crumbling ruins and vicious wildlife . No matter how far they range , there is not another soul to be found . Did the people of Gran Pulse fall victim to the brutal struggle for survival that dominates every aspect of this unforgiving world ? And is the rebirth of this same desolate land the purpose behind the Cocoon fal ' Cie ' s plan to slaughter millions of people ? As time passes and their fruitless expedition drags on , the l ' Cie slowly succumb to frustration and despair — their most dangerous enemies . Emotional extremes can accelerate the progress of a l ' Cie brand . If a brand evolves to the final stage , it triggers the transformation into a Cie ' th . They are all reminded of how little time remains when Hope ' s brand suddenly advances another step . A Man ' s Hope Is His Castle . Eidolons come to grant a despairing l ' Cie the death they crave — or so it is believed . But when the Eidolon Alexander is summoned by Hope ' s confused anguish , Lightning sees a different reason behind the entity ' s appearance . She comes to believe that the Eidolons appear in order to prevent l ' Cie from giving up on themselves . When l ' Cie consumed by despair or rage , are close to losing their path , an Eidolon appears and gives them a life - or - death trial to overcome — thereby forcing them to rethink their decision to surrender . Through his battle with Alexander , Hope renews his determination to survive and rejoins the others as they set off to the north . That way lies the village of Oerba . If they can reach Fang and Vanille ' s hometown , then maybe they can learn the true story behind the War of Transgression , and find a clue to help them break the shackles of their Focus . The l ' Cie continue their journey , each playing their part to keep this tiny flame of hope alive . Helping Hands . If they choose not to kill Orphan and bring about Cocoon ' s destruction , Lightning and her companions will transform into Cie ' th . But if they do carry out their Focus , their actions will doom the lives of millions of people . In search of a way to escape this impossible choice , the l ' Cie travel towards the village of Oerba in the north of Gran Pulse . On the endless plains they see beasts and birds aplenty , but not a single person . Could the ruin of this world ' s civilization have been caused by the War of Transgression , centuries before ? Here , where it all began , Fang finally uncovers the truth that Vanille has so desperately tried to conceal . The l ' Cie who became Ragnarok and attacked Cocoon during the war was not her cheerful friend but Fang herself . Not wanting Fang to bear the guilt of the beast ' s bloody rampage , Vanille chose to take the blame in her stead . As if to reprimand her for twisting the truth , the Eidolon Hecatoncheir rises from the earth even as the two friends argue . No matter how painful it may be , l ' Cie cannot run from reality forever . Speaking with Serah . When Vanille awoke from crystal stasis , she sought to deny her Focus — Cocoon ' s doom — by lying that she , like Fang , had lost her memory . But instead of preventing a catastrophe , she only spurred her friend into reckless action . Desperate to prevent Vanille from becoming a Cie ' th , Fang suggested they attack a Sanctum fal ' Cie to kick - start their memories , and the tragic incident at Euride Gorge was the result . Separated from her friend after their escape , Vanille drifted aimlessly until she happened upon Serah . Though Snow ' s fiancée thought the meeting was their first , Vanille knew exactly who Serah was . She was the girl who had wandered into the Bodhum Vestige only to be turned into a l ' Cie — a replacement for the Gran Pulsians who had seemingly abandoned their Focus . Feeling crushed by guilt and cruel fate , Vanille would have given up there and then had it not been for Serah ' s advice that if things seem too much to deal with , you should face them later . If you can just survive , there ' s always hope that you can overcome your problems . That hope is what has kept Vanille going until now . When she describes this touching interlude to Snow , the kind - hearted hero renews his promise to fulfill his beloved Serah ' s wish . And Lightning , her anger now a distant memory , means to help him to do it . Dust to Dust . The home that Fang and Vanille remember is a beautiful place surrounded by flowers and nature . But the Oerba that greets them after their long , perilous journey is a wasteland , covered in a layer of fine crystal dust . The hope they had been seeking vanishes like a desert mirage . Though they have turned their backs on their genocidal Focus , the l ' Cie ' s brands have not stopped advancing , and each passing second brings them closer to the moment of monstrous transformation . Oerba , their last refuge of hope , is a hollow shell , devoid of life . But they must continue on . They must follow the road to its inevitable conclusion . Their Own Worst Enemy . Callous and calculating , the fal ' Cie manipulate their human tools via their emotions . Taking Serah ' s form to catch the l ' Cie off - balance , Barthandelus predicts the imminent destruction of Cocoon . He has revived Raines , now a compliant puppet , and instated him as the Sanctum ' s new Primarch - a ploy designed to provoke the Cavalry revolutionaries into overthrowing the government in outrage at their former leader ' s betrayal . The gloating fal ' Cie also means to play on the Pulse - phobia of the populace to turn neighbor against neighbor , transforming Cocoon ' s streets into a bloodbath . Worse , Barthandelus then describes how the Cavalry , unnoticed amid the chaos , will infiltrate Eden and fall upon Orphan , not understanding their actions will bring their world crashing down . To prevent this disaster , the l ' Cie must return to Cocoon - but isn ' t that what Barthandelus wanted all along ? The fal ' Cie could be manipulating them again - attempting to draw them into a situation where they have no choice but to become Ragnarok and slay Orphan . Leaving them yet another airship , Barthandelus vanishes once again . The choice to return to Cocoon and play a part in her destiny lies firmly in the hands of the l ' Cie . The Road Home . Fang and Vanille visit their home in Oerba for the first time in centuries , seeking a way to free themselves from their l ' Cie curse . But what they find is a broken and empty shell of a town , half - buried in a sea of crystal dust . Meanwhile , Cocoon , the home of their fellow l ' Cie , is poised to join the village in oblivion . There , the people stand ready to slaughter each other , their minds twisted by fal ' Cie illusions . The l ' Cie have no choice but to return and prevent the impending devastation . Even if every man , woman and child on the floating world regards them as mortal enemies , it is still their home . But the shackles of the fal ' Cie bind their fates . . . With their Focus haunting their every step , the very act of setting foot on Cocoon might invite disaster . Yet return they must . There is a war to stop , and fal ' Cie rule to overthrow . In this darkest hour , they must hold fast to hope if they are to protect Cocoon . The time for appealing to long - departed deities , lost loved ones , or lights in the sky is past . As the l ' Cie fly towards their final destiny , they make the only choice that remains to them - a promise to be true to themselves . Chapter Twelve . Start Your Engines . Lightning and her friends return to Cocoon only to be greeted by the sudden appearance of an army of mechanical monsters and gigantic beasts . The fal ' Cie have activated the Ark hidden beneath the capital , releasing an army of Pulsian terrors into the city . With the army in panicked disarray , the Cavalry seizes its chance . Captain Rygdea leads his troops in an assault on the Sanctum offices , and confronts the new Primarch - his former superior and comrade in arms , Cid Raines . Raines calmly welcomes his own demise . Revived to serve as Barthandelus ' s pawn , he nevertheless retains a sliver of the will he possessed as a human . And it is humans who must decide Cocoon ' s future - not fal ' Cie slaves . The Cavalry presses on with its plans to slay Orphan , unaware that this effort to save the world will only lead to total destruction . Barthandelus has twisted the Cavalry ' s desire for freedom to meet his own design . The l ' Cie must stop the Cavalry from reaching the heart of Eden before it is too late . Eden Under Siege . The creatures once held in stasis within the Ark are now rampaging through the streets of Eden , but this merely marks the beginning of Cocoon ' s collapse into chaos . Once news of the ' Pulse invasion ' spreads to a populace already in the grip of panic , the people will be whipped into a frenzy of terror - and the ensuing orgy of violence will tear society apart . Yet Cocoon may not survive long enough for that to happen . Even now , the members of the Cavalry charge into the heart of the capital , unwittingly seeking to extinguish the source of power that keeps Cocoon afloat : Orphan . Their idealism is being used against them . Their quest for liberation is just another cog in Barthandelus ' s scheme to call back the Maker . He will see the world shattered , and offer the lives of its inhabitants in sacrifice . Fearing they may already be too late , the l ' Cie rush after the Cavalry , through a city engulfed in the flames of war . A Common Goal . No human wishes to see the world destroyed . The l ' Cie , the Cavalry , and even the solders of the Sanctum army are all fighting to keep Cocoon safe from harm . But despite their common goal , they have been forced into conflict by the machinations of the fal ' Cie . It is the great error of these ' higher beings ' to view humans as mere tools - yet humans are guilty of a similar crime . Indeed , it is men like PSICOM ' s Colonel Rosch , and their outright refusal to believe l ' Cie can be anything but tools , that now prevents an alliance which could save mankind . The l ' Cie know that the only way to foil Barthandelus ' s plan is to protect Orphan . Yet both the Cavalry and Colonel Rosch threaten to thwart them , firmly believing that they alone represent Cocoon ' s only hope of salvation . If Lightning and the others cannot convince them of the truth , is bloodshed then the only option ? Suddenly , the NORA crew arrive to lend a hand , and Snow is relieved to find that , in spite of his transformation into a l ' Cie , his old friends treat him just as they always had . Their acceptance as much as their assistance gives the l ' Cie new hope . There is still a chance to end this conflict , and save the people from themselves . Misjudged Benevolence . When the blinding flash of light fades , where there were soldiers now stand mindless Cie ' th . With no Focus to complete , their souls are stripped from them at the instant of their transformation . Thus do the fal ' Cie dispose of humans whose usefulness has ended . Rosch , the sole survivor , defends the Sanctum army and their obedience to fal ' Cie law . Even though he harbors doubts as to the fal ' Cie ' s true intentions , the peace and harmony of Cocoon cannot be upheld without them . It is his desire to protect the stability of society that allows him to commit atrocities such as the Purge . The end justifies the means . Realizing his error in judgment , the PSICOM director still cannot change what is done . The only remaining path is to live his final moments as he has tried to live his life - in the service of Cocoon . The conflict among the people is coming to an end , but the danger to Cocoon is not over . Not until Barthandelus and his schemes are defeated . Chapter Thirteen . The Cradle Will Fall . The Cavalry soldiers set on overthrowing fal ' Cie rule now wander the halls of the Sanctum as monstrous Cie ' th . Barthandelus never intended for them to reach Orphan . It was merely a ruse to spur the reluctant l ' Cie into action . Though the companions refuse to complete their Focus , he no longer needs to manipulate their minds . All that remains is to crush any hope they have for their future . When that hope turns to despair , one of them , consumed by anger and regret , will transform into Ragnarok . And the beast - an unstoppable incarnation of wrath - will slay Orphan . Cocoon will shatter , and the energy released by the deaths of millions will summon the Maker . A new dawn approaches . . . It is for this day that Barthandelus built Cocoon , tended to its people , and watched over the servants of the Pulse fal ' Cie . He gives one final order to the fal ' Cie Eden : guide the steps of the cursed l ' Cie . Bring them to the one who dreams of death . Bring them to Orphan ' s Cradle . Two Worlds , One Bridge . By defeating Orphan , the l ' Cie also disable Cocoon ' s power source . With its gravity - control system destroyed , Cocoon begins to fall towards the world below - Gran Pulse . Fang and Vanille join their efforts and unleash their inner power to create a massive crystal pillar deep - rooted in Gran Pulse ' s ground to support the whole of Cocoon . Though encased in their own creation , their sacrifice is not in vain . Cocoon is saved , and those turned to crystal are set free - including Serah and Dajh .