As always, there are three advance chapters on P-atreon (remove the spaces and dashes):p-atreon/ SkySage24
As he withdrew his presence from Isha's labs, the Emperor continued his discussion with Magnus.
"And what more have you learned on Prospero, my son?"
"So much," Magnus bubbled cheerfully. "You won't believe it father, they're an entire culture of psykers that survived the Old Night! They've learned how to handle daemons and the dangers of the Warp very well. Their libraries are so vast, and I still haven't run out of things to read there."
George smiled warmly, placing a paternal hand on his son's shoulder…or at least the psychic equivalent of one. A part of him wished his son was actually here, so that he could hold him truly, but he dismissed that as unnecessary sentiment. "I am glad you are happy, my son. Have you made any friends?"
"Lots!" Magnus chirped. "There's Amon, who found me here when I first landed. You'd like him, Father, he's very nice and clever. Though he can also be boring," Magnus added, pouting slightly. "He keeps telling me to be more careful, to not rush ahead."
The Emperor suppressed a snort, instead favouring Magnus with a fatherly smile. "You would do well to listen to him, my son. You said it yourself, he is clever, is he not?"
"I know," Magnus said, with the tone of a child's annoyance at being lectured about the same thing over and over. "But he doesn't understand how strong I am, Father! What I'm really capable of."
"A little caution never hurt anyone," The Emperor told Magnus wryly, patting him on the shoulder again. "Unless you believe Amon is seeking to stunt your growth?"
"No!" Magnus said, immediately flaring up in defense of his mentor. "He just worries too much! He doesn't mean any harm, Father, I swear it."
"I believe you, but then listening to him can't hurt, hm?" The Emperor prodded gently.
"...It can't," Magnus admitted.
The Emperor chuckled. Magnus had truly not changed much from the enthusiastic, curious infant he had been before the scattering.
George was glad. With the boy's sensitivity to the Warp and his already awakened psychic potential, he had feared Magnus would be far more traumatized by the scattering. That it might shatter his mind somehow.
It was good to put those fears to rest and know his son was doing well.
"Father…" Magnus said, suddenly hesitant. "I…"
"Yes," The Emperor asked with a raised eyebrow. "What is it?"
"...have you found any of my brothers?" Magnus asked softly, so soft it was almost imperceptible. "I…are they alive? I tried scrying for them, but I couldn't find anything, no matter what I did."
Ah. "Your brothers are alive, Magnus," The Emperor assured him. "I have scried for them myself, and I am certain of that much. And I have only found one other than you, so far, but he is doing quite well. The others will be found in time."
Magnus was obviously relieved, his projection literally sparkling with happiness at the news. "Can I meet him?" He asked eagerly. "What's his name?"
The Emperor paused for a moment, wondering whether or not he really should introduce Horus and Magnus to each other, but seeing the eager joy on his son's face, George could not find it in himself to refuse.
"His name is Horus. Horus Lupercal. And yes, you may meet him."
In the end, the Emperor chose to introduce his two sons to each other in his private rooms aboard the Aetos Dios. They were more modest than the ones in the Imperial Palace, but still decorated in much the same fashion, with red rugs, wooden walls, and various portraits.
More importantly, they were well-warded and so they would not be interrupted by anyone.
"Horus, meet Magnus. He's one of your brothers, who just contacted me today. Magnus, this is Horus, the first of your brothers whom I found after you were all scattered."
Horus and Magnus could not have been more different.
As the two boys sized each other up, the Emperor could not resist comparing and contrasting the two of them in his own mind.
Horus was tall, only a year or so away from full physical maturity at the Emperor's estimation. He was not quite at the height of a Space Marine, still less than seven feet, but he towered above most mortals. His hair was dark, thick, and long, not unlike the Emperor's own, if rather wilder. George would be lying if he said he was not flattered by that.
Clad in a military uniform that the Emperor had ordered specially tailored for his son, black velvet lined with silver, Horus looked every inch the legendary general from the Golden Age, ready to lead his fleets and armies into battle. More than that, he looked like the Emperor in miniature, a fact which made George's heart swell more than he cared to admit. Ordinary humans, blinded by his son's psychic aura, would not have seen the traces of baby on Horus's face, the wide-eyed look he got when awed by something. They would perceive petulance as fearsome anger, and childish joy as calm approval.
But the Emperor could see it all, and thought it was rather charming.
Magnus was very different. His astral projection was tall, taller than Horus by far, the Emperor noted with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. It had not been this tall before, but when he brought his two sons together, the size of the projection had immediately swelled until it was a solid foot taller than Horus.
Magnus had long hair as well, but unlike his brother's, it was red and smooth, braided instead of permitted to run wild. His skin was similarly a bright red, and his eyes were as golden as the Emperor's own. Instead of a military uniform, he wore a scholar's robe, seemingly humble.
The modification to his height aside, Magnus had also done his best to make his projection look more mature than he was, with sharp cheekbones and an aristocratic nose.
But the Emperor could see through to the child underneath, to how eagerly Magnus wanted to impress him and Horus.
But his sons were proud as well, sizing each other up, but neither willing to actually speak first.
They got it from him, George thought a little ruefully.
All the same, it was simply an incredible feeling to have two of his children in front of him, even if they were not exactly getting along as well as he might have hoped.
George did not think he could adequately describe the utter anguish he had felt when the Primarchs had been stolen, the rage that had consumed him.
He had wanted to storm off immediately, to chase after his sons and find them as soon as possible, to make them safe again.
But there were duties on Terra he could not abandon, not even for his own children.
No matter how much it broke his heart.
To have even two of them in front of him, to know that they were safe and as happy as anyone could be in this cursed galaxy…it was a balm to the Emperor's soul. A relief that made the burden upon his shoulders seem a little lighter.
But there were still his other sons to be found, he reminded himself. And it was unlikely they would all be doing as well as Horus and Magnus.
All the more reason to finish unifying Terra and Sol as swiftly as possible, and set out for the stars.
But for the moment, at least, it felt good to see his sons.
Finally, Horus spoke, narrowed eyes watching Magnus. "Hello…brother." The word was clearly foreign to his tongue, and he clearly didn't actually think of Magnus as his brother yet. But it was only a matter of time, George assured himself.
"Brother," Magnus greeted, inclining his head. His serious, firm demeanour was a far cry from the excitable child that had contacted George and reached out to Isha, clearly rooted in a mixture of jealousy and a desire to impress Horus.
The two of them said nothing for a moment longer, and the Emperor resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
He wasn't going to sit through this awkwardness for another several minutes, George decided.
But even as he made this decision, the Emperor realized he did not know what to say either.
Even though he had raised children before, this situation was completely different from any of those.
But as he fumbled for a way to ease the tension, Horus spoke again. "How are you here? I mean…you're not on Terra right now, are you?"
Magnus shook his head. "This is astral projection!" A hint of his natural enthusiasm bled through the serious demeanour he was trying to project. "I learned it from Amon."
"Amon?"
"Amon is my teacher, here on Prospero," Magnus said, clearly proud of his adopted home. "It's an amazing world, there are so many psykers here! I've been learning a lot."
"You're a psyker?" Horus questioned, surprised.
Magnus seemed puzzled by the inquiry. "Of course. We all are. Us and our brothers, I mean. Hasn't father been teaching you?"
The Emperor coughed slightly as both of his sons fixed their gaze on him.
"I've been educating Horus on other matters. His psychic powers have not awakened yet like yours have Magnus, and I did not wish to force his development."
"Oh," Magnus muttered, but Horus looked hurt and a little confused.
"I will teach you in due time, my son," The Emperor assured Horus.
But even as he said those words, he was surprised to realize they were the truth.
After the Primarchs had been stolen initially, he had made the reluctant decision that if and when he found them, he would not train any of them as psykers unless their powers had already awakened. It ran contrary to his original plans for them, but the risk of them being tainted by Chaos was too high.
But…he had checked over Horus many times. Isha had confirmed there was no hint of Chaos within his son's soul. And her Panacea Fruits were there to help, even in the unlikely chance something went wrong.
There really was no reason not to educate Horus and ensure he achieved his full potential.
…save for one.
The Emperor had intended to conceal the truth of Chaos from his sons, and he was already uncertain if he would be able to do so from Magnus.
Dare he take the same risk with Horus?
Something to consider. But for the moment, there was no harm in a small white lie to assuage his son's jealousy and uncertainty.
Horus seemed soothed by the words for now, but before the conversation could resume, the Emperor felt a psychic message ripple through the Warp.
Malcador's presence urgently pressed against his mind, and the Emperor let it in, faintly surprised. Malcador had been fuming for some time now. What had happened to make him break his stony silence?
+Revelation, I have a report from my spies. Luna has begun launching raids and assaults on our holdings. Bai-heng is currently under siege. +
Images of crimson and grey vessels raining fire and death upon the Imperial capital passed through the Emperor's mind, as he jolted in shock. Expanding his consciousness, the Emperor realized that there were at least five other such strikes happening across the planet.
+What? How? Luna does not have the ships to take Terra! If they did, they would have done so long ago.+
The Emperor demanded, even as he sent commands to the minds of the crew of the Aetos Dios and the commanders of the army to return to Bai-heng as swiftly as possible, all the while concealing his actions from Magnus.
While Luna's defenses were still strong, remnants from the pinnacle of humanity's civilization, they lacked the industrial capacity and knowledge to truly build a fleet capable of conquering Terra.
Mere raids were one thing, but a series of pinpoint strategic strikes was another.
No, few powers in Sol still had functional fleets at their disposal, and with a spike of dread in his heart, the Emperor feared he knew exactly which one it was.
Malcador's next words only confirmed his suspicions.
+The Mechanicum has lent them their support. There is a full-fledged Martian squadron on Luna as we speak. Not the entirety of it has been deployed yet, but they are the ones primarily carrying out the assault. According to the reports, they have been alarmed by our rapid progress in unifying Terra, and have decided to take…drastic measures to deal with us.+
The Emperor's hands clenched. This was unexpected, but even so, this was the confirmation of one of his worst fears, one of the most catastrophic disruptions to his plans that could possibly occur.
But then the moment passed. There would be time to deal with this later, to consider how to resolve this matter in a way that would not ruin his great work, but right now, he needed to muster a defence.
(And to discover how he had been blinded to this assault once again.)
+I will return to Bai-heng immediately.+ The Emperor told Malcador.
+The Imperium is now at war with Mars.+
Author's Note: Here's an invite code to my Discord: nfnTT8wA
