Whew, this one took a while!
Sorry, had to tweak a bit, y'know how it goes.
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"He came to us, heart heavy with guilt and purpose driven towards redemption." Celestine spoke, taking it upon herself to speak for the ceremony honoring the valiant dead slain in the battle for Cadia. Millions of unsung heroes shall remain lost, forgotten by the fallible memories of human minds, but those that are remembered shall be etched in sacred stone. Names were carved into the pillars of marble erected upon Kasr Kraf, the site of one of the largest stands in Cadian history. "He came to us, knowing that we would reject him. Even then, he stood true to his purpose and carried out his duty- as a true servant of the Imperium must. Our hearts shall forever carry the fault, the wrong we have done when we shut him out." The servitors had listed and documented each name, until the final was etched in words of gold.
Thousands of the Emperor's loyal servants have gathered for the ceremony, vid-feeds broadcasted all across the Segmentum to give honor to the Saint's commemoration to the fallen. Ursarkar Creed watches from atop the walls of his citadel at the gathering, then turns to leave, opting to tend to the security of the battered fortress city over the ceremony. The Blood Angels, the Spacewolves, the Imperial Fists, the Black Templars and their successor chapters, they all stood together as it was with the glorious days of the Great Crusade. By their side stood the hundred or so Astra Militarum, all bearing fresh wounds from the battles fought two days before. Their hatred for the Arch-traitor slowly faded with each sentence Celestine said, replaced with a shallow admiration for his efforts in swaying the odds of the Cadian Assault to the Imperium's favor.
Celestine looks upon the thirteen gilded letters, signifying the man who had done more than enough to earn forgiveness, and sighs. "Horus Lupercal of Terra, this day you stand redeemed in the eyes of the Imperium and of mankind. Words cannot express the gratitude we feel for your sacrifice."
"A simple thank-you will suffice!" Called forth a familiar voice. The implication of such an event provoked a shocked response from all who stood present, and heads turned to the one-thought-dead. Horus Lupercal strode forward, passing through the path opened by those who parted in his presence. Celestine's eyes widen at the sight, and she wills her wings- now healed through the divine power of the Emperor- to lift her off the pedestal and towards the approaching Primarch.
His armor was battered and scarred, the pauldrons and armguards missing from what seemed to be a harrowing ordeal. "Barely a week has passed and you've deemed me worthy of death?" Horus' face was bared, for his helm was gone, exposing the demigodlike features on his visage. "My work for the Emperor is far from over." An inexplicable sadness washed over the Primarch as he beheld the gilded name of his friend upon the hallowed pillar. Sergeant Marcus Aggregius was a good man, there was no higher honor he could attain than how he met his end- with defiance in his eye and righteous fury burning within his heart.
Celestine smiles, remembering in perfect detail the Primarch's selfless actions aboard the Despoiler's vessel. The same reaction could be seen on Captain Maranda Goodwill, although she remained conflicted about the sudden revelation of her liege's identity. "You've returned, Lord Lupercal. How is such a thing possible?"
"Do not call me Lord." Horus shook his head, "I have not earned that right yet. I shall remain as such until the Emperor ordains it so." He then answers, "Upon slaying Abaddon, I was pulled through a portal that landed me within one of the Blackstone Fortresses. Therein, I met the Aeldari Farseer Eldrad of Ulthwe. Then, I had the unfortunate happenstance of encountering the Dark Prince Slaanesh aboard the fortress."
Upon the mention of the hated foe's name, gasps and muttered prayers emanated from the crowd at Horus' testimony. He held nothing back, not this time. "For what seemed like weeks, we fought for our freedom within the Warp. We won, eventually. Then, by my father's power, I returned to realspace and walked across miles upon miles of Cadian soil to reach Kasr Kraf."
"Our hearts lift at your return, Horus." Celestine glided smoothly across the plain to meet the Primarch, "Let no doubt make itself known, that the redeemed son has come. Now that Cadia has been saved, what are we to do now?"
Horus seized the moment to rally his allies, standing close to the pedestal for all to see. "Servants of the Imperium, hear me! This war of ours isn't over! Though Abaddon lies dead, his war host remains at large! They scatter across the Imperium, having breached the gates of Cadia during the Despoiler's failed attempt to bring us to heel! My purpose has been set by the Emperor of Man, but I cannot do it alone." Horus lifted an outstretched hand, as if to reach the men and women across the Segmentum. "My brothers who yet live; Guilliman, El Johnson, Corax, Khan and Russ! I must bring them back, and I need your help. I do not demand, but humbly ask that you pledge yourselves to my banner. Let me lead you, that I may bring Mankind its glorious future! What say you, sons and daughters of the Imperium?"
Where one expects thunderous applause or an uproar, one can be mistaken.
Horus' words were met with stoic silence, for even now in spite of Celestine's words, doubt remained in the minds of the people. But because of the undeniable benevolent cause of the Redeemed Primarch, doubt left to give room for hope. That same hope planted in the mind of the Emperor since the first days of the Age of Strife, when Mankind was at its darkest hour and he plucked them from the age of barbarism and into the prosperous empire today. That hope gave guardsman, astartes and battlesister the courage to throw caution to the wind and rally to the one who they once called the Greatest of Traitors.
"We stand with Horus Lupercal!" The Spacewolves growled, "For the Russ! Bring the Wolftime ever closer!"
"Aye, what better cause than this?" A guardsman said, obviously eager to throw in his lot with the crusades than with pointless exercises that will undoubtedly waste his life. He was promptly whipped upside the head by his Commissar for speaking out of turn.
"I am with Horus!" Captain Maranda yelled, with all the loyal crewmen of Battlegroup Imperatis standing beside her. "Ave Imperium!"
"My sword for your cause, Lupercal." Celestine nodded, and with her stood a thousand strong faithful warriors of the Ecclesiarchy. The battlesisters bowed humbly at their saint's decision, and they followed through no matter how much the confessors blustered and protested. Not all were willing to side with Horus, even with all evidences pointing towards his innocence. Most were content with remaining at the theatre of war, locally speaking, such as Ursarkar Creed and the other Ordos Militant in the sector. So much was needed to be done, the mess of the 13th Black Crusade needed to be cleaned up, and more than anyone else Creed knows that to do so will require many more guardsman lives.
"Shall I have your name blotted out from the monument, mesere?" The artisan inquired, pointing at the Primarch's name inscribed upon the pedestal.
Horus shook his head, "Leave it. The old Horus Lupercal is dead, and so his name must remain upon that stone."
"As you wish."
Horus approached the annex chamber of the Archmagos' ship, having his presence requested prior to his return. Belisarius Cawl bore an equal burden of good and ill tidings, he knew as much. "You have summoned me, Archmagos?"
"Horus Lupercal." The ancient one droned, his voice a series of clicks and almost-alien mechanical whirs. "Your return, I still cannot come to terms with it. Like an eddy in the river, an impossible outlier in an equation. Your involvement in all this defies logic."
Horus nodded, wishing they could just cut to business instead of pointless digression. "Yes, I'm still getting used to it as well. What do you have for me?"
"Am I correct to assume you will make for the Ultramar Subsector after your purpose here at the Obscurus has been concluded?"
"My brother Guilliman, he remains as the closest lead and the first I am able to reach. And so, he must be awakened." Horus answered, "Is this why you called me?"
"Yes, and I believe I can be of great help to your cause, for my purpose is in line with your goals." Cawl steps into the light, revealing a monstrous amalgamation of humanoid and centipede-like mechanical features posing as human. By now, Horus has gotten used to seeing the unexpected, so he wasn't quite surprised to meet the Archmagos in this manner. "You see, a little over half a millennia ago, even before the final fires of your war against the Imperium, your brother suffered a fatal blow by the Daemon Prince Fulgrim. I was tasked by the Primarch, before he went through death-stasis, to find a way to revive his ailing body."
"I assume you've succeeded."
"Quite so." Archmagos Cawl beckoned for the Primarch to follow, "If you'd kindly step alongside me, I will show you the fruits of our labors."
Deep within the ship of the Archmagos, a vessel wrapped in secrecy for many reasons, Horus bore witness to the technological wonders Cawl had collected throughout his travels across the galaxy. He had seen much, but not all, and he gaped at the sight of all this. "Amazing."
"Yes, impressive collection, is it not? Alas, it pales in comparison to Lord Trazyn of the Necrons." Cawl muttered, finally arriving at the foot of a large sarcophagus etched with many angelic figures and words in ancient latin- a language transformed into High Gothic. "Here we are! Horus Lupercal, behold the Armour of Fate."
"This is how you will save Roboute?" Horus asked, slightly skeptical about the option.
Cawl, obviously offended, blustered. "Primarch, do not insult me by your lack of imagination! This is the Armour of Fate, and it will not only save Primarch Guilliman's life, it will empower him!" Furthermore, Cawl showed Horus a special chamber in which the revered power-armor of the finest heroes were forged. "I understand that you've lost some essential pieces to your armor. Let this chamber rectify that oversight, you look embarrassing."
Horus' brow arches at the Archmagos' unamusing remarks. "I may need a weapon more than another fancy getup. As you can see, all that remains of my father's gift is a lonely shard."
"We have an artificer's dock close by. I trust you know how to use one?" Cawl replied, turning away to tend to other matters. "Work quickly, milord. Please, do not overstay your welcome. We have a long journey ahead of us."
Horus, choosing to ignore the Archmagos' petulant tone, worked quickly to restore Soulrender as best as he could. All of the Emperor's children were skilled craftsmen, all except for Lorgar- who was more at home with reading holy writs than forging weapons. Horus enjoyed these rare moments, the building and crafting. Life for a Primarch rarely meant the chances to create, for in a galaxy ridden with war there was no time for such indulgences.
Within hours, the new Soulrender was created.
It wasn't the same as the old one, for this one had the one shard of the original planted upon its blade like a fixed gem. Horus' armor was repaired as well, and also improved. Technoheresy, that was what the Ordo Mechanicus thought of Cawl's shameless attempts to improve himself and his technologies. Horus didn't care so much, in fact he was quite happy with the results.
He returned to the Golgo's Respite, where loyal Maranda Goodwill awaited with baited breath. It goes without saying that she was eager to begin a journey anew, for a cause as noble as this. "Welcome back, my liege. To where shall we go to bring the Emperor's light?"
Horus nodded, "Captain, set course for the Ultramar Subsector." With the diminished state of the Eye of Terror, Warp travel had become possible once again. But just as this circumstance benefits the loyalists heading for Guilliman's domain, it just as much benefits the traitor vessels heading in that same direction. For as Battlefleet Imperatis, along with their allies, makes way for Ultramar, the Plaguefleets of Typhus claw their way into the heart of the subsector, spreading disease and ruin in their wake.
His wings bristled, as if struck by a bolt of lightning. The Raven Lord, reduced to a brooding, immobile shell of his former self, knelt before the nav-computer in the spacious bridge that had been his home for near- five thousand years. His eyes, then remained closed each night as he attempted to regain the clarity that allowed him to speak to his father upon the Golden Throne.
Something disturbed the winds of the Warp, he could feel its pulse. Corvus Corax opened his eyes to stare out into the mass of writhing flames that was the skies of the Eye of Terror, regaining stance as he realized what was amiss.
The Eye was closing to a mere slit in realspace.
"Impossible." Corvus muttered, breaking the silence for the first time in his long meditation. "Could it be..."
A rift opens before the Raven Lord, and the Emperor of Mankind reveals his astral form. With the faith restored following the successful defense of Cadia, the psychic energies fueling the god's powers increased tenfold, and where he had failed once to visit his lost sons so far away he could do so now albeit with a slight difficulty.
The mere sight of his father's revelation was enough to bring Corvus down on his knees. Akin to Horus, penitent and guilt-ridden, Corvus prostrated himself before the Emperor he had failed to protect and begged for forgiveness.
Although it was obvious that the Emperor was disappointed in his son for hurling himself into a self-flagellating journey alone into the Eye of Terror when his Imperium needed him most, this was not the time for words of rebuke. "On your feet, my son."
Corvus follows as commanded, "My lord, what do you ask of your servant?"
An opportunity presented itself for him to chastise the Raven Lord, and the Emperor seizes it. His words were gentle, but nonetheless stung. "That you would stop wasting time here wallowing in self-pity and return to the Imperium you've abandoned. Go now, I have sent your brother Horus to deal with the Despoiler and has succeeded in stabilizing the Eye of Terror. He now makes way for Ultramar, and he needs you there for him to awaken Roboute. Your task is simple; aid him in his endeavors and bring back Mankind from the brink." He pauses, noting the mix of horror, rage and confusion in his son's otherwise stoic features.
"I..." Corvus sighed, resigning all treacherous thoughts of the Emperor's command. "I will not disappoint you again, father."
The astral form reaches forward and puts its hand on the Raven Lord's shoulder, "I trust you with this, Corvus, for too much hangs in the balance. Put aside your doubts for your brother, I have already redeemed him from the forces of Chaos- who have held him prisoner all those years ago." The thought of his own son defying his command as Celestine did was horrifying, but was possible nonetheless. Still, the Emperor chose to have faith in the Raven Lord, it the only thing he could do.
"I understand."
"Good. Then waste not the hour. Move quickly, my son, for every moment passed the forces of Chaos draw near to Ultramar."
Horus stood close to the command throne, eyes staring out into the vastness of space as he had done many times before, heart growing frantic as he thought of the many innocents caught in the crossfire. Typhus the Traveller, a loathed champion of the Chaos God of Rot, spares no one and will take his time delivering plague and disease upon every Imperial world his influence touches. There will be blood, that is the reality of this bleak future. No doubt the loyalist fleets will be forced to cleanse the worlds visited by the corrupting touch of the Deathguard Plaguefleets, for the sole purpose of safeguarding those worlds that remained untouched.
His other concerns lay with the reception of the Ultramarines and their successor chapters at his arrival. He had done well so far with convincing, albeit with a begrudging nature, the people of the Segmentum Obscurus to fight alongside him for this noble endeavor, but it will be foolish of him to think that is will be the same for the rest of the Imperium.
A fractured, self-destructive shadow of its former self- the forces of Mankind will likely raise their weapons against him than let him set foot on Macragge, even with all the host at his side.
"There is doubt in your eyes, Primarch." The angelic voice spoke up, "What troubles you?"
"Saint Celestine!" All moved to prostrate themselves before the angel, but she stops them with a wave of her hand.
"Peace, my brethren. I only wish to speak with Horus Lupercal, continue in your duties and turn a blind eye."
Horus nodded for the crew to acquiesce to her command, then turned to walk with the saint upon the empty halls behind the bridge. "You ask what troubles me? It is the same doubts I've had when I first stepped out of the Warp and into the realms of Cadia. There, the people needed a savior, and so their acceptance was born out of necessity rather than true forgiveness. I suppose it is childish for me to think they would do so, but what is a Primarch to do when there is room for them to question my every decision and motive?"
"In that I should ask your forgiveness."
Horus frowned, "What do you mean?"
Celestine confessed her fault, "I have made the blasphemous error of defying the Emperor's decree when he plucked me out of the darkness and sent me to aid you in your cause. I allowed my hatred for your sins in the Horus Heresy to blind me, to keep me from seeing the God-Emperor's infinite wisdom. As a Saint, His mortal representative, I should have known better. I have yet to atone for my sin when I face my God, but I can at least ask for your forgiveness."
Horus nodded, slowly digesting this revelation. "We both walk the path to redemption...but tis better than walking it alone."
Celestine smiled at this, a rare sight in such grim times. "I thank you, Lord Lupercal."
"I am no 'Lord', Celestine." He reminded her, "But I appreciate the respect you have for me."
"My liege! We have exited realspace! It has already begun!"
Horus took a deep breath, then exhaled. That could only mean that Typhus had already gone and left, leaving a trail of ruin in his wake. "Understood. Make a speedy headway for Macragge, Captain. We must aid the defense forces of Ultramar as best as we can. Guilliman must survive!"
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Shorter than I wanted it to be, but the best must be saved for the next chapter. I promise, it'll be worth the wait!
Thank you for your continued support of this fic :)