Arknights : Final Rebirth - Gladius Belii

[E] Chapter 15 - Year 1080, Her other side...

"Mono/Dialogue"

'Inner thoughts'

Narration

[Message/communication apparatus]

Date: Data not found

Location: Data not found

POV: Narrator

Oripathy is the malignant disease or blight that is more than capable of toppling a world order with ease comparable to flipping the back of one's palm.

The source of infection is none other than exposure, directly or not, to the originium for an extended period. She is made worse if those actively in contact with it are not wearing layers upon layers of precaution and clothing.

More damningly, a lot of infected themselves don't know from where their oripathy was from. News about fashion designer vanished overnight due to oripathy suddenly seen on their body is not outlandish. Gossip about nightlife workers being fired the next day due to it was more common than one could imagine.

This disease, which is unique to this world, origin was still shrouded in mystery. The general populace wouldn't care, however, for their ignorance and festering fear had clouded their judgment.

Several nations themselves are responsible for the worsening situation of the infected's welfare and human rights.

Rim Billiton with its MegaCorp government, or Corporatocracy, is notorious for its treatment of infected workers, specifically the miners.

Ursus' brutality doesn't require more elaboration.

Columbia had their health plans and new land expansion programs using settlers.

Sargon, baring Acahualla, are quite "unique" and "progressive" which is not saying much...

Not to say that there isn't anyone who cared about it. Several nations don't have a problem with infected themselves, thus creating an interesting mirror.

Minos' populace has no problem with infected, except for Heroes or Heroines Cult priests or priestesses who must step down while retaining full citizenship. This also entailed the right to join Hymnoi Wisdom, a national tournament and they lived a life of relative peace.

Kjerag's inhabitants are not shunning infected because it was never a prevalent issue and there was never a catastrophe there, to begin with. Infected can find work normally and the only thing required is to dress appropriately, which is pretty much the norm for everyone in Kjerag anyway, and do periodic check-ups.

Acahualla (a region in Sargon) is the most backward of them all and yet ironically they're the most humane and understanding. Infected are being confined to their house, not to discriminate mind you, but to be taken care of their needs. Acahuallan' logic is that everything can kill you inside the forest, so what makes several patches of rock special when death can come anytime without warning?

Thus it can safely be assumed that the infected themselves were never the problem. More like the whole stigma and stereotype plus the nature of Oripathy are always being manipulated to either enforce some political agendas or as a means to cause mass hysteria.

Nations all across still Terra struggled to find the cure to this very day. It is less about funding and more about what is even this disease's true nature. It is worse than a tumor, more lethal than cancer, and is highly adaptable like fungi to boot.

Except it is not a fungus and instead a mineral.

This is the most mind-boggling fact of Oripathy, a nightmarish conjecture that it is possibly semi-sentient at a bare minimum. Research has been going from point A to B or from B to F and hell and back full circle landing at A, thoroughly confusing all of the intellectuals concerned with it.