The City of the Ancients - Aeris's Sacrifice

• Searching for Aeris
• Aeris's Death
• Cloud's Resolution

Cloud and the others reach the City of the Ancients, a forebodingly deserted place. Going too far north along the path causes Cloud's companions to stop him.

Nanaki
Wait!
That road leads to the Northern Mountains. We have to go the other way to find Aeris.

Cait Sith
Wa------it!
Cloud, uh that's the road to the Northern Mountains.
Aeris is waiting, let's go find her.

Vincent
Wait, Cloud.
This is the road to the Northern Mountains. Don't you want to find Aeris?

Cid
H...ey, Cloud.
You thinkin' of going skiing? If we wanna find Aeris, we go THAT way!

After exploring the city and finding it empty, Cloud and the others enter the one shell house that's still in tact. Cloud touches one of the glow-globes.

Cloud
...Ugh.
...Words of the Ancients?
...no good. I can't understand.
...Ugh, again?
This stream of consciousness... Could this be the words of the Ancients...?

Upstairs, there are several beds.

Barret
heh, there's a bed.

Tifa
Do you think the people who used to live here used it?

Nanaki
Look, there's a bed here.

Yuffie
How COOL! I can't believe we found such a soft bed in a dive like this.

Nanaki
Hey, let's rest a bit. I'm tired...

Cait Sith
Cloud, why don't we catch 40?

Vincent
Maybe we should take a short nap?

Cid
I'm beat. Why don't we get some rest?

They go to sleep, but Cloud wakes in the middle of the night.

Cloud
I feel it...

Barret
Cloud, what is it?

Tifa
Cloud... what's wrong?

Nanaki
What's wrong? Are you sick?

Yuffie
Hey---, Cloud. What's your problem?

Cloud
Aeris is here.
...and so is Sephiroth.

Barret
Wh, what! Sephiroth!?

Tifa
You're saying it's not just Aeris, but Sephiroth, too?

Nanaki
What! Sephiroth's here too!?

Yuffie
No way---! Sephiroth wasn't invited!

Nanaki
How did you find out?

Cait Sith
But how can you tell that?

Vincent
...How did you find that out?

Cid
Hey, how do you know!?

Cloud
...it's not an excuse. I feel it in my soul.

Barret
Then, we better get up offa our lazy asses!!

Tifa
If that's true, then we've got to hurry! We've got to get to Aeris!

Nanaki
Wh, ...what should we do? We must hurry to her!

Yuffie
That means it's pretty bad... doesn't it?

Cloud
...right. Let's hurry and find Aeris.

They go down the path from the house a ways and Cloud stops.

Cloud
Aeris's voice...... Coming from there?

They go to the shell house near the lake and find a hidden stairway down to the altar where Aeris is praying. Cloud and the others stop at the low platform below the stepping-stone pillars.

Cloud
Aeris?

He starts up on his own, gesturing for the others to stay back. Upon reaching Aeris, he draws his sword and moves to attack her.

Barret, Tifa, + Yuffie
Cloud!

Nanaki + Cait Sith
What are you doing!

Vincent
Stop it!

Cid
Dumb #^%@!

Their voices stop him and he shakes his head, lowering his sword and stepping back.

Cloud
Ugh... what are you making me do.

Aeris looks up from her prayer with a smile, and Sephiroth leaps down from above to impale her. As he pulls the Masamune out of her, the White Materia comes loose from her hair and bounces down the steps. Cloud moves to take Aeris in his arms as she falls.

Cloud
...Aeris.

He shakes her.

This can't be real!

Sephiroth (arms raised)
Do not worry. Soon the girl will become part of the Planet's energy.
All that is left is to go North. The 'Promised Land' waits for me over snowy fields.
There, I will become a new being by uniting with the planet. As will this girl......

Cloud
...Shut up.
The cycle of nature and your stupid plan don't mean a thing.
Aeris is gone.
Aeris will no longer talk, no longer laugh, cry...... or get angry......
What about us...... what are WE supposed to do?
What about my pain?
My fingers are tingling.
My mouth is dry.
My eyes are burning!

Sephiroth lowers his arms.

Sephiroth
What are you saying? Are you trying to tell me you have feelings too?

Cloud stands and whirls to face Sephiroth.

Cloud
Of course! Who do you think I am!?

Sephiroth
Ha, ha, ha...... Stop acting as if you were sad.
There's no need to act as though you're angry either.

He pushes off to hover several feet above Cloud.

Because, Cloud. You are...

Sephiroth flies off, and Cloud and the others are left to fight Jenova instead.

Jenova
Because, you are...... a puppet.

Cloud
I'm....... a puppet?

Barret looks at Aeris, shakes his head, touches Cloud's shoulder, and walks off.
Tifa kneels to trace Aeris's face with her hand and then runs off crying.
Nanaki looks at Aeris, shakes his head, howls, and pads down the stairs.
Yuffie clasps her hands and bows her head. She walks to Cloud, and he holds her while she cries. Eventually she calms and runs off.
Cait Sith looks at Aeris, then at Cloud. He does a half-hearted dance, then leaves with his head lowered.
Vincent looks at Aeris, then at Cloud, and walks away.
Cid looks at Aeris, sighs, and leaves.
Once everyone has said goodbye, Cloud lifts Aeris and carries her to the lake, where he lets her body sink into the water.

Cloud and the others stand in the shell house where they slept earlier.

Cloud
Everyone, listen to me.
I'm Cloud, ex-SOLDIER, born in Nibelheim.
I came to settle up with Sephiroth.

Nanaki
...Hmm?

Cait Sith
Why're you being so formal? Is something wrong?

Vincent
...You're right.

Cid
I heard that before.

Cloud
I came here by my own free will... Or so I thought.
However...
...To tell the truth, I'm afraid of myself.
...There is a part of me that I don't understand.
That part that made me give the Black Materia to Sephiroth.
If you hadn't stopped me, Aeris might have been...
...There's something inside of me. A person who is not really me.
That's why I should quit this journey.
Before I do something terrible.

He makes a fist and shakes his head slowly.

But I am going.
He destroyed my hometown five years ago, killed Aeris, and is now trying to destroy the Planet. I'll never forgive... Sephiroth.
I... I must go on.
...I have a favor to ask of you.
Will you all come with me?
...to save me from doing something terrible.

Barret
...I dunno, man...

Tifa
...But, Cloud.

Nanaki
...All right, Cloud.

Yuffie
Leave it to me!

Cloud
I don't know how Aeris tried to save the planet from the Meteor.
And I guess now, we'll never know.
But!
We still have a chance. We must get that Black Materia back before Sephiroth uses it.
Let's go.

Cloud leads the way from the shell house and they walk down the path a ways.

Vincent
Which way did Sephiroth head?

Cid
...Which way did that creep Sephiroth go!?

Cloud
...ugh.

He sees a flickering image of Sephiroth walking the path to the north.

Nanaki
You all right?

Cloud
Hmmm...
Sephiroth said to me... Head North............ past the Snow Fields......

They follow the path northward through Corral Valley Cave and out into the snow fields, after Sephiroth.

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