"A vision, of what’s to come? Poor Senua. The darkness does not bargain. It does not reason. It is rot. And now it has taken hold, it will spread towards her head, the seat of the soul, until there is nothing left of her. The hardest battles are fought in the mind. That is what Dillion taught her. With every defeat, the dark rot will grow and soon it will take her soul. But, for now at least, she still has control of her mind. And she will fulfil her vow, whatever the cost."
— The Narrator
"Once again, Hel is reaching deep inside of her. Stormy seas and lost souls. She’s dreamt of this before...They say dreams are visions of our memories, thoughts and fears as seen by our inner eye. Is this what Hel is? A world shaped by Senua’s nightmares? But what if each one of us is always dreaming even when awake? And we only see what our inner eye creates for us? Maybe that’s why people feared seeing the world through her eyes. Because if you believe Senua's reality is twisted, you must also accept yours might be too..."
— The Narrator
"Hel will not give you the answers you want. But you mustn't look away from the horror it does offer, because you cannot overcome suffering if you refuse to look at it!"
— Druth
Druth: The northmen made fire sacrifices, burning slaves like me, to reveal the path to Surt. I searched for the meaning in their suffering, in their eyes, but they just screamed like helpless pigs! Do your gods answer your prayers, Senua? I asked the gods for mercy, all of them, even theirs, but none answered! In the end I set myself free. I say defy the gods! Find your own path like I found mine!
Senua: My gods abandoned me. I am alone.
Druth: The Northmen of Hel worship the devourers, insatiable gods of darkness. I come from Éirinn, Senua, where I once followed my own gods, the Tuatha Dé Danann.
Senua: How did you lose your gods?
Druth: Senua... I was a man of knowledge, not a warrior. To survive... I did things, bad things. Like you Senua, the man I once was has died. And when that happens, even the gods you worship can die with you. You say your world has collapsed? Good. Let it collapse and have the courage to shed your tears. Raze your world to the ground!
Senua: My world has died!
Druth: Only then, as a newborn, you will see the world anew.
Senua: No... I see nothing now.
Druth: Once I found my purpose...I was no longer enslaved to suffering I had to endure to reach it. Unclouded by fear, I could see it clearly in others... even my captors feared the fire of Surt! And so during one raid, I took my chance and ran, knowing that they would not follow! The fool ran into fire! Ha, ha, ha, ha...! they left me for dead... Maybe they were right to... But here I am: free! Senua, if I can survive the fire of Surt, and escape my darkness then so can you!
"In this waking nightmare where all dreams come true...
You searched for control, a way to pull through...
When you were in love you left him in tears
To smother your furies and banish your fears...
But in darkness they came, through stormy black seas
They raided these shores... Do you still hear his screams?
And now... that you're home... he's so far away...
They've taken his soul... To these gods you cannot pray...
They can break you, but not your promise.
Even death won't keep you apart.
Through this darkness you will find him.
In your sword still beats - a heart.
You fought for love unspoiled by your darkness within.
You fought for your dreams, now there is no way to win.
In the head of his corpse lies the seat of his soul,
So you must carry his vessel and bring him back home."
You searched for control, a way to pull through...
When you were in love you left him in tears
To smother your furies and banish your fears...
But in darkness they came, through stormy black seas
They raided these shores... Do you still hear his screams?
And now... that you're home... he's so far away...
They've taken his soul... To these gods you cannot pray...
They can break you, but not your promise.
Even death won't keep you apart.
Through this darkness you will find him.
In your sword still beats - a heart.
You fought for love unspoiled by your darkness within.
You fought for your dreams, now there is no way to win.
In the head of his corpse lies the seat of his soul,
So you must carry his vessel and bring him back home."
— The Darkness/Zynbel
"The darkness touched you. Everyone could see it in the hollows of your eyes, a gaze averted from life. You ran from it but brought it nearer. Led it to him. An endless suffering worse than death. And you wanted to surrender? Abandon him to find peace with the gods? No. The darkness won’t allow it. So you will walk into the lair of the beast, look it in the eye - and you will go to war. This is your mission. This is your quest. There is nothing else left. The gods made you a warrior for a reason! It’s your calling. Why suffer the past, when there is a new road ahead? The only one that makes any sense..."
— The Darkness/Zynbel
"In the Sea of Corpses, the corpse-wave threw itself over the ones I loved! The ship broke up under them, the ship that had sailed from the land of shining fields! Their memorial stone is secret. Come not here in the sun! Come not with a sword! Come not crying over a naked corpse! Come not with disturbed mind!"
— Druth
"Do you hear their suffering, Senua? Does your precious gift of sight let you see the souls that rot here in this Sea of Corpses? Do you feel the blood running cold on your skin? Do you hear their endless cries? Do you smell their putrid wounds? They were once brothers, sisters and loved ones and look - at what you - have done - to them! All because you were a coward. Because you ran from your curse instead of facing it! When you turned your back on your father, Zynbel, you turned your back on the gods and let the darkness wreak havoc on your people! Why must they pay for your heresy! / Why do you still fight on? Maybe you too should suffer with your brethren in this rot and let your blood seep into the seas and rivers of Hel. Isn’t that what you deserve after all you've done? Give the darkness what it wants. Let it swallow your soul and destroy all that you are... Why are you fighting for someone who is already dead...? Just look around you... What hope is there for him even if his soul could be rescued, do you think he would thank you for what you have done to him, to his friends, to his father...?! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha..."
— The Darkness/Zynbel
"For every battle won, a greater battle takes its place and so it goes until we fall. And in the end we all fall. Even the gods have their time..."
— Druth
The Darkness/Zynbel: She has nothing to fear anymore. The gods have saved your mother through my hands.
Senua: You killed her...
The Darkness: It is the will of the gods.
Senua: FUCK THE GODS! YOU DID THIS TO HER! WHY?!
The Darkness: This is what happens when you listen to the voices of the underworld. They crawl into your soul and rot you from the inside. Defy the gods like your mother, and the darkness will come for you too. Do you understand, Senua?
Senua: I do understand. You cursed me with your own madness! I was just a child... You created this darkness! You created this darkness, so you could hide behind it!
The Darkness: Only suffering brings salvation. It is the way of the gods.
Senua: It was all a lie. You are a lie! She didn’t defy the gods. She defied you! And so you killed her.
The Darkness: You didn’t pray to the gods. You prayed to your mother. Your mother, who was too weak to fight the darkness and abandoned you.
Senua: You tortured her! You killed her! You are the darkness! You would have killed me too! Now I know what you are, I won’t let you hurt me anymore!
The Darkness: Those rituals. The years of isolation. The pain that still haunts you. It was the only way to fight the curse within you. The darkness is inside you and it will destroy you!
Senua: YOU'RE A LIAR!
The Darkness: No Senua. The darkness is here. You cannot wish it away. And it will watch as you draw your last dying gasp.
Senua: I won’t let you kill me! I can see through your darkness! You’re a liar and a murderer! And if you really are Hela, THEN I HAVE A SWORD HERE THAT CAN KILL A GOD!
The Darkness/Zynbel: Look at you... Running forward but moving backwards to wallow in your miserable past. You’re making a mistake searching for Dillion. The same mistake that killed him in the first place!
Senua: You took him from me! You’re a liar!
The Darkness: I am trying to save you from yourself. Do you still believe it is a lie? The plague of darkness? The butchering of Dillion by the northmen? You saw it yourself.
Senua: You told everyone I was cursed! They believed you! I believed you!
The Darkness: Tell me, Senua... Where is Dillion’s soul if the darkness is a lie? How will you save him?
Senua: He’s here! I know he’s here! Dillion! I know you’re here! Hold on! I’ll find you! Dillion! Where is he?! You’re trying to trick me again with your lies! I know he’s here! You took him from me! You have him!
The Darkness: Dillion is gone. Dillion is dead. Let him go now. I’m warning you...
Senua: OR WHAT?! What can you do to me that you haven’t already?! FIGHT ME! COME ON!
The Darkness: You betrayed your own father, you betrayed the gods. In search of Dillion... In search of love... Look where that’s got you... Let go of your battle... Let go of redemption... Let go of Dillion... Don’t let your darkness hurt anyone else...
"If you are a lie... And there is no darkness... Then you never took him from me, did you? And I can’t save Dillion... Is that what you want me to believe?! After all you have done to me?! To him?! You’re not a lie. But you are a liar! You’ve crawled into me, to confuse and deceive me. But I know he’s here. I know you have him. I will give you my life. That’s what you want isn’t it? My soul. Take it! I’ll be your... I’ll be your slave warrior. I’ll fight with you at Ragnarök... If you release him. But if you won’t... Then you will have to kill me! Because I have nothing left. No fear... No hate... No quest... Nothing. And you will have no power over me..."
— Senua
"I learnt the hard way to not be afraid of death, Senua. Because a life without loss is one without love. Turn your back on death and you only see the shadow that it casts. The longer you hide from it, the longer the shadow grows, until all you can see is darkness. When our time comes, we must look death in the eye and embrace it as a friend. Only then can we let go fear, and emerge from our darkness."
— Dillion
"Never forget what it is like to see the world as a child, Senua: where every autumn leaf is a work of art; every rolling cloud, a moving picture; every day a new story. We too emerge from this magic, like a wave from the ocean, only to return back to the sea. Do not mourn the waves, the leaves and the clouds. Because even in darkness the wonder and beauty of the world never leaves. It's always there, just waiting to be seen again."
— The Narrator/Galena
"Tawol Athodu, Ek Erilaz,
Owlthuthewaz, Niwaremariz,
Saawilagar, Hateka Harja.*
Tawol Athodu! Ek Erilaz!
Owlthuthewaz! Niwaremariz!
Saawilagar! Hateka Harja!
Tawol Athodu! Ek Erilaz!
Owlthuthewaz! Niwaremariz!
Saawilagar! Hateka Harja!
TAWOL! ATHODU! EK ERILAZ!
OWLTHUTHEWAZ! NIWAREMARIZ!
SAAWILAGAR! HATEKA HARJA! HI-HA HUUUUUUUUU...! AGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH...!"
*("Come, guest Tyr for this invocation,
I, the Rune Master, servant of Odin,
Call upon the one of the Sun to aid our army.")
— Senua
