NB. This story takes place after FF8 and Seifer has returned to Balamb and is friends 
with everyone else. Also, the person in the prologue is not Ultimecia... 
Prologue:
A million moons will shatter into crescent splinters and fall into the seas. A thousand 
stars will flicker and fade away. Lush green planets will explode with and lava and 
scatter into oblivion. No living creature was made to witness the death of the universe, a 
cruel victim in the hands of time. Time is immortal. 
And so is she. 
For her, time is terror. The seconds ticking away towards a bomb that will never 
explode. She thrives in the void of empty space, breathing air that does not exist. She 
can crumble planets like brittle lumps of dirt and eradicate whole civilisations by mere 
will of thought. Yet time was her only enemy she could not defeat. 
Time had corrupted her, forced her to change over trillions of years. Time filled her with 
a vengeance darker than the depths of black holes and more intense than pulsing 
quasars. She had directed her hatred at so many innocent victims. Entire populations 
screamed at her mercy, but she let them die. Her existence is filled with pain. To always 
be alone, drifting through the cold void of space, searching for new victims but receiving 
no satisfaction from their demise. Her life is misery and the horror never ends. 
Yet she had a fragmented memory of an experience so very long ago. She had 
witnessed a lesson in love and friendship, and had been touched by it. The event was a 
mere smudge on her tortured mind, but she must recall it. She has time, she will always 
have time. 
It's dim. A shape forms, and fades. 
(She must remember it!)
The shape becomes clearer, a dark silhouette with jagged edges. 
(Such a long time ago....)
The edges sharpen. Faces..
(They were human...she had destroyed many races stronger than them....)
The memory comes flowing back, engulfs her with bitter longing and intrigue... 
A boy with sandy blond hair. He's grinning.
(How does it feel to smile?)
He wears a red and black jacket and baggy blue shorts.
(He's young, they all are...) 
Another face, this time it's female. Long black hair. Blue, she wears all blue. She's 
clinging on to the third person. His face...it has a scar down the middle, and is half-
hidden by messy brown hair. More faces, a boy, he looks proud and angry, wearing a 
long grey coat. A red cross. Another boy, his face is hidden under the shadow cast by 
his hat. He is holding a girl. She is cheerful, dressed like a sunburst. Finally, the last 
face. Also female, she looks melancholy but tries to smile. 
The memory expands and fills the cold emptiness with a small flicker of compassion....it 
was so long ago...... 
Chapter 1:
"Auuuugghhh! I don't get it!!!" screamed Zell Dincht throwing his pencil across the 
library. 
"Shhhhhh!" hissed many people who were also trying to study for the Physics exam. 
Zell got up to fetch his pencil. God, how he hated Physics. He was good in all subjects 
EXCEPT Physics. He just didn't get it, and personally he couldn't give a damn about the 
Specific Heat Capacity of aluminium. 
Returning to his desk, he was met by an irritated member of the Library Committee. 
"We have already asked you not to cause any disturbances. Many people are trying to 
study. If you have another outburst, you'll have to leave."
Zell growled an apology to her and she left.
"Those stupid Library Committee people. They're all nerds, they're gonna ace the exam 
and they tell me to shut up." Zell complained to his study partner sitting opposite him. 
Seifer Almasy looked up from his textbook. 
"Well, it's not like everyone gets a seizure in the middle of studying and launch their 
pencil across the room." 
Zell scowled and tried to focus on energy transfer between two trolleys that collide with 
each other. 
At the front check-out desk the Library Committee member, her name was Salia, turned 
to her friend Maia. Maia had pigtails and an immense crush for Zell Dincht. She loved 
the way he wore his blond hair spiked up with hair-gel, and his mischievous green eyes. 
She especially loved his tattoo, a strange black design that snaked down the right side 
of his face. And his sense of style was unmatched. He wore a black and red leather 
jacket and very baggy blue shorts. Maia giggled as she remembered the time when 
Selphie Tilmitt, Zell's close but platonic friend, had pulled down Zell's shorts in the 
middle of the soccer pitch. 
"And you say he's the most divine creation in the whole of Balamb Garden!" Salia 
muttered sarcastically to Maia. 
Both girls looked over at Zell, who was groaning and repeated banging his head onto 
his desk. 
"Well, I suppose you're not going to the disco tonight if you need to study..." Seifer said.
Zell paused briefly from his attempt to jump-start his brain.
"Of course I'm goin'" he said indignantly. 
"You're gonna flunk Physics."
"Screw Physics."
Chapter 2:
Balamb Garden's main hall was an exquisite example of Estharian architecture. A large 
circular hall surrounded by fountains and glass panels. The center of the hall was raised 
up, allowing access to the elevators. 
However, one person not admiring the interior design was Selphie Tilmitt.
"Catch me!" she shrieked in delight vaulting over a bench and sprinting across the 
polished marble floor. In her hands, she carried a brown leather cowboy hat. Not far 
behind her was the owner of the the hat, Selphie's boyfriend Irvine Kinneas. 
Irvine was well know as the "ladies' man" of the Garden. Selphie was well aware than 
no less than a dozen girls would prefer her out of the way so they could get a chance 
with Irvine. She wasn't surprised, Irvine was extremely handsome. Tall and masculine, 
Irvine had surprisingly delicate features that reveal a sensitive nature. He also had long 
brown hair which he kept back in a ponytail. Needless to say, Irvine was able to make 
any girl swoon. 
However,at that moment, Irvine's heart was only set on Selphie. He loved her happy-go-
lucky personality. She was always so cheerful and enthusiastic. Selphie never studied, 
never cared, yet never got bad grades. Heck, it wasn't for any girl that Irvine was gonna 
run 5 laps around Balamb Garden. 
Selphie disappeared around a curve. Irvine decided to go the opposite direction and cut 
her off. Selphie was tired but she kept running, it was fun. She couldn't hear Irvine's 
footsteps anymore.
"Out of shape?" she yelled happily.
Suddenly, before she realized anything, she ran smack right into Irvine. He laughed and 
retrieved his hat. 
Selphie giggled as he picked her right up. 
"You're definitely going to the dance with me tonight!" he said and carried her out to the 
Quad. 
Chapter 3:
The Quad was just as beautiful as the rest of Balamb Garden. Marble aqueducts 
weaved paths around the stairs and field, filling the campus ground with the sound of 
tinkling water. 
Beneath a leafy tree at the far end of the Quad, Squall Leonhart sat in the cool shade 
with his girlfriend Rinoa Heartilly. After the crazy events just a few months ago, involving 
Ultimecia, Adel and the Lunar Cries, Squall was enjoying a moment of peace. 
But the only thing to disturbing him was the Physics textbook he held in his hand. Squall 
groaned. Physics on such a nice day like this! Rinoa, who was resting comfortably 
against Squall's shoulder, smiled and looked up. How she enjoyed his company1 It had 
taken her a long time to win his affection but it was definitely worth it. 
"Take a break." Rinoa said softly, reaching up to brush a strand of Squall's chocolate 
coloured hair away from his eyes. Squall glanced at Rinoa, at the book and back to 
Rinoa. Science could wait anyday... 
Chapter 4:
Zell suddenly didn't feel too well. Not that he was sick or anything but he just felt weird. 
It was the dance. The ballroom was festively decorated and the band suddenly slowed 
their music down. The light dimmed. Zell definitely didn't feel good now. Out of the 
corner of his eye he could see Selphie and Irvine dancing closely together. Squall and 
Rinoa were the same case. Even Seifer had a girl from a grade above them pressed 
closely against his shoulder. 
Zell just had to be the only one to show up without a date. Maybe he could ask 
someone to dance now. But who? Zell scanned the people standing near the walls. 
There were some girls from the Library Committee. They didn't look bad at all dressed 
up like that, especially the girl with pigtails. "Who am I kiddin'" Zell thought to himself, 
"The whole Library Committee thinks I'm some royal idiot." Then Zell's eyes fell on Fujin 
and Raijin. They were Seifer's buddies, Zell knew them fairly well. 
Maia stood dejected against the wall. Yet a tiny hope refused to die within her. Maybe 
he'll ask me... Salia's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Look, there's your loverboy, without anyone to dance with! Loser."
Maia ignored the comment. Zell was walking towards another girl. Please no, please 
no... 
Fujin gazed sadly at the dancers. She had liked Seifer for so long and there he 
was...with some stupid girl in his arms. All of a sudden she realized that Zell was 
standing next to her. He seemed incredibly shy all of a sudden... 
Maia wanted to cry when she saw Zell and Fujin step onto the dancefloor. The slow 
music kept on going...God, she couldn't watch them anymore. Maia fled from the 
ballroom, towards the training center.
Chapter 5:
A balcony just outside the training area was where students met after dark. It was a 
secret place, unlikely to be found by teachers. From there, one could see the whole of 
Balamb Garden glowing like a strange beacon against the night sky. 
Tonight, the stars were especially bright. Selpie loved the stars. She watched the 
millions of tiny sparkles twinkle like diamond dust. Next to her, Irvine was slowly getting 
irritated. Selphie was just about to turn her attention to him when she suddenly saw it. A 
small silver speck traced a crescent curve across the heavens. 
"A shooting star!" Selphie squealed excitedly, "I'm gonna make a wish!" 
Selphie stood up but before she could even think of what to wish for, another meteorite 
fell across the sky. 
"Another one!" Selphie exclaimed. 
Suddenly, three more silver arcs swept through the night. Irvine stood up to see what 
Selphie was talking about. By now, the sky was full of lustrous fibers each one flaming 
briefly across the indigo backdrop. All the students on the balcony were gazing in 
rapture at the spectacular phenomenon. Among them, Maia, who was temporarily able 
to forget about Zell and Fujin. 
Far out in space, chunks of rock hurtled through the emptiness, flung into new orbits by 
her cosmic fury. She was angry again... 
Chapter 6:
A tense hush reigned through the aula, interrupted by an occasional rustle of paper. 100 
heads were bowed down in concentration. The silence was also broken by the sharp 
staccato taps of Instructor Trepe's boots as she paced up and down the aisles. Quistis 
Trepe was only 18 and she had been (re)premoted to instructor after her heroic efforts 
in defeating the Sorceress Ultimecia. 
A cough suddenly cut through the air. Instructor Trepe frowned automatically at the 
disruptive student. But to herself she smiled. Good old Zell, having problems again. 
Squall glanced up at Zell who was frantically mouthing something at him. Sure, Squall 
cared about the dire predicament of his friend but he couldn't risk getitng caught helping 
Zell cheat. Squall just shook his head and looked back down at his paper. 
"Frickin' hell." Zell muttered under his breath. Quistis was giving him warning looks 
again. 
"A object of mass 10kg starts from rest and slides down a slope of length 10m and 
height 2m. What will be the velocity of the object as it reaches the bottom?" 
God, he needed a miracle. Zell looked up at the many skylights which covered the 
ceiling of the aula. The sky was blue with a few delicate pearly clouds. But before he 
finished composing his prayer, an earsplitting crash resounded through the room. 
Shards of broken glass rained down on Zell. On the floor in front of him, lay a huge 
chunk of dark red rock which had just crashed through the skylight. In the stunned 
silence that followed, Zell was surprised to see that his arm was bleeding. One of the 
glass splinters must have sliced it open. 
All of the sudden, the ceiling was pelted by huge thumps. It sounded like a diabolic air 
raid. Suddenly another rock shattered through a skylight, landing on the aisle. 
"Everyone out!" yelled Instructor Trepe. There was a mad clamour for the exit. Desks 
were knocked over and abandoned test papers fluttered quietly to the ground. 
All the time, the cacophonous din overhead refused to cease and yet another boulder 
smashed through a window. Outside, under the safety of a solid ceiling, 100 subdued 
SeeDs stood closely packed together, like an army in the trenches, listening the the 
bizzare rythmic thumps pounding Balamb Garden. 
"Zell, you arm is injured. You need to go to the nurse." Quistis' voice broke the silence. 
Zell walked, still dazed and confused to the infirmary, leaving a trail of blood behind. 
Chapter 7:
The meteor shower was over but Balamb Garden had suffered extensive damage. 
Many skylights were broken and the steering deck had been smashed to ruins. Balamb 
Garden's exterior was severely dented, as if pocked by a viral disease. 
Headmaster Cid paced restlessly around his office. Quistis stood silently in the corner.
"They should have warned us." Cid spoke in and irate voice.
"Maybe they discovered the meteor shower too late..." Quistis suggested meekly.
"Impossible!" Cid boomed, "The Tears Point observatory could've detected the meteors 
before they reached within 10 km of the atmosphere! Why didn't they give us warning?" 
Cid snatched up the phone and dialled the observatory. It didn't ring. The phone at 
Tears Point was dead. Immediately, a portion of the anger inside Cid turned into an icy 
dagger of dread. He listened...silence. Cid hung up the phone with a resigned click. 
Quistis looked curious. 
"No response." Cid said slowly. 
He walked over to his computer. Through the internet, he called up a live satellite 
picture of Tears Point. The observatory was gone. A pile of rubble marked its former 
location. 
"Damn." Cid whispered. 
Quistis hurried to his side.
"Another Lunar Cry?" she asked, stunned.
"No, Tears Point was equipped to detect Lunar Cries. They would have set off an alarm. 
Whatever happened there, occurred swiftly and hadn't been detected beforehand." 
"Could the meteor shower be linked to this?" Quistis asked.
"Possibly. It almost seems as if Tears Point was wiped out on purpose so it couldn't 
warn anyone of the danger. But it is impossible that someone could have known about 
the meteor shower before the observatory saw it!" 
All of a sudden, the live image on the screen changed. A dark mass oozed out of the 
rubble. It shifted and pulsed like a black, amorphous slug. Then it drained back into the 
broken chunks of concrete. 
"What the hell?!" Cid exclaimed, "I'm sending people over there to investigate. Instructor 
Trepe, recruit a group of six competent SeeDs to examine Tears Point from close 
quarters."
"Will be done sir." Quistis said. She SeeD-saluted and left. 
Far out in space, the entity was sad. This was just another planet she will destroy. She 
would bestow its feeble inhabitants with the gift of death, a blessing she herself could 
never enjoy. But before they died, they suffered, just like she suffered, and when they 
were still conscious to feel their pain, she felt linked to them, somehow. 
She would play her games. She would make it end as slowly and as painfully as 
possible, for at those times, she felt that the victims truly understood how she felt. She 
could see Instructor Trepe looking at her clipboard for six SeeD candidates. 
My first six players.....