"Thank you, little brother. I truly did not imagine that one conversation would eventually lead to my freedom. Fate has a very unusual way of connecting people," Mimir said, still sounding pleasantly shocked. Before he could say more, Kratos stepped in front of him, casting a shadow that made Mimir stand straighter.
"Why does the son of Odin hunt us?" Kratos asked. It was the question he had been trying to ask earlier, but the events that followed Zelos freeing Mimir had kept pushing the topic aside.
Mimir hummed as he thought. "There are gaps in my knowledge, brother, yet I am not without wit. If you give me time, I can piece things together." Kratos nodded, accepting that answer for now.
"Congratulations on your freedom. It must feel nice to finally move again," Atreus said suddenly as he approached Mimir.
"It does feel nice, lad. And an act like freeing me is not something I can allow to go unrewarded," Mimir replied. He then turned toward Zelos, who had been quietly observing from the side.
"You do not have to repay anything. Your advice was already enough. It helped me solve a spell I never thought I would complete," Zelos said. His tone made it clear that he meant every word.
"Nonsense. My advice costs nothing, especially for a friend. But this act is beyond advice, and I refuse to leave it unpaid. Tell me what you desire, and I will do what I can to give it," Mimir said. Zelos hesitated. He did not want Mimir to feel indebted, but the look on Mimir's face made it obvious nothing would change his mind.
"Fine, if you insist. Teach me any magic you can teach," Zelos said without thinking too deeply about the phrasing. In his mind, Mimir would teach him a single spell or technique.
However, Mimir, who had once been known as Puck and was born of the fae, took words in their most literal form. So when the opportunity to give more presented itself, he did not hesitate.
"Very well. I will teach you any magic that I can teach. That is our agreement," Mimir said. As he spoke, an illusion formed around him and slowly expanded until it resembled an entire library, one clearly connected to Mimir's mind rather than any physical structure.
"What is this, Mimir?" Zelos asked. He had not expected anything on this scale.
"I am simply honoring the deal. You asked me to teach you any magic I can teach, and I am capable of teaching everything contained in my mind. This is one of the spells. I can transfer it directly into your head," Mimir replied. Atreus and Kratos stood to the side silently, unsure whether to intervene or remain quiet. Their silence only added to the tension.
"No, that is not what I meant. One spell would have been enough," Zelos said quickly. Mimir shook his head.
"I am sorry, little brother, but I always follow the exact wording of a deal," Mimir said. Before Zelos could stop him, a concentrated beam of light connected Mimir's mind to Zelos'.
Information began to pour into Zelos at a speed that made it difficult for him to even identify individual strands of knowledge.
The transfer was not chaotic, however. Every spell, ritual, and theoretical concept arrived in a perfectly organized manner.
Mimir had collected knowledge throughout several lifetimes. Most of it was built from nature magic and illusion magic, which had been taught to him by his old master long before he met Odin.
There were also pieces of knowledge taken from various races that lived within the Yggdrasil, along with some spells he learned during his service to Odin.
Hundreds of thousands of spells and rituals flooded into Zelos' mind. Each one came with the detailed reasoning behind its creation, its possible uses, countermeasures, weaknesses, and the conditions required for mastering it.
Although the transfer lasted ten minutes, Zelos experienced it as if he had been in a dream-like state for much longer. When the light finally faded, his head felt painfully heavy with new information.
Yet beyond the pain, there was clarity. In the span of a few minutes, he had become a master of illusion magic, nature magic, and even portions of arcane magic.
"This is too much, Mimir. Truly. It is far more than I expected," Zelos said as he placed a hand to his forehead.
Mimir simply shook his head. "When I was imprisoned, none of the magic I had collected could free me. All my knowledge became useless at the moment I needed it most. It was a harsh lesson, and if given the choice, I would still gather that knowledge again. You gave me freedom. Passing on my knowledge is the least I can do."
Zelos stayed quiet, unable to argue. Mimir's sincerity left nothing to contest.
"Alright then. I will accept it. These spells do not exist in this realm and cannot be learned through regular study. It would be foolish to reject something that cannot be gained again," Zelos said.
Atreus blinked. "Wait. Why do you have magic that is not from this realm?"
"Oh, I am not originally from here, lad. I come from a faraway land with a name I no longer use. When I arrived on these shores, I chose to live as a different man. But that is a story for another time," Mimir said.
Atreus accepted the answer easily enough, while Kratos watched Mimir with faint understanding. Kratos, too, had left behind a homeland, and Mimir's words raised questions Kratos did not voice.
"Enough. We must continue our journey. Where do we go next, Mimir?" Kratos asked after a moment of silence.
"We will go to the location of the last giant who remains in Midgard. Near there, you will find a platform with a horn. Blow it to summon the World Serpent," Mimir explained. The four of them then walked toward the cliff.
Zelos cast a flying spell on Kratos so they could all descend at the same pace. Zelos was already capable of floating on his own, while Atreus and Mimir summoned wings on their backs.
The four of them stepped off the cliff and slowly descended toward the forest, making sure not to waste time on the long path down.