Ori and the Spirits Within: Revitalized

Chapter 15: Dissonance

The afternoon had come to Nibel, the sun perched high in the sky and bathing the forest in its warm light. It has been a couple of hours since Sein sent Ori, or the soul within Ori's body, into the Soul Scape to rescue the trapped spirit from whatever seemed to be terrorizing him. Sein expected the process to take a little bit longer than expected, knowing that time in the Soul Scape acted a little differently to the real world. Still, she hoped that he would wake up soon to avoid any complications, mostly surrounding Ku. She was a curious young girl, and Sein knew she would worry if Ori wasn't home soon. Then again, she didn't know what Ku was up to at the moment, so she could be on her own agenda.

Sein thought more about the young owlet... and her mother. Kuro was a noble woman, one who was completely indifferent to the light of Nibel and simply lived for the sake of her own children. It was a terrible accident that befell her children when the Spirit Tree tried to bring one of Nibel's lost kin back home. That spiraling of events from that day led to the life that Ku has now. Her biological mother and siblings are dead, and now, she lives with an adopted family, one who loves her from the bottom of their hearts. She wished that none of it happened, that they could have found Ori without the need of the Light Ceremony.

Although, having lived through the aftermath of that mistake... she pondered how different life would be if they hadn't called out to Ori. Would life have been better for Ku, being raised by her biological mother? Would it have been better for Ori and Naru, living out an idyllic life as mother and son?

Would Sein have had a better life, having never gotten a personal connection to one of Nibel's kin... having never fallen for them?

Getting that train of thought out of her head, she pondered how to spend her time while waiting for the soul within Ori to awaken. The spirits seemed to be alright at the base of the Spirit Tree. Some worked on their magic abilities, some played around with one another, and others just rested under the tree's holy light. She then looked to the side at one of the wooden cabinets by the front door of her treehouse. Having just gotten Ori somewhat back in her life, it rekindled something in her mind, something that she forgot about for a little while.

Kneeling in front of the cabinet, she opened it up and found the wooden instrument she created not too long ago. She felt its body with her left hand while holding the instrument's neck with her right one, the fingers sliding up and down the six strings that extended down. She quietly plucked one of the middle strings, a treble sound bouncing off the walls of her treehouse. It was a personal instrument of Sein's, one whose purpose was singular and would be saved for the right time. But she had to get better if she was going to present it.

After rubbing off some of the dust accumulated from its time spent in the cabinet, Sein decided to leave the treehouse with the guitar and walk down to the pedestal that the catalyst of the Spirit Tree mounted itself upon. After sitting on the ledge of the trunk, her pawed feet dangling towards the ground, Sein looked up at the leaves of the Spirit Tree, some of them glowing a hint of blue. One deep breath later, she quietly began strumming the guitar rhythmically.

A pleasant melody echoed quietly from the top of the Spirit Tree. She played soft enough so that it would bother anyone at the base of the tree or the slumbering body of Ori. She was definitely close to the Spirit Tree itself, but she begrudgingly knew he didn't mind. Accompanying these chords from her guitar was her voice, or rather, her on-pitch hums. She knew her song would have lyrics, but she didn't know what they were going to be yet. What mattered was getting the notes right, and she was surprised at how great she was at that, especially given how long it's been since she last played.

This was good, but she had to make it better. This song was for someone special, after all. Someone she truly held close to her.

Roughly two minutes go by before she finally stops playing, having finished her song. She quietly chuckled to herself as she felt the catalyst of the Spirit Tree float beside her, having her the entirety of her quiet song.