The Sad Man

N'Bella had seen him in the distance once in a while in her dreams. She wanted to meet him. He was as tall as Papa and even looked a bit like him, but with a shaved head. One night, she went over to see him. He was gigantic, like he could pick her up and hold her in the palm of his hand like father could. But he was sad. His eyes looked red, like he had been crying for a while. She tugged on his shirt, causing him to notice her.

"Hello. Why are you sad," she asked.

The Sad Man didn't answer her at first. He just stared at her in amazement that anyone could even see him, let alone talk to him. When he answered, it was in a baritone lighter than father's, but deeper than Uncle Sang's.

"I am sad because I have done terrible things. Who are you, Little One? How can you speak to me like this?"

"My name's N'Bella. And I can speak to you because this is my dream and I can do what I want in my dream. I can even fly!" She jumped up and hovered off the ground for a few seconds before returning to the ground. She pouted. "Well, I can! It's just not working right this time!"

The Sad Man regarded her for a moment. "You should be careful, Little N'Bella. The realm of dreams is tied to the Warp. And the Warp watches us always. Just as it did me all those years ago."

N'Bella puffed out her chest and put her hands on her hips. "I'm not afraid of monsters! My Papa is the strongest man alive and he can beat them all up!"

The Sad Man laughed at that. "We all think of our fathers as 'the strongest', Little One. But fathers like yours are only human. Even mine was at the end."

"What happened to your Papa?"

"I killed him, N'Bella."

"Why?"

"Because I was angry. I thought he lied to me."

"About what?"

"The reason I existed. The reason I was made. I thought... he would lead us all to ruin. And now I have caused all that I feared." He looked back towards the distant plains. "I am a monster, Child. You should just leave."

"You don't look like a monster."

"Really? Not all monsters look like what you'd expect. I learned that the hard way."

"Well, you haven't tried to eat me yet. Or smash me. You seem nice. Just sad."

The Sad Man smiled again, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. "You know... you remind me of my brother. I was closest to him in life. I was often called the best of my brothers, but in truth... I think he was. Kind and accepting of others. A good father to his sons, even when he had to do terrible things to protect them. But he always fought despite all evidence of doom staring him in the face. You remind me of him."

"What happened to him?"

Tears streamed down the Sad Man's face. "I also killed him, Child."

"I'm sorry."

The two of them just stared in the same direction for a time, watching the sun begin to rise in the west. Finally, the Sad Man spoke. "How long has it been since I last saw my brother? 10,000 years? Perhaps more?" He stood up, showing his full height as a real giant. "Back then, my heart was corrupted by hatred and vengeance. I did terrible things, both to humanity and my sons. I brought unhappiness to more lives than one. I made monsters of my sons and turned my brothers against one another. Would it have happened if I hadn't started it or would the universe be at peace now? I do not know... Perhaps it would have happened with someone else. Maybe my brother would have been the pawn. Who knows? I cannot see what happens in the real world, Child, but I can sense the darkness. I can sense the danger growing. If something isn't done soon, all of reality will be subsumed by the Warp and you and your Papa will be wiped out. I just hope... I just hope my brothers can solve this." The tears began to flow more freely. "But perhaps not... Perhaps we are all doomed. Doomed to languish in the never-ending cycle of war and hatred." He felt something grab his leg and looked down to see N'Bella hugging him.

"What are you doing?"

"Giving a hug. Papa does this when I'm sad. Also, what does... 'sub-soomed' mean?"

The Sad Man began to chuckle at the question. "You are a brave soul, Little N'Bella. Your Papa raised you well."

N'Bella swelled with pride at the compliment. "Yup! My Papa is the strongest of all! He is in charge of Terra and he's the strongest of my Uncles!"

"Your father... is in charge of Terra?"

"Yup! He's..." She had a hard time with fancy words. "Regent... of Terra. Regent Papa of Terra. Oh, and Nocturne, though I haven't been there yet."

The Sad Man raised an eyebrow. "Nocturne, you say?"

She nodded her head. "Mmhmm. It's where he's from. He said he'll take me there one day to meet my other grandfather, but I wanna meet my other grandpa first." She then looked disappointed. "But Papa says no one can see him because he's always tired."

The Sad Man looked like he was about to ask N'Bella something before he started to fade away. "I think you are waking up now, Child. Be careful. The Galaxy is a cruel place for children. Even your Papa may not be able to protect you from it."

N'Bella herself was starting to fade away. "It's fine. My uncles are also there and they are strong too! Not as strong as Papa is though. By the way, what's your name?"

The Sad Man knelt down on one knee and whispered in her ear. "It's nice to meet you, N'Bella," he said after standing up. "Have a splendid day."

N'Bella woke up with a start.

Author's Note:

Ah, good to be back to nice fluff. I'm not gonna say who the Sad Man is because it is blazingly obvious who it is. Now... how did he end up here? ...It's the Warp? Really, that's the best explanation for just about anything in 40K. The Warp is crazy and does crazy things. But this does tie into a future plot point I have planned for N'Bella and I swear I'm not going to give her real world powers that make her the equivalent of Ephrael Stern where she is basically a super saint. I'm of the belief that the key to making a character with a specialization is to set certain limits so as not to make them overpowered.

The idea of the Warp being connected to the Realm of the Dead. If the Emperor himself is part of it then perhaps there is a chance he may be communicated with. Perhaps something for the the future? Yes. Something for the future. A nice bit of fluff that I hope you liked.

Update: I have been told in comments that since the Warp is basically the Realm of the Dead, it is very possible the soul of Horus would be around, perhaps as a shard of his soul. Thanks for the comments, guys. I always appreciate input.