"Listen closely now. There are two things we need before we can reach the land of the Giants. First, we must learn the travel rune that allows realm travel to Jotunheim. Second, we must carve that rune into the other special gateway," Mimir explained to Kratos while Zelos and Atreus listened quietly. They were still being moved along by the current that the World Serpent created when he shifted the bridge.
"The gateway where we first found you, Mimir?" Atreus asked to make sure he understood.
"Correct. Although the Giants, in their infinite wisdom, made sure that no ordinary chisel could carve that rune. Only the tip of a magical chisel can open that gate. Fortunately, I know exactly where the chisel is and it is not far from here," Mimir confirmed.
"Wait, is that the one that belongs to the really giant Giant?" Zelos asked even though he already knew the answer.
"That is exactly the one," Mimir replied, which only added to Atreus confusion. Kratos simply listened in silence.
"What are you two talking about?" Atreus asked as he looked between them.
"I will tell you the story once we get closer. First, find me a boat and I will take you to the chisel," Mimir said. Atreus immediately grew excited, already anticipating another long tale. Zelos shared that excitement even though his reasons were different.
This time he would be experiencing the events in person rather than watching them in a game, so everything felt more real and more engaging.
The four of them walked down from the bridge platform and moved toward the abandoned boat on the shoreline.
Zelos used the new magic he learned from Mimir to enlarge the boat. It surprised him that he had never created a simple enlargement spell before despite being able to construct far more complicated ones.
"The snake looked angry earlier. Did you say something wrong, Mimir?" Atreus asked, remembering how the World Serpent reacted before calming down.
"The World Serpent thought that Mimir introduced himself as a friend of Odin and Thor. That was why he got upset," Zelos explained before Mimir could respond. Mimir laughed afterward.
"That is right. Forgive me, little laddie. I have never spoken the dead tongue while sober," Mimir admitted. Atreus sighed in relief, grateful that the misunderstanding did not result in the serpent snapping them in half.
"Let us go," Kratos said. His tone made it clear that his patience had already been tested by the ongoing chatter. The three boarded the enlarged boat without trouble, and there was more than enough room for all of them due to the magic Mimir had taught Zelos.
"This spell is incredibly convenient. I am honestly surprised that I never thought of it myself," Zelos said. Mimir smiled widely, clearly pleased to finally be on an adventure again after being stuck on a tree for so long.
"No one is more surprised than I am, little brother. You can create advanced magic with complicated mechanics that even I have trouble following, yet simple techniques like this seem to slip by you," Mimir teased. Then something unexpected happened, which made both Zelos and Atreus pause.
Kratos spoke. "A scholar who reaches for the stars often forgets the grass they stand on. Many warriors do the same. They focus too much on advanced techniques and forget the basics of their training. I taught you to avoid that mistake, yet it seems you may have forgotten, Zelos," Kratos said. His words were calm, but they carried weight.
Atreus stared at Kratos with wide eyes, almost shocked. Zelos had the same reaction.
"What was that? Zelos, did you hear that too?" Atreus asked.
"I heard it. I did not expect Father to say something like that. Where did you get that from?" Zelos asked. Kratos gave a simple answer. "Your mother."
The moment he said it, both Zelos and Atreus quieted down. The lighthearted teasing they were about to start disappeared immediately. Kratos did not usually mention Faye so casually, and even he seemed aware that he had spoken more than he intended.
Silence filled the boat. The only sounds were the oars slicing the water and the ripples that spread along the lake. Eventually, Kratos broke the silence. "This chisel we seek. What exactly is it?" Mimir brightened a little, grateful for the shift in mood.
"I am glad you asked. I have a story that explains everything. There was once a Giant named Thamur, an extremely large Giant, even among his own kind.
Despite his size, he was the greatest stonemason the world had ever seen. Thamur hoped to one day pass his vast knowledge on to his son, Hrimthur." Mimir then explained, which he then continued.
"The problem was that the young lad had the heart of a warrior rather than a craftsman. Perhaps the father had too much fear and caution while the son had too little. Their disagreement grew into a fight, and in his frustration, Thamur struck his son. Hrimthur ran off into the night. Feeling ashamed and regretful, Thamur chased after him. In his emotional state, he became lost while wandering through Midgard. Sadly, he caught the attention of the one person he never wanted to meet alone in the dark woods. Thor."
Zelos leaned forward a little. He liked hearing the story in person. Atreus, however, looked troubled.
"Thor killed him. He fell on a village, did he not?" Atreus asked quietly. As the boat drew closer, the destroyed village became visible.
"Aye. When Thamur fell, he crushed the entire place. The village was known for worshipping the Vanir god Njord. Thor always bragged about planning the whole thing, but the truth is that the sweaty fool simply got lucky," Mimir said with clear bitterness. It was obvious that Mimir had a long list of regrets related to his time with the Aesir.
"What about the survivors?" Atreus asked with growing concern.
"Thamur was a Frost Giant. When he died, his final breath froze everything," Mimir answered. His timing lined up perfectly with their arrival at the massive, frozen corpse.
Thamur lay across the land like a fallen mountain. Atreus stared at the sight with a horrified expression, struggling to comprehend the scale of the tragedy.
Zelos, on the other hand, looked at the enormous frozen body with a spark of excitement.
The sheer size of the Giant, combined with the knowledge of what they were about to do, sparked an idea in his mind as he studied the frozen landscape around them.