Sorceress ( Final Fantasy VIII ) Sorceresses in the world of " Final Fantasy VIII " are humans who have received the sorceress power , a magical power said to have been given to humanity by the Great Hyne long ago . A sorceress differs from normal human s as they can use magic naturally ( i . e . without the use of Limit Breaks or Guardian Force s — see Para - Magic ) until she must eventually pass her powers to another individual at the time of her death . Calling a sorceress a " Descendant of Hyne " is a sign of great respect . The only known male sorcerer is the originator , Hyne . Origins . The legends state that sorceresses originate from the god Hyne , who is said to have created humanity . According to legend , the sorceresses are people wielding the magic of Hyne . The " Final Fantasy VIII Ultimania " states that after the people realized Hyne had tricked them , they vowed to destroy him , but could never find his other half . It has been said Hyne hid the powerful side of his body inside women , which was why he could never be found , and which is why only women can have the gift of magic . Known sorceresses . Edea Kramer , Rinoa Heartilly , Sorceress Adel , and Sorceress Ultimecia are the sorceresses seen in " Final Fantasy VIII " . There may be more sorceresses in the world who are either unaware of their powers or hiding them from the world at large . Although sorceresses are the game ' s primary villains not all past sorceresses were evil , as some were known to have used their powers to help people . On the " Final Fantasy VIII Ultimania " guide , it is mentioned in a transcript of a SeeD lecture that there were three historically significant sorceresses : one stood up for the people of a small country when it collapsed , another caused the Sorceress War , and a third cooperated with the government to develop Para - Magic . While the second sorceress is obviously Adel , the identities of the other two sorceresses are not given , though there is speculation that the third is Edea ; considering her ties to the Garden , which utilizes Para - Magic , and that the instructor in the transcript mentions that she is the one " most familiar to us " . Becoming a sorceress . Any woman with the potential to receive sorceress powers may become a sorceress . The process is dubbed the embodiment , wherein a dying sorceress passes on her powers to a chosen successor who is unable to reject the transfer of power . Once an individual becomes a sorceress she may still be used as a successor for the powers of another sorceress . A sorceress must be free of her powers to die in peace . It is never explained what happens to a sorceress if they cannot relieve their powers to a successor , but the sorceress power may render a sorceress unable to die until they have found a successor . The sorceress ' s body may also release the power after a near - death experience , although such is a rarity . This happens when Edea is defeated by the SeeDs and her sorceress powers transfer to Rinoa even though Edea survives . Because normal humans are able to use magic during a Limit attack , or via a Guardian Force , Edea can still use Ice Strike as a Limit Break . The specific profile of the successor to a sorceress ' s powers has never been stated . They may have supernatural characteristics other humans lack , such as the case with Ellone who was once chosen as the successor to Sorceress Adel ' s powers . Her hometown of Winhill was raided twice by Esthar soldiers in search of a successor , and the second raid specifically targeted her . Ellone can transfer one ' s consciousness into the past or communicate with others telepathically , and this may have prompted Esthar to seek her out . A physical trait many sorceresses have is the appearance of wings or wing - like structures from their backs when they use their power . Rinoa ' s white wings appear during her Angel Wing Limit Break , and once in a vision experienced by Squall . Ultimecia has black demonic wings and Adel has dark , sharp wings . Edea doesn ' t have wings but wears a golden ornament that sits at her shoulders with two veils of gauze hanging down , which somewhat resemble wings . Sorceress ' s Knight . The term Sorceress ' s Knight is applied to a male companion who protects the sorceress . The knight protects his sorceress both from external dangers and her own powers . Seifer Almasy serves Ultimecia , Squall serves Rinoa ( who jovially calls him an " apprentice knight " ) , and a fictional knight is portrayed by Laguna Loire in a movie . It is implied that Cid serves as Edea ' s knight , as she refers to him as such during her conversation on the topic with Rinoa at the orphanage . The position of Sorceress ' s Knight has been seen as a romantic or honorable ; Seifer claims his childhood dream is to be a Sorceress ' s Knight and retains the sobriquet even after his defeat by the SeeDs causes Ultimecia to reject him . There are multiple works of fiction that portray the sorceress and knight relationship in a positive light . Knights can take additional roles in the service of their sorceress . For instance , Seifer commands Galbadia ' s military forces when Ultimecia takes control of the country . With Cid as Edea ' s knight , he manages the SeeDs for her until Squall takes over the organization . Every known knight has a bond to their respective sorceress . The nature of the bond varies with each pair . Squall and Rinoa have a romantic connection ; similarly , Cid and Edea are married . In contrast , the bond between Seifer and Edea stems from Ultimecia brainwashing him through Edea , although the position is also Seifer ' s " romantic dream " , implying a level of fascination and emotional attachment to his charge . Seifer ' s comments to the party later imply the bond is related to his filial connection with his " Matron " from recovered memories of his time living at Edea ' s Orphanage . Just as there has not been a mention of a male sorcerer , there are no known female knights . Gameplay . Playable sorceresses . Rinoa is playable after becoming a sorceress . Her stats are not altered and she still cannot wield magic without the Magic command , but she gains a new Limit Break , the Angel Wing . Edea is playable briefly , but unknown to her is no longer a sorceress at this point . Edea can only use magic via junctioning like the rest of the party , and can still use her Limit Break Ice Strike . Battle . Edea is fought as the boss at the ends of discs 1 and 2 . The battle at the end of disc one is scripted and cannot end in a Game Over , but if the player fails to reduce Edea ' s HP to zero they miss out on the battle spoils . Adel is fought at the start of disc four with Rinoa junctioned into her body . The party must defeat Adel without hurting Rinoa , as if Rinoa dies it is Game Over . At the start of time compression , Squall and the party fight eleven incarnations of sorceresses from different time periods . Though there are eleven , they only have three distinct appearances . The party fights Ultimecia at Ultimecia Castle as the final boss . She junctions herself onto Griever , and later transforms into an ultimate form that absorbs all space and time . Etymology and symbolism . The Japanese term used in " Final Fantasy VIII " is " witch " rather than " sorceress " . This is why the term " witch " appears in the " Succession of Witches " phrase that is an anagram from FITHOS LUSEC WECOS VINOSEC , the lyrics that open the game in " Liberi Fatali " . The term refers to an old European folk belief of a person who causes harm to humans and animals via the means of witchcraft . In " Dissidia Final Fantasy " the term " witch " is used interchangeably with " sorceress " . The sorceress is called " Hexe " in German , " Strega " in Italian , and " Hechicera " in Spanish . The appearance of the sorceresses could be based on the conceived appearances of Buddhist demons known as " asura " . The most evident example of this is in their appearance as beautiful women with deformed hands and feet , as well as in the wings and horn - like protrusions .