Chapter 916 - 915: Nareth Hid His Achievements. Why Did He Hand the Warmaster's Title to Me?

Horus Lupercal opened his eyes and saw a gigantic bird with broad wings circling beneath the azure sky above.

He withdrew his gaze and looked around.

Hundreds of shaggy herbivores wandered across the grasslands.

He tried to remember how he had gotten here, or what he had been doing before.

But his memory was a blur, only scattered fragments remained, and the harder he tried to recall, the more distant and ethereal they became.

A sudden howl pierced the fog in his mind.

He clutched his shoulder. A searing pain spread from the wound across his body.

Trees swayed. A hundred great wolves emerged from the woods.

Each wolf bore a strange brand: a black, double-headed eagle.

The leader's form flickered. A single, staring eye was faintly visible on its forehead.

It spoke. "Who are you?"

"I am Horus."

"Who are you?" the wolf repeated.

"I am Horus!" he snapped irritably. "What else do you want to know?"

"My brother, my time is short," the wolf warned. "Before he arrives, you must understand clearly who you are."

"I am Horus. If I'm already dead, then stop bothering me." Horus leaped, charging into the forest.

The wolf pack raced around him, wind howling in their wake as they repeated the same question over and over: "Who are you?"

Horus ran, bursting from the treeline.

Then he abruptly stopped. The sky above was black, without a single star.

A pure, white moon hung high, its brilliant light falling upon him.

The wolves howled again, their question a chorus: "Who are you?"

His mind exploded. Memories surged.

The moon. The wolves. The Wolf God.

Luna. Wolves.

Horus raised his head toward the sky and roared: "I am Horus of the Luna Wolves, Warmaster of the Imperium!"

"I am still alive!"

He leaped. The lake shattered like glass beneath him.

At the same moment, a flickering candle lit the cave on Davin.

Delfus, a tech-priest of the Mechanicum, had always resented the Emperor's restrictions. He willingly aided Erebus in exchange for forbidden knowledge.

The acolyte Ak-shub, under the priestess, drew a circle on the ground with quicklime, marking its eight points.

Erebus supervised the priestesses of the cult as they took their places around the circle. He had invested great effort to reach this day. But he knew the threads of fate had been woven millennia ago.

A hundred seemingly independent events, connected at this critical moment, had led the Warmaster to this forgotten world.

Ak-shub completed the ritual markings, then bent and cut out the heart of the prostrate acolyte who lay in the center.

The priestess, with practiced skill, removed the heart from the chest, took a bite, and passed it to the acolyte beside her.

The heart was passed from hand to hand, each cultist tearing a piece of the crimson flesh.

Erebus was last. He took what remained of the heart and consumed it all.

Blood dripped down his chin. The Word Bearer tasted the acolyte's final memory.

He tasted the treacherous blade that had taken the sacrifice's life, the betrayal offered to the Changer of Ways.

The blood-feast pleased the Blood God, calling upon the power of the Dark Prince and the Lord of Decay.

"The one-eyed phantom is crossing dimensions, trying to return a lost son to his father," the priestess warned.

Erebus looked up at the ceiling. "Magnus, you will not stop us."

"You are far away, and Horus has already passed the point of no return."

"Let us begin." The priestess was eager to fulfill the destiny the Gods had given her millennia ago.

At her signal, Zephar stepped forward, coating Erebus's face with antimony crystals.

"It will cloud Horus's senses. He will see a familiar and friendly face."

"A face-change." Erebus smiled, recalling the memory of how he had acquired his current face and name.

After the silver-white powder had been applied to his face, the priestess squinted.

"There is one final step for you to enter Horus's Warp-Image."

"What?" Erebus asked.

"Your death." The priestess's words were followed by Ak-shub's blade, opening Erebus's throat.

Erebus's soul drifted. The cave of the Serpent's Coil faded.

He drifted, floating in a lake.

Splash!

Erebus looked up. Horus was swimming towards him.

Horus grabbed "Hastur Sejanus's" pauldron, pulling him close, swimming upward.

He broke the surface, carrying "Sejanus," looking at his neck with concern.

"Sejanus" coughed up water, clawing at his throat. He felt nothing.

Horus looked at "Sejanus's" bright, silver eyes. "My son."

"Sejanus" embraced Horus. "Father."

They held each other tightly for a long moment before parting.

"How did you get here?"

"Father, I am here to help you," "Sejanus" said.

"We don't have much time. He'll be here soon."

"I've heard that more than once lately," Horus said.

"Sejanus" was grave. "Who else said it?"

"A wolf." Horus laughed.

"I know it sounds absurd, but it spoke to me."

"Father, I believe you." "Sejanus" now realized Magnus had already met Horus. He thanked the Changer of Ways for the revelation, allowing him to approach Horus as a beloved son.

"That is why we don't have much time."

Horus sensed something hidden in "Sejanus's" words. He shifted to his Warmaster's tone. "Where are we?"

"Sejanus" answered. "Your body lies in the Delfus on Davin."

"Delfus? I've never heard of it."

"Delfus is the holy place of the Serpent's Coil, a temple of healing."

"In Terran Gothic, it means 'womb of the world.' It can grant you new life. Your body lies in the Hall of the World's Pillar, but your soul has left it."

"This is the Warp," Horus said, thoughtful.

"Yes," "Sejanus" nodded.

"I have gained their aid to save your life."

"Who are they?"

"Great beings of the Warp. They have chosen you as their emissary, to act in the material world."

"This doesn't sound right," Horus frowned.

"What if I refuse?"

"Sejanus" looked at him. "Father, you will die. Only they can save you now."

"If they are so powerful, why do they need me?" Horus asked.

"Though they are powerful, they cannot exist in the physical universe. They must act through an emissary." "Sejanus" praised him.

"You are powerful and ambitious. No one else in the galaxy possesses your authority and qualities."

Their words pleased Horus, but the surroundings still felt wrong.

The wolves howled. The ground split.

"Sejanus" looked alarmed. "We must go now!"

He pointed to an oval light forming by the lake. "It is our only way out."

"A great man once said that a transcendent genius often disdains the beaten path, seeking instead uncharted territory."

Horus laughed. "Hastur, you're quoting me to myself."

"Your words will be immortalized." "Sejanus's" praise made Horus smile.

He looked at the forming gate. "What lies beyond?"

"The truth," "Sejanus" replied.

Horus followed "Sejanus," stepping through the gate.

He looked around, finding himself on a basalt plaza.

Blurred outlines formed the silhouettes of warriors. Invisible soldiers seemed to cut out from the air, raising their weapons, firing energy beams at black-armored warriors.

Following the sound of combat, Horus saw a black-armored, golden-winged figure rise rapidly.

'A Shadow of Order!'

'Nareth!'

"Where is this? A war led by Nareth and the Shadow of Order?" Horus asked.

"This is 'Terra.' The leader is the Emperor," "Sejanus" said, his lips curling.

Horus shook his head. "Impossible. There is only one Terra. The Emperor is unique."

"Sejanus" didn't argue. He said, "That 'Terra' is in an eleven-planet system."

"This war is not happening now. It ended in 882."

"882-" Horus searched his superhuman memory. He found nothing.

He looked around. The invisible warriors were clad in advanced armor and energy weapons.

This civilization had developed technology. It could be classified as a civilized world.

This was a great conquest.

Why had Nareth never reported it to the War Council?

Were there other unreported achievements?

Were his achievements enough to match, or even surpass, his own?

If so, why had he handed the Warmaster's title to him?

As Horus pondered, he walked silently towards a tower.

"Sejanus" followed. The Warmaster was beginning to question whether his position was truly deserved.

Horus had always believed his achievements surpassed all other Primarchs, that he was the rightful Warmaster.

Now, the Gods were showing him the truth.

This was exactly what the Gods wanted: to first humble Horus's pride, to ignite his ambition and rivalry.

As Horus was about to enter the tower, the ground shook.

Rumble!

The tower exploded. Shattered stained glass rained down, swirling and spinning.

"Sejanus" frowned at the broken world.

Why had the Gods stopped showing Horus Nareth's achievements?

Why did they not further fuel his ambition?

....

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