As Freya finished explaining their dire situation, particularly regarding the Black Breath that would start to slowly killing Atreus, both Zelos and the ailing Atreus himself began to convince Kratos.
They argued that they absolutely must travel to Alfheim, just as Freya had suggested, to retrieve its pure light.
This light, she insisted, was the only thing powerful enough to disperse the encroaching darkness that threatened Atreus's life.
Despite the gravity of this looming quest, the prospect of visiting another realm was something that the two younger travelers were surprisingly excited about.
They had only ever known Midgard, and the idea of dimensional travel was a thrilling, new concept for them.
"Lead the way," Kratos commanded in his usual deep, resonant voice. His abrupt agreement was immediately followed by the enthusiastic cheers and celebration of Zelos and Atreus.
Freya also allowed herself a small, warm smile as she looked at the way both Zelos and Atreus celebrated their minor victory.
Their shared excitement strongly reminded her of her own brother, Freyr, and the time she spent with him long ago, before everything had changed.
"Since you have decided, follow me," Freya then said, as she led them toward a specific part of the mountain. They arrived at a spot where they saw a large, wooden contraption built against the sheer cliffside.
"It's the sky mover," Atreus suddenly exclaimed, recognizing the device, which clearly made Freya look at Atreus with some confusion.
"The what?" Freya then asked, as she was unfamiliar with the term.
Atreus then began to eagerly explain what he and Sindri had talked about earlier during their brief encounter. "Sindri, one of the dwarves we encountered, told me about this. He said that this thing would allow him to bring stuff, like his supplies and findings, from the mountain all the way down to its foot. It would allow him to ensure that everything is collected without dangerous physical labor," Atreus explained proudly.
"I did not see anyone earlier when I arrived, perhaps he had already finished his work. Dwarves are often remarkably resourceful," Freya then answered, scanning the area. This was added to by Kratos, who sounded weary.
"And irritating, based on the two we have met," Kratos said gruffly. He was already growing tired of the convoluted shinanigans of the Huldra brothers, despite only knowing them for a brief time.
"Yes, that too," Freya agreed, a small smirk appearing on her face, as she clearly agreed with Kratos's addition.
"So, where are we going once we are down the mountain?" Atreus then asked, as they all boarded the wooden sky mover. Kratos took hold of the large lever. The moment Kratos moved the lever, the entire sky mover platform started to groan and slowly descend along the mountainside.
"See that bridge over there," Freya pointed out into the distance. "The Temple of Tyr is right over the center of that bridge. That temple is special, as it also uses the Bifrost to connect with each of the realms. It is a very good thing that the temple is no longer submerged," Freya then said. This prompted a reaction from Atreus, who was not only amazed by the mechanics of the sky mover but also by the sheer beauty of the distant temple.
"Yes, the World Serpent removed its body from the lake, which immediately dropped down the entire water level. It's amazing that there's a creature that could continuously grow without any apparent limits," Zelos then said, as he inserted himself into the conversation. He was standing near the edge of the platform, looking down at the river far below.
"Where did that creature come from?" Kratos then asked. He remembered the massive eye of the World Serpent staring at them, and his curiosity got the better of him, which made Kratos ask Freya for information.
"No one truly knows. He just appeared one day, suddenly present in the Lake of Nine. Soon after that, Thor attacked him, and their resulting battle could be felt across all the realms.
Ultimately, it ended in a stalemate, and Thor returned to Odin empty-handed, having failed to kill the beast.
The Serpent stayed in the lake and grew so large he now spans all of Midgard," Freya then explained, as she answered the question that Kratos had in his mind.
"See, I told you," Atreus then said proudly to Kratos, puffing his chest slightly. His father did not believe him when Atreus said that the Midgard Serpent spans the entire Midgard realm, which was something that Kratos clearly believed to be a childish exaggeration.
"They have hated each other ever since... they are destined to kill each other come Ragnarok," Freya then added solemnly.
This additional detail immediately changed the expression of Atreus, as he knew what would happen in the events of Ragnarok.
It was something that his mother, Faye, would often mention in her stories.
"You believe in Ragnarok?" Atreus then asked Freya, his voice quiet. Freya just maintained a saddened expression on her face, in which she paused for a moment before answering him.
"I really wish I didn't, child," Freya said, answering Atreus, who also looked dejected. Freya also answered with a somewhat horrified voice, as if remembering a terrible vision.
"Ragnarok. That sounds fun," Zelos then suddenly said, breaking the heavy silence.
His comment made Freya and Atreus look at him with a strange, shocked expression, while Kratos also looked back at Zelos with a little skepticism.
Zelos, noticing all of their stares, suddenly looked back at them with a genuinely curious expression.
"Why? Is there something wrong?" Zelos then asked innocently.
Both Freya and Atreus, hearing his casual question, then boiled over, until Atreus finally asked, "What's wrong with you? You just called Ragnarok 'fun'! It's not something that anyone should be excited about. It's the end of everything," Atreus then went on his rant, as Atreus then began listing all the terrible things he knew about Ragnarok.
"Your younger brother is right," Freya then said, her voice firm. "Ragnarok is not something to be excited about. Countless lives will end in this great, final battle."
"So?" Zelos then answered, shrugging, as he defended himself. "Lives end. That is the way of things. Mortal, immortal, even gods... everyone dies eventually. You see Ragnarok as something that will be the end-all of living, but Ragnarok is just one part of a much bigger cycle. It ends something old to give birth to something new. You keep looking at Ragnarok so closely, focusing only on the destruction, that you forget to look at it in the grand scale of things, which is what Ragnarok truly is." Both Atreus and Freya, who heard Zelos's words, began to think hard about his perspective.
After a few more moments of quiet descent, they arrived at the base of the massive bridge.
Freya led them inside the main temple structure, which was the same area they had already walked through just earlier.
This time, however, was different. Before, the doors and gates were locked, as they would only work when there was a light of the Bifrost.
Because the bridge was dark, they were not able to open them, and Zelos, for his part, did not try to pry them open.
As they walked through the familiar hallway, Freya showed them the power of the Light of Alfheim that she carried.
She drew her bow and fired an arrow of pure energy, which caused the locked gates to burst open and summoned a bridge that was made entirely out of solid light. Atreus became amazed by the spectacle.
Freya then led them along the side of the bridge, down closer to the water, where the massive, primary axle of the entire bridge mechanism was located.
"We must start with mending the axle back in place. Then, push it and realign it toward the tracks," Freya then instructed Kratos.
The Spartan grunted, bracing himself, and was about to lift the entirety of the massive axle.
But before he could even get a grip, Zelos then lifted it first. Zelos was not using his magic, but his raw physical strength.
This was him showing off his incredible physical capabilities for the first time toward Freya, and also toward Atreus, who previously did not have any real idea on how strong Zelos truly was.
"Whoa, the entire bridge is tilting! How are you so strong?" Atreus then asked, as he looked at Zelos, completely shocked.
The massive stone and metal structure was visibly shifting from Zelos's effort alone.
Freya, equally stunned by the display, looked at Kratos. Kratos, however, did not act surprised at all.
He could still feel the memory of the punches that Zelos would throw when they used to do sparring.
He knew it was something that would hurt him seriously if Kratos ever underestimated Zelos's true strength.
"Push it," Freya then instructed Zelos, recovering from her shock.
Zelos then directly pushed the massive axle, which in turn, directly made the entire bridge mechanism move with a groan of ancient stone.
This sight made Atreus even more surprised and shocked by the sheer strength that Zelos was showcasing.
As Zelos pushed the axle back into its proper place, Zelos then looked up at Atreus smugly.
"Looks can be deceiving, little brother," Zelos said, his voice confident. Both he and Kratos started going back up the path toward where Freya and Atreus were waiting, while Atreus just stood there with his jaw dropped, utterly speechless.