Chapter 42, 43

Here is a super chapter of six thousand words. If you're curious about the delay, I'll explain at the end.

......…..

"Hahaha, did you see that kid's face? He was like: 'This is impossible,' hahaha, my stomach hurts, hahaha."

After the God of War trailer ended, the reaction of the boy who came in fourth place took everyone by surprise. Even though they were all as shocked as he was, no one expected such a reaction.

The moment he had that exaggerated response, his expression was immediately cut and used for memes. Before the broadcast even ended, the chat was already filled with memes with the boy's face.

After that, Melissa couldn't stop laughing. The others weren't doing much better. Catharina managed to hold it together during the broadcast, but as soon as they went off air, she and Melissa almost rolled on the floor laughing. While everyone was laughing, Alex noticed that Jade was looking at him.

"...."

( ಠ ʖ̯ ಠ)

"...."

"Why are you staring at me?"

"I'm not."

( ಠ ʖ̯ ಠ)

"...."

"Are you sure? It looks like you're staring."

"No, I'm not."

( ಠ ʖ̯ ಠ)

Alex couldn't help but smile.

"Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?"

"Hmm? I'll stay home."

"Today's trailer presentation was a success, so I'm thinking of celebrating."

*Sigh*

"Alright, let's call everyone to see where we can go."

"Actually, I wanted it to be just the two of us."

Alex took a step forward, stopping just a few centimeters from her.

"...."

"...."

"Uh… I… well… uh… what?!... I mean… okay, fine, it can be just the two of us."

......…..

Meanwhile, the internet was buzzing. The God of War trailer had an enormous impact on those watching. The producers of the broadcast didn't waste time and posted the trailer as soon as the transmission ended.

Unlike other trailers, the God of War one had some extra edits. They took Alex's speech and added special effects to make his words heavier and more impactful. They quickly posted the trailer and immediately started promoting it.

As expected, the view count skyrocketed like a rocket. At that moment, no one knew, but a few years in the future, this trailer would be used as a reference in design classes across the universe.

But right now, many people across the universe were still paying attention to the release of the new games. Six hours after the broadcast ended, the ten games from the final stage of the competition were released.

Many people were excited and quickly started testing the games, but not all players felt the same.

While everyone was excited, Ernesto Mendes was heading home with a tired expression on his face. As a captain in the army, he didn't have much time for entertainment, but in recent years, games had become his escape from reality.

As soon as he arrived home, Ernesto saw his two youngest children sitting on the couch. His wife was on vacation, so she was making dinner. This would be a comforting scene for many people, but Ernesto only felt apathy, a strong sense of detachment.

With a feeling of not belonging, Ernesto felt a slight anger burning in his chest. He took a deep breath a few times, pushing aside these feelings, and entered the house.

"Honey, you have a break? That's great, we can have dinner together."

"Yes, I have some free time... But I've already eaten, you and the kids can eat. I'm going to take a shower and rest a little."

Without waiting for his wife to respond, Ernesto walked away and went to the bedroom. Elisa was already used to this. She just sighed but said nothing more.

Ernesto quickly went to the bathroom, stepping under the running water of the shower. He let out a tired sigh. In the last five years, he had worked tirelessly to find a resistance squad, but even after all this time, while he had found many, he hadn't found the squad he was looking for.

Closing his eyes, Ernesto felt all the accumulated fatigue trying to crush his body, but even so, he couldn't stop. He had a goal and wouldn't stop until he reached it. Sighing again, he got out of the shower, dressed, and went to bed.

As soon as he lay down, exhaustion quickly overwhelmed him. The moment he entered the world of dreams, Ernesto found himself on a completely destroyed spaceship. Screams of pain and despair were all around. Everything was in flames, and behind him, a familiar voice called his name. Ernesto felt his whole body tremble, but he didn't dare to turn around.

"This isn't real, I'm not here anymore…"

Murmuring to himself, Ernesto woke up drenched in sweat. Looking to the side, he saw his wife sleeping. Sighing softly, he got up carefully, trying not to wake her. After getting up, he looked at Elisa for a few seconds before leaving the room silently.

What he didn't notice was that Elisa opened her eyes as soon as he closed the door. She looked at the closed door for a few seconds, then, biting her lips and with slightly red eyes, she turned and decided not to go after him. Holding back some tears, she chose to go back to sleep.

Unaware of any of this, Ernesto went to his office and quickly entered his virtual space. He planned to open one of his games; shooting, killing, and blowing things up was the way Ernesto found to vent his frustration and anger.

Just as he was about to open one of his games, Ernesto noticed a notification about the game design competition. Opening it, the first thing he saw was a bald man wearing a skirt and holding two flaming blades in his hands.

"Why is there a naked bald guy here???"

Curious, he opened the *God of War* trailer and was truly surprised. The trailer was beautiful and very well made, but what attracted him was the violence. Unlike other games where he would have to use weapons to kill enemies or duel with other soldiers, in this game, he could kill and tear apart those monsters with his bare hands.

"I think this would be better to help me 'vent' a little."

Ernesto quickly installed the game. As soon as it started, a unique song began playing, but he didn't pay attention and just jumped into the game, looking at the figure standing in the background, its expressions hidden by shadows, everything covered in flames. Almost instinctively, Ernesto sensed that this man was about to burn and destroy everything in his path, and that was exactly what he was looking for.

Once he selected the difficulty level, a scene began, but unlike what he was expecting, the character didn't seem immersed in rage. He had a look of desolation, the eyes of a man who had lost everything.

As a captain in the army, Ernesto knew those eyes well. With over 450 years of service, he had seen many people like that. In a universe soaked in blood, people who had lost everything were all too common.

"The gods of Olympus have abandoned me."

Ernesto watched the opening scene in silence. He wasn't surprised by the bald man's actions—just by looking into his eyes, he knew what his actions would be. But what Ernesto didn't realize was that the scene was so well-crafted that he could sense all of this just by looking at the character's expression. Unconsciously, he was already slowly being drawn into the narrative.

As soon as Ernesto took control of the character, several pieces of information were fed directly into his brain. He gripped the blades tightly and saw four creatures charging toward him.

Rushing at the monsters, Ernesto destroyed them, cutting off their limbs in the most violent way possible. Somehow, he felt that this fight was far more satisfying than just shooting enemies from a distance.

Without even realizing it, Ernesto became more and more involved with the game's combat mechanics. He progressed until he encountered a huge monster with a snake-like head, which really surprised him, but it wasn't enough to stop him. He quickly received Poseidon's powers. *Poseidon's Rage* was a fantastic ability, perfect for destroying enemies.

Before long, he reached the first boss fight in the game, and as soon as he arrived, a scene started.

["Back! Back!"

"Keep them away from the ship."

"Why won't they die?!"

"It's the big one. She keeps healing the others!"

"No… gods… we'll never escape from here… Doomed! We're doomed! We're all dead!!!"]

During the scene, Ernesto was shocked to see the creature devouring the entire crew. Even the ship's captain fell to his knees, giving up the fight.

Ernesto quickly regained control of the character, and the fight began. It was at that moment that he understood how to deal with these monsters: if a creature was too strong or big to kill outright, he just had to find other ways to win.

After impaling the creature, Ernesto's heart was racing. Fighting something like that was truly incredible. While catching his breath, another scene began. He saw Kratos entering the creature's mouth to retrieve a key. Once inside, Kratos found the ship's captain clinging to the monster's tongue, about to fall into its stomach.

Seeing the captain about to fall, Kratos ran and grabbed him. Ernesto was surprised that the man was still alive and wanted Kratos to save him quickly so he could get back to fighting.

["Thank you!!! By the gods, you came back for me."

Kratos held the man and took a key tied around his neck.

"Who said I came back for you?"

Ripping the key from the captain's neck, Kratos let him go.

"Nooooooo!"]

"What the hell, didn't you come back to save him?!"

Ernesto was shocked by Kratos' actions. He couldn't understand what the bald man was thinking, but as he progressed, he discovered that Kratos' goal was to save the women of the fleet who were sheltered elsewhere. Somehow, Ernesto felt a sharp contrast between the character's actions.

He continued playing, learning more and more about Kratos. He didn't kill women and respected warriors, but cowardly men to him were just collateral damage in his fights—lives not worth preserving.

(Note: In the first game, Kratos doesn't kill women. This changes in other games as he sinks deeper into his rage.)

Ernesto lost track of time, playing for hours without stopping. At first, all he wanted was to relieve his anger, but he became increasingly curious about Kratos. What had he done so terrible that he would beg the gods to make him forget?

As the game progressed, Ernesto became more impressed by everything—the environments, the story, the enemies, the blade techniques. Everything was truly incredible. Ernesto didn't even realize when he stopped using his own fighting style and started relying on the blades' abilities.

The *Blades of Chaos* slashed in wide arcs, hitting and destroying everything in their path. Some of their strongest attacks could make the ground shake and send enemies flying into the air—even the ones behind him. Nothing escaped Kratos' destruction as he wielded the blades in a chaotic and violent manner.

Ernesto was completely immersed in the game. He really felt like he had taken the character's place, unleashing all his anger and frustrations. He attacked and massacred every monster without a second thought.

When Kratos encountered the oracle, she was kidnapped by some monsters. Ernesto didn't even care; he was just killing monsters. But after rescuing the oracle, a new scene appeared, and this time, it made him very curious about what terrible thing Kratos had done in the past.

[When the oracle was about to fall into an abyss, Kratos jumped and caught her. Then the narrator's voice spoke.

"And with this act, Kratos set in motion the events that would lead to his downfall…"

The oracle looked at Kratos in surprise.

"Kratos? As Athens herself predicted, but you are late—perhaps too late to save the city. Or is it Athena you've come to save?"

The oracle approached and touched Kratos' head before he could say anything, and a memory of his began to play as the narrator spoke again.

"When the oracle looked into his soul, she saw a beast, in the shape of a man."]

As a captain of the Spartan army, Kratos began his command with only fifty soldiers, but soon their numbers multiplied into the thousands.

A scene of Kratos and his men massacring enemy soldiers appeared. Their executions were extremely violent, shocking anyone watching with their brutality.

"His tactics were brutal but effective… blinded by power, he was feared by all, except for one. His wife was the only one brave enough to face his wrath."

A beautiful woman holding a little girl appears, speaking to Kratos.

"How much more, Kratos? When will this end?"

"When Sparta's glory is known throughout the world."

"For Sparta's glory? You do this for yourself!!!"

The scene slowly zooms in on the woman, then cuts back to the Spartan army fighting, and the narration returns, now tinged with slight disappointment.

"His desire for conquest knew no bounds, but what he craved would eventually consume him…"

The memories stop, showing Kratos consumed by flames, and the oracle steps back from him, frightened.

"By the gods… Why would Athens send someone like you?"

Ernesto was surprised by this scene. This small fragment of Kratos' memories revealed much about him.

(This bald man is an even worse monster than those I'm killing… but what did he do?)

Ernesto, who had only been looking for a way to escape reality, was easily captivated by the story. He continued progressing, tasked with crossing the desert to find Pandora's box, but what he saw left even someone like him perplexed.

After blowing the horn in the Desert of Lost Souls, he saw Cronos, an insanely gigantic creature crawling while carrying what could only be described as mountains on his back.

It was from this point that Ernesto began learning more about this world, about Kratos, and even about the creatures he was facing. When Alexander was creating this game, he knew he needed to show Greek mythology to the people of this universe. To do so, he used the same method as *Dark Souls*, conveying mythological tales through item descriptions, leaving it up to the players whether they wanted to learn these things or not.

Ernesto wasn't reading tons of text, but he was still discovering a lot about this universe. After arriving at the temple, he could tell that the game had truly begun. He encountered all kinds of challenges, traps, puzzles, and the monsters grew stronger and more varied. The game began demanding more and more from him.

Ernesto slowly stopped focusing solely on combat and started trying more and more to understand this world and Kratos. After making his way through the temple, he finally arrived at a corridor that left him speechless.

The place was filled with hanging cages, with people inside, begging for help. In a room ahead, he found a device emitting flames. Looking around, he saw a body with a note beside it, and that's when he understood what had to be done.

The gods demanded a sacrifice—one that no human had been able to make, due to how cruel the act would be. A person had to be burned alive for the path to open. This was something no one with even a shred of humanity could do.

(Maybe that's why the gods sent Kratos here. Only someone who has lost everything and is willing to do anything for forgiveness could do something like this.)

During all this time, Ernesto had felt a certain distance from Kratos. All his knowledge of him came from people he had killed or who fled in fear of him. 

Though Ernesto might also want to lose himself in rage, he never allowed himself to do so, so he understood Kratos a little but not completely.

But now it was different. Ernesto needed to push a cage with a warrior inside toward the device, all while monsters attacked him. After a long fight, he finally reached the end, sighing a bit as he waited for a scene to start—but it didn't.

"Huh?! Don't tell me…"

Ernesto looked at the lever beside him. Pulling it would incinerate the man in the cage. Up until this point, every time Kratos did something questionable, a scene would begin, and he would do it on his own.

"But now the game wants *me* to do it myself."

Ernesto felt strange. He knew it was just a game, but seeing the man kneeling in the cage, begging for his life, pleading for him to stop, made Ernesto realize something. If he wanted to continue, he had to be willing to stand side by side with Kratos. The game was forcing him to be complicit in the things Kratos was doing. This was a point of no return, and neither Kratos nor Ernesto could go back now.

After hesitating for a moment, Ernesto pulled the lever, and a scene began. Several jets of fire were directed toward the cage.

"Noooo… you monster, AAAAAHHHH… DEMON, AAAAAHHH … may the gods curse you!"

Ernesto looked at Kratos, who was staring at the burning man without showing any emotion.

"I guess we're accomplices now."

After that, Ernesto finally discovered Kratos' story. He had been a Spartan general, a man raised in war, and with his armies, he had destroyed his enemies and achieved glory. But that soon became an obsession, and it was that obsession that caused his daughter and wife to abandon him.

After the end of his marriage, his victories didn't last either. In a battle against the Barbarian army, he watched as his men were annihilated, and facing certain defeat, he begged Ares to give him the strength to defeat his enemies, offering his life to the God of War in return.

Ares accepted his plea and descended from the heavens, bringing death to Kratos' enemies. He then granted Kratos the weapons that sealed the pact between them—the Blades of Chaos, chained to his skin so that the Spartan would never forget the god he served.

From that day on, Kratos waged wars and committed murders in the name of the God of War. He took the lives of everyone in his path—guilty or innocent, men or women, adults or children. He became the most feared, the greatest of all monsters.

But Ares wasn't satisfied. Kratos still had something that made him weak. One day, in the name of his god, Kratos invaded a small village that worshiped Athena. There was no resistance, yet Kratos still massacred everyone. However, just as he was about to enter the temple, the oracle warned him that if he did, he would lose his greatest battle.

But Kratos didn't care. He stormed into the temple, and blinded by the ecstasy of killing, he massacred everyone inside, including a woman and a child—his wife and daughter.

Realizing what he had done, Ares appeared from the shadows, whispering the truth to Kratos. This had always been his plan. His goal was to sever Kratos' ties with his family and destroy any connection the Spartan had to his humanity and morality, so that Kratos could become the perfect warrior.

As Kratos left the temple, he was cursed by the oracle herself. The ashes of his family, representing all the evil he had done, would cling to his skin, so he would always carry the weight of his actions. From that day forward, Kratos died, and all that remained was an empty shell that would spend the rest of its existence paying for its sins. That shell would be known to many only as the *Ghost of Sparta*.

After learning the truth, Ernesto didn't know what to think. He felt anger and disgust toward this character, but at the same time, he could sympathize with him. Kratos' life deeply resonated with him—the Spartan was the personification of the lowest point a human life could reach.

As Ernesto continued playing, he remembered his own life. He grew up as one of the billions of orphans raised by the government, and like any child, he always dreamed of becoming a soldier. He wanted to climb the ranks, become a captain, a lieutenant, maybe even a 20-star general one day—a great war hero.

But unlike what most people say, there isn't room for everyone. The sun is for everyone, but the shade is only for a few. Not everyone can be a hero. Not everyone can be an important general in history.

In reality, most people will never be able to scale the great wall of success. Most will just be another cog keeping society running. When Ernesto realized that being a captain was as far as he could go—and that being a mere captain was more than most soldiers could ever achieve in life—he shifted his dreams onto his eldest son.

Ernesto did everything he could to help his son grow up strong and become a good soldier. He made sure to support and encourage the boy whenever possible, and naturally, the child grew up dreaming of joining the army and making his father proud.

What Ernesto didn't expect was that on his son's first mission, his fleet would be attacked and destroyed by the resistance. When Ernesto found out, he felt his world shatter. At first, there was sadness and anger, but over time, guilt became the strongest emotion.

If he hadn't imposed his dreams on his son, if he hadn't pushed the boy down this path, if he had allowed him to follow another road... What if? What if? What if? 

For years, all these "what ifs" ate away at him. Ernesto was drowning in his guilt and anger, distancing himself from everything and everyone, doing whatever he could to find the squad responsible for the attack. But even after five years, he had found nothing.

Perhaps that's why he could somehow sympathize with someone like Kratos. Seeing his pain, seeing how he lost everything, seeing his guilt grow until it became an uncontrollable rage capable of turning the world to ashes—it made Ernesto reflect on himself, on his own decisions and actions.

He kept playing. After making his way through the temple and finally finding Pandora's Box, a scene began.

[As soon as the box was opened, a massive pillar of light shot up to the skies, and a huge wave of energy exploded in all directions, visible to the entire world. Ares, who was in the city of Athens, sensed the power of the box being released and looked in Kratos' direction.

Ares raised his enormous war axe and hurled it toward Kratos. The energy in the box was quickly absorbed by the Spartan's body, but before he could absorb it all, the gigantic black axe shot across the continent like a dark tornado and almost instantly reached Cronos. The axe's force was so great that it split the temple on the Titan's back in two.

The scene returned to Kratos, who placed his hand on his chest just before his body was sliced in half along with the temple. The scene slowly zoomed in on his eyes, showing what had happened to his family. Even in death, he couldn't forget what he had done. What man could forget a sin like that?]

Ernesto was completely shocked by this plot twist. He even thought the game would end there—but it didn't. He saw Kratos fall into the underworld and fight his way back.

"I don't know if this game is amazing or if the designer was on drugs," Ernesto muttered.

He was completely engrossed in the game and had fully accepted this new world, but everything still left him astonished. Walking through hell was just too 'incredible' for him.

After making his way through the underworld and being pulled back into the land of the living once again, he emerged from the grave dug by the gravedigger he had met at the beginning of the game.

"Ah, Kratos… you arrived just in time. I finished digging just moments ago."

"Who are you?"

"That's an interesting question... but now you must hurry. Athena needs you."

"How do you…"

"Athena isn't the only goddess watching you… now go, Spartan. You have the power, don't you?!"

After literally walking through hell, Ernesto believed nothing could shock him anymore. But after fighting a bit, he arrived at the same staircase from the trailer, and another scene began.

[Kratos slowly walked to the top of the staircase, gripping his blades tightly. Flames began to burn, and small sparks floated in the air. Staring at the massive god, a blue flame slowly started to ignite around Kratos.

"Today, a god will die, AND I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE."

Kratos leaped toward the god, and as he propelled himself, the blue flames exploded, covering his body. He began to grow until he was as tall as Ares. After a long journey, the final battle was about to begin.

"For a mere dog to try and bite me, I suppose I need to put you in your place—beneath my feet. You're still just a mortal, as weak as the day you begged me for your life."

"I'm not the same man you knew that day. The monster you created has returned to kill you."]

Regaining control of Kratos, a massive battle began. Ares was incredibly fast, and Ernesto was forced to use all of his skills. Even though he had leveled up his weapons to the max, their strength was evenly matched.

Ernesto was deeply focused on the fight when suddenly he felt a massive blow to his back, which threw him far away—it was Ares' axe, which he had called back. Ernesto tried to get up, but Ares opened a portal beneath him, causing him to fall into a dark space. As soon as he opened his eyes, another scene began.

["I taught you many ways to kill a mortal, Kratos... burning skin, breaking bones... but breaking a man's spirit is what truly destroys him. 

You recognize this place, Spartan... the place of your greatest failure. Perhaps you have a chance to undo the mistakes of the past."]

Kratos stood in front of the temple where he had massacred his family. For the first time since the beginning of the game, Ernesto saw Kratos show anxiety, nervousness, even a little bit of fear. Staggering to the door, Kratos opened it and saw his wife and daughter standing there. 

"By the Gods, could it be real?"

Seeing Kratos' family like that, completely terrified and asking what was happening, made Ernesto's mind and heart tremble. By this point, he was already complicit in everything Kratos had done up to now, and now, seeing that the man might recover his family made him both happy and nervous at the same time. 

That was when several men began to emerge from the ground. Upon closer inspection, they looked exactly like Kratos. As they rose, they immediately attacked Kratos' family. 

"Ares, nothing you put in my path will stop me. 

I WILL SAVE MY FAMILY."]

Seeing the monsters approaching, Ernesto grabbed his blades and began to fight with all his strength. But these creatures had the same abilities as him, and the space began to shrink, reducing the 'arena.' Ernesto realized that this was not a moment of triumph for the character; this fight was the personification of Kratos' nightmares. As he fought, many memories passed through Ernesto's mind, things he wished he could change. As he protected Kratos' family, he remembered his own son.

As he felt the Blades of Chaos slice through his body, with Zeus' lightning coursing through him, and heard the screams of Kratos' wife and daughter, he wondered how his son had felt during the attack. The more he thought about it, the angrier and sadder he became. But when he was distracted for a moment, some attacks ended up hitting Kratos' family. That's when a new mechanic appeared: if he hugged them, he could give his life for theirs. 

At that moment, Ernesto truly understood the pain of this character. Even with all the rage, all the hatred, Kratos was more than willing to give his life for his family. He fought with everything he had, but none of it was enough, because after defeating all the enemies, a new scene began.

["Kratos, please, take us home." 

"Do you see this, God of War? You took them once, but you will never have them again." 

"You cannot save them, Kratos... you gave them up in your quest for ultimate power. There is a price to pay for everything you've gained."]

Seeing this, Ernesto became nervous. 

"No... it can't be..." 

[Kratos looked at his family and lowered his head. 

"Not this price. I didn't want them to die." 

"No price is too high for what I offered you!!!" 

The blades in Kratos' hands came to life and began tearing themselves from his arms, ripping his skin and flesh in the process. 

"You rejected me, a God!!! 

Now you will have no more power or magic; all that remains for you is death." 

The blades advanced toward Kratos' wife and daughter, and everything went dark as their screams echoed. 

"No, not again... not again."]

Ernesto's eyes were red, full of rage. 

"Damn it, I'm going to kill that bastard."

The scene shifted, showing Kratos waking up with Ares about to cut off his head. Ernesto regained control of the character just in time to dodge.

["You should have joined me, Kratos. You should have been stronger."]

Ernesto was boiling with rage, but he had no weapons. The Blades of Chaos had been taken from him. Then, two golden blades fell in front of him, and a voice whispered in his ear. 

"Take them, Kratos. These are the Blades of Athena."

Without thinking, Ernesto grabbed the blades and attacked with all his fury. He didn't know how long it took, but he savored every moment of it, cutting and eventually severing one of the arms of the cursed God of War. In the end, he managed to cut off Ares' head, and with the death of Ares, the game's final scene began.

[As Ares' body bled out, his energy seemed to gather, causing a massive explosion. The narrator spoke: 

"Kratos had done the impossible: a mortal had defeated a God. Ares was dead. 

The city was saved and would thrive again... but the same could not be said for Kratos, for when he sought to rebuild his soul with the help of the Gods... the truth was revealed to him."

With Kratos kneeling before Athena's statue, Kratos made his plea to her. 

"Athena, rid me of my memories that still haunt me." 

"You have done well, Kratos... though I lament the death of our brother, the Gods are in your debt. 

We promised you that your sins would be forgiven, and they are, but we never promised to erase your nightmares. 

No man or God could forget the horrible actions you committed."]

Ernesto watched the game's ending. He saw how the Gods did not fulfill their promises to Kratos, and how, in the end, they gave him the throne of God of War. But seeing Kratos' expressionless face, and how he seemed so lonely in that vast hall, Ernesto felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

Leaving the game, he continued thinking about everything he had seen in the game, reflecting on his own actions. Leaving his virtual space, he sat in front of his desk, holding his head in his hands. As he thought, Ernesto understood how Kratos felt. As a general, all he ever sought was glory, but in the end, when he reached the greatest glory anyone could achieve, he wasn't happy, after all, he had lost everything along the way. 

"I still have my family... even though I lost my son... I... I can only..."

As Ernesto was lost in his own thoughts, he didn't realize it was already morning. Elisa woke up and noticed that Ernesto hadn't returned to bed. She sighed and got up. After washing up and making breakfast, she called her children to eat. 

Sitting at the table, Elisa gently stirred her plate, but before eating, she looked around the table, sighed, and stood up. 

"I'll go see if your father wants some breakfast."

Arriving at the office, she knocked lightly on the door but got no response. So, she slowly opened it, only to be shocked by what she saw: Ernesto was leaning forward, supporting his head in his hands. She could see a few tears falling onto the desk. 

"Dear, are you alright?" 

"... I... I thought that if I could find the people who attacked our son's squad... if I could put an end to them... things would get better somehow..."

Elisa heard this, and her body froze, her eyes immediately welling up, but she let him finish speaking. 

"But no matter what I do... nothing will change... he's not coming back... it's all my fault."

Elisa felt her body tremble at those words, her tears immediately started to fall. She ran forward and pulled him from his chair.

*SMACK* 

She slapped him hard across the face, making Ernesto's eyes widen in surprise. 

"Guilt?! You think you're the only one who feels like this... sniff... When our son said he wanted to be a soldier, I was there supporting him... sniff... when he graduated, I helped him tie his tie... sniff... when he put on the uniform for the first time, I was there helping him... sniff... when he boarded that damned ship, I WAS THERE, WAVING GOODBYE TO HIM."

Ernesto was frozen by his wife's outburst, a simple thought crossing his mind: 

(I wasn't the only one feeling this way.)

The two embraced, and let their tears flow. Five years after their son's passing, they had finally reached the last stage of grief: acceptance.

When Alex chose *God of War* as his first major project, he never imagined how many people would identify with Kratos' story. In a universe bathed in blood, where human evolution was built on the deaths of many, everyone has something to regret. At that moment, Alex had no idea that his game would touch far more people than he could have ever imagined.

.........

Note: I finally have internet again! There was a storm in my city, and a few power poles fell. Nothing major, but I was without electricity or internet for FOUR days, AAAAAHHH.

This chapter should have been split into three parts: one that was supposed to come out on Tuesday to make up for the chapter I owed, one on Thursday, and one today, but it didn't work out.

Also, this chapter works best if you read it all at once, without stopping. I don't usually like drama, but I wanted to test my skills, hahaha. I hope this chapter wasn't confusing.

As for the romance, I won't spend too much time on it, but I'll sprinkle some moments throughout several chapters. Don't worry, it won't take long or become the main focus.