8 Dark History

"...Atreus," the boy speaks with distracted words, his eyes seeming to be glued to Syr's own silver eyes.

Syr holds a wooden tray behind her back, that innocent smile still plastered to her lips, "Nice to meet you, Atreus," she says, her eyes trailing off to a severed head hanging from the man beside Atreus.

"Hello, my lady. Would you do me a favor?" Mimir asks, one of his eye sockets reduced to an empty hole.

Syr freezes, her brain still attempting to understand what she is speaking to, "...Yes?" she responds.

"Would you pick up that marble beside your foot? I seem to have lost my eye just sitting here," Mimir chuckles.

Her eyes trail down, "Oh," Syr says, picking up the yellow marble-like orb. It glows slightly in her hand, and she notices that it's extremely warm. Atreus holds out his hand and takes the orb, hopping off of the stool to push the orb back into Mimir's head, "Oh, laddy, I think it's backward..."

"Oh, sorry Mimir."

"Don't worry about it... Ah, there we go. Thanks, Lad."

Syr keeps an awkward smile as she watches Atreus help the severed head nonchalantly as if it's a normal thing. Though suddenly, the man the head is attached to turns, and Syr is met with a wave of fear she had never experienced in her life. Kratos stares at the woman with cold eyes, and Syr feels a bead of sweat form on her forehead.

"Leave us," Kratos' voice rumbles just low enough for Syr to hear it, and the woman acts as if her father had just spoken to her, walking swiftly away with her head tucked.

Atreus watches Syr nearly stomp away, and he sighs, "Father, why did you do that?" he asks.

Kratos watches Mama Mia as she appears from the door with two plates stacked on one arm, and two pints on the other, "Do not speak to that woman, boy," Kratos says, and Mama Mia sets the plates and pints before the duo.

"That'll be 800 valis!" Mia says, placing her hands on her wide hips.

Kratos pulls that grey bag from his hip and stares at the coins, "How much is 800 Valis?" he asks, staring up at Mama Mia.

"You don't even know how much money to give me?" Mia says with furrowed brows, "Here, lemme see it."

Mia counts out the coins and tells Kratos how much each coin is worth, and Kratos listens intently, "There we go... It looks like you have about 400 Valis left, make sure to get more money if you want to eat here again!" she says with a cackle, walking off to tend to the other customers.

"Why do you not want me to speak to her?" Atreus says, picking up a fork from the plate and stuffing a piece of tough meat into his mouth.

Kratos chews in silence, staring forward, "...She is not who she says she is, boy. I do not know why she is creating this... facade, but we will not play into her games," he says.

"Your da' is right, laddy. I can't quite place my finger on it, but that woman is most certainly hiding something," Mimir chimes in.

Atreus finishes chewing and furrows his brows, "How do you know?" he asks.

Mimir does not speak, opting to let the boy's father answer the question. Kratos is silent for some time, and the buzz of the busy pub takes over as the two gods chew away. They finish their food after a while, and Atreus stares at his father, waiting.

Kratos glances at his son, exhaling hard, "I do not know. She has an... Aura. And it is not that of a human," he says, not exactly sure of what he had sensed himself. When the woman had entered his eyes, Kratos had seen a massive concentration of unknown energy around her body. The energy had reminded him of something, a distasteful memory, though there are too many of those to count in the man's long history.

Atreus stares at his plate, "Oh... Well, I'll do as you say, father," Atreus says, noting that Kratos has rarely been wrong, at least when it comes to warnings.

"Good," Kratos says. An uncomfortably loud screech flows through the pub as the god pushes the stool back, standing from the bar. Atreus does the same, merely landing on the wooden floor.

Mama Mia suddenly walks up to the two, standing behind the bar as she looks at them, "Do you two have a place to stay tonight?" she asks.

Kratos and Atreus exchange looks, with the latter raising his brows in surprise. Kratos looks back at Mia, "We do not," he says.

Mama Mia lets a chuckle loose, "I figured. I have a soft spot for new adventurers, and I'm willing to let you two use the room upstairs..." she gestures to the staircase to the side of the pub, "...Of course, it won't be free! But I'll let you pay me back later... That just means another trip in the dungeon for you fellows!" she says.

Kratos nods, the trademark grunt flowing from him, "We will take you up on your offer," he says.

Mia nods back, "It's lights out in an hour, but don't be mad if me and my girls wake you up with our cooking in the morning!" she says, returning to her duties.

"Let's go," Kratos says to Atreus, walking under the dim lights of the pub and in between tables of drunken men and women.

The wooden stairs creak under the weight of Kratos and much less for Atreus. A single ceiling light paves the way down the dim hallway. The door creaks open, and Kratos steps inside a small bedroom, a window to the side lighting up two beds set on either side of the room. Both beds have a small wooden table to the side with a lamp on them.

Kratos walks up to the bed closer to the window and takes Mimir from his usual spot, setting the head on the table. The bed creaks under his weight and he sighs, taking his weapons from his back and setting them beside the white pillow.

"How does this work?" Atreus says, staring at the lamp with furrowed brows. A chain hangs from under the lampshade, and Atreus pulls on it, jolting as the lamp gives off a comfortable yellow light with a click, "Oh."

The boy sets on his own bed, looking at Kratos who is already laying on his back, "Father," he calls.

"Hmm?" Kratos turns his head with raised brows.

"Can we go back into that dungeon tomorrow?" Atreus asks.

Kratos hums, "We will have to. I do not leave debts unpaid," he says.

Atreus takes on a wide smile, "Really?" he says.

"Yes, We have no other way to acquire... Valis at the moment," Kratos says.

Atreus keeps his smile, lying on his back with thoughts swirling through his mind.

"So, uh, Brother... I don't mean to disturb your sleep, but may I ask something?" Mimir suddenly speaks from the table.

"Mmh, go on," Kratos says.

"Well, ever since we've been thrown into this world, I've watched you become more and more restless, and it's only been a day. Will you be okay, brother?" Mimir asks, his concern flowing through the room.

Kratos opens his eyes, turning his head to look at Atreus. The boy seems to already be sleeping, the fatigue from earlier finally setting in, "I will be fine, head. Do not concern yourself with my wellbeing," he says.

Mimir purses his lips, "I understand. Just... Watch out for yourself, Brother. I've seen you mad before, and I've heard more than I would like. Your rage is an incredible weapon, but it is also indiscriminate... And you have your boy now," he says.

Kratos clenches his jaw, "Mimir... You are with us as a guide and friend, but do not overstep and speak of things you have no true knowledge about. My past is my burden and mine alone, and I have made it this far with that weight," he says.

"Sorry, Brother. I'll drop it," Mimir says, his nonexistent heart twisting with fear. Kratos had always referred to him as 'head', and the sudden change is of no coincidence, Mimir thinks.

---

A temple stands in the middle of a burning village. Men, women, and children scream and run for their lives, watching their loved ones and friends being massacred before their very eyes. Spartan soldiers slaughter everyone they see, and set fire to every hut.

An old oracle stands before the temple with a frail body and grey hair, waiting. A pendant hangs from her wrinkled neck, a greek symbol for war, suspiciously glowing with a fiery light. She finds the thing she waits for walking towards her, a dark-skinned man with a red tattoo, Kratos.

"Beware, Kratos. The dangers in the temple are greater than you know," she says. However, her warning falls on deaf ears, and Kratos merely pushes the woman to the side. He enters the temple, and a bloodbath follows. Every woman met with the blades of chaos, and their ends were swift.

Kratos stands before the slain women, scowling. He scans every body before him, and soon his scowl turns to sorrow, "Lysandra... Calliope," he calls the names of his family, only to be met with their motionless faces.

The Oracle laughs, a maniacal cackle that can be heard from outside the temple. Kratos steps outside, and the temple folds on itself from the fire.

"You will be cursed for the murder of your family, Kratos," the Oracle says, that chilling laugh flowing from her again. Suddenly, white flakes of ashes fly from the temple, and from his feet to his head, they cover Kratos' skin until he is white as a ghost.

---

Kratos gasps, leaning up from his bed fast. He looks around to find himself in the same room as before with the sun leaking through the window. The god stares at his hands, which are white, just like in his nightmare, "They're back? After all this time?" he says.