Ori and the decayed land

Chapter 1: The inkwater marsh

The two spirits were walking the path they saw while holding each other's paw. Ori felt many different presences around him and Sein but there were two that stood out from the others, one of them was the decay that Ori felt during his and Sein's journey to save Nibel, and the other was light? "I'm sensing light? How is this possible..." he spoke, puzzled at the presence of light. Sein looked at Ori, just as puzzled "You're sensing light? Didn't the Spirit tree tell you that Niwen lost its light?" she asked Ori nodded "He did which makes this more puzzling. If there really is light here? Then why couldn't my father sense it?" he replied with a puzzled expression.

Ori and Sein soon found them in a marsh "The path led to this marsh?" Sein spoke with a questioning tone while Ori knew where they were "This is the Inkwater marsh." Ori told Sein where they were. Ori couldn't help but have the odd feeling of that same familiarly he felt back in Nibel though, he felt like he's been here before "Why do I feel like I've been here before? I've never been here besides in that vision I had. But it doesn't feel like that." Ori thought.

Sein saw that Ori was distracted by something "Hey, Ori? You seem distracted, everything ok?" she asked "Yeah. I just have that odd feeling of familiarly I felt back in Nibel. It feels like I've been here before, besides from the vision I had." Ori answered which made Sein confused "And you never been here?" she asked with Ori shaking his head "That's correct, I've never been here in my life." He answered.

Ori and Sein explored the Inkwater marsh. They came across some purple, corrupted water "Corrupted water. This was expected to be seen." Ori spoke while looking at the water "Yes. All the more reason to find Seir and return the light to Niwen." Sein replied with Ori agreeing with a nod.

The two spirit lovers crossed the corrupted water by using some logs that were floating in the water.

Minutes pass as both spirits continued exploring and came across a closed spirit gate "A spirit gate, it looks like we'll need two keystones to open it." Sein told Ori "It appears so. Let's take a different path and find them." Ori replied. Sein nodded "Agreed. They must be around here somewhere." she said, and they took a different path.

They walked down a nearby path. The path led to a wall of sticks "A wall made of sticks? How is that even stable?" Ori said, puzzled "I don't know but there could be a path behind it." Sein replied before shooting a blue flame from her paw, setting the sticks ablaze. The sticks turned to ashes a few minutes later, revealing a path "How about that. You were right." Ori said to Sein before they began to walk the path.

The spirits came to a wall that led upwards "I suppose we need to climb up the wall?" Sein spoke with a questioning tone. "Yep. Seems like it." Ori replied before both spirits began to climb the wall.

Ori and Sein reached the other side of the wall to see a male blue bird with a yellow beak and a bag made of leaves held together by a rope on his back. "Maybe we can ask him where we can find the keystones?" Ori suggested. "It's worth a shot." Sein replied and they began to approach the bird.

The spirits approached the bird "Excuse me, do you know where we can find two keystones?" Ori asked which made the bird look at the two spirits. "Squork! What are you two, now? Not a Moki, clearly. Not even from Niwen, are you. I've visited most lands near and far and not seen your kind. Come from across the water, maybe?" the bird spoke with curiosity and interest at the sight of the spirits "Yeah, we came across the water, from the land of Nibel. I'm Ori and this is Sein." Ori introduced himself and Sein to the bird. "It's good to see some new and friendly faces around here. Well anyway, I'm Tokk, a wanderer in these parts. The better parts, at least." Tokk introduced himself before speaking again "I'm taking shelter from that storm, myself. But if you two are thinking of going further, you'll have to get through that spirit gate to the east. You'll need two keystones like this one here. And there just happens to be another in the cave ahead. But acquiring it is a job for someone more nimble than myself. What do you say?" Tokk revealed that he had one of the keystones and revealed where the other one was. Ori nodded "Sure. We would like to continue passed the spirit gate. Thanks for the information, Tokk." He said before the two spirits headed to the cave that Tokk spoke of.