Here we go.
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Your mother Naru cried as she brought you in for a tight embrace as you just told her and Gumo the news.

You immediately hugged your mother as well and dug your face into her chest.

Meanwhile Gumo and Sonic stood off to the side near the entrance to your family's cave home.

"I'm sorry mom, I don't wanna go either, but I promise I'll stay safe and visit whenever I can." You promised hugging her even more tightly.

"Oh my sweet little (Y/N) I know...but it's still hard not worry when I know you aren't here in Nibel and out there...putting yourself in danger." Naru said in between her sobs.

It was hard for any parent to let their child go and hard for a child to say goodbye to their parents.

In most cases at least, and that certainly was the case here.

It especially hurt considering this wouldn't be the first time you put your life on the line.

Your last adventure proved that you were more than capable of taking care of yourself, but Naru was a mother so it was only natural for her to worry.

You looked up at your adoptive mother and reached up to wipe the tears flowing from her eyes.

"I know it is, it's hard for all of us, but I have to do this." You stated. "I have to make sure you, Gumo, Ku and all of Nibel are safe."

Naru smiled sadly and nodded.

"You always put the needs of others over your own, don't you?" She asked giving you a pat on the head.

"Well, I'm just following your example." You replied recalling a very bad memory.

Back when the Forest went blind, Naru tried desperately to provide for you both with the food supply diminishing.

Despite her being much larger than you and clearly requiring more sustenance to live, she still allowed you to have the bulk of what you both could scrounge up.

She was starving and in far worse condition than you, but even until her final moments, she always put you first.

Even though Gumo revived her, she still died and the moment you found her dead in this cave was still an extremely painful memory.

You didn't want to go through something like that again.

That's why you needed to leave Nibel for now.

FLASHBACK:

"ORI, EVER SINCE YOU RESTORED THE FOREST, I HAVE BEGUN EXPERIENCING HORRIBLE VISIONS AND NIGHTMARES!" The Tree explained. "VISIONS OF NIBEL AND THE WORLD BEYOND IN COMPLETE AND UTTER RUIN!"

You, Sonic and Pera all gained looks of confusion.

"Um...care to explain further?" Sonic asked.

"Yes please do." You added crossing your arms.

"ORI, COME AND MAKE CONTACT WITH ME AND YOU'LL SEE WHAT I MEAN!" The Spirit Tree instructed.

You nodded and walked up to the Spirit Tree and placed your hand on it.

Immediately your mind was assaulted with a series of rather unsettling visions.

These visions were also accompanied by a feeling of deep dread that was almost suffocating.

The visions started out with a pair of glowing red eyes staring directly at you.

The eyes didn't look angry, in fact you couldn't tell what emotion they were radiating but the moment they locked onto you, you felt that feeling of dread skyrocket.

The vision suddenly switched to show a large monstrous figure looming over you.

This large figure also had red eyes, but unlike the previous set of eyes, these eyes were filled with pure rage as it glared down at you.

The figure let out an extremely loud Roar forcing you to flatten your ears to reduce the loud sound.

The shockwave from the roar almost knocked you off your feet.

The vision then switched to something that shook you down to your very core.

It was Nibel, in complete and utter ruin, the plants had decayed and rotted.

The trees were twisted and mangled to the point where they resembled monsters with long limbs and fingers reaching out to grab their next vicitm.

Bones of the dead lined the forest floor and a large cloud of darkness was forming above forming a Vortex in the center of the sky.

Before you had time to process anything something came out of the darkness above and landed before you creating a tremor and knocking up dust.

You closed your eyes due to this and when you opened them once the dust settled you were met with a large hand with long long Claws and dark glowing markings around the arm reaching out to grab you.

You flinched back only for the hand to suddenly burst into black dust and all of the ruined Nibel to fade.

When you opened your eyes you found yourself hovering above the entire forest of Nibel and saw a dark smokey  mist surrounding the outskirts of Nibel.

You watched in horror as the mist suddenly entered Nibel and completely engulfed it.

You snapped out of your visions and  looked around and saw you were back in Nibel before the Spirit Tree.

"Ori, what happened, what did you see?" Pera asked in a worried tone as she ran up to you along with Sonic.

"It must've been pretty bad for you to be crying." Sonic stated.

Confused, you placed a finger under your eyes and saw that tears were leaking from your eyes from the visions the Tree had shown you.

You immediately turned back to the Spirit Tree.

"What was that!?" You demanded.

"IT IS SIMPLY WHAT I BEGAN SEEING SINCE YOU RESTORED THE FOREST!" The Spirit Tree replied. "THESE VISIONS MUST BE SOME FORM OF A WARNING!"

You were incredibly confused.

"What, like future visions?" You asked.

"IT WOULD SEEM SO!" The Spirit Tree stated.

"Since when could you see into the future?" You asked again.

"I COULD NOT, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAS HAPPENED!" The Spirit Tree stated and you only got more confused.

It really was strange.

Why would the Spirit Tree suddenly be having these visions?

"I BELIEVE THESE VISIONS INDICATE A DARKNESS FROM BEYOND NIBEL WILL EVENTUALLY CONSUME THE ENTIRE WORLD BEYOND AND CLOSE IN ON NIBEL ITSELF!" The Tree continued to explain.

"A darkness?" Sonic asked before sighing. "Well that's pretty vague."

The Hedgehog shrugged and placed a hand on your shoulder.

"Well whatever it is if it exists, me and my friends can handle it." Sonic assured giving you a thumbs up. "I mean we've stopped world-ending threats before."

Sonic told you about a few of his past adventures before and he truly was impressive.

This Eggman guy had apparently tried to take over the world on numerous occasions, in addition to that Sonic had stopped various other world-ending threats.

Apparently the continents were seperated at one point by an entity in the world's core named Dark Gaia.

"But Sonic, if there were multiple world-ending threats before, why would the Spirit Tree suddenly be having visions of this specific one?" You asked. "What makes this different from the threats you faced that the Spirit Tree is receiving some kind of warning?"

You were right.

What did seperate this so-called world-ending threat from all the others?

"THAT IS WHY I ASK YOU TO LEAVE FOR NOW ORI, THIS OUTTER THREAT MUST BE RELATED TO NIBEL IN SOME WAY!" The Spirit Tree explained. "I WISH FOR YOU TO GO OUT INTO THE WORLD BEYOND NIBEL, FIND THIS THREAT AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!"

"Why me though?" You asked curiously. "Why not some other Spirit?"

"It's because you're the strongest Ori." Pera piped up also walking to your side.

"PERA IS CORRECT ORI!" The Spirit Tree added.

"If this threat exists, it would be better to send out our strongest Spirit than an entire party." Pera explained. "It minimizes risk of Nibel being exposed and presents less complications."

This was true, a party of Spirits would raise suspicion and make it harder to keep a low profile.

A whole bunch of Spirits appearing would raise suspicion and questions about where they all came from, what they were doing and why they were here.

If it was just one, a much better and more believable excuse could be made.

Plus a strong Spirit like you could better survive out there than just one random Spirit.

Who knows what else besides that threat could be out there and kill them, so a lot of power would be good to have.

"Hold on, if you've had these visions ever since I saved the forest, why tell me now all of a sudden?" You asked the Tree.

"BECAUSE OF YOUR NEW FRIEND!" The Spirit Tree stated making you turn to Sonic.

"Me?" Sonic asked pointing at himself.

"INDEED, I WANTED TO INFORM YOU AFTER SOME MORE TIME, BUT HIS ARRIVAL IS MUCH TOO FORTUITOUS!" The Spirit Tree confirmed. "WITH SONIC YOU NOW HAVE A FRIEND TO MAKE YOUR TIME IN THE OUTSIDE EASIER!"

Yes, having an ally who knows about the outside world would be beneficial for a task like this.

"Ori, this sounds serious." Pera stated. "I know we didn't see your visions, but since you were crying I can assume they weren't pleasant."

You simply nodded and clutched your head as you recalled the sight of Nibel in complete ruin.

Just remembering it was painful, you were just thankful you didn't see much more before whatever that creature was attacked you.

Thinking what became of Naru and Gumo in that ruined verison of Nibel was something you'd rather not imagine.

If that was a future vision, you don't want that future to happen.

You let out a sigh and looked at Sonic before bowing to the Spirit Tree.

"I'll go." You stated with determination simply surprising both Pera and Sonic.

FLASHBACK OVER:

You really didn't want to leave, but those visions shook you too much to simply ignore them.

If there was any threat to Nibel that was out there and you could do something to stop it, of course you would.

Thankfully, you asked the Spirit Tree if you could come back and visit occasionally and of course the tree allowed it.

"I'll come back as often as I can and tell you what I've been up to." You assured as Naru took her hand off your head.

"I look forward to that." Naru replied.

You turned around to face Gumo who walked up to you and brought you into a tight embrace as well which you gladly returned.

Though your first meeting with Gumo wasn't the best considering he attempted to kill you, you did not regert helping him when he needed it.

Even more now since he brought your dead mom back to life, you were really grateful to him for that.

And despite him being a relitavely new addition to your little family it would feel incomplete without him.

"Good luck out there (Y/N)." Gumo stated lifting you up.

"Thanks, and please take care of my mom while I'm gone, okay?" You requested as Gumo seperated from you.

"I promise, I'll keep her safe." Gumo assured with a determined nod. "I already lost my people, I won't lose my new family."

That's exactly the answer you wanted to hear.

You jumped up and hugged the Spider-like creature one more time.

"And you stay safe too alright, make sure your people can live on and so we can spend more time together when I get back." You said seperating and looking at him.

Gumo nodded.

"You need not worry (Y/N), Nibel is at peace and with the other Spirits around I'm sure it's in good hands." He assured. "When you're out there, just worry about yourself."

It's true, you were stepping into an unfamiliar world, new places, new challenges, and it all happened so suddenly so you were basically unprepared.

However, you had Sonic to help and he had friends as well, so you weren't going to be completely helpless out there.

"Don't worry guys, me and my friends are gonna make sure he comes back alive and whatever big threat's out there waiting for him we'll handle it together." Sonic assured giving a thumbs up to everyone.

Naru smiled and walked over to the blue Hedgehog and bowed.

"Thank you very much Sonic, please make sure my child can come home alive." Naru requested. "I don't want to lose my (Y/N)."

"Don't worry ma'am, I won't let you down." Sonic said before looking at you. "But honestly I've seen what he can do and I'm sure he'll be just fine out there."

"Still, it's comforting to know someone will be looking out for him." Naru stated. "(Y/N) will risk everything to protect others, so please for now protect him for us."

Sonic said nothing and simply gave a reassuring nod.

"Good and once again...thank you." Your mother thanked your new friend as you walked up beside him.

"I'm sure I'll be fine out there, I trust you with my life Sonic." You said placing a hand on his shoulder. "And if you're anything to go by I'm sure your other friends would be just as welcoming."

"Heh...well not all of them are." Sonic stated remembering a certain black and red Hedgehog.

"Well, I hope at least most of them are as nice as you." You replied with a shrug.

"I'm sure they'll warm up to you eventually." Sonic assured.

Yes, you planned to more or less integrate yourself into the outside world with Sonic's help.

I mean, what were you gonna do?

Run around and search every nook and cranny like a headless chicken searching for a threat you had little to no information about?

No, running around in the shadows would get you spotted eventually and the fact that you were sneaking around would cause an uproar.

No, the best thing to do would be to stay around, get to know the locals and that way eventually this threat will show itself.

If it's gonna affect the whole world as well as Nibel, it'll show itself eventually.

It was better than just staying in a Nibel and waiting for this threat to come.

What's the point of protecting your Nibel alone if the world around it was potentially endangered as well?

That would be selfish and pointless.

"So, is there anything you wanna take before we leave?" Sonic asked and you shook your head.

"No, I'd rather not bring anything from Nibel, it'll make keeping it a secret harder." You reasoned.

"Right, so you ready to go?" Sonic asked.

You turned to look at Naru and Gumo and took note of the last family member you forgot to say goodbye to.

It was the egg containing your future family member.

"Not yet." You said walking over to the final egg and child of Kuro.

You kneeled down and gently placed a hand on it.

"I'm sorry, I may not see you hatch, but I promise I'll be back and ready to be a big brother to you." You assured also gently placing your forehead against the egg.

After a good while you rose and approached Sonic.

"I'm still not ready, but the longer I stay, the harder it is to leave, so let's go." You said and Sonic nodded as you turned to face your family and waved goodbye once again.

They returned your wave with one of their own and with that you and Sonic exited your home.

You both walked for a bit but suddenly you heard a voice:

"Ori, wait."

You and Sonic looked up and saw Pera in the trees.

She jumped down and landed before you.

"What is it Pera?" You asked the female Spirit.

Pera's ears flattened in sadness and you could see uncertainty in her eyes.

"Are you sure about this?" She asked.

"About leaving?" You asked tilting your head curiously.

Pera shook her head.

"No...about leaving me in charge." Pera clarified. "Leaving me to lead the Spirits and protect Nibel."

"Of course I'm sure Pera." You said placing a hand on her shoulder. "Why do you ask?"

Pera looked down in a bit of shame and you understood why she was so unsure.

When the forest went blind after Kuro took the light, the other Spirits weren't prepared and basically died.

Ever since you revived them all they decided it was best to stay alert and ready to fight in case something like this happened again.

So they began training in combat, mastered their light powers and looked to you for some kind of leadership.

Pera was the one who respected you the most as well as the one who was most determined to become stronger and protect Nibel.

All the Spirits felt ashamed for allowing the forest to be endangered like it was.

Pera was worried without you here, Nibel wouldn't survive.

To calm her down you placed a hand on her head making her look up at you in surprise.

"Pera, it's okay, you and the other Spirits have gotten a lot stronger in such a short time and I have faith that you'll be able to defend it from anything wanting to cause trouble." You reassured.

"B-but Ori..." She tried to say.

"Pera, I can tell you care about Nibel greatly and you want to protect it more than anything and I can also tell you've gotten stronger, a lot stronger than most other Spirits." You stated with a smile. "That's why I chose you to lead it in my absence."

"B-but..." Pera took a deep breath and looked up at you determination burning in her eyes.

This was no time for doubt, you needed to go and Nibel needed a new protector until you returned.

You had faith in her and this was a chance for the Spirits of Nibel to redeem themselves after letting the Forest go blind.

"Alright, I won't let you down." Pera promised giving a salute.

You smiled and gave her a pat on the head.

"I know you won't." You said proudly before turning to Sonic. "Okay, let's go."

With that you and Sonic continued your walk to the outskirts of Nibel as Pera waved you both goodbye.

Later:.

You and Sonic were now walking through the outskirts of Nibel past many trees with multicolored glowing leaves.

"So, what if something else comes into the forest?" Sonic asked curiously.

"Don't worry, the spell that protects Nibel will be back up in about a day and at that point the only way in and out of Nibel is if a Spirit is with you." You explained. "So don't worry, Nibel is safe from the outside."

Sonic nodded as you both continued to stroll.

Now, Nibel was a big place, but you and Sonic were both quite fast so making it to the outskirts didn't take too much time.

"So Sonic, care to tell me a bit about your friends?" You asked with a smile. "I'd rather not spend our whole trip in silence so let's talk."

Sonic smiled at you and you he spoke:

"Well, there's Tails, he's like my little brother, he's got some confidence issues but he's super smart and reliable when it counts." Sonic stated as you listened intently. "Then there's Knuckles, kind of a stick-in-the-mud, but he's strong and a good guy."

You tilted your head curiously.

"You're friends with a stick...in mud?" You asked making Sonic sweatdrop once more.

"N-no...it just means he usually doesn't like to have fun." Sonic explained.

"Oh..." You said looking down in embarrassment before chuckling and looking back at him. "I can tell I'm in for quite the experience."

Sonic chuckled as well:

"But don't worry, like I said, I'll be there every step of the way to help you out."

You nodded.

"Thank you Sonic." You said sincerely as you both walked on.

For you, it was into the unknown.

TO BE CONTINUED:
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There we go.

Not my best chapter and the reasons for you leaving could have been explained better, but it'll make sense as the story continues.

At least I hope.

Anyway, hope ya'll enjoyed and have a nice day.