(A hush hangs in the steaming air after Mithra and Atreus exchange their quiet words. Kratos releases Asura's phantom hand, his expression hardening once more.)
Kratos (gruffly): "We've wasted enough time. Eon still lives."
(Asura snorts, flames licking faintly along his cosmic tattoos.)
Asura: "Then let's show him what happens when we fight as one."
(Mithra steps forward, cradling a shard of cosmic crystal in her hands. Light dances over her pale skin, casting shifting patterns in the mist.)
Mithra (quietly): "These fragments… they hold power I can't even begin to describe. Power vast enough to challenge Eon himself. But… I have no idea how to unlock it."
(Atreus looks from Mithra to his father, eyes bright with sudden hope.)
Atreus: "Father… What if Brok and Sindri could help? They've forged weapons from things even gods thought impossible. Maybe they can work with these shards."
(Kratos considers this in silence for a moment. Then he nods, the edges of his expression softening just slightly.)
Kratos: "The dwarves have their uses. And if these fragments can be shaped into weapons… we'll need every advantage."
(He turns, gazing at both Asura and Mithra.)
Kratos: "Come. Follow us. We have work to do."
(Asura rises to his feet, Mithra at his side. The four figures—two fathers, two children—stand shoulder to shoulder as the swirling mist parts around them, revealing a path of shimmering cosmic light.)
Return to Midgard
A shimmering portal opened above a frozen lake, swirling with cosmic fragments. Kratos stepped through first,Behind him emerged Mithra, Asura, and Atreus.
Snow fell gently around them, silent and serene—a cruel contrast to the chaos they'd left behind.
Atreus (urgent): "We need Brok and Sindri. They're the only ones who can work with cosmic fragments."
Asura frowned, crossing his ripped stumps.
Asura: "I don't trust dwarves."
Atreus (dryly): "Join the club."
Kratos let out a soft grunt.
Kratos: "If there's forging to be done… there's no one better."
The Forge of the Huldra Brothers
(The group arrived at a rocky canyon where smoke curled from a hidden forge. Sparks flew as a hammer struck steel. Brok turned, hammer slung over his shoulder, blue skin glistening with sweat.)
Kratos: "brok… We need your help."
Brok: "Well, I'll be dipped in troll snot. The Ghost o' Sparta, the kid—and… who the Hel's this angry-armless fella?"
(Asura stepped forward, glowering.)
Asura: "You'd better be more careful with that tongue of yours—or I'll stomp your head so far into the ground you'll be closer to the roots than you already are."
(Kratos turned his gaze to Asura, then back to Brok.)
Kratos: "He says… pleasure to meet you."
(Brok's eyes widened, incredulous.)
Brok: "You sure that's what HE said?"
Kratos (flatly): "Yes."
(Brok squinted suspiciously, muttering under his breath.)
Brok: "I ain't buyin' that fer a single silver piece…"
(Sindri appeared, covered in gold dust, eyeing Asura with cautious disgust.)
Sindri: "I… uh… Is he… always this… bleedy?"
Kratos (deadpan): "Yes."
The Blacksmith's Verdict
(Atreus leaned forward, eager.)
Atreus: "Brok, we've got fragments of… well, I guess you'd call it cosmic stuff. From Eon. We're hoping you and Sindri can help us forge something out of it."
(Brok wiped sweat from his brow, scowling as he took the shimmering shard Atreus offered. He turned it over in thick fingers, eyes narrowing.)
Brok: "Hoo boy. This ain't no ordinary scrap. You're talkin' cosmic forging. This stuff's singing. Can't rightly tell if it wants ta be a blade or a bloody bomb. Where in the Nine Realms you get somethin' like this?"
(Asura growled impatiently.)
Asura: "From enemies we crushed. Can you work it or not?"
(Brok raised an eyebrow, glaring up at Asura's towering form.)
Brok: "Listen here, rage boy. I'm a master craftsman, not a miracle worker. This kinda stuff needs delicate touch—and it'd help if your face weren't scowlin' over my shoulder every second."
(Kratos stepped closer, placing a firm hand on Asura's shoulder—a wordless reminder to stand down. Asura grumbled, but this time he held back.)
(At that moment, a high voice piped up from deeper in the forge. Sindri appeared, wiping grease off his immaculate gloves, eyes widening at the gathering.)
Sindri: "Oh… gods. What in all the realms have you dragged in this time, Brok?"
(Brok gestured wildly at Kratos and Asura.)
Brok: "A couple o' murder machines, some cosmic crystals, and apparently the fate of all existence hangin' by a thread. You know… usual Tuesday."
(Sindri blinked. Then he peered closer at the glowing fragment, his voice trembling with curiosity.)
Sindri: "Is that… Eon's essence? Oh, this is going to be messy."
(Atreus leaned forward.)
Atreus: "Messy… but possible, right?"
(Sindri's shoulders sagged, eyes darting between Kratos and Asura.)
Sindri: "Possible? Maybe. But forging power like this… it'll come with a cost. And I don't just mean raw materials."
(Asura clenched his phantom fist, mantra sparking faintly.)
Asura: "Whatever it takes. Just do it."
(Sindri gulped, pulling on a pair of delicate tongs.)
Sindri: "All right then… let's see if we can keep the realms from exploding in the process."
(Brok grinned, slapping his brother on the back so hard Sindri almost fell into the forge.)
Brok: "Let's get ta work."