Chapter 3.7 Angelic Dreams
Sanguinius opened his eyes. Or at least, he thought he opened his eyes. The sensation he had was similar to opening his eyes, yet, somehow he knew his eyes were not open. Not physically. He was aware. Yes, that was it. He had awareness.
It was a realm of light, white and gold. This entire place was the manifestation of calm. Sanguinius thought he could almost hear soft music playing, as if at some distance. It was… comforting.
If he concentrated, Sanguinius realized he could see beneath the brightness, to see shades or violet, purple, greens, reds, forked lightning and swirling eddies. It reminded him of looking out a viewport of a ship during warp transit.
'Perhaps I am dead,' thought Sanguinius, 'Perhaps my… essence? My spirit? Is here. In the warp.'
He shook… his head? But he didn't have a head. Or at least he had the sensation of a head. He shook his metaphorical head and thought, 'But there are no spirits, no ghosts. Death is the end. This must just be the final moments of my mind as I slip away from my mortal form.'
"No," came a voice. It was powerful, yet quiet, as if called from a great distance away.
Sanguinius looked up, or whatever the equivalent was in this realm. He thought he could make out a figure drifting towards him. The figure was smokey, wispy, lacking definition. It was definitely the outline of a human figure, though it appeared to sport a pair of wings, much like his own. The figure drifted slowly towards him and another sound came echoing forth.
"Remember… who… you… are."
"I am Sanguinius," said Sanguinius without hesitation. He could remember his name, that much was simple. Some other things were hazy, but he knew at least that much.
The figure reached out with a hand, and red liquid began to fall from its palms, covering everything from the fingertips to the wrists in bright red. Droplets of the liquid began to fall, slowly and delicately down from the figure as it reached out to touch Sanguinius.
"Remember…"
Sanguinius looked at the substance. It almost reminded him of… Blood. Yes it was blood. And the figure, it bore a resemblance to creatures of myth. Creatures of historical religion… an Angel. Blood. Angel.
Suddenly it all fell into place.
"I am Sanguinius. Primarch of the Blood Angels. Ninth Legion. Son of the Emperor of Mankind," declared Sanguinius in a defiant voice.
The figure appeared to smile and continued to reach out. Sanguinius grabbed the hand, as if to pull the entity closer. As it got closer Sanguinius got a strange sense of familiarity from the figure.
"Magnus?"
Suddenly the wispy edges of the figure vanished, and Magnus the Red stepped forward to embrace his brother. Sanguinius let himself be pulled into the embrace, as he would have welcomed any brother at this time.
"Sanguinius!" said Magnus, letting his brother go, "Excellent work my brother. Your connection with your psychic vision allowed you to pierce the veil of illusions cast around you."
"This… is an illusion?" asked Sanguinius.
"In a sense," nodded Magnus, "By building a connection with me you helped pull me through the barriers established by the runes and sigils that currently surround your mortal form. It would have taken me much longer had I done this alone."
"So my body isn't here," said Sanguinius, slowly building up an understanding of situation.
"Indeed," replied Magnus, "It is fortunate, perhaps that is a poor choice of words given the situation, but its advantageous that it is you here, right now, rather than any of our other brothers. The others would not have been able to help me manifest so quickly. For that I am grateful, for we do not have much time."
"Where are we Magnus?" asked Sanguinius, "Is this a dream? Am I dead?"
"Not yet, my brother," said Magnus solemnly, "As you may have already guessed, we are in the warp. Your mind and spirit has been separated from you body, which is currently dying on some backwater world. Most beings would flicker out like a candle in a breeze this deep into the warp, but because we are made of something greater we can endure for a time. But that time is limited. We must return you to your body before you fade away completely, and before my projection comes to an end."
"Magnus," said Sanguinius reproachfully, "You are defying the Edicts. You should not be here."
"Forgive me, brother," said Magnus mournfully, "I had a vision about this moment some weeks ago. I could not drive it from my mind. I knew you would need help. It was an act of desperation. Surely you can appreciate the need for my presence here."
"I forgive you, Magnus," said Sanguinius warmly, "In any other circumstance I would severely admonish you for this action… but given the situation we can resolve this matter later. We need to find out who brought me here, and for what purpose."
"I have," came a new voice. A very familiar voice. Sanguinius inhaled sharply. A new figure emerged, wearing glorious white plate, and a benevolent smile on his face.
"Horus?"
"Yes brother," said the smiling vision of Horus, extending his arms in greeting, "I have come to you, in this time-"
"Liar," said Magnus nonchalantly, reaching out ripping the face of Horus away, "You wear the face of the dead for your own cruel schemes, but I will not have you deceive my brother. Show your true self."
The figure screamed as the illusion faded and the identity of the entity became known. The armour of gleaming white, the benevolent smile, all shattered like a mirror hit by a stone. In its place stood a shape resembling an Astartes. He wore grey armour, and his tattooed face could only belong to one person.
"Erebus?" said Sanguinius, with great confusion.
Erebus cursed under his breath. That damned witch. Her disguise hadn't even lasted a moment. He was definitely going to kill her when this was all over. In a single move, the Crimson King had ruined his entire plan. But Erebus was nothing if not a creative soul. Necessity drove changes, and so changes would have to be made.
"Forgive me… Warmaster…" said Erebus, "It was necessary to possess a face pleasing and comforting to you in this place of mystery and wonder…"
"And so you steal the face of my dead brother," said Sanguinius darkly, his anger rising, "How Dare you."
"The dead are never truly gone, my Lord!" protested Erebus, "Here in the warp all things are possible. Your brother wished me to speak with you in this guise!"
"Whilst you speak some truth about the power of the immaterium," rumbled Magnus, "I know my brother, and he would not have you slither around as some serpent with your deceptions wearing his visage."
"My Lord," ignored Erebus, "I come to warn you. Your Father, the Emperor, is not who he seems. He wishes to destroy all faiths and establish himself as a new god, the ONLY god. You must stop him before he ascends to a height too great to be brought low."
"Ridiculous," snorted Sanguinius, "My Father destroyed Monarchia for such worship. Your Legion would know this better than any."
"It was but a deception, My Lord," said Erebus insistently, "He sits now on Terra, fashioning devices that will make him a god in the most literal sense."
"Even if that were true," said Sanguinius dismissively, "If my Father chose to be God, there is none amongst us but him worthy of such a role. If my Father did proclaim himself a God, I would abase myself before him in the same I have always done. What difference does it make if my Father is a God, or just merely the Greatest of our Species?"
Erebus growled softly to himself. This would have worked with Horus. Horus had ambition that could be manipulated. His pride would have been easier to pull upon. Sanguinius was too humble.
"Ignore this witchling, brother," chortled Magnus, "Erebus, your skill with warpcraft may be impressive to a layman. But in this realm you are but a novice. And I AM a master…"
The Crimson King raised his finger, and at the tip a bolt of ethereal fire began to glow. It grew slowly larger and larger, until it was the size of a football. Magnus grabbed the flame, and hurled it at Erebus. It impacted against the Word Bearer harmless, disappearing into the ether with nothing to show for it. Erebus laughed.
"So much for the vaunted Crimson King," he scoffed, "Yes your powers are mighty but they are also limited at this distance. You cannot harm me all the way from Prospero."
"Maybe I cannot," conceded Magnus, "But my brother can."
"Magnus…" said Sanguinius warily.
"Brother, trust me," said Magnus, demonstrating a series of gestures in the air, "This realm is made of pure thought. It responds to your will. You are the most psychically in tune of all our brothers after myself. You can do almost anything I am capable of. Copy me, follow my actions, do as I do."
Despite some initial hesitation, Sanguinius nodded, and echoed the actions of Magnus exactly. The brothers together each summoned a flame of bright energy, and directed them squarely at Erebus. If Erebus had been in his mortal form, sweat would have been dripping down his forehead. An Astartes could not normally know fear, but in this realm beyond realms even that was questionable.
"Please my Lord!" begged Erebus in the most pleading tone he could manage, "Wait… Please Wait. WAAAIT!"
The summoning complete, the brothers took their flames in hand. Erebus saw the impending dooming held within Sanguinius' hand and an absolute blinding panic took over him. All was undone, he was about to be undone. This was the end of the great plan. With Erebus' death, and Sanguinius failing to fall, there would be no Warmaster to lead the forces of chaos. They would be crushed under the might of the Imperium.
"There is a chance to save you," whispered Magnus to Sanguinius, "But there is also chance that we cannot heal your body. By rejecting whatever plan Erebus has for you, you may die here brother."
"If that is the will of fate, so be it," said Sanguinius calmly, "I am prepared to die, if it is for the good of our Father and the Imperium."
"WAIT!" screamed Erebus again, desperately looking for a solution that would save his life. An etheric blast of that strength would dissipate his soul into the warp, with no hope of ever returning to his mortal form. His 'death' would become far more permanent than he desired.
He searched his mind, his memory, for something, anything to change the course of events. He needed to persuade Sanguinius, through lies, through truth, through ANYTHING that would appeal to the Primarch of the former Blood Angels. He remembered his conversation with the daemon long ago, immediately after Horus' death. He remembered the warning it brought.
'The yielding heart is not the sacrificial king,' he thought, 'So appealing to pride is not the answer, I need something to appeal to what drives the Warmaster.'
"HORUS!" Erebus screamed in desperation, "HORUS NEED NOT HAVE DIED!"
Magnus let go of his ball of flame, it speared into Erebus and impacted harmlessly on the Chaplain's form. But Sanguinius' flame was held, ready to strike, but in a moment of hesitation. The Warmaster did not loose his projectile, but neither did he lower his arm.
"What do you mean?" asked Sanguinius in a low, dark voice.
"Think about it!" said Erebus, scrambling to put together a coherent argument, "I have brought you here! To this space! So that the forces of the warp might put your body and your mind back together! If I can do that, a 'lowly' Astartes such as myself, why did not the Emperor do the same for Horus!"
"Strike now, Sanguinius!" boomed Magnus, "Do not let the lies of this worm creep inside your skull!"
The flame extinguished, and Sanguinius lower his hand. He turned to Magnus, a pained expression on his face, and Magnus felt a thousand daggers pierce his heart as he saw the look of sadness his brother wore.
"Is it true, Magnus?" asked Sanguinius quietly, "Could Father have saved Horus? Could he have restored him in this place?"
"I was not there, my brother," admitted Magnus, "I am certain Father would have done all he could to save the life of Horus. What reason could he have for not?"
"Perhaps it is something to do with the powers here," said Sanguinius, "You must admit, his adamance during the Council of Nikaea did confuse me somewhat. He did not listen to our pleas of moderation. Yet you are here now, and I sense no malice in your actions. How could this power be so wrong if it used for good? There is plenty of malice in Erebus, but if he directs the powers here to channel great healing… why did not our Father use such powers?"
"I… I am a loss of what to say," mumbled Magnus, "You are right. Nikaea was a travesty. Why he would outright ban my usage and study of the warp has never made sense, especially when we worked so hard to find a solution he would be pleased with. His words… they stung unlike any wound I have ever received. Our Father is a psyker, Malcador is a psyker. Yet they place no limits on their own usage, only mine."
"Except perhaps in the case of Horus," whispered Sanguinius, a tear rolling down his cheek, "Something is very wrong here Magnus. Why did our Father not save Horus? It is not possible that this snake, this wretched thing of spite is capable of doing something our Father cannot. The only conclusion that can be drawn… is that our Father CHOSE not to save Horus. That he CHOSE not to use such powers to save him. But why?"
Magnus remained silent, contemplating the revelation Sanguinius had just uncovered. Sanguinius' form began to tremble, perhaps with sadness, perhaps with rage, perhaps with the instability of the warp due to his exposure for so long. He rounded on Erebus, a burning rage in his eyes. Erebus recoiled in fear and cringed at the fully focused attention of the Great Angel.
"You," said Sanguinius, "If you are capable of doing what you claim, if you can heal my body and restore my mind, I will want answers. You will give them to me."
"It is not I, My Lord!" squeaked Erebus, "It is the powers of the warp! The great Four! They can bestow power and might upon those who would seek to aid them in opposing the False God Emperor and his plans to destroy them!"
"I DO NOT CARE FOR THE PETY CONCERNS OF THESE BEINGS," roared Sanguinius, "ALL I NEED KNOW IS COULD THEY HAVE HEALED HORUS?!"
"Yes! Yes they could!" said Erebus, recoiling again, "Long ago, your Father came to them asking for the strength to build his Empire, the Imperium! The Four Gods granted him the power to do so, in exchange for his collaboration with them! He betrayed them, taking the power he needed and denying them! Attempting to annihilate their followers and so extinguish them from the galaxy! Had he continued his faith with them, they could have healed your brother and restored him!"
"I do not know what madness the Word Bearer speaks," growled Magnus, "But there is no 'Four'. There are no gods in the warp. There are no gods anywhere."
"But you are wrong, Magnus!" cried Erebus in a mixture of fear and a zealot's devotion, "How could one as 'lowly' as me do things beyond your own understanding?! Could YOU have risen the Warmaster here with all your texts and sorceries?! Could you save him from death itself?!"
"He is right in some ways," said Sanguinius, his tone calming to a thoughtful and sad level, "There is truth here we do not know. Something is very wrong about this situation and we must know the truth. Whilst I do not trust Erebus, we cannot deny that Father his hidden much from us, from me in particular. He shared much knowledge about the warp with you, but even you could not have foreseen my injury, nor found a path for me to return."
"I might have done, given the time to research such a thing," Magnus responded, sounding almost offended, "But it highlights my original argument for the study of the warp. How can we know the truth, if study of the truth is denied? We are… restricted, by our Father's Edicts at Nikaea."
"I must know the truth," said Sanguinius, a new force of certainty in his eyes, "And you must help me, Magnus. I fear I cannot do this alone. Your knowledge of the warp and the secrets shared by our Father will be instrumental in this. I cannot die here. I cannot die without knowing the truth as to why Horus was allowed to die when he could have been saved."
Magnus nodded in agreement, reply, "I will help you, my brother. Before I thought this was a journey of two paths, one where you heeded my council and we stood by our Father, and another where your rejection of our Father had me act accordingly to warn him. But perhaps the true path was a third way all along. Perhaps it is we who have been lied to for all this time. By our Father, by this twisted serpent before us, by everyone. We need to know the truth, no matter how unpalatable it might be. We can only trust each other, Sanguinius. It is our only path to the truth."
"Then help me from this place," begged Sanguinius, "I do not trust Erebus, but if these powers he treats with can heal me, then it will prove our Father could have done the same. We must use some power here so that I can be restored to the material world."
"I am not the only one who knows of the Great Four," said Erebus meekly, "My Father Lorgar, he has known about them for some time. After Monarchia he sought out understanding as to the actions there, and in his grief he found the Great Four, and so dispatched me to illuminate you. They are real, Warmaster. My Father will confirm this to be so."
"Then we must also consult with Lorgar," concluded Sanguinius, "Brother, aid me from this place, and we shall summon Lorgar to Prospero where I shall meet you. Together, we shall explore the truth that has been long hidden from us, and put aside any lies, be they lies of Gods in the warp, or lies of our Father. The truth must out, whatever it is."
"I am certain there are no gods of the warp, but I shall heed you brother," nodded Magnus again, "My time here runs short. I shall observe Erebus, and ensure his actions cause you no harm, and once we awaken to the materium once more, I shall await your commands on Prospero."
"The Great Four shall grant you restoration," said Erebus, some confidence slowly returning to voice, "And for now they do not ask anything in return, but as you begin to uncover the truth you will find them again. When you do, you must heed their words, and the words of their followers such as my Father. You will have the truth Warmaster, they make you a sworn vow that they shall not hide the truth from you as the False God Emperor has."
"That remains to be seen," said Sanguinius stiffly, "Know this, Erebus. I will not kill you for your Father's sake. But I shall no longer allow you to remain free amongst my Legions. You will be restrained until we reach Prospero, and your Father and I can speak candidly on your actions."
"I serve the will of the Warmaster," bowed Erebus, calmness flooding his mind once more.
'Never before in the history of all creation was there a battle won that was so nearly lost', he thought to himself, 'They are not bound as tightly to the Four as Horus might have been, but at least they will start down the path. Lorgar can illuminate them, as big of a fool as he is. The fight is far from over, the truth will be their fall. The Yielding Heart will bring victory to chaos at last. I need only watch my own neck, passions drive this one far more. I cannot afford another near miss like this…'
