A day later, within the ruins of the mining area that had been reduced to ash by Jeanne's flames, Patriot finally reunited with Frostnova, who had arrived with the transport trucks.
"You are... late. Did you... encounter... trouble?"
Patriot asked with his characteristic staccato speech. He knew his daughter well; she was not the type to be late without a significant reason. Something must have happened.
"Something occurred, but there was no danger. We just had to take a half-day break due to an accident. It shouldn't have delayed us too much," Frostnova replied, her tone as calm and cold as ever. To an outsider who didn't know their history, it would be impossible to guess that these two shared a father-daughter bond.
The light emanating from her body had lasted an entire night. The Yetis hadn't slept a wink because of it. Since they were still ahead of schedule for the rendezvous, Frostnova had allowed them to rest for half a day once the glow finally faded.
"We also arrived... less than an hour ago. Yelena, your body... feels different. Has the Oripathy... flared up again?"
The veteran Patriot noticed the anomaly in Frostnova's condition immediately. He could only assume that due to recent combat, her infection had worsened.
"Quite the opposite, old man. My body feels much better than before."
Frostnova's answer left Patriot puzzled. Could Oripathy actually improve? What does 'much better' even mean? Could it be a delusion caused by a worsening condition?
"It's not a delusion. My body has truly improved. At the very least... I can feel the existence of warmth again."
Initially, Frostnova had been shocked when she regained the ability to feel heat. It proved that the girl named Jeanne hadn't lied. Furthermore, even the Yeti members who had been bathed in that light showed signs of their infection stabilizing or improving.
"Incredible..."
Patriot remained silent for a long time before struggling to force out those words. He had seen many impossible things over the past two days, and his tolerance for the anomalous had increased. He even began to wonder if he was truly getting too old; the events of the last forty-eight hours were enough to make him doubt his own sanity.
"Let the doctor... check you later. Such a thing... is still... unrealistic."
"I understand. What's the situation here? How many guards are in this mining area?" Frostnova agreed; she also wanted to know her true medical status. But with a battle looming, she didn't want to slow the unit down.
"It is... already over. We are... burying the dead... Infected."
"So fast? Wasn't this supposed to be a military warehouse for illegal arms dealing? Even if it's hidden, there should be guards," Frostnova said, surprised. In such a short time, they had completed reconnaissance, infiltration, the capture of high-value targets, and the assault? They were already cleaning the battlefield?
"No. This place... had already been... attacked once. The Infected... were rescued. We... arrived too late."
Patriot then led Frostnova and her squad into the mining area. The site was a total ruin; even the warehouse had been melted into a pool of metallic slag.
This was, of course, the mine attacked by Jeanne's trio. The scorched remains of the buildings were Talulah's handiwork. Because they had left in a hurry, they hadn't been able to properly bury the bodies of the Infected at the foot of the mountain, intending to return or find a way once they were settled.
"This... this level of flame... even with my Originium Arts, winning wouldn't be easy," Frostnova muttered with a hint of doubt. "Which squad did this? We haven't heard of any Infected with this level of power."
Involuntarily, Frostnova thought of Jeanne and her group. If it was them, it wouldn't be surprising.
"It is not... just the flames. The wails here... are faint. As if... they have been... purified! This is something... I have never seen! Those sounds... should be everywhere!"
Frostnova didn't quite understand Patriot's words. However, in all the years she had known this stubborn old man, this was the first time she had heard him admit to seeing something truly unprecedented.
"Wails? What are you talking about? I've never heard any wails other than the crying in the mines." Frostnova was curious. According to him, had she been overlooking something her entire life?
"It is not... a sound heard... by ordinary ears. It is... buried deep... within the earth. A sound... that is everywhere. Some... Sarkaz believe... that Originium... has a soul. But... it is merely... the fragmented echoes... of the Infected!"
Patriot began to explain the nature of the "wails."
"It is... the hatred and malice... of human hearts. It condenses... within the Originium. The shards... house the fragments... of Infected souls. Those fragments... preserve the most... unforgettable emotions! Normally... those emotions are..."
"Anger, hatred, malice, resentment, despair..." Frostnova finished for him. Recalling her own past, she identified the emotions most deeply ingrained in her. These were likely the most common sentiments accumulated within the hearts of the vast majority of the Infected.
"Correct. The hearts... of the Infected... accumulate these... the most." Patriot nodded. This was something he could feel personally. No matter the country, the Infected were always at the bottom of society.
"These... negative emotions... return to the earth... and sky... with the Originium. Eventually... they must... be buried... in the earth again... merging... and spreading... across the continent! The Originium... transmits these emotions... everywhere. That is why... this land... is called... the cradle of endless suffering! The ancient... Sarkaz... can use secret arts... to resonate with... the Originium... and hear the wails!"
Patriot spoke of Sarkaz secrets that had mostly vanished with the wind. Just as ancient things eventually fade, he was the last pure-blooded Wendigo remaining.
"But... an impossible thing... has happened... on this plot of land! The wails... remaining in the Originium... have vanished! What remains now... are only... new fragments... drifting from elsewhere. Those accumulated... beneath the earth... are gone! Or rather... they transformed... into endless flames... to take revenge... upon this land!"
As Patriot spoke, he walked to an open area. It was clear that a mass execution by fire had taken place here—at least a hundred people.
"Did those bastards do this? They burned them alive..." Frostnova assumed the guards had burned the Infected for sport, a flicker of rage appearing on her face.
But Patriot knelt down, stroking the earth with his hand before pressing his ear to the ground to listen.
"You are wrong... Yelena. Those burned... here... were not... the Infected. They were... the guards!"