Cloud's True Past

After Cloud regains himself, you are able to go back to Nibelheim, and find many things that will help explain what actually happened that fateful time in Cloud's life, as well as how Cloud knew Zack. A small flashback shows how Cloud wound up with Zack's Buster Sword in Midgar. Below is a letter from Tifa's mentor, when you get her ultimate Limit Break. Along with the letter is two reports found on Tifa's desk, making further proof that Nibelheim was destroyed 5 years ago.

If you examine the pods in the Shinra basement, you will find that Cloud and Zack wrote back and forth about a plan to escape.

In the study of the Basement, you can find four reports on the floor and bookcase. These reports pertain to Zack and Cloud, after they escaped the mansion. For a more complete run down of what did happen in that point in time, you can see either Last Order: Final Fantasy VII, or play through Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. The last quarter of Crisis Core is through the time of Zack and Cloud's escape.

When you first enter the basement, after regaining cloud, you will get a flashback of what happened. This provides a little explanation of how Cloud wound up in Midgar with Zack's Buster Sword.