2 Prologue pt. 2

Atreus found helping Perenelle with her cooking somewhat relaxing and fun. Although he did feel slightly tired from focusing on his magic. They prepared everything, and now they only had to wait for the soup to get done. That's when he remembered something important.

"Perenelle!" Atreus exclaimed, "Um... my stuff. You said Nicolas found me but was there anything else that he found?"

"There was," Perenelle confirmed and looked towards the door. Atreus sensed a pulse of magic, and shortly something came flying in.

A smile blossomed on his face as he reached out and grabbed the items. One by one, he checked them all, making sure there was nothing wrong with them. The first item he inspected was a knife, which he gently caressed.

"Is it special?" Perenelle gently asked as she watched.

"To me, it is."

It was a simple and mundane-looking knife. However, it meant a lot to Atreus. His father gifted it to him after he lost his previous one and when he believed him to be ready. There was nothing special about the knife, but as Kratos told him, the power of any weapon came from the heart, but only when tempered by the mind. It might be a simple knife, but... it had ended the lives of gods.

The next item was a longbow, which had been improved in the past few years. The dwarven brothers put a lot of work into it, and it had turned into beautiful weapon with an intricate design, a golden handle, and a magical string.

"I have never seen a magical bow before this one," Perenelle commented, hoping the boy would explain a bit about it and generally open up to her.

"It's called the Talon Bow. It was made for me when I was young. It's larger so that I could grow into it."

The Talon Bow was the last gift his mother gave him before passing away. Laufey also taught him how to use it, and he will forever cherish those memories. Atreus didn't have much of them since a majority of his time as a child he had been bedridden. However, she had always been there for him, staying beside his bed and taking care of him.

The last, or what should've been the last item, was a pouch made out of dirty orange leather. This one Atreus even participated in its making. He had written runes, which Mimir had advised him on, on the inside while Brok and Sindri finished the rest.

"I would say this is a Mokeskin Pouch, but this is definitely not made out of moke hide," Perenelle said. She and her husband had sensed that the pouch was magical, and they had checked its contents, but for all intents and purposes, the bag was empty.

"What's a Mokeskin Pouch?" Atreus had always been curious about anything new, and he couldn't stop himself from asking. The words just came out of his mouth before he even realized it.

"It's a small bag that is much larger on the inside," Perenelle explained it simply.

"I see. This is the same, but we called it the Bag of Holding since... it's a bag that holds stuff."

"We?" Perenelle questioned, hoping the boy elaborates, but he only replied with, "My friends."

Again, that brought more questions, but Atreus was already looking at the last object. Something that he didn't remember having.

"Was this among the items I was found with?" Atreus asked as he picked up the small tree branch.

"Yes."

Why was there a tree branch among his stuff? Had Atreus hit a tree when he arrived in this place? He didn't think so, or at least he didn't remember. For that matter, how did he even come here? Atreus had been drifting in the void, and he was sure he couldn't escape it on his own. He did remember that something had wrapped around him before arriving here, and the only thing that could do that was...

"The World Tree," Atreus whispered in surprise. He couldn't think of anything else that could've saved him from the void. Atreus gulped audibly. He was holding a branch of the World Tree, the one that held all the nine realms!

Yggdrasil had splintered during the clash between Thor and Jormungandr. The World Serpent had ended being transported through time and space while the Aesir god was left barely alive. Thor had been so weak that even Atreus was able to kill him... just like he had killed his son, Modi.

With the World Tree splintered, the nine realms started crumbling and falling apart. The deaths of the Aesir gods, who kept coming after Atreus and Kratos, further increased the speed at which the realms broke down. His father had told him many times that there were consequences for killing a god, but only then did he understand what he meant.

Atreus felt a spark of rage just thinking about the Aesir. If the gods hadn't bothered them, his world would've never been destroyed. It was all their fault! Why did they have to seek to kill them? Because of a stupid prophecy? One which wouldn't have happened if the Aesir had just left them alone! It was all their fault!

"Atreus!" He heard Perenelle call out to him and turned to look at her. The worry in her eyes made him calm down somewhat. Her look really reminded him of his mother.

"Are you okay?" Perenelle asked as she observed the runic tattoo on his neck that was faintly glowing. Steady Mind, Laufey was the one that had made it, and only after learning more about his father did he realize its purpose. The Spartan Rage that he had inherited from Kratos was not easy to quell.

"I'm... fine," Atreus said, and his gaze turned back to the branch.

Perenelle placed a hand on his shoulder, and he flinched. His first response was to jump and get away from her, but the touch was gentle and reassuring. So, Atreus allowed it.

"Do you know what this is?" Perenelle asked, but he was almost sure she had heard him earlier. Then why was she asking? Atreus wasn't sure, but... he looked at her.

Perenelle was looking at him with a gentle smile, and her caring blue eyes reminded him so much of Laufey. It felt nice to be looked at that way, but it also physically hurt him; he missed his mother so much.

"A branch from the World Tree. A relic of a destroyed world," Atreus said after looking away.

The nine realms were destroyed. Everything and everyone Atreus knew was gone, never to be seen again. His father was missing. Either drifting in the endless void or trying to find him. He had nothing left other than the items in front of him.

It hurt, and Atreus didn't even realize that tears were dropping from his eyes. He didn't know when, but a pair of arms had gently wrapped around him in a caring hug. Atreus had promised that he will be better, that he will be great, but that didn't mean the boy couldn't grieve for what he had lost.

When Nicolas came down, he found Perenelle and Atreus on a couch conjured by her. The boy was nestled in her embrace as she gently stroked his back. With just a look, the two were able to communicate everything they wanted in a second.

Nicolas' discussion with Yao brought as many questions as answers. Atreus was a Greek name, but the boy didn't know about any of the continents on Earth. However, he believed to be from Midgard and had tattoos written with Norse runes. Midgard was supposed to be Earth according to Norse myth, so how did he not know about the continents?

The Norse runes were another thing of interest. There was just no sane wizard that would willingly put runic tattoos on his body. The slightest mistake could very easily lead to death, and Atreus had more than one. Whoever tattooed him didn't care about the safety of the boy or was an expert that was absolutely sure of their skill and knowledge of runes.

The information Perenelle learned from Atreus answered a few topics regarding the boy, but again, brought even more questions. The little branch that he had been studying and trying to find out what it was from turned out to be from the World Tree.

Yao's opinion that Atreus might not be a simple human might turn out to be true. Add in the ability to replicate Perenelle's feat of doing wandless magic at his age, and he certainly looked... divine.

That was worrisome. A god, they could possibly be housing a god! That was troublesome no matter how he looked it. However, Nicolas couldn't see himself kicking out Atreus. He was still so young, and he didn't think Perenelle would ever allow that, judging by the sight in front of him.

"Come," Perenelle gently nudged him, "the food is ready."

Atreus stood up, but he kept his gaze on the floor in shame. He showed emotional weakness. Two times. The grieving wasn't too bad, and it was... somewhat acceptable. After all, he had lost everything.

However, the anger was a different story. Time and time again, Kratos had warned him to never let his rage take control, and for a good reason. It was scary what Atreus and his father could become and do under the influence of their Spartan Rage.

The angrier they got, the more powerful they become, but it also makes them crueler and forces them to wreak havoc. It is a curse, but a controllable one. Kratos had shown him that and believed Atreus would be better than him. He even had the help of his mother, so he should have an easier time. Atreus will be better, he will be greater, he promised he will!

During their meal, everyone ate in silence. Atreus didn't know what to say, nor did he want to say anything while the couple was able to communicate without words.

The soup was delicious. Atreus didn't remember when was the last time he ate something like that. The past few years, he had gotten used to just eating meat grilled over a fire. The best part was that he had helped in making the meal, he thought. He enjoyed the food, he really did, but he also needed some time alone.

Atreus looked at Perenelle, and she smiled at him. He hadn't said a word, but she understood what he wanted. It was something in his eyes and the way he looked at her, or maybe it was something else. Whatever it was, she understood what he wanted.

"Let me show you to your room," Perenelle said with a smile, and Nicolas flinched at that.

Atreus stood up and grabbed all of his belongings before following after her. Those items were the only thing he had left from his world, and he would never lose sight of them. They were too important to him.

Their house was so big, much bigger than the small cottage he used to live in. As they walked, Perenelle would show him the rooms they passed and what they were. Her smile never left her face, and her voice was always gentle, as if she was trying to make him feel safe and welcomed. It... certainly worked.

Why were they so nice to him? It was a question that popped in his head, but he decided not to dwell on it. For now, he would take it at face value and hope it won't come back to bite him in the ass.

Finally, they reached their destination. It was a simple room with a square table, two comfy-looking chairs, two bookshelves, a wardrobe, and a bed.

"I hope you like it," Perenelle smiled at him. "If there is anything that you need, you can usually find me in the living room and sometimes the kitchen."

"I... Thank you," Atreus said with gratitude.

"You are welcome," Perenelle gently squeezed his shoulder and looked as if she wanted to do more but stopped herself. She then left, leaving him alone in the room.

Atreus placed his items on the table and looked at the bookshelves. He needed a distraction and a book would do just that. He picked one at random and made himself comfortable in one of the chairs.

"Charms, A Spellbook For Beginners," Atreus read the title before opening it. A book about magic will hopefully hold his interest.