As Atreus finished his fight against Gullveig's reborn figure, the adrenaline that had been fueling him suddenly vanished. Atreus started wheezing and breathing harder and harder, as he was overcome by an intense, crushing exhaustion that he does not know where it came from.
"Boy," Kratos then worriedly yelled towards Atreus, with Mimir running on his side and Zelos following closely behind him. When they arrived at where the boy stood, Atreus was already kneeling on the damp ground, as he is still doing heavy, raspy breathing.
"Are you alright? You forced yourself there, little laddie," Mimir then asked towards Atreus with concern. Instead of answers, Mimir was met with violent coughing from Atreus that shook his small frame.
Kratos then turned his head towards Zelos, as he wanted Zelos to examine Atreus immediately. Zelos immediately kneeled in front of his brother and examined Atreus, placing a hand over the boy's chest.
"His sickness is back father, and this time, it is a lot more dangerous than before. His entire mind, spirit, and body are misaligned to such a degree that even I could not manage to heal it with my current magic. He needs Freya," Zelos then said grimly, looking up at Kratos, while Atreus was still violently coughing beside them.
"No, I can continue," Atreus then said firmly. He tried to stand up, his legs shaking, but was being stopped by Zelos placing a hand on his shoulder.
"No, you are not. Do not be a hero, Atreus. There is no shame on admitting weakness when your body is failing," Zelos then said. This made Atreus a little angry as he then slapped away the hand of Zelos, indicating that he does not need any help.
Atreus then forced himself to recover, as he then started taking multiple deep, ragged breaths to calm his fast-beating heart. He then slowly stood up, wiping blood from his mouth.
"I am truly fine, Zelos. We do not need to divert to Freya for assistance," Atreus then said, as he then started pushing himself more and more.
He tried to show that he is fine by walking ahead. Zelos, on the other hand, could see the overworked body of Atreus and the faint trembling in his hands.
Zelos wanted to say something to stop him, but looking at Atreus's determined expression, as well as knowing that a pivotal happening in the future was coming, he hesitated.
It was not something that Zelos wanted to change, as it would be the only scenario where Zelos could see Kratos finally telling his true nature towards Atreus.
Atreus then started walking forward, leaving Kratos, Mimir, and Zelos a few steps behind. As Atreus is still trying to act like he is fine, Kratos then slowed his pace slightly to consult Zelos.
"What is his true condition?" Kratos then asked towards Zelos, his voice low, as Kratos is incredibly worried for the well-being of his own son despite his stoic appearance.
"His mind, spirit, and body are entirely misaligned. It is fighting itself. It is not something that magic could simply fix, father. He needs to learn his truth to ease it. Even with Freya's help on medicine, he would not be truly better until the truth of his godhood is revealed to him," Zelos then quietly whispered towards Kratos, ensuring Atreus remained out of earshot, while Mimir just listened on the side.
"It is the only solution, brother. Someone's essence should not be messed with or denied, as once it is destroyed beyond repair, no amount of magic could fix it. The boy is fighting a war against his own nature," Mimir then said towards Kratos, as he supported Zelos's words with his own knowledge.
Kratos listened to their words and kept it in mind, his face darkening with internal conflict, but Kratos just continued to walk.
He eventually caught up to Atreus, who is still coughing into his arm. When Kratos arrived at his side, Atreus forcibly suppressed the coughing to ensure that they would not take a detour to the Witch's house.
"A hard-hitting past is not something easily let go, but once it hinders your future, you should be willing to make that sacrifice and face the truth," Mimir could not help but say on the side of Zelos, speaking metaphorically about Kratos's secret.
"Indeed, but it is easier said than done. Is there something in your past that you had been so ashamed that you dare not talk about it? If you have, then you perfectly understand what Father has been feeling regarding his secrets," this is the words that Zelos had said to reply towards Mimir's wisdom.
When these words were heard by Mimir, his mind suddenly brought him back to a specific time, where he had catered for Odin's whims so much that it involved a poor creature he regretted harming.
"Perhaps," Mimir then said quietly, conceding the point. The two then caught up with Kratos and Atreus, as they started walking from the island that they were in, looking for the path to connect to where they are going to go next.
As the four are walking through the rocky terrain, they encountered a large, ornately carved door that is magically sealed with a diamond-shaped lock. It was something that Kratos then started working on immediately.
He then took out the piece of the magic chisel that he had gotten from the dead giant Thamur. He pressed the tip against the lock and struck it, shattering the seal and opening the heavy doors.
When the four came inside, there was an immediate shift in the air. There is an eerie feeling among the atmosphere that they could not quite understand.
With Atreus recovering slightly from his earlier fit, he was back to his earlier antics of observation, as he could not help but comment on the state that the room that they were in.
"This place feels like a prison," Atreus then said, as he looked around and saw various magically enchanted cells lining the walls.
"Because it is, hence the magically sealed door on the outside to keep people out, and things in," Mimir then answered, as he then looked around on his own.
Zelos could feel the presence that is coming from deeper within the room that they were in. It was a pressure that felt familiar yet twisted, as it was something corrupted.
"But it is more than that. I have this feeling... like something is waiting for us down here," Atreus then said once again, adding to his earlier statements as he rubbed his chest.
"You have a knack for sensing something ominous, little brother," Mimir then commented, trying to keep the mood light.
"What kind of something?" Kratos then asked. He wanted to see if Atreus knew what the reason was, as the special eyes that Zelos had given him also saw an oozing black line that is coming from the far deep end of the room.
"I do not know, I just feel it is something ominous and angry," Atreus then answered Kratos honestly.
"It is a Valkyrie. It is suffering from some kind of corruption," Zelos then answered flatly, which made Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir look at Zelos with surprise.
"A Valkyrie? Imprisoned here? Oh, this is bad news, laddie. There are only three groups of formidable warriors I believe would pose you three a challenge: the Aesir, the Vanir, and the Valkyries. If a Valkyrie is really here, and a corrupted one at that? We must remain cautious," Mimir then added with urgency in his voice.
"Calm yourself. We have come far, have we not?" Kratos then asked confidently, checking his axe. This made Mimir turn to look at Kratos, as he then nodded in agreement.
"But wait, Valkyries? Aren't they a type of spirit? How could they be imprisoned in a physical cell?" Atreus then asked confusedly, looking between Mimir and Zelos.
"How could you imprison a spirit, you ask? Simple. You give them a corporeal form to bind them to the mortal plane," Zelos said. At the same time, they reached the center of the chamber and the Valkyrie's imprisoned form then became visible.
The group then saw the entire state of the Valkyrie. Atreus, even without the special eyes of Zelos and Kratos, could tell that there is something wrong with the warrior.
Her wings were tattered and mechanical, and she twitched violently. Mimir just looked at the trapped, corporeal form of the Valkyrie, deep in thought once again.