Author's Note: For those interested, there are now seven advance chapters on P-atreon (remove the spaces and dash): p-atreon/ SkySage24.

"This is amazing! How did Lady Isha do it, father? The skill in biomancy needed to craft a functional ecosystem in such a short time is-"

George smiled indulgently at his son's astral projection, letting the chatter wash over him. Here, one of Luna's newly grown forests, he had found some much-needed peace and a place to talk to his son without interruption.

He had not thought he would see Luna bloom again for many centuries yet, certainly not before Terra. But it was nice, he had to admit.

The moon of his homeworld always had the most spectacular sunsets in the galaxy.

After weeks of being on Luna, having to manage and investigate the Selenar Cults while conflict raged on Mars, and struggling with the impulse to pull himself back into one being, it was good to have his son around as a distraction.

He had been slightly surprised when Magnus had appeared to him on Luna, but truth be told, he was just relieved that his son hadn't appeared during the fight with Be'lakor.

What a disaster that would have been. The Dark Master would most certainly have sought to use Magnus against him. And for all the power and potential George had imbued his sons with, it would be centuries yet before any of them were ready to fight a Daemon King on equal grounds.

He was glad Isha had slain the monster where he stood, even if witnessing her aspect as the Huntress had been…unnerving.

George himself had never had any issue with such things, to his relief. From what the fragments of the memories of the Last Old One and his studies of god-forging techniques had revealed to him, he suspected this was because he was and always had been crafted for a specific purpose.

The Eldar Pantheon had been birthed by the beliefs and prayers of the Proto-Aeldari and had later been weaponized by the Old Ones. But despite how drastically they had been transformed by the Old Ones, some things had not changed. And one of those had been their Aspects, formed by the way different religious sects and people believed them to be. Whether the Old Ones had been unable to wipe those Aspects away or if they had deemed them useful, that George could not say, but it was what it was.

George had not been born of a religion with countless different interpretations and conflicting beliefs, he had been formed completely from scratch. While the shamans and the Old Ones had different plans for him, those plans had not conflicted. Being the guardian of mankind's souls and defeating the Dragon had neatly intersected even, for the creature would have glutted itself on Terra and its people if he had not stopped it.

While he had had some trouble resolving the differing perspectives of the shamans that had come together to form him, not to mention the many different lives he had lived while reincarnating, it had been nothing like having a completely different aspect of himself as Isha did.

"-and what happened on Mars, father?" Magnus's last words pulled his attention back to him. The boy's projection pouted. "I tried to scry it, but your other self's shields blocked me."

George suppressed a wince. He was not eager to share knowledge of Chaos with any of his sons, but Magnus would always have been the most difficult to conceal that from and this didn't make things any easier.

Fortunately, he had an explanation prepared.

"A powerful daemon created cults in the highest ranks of the Mechanicum, and set them against me," George told his son calmly. "The daemon has been slain, but as a precaution, until we have rooted out all traces of its influence, I thought it best to erect wards to prevent any further incursions."

All of which was true, it was just leaving out the part where Magnus was one of the people meant to be blocked by those wards.

Magnus looked grumpy. "I could help!" He protested. "I'm old enough now, and I've been learning a lot on Prospero."

"No," George said firmly. He was not going to have his five-year-old son help him search for traps left behind by the greatest Chaos Sorcerer in the galaxy, no matter how talented Magnus was. "It's too dangerous."

"But-"

"No, Magnus."

The boy looked sulky for a moment, before perking back up. "Can you at least teach me how you split yourself in two like that, then?"

George suppressed a groan. Of course, this must have been what Magnus wanted. The request to help investigate Mars was just a build-up.

"When I come to Prospero," George settled on a compromise. "It is a delicate technique, and too dangerous if you get it wrong. I should be there to keep an eye on it."

Truth be told, George wasn't sure if Magnus could split himself as George had done. The Primarchs were powerful, but they were not Incarnates. George had designed them to imitate his abilities as much as possible, and their enhanced brains were able to sustain different lines of thought simultaneously to some extent.

But splitting one's essence as he had was an ability unique to Incarnates, as far as George was aware.

"But it could be decades before you come to Prospero!" Magnus protested. "Can't you teach me now?"

"It is a very dangerous technique, Magnus," George warned, searching for a way to quell his son's curiosity. "If you get it wrong, you could damage your mind, losing both your psychic powers and intellect in the process."

"I understand, father," Magnus relented. He was unhappy with having to wait, but his son treasured the gifts of his mind above all else. "But when are you coming to Prospero? Can't you give me a date?"

"I'm afraid not," George said gently. "There are other matters I must tend to. Terra needs to be organized and consolidated, and then I must reunify Sol itself. Prospero is far from here too, and it would take me time to get there."

Magnus seemed a little downcast at that. "It's just…it's hard, here, father. I love Propsero, but there are so few people I can talk to. Normal humans are just…so slow, for the most part. The other students and acolytes are so stupid. Amon can keep up with me to some extent, he's brilliant, but he's still not like you."

"I know, son," George said and he meant it. He had encountered the same problem many times throughout his long life. Truth be told, he wasn't sure he could claim to have ever known a true intellectual equal before Isha. "I will come as soon as I can, I promise. But in the meantime, why not seek out the older scholars and sages of Prospero? You will find them more of a match for you than your fellow students, I think." And it would hopefully prevent Magnus from developing any further contempt for normal humans.

"I've tried," Magnus complained. "But they keep telling me I'm too young and immature to participate in debates with them or access their libraries, and need more experience."

Well, they weren't wrong. But even so.

"Keep trying," George advised, but before he could say anything else, a new presence appeared.

In a flash of green light, Isha materialized at his side. To his relief, she looked happier than when he had seen her depart for Iyanden (technically, his other avatar had seen her, but they were the same.)

Her eyes seemed less shadowed than before, and her aura seemed less tense and angry, not as tightly wound. The time on Iyanden had been good for her.

Though she had not deigned to done the guise of a human once more. Her avatar was as tall as he was, with pointed ears and donned in the robes of a Craftworlder.

It was harmless enough, it wasn't as if there was anyone present except him and Magnus.

"Lord Emperor," She said formally, as her feet settled on the grass. Not warmly, but it lacked the coldness that had always filled her voice since their first trip to Iyanden. "Young Magnus."

"Lady Isha," George nodded, even as Magnus perked up in excitement.

"How did you terraform Luna so effectively?" The boy blurted out. "How is it possible to construct an entire biosphere from raw warp energy? Can you teach me-"

"Magnus!" George interrupted, mildly exasperated. "Don't be rude. Don't bombard Lady Isha with questions."

Magnus fell silent with a pout, but fortunately, Isha only seemed amused.

"To answer your question, young Magnus, it is with great practice and knowledge," She said, her lips twitching into a smile at the disappointed look on his son's face. "As for teaching you how to do it, I am afraid that would take many long centuries." She was being generous, George knew. Magnus might have been designed as the most powerful psychic among the Primarchs, but the odds of him ever coming close to the biomancy skills of the Goddess of Life were low.

"I'm a quick learner," Magnus insisted. "People always think I can't learn something and I prove them wrong."

"Perhaps," Isha said diplomatically. "Nevertheless, it would still take quite some time, and it would require us to be in the same location. Teaching you from across interstellar distances is not a viable course."

George cut in back Magnus could not argue any further, shooting his son a quelling look. "What brings you here, Isha? I thought you would return to Mars after your trip to Iyanden."

"I intend to," Isha said. "But I wanted to check on Luna first, to make sure the ecosystem is still stable. These things are often delicate, not to mention I wouldn't put it past the Selenar Cults to attempt to sabotage it."

George nodded. It didn't matter much in any case, Isha's other avatar was still on Mars and could help deal with any problems that arose.

Tendrils of Isha's power spread through Luna as she checked it over for any potential problems, but she continued speaking. "How much longer do you intend to stay here?" She inquired. "I understand the need to keep a grip on Luna, but surely this isn't sustainable."

"Do not worry," George said, even as he placed a hand on the 'shoulder' of Magnus's astral projection to keep the boy quiet. "I have called forces to properly occupy Luna, and they should be here soon. In fact…" He paused for a moment, looking up at Earth. "Here they are now."

Isha and Magnus both followed his gaze. The latter immediately gasped in awe, his eyes wide at the sight of the golden behemoth approaching Luna.

She was a relic of the Dark Age of Technology, a vessel that had survived the Gene Wars, the Cybernetic Revolt, and the Age of Strife. Not without damage, but she had survived.

By the time he had returned to Terra, she had become a nation in her own right, home of the Terrawatt Clans. The Emperor had sought them out and obtained their fealty as swiftly as he could, and put them to work on restoring and reactivating the vessel.

She was a great golden eagle and she was also a city of light. Yet, to call her either did not do her size justice. In truth, it was almost as if some great giant had reached down to Terra and carved off an entire nation from the surface of the planet.

Her surface sparked like the sun itself, crowned with spires and vessels. Despite her massive size, she was fast, rapidly approaching Luna, and when she arrived, she would cast a vast shadow across its surface.

"Behold, Buchephalus." The Emperor said, with deep satisfaction, his voice echoing around them, accompanied by the beat of war drums. "The herald of mankind's rebirth."

Isha's sigh and the roll of her eyes at his drama only made him smile more widely.