5
The Head, the Witch, and the War God
Kratos woke up early, packed his few belongings, put on his boots, jeans, a black teeshirt, and a plaid button-up. There wasn't much in the guest closet that fit his frame, so he made due. He began to leave through the main entrance when Tony came running from behind.
"Hey, Special K! Wait up!"
"What is it, Anthony?"
"It's Tony. What is it with you and names? Wh-whatever. Here. In case you need it."
He produced a small metal ring, about the size of a necklace.
"What is it?" Asked Kratos.
"Just something I thought up last night. Not something I'd wear in public, but if you're going after big bad, you'll need all the help you can get."
Kratos turned the object in his hands to reveal a button. He pressed it, and the box quickly reformed into the shape of a greek helmet. It was designed like a standard hoplite helmet, but the face was completely covered and the aesthetic was that of an Iron Man armor helmet. The eye slit was covered with a brightly lit glass screen. Where the feather plume would be, two electrodes protruded from the helmet, between which electric arcs formed a blade of electricity. Kratos tried it on. When it was on his head, a holographic heads-up display appeared before his face. The screen booted up, and the display immediately began to feed him information about his surroundings. Target acquisition, distances, weapon identification, and other options were available to Kratos in this helmet.
"Hello, Kratos. I am the Spartan Mk1 vocal interface. No threats detected." A female voice inside the helmet spoke calmly. Tony pressed the button behind the helmet, which reformed into a ring around Kratos' neck.
"Thank you...Tony. I will no doubt make use of this."
"No problem. Now go and find this asshole, and make sure you say hi for me."
"You have my word."
Kratos now had to decide where to search first. He knew of one person who could help him find the one behind the attack. He just needed to find him, and he knew where to begin looking.
/
The Library of Congress. The largest source of human knowledge in the world. With 160 million items in its collection, where else would Mimir hide? Kratos entered the main reading area. He looked around for anything that could give him a clue to where he should start looking. He knew there were underground archives somewhere. Ensuring no one was looking, he slipped into the emergency staircase and went to the lowest floor. The door was locked, but it was nothing a hard push couldn't break. With a hard shoulder to the door, it easily opened. He entered the dark room. Computer towers taller than himself lined the walls, the whirring and sickly sweet smell of electrical equipment overwhelmed any other noise or smells. He walked the length of the room, trying to find any evidence of his old friend. He noticed a strange wire protruding from one computer tower that no other tower had. He followed the length of the wire and found it led behind the tower into an air vent. He pulled the wire from the vent until a loud thump could be felt.
"Ow! Let go, you big oaf!" came a voice from the vent. The voice was heavily Scottish. Kratos pulled the grill off of the air vent, to reveal the head of Mimir, eyes shining in the darkness, the wire leading up into his neck. Kratos picked up the head.
"Brother! I can't help but feel like it's not nice to see you," said Mimir.
"What is this?" Kratos said, pointing to the wire hooked up to Mimir's spinal column.
"That? I'm absorbing knowledge from these computer things. You could spend decades in here and still not learn everything there is to know. These humans are ingenious! Computers, even I didn't think of that!"
"I will not ask how you got here," Kratos said, looking around the room.
"As well you probably shouldn't. It's a long story...Well spit it out lad, there's a reason you came to find me, now what is it?"
"Head, there was an attack on this world by some unknown invader."
"Oh yes, I saw that on the news. Terrible thing."
"Do you know who was behind it?"
"Do I know? I've been on earth just as long as you have, brother. I know just as much about aliens as these humans do."
"Your wisdom has somewhat lessened of late, head."
"Yes, well the world keeps getting bigger and bigger, I'm wise, but I'm not omnipresent!"
"Perhaps you would know of someone on Earth who could identify the one behind this attack."
"Well...there may be one person. But she's temperamental who she lets visit."
"Then we must find her. Come, head."
"Woah there, I'm not going with you, I'm still catching up on quantum mechanics! Besides, I'm still connected to the computer."
Kratos yanked the wire, pulling it out of Mimir's neck.
"Now you are not. 'Quantum Mechanics' will be here when we return."
"Oh come on, brother. I'm not cut out for your type of adventure. We both know that."
"You never heard of consent, have you. It's 2012! Haven't you heard of human rights? I have a right to stay here and do nothing until I eventually die...if I can die…" Mimir continued his protests until Kratos stuffed him in his duffle bag.
"Oh great, and just how am I supposed to keep myself occupied?" Mimir asked, his voice muffled through the bag. Kratos unzipped the bag, plugged headphones into his phone, opened Spotify and put the headphones in Mimir's ears.
"Unbelievable" Said Mimir through the bag.
/
Kratos approached the small door in the brick wall. It was not what he was expecting when he heard they were traveling to a sorcerer's monastery.
"This...is the place?" Kratos asked in a skeptical tone.
"Would I bring you halfway across the world to Kathmandu, of all places, if this wasn't the place?!" Mimir asked in return, obviously extremely agitated after having spent several hours in the cargo hold of a plane. Kratos stepped up to the door and knocked. The door opened to reveal a hooded figure.
"What do you want?" the hooded figure asked.
"I seek the…um..."
"Sorcerer Supreme!" Mimir whispered from the bag.
"I seek the sorcerer supreme. I have business with her."
The hooded figure stood still for a moment before closing the door. They both waited for a few minutes for the door to reopen.
"Well, that isn't promising," Mimir commented.
Kratos backed away from the door to look at any windows that might show signs of movement. Kratos looked at the door.
"Ooh, no. Don't do it, brother."
Kratos began to move towards the door.
"Brother, you really don't want to piss these people o-"
Kratos' foot went broke through the door, swinging wide open.
"Oh bugger it all…" Mumbled Mimir
Kratos entered the monastery only to find the place empty. He moved his way further into the monastery, into a larger room.
"Where is everybody, head?" Kratos asked.
"You probably scared them into hiding when you broke their door and barged in, like a herd of bulls in heat..." Mimir replied.
"YOU ARE A LONG WAY FROM HOME, GHOST OF SPARTA." A spectral voice echoed throughout the room.
"Show yourself, I wish to speak with the sorcerer supreme!"
"THEN SPEAK, AND I WILL LISTEN."
"I seek the one who is responsible for the attack in New York. I wish to bring justice to the innocent ones who were killed during the attack."
"YOU ARE NOT READY TO KNOW WHO IS RESPONSIBLE. HIS POWER IS BEYOND YOU."
"Then tell me where to find him, and we will see whether that is true!"
"GHOST OF SPARTA, HOW CAN YOU DEFEAT HIM WHEN YOU CAN BARELY DEFEAT YOURSELF?"
"I do not understand."
"YOU WILL."
The room began to darken. Reality began to tear away as he felt himself being transported through time and space. Suddenly, only darkness surrounded him. The only illumination was that of small grey orbs floating above his head.
"Where have you transported me, voice?!"
"THERE IS A MONSTER IN YOU, KRATOS. DEEP INSIDE. HE RAGES IN YOU EVERY TIME YOU FACE AN ENEMY. YOU CAN'T CONTROL HIM…"
A figure began to appear from the darkness. Kratos squinted to see, but it was too dark.
"Who are you?" Kratos asked.
"I...am you." The figure said. From the darkness, the figure appeared. Clad in a golden shoulder piece and Greek waist armor. Wielding the weapons that claimed so many lives, wreathed in flame; the Blades of Chaos. There, before Kratos, stood the Ghost of Sparta. Not the man he had become, but the man he once was. Angry and broken, the fire of revenge still in his soul.
"How can this be?" Kratos asked Mimir.
"We're at the mercy of the mystics now, brother. Anything is possible here."
"THAT MONSTER IS STILL THERE, INSIDE YOU. IF YOU CANNOT CONTROL HIM, YOUR JOURNEY WAS LOST BEFORE IT EVEN BEGUN. YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF OUR HELP, SPARTAN."
The snarling doppelganger approached Kratos, the Blades of Chaos in its hand. Kratos reached for the button on the ring around his neck, engulfing his head and forming the helmet. The electric arcs sprang to life as the HUD in the helmet booted up.
"You have become weak and soft, old man." the young Kratos sneered.
"And you are an illusion." the older Kratos replied.
"Illusion or not, you will never defeat me. You will never stop me from destroying you. From being you."
"I am no longer you. You are a past I have turned my back from a long time ago. Your path is futile, and your quest for revenge will be empty and meaningless."
"I will NEVER become you! Pathetic excuse for a Spartan!"
The young Spartan charged Kratos, swinging the Blades of Chaos wildly. Kratos rolled to the side to avoid the attacks. The blades barely missed him, screaming through the air and slashing the black ground, leaving trails of flame where they sliced.
"Warning. Attack from Behind." the helmet warned in the female voice. The HUD flashed red as a holographic arrow pointed behind him. Kratos dodged again. The blades could be heard zinging through the air behind him, slamming into the ground, releasing a burst of heat and flame in all directions. Kratos felt the intense heat. He knew he couldn't defeat this younger version of himself in a frontal attack. Not without weapons or defense. Kratos recovered from the dodge and sprinted off into the darkness, his boots granting him speed to outrun the monster behind him.
"Only a coward runs, Kratos! COME BACK AND FACE ME!"
The young Kratos' screams echoed through the darkness, its voice a distorted version of his own.
"No threats detected." The helmet eventually reported. Kratos stopped running. The world was complete darkness around him. The distant orbs of light were any sign that anything existed in this realm. Kratos pulled Mimir out of the bag to use as a lamp, but the light from his eyes was no use. The darkness that surrounded him was like a thick fog.
"Helmet. What advantage do I possess against...myself?" Kratos asked the helmet as he scanned the darkness. His younger self's screams could still be heard echoing in the distance.
"The Spartan Mk1 Helmet has multiple tactical options. Might I recommend changing the display to infrared or night vision?" the helmet asked.
"Night Vision will do" Kratos replied.
The HUD changed from darkness to a green projection, and Kratos could finally see the landscape. It was flat. Perfectly flat. No geographical characteristics or rocks, no hills or rivers. There was nothing except the light from the Blades of Chaos, held by his younger self, shining brightly in the distance. Kratos attached Mimir to his belt.
"Just like old times…" Mimir said sarcastically.
"Head, what do you suggest we do."
"Well, this is obviously some sort of test. They've put you against yourself in some sort of 'fighting your inner demons' trial. Kind of cliche if you ask me."
"Then we must defeat him."
"I assume so, yes. Prove to them you've killed that aspect of yourself, I suppose."
"Then we attack. Helmet, what do you suggest?"
The light from the blades was moving back and forth through the darkness. The screams of the young Kratos could still be heard.
"The target has not determined our location. The target cannot see in this environment. Recommend using the low light levels to your advantage." The helmet replied.
"Very well."
Kratos began to run towards his evil twin with all speed. He must attack and run before his other self can counter-attack. The lights from the blades came clearer as he approached his target. With all the strength he could muster, he leaped and punched his twin in the face, knocking the young Kratos into the ground and across the floor. Kratos landed and rolled, recovering into a sprint back into the darkness.
"YOU FIGHT LIKE A COWARD! A COWARD, KRATOS!" The voice of his evil twin became more and more distorted.
Kratos stopped and turned to see the young Kratos swinging its blades wildly into the darkness in all directions. He returned for another attack, waiting for his twin's back to be turned, for a break in the wild swings of the blades. He charged and kicked his younger self in the back, sending it flying into the darkness. Kratos watched through the night vision as the doppelganger was launched into the distance, bouncing off the ground and landing some distance away. He charged for a third time, running full speed as the twin recovered. Kratos went to strike a blow, but this time, the young Kratos caught him out of the corner of its eye. Kratos tried to avoid the counter-attack, but the doppelganger braced, holding the Golden Fleece out to meet the attack. Kratos felt his fist crumple against the Fleece. The twin took the advantage and grabbed Kratos, launching him into the ground. Within milliseconds, the dark Kratos was on top of him, blades in hand. Kratos punched his evil twin in its stomach, diverting the blade that was aimed for his head to the left and embedding it into the ground. Kratos grabbed his twin's other arm and slammed it repeatedly into the ground, loosening its grip on the other blade. When the blade came loose, Kratos grabbed it and swung towards the doppelganger's body. The blade slashed across the twin's abdomen, causing it to recoil and fall backward. Kratos, blade still in hand, got up with the blade in hand and moved away from his evil twin. Once there was tension on the chain, he pulled with as much force as he could muster. The chain jerked and ripped clean off the twin's arm. The dark Kratos screamed in pain as it clutched its torn skin where the chain was seared to its arm. Kratos wrapped the chain, ripped skin and blood still attached, around his own arm and prepared to charge. The doppelganger got up, pulled the other blade out of the ground, and widened its stance.
The two stared at each other, one blade each. The doppelganger, snarling and frothing like a wild animal, charged and swung its blade, which Kratos blocked with the other blade. Flames erupted from both blades hitting each other. The light from the flames overwhelmed the night vision and blinded Kratos for a moment.
"Warning" the helmet announced. Kratos jumped back, still unable to see. He heard a blade swipe the ground where he was standing just milliseconds before. He pressed the button on the helmet, which retracted back into the ring around his neck. All he could see was the flame of his enemy's blade swinging towards him. He blocked again. Flames erupted from the blades, revealing his enemy's face for a short moment. It was contorted, an inhuman caricature of Kratos's face. Mouth sneering, teeth filed down to points, the eyes black and empty, the skin cracked and vascular, with veins popping out from its neck.
The doppelganger swung again. This time, Kratos dodged and grabbed the enemy blade's chain as it swung near him. He pulled the twin towards him and aimed his blade for its heart. He felt the blade enter its chest all the way through to its spine, the heat of the blade sizzling in the wound. The smell of burnt flesh filled Kratos' nostrils, a smell he could never forget. He pulled the blade from the cauterized wound and punched the doppelganger down to the ground. Kratos got on top of his twin and chopped the arm that still had a blade attached clean off, causing the monster to let out a demonic, inhuman scream. Kratos held the blade to the twin's distorted face.
"Good. Kill him. It's all you know how to do."
Kratos paused, blade to his twin's neck, the twin struggling to get out from underneath him.
"Do it. Kill him. It means nothing. You will always be...a monster."
"Athena."
"What are you doing brother! End it! Get us out of here!" Mimir yelled from Kratos' belt.
Suddenly, time slowed. The struggling of the creature beneath him weakened. Mimir's voice dissipated. Kratos looked up from his enemy to see a translucent figure appear out of the darkness.
"You will never be rid of him. He is inside you always. He is you, he is the murderer you are."
"Your words are poison, spirit," Kratos said to the ghostly woman before him.
"YOU are poison. Poison on this world, and every world you set foot on."
"...Perhaps."
"Prove to the sorcerer supreme how worthy you are of her aid. KILL HIM."
Kratos looked away from Athena's ghost.
"No."
"KILL HIM!"
"I will not. This monster deserves death, but he is part of me. He has taught me more lessons than I can count. I will not be a figure of my mistakes. He will never return." Kratos said as he removed the blade from the creature's neck.
"NO! MONSTER! MURDERER! Kill him..." Athena's screams faded as her corporeal form began to dissipate into the air.
Kratos unwrapped the blade from his arm and threw it to the ground. As he did so, the blade also began to dissipate. The doppelganger's bloodied body evaporated into the darkness. Light began to return to Kratos' eyes as he returned into the room in the monastery. Before him stood a woman, bald and pale.
"Hello, old friend," Mimir said to the stranger. "It's been a while."
"Hello, Mimir. Welcome to my monastery. And congratulations, Spartan. You have proven yourself worthy of my aid. Now, why did you break my door?" The Ancient One asked.
/
The Ancient One sat across from the table while Kratos told his story, of the aliens, of the attack, of Tamara, of her death and Kratos' quest to avenge her.
"I too was there during the attack, Spartan," The Ancient One explained "I was defending my own home. I too lost a friend to the Chitauri."
"You were in New York?" Kratos asked.
"We have chapters around the world. When our American chapter sounded their alarm, I went there to defend it."
"You have an American chapter. In New York…" Kratos turned to Mimir, who was sitting on the table between the two, a straw leading from a teacup to his mouth. Mimir took a second to realize that Kratos was giving him an extremely agitated look.
"Oh, what?! You try and memorize everything in the universe and see if a fact or two doesn't slip through the cracks!"
"We traveled all this way pointlessly and time was wasted," Kratos mumbled.
"Hey, at least you didn't have to sit in a cold, stuffy cargo hold for, oh who knows how many hours! Trust me, be thankful..." Mimir argued.
"In any case," The Ancient One continued, "you may want to seek justice just as much as anyone else, but you and I have different parts to play in this story. You are not the one to defeat Thanos."
"Is this 'Thanos' the one responsible for the attack?' Kratos asked.
The Ancient One looked to the side, moved her arms in an odd pattern and produced a magical projection of a large armored figure. The figure was muscular and grimacing, his purple skin and bladed weapon dripping with blood.
"Yes, Thanos is the one responsible. A madman from the planet Titan, and a monster in his own right. He is a conqueror and a killer, and just like every other monster throughout history, he believes what he is doing is right."
"Monster or not, he must be stopped," Kratos said sternly.
"I understand your need for justice Kratos, but there is a path we all must take, and your path is not to kill Thanos, but to help the one who will."
"I have changed my fate many times, witch. I doubt your prophecies will be any different."
The Ancient One sighed.
"Very well, Spartan. If you need confirmation of my words, then that is what I'll give you."
She rose out of her seat, pulled a ring from her robe and pointed it at the wall. With her other arm, she began to create a circular pattern in the air. Before their eyes, a gold vortex began to form, opening into a portal to some distant world.
"Beyond that portal is the planet Xandar. It is a rich, overpopulated world and is well defended. In 3 hours, Thanos will attack this planet, killing half of the population. If you truly want to prove your mettle, then here is where you must go."
"I have no weapons to fight him. You would send me on a fool's errand?" Kratos asked.
"Of course not, you only need to ask. Master Mordo!" She said to the hooded figure standing in the doorway. "Fetch this god a weapon worthy of his skills, if you please."
The figure bowed and left the room. Kratos placed Mimir back onto his belt.
"Ooh, I wonder what he'll bring you. I'm hoping for Excalibur, or maybe Hrunting! That would be exciting!" Mimir cackled.
The hooded man returned with a black sword. It was simple in its design, shaped much like a medieval double-handed long sword, but there was an ominous aura about it. The pommel was a disk, marked with an occult symbol on both sides. The sheath was black leather, worn and cracked, with silver lettering running up and down it. The language was unlike anything Kratos has seen on earth. There was a darkness that overcame them all when looking upon it.
"Uh...oh my…th- that's not wh- what I think it is…?" Mimir stuttered.
"The Sword of Abaddon. Good choice, Master Mordo." The Ancient One said, trying to contain her uneasiness.
Mordo approached Kratos and offered the sword. Kratos unsheathed the sword and immediately felt a surge of dark power channel from the sword into his arm and through his body. The blade began to glow a dark red, with red-colored lightning sparking up and down the blade. The blade began to emit a low hum.
"Kratos, that sword is a very powerful tool, but it is also shrouded in a brutal history. Do not let its darkness overcome you. It is also a loan, not a gift, so… please don't lose it." The Sorcerer Supreme warned.
"You have my word," Kratos replied, Putting the sword back in its sheath and placing it on his back.
"Here," The Ancient one pulled a green stone from her robe. "When you have finished, speak into this stone. I will hear you and pull you back."
Kratos took the stone and attached it to his belt. He then nodded to The Ancient One, paused in front of the portal, and stepped through.
Karl Mordo removed his hood and approached the Sorcerer Supreme.
"Why would you send him there knowing what you know?" He asked.
"If he won't accept his path, then he must learn it the hard way." She replied as the portal closed.
"And what of his son?"
"He will learn in time."
"If that is your wish, master."
"There is another task I must ask of you, Karl. There is a man in this city in search of guidance. His name is Stephen Strange. Please retrieve him for me."
"At once, master," Mordo said as he moved for the exit.
"And fix the door, would you? It's getting drafty in here."
The Ancient One sighed and massaged her temple with her fingers.
"Gods…so stubborn...so entitled..."