Forgotten Capital The Forgotten Capital , also known as the Forgotten City and the City of the Ancients , is a ruined city in " Final Fantasy VII " . It is located on the arctic Northern Continent inside Corel Valley , beyond the Sleeping Forest , and far to the east of Icicle Inn . The city was the primary capital of the ancient Cetra civilization , but after the Calamity from the Skies struck the Planet nearly wiping out the Cetra , the few survivors gradually assimilated into human culture and the city has been an abandoned ruin for a long time . Many of the remaining houses still contain furniture and artifacts indicating the area appears just as it did when it was abandoned long ago . The city contains a machine , which allows one to communicate with the Planet , and an underground section with several crystal buildings surrounding an altar . The city ' s inhabitants incorporated nature into their buildings , many having roofs made up from conch shells and other organic materials . The area ' s general layout invokes an aquatic motif ; many of the buildings have a shell - like appearance and the ground resembles the sea floor . Within the " upper city " there are several crystals that when touched give off a flash and cause the current main character to explain they heard something they didn ' t understand . Below the ground level is a hidden " castle " with medieval - style towers connected to the surface with a staircase made of light . This area holds a spring and an altar . Story . " Final Fantasy VII " . At some point a scientist visited the Forgotten Capital and tried to decode the Ancient writings on the floor of the orb . The scientist was barely able to make out the words " key " and " music box " . Cloud Strife and his party visit the Forgotten Capital in search of Aeris , the last of the Cetra line . She has left the party to summon Holy , through which she believes she can defeat the cataclysm of Meteor Sephiroth plans to summon . The party finds the place eerily silent . They spend the night , but are awoken by a strange sound . As they investigate , they find a path down into the city ' s underground section where they find Aeris praying to summon Holy . Cloud comes forward and , being controlled by Sephiroth , almost kills her . He breaks the control and steps away , but Sephiroth ( or rather , a piece of Jenova made into Sephiroth ' s image under the latter ' s control ) swoops down from the ceiling and kills Aeris . Cloud , in a tearful rage , demands to know why Aeris had to be murdered . " Sephiroth " laughs off his " clone ' s " emotion , and flies off , dropping a body piece that becomes Jenova∙LIFE for the party to fight . They defeat the creature and the party pays its last respects to Aeris and lay her body to rest and continues on their journey , badly shaken . Bugenhagen , an elder from Cosmo Canyon , visits the capital later with the party after Meteor has been summoned . They come to find out what Aeris was trying to do before Sephiroth cut her down and need the Key to the Ancients to work the dormant machines inside the city . The key is found at the Bottom of the Sea using the submarine . When the key is used , the scene of Aeris ' s death is replayed and Bugenhagen realizes Aeris succeeded in summoning Holy , but Sephiroth is blocking it and must be killed to save the Planet . The party ' s planning is cut short when the Diamond Weapon begins its advance toward Midgar , the party racing to stop it . " On the Way to a Smile " . Following Meteorfall , the remaining members of the party return to the Forgotten City to pay their respects to Aerith . Following this the group parted ways to find their places in the world . Two years later , Kadaj , Loz , and Yazoo use the Forgotten Capital as their base , bringing the Turks Tseng and Elena there to torture them , and later the Geostigma - infected children . Cloud goes to rescue the children , but is defeated because of the effects of Geostigma . Vincent arrives in time to save Cloud and Marlene from the three remnants . Kadaj ' s true motives of luring the children to the location is revealed when he infuses the city ' s lake with negative Lifestream which turns the children into his mindless pawns . Locations . The Forgotten Capital is located to the East on Gaia ' s Northern continent . It is inside of Corel Valley , and backs onto the Corel Valley Cave . Musical themes . The theme that plays in Forgotten Capital is " Listen to the Cries of the Planet " . During the Jenova∙LIFE battle and during the events preceding it and the events after the battle , " Aerith ' s Theme " plays . Other appearances . " Theatrhythm Final Fantasy " . The Forgotten City appears in the Field Music Sequence for " Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII " . " Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call " . The Forgotten City returns in the FMS for " Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII " , and now appears as the Battle Music Sequence for " Aerith ' s Theme " . Development . The Forgotten Capital ' s concept art was the first scenery designed in " Advent Children " , drawn by art director Yusuke Naora . The artwork depicted Sephiroth standing over the pool where Aerith had been laid to rest , and was selected as a set for Aerith ' s appearance in the film .