"Where is the rune, Mimir?" Atreus asked. He looked around the expansive chamber, trying to find the object that would lead them to their next destination.
Mimir, walking beside them, raised a hand and pointed toward a large, floating rock structure suspended in the center of the room. It was surrounded by several rotating rings, clearly indicating a mechanism of some sort.
"Right up there, lad. It seems Tyr hid his path behind a bit of a brain teaser," Mimir explained.
Seeing this, Atreus realized that there was a complicated puzzle that they all needed to solve before they could retrieve the Black Rune.
However, before they could attend to the mechanism, the group took a moment to process their surroundings. Mimir, Atreus, and Kratos, who was also scanning the area for threats or exits, looked around the place where they stood.
It did not take long for them to realize that they were standing inside the personal treasure room of Tyr.
This was the very place where the God of War of this land stored his vast collection of artifacts, which he had collected during his travels across different worlds and pantheons.
After a while, the others also noticed the sheer variety of the collection. They saw what Zelos had already noticed earlier.
These were treasures that came from entirely different cultures, distinct from the Nine Realms they were used to.
Atreus, wandering near a display of weaponry, saw a small knife lying on a table. He picked it up out of curiosity, testing its weight. Meanwhile, Zelos was busy looking for a clue regarding other specific mythologies.
He was particularly interested in finding something from the Shinto pantheon, as it was the region Zelos had wanted to visit if he were ever to travel to a different kind of mythology.
"Ah, a sgian-dubh from my homeland. I used to have one of my own back in the day. You should take it, Atreus. It is a fine blade for utility," Mimir said. He had seen what Atreus had just picked up and recognized the design immediately.
Atreus became curious about the knife that he was holding, inspecting the handle.
Kratos, who also saw the knife, did not display the same sentimental value as Mimir. He looked at the small blade and then at the Smartest Man Alive.
"Yes, Atreus, you should pick it up. We might have to butter bread in our journey," Kratos jabbed towards Mimir with a completely straight face.
Mimir looked at Kratos with an annoyed look, clearly offended that his cultural weapon was reduced to a kitchen utensil.
Atreus tried his best not to laugh at his father's dry humor, while Zelos also smirked a little as he was quietly listening to the conversation from across the room.
"If you will not pick it up, then I will take it from your hands," Mimir said. He reached out and took the dagger from Atreus.
Atreus offered it towards Mimir willingly, as he already had his own dagger that was given to him by Freya and the knife his mother made him.
Atreus then looked around as well, as he was attracted by the other artifacts. Kratos, meanwhile, had wandered to a secluded corner.
There, he froze. He saw a piece of pottery, a vase painted in the distinct black and orange style of Greece.
On it, his entire figure was visible. Kratos knew it was him immediately.
The red mark across the body, as well as the color of the ash-white skin in the pot, was unmistakably him, wielding the Blades of Chaos.
Meanwhile, Zelos found what he was looking for. He discovered a set of traditional samurai attire resting among the piles of artifacts that Tyr had hoarded.
He inspected it closely and noticed that there were some kind of blessings that were directly infused into the armor. He also saw a kabuto, an ornate helmet.
When Zelos picked it up and tried to put it on, he was denied by a sudden pulse of magic. It was as if the helmet recognized that Zelos was not its true owner, and it refused to be worn by him.
'Hmm, maybe I should visit the Shinto region after Ragnarok has happened,' Zelos couldn't help but think to himself.
He put down the kabuto that he was holding and continued his search. He found a katana resting on a stand.
When Zelos unsheathed it, he saw that the blade was already rusting and pitted with age.
This made Zelos realize that it was not made out of special godly material, but was likely made by a human smith, a souvenir that Tyr had just bought or brought back with him.
"Restore," Zelos whispered, casting a spell. He channeled his magic into the object to restore the katana to its previous state.
Zelos saw the rust flake away and the steel shine once again as the entire katana was repaired in seconds.
When the magic finished its restoration, Zelos admired the katana's design. He noticed there was some inscription carved into the steel in Nihongo that Zelos could not read.
"Atreus, could you read this?" Zelos turned and called out towards Atreus.
Atreus was currently looking over at a display that belonged to what looked like Egyptian mythology, eyeing a strange, tall headpiece.
When Zelos called out towards him, he turned towards what Zelos had just given him.
He looked at the blade and saw the inscription. His mind immediately translated it despite seeing the characters for the very first time in his life.
"I think it says 'Warrior of War, Ally of Peace'. Whoa, my gift is really great, isn't it?" Atreus read the inscription.
The message was undoubtedly made for Tyr. Atreus realized just how great his gift really is, as even he knew that the angular characters he had just read did not originate from this realm.
"I keep on telling you that," Zelos said with a smile.
He then took the katana back from Atreus. He sheathed it in the scabbard and attached it to his side.
This was much to Atreus's confusion, as there was really nothing special about the sword compared to magical weapons, and Zelos already had access to great power.
But Atreus did not voice his concerns. He turned back and tried to wear the elaborate Egyptian headgear that he had been staring at since earlier.
But then, Atreus realized that the headgear was incredibly heavy. It was solid gold and unbalanced.
He started walking sideways, staggering as he tried to balance himself. This led him directly towards where Kratos was standing.
Kratos was still looking at the Greek pot, lost in dark memories. When Atreus suddenly appeared near him, stumbling, Kratos was startled.
To hide the artifact from his son's view, Kratos dropped the pot to the ground, shattering it instantly. Atreus, losing his balance, also dropped the heavy headgear with a loud clang.
"Enough distractions. Let us move," Kratos said sternly towards Zelos, Atreus, and Mimir, stepping over the shards of pottery without looking down.
Mimir, however, looked like he was searching for something specific in the piles of Tyr's hoard. Finally, he found a ceramic jar where there was still some liquid sloshing inside.
Mimir popped the seal, reached out, and tasted the liquid. A smile spread across his face before he chugged it all down.
"Aye, brother! I just missed this liquor made in my homeland. The years have degraded it, as much of the alcohol has already disappeared due to the seal being old, but the taste is still there. Want to try it?" Mimir said towards Kratos. He lifted the jar and offered it to the Spartan.
"No," Kratos answered bluntly and straightforwardly. He let Mimir know his answer in an almost immediate manner, not caring about hurting Mimir's feelings.
"More for me then. Little brother, would you be kind and put this in your storage room? Maybe we could restore it later for the alcohol to return to its full potency," Mimir then said towards Zelos.
Zelos agreed immediately and stored the jar away in his dimensional storage. They all started moving once again, walking toward the puzzle mechanism and preparing to leave Tyr's treasure room.
But before they could fully leave the area, Zelos lingered behind. He walked towards the dark corner where Kratos had just dropped the pot earlier when he was distracted by Atreus.
Zelos looked down and saw the shards on the floor. He saw the painted figure of Kratos holding his Blades of Chaos, the image fractured but still recognizable.
Zelos looked up at the back of Kratos, who was leading their journey out of the vault.
Zelos thought for a moment. He decided he would not let this piece of history be destroyed so easily.
"Restore," he whispered.
He restored the entire pot without Kratos knowing. The shards flew back together, sealing perfectly until the vase was whole again.
Zelos then picked it up and placed it carefully on a high shelf, leaving behind the pot where Kratos's painting was currently facing the wall, hidden but preserved.