Ori and the Spirits Within: Revitalized

Chapter 21: Final Steps

The morning marched without much issue, mostly due to the alleviation of a lost soul's worries. The family had seen who the being within their cherished hero was: Vini, an entity from another world who had been forced into theirs without much say. Regardless of the lies he had told them, they had come to accept the soul as a friend, a part of their family even. Vini was awash with relief, knowing that his lies and struggles didn't break his bond with the family. All of them were able to sit down at the table, accompanied by Sein, and enjoy a late breakfast while engaging in polite conversation with each other. It was one last bit of peace before the final part of this odd journey began in earnest...

After everyone finished their breakfast and cleared the table, the family all got back on track and began talking about how they were going to save Ori...

"Sein," Gumo spoke up. "You know what we have to do to bring Ori back, correct?"

"Yep, just one more step to go," Sein nodded. "We need to find a shrine to the Spirits of Old."

"The Spirits of Old?" Ku questioned.

"They were our ancestors, Ku," Sein answered. "They were the first of our kind, to which all future spirits descended from."

"Why do we need to go there?"

"Well... technically, it's not necessary," Sein replied. "However, those shrines hold massive amounts of pure light that some spirits can use. While inside the shrine, I can ensure that the process of extracting Vini's soul goes smoothly... well, as smooth as it can be."

"So... we just find the shrine and use it to extract Vini's soul? And then Ori comes back?" Ku asked.

"Exactly," Sein nodded.

"But... is this safe for Vini? Like... Ori would be put back in his place, but... Vini would just be a soul? H-How does that work?"

Vini looked over to Sein who simply nodded in his direction. All eyes seemed to be on him. Knowing this wasn't going to go over well for the owl, he took a deep breath and explained the situation...

"W-Well... th-this whole thing hasn't really happened before, so we can't be too sure about the exact effects of the procedure. From what we can understand, there are two possibilities. Either my soul is strong-willed enough that it can hold its own long enough that we can create a body for me, or it's not and... w-well... i-it breaks."

"Wh-What!?" Ku spurted out in denial. "N... N-No, that... y-you can't...!"

"I know, I know," Vini nodded solemnly. "I know you all care about me, and I'm very grateful that you accept me for who I am. But... Ori deserves to come back and live his life, and if I have to risk my life to make that happen... so be it. I know you guys really want him back in your lives, and... I want to bring him back for you. He... He deserves this family more than I do..."

As Vini finished that sentence, Ku rushed up to him and gave him a big hug, her eyes leaking a few tears.

"D-Don't say stuff like that!" she cried out. "You... Y-You deserve to be here too..."

"I... mmm..." Vini held her there and gently rubbed her back, feeling the emotional weight in her hug. He looked over to Naru and Gumo, both with concerned faces. He knew they all cared about him, despite the little time they got to know him, the real him. He didn't want to disappear either, but... he had to set things right. Plus, after Seir took him away from his world, ridding him of all his memories... there's not much else he could lose.

"Vini," Naru spoke up. "I know you want to save Ori, and we are grateful for it, we truly are. But... are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"

"Would you rather I stay and leave Ori in the dark forever?" Vini asked.