Sky, who had met Aerith before in the Midgar slums, realizes she is the flower-selling girl he once knew.
With the shock of the fall leaving Sky unable to move, Aerith uses her mysterious powers, which she has had since birth, to heal him, and Sky feels a strange familiarity from her.
Just then, Shinra’s special forces, “Rex,” come to capture her, and she asks Sky for help.
Aerith: “Hey, Sky is a fixer, so he can be my bodyguard!”
Sky: “But it’s not going to be cheap.”
Aerith: “Then… a date, once!”
Despite his disbelief, Sky feels drawn to Aerith and safely escorts her home.
He quietly slips away after hearing from her mother that she has a sad memory with a SOLDIER.
However, Aerith notices Sky’s actions and waits for him, prompting them to team up.
After that, incidents keep happening.
To catch the Crime Lord chasing the Resistance, Sky, Tina, and Aerith infiltrate the Beehive.
There, Sora is shocked by an unimaginable scene.
“The protagonist is cross-dressing!?!”
To catch the Crime Lord, the protagonist is indeed cross-dressing.
In fact, he is even prettier than Tina or Aerith, so much so that he catches the Crime Lord’s fancy.
What a weird taste in villains.
Sora knew that such preferences existed in this other world with diverse races, but she never thought she’d see the protagonist cross-dressing in Eternal Fantasy.
Feeling the limits of her imagination, Sora once again felt respect for Yuren.
The trio learns from the Crime Lord that they plan to completely destroy 7th Avenue, where the Resistance is known to be hiding.
They hurry back to stop the plan, but waiting for them are Shinra’s special forces, “Rex.”
Ultimately, Sky couldn’t protect 7th Avenue, and as a result of a threat involving Barret’s daughter, Blue, Aerith is also captured by Shinra.
And from Aerith’s mother, it is revealed that she belongs to a race that can communicate with the stars, known as the Ancients.
“Can she talk to the stars? Is she like an Elf?”
In this other world, there are various races including humans, elves, and dwarves.
Since Sora’s mother was also a beast man, she accepted it without big shock, just thinking, “Oh, such races exist.”
It’s a peculiar yet open-minded other world.
Sky breaks into Shinra’s headquarters to rescue Aerith.
There, he finds out from a mad scientist known as “Horo” that Aerith is being held captive. They acquire a comrade called “Red,” a talking red wolf, and manage to rescue Aerith but are spotted by Rex and taken to the President.
President: “Her blood will lead us to the promised land.”
The President reveals that Aerith can identify a land overflowing with magical energy known as the Promised Land, bragging about a plan to abandon Midgar and move there.
“Villains sure talk a lot, just like Yuren.”
Sora felt Yuren’s kindness in the President’s easily understandable explanation.
Thus, Sky’s group, who had been imprisoned, awaken to tragedy before their eyes.
“What the… is happening…?”
Shinra’s headquarters is drenched in blood.
The soldiers and people who were alive just moments ago lie dead, slain by a long sword.
Following the trail of blood, they find the President, killed and impaled by a massive greatsword.
Sky: “That sword… it’s Sephiroth’s sword.”
From a hidden Shinra executive, they learn that Sephiroth killed the President and Barret remarks on how the murderous Sephiroth may not be so bad after all.
Barret: “Killing the President, maybe Sephiroth’s not such a bad guy?”
Sky: “Sephiroth, a good guy? No way!! That guy… My hometown!!!”
In a twist, the President’s son, Lucifer, announces himself as the new leader upon witnessing his father’s death.
“Did this guy just jump into the position right after his dad died? What a brat.”
Lucifer’s declaration about searching for the Promised Land prompts Sky’s group to flee in order to protect Aerith and their lives.
Barret, Tifa, Aerith, and Red hop into a truck while Sky rides a motorcycle, engaging in a chase with the pursuing Shinra soldiers.
“Wow… this is just like the racing game I was making.”
Sora couldn’t help but be amazed at the motorcycle chase because it resembled the racing game she had been developing until she left the Magus Society.
This made her certain that Yuren shared the same dreams as her.
“Ooooooh… Whoa!… Ooooooh… Wow!!”
However, unlike the racing game, Eternal Fantasy’s motorcycle racing involves the protagonist slashing Shinra soldiers with a greatsword in a mini-game, which was still quite fun in its own right.
As Sky barely escapes Shinra’s headquarters, he shares stories of past missions with Sephiroth to his team.
Sky: “Hey, how are you feeling?”
Shinra Soldier: “…I’m fine.”
Sky: “I’ve never really experienced motion sickness, so I wouldn’t know. Ah, when do we get there?”
Sephiroth: “Calm down a bit, Sky.”
Five years ago, Sky went with Sephiroth to investigate a magical energy conduit known as the “Mako Reactor” in his and Tina’s hometown, Nibel.
Guided by Tina, the two conduct their investigation.
“Wow, Tina looked like this five years ago; Sky hasn’t changed at all.”
Sora murmured her thoughts on Tina’s lively appearance with her cowboy hat, unsure if it was an omen.
Throughout the mission, Sephiroth displayed nothing but perfection. He was reliable, strong, humorous, and kind.
Barret: “He’s not a bad guy.”
“So, he’s like some hero named Sephiroth?”
Barret’s words resonate with Sora as well, at least until that moment.
During their investigation of the Mako Reactor, Sephiroth stumbled upon the name of his deceased mother, “Geno.”
Seeing the results of a human experiment, he becomes shocked to realize he shares a connection with the monsters born from the Mako Reactor.
The revelation leads him to shut himself away in a mansion.
Sky: “Sephiroth locked himself in his room, and then a few days later, that incident happened…”
“That incident?”
Days later, Sephiroth emerges claiming he is one of the Ancients and declares he will take the world back from humans.
He sets Nibel ablaze and begins slaughtering the townsfolk.
“Yikes! Is that really Sephiroth…?”
Sora couldn’t breathe at the sight of Sephiroth burning the village and slaughtering people with a giant sword…
Amidst hellish flames, he gazes at the world with icy cold eyes, disappearing.
It seemed to Sora that he embodied a devil cursing the whole world.
After losing their village, both Sky and Tina pursued Sephiroth, but they fell to him, and Sky’s memories end there.
Though they do not know Sephiroth’s exact motives, Sky’s group feels a sense of impending doom, realizing that leaving Sephiroth to reach the Promised Land could bring destruction to the world.
They chase after Sephiroth to stop him, and a challenging yet delightful journey continues.
They enjoy lively times in a splendid city and face trials in desert-like regions with massive monsters.
They meet individuals resembling Barret’s brother and witness tragedies, yet they press on to save the world.
Along the way, they also gather a diverse array of comrades like Yuhi and Vincenzo.
But the more they adventure, something feels off.
Tina: “Sky… are you really… Sky?”
Sometimes, Sky speaks strange words while suffering from illusions, and Tina senses discomfort with his memories, growing wary of something ominous approaching.
Finally, the moment arrives.
While traveling, Sky’s group learns Sephiroth’s goal is to use the forbidden magic “Meteor” contained in the “Dark Rune” to annihilate humanity.
To stop this, they must access the spell “Holy,” hidden within the “White Rune.” For this, Aerith goes alone to the Ancient’s temple to pray.
At that moment…
Sky: “Ugh!!”
Suffering from a severe headache, Sky sees a vision of Aerith dying and rushes into the temple to find her.
Fortunately, Aerith is there, safely praying.
Sky: “Thank goodness… uggh!!”
Just as he sighs in relief, the light in his eyes fades, and he suddenly raises his Buster Sword, preparing to stab Aerith.
“A… no!!! Sky!!! Put the sword down!!! The sword!!!!”
Sora, feeling the dread of becoming the one to betray, yells for Sky to drop the weapon.
Not just Sora, but countless gamers also scream in unison, and it seems to reach Sky, who regains his senses and lowers the sword.
Sky: “What… was I doing?”
“Phew… that’s a relief…”
As Sky and many gamers feel reassured, the camera abruptly turns to focus on Aerith above.
The dazzling ceiling of the Ancient’s temple…
Suddenly, Sephiroth drops from above, wielding his gigantic sword, aiming for Aerith.
“Uh…? Uh…! Uh…!?”
Before Sky, Sora, or the countless gamers can react, Sephiroth falls and pierces Aerith’s abdomen with his sword.
“NO!!!!!! AERITH!!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The most shocking moment of Final Fantasy 7 is witnessed by gamers of this other world, a death that would be talked about for decades to come.
The legacy, Yuren, recalls this moment, thinking, “Even I wouldn’t be this despised for killing someone.”
