Well, this fanfiction is based on the great PS2 game 'Shadow of the Colossus'. If anyone wants to learn more about it, go on wikipedia or the official site or whatever - or buy it! It's great.

Be aware, this has possible spoilers for the game, as it intwines within the storyline of the game.

FanFiction.net - Past and Present

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PROLOGUE
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PART 1 - THE SCATTERING OF DORMIN
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Dormin panted for breath as he ran as fast as he could from the screams of the church. He didn't know exactly what happened - one minute he was standing over the body of his grandmother in her coffin, thinking of the times she had took care of him, and then she was awake, sitting up in her coffin and screaming her head off like a banshee.

It had happened once before with a rat in the street, but he thought it was just hurt and didn't think of it anymore. It was laying down, seemingly lifeless, and when Dormin looked at it, it started to move again.

It was an odd gift, one he wished he didn't have. Only the Gods should have the power to bring the dead back to life.

"Get the boy!" he heard a shout come from the street he had just left, "Burn the devil inside!"

"I've got him!" came another cry from somewhere a few steps away from him.

Before he could have time to react, Dormin was tackled down to the ground by a man far older than he was. He hit his head hard on the floor and his sight turned to a tint of red as blood flowed into his eyes.

His arms were held behind his back and his hands were wrapped together with what felt like thick rope. He closed his eyes in pain and before he knew it was being dragged back to where he had just came from.

Within minutes he felt himself being pushed into what felt like a cave, and hitting into a stone altar of sorts (too smooth to be plain stone).

"We can't kill him, Emon," he heard a woman whisper, "The Gods would not approve of it!"

"We're not going to kill it," someone replied, but talking at a normal volume rather than whispering, "We're going to split it's soul across the Forbidden Land."

"But a soul, no matter how much is it's split apart, needs some sort of host to contain it - you cant just simply contain it within the land."

"Ah, but that's exactly what is going to happen. I'm sure you've heard of the Colossus at least once in your lives, right?"

"You can't be serious!" the woman screamed, making Dormin flinch in shock, "You know what would happen if they were to be reawakended - that is, if they are real."

"Well, do you suggest anything else? By killing it, it would haunt our villages and never leave, and by not destroying it in someway you never know what horrors could befall our people because of this ability. Nothing should have the power to bring back the fallen - nothing!"

Everything went silent. Dormin thought that at any moment he would awake from this as if it were some horrendous nightmare. Of course, Dormin hadn't the best luck, and as he feared the waking nightmare continued.

A small, inaudible murmuring surrounded him as various people (his eyes being still closed, he couldn't see exactly who) started chanting in rhythm. He began to cry.

That day he had to say goodbye to the last living family member he had left - and now to his own life. The Gods were looking down on him - and striking him with their heaviest hammers.

Within minutes a pain began to grow in his stomach - at first he thought it due to hunger, but after time light leaked through his eyelids and he realised the pain was starting to feel like something was ripping out of him and through every square inch of his skin.

He screamed in pain, and then realised something was attempting to get out of his mouth. He tried shutting it, but it wouldn't close. He tried to stop screaming, but instead he screamed louder.

He felt his soul break into pieces.

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PART 2 - THE CURSE OF MONO
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Mono sat with her mother in the isles of the church, as she returned from paying her respects to the passed away lady at the front of the room. People passed by and looked at her in scorn, except for one person - Wander.

She had always liked Wander a lot, but she was never allowed to visit him for fear of being assaulted by the various villagers. At a young age, the village prophet had stated that Mono's future would be "surrounded by a land of only death - the shadow of the colossus overlooking her."

Of course, the villagers hadn't taken this lightly - everyone knew the legend of the forbidden land and the Colossi that once inhabited it. They had always always whispered about her having a "cursed future" and going to cause the "destruction of the village".

She, personally, didn't believe it, and neither did her parents - at least, she hoped not. They looked rather wary a lot of the time, though Mono was never sure whether it was because they believed in the prophecy - or if they believed they'd be stoned for housing a heretic.

She looked over to Wander at the other side of the room, wondering what he was thinking about. A moment later, he looked back and smiled to her, making her giggle lightly. Of course, the person sitting in front of her turned around and looked disgustingly at her.

"Don't take notice of her," Mono's mother said, holding her closer.

A scream emitted from the front of the room and the heads of everyone snapped upwards to see the commotion. The coffin at the front tipped over as a man fell unconcious and a figure of shadow started coming forward from where the corpse was.

The light from the church windowpane seemed to become brighter and it shone down upon the creature, making it disappear as if it wasn't ever there.

"YOU!" screamed the person in front of her, "This is your fault, you and your damn curse!"

"What?" Mono replied, shocked at the accusation, "I haven't done anything! I've-"

Before she could say anything more in her defence, the woman dived over the table and began to strangle her, screaming. Moments later, however, she was keeled over on the floor as Mono's mother kicked her in her side side.

Mono smoothed her hands over her neck to check for any damage, as she gasped for breath. She looked around and saw that a riot had broken out across the room, destroying any atmosphere that would be appropriate for a funeral of a teacher.

"Mono, over here!" came the cry of Wander by the church doors. She looked over to see him waving her over to him.

She dashed through the crowds and over to Wander, where he grabbed her arm and pulled her out to safety out of the church. He slammed the door shut and she looked at him, understanding now more than ever why she loved him.

He turned to look at her and they both laughed.

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PART 3 - THE LOVE OF WANDER
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As they stood there laughing, Wander couldn't help but thinking that moments like this would've been much more frequent if it weren't for that damned prophet all those years ago. He had first met Wander when she had ran away from home, and she had passed outside of where he lived.

Thank god she didn't die.

She had gone days without food, as no one would let her buy any or give any to her for free, due to her supposed "cursed destiny". Wander didn't care if she was cursed or not, all he knew was that she was one of the most caring people he had ever known.

The doors shook hard as something slammed into them from inside the church, and Wander took this opportunity to take Mono to the safety of his... home. By home though, he meant a small enclosed area between the houses that no one but him and his friends knew how to get to.

Wander had no parents of his own, having been found on the steps to the church while a young child. Surprisingly however, he grew up not believing in what the priests and priestesses were teaching him, finding their methods somewhat unneeded and violent for his own beliefs.

Once going in between some houses, Wander led Mono up crates and over rooftops until they finally got to a small enclosed area created by the walls of houses, where they dropped into to the safety of a mattress, small fire and storage of food.

"Wow, you did this?" Mono finally spoke, holding Wander's arm cozily.

"Yeah," he replied, smiling at the warmth given off by her arm, "It took me a while to save up for the mattress, but in the end I got enough. It was either that or hard floor."

"But," Mono asked, confused at Wander's choice of home, "You've been invited to homes all over the village, even invited into the church itself - why do you choose to live here?"

"Well," he said, lowly, "It's not that I prefer this place, it's just that the only reason they want me to live with them is that they think I'm 'blessed' or something, just because of where I was found. I'd rather be appreciated for stuff that I've actually accomplished, you know?"

Before Mono could reply however, a roofslate from the building next to them broke off, making them jump back in fear, but it was too late however, as the slate fell onto Mono, smashing over her head and making her pass out cold.

"MONO!" Wander screamed, picking her up quickly and wincing at the blood pouring out of her forehead. He placed her down on his mattress and left to get help.

Returning to the area of the church, he screamed for help but no one was around to hear him.

"She's going to pass away," a voice came from behind Wander suddenly, making him turn ready to strike, "Put down your fists boy, I'm not here to hurt you."

"Lord Emon," he cried, "It's Mono, she's hurt badly and - what do you mean she's going to pass away?"

"The Gods intended for this to happen," he started to walk slowly towards him, "On the Colossi could help her now, but that's a fools errand for sure - only death awaits the man who steps into the Land of the Colossi. Death and banishment."

"I am afraid of neither," Wander said, determined to do anything to help Mono.

"I'm sure over time you'll think differently. For now, she'll pass on. It's for the best."

Before Emon could carry on with any of his rather pessimistic statements, Wander sped through the church and to the back, where a sword was held by a statue. As the legend went, this sword of stone from the church would turn into a sword of holy power upon entering the forbidden lands. Of course, this was never proven as no one ever dared leave the village for fear of the colossi that inhabited the world outside of it.

He pulled it swiftly from the statues arms and fled back out of the doors, holding the sword as best as he could despite it's weight - being made out of stone and longer than his arm, it was bound to be heavy.

"If you leave with that now," came Lord Emons voice from somewhere behind him, "You leave the grace of the church, and are no longer a blessed man."

Wander cared not about being blessed or being in the good graces of the church - all he cared about was Mono, whom it was time to save.

It was time to enter the forbidden land. Time to enter the Land of the Colossi.