So as many of you know, WAR posted a new chapter and holy crap was it good! Sad but good! I can't... I can't put it into words.

Immedietly after reading the chapter, I got the inspiration to work on a new chapter. This will focus on Lion-O and what he did.

As per usual, I don't own anything.

Enjoy!


Beaten. Bruised. Bleeding. Lion-O was all three.

He lay there on the stone marble as Cheetara tended to his wounds. She was drained of most of her magic but poured every ounce left onto his body. He would have to thank her later when he wasn't so tired.

Their mission was bittersweet. The taste of it felt real in Lion-O's tongue.

They have the essences.

However, Pumyra died.

Just thinking about her made his eyes water. Over and over, the image of her body dissolving into a strange fluid. She was here, then gone.

Here then, gone now.

Cheetara pressed a hand against his wound, muttering a spell to stop the bleeding and close the wound Spidera had caused. Another scar to add. Another wound to be reminded of what had transpired.

As much as he tried not to think about it, his brain wouldn't allow it. Pumyra. Dead. Here then, gone now.

"Try to relax, Lion-O." Cheetara eased him forward and began running her healing hand over his back. "I can't do much, but I'll try."

Once she was done, she eased him back gently to the floor. Before his head touched the floor, he saw his armor nearby. Cheetara had to strip him of his armor to heal the wound. The armor reflected light from the moon and the green fire Cybele had conjured. Underneath his armor, something reflected the light of the fire. Four small rectangular items.

The Tarot cards.

How had Cheetara missed them? Surely she would've seen them when she took off his armor. Somehow, the cards were attached to the inside of the armor and stayed there. Lion-O guessed they must've fallen from the armor when Cheetara set it down.

His head was finally on the cold, smooth floor. He didn't acknowledge Cheetara as she began to bandage him. No other feeling crept into his mind. Instead, he felt tired. His eyes were starting to drop. As much as he tried to keep them open, he was losing the battle.

Just as he was about to sleep, something blue caught his attention. It was a butterfly. Its wings glowed blue as if it was creating it. He had heard of lightning bugs, but never a glowing butterfly.

The butterfly fluttered past.

Lion-O fell asleep.


[Cue: The Poem for Everyone's Soul]

When he woke up, he was not in El Dara.

Jerking awake, Lion-O looked around for his friends. What he found was blue. Blue velvet.

Blinking away the blurriness, he assessed his new environment. The room was of royalty. Each wall had a blue banner with the Thundercats rune on them. The room was sparsely furnished. He was on a bed (which was blue, of course) and in the center of the room was a table with two chairs.

One chair was occupied by a cloaked figure.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, Lion-O"

Eyes widening, Lion-O fought to hold a gasp. It was the man who read his fortune.

"Igor."

Igor chuckled. "How nice of you to remember my name. I must admit, it's been a while since we've spoken."

Pushing himself off the bed, Lion-O went straight for the chair opposite of Igor. When he sat down, he realized something. He wasn't in any pain. He wasn't wearing his armor, the wound Spidera had caused was still there, and so were the bandages. But he didn't feel fatigued or sore. It was as if he was completely healthy. What was going on?

As if reading his mind, Igor spoke. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a "contract may enter. You are not asleep but not awake either. In this realm, physical pain does not exist, so you are fine.

"As for the contract, I decided to twist the rules and visit you once more."

Lion-O felt something odd. The last time he spoke with Igor, he had foretold his future with Tarot cards. After the reading, Lion-O couldn't shake off the feeling that Igor knew something was going to happen. Given what had happened a few hours ago, he was right.

"You know what happened?" Lion-O asked.

"Indeed, I do," Igor responded. "I must admit, I haven't seen such carnage like that in a while. However, we're not here to discuss the battle. We're here to discuss you, Lion-O."

Igor moved his hands over the Tarot Cards Lion-O didn't even know was there, and swiped them both ways.

"As before, I Gave you the opportunity to select four cards." Lifting a finger, four cards floated in the air. The back of them was facing Lion-O. Then they turned and showed the pictures.

"The Magician," Igor began. "The Emperor. The Lovers. The Tower. These Arcana represent what will happen in your future. What each card represents to you as an individual."

The cards were then placed on the table in front of Lion-O. Each image stared up at him. Amazing how these small drawings held so much meaning to them.

"Now," Igor began, "I will give you the opportunity to draw some cards. There is a catch, however. Instead of four, you will only select two."

"Two?" Lion-O was confused by the sudden change in plan. "Why two? Aren't you supposed to be helping me or something? Why else would you be here?"

"I am here only to tell you what each Arcana means. It is you who decides your future by selecting a card. Now then, pick two cards."

Gazing at the cards, Lion-O reached out and let his hand hover over the cards. Before, this seemed innocent. Just a simple fortune telling. Now, it felt ominous. These cards held so much power. Each meaning good or bad. Or even both. It literally felt like he was choosing his own destiny. If so, then he had to be careful.

He picked a card from the left side. On the card was a silhouette of a man who looked like he was dancing. In one hand, he was holding some kind of staff. On the man's neck was a dull yellow collar. To top it all off, the man wore a jester hat.

"The Jester." Igor lifted a finger and another card was lifted. It turned and on it was a silhouette of a man holding a stick with cloth sack tied at the end. Behind the man was a silhouette of a dog.

"This is the Fool Arcana. The fool represents many things. Freedom, madness, spontaneity, inexperience, chaos, innocence, divine inspiration, and creativity. The holder of said card has the potential to become all or one of these traits. It represents the beginning of an adventure.

"When you set out from Thundera, your journey had begun. You were an innocent lion with no idea where to go. Throughout your journey, you faced many hardships. But you never gave up. You persevered through the chaos and madness, though inexperienced. Your creativity for wanting to start a new life as a king is what helped you. At one point, you had a divine intervention from someone. This led you to have divine inspiration. Each event was spontaneous but you acquired freedom in the end. At least, that's what the Fool Arcana would say."

The Fool turned and went back to join the other cards. The Jester was gently pulled from Lion-O's grasp by invisible hands.

"The Jester is the opposite of the Fool. Though opposite, they do share symbolism. Ignorance, spontaneity, and freedom. Though they are in a suppressed form. You are now at a time when these traits are trapped inside of you. Because of that, it will hinder your current relationships. You will be unwilling to work with others and are misguided in what your next journey will be like. The Fool is a genuine fool in regards to life. But in a good way. The Jester, however, acts like a fool instead of being a fool. Lion-O, you are a Jester."

The original four cards Lion-O drew began to move. The Magician, the Emperor, and the Lovers moved to the left, leaving a big space between the Tower Arcana. The Jester was then placed next to the Lovers.

The path had changed. Lion-O was beginning to feel anxious. This was his future on the line. The next card will determine what will happen that will lead to the collapse of the Tower.

Igor gestured with his hand to pick the next card.

Heart pounding, palms sweaty, Lion-O reached for the cards. His had was shaking. This is it. The moment that will decide his future.

Releasing a deep breath, he chose a card on the right side.

Flipping it over, his breath caught. His heart skipped a beat.

The drawing was of a silhouetted woman floating. Below her were seven monsters with their mouths open. Above the woman was some type of vase. The drawing did not look good, that much Lion-O knew. Something about it felt… Wrong. Scary, even.

"The Hunger Arcana," Igor said as the card was plucked from Lion-O's grasp. The card floated right in front of him.

"The Hunger Arcana represents danger. The danger of losing control and being consumed by power. While the card implies strength, that strength is only available through Dominance. It is not true power. It is pure bliss of abusing power."

The Hunger Arcana was set between the Jester and the Tower.

"Listen carefully to what I have to say, Lion-O. The events that will happen not long in the future will be determinant by your hands. The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed. You will become a Jester. A misguided Jester unwilling to work with your close friends and commands. You will be seen acting like a fool to others. They will not see you as a king, but a Jester.

"The Hunger Arcana is what I described earlier: Power and Control. You will find yourself in a situation where instead of rational thinking, anger will cloud your mind. Anger over the loss of someone you loved. The anger will make you do something to give you strength. That strength will be of dominance. Not true power. Abusing power. That will have consequences. Fatal consequences. You will become a king who will abuse his power."

The five cards flipped over and went back the other cards.

Jester. Hunger. Lion-O will become this. The rational part of him wanted to deny these claims. But a part of him believed Igor was telling the truth. The Tower hasn't collapsed yet. The Jester and Hunger will lead to that collapse.

This man. This man knew what would happen. Lion-O felt angry. Why wasn't Igor helping him? Why did he have to go through so much pain when this man sat there calmly without a care in the world?

Call it curiosity or stupidity, Lion-O didn't care. He reached over and ripped off the cloak. He gasped from fright and dropped the cloak.

Igor wore a black suit over a white shirt with a loose tie around his neck. He had a long pointed nose, pointy ears, eyebrows that needed a good trimming. A bald spot on top of his head with white hair hanging in the back.

His eyes. Those eyes. His eyes were wide open as if he didn't have any eyelids. There wasn't an iris, only small pupils. Bloodshot eyes stared at him.

He looked human. But not exactly.

"W-who… What are you?" Lion-O had only seen Erica and Mumm-Ra's human form. He had never seen another human.

Igor chuckled. "Would you believe me if I told you I used to be a doll before?"

Lion-O didn't have time to respond as the room began to fade away. He suddenly felt tired. His eyes were beginning to close.

"I wish you luck on your journey, Lion-O."

Igor disappeared and so did the room.


The Jester. The Hunger.

The words repeated in his mind after Omens had shocked him. The electricity burned his arms, causing him to drop Omens. The blade shrunk. He collapsed to the ground, writhing and moaning in pain.

Omens had done that to him.

Before him lay the broken parts of Sunny. The Berbil didn't even have a chance to know what would happen. He stilled after some time. No mechanical parts whirred. Sunny was truly dead.

And he did that.

Earlier, when he woke, he found that only a few seconds had passed and Cheetara had finished bandaging him.

What happened next passed by in a blur. Sunny showing up, Kit and Kat trying to defend him. Then Erica appeared. She wanted Sunny back. The Berbil was precious to her. A friend.

Lion-O felt anger swell up inside of him. How dare Erica beg for someone when the woman he loved was dead? How dare she beg for something when he watched Pumyra die?

What was worse were the things she said about Pumyra. Calling her a traitor. How she wanted to kill him. How she never loved him.

That was the last straw.

He would make her suffer like he did.

He killed her friend.

Erica screamed. She cried. She lost control of her power. He could feel the powerful gale force winds threatening to pick him up. He had gathered what little strength he had left and pushed himself up.

The wind stopped. A green light flashed. Grune was there. He yanked the broken parts of Sunny from Erica's hand and hit her. Hard.

He then picked her up even as she reached out for Sunny. Even Addicus took the Kittens.

When they disappeared in a green light, everyone began to act immediately. Tygra and Panthro and Cheetara took out their weapons. Lion-O stood and searched for Omens. When he found it, he stilled. The blade had shrunk. It could only mean one thing.

Omens had given up on him.

Omens couldn't be used against a force of good. The countless of enemies he had faced were not pure of heart. In them, was evil. Not once did the blade shrink.

Except now. Sunny was an innocent bystander. He was just there, trying to help his friend. He was good.

And Lion-O had killed him.

Something felt heavy in his right hand.

He looked down and his heart dropped.

He was holding the Jester and the Hunger cards.

The Jester. He will act like a fool and be seen as a fool.

The Hunger meant danger. Losing control. Consumed by power. Strength, but strength through dominance. Not true strength. But abusing power.

Lion-O looked up at the other Cats. They were staring back at him. They saw what happened. They saw what he did. Saw how Omens had shrunk.

"You will be seen acting like a fool to others. They will not see you as a king, but a Jester"

Igor's words spoke truly.

His comrades saw him as a Jester.

"You will become a king who will abuse his power."

Igor had been right.

Lion-O was hungry.

Hungry for revenge.

Hungry for power.

A Jester who has Hunger.

Hunger.

Hunger.

Hunger.