Two paths lay before Kratos.
The Past
His selfish indulgences. His reckless abandonment. His self-destructive behavior. His greatest peak of power. All of it was laid out before Kratos on a bed of nails. It was his past in which Kratos had been his strongest. He led armies. Conquered nations. Killed gods. Kratos was the most feared entity of his time. Each challenger was destroyed, no matter the power they held. Even the seemingly immortal Sisters of Fate -- whose control of time itself -- could not bind Kratos.
But he had changed... hadn't he?
He had forgiven himself for his past. He had reconciled with his family. He had even found a line of his own blood in the very war he was fighting right now. So then, what did the future offer him?
The Future
A... cradle? A woman. A boy. A giant serpent. A winged warrior. A blue... dwarf? Two blue dwarves. A mountain. A forest. An axe.
This axe. It was very cold. He could feel the magic of this weapon running through his fingertips as he gripped the pommel tightly. It felt so natural to wield it. It was second nature only to breathing. It was familiar. But it wasn't the only familiar weapon present. His blades--no. Athena's blades. Even Athena herself was present. They followed him into this new world. His past had lingered, long and far away. Kratos lament was obvious as he glared at the two paths laid before him.
The past gave him power. He would be at his strongest if he turned back. But the future...
The future brought his path with him. Nothing had changed. He was still the same monster. But he would be a monster of the past no more. Kratos made his choice and reached forward to the future.