Why Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s Controversial Ending Is GENIUS
2. Aerith's Role
Onto Aerith, and the opposing cosmic force to this dark "weaponisation" of destiny.
Where Sephiroth appears to be in control of the Whispers to some degree (he fires them at the gang in the final duel), Aerith refers to the idea of challenging Harbinger as "boundless, terrifying freedom".
It seems that although Aerith knew how events would play out (which I'll get to), her mood and tone noticeably drops before fighting the Whispers, and it's likely because she doesn't know what happens next.
Until this moment, Aerith almost "shows off" with how much she knows about the path the gang are on. In Chapter 2 she notes the flower given to Cloud symbolises "when lovers are reunited". In Chapter 12 she cuts off Tifa and offers to save Marlene, despite not knowing who Marlene is. This leads to a scene where a crying Marlene is calmed by a vision triggered from hugging Aerith, to which Aerith puts a finger to her lips and the pair walk away.
After all this, in Chapter 14, Aerith tells Cloud not to fall in love with her, saying it wouldn't be "real", but also thanking him for all the memories he's given her. Whilst the pair have only known each other for a couple of days, this too feels like a reference to how much time they've spent together across the original game.
I could go on as almost every line from Aerith references her wider role. There's mention of "straying from the path" and how "the future is not set in stone", culminating in declaring that Sephiroth is "wrong" when seeing him at the end of the game.
This "wrongness" feels like the very existence of Sephiroth after his previous defeat - that he's found a way to wield time and space, and that itself is unnatural (something Aerith, a manifestation of the lifestream, would oppose).
Final Fantasy VII Remake is more about the battle of Aerith and Sephiroth, almost on a cosmological level - than the direct clash between Cloud and Sephiroth.
The last piece of the puzzle though? Confirming that we're dealing with multiple timelines at once.