Eon's cosmic beam hammered down like a burning river of stars.
Asura roared, six mantra-forged arms locked against the torrent. His feet sank into the cracking floor, stone melting beneath him, but still he held on.
Asura (straining, veins bulging): "I… will not… break!!"
Behind him, Mithra staggered, her golden aura flickering like a dying flame. Atreus gripped her shoulders, trying to steady her trembling frame.
Atreus (worried): "Stay with me—come on, Mithra, focus!"
Her glow pulsed weakly, eyes half-closed.
Mithra (faintly): "The power… it's slipping…"
High above, Kratos clashed with Eon, the Leviathan Axe striking against fractal limbs. Sparks of frost and starlight exploded with every blow. The Ghost of Sparta was relentless—but every strike grew slower, heavier, his chest heaving with exhaustion.
Atreus' Doubt
Atreus glanced between them all:
His father locked in a duel he was slowly losing.
Asura nearly crushed under the weight of the beam.
Mithra trembling in his arms, her newfound strength faltering.
Frustration carved deep into his chest.
Atreus (to himself, breaking): "Everyone's fighting with everything they have… Father, Asura, Mithra… But me? I'm just watching. Just… the boy in the background."
Asura caught his glance, even through the torrent. His teeth clenched, but his voice thundered.
Asura (roaring): "FOCUS, KID! Your role isn't over!"
Atreus blinked in surprise.
Asura (bellowing): "You can do more than you think! Even I don't understand it—but I see it in you. Now PROVE it!"
Atreus shook his head, fear biting at him.
Atreus (desperate): "But I'm not strong enough—"
Asura's voice hit him like a hammer.
Asura: "None of us were strong enough alone! Power without purpose is emptiness. Rage without unity is nothing but howling in the dark! You think I toppled gods because I was strong? No. I survived because I kept rising—and because I fought for those I swore to protect!"
Atreus froze, chest rising and falling, eyes wide.
Mithra placed her trembling hand over his. Her voice was soft, but it burned truthfully.
Mithra (gently): "Atreus. You are more than you believe."
The Spark Ignites
Atreus looked back at Kratos—bloodied, exhausted, but refusing to kneel.
At Asura—feet buried in molten stone, holding back the impossible.
At Mithra—faltering, yet still shining.
A surge of memory struck him:
His mother's voice.
His father's sacrifices.
Asura's defiance.
Mithra's faith.
Atreus clenched his staff, emerald runes flickering along its length. His breath grew steady.
Atreus (fierce): "No more hiding… No more standing behind everyone else."
Flames of crimson and emerald sparked up his arms.
Atreus (gasping) "Fire…sparks…?"
The fragment he once touched in the Infernal Drift surged awake within him, the unstable sparks finally aligning.
He held his staff tight and slammed it into the ground.
A shockwave erupted—emerald fire and ancient runes blazing outward. The cosmic beam buckled, staggering Eon. The god reeled, his beam sputtering—Asura finally drew breath, and Kratos found a heartbeat of respite.
For the first time… the Loom faltered.
Eon's countless eyes widened, confusion twisting into fury.
Eon (snarling): "What is this?!"
Atreus raised his staff again, eyes blazing with emerald fire.
Atreus (coldly): "If you thought I'd never be strong enough… unlucky you. I am."
(Atreus' crimson shockwave ripples outward, staggering Eon, the god reels back, his many eyes widening in disbelief.)
Kratos (stunned, proud): "Boy…"
Asura (grinning through blood): "Hah! That's it, kid! Show him your teeth!"
Mithra (softly, awe): "He's… blazing brighter than the cosmos itself."
Eon steadies himself, cosmic flames twisting angrily around him. His voice drops into a venomous hiss.
Eon: "So. The weakest thread… dares to cut the loom. Insolent child. You will see how fragile you truly are."
The Illusion Trap
Rage flared in Eon's golden form. He turned his countless eyes upon the boy, even as Kratos and Asura closed in to strike him again.
But instead of meeting their blows, Eon's gaze pierced Atreus' mind.
A sudden spike of agony split Atreus' skull. He clutched his head with both hands, eyes squeezing shut. When they opened again—his world had already crumbled.
The battlefield melted away.
Kratos—dead, his axe shattered.
Asura—broken, his arms torn from his body again.
Mithra—motionless, her light extinguished.
Atreus fell to his knees, gasping.
Atreus (shaking): "No… no, this isn't real…!"
Eon's voice whispered from every shadow.
Eon (mocking): "This is what awaits you. No matter how brightly you spark, fate devours you all the same."
Atreus clutched his head, trembling. The fire in his staff sputtered.
Atreus (frustrated, breaking): "But… how? I'm stronger now… Why is this happening? WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"
Then a warm hand touched his cheek.
Mithra's voice cut through the darkness, calm and certain.
Mithra (softly): "Atreus. Look at me. This is not the end. Do not give him your fear."
The false corpses flickered, unraveling like smoke. Light poured back into Atreus' vision. Mithra's eyes glowed bright again—her strength returned, steadied by his awakening power.
Atreus gasped, then bared his teeth, the veins in his neck standing out as fury surged through him.
Atreus (snarling): "You'll NEVER trick me!."