Ori and the Spirits Within

Chapter 10: A Light in the Night

Ku began her flight across the sky, eventually reaching the familiar crack on the side of a mountain, with a huge nest laying in the center of it. It looks like it hasn't been touched in months, with the tiny bits of dust and leaves on it. It was a far cry from the home she grew up in, but it was still a home to her. It was her family's home. Her true family.

Even though she was still an egg, she remembers hearing her mother care for her and her other children. But, she also remembered... that day, as clear as the sky they traveled across.

M...Mom? M-Mom, where are you? A light voice played in her head, small and shy, afraid of something.

She remembered how she felt an overwhelming source of magical energy circulate around her egg, towards the voices in the background. She began to tear up slightly.

It's ok guys... it's ok. The light can't hurt you if you don't see it. Another voice played in her head, more mature, but still scared of something.

She didn't even remember their appearances. All she heard were their voices, and their cries of pain as well. She fell into the nest, and started weeping softly.

No! NO!! Why... Why did this...? *growl* SEIN!!! *screech* A loud, feminine voice screeched in her head, angry at someone or something.

Her mother was enraged by the death of their children, so she went after the Spirit Tree, and Sein as well. Little did she care about all the lives she ruined in that one act. It traumatized the orphaned girl to hear those cries. It didn't make things worse when a few days later, she started to feel an unusual warmth around her egg.

She had no one protecting her. No mother, no siblings, no light at the end of this tunnel. There was nothing stopping the fire from engulfing the egg, and Ku along with it. The fire started to singe her left wing, leaving it permanently damaged. Right as the fire began to toast her whole, she felt an overwhelming mass of light blast all throughout the land. The burning stopped, but the damage was already done, and she fell unconscious inside the egg.

"Mom..." she cried. "Why... why did you have to do that?" She continued to mourn for her mother and siblings, as she never got the opportunity to do so before. She didn't even see them once, but they were still her family, and she lost them.

She let her emotions out, right there and then, to hopefully finally be rid of the guilt that was crushing her on the inside.

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The twinkling night sky came over the land, the flowers blooming throughout the land. Naru and Gumo were outside their home in the cave, watching the Moki play at night. They shared themselves a dinner together, and recollected the events that happened the past few days.

"It's been really... interesting these past few days." Gumo said.

"Yeah, but that's a good thing. Ori came back to us, Ku has never been so happy, and the Glades became more lively than ever." Naru replied, looking at the stars.

"Yeah... I just hope they're both doing alright over in Nibel."

"I'm sure they'll be fine. Sure, it's a little less safe than Niwen, but Ku remembers the area pretty well, and Ori's good at protecting her if the need arises. They'll be alright in Nibel."

"Weren't you the one freaking out a few hours ago, going on and on about how you were so worried for your babies?"

"N-No, that wasn't me." Naru replied, embarrassed.

Gumo chuckled. "It's ok to be nervous. That just shows how much we care about them. And it's like you said, they're safe, and they'll be back in our arms in no time."