The first thing Malos does when the rubble's out of the way is run to Anna's side, which Kratos can't exactly say he expected to go any differently. He has half a mind to follow the man, but for some reason it seems his feet are rooted to the ground. Anna is alive. She is alive, she is alive, even though he never thought he'd see her again--

(You never thought you'd see Martel again and she's the one in the cannon)

Kratos' eyes slide away from his wife, taking in the two faces he doesn't recognize. Actually. Just one face. The girl who's talking to Lloyd is a stranger, but the blade on his knees in the dirt, still glowing with expent ether-- that's Zelos. Tethe'alla's artificial Aegis. A lot of things quite suddenly click together in Kratos' mind, and with them quite a large handful of questions.

But first--

Realizing he is still holding his sword, which has every right to make the Aegis nervous, Kratos lets his weapon disolve again into ether and holds his hands up in a gesture of peace. The Aegis has nothing to fear from him.

"Right, now for getting out of here," Malos says, though Kratos does not take his eyes off of Zelos. "I can carry Anna--"

"That's a bad idea," Kratos interjects before he thinks, like he's a man five years younger, like the weight of unnecessary grief doesn't still sit on his shoulders.

"Irvings aren't exactly known for good ones," Malos counters, which Kratos concedes. "I'll be alright, though. Zelos, you good to walk?"