Ori and the Spirits Within

Chapter 16: Rationalization

Ori and Ku both stretched at dawn, and moved around the nest, gathering their stuff for the flight back home. His experience here was...interesting to say the least. However, he felt like this journey was very important for not only him, but for the family as well. He had much to discuss back home. Not with the family obviously, but with Seir.

Right before Ori left, he took one last trip to the Spirit Tree, to tell the spirits that he was going back to Niwen. The spirits whined and pleaded for him to stay with them, but Ori mentioned that he had something important to do back in Niwen. Plus, he's got a family waiting for him too, and he can't keep them waiting. He wasn't lying to them, but he still felt bad for not telling them the whole story. A few spirits gave their thanks, and some gave their hugs. He appreciated the sentiment, but they should be giving thanks when the actual hero returns.

He looked up towards the Spirit Tree before he left, seeing Sein up on its branches. She waved down at Ori, with a smile on her face. Ori gave a wave and a nod back, and went back towards Ku by the Sunken Glades. On his way back, he remembered something he wanted. He gazed up at one of the trees, seeing it harbor those delicious apples he adored so much. Quickly, he climbed the tree and grabbed as many as his little bag could hold. Stuffing the fruits in his bag, he rushed back towards Ku, seeing her ready to take off.

"You did everything you wanted?" Ori asked.

"Everything I felt like I had to do. Still, it felt great soaring over these skies after so long." Ku replied.

"Well, maybe this won't be the one time we'll come here. We could always come back and bask in its glory again."

"It's just because you want to see Sein though, right?" Ku smirked at Ori.

"I-I... umm... *sigh* yes, whatever. Let's just go." Ori said, slightly irritated and blushing as Ku laughed. Ori got on top of Ku's back, lightly caressing the top of her head, and she soared into the sky once again.

Basking the sunlight, his heart begins to soar once more, flaunting about the mystical world. Ever since he has been awakened in this world, he has felt this feeling of wonder in his heart. Like a small lever has been flipped in his mind, telling him to be enthralled by this world and people. Everything looked so... clean, and fresh.

He didn't know much about his home world, but he did get a chance to see how he looked in his original form. If that was supposed to be how his body was like in the world, being weak and slow, he didn't want to return to his world. It looked unhealthy and gross. But, it didn't matter in the end what he wanted. He can't control his fate, not in this body, and not in this world. How did Seir even bring him here in the first place? Was this his fate, or was something more peculiar going on in the background? Nonetheless, for what little time he might have left, he decided to bask in the glory of this world.

As they flew over the sea once more, he took this time to relax. It was probably the last serene moment he would have before his confrontation with Seir back home. He knew that once he talked with Seir, everything would go downhill. He also thought about what he should say to Seir, thinking about all the things he has lied about up until this point. But, he'd save that for another time. He just wanted one last moment alone with Ku... before Judgement Day.

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The luminous surroundings complimented the atmosphere greatly. The shining waters, the beautiful pink flowers and trees, and the almost holy terrain made a nice place to ease and relax. However, for Gumo and Grom, it was their place of work for today. Supposedly, some of the Moki found it difficult to traverse this place, so they were assigned to work in the Luma Pools today, with the job of creating passageways leading deeper into the area.