}!{

The house of the Lupercal family stood etched into the face of a mountain, made accessible by a natural stone stairway carved into the stones by both the elements and the feet of the occasional traveler looking to spend the night in the shelter of the rocky caves therein. The Primarch and his wife built the house by hand, and were assisted later by the locals who beheld the giants with all the awe and wonder lesser humans tended to have. Soon after, they built their own houses close to the family compound, dedicating themselves voluntarily to serve the newcomers in any way they needed. Horus and Celestine wanted to create an environment where their children would grow in relative safety while also allowing their freedom to explore the beautiful forest paradise around, and having some people to interact with seemed healthy at the time.

Alas, sometimes such freedoms are subject to abuse, as was the case with young Sanguinius. And with early exposure to the adoration and worship of the locals around, it only served to inflate his already monstrously bloated ego.

Horus, upon returning to the family compound with his daughter riding on his massive shoulders, met with the Custodes Arther and his coterie of fellow guardians at the gate. The Emperor's elite bodyguards had this look about them that told Horus they knew what was up with his son. They had watched Sanguinius and Aggregia grow from when they were toddlers, and in fact, practically raised them along with Celestine and Horus. Taking part in training the godlings with the basics of martial arts had given them ample time to observe the gradual changes in their personalities.

Aggregia grew from the noisy and needy little one to a quiet and thoughtful early teen, who rubbed off on the Custodes who once thought of her as little more than an annoyance.

As for Sanguinius, the boy's change was sudden. From a timid, small and easily daunted little thing, Sanguinius rose up as fast as his wings first spread to full span. Surprisingly, the Custodes were never bothered by this as much as his parents, for they had grown accustomed to the sophisticated air of the Terran people that Sanguinius' attitude meant little to them.

Nevertheless, it was a problem that needed to be corrected, and Horus hoped such correction would come soon.

"He took my gauntlets, my lord." Arther reported.

Horus frowned and sighed heavily, "Let him have it for now. Sanguinius is never one to waste such fine instruments. Trust that it will be returned once he tires of playing the game."

Arther nodded, remembering the other times the playful imp stole bits of his own armor and armaments in the past. Sanguinius never broke or left even a scratch on his belongings when 'borrowed'."Understood." With that done, the Custodes retired for the evening to begin their regular moments of deep meditation.

"Ah finally." A cross, worried voice called from the open door of the house. Celestine stood there, leaning against the doorpost with her arms crossed over her chest. She looked at her daughter sternly, "You're home."

Sheepishly, Aggregia approached her mother. As if on cue, she kept her head tilted downwards, eyes up as she puckered up her lips in a desperate attempt to get the heat off of her. Unfortunately for the girl, Celestine was in no mood for the obvious trick. With but a sharp note in her next sentence, Aggregia dropped the puppy-eyed look and hastily entered the house. "Food's on the table."

"B-But mother, it's cold." Aggregia whined upon touching the plate.

"Come home on time, Gia, and you'd get a warm meal." Celestine snarled, "Eat."

"Yes mother." The girl squeaked, grabbing a spoon and devouring her dinner quickly to avoid further punishment. As soon as she was finished, she grabbed the dirty dishes, washed them all thoroughly and headed straight for her room downstairs.

Left alone with her husband, Celestine allowed the stern frown to fade away, replaced quickly by a warm smile as she felt his arms snake around her waist. There, locked securely against his chest, she felt like he would melt into his embrace. A welcome change to the harrowing experience of dealing with two insubordinate children, restrained from certain measures she was accustomed to in the Sisterhood...the harrowing experience more commonly known as parenthood.

"Hey." Horus rumbled in her ear.

"Hey yourself." Celestine leaned back and nestled her head against his neck, "I see you've failed to bring our wayward son into the fold. What happened?"

"I've managed to convince him to come along with us on the hunt." Horus explained, "Then he remained adamant about maintaining his freedom, and flew off."

"I've half a mind to snatch him out of the sky and bruise his wings." Celestine said in turn.

Horus recalled the uncomfortable memory of his wife giving chase to the young Sanguinius when he first escaped into the skies of Y'tettia. Though Celestine, by nature, possessed the power to close the distance, Sanguinius possessed an impressive agility that allowed him to remain out of his mother's reach. To him, it was a fun game, more fun than the grueling morning routine of training with the bodyguards and the daily chores. But alas, Celestine found no humor in the chase. To her, Sanguinius had shirked his duties and as such needed correction. Keeping up the chase, to her meant he defied her authority and served to fuel her anger. Keeping it up even longer, to her meant he was mocking her, and that was the last straw.

That was the first time young Sanguinius tasted of his mother's wrath. Celestine, as punishment, beat his wings until the apex where flesh and feather met was raw and red as his teary eyes. For days, the boy could barely walk upright, let alone fly, for his back was sore as though he had been struck by lightning. From that day forward, as soon as he was healed, Sanguinius' periods of absence grew and grew, as did Celestine's ire towards her son.

Horus did not condemn his wife's actions, but tried to explain the reasons behind his son's punishment. Such explanations fell short, however, due in no small part to the fact that Sanguinius often took to the skies as soon as his father or mother would approach him.

"Darling, we talked about this." Horus reminded her.

"We did, and I still think your method is doomed to fail." Celestine pushed herself out of her husband's embrace. "Our son does not require a soft touch, but an iron hand."

"He requires the love of his mother." Horus said quietly, knowing another argument was on its way.

"And he will get it, only after he has realized his mistakes!" Celestine's voice grew taut and her eyes narrowed, "His actions have consequences, this he must learn early in his youth. Have you forgotten the task set before us by the Emperor, Horus?"

Horus frowned and crossed his arms, "Have you?"

"How dare you accuse me of losing sight of my duty? How dare you, when you seek to coddle our children like they are of the common folk?"

"And what's wrong with that?"

"Everything!" Celestine's pitch rose, revealing her exasperation. "What were you thinking when the Emperor told us to raise them upright? That we would raise them up to become farmers, lesser born workers, forever chained to this world while their destinies lie amongst the stars?"

"I was to give them something my father was never able to give me or my brothers." Horus reminded her, "A family, a complete childhood and a sound upbringing."

"Horus!" Celestine reached out and grabbed her husband's arms, "I know you mean well, and I know you love our children. A lifetime ago you swore never to betray humanity again, but in denying Sanguinius his destiny to serve the Emperor and the Imperium entire by this...this unfitting desire to raise them like the lesser-born- that in itself is betrayal!"

Horus wished she hadn't gone there. It hurt him to hear her say it, and his first instinct was to shut it all out and remain adamant in his decisions. But all the hard won wisdom within him told Horus to listen close, take to heart, and consider carefully how he would convince his wife that this was in fact the right way. He saw beyond the jagged words that cut like the teeth of chainswords, he saw she was in her own way trying to serve both the Emperor, her god and king, and the Imperium entire by gifting them with two godlings that would bring hope in such a dark time. His love for his wife allowed him to brave her sharp tongue and allow reason to dominate his words.

"Oh, my love." Horus sighed, "You seek to show our children their place among the stars, yet do not see that all you're doing is flinging them far into the darkness. I have seen what happens when one forces a destiny upon another, when in truth destiny itself is revealed only to those it belongs to- unmarred by the influence of others. While ultimately, I desire to see my children flying high, to march alongside us as we fight against the enemies of mankind...I want them to grow to love their duty to the Imperium, to recognize the glorious purpose of serving mankind. You cannot do such a thing by hammering it into their minds."

"Yes you can."

"Perhaps." Horus shrugged, "If they were commoners. But it is just like you said, they are anything but..."

Celestine was taken aback by his reply and shook her head in disbelief, "Oh you crafty old wolf, you." Realization dawned upon the Saint and she felt ashamed by all she had said and done. Alas, one can only do so much to fix the damage done in the past. Her head dropped against her hand as she moaned, "I'm terrible at this."

Horus reached out to hug her again, "All the best parents start out terrible."

"It's a wonder our son didn't run away sooner." Celestine sighed.

"There is still hope, room for improvement." Horus reassured her, "He can't stay mad at us forever."

"I should...try to talk to him."

"Not yet." The Primarch denied, "Let me start while the hunt goes, see how amenable he is."

As the couple moved to retire for the evening, Horus' ears caught the faint flapping of wings by the window. A knowing smile crossed his lips as he realized then that his son had been eavesdropping on his parent's discussion. He could hardly wait for the day they would venture out into the wilderness to begin the hunt together. Now that Sanguinius knew both sides of the story, it would prove easier for Horus to bridge the gap forming between them.

Months stretched into a full year as the Ulthweian vessel navigated the Webway in search of safe harbor. There, the young half-breed Senua trained under the Farseer Tamila, intent on harnessing the raw power fulminating within her soul. Her training was harsh, brutal and merciless in both the physical and mental aspect. Many a time the girl teetered on the brink of collapse, yet always mustered the indomitable willpower to forge onwards regardless.

Tamila was not her mother, and she was not a forgiving teacher. In all essence, she was the embodiment of the cold reality of life. There was no place for the weak here, and Senua refused to be weak. She did not just wish to be on par with the preening masses that she called her hosts, but strove to tower above them. Over the weeks, she displayed an untapped potential that dangerously rivaled that of even Tamila's or any of the Seers in the Craftworld, prompting the Council to reconsider their decision in allowing the half-breed to continue studying the ways of the Aeldari.

They feared she would be used against them.

And they were justified in their fears, for many an occasion in between training exercises a daemon would breach the sanctity of the ark and threaten the refugees within, which Senua would banish quickly into the Warp. Truth be told, such an endeavor proved monumentally taxing on the girl's part, but was reason enough for the Council to regard her with seething paranoia.

Though she showed little to no sign of favor in deference to the child, Tamila stood as the only bulwark defending Senua and her father. One might mistake her for growing a begrudging affection for the girl, but in all honesty her only reason for her actions was due to her fervent desire to initiate change within the static state of the Craftworld. She meant what she said that Taldeer's life inspired her in ways that no one could have anticipated, and she would see Senua seize her own destiny. Only reason, or perhaps the one she'd delude herself into thinking was the only existing one.

One day, as Senua finished with the day's exercises, Tamila approached her pupil to grant her a well deserved gift.

"Come to me, young one." Tamila beckoned, "I have brought you something."

Senua neared her teacher. The girl's eyes widened with wonder as Tamila placed a curious looking orb within her hands. "What is it, mistress?"

"That, my student, is your final step to completing your training under me." Tamila replied. "Concentrate on the orb, let it shape according to your thoughts."

The orb molded and stretched itself in Senua's hands, forming a long and slender blade of black obsidian. From handle and hilt to shaft and tip, the sword gleamed like the night sky. The girl smiled contentedly and bowed her head in gratitude, "Thank you, my mistress."

"I've taught you all that I can." The Farseer said as she walked alongside her pupil, "It is time for you to begin your journey in this life alone. For the Aeldari, it is fairly easy to seek one's path..."

"But I am not fully Aeldari." Senua finished.

"There's enough of the ancient blood of Asuryan running through your veins, I care not if your human lineage mingles with it." Tamila replied, "Blood offers potential, but it is you who harnesses the gifts granted to you. I am...proud to say that you've exceeded my expectations."

"And I am honored to have been your student." Senua returned, "If I may ask this favor from you, mistress, would you direct me to which path I would best be suited for?"

"Your path is bound to war, as all things in this bleak future must be." Tamila sighed, "I watched you grow with your time training here, I saw your inclination to become a master of the empyriecal arts...and I saw the dangers that come with it. I have taught you of the destructive nature of the Warp, Senua...take care that you do not fall prey to its foul promises. The Immaterium is filled with enemies, and your human blood, while it gives you unparalleled strength, makes you vulnerable..."

"I shall not play with fire, lest I be scorched, my mistress." Senua vowed.

}!{