Off to The Glassed-Out Isle

-2:22 P.M-

In the center of the boat was a large spire that the sail was held on. The deck was so wide and long that several cabins were on the top deck as well. There were about six cabins between Orion and the rest of us. We were down to about fifty people in total. I hadn't realized, but the people we fought on the dock had taken a lot of us out... but all that was left of Orion's force was his son, and him.

Noboki cut the rope to the ship and we finally set sail. This was it... the final fight between Orion and us was here.

On our side, Lia, Lily, Charlie, David, Tyler, Ellie, Noboki, Alex, Richard, and I were all left standing. We were lucky and sustained no injuries or injuries that could easily be patched up with no limitations on our skills. The only downside was that Orion was currently in a Corrupted State, which meant he was stronger than me.

I had cooled down since my time getting on the boat, but I still would never forgive Orion for Ullr. I felt strange and like a disappointment of a friend for not lashing out at Ullr's death... but I knew I had to save that built-up rage for the moment my sword clashes against Orion's. This was the fight that would push us all to our limits.

"How did you move that metal pipe? How the hell did you do all of those things... what kind of abilities do you have?!" I asked Orion. He stood with his arms crossed still, talking to his son about something. They didn't make eye contact, but they nodded in unison with each other after they finished speaking. I couldn't hear them because of the distance.

"Well, I can turn myself into people for a short period. I can also move some things with my hands... and I have whatever you have. I can steal your abilities, you know?" Orion told me. Great... he had his own abilities, plus whatever I had as well. Did that mean he had the adrenaline surge? Did that mean he could deflect? It was starting to make sense now...

"What happened with Elo... with Demos... with Xian... with Talion... why didn't you ever help? You never helped me, nor Zeal. Why? If you hated Zeal so much, why didn't you side with me?" I asked Orion again.

But, no matter how much I tried to ask him questions to diffuse this rage... it wasn't working. I was becoming impatient before he even answered.

"There isn't just a good side and a bad side. This was pretty complicated back then. Before Zeal killed half of our brothers, it wasn't just you and me. It was all of us against each other. We all knew about Deity, and we knew that we were all candidates. When Zeal traveled here with Talion to learn about the history of the world and the Asterio family, the three of us had a conversation about her. We hadn't figured out how to communicate with her until you came around and corrupted your system so soon. That's when we realized how we could become her most important candidate... but nobody figured it out before you did." Orion told me.

"Then, Zeal knew about the Asterios? And what they were like?" Mandi chipped in, interrupting my conversation.

"Of course, everybody did. Even I know about the Asterios. The Asterios never cared about what people thought about them... they were horrifying leaders. I'm ashamed I wasn't born into that family." Orion said.

"What else do you know about them?!" Mandi yelled out again. Why was she pestering him about such a weird last name?

"Asterio? What do I know about them? I know nothing. I know nothing but legends, nothing that can be proved." Orion admitted. Mandi seemed a little disappointed, but that wasn't what I wanted to talk to him about.

"That's why you wanted to kill me... because I got Deity's approval as the first White Stone who corrupted his System... that's why I was hunted... that's why Red died? Because you selfish White Stones wanted her blessing?! What kind of leaders are you?!" I yelled out to Orion, switching the topic.

"Leaders? What made you think we were ever leaders? Did you build your entire existence off of a social construct that somebody told you? Wouldn't that make you a follower?" Orion asked me. I paused... I didn't want to say it, but I guess he was right. I never thought I was a leader either, but I was told to fill that role and did my best to fill it.

"You aren't your own person. That's why when you Corrupt your System, you stopped being Sky. You started being Deity. You proudly wore the title of the White Stone of Wrath, and you became incapable of feeling anything but different levels of Wrath. You aren't a being of love, you aren't a being that acts like a normal Arkian... you are a disappointment, you are a White Stone who thinks about nothing but murder. Don't you see why Zeal wanted to kill you? You tainted our name and got so many people killed. You were a Demon, a traitor." Orion explained to me.

"Then, so be it. But that doesn't mean my friends deserve to suffer." I said. I drew my sword and started to face Orion. Both Nathan and Orion did the same.

"There comes a point where standing by becomes just as bad as doing the crime. I take it... there won't be any more talking. You won't listen for any reason, because that's who you are. You'll slowly get angrier and angrier until you make a mistake that will kill your friends, then you'll feel bad that I killed everybody, and then you'd die as well. So, let's hurry this up." Orion told me.

As my sword was thrown from its sheathe and Lia, Lily, Charlie, David, Tyler, Richard, Ellie, Noboki, and Alex followed right behind me, unsheathing their weaponry. It was this many against Orion and Nathan... stay hopeful, Sky. We can do this... for Tavian... for Ullr!