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Chapter 19 - Chapter 19: Blue Dwarf

Atreus searched the ground carefully, his eyes scanning every shadow and stone for any sign of his missing knife, while Kratos and Zelos kept watch nearby.

The two of them stood alert, observing their surroundings with caution, as the ruins around them seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction.

Broken pillars, collapsed archways, and remnants of carvings gave a silent testimony to a long-forgotten civilization.

Suddenly, from behind a pile of rubble, a wolf emerged. Its movements were cautious yet deliberate, its golden eyes glinting in the dim light.

However, what caught their attention was not the wolf itself, but what it carried in its mouth—the very knife that Atreus had been searching for.

"Hey, that's mine!" Atreus shouted as he stepped forward. His voice echoed faintly against the stone walls, but the wolf only looked at him briefly before turning away.

Despite Atreus' ability to communicate with animals, an extension of his own godhood and his Giant heritage, the wolf did not respond.

Instead, it bolted deeper into the ruins, disappearing into the shadows ahead.

Without hesitation, Atreus ran after it. "Atreus!" Kratos called out in his deep voice, but his son either did not hear him or chose to ignore him.

His determination to retrieve his mother's knife outweighed everything else.

Kratos immediately followed, his heavy steps shaking the ground beneath him. Zelos also began running, though at a calmer pace, his expression focused but not rushed.

They could both hear Atreus' voice echoing through the ancient halls, a trail of shouts that guided them deeper into the ruins.

After several turns and a brief sprint through the narrow corridors, they finally reached a large chamber illuminated by faint blue crystals embedded in the walls.

There, they saw Atreus standing near the wolf, slowly approaching it with his hand extended as if to calm it.

But before Zelos could warn him, the boy crossed the threshold of the chamber.

"Wait, Atreus!" Zelos shouted, recognizing the place. His voice echoed through the ruins, but it was already too late.

As soon as Atreus entered, the iron gate behind him slammed shut with a loud metallic clang, sealing him inside.

Kratos and Zelos ran toward the barrier, but the thick gate held firm.

Through the gaps, they saw several grown men surrounding Atreus, their weapons drawn. Atreus tensed immediately, panic flickering in his eyes.

He had faced monsters before, but not men—not humans with intent and reason behind their attacks.

"Remember what we said, Atreus," Zelos called out, focusing his magic on the gate. A glowing Zoltraak shot from his hand, striking the metal surface, but it barely left a dent.

The barrier was reinforced with protective runes. Zelos gritted his teeth and fired again, and again, summoning multiple Zoltraaks to overload the magical defenses.

He refrained from using anything stronger, knowing a larger spell could harm Atreus inside.

Kratos, watching his son surrounded, called out in his commanding tone, "Atreus, focus. It is your fight. Zelos, faster."

Atreus took a deep breath, remembering his father's words and the lessons they had taught him. Fear gave way to instinct.

As one of the men charged forward, Atreus drew his bow, steadying his aim. The arrow flew true, striking the man directly in the forehead.

The attacker fell instantly, and Atreus froze, staring at what he had done.

At that same moment, Zelos unleashed a final surge of magic. The protective runes shattered, and the gate exploded outward, sending fragments of metal across the floor.

Kratos and Zelos rushed in immediately, their expressions hardened.

Zelos raised his hand again, summoning several Zoltraaks that shot upward, striking the mages stationed on the upper platforms who had been preparing spells of their own.

The concentrated light pierced through them in perfect precision, silencing their chanting at once.

Meanwhile, Kratos threw his Leviathan Axe, cleaving an attacker cleanly in half. Atreus, shaking but resolute, continued firing his arrows, striking two more before the battle finally ended.

When the last enemy fell, silence filled the chamber once again. Zelos looked around briefly before turning to Atreus, who stood still, breathing heavily. A faint smile crossed Zelos' face.

"Congratulations," Zelos said evenly. "You've killed your first man. I wish I could say it will be your last, but life rarely gives such mercy. Still, the road ahead is long. You will learn what it means to live with that choice."

Atreus lowered his bow slightly, his voice quiet. "It feels… different than I imagined. When I shot the arrow, it felt like it hit me too."

Kratos approached him, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "It is not a feeling to enjoy," he said. "But do not carry it as guilt. They sought to harm you, and you acted to survive. Remember this lesson. In battle, mercy and hesitation can cost you your life."

Atreus nodded slowly, understanding but not yet accepting. As he steadied his breathing, the wolf stepped forward again.

It gently dropped the knife at Atreus' feet before turning its gaze toward Zelos.

"What to do with you, little one?" Zelos said, crouching down to meet its eyes.

After a brief moment of thought, he extended his hand, channeling a strange energy toward the wolf. The creature's body began to glow softly.

The energy that Zelos transferred carried a fragment of his own primordial essence—a compressed form of the ancient power flowing through his veins.

It merged with the wolf's heart, changing its structure so it could absorb small traces of the same energy, though at a far lesser rate.

"Fel," Zelos said after a short pause, naming the beast. A dark symbol appeared beneath the wolf's paws, an abyssal mark glowing faintly as it engraved itself into the ground.

The same mark shimmered on the wolf's chest, binding its existence to Zelos.

Both Kratos and Atreus watched quietly, observing the process without interrupting.

They had no idea what exactly was happening, only that the light and the shifting symbols carried a deep, ancient power.

When the glow faded, the wolf's appearance had changed. Its fur shimmered with streaks of deep silver mixed with black, and its eyes had turned to a vibrant, glowing blue.

Zelos smiled faintly. The wolf then dissolved into a dark mist and sank into Zelos' shadow, disappearing from sight. "That's how I create a summon," Zelos said, glancing at Kratos and Atreus.

Both of them looked at him blankly, not understanding the process.

All they had seen was Zelos pulling out an orb of five colors, a burst of blinding light, and the wolf's transformation. Neither knew how any of it worked, and neither asked further.

The three of them continued their journey, walking deeper through the cave system. The air grew colder as they moved, until at last they saw light ahead.

Exiting the cavern, they were greeted by the brightness of the outside world, the sunlight reflecting softly across the snow.

They followed the path forward until a strange sound reached their ears—a mix of growling and shouting. As they approached, they found the source: a broken bridge stretched across a chasm, and at its center lay a large, odd-looking creature refusing to move.

Behind it, a small blue figure, possibly a dwarf, was shouting and pushing at the creature's back with all his strength, yet the creature didn't budge at all, its massive body blocking the way entirely.

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