Ori placed the Water Vein into the small cavity in the wood. The Water Vein fit in perfectly and comfortably. As soon as it was placed within, the tendrils of water snaking around it suddenly dispersed into the grooves lining the wooden gate, causing them to glow the same milky blue of the Water Vein. There was a flash of light, and the wooden gateway split in half, opening up and revealing the inside of the Ginso Tree.

     "Beautiful, isn't it?" Sein sighed. "The gateway to the Ginso Tree was one of the most advanced things created by our kind."

     "It certainly put on a little show for us," Blitz commented, earning a little giggle from Ori. "Well, let's get moving."

     They all nodded in agreement and entered the Ginso Tree. The inside was essentially one massive cylinder, very tall and at least a hundred feet across. Lining the walls of the tree were several wooden protrusions, sturdy enough for Blitz to put all his weight on them. There were a few Decay creatures scuttling about, but they were easy enough to dispatch. Blitz climbed up the tree with considerable but not impossible difficulty, as they had taken a moment to rest before entering the Ginso Tree. Ori had far more luck than Blitz, using Fil's and Leru's abilities to quickly and nimbly make his way up the chamber they entered in.

     The Ginso Tree seemed to be divided into sections, as the ceiling of the chamber they were in was far too low for a tree as tall as this. As they leapt from protrusion to protrusion, they came across a ledge just below the ceiling. At the end of the ledge was what looked like some sort of tunnel. But, strangely, the tunnel was completely filled with an almost blinding blue light. The light gave Ori and Blitz a strange tingling feeling when they got close. "Um, what is this, Sein?" Ori asked, looking at Sein inquisitively.

     "I... do not know. I've never really been inside the Ginso Tree," Sein admitted, seeming just as confused as Ori and Blitz.

     Blitz stared into the light for a moment, thinking to himself. After a beat, he scoffed. "Here goes," he spoke, before leaping directly into the light. There was a strange whoosh-like sound, and Blitz disappeared into the light.

     Ori stared at the light, surprised by Blitz's sudden action. "Blitz?!" Ori called into the light-filled tunnel anxiously. "Are you all right?!" But there was no response.

     After a moment, however, Blitz reemerged from the light, seeming completely unscathed. "It's some kind of portal," Blitz answered before Ori could even ask. "Come on, it's completely harmless."

     Ori nodded hesitantly, but trusted that it was harmless. He didn't really know what a portal was, but was about to find out. Blitz took Ori's paw and walked back into the light, pulling Ori in with him. The tingling feeling overwhelmed Ori's body, and the whooshing sound filled his ears. Then, they emerged from the light, unscathed, into another chamber above the one they were just in.

     This one was even taller, with several more protrusions on the walls. Additionally, there were more portals that they utilized to cross gaps too wide to jump across normally, and to avoid clumps of Decayed briars. With slightly more difficulty, they reached the top of the chamber, and walked through yet another portal to another chamber. "At this rate, we'll reach the Element of Waters in no time!" Ori exclaimed enthusiastically.

     "That may be true, but the Ginso Tree is the tallest tree in Nibel," Sein informed Ori. "It will take us some time to reach the top, regardless of our pace."

     Ori's smile wavered slightly, but he remained ultimately enthusiastic.

     The new chamber was divided into several sections, separated by walls and interconnected by a series of portals. The rooms weren't exactly safe, as many had pits and clumps of briars throughout them, but they ultimately managed to get through, assisted by some blue launch plants that also resided within the rooms.

     The next chamber was confusing, to say the least. There were several brittle, damaged walls blocking the portal out, and a strange Decay plant sat on the ceiling, periodically belching out a deadly projectile. Additionally, there was a bent log on a high ledge, with small portals on each end. After attempts to break through the wall by hand proved fruitless, Ori got an idea. Utilizing a portal, he teleported to the ledge with the log, and pushed it down to the ground level. Then, he pushed it to be under the Decay plant. The Decay plant belched a projectile, and it was redirected by the log. The projectile crashed into the brittle wall, destroying it instantly and opening the way to the next chamber.

     Blitz chuckled, patting Ori on the head. "Clever little thing." Ori leaned into the pats, enjoying the praise.

     As they stepped out of the portal into the next chamber, Ori froze. At the end of the chamber, sat yet another Ancestral Tree. Ori felt a wave of somber wash over him, knowing he was looking at the grave of one of his siblings. Sein floated over to the Ancestral Tree.

     "Cries of dismay I hear deep inside this Ancestral Tree," Sein whispered. "Reem was agile, used to dash through the air. Listen to his voice, the wisdom he shared."

     Ori didn't hesitate. There was no time for hesitation. Once again, Blitz stood a safe distance away as Ori walked up to the tree.

     Ori's paws brushed against the bark, and his consciousness was pulled within the Ancestral Tree.

~~~~~~~~~~

     Ori slowly opened his eyes, and quickly got to his feet. He should have been getting used to it by now, but having his consciousness transferred into the tree always left him with a tingling feeling. As Ori's mind and vision cleared, he took in his surroundings.

     He found himself inside what appeared to be a small grotto, full of bustling flora and with a lake of crystal clear water in the center, illuminated by a ray of sunlight that shone through an aperture at in the ceiling, which also bubbled out a small stream of water into the lake.

     Although these beautiful features weren't what caught Ori's attention. Instead, it was the strange vines that hung from the ceiling. The vines had strange, almost ethereal lanterns on the bottoms, encased in tangling tendrils. They illuminated corners of the grotto where sunlight could not reach, but only barely. They were a very inefficient light source.

     Ori shook his head and looked away. Stop looking at pretty plants, and find Reem, he reminded himself.

     "This is it?!" shouted an elderly, angry voice from behind Ori, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. He tumbled backwards onto his back, staring at the creature with wide eyes.

     Reem was clearly a very elderly spirit. His fur was faded, body and face covered in wrinkles, and he had a slight hunch in his back. His eyes, though, burned with hatred towards Ori. Ori sensed his burning anger, and it made him quite nervous. "Um... h-hi," Ori said shyly, weakly waving at Reem.

     Reem scoffed. "You're the one who's gonna save the forest?!" he shouted again. "Are Sein's options really that limited?!"

     Ori flinched at Reem's harsh words, but mustered up the courage to defend himself. "Maybe they are! So what?! I still can and will save Nibel! But I need your knowledge and power to do it! Don't do it for me! Do it for Nibel!" he argued with a brave face that masked his fear of Reem.

     Reem didn't hesitate. "No. Someone as pathetic as you will certainly die trying. And I'd much rather wait for someone worthy of my power to come along than die with you."

     Ori was taken off guard. He had expected Reem to be convinced by his words and give Ori his abilities. Now, he didn't really know what to say. He tried to say something, anything to convince Reem, but no words left his lips.

     "What?! Not gonna say anything?!" Reem shouted, scoffing at Ori's silence. Ori tried to speak again, but the only sounds that came out of his mouth were random syllables.

     "Pah! You're pathetic!" Reem said with a laugh. "Get out of my sight! I'll save my knowledge for someone who can actually use it!"

     "B-But-"

     "I said, LEAVE!!!" Reem roared. He picked up a rock from the ground, and tossed it into the air before leaping up to it.

     His next motions were a blur. One moment, he was touching the rock. Next, it was shooting towards Ori at incredible speeds, with Reem flying the other way. Ori had no time to react. The rock easily pierced his chest at the speed it was moving at. But there was no blood. Instead, Ori's form simply dissipated with a burst of light, and Ori's consciousness was expelled quite forcefully out of the Ancestral Tree.