Edea Kramer Edea Kramer , also known as Sorceress Edea , or Matron , is an antagonist and a temporary - playable character from " Final Fantasy VIII " . She is a mysterious woman appointed as ambassador to Galbadia . Profile . Appearance . Edea is refined and ladylike , traits particularly evident during her possession when Ultimecia uses Edea ' s sophistication and physical beauty to beguile her enemies . She has long black hair and green eyes that are golden yellow when possessed by Ultimecia . Normally she wears a modest black dress with little jewelry , but while possessed , Edea wears a purple skin - tight dress with a plunging neckline and feathers around the collar , a headpiece adorned with jewels and a metallic half - circle frame on her back with two long strips of sheer fabric hanging down each side . Before revealing her face at the parade , Edea wears a red mask to conceal her identity . During close - ups of her face during FMVs , white lines can be observed extending from the corner of her eye and cheek . Personality . When first introduced , Edea is possessed by Ultimecia , a sorceress from the future , and is thus portrayed as a vain , power - hungry and remorseless sadist . All traces of her once kind and loving personality are purged from under Ultimecia ' s possession to be replaced by an all - consuming desire for world domination . In actuality Edea is benign and gentle . Although she has been under the stigma of being a sorceress ever since the age of five , she doesn ' t resent the world for the prejudice it must have shown her . She devotes her life to helping others , focusing upon the children she cares for in her orphanage . Those raised by her are reluctant to accept the deeds performed by a possessed Edea are those committed by their beloved matron . Story . When she was five years old , Edea received sorceress power s from an unknown sorceress . She married Cid Kramer , who knew she was a sorceress . They operated an orphanage for the Sorceress War orphans on the Centra continent with the orphans referring to Edea as " Matron " . When Laguna Loire embarked on his search for his missing step - daughter Ellone , he visited the orphanage , questioning Edea on what she might know about how to enter Esthar . Later , nearing the Sorceress War ' s end , Squall — Laguna and Raine ' s son — would be sent to Edea ' s orphanage by the people of Winhill after Raine ' s death . Ellone accompanied him , whom he called " sis " . When Squall was four years old Edea met a dying sorceress and a teenage Squall who had come from the future . The sorceress was dying , having been defeated by the teenage Squall , and Edea received her sorceress powers . Squall told Edea about the SeeD and the Garden , saluting her with the SeeD salute , before disappearing back into the time portal . Edea was stricken by this encounter , and puzzled the Squall from the future had told her SeeD and Garden were her ideas . She surmised that Squall , a boy from her orphanage , would one day kill an evil sorceress , and she and Cid began plans to create SeeD and Garden to prepare him . Cid left the orphanage to look for sponsors as they needed funding , and she stayed at the orphanage with the children . Ellone was being sought by Dr . Odine of Esthar to complete his research on her and her special powers to send a person ' s consciousness back in time . Edea created the White SeeD , a group of older orphans assigned to protect Ellone . Edea and Cid were permanently separated as Cid became the headmaster of Balamb Garden , his quest being to train young people , Squall among them , as SeeDs to become strong enough to one day take on the sorceress from Edea ' s encounter . Edea stayed on the White SeeD Ship with the other orphans and Ellone . Twelve years after Balamb Garden ' s completion , Ultimecia possessed Edea . It is unknown whether Edea left the White SeeD Ship before or after being possessed , but the White SeeDs and other orphans voyaged to Balamb Garden to tell Cid what had happened . Ultimecia used Edea ' s body and name as a vessel to seize power across the planet to use the resources she ' d gather to hunt down Ellone to make use of her powers over time . Ultimecia wants to mobilize the Galbadian army to find her , but to do that she needs to take over Galbadia and she , under Edea ' s guise , allies with the president Vinzer Deling . During a live television broadcast meant to introduce her to the world as a new Galbadian ambassador , Seifer , a rogue SeeD cadet , takes the president hostage and Ultimecia in Edea ' s body spirits him away with her . Deeming Seifer potentially useful for her , Ultimecia makes Seifer her sorceress ' s knight . While possessed by Ultimecia , Edea ' s " shell " kills President Deling , survives an assassination attempt by SeeD , and takes command of the Galbadian army . She declares SeeD as her enemy and orders missile attacks on Trabia and Balamb Gardens while she makes Galbadia Garden her base of operations . While Balamb Garden escapes the missile attack by activating its mobile functions and moving away from the spot the missiles were programmed to target , Trabia Garden is not as lucky . Ultimecia orders the G - Forces to look for Ellone with Seifer in command , who appoints his friends Fujin and Raijin as commanders . Squall becomes the commander of Balamb Garden and begins the war against Edea and her G - Forces despite now knowing her as his former Matron . During the Battle of the Gardens Edea falls in battle and the near - death experience expels her sorceress power that seeks for a new host in Rinoa Heartilly , a member of Squall ' s party . Ultimecia possesses Rinoa to order Seifer to rouse the Lunatic Pandora , an Estharian weapon of mass destruction , before Rinoa falls comatose . Seifer departs to carry out the task with the G - Forces , and Edea regains control over body and mind . Everyone retreats to the old orphanage where Edea is reunited with Cid . Edea explains what had happened to her and Ultimecia ' s true goal of finding Ellone : casting a spell that would destroy the world as they know it , time compression . Edea is unaware she has lost her sorceress powers , and only knows Ultimecia has left her , and is unable to help Rinoa who remains comatose . She helps Squall look for Ellone by telling him where to find the White SeeD Ship , and gives him a letter of introduction so the crew would accept him onboard . Edea wants to ensure Ultimecia will never possess her again and joins the party for a trip to Esthar in hopes Dr . Odine would rid her of her powers . Edea helps the party as they cross the Great Salt Lake and later when the Lunatic Pandora , now operated by Seifer and the G - Army , flies over Esthar City . Edea learns from Odine she had inadvertently relinquished her sorceress power to Rinoa . With the burden of her power lifted , Edea returns to the ruined orphanage with her husband , where she gives shelter , advice , and background information to the party . After a visit to the Estharian space station the party returns to the orphanage with a cured Rinoa . The president of Esthar sends a message to the party asking to hire them on a SeeD mission to vanquish Ultimecia once and for all , and Edea wishes them good luck . Squall and his friends travel to the future and kill Ultimecia , and Edea and Cid attend the victory celebrations in Balamb Garden . Gameplay . Edea appears twice as a Edea . During the second fight , the party can draw the Guardian Force Alexander from her . Edea is also a temporarily playable character . She has no equippable weapon . Her Limit Break is Ice Strike , which hurls large icicles at one enemy target , and is unaffected by her Crisis Level . As with other characters , a Triple Triad card based on Edea can be obtained . Creation and development . Edea ' s character was designed for " Final Fantasy VII " , and Tetsuya Nomura intended the design to emulate the style of Yoshitaka Amano . It was not until " Final Fantasy VIII " Nomura found a way to use her . Musical themes . There are two themes accompanying Edea ' s presence . " SUCCESSION OF WITCHES " accompanies her when she appears as an antagonist , most notably played when she first encounters Seifer in Timber . However , this is considered Ultimecia ' s theme . The other theme is called " Truth , " and plays at Edea ' s Orphanage . Her battle theme is " Premonition . " Other appearances . Edea has made appearances in the following games in the " Final Fantasy " series :