Esthar research lab.

"Rinoa, you have exceeded the time limit for your magic core interference. Disconnecting you in 3, 2, 1…" Bruno spoke through the microphone, trying to convince the determined girl to stop before reaching her limit. He felt surprised by the young Sorceress who initially appeared carefree and lighthearted, yet persevered through the unusual pain caused by the ultra-intensive signal sent to her mythical magic core, exclusively belonging to sorceresses. It reminded him never to judge a book by its cover.

"Why stop now? I think she could endure more. Now we have to wait a few more days to repeat the process and prolong her suffering." Ellone frowned unusually at Bruno's decision, recalling the discomfort she experienced during Dr. Odin's experiments when she was a child.

Not waiting for Bruno, who was taken aback by Ellone's disapproval, as she had always been calm and friendly, to respond, Laguna supported Bruno's decision.

"Safety first. I'm sure we'll make more progress when she's in better health. We've conducted experiments three days in a row, so let's take a break for a few days before continuing, shall we?"

Ellone nodded, though her face betrayed a hint of disagreement. She excused herself and left the room before Rinoa joined them from the experiment chamber.

"How did it go this time?" Rinoa asked wearily as she approached the flashing screens, exhaustion evident on her face.

"Are you okay?" Laguna responded with concern for her well-being. He knew his son wouldn't approve if he learned that Rinoa had undergone such intense experiments conducted by his dad.

"I'm fine. Do we get to see what we came here for?" Rinoa weakly smiled, turning to Bruno for answers.

"Based on your signals, your power rate is increasing at an even higher rate than Sorceress Edea. Your magic core, let's call it that for now, seems to absorb energy from the surroundings whenever it gets the chance. It's fortunate that we detected this early and placed you in controlled chambers. If you had continued to roam around a highly magic-concentrated place like Balamb, your physical human body wouldn't have been able to withstand such power." Bruno explained.

"Do we know why this happens... up until now?" Rinoa inquired.

"We don't know if this is an unusual occurrence or a common phenomenon among former Sorceresses. There hasn't been much scientific research directly conducted on Sorceresses, for obvious reasons. They wouldn't normally allow anyone to study them, often hiding themselves away from civilization for fear of being discovered and killed." Bruno elaborated.

"As for Adel, her physical body was quite weak when she inherited power from the previous hermit sorceress. It was her command to Dr. Odine to build magic shield chambers, so I speculate that she was aware of this fact - that Sorceress bodies naturally absorb magic, eventually weakening their physical form. Thanks to this technology, we had everything we needed to trap her and isolate her from the rest of the world." The Esthar president explained, vividly recalling his excitement when they captured Adel two decades ago.

Rinoa nodded, finding everything more understandable than the biased explanations she often found in old books that speculated about sorceresses. She didn't blame historians, recognizing that the immeasurable damage caused by some terrifying sorceresses gave them the right to portray sorceresses with eccentric traits.

"Theoretically, is there a way to stop this absorption that doesn't involve cutting me off from the magic source? Also, what about the saying all along that there's only one sorceress per generation, now that Edea also experiences a similar phenomenon?" she asked.

Bruno nodded and gave Rinoa a thumbs up, praising her keen observation.

"Exactly the questions I would have. My theory, again, just a theory, is that over generations, a sorceress's power is transferred to another nearby maiden, either when the current sorceress dies of natural causes or is defeated. This could explain the saying that only one sorceress can possess power at once. However, if the transfer mechanism involves sharing some kind of magical core, like how we extract magic from the surroundings, then it's possible that multiple individuals could hold the ability of a sorceress simultaneously. As for what makes an individual a sorceress, it's someone with a vast reservoir of magic without relying on para-magic like the junction systems that utilize Guardian Forces or Magic Stones. We simply don't know how many such individuals exist or if they intentionally hide themselves and their magical abilities."

Rinoa felt reassured by Bruno's words. For the first time, she didn't feel too different from others. In Bruno's eyes, she was just another walking magic reservoir. It was only when she was with Squall and the rest of the squad that she felt free to be herself. Walking outside of Balamb Garden made her uncomfortable as if everyone's eyes were fixed on her, expecting something unusual from a sorceress. She longed for her past life as a carefree teenager.

"I'm not sure if this helps, but when Adel junctioned me into her body... I could feel it. The core, whatever we want to call it. It's hard to explain, but it was as if I could visualize it in my mind. Hers was dark, and greedy for power. I could feel her blood flowing in my veins and mine in hers. I had a feeling that I qualified as a sorceress from that moment, not just when Squall defeated Adel. Although after her death, I did feel my body absorbing her core," Rinoa explained. She had never told anyone about this, including Squall, and now she felt relieved that her moments of suffering could be useful in unraveling this mystery.

"Thanks for your supporting evidence! Usually, I wouldn't follow our biases, as they can be wrong and lead us astray. But in this case, I'll make an exception and focus on how to detect and measure this core. How about we call it Hyne cores? Ah, what about Hynescore? It sounds cool and meaningful, right?" Bruno's eyes lit up, while Laguna scratched his head, knowing that this brilliant researcher had a weakness for coining new terms to make his research uniquely his.

"Hynescore it is!" Laguna decided, saving Bruno from further brainstorming and potentially derailing from his main research. "Alright, I think we've made enough progress for today. Rinoa, would you like to have lunch before getting some rest?"

"My pleasure... Where is Ellone?" Rinoa looked around, just realizing now that Ellone had not waited for her.

"Uh... she hasn't been feeling well lately. That's alright, let's go by ourselves," Laguna replied.

"She seems... overworked, not quite herself recently," Bruno added, wondering if the additional magic and physical training he had been assisting Ellone with on the side could be affecting her mood.

"I'll talk to her..." Laguna said. Maybe she was getting tired of all the machinery in Esthar. Perhaps he should arrange for her to have her aircraft so she could visit Edea's house or Balamb for a change of scenery.

As Rinoa and Laguna were about to leave the lab, Rinoa's teleradio device, installed in her junction, emitted a familiar voice.

"Rinoa… don't go back… stay in Esthar…"

"Squall?" Rinoa and Laguna both responded, surprised by the commander's unusually weak voice.

Silence. Then a metallic sound came from the device, and the connection was cut off.

Rinoa quickly dialed back, but this time there was no signal.

"Is he in trouble? I have to go back!" Rinoa looked at Laguna, hoping for an explanation.

"He said you should stay here... Rinoa, I don't know what's going on. Maybe you should contact your other friends to check on him first?" Laguna suggested though he was also deeply worried about his son.

"I'll make a call." Bruno dialed a connection from Esthar to Balamb. The communication mechanism was different and less reliable than the teleradio device, with a longer latency, but it should work if someone in the communication room of Balamb picked up the call. Minutes went by, feeling like decades for Rinoa and Laguna, but no one answered.

"I have a bad feeling about this. I have to check on them!" Rinoa insisted.

Laguna felt torn as he couldn't possibly go despite his worry. Being the president of this big city, his presence was expected from his people. He also couldn't risk Rinoa's safety, going against his son's request.

"You're still weak from the experiments. How about this? I'll dispatch Kiros and some Esthar soldiers to check on them right away, okay?" Laguna suggested, considering Ward but realizing his inability to speak would hinder any quick reporting. Laguna needed more help from Ward in Esthar.

"Please do that immediately, please..." Rinoa pleaded, realizing how desperate and unnecessary she sounded, as Laguna was surely very concerned about his son.

"Of course. Please return to your room, let me handle the rest, ok?" Laguna put his hand on his chest, signaling a promise.

Rinoa nodded and left. Not to her room, but to her beloved school. After all, she was still an impulsive teenager at heart.


"Are you sure not to bring a single X-97?"

"Their junctions are taken care of, so there's no need to bring that messy thing. A hundred Sleep spells should suffice. You wouldn't want to cause a scene and attract attention from other military forces, would you? Besides, even if they have junctions, twenty magic puppets from our side would easily overpower these apprentices."

"Keep it up. We can't fail, there's no turning back once we hit Balamb Garden."

"I understand. Can I… see E after that?"

"Depending on how it goes, girl."

"I'll try my best. Please keep your word."

Call dropped.


Wednesday, G-day. 0615. Balamb Garden's Dormitory.

"Everyone, we are under a test drill." Xu's voice calling from the PA. "All students and staff, please head to the basement immediately. Please use the stairs. Do not use the elevator. Do not bring weapons or junctions. This is a test drill."

Raddie was standing in front of Acma's room while hearing the announcement. She wasn't in her room.

"Are you looking for Acma?" a female voice walked in from the suite.

"Yeah… have you seen her? We're supposed to have a… walk." Raddie asked.

"No, I think she's left early." Trepie #23 replied. "You want to go to the basement together? The test drill… Maybe we'll see her there."

"Yes, good point."

They followed each other to the stairs which were now packed with students, some in their uniforms and some still in their pajamas.

"Hey, bro. What's up with your date?" Keannu spotted Raddie as he came down to the basement.

"What does it look like to you? Have you seen her down there?"

"Nope, I just got here. Come, help me with my homework."

Raddie let out a sigh, unable to think of anything else to kill time. "Fine."

As Raddie followed Keannu to a reserved spot taken by S20 classmen, he noticed something odd.

"What's wrong, bro?" Keannu asked.

"Eh… nothing…" Raddie replied.

These red triangle scarves they're wearing look just like Acma's. His thoughts wandered as he glanced at the two girls in the corner.

Xu's voice resounded through the PA once more. "All students and staff, this is the final reminder. Please head to the basement immediately. Please use the stairs. Do not use the elevator. Do not bring weapons or junctions. This is a test drill. Failure to reach the basement within two minutes will result in detention and a grade reduction. Once again, this is the final reminder. Please make your way to the basement immediately."


Wednesday 0620. Balamb Garden - 1F near Library.

"Commander Leonhart!"

Squall turned around to see Timeth calling out for his name. Squall was on his way up to the flying platform to find Xu, as her announcement came quite unexpectedly without any context.

"Timeth… what's up?"

"Headmaster Xu wants to meet you in the training center. I ran into her, and she mentioned it was a secret discussion, hence the unusual location."

"Did she tell you what it's about?" Squall asked as he followed Timeth.

"It's regarding the findings at the campsite. She said she needs to discuss it with you before informing the others. I'm sorry, that's all the information I have."

Squall nodded, envisioning Xu demonstrating some discoveries in the simulation room, likely related to the mutated monster. He assumed she wanted his input on how to handle these new types of enemies. His experiences fighting monsters across the world had proven valuable in guiding less experienced students to effectively combat these creatures.

"She said she'll be inside," Timeth said, opening the door to the simulation room. "After you!"

Squall hesitated. He wasn't equipped with his gunblade, and even though it was just a training room, he felt uneasy without the proper gear.

"Squall? Please come in. I want to show you something real quick. No need to bring your gunblade!" Xu's voice from inside called out.


Wednesday 0630. Balamb Garden - 3F

Nida heard Xu's announcement and wondered when she had returned to Balamb Garden from the campsite. He had tried to find her last night as they had planned to hang out in Balamb, but her door remained closed. He had also attempted to find Selphie, but she seemed to be absent as well. Puzzled, Nida went up to the third floor to meet Xu.

"When did you come back?" Nida asked as he found her steering the flying engine.

Startled, Xu turned back with an angry face.

"I said no other personnel are needed here. Please leave!" she snapped.

Nida was surprised to see Xu being this aggressive. Her recent stress had made her more hot-tempered, but he had never seen her this angry.

"Hey, calm down, sweetie. What's wrong?" Nida reached out to her, attempting to embrace her as he usually did to help her cool down.

Xu's eyes showed a hint of shock, and she instinctively stepped back, avoiding his touch. Nida realized something was amiss.

"What's wrong? Did something happen during your trip? I went to your room last night, but you weren't there. Did you just come back?" he pressed on.

"I just got back. Please go downstairs, I'll join you shortly for another update." She turned around to avoid making eye contact, her voice softened.

"Any update you can't share with a Garden Committee member?" Nida furrowed his brow.

The girl did not reply.

"Where's your necklace?" he asked.

Xu appeared slightly surprised. She slowly reached into her pocket.

"I may have dropped it in the restroom."

Nida immediately assumed a fighting stance, drawing his katanas. Xu never wore jewelry.

"Where is she? What have you done to her?"

"Relax, you'll see her soon," the imposter Xu smirked.

"What do you mean? Is she alive? Take your hands out of your pocket!" Nida commanded. He didn't sense any magic aura from this imposter and was certain he could take her down at any moment once he found out about the real Xu's status.

The fake girl raised her arms, holding a communication device. It was evident that she was contacting her folks, realizing Nida's suspicion.

"Talk, or I'll cut you open before your accomplice arrives!" Nida threatened. After all, they were in Balamb Garden, and no intruders could easily escape from this flying unit.

The imposter had no intention of saying one word, knowing she had the upper hand information. After a few moments, the elevator bell rang. Nida quickly glanced at the figure entering the platform, ready to attack until he realized it was a familiar friendly presence.

"Too bad, my friend arrived before yours," Nida smiled, continuing to approach the imposter.

"I wouldn't be so sure," she smirked.

Before Nida could process her words, the figure cast magic on him from behind.

"I'm sorry… Xu is fine. You'll see her soon. I promise."

Nida passed out.


SNAP!

A shrieking sound echoed from the top of the garden.

"They've come already."

"How? It's too early."

"Oh no… That's the vessel for X-97."

"Of course... They didn't trust us... No need to worry. I've prepared the older version of junction devices. X-90 didn't react with them."

"But… how about Shrewdya's? She still has the current version, right?"

"…"

"You proceed with putting them to sleep. I'll get Shrewdya and others lingering in 1F myself."

"I suppose we have no other choice… Be careful. There might be G-spies here trying to cross-check us."

"I know. See you later at the aircraft."


Balamb Garden Basement.

"What's that gas?" Keannu asked, noticing a white fume emanating from the air vent.

Raddie instinctively glanced at the corner where he found the girls wearing triangular masks. One of them had disappeared, but the one who remained had put her mask on.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, quickly deciding to run towards the masked girl, forcefully grabbing her mask, and putting it on his face.

The girl was shocked by his reaction and swiftly pulled out a dagger, ready to fight to retrieve the mask.

"Everyone, run upstairs! It's a trap!" yelled Raddie.

People were confused by Raddie's yell and hesitated, lingering around without showing any signs of running.

"What's going on, Raddie?" Keannu approached him, shocked by the girl wielding a dagger.

"Give it back!" the girl commanded.

Raddie dodged the girl's dagger by grabbing her hand and delivering a blow to her wrist, causing the dagger to drop to the floor. He pinned her down and interrogated her, demanding, "What's going on? What is this gas?"

The girl struggled for a moment, but Raddie felt her movements slow down until she eventually fell unconscious. He looked up and realized that his friends were also clutching their heads, dropping to the ground one by one.

"Keannu!" Raddie exclaimed, grabbing his friend and checking his vital signs. "Sleep?"

Just then Raddie hurt a familiar cracking sound.

"Take it easy, boy," another student with a mask on said, pointing his gun at Raddie's head.

Raddie raised his hands in the air and slowly turned around.

"Stop. If you move, your instructor won't be happy," he said.

"Acma? Where is she? What did you do to her?" Raddie asked.

"She's fine. Do her a favor and stay still, okay? Look, we won't harm anyone here."

Just as Raddie debated whether to attack the guy, something sharp and small pierced through his neck.

"There… prepared just for you, Raddie."

And Raddie slowly went deep into a slumber.

Acma…


"You already have everyone under control, including all the members of Balamb Garden's committee?" a soldier in a red suit and helmet asked the two girls covered in black cloaks.

"They are all securely held in our mobile prison units. Our personnel are guarding the cells, and we have collected all their weapons in a separate room," one of the girls with red braids replied.

"Ha? We're done then?"

"Completely. I told you, it's been a piece of cake."

"Then why did you insist on bringing them along? It's such a nuisance to keep them confined," the soldier glanced at the large cages nearby, with pairs of eyes peering back at him.

"I still need them, just in case any Seeds manage to escape. You know better than anyone else that only a few Seeds can wipe out an entire army."

The soldier's silhouette made it difficult to discern his emotions, but based on his multiple encounters with legendary Seeds, it was clear that he was more than concerned.

"They dislike crowded spaces," the girl continued. "Let's have them in the 2F classroom. It's less stressful for them there."

He remembered very well the room where Squall and his friends smashed his team one by one.

"Very well. Take them downstairs. It will be easier to dispatch them from the second floor."

The soldiers in the blue suit followed the order and began pushing the large boxes from the third floor toward the elevator.

"Can I see her now?"

"What for?"

The girl who asked bit her lips. "But you promised."

"I said you can. I didn't say when."

"And what's the problem with now? I've just completed the mission even before you arrived, haven't I? Just think about how that detail will be included in the report."

The red soldier locked eyes with the girl who kept her burgundy eyes wide open.

"Are you daring to threaten me?"

"You think? Can't you see that I have nothing to lose?" the girl stood her ground.

"Please," sensing the tension, the other girl, who had been quiet the whole time while carrying a large backpack, intervened. "I'll accompany her to ensure it's done quickly. Just a few minutes, we have plenty of time anyway."

The red soldier finally found an excuse to concede this negotiation and save his face.

"Fine. Five minutes, then back down here and proceed to the next step."

The two girls then entered the mobile elevator that had been attached from the third floor to a newly installed chamber at the top of the Garden. Inside, a girl with long red hair sat in a wheelchair, looking surprised at the sight of her visitors. However, her visitors were startled to see that she was not alone but guarded by two blue soldiers.

After a few moments, the girl with red braids addressed the guards. "The Commander needs help moving the cages to the 2F classroom. You two can access the room by climbing down the balcony and entering through the windows."

"These are commands from the Commander?" One of the guards expressed skepticism.

"Tch. There are already two other guards down there. But go ahead, double-check with the Commander and waste a few more minutes. It's not my responsibility," the girl responded coldly. "Now do whatever you want to do. I'm talking to my sister." She then knelt down in front of the girl in the wheelchair.

"I'll watch her. Go!" the girl carrying the big bag instructed the guards, who reluctantly climbed down to the balcony. "Phew! Nice move, A... I'll get us prepared. You two catch up." She then stepped into a corner, allowing the twin sisters to face each other for the first time after years of separation.

"Elutia. Finally…"

"Acma… You're here." Elutia smiled.

"Of course, I'm here. I promised." Acma squeezed her sister's cold hands for reassurance. Her gaze briefly shifted to Elutia's legs, which had become mere bones due to muscle atrophy. "Let's get you out of here first. Take off your clothes. Use this make-up powder to cover your bruises. Lina, are you ready?"

"Ready, Acma." Lina replied.

"Wait… where's Selphie?" Acma scanned the chamber, the mobile prison was wide open.

"She's not here," Elutia replied.

"Hyne, where else could they have hidden her? This isn't good." Acma's nerves heightened. I can't let anyone die.

"She might have escaped on her own. She's a mighty Legendary SeeD." Elutia suggested.

Right. She's strong. G's technology though… What am I thinking? Focus.

"Alright. Let's go." Acma gave in.


After checking the training center, Timeth rushed to the library and shouted, "Is anyone here? We have a drill. Please proceed downstairs!"

He carefully checked each aisle. Once he was certain that no one was left, he made his way towards the exit, but suddenly, he felt something coming towards him.

"Freeze!"

Timeth wasn't easily surprised, but this time, he was taken aback by the sight of a spiky weapon almost striking his head.

Reacting swiftly, he drew his pole and deflected the deadly weapon to the ground before pointing to at the three attackers.

"Balamb or G?" he asked.

15 minutes later…

"Thank you for the save there," Timeth said to a student as they strode quickly towards the infirmary.

"Don't mention it. I see how you and A are doing. I'm glad I can help. I'm tired of being in control as well. There are many more, but most of them are dispatched as Garden has an upsurge of requests."

"I suspect some requests come from G itself to stretch us thin."

"Yeah, but luckily it's kind of random how we are distributed. What's now?"

"Let's go to the infirmary. There are two people there," Timeth said. "You assist Dr. Kadowaki to the basement, I'll get another one. There might be some injured down in the basement. Try to contain the situation. It's more complicated if we have to explain anything. Just another half an hour, everything will be back to normal."

"Roger."

As expected, Dr. Kadowaki remained in the infirmary, as she would normally be exempted from a test drill in case of a real emergency requiring her care. Timeth let the student convince her to go downstairs, while he walked into Shrewdya's room.

"Shrew... let's go. There's a test drill. Everyone must..."

BANG!

"Freeze!"

Timeth reacted instinctively as he heard the gunshot, freezing the bullet just before it hit his torso. Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, a pair of paddles were flying towards his chest, delivering an electric shock. His heart came to a short stop, and he dropped to the ground. In his blurred vision, he caught a glimpse of Shrewdya's figure.

"Shrew…"

He lost some of his senses, but still felt her hands removing his SeeD uniform and attaching something cold and metallic to his chest.

"Timeth... or should I call you T for short?" Shrewdya began speaking in a cold voice. "I don't know what you and Acma are up to, but this is quite shady, luring all the students and staff downstairs like that."

"Shrew… what…" Timeth murmured.

"Relax, I'm just attaching some magnets to disable your time freeze. Science... quite interesting, right? With just one arm, a waste like myself can bring a true SeeD with innate ability to his knees."

Shrewdya stepped back to retrieve some tools from a drawer and then approached Timeth once more.

"Now, speak, traitor. Where is A?" Shrewdya asked, her hands holding a spinning saw.