As the memory faded away, Ori was slowly lowered to the ground by the light in the Spirit Well. His mind raced with questions. But before he could ask any of them, Sein broke into his thoughts. "You received the Spirit Tree's light, he put our fate in your hands," she declared. "Listen carefully now, for you must understand.

     "The Spirit Tree sustained the three Elements of Light, and in turn they brought balance and kept Nibel safe." Sein floated to the east, and Ori saw a huge, slender tree at the top of a plateau surrounded by a large swamp. "The Element of Waters, high atop the Ginso Tree..." She then floated to the west, guiding Ori's gaze over to a mountain range covered in crumbling buildings, several large chunks of the mountain range levitating in the air, separated from the rest of the forest by a deep canyon. "The Element of Winds, deep within the Forlorn Ruins..." Then, Sein floated to the north, and Ori saw a single, massive volcano with a thin stream of ash billowing out of the top. "The Element of Warmth, beneath the fires of Mount Horu..."

     Then, Sein floated back down and hovered above Ori. "To restore Nibel, we must rekindle their light before it's too late," she said, floating back in the direction of the Ginso Tree. "The first we will find beyond the Spider Coves, atop the tree where the waters once flowed."

     Ori looked over to Blitz for some sort of reassurance, but Blitz looked just as baffled as Ori did. Ori turned back to Sein. "So... the Ginso Tree contains the Element of Waters?" he asked. "And if we restore it, the waters will be cleansed?" Sein floated up and down in a strange sort of nod. "Okay. Let's get moving, then," Ori said, determined. He had a clear objective now: restore the Elements of Light.

     "Wait, wait, why can't you just go back onto the Spirit Tree? Can't you rekindle the Elements when you two are reunited?" Blitz piped up. Ori nodded in thought, and glanced up at Sein expectantly.

     "Because the Elements and the Tree sustain each other. Until the Elements are rekindled, the Spirit Tree will be far too weak to bear my light," Sein answered. "And if I can't reunite with the Spirit Tree, the only way to rekindle the Elements of Light would be for me to physically touch them." Ori nodded in understanding, but Blitz looked irritated. "What was I expecting? Of course it isn't simple," he said sarcastically, letting out an annoyed sigh. "Well, let's go then."

     "Yes. Now, we must make haste. To the Ginso Tree! We haven't time to waste!" she said, before quickly floating off towards the swamp and the Ginso Tree. Blitz and Ori followed close behind.

     The Thornfelt Swamp, where the Ginso Tree resided, was separated by a small patch of forest, looking even more rotten and decayed than the Sunken Glades. As they trudged through the unforgiving foliage, they noticed something disheartening: cobwebs. Large cobwebs that coated almost every inch of the rotten trunks that surrounded the path. The deeper they traveled, the more clustered and larger the cobwebs became. Spiders began to attack them, firing clusters of decayed cobwebs at Blitz and Ori from their mandibles. Blitz took care of them, though with more difficulty than the frog things and the slugs.

     As they walked, Sein suddenly stopped. Ori perked up, eyeing her curiously. "What is it, Sein?" Sein responded after a moment. "I sense another Ancestral Tree nearby," she informed. "We should find it, Ori. We need all the help we can get."

     Ori nodded. Blitz and Ori followed close behind Sein as the wisp led them off of the path. A couple cobwebs stuck into Ori's fur as he walked through the trees, causing Ori to shudder and quickly wipe them off. The little spirit hated this place, and wanted to leave as soon as possible. Ori started to notice a faint light, radiating out of a ditch. Ori peaked into the ditch, and saw another Ancestral Tree. The light it radiated caused a small patch of living plants to grow around it. Ori felt another pang of sorrow, imagining the spirit that perished in a place as creepy as this.

     Sein hovered over the Ancestral Tree, pausing for a moment before speaking. "Ano, the spirit that died here, was strong and courageous. Listen to his voice, he was able to focus our light."

     Ori nodded, walking slowly into the ditch. He stepped up to the Ancestral Tree, but hesitated. He remembered Fil's words, that the other spirits may not give him their powers for free. Ori wondered what the Ancestral Trials would be like. How hard were they? Would they be too difficult? Were they dangerous?

     But Ori shook away his doubts. There was no time for hesitation. Blitz once again stayed behind, maintaining a safe distance from the Ancestral Tree. Ori walked up to the tree, took in a deep breath, and placed his hand on the rough bark.

     Light surged into and around Ori's body, lifting him into the air. He felt his consciousness pulled out of his body and into the tree, and the world around him faded to white as he lost all feeling.

~~~~~~~~~~

     Ori slowly awakened to find himself laying in a lush, green field. The grass under his body was moist and healthy, with small flowers sprinkled here and there. He lifted his head, and his vision slowly adjusted to his surroundings. The sun shone down on his white fur, warming him up. The field seemed to stretch on infinitely, with small patches of trees dotting it. Ori hauled himself to his feet, rubbing his head. He whirled his gaze around, searching for the spirit that lived here.

     Eventually, his gaze rested upon a thatch and wood hut near a cluster of fruitful trees, gently swaying in the gentle, cool breeze. Ori stared at it for a beat, before walking over to it. Upon reaching the hut, he stared at the wooden door for a moment. Then, he reached a paw up and gently knocked on it. There was the sound of muffled rustling inside, before the door opened. Behind the door was yet another spirit. This one was tall and stout. His body was covered in muscle, and his head was narrow. He had brave, round eyes that scanned Ori's body up and down. He let out a gentle sigh.

     "So, somebody finally found me. Or, at least what's left of me," he said in a deep, raspy voice. "I take it you're here to learn my power?"

     Ori nodded vigorously. "I am going to restore Nibel. I found Sein, and I am going to rekindle the elements of light. I need all the help I can get," Ori answered. "You're Ano, right?"

     "Aye, that's me," Ano responded, gaze scanning Ori once more. "I can sense another consciousness within you..."

     "Yes! That's Fil! I absorbed his light, and his abilities have been really helpful," Ori replied, bouncing a little bit.

     Ano nodded in thought. "Fil, huh? He was an old friend of mine. A good friend, too," said Ano, before looking back down at Ori. "But just because you got his light doesn't mean I'm going to give you mine for free. I can only give my light to one spirit, and I'd like to give it to someone who's worthy of it."

     Ori nodded in understanding. Time for an Ancestral Trial. "What must I do?" Ori asked.

     Ano looked a little surprised at Ori's confidence. "Alright, then. You must prove that your body is a worthy vessel of my power. It can be very dangerous for weaker spirits; focusing your light is no easy task. Follow me." Ano stepped out of the thatch and wood hut, and started in the direction of a large cluster of trees. Ori followed close behind, feeling quite nervous at Ano's warning. If his body was too weak, would it kill him?

     They walked in tense silence, the wind whipping at their faces and ruffling their fur. It felt warm and gentle, and Ori hadn't realized how much he missed the breeze. Back in Nibel, the winds hardly blew at all. And when they did, they were harsh and cold. Ori relished the wind as much as he could, knowing that he would eventually have to return to the real world, with or without Ano's light. Preferably with.

     Upon reaching the cluster of trees, Ori saw what Ano was walking towards: a hole in the middle of the trees. Ano walked straight into the hole, the stone floor sloping downwards at an incline, leading into a tunnel. Ori followed, the glow from both of their bodies casting a dim light on the tunnel's ground and walls. Their footsteps echoed throughout the tunnel as they walked.

     After a short while, the tunnel suddenly opened up into a large cavern. It was strangely devoid of stalactites and stalagmites, the walls, floor, and ceiling consisting of smooth stone. Small skylights dotted the ceiling, allowing small rays of sunlight to leak through and illuminate patches of the cave. At the far wall of the cavern sat a Spirit Well, light energy pouring out of it and casting further illumination across the cave. And dead in the center of the cavern sat a single boulder.

     As Ori looked around, confused, Ano turned to look down at him.

     "Let's get started, shall we?"