Eyes of Etro

The Eyes of Etro is the ability to have visions, bestowed upon humans by the goddess Etro in Final Fantasy XIII-2. It is the trait of the incarnations of Paddra Nsu-Yeul, the seeress of the Farseers, who can have visions of any moment in the timeline at any random time.
Those who possess the Eyes of Etro have a strong connection to chaos since Valhalla is at the heart of every vision, and all of time can be seen from there. Sometimes when a seeress has a vision a glowing glyph is imposed over her eyes, supposedly the symbol of the goddess herself.
The gift doubles as a curse as it drains the seeress's life force each time she has a vision, and if she has one strong enough, the seeress will die. The seeress knows the moment of her death but according to the law of the Farseers, is forbidden from changing history to save herself, and therefore risk dooming others to worse fates. In Final Fantasy XIII-2 Ultimania Omega, it is revealed the seeress's lifespan shortens the more the number of possible futures grows.
The novel Final Fantasy XIII-2 Fragments After elaborates that upon entering Valhalla, Yeul's soul would never fade unlike the other souls, and taking pity on her, Etro would send Yeul back to the Mortal Realm with a new heart so she would not be lonely. It is suggested Yeul obtained the Eyes of Etro as a side-effect of being reborn. Lightning can also have visions but does not suffer the lethal side-effects like Yeul, supposedly because death does not exist in Valhalla, allowing her to have visions without the risk of dying.
== Datalog ==
=== History and Myth ===
The 'Eyes of Etro' is another name given to Yeul's power to see changes in the timeline. Not restricted to the past or future, Yeul can witness any period in history. This ability is associated with the power of chaos, and is thus seen as a blessing of the goddess. The fact that Serah shares this ability is a sign that she has come under the gaze of Etro at some point in the past.
Every time a seeress has a vision, a part of her life force is drained away. For this reason, all the Yeuls in history have died before their twentieth birthdays. The Eyes of Etro cannot be voluntarily closed, and most often when history undergoes a significant upheaval. Noel is afraid that every change they make during their journey is eating away a little more of Serah's life span.
=== Fragments ===
Tablet of Memory
Valhalla is a world that is connected to every age, every timeline. When the seeress of the Farseers gazes into the future, Valhalla is at the heart of the vision.
The seeress also has the power to send her inner voice through Valhalla and then to the time and place of her choosing. However, only those with great chaos in their hearts are able to hear the words of the seeress.
:—Crimson Crystal
Tablet of Memory
The seeress of the Farseers knows the exact moment she will die. However, she is forbidden to change the timeline in order to save herself.
The seeress has no choice but to accept her preordained end. This is the law of the Farseers. Each change of the timeline creates new victims, spawns new tragedies, and not even the seeress can tell how great those losses shall be.
:—Forest Crystal
Yeul's Confessions
The part we humans call 'soul' is a gift of the goddess. In all our hearts flickers a small piece of the chaos of Valhalla.
From Valhalla, you can see every age, every timeline. I see the future because Valhalla lives in my heart. The Eyes of Etro is not a unique gift, reserved for the special. Every human who claims a soul can gaze into the future.
:—Lindzei's Desire
== Story ==
The seeress Yeul and the Farseers of the Paddra nation in Yaschas Massif worshiped Etro as their patron goddess. With her Eyes of Etro, Yeul led her people with her prophecies of the future. She prophesied the destruction of Paddra, which caused chaos among the people, as some wanted to flee the city while others fought among themselves. Civil war broke out, Paddra fell as Yeul had seen it, and the survivors fled into the wilderness of Gran Pulse, becoming a nomadic tribe.
In every generation of the Farseer tribe, a girl with the same appearance, gifted with the Eyes of Etro, would be born and named 'Yeul'. She would continue to act as the leader to her people, implanting her visions into an Oracle Drive or her Guardian until the time of her death.
After Lightning enters Temple of the Goddess in Valhalla, she looks through the Eyes of Etro and witnesses moments from the past and future. Lightning's vision compels her to stay in Valhalla and serve as Etro's champion.
As a result of Etro releasing her and her friends from their crystal stasis at the end of Final Fantasy XIII, Serah Farron gains the Eyes of Etro. Awakening after the meteorite crash and stepping outside, Serah sees a future version of her village of New Bodhum, a desolate wasteland void of life.
In the Bresha Ruins 5 AF, Serah has two more visions when she looks into a Time Gate: the first is of Ragnarok saving Cocoon, the second is of her fiancé Snow Villiers and the Royal Ripeness. In the Sunleth Waterscape 300 AF, Serah hears Yeul's voice and speaks as if possessed, reciting Yeul's prophecy of Cocoon's fall. She has another vision of Snow about to be killed by the Royal Ripeness.
After Serah and Noel defeat the Proto fal'Cie Adam in Augusta Tower in 200 AF, she has a vision of Caius stabbing Noel and striking her down. She briefly falls unconscious but Noel brings her back. Serah learns about her having the Eyes of Etro after speaking to several Yeuls in Valhalla's shade in the Void Beyond. After she saves Noel from becoming trapped in his dream world, Serah learns the Yeul he knew died at only 15, and how the visions take a toll on the seeress's body. Despite learning of the death that awaits her, Serah continues her journey to change the future.
After they defeat Caius in Valhalla and fix the timeline, Serah and Noel return to Gran Pulse at 500 AF. After the portal to Valhalla closes Serah has a vision and dies in Noel's embrace, moments before the chaos of Valhalla engulfs the New Cocoon and all of Pulse, making the world take on Valhalla's image. In the Unsolved Mysteries section of the Final Fantasy XIII-2 Ultimania Omega, it is said that even though Serah's last vision is unknown, if she is hopeful for a bright future like Yeul, she might have had a vision of salvation.
pt-br:Olhos de Etro
Category:Final Fantasy XIII-2