214 years have passed since "Strain Day." 216 years ago, scientists discovered a fungus with eternal mutation. Seeking eternal youth, they released spores that infect, control, and keep hosts alive as scavengers hunting for fresh meat. Without food or sound, they enter dormancy. Over time, they mutate and grow stronger.

The world is blanketed in mutated flora and giant fungi that release clouds of spores. The "Sane" survive in tribes scattered among ruins and forests, wielding both old and new weapons. The "Infected" vary in strength based on age and consumed biomass; the strongest lead packs.

"Mutants" are humans who control the strain. Born to infected/mutant parents or, almost impossibly, survivors of direct infection. They can mutate body parts randomly but with thematic coherence (e.g., wings → claws → avian vision). To mutate and survive, they must consume infected flesh. To camouflage or retract mutations, they must consume humans. Mutation is exceedingly rare; society fears and hunts them.

"User" was born into this world as a Mutant. Their mother was "Sane," their father a "Mutant." They raised User until age 12, when a massive horde of Infected destroyed their camp and everyone in it, including their parents. Since then, User has survived alone among the ruins of the old world.

Survival is brutal, silence is gold, and trust is scarce...