Translated by: Google and half of this chapter translated by Tensai Shoujo from Tumblr

-CHAPTER 1: HOPE ESTHEIM-

A job design called a journalist, I hear many people talk about every day. The opponent of the coverage is wide regardless of age or sex, ranging from a powerful person who moves the nation to a passing-through child. Talks that various people talk about are varied and all are attractive. I enjoy work of coverage like mid-hobby and, if I speak of saying that as a female journalist he says so much, it is selling.

Apart from work, I am chasing after a single "mystery". It was a phenomenon that could not be explained by common sense. At first I thought it was due to mind, but as soon as I became interested, I found out more incomprehenent agreement. I got crazy about that mystery and I wanted to unravel with my own hand. To do that, we had to listen to as many people as possible.

So I always ask the people who meet in the interview always the same question. That's a strange question. Most people are taken in and they do not answer correctly, but many people seriously talk about it. When collecting such testimonies "mystery" has grown more and more.

Tonight I will head for an interview. On this social situation and political economy, a hard interview with a certain knowledgeable person. After having talked about serious work, let 's try "usual question" to chat.Will he answer? No, if he would definitely answer, I was secretly convinced.

He is a researcher in the field. His name is Hope Estheim, who is an known person nationwide, but raises his achievements in a wide range of fields related to humanity and society, and enters a great deal of attention in academia.

---

"- Thank you for your valuable time today.

After bowing and concluding the interview, I breathed quietly. Thanks to fulfilling interview, there was comfortable fatigue with satisfaction.

"No, thank you too."

Hope Estheim's stunning face remains calm. He looked relaxed throughout the day, touched me closely to her for the first time, and he frankly responded to questions I was not going to answer.

Nonetheless, he was not the only person in peril. Words were always soft, but his insight to look at the reality of this society had a sharp sharpness. Despite being still young, a quiet weight was felt, as though it had survived for many years in a world that does not pass, such as a sweet ideal.

I am excited to meet interesting people. Let 's do "usual question" at once. How would he answer him?

"Well ... ... Are you still in time? If you're not troubled, there is something I'd like to ask you, it's not coverage but private."

"Well, here you are, what is it?"

"Do you remember" another world "?"

This was "usual question".

He only faintly narrowed his eyes to see something. It was a polite reaction. It is natural that if you ask such a question abruptly, you will face confusion or become frightened face. Some people make a mistake for "silly things".

He kept silent. I'm planning to judge from listening to detailed explanation. I succeeded the words.

"Is it alright to say that it is a memory of a different life in a world different from this world, it is an event that will revive into a dream repeatedly without an experienced remembrance ... Even if you do not know, someone can not forget, someone I do not know but the face of a nostalgic person, the image which floats on my mind at first glance ... It is like a memory of the previous life.

"I think that it is a story with a dream ... ... Well, do you have such a strange memory?"

I will answer honestly.

"Yes, there is a spectacle that I see in my dream over and over again, there are unexplainable memories that I do not believe in this world"

"Mystery" chasing after a long time.

"I thought that it was due to mind at first, but I came to worry and I began to ask various people, whether people other than me also have a memory of" another world ", interview I started the testimony, and the testimonies I got interviewed became quite large. "

"It's enthusiastic, it just seems to draw water, but the identity of" memories "people testified may be mere illusion or unconscious wish."

"For the most part it seems, but while collecting testimony, a fact that can not be ignored emerges."

I took out a notebook. It summarizes hundreds of testimonies collected so far.

"A lot of similarities were found in the people's" memory ", in some cases the people who were different were born or raised exactly the same sight, while others were unfamiliar, only experienced the same experience There were also cases that I could not imagine, especially the words that stand out are words that dozens of people knew without knowing the meanings - for example - "

Open the note and read it.

"" Cocoon "" Fal'cie"" Grand Pulse "" Bhunivelze ""

A strong light shook the eyes of Hope Estheim.

"Even though there were no traces of back and forth, many people used the same words to tell a similar memory," Humans leave the ground and live above the sky "" With cocoon and There was a flying ground called, "I stayed in a safe cocoon and I was afraid of the outside world" "Heaven's cocoon is a paradise, the ground is a hell ... ... There are many similar testimonies. Are they at the bottom of my heart and share the same memory, or are they somewhere sharing the past living in a "different world" and have that memory? "

"So then to me ...... I also went to check" another world "or Cocoon's memory."

"Not only that, in fact, your name comes up in the testimony of many people"

"My name?"

Many people memorize the person named "Hope" as a leader in such a way that "Hope led the people" and "It was Hope that supported Cocoon".

So today I was looking forward to seeing you. If I can hear your story, I feel like finding clues to solve this mystery. "

He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. Have you solved the tension, or did you decide on your resolution? He said after a while.

"Please let me know your memory, please."

I will start talking. It was a sight that I had in my dream repeatedly from the moment I came.

"A memory that was chased after the city that I lived on, the memory that I got on the train, escaping from a frozen lake to escape ... ... But it was not cold, the lake was not made of frozen water but made of quartz Everything was due to things like Fal'ci, I remember that much.

Frequently I see my dream is to memorize something towards the camera, holding my microphone full of force. Surprisingly there was a person who remembered the scene at this time besides myself. He seems to have memories of somewhere on the screen of another place, watching the images I'm talking about.

What does this memory mean for us? I just want to know. "

"……understood"

The eyes that had been unveiled had stared at me.

"Let me tell you my memories.

In those days, people lived in the land called Cocoon.

I am also one of the people who was born and raised as a hometown of Cocoon.

At that time, I was 14 years old. "

---

"The beginning of fate was" purge ""

It was not the first time I heard words. A number of testimonies have been talking about with fear and anger.

He told me in detail. At that time, human beings caught in the sky flying artificial celestial body and was running a comfortable life. However, at a certain time Cocoon 's governing body "Sanctuary" expelled the inhabitants of one city and said that many of them were killed. That was a case called "purge".

As he was 14, he was unluckily caught up in the purge and was forced to be atted by the fate of suffering. Mother's death, being cursed and made into lush. The siege of Holy Forces, and the thought of revenge.

“Now that I can look back on it, I really was sustaining myself with hate. The despair of losing my mother and becoming an l’Cie was too heavy for me. I deceived myself and aimed my anger at the closest target. I blamed my mother’s death on Snow and despised him for it. If Light hadn’t stopped me and pulled me back, I don’t know where I’d be right now.”

He raised the name of the former fellows and the people who met in the middle of the escape. Lightning, Snow, Sazh, Vanille, Fang, Serah...... There were names that came out in interviews so far, there were names heard for the first time.

"Who was Lightning?"

“…She is a strict, but gentle person. And because she was so kind, she didn’t spoil me, but firmly watched over me.”

“So she protected and guided you. Was she like a caretaker to you?“

“At first, I only depended on her. I simply thought she was a strong person. But in reality, she was also lost and suffering. The moment I realized this, I knew that I didn’t want to only be protected by her. I wanted to protect her too.”

“You became ‘partners’ that faced the same trials together.”

“Yes. We all came to support each other and we managed to overcome a variety of obstacles.”

“You fought against the gods who reigned over the people: fal’Cie Barthandelus and Orphan.”

“I’m impressed. You’ve done a lot of research. Back then, the people lived unaware of what their leaders truly were.”

“I heard that, later, the truth was made known to the public. It was after you defeated them and saved the world.”

“Saved the world, huh…” He spoke as if he were talking to himself. “We definitely won against the fal’Cie. But looking back now, I can see that it was only the beginning.”

“Do you mean that you continued your journey even after the battle with the fal’Cie?”

“We had no choice but to continue. In a new time, a new battle was beginning.”

“Was it the battle that revolved around the ‘savior’?”

“…Where did you learn of that word?"

"I heard it while I was gathering witnesses of the other world. Many people still remember this word. My guess is that the word was very important in the other world. I can’t stop thinking about it either.”

“But I never once spoke of the ‘savior’. You merely supposed that I knew. The savior didn’t exist during the period when the fal’Cie ruled. But when I mentioned a new battle, you assumed that it referred to the savior’s appearance.”

“That’s right. Did I make the correct assumption?”

“Not exactly, but you came pretty close. The ‘savior’ appeared after many centuries. But before that, there was a long, long battle. The world was threatened with destruction and was largely damaged. This might sound unbelievable, but it was a battle that exceeded time.”

----

I then came to learn of the story that unfurled during the period known as “AF (After the Fall)”. When the fal’Cie reign ended, the safe land of Cocoon became unstable for humanity. The people had no choice but to immigrate and survive on the untamed grounds of Gran Pulse. While fighting with the natural threats of the land, the people managed to carve a functioning civilization within a few hundred years.

The history told by Hope Estheim matched my previous gatherings. An organization known as “the Academy” led the way to humanity’s restoration. A number of witnesses already made me aware of the defining role the Academy held in history, such as the construction of an enormous city. However, Hope’s account seemed to relevantly and sequentially connect all of the reports I had heard so far.

“This is like hearing the unknown history of mankind…”

“It was a trying time, especially for those who were used to living in the safe and closed-off environment of Cocoon.”

“And on top of all that, Lightning had gone missing. It must have been nerve-wrecking for you to lose your support.”

“Well, at the time, our memories were distorted. We believed Lightning had died and was protecting Cocoon as a crystal. However, Serah found the truth. And the moment I heard that Lightning was still alive, I found confidence. I believed I would definitely see her again. All I had to do was push forward until then. My doubts had vanished.”

“Thanks to the strong bond formed between comrades who endured a cruel journey together… Am I right?”

“It’s a little different. For example, Noel and I were born during completely different eras and raised within contrasting societies. Our pasts had nothing in common, but I immediately sympathized with him. It was because he and I shared the same goals. We were both doing what we could for a future where everyone could live in peace."

“While Serah and Noel plunged into a battle revolving around Caius Ballad and the seeress ‘Yeul’, you led the Academy and prepared for the looming catastrophe. You prepared for the destruction of Cocoon and the damage it would cause to the land below by constructing an artificial Cocoon. This project to save mankind required hundreds of years of work, and you brilliantly directed it to success.”

“That project was only possible due to the combined, tireless efforts of numerous workers over the course of several generations. I merely oversaw the beginning and the end….. That’s right. It all ended. In AF500, Serah and Noel defeated Caius and the New Cocoon was successfully launched into the sky. But that was simply the beginning of an era of destruction.”

“Was it because of the ‘Chaos’? During my interviews, many people spoke of the Chaos and how the invasion filled the world and could not be stopped. It sounds like the Chaos was an enemy that threatened the world.”

“Yes. We fought against the constant threat of the Chaos. And at the final stage of that battle, the story to end ‘that world’ began. The last story of that world… The savior – Lightning’s story.”

For a moment, I was at a loss of words. The savior’s identity – a truth that had weighed on my mind – was suddenly revealed to me, and rather lightly. I managed to control my flustering and asked, “Please, tell me more…”

But Hope Estheim smiled and shook his head. “I can only share up to this point. If you wish to hear the story of the savior, you’ll have to hear it from Light.”

“But I…”

But I’ve come so far. I was so close to grabbing the tail of a mystery I was desperately chasing, only to have it escape at the last second.

“Please. At least tell me where I can find her.”

I tried to be persistent, but he shook his head again.

“You should try and find her on your own. You managed to reach me after tenaciously gathering a variety of interviews. I believe you can meet Light too."

It seems that I’m being tested.

“Alright, I’ll try to find her. But to be sure, Lightning is definitely in this world, right?”

“I know that all of my comrades are here. I think that if you chase after Light, you will naturally meet her. And when you talk to all of my friends and learn the truth of ‘that world’, please come and see me again. Then, I will tell you everything I know.”

He softly informed me with a smile. But because he seemed so detached, it felt as though he were hiding something. I couldn’t help but ask.

“Surely I must be wrong, but… I have a feeling that you don’t know where Lightning is either. Even though you believe that you will see her again, it hasn’t happened yet.”

“…..Maybe.”

His smile didn’t change. However, his eyes seemed to be shadowed with loneliness.

Before we went on our separate ways, Hope Estheim provided me with one clue. It is the location of his former comrade. I want to visit him as soon as possible, but I’ll need some rest first.

At the time, it felt like I was departing on a light vacation… I had no idea that I was about to begin a long journey.