Of Gods and Fal Cie

Dive into the lore of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and learn about the creation of the Gods, Fal Cie, and the worlds of Cocoon and Gran Pulse.

Hey there! Before we jump into the action, let's get you up to speed on the backstory of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Understanding the lore of the Gods and the Fal'Cie is key to grasping what's going on in the world.

So, the whole story kicks off with the Gods. The main guy, Bhunivelze, the God of Light, decided to create three other Gods: Etro, Pulse, and Lindzei. Pulse and Lindzei were the powerhouses, basically getting unlimited power, while Etro was a bit of a weaker sibling. These two powerful Gods then went on to create two worlds: Cocoon, which is this cool satellite floating way up in the sky, and Gran Pulse, the wild and beautiful world down below.

Pulse and Lindzei weren't done yet; they also made the Fal'Cie. Think of the Fal'Cie as these super-powerful servants, almost like demi-gods, who were tasked with doing pretty much anything the Gods needed. They were the ones who basically terra-formed the worlds, making them livable for all sorts of life to eventually pop up.

Meanwhile, Etro was feeling pretty lonely. Her sorrow was so immense that she basically tore herself apart and retreated to the world of the dead, a place called Valhalla, which is surrounded by Chaos. Her job there was to keep the balance between the world of the dead and the living, but honestly, wrestling with Chaos was making her weaker and weaker.

Lindzei, who's kind of portrayed as a bit of a trickster later on, ended up creating humanity. And get this – the very first human was a girl named Paddra Nsu-Yeul. She was made in Etro's image and was born with this special ability called the Eye of Etro, which let her see the future. Etro, seeing how flawed humans were and feeling for them, especially when they faced death, decided to welcome them into her realm of Valhalla. In a huge act of generosity, Etro poured her immense power into humanity for the living world, and then she retreated deep into the Heart of Chaos, basically to sleep forever.