This is the last chapter in this story.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Epilogue…

Sin's large form was floating above the dead and destroyed world of Gaia. But it didn't stay there for long for the large and deadly creature had started to shriek and its body had started to arch skyward toward the floating world of Cocoon.

Then the large creature exploded.

Large yellow clouds spread across the world of Gaia, or Pulse, as it was known by the people of the Cocoon, with Sin's exploded body as a center. The yellow clouds had started to lower down on the darkened ground and when it dissipated, fresh green grass was where the cloud had disappeared. Trees and wildlife were returning appearing across the large world that was once a deadened wasteland.

All around the world of Pulse this phenomenon was taking place.

Life was returning to the world.

On a hill overlooking the large world, Ragnarok stood alone as its golden eyes watched the phenomenon took place. She couldn't actually believe what she was seeing around herself, but it was happening.

"Is this…for real," she got out.

She looked at this world, the very same one she destroyed years ago. It was like what she had done had never taken place as the animals and other things appeared around her. A few birds were flying in the sky around her as her golden eyes fixed themselves on the bronze planet that was floating above them.

"Gaia is returning to its former glory."

Ragnarok turned her head, finding Seraphelim and Éclair approaching her from where she stood.

"How are you feeling Seraphelim?" Ragnarok asked her.

"Free," was the answer she received, "as free as Gaia is at the moment, free from Sin's wrath."

Seraphelim stood beside Ragnarok as she watched the large plain in front of them.

"Many had given up their lives to see this day achieved," she continued, her voice taking on a sad tone, "Their stories will not stay unheard. It will spread through the ages of this new world becoming the legends we were once before."

"You are right," Ragnarok said, "The Fal'Cie has done enough damage to this world."

Seraphelim turned toward where Éclair was standing, dressed in her armor as the feathers like thing danced across her legs in the wind, the blue eyes looking at the distant Pulse plains.

"I think there is something you must do," she said, turning toward Ragnarok.

The Fal'Cie turned toward Éclair noticing that she was staying away from her. Then Ragnarok remembered being the cause of the destruction of Zanarkand and probably the girl's family. Ragnarok felt shame at that, how couldn't she?

Éclair stood away from the Fal'Cie, her attention on the world of Gaia. She can feel a warm and fuzzy feeling seeing the world returning to what she knew once before. She stood there looking around herself seeing it and remembering her father.

The man loved the outdoor always running around on Chocobo and hunting wildlife. She knew if he was alive, he would have loved seeing it again. Then she heard footsteps approaching her from behind and Éclair turned toward it.

Ragnarok now stood there.

Looking at the Fal'Cie now, she can see some resemblance to Fang, and mostly she can see it in the face. It was just like Fang's thought it no longer resembled a human being.

"You and I have unfinished affairs," the Fal'Cie said.

Éclair's hand instinctively went for her sword but the next action made her freeze, as her eyes widen.

"W…What are you doing?"

The Fal'Cie was bowing down to her.

A Fal'Cie bowing to her.

"I am asking for your forgiveness Éclair. I know nothing I can do can give back what I have done to you or to your family," Ragnarok said, her head touching the ground, "If you wish to exact your vengeance upon me, do so now. I will not stop you."

Éclair looked down at the Fal'Cie her blue eyes suddenly narrowing.

"You are a Fal'Cie," she said, "You shouldn't shame yourself like this."

Ragnarok looked up at her.

"I have shamed myself the day I turned my back upon my fellow Brothers and Sisters," she said, "This will change nothing of the monstrous act I have done to Zanarkand, and not your Father."

Éclair eyes widen.

"I will take the blame for what I have caused against you," Ragnarok continued, bowing her head back down.

Éclair looked down at the Fal'Cie in front of her. Her hand went for the blade at her waist and pulled it out, the metal shining in the sunlight.

"My father created this blade for me," she said looking at it, "He made it for me the day I was chosen as a Protector. On the metal, he wrote down three words that he made me respect above all. The three words Honor above all."

She put down the blade, holding it to her side.

"He honored your kind as gods," Éclair continued, "I will not tarnish that honor by piercing your flesh with it. My duty is to protect the Fal'Cie…not killing them…and…also that's not what he would have wanted."

Ragnarok looked up at her, her golden eyes wide at her answer, and Seraphelim arrived beside her.

"Well said Éclair," she said with a soft smile on her lips.

Ragnarok stood back up on her feet, looking at the pinkette with wide eyes.

"What now?" Éclair asked.

"Now, we Fal'Cie return to Zanarkand," Seraphelim said, "We have much to do."

Seraphelim approached her, raising a pale finger toward Éclair's brand.

"W…What are you doing?"

"I'm relieving you of this brand," Seraphelim said, a sad smile on her face, "You have completed your Focus."

The Fal'Cie touched where the brand was and at once, Éclair's skin was starting to turn into crystal.

"But…I still have to protect you," Éclair said to her, her eyes wide with shock.

Seraphelim smiled at her.

"You have already done your job as a Protector since you have protected me during the Sin carnage," she said, "Your part in this is over Éclair."

The crystal started to take over Éclair's entire body as the Fal'Cie in front of her started to disappear into a hazy fog.

"Farewell, Éclair Farron, may we meet again someday"

Then she knew no more after that.

Notes from the journal of Dr. Cid, Historian and Archeologist,

First Expedition to Pulse 'The World below'

Year 3854 by Cocoon reckoning

This new world that we have found in the world below Cocoon is filled with many things and challenges that we never take accounted for. In the old legends of the early days of our world, the myth that had been passed down from one generation to the next is that the 'world below' is Hell and that no human could survive in the conditions that Pulse had, but this world I'm seeing right now is no more hell than my back garden.

It was the total opposite of what I was told.

It was beautiful beyond word. I can't think of any word to describe its beauty. It is something that you will have to see it to believe it. They have plants I have never seen I my entire life that even our botanist can identify, animals that bears no resemblance to the ones found on Cocoon and I through I noticed that some can be recognize as distant cousins. I believe that some of the animals here are distantly related to those found on Cocoon.

My team and I we will explore more tomorrow…maybe then, we can find out this world's secret.

Seven weeks later...

It is mostly the same thing since last week, and our craft had been flying for hours and from there, looking up to the world of Cocoon my home, it seems so small as the world we are now, but today we have made a find.

Two of our men had found an ancient temple and what we had found inside this temple is something that I must convey as an historic find. A crystal statue, of eternal beauty was within the temple.

I can tell it was a woman, and I can't believe that it was here in this temple, all this time. Was she some kind of a deity for the people who used to inhabit this world? It was held upon a leveled ground, crystal waves around her and I must say whoever built it is someone who have a taste for art and beauty.

We have found many other priceless artifacts, and also they have been written in a language that seems to have been lost many years ago. I must say the writing upon them is remarkably similar to the one that was found in the ancient Bresha Ruins found in Cocoon. I found that this connection between Pulse and Cocoon intriguing. In all of the years the things I have lived and learn in this floating shell in the sky, this same brand of origins of those both worlds made me wonder about what is truly the causes of the world to separate themselves from each other?

When this expedition started, after nearly twelve hundred thousands of years apart, I didn't have many hopes but seeing that crystal give me some kind of feeling that I didn't have for a long time.

Year 3940 by Cocoon reckoning

Second Expedition upon Pulse 'Hell world'

Records by Augustus Bartholomew

The ruins that were found by Dr. Cid many years before have been further explored than it had been before. I can say that Dr. Cid only scratched the top of the surface. The ruins don't have an official name but we found that it was pretty much destroyed; thought the place was seemingly as old as Cocoon, if not much older. We have taken many of the artifacts from the ruins, thought most of them are dated from Cocoon technology.

I must say the people who had lived there are mostly similar to the earliest civilization of Cocoon thought the question remains what could have caused the entire population to simply die off without leaving a single trace of what really happened to them? Even if it was a disease or a virus, they would have left some remains of the people, but nothing?

I have found it hard to believe.

This expedition was made to have found something about Pulse and to change people's view about this. It was the success and the many studies that were done about the crystal woman that was nicknamed Crystalis who is the only link…the only truth that they were people on Pulse before and why not now? What could have happened?

From the ruins we have found, I can say that those question might never been truly answered that is unless someone from this world appears out of nowhere. Pulse is a world about three times larger than Cocoon, maybe they had migrated to another place when their city was destroyed and left the ruins for us to find.

They are many possibilities in what could have happened to the people of Pulse, some which Historians are still trying to figure out, but other than what we have now, we can only guess.

Footsteps echoed around the metallic floor as the person walked. It was wearing boots with a red cape swirling behind it and from the way the person was walking, it was clear that the person was a woman.

The woman arrived in front of a door and pulled out one of her gloves before putting her palm down against a screen. The screen scanned her hand with a green laser and then the cool mechanical voice said.

"Identification accepted, Colonel."

The door hissed open, letting the woman in her boots clanking on the metallic floor as the man on the chair raised his head.

"Primarch," she saluted putting a hand on the side of her chest.

"You bring news Colonel?" the Primarch spoke, a light drawl in his voice.

"The people that had been protesting against you had all being arrested," the Colonel said, "They were talking about rejoining Cocoon with Pulse, based on the two expeditions that had been sent."

The Primarch chuckled a little.

"Those peoples who rebels against the order of Cocoon might as well send their accusations to me," he said, "For centuries, Cocoon had kept them safe in their beds from the hellish world that was Pulse and they now rebel."

A smirk crossed his face.

"Since they want to return to their world so much, why don't we grant them their wishes," he continued.

The Colonel looked up at him.

"Primarch?"

"All of the people that were arrested are to be send to Pulse with nothing but the clothes on their back," he continued, "They are to be purged from Cocoon with their ideals of returning to Pulse. This is the will of Orphan."

The Colonel put a fist against her chest in salute.

"As you wish."

"You will see to it, Colonel Lightning," he said glancing toward the woman in front of him.

The woman looked up, her pink hair dancing slightly from the movement, her blue eyes shone in the semi darkened room.

"As you wish, Primarch Dysley."

To be continued…

AN: This is the end of this story, and from what you can read you can say that a sequel will be in the work...thought i haven't written anything yet. The official name of the sequel is FINAL FANTASY reverse XIII and it will be up soon. To write this sequel i'm going to take advantage of the entire mythology of the XIII universe to write it. Expect any characters from any FF games to make an appearance cause i'm not going to limit myself using only FFXIII characters.

Jacques0 out.

R&R.