THE ORACLE AND THE FOOL*

How do you want me,

How do you want me? [...]

I am gonna kill you

I am gonna lay you in the ground

(Desire, Meg Meyers)

Sybil Vain got out of the car, took a deep breath and looked up. The sky was extraordinarily blue and crystal clear. Stretched in its vivid reflection on the building's glass, it was as bright, empty and limitless as his heart.

His eyes trailed back down to the narrow alley. Several steps ahead, plunged into unwelcoming darkness, the man of his dreams rested on the sidewalk—a ragged, frail creature fit to the filthiness around it. Sybil stilled and shifted his weight from one leg to the other. His chin tilted to the side as he beheld the prize of his treasure hunt.

From his point of view, the key to good living was to be aware of one and only one distinction: that between the Truth and the Illusion. The latter was the so-called reality in which the movie of his life took place; there he was the viewer, the lead actor, the director, and even the camera.

That's why everything that happened to him was something he asked for—and he always received as he'd asked. There was no margin for error. In the cosmic dance, everything was in perfect synchrony, harmony, and synergy.

As he noticed that the young man was vulnerably asleep a smile bent his lips, and he remained in contemplation for a while longer. He held no judgment toward the evident misery displayed in front of him.

Sybil Vain loved the world and being aware of the Illusion, he was able to accept it in all its facets. The planet earth and all its inhabitants were part of a show that he could afford to watch with ecstatic detachment. The people he met were just projections who had the sole function of reminding him of the Truth. They were nothing more than mirrors existing to reflect his image, at times so accurately they could show details that he himself was not yet conscious about.

Most of those projections would manifest through sleeping minds, unaware of being caught in the dream—Maya*, the Illusion—struggling in their attempt to fight a petty war against the personal history they had chosen for themselves and which Sybil Vain had the privilege to foresee. It appeared they sought his help to change their future but he knew that, in fact, they were seeking the Truth. For Sybil Vain was aware of the no-separation and being an awakened manifestation of Ain Soph Aur*—the Endless Light, the Absolute—had the natural tendency to awaken all its parts. As such, his life was about selling tricks to the dreamers while making them aware that they were dreaming. He also entertained himself by playing the role of The Oracle in the most delightful way.

Nevertheless, during the last year, a rather peculiar prophetic dream lit the spark of his curiosity, leading him to where he was at the present moment. His right hand slipped in his robe's pocket, fingers playing with the ironic tarot card he'd brought along—the Fool.

In the dream, Sybil Vain stood in a spacious and nicely furnished room, staring outside a big window at the view of Central Park. The atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant, but suddenly a shot pierced through the air, and he fell. At that moment, he could see his body lying on the floor and a stranger bending over it trying desperately to revive him.

He knew that, sooner or later, he'd have foreseen his own death since divination was his particular talent. Nonetheless, the unexpected dynamic pulled him into a whirlwind of questions. At times, his peaceful routine would be unsettled by unwanted thoughts for which he had to rely upon some mind-control tricks.

It has to be said that Sybil Vain was also a peace-loving and naturally curious creature, so he took the stance of analyzing the dream and decided to use his psychic abilities to riddle it out.

Thanks to them, he managed to see the stranger clearly: he looked young and slender, with sharp, bold features mellowed by big, dark eyes and full lips. His wavy hair varied in color from chocolate to mahogany. He had an intense—almost violent—aura but that was still inexplicably pure. Already attractive as such, the fact that in the dream he appeared shaken to the point of tears made him even more interesting.

The Oracle found himself troubled by the sight of this young man, and the more he dreamt about him, the more his curiosity was stirred.

Therefore, he began searching for him. He had no luck until he ran into an unexpected side effect: a vision of Solomon, who revealed to him that he should retrieve one of the King's relics and use its power to return it to its rightful owner. Solomon assured him that if he complied with the request, upon using the magical artifact, he would be able to meet the young man he was looking for.

So he did, and the relic changed his perspective. Not only did he come to know the real identity of Solomon's reincarnation, but he also found out that he had a chance to enter the life of his own stranger beforehand, and change the future. That's why he decided to tackle the problem at its roots.

His interference with the natural course of events gave rise to a new range of variables, which were not yet affecting the dynamics of the events he foresaw, but gave him a certain degree of uncertainty about the date he should step into the young man's life. Therefore, to leave no room for errors, he started moving a month in advance. He knew that his stranger was going to be held in Von Haughman's hospital, so he provoked the police and whispered just the right amount of bullshit to reach the place. Then he patiently waited for the young man's appearance, until the day he was most likely to come.

On the 14th of May, when The Oracle opened the door of the doctor's office, his stranger was exactly on time. His appearance was quite different, but Sybil recognized him right away; that restless young man was without a doubt the one he'd dreamt of.

The Oracle sensed that the young man was going to run off as soon as he could, so he waited in a taxi outside the hospital and then followed him. When his target ducked into an alley, Sybil asked the taxi driver to stop and wait, so that he could watch him at a safe distance. After a few minutes, he got out of the car, took a deep breath, and glanced at the clear sky to erase all thoughts from his mind.

Then, finally, he approached.

The young man was sleeping on the sidewalk, his chest slightly moving up and down. Despite the beard, the sunken cheeks and the long tangled hair, his face was relaxed and sweet-looking like a child's. The Oracle crouched down next to him and silently gazed at him with admiration, for a long time.

Thanks to the countless recurring dreams, he was familiar to Sybil, as if they had already known each other for years. He could perfectly remember the pained expression the young man had while holding Sybil's body in his arms. In fact, the Oracle was drawn to him because of that unexpected degree of affection. He would've never imagined being held by somebody at his last moment, and he was taken aback by the present condition of that same somebody; the young man was battered and malnourished.

At that sight, his chest tightened, and his decision to sacrifice the other to save himself faltered.

Sybil turned his gaze to the golden ring he wore on the fourth finger and forced himself not to think about it, waiting for his bewildering emotions to settle down.

However, his hand reached out for the young man's cheek and the touch intensified the warm feeling and the sense of familiarity. It felt like finding a long-lost love—and the flame of desire was lit in Sybil's heart.

Then the stranger opened his eyes wide and shot him an inquisitive gaze.

"I can understand why you have been in a bad mood, but be compassionate," Sybil said in his most persuading voice, "Doctor Van Haughman had a heart attack."

"That's his problem," he cut him short and sat up, forcing Sybil to keep his distance.

Right after, he nervously searched his pockets. Sybil knew what he was looking for, so he handed him the brand-new packet he had bought for him. The man of his dreams snatched it abruptly and pulled out a cigarette. Sybil patiently lit it up for him but this time was careful not to touch him. Instead, he took a deep breath and plunged into the boundless emptiness inside of him, while his energy rebalanced.

The young man kept gazing at him through the smoke. He had the bored look of someone who'd lived long enough to have no expectations for anything good to come from their meeting, and yet his eyes were bright and lively. Something was off about him. He seemed to have a dual nature.

"Who are you?" he asked point-blank.

"Sybil Vain," The Oracle replied calmly.

"Why are you here?"

"I was looking for you."

"What do you want?"

"To kill you," bluffed Sybil.

The young man choked on the smoke and coughed but, as soon as he could breathe again, he burst out laughing.

"Go ahead. I bet you're not the first, and you sure won't be the last," he said dryly, with his eyes fixed on him and a scornful smile.

He didn't wait for a reply and turned his attention to the passers-by rushing on the main road. At lunchtime, Fifth Avenue was flooded by a human river. It was a procession of employees, students, women and children, people of any shape and color. At that point, Sybil couldn't risk touching him again, they'd just met and the young man wasn't ready for it, not yet. Unfortunately, without the contact, their energetic connection wasn't strong enough to keep the peace. Sensing that something would happen, The Oracle took a few steps away and leaned his back on the wall of the closest building.

A tiny rubber ball rolled over the cobblestone and stopped at the young man's feet. He picked it up, just as a ten-year-old scrambled into view. The kid snatched it from his grasp, rattling off a quick "Thanks sir," before turning on his heels and running away. Sybil's man jumped up and chased the newcomer like a mad dog.

"You! Hey, YOU! Yeah, I'm talking to you!" he started yelling.

The child turned around with a look of surprise.

"How dare you?!"

Squeezing the ball in his tiny trembling hands, the kid froze on the spot.

"You forgot, huh? But I sure as hell remember!" the young man screamed once more and in the blink of an eye, jumped his helpless target.

"Let go of him right now!" A female shriek flew through the air.

"And who the hell do you think you are, huh?!" he barked without looking back.

In the grip of madness, he put his hands around the kid's neck and started squeezing, until the newcomer—a woman—grabbed his arm with all her might to break it up. As if someone cast a spell on him, the mad dog let go and stared—completely dazed—at the woman, giving her plenty of time to pull her child away.

Sybil, who had been patiently leaning on the wall and watching the whole time, reached back to him.

"Why did you let the child go?" he asked.

"That woman was my sister," he replied with exactly the same level of incredulity and skepticism.

"And what am I to you?" inquired the unperturbed Sybil.

"You are—nothing," said the young man and marveled at him for a moment.

"It won't be you," Sybil stated.

"What?"

"The one who is going to kill me," he revealed casually.

The young man stared at him for a moment and then tapped his temple with half a smirk. "Let me tell you, man, you're more fucked up than I am."

"When you are feeling better ask Isaac about me. He is a fortune-teller that lives beside Café Palermo, near the intersection of 5th Avenue and 64th Street. I'll be waiting for you," Sybil explained, ignoring his taunts.

The other paid him no heed and started walking away, but before he could disappear from sight, without turning back, he raised his right hand as a farewell. Sybil shrugged his shoulders and then a genuine smile flashed over his face, shining joyfully like a firefly on a spring night.

Amusingly enough, his plan A was already screwed. He had considered the young man's disposal a necessary sacrifice for the cause, but as soon as he discovered his present condition and looked into his puppy dog eyes, all Sybil wanted to do was adopt him.

So, one thing was certain, Sybil Vain was sweet on the stray.

The Endless Light had surprised him once again by sending him something he didn't realize he had asked for. He pulled out the phone from the pocket of his robe and texted his housekeeper, just to let her know that he'd finally found the man of his dreams.