Prologue

Avos slammed himself into the tree trunk. Leaves tumbled down over his pale face and he grabbed his horns, pulling in a fit of rage. His name, his being had been explained to him in a matter of minutes. He screamed into the stale air and his head pounded with the information he was given. It couldn't be real, it wasn't. How could this all happen, who was he? The demon, whose soul was partially trapped in him was drawling about how to put an end to all this. He could fix this.

"Just-just shut up!" Avos whispered into the bark of the tree. The voice stopped. It was loud and powerful, but seemed to listen to him. He was never named before. The woman who raised him, she really was his fiancé. She was dead and the demon that was residing in Avos right now brought her back to life.

"Why did you do it?" The voice was quiet, "Why did you bring her back to life for me?" Avos pressed and the voice echoed gently to him.

"Thy answers are sought in the temple." Avos turned around and saw the beautiful temple and he glared.

"How can I trust you?" he asked aloud and hid when a flash of white brushed the top of the temple. It was her, his supposed 'love.' The voice was silent again. Avos sighed, what was he supposed to do? As long as he stood here, he would question himself to death. Hesitating for a brief moment, he climbed the large tree and spotted a fruit. This would make him look rather casual when he entered the temple.

The teenager walked into the massive stone building. He walked up the stairs, past the altar. There was a stirring in his memory. He placed a hand on the altar and stared for a minute. Thoughts soared through his head, fuzzy patches of memories grinding in and out of his head. It was getting harder to concentrate.

"There you are," a soft voice whispered behind him. Avos jumped and a hand went to his shoulder. He turned to see her. The woman he thought was his mother, who really was someone he had loved. It was hard for him to picture. This was unreal. "I hope I did not frighten you," she smiled lovingly and Avos swallowed.

"I was lost in thought," he replied, his hands shaking behind his back. His not-mother looked behind him at the altar and frowned.

"Why were you looking at this?" she looked around the room, "This place is dark," she continued and Avos shrugged.

He held out his fruit and smiled, hiding his recent thoughts in the grin. "I wanted a nice view while I ate, is all." She seemed content with that response and nodded.

"I am going to the garden, would you join me?" she asked and he stiffened.

"I'd like to have some time to myself, if that is alright," Avos lied and she seemed put out. Her finger trailed his cheek and he stopped dead. Luckily she did not notice.

"I have no time to spend with you these days," she muttered, but her smile was still on her face. She leaned in and kissed his forehead, as she had done for years, but now it felt off. With a wave, she walked away, past the well and up the long stairs. After a couple of minutes, Avos breathed again. He threw away the fruit and looked around. There were crushed stones in closed sections that surrounded the entire temple. Avos walked towards them and placed a hand on the stone. The voice stirred and light began to shine on the boy's face. S

"Thy next foe…" and Avos bit his tongue. A feeling of pain burst through his chest and he fell to his knees. Memories began pouring into his mind. The sword, the pain, fear, anger, betrayal. Everything began to return to the cursed warrior. He stumbled and tripped over the stones beneath his feet. Before him stood a statue of a bird. It raised its wings and pain erupted in his chest.

Looking down, he realized he was holding onto thick and wiry fur. As if watching someone else use his body, he climbed up to fur. Wind sliced his cheeks and he looked and a symbol flashed bright blue before his eyes. He stumbled back and was staring at the face of a horrific beast.

It had a long beard, with fearful blue eyes and stone limbs. Instead of screaming, he ran at the enormous being with might and determination. The sword from before was in his hands and he raised it to the sun. A familiar stallion was under him and he stroked its neck affectionately.

The boy gasped and fell onto his knees, a tear rushing down his face. The tear filled around him and he was now surrounded by water. He couldn't breathe! Instead of panicking, he turned around to face a huge eel. Powerful shock waves pulsed around his back and Avos felt the need to run. He wanted to get out of there. His body moved on its own accord and grabbed onto a hunk of fur as the beast zipped by him. He began climbing and Avos watched himself stab deep into the eel and travel further up it. He felt like some kind of hero, an amazing and brave warrior. The shock waves pounded into his body and he flew back, his eyes blinded with white.

When he looked up, it was no longer Avos staring at the ceiling, that boy was dead. Instead, Wander clenched his fists and glared daggers at the hole on the ceiling. "What have you done?" The voice rumbled and Wander's face stayed the same; stoic.

"Saved thy life," it echoed through the temple and Wander snarled.

"How so? Was it really you who saved my life, or was it coincidence?" He turned around and motioned to the whole room before him. "I killed every colossus, every one you," he pointed at the light, "wanted. So how is it that I have become closer to the monsters I have killed?" he touched his horns and clenched his fist once more. "Come to silence now?" he hissed and the temple literally shook. The long dead warrior stumbled and kneeled on the ground for support.

"We have saved thou, as well as thou loved one. Yet we stay locked away, and thy live and breathe. We are more trapped than thy," its voice jumped from wall to wall.

Wander shook his head. "She-she is not alive, and if she is…where is she?" his voice softened, although his eyes were still very cold. He looked around, his eyes circling the room, even the altar.

"Thou love is here, up through the temple and into our garden. Thou love does not remember thy, we cannot save her now, however…" Dormin seemed to mutter and Wander smirked.

His eyes moved towards the colossus and he stared at the empty ruins of the colossus he had killed. "You are trapped?" Dormin whispered an agreement. "And they colossus…are they alive again?" he asked again and the wind changed.

"We have been split up, but not in this world. Thou priests have separated our soul, deep into the hearts of men in the shape of giants," Dormin explained.

"More colossus? How many must I kill? The same as before" he asked and Dormin seemed to almost chuckle. It made Wander nervous. He couldn't live after sixteen, one more and he would die. He looked up again and raised his chin. "You want to make a deal, don't you?" Dormin was silent once again. "How long have I been gone, Dormin?" he asked quietly, his voice filled with anger and a hint of dread.

"Thy have lived in shadows of your true self for eighteen years," it echoed. Wander stopped.

"She, has she aged?" he whispered and Dormin was silent. He shut his eyes. Dormin knew what would happen now. He had fallen into his trap and Wander knew it, too. How easily had he been tricked? His eyes opened, the once warm brown now hardened. "Where are they?" he asked and the light began to shine. It lightened the pool of water before him and Wander turned. The black water now was filled with bright light and he stopped. His last memory, the pool had sucked him in and…did he die? He shut his eyes. Dormin had really saved him then?

Wander touched his horns and looked back up. "How many?" he asked again and the temple rumbled.

"We feel them in hundreds of human colossus," Wander stopped. Hundreds? Human colossus? What did these priests do? How did they make so many? And what were human colossus? "Our sword is in the vital of the first one thy kill. Seek thou friends and release us. Only then shall we return you to her in her youth," he replied and Wander shook his head.

"Let's make something clear here, alright?" the temple shuddered. "Her soul, her body, everything better change to the way she used to be. If you even think of tricking me, I will kill you, understand? If I find out that you are going to trick me, I will destroy you like I did with all the other colossi."

"We shall not fail, as long as thy does not," it replied emotionlessly and Wander nodded. He walked towards the well. He didn't even want to see her. He wasn't that strong. He approached the well, watching the light fade and he stared down into the depths. Did he want to do this? Or could he live with her this way? No, he had to do this. No matter what, this was right. He placed a hand in the water wearily and swallowed nervously. This better not be a mistake.