ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪ ᴡᴀsɴ'ᴛ sᴛʀᴏɴɢ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ
"That's it?!" Zerayah screamed out at the master of Humanity, "That's all you have to say for yourself!?"
ᴛʜᴀᴛ's ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴛᴏ. ᴀɴʏ ᴇxᴄᴜsᴇ ᴏʀ ʀᴇᴀsᴏɴ ᴏʀ ᴊᴜsᴛɪғɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. ɪ ᴡᴀsɴ'ᴛ sᴛʀᴏɴɢ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ.
Zerayah wanted to rant, wanted strike down the Corpse Emperor for daring to say such simple words about the death of her father. But she couldn't. Because she knew it was true. That even the God Emperor himself was only just a man.
ɴᴏ. ɴᴏᴛ ᴀ ᴍᴀɴ. I ғᴏʀɢᴏᴛ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀ ᴍᴀɴ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪs ᴡʜʏ I ᴀᴍ ʜᴇʀᴇ. ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ғᴀʀ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴍᴀɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴡᴀs ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ.
Zerayah looked up at the Emperor, and stared into his empty eyesocket, watching as a single tear fell out of it.
ᴛʜɪs ɪs ᴍʏ ғɪɴᴀʟ ᴅᴇᴄʀᴇᴇ. ғɪɴᴅ ᴍʏ sᴏɴs, sᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇᴍsᴇʟᴠᴇs, sᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ sᴇᴀ ᴏғ sᴏᴜʟs ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ɪᴛ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴜɴɪᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴀʟᴀxʏ. ʟᴇᴀʀɴ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴍʏ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇs.
Zerayah said nothing but turned away, trying to choke back the feelings welling up inside her. She slowly made her way down the stairs to the throne, the surviving Custodes now standing at Honor Guard rest as she walked down. With each step she took, the Belll of Lost Souls rang out for all those lost. Lost because of the Emperor's weakness.
Zerayah would do that. Not because she was ordered, not because of any loyalty or feelings towards the frakking corpse that didn't even have the decency to be arrogantl about the destruction of all that she loved. She would do it for the memory of her Father.
In the name of Cain.
(Yeah I had to end it like that. I was struggling for a good ending line and then that hit me.)