The Rise of Chaos
Humanity spreads across the stars, founding colony after colony. They build a great empire that reaches across the galaxy. In the blink of an eye in the face of history, mankind has gone from being yet another primitive pre-starflight species, to the greatest force in the galaxy.
For a time, it seems like nothing can threaten them. A number of alien worlds are brought under the sway of the new human empire, some of them by force. The Emperor isn't about to allow anyone else to threaten humanity, and is starting to be pre-emptive in his defensive actions. He's not interested in pointless xenocide, however, so if an alien species seems like it could co-exist with humanity, he gives it a chance to do so.
Perhaps it's a calculated move on his part. Any group feels more kinship with one another when there are those significantly different from them around. The differences between subgroups of humanity seem much more trivial when there are aliens around that one can direct their hate against instead.
No longer does humanity rely upon slower-than-light spaceships to get from planet to planet. Faster-than-light starships carry large quantities of people and goods all over the galaxy. The gates are still in use, but are carefully controlled and reserved for emergencies and official imperial business. Emperor Jackson saves himself a lot of time spent aboard ships by gating everywhere that he can.
I can't help but get the feeling, however, that at this rate, humanity's greatest enemies will be amongst themselves. Looking at the future, I see that extragalactic threats may arrive at any time, but something is building within the empire itself that may break it before they even get here.
"Vistri," I say. "Have you seen what I'm seeing?"
"I am not certain," Vistri replies. "What, in particular, are you seeing?"
"There is a threat to the Empire rising from within," I say. "I can't be certain just what it is or what might be the cause of it, however."
Vistri nods. "I see it. What do you think should be done?"
"I don't know," I admit. "I don't know if this is a challenge that humanity will need to face on its own and grow stronger from, or if it's a threat that will utterly destroy or corrupt all that we have built here."
"Either way," Vistri says, "it will still be some time before it emerges. We have time to prepare if need be, for the moment."
The truth doesn't become clear to me until the Emperor's precious new Primarchs, still growing in their tanks, vanish from the face of the Earth. The technology had finally been perfected and they'd been made into superhuman beings, but the only one left on Earth is Ender, who predated the design plans.
"What the hell just happened here?" snarls Emperor Jackson, stalking angrily about the remote mountain facility. "Who did this? Was it aliens? Terrorists? Psykers?"
Vistri steps in beside him and says, "I think I know who did it."
"Who?" the Emperor says, spinning around to face the Til'dari.
Vistri blinks three eyes for a moment, realizing only now that Emperor Jackson is just as tall as he is, and faces him at eye level. Jackson had been an ordinary human once. What had he done to himself?
"I believe it was the Chaos Gods," Vistri says, shaking off his momentary distraction. Now isn't the time to wonder.
"The what?"
"There are three extremely powerful beings out in the Ethereal," Vistri says. "You might have heard mention of the three heads of the Wyrm from the Garou under your command? These are that which I am referring to."
"Damnit," Jackson hisses, punching his own fist, then turning to stand staring out a window, hands on the windowsill. The sunlight streaming down from outside does not burn him. His Venari powers have advanced to the point where even most fire no longer affects him. "So, what, were they kidnapped by Black Spiral Dancers or something, then?"
"I cannot say," Vistri says, shaking his head.
"Well, whatever happened, find them for me. You can find anything, can't you?"
"I am not so certain anymore," Vistri admits. "There are forces at work in the Ethereal that are beyond me. And it is far easier to find a planet than an individual being. By the time I locate them, it may already be too late."
"Start looking anyway," the Emperor says. "I'll put out a missing persons bulletin across the Empire, for whatever good it might do. Too damned many planets out there that didn't hold to a reasonable tech level, either deliberately or through incompetence."
I can see clearly now ahead of me the dark path that this universe has ahead of it. In averting one disaster, I have brought about another. The forces of the Void are ever vigilant for any opportunity to attempt to destroy that which people attempt to create. Everything is different, and yet the outcome is always the same. Catastrophe.
In despair and panic, I look to the future, to try to see some ray of hope, some shining beacon of light in the darkness that might reveal a way out of the coming chaos. Instead, I feel the presence of Tzeentch before me, as I had so clearly before.
"You think yourself the true lord of this universe?" Tzeentch whispers in my mind. "All has happened according to my plan..."
Dread fills me, at wondering if all my actions have played so neatly into the hands of this dark entity. "No," I say fiercely. "I will not go down this path again. The darkness holds no sway over me anymore."
A chuckling sound echoes in my head. "Do as you will, my daughter. You can see the truth perfectly well for yourself."
I take a deep breath and quietly center myself. "You know, no matter what happened, you'd still claim that it was exactly as you had planned. You just like to screw with people's heads, and I'm not falling for it. I know you too well."
"I made certain that my three lovely avatars would be born regardless of the changes you have wrought. I am quite pleased with their progress so far. What? Did you think their power was a mere coincidence? There is no such thing."
I think back to what I had seen, the natural and thorough mutative ability of Harmony, the sheer level of raw magical power in Sardill... I think on their tendencies that they had shown throughout ten thousand years of history in my original timeline. How Harmony was the cause for most of the different beings found on Lezaria and the Seven Planes. How Sardill kept Lezaria in a constant state of war by putting himself up as his own enemy, in order to force them to progress along the lines he desired.
"You see now, don't you, hmm?"
I curl up in a ball, putting my arms over my face and shaking my head as if to try to get the thoughts out of my mind. "Why must you do this to me? And why did you wait until now to reveal yourself to me like this?"
Another chuckle. "I have been working through you all along. Our goals have been the same."
"No," I murmur. "No, no, no, no, no. Get out of my head. I've heard enough out of you."
"Only you can make me leave," Tzeentch tells me quietly. "But you aren't going to, are you? Though it might kill you, you will strain to listen to every whisper that I might offer you, for it would drive you mad to wonder what I am saying that you cannot hear."
I clench my eyes shut, clench my fists, clench my teeth. "Right. You're good at driving people crazy." I sigh. "And you didn't bother speaking to me before because you figured I'd just crumble easily whenever you wanted, right?"
Damn it all, why does he have to be so right? I can't deny anything. What am I doing here?
I take a deep breath. I try to calm myself. To quiet my mind. To meditate. To think on what I am doing and why.
But there's no quiet. There are whispers in my head, still echoing softly. I can't quite make them out. I can't quite understand them. I find myself straining to hear, searching for meaning.
No. I shake my head. Down that path lies madness.
But I think to myself in growing dread, Is it already too late for me? I think that I already belong to him, and that I always did. Why fight it?
Calm. Be calm. Don't panic. Why am I here? What am I doing here? I came here to fight the forces of the Void. To fight that which would bring about the end of all creation. Obviously, Tzeentch would not want that, either. Tzeentch wants change, not annihilation of all life. Right?
I already didn't know what to do, and now I find myself only even more at a loss. All my plans have turned to dust.
And it's difficult to stay sane with chaotic whispers in your head.
Several hours later, after failing to still my mind or silence the voices, I think to seek out Vistri. I'm nervous about telling anyone just what's going on in my head, though. They will judge me, I fear. They will think me to be a servant of Chaos. And Chaos was already destroying Til'raine by warping its people into mutants long before the Necrons showed up and dealt the final blow. No matter what happens, this cannot turn out well.
Regardless, this is not a conflict that I can ask for anyone else to resolve for me. My only enemy here is inside my own head. And if I don't have the will to resist this, then I should just give in and embrace Chaos willfully.
