The World in Dissonance (Volume 1)

Chapter 2 - Part 3

Part 3

The sound of a retro music could be heard throughout the whole mansion. By the rhythm of the instrumental, one could definitely recognize which band was behind the song. The origin of the music was located in the small room that served as a miniature garden for that Dedicatus girl, the mansion’s library. It was emitted by an antique AM/FM radio from 1930s, more precisely a Vintage GR Cathedral Radio.

Its wooden body rose in a gentle arch, dark and polished, making the surface smooth yet worn in a way that suggested it was a relic of the past. The speaker grille filled most of the front, neatly patterned and symmetrical, representing the structure of a cathedral as its name suggested, giving the sense that sound was meant to navigate through it with order and restraint. And at the center, a small tuning window glowed softly, marking stations. Three knobs sat along the bottom of it, evenly spaced. One to control the volume, another one for tuning and the last one for tone. They looked sturdy, meant to be turned slowly and suggesting years of careful use rather than hurry. It was not just an object merely meant to play sound, it was a keeper of evenings, a witness to silence and a companion to loneliness.

In the same room, a chessboard was displayed on the desk where Dedicatus usually worked.

The board laid open like a quiet brown-and-ivory squared battlefield just before dusk. At the bottom of the game-board, the white king stood on e1, calm but heavy with responsibility, as if aware that every path forward would cost everything. To its left on a1, a white rook stood in silence—solid, patient, waiting for the opportunity yet not rushing. Far across on h1, its twin mirrored the same resolve, standing firm as a sentinel who never rested.

The white queen occupied h5, conquering majestically the axe of the battlefield, neither too reckless nor too afraid. It was not a queen hiding behind others—it was one who had stepped forward and dared the world to respond. Two white bishops watched from different heights of the board, one on g6 close to the enemy lines and one on e3, staying composed while trying to control the space around without drawing too much attention.

The white pawns represented a scattered tale of advance and sacrifice, doing everything they can for the sake of their king. One stood firmly on d5, blocking the advance of its foe. Another one lingered on c4, ready for the next move. And on the edges, they had pawns on a2, b2, f2, g2 and h3 forming a loose but still, determined for any upcoming enemy invasion.

Above them all, the black king held its ground on e7, surrounded by its mortal enemies but not yet broken. At that precise moment, its crown felt heavier than it should. Nevertheless, a black bishop stood close to it on d7, loyal to the end, while another one watched diagonals on f8.

The black queen, stationed on d8, remained still, waiting for the right moment to strike down its foe and turn the outcome of the battle upside down. On the corners, black rooks anchored the game-board at a8 and h8, embodying the towers of dark resolve.

What remained of the black pawns were just the remnants of earlier strategies, one on a7, another on b7, another one on c7, a central one on d6 and on e5 as well, then ending with another pawn on f6. Unable to retreat, unable to forget, they would fight till the end, never backing down as long as the probability didn’t fall to 0.

The tension was unmistakable.

But it was not yet the c****x—it was the moment just before it, where everyone on the board knew that the next move would definitely echo far longer than the last.

Meanwhile, Dedicatus was in the living room, stuck on the telephone, discussing with someone. The voice seemed to belong to an adult male in his 30s.

“After recently analyzin’ the status of all the patients ‘dat showeth the same exact patterns, this one can definitely say ‘dat it’s a massive case of possessions.”, said Dedicatus as she was playin’ with the handset cord of the rotary telephone, just like a girl playing with her hair. “But Father, ain’t sure ya need my approbation on ‘dat matter. T’s like statin’ the obvious.”

“Well, it’s not the first time we are working together on a case. I will be honest with you! The church has already made an attempt to do an exorcism on one of the patients, but to our biggest regret, it didn’t end well in our favor. The patient is still comatose. You know as well as me that they won’t take another step and risk another failure. They even started to doubt this coma occurring in mass all around the country is due to a Spiritual Warfare.”

On the other side of the telephone was Father John, a Catholic Priest from the Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception in the heart of London in Mayfair. Fr John was a close friend to the deceased parent of the Liddel sisters, working together with them in their quest to help the weak and those oppressed by evil spirits. And he was mostly the one who took care of the sisters, acting like a foster father to them since that fateful day (as Dedicatus often referred to).

The eldest sister of the Liddel often exchanged on different matters with Fr John, whom she called Good Ol’ John, just as her parents used to.

But why was a regular girl like her contacted by a Priest regarding something he would call a Spiritual Warfare? The answer lied in the fact Dedicatus was recognized by many as an expert, a walking library when it came to Human Philosophy, Psychology and Demonology.

“Got yer point on ‘dat case. This one gonna continue studyin’ their case. Kinda know what demon we facin’ but hafta be sure before makin’ any attempts!”, declared the young girl. “By the way Father, am sure the news ‘bout Lancaster’s Witch Trials has reached the door of the Church! No move planned yet!?”

“Maybe they aren’t taking it seriously for now. We already have this matter on hand, so I am not sure The Roman Catholic Church wouldn’t make any attempts to start inquiring about that matter. And from what I exchanged with my fellow priests in the Anglican Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, they are not planning to make any moves too!"

"Great!!! Alyss n' Sonya can resolve the issue in Lancaster before The Church puts their nose onto it n' starts a real inquisition!", said Dedicatus. "N' now, bac' to where we stopped earlier, h5 on e5. CHECK! My queen stomps yer pawn."

They were definitely immersed in a Blindfold Chess game and the game-board in the library was most likely a representation of their game. Dedicatus’s last move was definitely daring. Conquering the center of the battlefield to control the game, that was probably what was on her mind at that time.

“f6 on e5.”, countered Father John. “With this, I am taking your queen!”

Did Dedicatus make a mistake and was overconfident about ruling the game? That was how it looked, but a Grandmaster would see that as an endgame move. Chess was fundamentally a mental game, a profound battle of wits and psychology requiring deep focus, strategic planning, emotional control, and pattern recognition. Being able to manipulate your opponent into making an expected move was on of the greatest win-con, and for Dedicatus, every sacrifice was calculated. And in case the outcome wouldn’t match her calculations, she would look for a way to readjust the ongoing game to her plans.

“Let’s continue this later on!”, declared Father John. “I have to go back to my duties as some of my fellow priests are requesting me for a reunion!”

“Definitely Father!!”, replied Dedicatus with a smile on her face.

They hung up their phone call and Dedicatus put back the handset on the switch hook. She then turned to her little sister Laurencia.

“Now then Lil’ Sis, a quick question for ya!! What would cause peeps to mess up with one another!?”, asked the girl with medical eyepatch with a mischievous smile on her face, referring to the situation in Lancaster.

“I would say people often do that out of revenge for something that happened to them!”, replied the younger sister after giving it some thoughts.

“N’ what do ya think is the origin of revenge!?”

“Hatred?”

“Then what hatred implies!?”

“Love?”

She was used to listening and looking at her big sister, thus Laurencia often knew what to answer when she was asked a question.

“Ya see, Lil’ Sis, Love is the greatest commandment of all, as it is taught to us in Matthew 22. It’s more than just a vulgar emotion or a delusion. Peeps often play with it without even realizin’ how great The Concept of Love is... Even if we explore that Principle beyond Christian teachings, it stands at the Pinnacle of All Creation. It has existed since the Dawn of Creation, right at the first chapter of the Universe... Intelligent life forms without Love cannot expand... Yet, The Universe is in infinite expansion!!! Life is born from Love, and it is called a ‘Miracle’ because it is impossible to completely explain it with Science and Physics... Goin’ with The Theory of Everything (ToE), Love is a fundamental force, the fabric of existence which unifies the Cosmos, bridges separation and drives connections.”

Little Laurencia couldn’t fully keep up with what Dedicatus was trying to explain. It was not a surprise for anyone that the eldest of the Liddel sisters had a tendency of going too deep in her explanation, but she herself wasn’t aware of that simple fact. But unlike Alyss who often directly interrupted her, Laurencia listened till the end while trying to get what message her big sister meant to share.

“Well, what I mean is ‘dat ya have yer answer!!”, summarized Dedicatus. The main focus of their exchange was the plague that was running amok in Lancaster, so it meant whatever the thing she explained to Laurencia, it was all linked.

“Big Sis, are you telling me that the cause behind that Witch Hunt is actually Love?”

“One month of free sweetmeat for ya if this one is wrong!!”, declared the big sister to her little sister while grinning and making a victory pose. “Hehe~ the remainin’ thin’ to do is to checkmate them with the next move. Let’s see if our foes are better than Good Ol’ John at mental games!”