*********
I got the names mixed up in my head. For some reason, I confused Heron and Creonte. Creonte Lochagh was in training camp and died, Heron was the leader in a unit against monsters without one arm. He was the one Atreus put beside him.
*********
"You…" Kratos uttered, now with clarity in his eyes.
The illusion shifted. He found himself in a familiar place his home. His wife and daughter played in a small garden. On a table nearby lay a blue ribbon.
"Who are they?" he asked, voice trembling, eyes fixed on them.
He stepped closer and froze, unable to believe it. Staring at the ribbon, he gently picked it up.
"Calliope…" He clutched his head. "I don't remember who she is!"
"You do, Kratos. Just remember," I said softly. "No one can break your will."
But then the space around us shuddered, and a dark figure emerged nearby.
"The power of the oath is too strong. He will not remember while the chains of his own words bind him."
From the darkness stepped Orkos. His eyes burned yellow, and amber oaths glowed beneath his skin.
"Orkos. Keeper of Oaths," I said.
"I'm impressed by your strength. You pierced through the illusions of my mother and Tisiphone so effortlessly. I've tried to do the same countless times… and failed," Orkos said.
"Orkos, what's happening?" asked Kratos.
"You are trapped in an illusion, Kratos. For breaking your oath and refusing to serve Ares, you were imprisoned here. You won't be released until you swear a new oath to the gods.
But there is another way a path that can free you from the chains of your promise. I can help you," said Orkos.
"I don't trust you," Kratos said coldly.
"Trust him," I said firmly.
"We'll see. How do I get out of here?" asked Kratos.
"There is an exit. You only need to find it," Orkos replied.
"No need for that. I'll give you the path," I said, and touched his forehead, weakening the illusion enough for Kratos' will to shatter the remaining chains.
"That simplifies things. I'll see you in the real world," said Orkos and vanished. I followed him.
When I disappeared, I opened my eyes in the real world and looked upon Kratos, who was slowly regaining consciousness. He shook his head, his gaze sharpening, body tensing. One of the Furies noticed she stood over him. Leaning down and lifting his head, she said mockingly:
"You're far more resilient than the other pathetic mortals."
"RAAAARRRR!" Kratos roared with primal fury. Even in chains, he jerked his head violently enough to smash her face, drawing blood.
"You wretched beast!" she hissed, slashing at him with her claws. Blood dripped from his body, splattering across the altar's stone.
During her next attack, Kratos suddenly twisted, placing his chains in the path of her blow the ringing links snapped. But the Fury didn't stop: she struck again. Kratos let the attack miss and in that moment wrapped the chains around one of her limbs, yanking one Blade of Chaos free from the column. With one hand freed, he ripped out the other blade, reclaiming his power.
The Ghost of Sparta didn't hesitate. Activating the Blades of Chaos, he unleashed them upon the Fury with all the wrath, pain, and loathing he had stored within.
I didn't interfere he needed this release. Meanwhile, I went in search of Orkos.
[image]
I found him atop one of the ancient structures. Climbing up to him, I spoke:
"Orkos."
"How are you? Though it doesn't matter. You shouldn't stay here. My mother is close," he said.
"Don't you know who I am?" I asked.
"I know who you are. I've heard your oaths just as I've heard the oaths of all mortals," Orkos said. He looked down at his body, covered in glowing amber vessels of countless promises. Mortal oaths left no marks… only the strongest did.
"I can help you be free of this burden," I told him.
Orkos fell silent for a moment and ran his hand over his chest.
"Sometimes, I dream of another life…" he said quietly. "One with bright sunlight and the salty sea breeze. You know, I once dreamed of becoming a sailor to leave everything behind and sail away."
"You understand that Kratos must kill you," I said, looking him straight in the eye.
"Yes. And I want him to be the one to do it," Orkos said with sorrow. "But I ask you… let me die a man."
I looked at him, uncertain. Gods and ancient beings have no soul. But their children demigods do. Yet Orkos was the son of Ares and Alecto. Both soulless beings. Could it be possible?
When had the impossible ever stopped me?
"So be it," I said.
"Thank you," Orkos said sincerely, bowing slightly. His fate was a harsh one, but even so, he had kept a good heart.
"Will you kill my mother?"
"No. Kratos needs to unleash all his fury upon those who tormented him," I said. "Then I'll tell him the truth: not all is lost."
"You saved them?" Orkos asked, surprise in his voice. Then he smiled warmly.
The structure beneath us trembled. The Titan's body was beginning to move.
"We should leave. This place will soon collapse," said Orkos.
I took his advice and vanished after him.
Meanwhile, Kratos consumed by fury tore through the Titan's body, carving his way through stone, flesh, and bone, leaving nothing but chaos in his wake. He charged upward, chasing the Fury. She spread spiders from her own body they fused with the Titan's flesh, mutating into indescribable abominations.
It hadn't been long before Kratos reached the Titan's heads. In one final, desperate attempt to stop the Ghost of Sparta, the Fury reanimated one of them. Its jaws split open as spider-like limbs burst from its mouth a grotesque sight, much like her powers.
[image]
The battle was short. The Ghost of Sparta left not even a trace of his foe. The Blades of Chaos flickered through the air like tongues of flame. With a final thrust, Kratos pierced the Titan's eyes and propelled himself upward. He crashed down upon the Fury, raining blow after relentless blow upon her.
With each new wound, she grew weaker. And finally, with a dying scream, the Fury fell. And with her, the Titan collapsed.
Kratos rose from the corpse of the dead Megaera, taking with him an amulet capable of bending space itself. The artifact carved a path forward. But just as he was about to move on, something made him stop. He stepped to the edge of a bridge, nearly hurling himself over.
There, at the very brink, he shattered the illusion the Fury had cast revealing Tisiphone herself. With a sudden strike, he drove her back, forcing her to flee into a temple atop the cliff.
Seeing his target, Kratos did not hesitate. No matter what awaited him no matter what obstacles were laid in his path nothing could slow him down.
At last, he reached the summit. There began the final battle with Alecto and Tisiphone. After defeating Tisiphone, Kratos turned his wrath upon Alecto. Desperate, she assumed the form of a monstrous sea beast something like a Kraken, only more hideous.
The battle shook the very earth. With each passing moment, Kratos grew stronger. I remember the day he defied Ares his power had never reached such terrifying heights. Now, it was as if he had awakened the god within. His rage, undying and consuming, made him unstoppable.
Alecto fell. The last of the Furies ancient beings who had once judged the oath-breakers of the world were gone. Twisted by Ares' influence, they had forgotten their purpose. No longer just arbiters of justice, they had become mad executioners, tormenting minds and warping fates.
Kratos stood amidst the chaos. His eyes were fixed on the sky, and in his hand, he held a fading blue ribbon.
"It's almost over, Kratos," said Orkos, approaching.
"What do you mean?" asked Kratos, turning toward him.
"Kill me, and you will be free from the oath you swore to Ares," said Orkos.
"No," Kratos replied. He didn't see an enemy before him. Orkos had helped him perhaps even a friend. Now Kratos was being asked to kill him with his own hands.
"I want to be free from Ares too," Orkos continued. "Your path has shown me just how far my parents strayed. I no longer wish to be their instrument. Please grant me the one thing I was never given. Freedom."
"I'll find another way," Kratos said, forcing the words through clenched teeth. "I'll kill Ares."
"You cannot harm him while the oath binds you. This is my wish, Kratos…" Orkos stepped closer.
Kratos was silent. The struggle in his eyes burned brighter than the fire on his blades. He didn't want this but he knew there was no other way.
Slowly, he drew a Blade of Chaos. One final swing and the steel pierced Orkos' chest. The amber light embedded in his body began to dim, as though all the chains that had bound him were fading.
I closed my eyes. I caught his dying spirit, to guide him along the path that might let him finally become human.
"Live in joy, Orkos," I whispered.
The amber of oaths vanished. Kratos collapsed to his knees. His eyes clouded, and his body trembled not from pain of the flesh, but from the torment within. Memories flooded his mind the atrocities he had committed under Ares' command. The agony was unbearable.
"Kratos… be at peace," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I saved them."
"No… I killed them… with my own hands," Kratos cried out, his fury barely contained.
I offered him a talisman simple at first glance. A little figure, made of twigs and string. Crafted with love. A gift for a father.
Kratos reached for it. As his fingers closed around it, he froze. His face softened. Something inside him stirred. He felt warmth.
"Is this real?" he asked hoarsely, never taking his eyes off the talisman.
"Yes, brother," I answered. "I couldn't leave you behind."
Kratos couldn't speak for a while. Then finally, he whispered:
"I want to see them."