The journey out of the caverns was painfully quiet. After Aaron's outburst with Ori, the atmosphere is too stiff to start a conversation. Even Ori couldn't exactly bring herself to look at him, and honestly, Aaron can't blame her.

The journey climbing out of the deep caverns wasn't easy for him, as he has no abilities to climb like Ori does. He does, however, have bundles of vines hanging around in the caverns that he can use to climb out himself out (with Ori's help).

After a few jumps over gaps and ledges (and a few occasional firebolts from Sein to ward off a few of those sludge monsters), they are all in a forested area where everything is withered.

"We should rest" Sein suggests, "We are almost upon the spirit tree, but we should not travel while we are weary."

That is true, some of the residences of the forest will not hesitate to attack an exhausted prey when they have the chance. Finding a comfortable place to rest, they all sat down to take a breather. Aaron sat on one side while Ori sits at the other, with Sein resting on Ori's lap. He wanted to say something to Ori…anything to get rid of this dampening atmosphere that looms among them.

But should he say? Whatever it is, he is unsure.

He does, however, feel a bit hungry. Makes sense, considering it has been hours since he had last eaten, and he skipped breakfast so he can travel with Ori after her resurrection by the spirit tree.

There is no food around and Aaron doubts that any of the trees here have fresh fruit or berries to eat. With that, he decides that using some of his rations from his travel bag couldn't hurt as he searches for something to eat.

Ori watches with interest, as Aaron searches through the contents of his bag. He eventually pulls out a pack of cookies, an unusual choice on Aaron's part when he prepared himself an expedition to find a new home.

He couldn't help it… these chocolate-chip cookies are his favourite kind, and he will be dammed to let them go to waste.

Aaron helps himself to a cookie as Ori tugs at his jeans. He looks down to Ori as she summons out the courage to speak and asks, "Hey Arron…umm…what is that?"

"It is a cookie, one of the snacks we folks make back at home." He said.

"…Can I have one?" Ori asked gently.

He then felt like kicking himself in the head for being so oblivious. Ori is just as hungry as he is, and here he is eating something without thinking about her!

'Some friend I am…' he criticizes himself.

"You didn't even need to ask! Of course, you can have one! Hell! You're probably as hungry as I am!" And he doesn't want her dying again just like back in the field…

He passes her down a cookie as she takes it from his hand and sniffs at it. Finding the smell to be delectable she takes a curious bite before wolfing down the whole cookie.

"Woah! Woah! Slow down! I know you like it, but you can't just go berserk on that thing!" Ori just looks at Aaron with a sheepish smile with a giggle.

He rolls his eyes as he hands her down a second cookie. This time, she takes her time with it, as to savor the moment. He helps himself to a few more cookies before eventually packing what's left back into his bag.

He then turns to see Ori standing on his lap gazing into his eyes.

"…What is it Ori?" he said, becoming a bit unsettled, unsure of Ori's attentions.

"Aaron, can I have another?". Oh no…he might have turned her into a cookie monster.

"Ori no…you just had two and they are almost as big as your head, I think you had enough."

"Please Aaron?"

"I can't just give you another…" she then pulls the saddest puppy eyes he has ever seen with her ears and tufts drooping back to her head.

"But I can't…"

The puppy eyes intensified.

"Umm… Sein! help me!"

"I'm afraid I can't assist you on this one Aaron." Sein said laughing at his struggles. Eventually, he gave in.

"Ok you win…but this is the last one!"

Ori's eyes sparkle with her ears and tufts shifting upwards as she gave a cheer of victory.

He gives her one last cookie, as she leans her back on him, enjoying it.

"You are lucky you are cute."

"I know." She said munching away her treat.

When she finished, she looks up at Aaron and smiles at him, and said, "Thank you, Aaron!"

"Anytime kid" as he ruffles the fur on her head.

"Hey! Stop doing that!"

Aaron could only chuckle as she pouts at his action. Her face, when she pouts, is adorable. They all then got up intending to finally reach the spirit tree.

Throughout their journey, they come across multiple keystones scattered around the area, guarded by these plant-like pods that spew lobs that explode upon impact. For Aaron, this would be a difficult task to perform, but for Ori, it is a breeze. Of course, she is unable to carry multiple keystones while climbing and wall jumping at the same time. Thankfully though, Aaron has his bag, so he can store all the keystones away while Ori gathers the others.

After collecting all the keystones they found the ledge where the gate sits beyond, waiting for all the keystones. The problem is that Ori can't climb up the wall while carrying a keystone.

Not only that, but there is also a pod, that shoots down the wall that they must climb, and Aaron won't be able to outrun the charge time the pod takes to shoot.

Thinking, Aaron picks up a nearby rock and watches the pod charges up a shot. Right as it shoots, he threw the rook into its mouth as it hacks, spews plant-like juices as it passes out and dies.

"That is certainly one way of defeating them, but you do realize that I can defeat them with my flame, right?" Sein stated.

"Then why, didn't you do it earlier then? Could have saved us some trouble." He counters.

"I am…not sure why…" Sein said, slightly embarrassed.

Ori giggled quietly, finding Aaron and Sein's bickering hilarious. She then ties up a vine by a sturdy trunk of the tree as she throws it down for Aaron to climb. He then climbs up and inserts all the keys Ori collected into the gate as it reveals the final corridor to the spirit tree.

At last, they reached the spirit tree!

The tree up-close was bigger than Aaron imagined. He has never seen a tree that has grown this massive before! Seeing blue energy emits deep in the trunks of the spirit tree, Aaron would consider it to be the grandfather or the creator of this forest.

Ori's eyes gaze upon the tree, her curiosity rivals Aaron's own, as she had always wanted to see this tree up-close. Sein then floats upwards to get a better view of the tree, examining it.

She then floats down and said "Ori… the spirit tree must have used the last of his strength to save you. You and Aaron, please come forth, it is time I tell you our story. The night of the Ceremony, our light that she hated…" Sein glowed as her light reached towards Ori and Aaron, as Aaron feels the same stinging sensation as the world went dark…

Then…light returns as the world reappear. Aaron finds himself to be floating in midair, but his body appears transparent as he gazes around the forest.

The forest appears to be more alive than it ever did, and the spirit tree looked healthier than it did before. Waves of energy emitted from the spirit tree, covering every inch of the forest. He looks down to see hundreds, if not thousands of white creatures…those are Spirit Guardians! Just like Ori!

'But why is it that we never come across any of them if there are so many?' he wondered.

"This was the night…the night of the 'Light ceremony' where all Spirit Guardians gather around for the ceremony." He looks behind him to see Sein and Ori floating to your side, they are just as transparent as him.

"The spirit tree, called out to you Ori…but you never came." Sein said. "But why didn't you show up Ori?" Aaron asks, but Ori just looks away from him seemly uncomfortable. Does she have something to hide?

"Regardless…before our ceremony could commence… she attacked…" but who was it that can cause so much trouble for all those Spirit Guardians? There is no way one person could…

A large screech emits through the sky as a large dark figure flies towards the spirit guardians. When it landed, it reveals to be the largest owl Aaron has ever seen!

"What the hell is that!" he shouts.

"That is Kuro, the one who had blinded our forest." Sein said. The owl, or Kuro as she is called, screeches as all the spirit guardians flee in terror.

One by one…Kuro had crushed, sliced, thrown off a cliff, and killed every spirit guardian that lives in the forest. Aaron is struck with terror as he watches Kuro commit genocide to Ori's race, though it seems that Ori was struck the most as she hides behind his leg and buries her head on it. The owl then turns to face the tree itself, to the main source of light that emits from the tree.

"Is that you Sein?" Aaron asks.

"Yes…we do not know why she detested our kind, all we know that she had brought nothing but darkness to the forest…" she said as the owl then flew to the spirit tree and took Sein and flies away deep in the forest of Nibel. The owl landed by the glades as she looked at Sein with brimming anger and hatred as she crushes her, weakening her, and threw her down, deep into the glades where Ori found her.

Then everything went bright, as Aaron's vision clears up, revealing him to be back at the spirit tree from when they had arrived. He fell to his knee as he clutches his head, the magic giving him a mighty headache.

When he looks at Ori, he notices that she doesn't to be affected as much as he is.

"How come I have a bloody huge headache while Ori looks like she has just woken up from a nap?" he asks.

"Sorry Aaron, it is possible that you are not well accustomed to our light while Ori is well adjusted to it. She is a Spirit Guardian after all."

"Guess that explains it…"

"Now…Ori…" Ori looked at Sein with full attention.

"You had received the Spirit Tree's light, he had put our fate into your hands. It is all up to you now to save us and all of Nibel! Will you help us?"

"I… don't know what to say, but what can I do? I don't think I can save Nibel…" Ori said to Sein overwhelmed by the new duties given to her.

"Fear not Ori… you don't have to do this alone…I shall always accompany you on your journey, and so is Aaron if he so chooses."

Sein looks at Aaron expectantly, he felt as he had no say in the matter, not that he is gonna say no anyway.

"Of course, I'm in! After seeing all of that in the vision and the state Nibel's in, how could I say no? And besides…" you looked down to Ori, "Someone's gonna make sure you stay out of trouble eh?"

"Hey! I don't go around to look for trouble!" Ori protests, "But how can we save Nibel?"

"Don't Worry Ori, I shall explain what must be done." Sein then floated upwards and said, "The spirit tree sustained three Elements of Light, and in turn, they brought balance and keep Nibel safe" she then floated towards a direction of a tree taller than the Spirit tree.

"The element of waters…high atop the Ginso tree" she then floats in the opposite direction, to the snowy mountains in a distance "The element of Winds, deep in Forlorn Ruins" then she floated towards a volcano "The elements of Warmth, beneath the flames of Mount Horu."

Aaron is not too keen on walking into a volcano anytime soon…

"To Restore Nibel to its former glory, we must rekindle their light before it is too late. We must first reach the Ginso tree, beyond the Spider Coves." He is also not keen on finding spiders anytime soon, he hates them!

"The night falls upon us, we should rest for the night before we continue."

"No arguments from me! My legs are killing me from all that walking and climbing in that caverns there" Aaron said.

"…how are your legs killing you?" Ori asks, confused about the statement he made.

'*Sigh* It's going to be a looonnnggg night…'

Sometime later, Aaron brought out his blanket as he found a comfortable spot on the ground to lie on, in a well-hidden spot so he and Ori won't get attacked by creatures lurking in the night. He was about to turn in for the night till he felt a tug at his shoulder.

"Where do I sleep?" Ori asks.

"Well, you can sleep here with me" he offers.

Ori then climbs onto his chest as she got comfortable and curls up as a cat would.

"Good night Ori"

"Good night Aaron, you too Sein."

"Sleep well, Ori." Sein said, as Ori eventually falls asleep. Before Aaron sleeps, however, he quietly calls out to Sein as to not disturb Ori.

"Hey, Sein…"

"Yes, Aaron?"

"Does Kuro always hate your kind? If she does then, why only attack you guys then? Why not sooner?"

"No…she never had a reason to hate us, her reason for her attack is a complete mystery…"

'That is rather strange…' he thought.

"Well, either way…let's just hope we don't get to meet her soon."

"Indeed Aaron…now go to sleep, we have a long journey ahead of us"

"Yes mom…" he replies jokingly. He brought up the blanket and covered himself, Ori, with it, as she relishes in the soft fabric of the blanket. He then dozes off…resting for the next part of his and Ori's adventure.