A Warning

Atreus leans down, picking up the strange book with furrowed brows, "...Since when do books just fall out of the sky?" he mutters, rubbing his fingers across the Embossing. The boy squints as he mouths the word written across the front of the black book, "...Mimir, what is a grimoire?" Atreus asks, glancing at the head.

Mimir hums, raising a brow as he looks at the boy, "A grimoire is basically a book that teaches the reader about magic. Talismans, amulets, spells, you name it, and a grimoire should have instructions on as to creating and working with magic," the Celtic Faeries responds, "Is that a grimoire, lad?"

Atreus returns his eyes to the book, opening it and skimming through the pages, "I think so... It's weird though, the pages don't talk about magic. It's like a prayer..." he says.

"That is quite strange..." Mimir responds.

Kratos stares down at the book in his son's hands, looking to the boy after a moment with a hum, "It appears that the previous owner has no use for the book anymore... Bring it with you, it may be useful to us in the future," he says.

Atreus looks up at his father, nodding, "Okay... Do you think I'll be able to learn magic with this?" he asks.

Kratos shrugs the grey knapsack from his shoulder, bulging from the magic stones as he pulls the string and lowers it to Atreus, "...I do not know, but it is possible," he says, "Come now, we must exchange these magic stones."

Atreus stuffs the grimoire into the knapsack, stepping along with his father through the city, "Would you ever learn magic, father?" he asks as they pass through the crowds of Orario.

Kratos scoffs, "There is no need... But you should take every bit of strength that comes to you. You will need it if you truly mean to match my strength," he responds.

Mimir chuckles, "It seems the man is disturbed by more than just gods," he says.

"Why is that, father? Magic is so cool! Even if you're small and frail, you have a way to fight if you have magic!" Atreus says.

Kratos raises a brow, glancing down at his son, "Do I look small and frail to you?" he asks.

Atreus sags his shoulders, "Well... No," he responds.

Kratos scoffs, "Exactly... Now cease the chatter, we are here," he says, the guild building taking up most of his vision.

The trio step through the threshold of the double doors, that familiar chatter flooding their ears. Guild employees give their best fake smiles as they speak to adventurers. Kratos and Atreus stand behind a small boy with white hair, someone they had seen before in passing but had never spoken to. The boy stands before the wood counter, a smile on his face as he speaks to Eina.

Eina suddenly glances at the godly duo waiting patiently, nodding to Kratos as her eyes trail back to the red-eyed boy known as bell, "Bell, I've got more customers..." she says.

Bell raises his brows, his eyes meeting Atreus' icy blue, "Oh, I'm sorry," he steps to the side with a nervous chuckle.

Atreus' eyes skim over Bell's white and black armor, that sparkle appearing in his eyes, "Your armor is so cool! Where did you get it?" he asks.

Bell's lips curl slightly as he looks down at his armor as well, "I know, right! I got it from the Hephaestus familia apprentice shop!" he responds.

Atreus raises his brows, "Ah! I didn't even think about getting armor... I just have this spear..." he says, pulling the spear from his back with pursed lips, genuinely disturbed by his lack of armor.

The boys continue to exchange words with each other, a smile on both of their faces the entire time. Kratos' eyes soon trail to Eina, lifting the grey knapsack from his shoulder and setting it on the table with a thud, "...The usual..." he says, opening the bag and pulling the grimoire out.

Eina raises her brows as her lips part slightly, her surprise not directed towards the massive bag of magic stones, no, that is a regular occurrence with the man before her. The Elf's eyes linger on that grimoire, "...Kratos?" she calls.

"Hmm?" Kratos responds with a raised brow.

"Where did you get a grimoire? You have made a ridiculous amount of money since coming here, I will not deny that, but... Grimoires are sold for 100 million valis, and that's on the low side," Eina says.

Kratos scoffs, "Do not worry about it... Focus about your work," he responds.

Eina stares at Kratos for a moment, her brows suddenly rising, "Oh, I almost forgot... Do you have a moment to spare?" she asks.

Kratos pauses, glancing at the boys beside him, who now both lean against the counter as they conversate. His eyes return to Eina and the man nods, "Make it quick..." he says.

Eina nods back, lifting the knapsack from the counter with a feminine grunt, "...I swear you'll end up being the reason I have back problems..." she says, chuckling slightly, "...follow me, please."

Kratos hums, stepping around the counter, "Atreus," he calls without looking back.

Atreus spins his head, looking at his father as his brows raise. He looks back to Bell, his lips pursing, "I'm sorry, I have to go..." he says, "...What's your name?"

Bell's lips curl slightly, "My name is Bell Cranel... And don't worry about it, I'm sure we'll meet again," the rabbit responds.

Atreus adopts his own smile, "Nice to meet you, Bell. I'm Atreus..." he walks away with a wave, "...I'll see you later!"

Bell waves a hand as well with that same smile on his lips, his brows furrowing suddenly, "What familia are they a part of?" he mutters to himself.

Eina turns before a door behind the counter, smiling as she looks at Kratos, "Wait in here for a moment if you will. I'll have to sort these magic stones out," she says.

Kratos nods, walking up to the door and twisting the knob. Atreus follows behind him, a small room revealed before his eyes with a ractangular wooden table settled in the middle of the room, a window on the opposite wall with the night sky visible through the green curtains.

"What's going on?" Atreus asks, his backside settling on the cushion of a chair beside his father.

Kratos sets Mimir on the table with a hum, "I do not know... That Elf wishes to speak with us," he responds.

"Hmm... I wonder what she wants? She has been acting strange lately..." Mimir says.

"What do you mean, Mimir?" Atreus asks with a hand holding up his chin.

Mimir hums, "I dunno, laddy... I can't place my finger on what it is, but... It's like she's quite a bit more cautious when speaking to your da'. I guess we'll find out in a moment though," his Scottish accent reverberates through the room.

Kratos grunts, "That we will," he says.

Suddenly, the door creaks open, and the woman in question steps through the threshold. Eina carrys a sizable grey sack, along with that knapsack, the fabric stained with blood and dirt, "100,000 Valis! You two have been aquiring more and more valis each day," she says.

Atreus raises his brows as he watches the Elven woman sit opposite of the duo, "Really!? We're basically rich now!" he says.

Kratos takes the grey bag and knapsack, grunting as he attaches the bag to his waist, "Riches bring problems, and the more you have, the more problems are brought. Remember that, boy," he responds.

Atreus nods with a sigh, thankful for his father's advice, but slightly annoyed by the man's inability to enjoy the most basic things.

"Anyway, I wanted to speak with you three about something, and I don't expect you to answer my questions truthfully..." Eina says, "...I'll get straight to the point though... Were you the ones that attacked the Loki Familia?"

Silence falls like an anvil. Kratos and Atreus exchange looks, the former furrowing his brows while the latter sits with parted lips and wide eyes. Mimir clears his throat suddenly, "Why do you ask, ma'am? We have nothing to do with the Loki Familia," he says.

Eina looks at Mimir with pursed lips, her eyes drifting to the duo behind him, "...I was not present, but I was told that you were seen with the Loki Familia the same day they were attacked. I don't know you three much, but I've seen enough from you to guess what happened," she responds, her eyes settled on Kratos.

Mimir scoffs, "Well-"

"Head," Kratos suddenly interrupts Mimir, handing the head to Atreus while his eyes stay glued to Eina, "I will handle this."

Kratos stares at Eina for an uncomfortable stint of time, and the Elven woman meets that same pressure she had encountered many times before, "...Yes, I attacked the Loki Familia. I did it alone. My son tried to bargain with them... but Loki seemed to think she had the upper hand," Kratos says.

Eina furrows her brows, noticing that the pressure has lessened some as Kratos sighs, "...And what was this bargain? If you don't mind me asking," she says.

Kratos hums, "The same bargain that we held with you. We met their members in the dungeon, and an Elven woman spoke of a blessing tattoo. One that I lacked," he responds.

Eina's eyes trail to the black armor covering Kratos' chest, "I see... And you nearly killed the main members of the one of the top familias in Orario because..." The Elf's words trail off as her brows suddenly rise, a realization slamming into her mind.

Kratos hums in confirmation, nodding, "Take it as an example... I hope you have not already went back on your words, or..." his words hang words in the air, allowing the woman before him to come to her own conclusion.

Eina purses her lips, "I understand. Though I do want to warn you of something... You remember me mentioning the Freya Familia, right?" she asks.

Kratos hums, "Freya..." his mind roams to the freezing lands of Midgard, 'I will rain down every agony, every violation imaginable, upon you...', Freya's words are like hot knives pointing to Kratos, "...Yes, I remember," he says.

Eina nods, "Then you will also remember that the Freya Familia is currently the strongest Familia in Orario, especially with Loki being... Out of commission. I'm not warning you of the members, but Freya herself... She has a reputation of taking strong adventurers for herself, and she will do whatever is needed to achieve her goals, no matter the cost," she says.

Kratos glances at Atreus who sits with Mimir in his lap, his vision settling on Eina again after a moment, "We have experienced the ambitions of a god before, and we will deal with any others that wish to hurt us," he says.

Suddenly, the door swings open as the group sits at the table, and crimson hair reveals itself, a panting woman stands with her hand hanging on the doorknob.

"Hephaestus? What are you doing here?" Eina asks, standing from her chair with furrowed brows.

Hephaestus gathers her breath, blushing as she stands straight. Her scarlet eyes settle on Kratos, "I'm finished," she says, her lips curled slightly.