Shadow of the Colossus

Chapter 1- A Long Road Ahead

The clopping of hooves through the silent forest could be heard clearly, as the red haired boy traveled along the shady path. The dappled light from the trees illuminated the sword in its sheath resting at his side, glinting in the faint sunlight. As he continued on, his horse stumbled, and it shifted a large object, under a blanket of sorts. The horse whinnied softly, as if in sadness. Sensing this, the boy patted the horse's head. "Don't worry Agro, we'll see her again soon." The boy calm, blue-gray eyes steeled over with determination, and the pair continued onward.

Soon after the forest broke away from them, and they emerged in front of a gate, timeworn and covered in moss and foliage. Ornate artwork was depicted on either door, probably from an ancient period of time, such as when this land was still inhabited. A large hole with the sun shining through was in the very center of the gate, and the beams from this shone onto a circular pedestal. The boy dismounted his horse, and walked onto the stone pedestal. He unsheathed the blade he was holding, and a magnificent spray of colored lights erupted from the point of the sword. He turned and concentrated the beams into the hole, and he began to hear a low grinding noise. Suddenly, gate edged open to reveal a bridge overlooking a vast landscape, leading to a large temple. The boy had to shield his eyes from the intense light. After his eyes adjusted, he motioned to his horse to follow him onto the vista overlooking the Forbidden Lands. The boy had his red hair at shoulder length, kept up by a blue headband being half concealed by his hair. His sandals worked his way up to his knees, and his clothes were rather ragged and old-looking. Most peculiar of all, he donned a tabard depicting an ancient symbol used in the Time of the Colossi, which was quite strange, especially for one of his young age.

"Agro, come," he said as he vaulted up onto the horse. His face curled into a determined glower as he urged Agro across the massive bridge. Nearing the shrine at its end, he became wary of a presence with him, some sort of, higher being. He shrugged off his feeling and pushed onward. He was greeted by another set of ornate doors, but this for him with no trouble. He gently spoke to Agro, and they delved further into the temple.

The boy and his horse strode into a chamber with a long walkway spiraling downwards into the shrine. At the bottom rested a shallow pool of water, probably used for some sort of ritual back in the day. He glanced at the walls, and on them were intricate depicitions of men and massive beasts. This continued all across the room. Reaching the bottom, the two gazed into a brightly lit shrine.

However, this shrine was different from all of the shrines he'd been to before in his homeland. At the end of the hall stood an altar for the services that were held here. Along the walls were colossal effigies, eight to each side, but the strange thing was, each was completely different from the last. He questioned them for a minute, and proceeded to the back of the shrine. He took the bundle from off of Agro, and laid it on the altar.

Upon doing so, he heard noises from behind him, and beings of pure shadow leapt from the ground. Their malicious stances indicated an attack, so the boy drew the sword again, and directed the light's beams at them. The being disintegrated upon contact with the light, and with that, he put away the sword again.

Thou possesses the ancient sword?

The booming voice seemed to be coming from everywhere, and it threw the boy off guard. The voice wasn't really a voice to him, it was more like two voices, a man's and a woman's blended together. "Yes, I do," he replied as confidently as he could.

Who art thou, young traveler?

"I am Wander, and I have heard the legends of this place and of a being that can grant wishes.

So you have. What need is great enough that you must trespass upon this sacred ground?

Wander turned, and glanced at the covered object for a moment and then back to his best guess for where the voice was speaking from; a large hole in the ceiling letting light into the shrine. "Please, I beg of you. I wish to see Mono revived." He removed the cover to reveal a girl in a white dress, her eyes closed and hands crossed.

Is it not the law of you humans that souls that have been lost cannot be recovered?

"It is, but I have heard you are capable of bypassing such laws," Wander said hesitantly, worried the voice might turn away from his request.

After a long silence, the voice appeared again.

We, Dormin, have thought upon thy request, and have decided to grant thy wish.

Wander breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and he turned to Mono's body, waiting for her eyes to flitter open.

However, we require something of thou first.

"Name what must be done; I will do whatever it takes to save her."

Doth thou see the idols lining this hall? Thou art to destroy all of them.

He looked at the idols with a little despair in his eyes. How would he destroy all of them? It seemed an impossible task, until the voice chimed in again.

Each idol corresponds with a colossus within our lands. Slay the colossus and its idol shall fall.

Valus, the Minotaur...

Quadratus, the Bull...

Gaius, the Knight...

Phaedra, the War Horse...

Avion, the Raven...

Barba, the Underdweller...

Hydrus, the Lightning Serpent...

Kuromori, the Lizard...

Basaran, the Tortoise...

Dirge, the Sand Snake...

Celosia, the Flame Keeper...

Pelagia, the Silent Thunder...

Phalanx, the Trail Drifter...

Cenobia, the Ravager...

Argus, the Executioner...

Malus, the Archmage...

Your wish shall be granted when all sixteen have fallen...

He had heard the legends about the beasts, how they were the size of giant buildings, looming over everything around. And he was to slay these. He gathered a breath, and made a long exhale.

"Fine, we have a deal?"

We do. Hold thy sword to the light, and go where it gathers. That is where thou shalt find the colossus thou art to defeat. Now, be on thy way...

Wander, with a determined look on his face, mounted Agro, held up the sword, and followed the light toward a mountain range to the south. And so his journey had begun...