Khloros pt. 2

Grand Arcana – The opening

Chapter 0. The Fool

The Fool is the spirit in search of experience. He represents the mystical cleverness bereft of reason within us, the childlike ability to tune into the inner workings of the world. The sun shining behind him represents the divine nature of the Fool's wisdom and exuberance, holy madness or 'crazy wisdom'.

Through all the wind he wasn't able to stop the shaking. It felt surreal, the lights above him blazing on the Northern sky, his mother holding his hand while they watched the skies dance.

˝Mom! They're beautiful˝- His voice was small and cheerful. He almost forgot how that sounded like.

˝Aurora Borealis, my son. The angels of North Blue, they will always guide you and protect you. Whenever you feel lost Law, just look at them˝- His mother used to say, soothing the small boy. He remembered the warm hug he recieved before the memory faded away. Someone was thundering on his door, robbing him of precious sleep.

˝Captain!˝- Bepo. He sounded like something was wrong, which could be another pirate ship or they passed fish with the sub. Sighing he rubbed his eyes and got up. His clothes were crumbles and he frowned at himself. He was getting sloppy and mroe tired as time passed by, the fights were boring and not even worth to mention. Burying himself in work and books didn't help for his restless mind.

He rembered his latest project and felt a wave of anger. He had the gift, the most important perhaps Devil Fruit, he could give and take life, so why was hatching an egg so hard? Everyday he tried again and everyday he failed.

˝Captain!˝- Bepo's shouting interupted his thoughts.

˝Calm down Bepo˝- Taking his hat and nodachi Law opened the steel door of his cabine and looked calmly at his first mate and navigator, the talking polar bear Bepo. Suddenly the sub jerked and Bepo fell face down in front of Law. He gripped the door tightly as the vibrations died down.

˝Captain! There is something ahead, you should see it, the crew is scared˝

˝Follow me to the command room˝- Law's step was lighter, his mood much better and a small smirk planted on his face. Something was finally happening, killing his boredom. Reaching the command room he saw both Shachi and Penguin oggle something and whisper. The a small fraction of his crew was hurdled by the door towards the engine.

˝Status?˝- Law's voice silenced them. No one looked at him, strangely fixated with the steel floor udner their feet.

˝Captain..˝- Penguin started ˝There's something you need to see. We're still on course, but something is in the way..˝

˝There should be clear water in front of us at least to the next island and we coudln't have reached it yet , waht is it?˝- Entering the cramped command room Law stared. There was a massive underwater vulcano eruption. The crater was a bright orange red color, lava slipping through it's cracks steadily. He wasn't a fool, passing above it would create a flow of cold water that they would pull with the sub and thus creating cold-warm zones which could lead to whirpools. If they lost control of the sub above the vulcano they were gones. Of course he could use his powers to move the vulcan but he didn't know what to switch with it. Water? It wouldn't work. Rock? Too small. But why did it appear now? The radar was clear just two hours ago when he decided to nap.

˝Is there something special about a vulcano Shachi? Why would you be scared about it, it's not the first time we encountered one˝- The smirk never leaving Law's face brought another emotion. Anticipation. His gut was telling him it was connected with the mysterious egg that he found.

The egg was a size of a pineapple, the surface smooth and shiny with a rich deep red color. X-ray scan coundln't penetrate through it, his Devil Fruit didn't penetrate it. All he knew was that it hatched wrongly and released sulphor. Before he'd fail a small light appeared in the egg, illuminating it from within and he would hear three steady thumps.

Steady and organized.

Just like a heart beat.

˝Captain there's someone inside it.˝- Penguin's voice was shallow, like he didn't even believe his words. Law narrowed his eyes and looked into the massive crater again. There was steam, bubbles of gas and lava but then he notices something. It was a darker patch above the bright lava. Like a misshapen figure. Hands outstretched and leggs apart. It had a hood on and underneath it was a skeleton. He could literaly feel his blood rush faster, the pressure rising as he exhaled.

˝Take as as close as you can˝

˝Captain!˝- The men yelled. Fear was in the faces as apparent as the blue waters around them.

˝It's an order ˝- Law said simply. The tone of his voice didn't leave room for argument and he watched amused as Shachi and Penguin exchanged glances and gulped. They manouvered the ship a couple of meters near the crater's edge. The sensors were going wild, temperature rising and the engine room yelling through the communication ropes about over-heating and what not. Law felt his mouth stretch into a smile as he stared at the figure.

The skull had bright purple eyes...