Sorceress War The Sorceress War refers to a war in " Final Fantasy VIII " that occurred approximately 18 years ago . The war is named for its initiator , Sorceress Adel , who was on a quest for global domination . The war ' s after effects are seen throughout the world , most notably the orphans whose parents and families died during it . A large portion of Laguna Loire ' s story also occurs during the war . Prelude . Vinzer Deling became the president of Galbadia sometime beyond nineteen years ago , whereupon he began to unite the independent nations within the Galbadian continent by amassing a military dictatorship . It is unknown how Sorceress Adel came to her position of power within Esthar , whether it was a coup or election , but she also wanted to unite the world under her power . The two year - long war spread across the globe with reported events occurring in the Centra n , Galbadian and Estharian continents . Battle . The war was initiated by the tyrannical Sorceress Adel , who ruled over the technological nation of Esthar and terrorized it with magic . She attempted to take over Galbadia using a combination of her magic and Esthar ' s technology , but Galbadia resisted . During the fighting many children ended up orphaned , among them : Squall Leonhart , Zell Dincht , Irvine Kinneas , Selphie Tilmitt , Quistis Trepe , and Seifer Almasy . Esthar discovered the crystal pillar , a device that could react with the moon to incite a phenomenon called the Lunar Cry . The last Lunar Cry destroyed the Centra civilization , and Adel planned to use it as a weapon against Galbadia by building an enclosure dubbed the Lunatic Pandora around the pillar to amplify the Lunar Cry ' s power . Galbadian troops led by Laguna Loire investigated the facility , but were forced to jump from a cliff after being cornered by Estharian troops , leaving them momentarily crippled and the mystery unsolved . The second breakthrough came when Dr . Odine stumbled across the secret of junctioning Guardian Force s to human minds , allowing regular humans access to an incomplete kind of magic known as Para - Magic . As Adel had no one to pass her empire on to , she began desiring a successor to her sorceress power , and began to search for an appropriate girl to carry on her legacy . The girl she chose was Ellone , a mysterious girl from Winhill who had the ability to send another person ' s consciousness back in time . Esthar troops raided Winhill and killed Ellone ' s parents , but she is saved by her next - door neighbor , Raine . Following the raid , Galbadian troops were stationed in Winhill to fend off future attacks . Esthar attacked again , and Ellone was kidnapped and taken to Esthar where Dr . Odine imprinted her brainwaves into a computer to create the Junction Machine Ellone to simulate her time - traveling powers . Laguna Loire rescued Ellone and joined the rebellion against Adel that hatched a plan to usurp her . Although she was too powerful for any non - sorceress to defeat , Laguna tricked Adel into a sealing container using Ellone ' s facsimile , then launched the container into space . The container ' s anti - transmission waves caused the worldwide radio interference , which would render wireless communication useless for the next seventeen years . Aftermath . With Adel disposed , Laguna became the president of Esthar and ordered the crystal pillar to be sunk into the ocean . Esthar sealed itself away from the rest of the world , and became known as the Silent Esthar . The war ' s aftermath can still be felt seventeen years later with the abundance of war orphans ( most of whom are now in their mid to late teens ) and the static over radio - wave transmissions . Relations between Esthar and Galbadia were never patched up , as the former had cut itself off from the rest of the world . With Esthar remaining in isolation , Galbadia became the world ' s " de facto " superpower .