They had passed through a door. The door, however, maybe shouldn't be called a door. It was a passage that was blocked by statues. The statues contained bodies: the bodies of previous horned children, kneeling inside, stone now. When the girl had approached the statues, they had turned white and moved out of her way, just as the ones the warrior separated with the sword, when Ico had been brought here.
Ico and the girl now sat on a seat made of stone and iron, which was on a balcony by a long bridge. The bridge crossed over water, which was hundreds of feet below them. A fall would mean certain death.
The seat was pulsating with white light as they sat there. It made Ico relax. The girl, whose name was Yorda, simply sat and took in her surroundings. She still glowed, with the same light as the seat did. Ico suspected the two had something to do with one another, but did not ask, for no answer would come even if he did.
He was still wondering why he freed Yorda. He asked himself if he really believed she knew a way out of here. Looking at her now, he didn't think she did. She was even more helpless than he was. Her hands were frail, as was the rest of her body. Her eyes were a deep purple, and her hair was just vaguely light brown. The rest of her was as white as a cloud. Ico pondered. Maybe she came from a cloud.
He reflected on why he had been brought here. It must have been because of his horns. No one else in his village had had them, and it seemed everyone hated him because he did. He never had many friends; in fact, most people refused outright to speak to him. On his twelfth birthday, men with masks came and took him away from his family. His family was glad to see him go. Ico had cried, and screamed, and yelled, but no one had listened. The masked men brought him to his jar and locked him in, then left.
And now he was here with a mysterious girl named Yorda. She could not fight, she could not speak his language, and she could barely climb a ledge without Ico's help. And Ico had pledged to get her out of this castle. So he would.
He stood up and picked up the stick from the ground. It was time to move on. Yorda stood too, and Ico took her hand. She didn't resist his touch; in fact, she gripped his hand just as tightly as he gripped hers.
Walking across the bridge, Ico felt it move underneath his feet. He gasped, and on instinct, began to run. Yorda struggled to keep up with him. Their pace was too slow, however, and the bridge collapsed under the girl.
Yorda was dangling off the bridge, one of her hands in Ico's. Ico was lying on the bridge, struggling to pull her up. I won't let go, he thought. I can't let go. He kneeled with all his might, and began to pull Yorda back onto solid ground. Her other hand grabbed his, and Ico managed to get her up. He gripped her hand tightly again, and began to sprint across the bridge. He had to hurry. If another section collapsed, they might not make it.
Soon after they had crossed the bridge, a noise like thunder ripped through the air, and the entire bridge collapsed. Ico peered over the edge and watched the mass of rock smash into the water and disappear from sight. They certainly would have been killed had they been on the bridge.
As Ico straightened and glanced around, he noticed Yorda was standing just a few feet away from more of the statues. She looked frightened of them. Ico walked towards her, and she turned to face him. She made a gesture with her hand that suggested she wanted to touch him. Ico clasped her hand tightly, and began to walk towards the statues. Again they were bathed in white energy; again they parted to allow passage. And again Yorda stumbled, looking at the statues with a mix of confusion and sadness. She dashed through the door before Ico could stop her.
He followed her into the room. It was fairly small, with a set of stairs leading down to a platform, and another space below the platform. In that space was a large block. Yorda stood on the first stair. Ico took her hand, and began to lead her down, when a black portal materialized on the middle platform.
Two of the shadow-creatures emerged, one skinny and small and one huge and tall, along with several small, spider-like ones that immediately skittered up the walls, out of reach. The larger, bi-pedal ones charged at Yorda, but they had to pass through her horned guard first.
As the skinny shadow charged, Ico swung his stick up, catching the creature in the head, sending it flying up and back, into a wall. No dust was kicked up by its fall; it was like it didn't exist.
The larger one, which was twice Ico's height, did not so much run as stomp. It seemed to be amused by the boy with the stick, until that stick bashed his head in, causing a burst of black ink to splatter over the floor.
The skinny one had Yorda, Ico realized. He jumped and swung the stick at the creature holding the girl, and Yorda was dropped on the floor. She yelped and ran behind Ico, as he hit the being again and again with the stick.
As the skinny shadow fell and evaporated, Ico turned his attention to the larger one. It was staying just out of reach of the lethal wooden stick, moving along the far wall. Ico leapt forward, hitting the shadow hard in the torso, which caused it to stumble. The boy seized the opportunity and began pounding the stick into the creature, black liquid splattering everywhere with every hit. Eventually the being's eyes disappeared, and the remains dissipated into the stone, just like all the others.
The spider-shadows were advancing on Yorda. They did nothing but skitter around her feet. Ico merely chased them away, but they were too fast, and they climbed up the wall before he could hit them. When one leapt down to Yorda, Ico ran over to it, stepped on it. It disappeared without so much as a spurt of blackness. He did the same with the others.
After all the shadows had been eliminated, the portal disappeared in a puff of black smoke, and the room was empty again, save for the boy with horns and the mysterious white girl.
Ico and the girl now sat on a seat made of stone and iron, which was on a balcony by a long bridge. The bridge crossed over water, which was hundreds of feet below them. A fall would mean certain death.
The seat was pulsating with white light as they sat there. It made Ico relax. The girl, whose name was Yorda, simply sat and took in her surroundings. She still glowed, with the same light as the seat did. Ico suspected the two had something to do with one another, but did not ask, for no answer would come even if he did.
He was still wondering why he freed Yorda. He asked himself if he really believed she knew a way out of here. Looking at her now, he didn't think she did. She was even more helpless than he was. Her hands were frail, as was the rest of her body. Her eyes were a deep purple, and her hair was just vaguely light brown. The rest of her was as white as a cloud. Ico pondered. Maybe she came from a cloud.
He reflected on why he had been brought here. It must have been because of his horns. No one else in his village had had them, and it seemed everyone hated him because he did. He never had many friends; in fact, most people refused outright to speak to him. On his twelfth birthday, men with masks came and took him away from his family. His family was glad to see him go. Ico had cried, and screamed, and yelled, but no one had listened. The masked men brought him to his jar and locked him in, then left.
And now he was here with a mysterious girl named Yorda. She could not fight, she could not speak his language, and she could barely climb a ledge without Ico's help. And Ico had pledged to get her out of this castle. So he would.
He stood up and picked up the stick from the ground. It was time to move on. Yorda stood too, and Ico took her hand. She didn't resist his touch; in fact, she gripped his hand just as tightly as he gripped hers.
Walking across the bridge, Ico felt it move underneath his feet. He gasped, and on instinct, began to run. Yorda struggled to keep up with him. Their pace was too slow, however, and the bridge collapsed under the girl.
Yorda was dangling off the bridge, one of her hands in Ico's. Ico was lying on the bridge, struggling to pull her up. I won't let go, he thought. I can't let go. He kneeled with all his might, and began to pull Yorda back onto solid ground. Her other hand grabbed his, and Ico managed to get her up. He gripped her hand tightly again, and began to sprint across the bridge. He had to hurry. If another section collapsed, they might not make it.
Soon after they had crossed the bridge, a noise like thunder ripped through the air, and the entire bridge collapsed. Ico peered over the edge and watched the mass of rock smash into the water and disappear from sight. They certainly would have been killed had they been on the bridge.
As Ico straightened and glanced around, he noticed Yorda was standing just a few feet away from more of the statues. She looked frightened of them. Ico walked towards her, and she turned to face him. She made a gesture with her hand that suggested she wanted to touch him. Ico clasped her hand tightly, and began to walk towards the statues. Again they were bathed in white energy; again they parted to allow passage. And again Yorda stumbled, looking at the statues with a mix of confusion and sadness. She dashed through the door before Ico could stop her.
He followed her into the room. It was fairly small, with a set of stairs leading down to a platform, and another space below the platform. In that space was a large block. Yorda stood on the first stair. Ico took her hand, and began to lead her down, when a black portal materialized on the middle platform.
Two of the shadow-creatures emerged, one skinny and small and one huge and tall, along with several small, spider-like ones that immediately skittered up the walls, out of reach. The larger, bi-pedal ones charged at Yorda, but they had to pass through her horned guard first.
As the skinny shadow charged, Ico swung his stick up, catching the creature in the head, sending it flying up and back, into a wall. No dust was kicked up by its fall; it was like it didn't exist.
The larger one, which was twice Ico's height, did not so much run as stomp. It seemed to be amused by the boy with the stick, until that stick bashed his head in, causing a burst of black ink to splatter over the floor.
The skinny one had Yorda, Ico realized. He jumped and swung the stick at the creature holding the girl, and Yorda was dropped on the floor. She yelped and ran behind Ico, as he hit the being again and again with the stick.
As the skinny shadow fell and evaporated, Ico turned his attention to the larger one. It was staying just out of reach of the lethal wooden stick, moving along the far wall. Ico leapt forward, hitting the shadow hard in the torso, which caused it to stumble. The boy seized the opportunity and began pounding the stick into the creature, black liquid splattering everywhere with every hit. Eventually the being's eyes disappeared, and the remains dissipated into the stone, just like all the others.
The spider-shadows were advancing on Yorda. They did nothing but skitter around her feet. Ico merely chased them away, but they were too fast, and they climbed up the wall before he could hit them. When one leapt down to Yorda, Ico ran over to it, stepped on it. It disappeared without so much as a spurt of blackness. He did the same with the others.
After all the shadows had been eliminated, the portal disappeared in a puff of black smoke, and the room was empty again, save for the boy with horns and the mysterious white girl.