2026-02-03 17:18:35
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THE FROZEN WASTES
They traveled for three days without rest, pushing north into territories where even the hardiest Norsemen refused to venture. The landscape grew increasingly hostile—trees twisted into unnatural shapes, their branches reaching skyward like skeletal fingers grasping at clouds that never broke. The snow here wasn't white but grey, ash-colored, as if the land itself was dying.Kratos felt the cold in his chest spreading with each passing hour. It had moved beyond his ribs now, creeping down his arms, making his fingers stiff and unresponsive. He hid it as best he could, but Atreus noticed everything.The boy hadn't spoken much since the encounter with the silver-eyed girl. He walked beside Kratos with his bow perpetually ready, eyes constantly scanning, jumping at shadows that might not be shadows at all. The fear was changing him, hardening him in ways that made Kratos's chest tighten for reasons that had nothing to do with Vetrblod's curse."We need to find shelter," Atreus said as th
WHISPERS IN THE SNOW
Night fell quickly in the north, swallowing the world in absolute darkness.Kratos and Atreus made camp in the hollow of a massive fallen tree, ancient and half-buried in snow. It wasn't ideal—too exposed, too cold—but they needed rest. Even gods had limits, and Kratos could feel his approaching fast.The fight with Vetrblod had taken more out of him than he'd admitted. The cold still lingered in his chest, a foreign presence that made each breath feel like inhaling broken glass. He'd hidden it from Atreus, forcing his breathing to remain steady, his movements strong. But alone in the darkness, with only the crackling fire between them, it was harder to maintain the facade."You're hurt," Atreus said quietly, not looking at him. The boy was sharpening arrows, hands moving with practiced efficiency."I'm fine.""You've been favoring your left side since we left the village. And your breathing—it's wrong. Shallow."Kratos said nothing. There was no point in lying, not to someone who kne
THE WITCH'S COUNSEL
They walked for hours through the frozen forest, putting distance between themselves and the ruined village. Neither spoke. There was too much to process, too many questions without answers.Kratos's body ached in ways it hadn't for years. The cold from Vetrblod's grip had sunk deep, settling into his bones like poison. Every breath hurt. Every step required concentration. But he didn't slow down, didn't show weakness. Atreus needed to see strength right now, not doubt.The boy walked beside him, bow ready, eyes constantly scanning the treeline. He'd been quiet since they left—too quiet. Kratos recognized that silence. He'd worn it himself many times, in the years after Lysandra and Calliope. The silence of someone trying to make sense of horror."We need information," Kratos finally said, breaking the oppressive quiet. "Someone who understands what we're facing.""You mean Freya," Atreus said."Yes.""She's not going to be happy to see us.""She doesn't have to be happy. She just has
BLOOD ON ICE
The first creature lunged before Vetrblod finished speaking.Kratos moved on instinct, throwing the Leviathan Axe in a horizontal arc. It caught three of them mid-leap, shattering them into fragments of ice and black mist. But more came behind, scrambling over their dying brethren, fingers outstretched, mouths open in silent screams."Boy! High ground!" Kratos roared, catching his axe as it returned to his hand.Atreus was already moving, scaling a pillar of ice at the chamber's edge, bow singing as he fired arrow after arrow into the mass. Each shot found a target—eye socket, throat, chest—but the creatures barely slowed. They came on like an avalanche, unstoppable and cold.Kratos planted his feet and met them head-on.The first wave broke against him like water against stone. He swung the axe in wide arcs, each strike releasing bursts of frost that competed with the creatures' own unnatural cold. Limbs shattered. Bodies exploded. Black blood sprayed across pristine ice, steaming wh
THE FROZEN PATH
Dawn came like a wound opening across the sky—red and raw and reluctant.Kratos hadn't slept. He'd sat at the cave entrance all night, axe across his knees, watching the treeline for movement that never came. The creatures had vanished after their warning, leaving only trampled snow and that lingering sweet rot smell that made his stomach turn.Atreus had tried to stay awake too, but exhaustion had claimed him around midnight. The boy slept now, curled near the dead fire, one hand still clutching his bow. Even in sleep, he looked tense. Ready to fight.Good. He'd need to be.Kratos stood, joints protesting from a night of cold and stillness. He was getting old—not by mortal standards, but by the measure of wars fought and blood spilled. Every scar was a calendar marking time he should have been dead. Should have stayed dead.But death had never been permanent for him. Not when there was still work to do.He moved to the cave entrance, studying the landscape with a warrior's eye. The f
ECHOES IN THE FROST
They made camp three miles from the village, in a shallow cave Kratos had spotted carved into a rocky outcrop. It wasn't much—barely deep enough to shield them from the wind—but it was defensible. One entrance. Solid stone at their backs. Good sightlines.Atreus gathered firewood while Kratos set wards at the cave mouth, old protections his father had taught him in another life. Runes scratched into stone. Herbs burned to ash. They wouldn't stop something powerful, but they'd give warning. That was all he needed.The fire crackled to life, orange light pushing back the encroaching darkness. Night came fast this far north, swallowing the world in cold black. Atreus sat close to the flames, bow across his lap, staring into the dancing light."You're thinking too loud, boy," Kratos said, settling against the cave wall where he could watch both the fire and the entrance."Those things back there..." Atreus's voice was quiet. "They weren't Draugr. I've fought Draugr. Those were different."
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