Ori and the Stranger

Chapter 30

     The air grew colder with every step. Ori, Sein, and Blitz had made their way out of the Misty Woods, and were approaching the entrance to the Forlorn Ruins. It was... unbearably cold. Ori could see his breath, and was locked in a constant state of shivering. Everywhere else in Nibel, the plants and animals had become rotten, but not gone. There was still the sound of the occasional blighted creature scurrying through the undergrowth, or the sound of brittle twigs snapping. But near the entrance of the Forlorn Ruins... there was nothing. No rotting plants, no blighted animals, no sound except the harsh breeze blowing. The corpses and husks of the flora and fauna that once resided here had all been encased in ice. Ori hated it. It felt so wrong. Blighted though it may be, the rest of Nibel still at least had some life. Not here.

     The entrance to the Forlorn Ruins was every bit as magnificent as the view from afar. A towering gate of beautifully carved stone slabs, each one at least hundreds of feet tall and wide. The spires now looked as if they stretched miles into the air, creating an imposing yet elegant visage. The engravings on the slabs depicted various scenes involving the Gumon and their relationship with the guardian spirits. However, Blitz found himself unable to appreciate the beauty of the Forlorn Ruins, still haunted by what he had seen and done to Ori. Despite the little spirit obviously forgiving him, Blitz found it incredibly difficult to forgive himself.

     Ori, on the other hand, felt both mesmerized and intimidated by just how massive the ruins were. He found himself frozen in wonder, almost forgetting how wrong everything felt until a brutal gust of frigid wind blew him back to his senses. He shuddered a little, his soft fur unable to protect him from the harsh breeze. "D-do you think it's a-any warmer in t-there?" he stuttered, teeth chattering from the cold as he felt his paws slowly turning numb. He unconsciously scooted closer to Blitz, nuzzling into his leg for warmth.

     Blitz glanced down at Ori in surprise, but didn't make any move beyond that, worried about hurting the little spirit again. His suit protected him from the cold, but he could definitely tell just how frigid the air was, and was surprised the pair wasn't already encased in ice. He saw little ice crystals forming on Ori's fur, and felt a pang of pity.

     "Let's get inside quickly, eh?" Blitz said, looking up at Sein expectantly. Sein bobbed in affirmation, hovering over to the massive sealed gate and placing the Gumon Seal in its place. Orange light illuminated the engravings on the gates, and the massive doors slowly slid open, sending clusters of ice and snow tumbling towards the ground. The ground shook at the sheer weight of the massive doors, the sound of stone scraping against stone reverberated in Blitz's and Ori's ears. The way was open. The pair entered the massive structure, walking down a dark hallway.

     It was still pretty cold, only barely warmer than the outside, but Ori found it bearable. As they walked, the light from Sein dimly illuminated ice-covered sculptures of Gumon in various poses. Ori was astounded at how life-like they were, clearly made by experienced craftsmen. After a short period of walking, they came out of the hallway and into a massive chamber. The chamber was littered with Gumon sculptures and engravings, and the walls had multiple levels and balconies with connecting hallways, presumably leading into the rest of the Ruins. Several rock structures floated in the air, similar to some of the Ruins' spires, and were strangely red hot. The floor was broken and fragmented, reduced to several platforms upon a sea of icy spikes. All around the Ruins were fragmented pillars floating in the air, and several engravings in the walls and pillars glowed a warm orange.

     "The Forlorn Ruins... Here's where the Gumon live. They build miraculous structures and infuse them with the light of the Spirit Tree, which keeps them safe," spoke Sein, her ghostly voice echoing above the sound of rushing wind. She hovered closer to one of the icy statues, floating still for a moment before speaking again. "Oh, no..."

     Ori's heart sank. Those statues weren't statues. They were actual Gumon, frozen solid. The little spirit felt his stomach churn, and he wanted to throw up. Even Blitz visibly shuddered, and not from the cold.

     "These Gumon were frozen, unable to escape... When the Element of Winds lost its light, these ruins must have turned into their grave..." Sein said somberly. Ori felt a pang of sorrow as he stared at the frozen Gumon. They all suddenly looked so... terrified. Frozen in their panic. Some were huddled together, other Gumon seemed to be carrying smaller Gumon in their arms. It was an utterly heartbreaking sight. He couldn't help but remember the Gumon they had encountered earlier. Surely he wasn't the only one that survived, right?

     Blitz stared at the frozen Gumon blankly. It was tragic, sure, but it was not nearly the worst thing Blitz had ever seen. He was quite... desensitized from this kind of thing. He tried to push away the memories in his mind that were slowly trying to creep in, witnessing the horrors the Volks were capable of committing... no. The Volks weren't here. This planet was safe from those fanatic bastards. He had to focus on helping Ori, not worrying about an enemy that wasn't even here.

     Ori finally managed to tear his eyes off the frozen bodies of the Gumon. He wiped a frosty tear from his eye as he thought about the last surviving Gumon. What had he seen as he fled his home? Watched his family and friends freeze to death..? He jogged away from the ice statues, towards the edge of the platform. Overcome with sadness and sorrow, he jumped on one of the smaller, floating rocks without thinking. As soon as his hooves touched the stone, he felt a scorching heat and blazing pain. He screeched and stumbled backwards, off the scalding hot stone, and plummeted towards the icicles below. Luckily, Blitz managed to catch Ori by the scruff, and the spirit felt the tip of his tail brush against the horrifyingly sharp spike that just about impaled him.

     Blitz hauled the trembling spirit back up onto the platform, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Ori... come on. You need to be more careful or you're gonna get yourself killed," he scolded, though more out of worry than anything else. But it was easy for Blitz. He had been trained to keep a cool head in the face of the greatest of atrocities. Ori was still technically a child.

     Ori's ears drooped, and he looked at the ground. He apologized quietly, mentally scorning himself for being so careless. He glanced back at the stone, shuddering as he saw the little bit of steam coming off of it from his body. How was he gonna get over that? It was the only way deeper into the ruins that didn't involve getting skewered by spikes. Wait... he thought to himself. What about the feather? He remembered Kuro's feather, which he had gained a while ago after dropping a boulder on Kuro. What had he done with it..?

     As Blitz was opening his mouth to suggest something, he was interrupted by Ori. "Sein?" Ori asked the floating orb above his head. "Do you... remember what I did with that big feather I picked up from Kuro? I think the mist made me forget..."

     "The feather?" Sein repeated. "I have it." After a moment, in a flash of blue light, the feather appeared above Ori and fell into his hands. Ori gasped quietly. How did she do that? The wisp never ceased to amaze him. He thanked Sein, before turning back to face the platform that the scalding stones led to. Here goes nothing.

     He rushed forward, leaping as high as he could, double jumping for extra height, before grabbing each end of the feather with his paws. The feather expanded as it caught the air, allowing Ori to safely glide down to the platform. Blitz, however, didn't know what to do.

     "Uh... what about me?" Blitz asked. He already knew the answer: he was going to have to wait. Again. Ori turned to look at him, the look in his eyes confirming Blitz's suspicions. Blitz answered himself. "Don't worry. I'll wait outside. Don't do anything stupid." He turned to head back out the exit of the Ruins.

     "Wait..." Ori said quietly, though he quickly silenced himself, knowing that Blitz was right. He felt a pang of sadness as he watched Blitz leave. They hadn't been reunited for too long, and they were already separating again. Ori wanted his big friend to come with him, for safety if nothing else. Unfortunately, they didn't have a choice. Ori sighed, and started deeper into the ruins.