Kratos sat alone in front of the campfire, staring into the flames as he lost himself in his mind. Thoughtfully, he examined a small pouch containing 85 silver pieces, holding it gently in his hand, and rubbing one gentle finger along it. Kratos sighed as he was reminded of his wife, Faye. The memory of her smile made him feel a mixture of happiness and grief. He longed to go back to the days when he had her by his side. The pouch of silver in his hand reminded him of the pouch where he stored Faye's ashes. He sighed, putting the pouch down next to him.

His eyes narrowed when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned, and saw Raphtalia, holding onto a dead monster, Atreus following closely behind her.

'You hungry?' Raphtalia asked as she set the dead monster onto the ground, gutting it before setting it over the campfire, Atreus sitting down next to her.

A week had passed since they encountered the Two-Headed Dog and reunited with Freyr. Raphtalia grew exponentially since. It had occurred overnight. When the trio went to sleep, Raphtalia was still a child. When they awoke, they were astonished to find that Raphtalia had become an adult. Atreus didn't even recognise her at first, believing that someone had stolen Raphtalia during the night, until Raphtalia explained that it was still her. Even then, neither Atreus, Mimir, nor Kratos could believe that Raphtalia had become an adult overnight.

'A Demi-Human's age is tied to their level here,' Raphtalia had explained that morning. 'As a Demi-Human gains experience and levels up, they grow more quickly. That's why Demi-Humans are hated in Melromarc. It makes them seem more monstrous and unnatural.'

'O-okay,' Atreus replied. 'N-not sure if I still believe it. But that makes sense.'

It wasn't her age that was affected. Since she had become an adult, she had become faster, stronger, and more skilled with her spear. Her skill was nearly on par with Kratos and Atreus. Kratos and Atreus found themselves proud of the progress Raphtalia made.

The three of them sat around the campfire, eating the dead monster that Raphtalia had hunted, before going to sleep at the dead of night.

The next morning, they headed into Melromarc for supplies. They entered the Weapon Shop, where Erhard was at the counter.

'Well, hey there!' He greeted. 'What can I do for ya?'

'Hey Erhard, we're here for some new gear,' Atreus replied. 'Got anything for us?'

'I got something real good you can use. Wait here.'

Erhard went into the back momentarily, then came back out with a load of equipment. He grabbed a new Spear for Raphtalia, much grander and sturdier than her previous one. He also handed Kratos a new armour set.

Kratos went into the changing room and put it on, examining himself in the mirror. It was an armour made from hardened turquoise metal. The shoulder pauldrons were fairly oval, long and bulky in size. They were decorated with a metal dragon wing on each side, curved upwards. The upper arms were protected by squared, half-covering rerebraces, fitting loosely under the shoulders, while the vambraces covering the forearms were decorated by elongated dragons curling around them.

The breastplate was made from one large piece of metal, designed to mimic the appearance of a highly muscular body. The front and back were completely covered, but the attachment straps left the sides under the arms exposed. Worn around Kratos's waist was a girdle, coloured turquoise like the rest of the armour, and decorated with intricate golden patterns.

'Well, damn, don't you look good or what?' Erhard said, making a satisfied whistle.

'It fits,' Kratos replied. Atreus looked out the store window, raising an eyebrow as he noticed the people outside.

'Those people out there…They look on edge,' he said.

'Well yeah, I mean the Wave is coming, and all,' Erhard said.

'Yeah…I just wish there was a way to know when the Wave will come.'

Erhard raised an eyebrow, dumbfounded.

'No one told you about the Dragon Hourglass, did they?' he said.

'Only that it counted down to the Waves. Why?' Atreus replied.

'Near the edge of town,' Erhard explained. 'There's the clock tower, the one you see when entering the town. It has a dome on the roof. You'll find the Dragon Hourglass there. It should show you how much time is left until the next Wave.'

Atreus nodded, smiling.

'Alright. Thanks.'

Atreus paid Erhard for the new equipment, and he, Kratos and Raphtalia left the Weapon Shop.

The group headed down the street, towards the centre of town, where they came upon the clock tower, as Erhard had said. The doors were open, and people were coming and going as they pleased. The clock extended from on top of the dome.

'Is that the place?' Mimir asked.

'It's gotta be,' Atreus replied. 'Let's head inside.'

The group headed inside the clock tower. There were several nuns there, who eyed Atreus and Kratos with fear. They must have heard the rumours as well.

'Huh, the people here seem terrified of something…' Raphtalia said.

'Yeah…' Atreus replied.

They went deeper into the clocktower, and in the centre, laid the Dragon Hourglass. It was large, and was decorated with gilded patterns that lent it a holy look. Red sand was streaming silently. The group could tell that it was running out of time. Atreus couldn't help but feel intimidated.

They heard a loud beeping, and a beam shot out from Atreus's shield to illuminate a jewel within the Hourglass. Then a clock appeared in Atreus's vision.

20:18

'What is it lad?' Mimir asked.

'It looks like…How do I explain? It seems like it's counting down to the Wave,' Atreus said. 'It appears that the next Wave is gonna happen sometime tomorrow. Mid-morning, it looks like it.'

'Hey, ain't that the shield?'

Atreus turned and frowned. Motoyasu stood in the doorway, followed by his party. He smirked at Atreus as he sauntered over condescendingly, making Atreus's blood boil.

'You're still fighting in-'

Kratos growled as he stood in front of Atreus, glaring daggers at Motoyasu. Motoyasu stammered as he looked up at Kratos, then backed away, beginning to sweat a bit. Atreus noticed Ren and Okaya standing in the doorway, along with their respective parties. With all four parties, the room became crowded.

'We have nothing to say to any of you,' Atreus said, before he turned his back on the Dragon Hourglass.

'Hey! Sir Motoyasu is speaking to you!' came a condescending and familiar voice.

Kratos and Atreus turned, feeling their anger surge as they both glared at Myne. Myne only glared at them as she stood behind Motoyasu, clearly looking a bit intimidated.

'Hey, who's the girl over there?' Motoyasu asked as he came up to Raphtalia. 'You look cute, what's your name?'

'Ra…Raphtalia,' Raphtalia answered, clearly a bit uncomfortable as she eyed Atreus. 'P-pleased to make your acquaintance.'

Raphtalia shook Motoyasu's hand, which he returned eagerly. Atreus held back a groan, not wanting to stay any longer.

'That's some nice armour you're wearing. Pretty good-looking spear as well. You are taking after me, eh?'

'N-no. I need them to fight alongside Loki and Kratos.'

Motoyasu raised an eyebrow, then briefly glanced at Kratos and Atreus.

'T-those two?' he asked, suddenly becoming concerned. 'Are you sure? Do you know what those two did?'

'Sir Motoyasu, why are you talking with a Demi-Human?'

That was enough. Kratos growled as he got in-between Raphtalia and Motoyasu, causing Motoyasu to back off in fear. Atreus took Raphtalia's arm, before he walked briskly towards the exit, Kratos following behind him. Ren and Okaya parted to let them leave.

'Good luck during the wave, Loki,' Ren said, in a tone that lacked friendliness, yet didn't seem cold.

'T-thanks, Ren.'

'Better stay out of our way, Loki,' Okaya said. Atreus only let out a grunt in reply, as he, Raphtalia and Kratos left the room.

The group camped outdoors that night. Kratos and Raphtalia had already gone to sleep, while Atreus stayed awake, keeping watch. Raphtalia peeked one eye open as she stared at Atreus, concerned.

'Loki…Those people at the hourglass…They were heroes like you, right?'

'Yeah…' Atreus said. 'The Spear Hero, the Sword Hero, and the Bow Hero. I'm supposed to work with them in order to stop the waves.'

Raphtalia averted her gaze for a moment, then looked back at Atreus.

'Loki…What happened between you and the other heroes?'

Atreus didn't say anything, continuing to stare into the fire. He didn't even so much as glance at Raphtalia. Understanding he didn't want to talk, Raphtalia went back to sleep.

0:17

17 minutes. That was when the Wave was going to start. The other adventurers and townspeople seemed to have known, since several of them were standing around town, waiting anxiously. Kratos, Atreus and Raphtalia stood outside of Melromarc, excitement and nervousness amongst them. Atreus squatted as he stared at the clock absent-mindedly.

'How much longer now, lad?' Mimir asked after a while.

'10 minutes now,' Atreus replied. 'Are you ready, Father?'

'Well, we've survived bloody Ragnarok, have we?' Mimir answered. 'I'm sure we can handle a Wave or two.'

'That's good. Raphtalia? You okay?'

'Hm?' Raphtalia found herself spaced out. 'O-oh, I'm alright. Just a bit excited, that's all.'

'That's good.'

'Hey, Loki? Can I say something?'

'Sure, go ahead.'

Raphtalia fidgeted with a piece of her hair nervously, blushing faintly.

'I…I just wanted to thank you. And Kratos, and Mimir. You saved me. If it weren't for all of you, I'd have died long ago. You saved my life. We talked about it before. Do you remember?'

Atreus nodded. Kratos let out a low grunt in reply.

'Yeah. It's so awful what you went through,' Atreus said.

'Hm. I know well what it means to be a slave. I know your pain well,' Kratos said. Raphtalia betrayed a small smile, warming Atreus and Kratos's hearts.

'I'm…I feel really lucky to have met you three. Because you didn't just teach me how to fight, how to survive. But you taught me how to live. And you gave me a chance. A chance to face the Waves. So I'll do all I can for you. I swear I will be by your side, always.'

Kratos and Atreus smiled, nodding.

'As we will be by yours,' Kratos said.

'Always,' Atreus said.

Raphtalia blushed faintly, shifting uncomfortably.

'I-I'm sorry…It's just, thinking about the wave, it's making me feel emotional…'

'Don't be.'

The timer in Atreus's vision went down more and more, until it was almost time.

0:01

'It's almost time,' Atreus said. 'Get ready.'

Kratos and Raphtalia gripped their weapons tightly, their faces becoming stern. Atreus switched to his strongest shield as he braced himself.

0:00

Almost immediately, Atreus, Kratos and Raphtalia found themselves engulfed in bright golden light. They were within this light for a full 2 seconds before the light dissipated, finding themselves within a small forest. Their surroundings weren't the only things that changed. The sky had turned a dark, crimson red, its texture seeming like flowing blood. Large swirls of glowing blue energy could be seen, with horrific looking monsters flowing out of them en masse. Atreus turned and saw the other Heroes nearby, having apparently been teleported alongside them.

'Loki! Look!' Raphtalia said, pointing to somewhere nearby. Atreus and Kratos turned and saw Riyute village nearby. Several thousand monsters were heading straight towards it.

'The village is in danger!' Atreus said. 'We should help!'

'Alright, the boss should be here somewhere!' Motoyasu said.

'Let's get it!' Ren said.

'Good luck, everyone!' Okaya said. All three began to run off, leaving the shield party behind.

'Hey, guys, wait!' Atreus called out, but the other three ignored him.

'Leave them!' Kratos said. 'We must protect the village.'

'R-right! Let's go!'

The three of them bolted into a run towards Riyute Village, running as fast as they could. By the time they made it, the village had already been overrun by monsters. Ingrid unsheathed itself and slashed at a monster that had attacked Freyr, cutting it to ribbons.

'D-damn monsters!' Freyr said with gritted teeth, clutching his arm.

'Freyr! Are you alright?!' Atreus said.

'I-I'm fine!' Freyr said. 'It's the townspeople I'm more concerned about! If something isn't done, we're all gonna die here!'

Atreus looked around. Monsters could be seen as far as the eye could see. Kratos frowned as he stared at them. The monsters looked almost exactly like the undead legionnaires from Greece. Was he imagining things?

'Think you can still fight?' Atreus said.

'I could try,' Freyr answered. 'But I don't think I could do much good.'

'Maybe you could. Freyr, Raphtalia, go and evacuate the people.'

'Okay, Loki,' Raphtalia replied.

'And what are you gonna do, kid?' Freyr asked.

'The best I can. Now go! Father, to me!'

Freyr and Raphtalia ran from Loki and Kratos, determined to help the people escape, as Atreus and Kratos ran in the opposite direction, in the direction of several monsters attacking a few of the people. They all wielded pitchforks and other farm tools in a vain attempt at defending themselves. They all noticed Atreus and pointed at him.

'Look, one of the heroes!'

'The Shield Hero has come for us!'

Atreus and Kratos charged at the monsters, killing several of them as adrenaline kept them running.

'Listen up everyone!' Atreus yelled. 'Father and I will deal with the monsters! You all get out of here while you can, alright!'

'O-okay!'

Several of the townspeople backed off and ran, hoping to get away. Kratos and Atreus kept the monsters off of them, hacking away any monsters they came upon. Ingrid flew around the area, slashing the monsters as Kratos and Atreus fought.

'Aaaah! Someone help me!'

Atreus turned and saw the Innkeeper, being chased by a particularly large monster. Atreus ran at the monster and leapt, turning into a wolf mid leap and chomping down on the monster hard. The Innkeeper turned, eyes widening in shock as he watched Atreus tear the monster apart with his jaws, before turning back into a human.

'Get out of here! Now! We'll fight them off!' Atreus said.

'S-shield Hero? H-how did you…?'

'There's no time to explain, okay? Just get out of here!'

'O-okay. Thank you!'

The Innkeeper bowed briefly, before running off with his family.

'Yaaaaaaah!'

Atreus turned and saw a young child, almost about to be overtaken by several monsters. Atreus and Kratos ran towards the child, determined to protect him.

'Shield Prison!'

Atreus threw his hand out, and the child was encased in a large, protective ball. Kratos threw his Draupnir Spear into the air, and several spears came raining down onto the monsters. The Spear materialised back into Kratos's hand, and he slammed it onto the ground. The spears exploded all around the monsters, killing the monsters instantly. The shield prison disipated, the child inside remaining unharmed.

'T-thank you, Sir Hero!' the child said.

'Don't mention it! Now go, get out of here! We'll take it from here!'

'O-okay!'

The child ran off, running as fast as his legs could take him. Several more monsters attacked Kratos and Atreus. Atreus transformed into a wolf and began ripping the monsters apart with his jaws, while Ingrid flew through the area and sliced through several monsters. Kratos meanwhile bought out the Blades of Chaos and began swinging with grace, decapitating several monsters and bisecting several more. A large group of monsters charged at Kratos, swords raised as they prepared to strike him down. Kratos roared as he swung his blade in an uppercut, and several geysers of fire erupted from out of the ground, burning the monsters to ashes.

A shrill scream could be heard nearby. Atreus and Kratos turned, and saw a woman trying to protect several children from a large group of monsters advancing on them. Atreus gritted his teeth; They were too far away for them to defend. The two of broke out into a run, trying desperately to reach them.

'N-No! Keep away!' the woman yelled, shielding the children from the monsters. 'N-noooooo!' She raised one arm as a monster raised its blade to strike her down.

'Air Strike Shield!' Atreus yelled, throwing his hand out. A large green shield appeared in front of the women and the children, shielding them. As Atreus did this, Ingrid unleashed a flurry of slashes that impacted the monsters. They all fell like flies as they were hit, while the women and the children were left unharmed.

'You okay?' Atreus asked when he reached them.

'Yes,' the woman said. 'Thank you for saving me and my children!'

'No problem. Get out while you still can. We can handle everything from here!'

'Of course! Come on, my children!'

The women led the children away as they sought to escape from the village. Atreus panted as he wiped the sweat from his brow, before Freyr and Raphtalia arrived.

'You guys doing okay?' Freyr asked.

'We are fine,' Kratos answered.

'Did you get the people out?' Atreus asked.

'Yes, Loki,' Raphtalia said. 'They are all safe now.'

'Good. Now all that's left is to take care of all these monsters.'

'Easier said than done, kid. They're all over the place!'

Freyr was not wrong. No matter how hard they fought, the monsters continued to spawn.

'As long as the Wave is active, the monsters will never stop!' Raphtalia said.

'There's gotta be a way to stop this…' Atreus said.

A loud roar could be heard then. Something appeared to be falling from the sky. It slammed on the ground with enough force to shake it, nearly making the group lose their balance. It looked far larger than any of the other monsters, bullish in looks, and clothed with light metallic armour. It wielded what looked like a giant axe in its hand.

'What is that?!' Atreus said.

'Minotaur!' Kratos answered.

The Minotaur bellowed, before it charged at them with its horn, seeing nothing but red. Kratos, Raphtalia and Freyr leapt out of the way, while Atreus charged with his shield held out, taking most of the force. Atreus was sent flying to the ground, landing with a groan.

'Atreus!' Kratos yelled.

'Don't worry about me!' Atreus said, quickly getting up. 'Focus on the monster, okay?'

'Alright!'

Kratos turned and snarled at the Minotaur, bringing out his Blades and charging with a roar. Atreus charged and transformed into his wolf form, barking loudly and aggressively as he bit onto the Minotaur's arm. The Minotaur roared in pain as it tried to throw Atreus off, while Raphtalia and Ingrid both slashed it repeatedly. All three leapt away as Kratos extended his Blades behind him, before yelling as he slammed them onto the ground, causing large meteors to rain down from the sky onto the Minotaur. The Minotaur bellowed in pain as it tried to shield itself from the meteors, being burned badly. The Minotaur roared as it became more angry, its nostrils flaring in rage.

Atreus tried to lunge at the Minotaur once more. The Minotaur roared as it swung its massive arm, hitting Atreus and sending him flying. He hit a nearby building with a yip and tumbled to the ground, reverting back to his human form.

'Atreus!' Kratos called out. Atreus groaned in pain as he got onto one knee, before holding his hand out.

'Father, my bow!' he called.

'But you cannot use it, Atreus!' Kratos said.

'Just do it!'

Kratos hesitated for a bit, before grabbing Atreus bow and throwing it towards him. Atreus grabbed the bow and held on tight with both hands, frowning. He yelled in pain as a powerful jolt burst from his hands, nearly dropping his bow in the process. He held on more tightly, roaring as a weapons violation notice appeared in his vision. The tighter he held onto his bow, the more powerful the electric shocks were, as if the whole weapon was actively fighting against him. He roared as he slammed his bow onto the ground, hard. The force was enough to dissipate the electric shocks completely. The weapons violation notice cracked, then shattered like glass, before a new notification appeared in front of him.

Weapon Restriction bypassed

You may now use other weapons

'Finally!' Atreus yelled. Gripping his bow tightly, he charged at the Minotaur, now fully prepared to fight. Kratos grunted as he threw Atreus's quiver of arrows at him, which Atreus caught. In one quick motion, Atreus pulled the quiver onto his back, pulled an arrow out, put it to his bow, and began to fire at the Minotaur. The Minotaur roared, fully enraged.

The battle raged on. Atreus kept the Minotaur's attention on him with his bow and shield, while Kratos and Raphtalia attacked it head-on. Freyr himself stayed to the side, defending himself if needed. More and more enemies continued to rush into the area, which Ingrid swiftly dealt with. Kratos roared and charged at the Minotaur, Blades of Chaos burning as he dodged a swing of the Minotaur's arm, before grabbing it by the horn and stabbing it repeatedly in the throat. The Minotaur fell to the ground, grasping its wounds in pain, before Raphtalia finished it off by plunging her spear deep into the Minotaur's eye, killing it.

'Good job, Raphtalia,' Atreus complimented, as Raphtalia pulled her spear out.

'Thanks, Loki,' Raphtalia said, smiling.

'Fire, from above!' Mimir suddenly shouted. The group turned and saw large balls of fire and flames falling from the sky towards them. Atreus yelled as he pulled Raphtalia in, keeping her close as he raised his shield into the air. Kratos shielded Freyr as he too bought out his Guardian Shield, keeping it over both their heads. They all gritted their teeth as the fire fell all around them, barely defending themselves from the flames and heat.

They only looked when they were certain the fire rain had stopped. Although the monsters in the area were dead, the whole place had been set on fire. Within the flames, they could make out what seemed to be a group of knights. Standing in front of them, laughing like a madman, was what seemed to be the captain.

'Hahaha! We burned them all to death!' The Captain said. Atreus glared at the knights, furious.

'Hey! What's wrong with you?!' he yelled. 'Did you not care that we were here?!'

The Captain only raised an eyebrow at Atreus, then chuckled.

'So you're the Shield Hero, huh? You're pretty tough!' he said. Kratos growled as he glared at the Captain, hate and rage surging through him.

'Did you know we were here as well?!' Raphtalia shouted, pointing her spear at him. 'Depending on your answer, I will have your head!'

The Captain glared at her, unfazed by her threat.

'Draw your swords!' he commanded, and the rest of the knights drew their swords at his command. 'Are you with the Shield Hero?'

'I am Loki's spear!' Raphtalia shouted in fury. 'You will not disrespect him in my presence!'

The Captain chuckled, smirking condescendingly.

'Heh, you think you can point a spear at the royal knights, you damn-'

The Captain wasn't able to finish his sentence as Kratos plunged his Blade into the Captain's stomach, making him yell and clutch his wound in pain. Kratos growled, gritting his teeth as he wrapped the glowing hot chains around the Captain's neck, then pulled, taking the Captain's head clean off. The other knights only stood and watched as Kratos murdered him, glaring at the Captain with contempt.

A knight nearby, seemingly the vice-captain, stared at the Captain's corpse for a moment, then looked at Kratos. Kratos glared at the Vice-Captain, awaiting his next move. The Vice-Captain nodded, then raised his sword into the air.

'All knights! Gather into Phalanx Formation to support the Shield Hero!'

The knights cheered at his declaration, quickly getting into Formation.

'Phalanx Formation!'

'Charge!'

The knights yelled as they charged at the monsters, engaging them with contact. Kratos put one hand on the Vice-Captain's shoulder, grunting in approval.

'Good choice,' Atreus said. The Vice-Captain nodded, before he, Kratos, Atreus and Raphtalia charged into battle to support the knights.

The battle went on for a while longer. The knights fought alongside the Shield Hero's party as they fought back against the monsters with all their might. Eventually, the monsters began to evaporate, one by one, as the sky lost its crimson red hue and returned to the familiar blue colour again. The blue swirls of energy too evaporated, with no more monsters arriving. It was enough; The Wave of Catastrophe was over.

'Is it over?' Freyr asked.

'It is finished,' Kratos replied.

'Finally. That took a while,' Atreus said.

'Yeah. Pretty tough as well,' Raphtalia said.

'No kidding. If that was only the second Wave, who knows how worse it'll be from here on out.'

Kratos grunted as he kneeled over in exhaustion, struggling to breathe as sweat beaded down his forehead. Atreus put a hand on his shoulder out of concern. Kratos looked at Atreus, then nodded, taking a single deep breath as he got to his feet.

Most of the town had been badly damaged in the aftermath, with several buildings knocked down and reduced to rubble. The townspeople however were thankfully unharmed, albeit a little shaken from the Wave. The townspeople all gathered in front of Atreus and bowed.

'T-thank you, Shield Hero,' the Innkeeper said. 'Because of you, we have survived. You saved our lives today. We are forever in your debt, Shield Hero.'

'As we are forever in yours,' Kratos replied.

'No problem,' Atreus said. 'I couldn't let all of you die! You all deserve to live.'

The Innkeeper looked around the town, almost despairing.

'I suppose what's left now is to rebuild what was destroyed…'

'I'm sorry about your town. I can help rebuild it if you'd like,' Atreus offered.

'Oh, thank you, Shield Hero. But I am afraid we may not be able to compensate you for it.'

'Don't worry about that. What matters is this town gets rebuilt.'

The Innkeeper smiled, bowing again.

'Now we know you are truly a Hero,' he said. 'We are forever grateful for you.'

Kratos turned and noticed the Vice-Captain, preparing to leave with his knights. Kratos went up and put his hand on his shoulder.

'What do we call you?' Kratos asked. The Vice-Captain looked at Kratos, emotionless. Now face to face, Kratos could see that the Vice-Captain had a scar.

'If you must know my name,' he said. 'Then you may call me Almeric, the Defender.'

'Almeric,' Kratos repeated. 'Thank you. For aiding my son. You are a trusted ally.'

'Any time,' Almeric replied. 'If you or your son ever get into trouble, I'll be there to help, however I can. Take care, Father of the Shield Hero.'

With that, Almeric turned and left, his knights following behind him.

'Brother, am I going stark mad,' Mimir said. 'Or did those monsters we face look oddly familiar?'

'Hmm,' Kratos grunted in reply. 'Those monsters…I have seen them before.'

'You know what they were?' Atreus said.

'Yes. They looked almost like the Undead Legionnaires from my homeland…'

'And that horned beast that attacked us,' Raphtalia said. 'Was that…?'

'A Minotaur,' Kratos replied. 'Another beast from my homeland…'

'What do you think that means, Brother?' Mimir asked.

'I…I do not know…'

'Look, it's over now,' Atreus said. 'We must focus on what happens next.'

'Yes. But I am still troubled…' Kratos said.

'Probably something to contemplate, Brother,' Mimir said.

'D-did we at least prevent one child from being orphaned?' Raphtalia asked. Atreus turned to her and smiled, petting her head.

'Yes. We did,' he answered. 'Great job out there, Raphtalia. I'm so proud of you.'

Raphtalia smiled at Atreus, unable to hide her tears as she hugged him tightly, sobbing as she buried her head in his chest. Atreus returned her hug, petting her head to comfort her.

'Splendidly done, Heroes!' King Aultcray announced. 'Because of your efforts, the Wave was successfully thwarted with very little casualties! Tonight, we celebrate! Feast to your hearts content!'

The whole room cheered loudly at the King's declaration, chatting happily among themselves. Atreus had heard that there was going to be a party that night. The other Heroes were there as well, enjoying themselves. Apparently, there was going to be a reward for each of the heroes for their efforts in fighting the Waves.

Atreus himself sat by a window, looking out into the town, a feeling of gloom over him. It wasn't like he had wanted to be there at all. The only reason he, Kratos, Mimir and Raphtalia were there at all was that they just wanted their reward, nothing more. He was especially concerned with what the Trash King would attempt to pull on him and his party.

Thankfully, he had Kratos there with him, acting as a sort of bodyguard. If the Trash King tried anything, Kratos would quickly put a stop to it.

Atreus turned and noticed Okaya, talking amongst a group of nobles. He smiled as he talked and laughed with the nobles, appearing to be having a good discussion with them. Many of the nobles praised Okaya for his heroic acts. Apparently, Okaya had become well known for his heroism and kind acts as of late. Atreus watched him, beginning to wonder if maybe he was wrong about Okaya. He quickly looked away, unable to look at him. His smile and dead-looking eyes unnerved him still.

Some of the nobles nearby noticed Atreus and frowned at him.

'I heard that the Shield Hero turned into a wolf during the Wave,' a noble said, not caring if Atreus heard.

'What?' a female noble said. 'But that's impossible! I have never heard of the Legendary Heroes being able to shapeshift!'

'I heard that the Shield Hero also used a bow during the Wave,' another noble said.

'What?! No, that's not true! It is said that the Shield Hero can only use the Shield! How can he have this power?!'

Atreus groaned, frowning as he listened. Rumors really did spread fast in Melromarc. People will be talking about this for all of time.

He looked around and noticed Motoyasu. He frowned as he watched him. Motoyasu was looking at Raphtalia, who was currently helping herself to some food. Kratos stood nearby, his arms folded, making sure she was safe. Motoyasu appeared to be reaching out for her, before Myne grabbed him by the arm and pulled him close, whispering something into his ear. Motoyasu's eyes widened in surprise, before he glared at Atreus. Atreus frowned, instinctively knowing something was going to happen, as Raphtalia came over with some cake.

'You should eat, you know, Loki,' Raphtalia said.

'No thanks, Raphtalia. I'm not hungry,' he said, still eyeing Motoyasu.

'Are you sure? This cake is delicious.'

'I'm fine. Thanks for offering though.'

He frowned as he watched Motoyasu suddenly come striding over to him, bracing himself as Motoyasu took off his glove and threw it at Atreus's feet.

'Loki, I challenge you to a duel!' Motoyasu said loudly.

The whole room broke into murmurs at Motoyasu's declaration. Atreus raised an eyebrow, glaring at him incredulously.

'What the Hel are you going on about?' he exclaimed.

'That Raphtalia girl, you're forcing her to fight, aren't you? You made her your slave, right?!'

'And what makes you think that?'

'Don't act dumb with me! I saw how uncomfortable she was earlier before!'

Atreus glared at Motoyasu as he got up, his body becoming tense. Raphtalia squeaked as she looked from Motoyasu to Atreus rapidly, blushing faintly.

'W-what?' Raphtalia said, dumbfounded. 'N-no, Loki's not forcing me to fight at all!'

Motoyasu turned to her, concern on his face.

'You poor thing!' he said. 'He's enslaved you, hasn't he?'

'N-no!' Raphtalia said. 'I am not Loki's slave! He saved me from a slave trader a while back! I fight for him of my own free will!'

Motoyasu gritted his teeth as he turned back to Atreus, furious.

'Loki, I challenge you to a duel!' he declared again. 'If you win, you get to keep her. If I win, you set her free, for good!'

'Are you dense?!' Atreus said. It was like Motoyasu had completely ignored her. 'She's already free! I'm not keeping her captive! I won't accept your duel!'

'If you will not listen to him, then you must listen to me!'

Atreus groaned as he looked up at Aultcray, who glared at him with malice in his eyes.

'I have heard that you have kept a slave in your party!' Aultcray shouted. 'You have committed a vile act and have violated our culture! You must accept the duel!'

Ren and Okaya stood nearby and watched the whole scene play out, shaking their heads.

'Loki seriously has a slave now?' Ren said. 'How low can he go?'

'He truly is a vile monster,' Okaya agreed.

Atreus gritted his teeth, feeling his anger surge. It took a lot of effort for him to keep control of it.

'I am not Loki's slave!' Raphtalia pleaded desperately. 'He saved me! If it weren't for him, I would've died long ago! Please, there's no need to-'

She yelped as she suddenly found herself grabbed by two knights, one planting his hand over her mouth to muffle her voice. She screamed into the knight's hand as she tried to break out of their grip. It was all in vain however, as the knights began to drag her away.

'Raphtalia! No!' Atreus shouted, reaching out to her to try and save her. The knights all drew their weapons, pointing them threateningly at Atreus.

'Oh, poor thing, you must be brainwashed,' King Aultcray said, smirking at Atreus. 'Not to worry, we will save you from this vile criminal.'

The whole scene erupted into chaos as Kratos suddenly charged with a yell, punching Motoyasu hard in the gut and sending him flying into the room, making him crash into the banquet and knocking him unconscious. The knights yelled and cowered in terror as Kratos threw his Leviathan Axe at the knights that held Raphtalia hostage, decapitating both of them. Raphtalia almost tumbled to the ground as she broke free from their grasp, before running to Atreus's side. Aultcray lost his confident smirk as Kratos came behind him, grabbing his head and pressing a Blade of Chaos to his throat.

'I warned you,' Kratos growled into his ear. 'I warned you what would happen, if you tried to attack us, or hinder us, or harm my son. Must I repeat myself again?'

Aultcray squirmed in fear as the Blade of Chaos lit on fire, nearly burning him with its heat. Atreus glared at Aultcray, anger in his eyes.

'Give us our reward, and we'll be on our way,' he said.

'G-give them their reward! All of it!' Aultcray ordered a nearby noble. The noble quickly grabbed a pouch full of silver coins and put it into Atreus's hands. The bag felt heavy to Atreus.

'Your reward, 3,800 silvers,' the noble said. Atreus nodded and put the bag of silver into his pouch, before glaring at the King.

'Try anything like this again, and your head will be hanging from my hip,' Atreus said. 'Let's go, Father.'

Kratos grunted as he let go of Aultcray, making the king sigh in relief. Kratos growled in anger as he, Atreus, Mimir and Raphtalia left the castle, heading off into the night, leaving the other nobles to murmur among themselves.