**So this is an idea I had for a Shadow of the Colossus type story. If you aren't familiar with the storyline, there is a young man that travels to Forbidden Lands with his recently sacrificed love. He pleads with creatures called the Dormin to bring his love back to life and they tell him that first, he must slay 16 Colossi. He then goes on that journey, losing himself along the way.
In this version, Hinata is the young man, and Riku was the one that was killed. This is her final battle.**
.
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Was it worth it?
All the scars, the sacrifice, the terror of each new encounter and mission given by the shadows… in the end of it all, was it worth it?
Hinata leaned her head back against the cliffside, the warmth from the thin rays of sunlight peeking through the leafy overbrush warmed her paled face. The color in her cheeks had long left. Her fingertips were grayed, her golden eyes dulled. Thin tattoos were etched into her skin, creating intricate patterns that she hadn't remembered putting there. Each time she saw her reflection in the water, she noticed a new one had appeared. She hadn't said it aloud, but she suspected they were the markings of the Colossi… the ones she had killed.
Her fingers traced the indentations, her mind replaying the final moments of battle when she would thrust her blade through their skulls. Their cries of agony as the life left their eyes, it kept her up at night and plagued her thoughts throughout the day. Fifteen kills... Fifteen screams that would forever haunt her dreams.
Only one remained… The final Colossus.
After this, her journey would finally be over. Riku would be given new life, Sam and Velcia would be able to leave in peace, and Hinata would be left behind, paying the price for completing the unthinkable.
She swallowed thickly, closing her eyes and taking in a long, deep breath.
This was it.
There was no turning back.
Her eyes opened, her hands clenching at her sides against the rocky ground. She had to keep moving. With a pained moan, she pushed herself to her feet, stumbling forward when her legs refused to cooperate. She caught herself against the trunk of a tree, taking in a few deep breaths to regain her strength. There wasn't much left to her, and she knew as much. Each kill made her weaker, in both mind and body.
"You can do this," she whispered, looking towards the crumbled bridge that would have taken her life if it hadn't been for Nia. "If not for yourself-" she stood back up straight, swaying side to side as she rebalanced. "Then for the others."
Blowing out a breath, she looked up the cliffside that led up to her final battle. Her dagger appeared in her hand in a wisp of shimmering, blue mist, ready to be thrown. She focused on a pillar that leaned over the top of the cliff and stepped back as she readjusted the blade in her grasp. Sucking in a sharp breath, she ran forward and threw her dagger with practiced ease. It embedded itself into the pillar, cracking the stone. Hinata disappeared in a blue mist, reappearing at the dagger's hilt, where she pulled it out from the pillar as it crumbled away. She scrambled back to be on top of the cliff, slipping and nearly falling with the rocks before she gripped the edge of the cliffside. Her heart pounded in her chest, her breaths labored and short as she watched the pillar smash against the rocks below.
She pulled herself back up to safety, struggling to make a maneuver that normally would have been done with ease. Rumbling thunder greeted her as she got back to her feet. Her jaw dropped at the swirling storm ahead of her. Thick, dark clouds surrounded a monstrous tower that went higher than anything Hinata had seen in the forbidden lands. Her eyes followed the building, causing her knees to falter when she saw the familiar golden eyes of a Colossus at the very top. It wasn't a building, or a tower... it was her final foe.
Its fiery eyes stared straight through her as it awaited her challenge. Lightning circled its wrists as it reached out towards her with long, straggly arms that sent chills through Hinata's spine. Blinding light surged from its fingertips, coming straight towards her and forcing her out of the impending panic. She pushed herself to her feet, running to cover behind a tall pillar that stood amongst an old decrepit courtyard Hinata found herself in. The beams of electricity struck the pillar, shaking the ground around her and causing cracks to form in the stone.
Hinata struggled to stay upright, crying out in fright as everything crumbled around her. She peeked around the pillar, gasping and turning away when the Colossus immediately fired another shot, disintegrating a chunk of the rock and forcing Hinata to lower to her knees to avoid being seen.
She summoned her dagger into her grasp, taking in a breath before she threw it further into the courtyard and warped to it. The blue mist was still dissipating away from her warp when she threw her dagger again, and then again, each warp bringing her closer to the Colossus and missing his earth shattering shots of electricity.
The closer she got, the windier it became. As she neared its legs, pelting rain poured around her, making it difficult to see. She was close enough that it could no longer take shots at her, but it instead attempted to smash her with its feet. Her chest heaved as she ran forward, stumbling from the force of its foot slamming against the ground behind her. There had to be a way to climb onto its body, there always was for the others.
She circled around it, her lungs burning and legs threatening to crumble. Despite it, her body never did fully give out during a battle. It was as if she was given strength for the fight itself as the markings on her body glowed and pulsed adrenaline inside of her, pushing her forward.
Running between its legs, she found what she was looking for. There was a platform near the ground, one with jagged stone and moss that gave her the perfect grappling point. She climbed on, gripping the moss as the Colossus growled and shook its body in an attempt to throw her off completely. Harsh winds blew past her, nearly blowing her away completely as the Colossus writhed beneath her. Regardless, she continued upwards, allowing the glow from her tattooed markings to illuminate her way. The light from them melded with the mossy stone that made up the Colossus and it created a thin pathway that led to where she needed to go. She followed without hesitation, one step after the next as she narrowly avoided the creature's hands blindly reaching for her behind its back. Rain clouded her vision, but as long as she could see the thin blue trail of light, she knew where she had to go.
She wasn't sure how long she had been climbing when she reached its waist. There was a thick platform that surrounded it, the last portion of rock before all that remained of its body was fur and blackened skin. Hinata fell to her knees, struggling to remain conscious as her tattoos faded and the adrenaline inside of her reduced to nothing. The corners of her vision went black, blurring even further than the rain was already doing. She couldn't feel her hands as they caught her when she fell forward, but she could see the blotches of black blood between her fingers.
Was that her blood?
Whispers overtook her fading thoughts, filling her entire being as the Dormin shadows spoke to her, "The vitals are in a place thou cannot reach from there…"
Hinata's hands clenched beneath her as she forced herself to look up. She was in the creature's blindspot behind its back. The platform was thick enough that it couldn't feel her presence, but it was still searching for her as it swayed side to side and randomly shot out beams of its electricity into the courtyard.
"Climb higher from that place…" The whispers urged her forward, taking no account for her current state.
Her tattoos pulsated with light, enticing her with a trickle of adrenaline. She whimpered as she pushed herself to her feet, faltering and falling back to the platform completely.
"I can't," she cried softly, her voice completely lost in the storm around her. "I-I'm sorry, I can't…"
The warmth of light caused her to wince before she opened her eyes. The storm parted, the clouds thinning and allowing rays of sunlight to pour in. Hinata blinked, fighting the urge to reel back from the light and instead gazed directly inside, allowing it to completely envelope her. Time seemed to stand still as she looked out over the forbidden lands. Bright blue beams of light pierced through the sky, each one residing where she had defeated a Colossus. In the center of it all was the temple. Its immense and once intimidating size seemed small in comparison to Hinata's perch.
That was where everything began…
Riku laid there, lifeless, patiently awaiting Hinata to finish her quest to set things right. Sam and Velcia watched over him, no doubt agonizing where Hinata had gone when they had woken up that morning. She had left them at dawn, leaving without a word. This wasn't their fight. They had helped her along the way, but in the end, it wasn't their burden to bear.
Hinata pushed herself to stand, her legs quaking and threatening to give under her weight, but they remained strong as she gripped the hilt to the Dormin Blade. It glowed from the sunlight as she unsheathed it and held it high. A thin beam of yellow light penetrated the storm, shining out over the forbidden lands towards the temple.
She had to give them a sign.
A sparkle of light greeted her in response from the temple's entrance. It rose as a pearl of light, spiralling upwards before bursting into a shimmering firework. Hinata breathlessly laughed, her arm losing its strength and falling limp to her side with the Dormin blade loosely in her grasp.
They saw her.
The clouds swirled back together, blocking out the sunlight and once again leaving Hinata alone with her quest. Exhaustion coursed through her, melding with throbbing pain from the perseverance she had forced herself into over the past month. All of it, every moment had led to this and she had to finish what she started.
No matter the cost.
"Climb higher from that place…" The whispers prompted her again.
Hinata nodded, blowing out a breath as she closed her eyes and muttered, "Give me your strength to finish this."
She staggered back, gritting her teeth at the sudden rush of energy and adrenaline that pumped through her in response. It wasn't natural and even as the pain in her joints vanished, she knew deep down that it was still there and was only going to be worse when the effects wore off.
Opening her eyes, she narrowed her gaze towards the arm of the Colossus. She sheathed the Dormin blade and summoned her dagger. Taking in a deep breath, she shook out her arms and switched between the balls of her feet, before sprinting forward. With a final push from her foot at the edge of the platform, she vaulted off, throwing her dagger in succession and piercing it into the Colossus' bicep.
It yowled and grabbed for the dagger, missing Hinata as she landed on its forearm and hung from its blackened and matted fur. She resummoned her dagger, slicing into its arm before it had even noticed her there. Its roar was deafening, shaking everything around it and rattling the rocks that made up its body. Hinata swung herself up onto its arm that was straightened out so the Colossus could find her. The one advantage she had over her size was that she was difficult to spot for a monstrous, towering creature that saw her as nothing more than a parasite.
She ran forward, ducking and sliding when its giant hand came reaching for her. She narrowly missed it as she reached its shoulder. The fur along its back kept her hidden from sight as it searched for her. Its hands swept blindly, becoming more frantic by the moment as it realized she was nearing its head.
Her hands clung to the fur, pulling her further up towards its neck and the glowing markings on the top of its head that pulsed brighter the closer she got. Her own tattoos shined brilliantly, illuminating her path as they did on her way up. The rain pelted her back, the roars and screams from the creature realizing its impending doom resonated around her. All she focused on was closing the distance as she unsheathed the dormin blade. Its glow matched the markings on the Colossus, begging to be plunged into the center and finish the ritual.
The whispers in her mind grew in volume, telling her to take the chance, to not hesitate- even though she always did.
It never got easier to take a life.
With both hands readied on the hilt, she lifted the blade up and sucked in a breath before striking it down, piercing the softened skin. A scream filled the air as the Colossus reared back its entire body. Hinata grabbed onto a rock that protruded from the creature's head, keeping herself steady as the Colossus thrashed. Blackened blood spewed from the wound, seeping into its fur and spraying everywhere. Hinata looked away, desperately trying to hang on before a rocky hand wound around her waist.
She cried out from the tightened grip that only grew firmer as the Colossus realized it had her. It brought her in front of its face, its eyes burning and fingers tightening to cut off her air completely. Hinata stared back into its gaze, the glow of her tattoos fading as the Dormin recognized her fate. She gasped for air, feeling her bones cracking and giving way under the pressure.
Holding out her hand, she summoned her dagger and hurled it towards its head. It clinked off a rock protruding from its skull, but Hinata warped to it regardless, catching herself on the soaked fur as her dagger fell to the world belore. She forced herself to her knees, grabbing the hilt of the blade that was still stabbed inside of the Colossus' head. One more strike, that's all it would take.
"DORMIN!" She cried out, watching her tattoos fill with light as she pulled out the blade and thrusted it back in.
She got to her feet, putting all of her weight onto the blade until only the hilt remained above. The curdling scream in response caused tears to fill her eyes. Every kill was the same, each one left her empty as darkness covered the Colossus' lifeless skin. The colossal body went limp, its head falling forward and rather than brace herself, Hinata allowed herself to fall.
The rain had ceased, the clouds parting to reveal the sun as the fire in the Colossus' eyes went out. Wind whistled past Hinata's ears as she fell, watching the creature crumble and the dark shadows claim their prize. Her eyes lifted to the sky before closing entirely. Riku's face appeared in her mind, their last moments together. His smile, the way he always knew what to say when she needed it most… He would have those moments again. Life would breath back into him… finally.
If this was to be the end, at least it happened with the knowledge that she had finished what she set out to do.
"It is done…" The whispers filled her being.
Hinata's eyes fluttered open, seeing her blackened tears rising in droplets above her as she fell.
She had done it.
Black, shadowy tendrils shot out from the Colossus' remains. Hinata swallowed hard, refusing to watch as they made their way towards her, as they always did. Before she could hit the ground, the shadows pierced her body, momentarily stopping her heart as her lips parted and black mist poured from her mouth.
Then everything went black.