Everything was as a result the effect of the subconscious on the entire body. It was not as simple as surgically reconnecting tubes. These were connections that were more sensitive that even the tiniest nerve endings. He was bascially operating in two phases- biologically and psychologically. It was not something that could be rushed. So, he took his sweet time with the whole process.
The first stage of the healing began to take effect. Even in her sleep, Eliana felt it and woke up.
She was surprised to see them both. As Scarlett helped her to remove the breathing aid, she commented;
"I did not expect to see you guys so soon, surely it's not morning already is it?"
Scarlett held her hand and squeezed gently. "No silly. Mister Alex wants to perform a procedure on you, I need you to sit still okay?"
"Errr okay I guess. It's not like I have some place to be anyways."
The witty humor very nearly caused Alex to laugh. He tried his best not to and instead encouraged and warned her;
"Eliana I need you to be brave. The next phase of the treatment will be a little bit more painful but it won't last long. Can you hold on for as long as you can?"
"As long as Scarlett is here, I have nothing to be scared off." She looked at her older sister curiously; "Scar, you didn't tell me he was a doctor?"
"Well...not in the tradtional sense...but I trust him, so I need you to trust me. I won't let anything happen to you."
"You're starting to sound like a really old woman sis. You know that right?"
Scarlett fought to keep her tears at bay. Eliana had a way of bringing out the sentimental side of her, and the younger one did not even know this.
"Don't worry big sister, I'm no stranger to pain. I can do this." Turning to Alex, she said bravely; "Okay mister guru, work your magic."
It was a joke, but all things considered, it was really close to the truth.
"You're a really brave girl."
She opened her mouth to say something, but she never got the chance.
Using a tremendous amount of power, Alex seperated her soul from her body. This was something no divine being had the power to do- except they got the permission to do so. The human soul was the ultimate safelock. No entity, or god, or spirit could perform any action on a soul without receiving express permission from the host, whether directly, or indirectly. In Eliana's case, the moment she uttered her last words to Alex, it automatically translated as permission granted.
The extracted form of her floating iridiscent soul hovered over her body like a holographic image. Of course, this was only visible to him. His eyebrows tufted, and his jaws clenched in a grimace, his hands went to work on her.
As his power flowed through her, Alex realized that before now, he had never actually paid much attention to what made humans so special. They always seemed like mechanical contraptions trapped in fleshly bodies. But right now, as he observed the intricacies of the human soul in relation to the body, he could not help but marvel. This was truly one of the mysteries of the universe.
Humans were but a cross breed of cosmic essence, with the biology of animals.
Eliana herself was on another level entirely. She had never felt so light before. She had never felt so free. It was a real out of body experience and she could not describe the feeling with words. All she knew was that she no longer felt pain, nor heat, nor hunger, nor all the things that plagued the human body. Completely in her element as a soul, she hovered like a bird. No, even lighter than a bird, much lighter than a single feather.
But that only lasted a moment.
She might have been a soul, but the silver cord was still connected to her body. So, when the pain came, she felt it.
Eliana could not explain it. It was not like the pain of a burn, or that of a bone cracking. No. She felt like every single cell in her body was being reprogramed. It was the pain that kept babies crying all through the night as they felt their bones and their teeth grow. Only she felt that pain raised to the power of a hundred. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came.
She wondered if she was going to die, because it actually felt like it. Alex looked at her reassuringly and she was reminded that he had warned her beforehand. The floating soul had no other option but to endure it. Later, she would realize that one of the reasons he had separated her soul from her body was because the pain would have been unbearable for her in the flesh.
All of this was going on in that hospital room, but Scarlett was the only one who had not the faintest clue as to what was really happening.
To her, it seemed like her sister had suddenly collapsed on the bed, and Alex- the man whom she had her hopes on- was making gestures in the air like a mad man. She was already on edge and was grossly uncomfortable with what was happening now. Every instinct within her was actively fighting to rebel, but for the sake of her sister's chance at being healed, she kept calm, as calm as a gathering storm could be.
Her feet, clattering incessantly on the ground, she held on to her sister's hand as she hoped against hope that this mad man knew what he was doing. But all that calm disappeared when she observed something.
Scarlett was well aware of the fact that she was tense, and that might probably tempt her to see things, and overreact. But it genuinely looked like her lovely sister had stopped breathing. She took a closer look, and her heart sank as she confirmed it. The flood of emotions that followed were too much. Shock, regret, the pain that came with the sudden realisation that she was now alone in this word, and finally- pure unbridled rage!!
Eyes blazing with anger, she shot up in a frenzied state;
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!!!"
Her voice was thick with emotion. But Alex did not as much as glance at her.
"Alexxx you bastarrdddd!!! You killed her didn't you?!!!" She swallowed back a sob; "You son of a bitch!!! You bastard!!!"
She thought of attacking him first, but decided against it and instead rushed out to get a doctor to try and salvage the situation. All the while cursing him, and promising fire and brimstone if anything happened to Eliana. Like a hysterical mad woman, she rushed through the hallway looking for anyone that could help. As soon as she saw a white coat, she wasted no time, and lounged at the person.
"Please!!" she pleaded as she laid hold on the doctor's arm; "You need to come!! My sister!! You need to come...!!!"
The poor girl could not even get her speech together. She felt her whole world crashing down on her, and felt powerless to do anything about it. The doctor was a professional who did not bother with words. She promptly followed Scarlett, and the two of them tore down the hallway at full speed towards Eliana's location.
Scarlett would never forget those three seconds it took her to get there, as well as what waited at the end of the journey. The scene that greeted her was the opposite of what she had expected Ironically, it was also the very answer to her prayer.
Sat upright in bed, with a bright smile on her face and a rosy countenance was a glowing Eliana. She could not explain it, but her younger sister looked different for some reason. Instantly, she let go of the doctor's hand (who was very surprised by the way) and charged right into her baby sister's hands, almost crushing her with a tight embrace.
"Anna!! Oh thank God I THOUGHT I LOST YOU!!!" she held her tight until Eliana had to push her away so she could breathe.
"It's okay Scar, I'm fine now!! In fact I feel brand new!"