Aoede

Aoede is the main character in the novellas titled Final Fantasy XIII: Reminiscence that form an epilogue to Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. She is a reporter who departs on a journey after hearing about people having memories of "another world", like she has, wanting to learn more.

Final Fantasy XIII: Reminiscence -tracer of memories-
After the souls of humanity journeyed to the new world, most forgot their past life. Though considered crazy by most, some retain fragmented memories and one such person, a reporter, follows clues that lead her to Hope Estheim who agrees to tell her his story after she mentions having memories of being a news reporter in another world. As he names his comrades—Snow, Serah, Sazh, Vanille, Fang, and Noel—the reporter recognizes the names. Hope explains that one comrade, Lightning, saved him from taking the wrong path in life and tells more about her, but stops upon revealing Lightning was the savior. She begs to hear more, but Hope tells her to ask Lightning herself, but that she must find her on her own. Hope directs the reporter to the whereabouts of Sazh and tells her that after she finds Lightning she can return to him and he will relate the rest of his story.

Finding Sazh, a pilot-mechanic working on a top-secret prototype plane, the reporter receives his side of the story of aiding Hope, Snow, and Noel to protect the populace during the beginning of Nova Chrysalia before his son Dajh fell into a coma. With Dajh beyond medical help, the despair-ridden Sazh isolated himself from his friends in the Wildlands. Sazh mentions a letter he got from Hope prior to the latter's abduction by Bhunivelze, but does not mention its contents. The reporter asks why Sazh and the others have retained their memories of "the other world" while everyone else has mere vague fragments. Sazh doesn't know, but thinks the reporter will regain her memories. Sazh doesn't know where either Lightning or Snow are, but the reporter suspects he just does not want to tell her. A woman named Chocolina who had been playing with Dajh during the interview gives the reporter an address and disappears, leaving behind a yellow feather.

The address is for a restaurant called Nora House where the reporter orders the Nora Special. The taste triggers a flood of memories, and she recalls her past life: she was Aoede, a reporter caught up in the Purge who helped expose Sanctum's lies by airing Purge footage with the help of broadcast hacks by Maqui. The members of NORA remember Aoede and Lebreau tells her where to find Serah.

Finding Serah in a cafe near a university, Aoede learns her side of the story. When Aoede mentions her intention to publish the stories to allow more people to remember their previous life, Serah feels those who remember might be held back from living their current lives. Aoede wonders whether her work is meaningless, but Serah encourages her to find out everything and tells Aoede where to find Snow.