First chapter test

I´ve been thinking for a while about this story. For me, Kratos is a fascinating character, a representation of our own feelings and ways of acting in the face of everything life throws at us, as such, I did notice the change he went through after God of War 3 and I guessed it was a good start to develop this story.

Anyways, this is just a test of the first chapter, I just wish an opinion about it.

P.D. There is another character added into the mix =).

----------------------------------------------

"You disappoint me Spartan."

A distant voiced echoed inside the cursed one, reminding him of his sudden end. It was the voice of the devil, who had played him until the end.

A shadow made itself visible, a former event created in blood and rage, culminating in chaos and hope. Was it destiny playing its part? It did not matter now, for the one cursed did not find relevance in the thought.

From between the shadows, a man laid chained in the loneliness of the timeless chamber, surrounded by his only friend which called himself darkness, but this friend did nothing more than accompanying the chained figure, for it was his punishment.

He, whose live was nothing more than selfishness and cruelty, he who gave everything he loved for power and glory, he in search for revenge ended his own kin and yet, in the end, he made the ultimate sacrifice.

This man was marked by the scar that chose him to be the one, the mark that adorned the body of despair, as it was covered by the ashes of death. The man would pass to be forgotten by several, yet remembered by so few and although his story as a human being was to remain in the dark, it was his name which still caused terror in the heart of the world. It was the name that shook the very ground from which we stand, the symbol of hatred and anger; chaos and hope, it was this name... the Ghost of Sparta.

Time had moved on thanks to his sacrifice, yet Kratos found himself cornered in the dark for many generations. He had forgotten most of his past life, yet one memory remained inside of him. He remembered his last moments on earth and the eyes of a monster. The thought invaded Kratos´ mind, as he once again witnessed Athena staring into his dying eyes; her right hand was grabbing the Blade of Olympus, the weapon had had brought both victories and destruction.

Earth was plunged into chaos, all the evils were roaming freely across the land, infecting everything across their path, however there was something else countering all the destruction.

As one final act of redemption, the dying Ghost of Sparta sacrificed himself and in doing so, he released the most powerful weapon, the most powerful magic... hope.

Kratos´ body flinched, as if it was leaving the moment again, even the pain invaded him as he saw Athena pulling the great blade from his abdomen, Kratos´ vision became blur, as his back reached the ground, his final resting place, over the image of a rising phoenix.

The hands of the underworld raised from the cliff to drag their prize towards their realm. Hell had a special place in store for him... then he opened his eyes.

He did not saw the hands of Hades, he did not saw the pits of Tartarus, he did not saw even a single soul, for all that greeted him, was darkness.

At first, he tried to resist, to set himself free, but as centuries passed, his soul simply gave up and accepted its fate; he was now a shadow in pain, locked away in the darkest corners of hell, with no company to hold his hand through the solitary journey. He had achieved what he unwillingly sought... loneliness.

But this moment was particularly different, even if he did not know nor noticed, but someone would come for him and set him free... finally set him free.

------------------------------------------------------------------

1300 a.c.

"Kratos..."

Suddenly, a blue light appeared far away in the long nothingness of this void. The Demigod did not even bother to open his eyes and look up, but the voice talked again.

"Kratos..."

He was not imagining it, there really was someone talking to him, but that was not the surprising part, as the voice was familiar to. A sense of sadness and regret passed through his body, breaking his heart once more as he began to remember the owner of such sweet voice.

It didn´t pass too long before it talked again. "Kratos... please."

This time, the Ghost of Sparta reacted, his face lifting, but his eyes were still closed. His voice trembling with a mixture of sadness and surprise. "Pandora!"

"Yes, yes! Kratos... it is me." The voice called again, this time getting closer.

The Demigod shook his head. "It can´t be, it is just an illusion to break my mind further." The voice remained silent. "I... I ended you... I"

A warm hand touched Kratos´left cheek, silencing his ramble, and forcing him to open his eyes.

The Ghost of Sparta took a few moments to try and adjust to the light he was no longer used to. It would take more than a few minutes, but blurry as it was, he could still make out the features and the bright blue light shinning his white skin.

Kratos felt his voice leaving him, as he tried to stare into the eyes of the smiling figure, finally after a few moments, he managed to utter. "Pandora..."

The young girl looked into his eyes, her wide smile never leaving her features. She took her time to examine the Spartan, before she dragged herself to embrace the condemned warrior.

Her existence being a mere key with ´no soul´, Pandora had retained her young form, even after so much time.

"I have missed you so much Kratos."

The Ghost of Sparta returned the hug, his eyes closing again, as they struggled to keep the tears at bay. "Pandora, I am sorry..."

"There is nothing to worry about Kratos, you did what you had to do to stop the evil from the past, but now, hundreds of years have passed and it is time to move on." She let go of the Spartan.

"My sins were major, child and my punishment is more than fair, never will I make up for all the destruction I have caused." Kratos replied, his sight getting used to the blue light.

"And that is why I am here!" Pandora beamed, eager for the Demigod to hear the news, Kratos only tilted his head to the side.

"I do not understand, Pandora."

The young girl released a small chuckle. "After so many centuries, they have finally allowed me to speak with you... great danger is coming Kratos, danger that only you can stop and with it, reclaim the freedom you deserve." Kratos remained silent. "But you will not be alone, someone else has been chosen as well, he will be the one to free you from this place."

"Free me? Pandora I cannot be freed, my presence is nothing more than dead, destruction and fear, I will not tear the world apart again!" Kratos exclaimed, grabbing Pandora by her shoulders, trying to get some sense into the girl, but she did not care about this little outburst.

"I see more than the man you think you are, Kratos." The young woman took the Spartan´s right hand, and grabbed it tightly. "I see the potential in you, the goodness of you heart even if it was covered in blood for so many years, but I know, there is something more inside of you. You think of yourself as chaos, but what I see is hope."

Kratos insisted, despite her words. "I cannot, child."

Pandora proceeded to grab his shoulder. "Kratos, after I insisted for so many years, I have finally convinced them to give you another chance... please, take this opportunity to fully redeem yourself!"

"And then what? Become a servant again? To be employed as a mercenary? I will not allow myself to be in the service of no one!" The man replied. He remembered the humiliation of being a servant, of being ripped from everything he loved, sure, Kratos wanted to get free from his torture, but he could not allow himself to become a paid gun.

Pandora insisted. "Kratos, you will not become a slave, what you will provide is voluntary help." The Spartan shook his head. "Don´t you want to be free again? To stare at what surrounds you? Be part of the change this world has gone through? The forests and rivers, the cities and deserts, the beauty of nature..."

Pandora could spot the change in the man´s eyes, he was clearly savoring the thought of what he didn´t know, she pushed further. "Kratos, you cannot endure this misery, this is your opportunity to be free, to really be free, to escape this nightmare... please accept it..."

The Ghost of Sparta lowered his head, thinking for a few moments. After a few more seconds, he turned to face Pandora, and sighed deeply. "Who will be the one to free me?"

The young girl released a wide smile, and her eyes beaming with happiness. "You will know him in a few moments, he is just waiting for me to convince you."

"And what of this threat?" The Demigod asked.

"In a land like nothing you have seen before, reside too many powerful tools and beings. This power has managed to get the attention of an unknown evil source..." Pandora lowered her face "I do not know what it is, but it feels like Chaos."

"Chaos? But Chaos´ presence was reflected when I gave the power of the box to the world." Kratos replied, making Pandora grimace.

"Chaos will always endure, no matter how much goodness rules the world, but it has always been kept in a balance, until a few days ago. This place holds the only power aside from hope that can stop it, if either you or them fall, this and their world will fall." Pandora took a deep breath. "Your power knows no limits, Kratos, and it is this power that will help them survive the odds we will all face."

"And what of my companion?" Asked Kratos.

"His power alone is great, as his Element is the one that shares the kindness of the soul, regardless I can assure you will need his help."

Just as Pandora finished talking, the Ghost of Sparta took a few moments to let it all in, then gave a confident nod with his head. "I am ready."

"Thank you Kratos..." With those words, Pandora disappeared from the place, leaving the Spartan once again in complete darkness. Not too much time passed before Kratos spotted another bright blue light shinning across the empty space, with this one resembling a cross, the in a sudden moment, his body felt numb, as the light embraced his body, he was prepared for the task ahead.

---------------------------------------------

"Are you sure of this, Poet?" Asked a man, whose back ported an enormous scythe, his chest ported a cross - shaped red cloth covering his nude torso; his arms, head and legs were covered in armor. This man was talking to another figure, this one bright blue in color; his chest ported a brown color armor, covering his long white robes. A long brown crown adorned his body, complementing the wise aura of his being.

"Dante, you must open your mind and heart, so that you clearly see the endless possibilities of an unlikely ally, after all, strength is achieved through your allies in numbers, like that of the old mighty empire." The poet answered, waving his long cane around.

His guide and now friend Virgil, was as wise as the heart that sent him to help Dante save his light, Beatrice.

The duo had just finished descending through Lucifer´s hairy torso, and were now heading towards purgatory, when a young woman appeared in front of them.

She had told the two travelers about what would come in time, as well as the world that needed aid, and the soul they had to liberate. The shape that identified herself as Pandora, didn´t give specific details about the soul and Virgil had only heard what he assumed to be legends now turned to real events, although not much was known as it was left in the air.

Dante had sensed evil ever since Pandora guided them towards this section of Hell, which laid just before the exit of the underworld... the travel through purgatory would have to wait.

The due were now staring at the entrance, which was darkened by the unnaturally dark rock formations inside the cave. The door of this prison presenting the image of two short crossed swords.

The sense of dread immediately assaulted the Florentine, who had taken hold of his cross.

"I still do not know about this, the tomb stenches of blood and hate, if it wasn´t for the souls that need our help, I would not even think of setting foot in this place, even my heart sinks at the feeling of this evil." Dante replied, his preoccupied expression noted by Virgil, who placed his hand over the man´s shoulder.

"Still, the lady said we would need him, as much as he will need us, even the impasse here must be transcended to achieve the common goal." The poet exclaimed, his voice calmed as ever.

Dante took a few seconds to react and nodded with his head.

"Very well, poet, but I still hope that the love of God guides our steps and protect us for whatever is about to come."

"And the lord might, now, we just have to wait for her to come." Virgil finished, stepping alongside Dante, as the two waited for Pandora to come out.

Silence endured for a few moments as they waited, Dante had taken this time to remember his beautiful city of Florence, the beautiful buildings, the wonderful people and the enormous fields of grass around the place, he was surprise of how much the place had recovered after the battle of Campaldino. Sadness however invaded him, as Dante remembered how even after their victory Guelph s divided, the consequence of this being the man´s exile from the city he loved, then... the forest, his beloved´s dead.

If only he had known...

His thoughts were soon cut short by Pandora´s familiar sight, who had just returned from the place, a smile crossing her entire face. The two poets had assumed she was successful, and they were right.

"I did it." She exclaimed.

Virgil turned to face Dante and the two nodded in confirmation.

The Florentine proceeded to step into the room, his body instantly feeling the sensation of floating into the nothingness, such was the darkness of this place, that it forced him to light his cross.

After a few seconds, he managed to catch a sight, it was not very visible, at least until he got closer. He found himself staring into the man, his white skin and the red tattoo adorning one side of his body. Dante was feeling uneasy, still he proceeded.

This figure had his still able to move arms, chained to the empty void. Dante figured there was not a worse punishment than knowing you still have your limbs, but no be able to see them.

The poet raised his cross, the blue light illuminating the figure, who was being engulfed by the warmness, then in an instant, the two of them dissipated from the void, only to reappear outside the dark room and in front of a still smiling Pandora, and a neutral face Virgil.

Even if his face didn´t show it, Virgil was a bit shocked by the sight in front of him, this man clearly smelled of blood.

On his side, Kratos found himself with his hands on the floor, his head noticing his black shackles had vanished, then relief of being able to see something hit him hard, even though he didn´t show it.

Kratos felt good, it has been so many years since he felt this much freedom, as little as it was, but enough for him to enjoy.

As the Spartan took his time to admire the in admirable dark cave, Dante approached him and proceeded to stand in front of Kratos.

The ghost of Sparta lifted his head a little, then asked. "Who are you."

"Dante Alighieri and this is my guide and friend Virgil," Kratos proceeded to stand up, "so, you are the one Pandora spoke off, tell me former shadow, what is your name?"

The Spartan remained silent for a few seconds, his sight facing Dante as he still adjusted to the light. After a few seconds, he answered. "Kratos."

"Kratos?" Virgil entered the conversation. "I have heard of you, I remember the name that has haunted you even in your grave, Ghost of Sparta but I do not, however, know your complete story aside from the great power your heart carries."

"Power? What power are you talking about, poet?" Dante asked.

"It is the power that has guided your steps inside the inferno, what you crave for when all is lost, when the sun shines no more... it is the power of hope and our friend here carries it within his very soul." Virgil motioned with his left hand towards Kratos, who was simply watching the scene, then a thought crossed his mind, didn´t he gave hope to the world?

"You must be mistaken," The Spartan began, "I have hope no more, I gave it to the world centuries ago."

"Mistaken I am not, Kratos, but maybe the lady should explain your predicament." Pandora nodded in confirmation, as she walked towards the Spartan.

"You may have given hope, but this power and you are one and the same, you simply cannot get rid of your own being." As she spoke, Kratos felt remnants of the power inside him, on his part, Dante could barely notice the blue spark that shined in the Spartan´s eyes.

He was surprised to say the least, he had not expected this kind of being carry such a pure power,but yet again, he had already experienced many things inside the inferno.

Dante could not help but to wonder, where would this journey take them? It had started pretty big and he would not be surprised if this journey ended up being bigger than what he had expected. The Florentine turned to face Pandora, and cleared his throat.

"We how now retrieved our companion, but I still do not know what exactly is this place that needs our help."

Pandora let out a small chuckle, as she cleared her throat to speak. "It will be better to show you," Although, Dante´s face held disappointment, the thrill of discovering the unknown invaded his heart, he did not complain, but Pandora´s last words would make him think. "right now there is someone waiting for us at the exit of the inferno... or I should say, somepony." Her chuckle echoed through both Kratos´ and Dante´s ears as they began to wonder the meaning behind such words, as such, they shared a look; this was noticed by the poet, who could not help but to release warm laugh at their obliviousness, sure, even he wasn´t sure about Pandora´s words but Virgil could not deny the charm to a good secret soon to be revealed, with this in mind, he addressed the two warriors.

"Patience is of importance right now, although, do not dissolve the eagerness in your hearts, so that when what is hold a secret is revealed, your excitement will not be diminished."

"If you say so, poet." Dante held incertitude in his words as much as his trust for his companion, but he would not let Virgil´s valuable words go noticed. However, Kratos did not share this sentiment.

"Wouldn´t you prefer to know what you will face?"

The calm stare of Virgil was directed towards the Ghost of Sparta, who had been waiting patiently for the poet´s answer. His paternal voice invaded Kratos´ ears like a sweet father scolding his son. Virgil saw everyone as equal, with the exception of the lord.

"Your sentiment is well received, although closing your heart so that you don´t trust others, takes away more than you think you can gain. Enjoy the moment which will not be repeated, Kratos, for that which is destined to happen will arrive whether you try to stop it or not and when the time comes, fate will plays its card and you will be prepared."

"I don´t understand how you can trust that which you don´t know." Kratos´ frustration was evident for everyone present, but he was not to be blamed, as the time when he lived was very different for this age.

"Man is capable of horrid actions, that much is true, but your sacrifice gave the tools for them to evolve into something better. Life is not what it was."

Kratos had to admit, he had a valid point, this not meant he would let down his guard, though. His mouth opened to reply the poet´s words, but they were destined to never leave his being, as another figure interrupted.

"We should start moving now, we don´t want to leave her waiting." The trio turned their heads to face Pandora, who was already moving towards the destination; the rest followed.

The darkness of the several caves surrounded the group who had begun their journey. No sound invaded the figures, for the silence was apparent.

The beginning of this quest was rushed, for neither Dante or Kratos knew anything about each other, but unlike the Spartan, Dante was full of curiosity, as such he turned to face his new companion and prepared his mouth to let the words flow.

"I am eager to know, Kratos. What is your story?"

The Spartan did not bother to face Dante, even though, his words were directed towards him. "My story is of no importance, Dante."

The Florentine pushed forwards. "Oh, but it is, warrior. This journey already seems to be the one to test our limits and we will be holding each other´s well being." Kratos stared at Dante. "I feel the necessity to know the companion who will hold my life in his hands and my guess is that you are no eager to be left in the dark either."

Silence endured once more for a few moments, as the Ghost of Sparta let Dante´s words sink in, then, with a deep sigh he responded. "Very well."

As such, Kratos began his exposition, each word being listened by his companion, who took every part of it with interest and respect. From the loss of his family, to the battle with Ares and beyond, each memory was impregnated in Dante´s mind as if each moment was his own.

The Florentine would not have guessed the pain this man had endured; the loss and death.

He could not help but to flinch at some of the most gruesome memories of the Spartan, less stomach the idea of such mindless blood lust, but he would end up being a hypocrite if he scolded Kratos for such actions.

Aside from the violent moments, Dante was listening in wonder and appreciating how different was the world from what life had casted upon his eyes. The magic of the planet, both metaphorical and literal, the incredible beings that roamed God´s creation and even though they were not as charming as he initially thought, Dante wouldn´t stop thinking about what Virgil said.

Ever since Kratos gave hope to the world, things had changed forever, life as it was known was no more. In these modern days there were no minotaurs or harpies, or... gods?

That was the thing that stuck inside Dante´s mind as he struggled to comprehend the thought of several gods, he figured it was how men of old envisioned angels. He would not scold Kratos for such mind, as it was not his fault to be blind of the truth.

Setting this thought aside, he focused his mind on one fact ´the son of Zeus´. He tried to wrap his mind in this sentence, until clarity came to him... Kratos was the son of an angel.

He is a Nephilim.

There was no denial, Dante was walking alongside a powerful being, but this only raised more questions. Why Kratos? Why a Nephilim, who had spread so much pain and suffering, was encased with such power? God was sure strange when he chose certain people.

As the story went on, Dante could not help but to feel worried about some of the things Kratos told him. First were the angels left walking the earth, next was the disappearance of the blade and Athena free in the world.

Sure, his story was tragic, but just imagining loosing your kin in such a painful way, was much more than the Florentine poet could take. His expression as heavy as his heart, Dante locked Kratos within his sight, as sincere words left his mouth.

"I am sorry for you loss and pained path, Nephilim."

"Nephilim?" Dante was not surprised by the Spartan´s sudden confusion and his was eager to calm his curiosity.

"Those who you call gods were only angels, beings that left their heritage behind to rule the world of man," As he suspected, Kratos was skeptical about his words, proven by the fact of his puzzled face. Now he had caught the spartan´t full attention, "the lord, in all his wisdom, preferred not to interfere with the affairs of mortals, thus granting the beings you saw in your time, to walk the earth."

Far from answering his questions, Kratos found himself even more confused. He saw this as a poor attempt at a joke; he had seen them and tasted their power, it was not possible for beings like them not to be gods... and him? He became one of them, he felt that power, that strength, he was at the top of the food chain, an all powerful being and now this mortal was telling him he and them were less than that.

Kratos struggled to comprehend his predicament, but there was one more detail that had managed to stick in his brain as a leech to the skin. Dante referred to only one god. "You mean to tell me there has always being just one god?" His question was accompanied by a mocking chuckle, although his face remained the same. "You were not alive, I have seen what they were capable of, I have lived as one of them. No angel could be able to hold such power, Dante, now understand this... they were no angels, they were gods and they are dead."

"I do not blame you for such thoughts, for you were born in the time of false gods, but the truth is found in my words." Although it was not an outburst, Dante could spot some anger in Kratos´ words, he figured it would be hard for him to convince him of the truth. However, Dante got the answer he did not expect.

"If what you say is true, then why didn´t your god deliver me from my torment."

"Excuse me?" That was all Dante could come out with for the Spartan´s sudden question. Kratos asked once more, ire flowing with each word.

"If your god is so powerful, why didn´t he free me from my nightmares! Why didn´t he free me from my cursed fate!" Dante remained silent. "There is no unique god, if there was, the world would not have suffered because of me!"

"He doesn´t want to interfere with the evolution of man, doing this would make dependency the moving force." Kratos let out a small grunt as an answer, as his head turned to face the other way. "You cannot blame him from the faults you have comi..."

"I know what my faults are, Dante! And I know the pain I have caused! I am man enough to accept it instead of blaming an imaginary deity!" Dante was on the edge after the Spartan´s outburst, but he remained calmed. After a few moments of heavy breathing, Kratos let out a final sigh. "What is your story?"

Dante kept walking for a few seconds, thinking about the Spartan´s words and although, he wanted to help him see the light, there would no mind to openly hear him at the moment.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Dante began his story. "Not much is to tell about me, other than my beautiful Florence which was consumed by war. You see, in this modern times, the struggle for power has blackened our minds. There can only be one ruler in this game and both the Pope an the Roman emperor took upon themselves to wage war for that position."

"Sounds no different from my time." Kratos interrupted.

"The difference, is that we are reaching an age of illumination. s you know, I lived in Florence and lived my life with my immortal angel Beatrice, but they were not merry times. There was a time were a political difference was settled with the sole beauty of the word, but necessity to achieve power created conflict between two factions: Guelphs and Ghibellines." Kratos kept walking, his head occasionally turning to face Dante. "The Ghibellines supported the roman empire, while the Guelphs supported the Pope, I was a Guelph..." Dante´s eyes closed, as he lowered his head, "how wrong I was to support such evil."

"And what happened when you battled?" Kratos asked. Dante lifted his head once more, his face grim.

"When the battle of Campaldino started, I... I did some questionable things. I was blinded by the lies of the church, a lesson I learned some time after the battle´s resolution."

"Every being that knows the heat of war have done questionable things, Dante. Do not blame yourself for having defended in what you believed in."

"But what I defended was even more evil than the inferno itself! After the battle, the victory gained by the Guelphs, we... we split up. Black Guephs and white Guelphs which I was part of. Some time passed before we began to realize the abuse of the Pope, the corruption that had befallen my Florence! But even after we gained a swift victory, the battle against this monster was not meant to be won... I was exiled from Florence. My beloved was offered the opportunity to stay and I prayed for her to do so, a big mistake on my part, a mistake that hunts me every night."

Dante kept walking, silent for a few seconds until he took enough confidence to speak. Life had been so bad for him in his most recent days and everything was going too quickly. His throat struggled to fins his next words, for in this time he was not the poet, but a victim of his own blindness and stupidity, a fact he carried like a tombstone on his back. Finally, he cleared his throat.

"During the war, we managed to capture some of the Ghibellines and we had orders to finish with those souls, between them was a man with the look of the devil. His wife offered me her flesh in return for their freedom... I accepted. You see, infidelity can gain you small satisfaction and in return it takes away from you everything you have ever loved. My own selfishness caused what came next. During my exile I spotted that man going towards Florence, but I did not pay attention to it, once again my blindness destroyed me."

The poet´s fists clenched as hard as they could, as the next part of his story left Dante´s mouth. "While I was inside the forest, I had time to think, time enough to decide it was time for me to change my life and as a proof of my decision, I did this." He motioned towards the cross on his chest. Kratos noticed the numerous images impregnated in it, each one of them immortalizing his tale. "But life had something more planed for me, as the soul of my beloved came to me, pledging for my return. It did not take a genius to discover what was happening, as such, I made haste back to Florence, even though its authorities would prevent my pass. However, it was thanks to god that I found my passage safe towards my home, but my sight and my heart were not prepared for what was inside... my father, my beloved, dead! And all because of my foolishness! For not having stopped this madman from slaughtering an innocent!"

"War is a place of hatred, lives are fragile and loss will always be present. But true warriors do not let themselves fall, they endure and fight back."

"But I am no warrior, Ghost of Sparta. I became one because of the needs of my city." Dante´s fantasies assaulted his mind, promises now forever lost. The poet hanged his head, his breathing became stiff. "I... I wanted to have a family, children playing outside the house without the fear of war... I wanted to warp my arms around my beloved as I enjoyed a peaceful day, but life is not a fantasy."

Truth be told, Kratos has never been good with giving advice in such moments. The type of life he has lived made him as cold as the winter, it was this fact that prevented the Spartan from talking, he did listen, though.

Dante´s expression returned to normal, as he turned his gaze towards the Spartan. "At least you had the gift of such a beautiful union, you had souls to love and protect."

Kratos shook his head in response, he knew what had been the fate of those foolish enough to get close to him. "I might have had a family, Dante, but it was my selfishness that destroyed it. Sometimes loosing what you had is worse than not having anything at all."

The Spartan´s words made their way inside the poet´s mind. Maybe he had a point, but right now there was no time for a river of tears and soon enough he regained his composure.

"Say, Kratos, What do you think we´ll find at the end of the inferno? Who will be waiting for us?"

"Hard to say, I just hope we don´t get any bad surprises." Dante chuckled at his words.

"Bad luck does tend to follow us." The poet´s mood did not infect the Spartan, whose face held the same serious expression, although his eyes did spot something that interested him.

"Can I hold your scythe?"

Dante wasn´t surprised, he had expected Kratos to be the kind of man that found interest in weaponry. Normally he would not let anyone get hold of his weapons, but Virgil had told him he was of trust and Dante highly respected the ancient poet. He reached for his scythe and tossed it to the Spartan, who instantly grabbed it.

Kratos began swinging the weapon, demonstrating such skills that even surprised Dante. The Spartan could feel the power inside the scythe and instantly knew why Dante seemed fond of it.

The Spartan´s gaze turned towards the cross, where he felt a purer energy emanating from it, making him feel curiosity about it, however, he felt the scythe to be more of his liking.

"A fine and powerful weapon indeed." Kratos kept holding the scythe, his eyes still fixed on its entirety. It had been a long time since he had used a weapon. Finally, after a few more swings, he returned it to his owner. As much as he hated to admit, the Spartan missed his blades.

"My thanks."

"Where did you get it?" Kratos asked.

"I took it from death, you see, my story takes an interesting turn once I arrive in Hell." Kratos realized in this moments that Dante had crossed through Hades, not a simple feat for a mortal... the surprise he was in.

As Dante began to tell how his journey across Hell went, Kratos could not help but to wonder how much things had changed since he sacrificed himself, but this wasn´t the only interesting part.

Kratos found himself dumbfounded about certain things, one of them being that Charon had actually survived their encounter (or at least his head did), other thing he found interesting was the mention of a numerous places he did not recall ever knowing; Dis? Cocytus? Lucifer? What exactly had happened?

But that was just the tip of the iceberg. As Dante went on with the story about the nine circles, culminating in a fight against this Lucifer character, Kratos was hit with a realization.

Just before his defeat, the demon informed Dante of a terrible truth... he was already dead. The amazed expression did not leave Kratos, as he turned to face the Florentine.

"Then I´m not the only one who walks after dead."

"I´m afraid not, although I managed to free my beloved and gained immortality to a degree."

"To a degree?" Kratos asked.

"Indeed, you see, we can die once we cross the path of the the underworld, once our feet savor the living grass planted under those who breath, it is in that moment were our hearts beat again, the rest, the power we gain remains with us until the very end of our existence, that is why I suspect the power you carry burns wild to this day."

"You mean hope?" Kratos shook his head. "Sometimes I wish it did more for me than it did the rest."

Dante could notice a small hint of sadness in the eyes of the Spartan. He had been a monster in his time, a soul that deserved the punishment he received, but he was a soul nonetheless, a shadow that deserved the love of god, as well as the rest. The poet took a breath and opened his mouth to speak, but his words were stolen by another one.

"Do not fret for the past that has long left you, for you cannot change that which has already been written in history, but if you do, re think of the good you did, the sacrifice you made and let that fact clean your conscience." Virgil had slowed down after a chat with Pandora. He had been keeping a watchful eye on the two warriors the whole time and decided it was time to enter their conversation, however, the long preach would have to wait, for they were close to their destination. "Regardless of your memories, we most forget the painful thoughts for now. The lady has told me we are close to our destination."

Kratos turned to face the poet, his face holding the same expression. "My faults are long forgotten, but I cannot forget my dreams."

Virgil did not answer, as Dante spoke before another conversation could even begin. "So, poet, who is waiting for us at the end of this dark cave?"

Virgil let out a small chuckle. "The lady has already told me, but I will not spoil the moment to enjoy your faces once you discover the wonders of the universe, maybe next time you should join the conversation involving the one who knows our destination." Dante let out out a small grunt as a response, an expression copied by the Spartan, Virgil smiled. "Well then, make haste, the door is right in front of us and Pandora has decided to speed the walk to prepare the royalty."

"Royalty?" Dante asked. "A king or queen, perhaps?"

"Princess to be exact." Both warriors exchanged a stare before facing the now vanishing Virgil. "Hurry up, I will see both of you up ahead."

Contrary to Kratos, Dante could not help but to feel excitement; his heart was still young and full of joy and sometimes the look of a child was seen in him. His hart was beating each time faster eager to see what was waiting for them, Kratos however, was skeptic and even on his guard, he was not one to trust someone right away.

"I know that item you carry is also a weapon." Kratos pointed at the cross being held by Dante. "If something unwanted happens, you will give me your scythe."

Dante felt the urge to roll his eyes. "Although I agree that you have to be on your guard, I have no reason to doubt the judgement of my protector, besides, one who needs help does not bite those who lent it."

"If you continue to blindly trust those who surround you, then the deception will hit you harder. Strong bonds are created through years and demonstrations of loyalty."

Dante found some truth in his words, but still, he knew Kratos had lived through deception. "Maybe if you trusted others more, your company would be filled with more allies than enemies."

"Allies I had, but life has shown me, you cannot trust anyone, trust is what led me to my cursed fate."

Kratos was stubborn, that was for sure, but who could blame him? Dante decided to stop giving it any more thought, as he realized how close they were from the warm light of the sun at the end of the cave.

Ever since he entered the inferno, he had long urged the need to sunbath under the beauty of the enormous ball of fire; surprisingly, Kratos felt the same way.

Both Spartan and Florentine began speeding up their march towards the source of such brightness, almost running towards the exit. They could already feel the wind, hear some animals gathering about; it was time for their arrival.

Finally, the duo had managed to get out of the cave, the exit of the inferno and what greeted them was something they would not forget. Just a few feet away from the two warriors laid to horses, one whose coat was dark blue and held the image of the moon on its flank, the other was as white as Kratos´ skin and held the image of the sun.

Both had a pair of wings and one horn on their foreheads and their manes floated as if the wind blew from the mouth of a giant. Their expressions held intelligence, but this fact went unnoticed by the two.

Slowly, Kratos approached the white one and place his hand over its shoulder. The whole time, neither of the two horses had topped staring at them. "A fine horse, I wonder what kind of being it belongs to."

"Excuse me?" That had certainly caught both warriors off guard. Kratos took a step away from the source of the voice, as he stared perplexed at the horse, who was holding a fake frown. "You must know I belong to no one and to your information, I am an alicorn. The shame on you."

"Kind of rude to approach my sister like that."

"Gah!" Dante did not waste any time to jump a step away from the now speaking blue horse. Both warriors had their eyes wide open, never expecting to get this kind of arrival.

The two found themselves on a complete loss for words, fact noticeable by the two alicorn. As several seconds of silence passed, Dante noticed the blue one approaching her sister, who proceeded to whisper in her ear. "Sis? I think we broke them."

You think?" The white one smirked, then turned her attention to the two warriors, her infectious smile returning to her features. "Well then, do not just stand there, introduce yourselves."

"Uh... I... we..." Dante babbled, his reaction gaining a chuckle from the alicorn sisters.

Celestia spoke again. "Okay Pandora, Virgil? What about some help to get these two out of their trance?"

Sure enough, both figures appeared besides the princesses, their smiles matching the two alicorns, with only Pandora almost full on laughter.

Virgil approached the two. "These, my boys, are princesses Celestia and Luna, they are the one who called for us to come to the land they rule, a land far different from what you have known, for its beauty is matched by only that in the heavens." Even the appearance of the two, did not help the warriors get out of their shock, a fact that caused Virgil to let out a hearty laugh. "Come on now, do not be shy, for good and pure royalty is to be respected and loved."

Both Kratos and Dante were still full on shock, but after a few minutes, the Spartan managed to regain some of his composure, the next one being Dante.

Finally, Kratos had managed to prepare his mouth to talk. "I am Kratos and this is Dante. So..." The Spartan was doing his best to get over the fact of the situation, but being him the on the one who has face many familiar situations, was not hard to snap out of it, besides, he has always being known for being straight to the point. "You are the one who summoned us? Mind telling us the reason?"

Celestia smiled. "A pleasure Kratos, Dante, and yes, we are the ones who summoned you, although the reason can wait, for now we wish for you to come with us and tell us about yourselves."

Kratos did not like secrets and was about to voice his disagreement, but was stopped by Dante, who had just regained his senses in time to spot what Kratos was just about to do. "It will be a pleasure to come with you."

"Fine then, come, we can talk on the way." With those words, the alicorn prepared to walk, but Dante has just remembered something. His gaze suddenly turned towards Virgil.

"Will you be coming with us?" His eyes gave the small hint of sadness, a feeling noticed by the poet, thankfully his answer would shine his mood again.

"I will do, my boy, this journey has one more seat for me." As he had expected, a smile appeared on Dante´s face as he simply nodded in response.

"Then we should hurry, poet, for I suspect this day will be longer than I originally thought." His confidence had returned after the initial shock, although he certainly felt excited about the journey, an emotion not shared by Kratos, who was walking alongside Pandora.

"Then, you wont be coming with us?"

"I´m afraid not, Kratos, I have something else to do, but I promise to come check on you from time to time." Kratos placed his hand over the girl´s head and rubbed her hair.

"Then take care, Pandora."

"I will, Kratos and be well, I suspect you will need all your strength to remain sane." Kratos let out a small grin as a response.

"I suspect I will, child." Pandora smiled in return as she vanished from the Spartan´s sight, who was know walking towards Dante.

"How can you walk blindly? The reason for us lend them a hand, not walk and gossip with them." Dante could feel a small hint of anger in his words, but Kratos was still calm.

Dante understood Kratos´ way of thinking, but right then, no threat was visible, sure, he had felt an enormous amount of power, something felt by the Ghost of Sparta as well, but it was not darkness that resided inside them, but the biggest hearts around.

Kratos, however, was not as optimistic as Dante. "Let your guard down, Kratos, the sister´s do not seem dangerous and you know we need some rest."

"The enemy will not wait for us to rest and we cannot let our guards down, but I guess I will not be able to change your way of thinking unless life shows you I´m right." Dante frowned at Kratos´ answer. "Relax if you will, but I will not let this kind of weakness bite us back."

With that, Kratos speed up his walk, leaving Dante with Virgil.

A few seconds passed, as Celestia took notice of Kratos, her sister had stopped walking alongside her and made her way towards Dante and Virgil. Celestia figures is was time to try and approach the Spartan.

Kratos noticed the princess getting closer, but paid it no attention.

"So... mind telling me why it looks like you are not enjoying this place?"

"That is because I don´t." Kratos´ harsh respond did not take Celestia away from her friendly mood, on the contrary, she has always found interest in complicated stallions, whose mood only caught her attention. "I am not fond of following those who I don´t know without even a hint of what it is all about. I hate being kept in the dark."

"I understand that, Kratos, but the reason for this decision was because I wanted you two to meet the Elements, whose hearts will follow you in the quest at hand." Her face suddenly released a smirk. "Would you really prefer that I repeat what is happening two times?"

The chuckle Celestia was expecting from the Spartan never came, instead, he asked once more. "Then why didn´t they come with you?"

"They have responsibilities, Kratos." Kratos released a ´hmph´ as a response, as his head turned to the opposite direction to stare at the other end of the road. "Although, I guess you are right about something." The Spartan´s attention was once more directed towards the princess. "It is not fare for you to follow me blindly, therefore I guess we have time to know each other more, it is the least I can do for coming to help us."

Kratos did not respond, he didn´t mind telling his story at all, but he also suspected he would tell it a lot this day. The Spartan released a loud sigh. "Very well, I guess it should be a start."

A wide smile appeared on Celestia´s face. "Very well! What about you go first? Tell me your story."

"How much of it?"

"All of it."

Kratos nodded in response, then cleared his mouth to talk. Celestia was in for quite a tale.

---------------------------------------

Well, that´s it for the first chapter.