Grey Knight Strike Cruiser "Tears of Martyrs" -Year: 932.M34 -Location: Segmentum Obscurus, Askellon Sector -POV: Knight Paladin Rephaeus Tivor
Upon a room within the Tears of Martyrs stood a giant clad in linen robes, a rare sight for mortals, for no one other than those within the chapter sees an Astarte without his holy armor, his battle-hardened face took a grim expression as he took in the information of the battle to come.
Almost one thousand traitor Astartes and millions upon millions of traitor mortals stood against them while they only managed to muster half a million men. Truly grim odds, had they not possessed a superior fleet force.
They would indefinity win the war in space but the battle on the surface was still in doubt, only the greatest of strategists could hope to conquer a planet with inferior numbers, and Rephaeus doubted that Lord General Sypha was up to the task, her records were indeed impressive for a mortal, but she is yet to stand against an Astartes chapter, let alone a heretical chapter, she and her forces wouldn't be alive if they had faced such force.
"Another day's work brother, what will do in the battle to come does not bode well with me" brother Saffron's voice was that of ill contempt towards their new leaders "We are to face the might of an entire chapter and daemons with numbers untold, how are we to face this threat alone?"
"We have the guard with us"
"Mortals?" Saffron scoffed dismissively, Rephaeus smiled at the retort which didn't go unnoticed by his brother "I do not recall telling a joke brother" said the young knight firmly, a normal space marine would've been offended by such a gesture from the young, but Rephaeus was not such a person, he knew Saffron's actions were justified by the flames of his youth, after all, it was the duty of the young to push the boundaries of the past and establish their own rule. The fact that has been proven by humanity again and again throughout the ages, after all, humanity is but a young race compared to the others that came before them, others that were far more powerful than them, others that numbered in trillions, that destroyed all who dared to opposed their uncontested rule upon the stars, yet with all their might, they lost their holds and humanity's empire rose from their ashes, not by the power of technology nor strength of psychic powers, but by the power of will and strength of mind. So, so long as his flame is directed towards a proper path, it did not matter how brightly it burned.
"Don't be so too quick to judge them, Saffron, you are but young, you have much to see, much to learn"
"Do not treat me as if I'm a child brother, I have banished thousands!"
"And I have banished ten times as much, brother Segei has done so thrice as much, yet he remains humble" Rephaeus hissed, Saffron's flame was burning in a dangerous path of pride "You have talent in combat, brother, but don't let it get over your head, your thoughts are filled with pride, such things will bring nothing but ruin" the young warrior cringes at Paladin's words.
The young knight's face was hidden behind the veil of his helmet but Rephaeus could feel the surface of his emotions, he is conflicted between his pride and his respect for him, he is trying to find an argument but fails to do so.
"I apologize for my rudeness brother, but my point still stands, no mortal can hope to match Astartes, and the enemy has a thousand while we are not even a company"
"No mortal you say? even though you act upon the teaching of one?"
"This and that are different brother"
"No they are not, is the interrogator not a mortal? he is a psyker, yes, but also mortal" the young knight was not given room to argue "Was he not a mortal at birth? was Malcador the hero not a mortal? what about the inquisitor? do you doubt his skills as well?"
"Well... there are some exceptions, yes but-"
"There is no but, brother" Rephaeus sighed, deeply "We are not like other space marines, Saffron, unlike them, we are not blind to the truth, while they seek glory above the lives of mortals, we seek to preserve mankind by any means necessary, such arrogant thought are not welcome within our chapter, hasn't the flames of Horus's rebellion been proof enough of how dangerous superhuman pride can be?"
"..." the young knight stood silent as he reflected upon the words of his superior, only after another few minutes did he find an answer "I should not have said that brother, forgive me, it was but a moment's lack of focus, I should have controlled my pride" Tivor smiled as he heard his apology, it was a good thing that he took it to his heart.
"There is no shame in making one mistake such as this, brother, repeating it again, however, is" the paladin moved towards the exit, the time for preparation was now, he needed to wear his armor but before that, he looked back at the young knight "Wisdom is the ability to reflect upon the past and come to a moral conclusion about the righteousness of an action, I do not want you to disrespect our interrogator, Saffron" with that, Rephaeus left towards the armory.
Planet: The Nursery -Year: ? -Location: ? -POV: Anon?
Formless he moved, his eyes closed, his body frozen, shapeless, and formless he left himself to the winds of time and space, he floated weightlessly through the darkness, he was not what he was before, he could not see, but he knew he was not what he once was. He felt as if he was underwater, no! he was one with water, one with the waves, he could not breathe but he did not care, he wasn't required to do so.
Drifting across the ethereal sea, the immortal witch shivered in horror as he sensed the beings native to this plain, horrible monsters given shape by mortals who by their desires, their hopes, their dreams, their lust, their fears, their fury, their love, their courage, and their souls, has created the vilest of monsters. The only thing preventing the witch from screaming was his fear, the fear of being noticed by these monsters. Come to think of it, why haven't they caught him? his entire form shined like a beacon in the night sky, by all means, they should have noticed him but why haven't they?
The witch cleansed his form of fear as he sensed his surroundings, he sensed souls, thousands upon thousands upon thousands of them, most of the souls disappeared within the sea as they entered it, becoming one with it. While those who shined brighter were torn to shreds and feasted upon by the denizens of the ocean, the witch grieved for their fates but stood silent as he did not wish to gather their attention to himself, he could protect himself in this form but not against all of them.
After witnessing the brutal display of savagery, the first question came back to his mind, why did no one take note of his bright form? why was he safe? the answer to that question, however, came in an unexpected shape.
A dark cloud surrounded him, sheltering him, hiding him from predators outside, a cloud of pure chaotic energy that was dragging him deeper into the ocean of souls. He wanted to resist, he could resist but to what end? break free from the shroud only to be feasted upon by daemons? he was locked in this state of helplessness he didn't know how he got into, the only he could do is to wait and prepare for the things to come.
The sounds around him begin to die out as the shroud sunk him deeper into the ocean, there were no more screams, no more souls, no beings, only a pure pressure that was only made bearable by the chaotic cloud around him, it seems that even the vile creatures of the sea don't venture this deep into the sea, are they incapable of it? or are they afraid of it? the witch couldn't be sure, he was simply glad that he no longer sensed the nightmarish beings of the sea.
Deeper and deeper into the ocean they went and the pressure kept increasing, his immortal form barely able to keep itself together even with the help of the shroud, the witch groaned in pain but his voice died out before it could be heard by someone, his form constantly regenerated itself as the pressure kept increasing until it felt as if he was bearing the weight of a mountain, was this the reason why the daemons didn't venture too deep?
The witch tried to return to the surface in order to reduce the pressure, but decided otherwise when a part of his form that went outside the shroud's protection burnt instantly under the sheer volume of force. The witch felt the chaotic cloud strengthen as they sunk deeper, whoever controlling the shroud had to possess a great power since even the witch couldn't hope to endure the force projected upon them.
Gradually, the pain lessened as he felt a powerful presence that was pulling him toward it, the stress lessened until it completely stopped when they entered what seems to be a fortress.
The formless witch grasped for the non-existing air as the chaotic shroud released its grip and throw him into the cold ground, the pressure was gone but its effects remained, the witch began to repair his form, when his form was acceptable enough, he looked around for clues on where he was but all he could see were black walls and a gate that were adorned with statues of chaotic daemons, the walls were imbued with powerful wards, so powerful in fact, that even he couldn't pierce through it, full might of his psychic power couldn't even make a dent on the ward, it was the most powerful thing he had ever seen, the only thing that could match it was the light of astronomican itself.
From where the witch stood, the walls seems to continue in an endless quest to reach the sky, but there was no sky, there was no ground, there was no...
His observation came to an abrupt end as a voice whispered in his mind, he couldn't understand what it said but he knew with certainty that it came from beyond the gate, the sound of the voice was familiar but also uncanny.
~What are you?~ the witch asked, slightly panicked by the whisper in his mind.
~Do not be alarmed my champion, I will not harm you~ the voice answered, its voice contained the soothing calm of the prince of pleasure, the fear within the witch's soul died as he heard the musical voice.
~Who are you? why am I here?~
~I am your patriarch and you are my champion, my first champion~ the voice answered, but his answer bred even more questions.
~I do not recall becoming your champion warp spawn~ the witch spat, clearly angered by the role given to him.
~Of course you don't, after all, you condemned yourself to such fate, my little champion~ the witch couldn't see the source of the nightmarishly soothing voice but he knew in his soul that he was smiling.
~I condemned myself? I may be old and weak of will, but I can say with absolute certainty that I would not make such deals with mystics or daemons~
~Worry not my champion, you will have your answers one day but not now~ the voice interrupted the witch ~My power is weakening, I cannot keep this conversation for long~
~Then open the gate, I can sense the psychic ward within it, you are the cause for the wards, no?~ the witch asked.
~As much as I wish, I am not the one who made the wards~ the voice paused before continuing ~Those who enter through the gate cannot leave, your purpose in the outside world is not yet done, listen well before I return you back to your realm~ the witch listened intently as the voice spoke again ~You are not my only champion, first one. Seek the others, fulfill your purpose, grow stronger if you wish to weather the storm to come, remember, I cannot hide you forever, they will notice you one day and when they do, I won't be able to help you~ the sudden influx of information confused the witch but before he could ask another question, he felt his form being sucked away to the void ~Do not fail me, first one~ the voice echoed in his mind as he was dragged into the void of the sea.
Inquisitorial cruiser Fatorum ruptor -Year: 932.M34 -Location: Segmentum Obscurus, Askellon Sector -POV: Interrogator Jermai(Anon)
Anon stood up from the bed with a sweat-filled face, his entire body shuddered in fear as he sat at the corner of his bed, his mind disconnected from reality for a brief moment. He was in the warp, he always was but not to this extent, all psyker must keep their consciousness attached to their bodies lest they fall victim to the sea of souls.
Someone has dragged his soul into the immaterial, there was no other explanation, but who? who would do that? why would someone do that? whoever did this has to be, either an immensely powerful being who can force its will onto another's soul, or whoever dragged him out had a claim on his soul, either of those options didn't bode well with him.
"Who are you?" The witch questioned. The images and sounds suddenly filled his vision like an explosion, threatening to consume him in flames.
"ARGH!" He groaned in pain, his hands cradled his head, the memories of his conversation with the being changed from a blur to a vivid image, from nothing to black, red, and gold, soon everything he had forgotten reappeared and shaped into a full scene.
"Find the others, first one" his voice was lost in the echoing silence, he look down at his arms, a burnt mess filled with deformities and damaged skin, even moving them caused pain, a pain that will forever be a monument for humility "I am not alone? there are others? or perhaps... it has a different meaning entirely?"
It was not odd for denizens of the sea to tell lies, sometimes to trick mortals, sometimes they themselves don't know the truth, in any case, trying to understand their intentions is to invite madness, besides, there is no point in understanding them, for they don't understand themselves either.
"Master?" Anon heard a soft voice, he knew who she was, no one else on this ship calls him with that title, no one else was worthy of calling him with that title. The witch turned his head to see a white-haired ghost standing in front of the open door, her blue eyes reflecting worry along with his image "I came here after hearing the sounds, are you alright?" Celliphus asked innocently.
'Sounds?' Anon questioned, only after looking around the room did he realize the situation. Everything was frozen, the air was biting. This meant one thing, that he had an outburst of energy while he was sleeping.
"Only a bad dream, nothing more" Anon waved his hand, trying to dismiss the occurrence as something simple, it did little to quench Celliphus's worry.
"Master" she walked towards him and sat beside him "A Psyker's outburst is rarely a sign of fortune, you cannot dismiss it so easily" she argued.
"There is no need for worry dear acolyte, I have experienced far worst, tis but a scratch compared to an open wound" he gestured towards his hands.
Celliphus frowned, then her expression saddened as she looked down at his hands, the Witch felt a tangle of guilt in his soul, it was unavoidable, he cannot share what he has seen in his dream.
Deciding to change the subject, Anon spoke "About our mission against the Ashen Claws" Celliphus's head jerked towards him "I have talked with William and he accepted my suggestion"
"What suggestion, Master?"
"It is not only mine but also Inquisitor's belief that you should not participate in the upcoming battle" the news took the white-haired woman by surprise, enough for her to stand up suddenly.
"You... why?"
"You are damaged young acolyte, it will be unwise to throw you into another engagement so soon" the Witch explained, it was not true, Celliphus has fully recovered from the incident and has grown stronger from it, by all means, she should be allowed to participate yet...
Anon couldn't, he cannot allow it, from the moment he saw her state during the mission with Eldar, something indescribable was flaring up in his soul, he didn't know what it was but it caused him pain, not that of flesh but mind and soul, he did not know why but he couldn't allow her to put herself in danger, he just... can't...
"You cannot! I am in full health and my mind is strong more than ever, you cannot do this to me!" Celliphus pleaded, there was a desperation in her voice, it was like that of a child trying to appease their parent.
"Enough" Anon's tone turned cold he stood up from the bed "You will not refuse this" 'Not after I lied to William about your condition' he concluded his sentence in his mind.
"I will turn the heretics into ash with bolts of immaterial energy, I will render their flesh useless as I choke the breath out of their lunges, I will mold the flesh of our allies together, strengthing it" her hands turned into a fist "By the emperor, don't do this, allow me to prove myself again!"
Celliphus's pleas were not answered "It is already done"
"NO!" she took a step back, clenching her teeth in frustration "This is not your decision to make, you may be my master but the master of the ship is lord William, your decision cannot substitute his"
"William will not refuse my advice, he can refuse it but he will not, that is how much he values my opinion, you should as well" Anon explained "You will stay back, within the safety of the adamantium walls of the ship"
"You... I... am I that... incompetent?" a sense of despair filled her psyche "Y-you do not trust me, after all, why should you? I am a waste of your time, a worthless woman that dares to call herself your student" the words pierced the Witch's heart like a spike made of ice.
"That is not what I meant" Anon tried to put his hand on her shoulder, only for it to be shoved aside.
"We both know that is not the truth, I have disgraced you in front of those filthy Xenos, now, I am nothing but a burden to you, a shame of the past" she backed away "Remember that time when you consoled me? the time where my soul was at its darkest? you made a promise that you would never leave me, and in exchange, I made an oath to follow you until the end" she began to sob "It appears that you wish to began your career with a clean slate, so be it" with that, Celliphus barged out of the room, leaving Anon with a maelstrom of conflicting emotions.
AN:
HELLOOOOO! did you guys miss me? :3
Good news, my workload is decreasing, just another 15 days and I will be able to upload faster, I will be able to fix the first chapters of my story as well.
Anyways, just came to finish this chapter and to ask for something. If any of you guys want to help me with proofreading, give me a PM.
I can't pay you(Because I'm doing this for free as well) but you will be able to read it faster than others. I won't ask much of you either, I do my own proofreading as well but sometimes I miss a few words here and there, like spelling "feel" "Fill", you just have to read the story and fix a few words here and there.
That is all for now, don't forget to PM me if you want to help, I appreciate it.