The World in Dissonance (Volume 2)

Between the lines 2

Between the lines 2

Time seemed to pass unbearably slowly since the two girls had left the hospital room. Every second stretched endlessly, making the wait feel far longer than it truly was.

Sitting at the edge of Laurencia's bed, Alyss remained unusually quiet, her small hands resting gently near the sleeping girl's feet. Beside the little girl, Sonya occupied the same chair Dedicatus had used the previous night, her expression equally troubled as she occasionally glanced toward the pale girl lying on the bed.

Both of them were deeply preoccupied by Laurencia's condition, yet there was little they could actually do. They could neither ease her pain nor hasten her recovery. The only thing within their power was to remain by her side, exactly as Dedicatus had asked of them. And throughout all that time, neither of them had left the room even once.

Observing the scene in silence, Father John let out a faint sigh. He knew very well that the two girls had been too worried to think about themselves.

"I shall go and get the two of you a bottle of water.", proposed the Catholic priest gently, his voice carrying a hint of concern. "You must be thirsty after staying here for so long."

"That would be very appreciated, Father!”, Sonya replied with a grateful smile, though her eyes soon drifted back toward Laurencia, unable to remain away from the sleeping girl for even a moment.

.

..

...

Neither of them truly knew what Laurencia's condition was, and without the necessary information, acting recklessly would have been unwise. Yet Alyss had never been the kind of girl who could simply stand by and watch. Much like her twin sister, she despised the feeling of helplessness more than anything else. So, the moment Father John stepped out of the hospital room to get some water, the young maiden finally decided to act.

Rising from the edge of Laurencia's hospital bed, Alyss quietly walked over to where Sonya was seated. She stopped beside her, her gaze never leaving the frail little girl lying beneath the white sheets. For a brief moment, silence lingered between them before Alyss finally found the words she had been holding back.

"I know Dedicatus told us to stay by her side...", murmured the girl, her voice restrained yet tinged with frustration. "But I can't just keep watching. What's the point of receiving a Gift from the Holy Spirit if I can't use it to help my own family?"

Sonya lifted her eyes to meet Alyss's before looking back at Laurencia. A determined smile gradually formed on her face.

"I know exactly how you feel.”, she replied. "Dedicatus has already done everything she could with the knowledge and abilities she possesses. Now it's our turn to do what only we can."

Alyss gave a firm nod, her hesitation finally disappearing.

"Then it's settled. If Laurencia's condition is rooted in a spiritual disturbance, we'll have a far better chance of helping her."

Although they both respected Dedicatus immensely, the path she had chosen was vastly different from their own. Dedicatus specialized in ancient supernatural knowledge of esoteric practices that modern Christianity generally regarded with caution, if not outright rejected. Alyss and Sonya, by contrast, had been blessed with Gifts of the Holy Spirit and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to Christian teachings. If Laurencia's affliction truly belonged to the spiritual realm, then perhaps the grace bestowed upon them would succeed where ordinary medicine—and even Dedicatus's own methods—had reached their limits.

The room fell silent once more.

Alyss and Sonya exchanged a single glance before kneeling beside Laurencia's bed. Neither of them uttered another word. They clasped their hands together, closed their eyes, and slowly calmed their breathing as they entered into prayer. Unlike Dedicatus, whose expertise lay in deciphering ancient supernatural mysteries and confronting the unseen through knowledge and forgotten practices, the strength of these two young maidens came from a different source altogether. They sought no occult path nor hidden ritual. They simply reached toward the spiritual realm through faith, relying on the Gifts the Holy Spirit had bestowed upon them.

"Heavenly Father," Alyss began softly, her eyes closed in reverence, "You who know all things and see what remains hidden from the eyes of men, hear our prayer. If Laurencia is suffering in a place beyond our reach, please guide us to her. Let Your light shine upon her path and protect her from all darkness."

Sonya continued without hesitation, her voice carrying the same sincerity.

"Lord Jesus Christ, You who welcomed the little children and called them precious in Your sight, watch over Laurencia. If fear surrounds her, grant her peace. If she is lost, lead her back. If any evil seeks to harm her, let Your holy presence stand between her and every force of darkness."

The two girls then prayed together.

"Holy Spirit, source of wisdom, comfort, and truth, grant us discernment. Allow us to perceive only what You permit us to see and to act only according to Your will. If there is a path leading to Laurencia, guide our spirits toward her so that we may help her. Not by our strength, but by Your grace alone. Amen."

Neither of them sought power for its own sake. They were not attempting to force their way into the spiritual realm nor pry into mysteries that belonged to God alone. Their prayer was, at its core, a simple plea for guidance and protection. It was only after entrusting themselves to Heaven that they carefully extended their senses toward Laurencia's soul, hoping to find even the faintest trace of the little girl beyond the veil.

As their prayers deepened, their consciousness gradually withdrew from the material world. They did not attempt to leave their bodies, nor did they force their souls elsewhere. Instead, they extended their spirits toward Laurencia's, hoping to find even the faintest response from the little girl trapped beyond their reach.

For a fleeting instant, they felt it, a distant presence. It was unmistakably Laurencia.

Yet before either of them could establish a connection, an immense pressure descended upon them without warning. It was as though an invisible wall had suddenly risen between their spirits and Laurencia's soul, not merely separating them but actively rejecting every attempt to draw closer. Their prayers continued, but each word seemed to vanish into an endless abyss before ever reaching its destination.

Alyss gritted her teeth.

"This feeling..."

Sonya's expression stiffened.

"We're being blocked."

The realization struck both girls at nearly the same moment. This was no ordinary spiritual resistance.

Something stood between them and Laurencia. Something was deliberately preventing anyone from reaching her.

The phenomenon reminded them of the account recorded in the Book of Daniel, when the prophet's prayers had been heard immediately by God, yet the heavenly messenger sent in response was delayed for twenty-one days because he had been opposed by the Prince of the Kingdom of Persia until the Archangel Michael came to his aid, as seem in the book of Daniel 10:8–13. Heaven had answered Daniel from the very beginning, but a spiritual conflict had prevented that answer from arriving without opposition.

What confronted Alyss and Sonya felt hauntingly similar. Their prayers were reaching Heaven.

It was the path to Laurencia that had been sealed. No... Not sealed, It felt more as though the path was being guarded.

The realization had barely crossed their minds when the atmosphere inside the room changed violently.

A crushing malice erupted from Laurencia's motionless body.

Her small frame slowly rose from the hospital bed, suspended several inches above the mattress as though gravity itself had ceased to exist around her. Her short hair drifted weightlessly despite the complete absence of wind, while the medical sheets beneath her remained perfectly still.

Alyss's eyes widened.

"Laurencia—!"

She never finished the sentence.

An overwhelming spiritual force exploded outward. It struck the two girls before either of them could react.

Their bodies were hurled backward as though they had been hit by an invisible battering ram, crashing hard against opposite walls of the hospital room. The impact drove the air from their lungs, leaving both of them gasping as pain shot through their backs and shoulders.

"Agh...!"

"Ngh...!"

Yet, strangely enough, nothing else in the room moved.

The chairs remained exactly where they had been. The bedside table did not even tremble. The water pitcher, the medical equipment, and every other object stayed perfectly undisturbed, as if the invisible force had chosen its targets with absolute precision. Even the walls absorbed the impact without producing the kind of deafening noise that would have alerted the hospital staff outside.

As suddenly as it had begun, everything stopped.

Laurencia's body gently descended back onto the mattress, her peaceful expression unchanged, as though nothing had happened at all.

Silence reclaimed the room.

Alyss slowly pushed herself upright, one hand pressed against her aching ribs, while Sonya wiped a thin trickle of blood from the corner of her lips.

Neither of them spoke for several long seconds. They didn't need to. Both had reached the same conclusion.

They had not failed because their prayers lacked power. They had failed because something else had answered them first.

And somewhere far away, Dedicatus would not have been surprised in the slightest. She had already experienced that same invisible barrier. She simply hadn't told anyone.