The four managed to get back to the place where they had left their boat, as both Kratos and Zelos then started paddling across the water.
They moved in silence for a while, the rhythm of the oars breaking the surface of the Lake of Nine being the only sound.
When the four managed to paddle onto the shore of a small, isolated island, the moment they disembarked the boat, they immediately heard a hollow moaning sound. It was not a sound of pleasure, but a sound coming from deep, agonizing pain.
"Gullveig... You were taken from this realm too early," the soul that was coming out of a rotted body said with a crying look on his spectral face, as it was clearly feeling incredible feelings of sadness and loss.
When Kratos, Zelos, Atreus, and Mimir walked further in, the crying soul immediately noticed them and called out to them with desperation.
"You, who walks among the living! My beloved Gullveig calls to me... she yearns for peace! Yet her remains lie in pieces scattered across the lake. I beg of you, make my Gullveig whole again!" the soul then said towards the four.
They stopped in their tracks as they looked at the soul, with Zelos narrowing his eyes as he already knew the true nature of Gullveig.
"You want us to collect her bones? Gross," Atreus then replied with a grimace, while Mimir started to think hard for a second as he was trying so hard to remember exactly who Gullveig is and why that name sounded so familiar.
"I sense your grieving heart, child. Gullveig's magic knows no bounds. If this favor is repaired, she could reunite you with those you had lost," the spirit then said.
This offer made Zelos's blood boil once more, as it was clearly using their loss to take advantage of them.
If Kratos was not strong and just someone that had been really grieving encountered this situation, they would certainly get killed by such a trap.
"Really? Even in death?" Atreus then asked, his voice softening, as he wanted to have a confirmation.
When Kratos was about to say something to stop him, he was tapped on the shoulder by Zelos, who signaled him to wait.
"Yes, Gullveig could allow you to talk with your dearly departed for a short time," the spirit then said, confirming what he had said towards Atreus.
Atreus then turned towards Zelos with a pleading look, as he knew that only Zelos would help him with something magical like this.
"Location," Zelos said. He used a search magic that is a direct copy from Merlin of the Seven Deadly Sins.
The spell was then used, and the entire process scattered his magic outwards as it then started to find the specific items that are missing from the corpse in front of them.
After a while, three distinct light beams suddenly appeared in the distance, as it then indicated the exact places where Gullveig's scattered remains were placed.
"Collect," Zelos then cast another spell.
Every magic item that had been scattered slowly gathered towards where the items and beam of light had been placed. They all started to solidify and collected the items, flying back towards Zelos at high speed.
When Zelos got the items, he immediately put them towards the corpse, in which the resurrection process immediately began.
The bones snapped together and flesh began to reform, but while Gullveig's body started to build itself back up, Mimir then finally remembered where he had heard the name Gullveig.
"Little brother wait, it is a trap," Mimir just managed to say before getting interrupted by the sudden completion of the building of the decayed body of Gullveig
"Now, your end of the bargain," Atreus said, having a hopeful look on his face. But then, the newly revived Gullveig started to talk towards Atreus in a screeching, ancient tongue, and then revealed its true nature.
"She said she would reunite us with mother in the afterlife. Wait, WHAT?" Atreus then began to translate what Gullveig had just said in real time, to which he got surprised and horrified by the trickery that he had fallen into.
Gullveig's spirit then began to attack towards Zelos and the others but was stopped by an invisible barrier that Zelos had already erected. Gullveig repeatedly assaulted the barrier to no avail, screeching in frustration.
"Gullveig is said to be a joy to evil people, so do not really expect her followers to be honest," Zelos then said calmly.
"Oh, so you knew? Why revive her then?" Mimir then asked curiously, as sometimes Mimir was left puzzled of how Zelos's mind worked.
"It is because his follower decided to use grief as an opportunity to trick someone. Mother has a saying about grief, and it is something that I will not permit to be slandered around. So I will permanently erase this creature's soul to ensure that she is not revived once again," Zelos then said.
Atreus, who got tricked, was incredibly depressed, as he had clung to the small hope of talking to his mother one last time, but the spirit had cruelly tricked him.
Kratos, seeing his son depressed, held onto Atreus's shoulders. He did not add to the part that Atreus got tricked, as he knew family is a weakness for a lot of people, and it just shows how Atreus was raised with a good heart.
"Others prey on the grief of other people. You are not the first one to be tricked like this, but take this as a learning lesson. If something is too good to be true, it probably is," Kratos then said, as he then offered his words of wisdom towards Atreus.
Atreus then bowed his head and changed his expression from sadness to determination.
"Brother, would you let me fight her alone?" Atreus then asked, as Atreus then decided to finish what he had started, seeing it as his own responsibility due to him asking Zelos to perform the magic.
"Are you sure you could handle it? Father, what do you think?" Zelos then asked towards Atreus, as he wanted to see if he is sure, while also consulting his father on the decision.
"Let him," Kratos then said. Zelos then nodded, and Zelos then teleported the three of them for a quite significant distance away to give Atreus space.
"Atreus, get ready," Zelos then said towards Atreus.
Atreus then aimed his bow, and Atreus then signaled Zelos to disable the barrier that had been preventing Gullveig from moving around.
"You will pay for using my mother's death for trickery," Atreus then said, as he looked over the floating figure of Gullveig.
The wraith then summoned a lot of Nightmares to help her fight against Atreus. Atreus quickly dispatched every summoned Nightmare in an instant due to his impeccable aim with the bow.
Then, Gullveig teleported behind Atreus to ambush him. Atreus, sensing the shift in the air, then swung his bow towards the place he had felt Gullveig would travel towards, in which Atreus was able to hit Gullveig physically.
But then, Atreus was hit by a sudden magic curse that poisoned him. Zelos was about to move and heal Atreus immediately, but was stopped by Atreus himself.
"No Zelos, let me finish this! Let me defend our mom as well!" Atreus then shouted.
A sudden burst of anger came out of Atreus. It was due to the spirit giving Atreus false hope of being able to talk once again with their mother.
Fire suddenly came out of Atreus's body, manifesting his rage physically. Atreus started running towards Gullveig angrily, as he then started just punching and punching towards Gullveig, with Atreus getting angrier by the minute.
When it all boiled down in the middle of the fight, Atreus had finally used up everything of his own strength, as he was able to kill Gullveig's current body.
However, this exertion made Atreus's mind, body, and soul fall even more into disarray, as Atreus then began coughing loudly and violently.
"Purify," Zelos then cast in the place where Gullveig had just died. A white light enveloped the area as Zelos disintegrated her soul completely, ensuring she could never return.