PM me or wait for the fans of that franchise if you want to know where the immortality elixir is from
Narrator POV
Mal had essentially become what Horus had for Chaos. She was now the Emperor's most favored champion, granted blessings by the god of humans himself.
Akin to the sorcery used by worshippers of the warp gods, Mal gained unique psychic abilities granted by her faith in her father. Unlike the regular psyker, who were able to manipulate arcane azure energy, all of Mal's abilities were a shade of majestic gold, from her flames to her lightning. All of these powers shone with the radiance of the Emperor.
The fact that she was the Emperor's own flesh and blood helped her case tremendously.
Granted, her faith for the Emperor wasn't like what most others in the Imperium had. After all, what daughter could truly worship the man who she considered father?
No, Mal's faith was more familiar, more personal. She believed that her father was a kind and gentle soul who wished for the best of her and the rest of her fellow humans. The pure strength of this faith increased the powers of her abilities tenfold.
However, even if that power was not enough, the girl could always pray to her father. After all, just the act of praying increased someone's faith, at least temporarily, especially if the one who was praying believed in the words they spoke. Mal could always simply get a large boost of psychic power if she simply uttered some simple words of prayer. She had to put all of her heart into them of course.
Mal POV
It had been a long ten years since the Emperor first summoned Mal to the 40k universe. The girl had undergone massive changes under this time, physically and mentally.
She now possessed strength on the level of a Primarch, if not surpassing them, coupled with an extremely high level of intelligence, which included a close to perfect memory with an almost infinite amount of storage along with a thinking speed which was at a ridiculous level, not to mention the ability to easily multitask, not even mentioning the countless psychic abilities she had under her disposal.
But most of all, Mal now possessed true immortality, a ridiculous regeneration strength, immunity to all poisons and disease, and the ability to live just fine without things like food, water, or even oxygen.
To simply put it, the daughter of the Emperor was truly overpowered indeed.
She could be considered the most powerful psyker in the galaxy if you excluded the Emperor and Magnus the Red.
Thanks to the elixir, Mal would live forever but lost the ability to truly mature, which was just fine with her. The only thing someone could mature into in the 40k universe was either a demented cultist or a disciplined soldier, neither of which looked very welcoming to the girl.
Eventually, The Emperor felt as if Mal was ready for the cruel world she was going to be thrust into, thus ending her training after ten years of strenuous training.
For anyone else, that wouldn't be nearly enough time to gain complete mastery over every weapon and control over psychic powers, but for Mal, who could now learn even the most complicated of things in an instant, it was.
As the Emperor told Mal this, she was slightly distraught. After all, once she was out there, there would be no contact with him. Sure, Mal knew this would come eventually, but it hit her harder than she would have thought.
Even so, she accepted this duty gladly, ready to finally make her appearance in the darkness of realspace.
Moment of Departure
Mal faced the Emperor sadly, her expression slightly wavering.
"So this is goodbye then?"
The Emperor nodded solemnly.
"Yes. You will not be able to see or hear me for a while now Mal."
The girl chuckled with apparent sadness, clutching at her heart with one hand as if in pain.
"I knew this day would come, but that really doesn't make it hurt any less."
The Emperor sighed.
"I know Mal. I know, and I'm sorry. Just know that I will be watching over you. Always."
Mal smiled at this, wiping a tear away from her eye.
"You always know just the right words to say, don't you, Dad?"
The Emperor smiled wryly.
"It is time Mal."
The girl stilled, closing her eyes in anticipation of whatever was to come. She was not informed of how she would be sent off, expecting something like being thrown through a portal.
However, instead of being thrown through a portal, Mal was instead patted on the head gently by the Emperor, causing her to open her eyes in shock.
The man smiled at his daughter sadly, saying his last goodbyes.
"Be safe Mal."
Then, Mal saw only gold.
"Heh, good one Dad. Like that's actually possible now."
Valerian POV
His name was Valerian Dominique Maximus Primus, shield-captain of the Adeptus Custodes, the guardians of the Emperor. Known as a brother to many, an untouchable demigod to countless more.
Before he joined Roboute Guilliman in his crusade, the shield captain was just another custodian, guarding the Imperial Palace for ten thousand years. However, he was just an average individual amongst his brothers, no worthy achievements for all ten millennia of his life.
This changed, however, when he fought in the crusade. He earned more than a little recognition by his peers and betters, fighting with such vigor and bravery that the Primarch himself complimented the guard grandly.
For such ability in combat, the custodian was rewarded with the title of Shield-Captain and the honor of laying eyes upon the body of the Emperor himself, a reward that was unheard of, offered only to the most faithful of the Custodes. However, an exception was made, as the higher-ups saw much potential in the Shield-Captain, willing to let him see the Emperor, if only for a short time.
Such was his purpose today, walking into the forbidden throne room, accompanied by the current Captain-General of the custodians, Trajann Valoris.
Normally, the leader of the custodians wouldn't be bothered to waste his time with such things, but today was a good day. Things were relatively peaceful, and he wasn't particularly busy at the moment. There was nothing wrong with personally showing one of his brothers the brilliant glory that was the Emperor. They were brothers after all, even if Trajann didn't show his affections much.
Valerian cradled his long golden helmet in one hand, revealing a well-toned young face with blond hair and light blue eyes. He wore the same set of armor that he always did for the past ten thousand years, the golden artifact worth the bounty of a whole planet. It might have been handcrafted by himself, but it really wasn't that much different than all the other armors of his brethren. A short power sword hanged by his side, a worthy sidearm.
Almost to the majestic door which led to the chamber where the Emperor lay, the captain-general asked Valerian,
"How long has it been since you have laid eyes upon the greatness of the Emperor, brother?"
Valerian replied, almost longingly. He truly wished to see the Emperor again, even if he was a shell of his former self. He wished to see that great being who inspired him to become the best custodian, no, the best human he could be.
"It has been over ten thousand years."
Trajann smiled. It was the same for him too. A truly long ten thousand years indeed.
As the custodians finally approached the golden gates which led to the Emperor's throne, the captain-general became serious.
With a massive sound akin to the release of a great amount of steam, the gigantic double-doors opened, revealing the inside of the golden throne room.
As the two warriors walked into the room, Trajann addressed his brother, who was stunned by the sight of the decaying corpse of the once great man to even see anything else in the room, completely ignoring the majestic golden carvings and portraits on the grand walls.
For the Emperor of all mankind sat upon the grotesque throne, decorated by the skulls of the worthy. His frail and weak body, a pale reflection of its previous muscular structure, was connected to the seat crudely by ancient machinery, sacred treasures which the tech-priests themselves were barely able to understand. A faint heartbeat could be detected by the light, barely noticeable movements of his skeletal chest region.
For a dedicated servant of the master of mankind, it truly was heartbreaking for Valerian to see his lord like this. He had lost brothers to the foul daemons of chaos, suffered grievous injuries at the hands of heretics and warp-spawn alike, but he was never so close to shedding tears in any moment of his life.
He was just an unnoticeable custodian after all. He was never granted the honor of seeing the Emperor before. Valerian had somewhat expected this of course, but to see it in person was much more excruciating than whatever he could prepare for.
Beside the Golden Throne, a lone tech-priest fiddled with the intricate designs of the ancient device.
With a red-clad body which was mainly composed of cybernetics, the being resembled a human anymore, gunmetal grey tentacles acting as extra hands for his work. Two crimson sensors which served for eyes seemingly shown with a great sense of urgency and panic, as if frightened by something.
The priest's intricate and complex staff lay on the floor next to him, as if completely forgotten.
This strange combination of man and machine was named Archmagos Delta Arator, an influential and renowned man in the society of Mars.
Both Valerian and Trajann instantly knew the reason for the tech-priest's panic. After all, they were the Emperor's own custodians. They knew full well that the Golden Thorne was failing and that their Imperium did not have any methods to stop the device's decadence.
Everyone could only hope that they would be able to discover the technology required to prolong the life-support of the Emperor, less the Imperium falls into ruin.
Ignoring the busy tech-priest, who did not even notice their presence in his feverish work, Trajann spoke to Valerian, gesturing to the throne with a hand.
"Behold, Valerian, of our greatest failure. The decaying body of our master is the physical evidence of our most unforgivable crime. This happened because we were unable to protect him, and now, the Emperor himself along with every human in the Imperium is paying for our lack of ability."
Those words seemed to ring in the horrified brain of the shield-captain, forever ingraining themselves into his memory. Those words would serve to haunt him for the rest of his life. After all, everything Trajann was true, brutally so.
Sensing the woe of his brother, the captain-general placed a hand upon Valerian's shoulder in a comforting gesture, his expression and tone softening.
"This is why we must fight Valerian, this is why we must spend every last second of our existence to repent for this vile crime we have committed. We, the Custodians, were created for the sole purpose of defending the Emperor to the last man, a task we failed spectacularly in. There can be no redemption for us, my brother. But we can at least spend the remainder of our lives in his service. That is the best we can do now."
Valerian could only nod, a wave of guilt never seen before surging through him. Could he have saved his master? If he was simply stronger, then at the flagship, he could have possibly arrived at the Emperor's side, perhaps even blocking that horrid strike of Horus which incapacitated his master with his own body. But no, he remained weak, locked in combat with the hateful forces of chaos while he should have been aiding his lord.
Trajann had become quiet, tilting his head downwards. Valerian had no doubt that his captain-general shared the same thoughts as he.
The two guardians simply stood there before their Emperor, reminiscing, while the cybernetic tinkering of the magos could be heard in the background.
Mal POV
Suddenly, the world wasn't completely golden anymore, showing a myriad of colors which Mal was relieved to see.
However, she soon became confused, as she could not confirm her current location.
While not everything was golden anymore, most of it indeed was.
Mal seemed to be inside of a large room, a really well-decorated and expensive one at that. The ridiculously intricate carvings of eagles on the walls gave that away instantly.
"Just where am I?"
Then, she noticed the two gold-armored pointing their weapons at her, an axe and spear, with apprehensive and surprised looks on their war-torn faces.
It took less than a second for Mal to realize where she was, and just who exactly these gold-armored men were, another two for the girl to turn around and see the body of her dying father and the tech-priest who was staring at her with evident shock in his shining ruby eyes.
The Emperor had shown Mal the true state of his body many times in their time together but seeing it made her heart waver every time. After all, no daughter could simply shrug off the sight of their father in this state.
Therefore, she moved forward to take a better look at the skeletal face of the Emperor.
At this point, the Magos had abandoned his work, aiming his staff at Mal as if it were a spear. Sparks of cackling electricity snaking around the tip.
However, Mal did not seem to see any of this, completely ignoring the threats around her and continuing to approach the throne.
She did not even notice the vicious sound of the
"Halt!"
from Trajann's mouth, focused only on the broken form of her father, as if entranced.
Her hand swiftly caught the bolter round fired from Valerian's guardian spear, the bolt exploding in her gloved hand, her expression unchanging.
Ah, yes. She seemed to be dressed in a strange military outfit straight from some unnamed Terran war.
With a light gold Comissar cap which had a large dark gold Aquila symbol at the front and an even lighter gold making up the bottom of it, Mal also seemed to wear a cape with the same shade of light gold as a large cape, linked by the image of a golden skull.
Under the cape, she wore a buttoned military vest and pants, the same shade of gold as the top of her cap.
Mal's legs seemed to be protected by solid, light gold metal boots and grieves, again, with the Aquila symbol on top.
Lastly, she seemed to wear light gold military gloves, so light that she didn't even notice its presence until she actually saw it.
A thin golden chainsword hung from her belt, probably a power weapon judging by the intricate designs on it. A golden laspistol was holstered on the other end, practically begging for its great power to be unleashed in battle.
(Oda Nobunaga outfit from Fate franchise with a different color scheme and symbols)
That seemed to apply for all of Mal's clothes. No matter how thick they were, they were always so comfortable that they felt as if she was wearing nothing.
However, at this moment, Mal did not care about such things, nor the hostile custodians who shot at her. She had long since figured out where she was.
Finally reaching the throne, Mal's face became slightly pained, wincing at the soft, barely noticeable heartbeat of her father.
She truly wanted to touch the skeletal figure then, if nothing more than a gesture of affection.
Mal rose a hand to do so but quickly put it away. After all, the Emperor's body was too fragile for her to do such things.
She simply stared at it in silence while the rest of the inhabitants in the room remained tense and wary of her presence.
Until the voice of the Emperor himself reached out to everyone in the room that is.
Valerian POV
Just when Valerian was ready to finally leave the throne room, more determined in his cause than ever, a strange event occurred.
Suddenly, in a flash of blinding golden light, a girl who seemed as if she was sixteen to eighteen appeared in front of him.
Well, she wasn't a girl, more like a goddess. A goddess of war.
Dressed in an outfit that would shame even the most flamboyant of Commissars, the girl had simply materialized without warning.
With a fair face that would tug at the heartstrings of men and women alike, along with snow-white skin showing the greatest of purity, she had barely registered their prescence at all, clearly shown by her confused purple eyes.
Moreover, the aura permeating from the girl was strange, almost familiar in a way. It was as if there was a golden light emitting from her body itself, although that could just have been from the strange, golden material which made up her clothing.
A lesser man would have been instantly entranced by the girl's appearance, but Valerian was not a normal man. He was a custodian, a sworn protector of the Emperor. He would not allow this intruder to further defile the chamber of his lord, even though she strangely gave off an aura of peace and tranquility.
No, aiming his guardian spear at her, Valerian threatened to shoot the girl. Trajann was the same, brandishing his war axe threateningly.
They were both unsettled. They could tell that this being was not part of the ruinous powers instantly, her aura far too pure for that. Moreover, how could she get into the Imperial Palace unchecked? Not even the Eldar were capable of such a feat.
There was a possible explanation, somewhat plausible. The girl might have been some sort of champion or heald of the Emperor himself, here to deliver a message or to join them in battle.
The chances were low, but it was a possibility. However, if such a thing was true, then the very act of pointing their weapons at her was an act of heresy.
Valerian shuddered at the very thought of another sin upon the name of the custodians.
However, in this case, they had no choice. If the strange girl was indeed an agent of Xeno or Chaos forces, then allowing her presence in the throne room would be an even greater sin.
As the unknown being turned and started to make her way to the Golden Throne, Trajann gave an angered cry, the only barrier between them being the preservation of the room and the possibility that she was an agent of the Emperor.
"Halt!"
Aiming the Eagle's Scream bolter attachment on Watcher's Axe at the girl, the Commander-General snarled at the girl, realizing that his words had gone unheard.
However, he would not fire, for the Eagle's Scream was too destructive, its shrapnel possibly damaging the throne room.
Both of the custodians faced a great dilemma. Do they shoot the mysterious being in front of them who could possibly be an agent of the Emperor, or do they let it approach their lord, free to perform whatever unholy acts it sought to accomplish?
Both choices had a chance of being heresy. Death was too good for one who sought to do harm to the Emperor's champions. However, having their soul torn apart in the warp was too good for a custodian who would falter in their duty.
With a heavy heart, Valerian made his choice. Seeing this as a test from the Emperor, he chose the less sinful option of the two. He would eliminate the threat, even if it was indeed an angel in disguise.
Resolved, Valerian aimed the bolter attachment on his Guardian Spear at the girl, shooting before he could change his mind.
Somehow, he made this decision faster than Trajann himself, who both applauded and cursed Valerian, in praise at his quick decision-making, but in scolding of his possible heresy.
"Emperor forgive me."
Valerian thought this as the bolter round sped towards the girl, everything appearing to him in slow motion. It was akin to the phenomenon of having your life flashing before your eyes, which wouldn't be too inaccurate at this moment, for if he had just shot at one of the Emperor's angels, then death would be a mercy compared to what was in store for him.
Both Valerian and Trajann were surprised when the strange being simply caught the bolter round, snatching it out of the air as easily as a child would with a piece of paper. She didn't even look at it.
Then, the girl simply stood over the throne, as if paying respects to the body of the Emperor, her expression completely hidden.
It was too late to do anything more, for any more actions would endanger the body of the Emperor. The two custodians could only stand in tensed silence, awaiting what was to come.
The next few seconds were extremely painful, every millisecond feeling like whole hours for the two tensed custodians.
However, a voice instantly knocked them, and the girl, out of this state.
A voice the custodians knew too well.
After all, they would never forget the voice of the Emperor, the being they swore to serve with all their existence.
The Emperor's body began to glow with a gentle yellow light, a stern yet soft voice echoing in the minds of everyone present.
"Captain-General Trajann ."
The Captain-General, instantly adopting the stance of a professional, knelt down on one knee, his head lowered.
'Yes, my Emperor."
The Magos and Shield-Captain were both kneeling at this point, the only person who stood being the girl. They did not expect the Emperor to grace them with his holy words but were not about to act unprofessionally just because of it.
She simply widened her eyes, whispering in perfect High-Gothic.
"Dad?"
The voice was silken, sounds which would usually only be created by the greatest of musicians.
The Emperor continued to speak to everyone present, as if not noticing the girl's presence at all, causing a slight twitch in her eyebrow.
"My time here is short, my custodians. Therefore, listen without fail."
The girl seemed to shut up at this, listening intently along with the others of the room.
Trajann, Valerian, and the Tech-Priest intended to burn the Emperor's words into their minds, to be remembered for all of eternity.
"The girl who stands before you now is my blood-daughter, my chosen champion who shall lead the Imperium against the great threats it currently faces."
The humans listened attentively, Valerian sweating heavily with shame and anger directed at himself as he realized that he had truly shot at the Emperor's chosen.
"Her authority shall be absolute, her will, unquestioned. A seat shall be made for her amongst the Highlords of Terra, for she is my voice."
The girl was nervously protesting.
"Oi, oi, aren't you giving me too much power here?"
This went ignored by everyone present of course.
Trajann nodded, accepting his lord's words with conviction.
"If that is your will."
Valerian could now feel a pair of eyes on him, his sixth sense honed by experience in combat. This made him sweat even more, prespiration dripping from his face.
"Valerian Dominique Maximus Primus."
The Shield-Captain quickly became tense at this, as the words of the Emperor showed just a small, miniscule hint of hostility, not going unnoticed by anyone in the room.
"For the crime of firing upon my daughter, I charge you with the punishment of eternal servitude to her. You shall spend the rest of your existence as her guardian, in her service with whatever task she requires of you."
Valerian nodded. Trajann looked to him with sympathy, something the Shield-Captain appreciated but did not need. He was prepared for punishments far worse than this when he fired upon the girl. She would accept his sentence with open arms
"This will be your punishment, and your honor. If my daughter dies, then the Imperium dies with her."
Valierian uttered with conviction,
"It shall be done, my Emperor."
He did not hear the rantings of the angry girl who was standing before the throne.
"Oi Dad! Don't just bully him like that! And what in the warp's name do you mean by 'if she dies'? You know that it's literally impossible for that to happen!"
Again, this went unnoticed.
Now, adressing the Magos, the Emperor enacted the first stage of his plan.
"Archmagos Delta Arator."
The priest replied in an exited metalic voice, produced by his cybernetic voicebox.
"Yes my lord?"
"Make haste back to your headquarters Tech-Priest. Gather the leaders of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Show them the memories you have stored today, and tell them that I, as the Omnissiah, have a message for the Cult Mechanicus and that it will be delivered by my daughter."
The Magos was jittery, his systems completely flooded with joy. He would be entrusted to deliver a message from the Omnissiah himself after all.
"Yes, at once, my lord! I will deliver to them your great wisdom!"
Indeed, he would. He would assemble all the leaders of his organization and show them his memory banks for this very conversation. Then, there would be no protest.
The Emperor, deciding that he had spoken enough, soon said his goodbyes.
"Farewell, my vassals. May you accomplish your tasks with great success and haste."
Trajann spoke for all three of them.
"We shall not fail you my lord!"
The Emperor seemed to hum in approval.
"Good."
The presence slowly disappeared, the strange golden energy pulsating from the Emperor's body vanishing, almost as if it had never existed.
Mal, who had noticed the sudden disappearance of her father, stopped her protests.
Now that the Emperor was gone, they kneeled towards her, as if expecting something, their eyes shining with glints of pure faith and determination.
At this, half of Mal's face began twitching.
"What in the warp is with this unexpected development!"
I couldn't really find much about the Adeptus Custodes, so I had to make some stuff up
It might get proven false leter in canon….
