Spacetime has been damaged. Where once each day lasted 26 hours, now only lasts 24. Two hours of every day, gone just like that. The lost time.
Hope Estheim
A 13-hour clock in Final Fantasy XIII.
The lost hours are a concept in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Prior to the Chaos being released, days consisted of thirteen hours before and after noon, for a total of twenty-six hours. After the Day of Ragnarok, the thirteenth hours were lost, leaving the world with twenty-four hour days.
If Lightning collects sufficient Eradia from sidequests, the two lost hours from each of the first twelve days are recovered, and form the Extra Day.
The easiest way to notice the lost hours within the series is in Oerba: in Final Fantasy XIII, the clock in the Deserted Schoolhouse building has thirteen sections, while in Final Fantasy XIII-2, the same clock has only twelve sections. Also, the clock staff that Mog carries in Final Fantasy XIII-2 has twelve sections.
Datalog[]
- The lost hours
The world once counted 13 hours before noon and 13 hours after, making days that lasted 26 hours. But ever since the world was flooded by the Chaos, it has lost these 13th hours, and the days now last only 24 hours.
The two hours that disappeared from each day, lost beyond the distortion of time and space, are known by many names. Some call the phenomenon "the lost hours", others "the time given to God". Most clocks in the world have been remade to reflect the 24-hour day.