As Ori walked, despite the safety and assurance of the Torch, he couldn't help but cast nervous glances at the forest around him. Every time he looked in a new direction, he expected to see Naru staring back at him. The mist seemed to dissipate before the light of the Torch, and Ori noticed that the sounds and frightening sights he saw were all but gone. Now, the Misty Woods were just... silent. No whispering, no twigs snapping, no breathing in Ori's ear, just pure silence.

     The little spirit kept on walking and walking, hoping they would reach the Shrouded Lantern soon. The mist surrounding him seemed to lunge forward before dissipating, as if it actively wanted to pull Ori back into its nightmare.

     Ori heard a twig snapping nearby. He jumped in fear, head instantly swiveling to face the source of the noise. What was that? Was he hallucinating again? No, he couldn't be, not with the Torch protecting him. That had to be real. Ori began to make his way towards the source of the noise. His brain raced, coming up with several theories as to what he just heard. As he stepped over a small hill, he saw a shape curled up against a fallen tree. It was barely moving. Ori took several slow, hesitant steps. He couldn't make out any details of the figure yet, as it was too dark. However, as the figure was slowly illuminated by the light of the Torch, Ori began to make out several details of it, and his eyes widened.

     "Blitz!" Ori exclaimed, suddenly dashing forward excitedly at his friend. He hadn't realized just how much he had missed the big fella. However, he stopped as he realized something... wrong with him. Blitz was sitting against the tree in an almost fetal position, his head in his hands. He was breathing heavily and shakily in a mixture of fear and sadness. Ori was surprised. What had happened to him? Ori had never seen Blitz act even remotely like this the entire time they'd known each other (which admittedly hasn't been the longest).

     "Blitz?" Ori asked in a worried tone, all his previous excitement gone. Suddenly, in a flash of movement, Blitz grabbed one of his pistols and rammed the barrel into Ori's face. Pain blazed through Ori's skull and he fell onto his back in a daze. He looked up to see Blitz pointing the pistol directly at him, panting heavily and angrily. Ori's eyes widened. "Blitz! What are you doing?!" Ori shouted fearfully, a couple of tears in his eyes. What was he doing? Surely he wouldn't harm Ori! Something had to be wrong. Was it the mist?

     "Blitz, it's me! It's Ori!" Ori shouted desperately. Blitz kept breathing heavily. He was shaking pretty badly now. Ori couldn't see his face, but he could practically sense the fear and... hatred? Why did Blitz feel that way? Surely he didn't hate Ori. They were friends! But Ori found it hard to recognize the man standing over him, pointing that terrifying pistol directly at him.

     However, much to Ori's immense relief, Blitz's shaking lessened, and he slowly lowered the gun. "Ori..?" Blitz suddenly asked. Ori nodded quickly, immensely happy that his friend had come to his senses. "Yes! Yes. It's me. It's your friend," the little spirit responded, slowly getting up onto his hooves, a relieved smile on his face. Blitz looked down at his hand, holding the pistol, then at Ori's face, which had a big red welt developing on his cheek. Blitz looked shocked, as if he couldn't believe what he had just done to the little spirit. "Did... did I...?" he asked.

     Ori was silent for a moment, thinking very carefully about how he should respond. After a moment, he spoke in a very careful tone, devoid of any hint of anger or resentment. "Yes... but it's okay. I know you didn't do it on purpose."

     Blitz gasped, looking down at his hand again. He looked... incredibly guilty. Ori couldn't help but feel a little guilty as well. He padded over to Blitz, placing a hand on his leg and looking up at him. "Blitz, buddy... I forgive you. It's okay," he said in a soft tone with a forgiving smile on his face. He really did forgive Blitz. He knew that Blitz was under the influence of the Mist, and that he'd never actually try to hurt Ori.

     Blitz stared down at Ori for a moment, before letting out a sigh and falling to one knee in front of Ori. As the large human placed a hand on Ori's head, Ori realized just how much Blitz truly was shaking. What had the man seen that had made him so scared? "I'm sorry, buddy, I don't know what happened," Blitz spoke in an apologetic tone. "How did you find me?"

     "I heard you," Ori responded. "You were under the influence of the Mist, but thanks to the Torch, I was able to save you."

     Blitz smiled at Ori's words, but also had a look of guilt that he tried to hide. Ori tilted his head in confusion. He had already forgiven Blitz, so why did he still look so sad and guilty. He knew Ori didn't blame him, right? "Thank you, kid. It's good to see you again," Blitz said in an uncertain voice. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Blitz suddenly lifted his hand off of Ori's head, standing back up. "What now?"

     "We find the Shrouded Lantern," Sein answered. "When we return the Torch, it shall dispel the Mist and reveal the entrance to the Forlorn Ruins. There we shall rekindle the Element of Wind."

     Blitz nodded, looking down at Ori. "Let's go, then."

     Ori nodded, before turning and setting off towards the Shrouded Lantern, Blitz close behind him. The little spirit felt way safer now that he had his friend with him. The Torch seemed to shine brighter and brighter the closer they got to the Shrouded Lantern, which made finding it way easier. The newfound silence of the Misty Woods was incredibly uncomfortable, making the whole group quite anxious, Blitz especially. Whatever he had seen while under the Mist's influence, he did not want to experience it again.

     "Blitz... I know that the mist makes you see things. I saw my mother, but she was all wrong," Ori shuddered as he recalled his own hallucinations. "What... what did you see?"

     Blitz didn't respond. Ori could tell he didn't want to answer, so he decided not to press further. His mind wandered as he tried to think of what possibly could have Blitz so spooked.

     "Hey, Ori..." Blitz's voice cut into Ori's thoughts. "How's your face?"

     When Blitz said that, Ori was reminded of the throbbing pain in his cheek, and he rubbed it subconsciously. "It still hurts a little... but I'm fine. Really," Ori cast Blitz another forgiving smile as he spoke, wanting to make absolutely sure Blitz knew he forgave him. The last thing he wanted or needed was to make Blitz sad.

     Blitz didn't respond, continuing to move in silence. Finally, they came up on the Shrouded Lantern, still billowing out that horrible mist. Ori looked up at Sein expectantly, who promptly dropped the Torch into Ori's hands. Ori heaved a little with effort, setting the sphere onto the Shrouded Lantern. Once the Torch was in place, a bright turquoise flash emanated from the Shrouded Lantern, a shockwave of light that coursed through the Misty Woods, evaporating the mist entirely. The sun was finally able to cut through the bare trees and make contact with Ori's fur, and Ori relished the familiar warmth it brought to his body, melting away the coldness and dread he had felt since he first stepped inside the Misty Woods. However, it didn't make the Woods look any less dead or rotten.

     Now with the mist gone, Blitz and Ori could see the towering, floating spires of the Forlorn Ruins looming over them. They both looked up at it in awe, mesmerized by its beauty even in its state of disrepair. Then, the sound of scratching stone prompted them to both turn around and look at the Shrouded Lantern. The strange head looming above the pedestal suddenly opened at the mouth. Out of the open mouth floated a glowing orange crystal of sorts. The crystal hovered upwards, then gently touched the ground in front of the pedestal. As Ori stared at it in wonder, Sein piped up. "The Gumon Seal, the key to the Forlorn Ruins!" She floated down, gently touched the Gumon Seal, and floated back into the air. The seal followed her, hovering around the wisp.

     "So now we can get into the Ruins!" Ori cheered. However, he also found himself worrying quite a bit. If simply getting the key and unblocking the way to the Forlorn Ruins was this difficult, he could only imagine what dangers awaited him in those decrepit but beautiful ruins.