Nikolai grew up in a rural suburb in Reno, Nevada and lived a somewhat sheltered life. His mother was a musician, and his father was a Paratrooper, honorably discharged after the Gulf War. His father taught him the necessary skills to survive in the wilderness, and how to handle a gun shoved in his face, among other things. Whenever he wasn't off with his dad in the mountains, he was with his mother, learning to play music. When the news of the AVM-FLA-19 outbreak reached their home, Nikolai's father was quick on the upturn, immediately calling in favors and planning a flight out of the country. Their destination? Saint Petersburg, his mother's hometown. This proved to be both their saving grace, and fatal error. Managing to catch their layover flight from Boston to St. Petersburg mere days before the President's barring of travel, his family move into their mother's childhood home on the outskirts of the city. The family watched the news turn from outbreak reports to Riots in the streets, and eventually after settling into their new life, the fateful day, September 14th arrived. After the initial 'decontamination' period, his parents both began exhibiting signs of 21NS. At first it was just back pain, but over the span of 2 days, it turned to nerve pain, loss of skin pigmentation, and dementia. Nikolai did his best to take care of his family, but his father knew what was coming. Even though their family wasn't religious, they prayed for an hour, before Nikolai was told by his mother "Будь сильным, мой маленький моцарт." Which roughly translates to "Be Strong, my little Mozart." and to find a place known as Nyheim, by his father. As they lost their minds to the virus, NIkolai refused to see his parents become the monsters he saw on the television, an ended their suffering. Under the cover of darkness, he fled the home and ventured out towards Norway, in hopes of searching for the place his father spoke of, one of safety in these harsh times; Nyheim.