A LEAP OF FAITH

Chapter 21: Asterius Island.

"WE'RE HERE!" The conductor yelled out. They stood up, standing in the aisle of the train. Now their full body was shown and the seven could see what they looked like fully. They were an average height and had light purple skin, just as most of the people they've seen. They had fluffy hair that was tied up in a messy bun. Their hair was a gradient of different purples, the bottom of their hair being the darkest shade. Sitting atop their head were goggles. Their upturned eyes were a bright shade of orange. They wore a large leather jacket with a button-down shirt under it along with cargo pants.

"Thanks for bringing us here... what's your name-?" Sugar asked.

"Cerus!" They grinned, giving her hand an aggressive shake.

"Aha... right..." she mumbled, pulling her hand away from them. "Anyways..." she mumbled and quickly stepped off of the train. The others followed closely behind her, their eyes landing on the town.

They were on the edge of the island, "Have fun... and remember, don't look down!" Cerus laughed heartily before closing the train door, flying away.

"Charming..." Ari mumbled, staring at the desolate town. It was vast and only a few buildings remained.

"I see what Cerus meant now..." mumbled Sharlet.

"It's been in a pretty bad depression for a while now."

They walked around for a bit, trying to find any sight of who they may be looking for. They noticed a large bridge that led to another island, it was a lot bigger than the one they were on.

"Who's that-?" Sharlet pointed up at a large statue of a person.

Sugar tilted her head and squinted her eyes, "Not sure." She shrugged.

"Huh...weird..." Sharlet glanced around, her eyes landing on a person that was picking up trash off of the ground. Mugi grimaced at the amount of litter and garbage. Sharlet ran over to the person, "Hey, dude!" She called out. The person seemed startled, they lifted their head and stared at Sharlet, stopping in their tracks. "Where's the main dude of this island-thing?" She asked, stepping right next to the person.

"...Orion-?" The person answered in confusion.

"Orion?" Sharlet repeated, "where can we find Orion?" She tilted her head.

The person shrugged, "Just over there." They pointed at a semi-large building; it was very distinctive compared to the other buildings.

"Oh! Thanks dude, you're a lifesaver!" She patted their shoulder before running back to the other six. "Right over there, we're looking for some guy named Orion apparently," she explained, a bit out of breath.

Maverick scoffed, "Oh, I know him," he muttered.

"You do-?! You could've told us!" Sugar frowned.

"I didn't want to." Maverick folded his arms, glaring at Sugar.

She only groaned, "Is he powerful-?" She asked.

"Not at all, he's a big baby." He shrugged and walked in front of everyone, leading them to the building. He barged in, only to find a strange looking man lying face-down on the floor. "Told you he's a big baby," he whispered to Sugar.

"Uh... Orion-?" She called out softly.

He perked his head up, looking around frantically. He noticed the seven and quickly stood up, brushing himself off. It was evident he had been sobbing. He flipped on a nearby light and flashed an awkward smile, "Hello... children and... Maverick-? Why, I never see you out of your lair..." he mumbled, taking a closer look at Maverick.