Bodhum

Bodhum is Lightning's hometown in Final Fantasy XIII. Learn about its history, story events, and its connection to Serah, Snow, and NORA.

Bodhum is a seaside town that's super important because it's where Lightning, her sister Serah, and Serah's fiancé Snow Villiers all grew up. It's also the home base for the resistance group NORA. Before everything went sideways with the Purge, Bodhum had this ancient ruin called the Pulse Vestige, and it was famous for its amazing white beaches and a yearly fireworks show. It was a pretty popular tourist spot, especially since the Euride Gorge power plant was nearby. The local Guardian Corps unit, where Lightning used to work, kept the town safe. Fun fact: Bodhum is actually on an island! While you can't really explore Bodhum much in the game, you do get to see it briefly during a flashback when you're playing as Snow. ### Datalog This entry from the Datalog tells us Bodhum is a peaceful seaside city, the hometown of Lightning, Serah, Snow, and NORA. It was known for its relaxing vibe and was a big hit with vacationers. The main attraction was the annual fireworks display on the beach. However, this year's event was overshadowed by the discovery of a Pulse fal'Cie inside the nearby Vestige. The Sanctum quickly quarantined the city and announced that everyone, residents and tourists alike, would be Purged to Pulse. ### Story Okay, so things get a bit intense here, and there are some major spoilers ahead, so consider yourself warned! It all starts when Vanille and Fang wake up from 500 years of crystal stasis inside the Bodhum Vestige. The very next day, Snow and NORA rescue Lightning from some monsters. She tries to get Snow to stay away from Serah, but he's not having it. The day after that, Serah is out for a walk and notices the Vestige door has opened. She goes inside to check it out and ends up getting branded a Pulse l'Cie by Anima, a Pulse fal'Cie hidden within the Vestige. Later, Fang and Vanille find the newly-branded Serah outside the Vestige and watch her leave. Things get a bit scattered for a bit: Vanille gets separated from Fang after some stuff happens at Euride Gorge and heads back to the Bodhum Vestige. A couple of days later, Serah finally tells Snow she's a l'Cie and he promises to help her figure out her Focus. About nine days after waking up, Vanille scrapes her leg on the beach. Serah helps her out, and they actually become friends. Vanille tries to apologize for her role in Serah getting branded, but Serah doesn't seem to grasp the full situation. The next day, Serah and Snow go shopping for a birthday present for Lightning. Unbeknownst to Serah, Snow sneaks off and buys them both engagement necklaces, while Serah picks out a survival knife for Lightning to keep her safe. During the annual fireworks festival, a bunch of familiar faces are there: Nora Estheim and her son Hope; Sazh and Dajh Katzroy, who are being watched by a PSICOM officer named Jihl Nabaat; and Fang and Vanille (though they're still a bit separated, with Fang at Lebreau's cafe while Vanille watches the fireworks on the beach). The tradition is that everyone gets one wish. That night, Serah accepts Snow's marriage proposal. Vanille wishes for Cocoon's safety, Nora wishes her husband Bartholomew could join them next time, and Dajh hopes to see his dad happy again. Lightning, who's there to keep an eye on things, gets a warning from her superior, Amodar, about the Euride incident and is told not to get involved. Here's where things really go south: PSICOM discovers the Pulse fal'Cie in the Vestige, completely unbeknownst to everyone else. The next day, Serah confesses to Lightning that she's a l'Cie and is engaged to Snow. Lightning, of course, doesn't believe her and basically pushes her away. Snow then suggests he and Serah go back to the Vestige to figure out Serah's Focus, but the town is locked down, and the Vestige is completely off-limits. Soldiers chase after Snow and Serah, and sadly, Serah gets captured by the Pulse fal'Cie. Lightning finds out about the fal'Cie discovery and finally realizes Serah was telling the truth all along. Snow then finds Lightning and tells her about Serah's capture. The very next day, the Sanctum starts the Purge, forcing everyone in Bodhum to board trains.