Ori and the Spirits Within

Chapter 22: Focal Point

The shrine was built with moss covered stone, with small little insects living inside of them. Vini and Sein heard small drops of water echo throughout the rooms, as both of them descended into the deeper parts of the shrine. Left alone to wander through the catacombs, Vini decides to get an idea of what will happen next.

"So, how exactly do we complete this procedure?" Vini asked.

"Well... it's a little complicated. Most of the complex things I can do, but you have a very vital part to perform. Remember how you brought out Ori from the cave, freeing him from the darkness?" Vini nodded. "Well, in order to do this as fast as possible, I have to send you back into the Soul Scape. Once there, you need to bring Ori as close to where you entered the Soul Scape as possible."

Well, that doesn't seem that har- wait. "You mean... I have to bring Ori... from Nibel...all the way across the ocean... to Niwen?" Vini asked, slightly ticked off.

"...yes?" Sein asked, afraid.

"And why didn't you mention this sooner?"

"B-Because I forgot...?" Sein laughed nervously.

"Do you know... how long that's going to take?! It might take days! Maybe even a week!" Vini shouted.

"Well, true. It might take a few days... for you." Vini tilted his head confused. "Time in the Soul Scape operates differently than in reality. It fluctuates often, but generally, less time will pass here than in the Soul Scape. It's significant enough to make this trip only take one day rather than several."

"Wait! Then when I went in there last time, why was it sunset when I woke up?"

"The Soul Scape really drains you of your energy. When I pulled you out of the Soul Scape, I put you in a controlled state of unconsciousness. Basically, I put you to normal sleep to let you rest and recover. When you fully recover your energy, that's when you wake up. However, that won't be a problem this time. The pure light from the shrines will be able to revitalize your energy, and make Ori wake up naturally. Hopefully, you will also wake up as well."

"Hopefully..." Vini reiterates.

"Hopefully, you will wake up."

"So... it's going to take long on my end, and the rest of my journey will be in the Soul Scape."

"Pretty much so. So, this might be the last time we talk to each other." Sein said, sadly. Vini smiled softly, and put an arm around Sein.

"Hey. We're hoping for the best, right? With any luck, I'll be right next to you after you finish. Let's stay positive." Vini said.

"Yeah... you're right." Sein smiled.

As they kept walking down the hallways, they finally reached what seemed to be an end room. It was an octagonal room, covered in stone. However, all the stone seemed to be radiating a dim white light from between the cracks. Multiple, stone statues lined the walls, each of them resembling a creature of some kind. In the center of the room, there laid a small table, emanating the same light the walls were giving off.

"So, are these the Spirits of Old?" Vini asked.

"Yes. What I forgot to mention is that the Spirits of Old also had a disastrous fate." Vini looked at him surprised. "According to legend, the Spirits of Old were in a conflict with a powerful creature, more powerful than any that have ever existed. In order to defeat it, the First Tree, the most powerful Spirit Tree that ever existed, used its power to turn that creature into ash. However, it took all of its energy to do it, and it left the Spirits without a power source. After that, all the spirits began to turn into stone, only leaving behind small fragments of light, in which the New Spirits came to be."