Ori and the Spirits Within: Revitalized

Prologue: Decay's End

A grueling battle it was, atop the smoldered remains of Willow's End. With the amount of Decay that sprawled across its peak, unlinked from the natural energy of a dead Spirit Tree, the entire peak practically crumbled during the battle. The roots of spirits past were gone, leaving ash in its place. Thankfully, the destruction the battle had caused didn't spread any further than the reaches of Willow's End.

At the end of the battle, a wounded blue spirit laid unconscious on the decayed land, his energy spent in the battle with a ferocious beast. Despite that, he heard a deafening screech in the skies, one that caused him to sputter awake and scan the area for threats. He eventually located the sound, but it wasn't directed towards him. Ori looked up to see a trail of smoke flying west, two wings attached to a clouded form. It didn't seem like their foe was running away, rather... like they were running towards something. Comfort, perhaps? Ori knew of a spot for the one named Shriek within the Silent Woods, one where she was always welcome. It was just a shame that no one else could have accepted her and loved her... like how people loved him.

Gazing towards the burning remains of Willow's End and then to a muddied lake beside them, he saw it: A spark of golden light in the distance, the glimmer of hope for this land... and the climax of his destiny.

He wobbled as he walked towards it, past the near-dead bushes around him. His body was still in pain from the battle, but he knew it would end soon. It was his supposed destiny that guided him to this moment, an action that would help everyone in the dark age of Niwen, one that would honor the late Kwolok's wishes for a brighter future. With these last moments, he would make the people here happy. His action here would be able to help everyone.

Grom, Tuley, Opher, Twillen, all of the moki...

Ku... Naru... Gumo... the family he cherished so dearly... one that knew not of his intentions.

Ori slowly sunk to his knees, his body now within reach of the radiant orb that sat before him. This was it: The end of the road placed before him... as he was told by Seir. With this one act, Niwen would be renewed, and its people would be happy, free from fearing decayed monsters from attacking. He... He'd save his sister, teetering on the brink of life and death. She can go back to them, her family, they'd get to be happy again... without him.

Remembering an item in his possession, Ori slowly took out a large, purple feather, its origin crystal clear and its significance even more poignant than ever before. He rubbed a hand across it, the texture and softness reminding him of a dear family member, one who cared deeply for him. It gave him pause, conflict, a chance to run away from all of this... but he knew he couldn't do that, not in good conscience anyway. After one more hold of the feather, his grip loosened as the winds picked up, carrying the large feather away from his light.

"Ori..." Seir spoke solemnly. "The time has come."

"... I know..." Ori muttered softly, his eyes welling up with tears, his ears drooping down.

"Ori... I know this is hard for you, but you have to do this," Seir spoke up, a little more demanding this time. "This is your destiny. With this, you will be able to save everyone, including the ones you hold dear."

"..." That was it, wasn't it? As selfless and kind as he was, his main reason for doing this wasn't for the land, the people who lived in it, or his foretold destiny. It was for his sister, a life that he couldn't afford to lose. Her safety was more important to him than anything, even more than his own. But he'd be able to live on... in his own special way. Reaching down and holding onto the light, its radiance trying its best to calm the spirit down, Ori let loose a few tears and spoke one final sentence to the sky...

"Mom... Dad... K-Ku... I'm... I'm so sorry..."

And with that... he embraced the light...

The sky lit ablaze with powerful energy as the darkness and corruption were pushed away from the epicenter of the radiant explosion. The feather kept flying away, through the trees and vines before landing on the ground, the ground of a particularly bad sight. Now in the density of the forest, the feather was near its owner's child, a midnight purple owl, stuck in a coma atop a tree stump, a group of moki and her two adoptive parents looking upon her. One, the tall, gray being named Gumo, looked down towards the grass in regret for the state of the owl. The other, a large bear-like figure named Naru, wept into her hands, wishing that she was there to protect the owl before this travesty occurred.