The Mysterious Lake

"It was time to go home…"

The evening was drawing to an end as the sun passed over the horizon, bringing in the colder, stronger winds of the night. Never before had the spirits worked so hard, and their muscles expressed pain with every step home they took. Their minds were clouded and dizzy, and much like the training earlier, the willpower they held was their greatest asset in getting home. The meadow really wasn't that far away from the village, but it only felt like they got further from their destination from each step.

As the spirits walked, they struck up a mild conversation to take her mind off the pain. "I'm so exhausted," sighed Aria. Her arms hung limp from her shoulders. "Tell me about it," said Ori, his hooves brushing against the grass, too heavy to lift further. "Actually, no, wait, tell me about your performance with the bow. I wish I could have seen you, but I was so deep in my own mind I lost track of the outside world. How did it go?" Aria brightened considerably, she was still amazed she had done nearly as well as she had. "It went pretty well, I would say." She would have left it there, but the moki with them wasn't content with such an understatement. "Pretty well? It was great! Kiri threw a pawful of leaves into the air and she hit three of them before they hit the ground! Her arm moved so fast you couldn't see it! Don't sell yourself short."

Ori brightened himself, his eyes widening in awe. "Wow! Is that really what happened Aria? That's amazing! Now I really regret not seeing it," shouting with both astonishment and excitement. Aria giggled at his compliment, and joked, "Yeah, it made for a lot of fun too, but I think it would have been a little nicer if my arms weren't limp noodles before I even started." Her brother mimicked firing a bow in the air, shooting at various stars. "You'll be the best archer Niwen ever knew, I'm sure of it! You should be proud of yourself," complimented Ori. Aria was ready to come back with a joke, but she noticed something wrong with his expression. While he did look happy, his ears hung down from his head in a worried pose.

"He sensed that something woke up in his mind…"

"Ori, is everything alright? Your ears don't normally… " Ori reached up over his ear and brushed over it with a brief movement. He needed a lie, fast. "Oh, these. They're exhausted, just like you and I, right? I'm actually kind of impressed that you can keep them up after all that." The lie was okay, but his tone didn't match what he said. Aria could sense that something was eating away at Ori's mind, as after all, nobody knew him better than she did. She had lived with him ever since they had met. She lifted her paw, and softly poked his little shoulder. "Ori, if there is anything bothering you, you can tell me. I know something isn't right, you're never like this." Ori thought for a moment before laying his right paw on her arm and slowing his voice. "What are you talking about, Aria? If I was hiding something, I would tell you. You're my sister." The sentence physically hurt to get out, like it got stuck in his throat. He hated lying to her like this, hated that he couldn't tell her about his soul. But he was afraid, how would she react? Maybe she wouldn't believe him, or treat him differently afterwards. He couldn't deal with that! Something was forcefully holding him back from telling anyone about his secret, especially her. He thought for a moment, thinking "What if I am the gleaming hero, and I got a new life? But that couldn't be true, I can't remember my past… These visions are just fragments that don't confirm or deny anything." His head was flooded with similar thoughts, passing through his mind like a thunderstorm. He could sense the disappointment emanating from his sister, she could easily tell he was hiding something from her.

"It frightened him from within…"

"Ori, you are an awful liar. I just want you to know that you aren't alone. We're here for you when you want to talk about it," she said with a soft voice. It only served to make Ori even more ashamed with himself, and his head sank down in his thoughts and uncertainty. An uncomfortable silence enveloped the siblings as the whirlwind of their emotions became stronger. The young moki was displeased himself, and he tried to lift the unpleasant mood. "Look, there's the village. We made it!" A warm light shone through the windows of the homes, their fluffy residents enjoying the evening through various methods. Some voices could be heard reading a story to their children, others could be heard laughing and shouting as they played. "I'll bet you guys are thirsty after all that training! Let's visit 'Gumo's House of Beverages,' it's been open since the middle of the day. What do you say?" Ori felt that suggestion was pretty decent, and might help lighten the mood. "That sounds pretty good, Raiki." Now was for the difficult part. "Aria… did you want to come with us?" The hesitation in her answer was all he needed as she rubbed her exhausted eyes. They couldn't hold on much longer until they closed for the night. "I'm… very tired. I need to recover after that training, I can barely stand as is." Ori was slightly disappointed, but he had a full understanding of why she would choose to go to bed. He was drained himself, and would have preferred to go to sleep himself, but he didn't want to leave his best friend alone. "I see," he said, giving her a warm hug. "Then… I guess I'll see you at home." His paws sank lower to the ground with every word, and after he left he let out a sigh. Somehow, he felt that she must be very concerned about him. Personally, he felt helpless to assure her and keep his secret. His mind couldn't come up with a solution to the problem, although that didn't stop the question from repeating thousands of times in his head.

"But he remained sweet and kind…"

"Hey Ori, greetings to you Raiki. Come on in." The voice of the old round creature reached their ears as they took in the pleasant fragrance of wood and warm candles. Gumo sat behind a large table. Of his own craftsmanship, of course. In front of the table were three round stools made from tree trunks. The pair found their place on two of the stools, and Gumo gave them an apologetic face. "You're a bit late. There's only one fresh fruit left, the others… well, they look a twinge strange. I've had a lot of business today." Ori was quick to pass. "Raiki should get that fresh fruit." Gumo, however, was a little confused. "Really? I can split it and share it between the both of you." His friend also couldn't believe that Ori would pass up on his beloved juice, he was the person who had trained hard only moments ago, after all. "Ori, you're definitely the thirstier one of us. Are you sure you want me to have the fruit?" There was no hesitation in Ori's nod. "Well… thank you," said Raiki, who was beginning to get concerned too. "But what about you? Don't you want a drink too?" He received his answer in the form of a soft giggle and a bright smile. "Of course I do! I will take the other fruits. I don't care if they look weird." The moki marveled at the bravery of his friend. "You are… quite brave," replied Raiki, his eyes widening. Gumo was less enthusiastic about letting anyone drink that juice. "Ori, I can't press those fruits for you, it would terrible for your health. Can't you just share with Raiki for once? Some mokis came in here earlier and tried those fermented fruits, and they behaved… oddly, to put it mildly, after that." Ori wasn't going to go without his juice though. "No, I'll be fine. I couldn't ever put off your juice."

Finally relenting, Gumo poured Ori a small jug of the strange fruit juice. Ori examined the juice, commenting, "It smells interesting, the smell tingles my nose," as he moved the wooden jug to his mouth. Raiki, excited for something new before, was now more concerned than ever. "Are you really sure you want to drink that, Ori?" he asked, backing away from the foul-smelling drink. As a reply, all he got was, "You should always try something new." Not to be interrupted again, Ori raised the jug and took a sip of the liquid. He grimaced while narrowing his eyes in disgust, following up with a shake of his head. "It tastes… weird." That didn't seem to matter to him, though, as he drank the entire little jug, putting the empty vessel back on the table gently. After that, he wiped the rest of the drink from his lips using his arm and blinked tiredly.

"All of a sudden, my head feels kind of dull." The little spirit rested his head on his arm as his eyes wandered about the room. "And I feel an odd need to go, even though it really wasn't that much. Strange…" Gumo took the cup from the table and put it aside. "Alright, that's enough Ori. I won't make any more of this poisoned liquid. It makes you sick. You were meant to share the last fruit together." His voice sounded angry and concerned at the same time.

But the little spirit shook his head. "No, I´m just tired from all the training." His head dropped to the table, his arm too weak to support it anymore. "The table has become so soft all of a sudden, I wonder…" He never finished his sentence, for at that moment the tired spirit's eyes finally closed and he fell asleep immediately. "But I thought you had to…" Raiki tried to shake his friend awake, but the spirit didn't react, dead asleep. Gumo sighed as he got up from the bar and extinguished the candle flames. The sleeping Ori was now the only source of light in the whole room. "Let's bring him home. He must be exhausted." Raiki was disappointed, asking, "But… what about—" Raiki began a sentence, but Gumo cut him off midway as he already knew what the question was about. "Don't worry. That won't be a problem," laughing slightly in his rough voice. "Get home safely, kid." Raiki was relieved that Ori would be alright, and called, "Alright, well have a good night then, Gumo!" as he left the darkened building.

II

A bright bluish light flooded the literally flooded insides of a giant tree. Beneath him, he his ears could sense the violent rush of rapidly rising water, threatening to drown him if he wasn't fast enough to escape. Time was relentless in its passage, and it traveled as fast as it could, forcing him to react with speed greater than he ever had before. He blinked, and by then he was already all the way to the top, the water gushing out beneath him and soaking his feet with a loud roar. Some of the drops shot higher, landing on his glowing fur and cooling his skin, a welcome feeling as he panted from the effort of climbing so quickly. As he enjoyed his well-deserved shower, a quake in the air almost tipped him over. The frightening shadow of a giant owl covered the comfortable sunlight. "Ku, is that you?" he called, though as the creature approached he began to regret that action. This owl looked like it was death incarnate, with a thirst for his blood without mercy. It landed directly in front of him with a loud thud and began to take harsh steps toward him, edging him closer to the ends of the platform. "What are you doing Ku? You're scaring me!" At this, the owl screeched and with one beat of its dark wings, delivered a forceful blow that sent Ori tumbling down from the treetop and into the eternal abyss below.

As he fell down through the endless space of the void, the saturated green colors of the forest gave way to darkness, becoming a sad, lifeless grey. The normally lush trees became barren, their leaves scattered to the howling winds. Clouds covered the last rays of sunlight that dared to reach this far, and the entire world was enveloped in a shroud of bleak and utter black. Just as he thought it couldn't get any worse, the very dimensional fabric of the space he found himself in began to crack in every direction, growing at a rapid speed. With a piercing crack, the universe shattered into tiny pieces to be devoured by the darkness. All that was left was an infinite lake beneath him, rapidly approaching. He hit the water hard in a tremendous splash and gave a small yelp of pain before… nothing.

"When the past extended its claws…"

A deep gasp broke the peaceful calm of the house as he woke up drenched in sweat, sitting in his own straw bed. Everyone but him sleep in a deep slumber, undisturbed by his sharp breath. The only sound was the blowing wind, softly encasing the hut in its omnipresent gale. "What a terrible dream," he whispered to himself, curling back up and closing his eyes in an attempt to return to a better dream. A question occupied his mind, however, and ensured that every attempt he made was a futile one. "Was that supposed to be Ku? Why? She would never do anything like that." Yet now it was impossible to reenter the dream world. He writhed from side to side, tried various poses, and even tried focusing on nothing at all, but it was of no matter. He couldn't come to rest as he was. Frustrated, he eventually gave up and stretched with a great yawn. "It's hopeless now. I'm awake."

Whilst sitting restlessly on his bed, waiting for daybreak and letting his legs dangle over the floor, he pondered how he would use his extra time productively. "What ever am I supposed to do now?" he thought. Glancing around the room, his sleeping family members and ungodly hour of the day voided any louder activities. Suddenly, he recalled the ending to his dream, and had the perfect idea of where to go. "Of course," he said. "The lake."

The cool wind ruffled his fur as he began his short walk to the lakeside. The village was silent in its quiet peace, with only the muffled footsteps of the spirit to break the mood. Any drowsiness he had before stepping out was gone now. The bright moonbeams illuminated the grass along his path like it was paving it for him. After a short and uneventful, but definitely soothing and ethereal trip, the lake was only a few steps away.

"The only way out was flight…"

The flat surface of the lake gleamed in the moonlight, the reflection serving to emphasize the spirit guardian's blue glow as he walked into the cold water. He felt the sensation of the cool water encasing his legs as the waterline passed his pelvis, his eyes closed in relaxation. The feeling brought him into a meditative state, clearing all the debris of his thoughts and flushing them away like a river. He could see an immaculate blue sky without clouds above him. No memory-like apparitions would disturb him here anymore. His head was silent and peaceful for the first time in several hours, leaving him free to enjoy the warm rays of sunlight shine upon his chest and fill his body with their pleasant warmth. A world of his own creation, a beautiful product of his imagination all his to enjoy. A better getaway for his perturbed mind couldn't possibly exist. Beneath him was the calming wooden bark of the highest branch of the tree he stood upon, overlooking the entire forest from atop its grassy hill.

It wasn't to last. A soft voice disturbed the silence of his perfect world, becoming louder and more desperate. He opened his eyes to the real world, quickly realizing where he was. He was far beneath the surface of the lake, almost at its center even. He was far too deep to swim up with his air supply depleting as it was. Taking a look below, he lost what little he had of the precious air, a gallon of water painfully taking its place, burning him from within. He wasn't able to see anything below him, all there was to see being a pitch-black abyss that extended forever, exactly like he had seen in his dreams. The pit was terrifying, but it was nothing in comparison to the other factor causing him distress.

The indescribable fear of not being alone in the dark.

Suddenly, an unidentifiable limb grasped his leg forcefully, yanking him from his still state. He screamed in terror, but nobody could hear him through the inky blackness. It pulled him down with tremendous speed, and what little he could see of the surface above him, twinkling in the moonlight, vanished from his sight forever.

"Ori! Wake up!"

…

"…or the warmth of family…"

"Are you crazy? You could have drowned if I wasn't there!" Ori's clouded mind barely caught Aria's angry yelling, addled as he was. Where was he? First, he was overwhelmed by a violent coughing attack as water spilled out from his lungs, displeased with their contents. "Thank you,"— another violent cough—"Aria." he gasped. "What just happened? I only sat in the water."

"I heard you leaving the house and at first thought you were just going outside for some air. But you didn't come back, so I followed the path you left to the lake. I saw something glowing under the water and I couldn't trust my eyes! Your eyes were closed and your lungs were full of water." Ori yawned and scratched his head. "Did I really fall asleep?" he asked, somewhat ashamed. Aria turned towards the lake and shrugged, confused as he was. "Apparently. Whatever were you doing by the lake anyway?" The little spirit got off his knees and sat in front of his sister. He stared her dead in the eyes. "I—I need to tell you something."

"Listen…" he started, "I've had strange visions for all my life now. As if I was reliving the memories of somebody else. These thoughts have flooded my head every day recently and I've started to think that… maybe, I'm someone else who is desperately trying to claw his memory back. I'm sorry for hiding that from you, but something… very special rests inside me." It was nearly impossible to find the right words. Every time he tried to explain something to Aria, the thing he was trying to explain just vanished from his mind. His already faltering speech died, becoming a hopeless silence. His face hid his internal turmoil, angry with himself. "Why can't I tell her? What is holding me back?" He thought about the new question for a short while, until Aria softly laid her paw on his shoulder and said, "You are definitely something special Ori, there's no doubt about that. I know it. There's nothing you need to worry about." Ori shook his head rapidly, horrified that she'd gotten the wrong idea. "No, you don't understand—" But before he could complete his sentence, he was interrupted. "I understand you better than you may think." She petted one of his drooped ears, smiling. The helpless and desperate look on his face melted away, giving up on further explaining his nature. The warmth of his sister's overwhelming sympathy pushed that problem away, at least for now.

"He was powerless against his mind´s might."

He did want to explain one more thing, however. "Alright," he said. "But I saw something while I was under the water. I don't know if it was just another vision, but it definitely made me very uncomfortable. When I looked down, I saw nothing but a terrible black abyss beneath me. Then… well, something violently grabbed my leg and pulled me down until I couldn't see the surface anymore." Aria shook her head. "That was definitely a dream Ori. You must've been so tired that you forgot you were underwater and fell asleep." Ori took another glance at the lake. "Maybe you're right, and it was just a dream… but I can't help but feel that it was more than that. Something very strange has to be at the bottom. I don't know what it is, but I can feel it!"

Aria sighed and stretched her arms into the air, clearly not putting any value on Ori's words. "Do try to get some sleep, brother dear. Tomorrow's another day, and it's coming whether you're sane enough to believe it or not."

III

The wind wasn't blowing like it had last night, leaving the green landscape stiller than usual. Birds chirped in harmony as soft white cottony clouds covered the azure sky. The only variation from the peaceful scene was the loud knocking sound of wood clashing together, frequently. The panting of an exhausted little spirit became clearer and louder with every breath.

His cover may have been stable and strong as he parried the powerful blows of his opponent's weapon with clenched teeth, but one swing hit his shoulder with a crack, and he briefly yelped in pain. "Keep your focus on your opponent! Always be looking to foresee their actions!" The stick came from the right, pulling an immediate reverse towards his legs. He blocked the ruse at the last second. While his opponent was open, it was time to strike back. He let out a loud cry as his wooden sword came crashing down with all his strength, hitting his opponent's weapon so hard that it flew out of their paw. Not letting down the attack, he zoomed towards the enemy and pointed the end of his blade at Kiri's throat, ending the match in a victory. Panting, he dropped his stick to the ground to rub his aching shoulder. "Ow…," he mumbled, his eyes glassing over from the pain.

"Very good Ori. You've made great progress since we've started. Both of you have. Our first training session was over five whole moons ago, and I think it's time to show you something new."

"You've fought bravely till now, Ori. I think you're ready to practice with a real spirit blade." Kiri made a pause to let the sentence sink in, then continued in a louder tone. "We are spirit guardians. While our anatomy is equal to most other living beings, we have special abilities that set us apart from the rest. Most of these abilities are unique to each of us, but there is one ability that we all share." Enraptured, both students carefully paid attention to his every detail. "Watch."

He opened his paw facing out from the front of his chest and closed his eyes. With obvious concentration, a spiritual hiss, and blue electricity, emerged a flawlessly sharp blade, seeming to come from nowhere. The blade shone in the sunlight, its dazzling reflective properties almost blinding the observers. Both Ori and Aria were stunned, unable to remove their eyes from the blade. "The weapons a spirit guardian uses are products of our own minds. To form this blade, I merely concentrated my light into a proper shape and materialized it into the blade you see now." Incredulous, both spoke what they were thinking simultaneously. "Wow! That's… awesome!" Neither had expected anything like what they had been shown, nor for such a powerful action to be so simple.

"Now it is your turn. Every one of our kind has this ability, so don't doubt yourselves. Focus your light into whatever you want using your imagination, and materialize it. It can be anything you want it to be." The children closed their eyes and focused their light as well as they could, using their vivid imaginations to create wondrous weapons. Ori's paw soon revealed a long, gleaming blade, perfectly straight and as long as his whole body. He was totally overwhelmed by the ease of creating something that only existed in his mind until just now. Aria, for her part, created a sharp throwing star to fit along with her ranged theme. It was so sharp that she almost cut herself on it when it appeared in her paw and had to very carefully change her grip to avoid lacerating herself on its thin edge. "Incredible! I can only imagine…" her voice trailed off as she thought about the infinite possibilities this opened up to her. "Very good, both of you. You are learning very quickly."

Of course, as with every great thing, there was a downside. Kiri wasn't finished with is explanation, and he continued, "As you may know, our light is limited in volume. So be careful when wielding your energy. As long as you try nothing longer than a spear, there is no need to worry. But should you ever attempt to exceed this limit, there is a great danger you must be aware of. If you drain your light completely, your death becomes inevitable."

Their enthusiasm and ideas were cut short as a shocked expression overcame the two younger faces. "Wait…," began Aria, hesitant on her new ability. "Do you mean to tell us that we, you know, end up"—Ori cut her off, finishing her sentence for her—"killing ourselves if we aren't careful enough?" His voice was humble, he had already considered crushing obstacles with massive versions of his own creations. Kiri saw their fear, and calmed them by saying "Don't worry. To die in the attempt, you would have to focus your light with such strength that it would be as if you were trying to lift the Spirit Tree with your bare paws. I'm glad to say it isn't actually possible to focus so much at once." Ori let out his pent up breath, relieved. "I'm glad to hear that."

"And today's lesson draws to a close, my students. Keep practicing on focusing your light, and you will find success." The traditional bow to each other was performed, and their master vanished with a blazing blue light like he always did after lessons, dazzling his students.

Ori was the first to swing his weapon like a kid with a brand-new toy. "This is insane!" he said with joy and fascination, ready to try out his new blade's edge on various targets. Unfortunately for him, his shoulder ached with pain from the hit he had suffered earlier, so much so that it actually caused him problems with moving his left arm. "Ow!" he complained as a wave of pain shot through his shoulder like a bolt of lightning.

"Ori! You should be more careful with your arm," demanded Aria, concerned for her brother's reckless attitude like normal. "Show it to me," she said, pointing at his shoulder. "Wow, he really hit you there, did he?" She rubbed his shoulder gently, applying a light pressure to try to relieve the pain. Ori was uninterested in pressure therapy, however, and had a better idea. "I know what could help now," he said, raising his arms to his mouth for a shout. "Ku!" he called with his head pointed to the sky. The shout echoed a few times through the trees before falling silent. "Do you think she heard you?" asked Aria. "Of course she did!"

They could feel Ku approaching before they saw her. The air around them began to vibrate, softly at first, but soon became a powerful gale of changing wind directions. As the forces climaxed, they saw the huge body of a giant owl flying right above them, ready to land for a meeting. For the landing, Ku made short, fast wing beats to let herself drop slowly onto the ground without blowing the spirits away. Despite her efforts to land as quietly and softly as possible, her weight ensured a loud thud rang out as her feet hit the ground.

Ori was delighted by the appearance of the friendly owl. He ran towards her with his arms splayed out, calling, "Hey, there you are!" She bent her upper body forward to let the little spirit cuddle what little he could reach of her face. "It's nice to see you, Ku." A smile beamed from his face as he closed his eyes and pressed his head further into the soft feathers around her beak. "Can you bring me to Baur's Peak?" He didn't wait for confirmation as he launched himself up to reach her back, climbing the final meter to a more comfortable riding position. "Aria, I'd be happier if you came with us too. Don't worry, she flies gently." She didn't have to be asked twice. "Of course I'll come with you! Let's head to the mountaintop." She climbed Ku's back in much the same way Ori did, crawling to sit behind him as the owl lifted off into the sky.

They flew high into the clouds, the trees below them becoming smaller and smaller, eventually melding into a great green sea of leaves and meadows beneath them. Little birds made their own paths above the sea below them. Looking to the right, they could see the majestic wheels of the water mill and the great village downstream from it. Thousands of colors filled their eyes, and towards the horizon, the glittering blue of the ocean sparkled in the sunlight. Niwen truly was a paradise. But to Ori, everything changed in the blink of an eye.

The vibrant colors shrank away to reveal a bleak, grey world as dark storm clouds covered the sky. Ori could feel the relentless, pounding rain impact his skin, pattering on his head like icicles. The monster of a storm system above him shattered the sky between him and it, sending a powerful lightning bolt directly at him and numbing his ears from the blast. Helpless, he ducked in terror and screamed.

But the world was fine.

"Ori! Are you okay? What happened? Did you hurt yourself?" Aria was startled by her brother's terrified scream and started looking in all directions for danger, wanting to know what was wrong. Yet the little spirit shook his head slowly. "No… no, I'm fine. My mind played a prank on me again. I sometimes see… uh, how shall I put this… 'certain things.'" Instantly, Aria asked, "What exactly did you see?" Ori blanched. "No, I shouldn't have said that… Please, just forget what I said." Aria didn't respond for several seconds, not sure how she should react, before eventually sighing, "Fine. Just promise to tell me if you want to talk, okay?"

Even Ku was concerned about her foster brother, and she turned her head to look in his direction. He laughed a bit at this and said, "No Ku, I'm fine. Something must've startled me in the clouds, just keep making sure we don't have anything serious to worry about." She turned her head back forward as the clouds parted in front of them, revealing the snowy scene before them. They could see the peak of Baur's Mountain, covered in shining snow. They could feel the cold atmosphere hug them with its full power. Ori took a deep, relaxing breath through his nose, breathing out through his mouth. "Can you feel it, Aria? Nowhere else in Niwen could you breathe such fresh air. Ku, can you bring us over to that little lake there? That would make for a perfect landing spot."

"Ah, this is going to help a lot," said Ori as he let himself sink into the deep snow. The cold squeezed his back and smoothed the pain out of his shoulder. "The pain in my shoulder just melts away," he said, relieved. "Isn't the snow a bit too cold?" Aria asked, concerned that Ori might have more problems to deal with soon. "No, it's actually perfect! You really must try it out."

Ku watched the orange sunset from a large rock beside her friends. It was beautiful, illuminating the clouds with magical colors. Aria, meanwhile, was trying out the snow on the mountaintop. "No, that's too cold for me, to be honest. How do you enjoy this?" Ori got up from the snow with a smile and tapped it out of his fur. "After I was born, I took a shower in the icy waterfall that comes off this glacier. The cold wasn't uncomfortable for me then, I just felt the power resting inside. It calmed my mind, and has had the same effects on me ever since." Aria stopped questioning her brother's words anymore. He was wild, and truly was something special alright. Instead, it was the perfect moment to ask him about his experience on the flight here, now that he was calmer and they were alone. She laid her paws on his shoulders and stared him right in his eyes. "Now, can you finally tell me what you saw up there? I'm very curious." The little spirit gave an indignant push. His face lost the smile and assumed a slightly frightened expression. His mind began an internal struggle. "Why is it so difficult to talk about these visions with anyone? She's my sister, she should know everything." It was a difficult battle, but the cold helped ease his difficulties. "I… I saw how the world changed around us. It became dark and bleak, clouds covered the sun and congealed into a large monster. The monster sent a stroke of lightning right down at us and we fell into an infinite abyss. It was… truly awful."

Aria changed her earlier opinion on Ori's experiences. She had dismissed them earlier, but now she could think, "Ah, so he talks about real visions. They aren't just mere thoughts or hallucinations, he indeed sees memories. I wonder where they may be from?" She knew from his face though that it would be best to calm her brother down again before he started panicking. Luckily, she had the perfect idea. "Well, we all have our fears Ori. Maybe you're afraid of clouds." She began to laugh at that idea and shaped a snowball in her paws, making sure to keep it out of Ori's sight. As he shouted "What? No I'm not!" indignantly, she pelted him in the chest with a perfectly aimed snowball. "Hey! What comes around goes around, you'll get that right back!" His fear vanished as a bright smile overtook his face and he began to laugh too, hitting his sister back with another snowball. "Just you try it, nobody defeats me!" she shouted back, hurling another snowball. It barely missed as Ori took a snap dodge, and he taunted, "Missed me!" in a sassy tone. He wasn't one to get lost gloating though, and his paw was already prepared to throw another snowball. They played the entire evening on the mountaintop together, forgetting all the worries that were their original reasons for coming. They felt the pure freedom that life had gifted them.

For now.

IV

"That night…"

His heartbeat, the water rumbling in his ears, the bubbles popping about the lake, Ori listed off the few sounds he could hear underneath the water. His mind was clear and calm, not yet back to the hallucination-inducing state it seemed to be in usually. His eyes were closed as he focused on the sounds and feeling of the lake. He sat on the sand in a meditation position, encased by the blue water. The moon above wandered a little bit as he held his breath for longer than he ever could before.

Suddenly, a little fish grazed the edges of his fur and disturbed him enough that he needed to breathe. He lungs took in a huge gasp while still under the water and he immediately swam to the surface. As his head breached the water, he filled his entire body with the air he now had. He panted heavily and was exhausted by the extended time he had spent without oxygen. However, he didn't have the urge to expel the water he had breathed in, and he was certain that he had swallowed water. Something was different from the first time he almost drowned in the lake. Testing again, he dipped his head below the water and took a breath. A real breath. It wasn't the water-swallowing experience from before, he just took a breath as normal. His face filled with disbelief, looking for signs that this was just another memory he'd gotten lost in and that Aria would break him out of it soon. But there wasn't any sign that the world wasn't real. It definitely felt real. He dared a look beneath him and saw the exact same black abyss from earlier in his dreams. Although it was clearly a poor idea, and his mind repeatedly told him so, his curiosity of what could be at the bottom was too big for him to ignore.

"He faced his fears."

Ori dived into the unknown.