As Zelos, Atreus, and Kratos began their journey, the boy found his gaze wandering. The restored forest stretched around them in quiet beauty, every tree whole, every patch of earth unscarred, as if no battle had ever taken place.
Atreus took it all in with wide eyes, and though both Kratos and Zelos noticed his lingering looks, neither spoke; there was no danger in curiosity, and nothing that required their concern.
"Up to the mountains, huh? It's gonna be a long journey," Atreus finally said, breaking the silence that had begun to settle uncomfortably over them.
"Yes," Kratos answered, his tone steady. "But it is an important one."
Zelos nodded in agreement. A faint sense of excitement stirred in him—this was the beginning of their adventure, the path Faye had set for them. He could not help but feel eager for what lay ahead.
For a while, their footsteps were the only sound. Then Atreus, remembering the stranger who had appeared at their home, spoke again. "Father, Zelos… who was that man earlier? The one who attacked us?"
"Nothing important," Kratos said curtly. "Focus on the path ahead. Not the past." His voice carried the same edge it always did when the subject of gods lingered too close. He had no wish to speak of the stranger, and even less desire to burden Atreus with names.
"Yeah, don't worry about it, Atreus," Zelos added, keeping his eyes forward. "The only important thing is that he's gone—and won't be bothering us any time soon."
Atreus froze in his tracks. His expression shifted from curiosity to shock, then to unease. Kratos and Zelos both noticed immediately and turned back toward him.
"Did the two of you… kill him?" Atreus asked. His voice wavered, caught between accusation and fear.
"We did what had to be done," Kratos said. His reply was sharp, heavy with finality. He fixed his son with a gaze so intense that Atreus nearly shrank under it.
"Animals I can understand," Atreus said hesitantly. "We hunt them for food. Draugr too—they're already dead. But people? They're just trying to survive."
Zelos let out a short chuckle, the sound breaking the tense air. Both Atreus and Kratos looked at him, confused.
"Why do you laugh?" Kratos asked.
"I just find it funny that Atreus didn't realize he already answered his own question," Zelos replied, his tone even.
"What?" Atreus asked, frowning.
"You said it yourself. They're trying to survive, too. And so are we. That's the natural order of life—one side survives, the other doesn't. It's not about fairness. It's about survival. Always remember that."
Atreus looked down, absorbing the words. Kratos' gaze softened slightly as he turned back to his son.
"Zelos is correct," Kratos said. "On this journey, we will face many creatures. Do not expect mercy from them, and do not waste your heart on them. They will not open theirs for you."
Atreus nodded, though his face was still conflicted. "I understand, Father. Zelos. I'll close my heart to it."
Zelos shook his head. "No. Don't close your heart. That's where Father and I differ. Instead, understand it. Understand their desperation, their reasons. Use that knowledge as fuel when you're in their place. Adapt. Survive. That's the true lesson."
His words lingered in the air, leaving both Kratos and Atreus silent. Neither argued, but neither confirmed either. Before the conversation could continue, the air around them shimmered as draugr began to materialize, clawing their way out of the earth.
At once, Kratos took the front line, shield and axe ready. Atreus kept to his lessons, drawing his bow and firing at targets Kratos could not reach. Zelos stood apart, calmly raising a hand. White beams of light, sharp and instantaneous, pierced through draugr one after another. Zoltraak—his favored spell—cut through them effortlessly, dismantling the creatures in bursts of smoke and ash.
Within minutes, the fight was over. The draugr lay defeated, their teamwork seamless: Kratos the unyielding fighter, Atreus the sharp-eyed support, and Zelos the overwhelming mage. Together, they continued on until they reached the base of a steep wall of rock.
"Up," Kratos commanded, crouching so Atreus could climb onto his back. He prepared to scale the wall the hard way.
But Zelos raised a hand. "Father, I can fly us up there."
Kratos paused, then stepped down from the rock face, Atreus still clinging to him. Without waiting for further discussion, Zelos spread a spell into the air.
"Float," he intoned. A gentle current of magic wrapped around the three of them, lifting their bodies upward.
Atreus' eyes widened in wonder as the ground shrank beneath them. "Father—we're flying!" he said with excitement, turning his head in every direction to take in the view.
Kratos gave no reaction, his expression unchanged. To him, such magic was nothing new, nothing worth awe. Zelos, watching silently, knew why—he had played through every part of Kratos' journey, from Ghost of Sparta to Ragnarök, long before finding himself in this world.
In seconds, they reached the mouth of a cavern carved into the mountain. Zelos released the spell, and their feet touched solid ground again. Without a word, the three of them pressed forward into the cave's darkened passageways, the first steps of their true journey now underway.
Inside the cave, their path was anything but quiet. Draugr appeared in scattered groups, their hollow cries echoing off the stone walls as they shambled forward. Kratos cleaved through them with his axe, Atreus loosed arrows from behind, and Zelos dispatched them with precise bursts of magic—white beams of Zoltraak cutting through the darkness like lightning bolts.
Between battles, they encountered broken bridges, collapsed ledges, and unstable ground that should have slowed them down. But with Zelos present, there was little challenge.
He lifted them effortlessly over every obstacle with a flick of his hand, each "Float" spell carrying them higher into the cavern's winding system.
As they rose through a jagged opening, Atreus broke the silence. "Father, do you think we'll see others on the road?" His voice carried curiosity more than concern.
"Yes," Kratos answered bluntly, not looking back.
Atreus tilted his head. "Do you think they'll be friendly?"
"No." The reply was just as flat, shutting the thought down before it could grow.
Zelos glanced at his younger brother, then smirked faintly. "Don't be so dismissive, Father. The world isn't filled only with enemies. We'll meet others who are friendly, and we'll meet many different kinds of people along the road."
Atreus smiled at that, reassured. Kratos did not respond, but the way his shoulders tightened showed he had heard the words.
Their ascent continued until the cavern opened up to daylight. Stepping out, they found themselves standing on a high cliff, the wind brushing against them as they looked down.
Below stretched the entire forest where their cabin lay hidden, bathed in sunlight and shadow.
"Wow," Zelos murmured, unable to help himself as he took in the view. The vast green expanse looked both fragile and eternal from above.
Atreus, however, narrowed his eyes, his attention caught by something in the distance. "Look, Father. All this time we've had the stave protecting the forest… but there's a break there. Did you cut it?"
Kratos' gaze followed his son's, settling on the broken line where the protection ended. His expression shifted, subtle but troubled. "Those trees were the ones your mother chose. She wanted them for her pyre."
Atreus frowned, still studying the gap. "Why do you think she did that?"
"I don't know," Kratos said simply, though his tone carried weight. He did not like not knowing.
Atreus tried again, his voice quieter now. "How long do you think it will take before we reach the mountains? Do you think… before winter?"
"I don't know," Kratos repeated. His eyes lingered on the broken stave, the question gnawing at him in silence. Why would Faye, who guarded them so carefully, leave such an opening?
Zelos remained silent through it all. He knew the truth—or at least enough of it—but he had no intention of revealing it now. Some answers were not his to give.
Finally, Kratos straightened and turned away from the cliff. "Come. No looking back now."
The three of them moved forward, leaving behind the safety of the forest and stepping fully into the journey that awaited them.