In the girls' dormitory, Selphie was busy at her computer, her graceful fingers tapping on the keyboard. She was updating her homepage on the Balamb Garden Network, "Sir Laguna's Page." Her recent addition was a lengthy in-depth interview with Sir Laguna himself (she had all the time in the world to interview him-through email!).She also updated her online diary, which now had an online countdown clock telling how many days were left before the (sigh) school festival starts (which was still two and a half months away..)

After a few minutes of typing, Selphie gave her fingers a rest. Stretching on the chair, she yawned softly.

"Ho-hmmmmm..still too far away..I wonder what that IDIOT's doing right now..."

She reached beside the monitor, and brought out a cowboy hat that she stole from "that idiot" not too long ago. She could still remember his expression when she took it from him...

She twirled it around her finger, while looking at it thoughtfully. "He looks nicer without this hat...cuter too..I wonder why he keeps wearing it..."

...and then her thoughtful expression became an angry one.

"...that stupid IDIOT!"

She was angry at him because of what happened the last time she talked to him. He was supposed to give her something special that night, something that he promised her long ago.

...but, knowing Irvine Kinneas, he would just say something really stupid, like the Headmaster was going to send him back to Galbadia Garden to do some stuff, or some other stupid excuse. And forget all about the promise.

"...he HAS to go to the 'special area' tonight;" said Selphie, while looking at the hat. "he has to. If he dosen't...I'll.."

...then her computer chimed. An email.

Selphie quickly looked at the screen: it was from him. Titled "hiya there", like always.

It went like this:

hiya there. It's me. Go there now. I have to say something. Please?

-me

"So soon?" Selphie could hardly contain her surprise...and excitement. "He's going to say it NOW! Finally!" She didn't bother turning off her computer. Wearing the hat, she dashed to the door, and ran to the Training Center.

It was getting late in the day. In the Defensive Strategies 121 class, the period is over. The students were saving their lecture copies on the database and leaving. In the teacher's console, Instructor Quistis Trepe massaged her temples, already tired. And it was just the second of four classes she had to teach today.

When all the students were gone, she sat for a few minutes in silence, musing over the past events in the Garden.

"Now,everything is back to normal...but why do I still feel that it's not over yet?"

Quistis took off her glasses, and put them on the table. She was thinkning of the Sorceress War.About the trials everyone went through. what SHE went through.Of the end of the Sorceress Ultimecia. Or was it really the end?

"Until the next Sorceress comes...I won't rest easy;" she said to herself. "We must find the next Sorceress...to make sure that she never gets posessed by another evil force. Ultimecia was killed in Time Compression...which means she may still be lurking there...waiting...for the next Sorceress..."

...then a voice, unfamiliar to her, answered.

"Good observation, Miss Trepe. Really good, I might say."

Quistis snapped alert, looking at the source of the voice. Looking around the room , she saw no one.

But when she looked at the door...

...there was a person standing there. A woman. She looked like a SeeD, but dressed in an entirely different uniform. She was wearing a dark cloak, with the SeeD insignia on the left shoulder. Her hair was long and wavy, and she was wearing an assassin's muffler on her face. Her face was angelic, but there was a certain fire in her eyes that made Quistis feel uneasy, as if the visitor was reading her thoughts with them.

Which she did.

"Ultimecia still lives;" said the enigma. "her essecnce still lurks in her world, the Time Compression; but she is not the concern. The next one must be found, before SHE finds her. If that happens, all is lost. For the next one is the last one...or the eternal one."

Before Quistis can say a word, the visitor rushed at her, barely making a sound, like a graceful black cat, merging with the air. The visitior had a blade, a Katar, at her throat before Quistis can even react.

"Not one word. To anyone. Or you die. That is all."

And as silently as she came, she was gone.

Quistis managed to hide her surprise until then, but now she let it all out. She sank back into her chair. Her head was spinning. She felt dizzy. It all happened so FAST! But that was the last thing she was worrying about.

"the next one...?"

"No...it can't be...Rinoa...again?"