#☆⋮█ ▌› 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍:⠀⠀ ☆⠀⠀ the story of how a man became an angel and an angel obtained godhood.

[osovereign]

kratos was such an ideal dad. like i can never express this enough. after anna gave birth and cause birth and her exsphere was so draining to her body outside of ya know like feeding lloyd, kratos did everything else and just let her rest as much as possible.

in a constant state of turning his cruxis crystal on / off again so to speak. he really only turned it off when cooking because he's a decent cook ... when he can actually taste lol

kratos had every night shift and i also like to imagine that maybe baby lloydo even had something that made him extra fussy. he didn't need to sleep, rest was nice but kratos could be up for ages and thanks to the cruxis crystal it never affected him.

like to imagine once anna healed up a bit more or less that even though kratos didn't need to sleep, she would insist that he did--despite his protests.

it was nearly seven months until lloyd slept through the night, kratos remembers it very fondly because it was the first time him and anna didn't get into playful banter of 'who's turn for nighttime'

... post the incident kratos wonders if lloyd woke up in the middle of the night again and for how long it lasted. he wonders if dirk found other ways to sooth his son other than flying him high in the skies amongst the stars. he never brung himself to ask.

[scurriilous]

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝟎𝟎𝟏: 𝐒𝐀𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐁𝐒 

ᴾᴿᴼᴸᴼᴳᵁᴱ      The telling of Hidan’s descent into Jashinism and the night he performs    The Blood Oath to harness the ability of his infamous curse jutsu. 

WARNINGS: blood, gore, pregnancy, unborn child death, ritualistic murder, homicidal youth, blood drinking etc. 

                                                                   image source [ x ]

  Born to a whore who loved him the only way she knew how ; with sugary cereals for breakfast, rated R movies, and lipstick kisses that stained his cheeks and forehead. She was a shitty mother - but at least she meant well.

  Born to a hero of war who, had his Mistress given him the autonomy, would have left Hidan a pile of biohazardous waste at the nearest infirmary. After all, he had his own trophy wife and son of wedlock to care for. Hidan almost didn’t believe his mother when she told him he was his father. The man was an elite member of Yugakure known for his brave and noble acts that served to protect their precious village, it didn’t make sense for someone of his caliber to plant his seed in some harlot’s belly ; but alas, the Gallant and the Bastard shared the same bright, lavender eyes.

   ❝ Fucker thinks he’s big and bad, ❞ Mother would seethe, ❝ With his two inch cock and prissy old wife ... What kind of man abandons his own kid? ❞ Like many other evenings, she later worked the street corner and left her kid at home.

   Too often left to his own devices, a seven year old Hidan became targeted and groomed by a religious cult that praised a God known as ‘Jashin’. An impressionable, still developing brain soon became washed and warped to their preachings. They told stories of peace and harmony through human sacrifice ; claiming that pain was inevitable and only those who truly understood it were capable and obligated to rid the world of it. 

   ❝ Oracles have spoken of a BLOOD OATH between a servant and Lord Jashin. It’s the ultimate sacrifice of FIVE HUMANS - consisting of virgins and your own kin. Nobody has ever successfully managed to prove their worthiness, but it is said that he who does, will achieve the status of High Priesthood, and become unkillable. ❞

  ❝ So... how does the blood oath work? ❞   Asks a curious Hidan, to which the Priest replies,

  ❝ There’s no recipe book for these things, kid. Legend says you just know. And should Jashin accept your offering, he’ll tell you himself. ❞

By the time Hidan was eleven he had already selected his victims. 

❝ Are you excited to meet your little sister, Hidan?           ─ Only a few more weeks now. ❞ 

   Passing trade had impregnated his mother once again. Funny thing: the magic of fertility, giving her the ability to bear another child while one lives neglected and indignant. 

                            His mother made one,                             Unborn sister made two,                             Father’s ‘legitimate’ child made three,                             Random, female classmate Miyo made four,                             & DADDY DEAREST made five. 

   They were easy to gather, bound and gag ; even the patriarch who was found stumbling home from the local tavern. The bar fly hardly batted a drunken eye when the juvenile tucked himself beneath his arm under the guise of a helpful citizen, only to lure him into the woods with the others and line them youngest to oldest in a semi circle. 

  See a boy walk like an EXECUTIONER, prowling behind his victims like this was no more than a twisted little game of duck duck goose. Angel-faced and brandishing a farmer’s stolen scythe, DEATH took care of the virgins first. Next was the caregiver. A small, nimble hand comes to rest upon her crown as she stares up at him with prayerful eyes, begging, crying and asking WHY. Not a single hint of regret was found in those bright, violet hues of his, childlike words spoken with chilling monotone:

❝ I see your pain, Mom. I understand it. ❞

  One swipe at the throat - and the untimely death of two reduces his bloodline. Hear now the muffled vocals of the strapping crusader to the right of them, yowls suggesting that only now has he come to terms with the fact that this was the crusade in which he’d die. The youth’s attention lingers on his mother as she chokes on blood and spit, tied limbs fighting for release to clutch at the gaping, flooding wound, before slowly pivoting to lock eyes with his father. 

   BEHOLD: the man of the hour ! The golden goose ! The giver of genetics that endowed eyes of a mulberry hue ! It came time for his progeny to claim their POUND OF FLESH. Nostrils flaring, the child levels himself so he may grab the chin of the older male and force him to drink in the sight of his slain, preferred son.

❝ Not so tough now, are ya? ‘The hero of hot water.’ Ha ! Look at you. So pathetic and helpless. You couldn’t even save him. Just watched as I slit his throat like FUCKING SWINE !!! ❞

   But the parent was too drunk to react how Hidan wanted him to. Where was the fight? The confrontation? The fruit of his infidelity is spitting in his face and still he refuses to acknowledge him, capable of only carrying blitzed out, hysterical sobbing and screams in the direction of his favorite pupil. This enrages Hidan, a sandaled foot STRIKING his face in a childish gall. 

                                  (   Why won’t you ever look at me ?   )                               Tears start to prickle the corners of his eyes.                         He fights them off with a savage swing of his scythe. 

        His father was nearly decapitated by the perpetual blows.         His mother’s body pooled the most blood.         Miyo looked peaceful - his half brother looked stupid. 

 There’s no recipe book for these things ; so the kid just does what feels right. The HEART, he decides, is where pain is born, so that’s where he will draw and drink their blood. He spends hours slashing through flesh, muscle and fatty tissue, sawing pitifully at bone - soon he gives up and uses his fingers to try and pry his way into the membranes of their thoracic cavities. Small limbs give their all as they fight to disembowel the deceased ; with such little knowledge of human anatomy it’s impossible for him to know which organ is which. Everything is slimy, oddly shaped and smells of a putrid ROT. One wrong poke and foul, unknown fluids would spew from the corpse and coat his skin and clothes, but still Hidan perseveres, working his way through the butchery of each sacrifice until he felt satisfied he had located their heart ( or at least a collection of things that could be the heart, especially in the case of the younger sacrifices ) 

  Each dripping, bloody tissue is ripped open by hand, then lifted to grant his tongue a taste of sanguine fluid. It tastes horrible, he winces at every gulp, but swallows with determination. At this point, the poor boy was so fatigued he could hardly find the strength to drag the hollow organs against the earth to paint his religion’s sigil: an encircled inverted triangle. 

 Just as the final lines meet, Hidan collapses, his stomach heaving its contents - all bile and blood - either his body’s way of rejecting the ingestion of gore or a symptom of overexertion. Like some twisted trip of a psilocybin, the world around him begins to spin and lose axis, body weightless, vision warping and spotting. Right before he can lose consciousness his bloody hands raise into his line of sight, palms open, reading: 

                                                     REJOICE  ;  

                                                       It worked. 

    Trembling, he takes in the image of stark colorings on his skin: charcoal black with ivory skeletal markings. A presence is felt looming above him - shadow attribute - but just as he attempts to cast his eyes toward the heavens, all the world goes BLACK. 

   When he awakens, he’s padlocked in an infirmary cell with blood of the damned still caking his chops and nail beds. The Reaper grins a smile that’s bigger than his mouth. 

                                   That day he etches a tally into the wall.                                                                                                                           |

[osovereign]

❝ ☆ — WORLDBUILDING / i.

PART ONE: covers pre and post-kharlan war era up until he leaves cruxis ( the first time ).

i will start by saying that while this is primarily information taken from canonical sources, there is some bits of my own headcanon mixed in to kratos' backstory and motivations but with that being said, the kratos novel has never been officially translated and i do not speak japanese ( used mtl to read it years ago and serve as my current refresher on the material ): this isn't meant to be taken as gospel regarding tales of symphonia and i don't expect it too. note: this'll have several parts and not required to read it is highly encouraged for both those that know of tales of symphonia and that do not--it'll be the answers to how and why kratos is the way he is in his main verse, post-everything.

canonically, kratos, is rather mundane and carries a very monotone state about him, outwardly at least. internally, he has such intense emotional anguish ( paired with a bit of stunting ): going on for a plethora of reasons spanning millennia upon millennia. ingame, he speaks very cohesively, eloquently, and to the point: which is a callback to his time before the great kharlan war in which he was born from esteemed high nobility ( the aurion family held the ranking of earls ): though he’d later abondon the lap of luxury to join the knighthood, then in being apart of the imperial knights ( leading to countless victory ): along with his natural affinity for battle that he is promoted to the captain of the royal guard, reporting directly to queen soleille, the last queen of the country of te’thealla.

it was during this time that kratos had encountered yuan, mithos, and martel and decided to part ways with the knighthood ( deciding that, joining these three would be the fastest way to put an end to the thousand year war ): while many, including mithos, would speculate that something was going on between the queen and her most trusted personal guard, it was one sided ( as when leaving te’thealla kratos told her as much after having an audience with the king and relinquishing his title, status, command, and affiliation to his country ): queen soleille was later killed by beheading for both rumor of unfaithfulness and for kratos being associated and then, siding with half-elfs. [ kratos novelization | shokuzai no kratos ] 

with kratos, no longer having a country to fight directly for his full attention went to ending the war ( instead of merely seeking to defeat the opposition ): by aiding mithos travel around the world to make pact-vow’s with the summon spirits and then later, origin itself ( to grant mithos, a half-elf the power to wield the eternal sword ): however, the great kharlan tree was already dead by then and had only left one seed ( known as the great seed ) behind and with the little mana the seed could emitted was not enough to support the world. without mana, the source of all life on aselia, the world would die and so the only way to save the world was to use a great amount of mana, namely the comet of derris-kharlan, to revive the great kharlan tree.

though, the comet wouldn’t come back for a few decades ( as it had done originally whenever derris-kharlan came near the lifeless place known previously as earth it left lingering remains of mana and that is how the planet began to bring new life and what led to the elven race settling upon the world ): but, the world could not survive that long, this was why mithos’ decided to spilt the worlds with the help of origin ( to give them the time that the kharlan hero’s otherwise did not have ): by separating sylvarant and tethe'alla to alternate the great seed’s mana between the two, kratos and co would ensure that:

i. so that no war to such an extent would start again. ii. it would prevent magitechnology from being used too much. iii. would stop the overconsumption of the limited mana in vast amounts.

this approach was originally supposed to last until derris-kharlan once again approached the world of aselia and on the dawn of its approach, mithos would again wield the eternal sword to revive the Giant Tree and unite the two worlds as one again. however, all was well in their mission: until the day martel was killed by a human. from her death sprung a grief for mithos, yuan, and kratos that brought forth the era of cruxis. during the early days of the organization, after the trio had put an end to the great kharlan war they had one main objective: to revive martel yggdrasill. whom now had her role within cruxis as the goddess of the new world of aselia, now divided into two separate halves, with the previously fighting counties of sylverant and te’thealla as there own worldly entity. once enacting the chosen system by starting of the mana lineage, spreading of the goddess martel through the guise of how the holy war of kharlan was ended ( in this tale mithos, was simply known as the hero: his race omitted for as the distaste for half-elf’s had survived even after the war ): and the millennia that followed was one of dread for kratos.

cruxis organizational hierarchy mithos yggdrasill ( lord yggdrasill / half-elf — seraphim and leader of cruxis — angel ) ⤿ the hero whom ended the great kharlan war

martel yggdrasill ( goddess martel / half-elf — seraphim and false goddess — angel ) ⤿ goddess of both worlds and reason behind the regeneration

kratos aurion ( human / seraphim of cruxis — angel ) ⤿ overseer to the world of sylverant and its chosen ⤿ the one true god king to aselia after it is reunited ( post kor/top )

yuan ka-fai ( half elf / seraphim of cruxis — angel ) ⤿ overseer to the world of tethe’alla and its chosen ⤿ guardian to the great seedling / yggdrasill tree

these four are the highest pinnacle of the organization and from them stems the lesser ranked angels ( those with wings of white or dark feathers instead of light ): however even those with wings of glittering light can become permanent feathery wings if they’re used for too long consecutively, which is a common problem with newer angels ( the four seraphim of cruxis and those of the chosen mana lineage are except from this rule ), then pronyma ( head of the five desian grand cardinals ), the grand cardinals ( pronyma, kvar, magnius, rodyle, and forcystus ), and then all of the unnamed desians. which, it should be noted that the organization is entirely composed of half-elfs, besides kratos the only former human. cruxis as a whole is divided into two levels: the angels, whom have high exspheres / cruxis crystals, and then the desians, who have base level exspheres.

with this, the four seraphim each have their own angelic messengers ( they are much like colette when she releases the final seal: soulless and memory less ): they have a band on their arms with a color specific to each of them ( mithos’ messengers have rainbow bands, kratos’ have purple, yuan’s have blue, and martels, when she is revived, would have green ): now during, the first two or so millennia of cruxis is when kratos first began to greatly disagree with mithos’ methods in trying to revive martel, in the beginning he spent them trying his best to keep his sanity. from which was on part for still holding the grief of losing martel and being unable to let it go, secondly for allowing mithos ( his most precious student to fall of the path of a righteous hero ), and three for having lost his sense of humanity but trying to again obtain it.

the catalyst for this event was when kratos was watching aithra at the tower of salvation with her guardians from a screen in welgaia and they watched her being stabbed to death. upon seeing this, it reminded kratos of the day martel was killed but mithos’ was only teaching kratos ‘to not allow something like this to happen again’ and ‘that cleaning up would be tedious’. due to this lackluster reaction from mithos, it was also when kratos stopped calling him mithos and only as, lord yggdrasill ( as he no longer recognized his former friend and student, who did not make the comparison ): he was no longer mithos, the hero who had put an end to the thousand year war in the holy ground of kharlan but simply the leader of cruxis, lord yggdrasill: who was very grief-stricken and a hate filled child who missed his sister.

with all this being said kratos retains through everything such an intense social awkwardness, both due to his endeavors of the traumatic stresses from the kharlan war, its grief, and his atrocities within cruxis. because of this he's a bit cut-throat blunt on various subjects by default ( he also doesn’t keep up with any of the latest lingo and is also noted by many to be very formal and old-fashioned ): above all, both within canon and my heavily canon expansion of his character: kratos is an observer and always has been. he is the type to watch, wait, and listen before taking any action but to have lived as long as he has takes patience, takes wisdom. his role within cruxis fit him very well as cruxis was an observatory organization for the most part.

[osovereign]

❝ ☆ — MISCELLANEOUS / i.

☆ — by default ( unless otherwise stated ): kratos main attire is his prima stella ensemble from tales of festival. to fully human / non-supernatural and/or non-fantasy aligned muses his attire appears a simple black long sleeve top, slim fit black slacks, brown belt, and matching brown boots. flemberge is often at his hip, in a black sheath but regular people cannot see it as he has a concealment spell placed upon it. he is also not a mercenary unless he tells you such, he often refers to himself as just a really old man nowadays.

☆ — noishe is still with him on a near constant basis, within the past thousand years have the pair gained the ability to communicate via teleplay, given that noishe reached his next stage in his evolution guided by mana, into that of a human child who will grow up to fight evil and defend aselia, he sometimes, if rarely makes guest appearances!

☆ —he wears a golden locket that he keeps kept tucked inside his shirt, it contains a picture of himself, anna irving, and lloyd irving when the lather was an infant and still in his care. he gave lloyd a similar one, it was white gold/silvery and the counterpart to his, that anna once wore.

☆ — kratos has attained the power of god, if your muse is from aselia he will know their name and various basic miscellaneous facts about them ( he is the one true god of aselia ): kratos has become omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotient when it comes to those from aselia, he will not know things of muses that come from other world’s and he cannot know everything of something that was born before he was live or the summon spirits ( noishe is a great example, he does not know his origin, but knows he's been around since aselia was created ).

☆ — he is extremely powerful: in both swordplay and magic usage, he is unmatched by all. when it comes to battle experience– there are very few that can be a sliver of his strength– do not challenge him to a battle, while he does not fight much anymore… unless your muse is a god-themselves or something akin to a god… they will not win.

☆ — kratos loves children ! he travels a lot, going around the world and aiding those whom need assistance. he frequently goes to orphanage and tells them various stories ( which are moreso tweaked editions of the journey of regeneration and other tales ) they affectionately call him ‘unc kratos’

☆ — there is a new world religion, still the goddess martel is worshipped… but he has tweaked it heavily ( kharlan stuff / mithos is a half-elf / journey of regeneration is included / etcetc ): with this new religion comes two countries ( sylverant and tethealla ): each is lead by the descendants of the chosen ( lloyd/colette and zelos/sheena ): the two heirs are still known as ‘chosen’ but it is a superficial title and on the dawn of their sixteenth birthday, they make a journey to the world tree, yggdrasil and offer a prayer ( which is actually a tweaked version of the intro kratos says in tales of symphonia ).

☆ — after a few generations, the two kingdoms birth heirs that fall in love and marry ( the two kingdoms become a conjoined power and this reunite the kingdoms under one unified power ): however, there are still other small countries and territories ( such as mizuho/ninja village, the city of half-elves: welgiga, the city of elves: heimdall, and iselia is the capital…and is where the royal family lives. )

☆ — the people of mizuho act as guardians to the royal family, when a ninja reaches age three they begin training and by age five they nearly live full full time with the heir. if there is ever a case of a multiple birth, the heirs are both called ‘chosen’ does not matter who is born first, they’ll end up doing a dual-ruling ( as the title is for formalities anyways ).

☆ — he speaks with the spirits of martel and mithos (iniquitousideals, semi hiatus​) when he visits the world tree. for a combination of general advice and just for keeping communication with two of his most treasured friends... yuan remains as the guardian (guardianofmana, hiatus)

☆ — he is a 'jack of all trades but also a master of plenty', so to speak. kratos is highly adept at sewing, chopping wood, hunting, setting up camp sites, using tools, sword fighting, and a variety of other useful things, such as operation and repair of machines. much of it is due to his incredible age, the other due to his interest in technical writing and the desire to truly understand how and why something works.

☆ — kratos likes history ( outside of being an ancient living relic himself ): and has read many books on the subject. he also likes ballads and epics, as well as books that teach you how to do things. no matter how long he lives, he is extremely open-minded in continually learning new things.

[osovereign]

❛ ☆ — WORLDBUILDING / ii.

PART TWO: covers leaving cruxis ( the first time ), meeting anna and beginning their journey to find dirk, her having lloyd, and then kratos solemnly returning to cruxis.

after mithos failed to listen to reason, again, it was here that kratos found the will to go against his plan of “age of lifeless beings” and descended upon the declining world of sylverant. it was during this time that kratos would encounter a human women from the town of luin at the asgard human ranch, otherwise known as anna irving. she was a known as host body A012 of a crucial exsphere development project ( under the code name of: angelus project ): that kvar, one of the five desian grand cardinals, was conducting. it was by meeting anna that kratos regained his sense of self-humanity and having hope within a hopeless world and now, as a deserter to cruxis would aid in busting anna out from under kvar and the two would begin traveling together and it served two purposes:

i. evade kvar and cruxis

ii. locate a dwarf that could make a key crest for anna

naturally, as life tends to go. the two gradually fell in love during their travels and kratos opened up to anna about his longer than normal human life and his plethora of mistakes over the past few thousands of years. while shocked, the human women was so accepting ( not condoning but understood how far one could go within grief ): after awhile anna would fall pregnant and give birth to lloydo aurion-irving ( regularly shorted to lloyd as a nickname ): his name carrying a great history as during the great kharlan war kratos had encountered a solider that had sacrificed his well being to save kratos’ troop when he was still but a regular foot soldier and in the back of kratos’ mind he always swore he’d name his son after him ( it may have taken a couple thousand or so years but kratos indeed kept his word ): even through the trio, with noishe in tow, where relentlessly pursued by cruxis they where a happy and loving family. kratos took to fatherhood as a bird did flight—it was with his sons birth that he firmly decided to give him a world that kratos would be proud to have him grow up in and this set in motion his plan to strike down mithos once and for all.

in honor of their sons first birthday kratos and anna decided to get a photograph of their family. while the two never exchanged traditional wedding rings in the sense, they each put a photo in a matching oval-shaped locket ( anna’s a brilliant silvery white gold and kratos’ the purest of gald ): it was a sign of their love and the life that had sprung fourth from their shared blissful happiness. however, as with all things regarding cruxis not all things would remain just so. as a couple of years had passed since kratos had begun his mission within a mission, but anna and he had gotten no more closer to locating the dwarf that was rumored to exist somewhere within sylverant than when when they began. 

the aurion-irving happily ever after would all be lost one faithful day: kvar, and by extension cruxis had caught up with them and while kratos may be an all powerful celestial godlike warrior, with a frail wife and toddler to protect, against such an amass of numbers and attacks: he was still just a man. telling noishe to keep lloyd and anna safe while he fought off cruxis as best he could while kvar took the moment of kratos’ distraction in battle to remove the exsphere off of anna. it is not a memory kratos wishes to recall: the blood curling scream of anguish as his wife was transformed into an exebula who went from holding their child in protection, to being the one to cause lloyd harm and it was then that kratos was faced with a most impossible decision: to save his son, he’d have to harm kill anna.

but it was an impossible decision, it was not a decision any husband nor father should have to make. still, he fought off the desians for as long as possible before he saw anna lunge for lloyd…and kratos was then ultimately forced to subdue her to protect their son. however, it was by being attacked that anna briefly regained her sense of self after realizing that in her attack had thrown her baby boy and noishe down a steep cliff, it was then that she begged kratos to kill her and he did ( her now lifeless body fell down the cliff along her child and animal companion ): with such an agony that it made even caused the demons of niflheim to shed tears of grief. it was during this rage that kratos mercilessly slaughtered every single desian in his wake, though kvar managed to escape.

scaling down the cliff kratos hastily looked everywhere for any sign of life regarding lloyd or noishe but all he had managed to find where the lifeless desian corpses he’d defeated prior ( the remains now half eaten by monsters ): for his family, all kratos managed to find was small clumps of green and white fur along with a single bloodied shoe ( a shoe that till this day he still carries a replica of on his person, the original is one he left on anna’s grave upon discovering it fourteen years later ): and with no other signs of the three lives he held so tenderly in his heart where to be found the world once again lost its color and was no longer beautiful to kratos. it is then that, in his deep depressive despair that he returns to cruxis, having lost any desire to change the world for the better kratos doubles down once more in aiding mithos in his cause to revive martel and bring on his ideal world with an age of lifeless beings to create a world free from discrimination and hate.

[osovereign]

❝ ☆ — HAPPINESS / i.

the happiest memory for kratos, by far, was the day that his son, lloyd irving, was born. how befitting that the place in which he and his son would share a heartfelt moment about their short-lived family years later would also be the place from which he was born. in no place nor town specific did kratos watch his wife’s water break in the midst of winter—when freshly snow covered the ground. the time and place nearly reminded him of flanoir, a snowy city of tethe’alla he’d cast aside once kratos descended upon the world in decline, sylverant. hiding from cruxis was taxing at times and meant the pair constantly had to keep moving, but now there would be an additional tiny party member. kratos could still recall how he and anna where still a day or so away from the next town but how a caravan on a pilgrimage as by the teachings or martel had offered them assistance in abundance. when they arrived at the house of salvation ( though nowadays it was just a random dirt patch nearest izoold, the old location having been moved with time ): he and his laboring wife had met the only doctor on staff, a selfish man in medicine whom cared more for lining his own pockets than patient wellbeing.

it was a classic tale, a known over-charger for services whom targeted those without the means for any other measures. while the duo never had much money since anything of value kratos gained from cruxis was never kept for himself, rather used to spread a bit of reprise and goodwill to the people of sylverant plagued by famine and drought ( inadvertently caused by his own hands ): such as the purchase of food and medical gels. kratos loved it because anna was always smiling, glad she could help those in need ( even if she herself had come from a place of suffering ): and give them a bit of hope in a world that gave them very little, if any, hope. due to this good karma, a priest within the house of salvation knew of the couple and recounted to kratos how he had helped ease the pain for her family, so she—name being lucia—wanted to offer the same kindness to his growing one. this memory means a lot ( as all involving his family does ): because it helped him open up his eyes. even if people suffer so much, they’re still kind at heart. it’s what caused him to want a change in himself. sine he was going to be a father soon, kratos wanted to make sure those he cherished more than anything had everything they would ever need. after-all what father doesn't want to do what’s best for his child? 

[osovereign]

❝ ☆ — HANDS : CREATE & DESTROY.

for starters ( as everything else that encompasses kratos ): his hands are very complex things and as much a brief glimmer into the rich history of his life and soul, as his eyes. his fingers are long and slender ( with a slight tan on his alabaster skin and rosiness to his knuckle joints ): nail beds are well manicured and the nails have grown out into a short-borderline medium and naturally take on a slightly almondish square shape. at first touch they feel so gentle, even amongst the roughness they still hold a bit of softness. his hands are that of a creators ( meant to grant and create life ): a pair of hands that are gifted in many matters that can range from that of a fighter, father, lover, trusted friend, traitor, and angelic divinity.

however, as much as his hands have given and blessed life—they have also taken them and carry on them an aura stained red that can never seem to wash off no matter how many good deeds of atonement done through millennia pass. as a fighter the hands are a bit calloused, yes, but that is natural—he has handled a sword for more of his lifetime than he has not. still, they are softer than one might expect. and, unlike the rest of his body, don’t have all that many scars. his hands show the gentler side of kratos, if you where to hold them you’d be opened to the more emotional side of him. as, with words, he can sometimes stumble but through means of physical affection and intimacy kratos can convey all the things that words cannot sometimes express.

his hands, really, were meant to create, and not destroy. even during his time in the royal knights when he was made to do battle, kratos ( unlike many others ) kept his humanity—which is a bit ironic as he’d soon lose it all the same at the death of martel—however, it was this event that caused his hands to be turned into weapons. kratos is quite capable of murdering someone and has done so both wielding a blade and simply using his bare hands. even so, he was never meant to be a person who destroys: he was supposed to create things. however, somewhere along the line this became skewed. with a piece of kratos still believing that all he can do is bring ruin to things ( despite all the populace he helped spring forth on derris-kharlan, the birth of his own son, and towards the generations upon generations that have came and gone on aselia since he took his throne ): yet, he no longer remembers how to repair things, he sometimes believes he still does. but, does not have anyone alive from his era for whom he could repair.

still, his hands are very gentle most of the time. he is careful, as he doesn't want to destroy nor take life anymore. he treats everything with intense care and honestly, and his touches are much more delicate than one might think. at his very core, he is still a creator—this is why kratos is was always drawn in being in the role of a father and provider. for sometimes he ponders: what are his hands outside of their ability to be used as tools and what is he? still, kratos makes things, even if he doesn't see it. his hands, after all, are meant to create, not destroy.

for kratos, his hands are a very vital part of his body. he needs them to do his job ( where he places all of his self-worth, even thousands of years later ): the job of wielding a sword, guide the people of aselia as a shepherd does their flock, and to a lesser extent: allowed a bygone group of select group of people a glimmer into his damaged soul. and while now being of godhood, there was a time when kratos was very scared of getting his hands irreversibly injured—he relies on them quite a lot. if he were to be unable to use them to fight ( or really, do any of the aforementioned things ): there isn’t much a question of if he would feel like dying but of when he would seek death once more.

[osovereign]

❝ ☆ — NEUROSES.

while kratos suffers from chronic depression, general anxiety, and post traumatic dress disorder—he does not view them as such. due to kratos having lived several lifetimes over the average human, half-elf, or even elf. the angelic god believes that developing feelings of sadness or experiencing the stresses of a post-war condition are to be expected ( in fact, if kratos where to meet any other ethereal being who did not have such thoughts nor feelings he’d find it very peculiar ): with this, the emotion and symptoms of post grief are just another day for him, as with an immortal life, there is the reality of encountering and bonding with those not blessed with such a fate: one that kratos knows too well. however, the years of kratos life, he’s suffered greatly with his eternal grief and yearning over his deceased wife, anna irving ( something that he will never not hold regret over ): though it doesn't effect him with daily tasks, he still has difficulty on some more than others. like with all things, loss is a process and doesn’t have a timeline: you never really stop losing those you have loved, but, kratos has now learned that the emotions of misery does not have to be an all consuming thing. where he suffered with sadness, he can recall the happiness, even through his anxious and depressive nature: it is proof of his growth over the millennia.

[osovereign]

❝ ☆ — CLEANLINESS HABITS / i.

kratos' cleaning habits are simple yet effective. back during the kharlan era kratos’ knights quarters where always as if it was his first day moving in, with nothing in the way of decoration or much in the way of personal touch; the only evidence that anyone took rest upon the room was a couple of photos from his childhood of his family ( his mother before the passed and his father before he succumbbed to madness ): though this memento got left behind when he defected from tethe’alla. the scene was much the same during the height of the era of cruxis’ founding and the first four thousand or so years of his life. his quarters within the holy city of welgiga only held a photo frame showcasing yuan, mithos, martel, and himself before martel was murdered by a human, the only people whom he considered friends lived on an otherwise untouched bedside table. along with the former, kratos’ bed is also hardly touched, if it was ever ( as kratos no longer required rest ): when not on derris-kharlan, kratos was normally on a ‘supposed’ mercenary job. besides, sword training from the knight academy, proper hygiene had been instilled into him since birth ( both as a noble and in being a representative amongst the royal guard of the country of tethe’alla ): kratos is the type to favor earthy fragrances such as sandalwood, patchouli, and, rosewood.

[osovereign]

❝ ☆ — LANGUAGE / i.

the original tongue of aselia was along the lines of what we would know as hebrew, while there where other various dialects based within and surrounding the two biggest countries that held power of tethe’alla and sylvarant--the pair still shared a common patois. it was during the founding of the cruxis organization and the spilt of the two worlds that latin came into play. this was due to several reasons but the most notable three are:

i. it wasn’t a truly even spilt of the world ( not something that was truly right down the middle ): as citizens from rivaling countries found themselves on the opposite side with no way of returning to where they once where. 

ii. a lot of the trained scribes had been misplaced due to these events and the people found it difficult to regain mastery over a character based system and thus the latin alphabet was created.

iii. upon the spreading the gospel of the goddess martel and the hero mithos whom made a part with her, it had been decreed that the ‘angel language’ was only for those specific people to learn, amongst them was the mana lineage and members of the clergy.

it was also during this founding of cruxis era that the kharlan trio got rid of all texts in hebrew ( except what would come to be known as the holy teachings of martel / the angel language ): after this, they sought to retranscribe the world’s history as they deemed was non-interfering with their goals into what we know as ‘latin’.  by doing so cruxis accomplished the first things when it came to absolute control. the best way to control history and flow of information is to make it seem like nothing else existed before what is available, or rather what was known and readable was all that there ever was.

to mark a distinction during the thousands of years spilt apart had the people of sylverant and tethe’alla develop as separate entities, even if by cruxis both world’s where still treated as one, each world birthed there own manner of unique expression and idiom not found on the other ( as kratos had more experience with sylverant after the spilt and yuan tethe’alla, that is how they each became responsible for their respective side of the moon ): though this practice was mainly amongst the common people and why it is not shown by the party at large except presea ( zelos was of highborn status, sheena was from the independent country of mizuho, regal was another highborn, and the rest of the party is from sylverant, the same village at that ): they all spoke the same language but used various different dialect.

on the plant of derris-kharlan inside the holy city of angels, welgiga: the only texts that exist are all written in hebrew ( as the half-elfs are all from the era of the great kharlan war and never had a need to adapt a different language nor alphabet system ): this is also why the teachings from the church and holy word of martel was kept in hebrew as well ( it served to stop the general population from learning ‘too much’ and further pushed the agenda that the chosen was the child of angels and not human ): in another way it also solidified the indoctrination of the chosen understanding that you are born to die and only live to serve a greater purpose in death. 

cruxis as an organization true deceit lied within their ability of keeping the truth of the world hidden in plain sight. as the average person is not going have a desire to learn the angel language. each world had there own mentality surrounding it: for the flourishing world they saw it as a birthright to only those of divine birth or chosen by the oracle to be of the cloth. whereas the declining world was struggling ( due to constant famine, drought, and lack of mana ): to focus on the questioning of ‘more’ and the general consensus of both worlds was to allow those amidst the church to teach and preach the holy gospel to them, which is actually a common practice amongst monotheistic believers and cultist.

with this being said an interesting tidbit in regards to the teachings of the goddess martel and the angel language is the emphasis put on going on a pilgrimage, to retrace the steps of the hero mithos and the steps of the modern day chosens, journey of regeneration. for the common people to do the same task that the chosen is also expected to do ( when within the declining world ): is in and of itself a great way of aiding the falsifying idea that what is being done is the only way to restore the world to what once was. it is so many things and so many factors that sets up the church and the chosen for who and what she truly is: a sacrifice that is only born to die for the purpose of being used as a tool by the people and not really their own person and it is written into texts and scripture only she and those meant to guide her are given the privilege of reading.

final note. the variant of ancient aselian / hebrew that is spoken amongst kratos, yuan, and mithos is something that lessened over the years the more the kharlan trio grew apart in shared objective and ideal. though kratos used to speak it quite frequently with anna ( using words and phrases to convey the true weight of his affections for her that he felt got lost in translation ): and when he taught to lloyd, it was him passing on a piece of his long lived history and piece of himself onto the life that showed him there was a better way than this.

[osovereign]

❝ ☆ — MENTAL STATE / i.

when one lives numerous upon numerous lifetimes, it should be expected that the various tragedies, horrors, mistakes, and other atrocities would come to weigh on the mind heavily—kratos was not the exception. he was one of the oldest beings in aselia’s history to have such a deep rooted guilt and depression. one could argue his self-loathing and misery began in his youth: when, even his happiest moments spent with his mother had always been littered with apprehensions in the back of his mind over a constant state of worry over her health or the fear that with every action she took was only pushing herself into further decline.

yet another could raise the case of his fragile mental to being a child of nobility ( whom upon his mothers death was abused mentally and sometimes, physically by his father ): turned orphan of war and then later, a high-ranking member of the royal knights during the era of the thousand year great kharlan war. all is heavy with battle ( as all is in matters of life or death ): and no matter how fast your blade or steadfast your resolve, kratos had learned early that you cannot save everyone. there was a kind of meek optimism he had once possessed that was crushed by the realities of his own humanity and powerlessness to really make a lasting impact amongst his troops losing their lives in—what he strongly believed—was a pointless struggle.

as many who lived a lifetime during any matters of strife ( and had lived many several times over ): kratos did not just feel worry, he also felt fear ( an untreated person having post traumatic stress disorder and anxiety ): while, he would not admit to these fears but he felt them in massive excess. along with, triggers ( that while he had learned to deal with over the thousands of years he has lived, he’s never gotten over ): one instance is how four-thousand years ago when martel had become sick with the ozettle flu it reminded kratos of his mother and how she was always sickly. or, how when colette had developed chronic angelus crystallus inofficium ( angel toxicosis ): it brought up every memory of martel and her sufferings to the forefront of his mind.

kratos has other notable triggers, that one could not even begin to suspect with the demeanor he exudes, especially now as the unseen godly king of aselia but even now, they still exist, however there are a few people in which kratos can posses a stable peace of mind and these factors mostly relate to specific individuals, moments, or instances. the first, yuan ka-fai ( oldest friend ), the next, lloyd irving ( his child ), and listed last but amongst the first in his heart, anna irving ( wife ): many of the moments or instances involve one of these three people in some way. the few that do not hail from his life before they entered and kratos has more moments of note with them and others than without.

regarding yuan ka-fai: the reasoning behind yuan providing his mind a bit of peace are simple yet effective by nature. yuan has a natural jackass nature to everyone ( but especially towards kratos ): but it causes kratos to be pulled from his thoughts and to only think and focus on the here and now. yuan unintentionally ( but yuan is well aware of how his words can effect kratos ): works as a trigger block so that even if the pair share their rare happy or more common depressing memories with each other they won’t affect the other as it would be with someone else. taking into account they can comfort one another in ways that no other can nor could. in the way same veterans of war meet others who have seen the horrors they had—discussing what plagues them, even to each other, gives a bit of calming reprise, even if only in that moment.

regarding to lloyd irving: lloyd is a special case and exception to rules pertaining to kratos. he is the biggest reminder to kratos his choices ( of the paths he could have taken / of the lives he could have saved ): though he also reminds him of the happy times as well. lloyd in and of himself is a trigger but also not: he is the living embodiment of love that he shared with anna irving but also made him acknowledge his mistakes, depression, and natural aura of putting up a front, a facade to mask his aeons of pain. the best example of this would be when kratos is around both yuan and lloyd. while yuan serves to block all cumbersome thoughts, lloyd acts as the trigger to them. however, lloyd is his child so kratos’ parental side kicks in which forces him to think upon things when looking at him . all of the good and all of the bad. 

regarding the most important anna irving: she is easily his light, his most cherished, and the only women kratos has ever loved. however, she is also single handily the biggest factor in restoring his mental state into one of normalcy and also the reason he became an empty husk of his former self for nearly fifteen years. it could be said that when the two of them met, that kratos gave the appearance of having been a perfectly fine plate that had shattered into pieces. however, those that knew him ( yuan, mithos, and martel ): could argue that his mental state had never been a perfectly fine plate. kratos’ psyche was more like paper that you ripped and ripped into such tiny bits that you cannot ever perfectly put the pieces together again—despite all the tape and glue—even if you try, it would only serves to get even a bit burned and torn yet again. 

though, making the paper as it once had been was not what anna irving did onto him. while, anna could not restore the paper that was kratos aurion’s disposition to what it formally was. anna did something even more amazing. she took the ruined pieces of burnt paper and had lovingly crafted them into something new. with her own two hands she had forged within kratos a new shape out of the acceptance and adoration she held for him, as he did for her. however, for all things to have a beginning, it meant that an ending would follow and what an ending followed. upon kratos’ having to murder his own wife his psyche broke for the final time. these events combined with the also once thought death of his son and animal companion, noishe. kratos had lost all reason to continue living and became something far more hollow and cruel. desperately he clung to the idealism of mithos yggdrasill with his own despair, as the anchor.

thankfully overtime kratos had managed to overcome this depressive mindset over the events that transpired during the journey of regeneration and he starts to resemble his more modern counterpart featured on this blog: someone that whom is still prone to depressive episodes but it isn’t as all consuming as before. he mourns, he weeps, he misses, he longs for but he does not let it be the ending to everything. kratos has accepted that even within trauma and misery—happiness and laughter still could exist and he cherishes every moment he is able to still experience and the protection he is able to grant upon the people of aselia. while not perfect, he is leaps and bounds more proper with his emotions than before: a man that is both half-happy and half-sad but wholly aware of how he had always been one to exist within oxymoron and an ever evolving enigma.

[osovereign]

❝ ☆ — SLEEP / i.

while kratos does not require any forms of rest due to various reasons his cruxis crystal (primary), power received from the summon spirits and origin. even before obtaining the power of god many millennia ago, kratos was never the best at taking rest. much of his younger adolescence was spent taking care of a frail mother and a father whom held animosity towards his own son for being born, as, having birth to him had caused her state to get worse. even with being of a highborn, aristocratic, status the illness that mrs. aurion suffered from had no cue within the means of modern technology.

even so, many events occurred in his life that led to his chronic insomnia ( cruxis crystal only having served to stopping the effects of prolonged sleep deprivation ): it began when kratos was fifteen, with the passing of his mother. when his father, in drunken grief-stricken rage spoke onto him: ‘a monster who could’ve never been born’ these words began as the catalyst to the anguish kratos would carry inside him for the rest of his life. the man viewed and knew it as truth ( the cause of your own mother’s death ): kratos, whom, has always held his emotions tight and closed off, had yet another reason to avoid slumber: the one place emotions ( grief, rage, regret, and sadness ): couldn’t be kept under control was in his subconscious led dreams nightmares.

soon all hours of kratos’ mind would be filled with the haunting of his father’s language and his mother’s tragedy. that, had he never been born perhaps ms. aurion could’ve gotten better. however, something mr. aurion never told kratos was that mrs. aurion’s illness had been labeled terminal, long before kratos was born. his mother’s logic had been that even if she was destined to die, she wanted to leave behind all the love that she held for the world in living flesh. though, this didn’t make the truth easier for mr. aurion to swallow and thus, taking his bitterness and hate out on his own child. a child, who greatly took after his mother in not just appearance but personality as well.

over the next few years into his young adulthood, in a night of drunken rage his father had admitted into mrs. aurion’s having been something that had afflicted her since she was born, but, it was too late. the damage to kratos’ psyche was already done and kratos, not wanting his mind to be more worn from his father’s words, lived in a constant state of being awake. on some days, it was a miracle if kratos got two hours or so of sleep, but usually he survived on naps that alwaystook him by surprise but never lasted more than half an hour at most. 

due to the constant unrest from a severe lack of rest it was hard on his mental, causing him to be agitated easily and quick tempered. constant nightmares replying in his sleeping state that fueled the lies he had been told and told himself which only made him fall into a more depressed state. however, after joining the royal knights during the great kharlan war, the stress of battle had aided in granting a few more hours of slumber before awoken by night terrors—this would later be fixed by befriending yuan, mithos, and martel. as well as meeting—and falling in love—with anna irving.

whereas his companions composing the kharlan trio could use healing artes to temporarily provide relief from hellish dreams, anna aided in his soul in ways that only a human that still held faith in the goodness of the world could. it was a kind of help that not only but his mind, but also his soul at ease. being with anna allowed kratos to willingly wish to sleep and the first in thousands of years that he got decent sleep ( sometimes restless and other times dreadful ): but compared to his youth, time spent as a knight during the war, or the horrors deprived from a millennia of sacrificial genocide—the rest kratos got was wondrous.

his desire and willingness to sleep next to his beloved was even more enhanced by the way anna’s existence was soothing just to be in the presence of. kratos would feel most calm and start to doze off when anna would tell so many different types of stories of her life growing up, while tracing along his scars or world-worn skin to calm kratos’ sleeping form and the giving of soft kisses. his sleeping form, was always as the big spoon, cradling her in his arms. when he dozed, it was spent leaned up against a tree head slightly tilted back and his hair covering his eyes. it was as if, when he finally managed to sleep again: kratos slept like the dead. from him, you would find no movements or breath out of place. though, by extension he could catch every movement, mutter, or disturbance in anna. for as much as she brought comfort to him, as did he onto her. 

this was even more amplified when lloyd was born ( kratos handled everything involving lloyd at night, except feedings, but even then as a being who did not need rest he took advantage to allow his wife blissful slumber ): it was the first time in life that kratos would be awake during hours when the rest of humanity slept but did not feel any anguish towards it—he felt happiness. he soaked up every moment with his newborn and did not at all mind his fussiness nor only being able to sleep by physical contact. but, as the saying goes: like father, like son.

however, all good things must reach an end as for when when anna and lloyd ( or so he originally assumed ): had…passed away. it ruined kratos to the breaking point far beyond any of the previous atrocities that afflicted him and because of this tragedy, he has not once slept since: it was as if his ability died on that day. this is another reason of why he wanted to die so badly. his body may be physically young but his mind is very old and tired and broken. as they say, sleep is the cousin of death and combined with everything else he had brought onto the world and its people death seemed to be the only way to give him death and a release from an eternal struggle from not sleeping that was long overdue.

[osovereign]

❝ ☆ — FOOD,

kratos aurion enjoys a wide variety of dishes—with few dislikes ( ripe tomatoes are one and his most notable ): if he must consume the fruit then he prefers them unripened ( green / fried or in hearty stews ): the flavors, textures, and preparations he has a fondness for are as extensive as stars in the sky. a man who adores all things savory and dishes with a major kick of spice ( the spicer the better in his mind ): with his cruxis crystal having the ability to numb his sense of taste, he had grown accustomed to food being unnecessary but also tasteless. he grew a fondness for spiced dishes after he noticed it would give him visual queue that he was still human, still living. for as much as his bodily functions where halted from the power of his cruxis crystal—it couldn’t stop the signs of him sweating ( the process itself was external outside of himself, while he cannot feel hot nor cold, his body will still react to the change ): it has been so long since he begun the habit he simply grew a taste for some flavors other would say take away from the taste of the food itself.

when it comes to all matters of things sweet ( such as pastries or candies ): he is less prone too indulging in. however, kratos does enjoy dark chocolate, and can chooses to partake in it with no less than 80% cacao or higher ( preferring 100% but it is very uncommon to find outside of specialty patissier shops in aselia ): what attracts him is the bitterness, he loves the extreme bitterness it can bring and loves spiced chocolate to the point he has learned to make it to his exact specifications over the years, it is the fastest way to his stomach. paired with this, no matter how much aselia has changed ( by his hand or not ): humanity’s indulgence and overall cultural influence shaped by food is a tale as old as time.

it is viewed as a way to combine a group of unlikely people together. aeons ago, when he was but a mere foot solider in unit thirteen of tethe'alla’s royal knights moral was kept up during the great kharlan war by the sharing of stories near a cooking pot over fire. aselians use food as not just something to need but have crafted it into something that can ease the pain of loss, guilt, and shame. simply put when the worlds became as one again food was the first thing willing to be shared, rather than ideals or the advancement of technology. it was far easier to be accepting of differences when combined with shared experiences and it just seemed easier to, kratos, and the people as a way to bring one another together. it was also how he’d first encountered and then later became friends family with yuan, mithos, and martel too.

[osovereign]

❝ ☆ — KNIGHT OF RATATOSK.

my blog takes place over six thousand years after the events of tales of symphonia / knight of ratatosk and two thousand years post-tales of phantasia ( which is four thousand years post-tales of symphonia itself ): i am someone who did not like knight of ratatosk or what it did towards the main cast of tales of symphonia, but as far as lore / world building this is what my blog considers truth in relation to kratos' canon.

to begin ratatosk is a being as old, if not older than life on aselia itself ( still younger than noishe ): the next centurion spirits are ( in the order of creation by ratatosk ): tenebrae ( darkness ), lumen ( light ) solum ( earth ), aqua ( water ), ventus ( wind ), ignis ( fire ), glacies ( ice ), and, tonitus ( lighting ): ratatosk himself was a being created by the summon spirits, specifically origin. while, they do not control mana for the world they do serve the purpose of controlling the monsters that embody their chosen element. unlike summon spirits, centurion exist in another realm, that is outside the reach of regular aselians and their original purpose was to be used as messengers on behalf of the respective summon spirit they serve under, to humanity.

in terms of the power level of the centurion, they are far weaker than kratos in his current highly evolved state ( as each of the summon spirits, including origin and maxwell bestowed upon them 25% of their power each, but that was a rough estimate as summon spirits are mana itself and their powess cannot be tied to the human scale of understanding ): yet, it can be stated that kratos is stronger than any other being on aselia. his only rival being noishe ( once he fully finishes his evolution ): and very much on par with maxwell, specifically as his incarnation, milla maxwell.

the ginnungagap, is sealed off. maxwell and the other summon spirits placed a concealment spell upon it and its guardians upholding that spell the centurion spirits--they do not and have no control over regulating mana--that is solely the job of the summon spirits, each serving as a personal assistant to their respective summon element. the only other way into the ginnungagap is through the usage of, niflheim, the only other link into the world of demons. however, the book is in kratos' possession. before his return to aselia many years ago it had been entrusted in the care and protection of the sage siblings and then later, their chosen descendants.

emil has never really existed. the person known as emil was simply a cover and/or spilt personality for aster ( who's soul still managed to survive the possession and lay dormant inside of ratatosk while he used aster's original body as a host of sorts ): however, ratatosk is fully suppressing it. thus, making the weakling known as emil and from this 'emil's eyes are always red': for either 'personality' cover is still ratatosk. think of it as using any means to gain the upper hand in any situation.

in regards to the game's end and the choices given: 'emil' slays himself. serving as both a way to cut all ties and contact with marta and allowing him to just exist as ratatosk once more ( in doing so, it manages to spilt aster’s soul from himself and allows himself to be sealed along with ritcher ): the two of them directly act as spiritual medium between the centurion spirits, the summon spirits, and kratos. aster and ritcher live within the ginnungagap’s one-off pocket dimension crafted by origin. a special shoutout to @/asterites who let me info dump and traded ideas about this while on discord lol so i could finally flesh out some more world building ♡

[osovereign]

❝ ☆ — DERRIS-KHARLAN / i.

the folks that speculate that say that kratos parts the world of aselia at the end of the game on derris-kharlan just to abandon lloyd i feel is severely incorrect. kratos was taking responsibility for his actions as a leader of an organization that had been committing systemized genocide for the last four thousand years. ( with not wanting to face the whole 'living' thing ): and that it’s nothing but an empty wasteland make me wonder if people played the same game because it’s directly stated multiple times that there’s a good billion people living there in tales of phantasia in-game and other official material and that was largely thanks to kratos. derris-kharlan was already full of half-elves / angels during the events of tales of symphonia. the people of welgiga are the ancestors to the inhabits we see during the events of phantasia. kratos took the remaining desians and the angels, people who many thought were beyond saving, and gave them a place to actually live without the fear of discrimination. in a way, kratos actually fulfilled martel's dying words without having to sacrifice anymore lives or split the world apart to do so. kratos, who had spent countless millennia helping to bring so much pain and hatred into aselia. it was the perfect ending to an old man who just wanted to do what was right once again.

his decision to leave was utterly selfless. he is someone that had spent the past four thousand years of being incredibly selfish, of trying to give mithos his sister back, for trying to fix mistake after mistake by continuing to go down his damned path, for failing to see the error of his ways until he encountered his own flesh and blood again. by helping in finding a way for a human, for lloyd to wield the eternal sword and putting a stop to the reign of mithos and cruxis overall was the first step of his atonement--he was again, taking responsibility in guiding the marginalized group of people of derris-kharlan to an existence of peace and assisting in finding a home away from the world where they could never be accepted and wouldn't be for aeons.

it was such a difficult decision for both him and lloyd ( because god, all kratos wanted was any of his family back ): cruxis had messed with so much and took so much for everyone else. the scene in dirk's home when lloyd is given one sword from each of his fathers it is such a beautiful moment. he dual wields blades and wears the exsphere of his mother. all the love that his parental figures had for him was materialized for him in that moment and it also served to let kratos know that lloyd would be alright. then, after the final battle kratos watched lloyd take charge and save the world--he corrected four thousand plus years of injustice, more than the kharlan heros ever did. he saw lloyd as a fully grown adult whom could make his own decisions ( who had been making his own decision since the beginning of the game ): plus, yuan was the guardian to the great tree. truly, he did a good thing by leaving and it shows just how much he’s grown as a character throughout the game and how much he’s come to respect and understand his own son. kratos was so sad but him leaving: it was the right decision and would always be the right decision. it is the best possible thing that could have happened at the end of the game because it is kratos starting to follow his own beliefs in what he believes is right and just, not someone else's ideals.