God of War (2018): Entry 16 - Atreus’s Arrogance

Now, with both the chisel and the Black Rune in hand, we looked up toward the Mountain. The path was clear. All that remained was to reach the summit, activate the travel room, and carve the rune to open the gate to Jotunheim.

But not yet.

Before we pressed forward, I had one final task. We would return to Alfheim to finish hunting Odin’s raven spies and investigate the sealed chamber we had discovered there.

If Jotunheim was to be our final destination, I wanted no lingering shadows at our backs.

We entered the realm travel room and set our course for Alfheim. Upon our arrival, Mimir noted the state of the skies above the Lake of Light. “Seems the Light Elves are in control again,” he mused.

As we made our way toward the Valkyrie imprisoning chamber, Mimir spoke of the endless war between the Light and Dark Elves. “The struggle for control of the Light has raged for ages,” he said, “with power shifting more than two hundred times.”

We reached the Light Shore and disembarked. The path was quiet, as though the realm held its breath. At the sealed chamber, I drew the chisel and etched the runes into the enchanted stone. The door responded, groaning open to reveal a familiar lift. We descended in silence, the air thick with anticipation.

Beyond the magical barrier, the chamber awaited us. Another prison. Another Valkyrie.

Olrunn.

Once noble, now a twisted echo of her former grace. I stepped into the arena, my grip tightening around the Leviathan Axe.

She emerged from her winged cocoon in a whirlwind of feathers and steel, shrieking like a storm let loose. Her blades sang through the air, every movement honed by rage and restraint. There was no hesitation in her strikes, only relentless fury.

She was the fastest foe we had yet faced. Her precision was unmatched, her speed overwhelming. But we endured. Every blow tested my resolve. Atreus and I moved as one, dancing between strikes, landing counters, finding our rhythm within the chaos.

At last, we brought her down.

Her spirit rose from the fallen physical form, louder than the others. But unlike her sisters, she offered no clarity, no fragments of memory. She only provided a comment of gratitude before vanishing. 

I exhaled, steadying myself. Another Valkyrie freed... but the mystery only deepened.

As the dust settled from our battle with Olrunn, Atreus looked to the fading spirit and said, “Someone must’ve done this to them.”

Mimir’s response came with a curious tone. “Aye… I wouldn’t want to speculate.”

But I could hear it in his voice, he knew more. I narrowed my eyes. “Speak plainly, head.”

He sighed, resigned. “Sigrún. The Queen of the Valkyries. She would’ve had the power to bind them this way. After Odin imprisoned me, she visited in her physical form. A rare thing. We… we had history.”

Atreus looked between us, confused. “Why would she do this?”

Mimir hesitated. “That… I don’t know. But I have my suspicions.”

I scowled. “So you sent us chasing corrupted spirits to unravel the mess of a former lover?”

Mimir protested, “It’s not like that—”

“We don’t need this distraction any longer,” I growled.

Before either could respond, Atreus stepped forward. “But it’s not just a distraction. They’re the ones who are supposed to keep the dead from overrunning Midgard. Isn’t that important?”

I looked at him, then muttered, “They’re doing a poor job of it.”

“It’s not their fault,” Mimir said firmly. “Whatever’s corrupted them… if it was the Queen, we need to know why. This isn’t just about the past. It’s about the balance of the realms.”

I didn’t like it, but they weren’t wrong. If there was more to this, we would need answers and the Valkyries might be the key.

We scoured the rest of Alfheim, hunting down the remaining raven spies. With no more tasks left in this realm, we returned to Midgard. It was time to resume our true purpose: to reach the summit of the mountain and open the path to Jotunheim.

As we make our way toward the Foothills, Atreus is brimming with excitement, eager to tell Sindri that he’s a god. But just outside Sindri's shop I stop him firmly, insisting we keep this truth to ourselves for now.

Sindri overhears and asks what we were discussing and I simply say a "family matter."

"I could tell you a thing or two about family matters" Sindri replies.

Atreus suddenly lashes out: “All you ever talk about is how your brother isn’t as good as you. I’m tired of hearing about little people’s little problems.”

Sindri freezes, clearly hurt by the unexpected cruelty. He fidgets, unable to find words.

Suddenly, the sky begins to darken. Lightning cracks overhead.

As we continue through the Foothills, I notice something has changed in Atreus. There’s a weight behind his words now.

Arrogance.

I turn to him. “Why did you speak to the dwarf that way?”

He shrugs. “Aren’t you tired of their constant complaining?”

“Yes,” I say, “but needless cruelty? Making enemies for no reason? That is foolish.”

Atreus snaps back, “The truth is more important than kindness.”

I stop walking. “Your mother would not agree.”

“Well, she wasn’t a god,” he mutters.

His words hang in the air like thunder.

After a pause, he asks, “Can I carry Mother’s ashes now?”

I stare at him, his face no longer innocent, his pride swelling. “No. Not after the way you disrespected her memory. She was better than a god.”

We soon come upon another magically sealed door, which I open using the chisel. Another Valkyrie imprisoning chamber lies beyond. We descend the lift in silence, the tension rising as we prepare for what awaits us below.

At the base, we discover another imprisoned Valkyrie.

Geirdriful.

Without hesitation, I charge forward and unleash a flurry of attacks before she fully awakens. The battle is long and grueling. She attacks primarily from range, launching sudden, razor-fast lunges and executing swooping grabs with terrifying precision.

I stay at a distance, dodging and blocking her assaults, waiting for brief openings as she lunges or dives toward me. Timing is everything. Patience and discipline guide my strikes. Together, Atreus and I wear her down.

Eventually, we defeat her.

Her spirit rises from the broken shell of her body. I ask if she remembers what happened.

She speaks only of pain... and of her Queen.

Before fading into the ether, she says she must find her Queen to understand what was done to her.

Mimir is clearly disturbed. “Why would Sigrun do this?” he mutters. “The last time she visited me—she was in physical form... but she was different. More volatile.”

“We’ll have to find her,” I say grimly.

Mimir hesitates, then warns, “She likely doesn’t want to be found. But if the Valkyries are to be freed, we are the only ones capable.”

As we leave the chamber, I notice the mystic gateway nearby is inactive and broken. Odd. I wonder if Brok’s meddling is to blame once again.

As we reach the base of the mountain summit, I notice Atreus growing more irritable. He snaps at Mimir, complaining that he’s tired of hearing about Odin’s schemes and manipulations. “The Aesir should see us as a threat,” he declares confidently.

Mimir calmly warns, “We are not yet capable to challenge the Aesir. At least not yet”

But Atreus ignores him.We press on into the mountain and soon come upon Modi. He's barely alive—burned, bloodied, and broken. He tells us Thor blamed him for Magni’s death, calling him a coward and leaving him to suffer.

Before I can speak, Atreus strides toward Modi, his steps full of anger and pride. Modi moves forward but collapses in pain, gasping.

Atreus glares at him. “You should pay for what you said about Mother.”

His voice is low and full of venom. Then he turns to me with a twisted eagerness in his eyes, waiting for my permission.

“No,” I say firmly. “He is beaten. He’s not worth it.”

But Atreus snaps back, “We’re gods. We can do whatever we want.”

Then, through cracked lips, Modi mutters, “That’s exactly what I said to your mother before I killed her.”

The words hang in the air like poison.

Without hesitation, Atreus drives his blade into Modi’s neck and kicks his body over the cliff’s edge.

Fury surges through me. I grab Atreus by the shoulders. “You deliberately disobeyed me,” I growl.

Atreus pulls away, defiant. “You’ve been teaching me to kill!”

“No,” I correct him sharply. “I’ve been teaching you to survive. There is a difference.”

I stare into his eyes, trying to reach whatever part of him still remembers who he is. “We are gods, yes. That means others will always try to destroy us. We kill only when necessary. Not for sport. Not for pride.”

Atreus looks away, sneering, “No one will miss him anyway.”

I raise my voice, the words echoing through the chamber. “There are consequences for killing a god!”

He turns back to me, his expression cold. “How would you know?”

I say nothing. Not wanting to admit to my shame from my past.

As we continue through the mountain caverns, Atreus grows more reckless. He charges into battle without thinking, ignoring my commands and his training as we face enemies. Our arguments echo off the stone walls, tension building with every step.

When we reach Brok’s shop, even he takes notice. “What’s with all the squabbling?” he asks, wiping his hands on his apron.

Mimir chimes in, “Aye, it’s gettin’ a bit tiresome, lads.”

We press on in silence until we come upon another magically sealed chamber. I use the chisel to break the seal. Just like the others, it appears to be another Valkyrie prison. We descend the lift without a word.

At the bottom, as expected, stands a Valkyrie.

Eir.

The chamber is noticeably smaller than the others, the walls tight, the air heavy.

I don’t hesitate. I charge in, striking before she can fully awaken. Surprisingly, Atreus seems to put aside his arrogance. He follows my instructions, aware of the danger these battles present.

Eir’s attacks aren’t particularly devastating, but the confined space makes dodging her sweeping area-of-effect strikes a challenge. Still, her pattern offers opportunities. When she shields herself with her wings, I break through her guard and unleash my fury.

The battle is tense but brief. When we finally defeat her, her spirit rises from the broken body. We ask her why she was imprisoned. We explain that her queen, Sigrun, was the one who did this and that we are trying to understand why.

Eir is stunned. “Sigrun? Why would she do this? If she did… Midgard would be overrun with the dead. I have to try and stop this.”

With that, she vanishes.

I turn to Mimir and tell him I think Sigrun did this to defy Odin. Mimir protests. “That’s not possible. That would go against everything they stood for.”

But I shake my head. “Sometimes, hate is stronger than duty.”

Atreus clenches his fists. “Then we have to find her. We have to stop her.”

Mimir sighs. “Easier said than done, lad. She could be anywhere…in any realm.”

As we leave the Valkyrie chamber and ascend another lift toward the summit, Atreus’s arrogance resurfaces. He presses me about the Blades of Chaos, demanding to know more. Then, with no hint of humility, he claims his training is complete and he knows everything he needs now.

At that, I fall silent.

From here on, we fight not as a team, but as individuals. Our movements lack the coordination we once had. Atreus charges in recklessly, and I no longer correct him. The bond we had, that was tempered through hardship, is fraying with every step.

As we trudge up the snow-covered path to the summit, the only sound between us is the wind. Mimir, riding silently at my hip, finally breaks the tension. “The silence between you two… it’s bloody deafening.”

We reach the summit at last. The peak where our journey once began. Atreus steps forward and carves the rune into the realm travel bridge. I follow, placing the chisel into the mechanism to activate the bridge.

Before us, the path to Jotunheim opens—glowing with otherworldly light. The bridge stretches out, promising the end of our long journey. Salvation. Closure.

But we are not allowed peace.