White Chlorination Syndrome

Micrograph of WCS bacteria

White Chlorination Syndrome (WCS) is a lethal, incurable bacterial disease.

Characteristics

White Chlorination Syndrome emerged in 2003 with the arrival of The Giant and The Dragon in Shinjuku, Tokyo. It was first propagated by the unnatural "maso" particles produced with the destruction of The Giant, and the disease appeared to be capable of airborne transmission.

Infection causes cell structure to mutate within subcutaneous tissue under the skin, resulting in “chlorination” as the cells begin to transmute into sodium chloride. As the disease progresses, victims may suffer from auditory hallucinations and hear ringing or the sound of bells.

Eventually, the afflicted come to resemble a white statue made entirely of salt, similar to the appearance of The Giant. Infected individuals either perish from the transformation or become berserk and attack other humans. The bodies of victims may deteriorate and cause particles of salt to fall from the sky similarly to snow.

More precisely, infection forces a pact to be formed with the God of another dimension. If the victim rejects the pact, they will die. If the pact is instead accepted, the victim becomes "Legion", one of the God's hostile and monster-like servants.

Events

After the construction of the Wall of Jericho in 2005, WCS infection rates temporarily slowed. With the collapse of the wall in early 2008, the disease began rapidly spreading again, now from Shinjuku to the rest of the Kanto region.

In an attempt to destroy maso and the disease, thermonuclear weapons were used in June 2010, albeit to no effect. Instead, the tests caused maso particles to spread outside of Japan. By early 2014, relentless outbreaks of the disease were seen on a global scale.

In March 2014, Project Gestalt was initiated to combat White Chlorination Syndrome. It was found that the spread and progression of WCS could be prevented by achieving Gestalt mode through separation of body from soul. As part of the project, surveillance androids were tasked to monitor the disease and prepare for its anticipated future extinction.

In Feburary 2016, the development of a new medication "Luciferase" was completed that proved to slow the progression of WCS. Providing resistance to the disease, Luciferase was administered by the Hamelin Organization to select individuals in an effort to form groups of anti-Legion soldiers.

By 3287, the androids and Replicants eradicated the Legion and banished The Giant's chlorination-causing maso to a different dimension. In response the following year, Gestalts began to reawaken as part of the second half of Project Gestalt.

Trivia

• In NieR, White Chlorination Syndrome is only directly mentioned in a Project Gestalt report, Loading Screen Documents, and the final weapon stories of Fool's Lament. It is also alluded to in the Divine Tree's First Memory.
• It is suggested that undergoing the Gestalt process may infect the original human body with White Chlorination Syndrome, likely due to the involvement with maso particles.
• The physical appearance of White Chlorination Syndrome resembles that of a coccus, a type of spherical bacteria.
• White Chlorination Syndrome may be inspired by the biblical story of Lot, whose wife was turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Gallery

Concept art depicting falling salt as a byproduct of the victims of White Chlorination Syndrome