Ori and the light of Nibel

Chapter 16: Kuro's intentions revealed

Ori and Sein were resting after their escape from the Forlorn ruins. They were looking around trying to see where they were "It seems the only way is up." Ori said after looking around "Yeah. We should start to head up now. We need to continue after all." Sein told him. Ori nodded in agreement "Alright then, let's go." he said while he got up and held out his paw. Sein took it as she got up "Thank you. Now, let's head upward." she told him.

They began climbing up a few walls to come to a hole in the mountain that they were next to "Seems like the only way to go." Ori pointed out the obvious "Yeah. Let's go through quietly." Sein replied. They soon began making their way through.

While they were quietly walking through, they saw three dead owlets that were purple in colour. "Oh my... What happened here?" Sein asked in a low tone, completely unaware that they were in a nest. "I don't know... but we could try and find out." Ori replied as he saw a single egg at the back of the nest. Ori soon walked up to it with Sein behind him "What are you going to do?" Sein asked. "I'm going to attempt to find something with this that will tell us what happened." Ori answered and placed a paw on the egg and held out his other paw for Sein to take "I should be able to transfer anything I find to you if you take my paw." Ori spoke. Sein nodded and placed her paw on his as they closed their eyes and began to focus their light.

The shell of the egg began to glow a faint white indicating that Ori wasn't using the Spirit tree's light for this. Soon the two spirits began to see the mountain that they were in only to see Kuro and the three owlets. Kuro didn't have those glowing white eyes Ori and Sein came to fear though, instead they were orange. She held a worm in her beak as the three owlets looked at it with their beaks open. Kuro soon gave the worm to one of the owlets and flew off to find more food for her young.

She landed on a broken tree with another worm under her talon. The scene cut back to the owlets looking at the Spirit tree which was beginning the light ceremony in the distance. The light spread out in all directions including the direction to the nest which the spirits found out was Kuro's nest. The owlets were scared and lowered into the nest. Kuro noticed the light ceremony and her eyes widened as she remembered about her owlets so, she quickly began flying back to her nest.

The owlets were terrified by the light that was now seeping into the nest. Kuro released a screech of worry as she arrived at her nest. But... she was too late... The three owlets were on the ground motionless only with the one egg surviving.

Kuro knew they had perished to the light as she lowered her head onto one of her now dead owlets. She looked to the Spirit tree with her eyes shifting from orange to white. Now full of hatred and distaste for the light that the two spirits feared. Kuro flew to the Spirit tree as the vision went dark.

Both spirits opened their eyes with shock before Kuro appeared at her nest and began to charge at them. Both spirits managed to jump from an open gap on the other side of the nest landing on some ice. They quickly got behind some stone as Kuro landed close and began looking around for the spirits.

"So that's why Kuro attacked during the light ceremony, it killed her children..." Sein whispered as she was filled with sorrow while Ori, on the other hand, hatred himself as he clenched his paws. "It's all my fault!" Ori suddenly yelled quietly as his paws soon combusted into golden flames so hot that the ice began to melt around him. Sein imminently turned to Ori "Ori? Are you ok?" she asked with worry "Am I ok? Does it look like I'm ok? I lost everything because of my decision to not follow the damn light during the light ceremony!! I lost my home! And both my biological and adopted family!!" Ori quietly shouted as to not alert Kuro to their location. "Ori. Please calm down." Sein pleaded for Ori to calm down. Ori accepted her plea as the flames dispersed "It just isn't fair that this has to happen to me." Ori spoke as tears began to form.

Sein approached the upset Ori and hugged him, and thanks to the flames he was incredibly warm. "We'll get through this, together." Sein told him as he hugged back.

After a while they decided to get moving "We must use any cover we can find." Ori planned, now calm. "We might need that speed ability of yours to get across." Sein said which made Ori nod.

Ori focused the Spirit tree's light as his speed increased and picked Sein up "Ready?" he asked her "Ready." she answered. Ori then moved to a piece tree bark to use as cover at an incredible speed.

They soon moved as Kuro looked away from where they were. They climbed a wall to find more cover and an Arachne with a piece of breakable wood. "I have an idea." Ori said as the Arachne shot its projectile towards the two. Ori bashed it into the wood causing it to break and made a hollow log fall on the Arachne, crushing it. "Good work, Ori. Let's use it as cover and continue to move out of here." Sein said. Ori nodded and they went into the hollow log and climbed up the hollow tree they found themselves in.

They saw that the door that closed on them had a green colour to it "How do we-" Ori couldn't finish his sentence as he sensed something rapidly approaching from behind them. Ori bashed it only for it to hit the door and destroying it. "That was close." Ori spoke "Indeed. Those Rotten Beetles can really pack a punch when they explode." Sein said as they went to the next piece of cover which was where the door was.

They were almost out of here "Just this last stretch and we'll be out of here." Sein informed. "Ok. My speed will come in handy here." Ori said as he used the Spirit tree's light, picked Sein up again, and ran for the opening. Unfortunately, Kuro saw the two and took off into the air only to land just behind them which caused a big boulder to drop.

Kuro flew off soon after. "We barely escaped from her clutches this time... It's clear now why she hunts us, Kuro is just protecting her child!" Sein spoke with hints of sadness and sympathy in her tone "Yeah. But... that doesn't excuse her of killing all the life by removing you from the Spirit tree." Ori replied. "Well, I suppose that's true. But remember, Ori, the element of warmth is the last to ignite. The Sunstone we seek, high atop Sorrow pass. We must ride the winds, for they will show us the path." Sein explained to Ori. "Alright let's get to Sorrow pass." he said, and they began riding the wind with Kuro's feathers.

They were trekking back the way they came as they felt the temperature rise again "It's good to feel a warm temperature again." Ori said with a hint of satisfaction. "Yes, it is." Sein agreed as they were walking.

The two spirits found themselves back in the Valley of the winds. They rode the wind upwards and came to the spirit well "Do you want to rest after all that?" Ori asked "Yes. I feel like I need it after that vision and escaping Kuro." Sein spoke with agreement, and they went to the spirit well. Once they reached to the spirit well, they sat down close to the centre of it causing the light to flow into their bodies as they began resting from the event.