Ori shot up, gasping for breath. A feeling of warmth washed over him, and he felt the pain from his wounds, but dull and throbbing. His gaze whirled around as he panted, a cold shiver running up his spine from his brief but all too real touch with the void. As adrenaline slowly left his body, he looked down at his body. He saw it wrapped in long strands of white cloth, stained red with blood in a few places.

     Ori then looked up and around. He found himself in a small cave, dry and cold. A small fire crackled in the center, casting a warm, orange light over the cave. The darkness outside suggested that it was nighttime. Ori was laying on a small cushion made of dried out moss, which wasn't very comfortable, but it was better than laying on the cold stone of the cave.

     Ori tried to get back onto his feet, but his body had absolutely no energy to spare and he quickly crumpled back onto the cushion. He laid still, breathing heavily and groaning. His mind was still trying to process everything. It wasn't fair. What had happened? Why was his home gone? Why was Naru gone? Ori started to shed tears as sadness slowly crept in.

     His thoughts were cut off by footsteps outside the cave. He gasped, and his sadness was replaced by fear. Was it a monster? Did it want to hurt him? He tried to get up and move, but his body still didn't have enough energy to do anything. He could only sit helplessly as whatever it was entered the cave.

     What entered the cave was unlike anything Ori had ever seen. It was about the size of Naru, but way skinnier. It didn't have fur, just a kind of cloth covering its body with metal plates covering vital areas such as the torso, shoulders, forearms, and legs. It had long strands of leather across its waist, torso, and a few limbs, all of which had several strange metal objects. Ori couldn't see its face, as it had a large piece of metal fitted over its head, with a strange black glass where the face should have been obscuring the creature's face. On its hips were open leather pouches, each containing a long piece of metal with a wooden grip on the end. On its back was a strange metal box, with several open cylinders sticking out of the lower half.

     As the thing entered the cave, Ori felt a small sense of relief, but did not fully lose his fear. The creature did not look like a monster, or like it wanted to hurt him. The creature walked into the cave and settled down beside the fire, letting out a long sigh that sounded slightly distorted. It reached into a particularly large pouch on its belt, pulling out a long, white stick contained in some kind of wrapping. An aroma met Ori's nostrils, and Ori's mouth watered as he realized the stick was food.

     Ori hesitated, still unaware of the creature's intentions, but his hunger eventually overcame his caution and he tried to get up again. Once again, his muscles immediately gave out and he fell back onto the cushion with a grunt. The grunt caught the stranger's attention, and it turned its head to look at Ori. Ori gasped and tried to hide himself, but the stranger had already noticed him.

     It let out a small chuckle, and stood up onto his feet. "Looks like you aren't dead after all," it spoke. Though its voice was still slightly distorted, it sounded masculine. The stranger walked over to Ori and knelt down to be eye level with him. "You're lucky I found you, little guy. You were in pretty rough shape."

     Ori let out a whimper, gazing up at the stranger in fear. The stranger slowed down, trying to be as nonthreatening as possible. He spoke in a warm, comforting voice. "Don't worry, little guy, I'm not gonna hurt you," He said while holding out the food stick, "You must be hungry." He chuckled a little when he saw Ori's mouth watering at the sight of the food. He placed the food near Ori's face, and Ori weakly but hungrily chomped down on the food. It tasted bland, but Ori was so hungry he didn't care. The food filled his stomach up surprisingly fast, and he was already full when he finished it; normally, it would've taken four or five fruits of similar size to fill Ori up.

     Ori felt grateful, and he suddenly realized that this stranger must have been the one who bandaged him up. He felt a sense of trust and gratitude to this stranger who had been kind enough to save him. As he finished the food, he looked up at the stranger with curiosity instead of fear. But his neck muscles quickly gave out and his head dropped back to the cushion.

     "You're really weak, little fella. Best for you to rest and get your strength back," said the stranger, looking down at Ori with concern. "My name is Blitz."

     Blitz? What a weird name, Ori thought to himself, laying still on the cushion of dried moss as his strength slowly but surely returned. He finally mustered up the strength to speak, though he could only say one word. "Ori..." the little spirit croaked.

     "Ori? Is that your name?" Blitz asked. "Well then, hello Ori."

     Ori tried to respond, but he couldn't. He felt absolutely exhausted. His eyelids were growing quite heavy, and he fought to stay awake. Blitz noticed his struggle. "Don't worry, Ori. You can sleep. I'll keep you safe," He reassured Ori, gently patting Ori on his head. Ori sighed, feeling comforted at Blitz's touch. He liked Blitz, and was grateful that Blitz was willing to keep him safe. 

     Ori closed his eyes. Sleep came almost instantly.

~~~~~~~~~~

     Ori awoke feeling revitalized. He sprung to his feet, filled with a new sense of alertness. He got up and looked around. He saw Blitz, sat up against the cave wall to the right of the makeshift bed he made for Ori, sleeping peacefully. He walked over to Blitz's side, wanting to thank him for what he had done for Ori. But just then, Ori heard a voice.

     Ori...

     Ori perked up his ears in confusion and anticipation. He heard it again, but... not through his ears.

     Ori...

     The voice beckoned to him in his mind. A feeling dawned on him. Something was beckoning to him, and Ori intended to answer its call. He cast a slightly guilty look towards Blitz, before swiftly exiting the cave. He moved with incredible speed and agility, filled with a new sense of determination and power he had never felt before. As he exited the cave, he heard the voice again.

     Ori...

     The outside world was even more decayed than Ori had remembered. Even the air he breathed seemed decayed and rotten. Ori looked around, and saw a little ways away the log that he had almost died on. Strangely, there was a glowing, white flower where Ori had been, it's lush green in stark contrast to the rotten, gray log it sat on. Ori shuddered as he imagined the pain he felt, and that cold, empty void of death that called his name.

     Ori...

     Ori perked up his ears again. There was that voice again! He could hear it - no, he could feel it, coming from below the rickety wooden log he was standing on. Ori looked down to see a ravine, and at the bottom of the ravine: a tunnel. That tunnel was definitely where the voice was coming from. Ori took a deep breath, and leapt off the log and into the ravine. His legs absorbed the fall with ease, and Ori looked around. He saw two tunnels: one led to a cavern with a small pond of the putrid purple water, and the other was blocked by swollen, spine-covered purple blobs of decay. Ori knew which way he was going.

     Ori moved into the cavern. It was just as gray and gloomy as the outside world. A hole in one wall of the cavern allowed gloomy, gray light from outside to illuminate the cavern. Ori saw the lake of the putrid water. He hesitantly placed a paw in the water, and immediately recoiled. The water hurt! No way could he swim across the lake. Luckily for him, there were several small pieces of wood floating in the lake; perfect stepping stones.

     Ori took in a deep breath, and leapt to the first wood platform. He jumped with great vigor, easily clearing the large gap. He then leapt to the next platform, then the next, and soon he had fully crossed the lake. He felt proud of his show of agility, but wondered why he was suddenly filled with such determination and power.

     Ori turned, seeing a tunnel that led deeper into the cavern. He heard the voice again in his mind, more powerfully this time; he was getting close.

     Ori...

     Ori sped down the tunnel, dodging over a few of the decay blobs, and came upon a small drop. He hopped down, and continued forward, but was met with a wall. The wall was cracked, though, and Ori could see something through the cracks.

     Crash!

     Ori jumped at the sudden sound. The entire cave shook as something broke free. Ori looked behind him, and saw a large insect-like creature, covered in a thick carapace. Dust and flying rocks settled around it; it seemed to have simply burst from the ground. On its face was a single, large horn. Its eyes glowed an unnatural green, and it glared at the little spirit before it.