In the darkness and vastness of space, the sorceress Adel had been buried alive; frozen in a cryostatic slumber. She was unable to move, unable to conjure, unable to die. All she could do was dream. She dreamed of revenge on the world that should have been hers, and her dreams were terrible.

A giant among men, Adel had grown out of the destruction and chaos that was the Centran armageddon – the Lunar Cry. She had been there as a young girl when the tears fell: a torrent of beasts and nightmares that were born and that dwelt on the moon, crashing down upon a civilisation that was at the pinnacle of its golden age. She had hidden and watched the slaughter as the buildings came down and the flames arose, she had watched as the armies were overcome and the people of Centra made their last stand.

Their astronomers and academics had seen it coming, but not soon enough. There had only been enough time to build three shelters, and even they would not have survived the onslaught but for the virtue of the mobility that had been built into their design. Those lucky enough to be selected made their escape, but none of the sorceresses were among them. They had vowed to stay and fight to their last breath. It was a sacrifice that had bought the shelters enough time to flee the continent and found the countries of Galbadia, Esthar, and Trabia.

How many sorceress had fought and lost? How many had come to her in their death thralls desperately seeking to bestow upon her their power as a glorious gift?

Only Adel knew; and only Adel knew what she was going to do with it:

She brought the towering technological might of Esthar under her control first. Her rule was as ruthless as it was bloody and inescapable. But it could only last as long as she did, she knew, unless she found a successor. Someone with ability, someone with potential, someone female – that she might inherit her powers, as she had done when she was a girl.

She ordered mass kidnappings, and left their examination to Dr Odine. If he found someone unusual, he brought her to Adel's attention. If they were banal and ordinary, they were disposed of. When Dr Odine brought her a young girl called Ellone, Adel knew she was special. Unfortunately for Adel, she was not the first person to realise this either:

Laguna Loire had met Ellone after escaping the reconnaissance mission to Centra. The Galbadian army had sent him and his team, Ward Zabac and Kiros Seagill, following intelligence that Esthar was excavating something.

Adel had not forgotten the crystal shard that had fallen from the moon during the lunar cry – it was colossal in size, and the monsters had swarmed around it like bees around a hive – so naturally she had sent the army to retrieve it, planning to use it as a weapon against those that resisted her rule in Trabia.

Laguna, of course, had little or no understanding of what he and his team had stumbled upon, only that they were in seriously hot water. During their escape, he and Ward injured themselves falling from a cliff as they tried to reach the sea – Ward badly damaging his throat.

Laguna, however, was knocked unconscious. So his friends decided to take him to the nearest town to recover: Winhill. The only person there who was willing to take in the strange Galbadian soldier, was Raine, Ellone's mother.

Laguna grew to love Raine, over time. It began with working to pay for his keep, then with working to repay her kindness in looking after him while he got better, then working to help provide for her because he enjoyed making her happy, and then there it was: devotion. Duty. Loyalty. Love.

Laguna loved Elle from the moment he first met her. She was sweet, she was innocent, and she knew what fun there was to be had in the smallest of things. She was enthusiastic, she was kind and she was brave. She was, in essence, all the qualities Laguna admired in a person; being around her made him feel like a better man – she made him feel special, and vice versa. Then there it was: dependency. Reliance. Camaraderie. Love.

When he received the news that Elle had been kidnapped, Laguna didn't hesitate. He didn't think (which was typical); but then, he didn't need to. There was nothing to think about.

Leaving Raine and Winhill behind, he crossed the border into Esthar; he joined the resistance faction that were planning to overthrow Adel's rule; became pivotal in their plan to capture and ensnare her; helped seal her in her tomb; sent her into orbit around the moon; became president of Esthar.

Became a father.

Became a widower.

As time moved inexorably forward for Laguna, it stopped for Adel. She remained drifting, the "succession of witches" momentarily forestalled.

And her thoughts drifted with her. And they were this:

I am alive.

Bring me back.

I will never let you forget me.