Eyes of Etro



The Eyes of Etro is the name of the ability to have visions, bestowed upon humans by the goddess Etro in Final Fantasy XIII-2. It is notable for being the trait of the incarnations of Paddra Nsu-Yeul, the seeress of the Farseers, who can have visions of any moment in the timeline at any random time. Those who possess the Eyes of Etro are known for having a strong connection to chaos, since the Unseen Realm of Valhalla is at the heart of every vision, and all of time can be seen from there. Sometimes when a seeress has a vision, a glowing glyph is imposed over her eyes, which is supposedly the symbol of the goddess herself.

This 'gift' however, is also a curse, as it drains the life force of the seeress each time she has a vision, and if she has one strong enough, the seeress will die. The seeress knows the moment she will die, but according to the law of the Farseers, she is forbidden of changing history in order to save herself and therefore risk dooming others to worse fates as a result.

Datalog
''The 'Eyes of Etro' is another name given to Yeul's power to see changes in the timeline. Not restricted to the past or future, Yeul can witness any period in history. This ability is associated with the power of chaos, and is thus seen as a blessing of the goddess. The fact that Serah shares this ability is a sign that she has come under the gaze of Etro at some point in the past.''

''Every time a seeress has a vision, a part of her life force is drained away. For this reason, all the Yeuls in history have died before their twentieth birthdays. The Eyes of Etro cannot be voluntarily closed, and most often when history undergoes a significant upheaval. Noel is afraid that every change they make during their journey is eating away a little more of Serah's life span.''

Story
The seeress Yeul and the Farseers of the Paddra nation in Yaschas Massif worshiped Etro as their patron goddess. With her Eyes of Etro, Yeul led her people with her prophecies of the future. One day, she prophesized the destruction of Paddra, which caused chaos among the people, some of who wanted to flee the city while others began fighting among themselves. Civil war broke out, Paddra fell just as Yeul saw it, and the survivors fled into the wilderness of Gran Pulse, becoming a nomadic tribe avoiding civilization.

In a different generation of the Farseer tribe, a girl with the same appearance, gifted with the Eyes of Etro would be born and named 'Yeul'. She would continue to act as the leader to her people, implanting her visions into an Oracle Drive or her Guardian until the time of her death.

As a result of Etro releasing her and her friends from their crystal stasis at the end of Final Fantasy XIII, Serah Farron begins to shows signs of possessing the Eyes of Etro. At the beginning of Final Fantasy XIII-2, awakening after the meteorite crash and stepping outside, Serah sees a future version of her village of New Bodhum, a desolate wasteland void of life. In the Bresha Ruins 5 AF, Serah has two more visions when she looks into a Time Gate: the first is of Ragnarok saving Cocoon, the second is of her fiancée Snow Villiers and the Royal Ripeness. In the Sunleth Waterscape 300 AF, Serah hears Yeul's voice in her head and speaks as if possessed, reciting Yeul's prophecy of Cocoon's fall in the centuries to come. She proceeds to have another vision of Snow, apparently about to be killed by the Royal Ripeness.

After Serah and Noel defeat the Proto fal'Cie Adam in Augusta Tower in 200 AF, she has a vision of Caius stabbing Noel and striking her down. She briefly falls unconscious but Noel manages to bring her back. Serah eventually learns about her having the Eyes of Etro after speaking to several Yeuls in Valhalla's shade in the Void Beyond. After she saves Noel from becoming trapped in his dream world, Serah learns from him that the Yeul he knew died at only 15, and how the visions take a toll on the seeress's body. Despite learning of the death that awaits her, Serah chooses to continue her journey to change the future.

After they defeat Caius in Valhalla and fix the timeline, Serah and Noel return to Pulse at 500 AF. After the portal to Valhalla closes, Serah thanks Noel but has yet another vision and dies in his embrace, moments before the chaos of Valhalla engulfs Bhunivelze and all of Pulse, making the world take on Valhalla's image.