Chapter 87 – The Fractured Edge
The world trembled beneath them.
Kratos stood atop the shattered plateau, frost clinging to his Leviathan Axe, breath visible in the cold void of the fractured realm. Shadows writhed at every edge, twisting like serpents, feeding on the instability of the land. Every tremor beneath his boots threatened to swallow him into the abyss below.
Atreus moved beside him, bow ready, threads of the fracture flickering violently in his hands. The energy pulsed like a living thing, eager to tear free, eager to end everything in a single release.
He swallowed hard. "Father… it's screaming again. Louder than before. It wants to… consume everything."
Kratos's gaze hardened. "Then you resist. Focus. Restraint is strength."
Xenara hovered near the edge, glyphs rotating rapidly in her palms. "The Nine are not just attacking—they're reshaping the battlefield itself. Every rift, every wave, every construct is calculated. You must anticipate the unthinkable."
Kratos's jaw tightened. "Then we fight smarter, not faster."
A pulse of darkness rolled across the plateau. The Nine emerged, synchronized and terrifying. Colossi of void and fractured stone, eyes burning crimson, moved with unnatural precision. Shadow constructs surged from rifts, forming jagged weapons midair, striking before Kratos or Atreus could react.
Atreus's pulse quickened. The fracture screamed for release. End them. Tear it all down.
"No," Atreus whispered, teeth clenched. "Not like that."
Kratos's voice cut sharply through the tension. "Do not surrender to it. Control it, or it will destroy you—and everyone here."
The first colossus approached. Its blade, forged from void and realm fragments, sliced the air with a sound like cracking glass. Kratos met it head-on, Leviathan Axe colliding with the void blade in a shower of frost and sparks. The ground beneath them shuddered, fissures widening dangerously.
Atreus fired threaded arrows into the fray, weaving strands around the colossus's limbs. They held momentarily, restraining it just long enough for Kratos to strike. Shadows exploded outward with each blow, pieces of the realm breaking and falling into the abyss below.
But the Nine adapted. Every move Kratos made was countered. Every thread Atreus fired was calculated against.
A new wave emerged from the horizon—smaller, faster, jagged, and relentless. They moved as one, striking from every angle, forcing Kratos and Atreus to divide their attention.
The fracture inside Atreus pulsed violently. One surge. One release. End them all.
He clenched his fists. "I… I will not. Not yet!"
Kratos swung his axe in a wide arc, scattering shadow constructs. Frost erupted, glinting in the crimson light of the broken moon. The colossus staggered but recovered instantly, red eyes locked on Atreus.
Xenara shouted, "He's targeting you! The fracture responds to his gaze!"
Atreus gritted his teeth. Threads coiled around the shadows, binding and stabilizing, holding the plateau just long enough for Kratos to fight forward.
The ground quaked violently. A massive fissure split the plateau beneath them, swallowing stones into the abyss. Atreus leapt back, anchoring a thread to Kratos's wrist just in time.
The colossus lunged. Kratos rolled, Leviathan Axe striking again. Frost clashed with void energy, shards of stone scattering into the void. The enemy faltered slightly—but not enough.
Another surge of shadows erupted from multiple rifts, coordinated perfectly. Constructs lunged at Kratos and Atreus from all sides. The plateau trembled with every impact, threatening to collapse entirely.
Atreus felt the fracture scream, urging release. End everything. End them now.
"No!" he shouted. He focused, weaving threads with precision, each one restraining shadows, anchoring fragments of stone, holding the crumbling plateau together.
Kratos intercepted a cluster of constructs, his axe carving a path through them. Frost exploded outward, scattering shadows and stabilizing loose stone. He pivoted, striking another wave head-on, buying Atreus the time to weave more threads.
The Nine's commander appeared from the far rift. A massive form, fused from broken thrones and void, its red eyes burning with cruel intelligence. It moved faster than before, adapting mid-strike, its weapon shifting forms to counter every attack.
Kratos swung the Leviathan Axe, clashing with the commander's blade. Sparks erupted, frost and void colliding violently. The commander staggered, but its adaptive form reshaped mid-air, forcing Kratos onto the defensive.
Atreus fired threads at the commander's limbs, coiling them tightly, but the beast tore through the bindings. The fracture pulsed violently, demanding release. End it. Tear it all apart.
Atreus clenched his teeth. "Not like that… I control it."
Kratos roared, slamming the axe into the commander's shoulder. Frost exploded outward, shattering nearby constructs. The commander staggered but recovered quickly, its gaze fixed entirely on Atreus.
Xenara's wards flared, trying to stabilize the plateau as fissures widened. "You cannot hold this forever! Every second buys only more collapse!"
Kratos planted himself firmly. "Then we make these seconds count. Every strike, every thread, every breath!"
The commander lunged, blade swinging. Kratos parried, rolling through the impact. Atreus released a controlled surge, binding shadows and stabilizing the plateau just long enough for Kratos to strike again.
The fracture pulsed aggressively, testing Atreus's resolve. Release it. Tear them down.
He took a deep breath. Control… focus… endurance… He channeled the energy precisely, threading the constructs together, stabilizing the fissures, and restraining the commander's limbs.
Kratos struck again. Frost clashed with void energy. Sparks flew. Shadows scattered into the abyss. The commander roared, staggering but not defeated.
From the horizon, another wave of shadows surged. Rifts expanded violently. The abyss below threatened to swallow the plateau whole.
Xenara's voice rang out above the chaos. "This is the final wave! Anchor the fractures! You cannot falter now!"
Kratos met the colossus head-on, Leviathan Axe swinging in a storm of frost and fury. Atreus's threads coiled around it, restraining its limbs just long enough for Kratos to land devastating blows.
The commander staggered, red eyes glowing fiercely, adaptive form quivering under the combined assault. Shadows swirled violently, but for the first time, they hesitated.
Atreus felt the fracture scream, clawing at him, urging release. One surge… end them… end everything.
He clenched his fists, teeth gritted. "Not yet… we survive first."
Kratos swung again, breaking through the commander's defenses. Frost exploded outward, scattering shadows, shattering stone. Atreus's threads stabilized the plateau, anchoring loose fragments.
The Nine's commander roared, staggering, finally faltering under the combined force of father and son. But the battlefield was still unstable. Fissures widened, shadows surged, and the rifts threatened to swallow them whole.
Kratos met Atreus's gaze. "We endure. Together."
Atreus nodded, threads coiling tightly, stabilizing the terrain, restraining shadows, controlling the fracture. The abyss yawned hungrily below. The Nine adapted relentlessly, but Kratos and Atreus held the line.
Survival was fragile. The plateau teetered on the brink. The Nine were relentless. The fracture pulsed.
And yet, amid the darkness, they endured.
Step by step. Strike by strike. Thread by thread.
Because survival—here, now, against all odds—was the only victory that mattered.