(Just as the blue-eyed reflection smiled, the air around them shifted. A deep, echoing voice rumbled through the frozen realm — vast, commanding, inescapable.)
Eon's Voice (everywhere at once):
"Yield… to my will."
(The frozen doubles stiffened. One by one, their hollow eyes ignited — burning red, violent and sharp. The ice cracked and warped, reshaping into monstrous parodies of their forms. Jagged limbs, clawed hands, and mouths full of crystalline fangs split open as they began to advance.)
(Mithra gasped, stepping back instinctively. Kratos moved forward, Leviathan Axe already in his hand.)
Kratos (low, steady):
"Stay behind me."
(Mithra raised her hands, golden mantra swirling between her fingers. She thrust it forward — but the light scattered uselessly, ricocheting off their glossy surfaces like beams against mirrors. The force rebounded, nearly knocking her off balance.)
Mithra (panicked):
"My magic—! It won't hold!"
(Kratos hurled the Leviathan Axe, runes blazing. It struck one of the creatures square in the chest, frost bursting in a violent crack. For a moment, it seemed to split—until the wound sealed with a shimmer, the mirror-surface knitting back together. The monster kept walking, unbroken.)
Kratos (growling, catching the returning axe):
"…Hnh. Too smooth. Too strong."
(The monsters' claws scraped across the frozen floor as they circled, surrounding both warrior and child. The blue-eyed figure clung to Mithra's sleeve, trembling, as the red-eyed horde closed in.)
Blades Awakened
(Kratos hurled the Leviathan Axe once more. It cleaved through one of the voidspawn's frozen bodies—yet the ice barely chipped. The shards hissed, reforming almost instantly. His jaw tightened. Frost against frost. Futile.)
(Kratos growled low, almost to himself.)
Kratos (gritting his teeth):
"…Then… I have no choice."
(With a heavy breath, he summoned the chains. Fire erupted as the Blades of Chaos coiled into his hands, their eternal flames roaring to life. Mithra staggered back at the sight, her golden aura flaring instinctively. The sheer heat pressed against her chest, and for a heartbeat, she looked at Kratos with fear.)
Mithra (nervous, whispering):
"Those… weapons…"
(Kratos said nothing. He simply let the chains rattle, stepping forward as the Blades ignited the frozen air. When the first swing landed, the voidspawn screamed—ice melting and fracturing under the primal fire. The ground quaked as flames spread across the battlefield, cracking the mirror-smooth surface.)
(The blue-eyed figure darted forward, moving alongside the fire. Its hands glowed with pale aura, amplifying the flames—stretching them wider, deeper, until the voidspawn army melted into fragments. Kratos narrowed his eyes at the strange ally.)
Kratos (low, almost approving):
"Guess you are full of surprises."
(The figure beamed, giving a proud thumbs-up—only to yelp as its icy hand caught fire. Flailing wildly, it waved the flames out. Mithra stifled a nervous laugh despite herself. But before the mood could lighten, the last voidspawn shattered into shards, leaving the corridor silent once more.)
Fragments of frost
When the Voidspawn died, they shattered—not into blood or ash, but into shards of glowing, crystalline matter.blue as frost
(Mithra holds one of the fragments delicately, her fingers trembling as radiant light pulses against her skin.)
(The shard flickered, unstable, sending tiny sparks dancing along her palm. For a moment it flared too bright, as if it might shatter, before the light steadied again. Mithra winced, then tightened her grip.)
Mithra (surprised):
"This… this is Eon's essence. I can feel it."
(Beside her, the Leviathan Axe begins to glow—its runes pulsing brighter with every beat of the shard's energy. Kratos's eyes narrow as he watches the reaction.)
Kratos(focused):
"It sings to the axe."
(They gathered the fragments left behind and pressed onward. As they pressed onward, the frozen realm grew quieter. Only their footsteps echoed against the frost. Mithra's aura flickered faintly, her eyes searching for some trace of her father or Atreus. A lump formed in her throat. She slowed, clutching her chest.)
Mithra (voice trembling):
"…Father… What would you do if you were here with me? Would your rage… protect me? Or take you away from me forever?"
(Tears welled in her eyes. For all her strength, she was still just a daughter—afraid of losing the only parent she had left. Her knees buckled slightly, but before she fell, the blue-eyed figure reached out. It wrapped its cold arms around her, holding her tight. Its silent embrace was awkward—but warm enough to still her sobs. She breathed shakily and smiled faintly, wiping her eyes.)