---3rd Person POV, Golden Palace Main Gate---
"There can be no doubt... That really is you, isn't it, Ogon.", Dorn grunted, recognizing his brother imdiately. "Seeing you among the living, I am not sure if I should be pissed off or relieved. Only ti will tell..."
"Nice to see you again as well, Dorn.", Ogon chuckled, with a wry grin. "It would appear the reports were accurate; Aremus' heir really has brought most of the loyalist Primarchs together again. Whether you believe or not, I am truly happy to see you all once again. Here is to hoping Victor can resurrect Manus and Sanguinius to bring us to full strength."
Hearing Ogon utter their nas, the seven loyalists felt the overwhelming urge to murder the twins on the spot. Releasing a loud cough to snap them out of it, Valdor gave them a stern look to remind them of their promise. On the way to the gate, the Emperor of Mankind had requested they maintain an air of civility until they could ascertain why the Alpha Legion had co. Having given their word to abide by their father's request, they begrudgingly let it go... for now.
"Alright, Alpharius and Ogon, enough of the pleasantries.", the Emperor spoke, closely observing the twins. "We are here; now tell us why you have co here. Speak!"
"Before we begin, we co bearing a peace offering to hopefully ease the tension between us.", Alpharius said, motioning for his sons to bring forth the stasis chambers. "As we were making our hasty getaway, my sons retrieved the corpses of Horus and Manus from Fabius Bile's laboratory. I fully understand that you may view this as a cruel gift, but we know the Imperium has been after them for a very long ti. Please take care of them better than that sick freak Bile... Desecrating the dead to improve upon the Emperor of Mankind's works..."
Pushing the stasis units to the halfway point between the groups, the Emperor and loyalists looked upon the corpses with mixed emotions. Seeing Horus' face after nearly twelve thousand years, overwhelming anger and rage swelled in their hearts. Reflecting on everything that could and should have been, their hearts cried out for answers they would never get from him.
Looking upon Manus' corpse, a mix of emotions washed over the n like a tidal wave. On one hand, they were relieved to have him back where he belonged, while on the other, the trauma of losing him ca flooding back to them. Corvax and Vulkan were especially hit hard as they began reliving that fateful day again in their minds. Unable to continue looking at him, the two n looked away and began weeping silently.
"Commander Yoma... Please summon my grandson here posthaste. Whatever Alpharius and Ogon have to say, I am certain Victor will want to hear it.", the Emperor stated as Fulgrim (Clone) squeezed his way to the front.
"Of course.", Yoma acknowledged.
Horrified to see a perfect, uncorrupted clone of Fulgrim before their very eyes, the twins clenched their fists in pure rage. Having been led to believe Bile had only experinted on Horus and Manus, they were beyond furious he had gone behind everyone's back and lied about it. Wishing they had killed the mad scientist during their retreat, both n swore to make him suffer slowly and painfully for his transgressions.
Shakily approaching Manus' stasis chamber, Fulgrim (Clone) fell onto the chamber and began shedding tears of blood. Recalling all the agony and pain he experienced dealing the fateful blow to his beloved brother, every tear his original body had shed over the millennia began flowing from him.
"My... My beloved brother... Manus... I... I am so sorry!", Fulgrim (Clone) wailed, holding onto the unit while trembling violently. "Up till the very end, you tried to show the error of my ways and fought to save . I was an arrogant, blind fool who could not see the truth until I lost it all. No matter how long it takes , even if it is till the end of ti, I will do all I can to make ands to you. All I ask in return... Please let see that genuine smile of yours again."
Slinging the chains that bound their stasis chambers over his shoulders, Fulgrim began slowly dragging them back to his loyalist brothers. Feeling the weight of all his failures and sins at once, every step he took felt like he was moving a mountain. Seeing the genuine pain and remorse in his empty eyes, the loyalist's disdain toward him softened just a bit. Leaving the units before the Emperor, Fulgrim began walking back to where he had been, only to be blocked by Corvax and Vulkan.
"There is no need for you to hide in the shadows, Fulgrim. Stand with us, and hear what Alpharius and Ogon have to say.", Vulcan spoke. "Though we cannot yet forgive you, your actions up to this point have earned you the right to stand by us again."
"Agreed...", Corvax seconded.
Softly thanking his brothers, Fulgrim (Clone) squeezed in between them and kept his head down. Even though they said he deserved to be there, he still felt far from worthy enough to be shoulder to shoulder with them again. That said, there was an unexplainable warmth in his chest that put him at peace.
---Victor POV, Ten Minutes Later---
Receiving an ergency call from Yoma in the middle of dinner, I politely excused myself and raced to Terra as fast as I could. Arriving at the front gate via a Bifrost bridge, the mont my body appeared, two blurred figures leapt at out of nowhere. Whipping Stormbreaker around, I nearly lopped their heads off before realizing it was the twin Primarchs. Halting my attack, my next reaction was to demand an explanation from them. Needing a mont to collect themselves, they slowly released and backed away.
"Sorry... It is just... You really do look like our brother Aremus.", Ogon said, wiping a tear away. "During the Great Crusade, we grew especially close to Aremus and frequently spent ti with him. He was arguably the most intelligent and wise among us, but you would have never known it. Aremus enjoyed playing the hapless fool to help the rest of us grow as both people and Primarchs."
"This goes without saying, but you have t and exceeded his legacy sevenfold. If he were still here with us, I am certain he would praise you for all that you have done.", Alpharius stated, placing a reassuring hand on my arm. "In less than a year, you have turned this sinking ship around and charted us on a course for a bright future. Clean water is readily available across the Imperium, food is widely available for the first ti in Imperial history, and the Imperial people are beginning to dream once again. This may sound heretical, but to most of the Imperium of Man... You are the second coming of the Emperor of Mankind."
"Uh... Thank you?", I remarked, unsure how to feel about being told that by two traitor Primarchs.
Chuckling at my response, the two n felt it was a reasonable one given the circumstances. Taking a few monts to collect their thoughts, Alpharius got back on topic.
"We are here because the Imperium's Warpspace has co under siege from Zephrim and nurous hordes of daemons.", Alpharius spoke in a serious tone. "Our assets within each camp have inford us that he has launched an all-out assault on multiple fronts. As things currently stand, most of Nurgle and Slaanesh's territories have been corrupted by Zephrim. We are a bit foggy on the details, but he apparently possesses so sort of relic that allowed him to absorb Nurgle's psychic energy after his passing."
Showing us a video recording that his marines had taken, we watched Zephrim effortlessly overwhelm an exhausted and wounded Fulgrim. Stealing the power Slaanesh had bestowed upon him before our eyes, he proceeded to ruthlessly crush the restored Primarch beneath his boot. Blasting the Noise Marines with a burst of purple energy, I quickly shouted for Alpharius to pause the recording.
"Go back a few fras and zoom in on the gauntlet he is wearing.", I requested, getting closer for a better look.
"Okay?", Alpharius acknowledged, with a confused look.
Recognizing the Soul Stone imdiately, I could now be certain that Zephrim had gotten his hands on it. Knowing how dangerous it could be in the hands of a skilled psyker, this situation now took precedence over everything else in my backlog.
"Victor, what is it?", the Emperor spoke, sensing my dread.
"Guilliman, rouse the High Lords of Terra imdiately. This is an ergency unlike anything the Imperium of Man has faced before. I do not utter these words lightly, but we are in so seriously deep trouble right now.", I stated, looking back at them with a stone-faced expression. "Retaking Cadia and slamming shut the Eye of Terror is now even more critical than before. It will not resolve this problem, but it will buy us precious ti to strategize."
"What of them?", Dorn questioned.
Glancing back at the Alpha Legion, I carefully shifted their minds for any hint of ill intent or maliciousness. Finding neither in any of the n, it was safe to say they hadn't co here looking to fight us. Assuring my grandfather and uncles that they could be trusted for the mont, I strongly recomnded changing venues to sowhere more private.
"Is it truly that bad?", Khan inquired.
"Absolutely... It is safe to say that if we do not act, there will be far-reaching, universe-level repercussions.", I answered, walking toward the palace.
Noticing the corpses of Horus and Manus before the Emperor, I asked Jarvis to contact the Iron Hands' Chapter Master. Requesting Manus' skull to properly resurrect my deceased uncle, we needed him now more than ever before.
Reviews
All reviews (0)