BLOODY LOVE'S
Episode 133

"The legend of scholomance and solomonari is often attributed to King Solomon" said Rolan, recounting his research. "The story of King Solomon from Hebrew and Jewish literature tells that he was a wise king, who could talk to animals, could control the weather, built the Temple within three days, and was able to talk to animals, and such miracles."

"All I know is that he can do is because HaShem gave him a sigil-sealed ring" Jose chimed in.

HaShem means the Name that refers to God, because in Jewish custom it is forbidden to mention the name of God as it is. There are seven holy names of God, but none can be spoken. In prayer His name will be referred to as Adonai and in discussion using HaShem.

Jose was not a Jew, but he used their custom on the subject as a form of respect. Marco himself did not believe in any religion and any god or deity, but the man forced Jose to study all religious literature as well as many mythologies on the grounds that an Argent could only refuse or accept to believe what they had previously learned. Jose himself was not too concerned about believing and not believing, but all the lessons he still remembered clearly.

Rolan nodded at his nephew. "In legend, the ring serves to summon heretical angels, nephilimals, djinn, demons, or the like. Legends call it a different term. I'm not sure about the truth of the story, but I just found out that Charles used to live in Romania."

Mr. Stuart nodded in confirming. "Five years he's been there. Does the doctor think it has something to do with it? Do you suspect Baron Hastings is a solomonari too?"

"Of course not." Rolan rubbed his palm in satisfaction. "My guess is: Charles got the necklace, which belonged to Sir William, while he was there. Somehow he found it, maybe he got it from someone else again. Then he took it to Wallace."

"Wallace?" Jose frowned. He hasn't heard more details about Wallace's involvement. All he knew was as far as the man recognized the necklace Marco was carrying. "Archive Center Director? Mr Wallace is also in touch with all this?"

Hans and Gerald glanced at each other, but they remained silent. Rolan shook his hands casually. "I told you that Wallace was involved. He knew where the necklace was, and I think he opened it. He knew what it contained, therefore when Sir William came, he thought the man would save him. He even called it her. I think Wallace knew that Sir William was a solomonari."

Mr. Stuart was confused, and so was Jose. Rolan patiently recounts what happened with Wallace, how Marco lured him in the Discussion Building, how the man came and attacked Marco then was arrested, and how he was arrested, as well as how the man died and was buried on Argent's farm without a headstone.

Jose listened in silence, but grew more and more fed up. He felt increasingly mired in the darkest things, mud in Bjork. How many people died in this house? How many bodies was buried by his uncle? How many disappeared because of black monsters or ghosts and how many were eliminated by Marco? Jose felt this was all wrong. A lot of things feel wrong here.

Wallace was not killed by Marco, but how could his uncles still act as if there was nothing when someone mysteriously died in his own home? How did they sleep well all this time? Everyone in this room, other than himself, had seen dead and killed too often, Jose realized that. They all killed or saw the dead so often that their hearts turned icy cold. Therefore everything remained unmoved despite having just heard of the death of the Director of the Archive Center.

Will it be like that in the future? Will he also be cold and lose his conscience, solve everything by murder? Has Marco taught him to be like that?

Jose stopped himself from thinking any further. Those questions should be kept for him to ask when Marco returns. Now there's something more important.

"So," said Jose after Rolan had finished telling him, "you mean Uncle, this necklace has some kind of magic like Solomon's ring?"

Rolan shrugged his shoulders. "Can be. But unfortunately I didn't see any sigils there."

Jose shook his head slowly. He reopened the medallion, then carefully used the tip of his nail to remove the photo attached to the top puck. He placed the photo on the table, letting Mr. Stuart observe it more closely.

"I found this while fiddling with his necklace last night" said Jose, turning the medallion in his hand so that Rolan and Mr. Stuart could see what he meant.

On the surface of the top medallion piece, right where the photo was attached, engraved several symbol patterns. The largest is the circle in a double line. Within the circle there are four small hexagrams that are placed in the direction of the wind. Both the outer and inner circles are filled with Hebrew letters. Above the outer circle is another circle enclosed in a triangle. On each outer side of the triangle, it is written in sequence: TETRAGRAMMATON, ANAPHAXETON, PRIMEUMATON. And in the triangle is written the name of the angel Michael which is divided into three syllables.

Both Mr. Stuart and Rolan immediately got up from the chair and leaned over to the table to get a clearer look at the carving.

Jose handed me the necklace.

"You know what this means?" rolan asked, his eyes staring at Jose sharply. "Why haven't you told me since last night?"

"Uncle's been sleeping all night, I don't want to interrupt" Jose gave an excuse. He could not sleep all night and fiddled with the necklace because he was curious about the heat that he had felt before. "I don't know what it is. But looking at the letters, I think it's related to the mystic of kabbalah?"

"Not really, just know a little" Jose admitted. He read about the kabbalah while investigating Sir William at the Archive.

"It's Solomon's Triangle" Rolan said. His face was red with pride and satisfaction. "It is to call spirit. Jose, this is no ordinary medallion. It's talisman."

***

When Nolan woke up, it was morning. The sun casts its light into the river, making the water appear silvery. Nolan's entire body was in pain until he found it hard to move. His joints were sore, his arms were sore and paining all the way to the bones. Nolan wasn't even strong enough to wake up.

He does not know when he sleeps, perhaps fatigue overwhelms his body so he falls asleep at rest. As soon as he found the river and knew the route, Nolan calmed down and stopped for a break, and he fell asleep overnight when he was resting, closing his eyes for a while.

Nolan cursed at himself who was too weak. Even if he strengthens himself, now he must have reached home. But there is no point in regret. He counted in his heart, giving himself a cue to wake up.

On the count of three, Nolan rolled up and fell again to the ground. Knee pain. Head's dizzy. His arms cannot be moved. He tried to get up a second time, now more carefully and gently.

Succeeds. He managed to sit.

Nolan opened his coat carefully to see the condition of the wound on his arm. He had washed his wounds overnight with river water, but failed to wrap Marco's handkerchief around his arm. He forgot that it would be difficult to make a knot using just one hand.

The wound was no longer bleeding, but now it was watery and swollen red. Marco's blue handkerchief stained with blood and sweat he folded neatly and he kept it in his pocket. He will return it clean.

And you have to live to accept it, Marco, Nolan thought. I don't want to give it to you at your grave.

He blinked and raised his face, preventing his tears from dripping out again.

The Argent family was really confusing for Nolan. The young always manage to irritate him and the old always make him shed tears.

Nolan tried to shift his sadness by replacing it with anger. He tries to remember the first time he met Marco, remembering how he was tied up in a hay shed and slapped. Nolan played those memories slowly in his head to make himself angry, but failed. At the moment he felt no emotions except tired. Head empty. Body hurts. He wants to sleep comfortably.

Nolan shook his head slowly, dispelling the melancholy feeling that was about to swallow him. He growled strongly when he forced himself to get up and walk.

The people looking for him have accents and South Bjork style of speech. So it was dangerous for him to return home. He'll just go straight to North Bjork, meet Jose.

Nolan has made up his mind.

"Just tell me to go home because this isn't my fight!" nolan grumbled as he gnawed his feet. He remained silent for a while, then continued in a presumptuous tone, "I'm Nolan. I can't get the Northmen!"

After saying it, Nolan laughed to himself from being embarrassed as well as comforted. That sentence was nice to say, but it felt embarrassing. Even last night when repeating his name as Nolan da South he was a bit embarrassed. He wondered how Jose and Marco could say such a statement without feeling upset.

Nolan dragged his steps down the Bjork river, heading north.

***