Valhalla.
In the realm where the past and present merge through the memories and actions of the brave Einherjar who take these trials, two men sat in front of each other with a colossal basin filled with a mysterious liquid in between them.
Kratos, the ancient God of War from realms far beyond, stared at the water's surface with dismay and regret as it continued playing images of his past.
Tyr, the God of War of these very realms, on the other hand, had a calm, intrigued, and slightly pitying expression on his ancient face as she too beheld the sight in the liquid.
The destruction of Olympus.
The massacre of the Greek gods.
Tyr watched as the images showed a younger, crueler, and far more arrogant version of Kratos.
He watched as Kratos used Pandora's Box to strengthen himself, gaining enough divinity and bolstering his status as a demi-god to an unfathomable state before dueling Ares, the original god of war, and impaling him with the blade of the gods while still suffering from Ares's manipulation of his mind which made him continually experience the pain he felt when he killed his own wife and daughter with his own hands. With this act now turning him from a demi-god to a full god, becoming the new God of War.
He watched as Kratos brandished the Blade of Olympus, ready to end Zeus once and for all. Yet, as he plunged forward, someone he never expected to be there, Athena, the goddess of wisdom, threw herself in between him and Zeus, forcing Kratos to accidentally impale her, killing her.
Her death, which should have robbed the Greek world of all wisdom, strangely had no effect, showing how deep the waters ran in the divine lands of Olympus.
He watched as Kratos, later on in his journey, where he began his proper rebellion against the gods, pulled the god of the seas from his own construct, brutally beating him with his fists, then smashing his own head against the god's and weakening him continually, finally digging out the god's eyes and then snapping his neck, killing him.
The consequence of a god's death immediately made itself known as the Greek world was flooded completely, erasing all civilization.
Then, Kratos moved onto the Underworld of Greece, killing Hades, the god of the dead, with his own Claws of Hades, siphoning the elder god's soul into himself and becoming stronger for it.
The consequence was, of course, the unleashing of the underworld's restrictions, resulting in the dead now escaping into the world of the living, causing unprecedented disasters all around.
Then he killed Helios, the god of the sun, in the absence of the original god, Apollo. His death plunged the Greek world into eternal darkness.
He then killed Hermes, whose death plunged the lands into untold plagues and pestilence.
Then came Heracules, and Hera immediately after. Her death causing all plant life to die with her.
Then it was Hephaestus, whose death robbed the concept of ingenuity and progress from the world.
And then, finally, it was Zeus himself.
Tyr watched as the famed Ghost of Sparta destroyed the entirety of his home.
But instead of condemning him, he did what he had been doing till now.
He helped him see the light in the darkness that he wrought.
Watching the young Kratos impale himself with the Blade of Olympus and return the power of Hope to the world, allowing it to gradually be reborn, the Norse God of War finally looked at the guilt-filled Kratos.
"In the end, you made up for your mistakes. Your revenge cost millions their lives. Yet now, after your departure from those lands where you left behind the power of Hope, I believe, they will lead better lives than ever before without the presence of cruel gods ruling over them."
Kratos grunted before speaking.
"Yet, this fact will never absolve me of the crimes I have committed."
"Kratos, this is not about you absolving yourself of crimes, for that is simply not possible. This is about you finding closure. This is about you accepting the past and learning to live with it. To become better."
"...Become better, huh? Maybe you are right."
"If only I had heeded his words back then...."
At Tyr's questioning look, Kratos closed his eyes and concentrated.
If these waters draw from his memories, then he should be able to focus on particular memories so that he may share them.
And sure enough, his theory proved right as the waters rippled again, showing an image that would forever haunt Kratos.
It was one of the final battles he would ever lead as a free man, after all.
The image showed a young Kratos, still a general of Sparta, fighting an army of outlanders, killing brutally and mercilessly, carving out the enemy.
Yet, there was no grace in his fighting, no effective and quick end that he tends to now use in the Norse realms.
This was a barbaric slaughter. Attacks aimed at maiming and prolonging the suffering of his enemies. A brutal, but effective fear tactic that would ensure nobody else from their lands would ever dare to even entertain the thought of fighting Kratos and his armies, and by extension, invading Sparta ever again.
Yet, it was during this slaughter that he appeared to Kratos for the first and last time.
The battlefield fell into absolute silence as power unfathomable flooded across the realm.
Even through the memory in the water, Tyr could not help but stop breathing, unable to comprehend the sheer power of the god if a mere memory was this awe-inspiring.
One moment, there was nothing, then the god appeared.
His body covered in a simple Cithon. His hair shining purple with his power.
His similarly purple eyes staring coldly at Kratos with sheer disappointment.
Kratos knew exactly who he was in the presence of.
The God of Destruction, Nature, Justice, and Martial Arts.
Brolios Asterion.
"Have you not had enough bloodshed? Young Spartan?"
"Have you not fulfilled your bloodlust yet?"
His gaze sharpened as he beheld the monstrous acts committed by the young general.
"I knew that you were only fulfilling your duty as the guardian of your people. So I never intervened. But this? This is beyond mere duty, Kratos of Sparta. This is needless torture."
"There is no honor in it."
The young Kratos, still drunk on his pride, sneered at the god's words.
"I have no time for lectures, Brolios Asterion. I will protect my people, my way. If you find it unjust, then strike me down right this instant."
Then, Kratos grinned savagely.
"You cannot do that, can you? Because you know that my actions are necessary, that I am necessary."
With his piece said, the young Spartan continued his massacre, leaving behind a thoroughly disappointed god who gave his last words to the young man.
"Heed these words, Spartan. There will come a day when you will look back at this moment and feel nothing but shame for your actions."
"There will come a day when you, too, shall know the value of life."
"I hope, when that time comes, you are ready for the darkness that will consume you from within."
The god turned to glance back at the young Spartan.
"There is still time to change. If you heed my warning and learn to temper your rage and pride. If you learn to accept this advice of mine, then you will avoid this fate."
"But, if you fail, just like the rest of kin have, then this fate is inevitable."
"Fate? Huh. We will see about that."
With that, the memory faded, leaving only silence behind.
Finally, Tyr spoke up softly.
"What happened to him?"
"Hm. From what I know, he, along with Apollo, Artemis, Hestia, Rhea, and many others, left the Greek realms soon after that confrontation."
"I heard that they had been thoroughly disappointed by the rest of the Olympians and minor gods, so they chose to abandon everything and move on."
"In their absence, Helios took on Apollo's duties while Selene took over Artemis's duties. However, the Hearth of Olympus and the Throne of Destruction were left empty with no god strong enough or brave enough to fill those positions."
Kratos sighed before speaking softly.
"Sometimes, I wonder. Would things have turned out differently if I had heeded his warning back then? Would Olympus be any different if those neutral gods had not left my home realm behind?"
"Would I have ever done what I did, if the God of Destruction and Justice had not abandoned his throne and left the realms completely?"
"Hm. I have traveled to many realms in my time, but I have never heard of this Brolios nor the others that he is supposedly traveling with, according to you. Where do you think he was headed after leaving your realms?"
Kratos shook his head.
"I do not know. Nobody knows. I heard that, after Zeus and his siblings disappointed Brolios and the others one too many times, they completely shut out the Olympians. So, nobody truly knows what plans they made back then."
"I see. Such a strange one, this God of Destruction. No matter."
Tyr got to his feet and extended his hand to Kratos, who took it.
"Looks like you have gained some insight. Are you ready to do this again?"
"Hm."
Kratos nodded and moved to the door behind Tyr, knowing that he would go back to the beginning, where he would challenge Valhalla again.
However, somehow, he felt like he had found some level of closure.
The emotional turmoil he always felt when he remembered that confrontation with Brolios now felt far calmer.
Now, he only hoped that, wherever the God of Destruction was, he had found his place in the world.
That he found the peace and love that he always craved in Olympus, but was denied it to the end.
This, is his sincerest wish for the gentle but stern god that was said to have helped humanity rise from the mud in the first place.
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