Chapter Three: Galibon

'So what now?'

'Now ... It all begins.'

The sun had risen high above the world as it swam deep inside the firmaments. Two figures stood opposite each other in an open field surrounded by tall trees and knee-length grasses. These figures were Samael and the man from the woods. The man wore a white linen shirt that swirled with the breeze and a knee-length tunic. From afar he looked inhumane with his obsidian skin colour. As for Samael, he wore a raven leather amour.

'As a servant of the king, your place has been renewed in this world. You are the bunker for the king's word. In life would you serve him. In death ... would you keep his words. In him ... would you find strength.'

'Who is ... this king?' Samael asked.

'Lord Solomon. Ruler of the Shenanites. Son of Davis, farther of Rehoboam.'

'What do I do, how ... do I serve him?'

'His wishes are simple but the path is of righteous sinning. The King brought chaos upon the world with his knowledge, he pried beyond the men of the nation. Now they seek to acquire the knowledge of King. Knowledge the King sole handily destroyed.'

'So the King destroyed his knowledge, now people are out there seeking the wisdom he destroyed?' Samael explained from his perspective.

'Indeed.'

'And these people mustn't find this wisdom of the king?'

'... Yes.'

Samael took in a silent breath. This whole meeting seemed like a setup. Logically speaking, wisdom isn't tangible nor was it a physical asset, so how could people search for wisdom like it was one forgotten treasure in the middle of the ocean.

'And if they do?' Samael inquired. Knowledge was power. Something that made man triumph over every other creature. Men had knowledge, this was what made them evolve and develop synchronously. So why now would seeking knowledge become an almost lethal crime?

'The King's knowledge holds more of the downfall of man. Those who acquire the knowledge of the King are consumed by its destructive essence. The less you know, the longer you live. When a man holds the Wisdom of Solomon, chaos will befall him and his household, and his son's household, and the son's of his son's and the generation there and thereafter.' The man expounded gruesomely.

Samael was lost in thoughts as he listened to the man. From what he could pick out, the Wisdom of Solomon was nothing compared to the wisdom of man. King Solomon's wisdom was more established on a gruesome foundation, that's why it was like poison to the mind and soul. But yet it lured men and consumes everything that knows of it.

'How do we stop a man from seeking his wisdom?'

The man answered, 'There is no stopping man. Men's desires are like that of a moving stream in the fountain of waters. Never-ending, to those who acknowledge their foolishness, can be saved. But to those who do not ... they shall be removed from the world ... in the name of the King.'

'So we are to stop those who seek the Wisdom of Solomon.'

'You should know the weight of the burden you carry and the consequence that follows incompetence.'

'We're only us, how do you intend we stop people from seeking his wisdom? Pretty sure they're a lot of people who wants his wisdom.' Samael said after sighing.

The man slowly hid his left hand behind his back. Samael squinted his eyes as he watched the man's action in curiosity. But the man was silent for a while as his left hand rested behind him. This silence lasted longer than what Samael anticipated.

Finally, the man removed his left hand from behind him, and Samael saw the waist-length sword the man held. He couldn't believe what he saw at first. It seemed like the sword just miraculously appeared behind the man.

'Listen, you need to understand what you would become. Many would see you as evil, some will see you as a protector and your loved ones might see you a beast. But you ... you need to know what you are. This sword has been the servant of the servants of the King. It is the paragon of Justice, Law, and Loyalty.'

'Whosoever wills this item becomes the paragon of the unyielding command of the king.'

'Do I get to own it?' Samael asked the man.

'Time would tell. Come closer.'

Samael reluctantly went closer to the man in short steps.

'Kneel.'

Samael glanced at the man. He wanted to refuse at first, but the man's eerie face made him rethink, and moreover, the man had exhibited what he thought impossible already, so he agreed with him.

The man used the tip of the blade to respectively tap Samael's shoulders twice as he told him, 'Here.' While stretching the sword out. Samael carried his head up and saw the blade resting very close to his nose bridge. He traced the tip of the blade down to the person holding it. It was quite the distance. Gradually Samael rose.

'This is what segregates you from the men of the world. With this, you are the law, you are justice and you are the king's last wishes.'

Samael reluctantly collected the sword. It was made out of gold and silver, nothing like he had ever seen before even in his previous life. The sword was about a metre long, calculating from his waist down to his knee was the entire blade itself excluding the handle. Written on the side of the blade were strange drawings and text engraved with light blue ink. The handle of the sword was pure gold, Samael could almost see his reflection on it if it were wider.

The moment he carried the sword, he was forced to use his second hand to assist his first.

It was heavy.

About seven kilograms for just a sword.

'What in the name...?'

'The Galibon has lived for over a thousand years ... made from the finest of blacksmiths from Shenan. Passed down from ages, it is now in your hands.'

Samael paid little attention to what he said, instead his whole attention was channelled to the toy in front of him. He pondered if it had any sort of unique attributes that could make him invincible.

'What do you hear?' The man asked.

Samael glanced at the man after the question. After a while, he redirected his gaze back to the sword. This time around he held the sword like an expert in the face of death.

'Is it meant to speak to me?' He replied.

'That is left for you to decide ... not me.'

'How do you know if I could carry out the King's wishes. What if this wasn't my destiny?' Samael said in deep thought.

'I never said it was your destiny to carry out the King's wishes. Destiny is for the weak and foolish. People bind themselves under the influence of a certain calling meant to direct their entire lives. Meant to deceive them from their true reason for living.'

Samael had to stare at this man as he spoke. Something just felt amiss whenever this man spoke.

'We write our destiny. We give ourselves reasons to live, to fight. Do not believe in the delusions of a task you are meant to carry throughout your entire life.'

The man unexpectedly gripped the sword by its tip. Samael tried to release the sword from the man's grip immediately but the strength of the man was greater than his expectations. How could one hold a sword by the tip and not get his fingers sliced apart?

'Write your path.' The man said in solemnity.

Samael was lost in thoughts once again. This man had a way of making his heartbeat race up to two times its original speed. Starting at the man's visage was a terror to his sight. The only organ that still retained its brightness was his eyes, the rest was complete darkness. His eyes shimmered in vengeance and unwillingness. His every word was like a speeding bullet into Samael's soul.

'Now tell me ... what do you hear?' He asked again.

Samael gripped the sword harder than before. He closed his eyes and focused only on the sword.

The man remained stationary as he waited on Samael. He kept looking at the face of Samael who looked like he was defecating.

'Whispers...' said Samael.

The man released his grip from the sword, like he was satisfied with something, his lips extended to an imperceptible level.

'When you come across those who seek the Wisdom of Solomon, put your strength on the Galibon for it will be your judge.'

'Do... they have to die? Samael questioned uneasily.

The man stared down at him, like a deity overlooking his minions with disgust. 'Do you acknowledge the presence of the sun or the darkness of the night? Do you give thanks for creatures that walketh by the day and those by the dawn? Do you rejoice for the fountain of rivers and the bottomless forest of the world?'

'I... do.'

'Then you must protect them as if they were yours. For you must keep the world the way it was, the way it is, and the way it will be. For the world would not cease to exist without the Wisdom of Solomon you must let it live without it.'

Samael pondered deep on his own. He knew this path he choose would be nothing but bloodshed. Even looking at the length of the sword, wasn't it too illogical to make a sword this long? Not that he was going to fight against demons, humans. He was meant to use the sword on humans.

'You must swear, by the skies above and fire beneath, you would never read the Wisdom of Solomon, for when you do, the Galibon will be your end.'

Samael took his head up above to the clouds. He took in a deep breath and exhaled gently.

This word was screwed up. He was going to die anyway and there's nothing left of him neither for him. If this was the only reason he had to live, then so be it.

'I swear, by the skies above and the fire beneath ... I would never read the Wisdom of Solomon... for when I do ... the Galibon will be my end.'