Neu-Volke, colloquially known as mutants or Mutts (the latter is designated as a derogatory term) are an emerging subspecies of humanity. They first appeared in China during the onset of the Pandemic of 2020; however, the Communist Party of China covered up their existence for several months, writing away the reports of young people suddenly manifesting supernatural abilities as hoaxes intended to sow chaos in an already chaotic time. However, as the pandemic spread, so did the cases of people gaining abilities. The first official documentation and verification of their existence was on August 27, 2020, when a 18 year old girl in Munich, Germany began to exhibit what could only be described as the 'creating very pretty lights' in the middle of a party while high on ecstasy. Dozens of cases immediately surfaced in the rest of Germany and in Italy, and within a few months, the entire world was aware that with the pandemic did come a whole new subspecies of mankind; people with supernatural abilities. As their first official documentation was in Germany, they were called Neu-Volke; the New People. However, a lot of people took to calling them mutants instead, as it was soon clear that they were the result of a very special mutation.
It is still unknown how these mutants came into being; it has been suggested that the virus that had been transmitted during the Pandemic triggered some kind of dormant gene in them, but even the most rigorous examinations were inadequate to determine any correlation other than the timing of the arrival of either two. It is, however, widely believed that the two events are connected in some way that researchers have yet to understand.
Most Neu-Volke individuals are young people below the age of 20; around 97% of them are in that age bracket. However, to date, no infants nor young children have become mutants; the youngest ones were at least 14 years of age. The remaining 3% of the population are adults. The reason for why adult Neu-Volke are rare is unknown, though some research suggests that young people are far more receptive and pliable to the changes that mutation brings.
The abilities that mutation brings are highly variable; no two Neu-Volke are exactly alike. As such, multiple cryokinetics or teleporters exist, but they all seem to have minute differences that separate one from the other. Those that had manifested while in close proximity to one another are said to have been in a Multiple Awakening; usually coming in groups of three, those who are in a multiple awakening seem to get stronger when close together, even if their abilities are completely unrelated.
Protections vary across the world; in Europe, North and South America, and most of Asia, these individuals are protected by law from exploitation, at least in paper. In Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, protection is often offered, but in regions riddled with civil and ethnic strife, such laws become meaningless.
In the year since the first awakenings occurred, it should be noted that all Neu-Volke started out rather weak, but in the present day, the vast majority had learned to control and live with their powers. It is believed that learning the abilities is a natural instinct programmed into their minds at the moment of awakening.
It is estimated that around 7 million, or less than 1% of the global population, are mutants. The majority are from countries that were hit hardest by the pandemic of 2020.