Ori and the Spirits Within: Revitalized

Chapter 24: Wounds

Ori had been stuck within the city for a while by now, yet he was still perplexed by the lack of nature that surrounded him. All that was here was rugged stone buildings, pale-looking metals, and odd artificial lights that felt weird to look at. With each intersection he passed, Ori became more and more saddened by nature's absence in this realm. Ori had to wonder: How could people survive in a place like this? There are no trees to get fruit from, nor rivers or lakes to filter water from. Still, if this is Vinny's perception of the world, then people can survive in this environment, even if it boggles him.

The spirit thought of the human, the man he now knew by name thanks to a... heart-wrenching vision in that machine. A small part of him wished he wasn't so curious to find that vision in the first place, but the other part of him was at least glad to know a bit more about human culture, even if he didn't really understand it. If Ori was able to view such a moment, did that mean Vinny was recovering his memories? While he would be glad if it were true, Ori... didn't want that to be the case. Nobody deserves to remember such... turmoil. Ori didn't want Vinny to look at such despair-inducing memories, only ones filled with love and comfort, ones he could look back on fondly. That's what Ori was determined to provide the human with once all of this was over...

If he makes it out alive, that is...

...

I... I can't let you die, Vinny... I-I... I won't... I don't want to lose you...

*KA-BOOM*

Ori yelped at the loud explosion as he frantically looked all around, trying to find the source of the blast. Ori looked down one of the pathways, seeing a wave of fire rushing towards him. In a panic, Ori ran behind one of the buildings and hopped onto a small ledge that hung from one of the windows. He watched the cinders rush past him, a wave of scorching heat sizzling around him. Still, Ori had dealt with worse heats in his life. Once the fire dissipated, Ori peeked around the corner, seeing the cloud of smoke born in the fire's wake. Seeing the street as a straight line, Ori covered his mouth and closed his eyes before walking forward, peeking every once in a while to make sure he wasn't going to trip over anything. Before Ori knew it, he had escaped from the smoke, letting the spirit open his eyes once again to get a bearing on his environment...

The streets and buildings hadn't changed much, but the spirit was able to see something in the distance. The first thing he noticed was a soft yellow light, seeming to come from a small orb hovering in mid-air... which only made Ori think of one thing...

S-Seir... H-How are you...?

There was also another figure close to them, a human-like being covered in a dark cloak. He couldn't tell who it was until he saw the back of the figure's head, covered in a thin layer of black hair...

V-Vinny!

While Ori was desperate to reunite with his human friend, Seir's mere presence made him stop and ponder the situation. They were too far away to notice any finer details, but from the looks of things, the two of them were in the middle of a conversation, and knowing the situation, it was probably a serious one. Ori didn't want to intrude on their discussion, but... his curious nature also made him want to listen in. It might be important for him to hear too. Therefore, Ori ran in their direction and carefully hid himself behind one of the stone buildings, listening in on their conversation...

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"... I'm listening."

Vini gazed up at the golden orb, still hovering a few feet above him. Seir slowly lowered towards him, floating a good five feet away from the human. Honestly, Seir wasn't exactly sure how to start this conversation, since the two of them weren't on good speaking terms after their argument earlier today.