Sorceress power

The Sorceress Power (known as the "Witch Embodiment" in the original Japanese) is the special power that separates a sorceress from a normal human being in Final Fantasy VIII.

Granted to sorceresses at the beginning of time by the Great Hyne, the Sorceress Power is a mysterious gift that enables a person to use magic naturally without resorting to a Limit Break, a Guardian Force or a Junction System.

Nature
The Sorceress Power seems to be an immortal, inexorable power. It attaches to a person and remains with them until their death, at which point it must be passed on to another sorceress or potential sorceress.

A potential sorceress can be rare to find, but is identifiable by people who know what to look for. As an example of their rarity, Sorceress Adel kidnapped hundreds of young girls from all over the world in an attempt to find the one who could be the successor of her power.

The recipient of the power must be physically close to the sorceress at the time of their death in order to receive it. Adel and Ultimecia are forced to give their power to Rinoa and Edea, respectively, due to this event even though these people were not the ones they wanted to give the power to. It is unknown what happens to the sorceress and/or her power if there are no recipients in proximity to them. It is also unknown if the power has a cumulative effect when a sorceress receives more than one sorceress' power, such as in Edea and Rinoa's case.

Manifestations of the Power
A total of fifteen different sorceresses are shown exhibiting the Sorceress Power in Final Fantasy VIII, but only two of them have any background on how they originally obtained it:
 * Edea Kramer; received the Sorceress Power from another sorceress at the age of five and on top of that also received Ultimecia's powers several years later.
 * Rinoa Heartilly; received the power from Edea during the Battle of the Gardens and, later, from Adel on board the Lunatic Pandora.

Although the Sorceress Power is said to originate from the Great Hyne, it seems to take different forms within different people. Every sorceress in Final Fantasy VIII demonstrates a different "specialty" with their power.

The full extent of a sorceress's abilities is unknown. Throughout Final Fantasy VIII sorceresses are seen utilizing telekinesis, teleportation, telepathy, mind control, mental possession, control over the elements, the installation of life into inanimate objects, projection of kinetic barriers, the capacity to phase through solid matter, and enhanced strength and endurance. Sorceresses also demonstrate the ability to alter their physical appearance to some extent.

A notable physical trait that most sorceresses seem to have is, when utilizing their powers, the appearance of wings or wing-like structures behind them; the appearances of which seem to run parallel with the sorceress's personality traits.