Following the chaotic events that led to the restoration of Kratos's access to his magic, the four travelers prepared to leave the forge.
They left Sindri behind to continue his work, but before they fully departed, Mimir held back for a brief moment.
He exchanged a quick, hushed word with Sindri. Although Kratos and the boys did not hear the specific contents of what Mimir had just whispered, the intent was clear to anyone paying attention.
Mimir was gently pushing for Sindri to make amends with Brok. It was obvious that despite the bickering and the distance, Mimir knew that both of the Huldra brothers still deeply cared about each other, and he could not stand to see such a bond severed by pride.
On their journey back up the path, they inevitably encountered groups of monsters that infested the foothills.
Kratos stepped forward to fight against them alone. He wanted to get used to the abilities that he had just gotten back, as it was a power he had not called upon for more than a thousand years. He needed to ensure his control was absolute before facing greater threats.
The very first ability and magic that Kratos tested was a devastating summon. He slammed his fists together, and from his rage, he summoned a giant, spectral figure made entirely out of roaring fire.
The avatar mirrored his movements and punched the ground with catastrophic force. The earth split open upon impact, and the ground exploded, sending geysers of lava and molten rock erupting upwards to incinerate his enemies.
The second ability that Kratos utilized was his dormant ability to summon lightning. However, as he called down the bolts to strike a heavy Draugr, he noticed a distinct difference.
He was still not used to commanding this specific golden lightning. In his previous state back in the lands of Greece, the lightning that he could summon via the blessings of Poseidon or the raw magic of the land was often blue colored.
Seeing the crackling gold energy arching from his skin made Kratos think that there might be something wrong or fundamentally different about this power.
Kratos just contemplated this silently as he thought of the possible explanations for his lightning's color change while they all continued to trek towards their destination.
The four then arrived back at the foot of the mountain that they had climbed earlier in their journey.
As they walked past the area where they had fought the sons of Thor, they saw Modi's figure. He was exactly where they had left him, still trying to scream and beg for help.
Tears and snot were running freely from the face of Modi, creating a pathetic image of a fallen god.
However, no one was able to hear his cries due to the curse Zelos had placed upon him.
"What did you do to him, Zelos?" Atreus then asked. He looked at the pitiful figure of Modi with a mixture of disgust and curiosity.
Mimir, who was walking beside them, was the one who truly understood the horrific condition of this binding technique.
Modi was unable to move even an inch of his own body except for his head, which was forced to watch the world pass him by.
Modi's situation was made significantly worse by the fact that he was directly tied to the body of his dead brother.
He was bound to Magni, the one Zelos had trapped in a state of suspended death, whose body would not decay no matter how long it lasted, serving as an eternal, rotting reminder of their failure.
"Nothing. I have merely placed a protection stave where no sound nor vision would come out to alert anyone," Zelos answered calmly.
Zelos looked at his masterpiece with a cold, analytical gaze. He observed the slowly cracking godhood of Modi. There was also another, deeper reason why Zelos had done this.
Zelos has a theory that the strength of the Aesir comes primarily from their obsessions. Odin was driven by his obsession with knowledge.
Heimdall was driven by his need for control. Thor was driven by his lust for recognition and battle.
Even Baldur was driven by his desperate want to feel or to die. All of them had their own obsession that fueled their power.
Now, Zelos wanted to see if he could make the essence of Modi's godhood stronger by manufacturing a new obsession.
By making Modi desperate for escape and desperate to become free, he hoped to concentrate that divine energy.
Zelos did not know for certain whether it would be a great idea to empower an enemy, but if the results matched his hypothesis, then Zelos would have another potent material to give to Kratos.
He recalled that Modi possessed the Godhood of Wrath, which was an essence incredibly fitting to what Kratos already wielded.
The four then continued their ascent, leaving Modi behind alone in his silent prison. The fallen god was still desperately trying to escape, shouting for help that would never come.
Eventually, the four encountered a magically sealed door blocking their path into the mountain's depths.
Kratos took out the tip of the magical chisel that they had extracted from the dead giant's body earlier.
With a heavy thrust, Kratos unlocked the sealed door, shattering the enchantment.
The heavy stone doors groaned open, leading them inside the mountain to a much cleaner, untouched part of the caverns.
As the four looked around the ancient hallway, they saw a path leading them towards a deeper, hidden antechamber.
Kratos, Atreus, Zelos, and Mimir entered the room cautiously. What they saw inside surprised them.
Resting in the center of the chamber was another one of the Valkyries, the second that they had encountered on this trip.
Like the first warrior they had fought in the hidden vault, this one was also trapped in a corporeal, suspended state.
"Another Valkyrie, lads," Mimir said. He talked about it casually, as if the others did not even recognize the winged horror in front of them.
"Like the other one, she is sealed. Do you know what happened, Mimir?" Zelos asked directly.
Despite knowing the truth himself, he would not openly say it in front of the other people, preferring to test Mimir's willingness to share information.
"Sadly, I do not, lads," Mimir answered. His tone was weak and lacked his usual confidence, but it was still loud enough to be heard.
The others decided not to press the issue again, except for Kratos. The Spartan noticed the subtle changes in the voice of Mimir.
Zelos also noted the lie, as he already knew the truth about what truly happened with the Valkyries and the Queen.
"You are hiding something, Mimir," Kratos said sternly. He turned his gaze towards Mimir, who awkwardly avoided his eyes this time, feigning interest in a wall carving.
"Can you help them, brother?" Mimir asked, deflecting the accusation.
Despite not wanting to reveal what truly had happened to the Sisterhood, Mimir still genuinely asked for the Valkyries to be freed.
The only reason why Mimir was still not revealing anything was due to him not have every piece of information regarding the corruption, and perhaps a fear of implicating someone he cared for.
"Do you need us to help you defeat it, Father?" Zelos interrupted, changing the conversation to the immediate threat.
He noticed that Mimir was backed into a corner and not answering the question, so he offered Kratos an out.
Kratos raised his hand, refusing the help. He still wanted to become better at controlling his returned abilities, and a duel with a Valkyrie was the perfect crucible.
When Kratos appeared nearer to the Valkyrie, the creature sensed his presence. It woke from its slumber and began to start moving immediately.
The Valkyrie shrieked and flew high above the chamber. She dived down with incredible speed towards Kratos, attempting to stomp her armored boot onto the head of the Spartan.
Kratos did not flinch. He summoned an entire Guardian Shield from his gauntlet, but this time, it was different.
The energy barrier was covered in crackling golden lightning as well.
Kratos infused his newly awakened magic directly towards his shield, creating an impenetrable wall of divine force that met the Valkyrie's attack with a thunderous boom.