View source for White Chlorination Syndrome

[[File:NRv1.22 White Chlorination Syndrome Photo.png|thumb|250px|right|Micrograph of WCS bacteria]]

'''White Chlorination Syndrome''' ('''WCS''') is a lethal, incurable bacterial disease.<ref name="Report_0923">[[Project Gestalt Report 0923]] (''[[NieR]]'')</ref>

==Characteristics==
White Chlorination Syndrome emerged in 2003 with the arrival of [[The Giant]] and [[The Dragon]] in Shinjuku, Tokyo.<ref name="Report_01">[[Project Gestalt Report 1]] (''[[NieR:Automata]]'')</ref> 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.<ref name="Grimoire_164">''[[Grimoire Nier]]'', ASCII Media Works, p164</ref><ref name="LoadScreen_Report">''"Case Report 05/18/2004"'' -[[Loading Screen Documents|Loading Screen Document]] (''[[NieR]]'')</ref>

Infection causes cell structure to mutate within subcutaneous tissue under the skin, resulting in “chlorination” as the cells begin to transmute into sodium chloride.<ref name="LoadScreen_Report"/><ref name="Grimoire_4">''[[Grimoire Nier]]'', ASCII Media Works, p4</ref> As the disease progresses, victims may suffer from auditory hallucinations and hear ringing or the sound of bells.<ref name="Grimoire_4"/>

Eventually, the afflicted come to resemble a white statue made entirely of salt, similar to the appearance of The Giant.<ref name="Grimoire_4"/> Infected individuals either perish from the transformation or become berserk and attack other humans.<ref name="Grimoire_164"/><ref name="Grimoire_165">''[[Grimoire Nier]]'', ASCII Media Works, p165</ref> The bodies of victims may deteriorate and cause particles of salt to fall from the sky similarly to snow.<ref name="Grimoire_186"/>

More precisely, infection forces a [[w:c:drakengard:pact|pact]] to be formed with the [[w:c:drakengard:Gods|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.<ref>''[[Grimoire Nier]]'', ASCII Media Works, p40</ref><ref name="Grimoire_186">''[[Grimoire Nier]]'', ASCII Media Works, p186</ref><ref>''"Soldiers of salt calling forth white death. They are Legion, those who plunged the world into darkness."'' -[[Nier's Wife's Diary]] (''[[NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139...]]'')</ref>

==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.<ref>''"Damage Report 02/06/2008"'' -[[Loading Screen Documents|Loading Screen Document]] (''[[NieR]]'')</ref><ref name="Grimoire_165"/>

In an attempt to destroy maso and the disease, thermonuclear weapons were used in June 2010, albeit to no effect.<ref>''"Founder Research Report 06/06/2010"'' -[[Loading Screen Documents|Loading Screen Document]] (''[[NieR]]'')</ref> Instead, the tests caused maso particles to spread outside of Japan.<ref name="Grimoire_165"/> By early 2014, relentless outbreaks of the disease were seen on a global scale.<ref name="Report_01"/>

In March 2014, [[Project Gestalt]] was initiated to combat White Chlorination Syndrome.<ref name="Grimoire_165"/><ref name="Report_01"/> 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 [[android]]s were tasked to monitor the disease and prepare for its anticipated future extinction.<ref name="Report_0923"/><ref>[[Project Gestalt Report 5]] (''[[NieR:Automata]]'')</ref>

In Feburary 2016, the development of a new medication "Luciferase" was completed that proved to slow the progression of WCS.<ref name="Grimoire_166">''[[Grimoire Nier]]'', ASCII Media Works, p166</ref><ref>''"New Medication Cycle 02/09/2016"'' -[[Loading Screen Documents|Loading Screen Document]] (''[[NieR]]'')</ref> 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.<ref name="Grimoire_166"/>

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.<ref>''[[Grimoire Nier]]'', ASCII Media Works, p167</ref>

== 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 [[Sleeping Beauty|Divine Tree's]] [[Divine Tree Memories#First_Memory|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.<ref>''"New Technology Report 08/07/2032"'' -[[Loading Screen Documents|Loading Screen Document]] (''[[NieR]]'')</ref>
* The physical appearance of White Chlorination Syndrome resembles that of a [[wikipedia:coccus|coccus]], a type of spherical bacteria.
* White Chlorination Syndrome may be inspired by the biblical story of [[wikipedia:Lot_(biblical_person)|Lot]], whose wife was turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Concept 4-122.png|Concept art depicting falling salt as a byproduct of the victims of White Chlorination Syndrome
</gallery>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Lore]]
[[Category:Diseases]]

[[ru:Синдром Белого Хлорирования]]