Atreus blinked in shock, fingers tightening around his bow.
"Whoa—who are you?!" he stammered.
Mithra stumbled forward, exhaustion etched across her face, and grabbed his arm.
"Listen to me," she said urgently. "There's no time."
Atreus tried to pull away.
"Hang on, hang on—who are you? Are you… a goddess?"
"I'm Mithra," she panted, breath quick. "My father is Asura. He's fighting something that shouldn't exist—a cosmic god named Eon."
Atreus squinted, frowning.
"Eon…? I've never heard of him."
"You wouldn't," Mithra admitted, voice trembling. "He's from… somewhere beyond everything. He's merging worlds. Your realm and mine—they're crossing over because of him. And my father… your father… they're both going to die if we don't help them."
Atreus' eyes widened. His thoughts flashed to Kratos: bloodied, stubborn, alone. He swallowed hard.
"Wait… you said your dad is fighting with my dad?"
Mithra nodded fiercely.
"Yes. And they're losing."
He glanced over his shoulder at the snowy forest, then back at her.
"…Okay. Then we help them."
"Just like that?" Mithra asked, surprised.
"He's my father," Atreus said firmly. "And he'll die trying to save me if we don't. So… where do we start?"
Mithra placed her hand on his chest. Warm, golden light spread across his body.
"I'll bring you to them. Hold on tight."
Atreus swallowed hard as golden energy wrapped around them both.
The World Between
Darkness gave way to silence, and silence gave way to pain.
Kratos stirred first, buried under broken rock and frost-laced rubble. Muscles screamed in protest as he forced himself upright. His armor was scorched and cracked, and the Leviathan Axe lay several feet away, half-frozen into stone. Somehow, he had survived. Again.
He turned his head and saw Asura.
The demigod lay in a crater of his own blood, chest rising shallowly, barely alive. The cosmic wound Eon had inflicted still burned faintly through his torso, glowing like a dying ember.
Kratos staggered toward him.
"You should not be alive," he said gruffly.
"Neither should you," Asura replied with a weak laugh, coughing as blood sprayed from his lips. "…But I guess we're too angry to die."
Tension in the Silence
Kratos crouched beside him, lifting the Leviathan Axe from the ice. A long, heavy pause passed.
"You saved me," Kratos said quietly.
"Don't get sentimental. I didn't do it for you," Asura gritted through clenched teeth.
"You did it… for my son… why?"
"Yeah. Your boy doesn't deserve to grow up fatherless. Trust me," Asura admitted softly. "Neither does mine."
Kratos looked away, jaw tight.
"Your daughter… Mithra," he murmured.
"The only god worth my worship," Asura replied with a weak grin.
Somewhere above, faint cosmic thunder cracked the sky.
Wounds Deeper Than Flesh
"We were fools," Kratos said.
"Speak for yourself," Asura countered.
"Charging in. Alone. Divided," Kratos said.
"What choice did we have?" Asura asked.
"We had each other. But we chose pride," Kratos replied.
Asura studied him, fire in his eyes flickering into something else—regret.
"…You remind me of who I used to be," he said.
"And you… remind me of who I never want to become again," Kratos nodded. Something between them settled—less hostility, more understanding.
Mithra and Atreus Arrive
Suddenly, the air shimmered. A golden portal unfurled, pouring radiant light across the fractured temple. Mithra stepped through, pulling Atreus behind her.
"FATHER!!" she gasped, rushing to Asura's side and dropping to her knees. Golden Mantra flowed from her palms into his wound. He winced but slowly opened his eyes, breath ragged.
Atreus darted toward Kratos, relief flooding his face.
"Dad…!"
Kratos stared at him, exhausted and silent for a moment.
"Boy… you should not be here," he said hoarsely.
"I should," Atreus said defiantly. "Because you're hurt."
Kratos exhaled shakily, gripping his son's shoulder.
Asura coughed, speaking weakly to Mithra.
"Mithra… what have you done…?"
"I brought you to safety," she replied. "And I brought help."
She gestured toward Atreus.
Asura studied the boy through narrowed eyes.
"…You're smaller than I expected."
"Hey," Atreus replied, annoyed.
Kratos cracked a tiny, pained smirk.