Healing

“Shut up. First, we need to do something about Patricia. Just get up and help me already.”

Stiyl brushed up his long bangs that were getting in his face and then began the preparations.

First, he cast aside the old cigarette, pulled a new one out of the box, and lit it with one of Theodosia’s matches.

Next, he blew some of the cigarette smoke on a few rune cards before placing one on Patricia’s forehead, chest, and stomach.

“I see. In both Eastern and Western magic, the cigarette is used as a spiritual item that carries out changes of mental states, so you are using that as a base to investigate Patricia’s mind.”

“If I had some alcohol too, it would be perfect, but I don’t think we have time to get some.”

Magic could be carried out by materials gathered at a convenience store. Some legendary item hidden within ancient ruins was not necessarily needed. Of course, there were spells that needed items like that, but they were not using magic of that level.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Stiyl adjusted his grip on the cigarette and Theodosia lightly swung the match that had lit it.

By using the fire and the smoke as a common item, the three of them were bound magically.

“IATWCPHISKWOTDOTH. (I attach this wavering connection, my hand is the key which opens the door of this heart.)”

When Stiyl closed his eyes and chanted that, the flames of the cigarette and the match became fixed in place. The flames were clearly burning, but the match showed no sign of shortening. The same thing happened with the cigarette.

Stiyl slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were already out of focus and there was no change to his expression.

“...This makes me want to draw things on your face,” said Theodosia, but Stiyl gave no response.

It seemed as if he would fall over from just a slight poke. It seemed like a miracle that the cigarette was still in the corner of this mouth.

“Ow...”

Theodosia frowned slightly and looked over her body.

On her arms and legs, she had a few light burns that would not leave scars from the battle in the bank, but the dull pain from her chest to her navel was much worse. She guessed it must have been from the shockwaves.

“...”

Theodosia ignored her various pains, waved the lit match, and continued focusing.

The spell Stiyl was carrying out was a delicate one. Not to mention that he was not well versed in healing methods for anything besides burns. Without Theodosia’s support, he would end up having his own mind broken along with Patricia’s.

However, Stiyl was not currently inside Patricia’s mind.

Only specialists could do something of that high level.

Rather than slicing open a patient’s stomach to look inside, he was only pricking into the stomach’s surface to find out what the disease was.

Basically, he was using the smoke to touch Patricia’s skin, analyzing the inside of her mind, and reproducing its condition within his own brain. To put it simply, it was an extreme game of make-believe. It might have been similar to an actor getting into  character. By approaching the same state as Patricia, he could learn what part of her  mind was affected.

It may have sounded like a rather unique method, but it was actually rather popular in the magic business. People such as Crowley could “get into character” at such a high level that they could manipulate the model person and make them trip. It could be called a reversal of Idol Theory.

“...”

An intense stabbing pain ran across Stiyl’s head.

It was on the left side of his head just above the ear.

“So it’s there...”

Stiyl once more opened his eyes. With a bursting sound, the flames on the cigarette and the match both disappeared. Stiyl stabbed the now flameless cigarette into the side of Patricia’s head.

The soft cigarette was easily crushed.

Even so, a hard grinding sound came from Patricia’s head.

“It’s removed!! Theodosia, restrain her!!”

Her small form jumped up two or three times.

Theodosia forcibly restrained her and then Patricia’s eyes opened and her pupils widened to their limit. Stiyl helped grab the girl’s arms and legs as well and her eyes finally returned to normal.

Index SP, Chapter 1, Part 3