Ori and the Spirits Within

Chapter 4: Recollection

The celebration for the return of Ori was exciting. All the Moki helped Naru make a feast for the return of her son. Ori, while still dazed slightly, played around with the Moki and Ku in the fields of the Glades. Overall, it was a very eventful day for the family. Soon enough, the sun started to set, meaning it was time for dinner.

Everyone eventually made their way into a hut in the center of the Glades, and enjoyed themselves a feast fitting for the occasion. Freshly made Stew and Soup, with some meat entrees on the side. Of course, Ku stuck to her own meals of bugs and worms. No one really understood her diet other than her family, but the Moki still saw Ku as a nice, kind person. Nothing about her was ever going to change that fact.

Ori sat next to Naru and Grom, with Ku and Gumo sitting opposite of them. All of them were very happy knowing that the happy kid they knew so well was back in action. Ori took a small sip of soup, making his face scrunch up in delight. It wasn't really a familiar taste, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.

"How is it, honey?" Naru asked her son. Ori turned to her, his face stuffed with the soup, and nodded rapidly. The group laughed at his childish tendencies, and continued the conversation.

"So, after... that happened," Ku continued on her monologue, feeling a bit sad. "Ori brought me back to Kwolok's Hollow, and they tried to keep me alive as much as they could. Of course, the forest was dying slowly since the death of the Spirit Willow. So, Kwolok assigned Ori the task to bring the pieces of the forest back together, and create a new Spirit Willow for the land."

Ori listened intently to the conversation. It wasn't that it enthralled him, hearing about his own adventures, but rather, it seemed so... unfamiliar to him. He didn't have the memories of his past, but still, there was something about the story that... hurt him. It didn't hurt him in a bad way, but rather, it was like... an emotional ride of sorts, hearing what he had to do to bring back her sister, and save Niwen.

She kept talking about the journey Ori went on, talking about Kwolok, Baur, Mora, and Shriek. But, none of these names rang any bells in his mind. The names Kwolok and Shriek stuck out to him, and as she kept going on and on, Ori felt a small connection seem to form in his mind. He didn't know for sure, but he felt like something bad happened to both of them based on the way she talked about them, but he didn't know what or how it happened. Nonetheless, Ori enjoyed sitting next to his family and friends, enjoying the meal and reminiscing on the good times.

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The night came to Niwen, and the family were all resting inside the cave that they made their home. Gumo was working at a little bench in an upper area of the small cave, and Ku was just outside the cave, gazing up at the stars. Meanwhile, Ori was resting on Naru's stomach, and she watched over him. It has been a very long time since she has had the chance to do this. After all, Ku is a bit too big for it, although they can sometimes make it work.

Ori felt... weird. To him, this felt both right and wrong at the same time. Sure, Naru was his mother, and supposedly, they used to do this all the time. He understood that part. But there was something off about this. Like, for some reason, this was never a part of his life. If it was something he cherished so much, then why wouldn't it spark an immediate euphoria on him upon experiencing it again?

He remembered something that Ku mentioned to him when they were walking back from the Spirit Willow.

"Seir said that your memories are just a bit jumbled up. He said if we just point out things to you from your memory, you'll remember exactly what they mean."

So, his memories are in there. They just need to be brought to light. Through experiences, through sights, or even sounds, that is how he will regain his memories. But, he couldn't remember anything about this. Sure, it felt good to lay in his mother's lap with occasional petting, but... nothing about sparked some memory deep within. But, he didn't bring it up to anyone. Perhaps, he thought, that some memories take a little time to fully return. Or so he hopes.