After defeating Sephiroth once and for all, Cloud is finally free to move on with his life and pursue that refreshingly normal happy ending he always wanted. He returns to the 7th Heaven where he lives contently with Tifa Lockheart and the two children they have come to raise, making a modest living as Strife's Delivery Service. Although still scattered across the Planet, he remains close to his other friends as they settle into their comfortable, post-Meteor routines. Even Cid Highwind finally surrenders to his softer side and marries Shera.
However, not all is well that ends well. Whispers of ominous, inhuman cries echoing through the ruins of Midgar and strange disappearances make their way through Edge. A news crew sent in to investigate promptly cuts off their live feed and is never heard from again. Whole populations in Junon simply drop off the face of the Planet--the only evidence of there ever being human life in the first place being the empty buildings that stand in eerie silence. Reeve Tuesti, wary of the threat and eager to quell the growing panic, builds up the World Restoration (Regenesis) Organization's armed forces, eventually creating a bona fide army prepared to defend the Planet's people. Cid is appointed the leader of WRO's newly minted air fleet, and Wutai's princess keeps in frequent contact, even doing a little investigating into this mysterious new threat herself. Cloud's role in the fight is unclear at first, but when Edge is suddenly under siege, neither Cloud nor Tifa -- like much of the ravaged city's population -- are anywhere to be found.
Before they know it, the people of the Planet have a full scale war on their hands, and the civilian body count is already threatening to topple into the thousands. Meteor didn't kill them, but this just might. "Deep Ground", a group of renegade experiments left over from Shinra's reign, has appointed themselves the superior people and sole heirs to the Planet. In the name of their leader, a mysterious man named Weiss, they will sacrifice their weaker peers through their surprisingly organized military blitz, obliterating entire populations that stand in their path.
Fortunately, Cloud and Tifa are not among those lost in the surprise attack on Edge and are quick to join the WRO's fight on the ground. Cloud has no problem in forfeiting his previous leadership position in aiding the WRO, but he is still allowed Fenrir as his unique mount as they rush the battle field in a desperate offensive. Their last hope is to force their way into the heart of Midgar's ruins and shut down the reactors; Cloud accompanies Tifa and Barret Wallace in an attack on the outer perimeter while keeping in frequent contact with Vincent Valentine on the inside.
Source: Dirge of Cerberus
