Final Fantasy XIII: Reminiscence -tracer of memories-

Final Fantasy XIII: Reminiscence -tracer of memories- is a ten-episode novella set after the events of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. It takes the form of interviews with the cast of the Final Fantasy XIII games. The novella is written by Daisuke Watanabe, the lead scenario writer for Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII-2, and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII who has reiterated that the last game's ending was intended to be open so players could imagine what would happen next, which carried over into Final Fantasy XIII: Reminiscence -tracer of memories-.

The novella is set between the events of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and the epilogue FMV, with the final chapter leading into the game's epilogue.

Characters

 * Aoede
 * Lightning
 * Serah Farron
 * Snow Villiers
 * Hope Estheim
 * Sazh Katzroy
 * Oerba Dia Vanille
 * Oerba Yun Fang
 * Noel Kreiss
 * Paddra Nsu-Yeul
 * Caius Ballad
 * NORA
 * Gadot
 * Lebreau
 * Yuj
 * Maqui

Episodes

 * 1) Hope Estheim
 * 2) Sazh Katzroy
 * 3) Get Back
 * 4) Serah Farron
 * 5) Snow Villiers
 * 6) Noel Kreiss & Paddra Nsu-Yeul
 * 7) Oerba Dia Vanille & Oerba Yun Fang
 * 8) Hope Estheim
 * 9) Breathless
 * 10) Passenger

Part I
After humanity's journey to the new world, the people were nearly all reincarnated with the memories of their previous lives dormant within them. The story follows a reporter as she searches for the truth behind latent memories of her former life that she has been experiencing. Using keywords such as "fal'Cie", "Cocoon" and "Bhunivelze", she traces Hope Estheim, now a researcher, and interviews him. 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: Hope tells the reporter that she must find Lightning, then come to see him again.

Finding Sazh, working on a top-secret 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. He states that he does not know how he and his comrades fully retained their memories, and after he leaves, Chocolina gives the reporter another address before vanishing. 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 the Sanctum's lies by airing Purge footage with the help of broadcast hacks made 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.

Part II
Aoede meets up with Snow and hears his side of events from the moment the Chaos entered the world, including his complex dealings with the Order of Salvation and his efforts to stop the world falling into disorder and fighting due to diminishing food supplies. When he tries to find words for Serah's death, he falters, and when Aoede incorrectly assumes that Lightning erased their memories, Snow is initially angered and corrects her, saying Lightning saved their memories. When asked where Lightning is, Snow assures Aoede will have her answers once she meets her and arranges a meeting with Noel.

Traveling to a town in the subtropics, Aoede finds and interviews Noel and Yeul about their experiences. Among them are Yeul's perspective on her existence after the release of Chaos, and Noel's own feelings as he gradually succumbed to despair and his relationship with Snow degenerated upon hearing of the latter's appointment as Yusnaan's "patron". After the interview, Aoede gets a chance to see them together in the market and understands why they live there: Noel and Yeul choose to live among the hubbub as they had each lived an age of loneliness. After they have lunch, Noel writes down where to find Fang and Vanille in Aoede's notebook. Aoede interviews Fang and Vanille in some ruins near their new home in an arid region. Initially given a cold welcome by Fang, she eventually hears the story of their experiences. At the end, Fang and Vanille assure Aoede that Lightning's wish for the world will have come true if everyone is content with living in the new world.

Part III
Aoede returns to Hope for a second interview, this time hearing the story of the years prior to Hope being captured by Bhunivelze and receiving a folder about the "Chaotic Era". At the end of the interview, she still wants to meet Lightning. Having exhausted all lines of inquiry and given up on finding Lightning, Aoede returns to her job as a war correspondent. After blacking out in a missile attack she finds herself walking in line with a number of other people heading to a sea being watched over by Caius. Aoede thinks she has died and will disappear into the dark waters, grieving that the new world has so much hate and people killing each other. But when Caius asks if she thinks they had been better off as Bhunivelze's pawns, Aoede realizes she was being bitter yet feels regret that what Lightning and allies fought for have made humans greedy and cruel. However, Caius explains to Aoede that the new world is what she and the rest of humanity decide it to be while having her the chance to permanently fade into the Chaos or return to the land of the living. Upon learning that she is still alive, Aoede is guided back by Mog. On her way back to the living woorld, Aoede is given a message from one of Yeul's past incarnations for their new world counterpart to "be happy with Noel."

Sometime later while on a train, Aoede ends up encountering Lightning by chance and tries to get an interview. Lightning declines, saying she is getting off at the next station, and Aoede decides not to press further. As Lightning gets off the train, Aoede notes she appears carefree, and has her own life back at last. It is hinted that this event takes place immediately before the epilogue of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

Release History
The first four episodes were released with the Famitsu issue of June 19, 2014. On June 25th, 2014, a whole novel was posted on the official website, but this appears to have been a mistake as the chapters disappeared soon after, being replaced by "coming soon" icons. On 1st of July, Snow's episode was added to the site, followed by Noel and Yeul's episode the day later and Fang and Vanille's episode the day after that.

Trivia

 * There are both: three parts of the novella and three games in Lightning Saga.
 * In the promotional images for the novella, Serah wears her Final Fantasy XIII outfit rather than the one she wore in Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII ending. Furthermore, Snow wears his Final Fantasy XIII-2 outfit while Lightning wears her Duelist garb outfit from Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.
 * Despite this and other uses of streenshots, Daisuke Watanbe has stated that he intended the characters' clothing in the new world to be up to the reader's imagination.
 * In the promotional images for the novella the interviewees sit on a white sofa in front of blue skies, similar to of Lightning in the Narthex from Final Fantasy XIII.