"It was a whim, you small creature. One of many," I deign to speak using my physical voice to the quivering human at my feet. The young boy, possibly no older than nine, cannot bring himself to look upon my magnificence any longer. I cannot blame him. I am eternal. My service to the Dark Gods of Chaos has elevated me above such petty concerns as mere time or form.
I am T'aal'bu'hgan, Daemon Prince of Chaos Undivided.
The child at my feet, Nikephoros Komnenos, ignores me. My primal instincts call for me to flay his soul from his body and present it to my Dark Masters. However, a glimmer of the future stays my hellblade. Tzeentch, in his incomprehensible plots, granted me a presient vision. This boy will rise quickly in the cult of the Corpse-God of the Imperium. I decide to indulge on yet another whim. It appears I have begun to slide deep into the pleasures of Slaanesh.
"I had grown bored, child. The galaxy had grown stale for a being of such incomparable power such as myself. I have manifested in the Materium dozens of times over the past three thousand years. My Daemonic Hordes have pillaged every world we have sought to defile. The armies of the Eldar, the Tau, your decaying Imperium, and other races whom I have sacrificed on the altar of the Dark Gods have all fallen before me. I have conquered the worlds I desired flawlessly," I begin to explain to the small minded creature before me. Nikephoros has an unshakeable faith in his hateful 'God-Emperor', but I will attempt to open his eyes to the truth of Chaos.
Yet another whim. This planet…I believe I will return here one day. It has been a most exhilarating experience. I run one of my taloned hands along the wound the child inflicted.
"Too flawlessly. My unstoppable conquests have grown stale. Thus, I decided to seek someone whose faith matched or succeeded the depths of my own devotion. I have, with the blessings of my gods, torn the veil separating the Glories of the Warp from this stagnant Material Universe. Three times I have assaulted an Imperial World. The Hive World of Tagnar IV did not resist as I had wished. Instead, the downtrodden masses rose up and welcomed my horde," I look down at the child and grin. I can taste his disgust and hate. Oh, what an exceptional individual.
"The factories of Graila II ran red with the blood of the Adeptus Mechanicus, but the adepts of the Machine God did not have the faith necessary to harm me," I spit out in disgust. That had been a glorious victory in the Long War. It was a miserable failure for the advancement my own plans.
"Do you not understand? I wished to bleed! I desired to experience pain. To think, I fulfilled my hunger on this world! A farm world of less than twenty thousand souls!"
Nikephoros continues to avert his eyes, but I hear the prayer he is reciting. The purity of his faith in the Corpse God causes the wound at my side to burn. It is a good pain. The endless potential Nikephoros Komnenos possesses intrigues me.
"I would have thought the wound I begged the Dark Gods for would have come from a 'hero' of the Adeptus Astartes. I had dreamed of the lightning claws of an Assault Terminator rending my flesh. Thus, you can imagine my surprise when a child cut me with a farming instrument. Your shovel succeeded where thrice-blessed power swords, the chainswords of Eldar Striking Scorpions, and the blades of two dozen Kroot Shapers failed."
I watch as Nikephoros finally turns his gaze to my form. Human instincts are such a delicious flaw. "My sister…my mother," the child started to speak. Unfortunately, his mind cannot comprehend the mysteries of my Warp-blessed boy. I see the blood seep from the edges of his pale blue eyes. I offer a prayer unto Khorne. I hope such an esoteric offering will not offend the Lord of Battle. Perhaps, the Blood God will also indulge a whim.
"Yes, your sister and mother," I laugh as I toy with the boy's fears. "You were fully prepared to face me alone so that they may flee. It is not every day that I encounter a foe willing to sacrifice everything, even their soul, for another."
I raise my bloodied hand to the sky and intone the names of the Gods. A beacon of Warp Energy lights in my hand.
"It was a whim that brought me to this world. It was a whim that led me to you. It is a whim that leads me to spare you…and it will a whim that will herald my return," I announce. Nikephoros gulps loudly. There were times that I forgot he was so…mortal.
"Hold onto the faith you possess. It allowed you to wound me. In time, we will see if the whims of fate will allow that faith to save you a second time," my voice lingers as I return to the Warp.
I look forward to our next encounter, Nikephoros Komnenos.
Author's Note: A quick Warhammer 40k ficlet I through together. This may or may not lead to a sequel.