Serah landed uncomfortably within the Void Beyond, that place which was a mirror of Valhalla, a place between time and space, where time had no meaning. Mog lied next her in the form of her weapon, but he did not respond. Tears began forming at the edge of her eyelids, "Mog? What's wrong, where am I?" she fretted.
Then, there was movement in the distance, "Is that a woman?" She thought, beginning to run.
Serah lands in the Void Beyond, a place where the player has been a couple times before, but has not been able to explore. She is followed by what I like to call "Ghost Mog", an outline that will still help her in battle, but does not talk or do Mog's other functions: the Mog Finder(TM) and Moogle Throw(TM).
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| Serah walks through a haze, followed by Ghost Mog(TM). |
Within the Void, she encounters a series of Yeuls, from different time periods. After talking with them, she now knows that she is the same. She has been gifted with the Eyes of Etro(TM). This is the name for the ability that lets the seeress see the future. This also means, that Serah, like Yeul, will die if she continues to have visions. Her vacation in the Void culminates with a vision of Caius stabbing Noel, and a fake Yeul (Which is Caius) trying to deter her. She duels for a bit with Caius, who comments that Noel accepted defeat much more quickly. After a tough fight, Serah defeats Caius, who once again is saved by the Heart of Chaos(TM pending... jk).
Serah woke slowly... the fight with Caius was quickly fading in her mind, as if it had been but a dream. She was in... grass, laying in the grass. The light touch of the blades of grass moving in the gentle breeze felt good against her skin. There was a familiar smell, she could almost taste it on her tongue. It was the ocean, like back in New Bodhum. Had it all been a dream?
Serah awakens from an apparent nap in the twilight back at New Bodhum. She's dressed in her regular outfit from FF13. Lebreau, the female member of team NORA, scolds her for napping outside. After all, what would the students think if they saw their teacher dozing off in the grass?
As Serah explores, she finds out that all of her friends are here, everyone thinking she's tripping out a bit. Heading back to NORA house, she finds that even Snow is here. She asks him about going to find Lightning. His response is why would he leave to find her, when she's right there in New Bodhum? Serah begins to tear up and runs outside. There is someone waiting on the end of the dock... It's Lightning. Serah realizes this world is fake, but she also acknowledges that everything is here that will make her happy, all she wants is in this place. The apparition of Lightning reaches out, inviting her to stay. Serah, knowing in her heart she will never fully accept a fake future, rejects her offer. Vanille and Fang then make an appearance, and somehow Fang jamming her spear into the ground makes a portal for Serah. It's better not to ask too many questions.
The player is given the option to accept or not. Interestingly, it's not a Morton's Fork. If you choose to stay, an alternate ending plays, where Serah is happy, but is haunted by faded memories of an important person she feels she knew, but can't remember his name or face. A shade of Noel appears, letting the player know it is him she cannot seem to recall. This is an example of a Paradox Ending, one of many alternate endings in the game. After it plays out, the player is returned to before they made the decision. There are 5 or 6 or so of these alternate endings, but the're really not that impressive, just short little diversions ranging from dark to absurd. The're kind of cute, but I think I'm not happy with them because I don't think the reward reflects the work you have to do to get them. Or, it's that they don't reflect anything you did. It's not like multiple choices you made make for a different ending. For example, if you end up defeating Atlas without resolving the paradox first (which is harder) you end up dooming the world to an apocalyptic battle between these giant machines. Meh.
Using the time portal that Fang creates from Serah's "dream world", she is able to connect with Noel. When she first encounters him, Noel is lost in his dream, and doesn't see Serah. She witnesses his past, he has hunted a massive behemoth solo for a feast. It's Yeul's birthday.
As she walks around the world, visions of people can be seen, if she tries to use the moogle ability to reveal them, they burn! I think this is just a poetic way of telling you everyone else has died off. Only Noel, Caius, and Yeul remain in this future. Serah witnesses a match between Caius and Noel. Caius wishes for Noel to kill him, killing the Heart of Chaos, which will in turn kill the goddess Etro. If Etro is dead, there will be no more time, which means no more visions, and thus Yeul will be saved. However, Noel refuses, he wishes to fight Caius to test his skill, then protect Yeul together. Caius insists that "There can only be one." Noel defeats Caius, but will not kill him. Following this, the player witnesses the perhaps most pivotal moment in Noel's life, when Yeul dies in his arms on her 15th birthday.
The pair both snap out of their dreams, and Mog is recovered from being lost in the Void. Noel surmises that they must now stay in this time, where there is no future, so that Serah sees no more visions, lest she die. Serah shuts him up, saying she has made up her mind, she is determined to right the past, no matter what the risk to herself. They jump into a gate! They end up in... New Bodhum? Sort of, it is New Bodhum, but the time period appears to be the same as Noel's blasted wasteland of a future.
A vision of Lightning appears again... however, she is dressed in the livery of her position as champion to the goddess Etro. This is not so much a vision, as a projection of the real Lightning. She apologizes to Serah for getting her into this mess, saying it's Lightning's fault. However, Serah is determined to push on. A gate opens...
Serah woke slowly... the fight with Caius was quickly fading in her mind, as if it had been but a dream. She was in... grass, laying in the grass. The light touch of the blades of grass moving in the gentle breeze felt good against her skin. There was a familiar smell, she could almost taste it on her tongue. It was the ocean, like back in New Bodhum. Had it all been a dream?
Serah awakens from an apparent nap in the twilight back at New Bodhum. She's dressed in her regular outfit from FF13. Lebreau, the female member of team NORA, scolds her for napping outside. After all, what would the students think if they saw their teacher dozing off in the grass?
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| New Bodhum? |
The player is given the option to accept or not. Interestingly, it's not a Morton's Fork. If you choose to stay, an alternate ending plays, where Serah is happy, but is haunted by faded memories of an important person she feels she knew, but can't remember his name or face. A shade of Noel appears, letting the player know it is him she cannot seem to recall. This is an example of a Paradox Ending, one of many alternate endings in the game. After it plays out, the player is returned to before they made the decision. There are 5 or 6 or so of these alternate endings, but the're really not that impressive, just short little diversions ranging from dark to absurd. The're kind of cute, but I think I'm not happy with them because I don't think the reward reflects the work you have to do to get them. Or, it's that they don't reflect anything you did. It's not like multiple choices you made make for a different ending. For example, if you end up defeating Atlas without resolving the paradox first (which is harder) you end up dooming the world to an apocalyptic battle between these giant machines. Meh.
Using the time portal that Fang creates from Serah's "dream world", she is able to connect with Noel. When she first encounters him, Noel is lost in his dream, and doesn't see Serah. She witnesses his past, he has hunted a massive behemoth solo for a feast. It's Yeul's birthday.
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| Noel's home is a blasted wasteland of white sand. Until he snaps out of his dream, the sky is an angry red. |
The pair both snap out of their dreams, and Mog is recovered from being lost in the Void. Noel surmises that they must now stay in this time, where there is no future, so that Serah sees no more visions, lest she die. Serah shuts him up, saying she has made up her mind, she is determined to right the past, no matter what the risk to herself. They jump into a gate! They end up in... New Bodhum? Sort of, it is New Bodhum, but the time period appears to be the same as Noel's blasted wasteland of a future.
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| The blasted New Bodhum. |
Play Time: 35.5 hours
Write Time: 1.5 hours
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