The Endurance, inside a Space Marine’s personal quarters.
Now.
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Hades sat at his workstation, deep in thought.
After convincing Mortarion to return to his duties, he had retreated to his own quarters.
First, he tried once again to extend his “Black Domain,” but found it still limited to just the surface of his skin, as if imprisoned.
He planned to research more about blanks or nulls—those immune to the Warp—later.
In his mories before the ti-travel, nulls never displayed anything like his current "Black Domain" ability.
Pushing aside the mystery of the Black Domain for now, Hades focused on his bionic left brain.
As he concentrated, he realized that his left brain functioned like a computer.
He could consciously store mories within it, retrieve them, or even destroy them if he wished.
Curiously, as he felt around the back of his electronic brain, he discovered several ports.
These were likely ant for future interfacing with machines.
One port already had a small chip inserted.
Upon pulling it out, Hades realized it was sothing like a USB drive.
He could store mories or knowledge within it for later use.
How convenient!
He thought to himself. Could it really be as simple as plugging in a mory-filled hard drive, and he would instantly gain access to the knowledge stored within?
Additionally, Hades noticed that he could pile complex calculations into the left half of his brain, effectively separating the tasks perford by his left and right hemispheres.
Interestingly, bodily functions controlled by the brainstem seed to have been taken over by the enhanced right half of his brain, leaving the left side focused entirely on learning, mory, computation, and controlling machines.
It was, in essence, a brain-computer, much like the cogitators installed by the Adeptus chanicus in their Tech-Priests.
Unbeknownst to Hades, however, his electronic brain far surpassed any standard cogitator in both processing power and efficiency.
After learning all he could for now about his bionic brain, Hades turned his attention to his left eye.
As expected, his bionic eye had x-ray vision.
Night vision? Irrelevant—enhanced Space Marine vision was already capable of seeing in the dark.
Additionally, anything captured by his left eye could be directly saved into his electronic brain, ready to be accessed when needed.
The only downside, Hades found, was that his left eye couldn’t shoot lasers, much to his disappointnt.
Perhaps in the future, he could modify it himself.
As Hades explored the potential of his bionic brain and eye, ti slipped away.
Since it was his first ti consciously controlling his electronic brain, he hadn’t realized how much ti had passed.
It was now 1:00 a.m.
Even for a Space Marine, it was ti to sleep.
Hades stood up from his desk and walked over to his bed, ready to rest.
Though the mysteries of his new body remained unsolved, they weren’t pressing matters—
Ding, ding, ding
The doorbell interrupted his thoughts.
A Servitor slowly entered.
“Greetings, Lord Hades. Please change into the Type i3 battle attire and report to Reception Room Beta-508 on the 36th floor imdiately.”
The i3 battle attire wasn’t actual battle gear; it was more of a ceremonial outfit designed for Astartes when not wearing their power armor.
It was ant for formal occasions when Astartes could not wear their armor, such as newly inducted recruits yet to receive their power armor.
Soone wants to see ?
Quickly dressing, Hades followed the Servitor into the now-empty halls of The Endurance.
It was 1:36 a.m. Terran Standard Ti, and most Space Marines were deep in their brief sleep cycle.
The lights in the corridors were dimr than before.
Upon reaching the destination, the Servitor bowed and opened the door for Hades.
The mont he stepped inside, an unusual sensation washed over him.
The room was vast and empty, with no furniture save for banners hanging from the walls.
But standing within were two squads of Sisters of Silence and two Custodes.
Opposite them stood Mortarion, arms crossed, with Captain Barasine of the First Company standing rigidly by his side.
The unsettling aura Hades had felt? It was emanating from the Sisters of Silence.
Like water and oil, both liquids but fundantally incompatible, Hades could feel that his Black Domain and the Sisters’ aura were not of the sa origin.
Even though the aura from the Sisters of Silence felt similar to Hades' Black Domain, there was an underlying difference in essence.
Hades' entry shattered the icy, tense standoff in the room.
Earlier, the Custodes and the Sisters had greeted Mortarion with a simple gesture of respect, but Mortarion had rely acknowledged them with a nod, showing little regard.
Standing awkwardly beside Mortarion, Captain Barasine had hesitated on whether to return the gesture, but knowing he'd be serving under Mortarion in the future, he ultimately stood straight at attention, attempting to convey his respect without words.
Barasine was no stubborn old soldier.
As a captain, he had learned to navigate the intricate politics of the Imperium while leading his troops.
He had long anticipated the Legion's reunion with their primarch and had prepared for it.
His thoughts briefly flickered to the young recruit—how will he handle this situation?
But Hades, upon entering, was utterly captivated by the unsettling aura emanating from the Sisters of Silence.
The tension in the room was of no consequence to him compared to the strange allure of the Sisters' presence.
The Custodes, clad in their shining golden armor, did not dwell on Mortarion's lack of proper decorum.
They had already anticipated such behavior from him.
Instead, one of the Custodes nodded slightly toward Hades and stepped aside.
The Sisters of Silence parted, and two of them approached, holding a massive scythe between them.
The scythe was black as night, its curved shaft seemingly grown naturally rather than forged.
Its blade shimred faintly under the dim lights, and tiny, sharp, saw-like teeth lined its edge, hinting at its viciousness.
Just looking at it gave the impression that it could tear flesh apart with a re touch.
Intricate silver engravings adorned the eting point between the blade and the shaft, depicting scenes of lightning and, upon closer inspection, vast mountain ranges and rivers.
This was no ordinary scythe—it was a massive chain scythe, with a pointed head more reminiscent of a bayonet than the typical blunt end of most scythes.
Unlike Mortarion's own Silence, designed to hold an enemy down and saw through them, this weapon seed built to pierce and rend with terrifying efficiency.
"Death Guard Hades," the Custodes spoke, his voice commanding and regal.
"For your valor and unmatched deeds during the liberation of Barbarus, by the order of the Emperor himself, I bestow upon you this scythe."
The Sisters of Silence looked to Hades, silently signaling for him to take the weapon.
Hades stepped forward and grasped the scythe.
In that instant, the Black Domain within Hades surged like a river, rushing into the weapon.
The silver engravings along the scythe’s surface glowed with faint, pulsing light as if responding to his power.
The Custodes, seeing the weapon react, remained composed and continued in a calm tone, "This scythe has been under the care of the Sisters, but for reasons unknown, it has never found a worthy bearer—until now."
"May you wield it in service of the Emperor, to carve a path through the enemies of the Imperium."
Hades tightened his grip on the scythe, finding it massive even for his augnted fra.
With the ceremony complete, the Custodes stood at attention once more, their power spears raised to the heavens.
The Sisters of Silence re-ford their ranks, ready to depart.
"For the Emperor!"
Even Mortarion, usually indifferent to such formalities, quietly uttered, "For the Emperor."
Still clutching the scythe, Hades remained frozen in place, lost in thought.
The Custodes and Sisters had already left, leaving him in silence.
"Keep it," Mortarion's voice broke through the quiet.
Mortarion glanced at the scythe in Hades' hand before shifting his gaze to his own sidearm, the Lantern, a pistol of xenos craftsmanship.
The Emperor had once asked what Mortarion wanted as a gift, and this was what he had chosen.
Hades, however, seed transfixed by the scythe, his mind sowhere far away.
He must be overwheld, Mortarion thought.
Hades stared at the scythe, a strange sense of familiarity creeping into his heart.
"Obituary."
The word ca to his mind unbidden.
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