Shadow of Change
There are few things on either side of the veil, knowledge of which can evade the absolute being that is Tzeentch. And as He observed the fringe corner of the galaxy that recently earned the name of Cainite Protectorate, one more mystery has gone away.
The Architect of Fate now knew the essence of the Shadow that haunted the Ways, spontaneously unraveling His schemes that went beyond this point of time. And in that, He was delighted, for the Shadow's essence was change.
Tzeentch beheld the spark that would sweep through the stars, uprooting the millenia of stagnation. Or, it would suffocate, failing to set the hollow, rotten trunk that was the Imperium of Man aflame. The Lord of Change would not have it end that way, though.
Aeons past He plotted, sown discord, granted power to some while taking from others, all seemingly to an end too distant to be fathomed. Yet it was so because He was but one of the four Powers, and with Aeldari and the Imperium miring the Empyrean in colors of stagnation and decay, His act could only be subtle. A preparation of the stage, which one day would be graced by an actor playing their own play. Actor, who has now arrived.
Ciaphas Cain. The man bearing the Shadow, and making things never fathomed by mortals before into reality. One, whose soul was not swayed by either the divine or mortal power.
In a twist of events Tzeentch himself would be proud of, Cain stumbled right in between several seemingly unreconcilable forces. And yet, out of all possible ways to survive, he managed to find the one bringing the most change.
Change to the lives of those under him, change to the balance of forces in the sector around him and, most amusingly, change to the doctrines of the cults.
Tzeentch was no stranger to the types of mortals who beseeched His gifts. Burning with either despair or greed, they paid no heed to their kin as they descended into madness and revelry. On Slawkenberg though, His followers were uniquely dedicated to their society instead.
It was certainly a change which Tzeentch found He did not mind. The amount of knowledge created by them to manage the apparatus of Protectorate society was surprisingly dense and ever-evolving, as were the schemes they came up with to gather more power in their constrained environment. He stood to benefit greatly when this kind of governance spread to more places.
And the hope, the whole world was full of it. And not the mercurial kind – the mortals there clearly saw a path to better tomorrow. One, wearing the face of the Liberator.
Yet biggest change He saw in the Powers themselves. As Empyrean reflected the emotions of the mortals, so did They. And as Tzeentch beheld the miniscule shifts in His nature coming from the Damocles gulf, He welcomed it. He, after all, was the Lord of Change.
More or less tried to bring a close to canon reaction of Tzeentch to Cain's shenanigans. Also explaining how he found himself with enough space and time to grow and not be stomped out - there should be several places in the galaxy that fit that criteria at any given time, partially thanks to Tzeentch.
Is it Tzeentch? Always has been.