As the three continued walking along the forest path, the atmosphere grew heavier, the once quiet woods now echoing faintly with the hiss of dark magic. Not long after, they encountered a poisonous revenant standing in the middle of the road. The creature's form was twisted and unstable, its body emitting faint green fumes as it fired concentrated blasts of poison and corruption. Every few seconds, the revenant would vanish from sight, reappearing in another spot through teleportation, attacking again before fading away.
Zelos observed the creature for a moment, then decided to try something he had not used in years. He raised his hand and began forming intricate patterns in the air. "Dimension Lock," he said quietly. It was a spell of his own creation, crafted long ago but never tested in real combat since he rarely met enemies capable of teleportation.
As the spell activated, the air around them shimmered. The entire area glowed faintly with a pale blue light, and a complex set of runes briefly appeared across the ground and trees before vanishing just as quickly. For a second, everything became eerily still. The revenant tried to teleport again, but its form flickered violently and snapped back to place. Confused, it raised its staff to cast another poisonous blast, only for the attack to be blocked by a transparent barrier that Zelos had conjured moments earlier.
Zelos extended his other hand and created a small fireball. This one moved deliberately slower than his usual casting speed, drifting lazily toward the revenant. The creature, expecting to dodge through teleportation, froze in confusion when its body refused to respond. Its glowing eyes darted around as if trying to understand what had happened, but it was already too late. The fireball struck it directly in the chest.
The revenant caught fire instantly. Yet, instead of screaming or attempting to roll away, it continued standing in the same position, its arms twitching as if trying to perform some spell. The flames spread quickly, consuming the creature as Zelos increased the spell's power output to see how it reacted. Within moments, the revenant's body crumbled to ash, vanishing completely.
Atreus, who had been watching the entire thing with wide eyes, tilted his head slightly. "Why didn't it dodge? Is that creature stupid?" he asked in a half-mocking tone, clearly amused that a monster capable of teleportation failed to move out of the way of a slow-moving attack.
Zelos turned slightly to look at him. "No, I think it became too dependent on teleportation," he explained calmly. "Creatures like that rarely use their physical legs anymore. When I cast the dimension lock, it trapped the revenant within a fixed space, preventing it from teleporting. Since it didn't realize what had happened, it just waited for the right moment to move—and that moment never came."
Atreus nodded slowly, processing the explanation. "How do you even come up with these kinds of spells?" he asked curiously. The more time he spent with Zelos, the more he realized how complex his magic truly was.
"It usually begins as an idea," Zelos said while continuing to walk forward. "Every spell I create comes from the need to counter something else. For example, the dimension lock came after I designed a teleportation spell of my own. I asked myself, 'What if an enemy can teleport as well?' and from there, I made a countermeasure. It's the same reason I have spells like Iceball to counter Fireball, or Cleanse to counter my Mud spells. My goal is always to be prepared for every possible situation."
Atreus seemed impressed, his curiosity growing with each answer. "If you already have a teleportation spell, then why do you want to learn the dwarves' special technique?" he asked.
Zelos smiled faintly. "Because the dwarves do not teleport. They walk between realms," he replied. "There's a difference, and that difference is what I'm after. If I can understand the method they use to traverse realms by walking, then I might be able to modify that principle to let me travel between different dimensions as well."
Atreus furrowed his brows. "Why do you want that? To go to another world?"
Zelos nodded slightly, his tone calm but distant. "Eventually, yes. There will come a time when there's nothing left to explore here. When that happens, I'll need to move on. It's the nature of growth—to keep moving forward when there's nothing left behind. You'll understand someday, Atreus. You'll have your own journey to take too."
Atreus went quiet after hearing that, and for a moment, only the sound of their footsteps filled the air.
Kratos, walking slightly ahead, said nothing, but his expression showed understanding.
For him, moving forward was not a choice—it was something forced upon him by time and loss.
As they continued to ascend the mountain, the group encountered more obstacles. Some were monsters, others were strange magical barriers or puzzles that blocked the way. Yet, none of them posed any real challenge. Zelos dispatched enemies with single spells, while puzzles that might have taken hours were solved in seconds by his analytical mind. Kratos and Atreus had grown used to this, walking calmly behind him without protest.
Eventually, they reached an open plain covered with scattered stones and ancient ruins. At the center of the field stood a massive troll holding an enormous pillar. Unlike others they had fought before, this one looked directly at Kratos, as if recognizing him. The troll let out a low growl and prepared to strike.
Before it could act, Zelos lifted his hand and summoned a chain of lightning. The energy arced through the air, striking the troll and the draugrs standing nearby. The intense surge vaporized all of them in an instant, leaving behind only faint smoke and scorch marks. Kratos and Atreus simply watched, their expressions neutral, having long accepted that Zelos's way of handling enemies was absolute and efficient.
After climbing further up the mountain path, they finally reached a large cave entrance. Thick black smoke poured from within, spreading across the air like a living shadow. Atreus, driven by curiosity, reached out to touch it, but before his fingers could make contact, Zelos grabbed his wrist and pulled it back.
"Atreus," Zelos said sharply, his tone suddenly serious. "What kind of brain do you have to think that's a safe thing to touch?"
Atreus blinked, caught off guard by the sudden reprimand. "I was just curious. I wasn't going to—well, maybe I was. What is it anyway?" he asked, pulling his hand away nervously.
Kratos stepped closer, his voice deep and calm. "What kind of magic is this?" It was the first thing he had said since their encounter with Sindri.
"It's not a spell," Zelos replied after a moment of observation. "It's a corruption of magic itself. A distorted form of energy that cannot be cleansed through simple purification. This kind of corruption spreads and feeds on nearby mana. It's far more dangerous than it looks."
Before they could discuss further, the sound of wings echoed from above. A large bird descended rapidly, glowing faintly with green energy. As it landed, its form shifted and transformed into a woman—Freya.
Kratos's eyes narrowed. "Why didn't you warn us earlier? You knew our path," he said, his tone carrying his usual skepticism toward gods.
Freya tilted her head slightly, her expression calm and sincere. "Would you believe me if I said it slipped my mind?" she said softly. The tone of her voice was genuine enough that even Zelos could tell she was telling the truth.
Kratos remained silent for a moment before asking, "Do you know how to remove this corruption?"
Freya nodded slowly. "Yes, but it is not simple. Only the Light of Alfheim—the realm of the elves—can purify corruption of this nature. It is beyond the reach of ordinary spells."
Zelos's eyes lit up with quiet excitement. Within his mind, he had been waiting for this moment since the day he was reborn.
The Light of Alfheim was something he longed to study. If he could obtain even a small essence of it and connect it to his own primordial energy, he could create entirely new kinds of magic.
It was also a necessary step in reclaiming something deeply important to him—the missing soul piece of Brok.
He said nothing, but a small, almost unnoticeable smile formed on his lips as the group prepared for what came next.