Finale · playing as Cloud
The Forgotten Capital and Aerith
In this chapterCloud and Aerith plunge into a forest below the Temple and find the Forgotten Capital.
Cloud and Aerith fall into the Forgotten Capital, an ancient Cetra city. Aerith begins a ritual to stop Sephiroth, but he descends and kills her despite Cloud's resistance. Her White Materia falls into the water.
The finale breaks the pattern: scenes show an alternate timeline where Zack lives, and Aerith's spirit tells Cloud that she will find a way to stop Meteor. The ending sets up the final part of the trilogy. Aerith's death is handled differently from the original. The game acknowledges the weight of the scene and plays with expectations, showing that this version of the story is not bound to repeat itself.
The alternate timeline is the game's boldest move. It suggests that the Whispers, fate and Sephiroth's meddling have created a world where outcomes can change, a theme that will define the final instalment. Cloud keeps the Black Materia, and Aerith's last words give hope. The tone is bittersweet, a mix of grief and possibility.
What unfolds
- Aerith tries to perform a ritual to stop Sephiroth's plan.
- Sephiroth descends and kills Aerith, despite Cloud's attempts to stop him; her White Materia falls into the water.
- The finale suggests that the events of the original game are not fixed, and that Zack and the Whispers point to the possibility of changing fate.