Anchros.

The voice in his mind awoke Anchros Stormsinger. He recognized it as belonging to Tharin Stormsinger, the Founder. Tharin was one of two former Farseers living in Anchros' mind who referred to him by his first name. The other was Anchros' former teacher, Ulsan Starborn, who had only recently met his death at the hands of Rhame the Defiled. Rhame had led a human army in the name of Slaanesh, and he hoped to attack the craftworld of Iyanden; the timely intervention of Xerim prevented the assault, but not without cost. Anchros had seen Rhame's chainaxe cut through his master's helmet, killing him instantly. At that point, Anchros became lost on the Path of the Seer, killing Rhame with Farseer Starborn's witchblades. He had kept his mentor's weapons and sworn to use them to protect Xerim.

Anchros shook his head to clear his mind of reminiscences. Now that he was Farseer, he saw the past and future as a shaken, disjointed mass of images and emotions. He had been reliving the Battle of Gorm, and this memory was unhappy. Yes, Founder?

Are you adjusting well to your newfound abilities?

Anchros sat up and put a hand to his head, closing his eyes once more. Have you woken me simply to make small talk? Although I respect you, Founder, I do not appreciate being deprived of sleep. I need as much as I can find. He worked tirelessly during the day, attending to matters of state, leading his Warlocks in battle discipline, and honing his mind and body for hours on end. Through studying Xerim's archives and speaking to the other Farseers sharing his head, Anchros hoped to become a force worthy of bearing the name "Stormsinger."

I merely want you to be alert for an occurrence in the near future. But I speak not of your door.

"My door…?" mumbled Anchros aloud.

Sure enough, a knock came at the door to Anchros' quarters. Anchros got up from his bed to answer the call. There was a messenger outside. "Pardon me for awakening you, Farseer, but Freyan Forgeblade asked that you be summoned."

"Freyan? Please wait here for a moment." Anchros closed the door and retrieved an orange robe emblazoned with the rune of the Farseer. He fastened a belt around his waist after putting on the robe and retrieved his staff of office. The staff had been used by every Farseer since the Founder, and Anchros was not about to break a time-honored tradition even though he did not need it. Anchros then met the messenger and asked him to lead the way. While the other Eldar took him to Freyan, Anchros wondered why the Ranger would need to see him. Freyan and his Rangers had been sent on a quest to retrieve the spirit stones of those who had fallen during the Battle of Gorm and bring back the body of Ulsan Starborn. Freyan knew where the Infinity Circuit was, and putting Farseer Starborn's body in the Dome of Crystal Seers could have waited until the morning. This had to be important for Freyan to feel as though he must wake the Farseer and, presumably, the Autarch, their friend Remil Iyegar.

As Anchros suspected, he found Remil standing in the room with a stoic, sitting Freyan. The messenger who delivered Anchros to the room left the three friends alone together. Freyan's hands were clasped in front of his face. His brown hair was done in the style of his Path, pulled back into a ponytail. He turned his head to reveal the wraithbone eyepiece he had in place of his left eye. It was granted to him upon his becoming a Ranger. The eyepiece reminded Anchros of his own deformity: the scar left by his mentor's fusion of a psychic rune into Anchros' body. Freyan said flatly, "Farseer Stormsinger. Thank you for seeing me so late."

Remil went over to the table and sat down across from Freyan. "Please, Freyan. We may be your rulers, but Anchros and I are also your friends. Ysalia said she's told you this before. Don't be so formal."

Freyan did not relax his pose. "Very well. Remil. Anchros. My brothers and I found a strange Eldar community while returning from Gorm."

Remil looked at Freyan quizzically. "Strange? In what manner?"

"They live on a planet, but it's far from all known Exodite worlds. And although they welcomed us and asked us to stay, we remained only long enough to replenish our bodies. I felt a presence there that discomforted me."

Anchros furrowed his brow. "What sort of presence?"

"A malevolent one. But it was not Slaanesh. Not Chaos. And that's not all. Teren, the one who piloted our vessel through the webway, said we were pulled forcibly from it onto this strange planet, which they call Eldamen."

Remil looked to Anchros. "Surely that would require a familiarity with the Warp afforded not even to you."

"Very true, Remil. This means the entity which pulled you from the webway has a high likelihood of Warp origin."

"Possibly," replied Freyan, "but I see another possibility."

Anchros, of course, saw many possibilities, but he wondered which of these Freyan had considered. "And what is this possibility, Freyan?"

"Their chieftain may have psychic power beyond that of our greatest Seers." Freyan eyed Anchros grimly. "He may even have more power than you, Anchros."

Remil's face contorted in angry disbelief. "What! Freyan, be reasonable! That cannot possibly be true; Anchros defeated an enemy even his own mentor could not, and further –"

"Remil." Anchros placed a hand on his shoulder. "I am powerful, but not even I can isolate an object moving at the speed of thought and pull it from the Warp into real space. We clearly are faced with a force with power greater than mine."

"And the chieftain is not necessarily more powerful than Anchros," Freyan pointed out. "I said he may have more power. We do not know."

"However, I do know how we could find the answer." Anchros had a strange feeling deep within himself. It was a mixture of foreboding and optimism.

"Anchros," began Remil slowly, "please tell me you aren't considering going to Eldamen."

"What choice do we have, Remil? These are potential allies."

"Allies? Allies?" Remil took hold of Anchros' shoulders. "Did you not hear Freyan? He said he felt a malevolent presence! You would risk walking into its lair?"

"The presence may be exclusive of the planet Eldar, and they may need our help in removing it. There is very little we know for certain regarding this situation. We could disguise the excursion as a diplomatic mission."

Remil considered this for a moment, opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again. To Anchros, it looked as though his friend was attempting to formulate an argument against visiting the planet Eldar. Finally, Remil's face shifted to an expression of surrender. "Very well. We shall decide on the details of this voyage in the morning."

Meanwhile, night had fallen on the planet of Eldamen. Dellerath Ran'tel, chieftain of the inhabitant Eldar community, looked at the sparkling sky. Thanks to the recent boost in his psychic power, he could sense events of great portent on the horizon. There would come Eldar from beyond Eldamen, weary travelers of the stars. He and his people would welcome the so-called "craftworlders" into their fold. Their millennia-long journey would end on Eldamen. No longer would they need to wander. Dellerath would allow them to rest forever with his community. There was a place for all at his table.

Dellerath, it is time.

I hear and obey.

The voice in Dellerath's head had never revealed its name, but his power stemmed from its source. Dellerath had made a bargain with the Voice. This bargain gave the Voice more power, and as the Voice's power increased, so did Dellerath's. The bargain was continual, so from time to time Dellerath needed to uphold his side of the contract again. The time had come once more. Dellerath knew what must be done. He found his daughter as he made his way to exit his home. She sat on the floor, sculpting figures of wood.

"Where are you going, Father?"

"An important matter requiring my immediate attention has come up, Hara. I will return before long." Dellerath could not allow her to know any specifics of what he was doing. This explanation would discourage questions.

"Please hurry back," she said with a concerned tone. "The night beasts will be out on the prowl."

Dellerath kissed Hara's forehead. "You needn't worry, dear."

Having put Hara at ease, Dellerath hurried to complete his mission. He contacted his four trusted followers psychically. Only they knew what he truly did on nights such as this. He commanded them to convene at the central nexus of the World Spirit, just outside of the village. They confirmed receiving the message. He hoped the work would go quickly this night. There was little difficulty in finding the house for which Dellerath searched. He knocked on the door.

Narn Drell answered the call. "Ah, Chieftain! Is something the matter?"

"I need you at the central World Spirit." Dellerath silently begged him not to question why.

"Certainly," Drell replied.

This will be too easy, thought Dellerath. Drell followed him dutifully to the arrangement of rune-inscribed stones which served as the center of Eldamen's World Spirit, the collection of the souls of Eldamen's deceased Eldar. Drell saw Dellerath's followers there and his muscles tensed. "Chieftain…?"

"Rest easy, Drell," said Dellerath as he prepared to draw one of his knives. "I trust them completely. Just stand in the middle of the stones."

Drell complied. "Like this?" he asked.

"Yes. Now…"

Dellerath closed the distance to Drell in an impossibly small amount of time and ran a knife across his throat. He proceeded to drive the knife into Drell's skull before plunging a different blade into his heart. With a third knife, Dellerath bisected Drell's torso. When Drell hit the stone beneath him, Dellerath removed the knives. A wispy, translucent light escaped from Drell's corpse and entered the surrounding stones through their engraved runes. Dellerath felt a surge of power and fell onto his hands and knees, panting. He looked up at his followers. "Dispose of the body," he ordered. They nodded in unison and removed Drell from the central World Spirit.

"Who are you," whispered Dellerath aloud.

You have served me well enough so far that I may tell you, replied the Voice. But you must swear to remain silent about my identity.

"Of course."

I am Ynnead, god of the dead. Each soul that unites with the Eldar planets' World Spirits and the craftworlds' Infinity Circuits gives me power. When every last Eldar has died, I will finally have enough power to awaken and defeat Slaanesh.

"Every Eldar…?"

It would behoove you to heed my words, Dellerath. You must be my hand on this plane. You must speed my coming, that She Who Thirsts may meet her end. Begin with Eldamen. Then move to the craftworlds and Exodite worlds. It will take time. But I give my word to protect you as long as you are doing my work. You cannot fail.

"As you command, Ynnead."

Dellerath stood up and adjusted his clothing. He returned to his home. Hara was still carving. She looked at him and smiled. "Thank goodness you've returned, Father. I was beginning to worry." She embraced him. As Dellerath held her, he hoped there was no lingering smell of blood on his clothing.

They let go. Dellerath said, "I must retire for the night, Hara. It is late."

"Very well, Father. Sleep well."

"I shall."

In truth, Dellerath had doubts if he would sleep well. Ynnead told him he would need to kill every Eldar living on Eldamen. This troubled him. Could he really kill his own daughter? Hara was the only reminder he had of his wife, passed a long time before. She looked so much like her mother that sometimes it hurt. Dellerath shook his head. He need not confront his daughter's death prematurely.

Still, sleep did not come easily.

Anchros and Remil studied the Xerimites they would be bringing with them to Eldamen. It was decided that Exarchs would be unpredictable in a diplomatic situation, so military was exempt from the selection. However, Remil arranged to have a few units of Swooping Hawks and Warp Spiders in reserve for the possibility of a battle. If trouble arose, Anchros could send a mental message to the Exarchs to speed to Eldamen with all haste.

Anchros had decided that half of the Seer Council would be best to bring with them, so he chose the three oldest: Fereth Girlan, Krenn Terrel, and Iyen Ras. Freyan chose two of his Rangers to go with him: Teren Ras, pilot and nephew to Iyen, and Minel Farsight, one of Xerim's few female Rangers. Ysalia would also be making the journey. Remil suggested to Anchros that some of Xerim's more common citizens go to Eldamen as well. Anchros must have foreseen this, because he had already decided upon five Eldar. He'd chosen a family consisting of a father, mother, and daughter: Ynas, Laen, and Narima Nightwalker, respectively. Ynas had once walked the Path of the Scorpion, but he now concerned himself with agriculture. Laen helped her husband. Narima was still young, but it would soon be time for her to choose her Path. The other two were Enthol Nesam, a sculptor, and Rhea Pandim, a weaver. Remil was satisfied with the choices and the landing party was gathered. Although Anchros had some misgivings about placing civilians in a potentially dangerous situation, he felt that he needed them.

Traveling through the webway to Eldamen did not take long. As they landed on the planet's surface, Anchros began to see conflicting images of the future. Sometimes he saw bright sunlight, with feelings of hope, goodwill, and the pride of victory. The Eldar of Xerim lived on Eldamen in harmony among the others of their species. Remil and Ysalia married, Freyan was no longer stern and serious, and Anchros lived out his life in peace. Sometimes he saw a sky black with smoke and death, coupled with feelings of loss, grief, and anger. He watched Remil lead an army of Aspect Warriors in destroying Xerim from the inside out. A village, presumably on Eldamen, burned as Freyan held Ysalia's dead body. The length and vividness of the darker visions led him to believe that such tragic futures were more likely than the bright ones.

Finally, he saw himself pitting his mental strength against that of an Eldar of Eldamen. Behind his opponent, he saw a dark presence from the Warp. The presence lent strength to Anchros' foe, and, using this might, he disarmed Anchros and forced him to the ground. He cackled wildly as he raised Ulsan Starborn's witchblades and drove them into Anchros' stomach. Anchros watched this villain destroy all other Eldar, be they Exodites, craftworlders, pirates, or Outcasts. His power only grew as more Eldar died. When at last all Eldar had died by his hand, the strange enemy killed himself, bringing forth an entity which would destroy Slaanesh. This Warp entity was no doubt Ynnead, the God of the Dead.

However, made even more powerful by the Great Enemy's destruction, it would then destroy the other gods of Chaos before enslaving the other races. The God of the Dead would take the fragments of Kaela Mensha Khaine and make them whole for the sole purpose of killing the Bloody-Handed God. Humanity would die in a futile attempt to resist assimilation. Ynnead would absorb the psychic power of their Emperor. The Orks' unstable, simple minds would be destroyed simply by close proximity to Ynnead's armies. It would inspire fear in the Necrons. Their evil gods, the C'tan, would be as nothing next to Ynnead. The Tau would hope to succeed where all other species had failed, but these hopes would die by Ynnead's hand. The Tyranids would flee, but Ynnead would find them.

Cegorach, the Laughing God who led the Harlequins, would hide from Ynnead in the Warp, as he had from Slaanesh. He would be the last living entity in the entire universe. In a battle with Ynnead, Cegorach would sacrifice himself to revive the Phoenix Lords. What small remnants of material space which still existed would serve as the battleground for the Rhana Dandra. Ynnead would destroy the Phoenix Lords one by one until only Fuegan remained. Fuegan would surrender himself to the Warp, destroying the material universe. Because the Warp cannot exist with real space, both would collapse into nothingness, bringing a premature end to everything.

Anchros shook his head violently to excise this troubling view of the future. They were once more in real space, entering Eldamen's atmosphere. Teren landed the vessel in a large field near the only sign of civilization on the planet. As the Xerimites disembarked, they were met by an Eldar wearing a robe which probably denoted some rank of importance.

He greeted the craftworlders as a collective. "Welcome to Eldamen! I saw your ship descending from the sky and felt the presence of other Eldar. My name is Dellerath Ran'tel, and I am the chieftain of the nearby village." He smiled. "Which of you is the leader?"

Anchros stepped forward, followed by Remil. "My name is Anchros Stormsinger. I am the Farseer of Xerim. This," he said, indicating Remil, "is our Autarch, Remil Iyegar. We rule Xerim jointly. I attend to most of the matters of state, and Remil commands the military."

Dellerath clapped his hands. "We are happy to have you here on Eldamen. If you would allow me to show you to the village…?"

Dellerath brought the craftworld Eldar to the settlement over which he ruled and toured them through it. Anchros became steadily more uneasy as he listened to Dellerath's voice. Then he realized he recognized it. Dellerath was the Eldar who had called forth Ynnead in his visions. Although he had no proof that these things would come to pass, Anchros would need to be cautious of Dellerath.

Would the end of all things begin on Eldamen?

If so, Xerim would need to stop it.