The Ancients or Cetra, are the first race of people on Earth. I thi8nk they came to th0e planet because of the Mako Energy on Earth. They were one with the planet, and felt all the planet did, but they slowly died out. People killed them, or took them for research, but either way they slowly died off. There was only one Cetra left on the Planet, Aeris Gainsbourogh, and Shinra wanted here. She spent most of her life persued by Shinra, but managed to stay away. Aeris had dreams, nightmares of the earth howling as it was slowly drained away. The one day Shinra almost got her, Cloud was their to protect her. Being a Cetra she went wiht them to save the planet, to stop her suffering, but in the end, she died, last of the Cetra, for her cause.