Things Not Subject To Gravity

THE BLACK SWAN: THE IMPACT OF THE HIGHLY IMPROBABLE: 12

12. SYBIL'S PUPPY

I'll make you a star in my universe

You'll never have to go to work

You'll spend everyday

Shining your light my way

(For You, Angus and Julia Stone)

Sybil turned his head to look at his edgy guest as a soft chuckle escaped his lips. He let it out, pleasantly surprised by his own unexpected reaction.

The name Set, known as referring to the Egyptian god, seemed to be an undeniable fit for its current bearer. However, Set was also the name of Adam's third son, the father of Gnosticism and the Archetype of Rosicrucians. This lesser-known figure was mentioned in Adam's prayer, inside the Sepher Raziel HaMalakh* -- Book of Raziel the Angel – a grimoire that Sybil had studied and that reproduced for some extent the text he was currently using. Sybil had moved onto Sepher Ha-Razim – Book of Secrets – because it was an older grimoire, reporting more accurately the angelic hierarchy and the instructions on how to interact with angels.

It could've been a mere coincidence, but coincidence was one thing Sybil did not believe in.

On the other hand, Voland was an ancient German term that meant devil or evil spirit. It might've been a subtle way for a demon to address himself. That would've been an interesting outcome as Sybil's most favorite tool was the Lemegeton, or Clavicula Salomonis Regis*, that bore the list of the infernal hierarchy and its related instructions.

Either way, Set Voland's name was too peculiar to be overlooked.

Sybil wanted to know all about his new guest. Still, he was aware that, by being too pushy, he would've made the boy run for good. So, he decided to take a roundabout approach and slowly enjoy the pleasure of discovery.

As he smiled, Sybil's gaze lingered over the boy's pursed lips.

"You are drunk," he stated in amusement.

For a split-second, confusion crossed Set's face, but he kept his ready-to-fight stance.

"What the fuck does it matter?" he snapped. "Do you w-wan' to kill me or not?" he asked deadly serious.

The question was somehow naïve. If The Oracle really had any intention to dispose of him, there would've been no way for the boy to avoid it. Certainly, no need for a second meeting. Sybil felt a pang of tenderness and gave in to the impulse of reassuring him.

"I've no wish to hurt you," he said in his softest tone.

Set averted his gaze, and his hands let go of the table. He let them rest on his lap as if he'd suddenly become aware that he had overreacted.

"Anyway, it's just a dream, isn't it?" the boy asked cautiously.

"It's a prophecy."

"How do you know?" Set inquired, wide eyes back to Sybil.

"Because I can see the future." Sybil's mellow voice sounded like an adult explaining to a child.

The boy seemed to think about it. His eyes narrowed and he scratched his beard. "Well, can't you change it?" he burst out in the end, slapping his palms on the white tablecloth.

"Perhaps," conceded Sybil, feeling the tingle of another chuckle about to come.

Thanks to Solomon's ring, the Oracle had regained the memories of his past lives. The death of his body had always been foreseen so that his essence could peacefully accept the transition into the next vessel. Sybil knew the past and the future, and their unraveling in the wheel of Existence. He had a subtle understanding of the dynamics of the Four Worlds*. Most importantly, he had experienced the Fifth one – Adam Kadmon*, the emanation of Kether*. The Everything which is the Absolute Nothingness, beyond the illusion of the transformation of events and the flow of time. In other words, Sybil Vain knew the Truth.