New world (Lightning Returns)

The New World is the world born after Nova Chrysalia has been destroyed in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. The birth of a new world where she would reunite with her sister, Serah, and all of her old friends, acts as Lightning's main drive and crux of her quest, since her duty as the savior is to save the souls of the dying world and ensure their rebirth in the new world. It is not named beyond "new world".

The new world resembles Earth with its continents mirroring those of the real world, and the town seen during the epilogue FMV features modern buildings, roads and cars, a modern train and a train station, and a plane in the sky creates a contrail. The world has a moon and familiar plant life with grass, wheat and Flanders poppies.

Story
The origins of the new world spring from the will of the deity Bhunivelze who wishes to create a world free of darkness. He makes Lightning his savior, a guide for humanity's souls, and manipulates his human devotees, the Order, to destroy the souls of the dead and free the remainder of humanity from their sorrow. After her battle with Noel he asks whether the world would be a paradise for gods, but she replies it would be one where humanity could decide its own fate.

After Lightning frees the souls of the dead in preparation for rebirth, Bhunivelze sets out to purge them himself, destroying the new world he had crafted and begin anew with the souls Lightning has saved. He reveals his plan to mold Lightning into a replacement for the deceased Goddess Etro, who had sustained the universal balance. Lightning rejects her assigned role and resolves to save all of humanity. After Bhunivelze is defeated, the seeress Paddra Nsu-Yeul and her guardian Caius Ballad remain behind to sustain the balance between realms and act as guides for the souls of the dead in place of both Etro and Lightning. Lightning, reunited with her friends, witnesses the creation of a world free of deities and the power of Chaos and travels there with the souls of humanity. Having begun her life anew, Lightning, dressed in normal clothes, steps off a train on a peaceful journey to reunite with her friends in the new world.

Development
During an interview in the Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Ultimania Omega, Motomu Toriyama stated he did not have a solid idea about what the new world should look like, and requested his design staff to draw inspiration from "anywhere in Southern Europe", and to have Lightning appear in ordinary clothes. When asked whether the new world and the real world were connected, he "wasn't sure". The original idea for the epilogue FMV was to have Lightning meet all her friends and allies, or to hear them via a smartphone, but the idea was scrapped: in Toriyama's words, the story started with Lightning, so he felt it should end with her.

Music
"A New World" is the fourth track on the fourth disc of the game's soundtrack. It plays during the scene in the Luxerion cathedral when Fang and Vanille release the souls of the dead so they can be reborn. A different tune plays during the final FMV, simply titled "Epilogue", which is the last track on the fourth disc.

Trivia

 * The sign at the train station in the new world has writing in French: "Blanc-Château" ("White Castle").
 * The concept of a new world born when the old one dies is a recurring theme in many mythologies, including in Egypt, India, China and Shinto Japan.