Ori & Aris the Journey Through Nibel (proofreading and improving chapters)

The fight for Nibel

—Recap—
After a brief conflict between Ori and Aciros, Ori's secret was revealed to everyone. Kuro's feather was unveiled, exposing it to the entire community. Ori was deeply disturbed by this revelation, as his peaceful existence was about to come to an end. Rumors of his identity would spread far and wide, disrupting his life. However, Aciros decided to help Ori escape this predicament. This escape would be flawless, as Aciros had anticipated. Once they were safe, Aciros shared some insights into his character. He explained his motivations and behaviors, while Ori reciprocated by answering a few questions of his own. Unfortunately, their conversation was interrupted by another crisis. Aris, who had been under the control of Vaeth, was now killing innocent spirits. Vaeth had previously disguised himself as Ilani and had been manipulating Aris. Despite Aris's efforts to break free, he was left to confront a being from his past and finally put an end to the situation.

Ori, driven by a surge of bravery, pressed forward. Unable to contain his impatience any longer, Ori found himself in a situation where the atmosphere was already thick with tension.

Channeling some strength into his right palm, he thrust his hand forward, aiming to momentarily concuss Vaeth with a punch to his face. However, his opponent narrowly swerved clear, thwarting his attack.

Vaeth retaliates with highly coordinated swings of his sword, which Ori narrowly manages to avoid. In response, spirit flame is conjured once more. Ori throws it from his palms, launching multiple projectiles from himself.

Vaeth defensively knocks them away as a few others miss, impacting the barrier behind him. Creating a pulse of energy with a blue hue, even overcoming the deep black that is its existence. On the outside, the very same could be seen. Ori's constant assault appearing like raindrops onto a body of water.

Aciros, who's pacing just outside, takes immediate notice of it. Lost on what was even going on. The level of anxiety within him builds even further alongside the thought of helplessness. The entire glade was now a barren desert and the only one to accompany him was Aris. Who was still unconscious.

"Think, Aciros! Think!"
The only two options he could think of was helplessly stay, or flee with Aris. Neither one of which Aciros wanted to do. That is until one very last idea came to be. Masked by all this torment, Aciros forgot about the very place where he resides. Nibel. And only one being, of unimaginable power, could aid him. The spirit tree.

He turns to face his towering parent, falls to his knees and pleads for aid. Hoping it would respond to him, even in its now weakened state. Vaeth's destruction has scattered remnants of sinister dark energy all over the glade. Seeping through the soil and into any root that is unfortunate enough to come in contact with it. Trees from left and right, with no light to fend for itself, would die.

Just like the decay, anything in its path would only meet destruction. However, Vaeth's power was far greater than the decay's potential. In mere minutes, it could kill any living fauna. It could strip trees of their greenery and structural integrity, causing everything to crumble to dust—an inevitable fate for the spirit tree. Within a matter of hours, the entire forest of Nibel would be reduced to nothingness.

With no response, Aciros rises to his hooves, uttering not a single word. He gently lifts Aris by the shoulders, contemplating whether the spirit tree can assist them. If not, perhaps a desperate attempt to rouse Aris will suffice. Without hesitation, Aciros flings him around like a child's toy.

Repeating "wake up!" multiple times, but to no avail, the unconscious spirit remains unresponsive. Aciros, reaching an even higher level of frustration, yells louder than ever before. Surprisingly, this loud yell wakes the spirit tree from its conflict, but not Aris.