A/N: This story has been completely rewritten to work out plot, lore, and logistical errors, if you wish to read the original, please PM me.
Yeah so I'm a terrible liar. I have thought of a way to keep the readers of this story entertained while I work on TBTWBE, my other story which will proceed first chronologically and then technically when that story reaches its halfway point, this story will begin. However I decided that a three chapter prologue would be best suited to set the stage for what's coming when I start writing this story again.
Once again, you have ANY questions whatsoever-direct them to my PM box, leaving questions in the review section will not earn you a response like most authors do.
This story is technically set in the future of "The Boy That Would Be Emperor" or more specifically, TBTWBE's halfway point. I have decided to write this story as is and because of that, it will contain several key references to the future of TBTWBE, so I advise you to read carefully.
Once again, credit goes to VengefulMANonMission for the original story of "Phoenix King of the Eldar", wherever you are, I'm honored you let me adopt this story.
This is Part I of II of the prologue.
The world of Asur was a shadow of its former self, eternally bathed in low to total darkness since the Father of Scorpions had betrayed his former home by allowing daemons onto its sacred ground in a fit to attain unlimited power.
The cost to repel him had been enormous and Asur was now desolate save for ruins of Asurmen's first temples dedicated to . The air was thin and only the most fit could breath normally as little plant life was left in the nearly barren world. There were no bodies of water, long since boiled away by the wars fought to ironically keep them intact in the first place. The curse of Arrha remained on his former homeworld.
It was then that sleek black form shot across the star filled sky, a haze of black shadows following it has it traveled faster than any mortal pair of eyes could track. The haze of black shadows could only be seen for an instant against the backdrop of the stars and the occasional moon as it raced across the sky towards a deep valley beginning to appear below it.
At the appearance of the valley, the haze shot down sharply at an angle that would kill any mortal by any physical standard and then leveled out mere feet from the level ground, leaving a trail of dust, sand, and ash in its wake. It was then that one could have noticed a light emerging from the back of it as it flew across the plateau and then dove into the valley.
The shadowy haze slowed down considerably as it entered the valley, the haze of shadows beginning to cluster around the epicenter that began to take the shape of a sleek craft with wings near the back but were swept back so to speak as it jetted through the middle of the narrow valley. The aircraft traveled through the valley when all of a sudden a massive hole came into view even in the near eternal darkness. Fog and air appeared were being sucked into it like a vacuum into space.
Contrary to what most would do, the craft jerked violently and angled itself into the hole just as part of its wings swept forward from its back wings, essentially making it a four-winged craft.
The hole was not simple a hole, jagged spikes of rocket and pure metal jutted out from the walls, threatening to run right into the aircraft. The haze of shadows solidified around the plane as it began to twist and turn so quickly that it almost seemed like there were multiple versions of the craft while the main one simply flew forward.
Its movements were simply too fast to track, the rock formations seemed to be no hindrance as the craft masterfully maneuvered around them even in a tunnel barely able to contain it, its engines flaring and glowing to push it into directions and speeds that would have destroyed any other craft.
Then, the tunnel ended and the aircraft stopped maneuvering as it leveled out once more, flying above a giant cover of fog. It flew on for a while more before the black aircraft inverted, its canopy opened, and a sleek black figure dropped away into the fog as the aircraft righted itself and pulled up towards a cruising altitude.
The diving figure broke through the cloud cover, not once flinching or flailing before it rolled itself into a ball and spun once before impacting the ground with a massive force, kicking up dust and material as a small crater formed where it had landed.
Slowly, the King of Eagles rose from his impact point as the dust and sand settled. He crouched down again before snapping his muscles and vaulted out of the crater and landing gracefully even as he began to walk across the ground away from his landing site.
Clad in a sleek black body suit with a variety of runes etched into its geometry, the King of Eagles walked calmly across the level field as if nothing was wrong in the world. His dark grey ghost helm had two eagle wings laying flat against its sides that curved upwards towards the sky and the back of his helmet was narrowed to a point behind him. His face plate was flat and otherwise plain except for the fact that at the level where his eyes would be, a single red dot traveled back and forth horizontally across his helmet in a strip of digital material, regardless if his actual eyes where following the dot or not behind his helm.
The King of Eagles walked calmly, passing ruined structures of temples and wraithbone structures now withering away to dust without their proper care. It was strange to call this place home but nevertheless it was, no matter how ruined it was.
He stopped suddenly.
There had been a sudden shift in the winds, only one other person could have done that.
He looked up.
Descending from the clouds like an dark angel from the heaven, the Cry of the Wind was slowly coming to the ground, the jump jets on the back side of his massive Hawk's wings where flared only lightly to give an ample amount of thrust to keep him from mimicking the King of Eagles landing only a couple of minutes earlier.
The Hawk came down on one foot in front of the Eagle pilot, the two no more than a foot or two away.
Then as if by cue, the two of them reached out with their right arms and slapped them onto each other's shoulders in a symbol of greeting.
It was the Hawk that broke the silence that had covered Asur, "Long time it has been since you have returned home Harakht."
The King of Eagles cocked his head and replied, "Few, not even the clowns of the Laughing God are able to catch me in order to even tell me that I must return home."
"Is that a challenge?" asked the Hawk, exhaling and allowing his flexible wings to expand and retract.
"It could be." said Amon Harakht but he shook his head, "Now is not the time."
Their hands left each other's shoulders as Baharroth nodded, "Then the servants of Cegorach found you."
"Yes." Harakht replied, "They did inform me that they wished to have me be apart of an audience."
"Strange, only one of them found me, as well as our brothers and sister." The Hawk replied as he stepped out of the way and began walking alongside the Eagle pilot.
"It took many of them to track me down." Harakht said and slowly turned his head to Baharroth and continued, "Even the mortal servants of the Great Fool of trouble traversing the edges of the galaxy whereas I have traveled it for centuries."
"You would tempt the Laughing God?" asked Baharroth.
"I have no quarrel with the Laughing God." Harakht replied sharply before looking forward and calling out, "Isn't that right...Shade of Twilight."
Suddenly, the air directly in front of Harakht began to shimmer and dissipate as a holo-field disengaged and pulled back around the fabric of air less than a couple inches away from the Eagle pilot's face-revealing a dark grey ghostly helm with twin glowing blue eyes. The holo-field finally stopped shimmering as the rest of the Shade of Twilight came into view.
He was floating upside down with his presentient robes reaching forth like tentacles to probe the helmet of his brother the Eagle pilot. The Lord of the Shadow Spectres' sophisticated jet pack was nearly silent in the still air as he slowly turned right side up while his robes still reached out to drag themselves across Harakht's helm, the Eagle pilot didn't seem to mind.
"Longer than I have been sleeping in ice, you have been gone. What stories you must have of the void...Eagle." Irillyth's ghostly voice almost hinted sarcasm. The Shade's robes retracted and he lowered himself to the ground, the Spear of Twilight slung across his back diagonally and almost appearing to dwarf the massive Phoenix Lord himself.
"That makes two of us brother, what do you dream of in ice?" Harakht asked.
If the dust-filled animated armor of Irillyth had a face, he would have smiled at the joke but instead he replied, "I dream of my spear rending the enemies of our kin and murdering enemy armor...but lamentation has cast a cold shadow over these once joyous dreams."
"A shadow has been cast over us all." The Cry said, looking between his two brothers.
Irillyth replied, "You speak of the final battle, it indeed approaches, no matter what mortals think they can do to stave it off."
"It is not of a concern to me." Harahkt waved off Irillyth's ominous words, "Rhana Dandra is already upon us."
With that, the three Asurya were silent for the rest of their walk forward, seemingly walking in a pre-destined path but the end was nowhere in sight. Soon, the fog parted in front of them and they were met by the sight of a massive structure whose only remains seemed to be wraithbone pillars of different heights stretching skyward from a three step raised platform from the ground. It was rectangular in formation but the three Lords new this place by only one word.
Home.
While Irillyth and Baharroth lifted gently off the ground to avoid the steps, the Eagle pilot walked up them elegantly and stopped just beyond the first two pillars at the top of the stairs, his brothers landing beside him.
The others were already there.
"Welcome home King of Eagles." said the Hand of Asuryan from his throne at the back end of the ruined temple. He was not visible through the dense fog, but Harakht's unparalleled vision granted him the ability to make out his master's form just by the sound of his voice.
He looked to the left and the right.
The Harvester of Souls stood motionless like a statue in front of a pillar near the Hand's throne., his arms at his sides but they were still holding the deathly Maugetar in them as if he was standing watch over something. Harakht could see the Harvester's death filled eyes watching him even as the rest of his bone-like armor remained still. He could see Ra nod once at the King of Eagles, and he returned the gesture.
As the three newcomers passed the Harvester, the Shadow Hunter watched them from the top of a tall pillar above them to the left, preferring his ability to see the entirety of the temple as the rest of his brothers filed into the first temple of the Asurya.
While Irillyth and Baharroth split off the left and right suddenly to move to their respective spots in the temple, Harakht stopped when he met a flat wall of fog that he knew the Hand was behind, sitting in his throne at the helm of the temple.
But it wasn't the fog that stopped him.
Slowly and with an entrance that would have killed any weaker mortal soul on the spot, the Void Stalker emerged from the fog but not completely, only half of her body was extended out of the fog barrier. She was far taller than he was but it did not mean anything to the Eagle pilot, if anything her screaming white face mask and black grill should have killed mortals by the sheer sight of her. The massive black mane that extended from the back of her helmet curled downward around her Phoenix armor like a snake.
The Eagle pilot laid out a palm in greeting and the Storm of Silence laid hers in his while she said, "A homecoming a long time in the making."
"Not by my making it is not." Harakht replied.
"Why did you not wish to return?" she asked, beginning to circle him as her body fully emerged from the fog, Zhai Morenn was in her right hand while Jainas Mor was on her hip.
"The void held too many secrets and mysteries for me to simply pass by. My domain is in the sky and the void...where is yours?" Harakht asked, not turning his head to follow her.
"The battlefield, as should yours be." Jain-Zar replied, her mask leaning forward so that she exhaled onto Harakht's helm. In all honesty, this is why he did not like her.
Before he could reply, the fog behind the Storm of Silence suddenly parted to reveal the steps to the Hand of Asuryan's throne and the Hand himself. At the right hand of his throne was the Burning Lance, who was looking down onto the King of Eagles as well.
"Enough, the one who called us into audience is due to arrive soon." Asurmen said with a wave of his hand, and Harakht knew better than to argue with his master. He parted ways with Jain-Zar as they went to opposite ends of the temple but within visual range of the middle of the temple.
For now, the Phoenix Troupe was silent.
However, despite the lifeless state of Asur, a new figure was now dancing its way across the fields.
While the eyes of lesser creatures might simply recognize a simple multi-colored blur moving through the darkness, the figure was not running but in fact performing a series of magnificent flips and tumbles through the air. One might even say it was excited.
Suddenly, the figure came to a halt for a fleeting instant, and the eyes of a lesser creature may have caught the small checkered black and white holo-suit it wore trimmed by ribbons and sashes of red coming from the back of the suit. The top half figure's face was covered by a white mask showing but a small snippet of Rhana Dandra. Its lower face was open to the air and it had the most maniacal grin showing. The mysterious dancer's large orange mohawk was still as their was no wind to ruffle its hairs.
As soon as it had stopped, it began to move again, becoming a blur to the lesser eye.
"Home away from home..." the figure sighed as he tossed himself over a boulder.
The mysterious dancer danced along for a great while before finally coming upon a wall of fog that extended to the left and to the right as far as the eye could see. He had been holding his sword for a while now and deciding that since he was about to step onto ground as sacred as his service, he sheathed it on his flip belt and patted himself down to check he was clean.
He raised his arms and spread them out as if to speak to the fog, "I have arrived as I have been called!"
Nothing happened.
The dancer held his position and cleared his throat before repeating, "I have arrived as I have been called!"
Still nothing.
This time, the dancer's expression changed from one of happiness to a deep frown. He made a couple of pouting noises before dropping his arms and kneeling down on his right, bowing his head, and speaking an an ancient dialect of Eldritch in a whisper.
Almost immediately, the fog parted-revealing a multitude of wraithbone structures in various states of decay and disrepair.
He shook his head, "What a horrid place! To think that the Lords will still come here even after all these years..." he pranced forward through various paths and ditches, never staying in one place for more than a second. The only light came from his shimmering form as he vaulted his way over fallen pillars and broken walls.
Finally, he came to the place he was looking for and judging by the prints in the ground, he was right on time. The dancer pulled his vest closer to the middle of his body and dusted off his coat while tightening his belt. He called out to the ruined temple in front of him, "One moment please! I must look my best before entering the domain of my Lords!"
No one replied.
A few moments later, he sighed and clasped his hands behind his back before marching casually towards the steps and then up into the main platform. When his vision was focused, he immediately saw the closest two lord with their backs to their respective pillars-The Shade of Twilight and the Harvester of Souls stood motionless but looking straight at each other.
This time, the Harlequin could not help but feel a twinge of uneasement in the presence of such avatars of death and destruction, especially the Harvester because the worst feature about him was that he could practically feel his deadly eyes scanning him for reasons unknown. Nevertheless, the dancer straightened his spine and walked forward, passing the Shade and the Harvester and then the tall pillar where the Shadow Hunter was perched.
His heart dropped when he saw the two empty spots that would have been taken by the Spear of Starlight, and the Wraith Spider, missing for so long now that even the newly returned King of Eagles had not heard or seen them. His smile brightened when he saw the King of Eagles and the Storm of Silence standing in their respective places. It was only the second time he'd seen the King of Eagles in his lifetime, and that was far more than any Eldar ever got to see.
The fog was now clearing from the middle of temple and the Harlequin knelt down as the Burning Lance and the Hand of Asuryan came into view. Every single one of the Asurya was clad in their armor save Amon Harakht, whose spirit resided in his most unusual helmet, and not any armor.
"The Hand." The Harlequin said, bowing his head.
"Rise servant of the Great Fool." Asurmen replied. In the fogginess of a ruined temple, eight pairs of different colored eyes stared at a single figure standing in the middle of the platform.
"State your case." he continued.
This was the moment Motley had been waiting for for a while now. He stood up on his toes and puffed out his collar, puffing his lips as if to prepare for yet another Dance of Death. He took a single step back and bent his right leg while bowing and spreading his arms.
"My lord Asurmen...I would be delighted to tell you what I have learned..." he said, another grin growing on his face. Motley then proceeded to spin on his pivot foot while rearing his head back, "It has been some time before I spoken before so many Lords...least of all...my lord the Shade of Twilight, stuck for so long in a cold prison..." he said.
The massively armored figure with a flurry of probing robes hanging from its armor did not make a single movement, his purple monocles staring voids into the Harlequin as he floated put a couple inches off the ground.
Motley grinned, "Quite simply, my master has been unusually quiet these last couple passes but then again what use does he have for time? Only the Sun kings and even then are few of them...are allowed within his gloried presence.
The Phoenix troupe was silent.
The solitaire spread his arms, "You ask yourselves and your many past selves why would anything with the Laughing God have anything to do with the chosen of Asuryan and Khaine. My master has never preferred the brash and to-fro engagements that you revel in, he prefers the behind the scenes act with his foes...toying...and laughing."
Motley giggled and sighed, "Oh there were times when we had lost all hope...the triple woe of Iyanden...the humiliating defeats of Alaitoc...the invasions of multiple Craftworlds...and to what end? That we may buy ourselves a couple precious moments closer to Rhana Dandra?"
The mention of the final battle with Chaos did not unhinge the Asurya at all, but it was the Harvester of Souls that spoke, his voice coming as deep and as cold as death itself but still retaining its Eldar origins, "What do these woes of our kin have to do with your master?"
The harlequin turned elegantly on a single foot and bowed to Maugan Ra standing directly to his right, enveloped by fog but his massive form was visible through the fog layer that lay in front of each Asurya. When Motley stood back up he said, "My master always watches over his kin my Lord Ra...it may never seem like it, but aren't every single one of you...Asuryan made incarnate? My master can never take the material plane until the time is right, so he acts through us! Just as Asuryan acts through you."
Motley cocked his head upward and stroked his chin, "That being said, the Laughing God has finally decided to speak after such a long period of unusual silence...and he has directed me out of all his servants to address you...the Phoenix Troupe...for help."
"Help." The Shade of Twilight said, almost sounding sarcastic.
"Indeed, now you ask yourselves...why would the servants of the Laughing God ask the Phoenix Troupe for help? Not that it hasn't been done before but why now of all times? As you are well aware...the human seer has since departed from our home galaxy...such a pity. His loss has affected the Eldar that knew him, for he was a symbol unlike any other among his race." Motley said, crossing his hands behind his back and walking in a circle so that his eyes met every Phoenix Lord.
He turned sharply on his heels to face Asurmen, "But...that is why my master has been searching for so long...he has found our own...bright heart."
"Stop speaking in riddles clown, what has your master found?" the voice of Maugan Ra sounded above the still air.
Motley had to admit, he shivered a bit in the presence of he who had fallen the deepest into the grasp of the Bloody Handed one. Then again, what fear-feeling mortal couldn't have felt fear?
"He has found the spirit stone...not a spirit stone...the spirit stone." Motley said, doing his best to follow his master's script.
Maugan Ra's head ominously cocked at the mention of this...spirit stone before turned back to look at Irillyth who was standing opposite of him. The other Phoenix Lord was already staring at him."
"What does this stone contain...some great seer or hero?" Asurmen asked.
"I do not know." Motley lied.
If the attention of the Asurya wasn't on Motley then, it was now as the Motley engaged his greatest act yet, "You are asking yourselves why a master would keep such things secret from the greatest servants of Asuryan and Khaine. Well to this my Lords I say you are in the right...but who am I to question my master? Working in mysterious ways...keeping others in the dark...deceiving...back stabbing..." Motley giggled at that last part.
"I will not act on the words of a clown that is withholding the truth." said the Harvester.
Motley turned on his heals and said, "My Lord Ra...why would I lie to you? Why would I gather you all hear to simply lie to you? Is it because I desire to deceive you or move behind your back? No! Of course not! Why would I ever think of doing that!"
The Harlequin sighed and raised his arms while bowing his head, "I understand your apprehensions my lords...the Laughing God was never patron and is not even now. I understand your uneasiness at trusting the broken words of a poor fool who gathered you here today to tell you that the spirit stone has been found."
He stood up and grabbed his coat with both hands and pulled them to the middle of his chest, "But I can honestly say that my Lord as an overwhelming desire to have this stone in his possession."
Suddenly, Maugan spoke up, "False words from a poor fool indeed." With that he moved forward to the middle of the temple and turned his back on the rest of the council before walking away down the steps, the fog swallowing him once more without a moment's hesitation.
Motley pursed his lips as he watched the Harvester leave but Asurmen raised a hand, "Let him go, he has his own agendas...as you well know."
The Hand continued, "While I believe you Harlequin, there is one last detail you are keeping hidden from me."
Motley cocked his head and then remembered, "Of course...you wish to know where the location of my master's prized item is."
The Harlequin felt a slight shiver run up his spine so he said, "It has come to my attention via my master that our friends, the Alaitocii, will be launching an assault on the Necrontyr on the world of Somoner. My master has told me that they will fail without your help. He knows that the Necrontyr are too strong and their zeal to annihilate outmatches Alaitoc's desire to prevent their full awakening."
Motley puffed his chest out, "Therefore, I, Motley...servant of the Laughing God...hereby petition the Phoenix Troupe to aid the Alaitocii in their endeavor."
It was the Shadow Hunter who hissed quickly after Motley had just finished, "We cannot be everywhere at once, for while we no doubt wish to aid our kin...there are other horrors of the galaxy that require our attention."
The Harlequin smiled and snapped his fingers at Karandras, "But of course my Lord! Even the Laughing God is observant of that fact! The Necrontyr are but a small spot in the final turbulent rode to Rhana Dandra. However..." Motley's voice became suddenly more solemn, "If this council does not aid the Alaitocii on Somoner...then even the outcome of Rhana Dandra will be in jeopardy...without...him."
The Phoenix troupe was once again silent and this caused Motley to grin.
"You asked yourselves when we first began why the Laughing God has been so silent...why he has refused to see those closest to him, well I will tell you my Lords...his search...has come to an end. He has found was he has been looking for ever since the end of the Fall. Just as you have been preparing the sons and daughters of Khaine to defend themselves...he has found the ultimate defender."
"What need have we have more warriors or defenders? Rhana Dandra is already upon us." said the Eagle pilot.
"Even my master remains suspiciously quiet and do you know why? Just like the human Emperor with his successor, he wishes it to remain out of the hands of the dark ones. He fears the leakage of this information." Motley said, fluttering his hands in order to aid his speech.
"Your master does not trust us." said Baharroth, "The chosen of Asuryan."
"No! No! No! Its not that at all...well...actually it is. Do you think my master would trust me with every single detail of his plan? If I were to fall into the domain of She Who Thirsts and he was unable to win me back? What then? It would all be for naught." Motley said.
The Harlequin sighed, "I plead with you my lords...this one chance to recover the spirit stone that my master so desires above all else...it cannot be passed up and cast aside. Rhana Dandra's fate depends on whether or not it is retrieved before the Necrontyr bury it further into its already deep tomb."
The Phoenix Troupe was silent once more.
The Harlequin looked around nervously, feigning an act of fear that had so disgusted the Harvester. Motley had nothing more to say, that was all his master had given him! Now the Harvester was gone and the Shadow Hunter was on the fence about the whole endeavor. This was it...it simply just came down to a simple yes or no.
"The Shade of Twilight will answer your call" said Irillyth suddenly and without a single movement more.
When the remaining members of the Phoenix Troupe responded all at once, Motley's grin widened to levels he had not experienced in a long time but not because of their answer.
But because he had actually managed to deceive the Phoenix Lords.