(Asura crashed down onto molten rock, shielding Atreus from the impact. Lava geysers erupted in the distance. Red lightning crackled above a sky split with smoke and fire.)
Asura (wondering): "Are you hurt, kid?"
(Atreus pushes himself up, sweat streaking his face despite the searing wind.)
Atreus (panting): "Don't worry…I'm fine."
(He swallowed hard, chest tight. Fear clawed at the back of his throat, but he stood firm beside Asura anyway.)
(Atreus stares at rivers of lava, sweat dripping from his chin.)
Atreus (gasping): "Is… this Helheim?"
(Asura surveys the molten landscape, snorting.)
Asura (snorting): "Worse. It's madness."
(Voidspawn rose from the magma—twisted flame-creatures with burning eyes and molten jaws.)
(One leapt toward Atreus, but Asura grabbed it by the neck with a phantom arm made of pure rage—and crushed it to slag.)
Asura (snarling): "STAY BACK, BOY. I'll crush them all."
Atreus (stepping beside him, eyes sharp): "Wait, Asura—you don't have to go alone. I've got your back. We can get out of here together."
Asura (snarling): "I must get to Mithra—she needs me. I can't waste time."
Atreus (firmly): "I know. I want to get to my father too. But like I told you before… you're not alone anymore."
(Asura hesitates. His breathing slows. Atreus stands his ground.)
Atreus: "You told me your anger brought pain… because you fought alone. But I'm right here now.
We won't just return to them alive—we'll fight as one."
Asura nodded once and they both move together
Growing bond
(The last of the voidspawn lunged from the molten rivers. Asura swung his whole body, smashing it aside with a brutal headbutt that sent shards of magma scattering. Atreus followed with a crackling arrow, splitting the creature apart before it could reform. The two stood back-to-back, steam rising from their sweat.)
(Another swarm erupted from the lava, shrieking. This time, they moved together—Atreus firing to pin them down, Asura kicking through their ranks with crushing force. The boy vaulted over a collapsing rock, loosing a volley that scattered the swarm, while Asura launched himself with a flying knee that cracked the ground on impact.)
Atreus (panting, shouting):
"Left side!"
Asura (snarling, swinging a roundhouse):
"Got it!"
(They fell into rhythm—Atreus's sharp eyes calling the openings, Asura's raw power delivering the crushing blows. Voidspawn fell one after another, their movements syncing almost like they'd fought together for years.)
(Atreus landed beside him, wiping sweat from his brow, a grin tugging at his lips.)
Atreus (grinning):
"You're not so bad without arms, you know."
(Asura stomped another voidspawn flat, then smirked down at him through the heat.)
Asura (gruff but impressed):
"Hmph. You fight well… for a boy. A warrior I can rely on."
(Atreus blinked, caught off guard by the rare praise. His grin widened despite the chaos around them.)
Atreus (smirking):
"Careful. You keep saying stuff like that, I might start liking you."
(Asura snorted, slamming his heel into the ground to send another molten creature flying into the air. Atreus shot it mid-arc, the two sharing a brief nod…)
Spirit of chaos
(As The last voidspawn shattered beneath Asura's heel. For a heartbeat the realm held its breath—then the ground convulsed.)
(Stone split like cracking skin. Molten veins exploded upward in a geyser of fire and slag. From the newly opened maw of the earth a colossal shape clawed its way free: a hulking beast clothed in flowing magma, dark red skin lacquered with cooling crust, a fat belly that sloshed with molten light. Four eyes—two above, two below—burned with inner furnaces. Its maw gaped, rows of bone-white teeth jutting between ridges of jagged bone.)
(Heat rolled off it in waves, singeing the air, making even the lava hiss. It reared up to its full, terrifying height and fixed its gaze on Asura and Atreus—a predator sizing prey. The world seemed to tilt under its weight.)
(Then a voice thundered through the realm—Eon's voice, omnipresent and cold.)
Eon (echoing): "Yield them to my will. Thaurak—do not disappoint me, as your sister did."
(At the sound of his name, the magma-beast's roar died. Its posture shifted, rigid as a soldier's salute. The monstrous head dipped in a strange, obedient bow.)
(A rasping, molten rumble escaped its throat—words warped by rock and flame.)
Thaurak (booming): "Your will is my command, great Eon. Iselia will pay for her treason."
(Asura's teeth bared, a flat fury answering the name in a voice meant only for Eon's ears. Atreus tightened his grip on the staff, suspicion and alarm flaring in his eyes.)
(The molten titan planted both massive fists in the scorched ground, sending up a shower of embers. Around them, geysers flared to life—Thaurak's presence bending the realm itself into a furnace. The trial had grown teeth at last.)