I think it´s wrong to share my thoughts within the story, but I want to say that I´m very grateful for the kind words, I was allowed to read from the reviews. That really increases my motivation and I´m already looking forward to release the next chapter.

Teacher

As my dear children grew,

It was time to teach them how a spirit guardian lives.

A real master came into my view,

I was sure that he held valuable wisdom

To protect our beautiful kingdom.

Several years have passed since they met, and the two spirits have since learned to speak, using their time to become stronger, both physically and in their hearts. It is currently early morning, about an hour before dawn, and Ori is one of the very few beings awake in the whole village. Ever the early bird, Ori went to the lake closest to the village to cool down his face and let the cold water wake his mind. Soon, the sun will rise again to begin the dawn of a new day.

He heard the soft hooves of his sister dragging through the grass behind him and turned to her. She still looked very tired. "Ori…" she labored, "can you explain…why you always get up this early? For me it´s still the middle of the night." Aria managed to sound even more tired than she looked. "Good morning, Aria. If you'll catch a look at the sky, you'll see that isn't quite right." She did what she was told with a confused look on her face, but she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. "What do you mean?" Ori let out a bark of laughter. "Do you see the moon?" he said. That confused her even more. She didn't see anything other than the stars. "No. It´s not there." Ori nodded excitedly. "That´s right! Because the sun is about to rise soon." He was much more awake then she was. It was like he drank something that gave him pure energy, she couldn't think of another reason. "Now, on to a more important topic, can you tell me why you get up this early every day?" He sighed and smiled. "I witnessed the dawn of my very first day on Niwen. Ever since then, I've wanted to witness every sunrise, just because it´s so beautiful. First it´s a dark red, slowly becoming a hot orange and eventually releasing a bright light that awakes the forest to a new day. Also, I want to use every hour of the day as if they were my last." "That´s…very philosophical, Ori." Aria replied. She was rendered totally speechless by her brother´s words. She was still struggling to come back with a reply when she noticed a bright light coming from behind him.

"Look!" Aria said, pointing, "The spirit well is shining brighter than usual. Maybe father wants to tell us something!" Ori turned to look behind himself. "You´re right Aria! Let's hope he has something interesting to say."

They both sat down right in front of it and closed their eyes simultaneously.

"My children, hear my words. As spirit guardians you are tasked with protecting the forest. In order to prepare you for the dangers you may face ahead, I send you the strongest swordsman of our family with the goal of teaching you the skills you will need in those times. May your light be fulfilled."

Ori´s eyes widened in pure excitement. He hadn't even started yet, but he could already feel a butterfly of emotions arise in his belly. "Did you hear that Aria? We're going to learn how to fight with a real master! I´m so excited! Maybe he'll teach you something about your bow that you've never even dreamed of!" Ori began to think of all the cool things they might be taught. "This is going to be fun!" Aria replied. "Come on, we need to wake up Mama!" She hadn't needed to say it, Ori was already halfway back to his house before she finished.

Peacefully the motherly creature lay in the straw, wallowing slowly from side to side. She felt a very soft weight on her body. It was comfortable for a moment, until it began to dance around. Her ears perceived the cute, clear voice of her adopted son. Although she was sleeping, she smiled slightly. There was so much happiness packed into his voice. "Mama! Wake up! Wake up! It´s a very special day!" Naru shook just enough for the excited spirit to jump down. She opened her eyes very slightly and asked, "…What´s so special about today…my child?" Ori hesitated for a moment to take a deep breath. "Aria and I just got a message from the Spirit Tree, we're going to meet someone today. A weapon master from our kind! He will teach us how to fight to protect the forest. We can finally become real spirit guardians!" "That…sounds great my dear!" she replied with a smile.

"Ori!" Aria finally caught up to her brother. She was panting from the run. "You—you vanished so quickly—the Spirit Tree wasn´t done talking…" The little spirit ears drooped slightly, he felt guilty to not have listened to his father. "Really? I´m—I´m sorry, but I was so excited. What did else did he say?" Aria gasped for air and replied, "He said"—she took a deep breath—"that we will meet him at the big meadow in the east and that we need our own weapons. I mean, I have my bow but you…" His eyes widened. "You´re right. I don´t have a weapon. I didn´t think about that…" Just as he began to wonder how he might fix that, he heard a soft rustle come from the hammock in front of them. "Don't worry kid. I'll carve you one if you want." His ears stood up again. "Really Gumo? Would you do that for me?" His face lit up. Gumo smiled, "Of course I will!" Before he could move to start, he felt a tight hug around his legs, Ori´s light shining below his field of vision. "Thank you Gumo, you´re the best!"

After Gumo had left to go carve Ori a weapon, Ori began to look around the noisy village, still having one more person he wanted to tell the news. "Good morning Raiki, how are you today?" The young moki turned around, he had been closing the door to his house behind him. He already knew who had spoken, but he wasn't one to turn down the sight of his glowing best friend, whose happy aura was enough to cause almost anyone to smile. "Oh, hey Ori! I feel great today, thanks for asking! How about yourself, did you sleep well?" Ori beamed, his glowing body only enhancing his jovial appearance. "As always!" The moki scratched the back of his head, he knew something was up before being told, as Ori looked even happier than usual. "You look very happy." Raiki gave the spirit an inquisitive stare. "What are you up to?" Ori didn't need to be asked twice. "Aria and I are going to learn how to fight. A real master of our kind will teach us! Our father personally told us this morning." Raiki was happy for his friend. "That sounds great! I´m a bit older now, so I help my parents with their work. Sometimes it makes for a lot of fun."

A deep voice called across the clearing. "Ori! Your weapon is ready!" That was the signal that he needed to wrap up. "Oh, looks like I need to go now. Have a lot of fun today, maybe you can visit us!" The little spirit ran off in the direction where the familiar voice came from. "I will!" Raiki called out. "Great! See you soon!"

Panting, Ori arrived at Gumo´s workshop. He could smell the pleasant fragrance of freshly sawn wood and feel the warm air of the candles that filled the room. It wasn't smoky air, there were also handmade windows that let in fresh air from outside. The round creature ground the wooden weapon over the table and let it shine in the sunlight coming through the windows. Ori´s eyes widened, the weapon was gorgeous.

"Do you like it?" asked Gumo, though he already knew the answer. "It´s beautiful," Ori replied, giving Gumo a hug, "You´re the best!" Gumo laughed. "Now hurry up, Aria ran ahead already." Ori was reminded of why he wanted the weapon in the first place. "Right. I hope I can still catch up to her." He took less than a second to vanish out of the big building, sprinting to the east meadow. "Our little boy," Gumo sighed.

As he was making the final approach to his destination, he felt how the air slowly changed around him, a more serious atmosphere. Slowing his pace, he took notice of how the saturated colors of the forest had been devoured by the aura of pure concentration. A strange feeling pulled his focus towards a specific direction, where the aura was strongest. Reaching a break in the treeline, he finally arrived at the meadow, which was primarily colored in grey and touched up with a soft green undertone. In the middle of the field, he saw a spirit guardian standing completely still. The guardian's eyes were closed and his hands were folded in the middle of his chest. Ori could feel the aura of pure wisdom, strength, and raw concentration throughout every vein of his body. Everything else in his environment had been blurred out. Just the guardian's mere appearance filled Ori with nothing but respect.

"Ori! There you are! We waited for you." He could hear his sister´s voice, clear as it could be.

"You finally arrived. We are whole now. Try to relax every muscle and clear your mind completely. Then, and only then, we can start." Every word of the elder spirit had the hearts of the kids beating slower and slower, until they could hear their own breath.

"Greetings, Ori and Aria. I´m happy to be allowed to train and teach you." The guardian made a long pause after almost every sentence. "I want you to take ten deep breaths. As deeply as you can." They did what he told them without comment. "Now, lay down your hands down on the ground, stretch your back, and anchor your hooves deep in the grass." The strange position was uncomfortable for both of them. It was difficult to maintain, and they could feel their arms burning from within. Satisfied with the students' positions, he continued, "Try to remain in this posture until I tell you to stop." At first, the position was merely difficult, but as time went on, it began to feel impossible to maintain for even a second longer. Time advanced as slowly as it could and their arms began to shiver from the effort as the edges of their vision turned red. They hoped for nothing more than the command to rest, but it didn't come.

"Because the body shivers, you have not yet reached the border of exhaustion." Clenching their teeth, the two tried to keep up. Their arms felt like they were only controlled by their mind and will now, like their muscles had failed already. "Observe the pain. What lets you suffer? Is it really your body, or is the pain just in your mind?" Many minutes passed, and the two spirits were teetering on the edge of crying in pain. Their wills were resolute, however, and they held the facade of strength for a little longer. Of course, it was now that the master came with new torture. "Good. Now I want you to bend your arms until you hover just above the ground, then straighten them again." Whatever did he want from them?! Ori had been pushed far past his previous limits already, he would need a miracle to be able to bend his arms when they already burned with a fire hotter than any he had felt before. While it should have been impossible, together the spirits began the hardest work they had ever done. They needed to focus as hard as they could just to prevent their arms from snapping in exhaustion. The strong urge to let go flared ever higher, the only thing keeping them from doing so being the shame of disappointing their new teacher. To avoid that fate, they kept doing the exercise, even as their body screamed. As they leaned ever closer to failure, the voice spoke again, "Visualize a river and let it guide you. Do not listen to your pain." Both of them could feel how sweat dropped from their body into the grass. The dripping sound became a rhythm they focused on, a constant low splash that served to divert their attention. Soon the floor beneath them was so wet, it was as if they had wetted themselves.

Again, many minutes passed as they performed the excruciating exercise while they suffered the burning pain of exhaustion. The elder spirit waited for the moment of their breakdown. As it approached, he slowly began to draw a long, wooden sword.

"Ori!"

His own name echoed a thousand times in his head and terrified him. He didn´t know what was going to come next. When he sensed the eyes of his teacher pierce his soul, however, he had a pretty good idea.

"Defend yourself!"

The two words echoed throughout the entire meadow as the guardian zoomed towards the exhausted little spirit at an insane pace, sword drawn and ready to attack him. Ori had no choice but to defend himself. Fortunately, his own weapon laid on the grass right next to him. Draining what felt like his last reserves of strength, he grabbed for the weapon. He was in a defensive stance not a second too early, as he felt the blunt impact rumbling through his entire body when their wooden blades hit each other with a loud crack. "That´s right Ori! Don´t allow me to hit you!" said his teacher in an approving tone, as he only pushed harder. Ori tried his best to avoid or block the violent slashes. It wasn't easy, and with every movement his sweat dropped and flew through the air like water. Adding to the water theme, his eyes were full of tears from the effort. Not one to miss minor details, the voice called out again. "Keep your eyes open!" His entire body felt weak, but pure adrenaline kept him up. "Watch your legs! Stand in a stable position!" His heart beat a thousand times a minute as he tried to prevent every deadly swing of his enemy´s blade from hitting him. With every swing he blocked rather than dodged, his body vibrated more and more violently from the impact, and his already strong desire to strike back grew. He jumped back to dodge a single swing and zoomed towards the spirit with a forceful blow. The voice showed no surprise when it called again, "Very good Ori! Attack with the intention to hurt me!" Ori gave his best and swung his blade relentlessly towards his enemy. "You need to parry!" His swing hit the other's blade and an indescribable force flung his arms to the side. Almost no time afterward, he felt a soft touch on his chest. It was the point of his opponent's weapon. He was defeated.

"Well fought, young spirit. Now bow to your opponent." Ori's body was controlled by willpower alone by now, he gave the bow, but sank to the ground rather than getting back up afterward. His eyes closed, and his lungs tried to consume all the air left in the forest. "Little one, you need more balance if you want to fight with efficiency. Take my hand." He opened his eyes again, but his sight was still blurred from effort. His body felt like it was screaming, "Stop it! Please, stop it!" Even so, he slowly stretched out his arm, reaching for the paw of the spirit. "Can you stand?" asked his teacher. His vision was finally clear enough to see what his teacher looked like. He looked very similar to himself, but taller. The peaks of his long ears were colored in a dark blueish tone, as well as the end of his tail and also the center of his chest. His eyes were smaller and, and they glowed with a yellowish tone. The blue-tinged fur confused Ori a bit. Forgetting the question he had been asked, he asked one of his own. "Can—can you tell me why your fur is colored so strangely?" The spirit sighed in return. "I will explain later. Now, can you stand, I asked?" Somewhat embarrassed to have forgotten the question so quickly, Ori replied, "I think so… I feel a bit dizzy." Ori smiled a bit, but that quickly went away when he heard, "Good, then stand on one leg only. After Aria finishes her own exercise, you can stop. If you get tired, change the leg you're standing on, but never use both legs." Almost in disbelief, Ori muttered, "I—I will try it." The older spirit interrupted the younger one. "Forget about trying. Do it or don´t do it. There is no other way." "Right!" Ori shouted. "I will do it!" Pleased with the new resolve of his student, the teacher offered a small amount of advice. "Fold your hands in front of your chest and fixate on a point over the horizon. That will facilitate your balance." Commited now, Ori lifted his leg. As expected from someone so exhausted though, as he did that, the other immediately began to shiver. It felt impossible to keep that position for any longer than ten seconds, but his will was strong.

"Now it's your turn, Aria. Get up." It felt like it took a whole minute just to stand up. Every one of her muscles shivered from the effort required. Her arms had remained bent the entire time, and now they felt like useless sticks hanging from her shoulders. Only her mere will was able to move them. "Young lady, you will need more strength in your arms if you want to master your bow. I want you to hit that target I hung on the branch of this tree up ahead." The target was tiny, and it looked like it was more than two hundred meters away. She wasn't sure if she could hit it if it had been half that distance.

"Clear your mind, Aria. Focus only on that target. Imagine how your arrow will pierce through it. Think of your arrow flying through an eternal space, never stopping. Visualize that as strongly as you can. Then, shoot."

Visualize. The word echoed throughout Ori´s head while his leg burned. It was painful to leave his whole weight up to only one leg, even when he wasn't dead tired. Suddenly, his vision of the field disappeared. Another picture appeared in his mind, a full scene actually. He heard his own breath as he ran for his life. His hooves hit the surface of a branch, then a grassy meadow, and nothing as he jumped over a lake of toxic water. His heart was beating heavily, his body was filled with pure adrenaline. He heard a loud growl come from behind him. Something chased him, that's why he was running. His legs wouldn't give up. The fear and will to survive was too strong for that.

He stopped struggling against the sensation and stood still as a tree, his eyes closed and his mind full of concentration.

His sister was touched by the sudden discipline of her brother. It motivated her to see what was possible with pure will alone. She drew her bow, summoned an arrow, and pulled the arrow back to the stop. She pinched her eyes, squinting until she saw nothing but her target. Her teacher's voice spoke to her again. "Try to relax your arms, even if it´s exhausting to keep the arrow back. If you feel ready, hold your breath and let the arrow go on its journey." Taking his advice, she relaxed her arms. They didn´t shiver even the slightest bit now. She let go. With a spiritual hiss the projectile flew through the air and hit its target directly in the center. She could hear the impact of the arrow on the wood. "Yes! I hit it!" she cheered happily, shaking out her arm. She felt ready for whatever he could give her next. "Well shot, Aria," her teacher began. "Now try to shoot five arrows at once." Confidence in herself dashed, Aria swallowed as her eyes widened. "That sounds… impossible." Ignoring her stunned disbelief, he continued, "Don´t think about mundane things like 'possibility.' Think about your goal that you want to achieve today. Put nature´s rules aside and push out of your mind for now."

She tried to relieve her every thought of any doubt and took a deep breath to steady herself. Her right arm was invisible to a normal eye, moving at blinding speeds as she shot four arrows at the same time. Only two of the arrows hit their target. Ashamed, she turned to her teacher and made a disappointed face. "Not bad," the spirit said. "Let´s try something different for now. Your enemies will never stand still like this target. I will throw some leaves into the air, and you will try to hit two of them." Aria blinked. "Different and difficult. I will make it regardless!" she sighed, though she sounded more confident than before. "That´s the spirit, Aria. Focus on your targets, archer! You want to protect the forest." He distanced himself from her, walking for about a hundred meters, until he was almost too tiny for her eyes to see. Now it seemed it would be a miracle for her to hit even one of the leaves. Again, her confidence collapsed like a house of cards. She doubted that she would be able to complete her goal. "How should I—" she started, but he interrupted her before she could finish. "Don´t think about the distance. Focus on your targets!"

Everything was silent now, except for her breath and heartbeat. Everything but her teacher was unimportant, blurred out without a second thought. Time slowed to the speed of plant growth. She focused completely on the spirit´s paw that was holding the leaves. Any second now, he will throw the leaves into the wind to be blown away. Her focus was perfect, but he waited to throw, time crawling forward. The waiting tested her patience, forcing her to keep her focus for longer. She wouldn't let him confuse her. Instead, she visualized how her arrows pierced their targets one by one, pinning them to the ground.

Finally, the leaves flew into the air. It was her sign to shoot. The arrows cut through the air traveling exactly along their calculated path to their targets. One pierced through a leaf, annihilating it. Then another hit, followed by a third. The rest of the leaves fell down to rest on the meadow´s green. She couldn´t believe that she had hit one at all, let alone surpassing the actual task of hitting two of them. Her face filled with pride. "Did you see that?" she cried as she jumped into the air in joy. An approving voice shot back at her. "You went beyond my expectations, young lady. Well done."

"That was great, Aria!" The young moki had found time to visit the spirits in their training. He smiled when he saw the pride in her face. Happy that one spirit was doing well, he turned to the little spirit next to her, standing completely still on one leg like a small tree. "But what is Ori doing there?" As the teacher went back to his students, he answered, "He trains his balance." A look of understanding came over Raiki's face, and he gave encouragement to his friend. "You´re doing great Ori!" Ori didn't react, and an arrow of doubt pierced his chest. "Ori? Are you okay?" Still, there was no sign that he had heard them. The moki tried one last time. "Little one, you can stop now. Aria has finished her training. Hey! Do you hear me?" Aria began to get worried herself, clenching her hands with a worried expression. "Is—Is he alright?" she asked. As the older spirit closed his distance to the group, he answered with a calm voice: "Don´t worry. He is fine. He lost himself in his own trance, the calmest state a mind can get in." Knowing exactly what to do, he softly touched the entranced being's folded hands and whispered: "Ori, come back to us. Open your eyes, little one. It´s okay. We´re done now." As if a mountain of ice melted away, the little spirit began to move his body and slowly opened his eyes. His hands and his leg gently moved down to their usual positions once more. The first thing he saw was the friendly face of his teacher only a few inches from his face. "Welcome back, little one."

He shook his leg in the air. It felt like rubber. "Ouch." When he tried to stand on the hoof, he lost his balance and stumbled backwards. Fortunately, his sister grabbed his paw before he could hit the ground. His teacher's face showed a little sympathy. "Your leg will suffer for now. But you will be stronger soon, trust me." Aria tapped his shoulder from behind, curious. "You never told us your name." His thin eyes widened slightly, before he said, "Ah, yes, you´re right. I was so immersed in training you that I forgot a basic introduction. My name is Kiri, and I´m going to be your teacher for the next few years. As long as you to your best in training, we will get along well. We´re done for now. Let´s bow to each other to finish the lesson."

Both students gave a reverent bow to their master, relieved to be finished with today. Dealing with Aria first, he said, "Aria, I sense a great talent to aim from within you. Use it wisely." Then, he turned to her brother and smiled. "You Ori, you house a natural gift with a spirit blade, and should be able to perfectly handle one by the end of your training. Both of you have an inner fire. Find it. Ignite it. Always be aware of your abilities. Remember, only if you heed this advice and keep it in mind, can you protect the forest." He turned to leave. "Thank you, master Kiri," Aria spoke at his retreating form.

Even after Kiri had vanished into the infinite depths of the forest, Ori was still not responsive. Forgetting where he was for a moment, he lost himself in his own mind, pondering about that scenery he saw in his vision. "They must be memories…" he mumbled quietly to himself, but his sister was close enough that she could understand him. "What do you mean Ori?" Not ready to share his secret, Ori gave a quick excuse. "I was so deep in my mind that my head is still dizzy. Please ignore any strange words I give out. I can´t think straight." Aria sighed, "Oh dear, the training really hit you." Not wanting to lose too much face, Ori replied, "It—it actually was pretty great… But now I´m exhausted." His mind was actually clearer than it had been in a while, but he didn´t want to tell anyone what he saw. Not even his own sister. "Memories of him?… Or is it actually… me?" he mumbled again, but he didn´t get a response from his sister this time.

Still, nobody but him yet knew what kind of soul rested inside of him.