Chaosblood

~Prophecy of the Chaosblood~

There is a prophecy that states that, when in chaos, only a leopard shark can be the voice of reason and bring peace for those in need. It is said that every few decades or so, Akheilos asks for a line of leopard sharks to see which one fulfills the prophecy. When the day comes, the leopard shark must be of age and taken from their home to meet with Akheilos. Akheilos must look for specific markings on the leopard shark's face and a distinct look in their eye. The leopard sharks that do not meet Akheilos' requirements are sent away, never to step foot in his palace again.

Once Akheilos goes through the full line and does not find the right shark, chaos and worry grow incessantly dire. However, Akheilos is unable to request another line of leopard sharks as it disrupts the prophecy. The search for a new leopard shark takes time and patience. The need for a new leopard shark arose when the first few had either died or had gone missing without Akheilos' knowledge. Maintaining peace, order, and reason is difficult when these special leopard sharks are hard to find and keep around.

These particular leopard sharks are said to have the strength of Akheilos, the heart of the ocean, and the strong will of Poseidon. These particular leopard sharks are known as the chaosblood. The ironic part of them being called 'chaosblood' was that their blood had nothing to do with their calming nature. Chaosblood was a mere name given to the first leopard shark that worked for Akheilos. At first, people thought that they got that name from almost bleeding out or because their blood was special. However, they were disproven when all other sharks and sea creatures kept calm. Though, due to the nature of sharks, there were a handful that wanted to eat the first leopard shark when they almost bled to death.

Unfortunately, that first leopard shark was never seen again when a bull shark claimed to have taken them to the infirmary. Ever since then, no one could figure out why 'chaosblood' was chosen to refer to the leopard sharks. It is theorised that their blood causes them to produce a peculiar scent. Some theorised that 'chaosblood' was chosen simply because there was no other word for them to use. The latter was right. Akheilos did not have any other words to use for the chaosblood. Yes, even Akheilos himself did not know what word to use, so he came up with his own.

Some believe that it is easy to replace the chaosblood, when in reality, it is not that simple. Akheilos simply could not replace the chaosblood with any leopard shark. Otherwise, it would create a rift, causing the chaos to worsen and infighting that would lead to an infernal war. The prophecy of the chaosblood clearly states that a very particular leopard shark can keep things from turning into ash and ruble. Due to the high risk of a war-ridden rift, Akheilos always worries about what would happen if he did not have any control over the matter. Akheilos is always worried when a chaos vacuum is created.

While the chaos vacuum usually does not last very long, there have been instances where the chaos vacuum came far too close to causing problems. Akheilos may be able to keep things maintained, however there are times when even he doubts that he can keep things in order. Even then, Akheilos cannot do everything himself. Akheilos does his best. However, there is a struggle that even he does not show the others. Akheilos refuses to show how much he is struggling no matter how much it hurts him.

It is foretold by the prophecy that a chaosblood will slip through the cracks. This particular leopard shark fears that they too will either disappear or die under Akheilos' order. However, the prophecy shows that this particular leopard shark shows a side that all other chaosbloods could not show. A side that is sacred yet so powerful that even Hades fears. This side of this particular leopard shark is harnessed through a power that even they did not know they had. A side that almost no other chaosblood had. Or, at least, not that anyone knew of.

It is foretold by the prophecy that should the current chaosblood be discovered by Akheilos one of two outcomes would occur. The first being that the chaosblood will be tested and experimented on. Should this happen there is a chance the chaosblood would die before they could do anything of use. The second being that the chaosblood would become Akheilos' personal plaything. Or, at least, that's what most may wind up thinking. Akheilos' lap dog would be a better understanding of it. Not that it would matter anyway as there is one other thing that the prophecy foretells. That being that the current chaosblood is found and intercepted by a group of sharks. Those sharks being Jetstream, Surge, Abyssal and Frostbite. However, the four are aware that they cannot hide and protect the chaosblood forever.

Albeit, the prophecy also states that it is dangerous to force a chaosblood into the palace less than a decade after the previous line was dismissed. Even having the chaosblood within a certain vicinity of the palace could pose a risk. No one knew if it would lead to the death of the chaosblood or Akheilos, or if it could cause a rift in the palace, creating something much darker. However, due to the fact that a chaosblood has not been found shortly after the dismissal of the previous line, no one could confirm the danger is true or not. Meaning that, because Akhelios never found a chaosblood after dismissing a full line, no one really knows what happens. No one truly knows if it is a safety risk or not. The prophecy could be acting as an early warning. Or, it could be lying for the sake of hiding something much darker than a simple kidnapping or murder.

The palace's archivist and historian had studied the prophecy and kept track of all previous chaosbloods. However, not even they knew what would happen if they found the chaosblood before the end of the next decade. After all, the previous chaosbloods have either died or went missing. As far as anyone knew, the ones that had gone missing could have died. Though, half the time no one noticed that the chaosblood was even missing. And if and when they did notice, they had not cared enough to do or say anything about it. At first, they thought the chaosblood stepped out to do something for Akheilos. However, due to the frequency of the disappearances of the chaosbloods, people stopped caring.

While they may have grown concerned after the third had gone missing, they eventually got over it due to how easy it was to replace them. The prophecy was not clear on why the disappearances and deaths happen. The prophecy did, however, state that one should not get too close to chaosblood. After all, the emotional closeness could have been the problem. It could have been the emotional closeness that pushed the chaosbloods away. It was either that, or the near constant stress of being the voice of reason. No one knew what the problem was. Not even the prophecy itself knew. Why would anyone know what the problem was?