The people who greeted them on the island immediately enshrouded the arriving hunters in barriers used typically for gates.
"Please do not be alarmed or offended. This is for all of our safety until we confirm no insects are on you," President Talcot of the United States hunter's Association said. Next to him, the other representatives who were part of the Global Hunter's Organization, GHO, repeated his words in their native languages to the foreign hunters.
The hunters nodded in agreement. However, Faust couldn't help but think that it was already too late for a barrier. By now, the sand insects would've left the hunters' body to plague the surrounding. If they hadn't, the hunters would be the one clawing their eyes out right now.
The guards came over to scan them for the creatures. As expected, the results returned clean and the barriers were gingerly released.
"So far, we've confirmed the spread in parts of France and China and a few of their neighboring countries," Talcot said and the regional representatives nodded in confirmation. "We do not know the extent of the spread but it is estimated that these insects double every hour."
"We've isolated those that have been infected," the French representative spoke up, "and it appears that healing magic does not work on these creatures, as we'd suspected. However, we have discovered that these insects die when it comes in contact with mana, which is why some hunters were able to rid themselves of it after a while but the civilians couldn't."
Faust watched him carefully.
"What about that hunter of yours who can control small creatures?" one of the representatives asked. "Can she get them out?"
The man shook his head. "It causes the patients immense pain to drag the insect out."
"Mr. Faust," he suddenly said and turned to light-type hunter. "I heard from Mr. Dubois that you managed to heal him. Is this some healing magic that the healers don't know? Do you think you can teach that to our healers?"
Faust thought about how to reply. "It wasn't a healing spell," he said slowly. "I boosted his mana flow and that was what killed the insect."
They all looked disappointed. "Is there any other way around it, Mr. Faust?"
"I don't know but…I will take a look."
Faust closed his eyes.
He didn't know mana could kill the insects. If he had, he wouldn't have killed the insect that way.
Haaaaaa… More work to do now. The only consolation he received was Corentin shooting him smiles every now and then from the side like a maniac.
The hunters were then asked to record their activities from yesterday. The associations wanted to narrow down the scope of areas where they would possibly be undiscovered patients. After that, the members of the GHO had other things to discuss and left the hunters to their own devices.
Most chose to leave but a few stayed for a little longer. The beams of light from the choppers lit up the darkened landscape.
Faust took out his phone and Nathaniel asked what he was doing.
"A photo of the chopper for my background pic."
"I think it'd look better with me in it," the hunter said and went over to stand next to the helicopter. The pilot looked like he wanted to leave but couldn't.
"Ah, count me in," Xiu Cai said.
She stood next to the taller hunter and made a heart with her fingers. Wordlessly, Corentin joined them. He sat down on the edge of the chopper and threw up a peace sign as if he were a child.
Faust watched the hunters. He wanted to cry and it looked like the pilot wanted to cry as well. However, he didn't get to make any decision as the call screen took over.
Mother. When was the last time she'd called?
Accepting the call, Faust edged away from the dumbasses by the chopper. "Did something happen to Father?"
"The doctors don't think he'll make it," she said slowly. "Can you…can you try healing him?"
Faust was confused. "It didn't work the first five times. Why would you think it would work the sixth time?"
"Maybe the gods will have mercy on him this time. Just try again."
"Will you blame his death on me if I fail?"
She didn't reply for a moment. "Why would I?"
"I don't know. Why would you?" Faust smiled a little. "Why should I?"
"Faust, I don't know if you're drunk or just plain crazy again, but you better get your ass here and try. Don't you love your father?"
"If I do go, it's not because of you. I'm my father's son."
Her voice softened a bit after his acceptance. "Since you're coming, do you want us to get some lunch for you?"
"No." Faust looked to the sky. "I'll be there in an hour. Which hospital is he at?"
"...He didn't want to be in a hospital so we took him home," she answered.
As soon as the call ended, Nathaniel was hollering from the chopper. "Did you take the picture yet?" he asked.
Regaining his composure, Faust snapped a picture and went over hurriedly. "Here. I sent it to you already."
"Send me that as well," Corentin said and Xiu Cai nodded. They gave him their phone numbers. Xiu Cai took the chance to add, "You can also call me anytime you need anything."
"...Why would I?"
The French hunter interjected, "I'll post this on Instagram. What's your user?"
Before Faust could answer, Nathaniel beat him to it. "Faust doesn't have an Instagram."
Corentin looked at him in surprise. "Why don't you?"
How absurd. "Why should I?"
"Anyway, tag me," Nathaniel said from over his shoulder. "Don't tag the location."
As the hunters fussed over the caption, Faust went to the pilot. "How long will it take to get back?"
"Four to five hours."
Even with the speed enhancements, the chopper could only go so fast. No, it was already fast enough as it was. It'd take a normal plane three to four times longer.
But by the time it landed, his father might've passed already. "Can you go faster?"
The pilot hesitated and pointed at the sky. "It's not safe to travel too fast at night, Mr. Faust. I can cut it to four hours but that's the best I can do. I'm sorry."
Faust shook his head in reassurance. "It's fine. Hey, if Nathaniel asks, tell him I left first."
"Huh? Wait, Mr. Faust—"
He'd already melt into the dark night of the Socotra and in a flash, headed back to the states.
* * *
Bright light hit him the moment he landed.
He was in a parking lot. Blue sky met his squinting eyes and the smell of freshly-cut grass permeated the air. In front of him, a green courtyard and a white sign welcomed the visitors to Walnut Creek Psychiatric Hospital. This was the place his father had lived in for the past twenty years.
As he entered, Faust saw familiar faces of the patients and they ignored him as usual. The caregiver took him to the sickbay where they'd set up a ward just for his father. His brother and Mother were there but his sister was nowhere to be seen.
Faust quietly walked up to them and looked at Father in the white bed. The old man looked as usual, the same kind of awful. Collin was the first to sense his presence and he turned around sharply. Mother followed and there was a moment of awkwardness.
"I'm here," he said.
"...Yes, you are," she said eventually. She looked like she wanted to say something else but she decided against it. "Collin and I will leave you to it."
"No," his brother shook his head. "I will stay to watch. Mom, you can leave first."
"Collin—"
"No," he told her. "I need to know what he will do to dad."
She left and Collin drew up the curtain. There was only one seat and the man took it.
"He's also my father," Faust said to no one in particular as he went closer to the bed. He didn't look at his brother and his brother didn't look at him.
Collin didn't say anything. As he'd said, he merely watched.
Father's eyes fluttered open when Faust placed a hand on his shoulder. When the old man saw his son, his eyes widened. "The souls…the souls on the walls…" Father said, "they're crying. They're crying again. Crying. Shhhh….Did you hear that?"
"I know," Faust said absently. His father had been saying the same thing for the past twenty-one years. They were the only words he'd say.
"Shhhh," his father said. "Shhhhh…" He then fell asleep. Collin sat up a little straighter in his seat in alarm.
Faust could see his father's soul. It was a ball of light that had shrunk by almost half since the last time he'd seen him. But Faust wasn't worried because he knew how to mend souls.
He was already searching the world for those tiny souls. France. China. In his eyes, the world was pitch black and the sand insects' souls lit up the darkness like stars. He beckoned the light and they flew toward him, leaving behind their corpses.
And before his eyes, light visible only to him hovered in a soft glow above his father's body.
Souls couldn't regenerate and once they left their body for too long, they would shimmer away and die. However, souls could also be used to mend a dying one. It was like patch-works. As long as the original soul was still there, everything could be fixed, one patch after another.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed his. His father's thundering gray eyes stared at him. "Souls…Souls…"
Faust nodded. "Souls."
The man vehemently shook his head, staring at the empty space above him in horror. "Shhhh..." he hissed. It was as if the man could see the hovering light. "Souls!"
And then he began shuddering. An incoherent screech slashed through the air from the panicking man and Faust took a step back at the raw energy.
He was grabbed and pulled back as the caregivers rushed in.
"What did you do?" his mother stared at her husband in horror and gripped his arm tightly. "What happened? Oh god, oh god."
Taking the chance, Faust located his father's soul and sealed the insects' souls into the man's shimmering one. His soul did not reject them. There was a small glow as the crack between them was sealed and then his father's soul began glowing brighter again. Like a newborn child, the soul wobbled a little before settling comfortably where it used to be.
The man on the bed stopped convulsing and the flailing monitors returned to normal.
one of the caregivers carefully checked the man's eyes and vital again. The old man looked a bit paler than before. "...He's asleep," the caregiver said incredulously.
By then, Faust had already slipped out of the building. The patients in the courtyard ignored him but the man running out the building behind him did not.
"Did you heal him?" Collin asked as he stopped his brother in the courtyard. "Did it work?"
"Healing magic doesn't work on him," Faust replied.
"That's not what I mean," his brother said. "I can feel that he's stable but I want to know if you got rid of his mental problem as well."
"You know I can't."
"You're powerful," Collin spit out. "Do something."
Faust paused. He wanted to leave but he felt that he still had a lot of unresolved things. "There's a reason why healing spells are called healing spells and not killing spells," he said tersely. "I can't cast a healing spell on an ant and make it disappear simply because I consider it bothersome. Disappearing isn't something the ant wants so I have no power to change its course."
"I'm not asking you to kill anything."
"Well, I can't cast a healing spell on you and make you like me better because not liking me isn't something you consider abnormal. If Father doesn't think there's anything wrong with him, there's nothing a healer can do."
Healers also couldn't heal someone's soul but to the onlookers, the only thing Faust did was to heal his father's dying heart.
"But you're powerful."
Faust didn't understand Collin's intention behind those words so he simply said, "Yes, I am" and left.