Shrouding Dark Clouds
God of War and all associated characters and interpretations are property of Sony Santa Monica. Kingdom Hearts and all associated characters are property of Disney and Square Enix.
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After entering the door, they returned to the same white marble hallway from when they'd first entered Valhalla. After the door closed behind them, Kratos saw his son try, and fail, to suppress a grimace.
"What is wrong?" he asked.
Atreus almost waved him off, only to sigh. "Just thinking about what Naminé said. About how many times people have tried to destroy all of Creation." He looked down at his feet and hugged his arms. "You're just living your life, and then, what, nothing? Some madman just ends it all and you couldn't do anything about it. It's just terrifying to think about, isn't it?"
His words struck a chord with Freya and the Shield Maidens. Whatever brave front they collectively bore vanished into anxiety.
"It is." Kratos replied. Everyone paused to stare at him. He stared back.
Mimir grunted from his hip. "I believe this is the part where your spout some taciturn, yet comforting wisdom, Brother."
Kratos grunted in turn. "There is nothing to say. Atreus speaks truly; it is terrifying to think about."
Freya scoffed. "So, what are we supposed to do with this information then? Just live out our lives with the knowledge that it can all just end at a moment's notice."
"I did warn you," Kratos said with an arched brow.
Freya made to speak, only to sigh. She shook her head with a wry grin "You did, didn't you?"
"Nothing about your lives has to change." Kratos said gently. He stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on both Freya and Atreus's shoulders. "The worst thing about knowing of the existence of other Worlds—of malicious agents within them especially—is that we have no true means of countering, influencing, or otherwise acting against them." Freya and Atreus both stared deadpan at him. "But know this; as many out there that wish destruction, there are just as many that oppose them. When a threat against all of Creation rises, so too do defenders."
"Like Sora," Atreus replied with a smile.
Freya, however, glowered. "I don't exactly like that the most able defender was a child."
"That is…not ideal." Kratos agreed—his mind flashed back to his battle against the Polygon Man. Where he had to fight alongside Parappa, Spike, and even Sally. Children all, but vital, in their own ways, to the eventual defeat of the mad entity. "But it is beyond our control. All we can do is move forward." Freya's glower deepened, but in the end, she sighed, and nodded wearily at him.
No one else said anything as Kratos led them up the stairs and to the next door.
"What do you think we can expect from this Hollow Bastion?" Hildr asked as Kratos held the World's card up to the door.
Olrun hummed. "Based on the image, we'll be traversing some sort of metal castle." She crossed her arms. "An entire castle made of metal. How is that even possible?"
"Magic?" Atreus supplied with a shrug. When Olrun huffed in dissatisfaction he added, "Or some kind of technology beyond ours."
"Or it's just metal plating to provide an added layer of defense," Mimir added as the card in Krato's hand vanished, the door glowing brightly before opening. He didn't wait for anyone else to reply before heading through it.
/+/+/+/+/
What awaited Kratos at the end of the light was a bizarre sight, even for him. He stood upon a sizeable stone platform, at the bottom of a lake. But the lake was parted, the water flowing upwards around him and spilling out from the top. In front of him were various other stone platforms—all of them floating above the water—and large bubbles of water bobbing in the air.
Far into the distance lay the metal castle imprinted on the card, the Heartless's emblem looming ominously in the horizon.
"Oh!" Freya hummed as she eyed their surroundings. "This is actually kind of familiar."
"Begging your pardon, m'lady?" Mimir asked.
"The water flowing up around us." Freya's warred a smile and a frown. The end result was her lips forming a crooked line across her face. "My father performed a similar trick when I was a child. He'd take it a step further, actually. Forming a bubble under the water so we could look overhead and see fish swimming above us."
"Sounds nice." Atreus replied with a smile.
"It was." Freya heaved a great sigh, before rolling her shoulders and summoning her wings. "Well, time's wasting. Let's head to that castle."
"I think we're going to have to make a stop first," Sigrún said, stepping forward and pointing to a large platform ahead of them. "I see…something up there." Kratos followed her finger, and he too could see something—a mass of purple cloth, perhaps—up ahead.
Kratos nodded. "Let us not delay," he said, before performing a Flowmotion assisted leap for the nearest platform. Everyone else flew ahead of him—Atreus having transformed into a bird—and seconds later he joined them on a platform just before the cloth. The bundle of cloth was actually a cloak, worn by some kind of beast Kratos had never seen before. Given it's bipedal, if labored posture, it was some mix of man, and all manner of creatures—lion, bear, boar, and many others Kratos could not identify at the moment.
Mimir, after being raised to view the creature, sniffed. "Oh, how interesting!"
"What?" Atreus asked.
"I'd have to get a better look, but I think this thing's been cursed by Fey magic."
"Truly?" Olrun asked, leaning closer to eyes the creature. "You can tell from a memory? Of a creature from another World entirely?"
"My dear, I grew up with and led a band of fairies under the Fairy King Oberon." Mimir managed to sound both smug and melancholy. "Trust me, if there's any brand of magic I know by heart, it's Fey magic."
While the others contemplated Mimir's words, Kratos shifted his attention to another figure on a larger platform across from this cursed beast. It was a boy, of an age with Sora, with long silver hair, wearing a yellow shirt with two black bands forming an 'X' across it, baggy blue pants, and blue and gray shoes.
The boy stared at the creature. He said, "No vessel, no help from the Heartless... So tell me, how'd you get here?"
The beast spoke, its voice like a rockslide, and unmistakably male. "I simply believed. Nothing more to it. When our world fell into darkness, Belle was taken from me. I vowed I would find her again no matter what the cost. I believed I would find her. So, here I am."
Kratos sharply inhaled at this beast's words, eyeing him with greater interest.
"Ooh, that's not something I hear from you every day." Mimir spoke up. "What's caught your attention?"
"It is difficult to travel to other Worlds under the most ideal circumstances." Kratos replied. "That this creature claims to have only done so by his sheer belief in reuniting with this 'Belle' …It is extraordinary." No one else had any true reference for his words—not even Mimir and Atreus, despite their greater knowledge compared to the others. Still, they all looked at this cursed beast with interest.
The beast took a deep beath and stared up at the boy. "She must be here. I will have her back!"
The boy stared derisively down at the beast. "Take her, if you can!" he challenged.
The beast roared in response—the sound rumbling out his throat like an avalanche—before leaping up and slashing at the boy with razor sharp claws. But the boy almost causally flipped away from the blow, summoning a sword shaped like a fish's fin, but colored red and purple, with a bright blue, reptilian eye where the hilt met the blade. The beast staggered as he missed, cloak billowing, blocking his sight. When the boy landed on his feet, he took the briefest second to steady himself, before dashing forward and slashing at the beast. He dashed away just as quickly, but instead of retaliating, the beast just stood still, dazed, before falling face-first to the ground.
"Stop!" a voice cried, and Kratos turned to see Sora, Donald, and Goofy leaping up and running astride the fallen beast. Kratos and the others hurried up to the platform, standing in between Sora and the boy.
The boy smirked at Sora." So, you finally made it. About time. I've been waiting for you." He took a deep breath, eyeing the trio before him with no small amount of disdain. "We've always been rivals, haven't we? You've always pushed me as I've
always pushed you."
Sora frowned sadly. "Riku…"
"Riku?" Mimir repeated.
"One of Sora's childhood friends," Kratos supplied.
"Seems like a jerk," Atreus said.
Kratos hummed lowly. "Sora told me that Riku once walked a dark path."
Riku shook his head. "But it all ends here. There can't be two Keyblade masters."
"What?" Atreus said, utterly confused.
Sora mirrored him, asking, "What are you talking about?"
"Let the Keyblade choose"—Riku held a hand to his chest—"it's true master." Slowly, he extended his hand out towards Sora. Sora's Keyblade—a larger variant that appeared to be carved from marble, the name 'Hercules' carved in gold along the shaft—appeared in his right hand in a flash of light. The Keyblade shook tremendously in his hands, rising up against his will. He grabbed the shaft with his left hand, holding it horizontally and holding it back with all his might.
It was all for naught, however, as the Keyblade vanished from Sora's hands, and reappeared in Riku's as the Kingdom key.
Kratos hummed lowly while everyone else—including the memories of Sora, Donald, and Goofy—gasped at the events before them.
Riku smiled wickedly down at the Keyblade. "Maleficent was right. You don't have what it takes to save Kairi." He tilted his head up to the sky. "It's up to me. Only the Keyblade master can open the secret door"—he thrust the Keyblade into the air—" and change the world!"
Sora stammered before finding his voice. "But that's impossible. How did this happen? I'm the one who fought my way here with the Keyblade!"
"You were just the delivery boy," Riku spat, mocking and scornful. He dismissed the Keyblade in a flash of light." He reached behind him and pulled out a wooden sword—more a toy than a weapon. "Sorry." He said, utterly unapologetic. "Your part's over now. Here, go play hero with this."
He tossed the toy in front of Sora, who fell to his knees, eyes wide in despair. With one last sneer, Riku left them, hopping across the remaining platforms towards the castle.
"I-I don't understand." Atreus said, staring pitifully at Sora. "How could that…" he trailed off uncertainly.
Mimir hummed. "Don't fret too much lad." He took a deep breath. "Things looks bad now, but remember, this is just a memory. Obviously, Sora found a way to regain use of the Keyblade."
Freya spoke up. "Still, to have such a precious item stolen from you." She shook her head. "And by your own friend, no less."
While the other conversed, Kratos kept a close eye on Donald and Goofy. The latter had his knuckles pressed against his mouth as he stared helplessly between Sora and the rapidly retreating Riku. Donald, however, looked only at Riku. There was a harshness in the duck's eyes, his feathered hands curling into fists as he warred with some internal decision. Even with such alien features, Kratos knew exactly what was going through his head. And he knew, given the way Donald sighed, the choice he'd made.
"Goofy. Let's go." Donald said softly.
All but Kratos froze. "What?" Freya whispered.
"We have to remember our mission." Donald concluded.
"Oh!" Goofy gasped in shock. "Well, I know the king told us to follow the key and all...But..." He trailed off, staring down at Sora.
Donald, who had started moving forward, stopped right beside Sora. "Sora," the duck said, a tremor in his voice. "Sorry." And with that, Donald and Goofy made their up the platforms, towards Riku.
"Oh." Freya chuckled in a mix of rage and disbelief. "Oh, no. No! They did not just do that!" She shouted after Donald and Goofy. "They did not just abandon a child in a hostile situation, without a weapon!"
"We saw the same memory you did," Hildr calmly replied as Olrun place a hand on Freya's shoulder.
Freya shoved them away, her fury blinding her. "How can anyone just leave someone behind like that? They have eyes—giant eyes that take up most of their damn heads! You don't just see someone that you're close to fall to despair and leave them alone to wallow in their own misery! Ignore them for centuries like they're little more than some inconvenient memory!"
Everyone else exchanged glances at the end of Freya's rant. Sigrún hummed softly. "Are you only talking about Sora, my friend?"
Freya stilled, before blinking, her rage vanishing. She ran a hand down her face. "…I'm sorry. I just…"
Atreus walked forward and pat her gently on her arm. "You, or Freyr?"
"Both of us." She frowned tiredly. "And…Baldur."
"If it means anything," Mimir spoke up, "at some point Sora and them reconciled. He refers to them as two of his closest friends."
Freya sighed. "That's nice but…" She stared at Sora, who hadn't move an inch. "Just look at him."
"Sora is resilient and bears a strong will." Kratos nodded as the beast slowly came to life and staggered forward. "Also, he is not entirely alone."
The creature made it a few feet forward, before collapsing in front of Sora. Sora's previous melancholy vanished in favor of concern as he ran up to him.
"Hey, don't move!" Sora said as he helped the beast up. "You're hurt."
The beast, with a labored breath, looked up at Sora. His eyes—blue as a clear lake and brimming with intelligence—softened as he took in the young boy. "Why…Why did you…you come here?" Though pained, he spoke gently. Sora faltered, looking down at his feet.
The beast sighed. "I came to fight for Belle." He looked up at the castle in the distance. His eyes hardened, and he rose to his full height. He walked slowly, still in pain, but determined. "And though I am on my own, I will fight. I won't leave without her. That's why I'm here."
Sora paused, slowly turning back to stare at the wooden sword Riku left him. With a nod, he walked over and picked it up, before returning to the beast's side. "Me too. I'm not gonna give up now." He stared up at the castle, his fingers tightening around the wooden sword. "I came here to find someone very important to me." The creature hummed in agreement, and together, they marched forward.
"I'm Sora—though I guess you would've heard that." Sora said, looking at the beast. "What's your name?"
The creature took a deep breath. "…You may call me 'Beast'."
"How appropriate," Olrun muttered.
Sora tilted his head, a slight frown on his lips. He smiled soon after, however. "Nice to meet you!" Beast offered a small grin in return.
The two disappeared from view, a glowing green circle appearing on the ground.
"Don't judge Donald and Goofy too harshly." Kratos turned at the voice to find Naminé sitting against a pillar, piles of crumpled paper surrounding her as she drew on a pad. "The Keyblade was required to fix the whole 'Worlds Falling to Darkness by the dozen' thing that happened back then, and at the time, it was the only one around. Maybe they could have been a bit kinder to Sora." She shrugged and crumpled up the paper she was drawing on, starting fresh. "But there was a very literal deadline."
"Still…" Freya started to speak, only to trail off with a sigh.
Sigrún picked up the slack. "What are we facing next?"
"I'm working on that." Naminé replied. She looked up from her drawing. "Quick question; how comfortable are you all with beating up a fifteen-year-old?"
"You are referring to Riku?" Kratos asked. When Naminé nodded, he just shrugged.
"Oh, c'mon." Freya rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I can respect that Sora and Riku clashed—and that it is a vital memory—but we can't fight a child! No matter how much of a brat he is." Her Shield Maidens grumbled in agreement.
Atreus arched a brow. "You all have tried to kill me." He gestured to Freya. "Multiple times!"
"We were cursed," Hildr replied.
Freya, however, winced guiltily. "Not on purpose," she lamely stated.
Naminé hummed. "Well, I guess I can just make you guys watch the fight against Riku. But if I do that, when I'm already skipping the sewer's Sora had to explore…" she hummed and drew frantically on multiple sheets of paper. "Ok. I think this works."
"What works?"
"Still working that out." She drew on multiple new sheets of paper, and when finished, held out a small stack.
Atreus picked them up, arching a brow at them "Are these more Heartless?"
"The variants you'll find as you go through the castle. Because I'm technically skipping the fight with Riku—and like Freya said, it is a vital memory—the regular encounters will be a little harder than they originally were." Naminé rolled her eyes. "Valhalla insists on this progressive difficulty thing. I'm close to tearing my hair out working out ways to keep you away from the really tough fights."
"We shall rise to any challenge," Kratos declared as Atreus handed out the sheets of paper.
"Yeah, but you don't have to." Naminé sighed. She muttered under her breath—something about a boat. Aloud, she said, "I'll see you after you watch the memory of Sora and Riku's fight." With that, she once again vanished from sight, her papers—except the sheets they held in their hands—vanishing with her.
With nothing left to say, Kratos and the other huddled together, and poured over the notes Naminé gave them.
/+/+/+/+/
When Sora had transformed into that creature of Darkness to face Sinmara—using what little he had professed to control—Mimir had suggested that the word 'little' meant something else to him. Kratos would expand that accusation to all from Sora's home.
"How many of these things are there?!" Atreus shouted as he downed three flying foes—Red Nocturnes, Kratos recalled—before they could rain fire upon them. Not that it made a difference, when ten more successfully did so, along with a dozen other variants that summoned either razor-sharp icicles or lightning from the heavens.
"I've slain thirty-eight, personally." Olrun called out from the sky, weaving through a pair of Heartless known as Wyverns.
Hildr scoffed out a bright laugh as she crushed a Shadow beneath her heel. "Thirty-nine!"
"Try not to have too much fun, girls," Sigrún mildly scolded them, before summoning a scythe and cutting down four Wizards in one slice. "Besides, her Majesty has us all beat.
That was accurate. They were all skilled warriors, slaying Heartless by the dozens. But Freya moved with the fury of a storm. Every strike was focused but filled with rage. Working through whatever issues Sora's memory had dredged up from within her soul. Good. In his opinion, her time ruling Vanaheim had left her a bit too sedentary. She needed to get out more. Perhaps he should invite her to join him the next time some rogue monster plagued the Midgardians.
As Freya slew the last Heartless in their way—a rotund creature appropriately categorized as the Large Body Heartless—the gate doors opened. Kratos walked up to Freya, who heaved as she sheathed her blade. "Are you well enough to continue?" She sent him a soft glare, before striding forward through the door.
"I guess that's a yes," Mimir remarked from Kratos's waist as they followed her inside.
After passing through a short hallway, they found themselves in a large room. Across from them lay an empty fountain, stairs leading to an upper level on either side. High above them hung a massive, glass chandelier. Large enough that you could stand on it, by Kratos's estimate.
Sora and Beast stood in front of them. Beast gazed around the room. "Be on your guard," he said. "They're close, I can feel it. Are you ready for them?" Sora nodded and stepped forward. Only to pause as Beast gasped and whirled around. "Belle?" he whispered.
Kratos turned to see a young woman standing in the doorway they had just exited. She was beautiful, he could admit, and wore a grand, gleaming golden-yellow dress. She smiled demurely at Beast, before erupting into smoke. When the smoke vanished, a lone Shadow stood in her place.
Beast stared at it in shock, before his eyes darkened in a blind rage. He trembled, breaths coming out in sharp heaves, then reared back a let loose an ear-splitting roar. Sora barely had time to turn around and reach out towards him before Beast sprinted forward on all fours towards the Heartless. The second he crossed the threshold, the door slammed shut behind him.
"Quit while you can." They all turned to find Riku, Donald, and Goofy standing in front of the fountain. While Riku stared at his former friend with disdain, Donald and Goofy were drowning in guilt, neither able to look directly at Sora.
"No." Sora shook his head. "Not without Kairi."
"The Darkness will destroy you," Riku sneered. As he spoke, his body became surrounding in dark purple mist. When the mist dissipated, he wore armor woven from Darkness itself, sculpted like exposed muscles over his body. The Heartless Emblem—save for the thorns crossing within it—emblazoned on his chest. Curiously, Kratos noted, he wore a bone-white skirt that looked an awful lot like the pteruges armor solider in Greece wore.
"I never understood how people can make threats like that and still think they're in the right." Atreus said with narrowed eyes.
"It's very easy to justify yourself when you're deluded," Freya wearily replied, Kratos nodding along with her.
"You're wrong, Riku!" Sora stated, defiant. "The darkness may destroy my body, but it can't touch my heart." He pressed a hand to his chest. "My heart will stay with my friends. It'll never die!"
"Really?" Riku scoffed. "Well, we'll just see about that!" He drew his arm back, purple flames erupting from his palm. Quick as lightning, he shot the arm forward, a large ball of purple fire shooting right at Sora. The young boy jolted, but stared forward, standing firm.
What happened next was so fast even Kratos could barely follow. Goofy, at Riku's side, clenched his fist, and summoned a small, golden shield in his hand—it bore the same cloud and lightning bolt symbol as Sora's Hero's Origin Keyblade. Faster than Kratos could blink, Goofy sprinted across the room and placed himself right in between Sora and the fireball. Goofy's arm trembled at the impact, the smoke from the blast blowing into his face, but he held firm, face set in a glare.
"Sora ain't gonna go anywhere!" he declared.
"Wow." Hildr stated, her wings flapping once in shock. "He's quick."
Riku blinked, face alight with confusion. "You'd betray your king?"
"Not on your life!" Goofy spat. "But I'm not gonna betray Sora, either, 'cause he's become one of my best buddies after all we've been through together!" He looked over his shoulder and gave Sora a thumbs-up along with an apologetic smile—one Sora reciprocated with a grateful smile of his own. He then faced forward once more. He waved, of all things, with his free hand. "See ya later, Donald. Could ya tell the king I'm really sorry?"
"Hold on Goofy!" Donald cried and ran towards him and Sora—Riku's confusion morphing to full-blown shock. "We'll tell him together."
Donald stopped before Sora. He looked up, sad, and shifted guiltily. "Well, you know…All for one and one for all." Freya grumbled at his words, but for Sora they meant the world, given the way his face lit up.
"I guess you're stuck with us, Sora!" Goofy cheerfully declared.
Sora looked down at his feet, doing his best not to cry in relief. "Thanks a lot…Donald. Goofy."
Riku regained his composure, glaring at Sora. "How will you fight without a weapon?" he asked, desperate.
Sora paused, before lifting his head with a determined frown. "I know now I don't need the Keyblade. I've got a better weapon. My Heart."
Riku scoffed, almost laughing. "Your Heart?" What good will that weak little thing do for you?" As he said this, he summoned the Keyblade in his hands—though it simply faded into his grasp, arriving with none of the fanfare Kratos had come to expect of the mythical weapon.
"He's not wrong," Mimir stated. When Atreus and the others glared at him, he defended himself. "I'm just saying! Not as if Sora's a hulking mass of muscle that can beat his foes into submission like Kratos."
"That is true," Kratos grunted in reply, subtly inspecting his muscles. Perhaps he could recommend some training regiments for Sora in case he was ever without his weapon again.
Sora took a deep breath. "Although my heart may be weak, it's not alone. It's grown with each new experience, and it's found a home with all the friends I've made. I've become a part of their heart just as they've become a part of mine. And if they think of me now and then...If they don't forget me." He clenched his hands into fists. "Then our hearts will be one." He drew the wooden sword. "I don't need a weapon. My friends are my power!"
Riku's sneer returned. But then, his expression morphed into disbelief and terror as the Keyblade vanished from his hands in a flash of light. The next instant, the wooden sword in Sora's hand splintered into nothing as a bright white light flashed engulfed it. In its place, was the Kingdom Key.
"That's interesting." Atreus drawled. At Kratos's questioning grunt, he elaborated. "Unlike Sora, Riku didn't even get a chance to fight against the Keyblade leaving him for someone else."
"Do Keyblades have any sentience?" Olrun asked.
Mimir hummed. "As far as Sora's stated, no, But it's not something that's come up."
"Maybe it's like Mjolnir," Atreus mused.
"Mjolnir isn't sentient!" Freya, Mimir, and the Shield Maidens all exasperatedly declared. Atreus just waved them away with a roll of his eyes. Kratos reached over and pat his son's shoulder in solidarity—he'd come to believe that the Blades of Chaos also bore some semblance of ego. He was willing to think the same of Mjolnir.
But he wasn't stupid enough to voice those beliefs.
Sora looked down at the Keyblade in shock, before nodding, and fixing Riku with a determined glare. Riku's breathes came out in sharp gasps, before he summoned his fin-shaped sword and leapt forward with a rage-fueled shout, intent on cutting Sora down.
Only for Goofy to dash ahead and easily block the blow. Riku leapt backwards, just in time for Donald to summon his weapon—a staff much like the one they had seen in Traverse Town, but colored red—and squawk. A giant purple sphere spawned around Riku, and when it flashed, he was forced face-first into the ground.
Sora sprinted forward and struck Riku's back with two vertical slashes. Riku cried out in frustration, lifting up his sword to deflect one more blow, before rising up and slashing at Sora's leg. The blow struck true, forcing Sora back lest the blade dig deeper into his body. Once both regained their footing, they rushed for each other, engaging in a deadly dance of blades.
Riku's eyes grew increasingly wider as Sora matched him blow-for-blow. As though this show of skill were a surprise to him. Sora performed a particularly clever feint that Riku easily fell for, and slammed his Keyblade against Riku's left ribs. Before the boy could hope to recover, Goofy ran forward and slammed the side of his shield into the other ribs. Followed up by a sharp cry from Donald, who summoned gleaming arcs of lightning from above Riku, which quickly struck him dozens of times within the blink of an eye.
Riku, smoking and bloodied, glared at Sora. Sora, in turn, held his Keyblade in one hand at his side, golden light coalescing along the blade. "This is it!" he cried and struck Riku with a flurry of blows. Riku barely blocked the first two, but the third sent his weapon flying away, leaving him open for the rest of Sora's assault. He ended the long combo with a sharp laugh as he performed a powerful overhead slash—flipping in the air from the sheer force of the blow.
The final attack sent Riku flying back with a pained cry. He crashed into the fountain and fell to his knees. He picked himself up with a pained cough, resting his hands on his legs to keep his balance. His armor vanished in a soft purple glow. Riku stared in sheer disbelief at Sora, before stumbling backwards, and sprinting away.
Donald, at least, wanted to give chase, but the doors behind them slammed open. Out stepped Beast, tired, and no longer in a rage. When he gazed upon Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the retreating Riku, he said, "So, your Heart won this battle." Sora nodded, a relived smile on his face.
Beast hummed, shifting his gaze to Donald and Goofy. His eyes narrowed, a low growl rumbling through his throat. Donald and Goofy huddled together in fright, but Beast backed off when Sora stepped before them and shook his head.
"C'mon." He turned around waved forward. "We've gotta get going!" He took a step forward, and they all vanished, a glowing green circle left in their wake."
"You all have fun?" Naminé called out, her voice echoing around them. They all looked around, before Olrun spotted her sitting on the chandelier up above, her legs dangling over the edge as she stared down at them.
"Don't know if watching two good friends—Sora and Riku are good friends, right?" Mimir asked.
"Pretty much since birth."
"Right. Don't think watching two good friends try to kill each other is a fun pastime."
"I was entertained," Atreus remarked.
"You've got your father's Spartan blood in you." Mimir grumbled good-naturedly. "Nothing personal, Brother, but you lot were a bunch of freaks."
"That is certainly what our enemies believed," Kratos replied with some pride. "Such thoughts led them to their graves."
"Well, I'm already dead. So you can't do anything to me, can you?"
Naminé burst out into giggles. She smiled down at them. "You guys are fun. No wonder Sora likes you."
"We like him too!" Atreus called back. Naminé nodded at him, before vanishing from sight.
"I wonder what other memories we'll view within this World." Hildr stated as they gathered in the glowing circle. "Perhaps another clash with Riku? He doesn't strike me as the kind of person to simply wallow or change after one defeat."
"He and Sora do reconcile," Kratos replied as he stood in the center of the circle. It flashed violently, and there was a shift in the air as it vanished beneath them. "Perhaps we shall view that."
"That'd be nice." Freya said as Heartless spawned around them.
/+/+/+/+/
Hollow Bastion—this castle, at least—proved to be a maze. A confusing series of pathways divided by barriers of lightning, which had the added effect of blocking them uncomfortably close with the Heartless. The same creatures as they'd faced outside the castle, but with more of the 'ordinary' shadows attacking from, appropriately enough, their shadows.
Them and the vein-ridden orbs called 'Darkballs' were deceptively dangerous, despite their simplistic forms compared to their Emblem kin. The Emblem Heartless were rather straightforwardly dangerous—bearing weapons or magic. These Pureblood Heartless, however, were both able to vanish within the blink of an eye, and strike from your blind spot. Was it a feature of the species, which denoted them as 'Pureblood'?
Regardless, at this point, on an outer parapet facing the divided lake they entered this World from, they merely faced dozens of the Heartless knowns as Wizards, Wyverns, and Defenders. And despite their great numbers, they fell like wheat against a farmer's scythe.
Atreus slammed his bow against the head of the last Wyvern, which soon dissipated into mist. He rose to full height, staring out at the horizon. "I wonder what we'd find outside this castle. If it wasn't just a memory, I mean."
"Nations, I'd imagine." Olrun supplied. "Perhaps ones that are fighting against the Heartless—or have been subjugated by them."
"…Wonder if there are any other gods out there." Atreus turned to face them all. "I mean, Sora already knows versions of the gods of Greece, right? And Father, you mentioned that at least one World you visited had some version of the Olympians as well."
"It is very much possible," Kratos replied.
"Did you meet ever meet any gods from other Worlds?" Freya asked.
"Yes." Kratos replied as he led them over a series of tall steps back into the castle.
"…Feel free to elaborate at any time."
Kratos eyed the woman that had, over a long series of trials, become a close friend. She stared back, expectant. He sighed. "I only ever personally met two gods during my travels to other Worlds—brothers from eastern lands. Raiden and Fujin."
Atreus frowned. "Wait, I thought you said Raiden was a mortal?"
"That was a different Raiden. From different World."
"What were they like?" Mimir asked.
Kratos had to think on that. They had been nothing but apologetic towards Kratos for being forcibly summoned into their World. Neither were able to just send him back, but they did inform him the death of the one who summoned him, Shao Khan, would send him home. He rebuffed any notion of cooperation, but they took it with grace, and at the very least left him alone as he sought out Shao Kahn himself.
In the end, Raiden would kill Shao Kahn, and Kratos, as promised, was sent home.
"They were…nice." They all stared at him.
"Oh!" Olrun gasped. "You're serious."
"I do not joke with regard to gods."
"This was before you met Mother, right?" Atreus asked. "As in, before you, uh, calmed down?" Kratos narrowed his eyes at his son but did nod.
"Certainly tall praise, then," Sigrún concluded with a teasing lilt.
Kratos huffed, as they crossed the threshold back into the castle. Into the main spire of it, the edges of the corridor blocked off by some kind of electricity. Two Defenders and three Wizards spawned before them.
Kratos summoned a Draupnir spear and threw it into one Wizard while Atreus and Freya fired arrows at the other two. The Shield Maidens swarmed the Defenders, Olrun and Sigrún occupying their fronts—baiting their strange, living shields into chomping at them—while Hildr struck at their backs. They all dissipated into mist within minutes.
Atreus let out a breath as he hung his bow over his shoulder. "Must've killed fifty of each of these things alone. It's like you can't even walk through a door without getting into a fight."
"It is tiring," Freya said. "At least back home we'd at least get a break every now and then."
Kratos grunted. "Sora, a mortal, faced similar numbers at fourteen years of age. You are magical or otherwise divine beings. You have no right to complain."
"C'mon, General." Olrun whined. "You can't tell me these numbers aren't bothersome."
"It is nothing I have not faced before." He grunted as his mind travelled back to his days in Greece. Of his time as a slave to the gods and the God of War, conquering his enemies by the hundreds.
"Yeah, well, you're you," Olrun grumbled under her breath. Hildr pat her shoulder in solidarity as they entered the next room, deeper into the castle.
The exit led to a long, stone hallway, glass orbs burning with green fire hanging above them. The hallway led to some kind of alter, the Heartless's symbol displayed proudly above it.
"Whoever built this place really likes that thing," Hildr said, gesturing to the symbol.
"It is a nice design." Atreus said. "It's distinct, eye-grabbing."
"Heralds the advance of monsters that are capable of destroying your entire world," Sigrún drawled. Atreus just shrugged.
As they approached the alter, the air shifted. Suddenly, a woman appeared before them. She was dressed in dark, black and purple robes, the only visible parts of her body being her hands and face, the skin sickly green, which made her yellow eyes—narrowed into a smug glare—stick out all the more.. Her head was wrapped in what Kratos had first assumed to be more cloth, but upon closer inspection, they were pure black scales, that rose out of her head and formed twin horns. She held a tall staff in her left hand, the wood polished to a shine with a gleaming green orb atop it.
"What happened?" Mimir asked. Kratos wordlessly lifted him up to face the woman. The talking head blinked. "Ooh! Who's this then?"
"Probably that Maleficent woman Riku spoke of when we arrived," Freya said. Mimir hummed in agreement, peering at the woman.
"I'm afraid you're too late," she drawled as memories of Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Beast sprinted up beside Kratos and the others. She gesticulated slowly with her free hand, with an arrogance Kratos had witnessed dozens of times over. "Any moment now, the final Keyhole will be unsealed. This world will be plunged into darkness." Her lips spread into a grim, mocking smile. "It is unstoppable."
"We'll stop it!" Sora declared, summoning his Keyblade—not the Kingdom Key, but the marbled Keyblade he had when he first entered this World. "After coming this far, there's no way we're gonna let that happen!"
Maleficent's smile vanished, a sneer taking its place. "You poor, simple fools." She spat, spreading her arms wide. "You think you can defeat me? Me, the Mistress of all Evil?"
"Did she really call herself that?" Atreus asked as Sora and his companions vanished, a glowing green circle appearing in their place.
"At least she's self-aware," Hildr snarked, drawing a laugh from Olrun.
As Kratos walked over to the circle, Mimir spoke up. "Hold on a moment, Brother. Would you kindly walk over Maleficent before we start? I'd like to take a better look at her."
"We are on an important mission."
"It won't take but a moment." Kratos grunted but did move over to the frozen woman. Mimir hemmed and hawed as he eyed her up-and-down, though he mostly focused on her face.
"Should I be jealous, love?" Sigrún called out.
Mimir ignored her in favor of humming loudly. When he finished, he let out a triumphant shout. "I knew it! She's a fairy!"
Kratos grunted, eyeing Maleficent in surprise. "You are certain?"
"I told you, Brother, I know fairies." Mimir stated confidently. "The green skin threw me, I'll admit, but she's got a distinctly fey-like quality to her that I can't quite describe, even as this strange echo of a memory."
"Are there any weaknesses among your kind that we can exploit?" Kratos asked as he replaced Mimir on his belt and walked to the glowing circle. He ignored Freya's exasperated muttering at the immediate pivot of the conversation.
"Well, an axe to the neck is obviously fatal," Mimir cooly replied, prompting a laugh from their friends. "Otherwise, nothing that any of us would just have on hand."
"The good old-fashioned way, then," Freya concluded as they readied themselves. Once Kratos stopped inside the circle, it flashed and vanished. Maleficent unfroze, her sneer widening as the alter she stood on rose into the air.
Kratos immediately threw his axe at her, but, with surprising strength and agility, she spun her staff in front of her and diverted it into the platform. It did little, however, to deter the three Shield Maidens, and Freya, from swarming her.
Maleficent cried out in rage as she was struck and stabbed all across her body, along with the odd arrow shot by Atreus. Not that she just stood there and took it until she died. By the time Kratos summoned his axe back to his hands, Maleficent snarled, and burst apart into black and green flames. Freya and her sisters fell back, the former patting down flames that struck her wings. Maleficent disappeared, a bright green orb in her place. It, and the platform, rocketed to the end of the room.
Maleficent reappeared in another burst of fire and held her staff high. "Meteors of heaven!" She bellowed. "Unleash thy fury!" A swirling sea of stars lit up behind her. The stars churned like the sea in a storm, and massive rocks wreathed in cerulean flames shot out from the stars like comets.
Kratos ran to the side of the room, just barely avoiding the first volley. Atreus shifted into a snake to slither beneath the first comet before returning to his normal shape beside Kratos, and Freya and the Shield Maidens darted to the side and held onto the sconces to catch their breath.
"She can summon meteors!?" Atreus exclaimed. "That's insane!"
"She is powerful." Kratos admitted. Rare was the mage that could summon meteors with such ease. He peeked his head around the corner, noting the patterns of the meteors. There were slight gaps in their spawning—perhaps Freya or Atreus could take advantage of them? Whatever plans Kratos began to develop died, however, as Maleficent lowered her arms, summoning one last volley of four meteors before ending the spell.
Freya and Olrun struck like lightning, but the witch just cackled, bursting into flames once more and rocketing to the other end of the room. Which left her open for Hildr and Sigrún, the former wrestling with her staff hand while the latter put Maleficent in a chokehold. She didn't let go of the staff, impressively enough, but Sigrún was able to lift her up off the platform and slam her nto the ground.
Kratos ran forward with a roar, which was all the warning Sigrún and Hildr needed to back away before he slammed his axe against the back of Maleficent's neck. But though it easily tore through her cloak, he did not cleave through her neck. The scales on her head, at the very least, extended down her neck. He cracked them, drawing some blood, but all it did was make her scream in fury.
Her staff glowed green, and Kratos backed off as four wisps of green flame shot out from it. The wisps did not explode or perform some other attack, thankfully, but they did summon Heartless when the burst—two Darkballs and two Defenders. Kratos let the others deal with them as he hacked away at Maleficent once more.
He cut through her robes, but like her neck, the rest of her body was covered in deceptively thick scales. She tried to get up, her eyes burning with hate, but Kratos did not relent. He only gave her a brief reprieve to coat his axe with magical frost before he reared back and, with a harsh roar, slammed it against her midsection.
Kratos felt the axe slice through her scales and dig into her flesh, set to bisect her. But then, Maleficent's form crackled like static, and she vanished, the axe slamming into the ground.
He darted his head around, finding Maleficent back at the altar, hunched over, her cloak covered in slashes, yes, but also burned and torn at the edges. Given the fact that Sora and the others had returned, they were seeing the results of the true battle.
Maleficent glared at Sora and his companions as she backed up. At the same time, a dark, swirling portal appeared behind her, swallowing her form as she stepped into it. Sora made to immediately follow her, but was held back by Donald, who gestured back to Goofy and Beast, who stood tired and bleeding—not that Sora and Donald themselves were better off. Sora nodded, vanishing from sight as he dispelled his Keyblade and dug into his pockets.
"My, but that was some fascinating magic!" Mimir crowed. "Meteors summoned with but a scant few words!" Kratos took a moment to glare down at his friend. "Oh, lay off. She's the first fairy I've seen since I left my homeland. I'm entitled to a little amoral admiration of impressive magic." He frowned. "I wonder if she's the same one that cursed Beast."
"You'd think one of them would have said something, if that was the case," Atreus replied, readily ignoring Mimir's prior inanity.
"I'm more curious about those scales on her body," Olrun said as she checked over her wings. "Do fairies typically have scales, Mimir?"
"Eh, sometimes." The talking head hummed. "Shapeshifting's a common enough trick for my kind. Mostly it's all or nothing, but I can think of a few that liked to do little halfway changes. Give themselves fur, whiskers, claws, what have you, while keeping their thumbs."
Atreus looked down at his hands. "I've never gotten that hang of that."
"I'd help you, lad," Mimir said. "But I'm afraid shapeshifting my own body was never one of my talents. I was more adept in forcing others to shapeshift through the use of potions and charms."
Freya frowned. "You never did any of that when you worked with Odin."
Mimir coughed. "Right, well the last time I used those talents was something of a…disaster. Swore them off thereafter." Kratos hummed, recalling the 'disaster' Mimir told him of. That took place in Athens, of all places. Which involved a theatre troupe, of all people. Right before the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta, of all things.
It occurred to Kratos that that 'disaster' may have been what turned Mimir away from the subtle glories of Greek plays. A foolish notion, and one he wished he could rectify.
Atreus grunted, dropping his hands before nodding at the portal. "Well, let's go."
/+/+/+/+/
A/N: This World is so long oh my god.