 After a failed attempt to foil Sephiroth 's theft of the Black Materia , Aerith ventures alone into the Forgotten City . Cloud and his companions give chase , eventually finding her praying at an altar . As Aerith looks up to smile at Cloud , Sephiroth appears and kills her by impaling her through the torso . Cloud carries Aerith 's body out into a lake in the Forgotten City , and releases her back to the Planet . Reeve Tuesti , the head of Shinra Urban and Development , brings the news of her death to Elmyra Gainsborough , Aerith 's adoptive mother . The party later learns the reason for Aerith being in the Forgotten City ; through her White Materia , Aerith was able to summon Holy , the only force capable of repelling the ultimate destructive magic , Meteor , which has been summoned by Sephiroth . Although Aerith successfully cast Holy before her death , it is held back by the power of Sephiroth 's will . When Sephiroth is finally defeated and Holy is released , it appears that it is too late to function as effectively as it should , as Meteor has already come too near to the Planet 's surface . While Holy clashes with Meteor , attempting to prevent its impact , the gravity of both Meteor and the Planet pulling on Holy in opposite directions weakens it . Aerith is seen praying with both hands interlocked whilst urging the lifestream to ultimately defend the planet . The Planet 's Lifestream then flows forth , intervening between Holy and Meteor , and acting as a battering ram while aiding in the destruction of Meteor . 
