God of War (2018): Entry 14 - Godhood & Valkyrie Test

With Freya’s blessing, we left her sanctuary and began our journey back toward Tyr’s vault. But something about Atreus felt different. He walked beside me, quiet, withdrawn. I glanced at him.

“You’re unusually silent,” I said. “What’s troubling you?”

He hesitated, then finally spoke. “I heard you. You said I was cursed. I thought… after everything we’ve been through, you’d think differently of me.”

I stopped walking.

“I wasn’t speaking of you,” I said slowly. “The curse… is godhood.”

He stared at me, trying to make sense of the words. I continued.

“I am a god. And so are you. That is the truth I wanted to protect you from.”

He was stunned into silence, the weight of my confession sinking in.

“Did Mother know?” he asked at last.

“Yes,” I said. “She knew everything.”

He looked down at his hands, as if expecting them to change. “What does that mean for me? What can I do?”

“All gods are different,” I told him. “You will have abilities unique to you. We will discover them… together.”

As we rode the boat down the cavern river, Atreus sat in thought, piecing together the truth.“

Is that why Baldur came to our door? He knew?”

I nodded. “Likely. The gods know each other... and fear what they cannot control.”

As the cavern opened into the Lake of Nine, Atreus looked toward Tyr’s temple.

“So… are we heading to the vault? Or somewhere else?” he asked, a hint of excitement rising. “I mean… we’re gods. We can do whatever we want, right?”

I paused. He was eager to embrace the power of his new identity but he did not yet grasp the cost. Before continuing our journey to Jotunheim, I knew we had unfinished business.

Before we continued to the vault there were loose ends I wanted to deal with first. Odin’s ravens, they still watch us. And the maps we’ve uncovered point to hidden resources and ancient treasures that could aid us on our path.

Thankfully, Brok had repaired the mystic gateways enough to make travel easier throughout the realm. It would give me a chance to test Atreus and see if his strength had truly returned before continuing on the path to Jotunheim.

We spent some time journeying across Midgard, hunting down Odin’s raven spies across the realm. Each one we struck down felt like a small blow against the All-father’s reach. Along the way, we unearthed long-forgotten treasures marked on the maps we’d found. Ancient caches sealed away by those who came before, filled with resources that would serve us well in the trials ahead.

Eventually, our path led us back to the Wildwoods. Home.

We swept the surrounding forest, clearing out lingering beasts that had wandered too close in our absence. That’s when we found it.

Hidden beneath the snow and branches, barely a stone’s throw from our home, was a sealed door locked with magic. With the chisel in hand, I carved into the rune-lock, breaking the enchantment.

The stone door groaned open, revealing a dark, narrow passage. Atreus and I descended in silence. The chamber we discovered beneath the earth was eerily similar to the Valkyrie chamber near Thamur’s corpse. Same markings, same ominous stillness. As the lift ground to a halt and we stepped through the magic barrier… we found it empty.

No Valkyrie. Just a single note, weathered and left behind, and a realm tear pulsing with unstable energy.

I picked up the note. Its words were scrawled in haste, panicked. The writer had attempted to awaken the Valkyrie, only to flee through the tear to another realm. But the Valkyrie had followed. Whether to Muspelheim or Niflheim, the note writer wasn't sure.

I moved to seal the realm tear, but as the magic flared, enemies burst forth—creatures drawn to the instability. Atreus and I fought as one. His arrows flying with precision, my blades cutting through the onslaught. We held our ground and stood victorious, breathless but unbroken.

It was in that moment I knew what needed to be done. If we are to continue this journey Atreus must be ready. We will return to Thamur’s corpse. There is a Valkyrie there… one we left untouched. It’s time we face her.

A true test awaited. One that would prove if Atreus was truly prepared for the trials to come. Jotunheim could wait. First, we would stare down one of our fiercest opponents… together.

We returned to the massive chamber beneath Thamur’s corpse. The prison where we had once chosen not to intervene. This time, we would not walk away.

The Valkyrie Gunnr awoke.

Clad in armor etched with faded runes and wielding a deadly scythe, she lunged without hesitation. Mimir had warned us, but even his words hadn’t fully prepared us for her fury.

She moved with blinding speed. Her attacks relentless, sweeping in arcs that forced me on the defensive. Her scythe struck like lightning, every blow threatening to carve through my defenses. Atreus fought bravely, calling out her movements and striking with his arrows. Together, we danced on the edge of death, reading her patterns, seizing small openings. The battle felt endless.

But at last, we brought her down.

As Gunnr’s armored body crumbled, her spirit rose from the wreckage—a glowing form, radiant and free.

“You have done me a great service,” she said, her voice like wind through ancient trees. “The corruption that bound me is gone. But I am only one. My sisters remain imprisoned, suffering the same twisted fate. You must find them. The fate of the Valkyries is at stake.”

Atreus looked up, wide-eyed. “That… sounds important.”

Mimir snorted. “Aye, lad. That’s puttin’ it mildly.”

I asked Mimir what he knew.

Mimir dodged the question. “Best to ask the Valkyries themselves. Free a few more, and we might get some answers.”

Atreus gasped. “You want us to fight more of them? After that?”

Mimir’s tone turned serious. “You heard her. Their fate’s hangin’ in the balance.”

I let out a low grumble, not out of disagreement, but caution. “It will be dangerous.”

Mimir chuckled. “Danger’s never stopped you before.”

Atreus nodded, ready. Another path had opened before us.

With renewed purpose, we returned to the Witch’s Cove where we had seen another of those magically sealed doors.

I used the chisel to break the seal, revealing a familiar descent. Atreus and I rode the lift downward, descending into silence and unease.

At the bottom, we passed through the shimmering barrier and entered the imprisoning chamber. Another Valkyrie stood waiting.

Kara.

Without hesitation, we attacked.

Kara fought with calculated grace, but what made her dangerous was her command over the dead. She summoned hordes of draugr to overwhelm us, hoping to distract and exhaust. Atreus moved quickly, using his bow to clear the summoned dead while I kept Kara at bay with my blades and axe.

We had become a formidable force. Where once Atreus had stumbled, now he moved with purpose. The battle was not easy, but in time, Kara fell.

Her spirit rose from the battered armor left on the chamber floor. She glowed softly, eyes no longer burning with corrupted rage.

“You’ve freed me,” she whispered. “Thank you. My memories… they are fragmented. Scattered. But… I remember a place. The secret council chamber of the Valkyries”

Then she vanished.

I asked Mimir. “Council chamber?”

He responded thoughtfully. “Aye. A place they used to meet, in secret. Trying to avoid Odin’s pryin’ eyes. The council of the Valkyries may hold clues to what happened”

I scowled. “We passed through that council area before. You said nothing.”

In defense, Mimir noted “Wasn’t aware of what we were dealin’ with at the time.”

I said nothing, but the irritation burned quietly beneath my silence. Still, if that council chamber held clues to understanding what had corrupted the Valkyries, then we had no choice but to return.

One by one, we were peeling back the layers of a deeper truth. One that may alter the balance of the realms.

We used a mystic gateway to travel to the Valkyrie Council Chamber. As we stepped out into the solemn, open space, Atreus looked around and asked, “Is this Rocstoll?”

Mimir nodded. “Aye, lad. This is the Valkyrie Council”

He went on to explain that the Valkyries hail from Valhalla, within Asgard itself, and serve under Odin’s command. But during Mimir’s time advising the All-Father, the relationship between Odin and the Valkyries was tense. Since the full story was long and complicated, he urged that we look around for clues instead.

He then suggested we place the helms of the fallen Valkyries upon their thrones.

One by one, we set the helms. First Gunnr’s, then Kara’s. As they touched the thrones, a faint energy stirred. Wisps of spirit began to form, ghostly remnants of the Valkyries, but they were incomplete. Shadows without substance. They did not speak or acknowledge our presence.

“Only fragments,” Mimir muttered. “The helms must only contain a small portion of their spirit. The rest must be in transit to Valhalla to fix the mess that was created with their absence.”

He shared a little he knew about Gunnr and Kara. Each had a role in the ancient order, and each had been lost to the same corruption that had twisted their purpose.

With two Valkyries defeated, I was confident that Atreus had fully recovered from his sickness, and more importantly, was ready to face what lay ahead. Our path was clear once more.

We set our course for Tyr’s Vault.

Hopefully this time, without further distractions.