A sorceress cannot die while still holding onto the sorceress power.Edea Kramer
The sorceress power (the "witch embodiment" in the original Japanese) is the unique power separating a sorceress from a normal human being in Final Fantasy VIII.
The Great Hyne granted the sorceress power to sorceresses at the beginning of time, a mysterious gift that enables a person to use magic naturally without resorting to a Limit Break, a Guardian Force, or a Junction system.
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The sorceress power is seemingly immortal and inexorable. It attaches to a person and remains with them until their death. They must then transfer it to another sorceress or potential one. The power can also transfer to a new host should a sorceress suffer a near-death experience, as Edea Kramer's defeat during the Battle of the Gardens made her sorceress power go to Rinoa Heartilly despite the former not dying.
A potential sorceress can be rare but is identifiable by people who know what to look for. As an example of their rarity, Sorceress Adel kidnapped hundreds of young girls from all over the world to find the one to inherit her power.
Whoever receives the power must be physically close to a sorceress at the time of their death. Adel and Ultimecia had to give their power to Rinoa and Edea, respectively, even though they were not the ones they chose to be their successors. What happens to the sorceress/her power if no worthy recipients are near them is unclear. In Ultimecia's case, she must seemingly bear a continued, if painful, existence until she finds a potential candidate. It's also unknown if the power has a cumulative effect when a sorceress receives more than one sorceress's power, such as in Edea and Rinoa's cases.
In the Information part of the menu, there is a section that one can only unlock by hacking the game, called "Succession of sorceress power," which says: When a sorceress is about to die, she gives her power to the next person who 'inherits' her sorceress powers. According to Odine's research, the power tends to weaken with each succession. It's unknown if this section was disabled purposefully or mistakenly; therefore, it's unknown if the hypothesis of the power weakening with each succession is canon.
Manifestations of the power
A total of 15 different sorceresses exhibit the sorceress power in Final Fantasy VIII, but only two of them have any background on how they obtained it:
- Edea Kramer: from an unknown sorceress at age five, then from Ultimecia several years later.
- Rinoa Heartilly: from Edea during the Battle of the Gardens and later from Adel onboard the Lunatic Pandora.
Although the sorceress power allegedly originated from the Great Hyne, it seemingly takes different forms within different people. Every sorceress in Final Fantasy VIII demonstrates a different "specialty" with their power.
| Sorceress | Power |
|---|---|
| Edea | Ice (shown in her Draw lists, her weapon, and her Limit Break), Ice Strike. |
| Adel | Non-elemental (shown in her choice of spells—Flare, Ultima, Meteor—and her Energy Bomber skill). |
| Rinoa | Pure, primal magic (shown by the effects of her Angel Wing Limit Break and her ability to revive those close to death). |
| Ultimecia | Time and Space (mainly shown by her choice of time compression as her ultimate spell). |
| The eleven sorceresses in the Commencement Room | Various, but each sorceress has a theme, as each only casts one or two specific spells. |
The full extent of a sorceress's abilities is unknown. Throughout Final Fantasy VIII, sorceresses utilize telekinesis, teleportation, telepathy, mind control, mental possession, control over the elements, the installation of life into inanimate objects, projection of kinetic barriers, the capacity to phase through solid matter, and enhanced strength and endurance. Sorceresses also demonstrate the ability to alter their physical appearance to some extent.
Most sorceresses seem to share a notable physical trait when using their powers: the appearance of wings or wing-like structures behind them, the appearances of which seem to correspond with the sorceress's personality traits.
Other appearances
Dissidia Final Fantasy (2008)
A pre-battle quote by Kefka, should he fight Ultimecia in Dissidia Final Fantasy, briefly alludes to the sorceress power―mainly the obligation to transfer it to another in the vicinity upon death―where he says, "How about you give me that power?"
Other media
Dead Fantasy
In Dead Fantasy II, Rinoa demonstrates her sorceress powers, such as telekinetic abilities where she levitates rocks to hit the Dead or Alive girls. She also uses four offensive spells within her Angel Wing Limit Break. She conjures portals from the moon to send her comrades and their Dead or Alive rivals to another location.