The Wayward Son

Khaine's Gate

"ARGHHH! UGHHH! NOOO!" Seiras was currently paralyzed in the back of Melisara's ship as it flew directly next to their point of entry at Khaine's gate. To Seiras' horror and dread, the closer they got to it, the more pain and hysteria he began to experience.

"Relax back there, Seiras…we're almost through it. I'm going to park us past the opening, and we'll be walking right in," Melisara said casually.

"This place is wrong! It's like its not even here. AGHHH!" the librarian writhed in agony.

The haemonculus looked at him and frowned, "Hmm, you're taking this worse than I expected. I even left the collar on so you wouldn't lose your mind back there. Endure it Seiras we're passing the gate now, but I'm not flying all the way inside. We're touching down up ahead, and we'll walk from there."

The librarian took labored breaths as the ship passed through the gap in Khaine's Gate and landed in a place that was obviously warp tainted. He felt somewhat better now as Melisara opened the hatch and unfroze him from his paralysis. She shook her head, "I forgot they relocated most of the pariahs to the breaches here. That might explain the additional agony. Nevertheless, we're technically touching the warp now so you should be okay."

"Ughhh…that was the worst experience of my life, and that's saying something," Seiras said as he began to calm himself.

"Well let's not waste any time. Let me just take your collar off now," Melisara commented as she levitated towards him and used some special type of tool to undrill the collar's spikes from his neck, psychic hood, and black carapace. It remained on however, due to his armour, but the collar was no longer active.

Literally the moment the collar's spikes came out, Seiras felt an expansion of consciousness as he saw multiple incoherent visions flashing before his eyes. He couldn't make any sense of them except for seeing a vision of Fulgrim walking on a ship.

His visions cut off moments later and he glanced back to see Melisara was equipping some interesting looking armour. In his opinion it almost looked like it was Necron armour. He stared at her in confusion, "What are you wearing, Melisara?"

"Oh this? I call it Pylon Armour. I reverse engineered the Necron Pylon tech and made it into a personal suit so that I wouldn't be assailed by Slaanesh and other daemons in the warp. It'll essentially mask my presence in the warp from any daemons. It should also protect me from your psychic abilities," she noted.

"You don't trust me?" he asked curiously.

Melisara shook her head, "It's not that I don't trust you, but calling forth a primarch's soul in the warp is going to cause massive damage and psychic backlashes most likely. Not to mention, I expect it to attract the attention of daemons. I just want to make sure you don't have to worry about me getting caught in any warp phenomena," she explained.

"Well that makes sense. I actually hadn't given thought to how you were going to protect yourself from Slaanesh in the warp," Seiras replied.

The haemonculus chuckled as she dragged out the floating pod with the Ferrus Manus clone, "I have the same defenses in this pod so it can't be swallowed away from us while we're inside. You can remove him from it once we've found a suitable location. We shouldn't have to go too far, but the further away you get from Khaine's Gate, the more likely you'll be able to project a psychic beacon to call forth Ferrus' Soul. It's important that we keep a somewhat close proximity however so that the flow of time remains mostly the same as Commorragh's. Also so that we can return without getting lost."

"About this soul summoning situation…I'm only a beta level psyker at max power, but even using that much will be dangerous. Not to mention, I doubt that will be powerful enough to call out across the entire warp. Even if I could, isn't that going to attract the attention of everything else in the warp? I'm not just expecting daemons…I'm expecting greater daemons." Seiras said grimly.

"Yes…this is another reason I enhanced you Seiras. We will need to be quick. If we get overwhelmed by daemons, then this plan will fail. This is wholly dependent on you for us to succeed. I've done everything I can, and now I place the future of your Imperium and this galaxy in your hands. Know this…if you fail, I won't be able to save you or the primarch clone," Melisara said grimly.

Seiras sighed through his helmet's vox, "It's very unlike a haemonculus to not have a perfect plan or a backup. You seriously trust I can do this? You're taking a major risk here…it seems strange considering how delicate and intricate your plans have been up until now."

"Honestly, I am counting on the Emperor to help you. There is one final thing that you will require to make this work, but before I give it to you, listen closely to what I'm about to say. You recall that footage I showed you of my own memories, yes? There was a lot that went into fixing the Golden Throne and I haven't been entirely honest about what we did. Allow me to explain exactly how we fixed the throne and alleviated the Emperor's psychic strain. Initially, the Mechanicus and the Custodes only wanted us to fix the Soul Harvester which we improved quite a bit with our own technology. We haemonculi are the masters of soul transfer as it is how we are essentially unkillable. We installed a minor form of this technology into the Soul Harvester of the Golden Throne built long ago by the Old Ones. It prolongs the soul-burning process of the Emperor's daily psyker harvest which meant it would only require half the sacrifices. After our dark bargain was struck, we demanded a number of things. You already know the main one…diplomatic immunity and the prohibition of any large-scale assault on Commorragh. My colleagues also had a variety of personal requests. The most noteworthy of which are as follows: For the Imperium to trade 75% of their pariahs to Commorragh, for the Mechanicus to hand over 50% of acquired Necron technology, for the Emperor's V.I. blueprints to combat A.I.'s, and for a large chunk of the gene-seed tithes from the mechanicus as well as a few space marine specimens and a Custodian. That last one was my personal request and it was ultimately refused. They already considered the deal too costly with the pariahs, and technology trades alone. We were inevitably told that all genetic data regarding Thunder Warriors, Astartes, Primarchs, and the Custodes was expressively off the table. We ultimately accepted a counter deal of 40% of the Imperium's pariahs, 25% Necron loot, and the V.I. technology. There were some other minor things as well, but they are irrelevant," Melisara paused briefly.

Seiras eyed her uncertainly, "What does any of that have to do with our current plan?"

"I was about to get to that. After my colleagues departed, I was the last haemonculus to remain as I was quite adamant about wanting gene-seed. I told the Custodes the truth that we could have improved the Golden Throne a great deal more and I would do it in secret for the gene-seed tithes and a Custodian. They refused again as you'd expect, but as a show of good faith, I offered to also seal off parts of the warp torn webway as I initially suggested, and I gave them a copy of my map of the webway. They eventually accepted my request minus a Custodian specimen as a full map of the webway is about as priceless as an STC," Melisara elaborated further.

"You had a map of the entire webway?!" Seiras gawked.

Melisara nodded, "Yes…it was a very ancient Aeldari map. Though they couldn't read or wholly understand it, the Custodes said they would accept my deal for the gene tithes as they knew how valuable the map was. They and the Mechanicus gave me the gene-seed tithes and even a few deceased Imperial Fists specimens, but sadly refused to give me a Custodian as they said that the Emperor would never approve. Now here's the part where this is relevant to us. I made the Soul Harvester as powerful as possible. What this did is it allowed the Emperor to harvest souls himself from the warp. Every non-corrupted human psyker that dies can be automatically harvested by the Emperor now. This empowered him quite a bit as you can imagine as well as his own psychic stability. It completely removed the requirement for psyker soul sacrifices and even allowed him to reacquire lost pieces of his own soul. However, while I worked on this, I secretly implemented a hidden psychic relay receiver into the soul harvester through one of the cables connected to the Emperor himself. It was doubly wired to connect to my receiver and the Golden Throne."

Seiras shook his head disbelievingly, "That's crazy…so what was the point of this psychic receiver?"

"When I returned to Commorragh I built receivers that paired with it so that I could monitor the psychic emanations of the Master of Mankind. Think of it as a psychic vox receiver. Believe it or not, the Emperor actually talks to people psychically. His Custodes primarily, but I have heard him speak to random people throughout the galaxy on this device. I even heard him speak to the primarch Roboute Guilliman. I know he is aware of its existence, but he has not had it removed. I believe he knew my intentions were not nefarious as I freed him a great deal from his psychic strain. Now to the point…this is the receiver that can directly track his psychic echoes. It should work both ways, but it requires another psyker in order to communicate through. It's ancient Aeldari technology. I'm not a psyker or I would have tried to speak to the Emperor myself in this manner. You, however, can use it to pinpoint him in the warp. This is a major gamble, but I know that Ferrus Manus was one of the Emperor's favorite sons. He will approve of what you're trying to do. Though if you have doubts, then I would advise we turn back. We only have one real chance at this. Because once you speak through the receiver, the Custodes in the Imperial Palace will be able to hear you as well. When they become aware of it, they will likely have it removed," she noted.

"I have no doubts, Melisara. Everything up until now would have been for nothing otherwise. I will not fail!" Seiras growled powerfully.

"Good, here is the receiver. I will attach it to your vox speakers and psychic hood," Melisara nodded as she walked up and attached a strange alien looking device to his chest and hooked it up into the secondary port on his psychic hood.

"There we go…are you ready, Seiras?" Melisara asked him approvingly.

"Let's see this done, Melisara," the librarian nodded.

"Onwards then. A word of caution though…try to keep your psychic presence down once we're out of range of the Gate. Your proximity to me and the pod should help that regard. Just don't use any powers until we've found a suitable location," Melisara replied.

Sometime Later

Raw exposure to the warp and seeing it's horrific twisting landscape once again was not the most pleasant experience for Seiras. It reminded him of his time he spent in the navigation chamber piloting the Avenger of Terra through the warp. Seiras did his absolute best to ignore the landscape around him and kept his mind focused and clear of negative thoughts.

He prayed in his head as he only thought about Ferrus Manus, The Emperor, and his purpose. Even if it required his life and soul as a sacrifice, Seiras would gladly pay it. This was his purpose for everything…his penance for his chapter…and his final act of redemption in the eyes of the Emperor.

"This location looks suitable. We're outside of the Gate's nullification range. If we wander too far, we'll get lost. Now, allow me to remove the clone and from there the rest is up to you," Melisara stated as she opened the floating pod with Ferrus Manus. The pod levitated him out with its alien technology before he was lowered to the ground.

"I will have to keep my distance so the null fields around my armour or the pod don't interfere. I will remain within your range, but I will be cloaking myself, so daemons don't attack me. Do not panic Seiras…I'm not leaving you here alone," Melisara explained as she pulled the floating pod away from him and immediately cloaked it and herself.

Seiras could feel the literal moment they were out of his range as the warp began to become more violent around him. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, the librarian took a deep breath, 'What is your duty?' To serve the Emperor's will. What is the Emperor's will? That we fight and die. What is death? It is our duty.'

As he thought of the litany, Seiras could soon hear it echoing around him over and over again throughout the warp as if thousands of Space Marines were saying it at once. The warp reflected his thoughts as these prayers echoed in perfect sync with his own mind.

"'What is your life?'"

"'My honour is my life!'"

"'What is your fate?'"

"'My duty is my fate!'"

"'What is your fear?'"

"'My fear is to fail!'"

"'What is your reward?'"

"'My salvation is my reward!'"

"'What is your craft?'"

"'My craft is death!'"

"'What is your pledge?'"

"'My pledge is eternal service!'"

Moments later the warp began another litany without him even thinking of it. He recognized it as the Grey Knights' litany:

"I am the Hammer,"

"I am the edge of his Sword,"

"I am the tip of his Spear,"

"I am the mail about his Fist,"

"I am the flight of his Arrows,"

"I am the right hand of my Emperor,"

"I am the instrument of his will,"

"I am his sword as he is my armour,"

"I am his wrath and he is my zeal,"

"I am the bane of his foes and the woes of the treacherous,"

"Let us be his shield,"

"Let us speak his word as he fuels the Fire of Devotion,"

"Let us fight his battles, as he fights the battle at the end of time,"

"And let us join him there, for duty ends not in death,"

"In Vengeance be true, In Valor be Strong,"

"I am the Hammer, I am the Sword, I am the Spear, I am the Shield, I am the soldier at the End of Time."

Opening his eyes now Seiras chanted into the warp with the full psychic power of his voice. Once again, the echoes in the warp began to chant with him:

"From Ancient Terra the Emperor commands His Proud Sons."

"From revered Blood-stock these Warriors are made His Proud sons."

"No fear they shall know as Adeptus Astartes, His Proud Sons."

"Humanity's foes they defend against all, His Proud Sons"

"Warrior Elite, Unbreakable spirit, Astartes!"

"Supreme Defenders, Unchallenged in Battle Astartes!"

"Warrior Elite, Unbreakablespirit, Astartes!"

"Courage and honor, Emperor and Primarch, Astartes!"

Now activating the psychic amplifier that Melisara gave him, Seiras called out into it and the warp as loudly and as powerfully as possible. He felt intense psychic strain as the warp began to twist wildly around his words, "IN THE NAME OF THE EMPEROR OF MANKIND, I CALL UPON THE PRIMARCH FERRUS MANUS, GORGON OF MEDUSA! COME TO ME!"

As Seiras shouted into the twisting skies of unreality, his body began to glow with his full psychic power as it shined a blinding beacon of light across the entire horizon. He was honestly shocked by the amount of power he was unleashing as the entire warp immediately attempted to wrestle against him and snuff out the light. Seiras strained against it with his full willpower as he prayed for something to happen.

The Vengeful Spirit, Outside of the Eye of Terror

"Warmaster, he's here…" a Black Legion sorcerer announced to the Warmaster of Chaos, Ezekyle Abaddon.

Currently seated on the throne of his flagship, Abaddon looked up and watched the entrance to the bridge open as none other than Fulgrim came walking in along with a host of Emperor's Children. He was wearing his humanoid primarch form but glowed with the unholy pink aura of a daemon prince of Slaanesh.

"Ah, Abaddon…Warmaster of Chaos," Fulgrim said almost condescendingly as he walked up to the throne.

"Fulgrim…nice to finally see you outside of the warp!" Abaddon said with obvious distaste.

"You're lucky I'm even humoring this meeting with you, Warmaster. For once you've actually done well in your Black Crusade. I must say I'm somewhat impressed. I assumed it would take you at least 30 Black Crusades to finally destroy Cadia," Fulgrim mocked him.

Abaddon gave him a death glare as he stood up from his throne, "While you were indulging in carnal delights and festering away in your own depravity, I split the galaxy asunder. I don't care if you used to be a primarch…you will not speak to me that way unless you wish to make an enemy of the Black Legion!"

The Emperor's Children present all reached for their weapons upon hearing that causing all of Abaddon's forces to do the same.

"You are not Horus, so don't even presume to think that I will bow to your little legion or you, Abaddon! Just because you wear his Talon and fly around in his ship doesn't mean you're deserving of my respect! Horus was the one and only true warmaster. Your failures over the last ten thousand years are an embarrassment to your father and to the Chaos Gods!" Fulgrim hissed.

"Is that so? I wonder do you miss Horus? Do you wish he were here instead of me? Would that do anything to change your pitiful condition? I think not. Horus was weak and he failed! ALL OF YOU PRIMARCHS FAILED just like the corpse Emperor! What have you done in the last ten thousand years, Fulgrim? Nothing…the only one of you primarchs whose even done anything of worth outside of the warp is Perturabo. It's a shame you never turned Ferrus Manus…at least then I could count a competent primarch's help unlike you," Abaddon responded darkly.

"You will not speak to me that way, boy!" Fulgrim hissed as he immediately swung his sword in Abaddon's direction. The warmaster moved swiftly to counter it with his daemonic sword before blasting Fulgrim back with the Talon of Horus. Lightning crackled over it as Abaddon stomped towards him. Fulgrim immediately got into a battle stance, but multiple sorcerers quickly attempted to subdue the daemon primarch with warp magic as they surrounded him.

The Emperor's children raised their various weapons but were swiftly knocked back by a powerful psychic blast by one of the sorcerers.

Abaddon slowly approached Fulgrim and scoffed, "Have you forgotten I bear the Ascended Mark of Chaos? If killing me were that easy, I would already be dead. Even your god, Slaanesh favors me, Fulgrim!"

"I am still stronger than you…warmaster. I am a primarch and a daemon prince after all. I don't know why the Chaos Gods have allowed you to live, but I find it ridiculous. Just because you united all of these outcasts you think you're my equal in combat? Don't make me laugh." Fulgrim said without much concern.

"You WERE a primarch…now you're just a slave to Slaanesh. Unlike you, I have not placed my destiny into the hands of someone else. You will submit to me!" Abaddon remarked causing Fulgrim to send him a death glare.

"Has it even crossed your mind that I can kill you and everyone in this room, Abaddon?" Fulgrim spat.

He scoffed at the white haired primarch, "Regardless of whether or not you believe that to be true, you answered my summons, did you not? I will not hear your petty comments, primarch. Swallow your insufferable pride and listen! I called you here to join forces with me. Guilliman has returned to take command of the Imperium."

"Afraid of Roboute now are you?" Fulgrim smirked.

"No, but if another primarch returns, I will need your influence and martial skill. Chaos is far stronger than the imperium, but the only disadvantage we have is a lack of unity. You would do well to unite more to my cause," Abaddon explained.

Fulgrim chuckled at him, "The great Warmaster Abaddon asking me for help? Hahaha! I suppose you could use a guiding hand to make sure your crusade doesn't fail this time."

"Spare me your nauseating ego. You are nothing on your own, unlike me. My cabal of sorcerers informed me that you had left the Eye of Terror finally…and then I heard that you were defeated right away by the Inquisition and by Eldar. Explain to me how a daemon primarch with a Gloriana battleship and an entire warband lost that battle…" the Warmaster countered.

Fulgrim easily wrestled free of the sorcerers' psychic hold as he stepped towards Abaddon and looked down at him, "Hmph…perhaps you should be made aware of something, Warmaster."

"Speak…" he hissed in response.

"One of the Alpharius twins was there. He infiltrated as a loyalist in the Deathwatch. He helped them sabotage my ship from within and called an armada of Eldar to flank us. The space marines that boarded my ship also left nukes on them. We were forced to fall back temporarily," Fulgrim explained.

"So the Alpha Legion primarch turned against us?" Abaddon asked.

Fulgrim nodded, "Yes…"

"It would seem this alliance is necessary then…" Abaddon remarked as he looked between Fulgrim and his own men.

"I will help you…but only as an advisor. Don't expect me to be subservient to you!" the primarch huffed.

Abaddon sent Fulgrim a sharp glare, "So be it…but if you get any ideas about turning against the Black Legion, my next Crusade will be the utter annihilation of that cesspool of a planet you live on. I'm certain both Perturabo and Angron would assist in crushing you."

"URRRGH!" Fulgrim grabbed his head as his eyes began to glow a pinkish purple.

Abaddon looked at him confused as Fulgrim seemed to be experiencing some type of warp phenomenon.

"What are you doing?" he demanded angrily.

"I hear…something in the warp," Fulgrim remarked vaguely.

Before either one of them could say another word, one of the sorcerers spoke up urgently, "Lord Abaddon, I am sensing this echo in the warp as well. It sounds like it's getting louder."

"This had better be important, Neroth!" Abaddon said distastefully.

"I assure you, my lord, that it is quite disturbing," Neroth, the chaos sorcerer responded.

"I hear it too…it's like someone is screaming across the warp," Khayon added.

"Find its source," the warmaster commanded simply.

It didn't take long for the Black Legion Sorcerer to do so. Khayon spoke calmly, "I have tracked it Lord Abaddon…"

"Show me!" he hissed.

Khayon nodded as he channeled some type of translucent magical window that showed the inner warp. It was then that they all heard the echo coming from it.

"IN THE NAME OF THE EMPEROR OF MANKIND, I CALL UPON THE PRIMARCH FERRUS MANUS, GORGON OF MEDUSA! COME TO ME!" they heard Seiras' psychic scream echoing throughout the warp as they saw a blinding light obscuring most of the warp in the background.

"Why is this echoing through the warp? Who is that and where is he?!" Abaddon demanded.

"I recognize that voice," Fulgrim spoke up as he glanced at Khayon's magical window peering into the warp.

"It looks like one of the Emperor's faithful Blood Ravens. He's physically inside of the warp…he appears to be a librarian. I find it remarkable that he can project his voice that far into the warp. He must be incredibly powerful if that's the case. If we're able to hear this…countless others likely can as well," Neroth commented as the magical display zoomed in.

Fulgrim quickly leaned in closer, "I recognize him…and that armour. It's Seiras…he was one of the space marines that boarded my ship. Why is he calling upon Ferrus of all people?!"

"I see something at his feet…it can't be!" Khayon said slowly with more and more audible disbelief coming out of each word.

"What is that next to him?! Is that one of those primarch clones?!" Abaddon remarked when he saw the Ferrus Manus clone lying on the ground next to Seiras.

"Impossible! That can't be a clone of Ferrus though…it has the iron arms. How did he get one of those?! How did he get inside the warp?! What is this?!" Fulgrim gasped.

Abaddon sent a nasty glare in Fulgrim's direction, "I thought all of those clones were destroyed!"

"It would seem Fabius hid one…though I have no idea how Seiras could have possibly gotten access to it! This can't be real! Is Seiras attempting to bind Ferrus' soul to that clone?!" Fulgrim wondered with widened eyes.

"This cannot be allowed to happen!" Abaddon growled.

Neroth did his best to calm the warmaster as he spoke up again, "Warmaster, if you look closely, it would appear that he is attracting a lot attention from daemons. These echoes travel far in the warp. I have no doubts that the Chaos Gods themselves have heard it. He won't survive for long if a greater daemon appears."

"I thought the Blood Ravens all died out. Wasn't that supposed to be your job, Neroth?" Khayon asked.

"It was Eliphas' job and he failed. I was merely there to watch him for Lord Abaddon. Our delusional loyalist kin are not so easily destroyed, Khayon. They are a resilient chapter. I have learned not to underestimate our brothers of the Corvidae Cult. This librarian in particular appears to have remarkable psychic power." Neroth replied.

"It doesn't matter whether they live or not…Kyras was banished into the warp and those that followed him serve me once again. The Blood Ravens will meet their end the next time they cross my path," Abaddon dismissed.

Fulgrim tilted his head at Neroth and Khayon, "I knew he was from your legion the moment I saw the forked scarab horn on his helmet. Achean Pattern Mark IV if I remember correctly. So these Blood Ravens are one of the cults from the Thousand Sons that survived the Burning of Prospero? The Corvidae Cult you said? Why are they not affected by the Rubric?"

Neroth shook his head, "Their apparent immunity to the Rubric of Ahriman is something we do not understand either. It is quite possible they were protected by Revuel Arvida's psychic power. That or they simply were out of range when the spell was cast. Ahriman would know more…I suggest you ask him."

"Regardless, something has to be done to stop this librarian!" Abaddon growled.

"Look, warmaster! Daemons are already swarming towards him. The chaos gods will ensure he fails," Neroth commented as he pointed at the magical display.

Seiras, The Warp

The longer Seiras projected his psychic power as a beacon, the more the warp tried to stop him. He soon became aware of an army of daemons manifesting in the distance as they came after him. He was surprised to see that daemons of all four chaos gods and daemons he had never seen before were approaching fast.

"URGGHHH! AGHHH!" Seiras kept psychically channeling his beacon as he used one of his hands to conjure a tempest storm of psychic lightning all around him. It tore apart dozens of the lesser daemons as the librarian dug deeper into his power reserves.

It didn't take long for khornate daemons to reach him as they resisted his psychic powers better than most of the others. Maintaining the psychic beacon of light, he drew both of his force weapons as he unleashed terrible arcs of devasting holy power against them.

Bloodletters fell apart in waves as beam like arcs extended from his Nemesis Force Halberd flying into the daemon horde cleaving them apart in multiple directions. Pillars of fire and psychic force waves followed from his sword. This went on for what felt like an eternity to him as the strain was beginning to burn his mind and chip away at his own sanity.

Daemons came endlessly as the Blood Raven defended the Ferrus Manus clone. Seiras knew he couldn't keep this up for much longer upon noticing nurglites, daemonettes, and the horror daemons of Tzeentch finally catching up to the army of bloodletters.

After cleaving apart the newest wave of the daemon horde, they all fell back momentarily. It was then that the lumbering sounds of heavy footsteps came his way. Seiras could genuinely say that he was afraid of what they came from. Multiple greater daemons came to the forefront of the horde. Bloodthirsters, Lords of Change, Keepers of Secrets, and Great Unclean Ones. He was expecting a greater daemon or two, but nothing of this magnitude.

"Oooohohohoho! Isn't this one of yours, Kyras?!" one of the Great Unclean Ones laughed as he came lumbering forth.

"Indeed he is, Ulkair…this is my pathetically loyal protégé, Seiras!" a Daemon Prince remarked as he took point in front of the greater daemons.

Seeing the various daemons working together was a sight of disbelief to the librarian, but considering what he was trying to do, it was no surprise that they would work together to stop him. The sight that terrified him though was the arrival of the Maledictum Daemon Prince Kyras.

"Kyras!" Seiras hissed his name full of hatred.

"Ah, Seiras…we meet again!" Kyras addressed him as the various lesser and greater daemons began to get closer.

"Stop that light of his!" A terrifying bloodthirster commanded as he flew in cleaved his sword down at the librarian. Seiras braced himself until a Lord of Change blocked the bloodthirster with its magical powers before channeling a powerful spell to completely cancel out Seiras' own psychic powers. The librarian quickly ran back over to the Ferrus Manus clone as both were blasted a considerable distance back.

Without the psychic strain of channeling the beacon now, Seiras was free to kill a huge chunk of lesser daemons around himself as he holstered his sword and dragged the primarch clone back and away from the greater daemons. Seiras destroyed them as he moved but knew he couldn't hope to stop them all much longer. The Greater Daemons quickly called the lesser hordes back as they all lined up in front of the librarian. They seemed to be enjoying his futile efforts as they all stopped momentarily.

"Now that his beacon is gone, we can decide who gets the honour of claiming his soul. Come to me, Seiras. You will enjoy the Garden of Nurgle," Ulkair laughed heartily.

"His skull belongs to Khorne!" A bloodthirster howled as he moved closer.

"This one belongs to Tzeentch! I am here to claim him!" a Lord of Change countered.

The prominent looking keeper of secrets ignored their arguing as it seductively called out to the librarian, "He was already marked by Slaanesh. His soul is rightfully the Prince of Pleasure's."

"Before any of you claim Seiras, allow me to indulge myself in his pitiful suffering and failure!" Kyras interjected causing all of the greater daemons to stop arguing for a moment.

"Khorne demands his blood!" one of the Bloodthirsters howled as he charged in for Seiras anyways. The Maledictum Kyras easily battered back the Bloodthirster and howled, "Khorne shall have your skull as well if you interrupt me again!"

Seiras continued to protect the comatose primarch clone as he raised his weapons, "Look at how far you've fallen, Kyras! This is not what it means to be an Astartes! You're a monster! I still can't believe you would turn your back on the Emperor and on mankind for this hellish existence! You made us slaughter Imperial Guardsmen and Adepta Sororitas…you made us kill each other…and you have damned us all in the eyes of our cousin chapters and the Imperium! I don't see how that could be worth it…all so you could become a daemon prince?!"

"I am free here! No longer bound to the weak Corpse Emperor! No longer a slave to the whims of petty mortal men! I have seen the truth brother…and you will see it too before these daemons rip you apart! The Emperor in all his grand splendor created space marines to be disposable tools…to be cast down and discarded so that his weak, frail, mortal humans could feebly rule over the galaxy WE conquered! The warmaster Horus saw the truth of what the Emperor was…and what he thought of us! We would have been wiped out just like his thunder warriors…the gods have made this known to me. Your pathetic devotion to an Emperor that hates you amuses me greatly Seiras. You had such incredible psychic power and you wasted it being blind to the truth. Knowledge is power my young brother, and I have gained much since my ascension!" Kyras ranted.

"You knew didn't you…about our primarch?! You knew we were Thousand Sons!" Seiras growled angrily.

Kyras chuckled at Seiras' question, "So you've finally learned the truth…a shame that it hasn't swayed your mind at all. You were even greater than Isador and Anteas. Greater than Jonah and all the rest of the librarians. Unfortunately, you were too much like proud and noble Davian…or Gabriel. Insisting that our servitude to the Emperor was so righteous and meaningful! They were all fools, and so are you. How do you think the Inquisition would feel if they learned the truth about our Primarch? That you and all of our brothers are sons of Magnus the Red! Nothing can change the truth, young brother! Magnus the Red is our father!"

"You're no brother of mine. Not anymore! Also, I had a father…and his name was Kiris!" Seiras shouted angrily.

"Ahahaha! You're worthless human father? No wonder you're so much like Gabriel and Davian. They had these pitiful familial memories as well! I hear Gabriel is the Chapter Master now. I wonder, does he trust you, Seiras? I imagine not…I doubt any of them do! The worthless Emperor ignores your cries for aid! You have failed and you're all alone at the mercy of the chaos gods!" Kyras laughed at him again.

Despite the beacon no longer being active, Seiras pressed the psychic broadcast amplifier once again. He spoke into it, "Then I will stand alone! Let the echoes of my sacrifice sound across the warp for all to hear as I die in the name of the Emperor and in the name of Humanity!"

"What are you saying?! HAHAHA!" Kyras laughed as he stomped closer towards Seiras. The various daemons got closer as well. Many daemons moved in to attack him now as Seiras remained still and began to glow brightly once more.

"I call upon souls of the holy and the righteous…upon the Emperor's faithful and upon the spirit of mankind! I call upon the light of Terra! Hear me now and forever! Know that I died believing in everything you stood for! NONE SHALL FIND ME WANTING! FOR I AM A SPACE MARINE OF THE EMPEROR AND I AM HIS PROUD SON!" Seiras bellowed loudly as the daemons charged him.

The very second the daemons pounced, they were blasted back by a wave of tremendous psychic power. To Seiras it sounded like a howl and he looked over in pure disbelief at the sight of a massive ghostly wolf.

The wolf howled with tremendous psychic power once again blasting back all of the daemons. Moments later its form dissipated as the blinding light reformed into the figure of a man…if one could even call him that.

Seiras could barely believe his eyes as he saw the man was in grey power armour with the iconography of Fenris. He was much taller than Viggo though and had long blonde braided hair. He wore no helmet and had no beard, but his yellow eyes and fangs were the clear sign of a space wolf. In his right hand he carried some type of sword and the other hand an axe. There was no doubt in Seiras' mind that this was the Wolf King, Leman Russ.

The primarch looked at Seiras, "Ye've proven yer loyalty in my eyes, son of Magnus…and ye do not stand alone."

"L-Leman Russ?!" Seiras asked disbelievingly even though there was no denying it.

"Aye…Keep doing what yer doing, librarian. I will protect ye!" Russ replied before he unleashed another deafening psychic howl blasting apart the daemon army as it charged him. This didn't stop the greater daemons entirely however as the multiple greater daemons attempted to kill the primarch.

Seiras did as commanded as he had faith the Wolf King could hold his own against the greater daemons for now. Russ charged in and began to battle them all at once without a shred of fear. The sight of a primarch fighting multiple greater Daemons was truly amazing to witness, but Seiras stayed focused as he channeled forth his psychic beacon again.

As he did this, he began to hear the screaming echoes of a distant unrelated battle. He then heard space marine voices echoing through the warp. One stood out louder than the rest, "Lord Ferrus, the Raven Guard and the Salamanders are falling back! What are our orders?"

He wasn't sure what battle it was until he heard the voice of what was presumably Ferrus Manus, "No! Fulgrim is right ahead! Give me that vox! Corax, get up here and help me! My legion is getting slaughtered!"

"Ferrus, don't chase after Fulgrim! We need to get out of here! Our sons are dying by the thousands and we can't afford your hot-headed ego right now! Fall back! We can deal with him later! It's not worth losing all of our sons over! We need to regroup!" Corvus Corax's voice echoed around them.

"Ferrus, don't chase him! Don't go there alone! I will help you, but I can't reach you yet! Iron Warriors are everywhere! Don't be reckless, brother!" Vulkan's voice followed.

The twisting skies and echoing cries of battle began to amplify to an ever-greater degree as Seiras and pretty much everything around them could now see the battle between Ferrus and Fulgrim replaying as an echo of the past.

Seiras channeled more and more power as the battle got more and more intense. The battle was happening in flashes as the tragedy of Istvaan V replayed throughout the horizon. As Seiras searched more and more desperately for Ferrus' soul in this dark echo of the past, the battle was reaching its climax. Right as the echo ended with Ferrus' decapitation, a golden light flashed in the skies of the warp that sounded like the Emperor's own voice, "Ferrus…"

Upon this happening Seiras reached for the primarch's image in the skies where the golden light of his soul now was and pulled it closer towards him.

"ARRRGHHH!" Seiras howled in pain as the soul was starting to rip away from him. Several other lights tried to claim the soul as it was being torn in different directions. One light was a bloody red, one was a rotting green, one was a fluctuating blue, and the final one a purplish pink.

These four horizons and the colourful lights each represented the chaos gods and their realms no doubt. They were trying to steal the soul from Seiras. The librarian could hear the soul of Ferrus shouting in fury and hatred at Fulgrim and the other traitor primarchs, "I'll kill you all even if I have to do it myself! I'll RIP OUT YOUR SPINE AND GRIND YOU INTO DUST FULGRIM! YOU WILL PAY FOR THE DEATHS OF MY SONS AND YOUR BETRAYAL OF OUR FATHER!"

The red light of Khorne seemed to have the strongest grip over the primarch's soul as it began to start ripping it away from Seiras' psychic grasp.

It was then that Seiras heard the voices of what could only be the Chaos Gods.

"I will give you the power for your revenge, Ferrus Manus! The blood and skulls of your enemies will decorate my Brass Citadel if you have the strength to slaughter them! Show me how deep your rage truly is! Show me if you have the courage to take the Warrior's Path! It will bring you honour and justice against these pathetic scheming cowards!" the first voice was undeniably Khorne's.

"Come…Ferrus. Let go of your worries and your anger. You can be liberated of your torment and your pain. No longer bound to this cycle of endless suffering. There is no point to your misery. You can be free and happy in my Garden…far away from the woes of worldly suffering. Embrace peace and comfort…you've surely earned it. I can protect you forever," a deep and almost reassuring voice sounded. It came the direction of the green light and was Nurgle's undoubtedly. It sounded similar to Ulkair's which only further solidified this belief.

"They lie to you, Ferrus Manus…and you know it. Brute force failed you on Istvaan, and it will always fail you. You know deep in your heart and mind that your anger is what got you killed in the first place. Also, how irresponsible would it be for a son of the Emperor to willfully accept peace and waste his own destiny? You were built for war, were you not? You were born to be a tool, but you can be so much more! I have all the knowledge in the universe and I alone offer you a chance to change your fate, to change the state of this galaxy however you see fit! Perhaps knowledge on Fulgrim can give you the power you need to permanently kill him…" the third chaos god spoke.

Seiras felt mortified when he heard the voice, 'That sounds like the Architect!'

"Ignore Tzeentch and the others Ferrus! Their offers aren't what you really want. Khorne offers more suffering and a chance at revenge, but deep down you've never wanted to be a weapon. Nurgle offers blissful peace, but he also offers obscurity and nihilism. You care too much about humanity to willfully let go of your dreams. Tzeentch offers the knowledge to change your fate, but he will never truly allow it. He offers you an endless labyrinth forever keeping you out of reach with his never-ending schemes and unfair deals. I offer you your true heart's desire…the wish that not even the anathema could give you. I offer you the glory and love of humanity. You've always been a selfless man…overshadowed by your brothers. You could at long last be seen for your true worth as you embrace human perfection and instill it into others. Come to me Ferrus Manus and I will indulge your dreams. I will give you the ability to master the technology of old and craft your perfect future. All of the glory will be yours alone," the fourth chaos god spoke.

Seiras recognized this one's voice too. It was only then that he realized the two daemons that were trying to claim him in the warp were actually Tzeentch and Slaanesh themselves. That was a chilling thought.

"Slaanesh is weak and offers you nothing, Ferrus! Your brother Fulgrim serves him! Join me in the eternal game and I will unleash you against Fulgrim! YOU WILL HAVE JUSTICE AND GLORY WHEN HIS SKULL DECORATES MY THRONE!" Khorne roared again.

Ferrus' soul was now almost out of Seiras' grip as it began to go closer towards Khorne. He struggled with all of his might against it, but it was to no avail. Any second now, Ferrus' soul would be lost forever.

"NOOO! REMEMBER THE STC FERRUS! WE CAN STILL GET IT! IF YOU LISTEN TO THEM, YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN FULGRIM!" Seiras called out into the skies as his psychic voice broadcasted and amplified throughout the warp.

Upon screaming that, Seiras felt the pull towards Khorne stop. Ferrus' soul shook his head and howled into the warp, "No! I will never be like them! FATHER! HELP ME!"

A golden light soon enveloped Seiras now as the Emperor spoke through the warp, "Trust in me son…as you always have."

"You dare challenge us here, Anathema?!" the voice of Khorne raged.

"He is ours now! You were foolish to allow this librarian to summon his soul to us," Tzeentch added.

"He will be happier here with us, Anathema," Nurgle added.

The golden light around Seiras got stronger now as he felt his grip tightening considerably. With the Emperor's added power, Seiras now had to leverage to pull Ferrus' Soul closer and closer towards the clone body. He was so consumed in his act, that he hadn't noticed daemons trying to slip past Leman Russ and attack him directly.

The primarch immediately ran in to defend Seiras, but that left him open as a Bloodthirster bashed him back. Russ swiftly countered as he leapt back up into a combo of weapon flurries. He cleaved the bloodthirster's arm off before whirlwinding into a hacking frenzy. This dismembered the daemon just in time for Russ to dodge a Keeper of Secrets pouncing at him.

The androgynous four-armed daemon hissed with a sultry moan as it gave Russ no pause. The primarch immediately tried to blast it back as he ran in to guard Seiras from a horde of daemonettes, but that left him open to a magical blast from a Lord of Change. The spell launched him out of reach once again as a Lord of Change flew directly over Seiras and began to channel a spell.

Leman then noticed Seiras almost had the soul to the body now. He moved with divine speed and power as he obliterated the lesser daemons around the librarian. He then held up his axe to block a magical beam of power from the Lord of Change. It pushed him back a bit causing him to dig his feet deep and counter with a devasting psychic howl. This unfortunately trapped him in a psychic battle with the greater daemon leaving Seiras undefended again.

"STOP HIM! NOW!" Khorne's voice bellowed causing all of the bloodletters, bloodthirsters, and other daemons to ignore Leman Russ and focus on Seiras. The Emperor's golden light protected him with an unbreakable shield as they all swarmed him.

A wave of light knocked them all back from the shield including the Lord of Change battling Russ, but unfortunately the shield was immediately shattered by a pillar of magical blue energy soon after. Tzeentch's voice echoed loudly around them, "Your power wanes, Anathema! The Tides of Fate are too powerful for you to stop!"

By this time, the slow-moving daemons of Nurgle were now within melee range of Seiras and the primarch. Russ looked a bit serious as he moved in to block the bloated monstrosities. The now recovering daemons of Khorne immediately charged in past them. One bloodthirster nearly made it to Seiras as it swung a massive flaming axe down at him. Russ dove in front of the attack and blocked the axe with both of his weapons causing him to go sinking down under the strain. Tentacles materialized out of pink warp energy and wrapped around his arms and legs as they tried to weaken his pushing strength. Several also began to envelop Seiras, but the librarian ignored them as he kept his focus.

Slaanesh's voice laughed, "I like this one, Anathema…he and Seiras will make nice additions to my palace. I'll make them happier than you ever could…just like your precious son, Fulgrim."

"Seiras…I believe we spoke about harsh truths did we not? Perhaps you should be made aware of the fate that awaited you space marines. This is how your devotion to the treacherous Anathema would have been rewarded," Tzeentch cackled as the horizon twisted into visions of the Emperor and his Custodes slaughtering the Thunder Warriors on Terra. It then showcased a dark future where they were killing Astartes along with the Imperial Army and the Mechancius.

"The Emperor feared how powerful he made the primarchs and their gene-sons…because your power is our power!" Tzeentch added.

"Don't listen ta this shit, librarian! If the Emperor didn't give a damn, then he wouldn't be here helpin us now!" Russ growled underneath the strain of the Bloodthirster and the tentacles around his limbs.

"Fulgrim wasn't lying to you, Seiras. You've thought about his words ever since. Should I tell them about Molech, Anathema?" Slaanesh taunted the Emperor.

Luckily for Seiras and Russ, help arrived just in time as ghostly flaming Astartes began to materialize out of nowhere and started opening fire on the encroaching army of daemons. Their incorporeal movements, skull iconography, and ghostly flames matched all known accounts of the mysterious Legion of the Damned.

Seiras barely had time to react to them as the ghostly daemonic space marines fired their bolters endlessly without ever stopping to reload. They uttered no words and gave no pause as their arrival began to push the daemons back. They immediately unleashed thousands of bolter shots into the bloodthirster pushing down on Russ causing it to burn away from the sheer firepower. The other nearby daemons that stubbornly stayed to fight were quickly drowned in fire as the legion marched past Leman Russ.

The primarch took this opportunity to free himself and then finish off the Keeper of Secrets and Great Unclean One that were still nearby. He then cut the tentacles off around Seiras. The flaming Astartes assisted him as they endlessly pelted the other greater daemons with horrific flaming attacks.

Ferrus' soul was now directly over his body. Seiras growled, "Almost there…"

"NO! YOU WILL NOT SUCCEED!" Kyras howled as he avoided Leman Russ and bashed the librarian back. Seiras immediately felt the Ferrus's soul slipping out of his grasp as he shuffled to grab it again.

Now free to fully protect him, Leman Russ charged into Kyras with full speed and power as he cleaved the daemon prince's arms and legs off with psychic enhanced attacks. He wasted no time stabbing his sword through the daemon's skull before splitting it open and sending him to the ground. He then psychically howled at the corpse until it hemorrhaged apart into a puddle of daemonic filth.

All of Tzeentch's greater daemons opened up barrages of powerful magical attacks in their direction but were blocked by the Emperor's golden light once again.

"ALWAYS FAITHFUL! THE EMPEROR PROTECTS!" Seiras roared as he psychically anchored the soul in his grip. With all of his remaining power, Seiras pulled the soul down and into the clone body. The moment this happened a supernova of light and Seiras' own voice echoed across the entire warp as the primarch was reborn.

The explosion of light completely destroyed all of the daemons across the horizon and forced the twisted skies into a calm eerie rest shortly afterward.

Ferrus' eyes opened moments later as he sat up in complete confusion. He looked around with bewilderment at the landscape as he slowly stood up.

"Ferrus…I can't believe it. Yer really back," Leman Russ spoke with a bit more emotion than Seiras ever would have expected from the infamous primarch of the space wolves.

The Gorgon looked between Seiras and Leman Russ now as he spoke, "What happened? Where am I? Last thing I remember was fighting Fulgrim…"

To Seiras' astonishment, the Wolf King dropped both weapons and immediately embraced Ferrus Manus in a hug. Even despite his lack of knowledge on the primarch's personality, Seiras could tell that this was unprecedented.

Ferrus Manus stood still in complete disbelief, "Brother? What are you doing?"

Russ looked somewhat emotional as he released the hug and shook his head, "I don't really believe in miracles, but te see ye alive again. Ta have this chance ta speak to my brothuh…"

"Since when have you ever had any fondness towards me?" Ferrus asked him bewildered.

"Since ye went and died ya bloody bastard! A lot's happened since Istvaan…" Leman sighed.

Ferrus's silver flintlock eyes widened confused, "I…died?"

"Yeah, and dat librarian over there jus brought ya back…" he pointed at Seiras.

The Blood Raven slowly got up despite the agonizing pain it brought him as he approached the two primarchs. He looked up at both of them before kneeling, "Thank you for saving me, Wolf King…Lord Russ. I can't believe you of all people showed up here."

"I was already in de warp, librarian…I could hear ye words and by the time I got here ta see what ye were doin, I knew I had ta help. Though I have to admit I am a bit confused as ta how ye got a body for Ferrus," Leman Russ explained.

Ferrus looked at Seiras curiously, "I don't recognize your heraldry, but you do wear an Achean Pattern Mark IV helmet…are you a Thousand Son?"

"I'm a Blood Raven…we're a loyalist chapter of the Imperium. Until recently I didn't even know Magnus was my primarch," Seiras explained.

Russ shook his head, "I can't believe a son of Magnus went through all of this effort…or that there's even some left that hadn't turned into dust or chaos-raving lunatics. I meant what I said though…you've proven yer loyalty ta me. Stand, space marine."

Seiras slowly stood up as he looked at Russ doubtfully, "Lord Russ…I was under the impression you hated Thousand Sons and Magnus the Red. At least, that's what my space wolf brother, Viggo always said."

"What happened ta Magnus was a tragedy…" Russ said distantly as he turned away, "I took no pride or enjoyment out of burning Prospero even though some of my sons did. I've made many mistakes in ma life and they haunt me ta this day. I was the 2nd primarch found after Horus. My brother of the 2nd Legion was the third primarch found. Ferrus was the 4th. When the Emperor told me ta bring Magnus to Terra, I had hoped that Magnus wouldn't end up like our other brother-"

"It is forbidden to speak his name, Russ," Ferrus immediately interrupted.

The Wolf King looked back at him, "Aye…that it is. What I'm tryin ta say is after all these years thinking about the Horus Heresy, I've come ta regret takin my brothers for granted. Most of them are dead or have turned into bloody daemons now. Even though Ferrus and I were never close, words cannot express my gratitude for what ye've done, librarian."

"What is your name, librarian?" Ferrus asked the Blood Raven as he looked between them.

"Seiras," he answered.

Ferrus looked confused, "Weren't librarians outlawed on Nikaea, Leman? As I recall, you were vehemently against them despite the fact that you're a psyker too."

"I know Space Wolves don't like librarians or psykers in general. Though I hear that Rune-Priests supposedly draw their powers form Fenris correct?" Seiras interjected.

"They do, but that doesn't mean they're not psykers. I just trusted myself and my own sons more than Magnus and his legion. We were both pretty arrogant in our beliefs. Seeing all this foul crap in the warp makes it pretty apparent why the Emperor did not like Psykers either. Though I trust ye to wield that responsibility considerin' how ye've brought my own brother back ta life," the primarch shrugged.

"Can one of you explain to me, where we are and what happened? So far all I know is he is a son of Magnus, I was brought back to life, and we're in the warp," Ferrus interrupted.

"Well I just showed up ta help him," Russ pointed at Seiras, "but I have no idea how he managed ta get a body for ye. Ta be honest I didn't actually trust his intentions right away. That was until I saw him stand alone against an army of daemons defendin yer body." Russ explained.

"It's a long story. If you have the patience for it, I'll explain everything," Seiras replied.

Before Ferrus could acknowledge him, they were all drawn by the attention of the Legion of the Damned. They all knelt down before the primarchs and Seiras before their bodies dissipated into flames and dispersed through the warp.

"Are those space marines?" Ferrus asked.

"I've heard of em. They're called the Legion of the Damned…don't know much beyond that, but they're loyal ta the Emperor," Russ added.

"Are they daemons, Lord Russ?" Seiras wondered.

The primarch glanced in his direction, "Good question…I don't know. Whatever they are, I'm glad they showed up ta help."

Right as the legion of the damned disappeared, Melisara decloaked nearby and came up to the primarchs and Seiras with beaming eyes, "Amazing job, Seiras! IT WORKED!"

Both primarchs immediately tensed up as Russ himself actually retrieved his weapons. Seiras was quick to calm them, "Wait! She's with me!"

"What?! Yer consorting with xenos?!" Russ demanded angrily.

"Is that an Eldar? Why does it have four arms?" Ferrus wondered.

"Please please don't attack, great primarchs! I was cloaked and hidden further away. I brought Seiras here through Khaine's Gate in Commorragh so I could help resurrect you Ferrus Manus! It is such an honour to finally meet you!" Melisara spoke with feverish joy.

"She had a clone of Lord Ferrus Manus in her lab…I couldn't have done this without her. Please, allow me to explain!" Seiras tried to calm the primarchs.

Russ lowered his weapons slightly, "A dark eldar helped ya? That's ridiculous…"

"Oh but it's true, Great Wolf King! I am a HUGE fan of your father, the Emperor!" she said excitedly.

"Why did ya help Seiras bring Ferrus back?!" Leman demanded as he took a step towards her.

"I would be more than happy to explain every-" She was quickly interrupted.

"Seiras, will tell me…and I'll decide whether ye get to live afterwards," Russ interrupted her.

The Vengeful Spirit, Abaddon and Fulgrim

"Impossible! I can't believe it!" Fulgrim was nearly beside himself with hysteria as Khayon's magical warp window exploded and dissipated from the psychic echo.

Abaddon looked completely shocked and angry at the same time, "Neroth…"

"Yes, Warmaster Abaddon?" the sorcerer responded.

"Send word to all the chaos primarchs…I want a gathering so that we can discuss this face to face!" Abaddon commanded.

"At once, Lord Abaddon!" Neroth nodded as he swiftly left the bridge.

"This can't be real! Russ was there…and the Emperor helped them too. Ferrus…is alive?" Fulgrim continued to experience disbelief.

Abaddon scowled at him, "It is real…because you allowed that fool Bile to clone primarchs! Now we have much bigger problems than just Guilliman!"

"I wonder if Guilliman heard the echo too…" Fulgrim thought aloud as he ignored Abaddon.

Khayon sighed, "I don't see how he couldn't have. Anyone even remotely psychic probably heard that last part. Everything in the Eye of Terror certainly did as well"

"I can't believe Leman Russ is alive too…Magnus won't be happy about that," Fulgrim shook his head.

Khayon turned his helmeted head towards Fulgrim, "Magnus was already aware of Russ being alive."

"Where is Magnus, anyway?" Fulgrim asked.

The Rock, Lion El'Johnson

Jerking upright from his sleep, the golden-maned Lion opened his eyes. He had been dreaming about something, before a loud shout woke him up. Looking around in confusion, the primarch had no idea where he was.

He soon noticed small green-robed creatures around him. These beings were native to Caliban and he recognized them as watchers in the dark. They seemed frantic and urgent at his awakening as Lion realized he was in a stasis tube of some kind.

The primarch was about to smash it open before the stasis container opened. He immediately got up and out of it and looked around at his surroundings trying to make sense of the situation.

"Where am I?" he asked the creatures as they respectfully bowed to him.

One's voice came into his head psychically a moment later, "You are on the Rock, primarch. It is a remnant of Caliban fused into a massive ship. The Dark Angels use it as a base."

"What happened to Luther? How is the legion? Who is in command?" The Lion questioned the creature with a confused expression.

"Supreme Grand Master Azrael leads the chapter currently…but the legion was split apart. We will take you to him," the watcher replied.

Lion cracked a fist, "My legion was split apart?! Where is my armour and my sword?"

"Azrael will explain everything to you," the watcher responded as the group of small beings began to start moving.

Lion followed behind them with a disbelieving look on his face, "How long was I out? A few months?"

"It is currently M42, Lion El'Johnson. You've been in a coma since the destruction of Caliban," the watcher responded.

"WHAT?!" the primarch gasped in sheer disbelief as he hurriedly followed behind the small creatures.

About an hour passed as they walked in silence through the colossal ship. They led him for some time out of the heart of the Rock until finally reaching an elevator. Lion was having a post-comatose crisis as his face twisted into horror, 'It's been eleven thousand years?! Is the Imperium even intact still?'

No words were spoken as the elevator ascended The Rock and they stepped out of it into a grand chamber. Lion followed the watchers through it into what was presumably a cathedral like area. Upon stepping inside, Lion looked around at the sight of his sons adorned in green power armour wearing robes and kneeling low as they were in some type of assembly.

At the other end of the chamber, he saw what he assumed was Supreme Grand Master Azrael as well as other notable Dark Angels leaders.

They were currently discussing something, "The Warpstorms are starting to die down for some reason. We should use this opportunity to answer that call in the Justicar Sub-Sector. An Inquisitor claimed to have encountered a gloriana chaos ship. It might be a daemon primarch. We can't ignore a threat like that."

"Who's in command here?!" Lion demanded catching everyone's attention.

To say the Dark Angels were shocked was the understatement of the millennium. They all knelt low at the sight of him and couldn't even speak at the impossible sight of their primarch alive and in the flesh.

"The Lion?! It can't be! You died on Caliban!" Belial whispered in sheer awe.

"The Watchers apparently put me in a stasis pod deep in this ship. Now who is Supreme Grand Master Azrael?!" Lion said still angry at the news.

"I am Lord Primarch," Azrael walked towards him and knelt low in in reverence, "I can't believe this is real…"

Lion looked around at all of the star-struck awe of the Dark Angels in the room and scoffed, "So explain to me why my legion was split apart."

"I…the Codex Astartes was written by Roboute Guilliman to disband the legions and separate them all into thousand-man strong chapters. This was after your death many millennia past. We do not wholly agree to it, Great Lion, but the other primarchs enforced this as well as the Inquisition back during its implementation. They did not want another large-scale rebellion like the Horus Heresy ever again. The current Dark Angels are merely a first founding chapter. We're almost three thousand strong at the moment, though nobody is aware of our true numbers since the Inquisition would certainly not approve," Azrael answered slowly.

"Inquisition? I don't care who or what that is! I am a son of the Emperor, and I don't answer to anyone, or some stupid book Roboute wrote! I only answer to the Emperor! Send word to all Dark Angel chapters to return at once! I am reassembling the first legion!" Lion El'Johnson commanded almost angrily.

Azrael immediately ordered several nearby Astartes to obey the command, "Do as the Lion commands! Tell all of our brother chapters that the Lion has returned, and he has summoned them to The Rock!"

"Now…you're going to tell me what has happened to the Imperium in the last 11 thousand years," the primarch said with annoyance as he began to pace.

Ultramarine Battle Barge, Retribution of Calth, Somewhere in Commorragh

Titus was currently meditating in a chamber along with White Scar stormseers and other Ultramarine librarians when they all heard a psychic echo emanate from the warp.

The Ultramarine opened his eyes as he looked over the other psykers, "Did you hear that?"

"There was an echo across the warp…someone was screaming. It sounded like a space marine," a nearby White Scar stormseer remarked.

Titus shook his head disbelievingly, "That voice sounded like the Blood Raven we encountered here in Commorragh…he said he found a primarch. How could he have projected his voice through Commorragh though?"

"Mokai told me that librarian had a collar restricting his psychic powers. How could he have done this?" the white scar asked.

"I don't know…but if we could hear that echo in Commorragh, then who else heard it?" Titus wondered.

"Inform the others…they will find this interesting," the White Scar stormseer replied.

Omnis Arcanum, Blood Ravens Fortress Monastery flagship

Deep within the Librarium Sanctorum of the Blood Ravens' flagship, the Chief librarian was overseeing a group of young librarians. They consisted of all the newly promoted lexicani. He was currently giving them a speech, "Never forget that many of the senior epistolary librarians turned to follow the former chapter master Kyras in his madness. As you hone your crafts and gain prestige in the chapter, you must always be aware and cautious of the dangers of the warp. Your real test is never-ending vigilance. You as the new generation of librarians will have much to prove in the eyes of your non-psychic brothers and to me. Your time as neophytes is over…you are now librarians of the Blood Ravens."

"Yes, Chief Librarian Orion," they all said in unison.

The sound of footsteps soon caught the librarians' attention as Jonah turned towards the arrivals. It was Reclusiarch Diomedes and Chapter Master Gabriel Angelos. All of the young neophytes stood at attention as the two came in.

Diomedes looked them over seriously, "Librarians have and always will be the core of our chapter but know this young brothers…we will always be watching you and ensuring you stay true to the tenets of the Blood Ravens! From this moment forth, you will be assigned to a Codicier to mentor you and a chaplain in each company to report to! Should any of you prove yourselves worthy enough, you will be promoted to Codicier within a century of service. You are to perform daily rites with the rest of your non-psychic brothers, but you will not be permitted to use your psychic powers on the battlefield until you get word of approval from both your Codicier and Chaplain. Is that understood?!"

"Yes, Reclusiarch!" they all shouted in unison.

"A question, Reclusiarch!" One raised his hand with a disciplined poise.

Diomedes nodded at him, "Speak!"

"What are the requirements to become an Epistolary? We have not been told yet." he asked.

Jonah was quick to answer, "An Epistolary is a proven battle psyker that is entrusted with great responsibility within the chapter. A librarian may only receive this rank from at least two centuries of service, the recommendation of two or more current epistolaries, a recommendation from one captain, and the approval of the Reclusiarch and Chief Librarian. Like a company captain, only the very best will ever become an epistolary."

Diomedes nodded as he stepped forward, "Out of the sixty of you, only a fourth will ever reach that rank. For an epistolary is granted special duties and power within the chapter. They include: Executive officer command to their assigned captain and company chaplain, a tour in the Deathwatch, or they are entrusted to guard the chapter's relics alongside chaplains. An Epistolary is also deemed worthy enough to recruit other librarians. You must not only be the among the very best of battle psykers among your peers, but also trusted by the Chapter leadership."

"Work hard and never waiver in your duty. If we deem you worthy enough in your efforts, you will be entrusted with more knowledge and responsibility. For the Emperor," Jonah concluded.

"THE EMPEROR PROTECTS!" They all shouted in unison before dispersing.

The Chief Librarian then turned towards Gabriel, "I take it you need something, Chapter Master? You have that look about you."

"I just came to check on the new librarians. It is fortunate to see this many made it through their trials alive," Gabriel replied.

Jonah nodded, "Yes, this is the largest group we've had since I was a Codicier."

"I remember that group as well. Not many of them are left unfortunately," Gabriel sighed.

"Seiras was in that group, was he not? You were the one who mentored him, Jonah," Diomedes pointed out.

The Chief Librarian nodded, "I did."

Gabriel shook his head, "It's been five decades nearly since he returned to the Deathwatch. I wonder if he's still alive?"

"I receive messages from the Ordo Xenos about him on occasion. They are quite fond of him. One came quite recently actually. They said his Kill Team was being sent to help the Ordo Malleus," Jonah stated.

Gabriel raised a brow, "Why would the Ordo Malleus want a Deathwatch Kill Team?"

"From what the message said, Kill Team Calamity is one of their best at fighting not only xenos, but other space marines. I'm glad to hear that Seiras is at least bringing pride to the chapter," Jonah noted.

"Hmm...was there any word on when his tour of duty was up?" Gabriel asked, "we could certainly use his Eldar expertise back in the chapter."

"I doubt the Inquisition would ever release him. They know his history..." Diomedes shook his head.

Jonah frowned, "That and they also know he's the only person who can speak and understand the Eldar Language. That Ordo Xenos Inquisitor keeps sending us tithes for his service...including relics he found."

Before any of them could continue their conversation, Jonah's eyes began to glow as a psychic echo flooded his mind, "ALWAYS FAIFTHFUL! THE EMPEROR PROTECTS!"

All of the Lexicani seemed to hear the echo too as they clutched their heads. One was quick to voice his confusion as he ran over to the chapter leaders, "Chief Librarian! Did you hear that?"

"What did you hear?" Diomedes asked seriously.

"It sounded like Seiras…" Jonah trailed off.

Gabriel looked shocked, "What was happening?"

"It was an echo…like he was screaming across the warp. He said 'Always Faithful. The Emperor Protects.'" Jonah explained.

"Gather the senior librarians and try to find out what that was," Gabriel commanded.

Jonah nodded, "At once, brother."

Avenger of Terra, Orbiting Hiveworld Corun

"Inquisitor let us speak to the Craftworlders! They're still in the system are they not?!" Kallius demanded to Atia. Kill Team Calamity was currently aboard the bridge along with Atia and her two remaining Grey Knights.

"Sergeant Kallius, I've already told you that there's nothing we can do…" Atia remarked callously as she stared out the window into the void horizon.

The Blood Angel grimaced his fanged teeth as he stared at her back, "They can let us into the webway! We'll take a strike cruiser and rescue Seiras!"

"Is that what you all came up here for? To get my permission to recklessly get yourselves killed? I hailed the Eldar countless times already, Kallius…they wouldn't answer me. It's been weeks now. It's over. Seiras is gone," Atia said coldly as she turned around.

"He's in Commorragh more than likely. Capturing a space marine alive is almost impossible for Dark Eldar. They wouldn't kill him anytime soon. We can rescue him!" Nemias spoke up seriously. The Salamander looked equally as adamant about the plan.

"The five of you think you can find this twisted realm in the webway and rescue him? That's ridiculous. It's time to accept reality! For the Emperor's sake, you're Astartes! You're acting like emotional boys right now," Atia scoffed.

"Oi, ye clearly don't value our lives, Inquisitor, so just let us do this! I'll go hijack that damned Eldar ship and fly it into the webway muhself if I have ta! Seiras is our brother! I won't leave him ta the mercy of damned knife-eared xenos!" Viggo added.

Atia shook her head, "Have you forgotten he's a psyker? Tell me Nemias…you're a Salamander so you ought to know this better than the rest of them. What do Dark Eldar do to psykers?"

"They kill them…" Nemias trailed off bitterly.

"See how stupid you're being right now?" Atia sighed.

Gregorius growled at Atia angrily as he took a step forward, "They took him alive! Whether he's a damn psyker or not, these aliens deserve our retribution! You will not dismiss us, Inquisitor!"

The grey knights both tensed up as they gripped their weapons and stepped forward as well. Gregorius sent them both hateful glares but didn't back down at all.

Atia looked at him dangerously, "Step back, Black Templar…"

Just to be defiant, Gregorius took another step forward. To everyone's surprise, Atia then blasted him back with psychic power and forced him to his knees. The whole kill team reached for their weapons upon seeing this. The grey knights also drew their force weapons as they began to glow with psychic power.

Gregorius growled angrily as he tried to resist it, but Atia held him there nonetheless, "You think you can intimidate me? You think I'm defenseless, do you? Speak to me that way again and I'll personally kill you…"

Nemias desperately tried to calm the tension, "Calm Down Gregorius! Release him Atia…"

She let Gregorius go a moment later before huffing, "You're lucky I'm letting your Kill Team even live for harboring a traitor in your ranks. Seriously, show me some damn respect and gratitude. I'm one of the nicest Ordo Malleus Inquisitors around."

'That's saying something…' Viggo thought to himself.

Nemias waved the others to lower their weapons, "Calm down brothers…thank you for your understanding Inquisitor Atia."

Gregorius immediately got to his feet but kept his distance now as he and the others calmed down. The grey knights slowly lowered their weapons as their psychic auras faded.

"I was under the impression you didn't like Seiras, Black Templar. You'd be willing to go die with the rest of your kill team to save a librarian? Weren't you convinced he was a heretic?" the Inquisitor crossed her arms skeptically.

"I was…but that doesn't mean I'll accept this lack of effort to rescue him! The very idea of some vile, unholy xenos reveling over the prize of an Astartes slave while we sit around and do nothing makes me sick! They must answer for this cowardly act!" Gregorius growled.

"The five of you have no hope of fighting an army of Dark Eldar…let alone navigating the webway. This is utterly foolish, and I will hear no more of it. If that will be all, you can leave now," Atia rolled her eyes.

"It wouldn't just be us five. We've already spoken with the Imperial Fists and White Templars…they agreed to help us as well. You can sit idly here all you want Inquisitor, but we're going to rescue our brother," Kallius interjected.

Atia gave the Blood Angel a sharp glare, "No…I will not allow the fleet to split apart over your vanity, space marines! Do NOT disobey me or I'll have you all charged with treason and put down!"

Gregorius looked like he was about to snap again upon hearing those words but was quickly pulled back by Decimus before he could do something crazy.

"So what are we to do now then? Just wait in this system until the warpstorms pass?" Decimus demanded.

"Exactly…I've sent word to an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor to investigate the Eldar here. You can all leave with them when they arrive," Atia said carelessly.

Viggo cocked his head at Atia curiously, "Has there been any word on the wolves? Wasn't a fleet on its way here?"

"If I hear about it, you'll be the first to know. You're all dismissed…" Atia waved them away with an annoyed expression.

As the Kill Team reluctantly turned to leave, they made it several steps before they heard Atia cry out.

Her eyes glowed briefly in psychic power as she grabbed her forehead, "ARGH!"

The Kill Team quickly turned around and looked at her confused. Nemias being the compassionate one addressed her pain, "Is something wrong, Inquisitor?"

"Arius, Regulus…did you hear that too?!" Atia asked her grey knights as she ignored the Kill Team.

Arius nodded his head, "Yes…it sounded like Seiras. His voice was echoing in the warp."

"What?! What did you hear?!" Kallius demanded as the entire Kill Team turned around and walked back over.

Regulus looked at Arius, "It was his voice…I heard strange echoes. I thought I was only imagining them earlier."

"One of ye damned psykers better tell us what the hell ye just heard!" Viggo demanded furiously.

Atia seemed a bit rattled as she collected herself, "That was definitely Seiras' voice. I am hearing echoes of him. He was praying or something. Then the last one he was shouting."

Arius seeing that Viggo was about to lose his mind quickly addressed the Kill Team, "He said, 'Always faithful. The Emperor Protects.' His shout seemed to echo throughout the warp. Considering he's in the webway, I find that unusual."

"That would mean he's not in captivity currently if he can use his psychic powers," Nemias pointed out.

"Forget that, he's alive!" Kallius said with passionate aggression.

"How was he able to project his voice through the warp like that?" Regulus wondered.

Atia seemed shocked as she shook her head, "I…don't know. Contact the Eldar again, Admiral Hightower! I need to see if they know anything about this! I'll try to contact them psychically too."

"Does that mean you're agreeing to our request, Inquisitor?" Nemias asked hopefully.

The woman didn't know how to respond for a moment as she grimaced her teeth, "I don't know…it depends on what the Eldar tell us. Something strange just happened in the warp."

"I hate psykers…" Gregorius muttered.

Medrengard, Fortress of Hate, Eye of Terror

Sitting alone in a fortified room, the primarch Perturabo had been experiencing a vision. His eyes stopped glowing shortly afterward as he stood up and uttered one word to himself, "Ferrus."

Sicarus, Hidden Inner Sanctum, Eye of Terror

A daemon prince sat up and opened his eyes which also stopped glowing from witnessing the vision before him. He spoke softly, "Welcome back, brother…"

Seiras, the Warp

After finally finishing the long version of how everything transpired from Seiras' capture to their current situation, the librarian concluded, "Then you showed up."

Seiras had of course neglected to mention any of his encounters with the aliens or Sylea, but he did tell the primarchs that he was working with alien slaves to escape. Ferrus had many questions about the Golden Throne and the events of the Horus Heresy, and seemed utterly disgusted and horrified by the news of the Emperor's confinement to the Golden Throne. He was also appalled by the news of Chaos Gods and daemons.

Ferrus crossed his arms, "This story seems improbable, but considering I'm alive again, I suppose there's credence to it. I still don't understand your objective in all of this, alien. You know about the STC on Karin, and you want me to get it?"

"I've already told you, Ferrus, that I am a scientist and I believe in order and stability. Your Imperium is the only thing keeping order in the galaxy. If it crumbles, then this galaxy is doomed more or less. I've told nobody about what I saw in your memories except for Seiras," she replied.

Leman Russ glanced over at Melisara doubtfully, "How do we know ye don't just want this STC for yerself?"

"Seiras asked me the very same question. I told him that I did want it originally but changed my mind later. As Ferrus knows, the harlequins stole the last one on Aeon. Perturabo also knows about this STC and I imagine Magnus does too. If chaos gets it, the Imperium is doomed. You are wise to not trust an Eldar, but I assure you that I have been completely honest here," Melisara explained.

Leman Russ sighed as he looked at Seiras now, "Ye're sure this alien can be trusted?"

"She did fix the Golden Throne and give me the ability to bring back Lord Ferrus. She had the clone for a long time and had no reason to see it revived if she planned on betraying us. Plus she didn't remove my Betcher's glands after I was killed, and she even improved my weapons. I know it's heresy, but none of this would have been possible without her," Seiras responded.

"Well considerin the Emperor didn't get rid of that device you built on the Golden Throne, I suppose you're worth trusting…for now. If ye ever betray us though…I'll hunt ye down. I never forget someone's smell," Russ threatened her.

Ferrus seemed distraught, "I should have listened to Vulkan and Corax. We were in over our heads fighting this chaos and their gods. At least now I can somewhat understand what was responsible for corrupting Fulgrim and the others. How long ago was that, Seiras? What year is it exactly? You didn't mention that in your story."

"It's currently M42, Lord Ferrus. A lot has changed in the Imperium. I'll explain the rest of that to you on the way back, but things are very different now," Seiras said seriously.

"11 thousand years?!" Ferrus said disbelievingly as he stared into the horizon.

"It's M42 already? I feel like I've only been in here for a century or two," Russ shook his head.

Ferrus glanced at him, "Why are you in the warp, Leman? What have you been doing all this time?"

"I'm looking fer the Tree of Life…it can heal anything, and I want ta save the Emperor. It would seem I've been in the warp for millennia now. I didn't realize how much time I've wasted," Russ said slowly.

"Tree of Life? Hmm…well according to Aeldari myth we have something like that as well. If what you seek is the warp, it would likely be in the Plague Gardens of Nurgle. One of the surviving Aeldari gods, Isha, was able to cure any illness or injury. The legends claim she is held in the heart of Nurgle's realm," Melisara pointed out.

Leman Russ' eyes widened, "You're sayin the Tree of Life is an alien god?"

"Well not really a god…but a powerful warp construction that has existed for eons. Isha could be this Tree of Life you're searching for," Melisara added.

Russ cocked his head at her, "Hmm…well in that case, it's worth looking into at the very least."

"Well, we should probably head back now. There's no telling how much time has passed since we came in here, Seiras. Though fortunately our proximity to Khaine's Gate would have kept it within a few hours or days at the most," Melisara noted.

Ferrus Manus looked at Melisara seriously, "If you try anything to subdue me, I'll kill you alien."

"I have no intentions of doing that Ferrus, though I would ask that you remain in my lab once we return. At least until Seiras is ready to escape. I have plenty of materials and resources there if you'd like to craft anything. I know you're quite fond of forging," she suggested joyously.

"Hmph…I'll go along with this for now," Ferrus said stoically as he followed Melisara and Seiras.

"Wait, before ye all leave…I have something for ya, Seiras," Leman Russ spoke up behind them.

"Are you not coming with us, Lord Russ? The Imperium could certainly use your help as well," Seiras asked.

The Wolf King shook his head, "No…not yet anyway. I'm afraid I cannot abandon my quest here."

"You're staying in the warp?" Ferrus seemed to disapprove.

"Fer now…I'm not alone in here," Russ followed up.

"What did you want to give me?" Seiras asked as the primarch walked up to him.

Russ pulled a wolf emblem off his armour before pinning it onto Seiras' chest, "That's the Wolf King Rune seal…wear it with pride."

Seiras looked at the runed wolf emblem now pinned on his armour, "I am honoured, Lord Russ, but Space Wolves might think I stole this or something."

"It's one of a kind…and it has my name written in runes. If any of the wolves see that on ya, they'll know it's mine. Take this too," the primarch added as he pulled a necklace out of his power armour and put in on Seiras, "That belongs to Bjorn. Give that to the Space Wolves, and tell them the Wolf Time is soon at hand…"

"Thank you, Lord Russ…it was a great honour to meet you. I will ensure these priceless relics are returned to your sons and to tell them that," Seiras bowed his head respectfully.

"Give em the necklace, but that rune seal is yers. Ye might not be my gene-son, but ye've earned the favour of Leman Russ. May our Allfather be with ye and Ferrus…" Leman replied as he turned to leave.

"Leman!" Ferrus called out his name as the Space Wolf primarch departed.

"Aye?" he tilted his head back.

"Take care, brother…" Ferrus nodded.

"Ye as well Ferrus…take care of him and my sons when ye get back ta the Imperium. And kill lot's of xenos for me," Leman Russ replied before turning into a ghostly wolf and running off into the distance.

"Well now, let's get out of this awful place…" Melisara broke the emotional silence.

Ferrus looked down at Seiras as they all walked, "Tell me more about the current Imperium. You said you worked for this Inquisition…what is that?"