As Kratos, Atreus, and Zelos stood frozen in shock, the strange warhammer on the pedestal suddenly vibrated. It released a blinding burst of light that possessed the same color as ancient glacial ice.
Then, suddenly, it flew through the air with incredible speed. It struck Kratos squarely in the head, catching the Spartan completely off guard and knocking him violently back into the far end of the cave that they were exploring.
When the weapon struck Kratos, it also encased him in a thick block of ice. He was stuck, completely frozen in place.
Zelos could feel the magical signature of the ice that encased his father. He could not help but feel that it was different from the primordial ice that he had access to through his Primordial Water Element, but the quality of the magic felt remarkably near to it in a sense.
Meanwhile, the hammer remained relentless. It immediately targeted Atreus next. Zelos reacted quickly and created multiple layers of magical barriers to protect his younger brother.
But the physical force and magical weight behind the flying hammer were so strong that his barriers shattered, breaking through multiple layers of protection before the momentum finally got stopped completely.
"Hmmm, I smell the blood of the Jotnar," a voice was suddenly heard by both Zelos and Atreus. This strange voice surprised the two of them.
It contained both deep malice and wicked amusement from what Zelos and Atreus could hear echoing in the cavern.
"Who are you? Are you the one who talked to my head earlier?" Zelos then asked aloud. This question seemed to make the hammer calm down for a few minutes, as it just floated silently in the cold air.
But suddenly, it attacked Zelos next, moving in a similar way to how it caught Kratos off guard. But Zelos is not Kratos in this specific regard.
There is an infinity barrier that automatically protects his entire body every hour of the day.
This absolute defense made the hammer just fly straight through the space Zelos occupied without any chance of actually hitting him.
Even its intense freezing powers did not manage to touch Zelos.
Zelos then cast a powerful time spell that completely froze the warhammer in the air.
This sudden pause gave Zelos the crucial time he needed, as there was a specific, devastating technique that he wanted to try against this sentient weapon.
"Nine Ropes. Polarized Light. Crow and Declaration. Between front and back. Imaginary Technique: Purple."
Zelos spoke the entire incantation for the Hollow Purple technique clearly. He created the bright red and deep blue light energy within his two arms.
Albeit the casting was a little bit slower than his normal casting speed, the sheer power felt flowing through the spell was so intense that Zelos immediately created a separate dimension to contain his attack safely.
"Wait, wait, wait," the sentient hammer then started saying in a panicked tone.
But it was too late. Zelos then fired the entire destructive technique directly towards the hammer.
There was a considerable amount of genuine anger burning inside Zelos as retribution for attacking his father so ruthlessly.
The resulting explosion of the Hollow Purple technique threatened to destroy the separate dimension that Zelos had just created.
Massive cracks immediately appeared across the entire fabric of the separate realm. Even the magical hammer was threatened to be destroyed entirely.
Deep cracks started appearing along its metallic surface. In response to the overwhelming threat, the hammer seemed to start maximizing its magical output, desperately trying to freeze its entire body in layers of absolute zero ice to ensure that it was not destroyed by the blast.
A chaotic period of rapid repairs and absolute destructions underwent into the hammer.
Zelos could clearly feel the temperature of his separate realm become colder and colder until the sheer destruction finally came to pass and the energy faded.
"Not a fan of jokes, are you?" the warhammer then commented.
But the previous malice and amusement seemed to be entirely missing from its voice. It was quickly replaced by a highly cautious tone and a little bit of genuine fear.
"Who are you?" Zelos then asked, despite already knowing the true name of the entity. He simply wanted to confirm that his earlier vision was not just a wild guess.
"You know exactly who I am. You created me after all," the hammer then said defensively.
Zelos narrowed his eyes. He created another small spark of the Hollow Purple energy within his fingers and silently threatened to unleash it towards the hammer once again.
"No, I meant to say, your kind created me after all," the hammer quickly corrected itself, taking back its earlier, accusatory statement.
"Is it so hard to be direct with your words? Must you always start by lying?" Zelos then said. The warhammer seemed not to take any offense at this blunt observation.
"It is my fundamental nature. I cannot help it. But seriously, you do know who I am.
You have watched the vision earlier, right? You know I am one of the aspects of the keeper of the World Tree. I am the playful kind of Ratatoskr," the hammer then formally introduced itself.
This confession perfectly confirmed the earlier memory that Zelos had witnessed.
"Unfreeze my father right now, or else I will destroy this metal vessel of yours completely," Zelos then warned with a cold voice.
He shattered the separate realm that the two were standing in, which instantly turned the scenery back to the previous rocky cave.
Now, Atreus is actively trying to help Kratos break out of the thick ice, as Kratos remains completely frozen and unable to move.
"That is not going to work," the hammer then said, looking at Atreus struggling.
The weapon then flew rapidly towards Kratos. It struck the entire ice casing with a precise blow, destroying the frozen prison instantly and freeing his father from the cold trap.
When the ice shattered and fell to the ground, Kratos immediately reached out and took the handle of the hammer with his bare hand.
He fully intended to toss the weapon into another distant place. Kratos was incredibly cautious about the true nature of the hammer.
When he was caught off guard initially, his entire body seemed to freeze completely.
Even his newly awakened, fiery powers seemed to freeze over under the magical assault of the weapon.
"What exactly are you?" Kratos then asked with a highly solemn and demanding tone.
The hammer once again introduced itself as the playful aspect of Ratatoskr.
He also began telling his long story to the group without anyone explicitly asking for it.
He explained his ancient origins and detailed exactly what had happened in the past that was not seen in the vision that Zelos had experienced, as well as offering an explanation for its predicament.
"When that fat bastard Thor repeatedly struck this hammer in his blind rage, my entire spiritual being fused completely with the metal of the hammer, making us symbiotic with each other.
Now I have to keep living inside it and constantly repair this hammer. Otherwise, the playful aspect of Ratatoskr would forever disappear.
Well, perhaps not permanently, but still, who wants to disappear and die, right?" The hammer then ended the long retelling of his tragic story.
"Anyway, if you happen to know a truly great blacksmith who could repair these cracks on this hammer, I will be very thankful to you.
Perhaps they could even manage to free my soul from here without damaging the weapon further.
Because, despite my immense anger toward the Jotnar people for imprisoning me in the first place, I would have to say, their magic is really special.
They even managed to tie their own essence to this hammer, which gives it their freezing abilities.
Which, in case you did not know, they are Ice Giants," the hammer then added, hoping to strike a deal with his captors.
"No," Kratos then answered in one single, blunt word. His flat refusal seemed to freeze the hammer in place, entirely out of shock.
"You know, I do not like you at all. Have you ever been struck by a flying hammer before?" the hammer then asked, its voice taking on a highly threatening edge once again.
Kratos did not speak. He simply stepped forward, his eyes burning with silent fury, staring down the floating hammer.
Meanwhile, Atreus and Zelos just stood closely on the side and watched the tense confrontation unfold between the God of War and the sentient weapon.
------------
A/N: BEAR WITH ME, I'M STILL TRYING TO FIND MY GROOVE IN WRITING.