Author's Note: New story, just in time for Halloween. :) This will be shorter overall and will hopefully have much faster updates so I can finish it and get back to my other fics. Still, I hope my readers enjoy a little ghost story in celebration of the holiday.
The timeline for this story is three years after the conclusion of the game. Also it could be considered in the same universe as my Revisions fic, but that one will not need to be read to understand this.

I do not own Final Fantasy VIII or any of its characters.

Thank you to everyone who reads/follows/favorites/reviews this. It is always appreciated.

Chapter One

After three years of working as the commander of Balamb Garden, Squall Leonhart had learned a lot about facing difficult situations.

Headmaster Cid's promotion of him to commander was thought to be temporary, but after Ultimecia's defeat, it was decided that he would continue to run the major operations of Garden with Cid and Edea mainly acting in administrative and advisory roles. Thus, Squall spent less time in the field and more time dealing with world leaders and wealthy industrialists. All of whom continued to hire SeeD for a variety of assignments. When he did get out into the field, Squall often took on complicated, dangerous assignments as a way to continue to test his mettle and improve his combat and strategic abilities. As a result of all this, Squall had become adept at handling precarious, high-pressure work and tolerant of dealing with arrogant, pontificating bureaucrats.

But none of that training or experience was able to fully prepare him for the moment when Laguna Loire, the president of Esthar and his father, invited him to a Halloween party.

"Come on, Squall. I'll need a security detail and I'm getting sick of traveling with Palace guards all the time. Besides, it's a costume party, so you know it's going to be a blast. It'll be a super easy job and I have the means to pay you and your team plenty to attend. So, how about it?"

Squall let out a long sigh as he tugged at the material of the outfit he was wearing. This wasn't the first time that Laguna had managed to hire SeeD for small, odd jobs partially as an excuse to visit with him. Normally, Squall didn't mind nor did Garden due to Laguna's tendency to pay generously. Still, he had been extremely tempted to turn his father's offer down, but Rinoa had managed to talk him out of it.

"Squall, we've been working hard for months. We all could use a break. This party sounds like just the thing we need to unwind. And I know that everyone else will agree with me. So stop being such a meanie and let's have some fun for a change."

Despite his better judgment, Squall discussed it with his friends and was overwhelmingly outvoted in favor of attending. Unfortunately for him, the invitations explicitly stated that all attendees arrive in costume and that the costumes follow a "fantasy" theme. Thus, Laguna had invited them to Esthar so they could go to a local costume shop to pick out their attire before they took the Ragnarok to a recently discovered set of ruins in Centra.

The party, the brainchild of a member of the Dollet Dukedom, was meant to be a way for Dollet to heighten its profile on the world stage. Important members of government and society from Galbadia, Balamb and Esthar had been invited, however, security measures turned out to be relatively low-key due to the very casual nature of the gathering.

Squall scowled and leaned against the wall. He and his team decided to wait until the Ragnarok landed just outside the ruins before putting on their costumes. Right now, he was standing in the corridor, waiting for Rinoa to come out. Soon, there was a whoosh as the doors opened.

"Ok, here I am," Rinoa said as she stepped out. "So, what do you think?"

Squall silently studied her. Rinoa was wearing a white top with long, black fingerless gloves and a short black mini-skirt. On her feet was a pair of black, chunky boots.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Rinoa smiled. "From now on, just call me Tifa."

"I'm not going to do that," Squall said, crossing his arms over his chest. "And why exactly do I have to carry this huge plastic sword around anyway? Lionheart is much more authentic looking than this."

"Yeah, but your gunblade is real and this is supposed to be a costume," Rinoa said. "Besides, I think you look kind of cute with that spiky hair."

"Whatever," Squall said. "The sword is ridiculous though. No one could wield a sword like this with any real accuracy. Not sure how this guy could have been an elite soldier."

"Well that's why they call it fantasy, Squall," Rinoa giggled. "It's not supposed to be for real."

"That's for sure," Squall mumbled. Rinoa laughed again and was about to say something else when the sound of footsteps interrupted her. Both she and Squall turned to see Selphie and Irvine approaching them, dressed in their costumes.

"Heeey, you guys look great," Selphie squealed. "Rinoa, you look just like her."

"Thanks Selphie," Rinoa said. "And your outfit looks great too."

"You like it?" Selphie said, holding out her arms and dancing in place. "I wanted to go as a princess, but didn't really want to wear a dress. Besides, I think 'Dagger' is a cool nickname."

"Yeah, but you're not the one who ended up having to wear a tail as part of your costume," Irvine sighed.

"You could have gone with something else," Squall reminded him.

"No way, despite the tail, this is perfect," Irvine said. "After all, I consider myself something of a thief: a thief of hearts, that is."

Rinoa giggled from behind her hand while Squall let his face drop into his palm. He was pretty sure that Selphie was going to pound Irvine with her nunchaku, but Zell and Quistis' arrival prevented that from happening.

"All set," Zell announced. "Let's get to the party."

"Who are you dressed as Zell?" Rinoa asked.

"Who am I?" Zell said, puffing out his chest. "Quite possibly one of the coolest characters ever. Yep, Sabin Figaro: prince, martial artist extraordinaire and one of the toughest guys in the world."

"Not to mention brash, hard-headed and possessing a voracious appetite," Quistis said with a smirk.

"So in other words, not that much different from Zell Dincht," Squall said with a smirk of his own.

"Tch, at least I'm not the one wearing a tail," Zell huffed.

"You know, there is more to this costume than the tail," Irvine sighed again. "Or have you already forgotten about the romantic thief part?"

"What about you, Quistis?" Selphie asked, ignoring Irvine. "That cape looks so cool on you."

"Thank you," Quistis said. "And tonight you can just call me General Celes. I'm just glad that I didn't need to do anything too elaborate with my hair for this."

'Not that I should have done anything either,' Squall thought to himself, his scowl returning. 'Rinoa better be right about this stuff washing right out. And why did I let Laguna talk me into this anyway? And for that matter where…?'

"Ok, we're here. Everyone ready to go?"

The gang looked over to see Laguna dressed in a suit of white armor with a long white cape. Beside him, Kiros stood holding a long, plastic spear while dressed in royal blue armor with an elaborate helmet in his hands while Ward carried a giant hammer and wore goggles and a fake beard along with his outfit.

"Sir Laguna, what a great costume," Selphie beamed. "Let me guess, Cecil, right?"

"You got it," Laguna said. "Kiros agreed to be Kain."

"I'm still not wearing this helmet, Laguna," Kiros frowned. "It's hot and pinches my temples."

"Whatever man," Laguna said, rolling his eyes. "And Ward, here, is Cid."

"Cid, huh?" Quistis laughed. "Sorry, I guess whenever I hear that name, I think our headmaster. That's not much like him though."

"Come to think of it, there was a 'Cid' costume in our aisle of the store too," Rinoa said. "And it didn't look like that either."

"Must be a common name," Squall shrugged. "Anyway, let's get going. The invitation mentioned that the party officially starts in about thirty minutes and we'll need to spend a few of those getting inside and getting our passes checked. I don't want to fight a crowd at the last minute."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Laguna nodded sagely. "Politicians are usually the worst about cutting in line and stuff like that. No manners at all. It's like…like the worst of two evils."

"That's 'lesser'," Kiros interjected.

"Really?" Laguna said. "Are you sure, Kiros, 'cause it doesn't make any sense when you put it that way."

"As opposed to you never making sense no matter how you put it?" Kiros smirked.

"Man, I can't even get a break from your lame jokes on Halloween," Laguna grumbled.

"Let's go," Squall said, wanting to avoid another delay. 'So we can get this over with.'


The ruins turned out to be what looked like a three story building with a large ornate archway indicating the entrance. Artificial lights were illuminating the structure, and yet as they walked into the place, Squall couldn't help but notice how the light seemed strangely dim, as if the walls were actually absorbing it and sealing it away. Even the shadows seemed unnaturally vivid and long against the walls which were smooth and worn with age. Above him, the ceiling was decorated with a series of strange symbols and scattered about were grotesque stone statues of what looked like a variety of demons which sat on pedestals.

"Ah welcome, President Loire. I hope you will enjoy the festivities we have planned tonight."

Squall looked up to see a tall, willowy woman with a flowing rose-colored dress and dark hair with streaks of silver walking toward them. Laguna looked over at her and smiled.

"Thank you," he said. "These are my advisors, Ministers Seagill and Zabac, and this is my son…."

"Yes, of course," the woman said, her smile carefully placid and frozen on her face. "Your name and face are known to just about everyone in the world, Commander Leonhart. Is this a personal visit or business?"

Squall didn't respond and Laguna scratched the side of his head.

"Um, I guess you could say that it's both," Laguna replied. "Esthar usually requires that I have an escort, even to a party like this. And since Squall here is one of the top SeeD in the world…."

"Yes, of course," the woman repeated. Squall began to wonder if she responded that way to most things. The woman then bowed her head slightly.

"Allow me to introduce myself," she said. "My name is Lia Sosan, Minister of Health for the Dollet Dukedom. I'm your host this evening."

"Oh, ok," Laguna said. "Say, what made you pick this place for a party anyway? Kinda spooky, don't you think?"

"I suppose it is rather…atmospheric," Sosan said with a laugh. "Quite fitting for a Halloween party. But I did have another reason and that was to expose the world to this recent discovery. Ever since archeologists found this place about four months ago, there has not been much research conducted here and I am hoping that interest will grow once people get a chance to see it for themselves."

"I see," Squall said. "The basic structure of this place reminds me of Odin's temple."

"Understandable given how both were build by the Centran people," Sosan nodded.

"Sure, that makes sense," Laguna said. "And hey, you're talking to the right people. If you're interested in Centran history, you should know that Kiros' wife is a published expert on the subject."

"Yes, I have read a couple of her books," Sosan nodded. "And you are an Eltarian, are you not? So you probably know a little something about the mythology that inspired this temple."

"Temple?" Squall said.

"Yes," Sosan said. "Although not actually part of my work within the Dollet Dukedom, I have taken a personal interest into the religious and mythological history of Centra, with a special emphasis on the occult aspects of it. My preliminary findings indicate that this temple was built by the followers of Zeromus and that it in particular was a tribute to Locius. Ah, but Minister Seagill, you seem troubled by this news, yes?"

Squall glanced over and raised his eyebrow when he saw that Kiros' expression had become stern, his jaw tight.

"The followers of Zeromus were heretics and murderers," Kiros said. "Zeromus was considered the embodiment of human hatred and cruelty within Centran and Eltarian religious beliefs. Locius was said to be a servant of Odin until he decided that strength and power also gave one the right to create chaos among 'lesser beings'. Thus, he was anointed as the 'high priest' of the cult of Zeromus and was revered by its members even after his death. Members of this cult were frequently bent on some sort of personal gain and would do anything, even perform human sacrifices, in order to curry favor with Zeromus so that they might gain power over their enemies. Eltarians were often favored as sacrificial offerings with women and children being the most frequent targets since they were considered vulnerable and their tortured cries…pleasing to Zeromus.

"Yes, such is the dark side of the history of this area of the world," Sosan said solemnly. "But that is all that it is now: history. However, Minister Seagill, I sense from your tone that you do not approve of any ongoing studies of these ruins. I did not realize that you were a religious man and apologize if I offended you."

"It's not that," Kiros said. "I just believe that some things are better forgotten and left in the past. Zeromus and the cult that worshipped him are among those things. Now, if you will please excuse me, Minister Sosan."

Kiros walked stiffly away and Laguna was about to follow him when Sosan moved in front of him and held up her hand.

"I would like to apologize again if I have offended your close advisor," she said.

"Thank you for that," Laguna said. "Although, honestly, I have never seen him react that way before. I didn't realize he had such strong feelings about all this."

"I also would like to compliment you on your costume, President Loire," Sosan continued. "And from what I've heard about you, the armor of the paladin suits you well. Paladins were highly valued in Centran culture as virtuous heroes who fought courageously for the people. A man like you, who saved Esthar from the rule of a cruel, tyrannical sorceress would have mostly likely been regarded as a paladin had you lived in Centra back when it was a vibrant civilization."

"Thank you," Laguna said, scratching the back of his head. "But it's no big deal. I mean, I wasn't the only one in the resistance movement. A lot of people helped me out."

"Ah, so modest too," Sosan said. "You certainly live up to your reputation, President Loire."

Laguna blushed, his hand traveling down toward his calf. He gave a slight wave and then hobbled away after Kiros. Sosan smiled again and nodded at Squall.

"Your father is truly a remarkable man," she said. "You must be proud of him."

Squall nodded to show that he was listening, but did not speak. There was nothing overtly suspicious or hostile about Sosan's behavior, but he could not shake the feeling that her words had meanings behind the obvious ones.

"Please excuse me," Squall said. "I need to confer with my associates."

"Of course," Sosan said. "I hope you enjoy the party, Commander Leonhart."

Squall nodded again and walked away, suddenly very eager to talk to anyone besides her.


Unbeknownst to Squall, Sosan watched him leave with a smile on her face, a smile of smug triumph.

'Yes, you may not appreciate it, Commander, but your father truly is remarkable…and just the person I need to implement my plan. And you, young Leonhart, you're too rigid, too lacking in imagination to have any idea of that plan. You will never figure it out.'

'At the very least, not until it is far too late to stop me.'