Chapter 914 - 913: Nareth: The Crystals of the Reflecting Cave Belong to Me

Deep within the Photep Pyramid on Prospero, the captains of the Thousand Sons' nine Fellowships stood together inside Magnus's private chamber, atop a labyrinthine spiral pattern drawn across the floor.

Magnus looked around at the his Captains gathered for the council.

"You have all wanted to know what I saw in the amphitheater on Nikaea."

"I saw a prophecy concerning Horus."

As he spoke, he opened a heavy tome in his hands, pointing to the last written page.

"An ancient Egyptian prophecy once spoke of a distant future filled with war. The sky god Heru was originally meant to protect his people from the threat of Chaos."

"But instead, he would turn against another golden deity named Sutekh and fight him for dominion over all things."

"His later form would be called Khem-Wer, meaning the Black Great One."

Magnus spoke methodically, as if lecturing from a podium, while his ever-changing eye shifted into black.

"Heru is one of the many names of that ancient god. It can also be rendered as Horus."

"The clues were always there. I simply overlooked them before."

"So after leaving Nikaea, I wandered the Great Ocean, tracing paths through past and future, searching among the billion threads of fate woven from forgotten history for the one vital cord upon which the fate of the entire galaxy rests."

Hathor Maat, the Chief Librarian, who had already learned of Horus's coming fall from the Black Emperor, reacted first, pressing for more.

"What else does the prophecy say?"

Magnus's mutable eye shifted to grey. "It said that several of Horus's brothers would stand beside him."

"If Horus is victorious, he will become Heru-Ur, Horus the Great. If Sutekh is defeated, his lands will remain barren and desolate forever."

"The prophecy also mentioned a critical moment. Beneath a new moon, Horus would become Mekhenty-en-irty, the Eyeless One. Until the moon rises again, Horus will be extremely dangerous."

"Why would the Warmaster do such a thing?" Amon asked . "What reason could he possibly have?"

"Ambition? Jealousy?" guessed Khalophis.

"No." Ahriman shook his head. "Mortals start wars over such foolish reasons, not Primarchs. There must be another cause."

The nine Magister Templi looked at Magnus. Their father was dressed like a mortuary priest.

His shoulders sagged, and a white cloak hung over the back of his crimson robes.

"A terrible weapon struck Horus down. The primordial powers seeped into his soul. While he was weakened, the Great Enemy moved and captured his mind."

"If we do nothing, they will succeed, and the galaxy will be torn apart."

"What must we do?" Hathor asked.

"With your help, I will use the ancient bronze mechanism to project myself across the void and protect my brother." Magnus's eye blazed with blue light.

Ahriman frowned. The incantation left by the first colonists, standing in the plaza, could indeed traverse the void instantly, but the records were incomplete.

"That spell requires an enormous amount of energy, and we do not even know whether it actually works."

"It has to work; it must work," Magnus said coldly.

"Gather the thralls. Channel their power into me, to elevate my soul."

Magnus's callous disregard for life startled Ahriman. "Many of the thralls will die during the ritual. Sacrificing so many of them would be an enormous cost."

"Ahzek, what will the cost be if we do nothing?" Magnus said, his tone final.

"My decision is made. In three days, assemble at the Reflecting Caves."

Hathor left with the other Magister Templi. With his "Telephatist" perspective, he studied them. Their mind-bodies were tinged with deep grey concern. They clearly harbored deep doubts about the use of this powerful, unknown incantation.

Ahriman's mind-body was tinged with black. Magnus's cold order to sacrifice the Legion's psychic servitors had horrified him.

He parted ways with the other Magister Templi, returning to his own Pavoni Pyramid.

Hathor entered the magnificent structure. The polished marble reflected his perfect features.

Neatly arranged bookshelves, all of identical dimensions and spacing, held datapads arranged by category.

Within stasis fields, exquisitely bound ancient tomes were displayed.

The biomancer's eyes turned obsidian, his gaze falling upon the black-armored warriors.

Five hundred and twenty Shadows of Order, who had been hunting Psychneuein on Prospero's wilds, had returned to Tizca under the guise of rest when the fleet had set sail.

They had been visiting the great libraries, browsing and recording books.

'My Lord foresaw this day long ago.' He climbed the spiral staircase quickly, returning to the chamber at the pyramid's apex.

Hathor tapped his force staff, activating the "Euclidean Runes." As the aetheric tide receded, he knelt before the altar, praying to the Black Emperor.

On the third recitation, black mist swallowed him.

He knelt in the mist, looking up at the Black Emperor upon his throne. "My Lord!"

"Magnus has foreseen Horus's fall. He has ordered us to meet at the Reflecting Cave in three days, to use an ancient incantation."

Nareth listened to Hathor's report. 'Just as I thought. Magnus has decided to stop Horus. He will try to warn the Emperor. Every decision he makes is rational, based on the current situation. Yet each leads to a tragic outcome he never anticipated.'

'Because this universe itself is not rational. The existence of Chaos ensures his rational decisions lead to tragedy.'

He paused, then spoke. "Magnus's attempt will fail. He will try again; to warn the Emperor."

"You must, after the second attempt, gather as many psychic crystals from the Reflecting Cave as possible. When Magnus disperses the fleet and refuses to resist the punitive fleet sent by the Emperor and the Space Wolves, transfer those crystals aboard my Legion's cruisers."

The psychic crystals of the Reflecting Cave on Tizca are the finest in the galaxy, ideal for force staves, force swords, and psychic hoods, especially for divination foci.

The Crystal Mirage has a greater abundance, but their quality is inferior to Tizca's. Only the crystal statues of the Soul-Drinkers are superior.

'The Reflecting Cave's crystals should not be destroyed with Prospero. They belong to me.'

It took even Hathor's superhuman mind a few seconds to process the shocking news:

Magnus would try to warn the False Emperor. The False Emperor would punish them for using psychic powers. The Wolves would come. Magnus, would not resist, he would scatter his fleet, leaving Prospero defenseless.

Would Prospero face its end?

Could he and his cult survive?

Seeing Hathor tremble, Nareth's voice deepened.

"Do not worry. You will survive."

Nareth remembered Hathor had survived the Burning of Prospero. He had not fallen to the Wolves, nor been consumed by the power Paeoc had poured into him.

He had later, to survive the Flesh-Change, bargained with Kairos, altering a line in the Book of Magnus.

Now that he had already advanced to Sequence 5: Dreamwalker, he was unlikely to die unless he directly encountered Russ.

Even if he encountered Valdor, the element of surprise provided by his Beyonder abilities might still give him a chance to escape.

Valdor was not yet the King in Yellow.

The Black Emperor's voice of "Majesty" calmed Hathor's roiling emotions.

"Your task is to try, from the dreams of Phosis T'Kar and Kalophis, to confirm if their subconscious inclinations lean towards me."

Nareth had, on Aghoru, gifted Wyvachs to some of the Magister Templis. These Wyvachs had been "linked" in the third layer and "corroded" in the fifth layer of the Kingdom of Disorder.

Uthizzar, who had only recently inherited leadership of the Athanaean Cult, had not yet arrived on Aghoru at the time.

As for Ahriman, Magister Templi of the Corvidae Cult, Nareth judged it highly unlikely that he would ever become loyal to him.

The only two who might still be poached were Phosis T'kar, Magister Templi of the Raptora Cult, and Khalophis, Magister Templi of the Pyrae Cult.

"I have already secretly ordered the Shadows of Order on Prospero to obey your commands. After the cruisers depart, three squads of Shadows of Order will remain behind."

"They will help your cult members and the Scarab Occult Terminators, and those Magister Templis who lean towards me, to sever their connection to their Tutelaries."

The last of Hathor's fears vanished. He knelt in devotion.

"By Your will."

....

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