Ori and the Stranger

Chapter 4

     Though the fall was only a second, it felt to Ori as though it took several hours for him and Blitz to hit the bottom. A heavy thud and a grunt from Blitz echoed off the cavern walls. Ori opened his eyes, ears drooping in fear. The fall wasn't too bad, and Blitz managed to stick the landing. Ori hesitantly hopped off of Blitz's shoulder onto the cold stone floor. Blitz let out a frustrated sigh, slipping off his backpack and glaring at the wooden splinter inside. He ripped the splinter out with angry force, shouting in frustration, "Come on! We almost made it!" A few electrical sparks spilled out of the hole in the backpack in intervals. Blitz placed the backpack onto the ground angrily, and started to analyze the cavern.

     The frog-like creature was down there, but wasn't as lucky as Blitz and Ori, as it had been crushed to death by the fallen debris. Ori averted his eyes and shuddered, remembering the giant ram creature that had been crushed in a similar fashion. Blitz put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly, putting his hand in front of Ori's face to obscure the crushed creature.

     Blitz looked up at Sein, who was floating above the pair worriedly. "Great. What do we do now oh, mystical light ball?" He asked, words dripping with sarcasm. He quickly stopped himself before he went too far. "I... sorry."

     "I understand your anger, Blitz," Sein spoke warmly, fluttering over Blitz's head.

     "So, Sein, how do we get out of here?" Ori asked, "The cavern isn't too deep, but there's no way I can climb up these sheer rock walls." 

     "Well, let's look around. There's got to be something down here that can help," Blitz answered, scanning the perimeter of the cavern for anything that might be of use. Eventually, he laid his eyes on a tunnel. "Hey! I found something!" he shouted to Ori and Sein, who were looking at the opposite side of the cavern. Ori's ears perked up attentively and he scurried over to Blitz, looking at the tunnel with apprehension.

     Sein hovered at the cave entrance. "I sense something in this tunnel," She spoke, voice echoing down the tunnel, "I sense... light!"

     Ori perked up hopefully. "You do?" He asked, "I'm not the only spirit left?!"

     "Maybe, I'm not su-" Sein was cut off by Ori dashing down the tunnel excitedly, and pulling Sein along with him with an invisible tether. Blitz scrambled to follow the excited spirit.

     They ran down the tunnel, Ori's mind racing. Maybe he was not alone! Maybe there was another spirit here, somebody who could help him! Ori's excitement was overflowing as he ran into the cavern. He expected to see someone who looked like him in the cavern, and he would ask them so many questions he had, and maybe they'd help him and Blitz get out of the ravine.

     But Ori's excitement was short-lived. The cavern was another lake of putrid water, with a small island in the middle, and a rotten wooden dock leading to it. The dock was still decayed and rickety, but it looked far sturdier than the bridge that had dropped them here. The cavern was devoid of all signs of life, except for a tree on the center tree. The tree looked a lot like the spirit tree, but was devoid of leaves and was many, many times smaller; only about a few feet taller than Blitz. Ori's ears drooped in confusion, and he turned to Sein. "Where are they? I thought you said you felt someone was in here?" he asked inquisitively, before glancing back at the tree on the center island.

     "I did," Sein spoke, floating over to the center tree, "But I'm afraid that they're lost to us now."

     Ori's ears drooped even more as realization set in. "Is this... what's left of them?" he asked weakly, gently rubbing a paw over the bark of the tree.

     "Yes," Sein said, "This is an Ancestral Tree. Whenever normal spirits perish, their essence diffuses into the soil, slowly but surely making its way back to the Spirit Tree. But particularly powerful spirits become their own, smaller trees, retaining their consciousness, individuality, and memories in their new form. Some can even become new Spirit Trees.