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When I woke, I was laying on my side on a cool, hard surface, like polished glass. It felt like I was being licked on my cheek by some sort of animal.

I opened my eyes, and saw an unlikely scene. Before me, and madly wagging his little tail, was a small black terrier. He stepped from paw to paw, and seemed enormously excited to see me. The dog let out a peculiarly squeaky bark, and cocked his bushy head. This dog reminded me of my little black dog from when I was a kid; his name was Wolfie. He had run away when I was ten, but I had always remembered that squeaky distinct bark.

"Wolfie?" I rasped, incredulous. He barked again. My voice sounded strangely squeaky too, but I didn't care. I got to see my best childhood buddy again! "What are you doing here, boy?"

I pulled myself into a sitting position, and found that my body felt different. Instead of my dark slacks and coat, I was wearing a small plain dress with silvery slippers. I looked at my arms, and found them to be that of a small girl, instead of a young woman. Observing myself, I felt as if I was about ten years old again. The dog barked, and began to jump on me as I sat on the floor, licking my face as if he was thrilled to see me.

"Where are we, buddy?" I asked, looking around. I stood up, and tried to get a look at the place I found myself in. As my eyes adjusted, I saw that the floor here was a glassy, crystalline material that reflected a deep cobalt in dim white light. The atmosphere felt similar to being in an aquarium, minus all the fish and water. The room I was in was actually a hallway that stretched in two endless directions, with an arced ceiling like that of an old church. The air was clean, but there was a light breeze that smelled faintly of old books, like a library. This must be a dream, of course, I rationalized. Wolfie sat at my feet, watching me happily.

"A dream? Well, all things are dreams and facets of creation, so I suppose you'd be right there..." a disembodied male voice rang through the halls, coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. I swung my head around, searching for the voice, and found that my hair had been loosely braided. As I searched one direction of the endless blue hall, I felt a tap at my back. I swirled around and jumped backwards at what I saw.

I looked up at a tall, unnaturally pale man who would have been taller than me if I had been in my normal body by about a head. A dark, perfect suit was immaculately tailored to his lithe body. His hair was white blond and tousled, and moved as if it were water in an unknown breeze. His eyes were luminous gold, and had a predatory quality to them, like a wolf in firelight. It made him look both attractive and terrifying. He smiled, as if hearing me, revealing pointed canines and a mischievous quality.

"Why, you flatter me! I do so like politeness. You're already off to a good start! Now here, let me fix your little height problem you have in that body for now. Take whatever form you want later, but we need to have an adult form for an adult conversation now, I think."

With a dismissive wave of his finger, I found myself inside my adult body again, looking at the stranger at closer to eye level. The clothes immediately changed with me. The sensation of my body rapidly transforming was incredibly disconcerting, and I jumped.

"What? W-who are you?" I stammered, taking a step back. The man remained smiling where he was standing. I now noticed that he was levitating a few inches off the ground, and his clothes ruffled in a gentle non-existent breeze. I heard Wolfie whine nervously at my feet. I reached down and picked him up.

"My dear, I believe you know who I am already. We've already been acquainted," he said, amused. The stranger's voice was utterly inhuman, reaching both high and low tones while maintaining a strange polyphony, as if he spoke in a few voices at one time. But, one part of him was familiar. He resembled a man I had met very recently. The blond stranger at my gallery opening, the one who had jostled Glenn into dropping my whiskey. This guy looked like an unearthly alien version of him. He also reminded me uncannily of a character in a story I had written, right down to how I had described him. I remember wondering about that at the gallery too! The "Zac" character! The wandering chaos entity...

"Y-you're an avatar of change?" I managed to stammer out. Was I actually dreaming my silly fan fic? Thank goodness this was a dream or I'd be in real trouble.

The scent of the air changed, notes of ozone mixing repulsively with the library books, and a small wind picked up. I felt Wolfie whine again in my arms, and I could tell the little dog was shivering. This man had a terrifying presence. As I was standing, he reached out with a white hand, and caressed a ringlet of hair that had come loose from my braids. At his touch, the curl turned white, and he let it fall. He sighed dramatically.

"Not simply an avatar, my dear. But, I digress from my main reason for appearing to you now. I'm here to impart some unfortunate news," he said, his voice dancing like ballet in the endless blue halls. This had so far been the most vivid dream I had ever had; it was stunning! I would have to remember this when I woke up. The strange tall man smiled knowingly. "This is no conventional dream, as you were thinking. I have finally you in my grasp, my scrappy little psyker. After years of repeated intrusions into my realm, stealing secrets that weren't yours, I've caught you in my net."

I continued to hold Wolfie, beginning to feel real fear worm into my heart. This is just a dream, dummy. Come on.

"Oh, I suppose we need formalities here," he cleared his throat. "Please allow me to formally introduce myself. I have many names, but you may know me as the Lord of Change, the Architect of Fate, and most commonly..." he let a pause drag out and looked at me, expectantly.

"You're Tzeentch," I replied, careful to not mispronounce it. Oh neat, a 40k dream!

"Why yes! Oh so very clever! And yes again, very neat!" he said, a slight edge of sarcasm in his alien voice. "Well, I don't mean to disparage you, really. I have my eye on you, and I find you extremely interesting, despite your transgressions. In fact, even your transgressions are interesting."

He snapped his fingers, and in midair, a comically long scroll appeared in his hands. He appeared to peruse through lists of what I assumed where things I had done "wrong" in my lifetime with bemusement. "This scroll here, it is kept in my Hidden Library. It bears witness to all your little misdeeds, your repeated intrusions. You are quite the gossip point between my bookkeepers, I dare say," He made a musing sound as he continued to read the record. "Psykers in your age are usually far weaker and get into far more trouble, but you have an knack for staying out of it. Well, present situation of course exempt. You're certainly in a lot of trouble now!"

I was uncomfortable, and didn't know what to say. What could someone say to Tzeentch as he stood next to you complaining about the things you did to upset him? "Well, I'm not a psyker, so that's wrong," I tried to correct at least.

"I'll be the judge of that, and yes, you are. One of only a few in your guttering little primitive hellscape of a Materium," he said, his golden eyes not leaving the scroll. The god then rolled the paper up once again as it vanished into smoke that smelled of birthday cake. "Seems you're in denial, perhaps as a defense mechanism. All while you've been intruding in my realm, my house, my reality. Not very polite, my dear."

I must have appeared confused, so he began to explain: "Having the nasty little habit of subconsciously projecting yourself into my realm when dreaming still counts as an intrusion. Stealing dreams is stealing secrets from me. Ignorance is no excuse, little one."

And if you weren't a psyker, you could not have understood the words I spoke to you in the gallery, I felt the words instead of hearing them. I jumped and fell back in surprise, causing the god to chuckle and shake his head.

"What do you want from me?" My rational mind rebelled against this, so I tried to make sense of what was becoming a nightmare.

"To get you home, of course! You're in a spot of trouble where your body is presently. So very sick! I can put the you here back into your body in your Materium, and heal it. You can live again and have more failed gallery shows while people try to murder you, if that's what you want. However, it takes a bit of effort on my part, and a lot of hope on your part!"

The air shifted again, and I could smell both gunpowder and honey. "To be truthful, for you it could be much worse. Dying with my favor is better than dying without it! You really are fun!"

"Dying? I'm not dead!"

"Oh no, not yet! As I said, your body is currently gravely ill. Your nervous system has been driven into haywire with paralysis sneaking into your limbs as your fleshy shell attempts to fight off a foreign toxin. But as I said earlier, your soul stands at the brink of life and death, at the threshold of wonders where new possibility present themselves. You can thank Nurgle for that irritating little development, by the way," Tzeentch scoffed, and in his hands appeared a small glass with an amber liquid. "You're lucky I found you when I did. If you had ingested one more sip of that cursed whiskey, you'd be dead already!"

I suddenly recalled the incident at the gallery. The neckbeard with the flask! Glenn! That guy was...

"...a servant of my enemy, yes. Oh, don't look so surprised! My siblings and I work through many realities, your world included," he said as though effortlessly reading every thought as I had it, which he probably was. He took a sip of his drink. "Would you care for one? 'Promise this one won't kill you," he smiled menacingly.

"No, no," I shook my head, disbelieving. I placed Wolfie down on the floor, and this time, I was the one trembling. Why would anyone want to murder me? Was this a near death experience? "I have to get back," I said, trying to be assertive against the eldritch horror in a humanoid form next to me. "Please send me back!"

"Maybe you don't understand, mortal. I said I could send you back, and that I would like that, not that I definitely would."

"But-"

"Haven't you noticed where you are, my dear?" he motioned grandly to the great blue crystal halls around us. As if responding to his gesture, the halls sparkled brilliantly for a few moments, and I could see shadows of unknown moving tentacled things writhing in the walls. "This is my domain. You are in my Crystal Labyrinth. Now, I can't very well be unfair to all the other creatures who find themselves lost in here for eternity, no," As to punctuate what the god said, I could hear faint screams and maddening laughter.

The scent in the air shifted ominously to blood, tears, and terror as the god beside me smiled widely.

"But don't worry, you'll pull through if you make the right choices, choose the right paths. Your situation is quite dire, which is why you can't simply wake up. You are ready to be eaten by death itself, but look at you, such a fighter filled with hope! You're impressing people all over the world every second of life you remain alive! The hope exuded from those people is rare and delicious, and I'm enjoying it!" He lashed a silver tongue across his lips.

My thoughts raced. The suicide notes I had discovered just earlier that day! I didn't write them! Someone did want me dead, and I had been poisoned! This wasn't a dream; it really was a near death experience, I thought in absolute horror.

I straightened up, trying to be brave. This couldn't be real, but I still needed to go back and call an ambulance! Whatever all this was needed to stop! This was ridiculous and I needed to wake up. "I have to get back! I have to call the police!" I said in alarm. The air smelled of ketones and coppery blood.

I tried to step backward, to go anywhere but here, but found myself unable to move with another dismissive gesture by the god.

"Now, I did tell you I had noticed you breaking into my domain many times. Stealing my secrets from my guardians, and harassing the horrors who had only tried to talk to you! Running off without saying goodbye, just like that! Rude! But, as you have noticed, I do like you, and many threads of fate align to your continued existence in your world. You're also one of the few psykers that world has, my prized little pet."

"This is all bullshit! I'm not a psyker and I have t-" My mouth was glued shut as Tzeentch raised a finger and made a cutting motion. The scent in the air ominously shifted to that of brimstone and fire. Around me, souls and shapes flickered in the walls of the Crystal Labyrinth. Dimly, I registered that Wolfie was barking madly at the scene.

The god slowly floated to me as I frantically clutched at my sealed mouth. His expression was severe as he looked down on me, golden eyes gleaming with feral magic. He began again in a throaty whisper, "I'm willing to ignore your transgressions if you follow the rules this time. You're the keystone of a structure in a grand design that you can't even see yet, dearest. You straddle the crossroads of humanity's fate," his fingers reached for the loose lock of hair he had touched before, and pulled me even closer to his face. It was incredibly threatening, but I still could not move. His smile had returned as he spoke, "That you continue to remain willfully ignorant of this is an insult to all knowledge and progress, in both the Materium and in here. And you steal from me! How lucky you are that I'm giving you an opportunity to escape despite your audacity. It is because I enjoy you, and you are very entertaining." He breathed, and as the wind of his breath reached me, the world broke.

I was suddenly before a impossibly huge sapphire-skinned leviathan floating cross legged in a swirling multicolored aether thick with light and electricity. A thin black pseudopod bound me around my waist, and held me aloft, much like a spider holding a small insect by a thread before eating it. Two impossibly long tentacles slowly swayed over its sunken shoulders, and a massive central face with swirling opal eyes grinned with billions of thin sharp teeth many times my height. Countless babbling faces leered at me in the creature's shifting skin, ever changing and ever moving. When it spoke again, it spoke in a trillion voices from all of its gibbering faces. "You must find your own way home. Succeed, and you will be free. Fail, and you belong to me. Forever!"

The black pseudopod holding me began to unwind, and to my horror, I saw that there was no discernable ground below me. I struggled and began to panic. "No, no!" I screamed. My terror was answered with the laughter of a trillion mad voices as I fell from the sky, and into Hell.

I wish I could say that I was brave and that I did not scream continuously as I fell through whatever substance made up this strange, mutable place. When Tzeentch had let me go, he had simply dropped me naked into what was presumably the Warp, telling me I had to find my own way home. The air was thick and thin, hot and cold, solid and not solid, all at the same time. There is no way I can adequately describe how terrifying this situation was. Perhaps I had died and I was falling to hell, I thought again in between screams. How I was able to still breathe through this nightmare storm was a mystery, but when I took breaths I received flashes of memories that weren't even mine, futures and potential futures, all singing from some different facet of possibility. A few deep breaths, and somehow, I "knew" things. One, that I was definitely in the Warp, and two, that I was being pulled toward a point in another reality, a different Materium.

Oh no, not 40k. No, I thought. Anything, please, not that!

The mutable storm responded to that thought with a giggle, and transformed itself into a shoal of multicolored squid that writhed and screamed. "Oh, yes! That!" it bellowed in a familiar Tzeentch-y voice before dissolving into a gale of black blood and viscera. Trying to keep my eyes closed didn't work, because the images that swam around me seemed to be cutting directly into my mind.

I had managed to find myself in the worst possible position anyone could find themselves in. I was either dead or dying while trapped in the naked Warp, pulled from my own world and dragged into the damned 40k reality because why not. Considering my situation, I would probably be a tasty daemon lunch pretty soon. Tzeentch was known for being a liar, so all those things he said about finding my way out were probably just lies he made up to entertain himself. Mortals were just playthings of the gods, anyway.

They say you see your life flash before your eyes during a near death experience, and that is exactly what I was witnessing while falling through the storm around me. The whirlpool of viscera faded into a "normal" storm, and the images decided to configure themselves into more recognizable shapes.

Shards of memories coalesced and faded like living fireworks. Shattered moments encased in condensed fear lashed around me like water and rain as I fell. I began to notice daemonic faces leering at me from behind my memories, watching me with what appeared to be interest before they dissolved back into the aether. Strangely, though I was laughed at and watched by daemons, none laid a claw on me to harm me. It was as if I were an interesting insect surrounded by fascinated, monstrous children. In disgusted wonder, I saw what appeared to be a monstrously huge Lord of Change, vulture headed and snake necked. The daemon flew madly around me while reciting something from a book. I couldn't quite make out what it was saying, but I caught "...Probability of survival... .0099%! Blessed number! Blessed is the Traveler! Hope-hope-hope-h..." Assuming that was about me, I would think that .0099% probability of me surviving sounded really generous, but the Lord didn't harm me either. It flew away without incident.

The closest thing I could compare this surreal experience to was Dorothy being taken away by the tornado in the Wizard of Oz. As I had that thought, I began to feel as if I was buffeted left and right, not just up and down. Great, me thinking about a tornado actually made this into a tornado.

In addition to my own memories and laughing daemons, I began to see other distinct things. I saw a man with an eagle's head slaughtering a group of robed cultists with sweeping, elegant movements with a spear that shimmered with energy. The image faded, and then I saw other things. I saw the Statue of Liberty as it animated with profane energy, growing gigantic claws and stepping off its pedestal. A proud robotic man in a red robe, sitting next to a gigantic clockwork eagle made of solid gold. A man hunting a beast with others of his kind in heavy futuristic armor. These images came quickly and unbidden.

As I continued to fall while hallucinating, a fleshy multicolored daemon with too many arms and serrated teeth reached out and grabbed at me through a vision of a giant brass scorpion, and I found myself feeling guided through the emotional maelstrom. I looked at my wrist, and a lanky clawed pink arm held me tightly. It did not harm me, and I sensed bemusement from the strange creature.

I come with you. It said to my mind. Help, guide. We stop now. Witness the summoner.

As if the storm heard it, I found myself standing on somewhat solid ground. Around me, the violent psychic wind still raged, but it felt as if I was in the very center of a hurricane, the very eye of the storm. I felt myself pulled toward a certain direction by the colorful changing monster holding my arm. It pointed at something, and as I looked, I could see another shape in the chaos.

There was a woman standing with her arms outstretched above her head, her eyes rolled back in her head, her dark hair buffeted in the wind. There was something glowing with an intensity so bright that it left smears of light across my vision, as bright as an arc welding torch. She was chanting something I could not make out, her words echoing maniacally in the wind. The daemon remained pointing at the woman as it let go of me, and it began to shift and change again into something else. Having no other choice in what I should do, I approached her cautiously. She did not seem to see me as I began to observe her more closely.

She was about my age, fair skinned, and of average height. Her dark long hair blew wildly in the wind, whipping around her with ferocity. She stood in a small circle, which was ringed with mysterious glowing runes, two of which had burnt out as I had begun to walk to her. Another rune guttered out as I came within arm's length of the mysterious figure.

As I stepped closer, I heard the noise of what sounded like horses or other animals screaming, and the light on her chest grew even hotter.

I was now close enough that I could see the glowing object with more detail, despite its brightness. It was some kind of round pendant hanging from a thin chain on her neck, and now that I was very close, I could also hear a resonant whine which seemed to radiate from the item, as if someone had struck a tuning fork right next to my ear.

With a triumphant scream at the end of her chanting, she leveled her head once again, and her pale wild eyes found mine. She could see me!

Surprised, I stepped back. The summoner was gazing at me with mad joy, as if I were an old friend she had finally seen after many years. Her arms remained outstretched, but were now in a somewhat welcoming position, as if she wanted me to come to her. I searched for the daemon that had led me here, but it appeared to have vanished into the aether.

I'm not sure why I did what I did. I'm not sure why I felt like I had to do this. Maybe I was mesmerized by the gem she wore, or maybe it was some wild Warp bewitchment, hypnotizing me? I felt as if I needed to touch the strange mad woman in the center of the storm. At her feet, the glowing runes were dying like guttering candles as I advanced, and I reached for her. Or rather, I reached for the hypnotic stone. Right before my fingers found it. A cluster of thoughts and emotion washed through me. Her intention was clear. Release me! Deliver me! I felt.

In fascination, I reached out and grabbed the glowing pendant at her neck. As my hand closed around it, the Warp swam away completely, and I felt the sound of rushing wind all around me. Incredible relief radiated from the woman, and then, she was gone, and once again, I was alone in darkness, the storm snuffed out like a guttering candle.

I woke once again on my side in a dark place. Thankfully, it appeared I had found my way into conventional reality again, but I couldn't be sure. For now, I was at least grateful that it seemed that I wasn't falling through the Warp without any protection anymore.

The ground that I was laying on was of a smooth cold stone, and the air smelled of ozone and sulfur. In a daze, I blinked, and I could make out the shapes of strange runes, some of which were smoldering, surrounding me in a circle on the floor. A fresh breeze from behind me washed over my side, and the smell of electrical smoke permeated the air.

The runes, they were familiar... I blinked again, trying to understand.

Wait. No, that's impossible! I grasped at my neck, and discovered that I was now wearing the brightly glowing gem that the strange woman had been wearing, only now, its light was dim and fading by the moment. I staggered to my feet, and found that I was barefoot. I was wearing a blue silk slip embellished with more runes that had been invisible to me just earlier. I touched my face, my hair, my body, and found myself to be different once again. Cautiously, I stepped over the ring of runes I had been laying within, and into the rest of the room as my eyes adjusted to the pale half light. My toes immediately met a shard of sharp glass, and I pulled my foot away.

I was in a room of grey stone bricks that was about 15 feet square, with one sturdy reinforced door as an exit. The ceiling was short, and also made out of the same stone as the floor. A single bookshelf lay toppled against the left wall. Behind me, a large broken window in the shape of a star offered some illumination from outside, with no other torches, lights, or candles to speak of. The light streaming in from outside was bluish and pre-dawn, and the air wafting in between the pieces of broken glass was filled with smoke. The glass from the window had shattered all over the floor in what must have been an explosion of some sort. Gingerly, I picked my way between the shards on the floor, exploring the room that I had found myself. In one larger fragment of glass, I saw my reflection. It appeared I now inhabited the body of the woman I had seen in the Warp, with one exception: The lock of hair that Tzeentch had grabbed on my head was white, all the way down to the root. I touched my foreign face and the white section of hair, gritting my teeth. Where exactly was I? Who was I?

How would I get home from here? Was I really in the 40k universe?

My thinking was interrupted by a distinctive, squeaky bark. I searched for the origin of the noise in the strange room. Out from under the bookcase, I saw an animated shadow take shape. Wolfie had followed me! The little dog walked out, as happy as ever, wagging his tail.

"Wolfie! Oh, be careful, boy. There's broken glass everywhere," I said in my new voice. As much as I wanted to, I was hesitant to rush over to him due to all the glass. I noticed that my new voice was more resonant than how I normally sounded, and had a lick of power behind it, which I wasn't too sad about. Oblivious to any danger, Wolfie continued to walk toward me, ignoring the glass under his paws.

I let the terrier walk to me. Strangely, I noticed that his paws didn't make the usual dog-walking-claws-on-a-surface clicking sound. As he walked over pieces of sharp glass from across the room, he was silent save for his previous bark.

"Wolfie?" I kneeled down to him. He sat down on some sharp fragments, completely ignoring the hazard. Squinting my eyes at the dog, I noticed something off.

"Uh, you actually there, boy?" I said as I touched him, or tried to touch him. As my fingers met the black fur on his head, it felt like I was putting my hand on some cold viscous fluid. I pulled my fingers back, expecting some of the "liquid" to cling to me. Seeing nothing, I went to touch him again.

Wolfie wasn't quite substantial, I realized. It was as if he was only half in this reality. He seemed in good spirits, however, and was eager for me to pet him again. I hesitantly reached out, and scratched his left ear, feeling my fingers actually sink a little bit into his form. It was very creepy, but the little dog looked very happy and unharmed.

...HAPPY...

It wasn't so much as a word, but an emotion, and it jumped out from the dog to me. He barked again as I stood back up. Wolfie then vanished from where he was sitting, and instantly reappeared near the heavy door in the back of the room. He stood in the shadows, and from there, I could see that his body had a very slight glow around the contour of his form, like a dim halo. A ghost dog.

He squeak-barked again, and pawed at the door, whining, reminding me of when he was a puppy and when I used to take him for walks. Looks like he wants want to go exploring, I thought nervously. I searched the room for any other exit, which there was none. Slowly and very cautiously, I stepped over the field of broken glass to where Wolfie was, watching the large door.

"I wonder if I'm still in the Warp? Not like I really have much of a choice here," I said aloud. My hand closed around the heavy ring where the doorknob would be, and I pulled. The door wouldn't budge, but then I noticed a latch, denoting that the door had been locked on the inside by whoever's body I was now inhabiting. With a static shock, I lifted the metal latch on the side of the door, and tried again.

Wolfie was eager to trot out into the new room, which appeared to be a study. A tiny overhead lamp bathed the space in pleasant, amber light, and another door lay securely closed a few paces away. To my right, there was finely carved wooden desk with a similarly decorated wooden chair. A little alien plant resembling a blue cactus sat on the desk corner. To my left, a bookshelf filled with various strange books. It was here that I saw an indication that I was in the 40k universe, since I recognized some of the chaotic symbols decorating the spines of the books (well, either that I was in some mega-nerd's basement). Very apparent were the symbols of Tzeentch and Chaos Undivided. I should probably avoid those books, I thought.

The records were of various names and subjects, which I could understand, for the most part. Apparently, Low Gothic was actually English, and High Gothic was Latin-esque. These eclectic titles offered additional confirmation that I was in the 40k universe with over the top grimdark names like "Maleficariaem Abyssus", "Tenebrous Eternai" and "Imperium Ex Infernis." There were more mundane names like "History of the Golwyn Belt", "Inquisitor's Guide to Lesser Daemons", and "Wartime Recipes from the Kitchens of Cadia", which made me smile. I stood perusing the books; maybe I could find a book that would solve the mystery of where exactly I ended up?

Wolfie found a spot under the desk, and curled up on an old book as I observed. One title stuck out at me, "Local History of Levant: The Hidden Frontier". The book didn't appear all that worn, nor old, so maybe this had been recently printed. There was something that made it stick out to me, but I wasn't exactly sure what it was. Perhaps this could solve some mysteries? I pulled this tome from the shelf took it to the desk, where I sat down.

The book was a hardback book about the size of a legal note pad. As I began to flip through the pages, a small envelope fluttered out from within, landing on the desk, face down. Curious, I went the envelope first. It was a small thing, about the size of an index card, and as I turned it over, I saw it was sealed with a stamped red wax seal depicting an eagle's head. It was addressed in a fine cursive "For the Traveler", which I had no clue as to what that meant. I touched the seal itself, briefly worried that this could also be trapped, but my curiosity got the best of me, and I broke the seal.

Inside, there was a small note written in the same hand. I began to read.

Welcome, Traveler, to our plane. If you are reading this, then my efforts have been successful, and my soul has been freed from this wretched Warp-poisoned reality. May my body prove a suitable vessel for you. I am certain you will have questions, and unfortunately, I cannot oblige you, for I am no longer here. I can only hope that through the Warp, fate will direct a suitable soul that will offer great hope to the beings here.

Behind the desk in my study, you will find some of my finest clothes, and a travel bag that you can fill with things you may find useful. Touch the stone with the Key you wear around your neck to the wall, and the passage will open for you. May the Key open many more doors for you, and bring you power and glory in this dying universe. It is yours, and yours alone. Let no one take it from you, for it is priceless. May your Retribution be swift, and may you take your fury across the stars and the immaterium alike, for the wrath of the Traveler has no peer. Be wary of the Others, and feast upon those who would subdue you.

May Hope Find Us,

Evanora of Levant, Scion of the East

I clutched the round pendant that hung from my neck. As I pulled it forward to observe it, I noticed that the chain had automatically lengthened so that I could easily study it.

This pendant was apparently called the "Key", although what it unlocked was a mystery. It had ceased glowing, and was now a simple opal-like stone encased in an unknown golden metal in an elaborate fillagree. It was somewhat smaller than my palm, and held an unexpected weight to it. I grazed my thumb across the surface of the stone; it felt strangely warm. The piece of jewelry felt as if it was extremely important for something, and that it held a great power, of which I had no idea.

The letter had been written by the previous owner of my current body, who had apparently shunted her soul off and away from this terrible reality. Good for her, honestly. Remembering the eight pointed stars of Chaos, and the marks of Tzeentch I had seen all over her little library, Evanora here had probably made a deal with the Architect of Fate himself, Tzeentch, which may explain why I saw him. Why my soul in particular was pulled instead of someone else's was beyond me. Tzeentch had said I was a "psyker", and maybe he hadn't been lying that time. In this reality, as a psyker (if I was one), I had an incredible risk of possession or being carted off to Terra to be fed to the Emperor, or just killed purged outright for knowing things that I shouldn't know. The concept of this being my life now hit me, and I began to hyperventilate, my right hand clutching my hair and scalp. I really hoped that I wasn't a psyker here! This had really been a rough few hours. First, my gallery opening is too slow, then someone poisons me, and now, I'm in the 40k universe in someone else's body while my real body lays dying in my apartment.

What sort of terrible joke is this? I screamed internally, clutching the Key with my left hand. Why? What the hell did I do wrong to deserve this fate? I slammed my right fist on the table. To make everything worse, the small potted plant sitting on the corner of the desk spontaneously burst into flames, reducing itself to ash in a matter of moments. Great, so the psyker thing is true, now I'm definitely screwed. I took a deep breath, and tried to relax in this body that wasn't really mine. I needed to get a grip here.

My self pity was cooled by feeling the little dog paws of Wolfie against my thigh as he stood on his hind legs, whining that I was crying. Real or not, he seemed like a good dog, whatever he was. "Well, you're stuck here with me too, huh boy?"

Wolfie vanished and then reappeared on my lap two seconds later, curling up in a small bun of half real dog on my lap. This was going to take some getting used to, I thought, scratching him behind his ears. I turned my attention back to digesting the letter, which was confusing on more than a few fronts. She had not only emphasized the word "Traveler" by capitalizing it, but also by writing it in red ink. She also addressed me as a "Traveler", which I wasn't certain what she had meant. There were also some oddly capitalized words, like "Others" and "Retribution", and my intuition suggested that there was a hidden meaning behind that. The letter also sounded like she wished for me to go on a war path, which wasn't really something I was interested in. I just wanted to go home. Any attention brought to me would immediately get the Inquisition on my tail, and wouldn't be smart at all. For now I would try to lay low and figure things out. I hoped that for me there actually was a way home, and that Tzeentch wasn't just being a liar for fun.

I finally got to opening the book, "Local History of Levant: The Hidden Frontier". I was able to glean from scanning a few pages that this planet (assuming this was Levant) had been conquered near the end of the Great Crusade, and that its strange "Towers" had been a subject for Imperial study for millennia. A crude illustration showed what appeared to be a tower ringed with clouds reaching into the sky. On an illustration of the planet, it showed where these towers were placed. Assuming this was indeed Levant, I didn't have a frame of reference on where I was since the book didn't have a "you are here" marker on the map.

I decided to see if the Key would open the wall behind the desk, which looked nearly featureless. Pulling out the pendant once again, and feeling the chain lengthen, I pressed it against the wall. I was both rewarded and amazed by seeing the stone wall turn to dust before me, revealing another windowless room. It wasn't much bigger than a closet, but at the back wall, there was a small chest and an empty rucksack. Opening the chest, I discovered useful items. There were clothes, shoes, a flask, a compass, and a bag of several gold coins of an unknown mint. What I assumed to be protein bars were wrapped in wax paper in a paper bag. Very useful was the discovery of a mostly empty black journal with a few star maps drawn across some pages. I was able to orient myself using this. I saw that I was indeed on a planet named "Levant", which was far off in somewhere in the Ghoul Stars. This place was apparently on the very edge of where the Astronomicon could be seen, and even then, only sometimes.

I dug further in the chest, and discovered a long black-hilted dagger complete with a leather belt and scabbard. The blade of the dagger was exceedingly keen, and a few strange runes decorated the metal. The pommel was finished with a glittering transparent gem that almost appeared to be a diamond. This weapon would probably be worth a fortune back home, I thought, watching the light play across the fine jewel.

I stepped back into the study with the contents of the chest, and changed my clothes. I placed the useful things along with the history book and the Cadian cookbook in my small rucksack. This slip of a dress wouldn't be good at all for exploring. I chose a pair of rough trousers and a black shirt with riding boots, despite having a choice of wearing fine formal silk robes. Practicality wins out when you're trapped in a new universe. Munching on a protein bar which I truly hoped wasn't made out of reconstituted ground up people, I gathered my bravery, and pushed open the far door.

Ahead of me was a mess. It appeared as if a storm had torn through the interior of this building, as furniture was overturned and tapestries shredded. The study must have been protected, because everything else was ruined. I remembered the broken glass all over the back room with the circle of runes. Bits of morning light obscured by smoke peered down from holes in the roof, and the ever-present electrical burning smell was strong. This appeared to be a fine manor before whatever storm had hit here. Wolfie trotted behind me as I slowly took in my surroundings. Tables carved in strange wood and pieces of art lay strewn on the floor. This classy place would've been a perfect den for a 19th century nobleman in a wealthy part of London. Fresh red flowers which couldn't be more than a day old splayed from a toppled vase. Still observing, I noticed a hearth and two overturned blue velvet sofas and an ebony table. Above the hearth, a miraculously untouched portrait of a stately woman of indeterminate age stood watch over the whole scene. She was wearing a dark blue dress, and in her hand, she held a familiar black book in a fair hand. Resting on her collar, and a focal point for the entire piece, was the very pendant that rested against my skin. It was precious to her, apparently.

With recognition, I saw that this woman was the original owner of the body I held. "Wow, whoever you were, you sure had style. Sorry I'm in your body now, lady," I said to the portrait, who continued enigmatically smiling. The only thing that was different between her and I was that shock of white hair emerging from my crown. The book she held was naggingly familiar, and I tried to make out if there was a title painted on it, which there was not.

The journal! I slipped the rucksack off my shoulder, and reached inside. The black book was smaller than the others I carried, and opening it up, I searched for anything I had missed. It was obviously important to her, if she had included it in her formal portrait. I flipped through the first few pages, which contained the maps and star charts, but after that, there were only blank pages. On the inside back cover "Ad astra per aspera" was written in her hand, and underneath, she had signed her name, "Evanora of the East".

"Through adversity to the stars," I said, remembering the famous Latin quote. What secrets had this woman beheld, and why was this journal important enough to her to be painted with it? Not coming to any conclusion at the moment, I closed the book and placed it away in my bag.

I stepped away from the portrait, and back into the foyer. I noticed then that my hair was standing on end. The air felt energetic, thick, and tense. Something felt strange, odd. It felt as if the air was charged.

...Come... I felt the word suggest to me as I stepped toward what appeared to be the front door, which was limply hanging from its hinges. As I touched it, it fell, and I could finally see outside. Maybe I would do a little local exploring first, I thought, leaving my rucksack inside the manor. I took the compass and strapped the dagger with its scabbard to my hip.

Utter devastation would be an understatement as a descriptor to the area. Outside, I found myself standing on blackened ground, as if it had been struck multiple times by lightning, burning everything. Some twisted gnarls of what I assumed were trees still burned, scorched all the way through, filling the air with smoke. Maybe when I had come through, this storm had happened? Wolfie followed me underfoot. The smoggy clouds irritated my lungs and obscured my vision. Through the heavy smoke, I could not see too far, but I could barely make out a cobbled path, covered in ash. What had happened here? Not having anything better to do, I walked down the path, looking for any sort recognizable thing. Bits of burning ground and broken masonry littered the ashy ground a good fifty paces away from the front of the manor. It was as if I was on a grey path to nowhere.

To orient myself in this new place, I took out the compass. Unfortunately, the compass was spinning madly and refused to be of any help, so I just put it back in my pocket. That wasn't not a good sign, I thought.

As I walked forward, I had the annoying feeling that I was being watched. My instincts were on high alert. This land seemed abandoned, but I knew somehow that it wasn't.

"I don't think we're in Jersey anymore, but I guess this does look like parts of Atlantic City," I said to Wolfie, picking him up as I stopped next to a garishly painted stucco building in the smoke. The dog had almost no weight, and felt as if I was holding a loose pile of snow. Maybe this was all a weird prank and I had woken up somewhere in Atlantic City after an epic bender? I laughed at the absurdity of the situation so I wouldn't start crying.

...Look... Another felt word, and this one pointed to a direction in the sky, where I turned to face.

Through the smoke, I could see a slowly growing multicolored bubble settling downward. As I watched, it grew bigger, and bigger, until at last, it popped, revealing some kind of strange gnashing jumble of limbs, teeth, and colors. I stepped back, but it didn't feel as if this thing, whatever it was, was hostile. I'm not sure how I knew that, probably the I'm-a-psyker-now thing, but I trusted the feeling. It was honestly probably dangerous to trust anything here, I thought, but this time, I went with my gut. I watched the impossible shape shift into a more humanoid form.

As I watched, spindly, insectoid limbs shifted into graceful arms and long legs under a diaphanous pink skirt which grew and became a proper torso. With the sound of a raw chicken being torn to pieces, the skirt became an elaborate baby pink and silver dress, which covered the creature as it continued to contort and transform, as if it was trying to settle on what it should be. I was strangely fixated by this odd sight and couldn't look away. A wand, terminating in an eight pointed silver star appeared in one hand, and with that arm, the creature (who was now a she) made a motion over her head, which appeared and locked into place with a sickening wet pop. She had long red hair, and horns that almost looked like a crown rose up from her scalp. Two saucer like red eyes painted a surreal portrait of unnatural debasement. Holy shit.

"Well, now I know I'm not in Jersey anymore," I said, clutching Wolfie nervously. Well, maybe not.

The strange creature resembled something, or someone familiar to me as she smoothed the folds of her dress, checking her manifestation. It bothered me, and clawed at my subconscious. And then, I knew...

Glinda! The Wizard of Oz! My jaw dropped in surprise, and I also dropped Wolfie, who simply vanished and reappeared on the ground, happy as ever. T-this, this can't... I stood sputtering as the entity glided over to me, smiling beatifically.

"Are you a good sorceress, or a bad sorceress?" she asked me, because of course she did. With a few marked differences (like horns and the large red glowing eyes), this thing looked just like Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. She was all brightness and smiles aside from the obviously daemonic horns and eyes. I really just can't even. This was impossible. This was the 40k universe, right? Maybe this was just a bad part of Oz?

The creature expected an answer and leaned in.

"W-who, me?" I asked, despite there being nothing but charred trees and ash all around me.

The pink lady Glinda daemon smiled and nodded. I saw the slits of its serpentine red eyes dilate in interest.

"I'm not a sorceress at all! I'm- I'm Erika Romanov, from New Jersey," I managed to sputter out in a terrible butchering of the iconic scene in the classic movie. I wanted to curse God himself for putting me in such a terrible position.

"Oh, but I'm sure someone here is a sorceress," she said. "I know that isn't a sorceress," she pointed her wand at Wolfie, who stood up and wagged his tail, oblivious of any daemon danger. "Glinda" looked back to me, and gave me a knowing smile. "I happen to know that ordinary humans don't make friends of astral hounds, which you have done here. He obviously likes you, since has neglected to drag you into the Warp and consume you. Maybe he's just waiting for the right moment?" She smiled sadistically. "Ah, I'm joking, human. Relax. I asked you this question, "Are you a good sorceress or a bad sorceress" because the mortals here have cried into the Warp that their troublesome Tzeentchian wicked witch has seen her manor destroyed by magic, and they wonder what has happened!" The entity waved her wand in the direction of the smoking stone manor behind me.

"I'm not a sorceress at all, I just said, Really! I have no idea what's going on here," I said honestly, despite seeing a lot of evidence that I was indeed a sorceress.

Strange choked laughter blossomed from beyond the smoke, all around me. I couldn't see where it had come from. "What was that?"

"Those are the curious humans. Their senses have been enhanced, so they can see us here; they hide and watch. They laugh because you wear the skin of their tormentress, their troublesome neighbor who did not play in their fleshy games. But now, she is gone, and you dwell within her! You have come out from the Warp and you have stolen her skin!" She laughed and gestured to me with her wand. "The little ones are also likely very curious as to why I am able to easily manifest here. Magic breathes again on this world when the towers fail to light," She clapped her hands, and twirled about in a whimsical circle. "The little mortals here have prayed that their deliverance has come. It is so strong that I..." she closed her eyes and inhaled through her nose, smiling. "...I can smell their hope!" Her eyes flashed luridly with strange crimson light.

"You're a daemon," I was able to sputter out as she continued to prance madly through the bits of ash and what appeared to be charred bone on the ground. I realized that I could now hear very quiet chatter just beyond my field of vision in the smoke. I could even almost feel them as they waited. Being a psyker was going to take some getting used to, it really was.

"Neverborn is the term I prefer, but whatever you like," she said as she came too close to me and I stepped back. She stopped, and smiled. Her eyes like red stars in the smoke. "No need to be frightened. We've met before! I helped you when you were lost!" This was like, the third scary thing that had said it had "met me before", and I wasn't liking this trend.

I then remembered back to when I had seen another twisting multicolored limbed daemon. I had been in the Warp. It was the one who had guided me to the woman whose skin I was now wearing. Glinda was still smiling as she transfigured her hand into the twisted pink claw that I remembered holding me. "See?" She nodded, and the claw returned to a human hand. Oh...

"W-who are you?"

"Ah, I am called many things, but since you are in high esteem to my master, I shall give you one of my names!" In my mind, I heard the words I am called The Changeling clang like a bell. It then curtsied, and physically introduced itself in voice as "Glinda, Herald of Slaanesh."

Of course it was calling itself Glinda, I shook my head, but smiled at the same time because this was pretty ridiculous. Maybe Oz was in the 40k universe? Around me, I heard subdued gasps of awe. What I knew about the Changeling was that it was a daemon of Tzeentch that had a habit of deception and trickery, and for whatever reason, it was pretending to be a Slaaneshi daemon instead. I wanted to let it know that I wouldn't betray it, so I tried my hand (or brain, I should say) at astrotelepathy. I didn't know how psykers did this stuff, or if it was safe at all, but I tried anyway.

I won't tell the people who watch us here, I "thought" to the daemon, hoping it would hear me and also not kill or possess me.

They're fools! The daemon said back whimsically, extending a tongue that had no business being that long in a human head. She gave me a sly wink, then opened her arms in a gesture of welcome all around her.

"Alright my perfect little mortals, you can come out now! I shall clear the air for you, sweetlings!" With a wave of its wand, the smoke began to dissipate, and I saw that I was standing on a path on the outskirts of a village. Slowly, people emerged from the shadows to see me and the lying daemon of Tzeentch. I swear, if they started singing, I would scream.

Before I was taken away from my entire life, I had been working on counting my blessings. Even if times are hard, look for tiny blessings in your day. Say that green light hits just as you get to the intersection, or maybe ramen is on sale at Shop Rite so you can afford your favorite box wine, or maybe, when you've been soul-kidnapped into some other psyker lady's body into a universe where Wizard of Oz and Warhammer 40k entwine in an unholy union, at least no one starts singing show tunes when you're suffering from PTSD from the whole situation? I count my blessings, and you should too. Keep hope alive, and you too can have a healthy outlook on life.

When "Glinda" (the Changeling) waved "her" wand, the smoke in the blasted area began to thin, I could finally see that the daemon and I had an audience. The first person my eyes found was an old man with metal horns dressed in a skin tight suit made out of skin, emblazoned with symbols of Slaanesh and Chaos. Next, a wiry woman who would be well at home in a meth house and a dwarf commune appeared out from behind a smoldering tree stump, a metal hand injecting some kind of substance into her blood as she deliriously advanced toward us both, licking her lips as she walked. Another man, middle aged, orange skinned, and covered in lurid tattoos wore a comical green Elizabethan formal suit. His hair was spiked out from his scalp, and made him look like a giant human carrot; he also wore symbols of Slaanesh on his coat. This fellow seemed at least somewhat sober as he walked, sniffing the air like an animal. The one thing these individuals had in common was that each one, on some part of their body, had at least one kind of mechanical modification, usually on the head. The carrot guy had some kind of eye implant, which magnified his left eye under a thick lens while projecting a harmless beam of light wherever he looked. These people looked as if the Borg from Star Trek had assimilated Burning Man, and the weirdness of the whole spectacle set me even more off balance than I already was.

"Come out, come out, children of Golwyn, and see the young lady, who dwells in this skin!" The Changeling sang out. I guess I had spoken too soon.

"She fell from the Warp, she fell without sin, and Jersey she says was her home there within!"

The villagers, glassy eyed and delirious, then repeated,

"Jersey she says was her home there within!" Oh, no. This can't be happening, I thought.

"She brings you good news, or haven't you heard? When she fell out of Jersey a miracle occurred!"

I wasn't going to fucking sing along here, but I did feel the urge to correct these cultists. The last thing I needed was a group of Slaaneshi cultists worshipping me when I had nothing to do with this.

"Look, guys. It-it wasn't a miracle. Someone poisoned me, and I woke up in this body. If the woman you see before you was a witch and was cursing you folks, I'm sorry about that, but I'm not her. I'm from somewhere else," I said, holding my hands out. I held back that I came from what they would call "Terra" since that would cause even more problems.

Way to ruin the rhythm, killjoy! the Changeling scoffed at me with telepathy, continuing to summon gusts of wind that revealed more of the landscape. The cultists didn't seem to care that I didn't sing, and simply began cheering. The original owner of this body had apparently indeed caused them a lot of trouble, and they were greatly relieved that she was "gone".

Through the growing noise, I heard the Changeling laugh, "Let the joyous news be spread, the wicked Tzeentch witch at last has fled!" which resulted in a high cheer rising through the crowd.

The Changeling handled the scene with style, and fluttered between each ragged individual, waving her wand dramatically without it actually doing anything, or at least nothing that I could see. She twirled and danced joyously as more and more strange people began to wander out from their hidden places among the landscape. As some of these strange hippie Borg people came close to me, I found myself wishing that she was near again, since I didn't really want to know how a group of Chaos cultists would show their gratitude toward anyone. Despite this, none of them moved to touch me, lost in their revelry.

As the smoke began to clear further, and more party goers emerged, I saw that their homes were ramshackle huts, old brick buildings, and other derelict structures leaning on one another as if crippled by existence. Some were blackened by fire, and damaged by what appeared to be wind. Must have been one hell of a storm when I came through, I thought. Consistent to their Slaaneshi cultist origins, each building was painted garish colors, and held strange marks written in ambiguous media. The buildings seemed to follow a radial pattern, all pointing toward something near the center of their settlement. Evanora's manor was apparently on the very far side of this land, but still close enough to be an irritating presence to the cultists. Why the witch and the cultists had chosen to live so closely together was a mystery.

I stood watching the whole scene, not truly believing it. I hadn't quite digested that all of this was still happening. Wolfie stood at my feet, watching the whole scene while cocking his head in confusion. I get it, buddy, I thought. This is some weird shit.

As the villagers cheered, danced, and sang with no pattern or reason, I noticed a pull at my shirt. Looking down, I discovered a small girl, only about five or six years old, wearing a white dress, and having two bionic eyes in place of her own. Unlike every other thing here aside from Wolfie and I, she wasn't singing or happy, and she motioned me to lean down, as if she had a secret. I didn't lean down, but I was still able to barely understand the hush of her tiny voice over the din of the chaos around me. Wolfie did not move to her, nor did he react to her being there at all.

"Ll-leave...g-g-go... d-d-anger," she spat out in an entirely artificial voice as if she were a glitching computer. "N-north..p-p-t-ower...north...r-r-road. Fol-looolow-t-t-he..."

I finally knelt down, concerned. "Sweetheart? What is it? What are you trying to say?" I asked near her ear, so that I would be heard.

The little bionic child continued to look up at me. Her expression was blank, and I noticed that she was utterly still, without even breathing. I went to touch her shoulder, and was met with an electric shock. The shock knocked the girl to the ground, and burnt the tips of my fingers. I stood up, looking for a parent or anyone responsible in this mess. Much to my surprise, the girl nearly instantly sprang back up, blinked, and walked away into the crowd, unharmed and unbothered by the bizarre encounter. I soon lost sight of her in the mass of people.

Disquieted, I shivered. The Changeling was still prancing between the villagers, and was now conjuring flowers and fairy lights to beautify the situation, which the villagers picked up in wonderment. The thinning smoke began to finally reveal a large shape in the center of their settlement, one I could not see before. Whatever it was, it was ringed by a space of empty cobblestone ground about fifty yards wide. This appeared to be where all the buildings were facing.

I mistook the shape for a natural feature of the landscape for a moment, like perhaps a cluster of very tall trees, or perhaps maybe this was one of the "black towers" I had read about. As it came into focus, I saw what appeared to be the side of a massive golden foot, covered in a similarly gilded robe. The rest of the structure reached vertically into the sky, still obscured by smoke. A few villagers were bowing and seemed to be treating this figure with reverence as they sang and cheered. These folks had an idol, it seemed.

As I attempted to figure out what this huge statue was, a slender woman with another bionic eye placed a ring of flowers on my head. I flinched at the sudden contact, but she was not deterred, and put a hand on my cheek. "You're the Chosen One! How lucky you are!" Around me, I swore I could hear other villagers chant the words "lucky...lucky...lucky..." as they danced and celebrated around me, almost as if they echoed what the first woman said. A sense of foreboding alighted around me like the thin layer of ash on the ground. Wolfie seemed to agree; the astral hound had started to bristle at my feet.

My sense of impending danger directed me toward the center of town again, and toward the grand golden statue. The villagers were now joining hands and dancing merrily around it. It was so big I could not see exactly how wide it was just yet, as banks of dark smoke continued to roll through the scene. The Changeling was still occupying herself with clearing the smoke and conjuring flowers for the villagers to enjoy. The daemon seemed to think this was one fun party.

The golden statue continued to focus into view as the smoke finally started to gradually reveal bits of blue sky, clearing the air with fresh wind. Not only was it gold, but it was finely sculpted. I could now see that I was facing the back and left side of a statue of a woman wearing a robe with one hand holding a something to her chest, and the other, holding a item above her head, which was still shrouded in lingering smoke. The whole thing was gold, and it had an incredible presence as I took it in.

"Impressive, isn't it!" I heard a familiar cheeky female voice behind me, and my skin prickled as the Changeling leaned over my shoulder to talk right into my ear. Reflexively, I jumped, but the daemon remained where she was, giggling. "It took generations to build. It is the subject of reverence, and is known to all on Levant!"

It was impressive, but I was growing more concerned with the mad villagers around me. More mecha-hippie cultists were gathering around the statue, chanting something I didn't recognize in dissonant tones. "What's wrong with these people uh... Glinda?"

"What isn't wrong with these people?" she laughed quietly. The daemon's smile let me know that she was still finding all of this very funny. "Oh, have a sense of humor! These folks are the lost tribe the Lord of Hosts, a group of settlers from another world who lost their beloved god, but some of them came here, and found the god still standing, still alive! It is said that the builders had a vision to build on this very spot, on this very planet, even one as severed from the Warp as this one!"

"They worship this thing?" I asked.

"It whispers to them meager dreams in this Warp-starved place, chained inside the statue, both protecting it and imprisoning it. The presence of the black towers on this world sequesters it from the Great Ocean most of the time. A terrible crime!" The daemon made a gesture with her wand, motioning it toward herself. "As I mentioned earlier, yours truly could never hope to normally manifest here, but when you came through, not only did you banish their enemy, but you brought magic back! Those nasty towers aren't suppressing anything now, and the people here rejoice, finally able to be with their god!"

That really didn't make me feel better at all, I thought.

"The statue... it's got a daemon?" I hesitantly asked her, my heart jumping into my throat as I gazed up at the colossus, but the Changeling had already danced away, singing a dramatic song with the maddened villagers that somewhat resembled a thrash metal version of "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead."

Come back! I telepathically yelled at the daemon as it frolicked around while Wolfie and I both cowered in the center of a growing ring of cultists.

You're doing great, sweetie! She yelled back to me while conjuring more flowers on the blasted ground for the crazy people to enjoy. Fuck.

The statue was shining brilliant gold in the clearing sky now, but something felt both familiar and extraordinarily evil here. What was this thing? My knowledge of lore wasn't helping me here, so, cautiously, I tried to "push" a little into the statue, seeing if my abilities would help me out. Almost immediately, I regretted that decision. I saw in my mind's eye a wicked androgynous face wearing a spiked halo. It felt as if it was looking back at me. I then heard I SEE YOU scream through me, even though no audible voice was heard. I desperately pulled back, and wretched on the ground. That was stupid of me; I knew better than to do that. I should probably get the hell out of here!

Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw one individual, an older man with spiky metal implants around his cheek, draw a something sharp across his throat, and a wave of crimson fell forth. Before I could focus on what had happened (and if it had actually really happened), I was taken into a line of dancing villagers, who all continued to sing and skip.

"The Chosen One! The Chosen One! The Lamb! Behold, The Lamb!" They sang out as I was taken in each hand by two villagers, who had formed a line. I was too overwhelmed to really do anything about this instantly, and when I looked again for the man, he didn't seem to be there, so maybe I was just seeing things. When I looked for Wolfie, I could not see him. Where had he gone?!

I was now in a line of prancing, mechanically modified Chaos cultists which became larger as still more people joined us. I was dragged forward in the line of wild dancing around the statue in a ring. As the mad group of dancers pulled, I was led around to the front of the statue, where I immediately had my questions answered.

The golden colossus was an androgynous woman with a crown of spikes. She wasn't holding a book, but tablets. In her right hand, she held a torch up to the sky. She was easily as tall as a skyscraper, and the reflective gold encasing her entire form made her difficult to look at directly. With terrible horror, I realized that I definitely recognized the figure, but not from my knowledge of Warhammer 40k lore.

In both my mind and the villagers voices, I heard an unnatural voice wail out in ecstasy, further heightening the horror of my realization. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore."

It was an enormous golden Statue of Liberty! One that apparently housed a daemon! Why? How?! I pulled myself out of the dancing line of villagers, trying to get away, only to be grabbed by two more people, whose grips were like vices. The Changeling was nowhere to be found, and I was being helplessly dragged along now. Close by, I saw another person, this time, the carrot man I had seen before, pull a line across his throat, spilling bright red blood in a torrent on the ground with an expression of utter bliss. And another, and another...

It was mid-morning before I had finished changing my blood soaked clothes. After a tepid bath in a bathroom half exposed to the sky, I picked out some new attire from the chest. My new traveling wear would be a long dark blue waxed canvas riding skirt that was cut about to my knee, and divided so that it was actually like a pair of extremely loose trousers. It had pockets, which delighted me as much here as it would back in my home reality. My shirt was black, and while that didn't show that I was covered in blood, it would probably stink later, so I changed that to a light tan cotton blouse. I kept the Key hidden under my shirt, resting just above my heart. My dark riding boots were apparently tanks, and didn't need a replacement after the ordeal, and after a wash in the smashed sink, I was ready to go again. The blood had stained them, which gave them a morbid nod to the Ruby Slippers. This lady had a knack for finding utilitarian clothes that actually looked nice, I thought happily. And everything was already broken in since I had stolen her body!

I took some time to braid my hair, pulling it out into two long French braids down my shoulders, where it reached past my collarbone and down my mid-back. Watching myself braid my hair in the mirror while in a new body was a disconcerting experience. I took stock of what I looked like now. Instead of my green eyes, I now had dramatic pale blue eyes that were striking to behold. My eyebrows had more of an arch, making me look slightly sinister, which I didn't think was that bad of a thing. I was a little thinner and more muscular, and my body felt as if it was familiar with horse riding and general fitness. The rough riding wear she owned was also evidence toward that. I folded the lock of long white hair into my left braid.

Seeing the white lock, I flashed back to the entity in the Crystal Labyrinth, the Lord of Change himself. I pulled back from the mirror, clenching my jaw and sighing. This was not how I imagined my life would be, I thought. Unbidden, I began to wonder who would find my body if I failed to find a way home. Would I die here if my body died there? Maybe this was all an elaborate near death experience? Pessimistically, I started to think there wasn't a way home, considering that if there was a way to leave, that people would've already done so here.

But she found a way, I thought, tapping my finger against the mirror after finishing my braid. Evanora escaped somewhere, a backdoor in reality, to somewhere else. She did it with the cooperation of a Chaos God, one which I may also have on my side. I mean, the Changeling was very friendly with me, and Tzeentch himself said that he liked me, and that "people were impressed" with me. Who were these mysterious people, I wondered. Maybe my neckbeard-ed assassin had a grudging respect for someone who could shrug off whatever poison I had been given, I supposed? Why did I have an assassin in the first place, and why would anyone want me dead? The thoughts gnawed at me, so I tried to think more positively. I had done miraculous things and skirted around doom already with that encounter with a Keeper of Secrets during my first few hours here. Why it didn't kill me still puzzled me. I wondered if I had a Mark of Tzeentch somewhere, which would explain my luck. There were still a great many mysteries to be solved, and at the very least, I had to retain hope that I could escape this horrific daemon-poisoned dimension. I have to at least try, right?

I drew my finger away from the mirror, and my thoughts back to the present. I have a long journey ahead of me to the big pylon in the distance. "Follow the northern road," I said to myself. Maybe Evanora owned horses, I thought again. That would greatly speed this trip up. Walking a day or two in unfamiliar territory alone on foot didn't sound too safe. All I had was that black double edged dagger which I didn't really know how to use for protection. Yeah, time to check and see if I could find a stable.

Stepping outside and walking around the ruined property, I could admit that it was a fine day. The temperature was cool and crisp, and reminded me of a fresh September morning in the weeks before the first Mid Atlantic frost. The sun was still a few hours away from noon, but seeing as I had a long trip ahead of me, I should really get going. Let's hope I can make some horse friends.

The outside of the manor was stone, and parts of the structure had crumbled away in the magical chaos that had brought me here. I hoped that if there were stables, that they were intact, with their horses kept safely. When I turned the corner of the rear of the manor, I was greeted with an ugly sight.

There were stables, yes, and also horses. But the stables looked to have been burned to the ground, and charred bits of their wood still hissed and smoldered. In a gruesome scene, I found the charred skeletons of at least three horses piled in the center of an obscene magic circle. Runes, similar to the ones in the small ring that had "summoned" me here, were scorched into the ground. The scene was tragic and revolting, and the faint smell of cooked meat hung in the air. What had this lady done? Along with the slaughter of the villagers and the fried horses, I really couldn't get away from this location fast enough.

I walked through the broken front door of the manor, and picked up my rucksack. This wasn't going to be easy, I thought, but I have to at least try. I need to not die in my old body so I can completely ruin whoever it was that poisoned me, I thought, a flash of fury racing through me.

I recoiled as I started to walk down the short path toward where Amnaich's statue still stood in the center of the now empty village, shining majestically in the sun. Transhumanist Burning Man now looked like a scene from Jonestown, Guyana. The bodies absolutely covered the area around the colossus. The corpses had had time to bleed heavily into the ground, and I didn't want to stick around to see what would happen if the pylons failed again. Taking out my compass, I checked for magnetic north, and found that the tool was now functional once again. My bearings found, I walked around the settlement to avoid stepping through the killing field, looking for a road that lead north. The eerie silence of the whole scene was punctuated with light gusts of wind which caused opened doors and windows to howl mournfully. Not even a bird sang here, if birds even existed on this world. I hoped that Wolfie would return when I was somewhere that could be affected by the Warp again, I thought. His absence was definitely felt.

"Ah, here we go," I said to myself as I found a rough stone road leading north. Since the land I had been on had been raised on a hill, I was able to get a good view on where I was going. It looked to lead into an area of farmland, which then wound into a wooded area, which surrounded the pylon. Modest farmhouses dotted the checkered landscape ahead of me. It appeared that it would take me the better part of the remaining daylight to reach the edge of the forest while walking through the farms. Maybe one of the farms would have some spare chow to supplement my sawdust nutrition bars, I hoped. Looking upward, with a last glance at the daemonic golden Statue of Liberty (which I supposed should actually be called "The Statue of Amnaich"). I spat a curse at the thing which now presided over a field of exsanguinated bodies. It was actually facing south, so I ended up spitting a curse at its backside.

With a hopeful breath, I turned my back to the daemon colossus, and started walking down the long sloping hill, beginning my adventure.

The trip down the gradually sloping path was uneventful, which was good. I wasn't in the mood for any more spooky surprises. For most of the trip, I whistled the tune to "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" to keep myself occupied. I really missed my headphones. It was a few hours before I started to hear the sounds of birds twittering through the air, and occasional trees reached into the blue sky, hissing a susurrus in the gentle wind with bluish leaves. This was a very beautiful countryside, at least. The Imperium didn't really seem to have a presence here, despite having read that it was conquered thousands of years ago. The statue of Amnaich was definitely proof that the greater Imperium appeared to have forgotten this land, as the Inquisition definitely wouldn't have tolerated that thing. Levant felt as if it was at most a feudal world at this time with odd pockets of technology such as the pylons and the cultists' mechanical implants.

The road that I was walking on was very old and rough, and the landscape only barely tamed. Farmhouses and thatched huts started to appear in view as I entered some sparse farmland. Sadly, I was able to see that they were mostly abandoned, with rotting roofs, and weeds overwhelming the crops. Was this where the settlement got their food from? Surely some of the other farms would still be intact, and I would have to share the news about what had happened back at the statue, I thought reluctantly. Before that, though, I should rest. At a crossroads, while whistling "Ding Dong, The Witch is Dead", I found a reasonably tall flat boulder for me to sit on and munch on a couple nutrition bars under a pair of tall trees that bordered a field of maize. These things tasted really bad, but they quelled my hunger so I ate them. Drinking from my water flask, I took out the history book. It was then that I heard a noise. It sounded like someone moaning.

Hyperaware from everything I had been through, I froze, and listened. Because of the pylon, I couldn't simply use my psyker abilities (that was probably dangerous anyway), so I slowly observed the area, searching for the sound. I couldn't quite tell where it had come from.

"Nnnmmmnnn..." I heard the moan again. It didn't sound exactly like a human, but neither did it sound like an animal. I stood up, and removed the dagger from its leather scabbard. I listened again for the sound.

"Nnnnnn...mmnnn..." I heard it again, somewhat louder. I looked about the crossroads, but saw nothing but the trees dotting the edge of the road. I then realized that the noise was coming from above rather than at my own height, and behind me. If this was the "Scarecrow" of the story, I swear to God...

The moan was getting more insistent, and with that, I heard a strange rustling. Cautiously, I stepped into the field behind the trees. It was there that I discovered the source of the moaning.

A tall figure with skin the color of a robin's egg and a burlap bag over his head had been crucified to a roughly hewn cross, which faced the field, and not the road. It didn't appear as if he had been nailed to the posts, only tied fast, as if he was a live scarecrow. There was something metal tied to the back of the cross which reflected the light.

Huh, will you look at that. Here was the Scarecrow, I guessed. I wonder if he needed a brain, and why was he blue?

Time to investigate. I walked around to his front, pushing away tall stalks of dry maize swishing in the breeze. He was wearing rags which were tied to his waist by a crude length of rope, falling to the upper thigh. He was otherwise naked. He was struggling against firm knots of tightly bound rope on both hands and his feet, both of which had short black claws. While the claws and the blue skin made him appear alien, aside from that, his proportions were human. I walked toward the base of the cross where he was helplessly tied, observing him from below. He could apparently hear me walking around him, since I saw his head follow the noise of my footsteps.

"Mmmm!" he tried to yell, as if gagged from behind the bag over his head, clenching his fists angrily. What had happened with this guy? Was he a mutant? Could he even understand me?

"Um, sir?"

"Mmm?" the response was questioning. It seemed that he understood.

"A-are you, gagged under there?" I asked.

The blue man nodded vigorously. I saw him open his hands and gesture toward me while still tied fast. One clawed finger tried to point toward his head. He made a sad noise, and slouched.

If I let this guy go and he immediately kills me after all that happened, I would be very upset. But, I can't leave this poor man to his fate, mutant or not. However, if freed, this individual may be helpful to me in this alien world, and I definitely needed friends. It couldn't really get much worse for me anyway, I thought.

"Hold on, I have to figure out how to get you down," I said, and watched him nod slowly in response.

Cautiously, I walked around the pole where he was tied. There seemed to be signs of struggle in the dirt on the ground adjacent to him. Crushed maize and broken stalks lay scattered all about the area. The strange fellow had put up a fight, but still lost. It appeared that he had been left up here to die to the elements. I was searching if there was an easy way to release him, like a nail or a knot somewhere. Walking around his back, I noticed something out of place.

I was briefly thankful that I was super into medieval history, because I recognized the weapon that was inexplicably tied behind the cross with the unfortunate man. This spear was a glaive. It had a shining curved metal blade a little under a meter long fastened tightly to the end of a black staff. An elaborate an ivory heft offered a secure grip, and I could see intricate decorative carvings along the bone. From my cursory exam, it appeared that this weapon was of exquisite quality. That did not make sense at all. Why wouldn't they take his weapon?

Wait, where had I seen something like this recently? I got a sense of deja vu as the bound stranger struggled in his bonds. Dimly, I flashed back to one of my visions I had had in the Warp where I had seen an eagle faced man bravely fighting off a sinister group of robed individuals with a long, shining spear. Was this is the eagle faced man? He hadn't been blue in my vision, so I wasn't sure, but what was certain was that he was definitely the victim in this encounter, and that was enough for me. I couldn't just leave him to die.

"Hold still, I'm going to try to cut you down. Please don't try to kill me, alright?"

He responded with a muffled affirmative, and nodded in my direction.

Holding my dagger, I cut the bindings on his feet first. I immediately saw him stretch his legs afterward, groaning with relief. It would be more difficult to undo the bindings on his hands, since it was way too tall for me to reach. But, I had an idea. Seeing the glaive tied vertically against the rear of the pole, I reached up and snapped the bindings off the weapon with a quick stroke of my dagger. It was only loosely secured. It fell into the maize. I reached down and I grabbed the polearm, but as I did that, I felt a strange chill, goose bumps prickling across my skin. Not stopping to consider that, I reached up with the blade, and started to saw through the rough ropes tying his right hand to the cross. As soon as his right arm was free, he reached up and supported his weight on the cross, waiting for me to free his left arm. His face was still obscured, but I could hear him breathing in excitement. Who knows how long he had been trapped up there?

I sawed through the bindings on his left arm, and with a thud, he fell heavily to the ground, and I dropped the glaive to walk around to see if he needed any more help. He did not get up immediately, but he did reach for the burlap sack that was wrapped around his head. He undid the ropes around his neck, and tore it from his face, throwing it away.

As the stranger started to undo the gag around his mouth, I walked around to his front to see him, and was met with an unusual sight, but not quite unexpected considering my vision earlier in the Warp.

He had the head of some kind of bird of prey, and his gag was tightly wrapped around his head, likely causing him pain. I knew what this was. It was a beastman. A chaos beastman. A Tzaangor, I think they were called. This one didn't seem to have horns or spines or backward facing legs, however, and his head was more falcon shaped instead of a monstrous vulture. His body was very human proportioned, and he appeared very strong. I started to back up in retreat, and tripped over the glaive that had fallen on the ground behind me.

He had extricated the tight gag from his mouth, and coughed a few times through his beak. He opened his blue grey eyes, and fixed them on me as he gasped dryly. His expression was that of surprise, and he actually stumbled back on the ground as he saw me, whispering what sounded like "My God," to himself.

"It's okay," I said, my hand finding my dagger again. "You're free, just don't hurt me. You're free."

"Water..." he rasped as he tried to compose himself on the ground, holding his throat. "Water!"

I didn't want to get too close just yet, so I tossed him my flask from where I also sat on the ground. The creature caught it gratefully in a clawed hand. He drank and drank, pouring the liquid in the side of his mouth behind his beak. This, creature or guy, or whatever he was was certainly parched. After drinking almost half my water, he sat collecting himself. His eyes were closed as he breathed heavily.

I decided to be charitable, since he was clearly weak. I reached into my rucksack, and took out a nutrition bar.

"Eat?" I held it in front of him, cautiously advancing.

He opened his watery eyes and he nodded, taking the little parcel from me. He sliced the paper open with a claw, and began to gnaw. As he chewed, he offered my flask back to me. I took it back.

"H-hello. Uh, my name is Erika. I-uh, I'm from out of town," I said, not really wanting to tell him that I came from the damned manor up the hill where the daemon statue was or that I was from ancient Terra. "What is your name?" I hesitantly asked.

"Alberich..." the bird man rattled out between bites. He looked at me again, this time, his expression thoughtful. It looked as if he wanted to say something, but was having trouble finding the words. Finally, after a few bites, he closed his eyes again, and said, "They left me to die. They will kill you if they know you freed me."

His voice was a very pleasant soft spoken baritone, and almost musical to my ears. If I hadn't seen him, and had only heard his voice back home, I would have assumed that this mutant was a cultured man who may have worked in radio. One thing really stood out to me, though.

Alberich had an accent. He had a pronounced and distinctive German way of speaking. Considering that 40k's Low Gothic was just English, though, it was probably some weird regional dialect. He continued eating his food bar, and paused to speak again. "You should go before you are caught, and they crucify you as well."

"Who do you mean?" I asked him as I watched him stretch his limbs and back. He looked very strong, and had a sculpted body that would be common on a swimmer or a gymnast. This mutant could easily kill me if he wanted to, so him warning me of people that he presumably couldn't ward off got me worried. He answered my question by pointing to where I had come from.

"The fanatics. The ones with the machines in their bodies who worship their profane golden god."

"I don't think you have to worry about them any more," I said with a smile. He raised a feathery eyebrow. In response, I made a cutting gesture across my throat.

After stretching his legs a final time, Alberich then abruptly stood up in a motion that was frighteningly quick. I went to also stand up, and saw that a blue-skinned, sharp-nailed hand had been offered to help me stand. This guy had manners!

"Have you done this thing?" He asked as he walked to where his glaive had toppled, reaching down and picking it up. With a swing over both out heads, he struck the base of the polearm to the ground. We both walked to the road. "Have you killed them? All of them?" He asked me with doubt in his voice. Yeah, I don't look too tough, I know.

"Well, I didn't kill them. They all committed suicide."

"How unfortunate," Alberich said, a small smile on his short hooked beak and a twinkle in his eye. "Humanity will certainly not weep the loss of them. I fell across them while walking to that statue. They proclaimed me to be imperfect in the eyes of their god, and I was tied up to suffer and die. I have been here for the better part of an entire day."

"Why were you walking there?" I asked him as he inspected the immaculate metal on his glaive, something that I was also curious about. "If those cultists were bad news, why walk into danger?"

"It is a long story," he said, drawing his thumb across the edge of the blade, checking its keeness. He then held his fingers to his bare chest, and appeared apologetic. "Such a story I can not hope to tell to a stranger in a short encounter, but only to a friend in trust. To where are you traveling? I have knowledge of the roads."

"I'm off to the black tower in the north," I said, not revealing more. Alberich turned his avian head, and regarded the needle reaching into the clouds.

"If you desire a traveling companion, I would kindly wish to join you," He bowed his head to me, a perfect blue gentle-bird-man.

"I thought you were going to the statue? You won't even have to worry about the cultists anymore since they're all dead," I said, suspicious. After all that had already happened, I wasn't exactly in a trusting mood, especially toward a random Tzaangor I found crucified on the street.

"Things have changed now," he said, also not revealing what he was up to. He appeared greatly pleased at the death of the cultists.

I considered all of this. I tried to pull up what I remembered about Tzaangor beastman. They almost exclusively followed Tzeentch. This beastman might be able to see that Tzeentch had favored me, and might not try to kill me. Or, he could just rob and kill me with that weapon he carried. He was crucified for a reason, but those cultists were not reasonable people in the least. He was also mysteriously left with that glaive, which was not taken from him. I again thought back to The Wizard of Oz and it appeared that this guy might actually be a Scarecrow analog, but he wasn't a jolly Scarecrow who sang and danced, but an educated German beastman who definitely had a brain and carried a huge knife on a stick.

Fuck it, I thought. "Well, whatever, lets go. We have a few hours till nightfall. And we need to replace all the water you drank," I said, shrugging.

Alberich smiled and bowed his head again, his hand on his heart. "My kindest thanks, Erika. There is a well near to us, within a few hours walk in the direction you are traveling. If I may carry your pack?" His politeness combined with his mellifluous German-accented voice made him very pleasant to listen to.

I remained holding my things. Alberich smiled and shrugged, and then, we both continued down the north road, with the Tzaangor so happy he was nearly skipping.

Hours of silence passed with Alberich walking by my side before we reached a more substantial farm. The Tzaangor didn't speak much, and whistled birdlike tunes of his own as he walked alongside me, using his glaive as a hiking pole. Talking wasn't something I was really in the mood for, so that was fine. I was still reeling from the horrors I had just experienced. Every so often, if we reached another crossroad, the beastman would sniff the air and swivel his small, goatlike ears, searching for any danger. I had to admit that I felt safer with him around.

As we walked, I observed him. Where his skin had appeared smooth before, I noticed that he was actually covered in a layer downy velvet, making him very soft, and also making every leaf and bit of debris kicked up in the road more liable to cling to him. In replacement of hair, his head was covered by layers of plumage, like an exotic bird. His longish "hair" feathers were of varying shades of blue, teal, and indigo, and they extended out the back of his scalp and neck in a ruff. When he was interested in something or surprised, his feathers would stand on edge, and he would fluff up like a curious magpie.

The Tzaangor's eyes were pale bluish grey and intense, suggesting a keen erudite intelligence. They appeared incredibly human and expressive for being in such a bestial package. This was one scarecrow who definitely didn't need a brain.

The most mysterious part of him was actually the weapon he carried. He had been crucified with it, the cultists apparently completely disinterested with possessing such a beautiful piece of weaponry. The glaive looked to be finely wrought, its metal entirely unscuffed or marked. A short hook branched off from the base of the blade at one side. The weapon didn't seem to have much in the way of weight by the easy grace in which the beastman held it. Either that, or Alberich was even stronger than he initially appeared.

The shadows of the day were beginning to grow long in the early evening as the two of us discovered an old farmstead with a well sitting in the front of the property. Tall trees were becoming more frequent as the land began to transition into light woodland. Alberich informed me that this was the farm we were looking for. Stepping off the road, and onto the short cut path toward the well, he surprised me by asking, "You have been studying me. I can answer any questions you may have. I can assure you that I am quite civilized," he answered an unspoken question.

"Well, I've never met a Tzaangor before. I've only read about them in books," I said, answering him honestly, but carefully. The footpath wasn't as overgrown as the rest of the property. It appeared that someone had cut a route through here very recently. Aside from the path, the property appeared abandoned. Two willowy trees covered in dark vines hung on the land and offered partial shade to the farmhouse.

Alberich swiped at a few weeds along the side of the path, practicing his swing. He seemed to have a good spatial knowledge of his weapon, and I never felt like I was in danger from an accidental hit. The beastman responded to my statement, "Peculiar knowledge for a civilized lady. The physiology of a Tzaangor? Perhaps gleaned from one of the books she carries, yes?" He punctuated that with a slight chuckle as he led the way to the well. Somehow, he knew I carried a few books in my pack, but his senses were likely much more sensitive than mine, so he could easily just smell them. I didn't answer him, and watched as Alberich motioned me to come forward. A squat circular well sat in the front part of the property. A few paces away, I saw a blackened fire pit.

The well was unremarkable, crafted of grey stone and sitting beneath a domed wooden cover. Under the cover, there was a thick rope attached to a metal bucket, tied in place to a hand crank that stood out from the opposite side of the structure. It appeared to be very old. The Tzaangor leaned over the well, and gazed into its depths, his glaive at his side.

"How do we know this water is safe?" I asked, walking beside him as he looked. "I might not have your metabolism, you know."

"What choice do you really have? Boiling it will make it as safe as it could be. It is what I did when I came this way, and I am well enough," his voice echoed into the dark space.

"Someone cut that path, though. Someone could be here. We could be trespassing."

"That someone was me walking here yesterday," he said, reaching for the bucket with his long arms. Oh, now I felt stupid. I yawned.

The Tzaangor didn't seem to notice and checked inside the bucket before letting it drop down to the bottom of the well with a splash. As he began to crank the bucket upward, I sat down next to the well, beginning to feel fatigue. With my calculations, I had been awake for over 24 hours, and I was starting to feel exhaustion. "What a long, terrible day," I groaned. Unbidden, Amnaich's placid face over a field of bleeding corpses flashed in my mind's eye, along with an image of me laying nearly dead alone in my apartment back home.

It wasn't unexpected when a few tears began to fall from my eyes. I hadn't processed any of this. I was trapped in the 40k universe as a psyker who was friendly with literal daemons. My stomach was now growling again, and all I had was those damned nutrient bars. What I wouldn't give for a slice of pizza from back home...

Alberich was hauling the water up and out of the well when he added his thoughts, his voice echoing in the well. "I agree. I didn't think I'd be left to die by maddened villagers with clockwork implants. I'm glad you happened by. This universe is cruel," he said. He pulled the bucket up, and with some effort, placed it down beside me as I continued to cry exhausted, involuntary tears. Dorothy Gale was a pussy for being upset with Oz, I thought bitterly. Fuck her, I'd be happy in Oz. Munchkins signing about how cool I was instead of a Keeper of Secrets threatening to kill me, eat me, shit me out, and then eat me again for eternity.

"When did you last sleep?" Alberich inquired, seeing my state. Apparently, I looked like shit.

"Look, I have really seen some shit. All those cultists up there," I pointed in the direction of the place we had come. "They all committed ritual suicide to summon this daemon, and I was the only one left. I would've died too, but I escaped," I said hurriedly, again choosing my words with caution. I still didn't really know if I could trust this odd beastman.

Alberich kept his eyes where I had pointed, and even though patchy low clouds now obscured the southern horizon. He shook his head. "Your mind needs rest as well as your body, as does mine," a nearly imperceptible flash of pain crossed over his features, and his head feathers stood on edge for a moment. "My suggestion: We boil this water. We scavenge for food here, and then, we rest. I doubt anyone is here any longer. The mind is important, and to tax it so, causes the body to break down." He seemed to say that last part to himself as well as me, even nodding a little bit.

I didn't even bother to get up from sitting against the well. I was so tired I just wanted to rest for a moment. I heard him make an inquisitive whistle.

"The last time I was here, I boiled the water in this fire pit," he said. "My ears and nose still tell me that no one lives here, or at least not now. Perhaps a kitchen would yield some sustenance?"

I stood back up, feeling heavy as I hauled my rucksack along my shoulders again. When I stood up, a peculiar sensation crawled through my skin. This one wasn't good or bad, just strange. I recognized these little shivers of intuition as psyker feelings now. Ahead of me, Alberich had stopped, and was facing in the door. I saw that his feathers were slightly ruffled again, and his ears were swiveling, as if searching for noise.

I thought the towers were "on", I pondered, looking in the direction of the pylon, and then, in a panic, at the direction of Amnaich's statue. As quickly as the moment had come, it had passed, and everything felt normal again.

The mutant turned around and looked at me, his brow furrowed. His back to the front door of the farmhouse. "I do apologize. Crucifixion tends to fray one's nerves. If I seem strange, it is because I am on edge from such an ordeal. Perhaps we both need to rest."

"Well, yeah," I said plainly. This seemed to satisfy the Tzaangor.

"All will be overcome in time," I saw Alberich smile nervously as he turned back to the front door of the farmhouse. He reached for the doorknob, and with no surprise, discovered it was locked. There were two shuttered windows facing the front of the house, which he went to. They were also locked.

"Let's go around back," I said, and he nodded.

Alberich let me go ahead first this time. I could tell that the beastman was studying me. Despite him being considerably stronger than I was, I sensed a strange sort of respect from him, and I wasn't sure where that came from. Or I was just overthinking this because I was fucking tired and just wanted a bottle of bourbon and a soft bed and Netflix.

Around back, we found a back door, also locked, but this door was flimsy. Alberich had lost his patience and when he discovered it locked after I tried it, he pulled at the nob until the lock broke. Well, that was one way to do it, I guess.

We had broken into a kitchen, and since the windows had been shuttered, it was dark. The Tzaangor went in first, craning his head in the space and sniffing here and there for danger. "I smell dried meat, I think. Spices as well," he observed quietly, and walked further in. A stream of dusty twilight cascaded in the room when Alberich opened the shutters above a basin. There was no tap for water. A modest wood burning stove sat in a corner, along with a cord of firewood.

This place reminded me of an early 19th century country farmhouse, modestly attired with sturdy furniture and a tiled floor of baked clay. It appeared that the technology on this planet was somewhat inconsistent, considering that I had seen bionic implants on the Slaanesh cultists, and that Evanora's wealthy manor contained indoor plumbing. Hopefully I would get some answers once I got to the pylon and whoever (or whatever) was messing with it. A circular wood table and four chairs stood in the center of the room. At the center of the table, there was a crudely sculpted vase holding a single dead flower. When I walked in, I dragged a finger across the table, and found what felt like to be a few months of dust. This house appeared abandoned.

The beastman was rifling through some of the cabinets on the side of the open window, searching for consumables. I walked to my right, and also began opening some of the drawers and baskets leaning on the side of the wall. I discovered some ears of dried corn, a bag of flour, a bag of salt, and what appeared to be a glass jar of some thick syrupy liquid, possibly honey. As we both searched deeper into the house, windows were opened and fresh air let in. I discovered a parlor with wide wooden seating and straw stuffed cushions. This was the room the front door opened into, I deduced as I went to a door with a heavy crossbar barring entry in from the outside. I opened the shutters in this room too, letting more fresh air into the hovel.

My lingering exhaustion saw me sit down on the straw cushions, and I put my pack down as Alberich continued to rifle through the kitchen. I really was very tired, and I needed rest. The Tzaangor came into the room holding a few sealed mason jars of what appeared to be pickled vegetables. Success on that end at least. He placed them on the center parlor table, and turned to look back at me.

"There must be a cellar here. I can still smell dried meat. I have found none in the kitchen," he said, sniffing the air.

I was tired, but this place really needed to be explored before bedding down and relaxing. I stood back up, leaving my pack on the floor. To the right of the main parlor, a small hallway led down to what appeared to be a small closet which held more useful items and jarred foods. Alberich began searching through the storage area, picking out more jarred foodstuffs, and items that would be useful in keeping up a household. A lantern was discovered, and placed on the parlor table with a box of matches. As he searched, I looked further down the dark hallway. The floor in this section of the household was made of heavy planks of hardwood, and it creaked as I stepped.

"More vegetables," I heard the Tzaangor say behind me, sorting through what he had found. The waning light of the evening prompted me to strike a match and light the lantern. I picked it up as I continued onward down the dim hall. Feeling a sense of danger since I was in a horror movie situation, I drew my dagger in my other hand. I was very wary of any new surprises. Alberich said that there wasn't anyone in here, but I still wanted to be sure.

The hall opened into two bedrooms. On my left, two small beds lay untouched in a cheerless shuttered room. This was presumably a childrens' room. To the right, a larger bedroom held a neatly made double bed covered in a tattered quilt. I noticed that there were two indentations on the mattress, indicating that there had been a couple that had slept here at one time. A posed family portrait hung on a wall in a crude wooden frame. I unlocked a shutter to let some more light in.

"I hope you enjoy pickled things," I heard Alberich say as the faint sounds of crunching started to echo in the parlor behind me. I continued to observe the sad bedroom.

The portrait was a black and white charcoal drawing, rendered in a fine hand by someone with art training. They depicted what I assumed to be an older middle aged farmer and his wife, unsmiling while standing over two older children, who were equally dour. The drawings were impressive, and I studied all the crosshatching and highlights of white chalk. The eyes of the family were very worn and tired, the children included. These people had not had an easy life. It was exceedingly unusual to see such a discrepancy of civilization here, I thought again. While Evanora had lived on the hill living the life of a wicked witch, the people in the valley were scrabbling for any sort of existence.

I stepped away from the portrait, and further explored the room. A chest of drawers held neatly folded clothes, ready for the return of their owners, wherever they were. As I opened a drawer, I felt another peculiar shiver wash through me, causing me to gasp slightly. I held the sides of the open drawer that contained woolens and blankets. Alright, catch your breath. I have to get used to this, I thought.

"You alright in there?" Alberich called out to me. He was still munching on what I assumed were pickled veggies. I heard the sound of his polearm tapping against the ground as he began to pad over to me.

Something was funny in here, I thought. I tapped my foot nervously. Wait, hang on. It sounded... hollow.

Alberich's bird head poked into the bedroom as I investigated the floor. "Anything?" he asked.

"It sounds like there's a space under the floor," I said, kneeling down. I rapped my fist against the floorboards. It sounded indeed like we were standing above what could be a basement. "Check around for a trap door. Maybe we can eat more than pickles."

The Tzaangor knelt down with me and sniffed the air. "I smell it here, yes," he stated. His expression was odd though, and it appeared as if he was uncertain. He shrugged after a moment, and we looked at each other. I trusted when he said that this place was empty, and as far as I could tell, I couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary.

Prodding around the floor of the bedroom, we discovered a heavy trap door in the far corner, a metal ring riveted in to its planks. I let the beastman do all the heavy lifting as he pulled the portion of the floor up, exposing a short rope ladder down into a dark space. There was no way I could adequately see down there without the lantern. Shining the light down the trap door, I estimated that the cellar's height was about eight feet. Seeing this, Alberich placed his glaive on the bed, and took the initiative. He began to climb down, and took only a few steps down the ladder before hopping off completely. He motioned for me to come down the ladder. Seeing that nothing was immediately dangerous, I did so.

The basement was chilly and dry, and the floor was cobbled stone. Alberich had been right, and I could now smell a faint whiff of salted meats and aromatic spices, like being at a fancy butcher. I pushed the lantern out, and began to investigate. Almost immediately, I saw a few shanks of what looked to be dried goat or lamb meat hanging in the corner. It honestly looked very appetizing after only eating those cardboard bars for a day. Holding the lantern, I walked to the shanks, which were hung in jute netting in a corner.

"I do not mean to upset you, but..." I dimly heard Alberich say softly in the opposite corner. He seemed to be hunting for words as I cut the shank down with a knife. This looked delicious! Maybe I could make a goat jerky stew thing with the vegetables.

"What is it? You're not upsetting me," I said, inspecting the tasty slab of meat. It had even been salted and seasoned. This is something that would've been very expensive back home at an artisanal butcher. If I had some crusty bread with spicy mustard, I'd be in heaven!

"Brace yourself, and turn around," the Tzaangor softly requested.

We had found one of the previous owners of the farmhouse.

Something like this would've surprised me a great deal before, but I thought that I hit my "that's enough for today" stress limit when talking with Tzeentch back in the Warp. Instead, when I saw the desiccated corpse of the bearded farmer, I just looked at the corpse and said, "well, that sucks."

Honestly, it didn't even look real. It looked almost like a Halloween decoration. The fact that it didn't stink helped a lot. In the amber light of the lantern, I could make out that the dead man was wearing a pair of rough trousers and suspenders over a knit grey sweater. He was reclined on a chair, and appeared to have died while resting or asleep, so at least that wasn't supernatural or all that terrifying. His tanned papery skin clung dryly to his bones, and his eyes were vacant pits in his skull. There was a drain on the floor near his boots, which probably caught any fluids from his decomposition. For the most part, he very much looked dried out instead of gross and wet. At his right, there was a crude wooden table, and what appeared to be journal.

Slowly, I stepped to the dead man as Alberich watched. On the ceiling here, different bunches of herbs were bound upside down, explaining the aromatic herbal scent that permeated the background air here with the dried meat. Speaking of the meat, I found another few shanks hanging in another corner opposite the man. At least I could deduce that he had not died of hunger, I thought, sniffing at the gorgeous parcel I was currently holding.

I was aware that my reaction to this situation was numbed and abnormal. I was here looking at a real human corpse while thinking about my dinner. How grim and dark was that? I snorted. But, I supposed that I was getting inured to the sight of death after my earlier confrontation. I had already witnessed a mass suicide first hand, so this wasn't all that scary.

The Tzaangor had begun sniffing at the herbs that hung on the ceiling as I walked over to where the unfortunate man sat. The journal sitting on the table was closed, and beside it, I discovered an ancient looking battered fountain pen, probably a prized possession to a destitute farmer. Always good to have a pen on hand, I thought as I pocketed it.

I picked up the journal, and flitted through it. It was written messily in a strange dialect I had never seen before. It hurt my head to study, and reminded me of trying to decipher Scots into English, but worse. This illustrated another separation between the people on the hill, and the people in the valley. I yawned again. I didn't have the energy for trying to puzzle through this. None of it seemed to be a terrible warning, only the farmer's personal day to day writings. From a cursory look, it appeared the farmer and his family lived in the valley, and that they traded their crops (which had been root vegetables) with the "hill folk" in exchange for medicines, tonics, and "t'bless ov the Grayt Lorde of Hosts" which gave me a chill to read. At least from here, it appeared that the farmer didn't have any mechanical implants. He looked like a normal dead guy.

Alberich had been studying the herbs, pulling each clipping down and holding them to his beak. Finding some herbs to his liking, he snatched some of them up. He saw me holding the journal, puzzling through it.

"What does it say?" He asked, walking into my field of view, leaning into the light.

"Its in some weird kind of Eng-" I caught myself saying "English", and corrected myself. "Low Gothic. It's some Low Gothic I am unfamiliar with. It's not easy to read, but it doesn't say anything really bad about this place." Checking for a clue on what had happened to this unfortunate man, I paged through to the end of his journal.

"Thi're arriv'd wit the ev'nin. Mother sint 'way. Tailsn n Bran sint 'way. Took a blue drot. May a shayde of ev'nin guiyde mea starr t'hoeme," the last line read, which didn't offer much of an explanation.

Alberich held out his hand expectantly, wanting to see the journal. He also paged through it, and closed it with a snap. He returned the book to me, while taking one of the dried meat shanks. "We read it after our fatigue and our stomachs need attending to," he said, examining the meat with hungry eyes.

"What do you think we should do with this guy?" I asked. It felt really disrespectful to leave the deceased where he died, likely after a hard life of toil on a farm with his family. Speaking of whom, where was his family?

"Not our problem. An old farmer died. We leave him," Alberich nodded while taking his first steps on the rope ladder, eager to be upstairs again.

When we were back upstairs, Alberich and I walked into the parlor, and placed the meat shanks down on the center table along with the lamp, which cast guttering shadows across the modest space. I sat down on the prickly sofa, and watched as the Tzaangor pulled the crossbar off the front door, and opened it. The door groaned heavily as he pulled it inward, and he stepped outside.

The beastman quickly returned with the bucket of well water, and walked into the kitchen, presumably to place the water on the wood burning stove for boiling. He left the front door open, which let in a very refreshing evening breeze. The hiss of the vine-covered trees above the farm was very relaxing, and some insects had begun to chirp in the waning light. Even before he had returned from stoking the fire, I had begun to nod off, despite my growling stomach.

I watched Alberich as he returned. He took his glaive in hand, and stepped out into the blue evening light again. There, I saw him look left and right, apparently checking for any sign that we weren't alone. Satisfied, he stepped back inside, his glaive knocking against the clay floor of the parlor. Resting the glaive in the corner again, he walked back into the kitchen, where I heard him rummaging through something. The sound of a striking match echoed, and the hiss of igniting wood gave way to the comforting crackle of a burning fire.

What was this bird guy's deal, I wondered, taking out my dagger and sawing off more of the netting that encased the meat on the table. This unusual Tzaangor had immediately attached himself to me without knowing who I was. I reminded myself that I was wearing the body of the witch that lived on the hill. Maybe he had known about her, and thought I could throw fireballs or do other impressive magic or something? The best magic I had done was blow up a houseplant back at the manor.

I started slicing off pieces of cured meat for my dinner. I tasted a nibble first, and found it to be absolutely delicious, like a fine capocollo. I reached into the opened mason jar that Alberich had found earlier. The vegetables appeared to be pickled green peppers, and with a crunch, I found that these were also very tasty, resembling the briny taste of garlic dill pickles. If I had been back in New York, I had beginnings of a gourmet charcuterie plate. All I needed was a good cheese. As I ate, I asked the beastman while he was still in the kitchen, "Alberich, I'd like to know a bit more about you since we're traveling together. You were quiet on the road," I inquired between bites.

The beastman padded into the parlor again, and sat down next to me. The scent of burning pine followed him. "What is it you would like to know?"

"Well, you're the first Tzaangor I've ever seen, and from what I read about beastmen, they're normally not very friendly," I reached down and opened my pack, removing the remainder of the water in the flask I had packed. "Wait, I mean, I'm sorry. I don't mean to offend. It's just that I'm curious about finding you hung from a cross in a corn field, tied up like a scarecrow. You have that weapon, but why would those people tie you up and not take it for themselves?" I gestured toward the impressive polearm leaning against the corner of the room. Through the metal, I could see my foreign reflection with my white shock of hair as I spoke to him. Yet another thing I had to get used to, I thought.

Alberich nodded, searching for the words as he reached for my dagger. He began to slice some meat off for himself. "The people in this land, they worship a strange degenerate god. The idol on the hill, the golden woman. Through that, they exhibit irrational superstitions. My guess is that the people who ambushed me saw me as unnatural. This included my weapon, which they did not desire to take for themselves. Perhaps they saw it as unclean? This is conjecture on my part. One should not speculate on the motivations of madmen." He had a drink from the flask, and took a pepper from the jar.

"Where did you come from?" I asked him. A warm breeze started to drift from the kitchen from the fire. I got up and closed the front door.

"Far away," the Tzaangor said with an air of melancholy. "I came from the opposite side of this land. Three weeks, I had been on foot chasing the source of my dreams. The cultists took my pack, stripped my clothes, and left me for dead. It may sound strange considering my appearance, but am foremost a seeker of knowledge, of truth and divinity. I had a series of dreams of the golden statue, and I felt compelled to find it. I wanted to know what it was."

"I had asked others about a golden statue, and I was pointed in this direction, near the tower to the north. I had nearly reached it..." he trailed off, and took a drink of water.

"Everyone is dead up there now. You could've just walked up there without fear then. Why come with me?"

Alberich closed his eyes, and exhaled. "My answer is complicated. I wanted to know what the golden statue was, and when I encountered the fiends who worshipped it, my curiosity was mostly slaked. Furthermore, once you told me that the cultists all committed suicide, I had my confirmation. The need to visit the statue waned. I travel with you because you go to another miraculous place in this land, one that has stoked my curiosity for mysterious things," I could hear bubbling water in the kitchen now. We would have plenty of hydration for the walk forward now. "Now it is my turn to ask questions," he said, turning to me with a slight smile on his hooked beak.

Alberich continued eating, but asked me in between bites, "Who exactly are you, my friend? Where did you come from on this strange planet?"

I really didn't feel safe telling this beastman my entire backstory, but I felt like I had to share something. Having someone physically strong to help me on the road was useful, and since his motivations involved the supernatural, perhaps he would be understanding of the tale I would tell. He wasn't Imperial in the least, so I wouldn't be killed for saying heretical things.

"It's not all that easy to explain," I said, shaking my head.

"Try me."

"Well," I said, not quite knowing how to broach the subject that I came from another reality. I decided to tell him just enough, leaving out the part where I spoke with Tzeentch directly in his realm. "Remember when I said those cultists were doing some kind of suicide ritual?"

The Tzaangor nodded.

"That wasn't the only ritual that happened around that time. It's a really weird story. You would never believe me," I tried to defer his interest, but the Tzaangor seemed even more curious when I said that. "You see me here, right?" I pointed at my face. "Truth is, this isn't even really my body. The original owner was also doing some kind of magic right before the cultists killed themselves. I think the purpose was to send her soul somewhere else, but I'm not sure. Her name was Evanora, and she lived in a manor on the hill, next door to the statue and the cultists. I went from being in my home to waking up on the floor of her destroyed house. Whatever magic she had done had somehow pulled my soul from my original body, and forced it into this particular shell. I didn't have any choice in this, so in a way, I'm like you; I'm a stranger here. I know it sounds unbelievable, but this is what I experienced. I'm just some random nobody back where I'm from."

Surprisingly, Alberich didn't seem all that doubtful of what I had said. He nodded thoughtfully before he asked, "Are you certain on that? Are you a magician? Perhaps she intended to steal your power and failed?" The beastman still appeared extremely interested in this discussion, and I watched him lean in to me as he chewed on pieces of sliced meat.

"I'm pretty sure about being unimportant, and I'm not sure on the rest of that," I said curtly. I really didn't feel comfortable talking about this. "Look, can we talk about this after at least having dinner and a night of sleep? Just promise you won't kill me, alright?"

Alberich made an affirmative noise, appearing satisfied with my insane explanation. "Very well. You have a pallor about you. We have a long day of walking ahead of us. If we make good time tomorrow, we may even get to the tower before nightfall."

Thanks for saying I looked like shit again, bird guy. He was right, though. Exhaustion was probably written all over my face. His reasons for going to the tower were sparse, but it was better than being alone right now. This universe was a very dangerous place, and the extra muscle was appreciated.

The sun had dipped below the horizon when I finished off a portion of dried meat and a half of a nutrition bar. I didn't have a lot of these, so I needed to ration them just in case. When Alberich finished, he took the water from the wood stove, settling it back on the ground. Once cooled, our flask could be refilled.

We had a brief discussion about where each of us would sleep before Alberich shut the front door, and once again, the Tzaangor proved to be a gentleman by taking one of the twin beds in what used to be the children's room. Before heading to bed, he rifled through the clothes chest in the main bedroom, and found himself a loose knit shirt with a pair of trousers that still didn't fit his long legs. Despite having relatively human proportions, the clothes didn't quite fit him, but it was better than the rags he wore.

I changed into a rough nightshirt I had found in the cabinets for bed, and folded my other clothes neatly inside my rucksack. I wished that Wolfie was here, and I hoped that the little dog would make an appearance again when it was safer. Shame he couldn't manifest if there wasn't any magic in the area, but it made sense.

I tried to do a little bit of reading from the history book, but found myself too weary to focus. I felt as if the weight of the world was on my shoulders. The gravity of all the horrors I had witnessed in a short amount of time struck me again like a pile of bricks, but despite that, I thought I did pretty well. The discussion with Alberich had reminded me that I had been in the Warp with no protection after chatting with Tzeentch himself, and I had endured without growing extra tentacles or feathers! I had stood up to a Keeper of Secrets and survived a mass ritual suicide! Maybe Tzeentch really was telling the truth that he liked me, considering all the weird ways I had miraculously dodged doom. I choked a laugh at my absurd situation before I started crying again. This was terrible. I just wanted to go home. I didn't have any Ruby Slippers here, though. All I had was a mysterious magical amulet called the "Key", whatever that was. It had felt cold and dead ever since the encounter with Amnaich.

Trying to distract from focusing on things that upset me, I contemplated what I would find at the mysterious pylon. Knowing the way this story was progressing, I half expected a Tin Man (and I hoped that it wasn't a Necron), but since Alberich wasn't anywhere close to being like a goofy scarecrow, who knew?

After snuffing the lantern at the bedside, and trying not to think of the corpse right below the bedroom in which I lay, I quickly fell asleep, the breeze from the open window soothing me greatly.

Alberich took a breath, and began quietly walking down the northern road. He wanted some time alone to be with his thoughts, and to commune with his guide, the holy spear that called itself Valkyrie.

The Tzaangor had once been a human, learned in the sciences and arts. As a man, he had attempted suicide in his home world after being captured by enemy forces during a war. Instead of the void of death, he had woken up nude in the middle of a circle on an alien beach, his body rapidly twisting and transforming into what he was now. Before his transformation could be completed, he had slaughtered the strange robed men who had brought him into existence. The leader of the men was in possession of a mystical weapon, something that he had seen in his dreams through his old life. He had thought it to be the Spear of Destiny itself (and perhaps it still might be, through some miraculous quirk of fate) but when he had wrenched it from the lead occultist, a strange presence had instantly introduced itself as "Valkyrie" and had given him the skill and strength to kill every single heathen on the sands. He did so, despite never having used such a weapon in his life. The spear then told him that he had been "chosen" for a purpose, and that he had been blessed by the Great Architect.

Left alone with the dead magicians, he had discovered a book written in English that had detailed how they would transform a man into what they called a "Tzaangor", a birdlike animal man, which is what he was now. Apparently, they had planned to transfigure and then sacrifice their poor captive, but fate had other intentions. The unlucky victim who had provided the body for this ritual had been a prisoner to these foul warlocks, and it was unfortunate that his soul had been obliterated to bring Alberich here. The Tzaangor wasn't complaining that he got to exist, however. This was as an opportunity to begin again fresh in another body. The beastman had cast off his old name with his humanity, and had chosen the name "Alberich" from an opera he had once enjoyed. His old name and his old life were both gone. It briefly made him sad. His family was missed, but this was what fate had in store for him, so he was forced to accept it.

The night air was filled with many living scents and sounds. He was still getting acquainted to his new body. Having the head of a noble bird wasn't all that terrible, he conceded as he reached over with unnaturally long clawed fingers to touch his black hooked beak. On his head, he had filed down the short curved pair of horns he had developed, not liking that it made his silhouette look like some sort of devil. He considered his transformation an adequate price to pay for having the incredible skills that he had now. He rarely got tired, his body effortlessly healed itself, and, most of all, he had been gifted the ability to wield true magic.

How wondrous that there was magic! Alberich beamed in excitement. It had only been a few weeks since he had found himself on this new world, but he had learned much. On that very first night of his existence here, he had used his powerful new psychic powers to telekinetically throw one of his aggressors into a bonfire. The world he had traveled from had very limited magic, and only if you knew strictly where to look. Magic was dim here at the present, but would return soon, he was certain. The cursed black towers were failing, Valkyrie had told him. They were the source of the erratic suppression of energy on this new world.

In the few weeks he had been here, he had noticed that the influence of the towers was very inconsistent, their power fluctuating wildly. One turbulent afternoon while communing with Valkyrie, he received a vision of a strange man of metal who was attempting to interface with a tall tower across the land, inexplicably interfering with magic's ability to manifest itself in this world. From the short visions he had beheld, he could tell somehow that this metal man was fighting a losing battle. He would be able to exercise his skill in magic once again, and he was greatly looking forward to it.

There were some rather unsettling similarities between this world and his old world. He had tried not to think about that, submitting fully to the will of the Great Architect. He had tried to ask some of the very few people he encountered on the road about knowledge of a planet named Earth, but the people ran off screaming, terrified of his appearance. He supposed that was fair.

Valkyrie had guided him well instead, and had taught him how to survive in this new world. Through it, he had honed his combat and magical abilities when the influence of the towers was minimal. The weapon had been unimaginably helpful to him. It also had guided him to places of interest and importance. Two weeks ago, it had shown him a vision of a woman in blue fire with the galaxy in her hands. It had shown him that he was needed to help gestate another great leader, and he was all too willing to oblige. Along with the fire-woman, he had a vision of a suspicious looking golden statue, and knew that both would be found near one another. The statue reminded him of something he had seen in his old world, and when he had discovered that there were people worshipping it, he had a dark laugh.

He thought back to the woman asleep in the abandoned cottage. The blessed weapon had never steered him wrong. Even when the degenerate idol worshippers had found and subdued him on the road, he still had not been guided wrong, and he had been greatly surprised when the fire-woman of his visions had rescued him from his crucifixion. It was fortunate that the cultists had thought his weapon was cursed, and had refused to steal it, tying it up with him and leaving him to die.

A question now rang in his mind: What would he do now that he had found her? What would the spirit advise? He held the glaive and concentrated as he walked, willing the connection between spirit and mortal yet again.

Can you hear me, oh spirit? The Tzaangor said to his blade in mind.

The response was somewhat weak. He had grown strong enough now that if he concentrated hard enough and physically held the glaive, it would respond, despite tower interference. He was rewarded when a whisper came to him. Greetings, noble warrior. I have seen your success, and I am pleased.

It was truth that you spoke, and the visions shown! My deepest thanks to you, spirit! Alberich replied, walking briskly down the road. The night air was very pleasantly cool, and he was reminded of autumn hikes when he was a child. After he had walked a few hundred paces or so, the Tzaangor found a downed tree near where the farmland was transitioning into forest. With great physical ease, he hopped up and laid down on the tree's mossy flanks, taking in some alien stargazing ringed with the dark shadows of tall trees swaying in the night air.

The stars being completely different was upsetting, but he was learning to embrace the philosophy that all things must change, and with change, could come grand fortune. The Great Architect promised it so.

Is she as powerful as the visions say? Ah, how strange things are now! He held Valkyrie in one hand, and leaned his head against the blade. It was cool and warm at the same time, and felt as if it held a low electric current.

She is important to your journey. She is greatly favored by the Great Architect of Fate. You must keep her safe. You swore an oath to follow your last charge many years ago. You must do it again for someone else.

Alberich opened his eyes. An oath? But, she was a woman, he thought. As a human, offering an oath of servitude to a mere woman would've been unthinkable to him.

The glaive sensed his hesitance. The gods have their reasons for their choosings, and you will not question them. He felt an ache at his temple; Valkyrie was displeased with that.

The Tzaangor wondered for a moment. The last person he had sworn an oath to was gone, and so was the world he had lived on. He was dead too, he supposed, and his original body was likely dust on a planet he would never see again. But, spirits are eternal. They go to different places after their physical deaths. The Hindus had known as much. Perhaps her soul had come from someone great, soaring through all of time like an eagle? She had even said that her soul had come from another world, just as his did! Ultimately, it did not matter the body anyone wore when considering the philosophy of an eternal soul. The wisdom of the Great Architect had led him well this far, and had shown him many things. Who it chose to work through was not for him to judge.

He thought about the woman again. He could also sense a seething anger under her skin, making her sweat smell of danger to those who knew what that smelled like. Perhaps he could influence that anger, and drive her toward righteous causes, benefiting himself most of all. On top of it all, the fire of magic burned behind her eyes. The Tzaangor had suspected her to be a magician from the beginning. Valkyrie had told him as much, but to be in her presence was another thing, even with suppressed magic. Once the towers were inactive, he would be able to see what both he and she could accomplish, and he simply could not wait! His future seemed bright indeed.

This Erika woman had been chosen by the Great Architect, and that was all there was to it. He nodded. Valkyrie was correct; an oath was required. When a good moment presented itself, he would give her his oath. He wasn't certain whether or not to disclose his full past to her yet. She had said she had come from a different world as well, but the probability that it was his was minuscule. However, he thought he heard her begin to say "English" when referencing a journal she was reading back at the farmhouse, but he wasn't sure. For now, he would not be generous with his history. His story would likely make him appear unbalanced if told in its entirety.

Alberich laid back on the mossy wood, and relaxed his strange new body under the luminous light of the foreign sky, almost as bright as a full moon to his sensitive eyes. There was barely any light pollution here to veil the foreign stars. God was indeed a consummate artist in His paintings of the night sky, wherever one happened to be. He admitted that he was somewhat homesick, but he would have to adjust. He must embrace change in all its forms, he reminded himself. The Great Architect would not guide him wrong.

His downy feathers set on edge as he sensed something. What it was, he did not know, but it bade him look to the south, in the direction of the statue. Alberich sat up, and swiveled his head, curious.

Dimly, he could see the shadow of the vile golden statue on the hill, and the sky, he saw a snake of an aurora lick across the stellar tapestry, a brilliant lash of blue and magenta. It was quite beautiful, he marveled. He sat admiring the sight for a short time, until the logical part of him chimed in curiosity that such a thing should not be visible at this latitude on this world. He had puzzled together that he was in the northern temperate hemisphere from his travels. As inspiring as the sight of the aurora borealis was, seeing it on the same latitude as Portugal was unusual.

The Tzaangor's feathers were still standing on edge when he stood up to observe the rest of the sky. The dancing lights were fixated across the southern horizon. That made even less sense. This had not happened here before. Perhaps there had been a solar flare, or perhaps this was some unfamiliar magic phenomena? His senses were alight like fireflies, his intuition clawing at his mind that something felt out of place.

Look to the tower to the north, he felt his blessed weapon suggest. Good idea.

The tower was not visible from where he was under the canopy of tall trees, so he simply decided to climb the nearest one. He left Valkyrie on the log below. In leaps and bounds, he scrambled up the nearest trunk. His claws made this exceedingly easy, and within a minute, he had reached one of the upper boughs of a tree.

He was facing south when he emerged from the canopy, and saw, once again, brilliant lights dancing across the sky like a faerie wild hunt. It was indeed very beautiful, but as he studied it, something about the colors also turned his stomach and made his instincts crawl in revulsion. Something felt "off" here, and he could not place exactly what was wrong. He turned his head toward the north, where the tower would be. When this particular tower was active, a white light would emerge from the very top, like a candle. It was easily visible from far away, and was a convenient navigation tool on dark, relatively clear nights like tonight.

Only now, there was no light. The tower had "gone out" once again. With a quick sweep of his perception, the Tzaangor could feel magic in the air. Alberich didn't have much time to celebrate as he felt something that oozed of wrongness running through the forest below. His senses told him that it didn't belong. He scrambled down the tree to grab Valkyrie, just in time to see a bizarre creature vault into view on the road. It stopped a few paces away from him, cocking its bizarre head at the beastman.

It stood on two legs, and looked something like a large bare-skinned flightless bird with dappled purplish skin. The vaguely equine head contained a peculiarly long tongue that lashed at the air near to him, and its ruby alien eyes studied him with a strange glow. It was about as tall as he was, and did not seem to have any sort of forequarters. Alberich had never seen such an odd creature, and he was more puzzled by the encounter than anything.

It wasn't until Valkyrie shouted DANGER into his mind that he realized that the animal wasn't innocently curious. With a few lashes of its dripping tongue, the monster leapt forward in two graceful bounds, displaying bird-like claws on its legs in an attempt to slash him. Alberich swung out of the way, and let the creature carry its momentum into a large shrub. At least whatever it was didn't seem to be very smart, he thought as he saw it crash into the brush.

Do not let the tongue strike you, warrior! His glaive warned him. Slice off the head! Kill it quickly!

The creature had recovered, and had warbled a strange noise as its tongue once again lashed out at him. This time, the tongue grazed his shoulder, and he was briefly stricken with conflicting feelings of agony and pleasure, momentarily stunning him. The creature attempted another jump at him, but this time, Alberich was able to wildly swipe forward with the blade, cutting a gash on the side of its neck. The Tzaangor fell to the right of the monster. The creature made obscene noises as it bled a silvery liquid onto the road which turned to vapor after a few short seconds. What was it?

As it bled and screamed, Alberich swung around, readying Valkyrie. The creature attempted to turn around and charge again. The Tzaangor aimed a heavy blow at its long neck. It moved at the last moment, resulting in a messy partial decapitation, splitting the creature's head laterally. Despite it's grave injuries, it still stood, struggling to find him. The thing's pained screams along with its revolting tongue filled Alberich with loathing, and in another angry chop, he had fully decapitated the unusual thing. The corpse twitched for a few moments until a ghastly pink fire that smelled of cloying perfume burned the creature completely away as if it had never existed.

Spirit, what was that beast? Alberich hurriedly asked his blade, stunned by what he had felt when it had touched him. It responded with a sense of swift urgency.

Your charge is in danger, noble warrior! Be swift, lest your dreams of hope and glory die in the cradle! These creatures are servants of the golden idol and the Pleasure God! The Lord of Hosts calls his minions to him!

I really like dreaming. Before Tzeentch decided that I was dreaming too hard and stealing from his realm, dreams were my escape. I could go to places where there wasn't any trouble. My ability to experience lucid dreams was an extra blessing, which I explored happily. My small vacations from reality were very welcome in difficult times, like when you're facing eviction from your apartment.

When I was a kid, I was incredibly imaginative, maybe even moreso than other children. I tended to have one foot in the dream world, and one foot in reality. It was escapism, really, but it definitely made me happier. It was no surprise to anyone that I would immerse myself in fantasy and fiction as I grew up. Windows into worlds that weren't train wrecks were more comforting than a glass of good bourbon, so books and movies were definitely my thing. One of the movies had been the Wizard of Oz, where I got to see Dorothy be taken away into a magical land where there wasn't any trouble. As a small child, I would sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in the bathtub until my family started making fun of me, so then I just switched to singing in my dreams instead.

In rare and awesome instances I would find myself in Oz, trotting down the Yellow Brick Road with all the showy colors and optimism of a late 1930s Technicolor film feature that was desperately trying to forget that Europe was being consumed by the horrors of war. The land itself would breathe optimism, and no one would tease me for singing there.

Here I was again, and I was so happy! Over the Rainbow and where troubles melted like lemon drops! Except I didn't want to leave and go back to my Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. Reality was for suckers; screw that shit, I thought as I skipped down a road made of golden yellow bricks.

The sky was brilliant shade of sapphire, and picturesque dales and farmlands painted a backdrop of bucolic perfection. This dream, when I had found myself inside of it, was simply the most comforting and wonderful place I could conjure from my subconscious. Here I was with Toto and the Scarecrow! We were off to see the Wizard! I was thinking about asking him for a motorcycle instead of going back home. Why not? Tearing ass like Doomrider around Oz sounded more like my style.

My Ruby Slippers looked great in the vivid unreality of the daytime light of Oz as I skipped around without a care in the world. Toto followed me cheerfully, my ever present little buddy. He wasn't dead or "living on a farm" somewhere like Wolfie. Death or misfortune only touched those who deserved it in this land.

"Golly gosh, I'm getting hungry!" I said.

The Scarecrow touched my shoulder and said, "Look over yonder. I believe I spy some apple trees!" We had a long way to go before the Emerald City, so some hyper real movie apples would be just swell!

A beautiful grove of gnarled apple trees stood before me. Apples! Oh yay, apples! I thought happily as I approached one of the trees. Usually the trees were grouchy, but they weren't too bright so you could be tricky and make them throw the apples at you which works as well!

I approached the first tree, and reached out to happily pick a huge ripe perfect apple. Something new happened this time, though. When I went to pick the fruit, the tree didn't scold me like a cantankerous old man. In fact, it made a noise that was something like a moan of pleasure. Maybe I just heard it wrong, I thought. I picked another apple, and the same thing occurred. The moan was something out of a bad BDSM porn flick. Like, this tree sounded like it was enjoying this too much. What? I stopped picking fruit and stood there, confused as to what I should do now.

The pause seemed to upset the tree, which moaned in a salacious manner, "What do you think you are doing?" Even worse, when it started talking, its voice was way too sultry. This tree sounded like it belonged in The Rocky Horror Picture Show instead of Oz.

"Beg your pardon? I..."

"Did I tell you to stop, you little whore?" This... wasn't how the dream was supposed to go. I didn't respond, and looked for the Scarecrow and Toto in confusion as to what I should do. Unfortunately, Toto had vanished, and the Scarecrow seemed to have transformed into a perfect golden statue wearing an expression of unimaginable horror. Before I could think about that, the tree began scolding me again, and I turned back around. "You have to be more vigorous in your motions, mistress. I want to experience cruelty. Break my branches like you mean it, mistress!" I saw that a devilish face had formed on the bark of the tree, and had opened its mouth, licking a tongue that looked way too human to be a part of a tree across its wooden lips.

When I didn't respond, the tree called out to its neighbors in the grove, "Mistress had a hunger, but she does not finish my punishment! I am not satisfied, and I deserve to be punished severely!"

"Take pieces off of me, you slut. Make me your bitch! I want to feel my roots quiver in fear at your cruel touch!"

More trees started moaning and screaming in the grove, demanding that I do things to them. This was definitely not right!

"Cut me down and step on me!"

"Strip me of my leaves! Make a cane to spank me!"

"Tear off my bark! Lick my naked trunk raw!"

"Bleed my sap until I am dry, oh mistress!"

I was still too stunned and confused to respond when I felt a vine wrap around my legs and torso. With a tug, I was pulled off my feet and into the air. The original tree had decided to take matters into its own branches. This wasn't how the dream was supposed to go, I thought again in alarm as more ambulatory vines started to bind me. I was then dangled helplessly upside down. As I was suspended, the first tree wore a thoughtful expression, and began talking again.

"We have been such awful trees, and we need to be punished! Her hesitation confuses us, for she plucked apples with exquisite agony. Perhaps we can help her? Maybe she does not know true pain, and cannot torment us in the manner we require, mmm? Perhaps if she experiences it though us, she will stay with us and become our cruel eternal mistress, and punish us forever for our naughty indiscretions!" Oh no.

A vine had wrapped itself around my throat, and it had started to strangle me. "It's okay," the tree said, its expression twisted in a mocking, sympathetic manner. "I'm kind of a switch anyway. We'll learn together!" No, no, no, no!

As the other trees started to cheer and moan at my terrible fortune, I saw a blue blur race across the Yellow Brick Road. Faster than could be seen, the shape rushed past me, and severed the vines holding me aloft. Outraged wailing rang through my mind from the masochistic apple trees as I topped back to the ground. Before I struck the road headfirst, I was somewhere else.

I was laying in a bed bound with vines and branches. Around my neck, a vine was cutting off my breath, strangling me. I dimly registered a blue man with the head of a bird aggressively cutting and tearing all the branches away. He reached for the vines on my throat, and in a moment of terror and confusion, I recoiled.

"No, no! It's me!" Alberich said, hurriedly looking over his shoulder for more danger. I came to full awareness, and let the Tzaangor free me. His expression let me know that trouble was ongoing, as he continued looking over his shoulder as he extricated me. Once I was freed from the evil vines, I sat up, gasping and clutching at my throat in fright.

"They got into my dreams!" I said, my voice a strangled hiss.

"There are more nightmares outside!" Alberich yelled, using his shining glaive to slash at another aggressive vine coming through the opened window. He was much faster than I had even imagined, and in the pale red light that streamed in from outside, the metal of the glaive actually appeared to be glowing. In between deep breaths, the Tzaangor warned, "We are in danger! Magic lives again! Steel yourself!"

All hell had broken loose, and the landscape was alive! Unnatural red light from an unknown source spilled from the open window, bathing reality in a hellish cast. Coughing, I clutched my bruised throat as I struggled to get my bearings as even more vines snaked into the room, which I let the Tzaangor handle. Another sweep of his blade, the new vines were severed, falling heavily to the ground just inside the open window. From outside, in the direction of the front of the house, I heard strange hissing.

Without stopping, Alberich quickly turned around to confront whatever the noise was outside, leaving me. There wasn't time to put on my riding skirt as even more plants raced in from the window. It dawned on me that I only had that black dagger I had picked up back at the manor as a weapon. I scooped that up, and cut some more animated greenery that had decided to come in and be fresh with me in my bedroom. The dagger was at least razor-sharp, so it was very easy to slice these murderous plants. When no more vines came in through the window, I closed the shutter and locked it. Wolfie popped into existence again next to me with a crackle, and he was barking with excitement. If he was here, then the pylons were inactive!

From here, I could distantly hear Alberich prodigiously swearing outside, and the sounds of a confrontation. He had saved my life, so I had to help him! The Tzaangor sounded like he was holding his own, at least, so I hoped it was just more evil magic vines that I could chop up with my diamond dagger. I mean, if there were daemons we would've been killed already, right? "Come on, boy! Let's go help the bird man!" I said to Wolfie, who raced ahead of me to pounce on an intruding vine just outside the front doorway with major small dog energy. Pumping with adrenaline, I gripped my dagger, and readied myself to play monster gardener as I approached the front door.

I felt pretty dumb when I ran barefoot outside in a long nightshirt while holding my stupid little knife. The bloody light outside was like that of a sleazy underground club, and the evil activity wasn't limited to enchanted plants. Me stepping outside only served to attract the attention of the daemonette that wasn't fighting Alberich. I noped out of that and tried to turn around and run right back inside and shut the door, but the black crab-clawed daemon lady wasn't having her quarry hide that easily, and stuck one of her snippers in the gap of the door before I could close it. She hissed viciously as we struggled, her crab claw ripping a hole in my nice new nightshirt.

"Little pig, little pig, let me in!" the daemonette mocked as I desperately struggled to close the door. What the fuck was I going to do now? I don't have a spear, and I'm really useless in a fight! I took my dagger, and tried to stab at the claw holding the door open. It was then that both of us realized that the windows were both wide open, and the daemon immediately withdrew her claw, laughing evilly, and in a near instant, she had crawled inside the parlor area of the home, knocking aside and breaking the central wooden table, sending the meat and pickle jar flying across the room.

Once inside, she didn't seem like she was in any hurry to feed me my own guts. From what I knew (and had now experienced) about daemons, they really enjoyed seeing mortals in fear, so she probably wanted to savor my hopeless situation before she killed me. I got a chance to study the monster as she leered, savoring my fear. The one inside about to end me was about my height, and had two glossy black scythe-like crab claws. Her skin was pale blue, and she wore a revealing black strappy suit thing that left one breast revealed. Her long silver hair that floated behind her in a tangle of dreadlocks, and a perpetual wicked sneer on her alien face made her look like some kind of banshee. Her eyes were saucer-like, unnaturally wide, and looked to be a faint glowing crimson. The daemonette shook her head, and made a "tsk, tsk," noise. She wasn't going after me yet, and was probably just enjoying my fear for now.

"And here she is, the one known to us as Amnaich's little problem. She has the Key, but refuses to share it with us! Sad! Low energy, people are saying! The little bitch is naked and afraid instead of a great psyker! Perhaps this one will send her soul back to the trees, no? They miss her so! I can hear them call for their mistress! They sing so sweetly!" When she opened her mouth to speak, I spied two rows of piranha teeth.

I took a swipe with my dagger which the daemonette easily dodged, laughing. She also wanted the Key which hung around my neck, but I wasn't giving that up. Anything that daemons wanted that badly wasn't going to end up in their claws, I thought defiantly. "She has expected more! Amnaich has seen into her fears, and witnessed her dreams!" She made a revolting sound like she was Hannibal Lecter craving liver and fava beans.

I took another swipe at her, which she easily ducked again. Fuck, I was dead here if I couldn't find a way out of this! These daemons had violated my dreamworld, and they would now haunt me with it. I couldn't even escape through dreams anymore! The violation of it all disgusted me. This daemonette wasn't even killing me; she was just laughing about how much of a loser I was. I kept my dagger pointed at her, and she resumed mocking me.

She laughed melodiously, clearly enjoying my dismay. "The great Amnaich has seen into the full depths of her soul, and he has seen that she takes refuge in silly children's things! Such a foolish performance of -what was it?- ah, yes, "The Wizard of Oz"! Amnaich is creating a special place for her, one which she has glimpsed already! It will mirror her Heaven and make it a Hell! The only songs will be her eternal screams! Perhaps if she gives the Key to us willingly, we can show her pleasure as well as pain?"

For fuck's sake, I can't have anything can I? I thought with fury, jumping forward with another swipe, this one actually nearly slicing the daemonette's cheek. I began to feel rage boiling under my skin. This was literally Hell. I had died and gone to Hell! These daemons were tormenting me by invading my private dreamscapes!

With that thought as I rushed forward again with my dagger, the daemonette once again dodged my strike, but this time, she was thrown back as if by a wall of force, slamming into the front door with her back and breaking it right off the hinges. The daemonette landed unceremoniously on her rear on the broken door outside. The expression on the daemonette's face let me know that she had been surprised at that. She wore a mask of utter hatred as she sprung back up on sharp hooves and began to make a run for me, clearly looking to kill me now as I stood just inside the doorway, rippling with fury.

"NO!" I shouted, and again, the creature was thrown back, this time all the way to the road. The daemonette sparring with Alberich was momentarily distracted by this, and I saw Alberich take advantage of her diverted attention, enabling him to land a severe blow on her torso with a sickening crunch. His daemonette scream-moaned, while mine actually struggled a bit to right herself. More vines had appeared from a looming tree, and had begun to snake their way over to me as I began to walk toward the road. Wolfie, having dispatched his earlier opponent, was now barking and racing around the grass, savaging and biting more animated vines.

I was really fucking tired of all of this! This really was Hell, I thought again as I stomped barefoot across the grass to where the daemonette was faltering. Even the weird red sky made it look like Hell! "Why...am...I...here?" I gnashed between clenched teeth. Animated hissing vines slithered to entangle me as I stormed down toward the daemonette, but the plants turned to flaming ash when they met my skin. Fuck you, evil plants! What the fuck did I do to deserve this rotten fate? Lost in the fucking 40k universe of all places! Seeing a fucking Keeper of Secrets in the first two hours of being here! I can't even enjoy my own private dreams anymore! My fury was so much that I actually felt it bleeding out of me. There were ashes and embers at my feet, and retribution enflamed my heart. It almost felt as if my blood was made of liquid fire. I had felt something like this briefly when I was hyperventilating in the study back in Evanora's manor, and I had been able to burn up that little desk plant. I smiled evilly, and fixed my eyes on that stupid fucking daemonette, who had dusted herself off, and had started running her dumb mouth again as she straightened back up on her hooves.

"A fluke, a lucky hit from a foolish girl with no magic Ruby Slippers to save her. That's all that th-"

The daemonette was now engulfed in blue flames. "How about a little fire, scarecrow?!" I screamed at her, my voice keening like I was the wickedest witch there ever was. Distantly, I was aware that Alberich's daemonette was wailing in agony and stumbling back while trying to escape from him. He had beaten that bitch. Good for him.

The flaming daemonette actually began to scream in pleasure from the fire. This made me even more upset. Her long hair wasn't igniting so it made a nice easy target for me to grab with whatever psyker energy I was hurling around. I wasn't really thinking here; I was just acting, and I felt myself reach for her hair despite being at least ten feet away. Multiple low hanging vines reached for me from a nearby tree, only to instantly burn when they met my body. Stupid evil plants weren't going to distract me from slaughtering this thot.

With ease, I yanked the creature off her hooves and into the air as she continued to scream and moan. As her hair grappled in my invisible fist, I struck her entire body flat against the ground with a sickening crack. She felt like a Barbie doll in the hands of an angry child to me. I lifted her back up. She was gurgling something from between broken teeth and crisping skin. I laughed at her. "What was that? I'm sorry I didn't catch...that!" I smashed her against the road again, shattering her nasty face against the stones. I did it again. This was really fun! I was finally enjoying myself! Maybe being a psyker wasn't so bad? The moment was ruined when I brought her back up a third time when the daemonette moaned while choking out "Beautiful agony! Destroy me, cruel mistress!" Which reminded me of the trees again. I violently shook her, and on the daemonette's fourth super slam close encounter with the road, the creature actually broke up into a handful of burning chunks which vanished into pink fire. I killed her so completely, and I did it very sweetly! I was left staring at an empty road, hearing Alberich yell, "behind you!" as a vine came snaking up behind me, gripping me by the waist.

Briefly, I was snared and thrown off balance before grabbing the vine and turning it into flaming ash. When I felt a vague touch of mental fatigue hit me, I realized that I probably couldn't keep this psyker rampage up. Alberich ran to me, and he held his glaive out in front of him, protectively. "Stand back to back! We shall slaughter all!" the Tzaangor said, bloodlust creeping into his voice. Wolfie appeared again at my side, and Alberich snarled a challenge at the dog.

"No! That's Wolfie! He's my dog! He's on our side!" I frantically informed the Tzaangor before he could chop the dog in half. The astral hound began madly barking in the direction of the southern road before vanishing again. There was more trouble coming!

In the red light, I got a good look at the landscape. Now I could see where the sickening glare was coming from. It wasn't a moon. There was a small tear in the sky in the area near Amnaich's statue! It writhed like a sickening wound over the settlement and the manor, and distantly, I could see flashes of movement dropping out of it like maggots. Were daemons spilling out of the Warp over there?

Swiftly, another daemonette appeared on the road, riding a strange creature that resembled a pink horse and a velociraptor. I assumed that was a steed of Slaanesh. Its sickening mauve skin looked almost plastic in the evil light, and a long lurid tongue tasted the air ahead of it as it trotted eagerly forward. Before it could reach us, Wolfie materialized in front of us and charged the two daemons, causing the steed to spook and rear up, bucking the daemonette off her mount. Wow! Good boy! Alberich did not waste any time, and leapt to the fallen mount, decapitating it with a mighty overhead blow from his glaive. The dismounted daemonette ignored the Tzaangor, and decided that she wanted to be roasted just like her sister and charged me with manic glee. I heard her cry out, "Hurt me, oh wicked witch!" as she raced to me. Creepy, but I can help you with that, sis. With a backhand and a yell, the charging daemonette was happily set aflame and thrown back, but I now definitely noticed that the incredible energy I had was waning. The daemonette was laughing as Alberich cut her flaming corpse in half.

"What's wrong with the sky? What is that?" the beastman yelled to me standing over a cloud of pink mist. He was pointing to the colorful mess in the stars as a pair of daemonettes began running down the road toward us.

"I don't know! I think its a Warp rift!" I answered while struggling to telekinetically throttle these new daemonettes. Luckily, I was able to pin one to the ground after throwing her on her back, while Alberich rushed the second one. Moving impossibly quickly, Tzaangor managed to brutally impale the daemonette before it burst screaming into pink fire. I stomped my heel barefoot on another intrusive vine as it tried to wrap around my leg. This one didn't turn to ash, but I heard Wolfie snarling behind me, and that vine didn't bother me again. Fed up, I held the daemonette pinned on her back on the ground while I ran to her. Delirious red eyes whirled in excitement as they watched my dagger pierce the pinned daemonette's sternum, and tear into her black innards over and over again. She was soon a shape of pink mist, and I stood up to watch Alberich dodging another steed of Slaanesh, this one riderless. The steed gained a lucky hit with its tongue, and it wrapped around the Tzaangor's torso, who roared in pain. I raced over to cut the appendage binding him, and the tongue snapped like taut rubber band. The abomination fell back, yowling in distress. It began to wildly run about in a panic as Wolfie harried it underfoot it like a border collie from hell. Alberich appeared to be dazed, and was reeling on the ground as the tongue around him disintegrated. He staggered to his feet again, heavily breathing. It appeared that the Tzaangor was also getting tired now. I kept my distance from the panicked daemon mount, who was now trying to stomp on the astral hound, who effortlessly disappeared and reappeared in another place, undaunted. Forcing my lingering energy reserves to obey, I was able to snap one of its legs while Alberich trotted over to the thing and dispatched it.

Alberich lurched back over to me, and aligned himself so that we stood back to back again, watching the road for more running daemonic shapes. The Tzaangor was not doing well, and I could see that he had a large wound on his arm that appeared to be actively bleeding. Wolfie also materialized at my feet, ever ready for more action. The astral hound looked like he was having the time of his life, his little ghost dog halo almost vibrating with excitement. I looked back up at the red sky again. If we were indeed looking at a Warp Rift, then we were in big trouble! Depending on how big it was, Amnaich could squeeze through and be on his way to have the rest of me for lunch. It was taking time for the daemons to reach us from the rift, but they kept coming.

"The fiends spill from the sky! They come from hell itself!" Alberich shouted hoarsely behind me, coming to the same realization.

I studied the road, and it wasn't good. Distantly, there were now several more daemonettes cavorting down the southern road, and a handful of them were on mounts. They would be here at any moment. Behind them, I thought I could see the outlines of a few larger daemons that were advancing more slowly, and I tried not to think about what those things were. This was at least 500 points of Slaanesh on the field and not balanced at all on our end! In a few moments they would be upon us. The wound in the sky was growing larger by the minute, shot through with glowing magentas and violets. Not good at all.

"It was a pleasure to know you in this short time," Alberich rumbled solemnly. "I will see you on the other side!" Well, great.

The lead daemonettes began shouting with feral joy as they charged on their mounts, but when they were nearly on top of us, I felt a terrible ringing in my ear as I was hit by the world's worst migraine. I was brought to my knees kneeling with my left hand clutching my head, and my right hand dropping my dagger. Before I could be eaten by daemons, I became aware that all the monsters had started shrieking, and the ones that had leaped our way literally dissolved like cinders being thrown into the air from a fire. Reeling from my sudden agony, I looked and only saw numerous smears of pink fire where the nearest daemons had been running. My explosive headache still remained, but I was able to see that the sky was now perfectly normal, as if none of that had ever happened. The rift was... gone? Dizzy, I felt Alberich reach around my shoulders, supporting my weight. Both of us were near collapse when led me back inside the house and laid me on the parlor sofa. I heard him closing and latching all the windows after he had leaned his mighty weapon against a corner of the room. With some effort, he picked up the broken door and leaned it against the frame, which was better than nothing I supposed. Squinting, I tried to find where Wolfie had gone, but was not successful.

The Tzaangor entered my field of view as he lit the lantern, and placed it on the ground near the ruins of the table. He was carrying two containers; one was my water flask, and the other was a small glass bottle of a bluish clear liquid. He held my head as he gave me a drink of tepid water, helping me to sit up. "Are you alright?" Alberich asked, his bird face contorted in worry. "What happened out there?"

"I guess the pylons are online again..." I said, trying to bring myself to the present with relief.

"No, I mean, when you burned the woman things. How did you do that?"

"Oh, I'm not sure," I said, in a fugue. My head was killing me, and I could barely keep my eyes open. I began to feel the trickle of a nosebleed running down my lip.

"You are not well; I will help," the Tzaangor nodded and walked of to the kitchen. There, I heard him rifling through what sounded like ceramic cups and plates. I sat mutely staring at his glaive, my energy nearly exhausted. It almost felt like the weapon was staring back at me.

Alberich appeared again holding two small clay cups. Setting them both on the ground, he poured water into both. He then uncorked the small glass bottle, and carefully placed several drops in one cup, and only a couple drops in another. He took the first cup in a shaking bloody clawed hand, and drank it in one draught. He then offered me the second cup.

"What is it?" I asked him as I took the cup, my head throbbing.

"Medicine," he said, flatly.

"What kind of medicine?"

"Do you trust me?" Alberich said, heavily sitting next to me. He also appeared to be exhausted from the encounter. Parts of his shirt had been torn, and I could see numerous small scrapes and wounds over his blue skin. A considerable wound on his right arm that looked like a bite mark from a wild animal was slowly weeping blood.

"Yes?"

"Good. Drink up."

"Just tell me what it is. Last time I drank something from someone without knowing I got poisoned."

There was a short pause. "I found it in the kitchen. The label says "laudanum", and it smells of laudanum. It is a painkiller," he explained.

"Huh, laudanum," I said, looking blearily into the cup. I knew what laudanum was. It was an archaic analgesic tincture made from opium poppies, used before modern times for nearly everything that caused pain. It contained morphine, so if you took too much, you could die. My eyes could barely focus. I really was in a lot of pain, but would I die if I drank this too? Did he pour me too much? I wasn't a Tzaangor. Maybe if I did die, I would end up someplace better? Fuck it, life can't get any worse, I thought. I downed the liquid in one gulp. It was bitter.

"Stay here. I will return," he said. Not like I could really move anyway.

The Tzaangor stood up, and walked to the master bedroom. I heard the sounds of cloth tearing, and shortly afterward, he returned holding a few strips of cloth. He walked to the kitchen again, and I heard the sounds of pouring and splashing. It sounded as if he was cleaning his wounds.

After a short time, Alberich returned and sat down next to me, and I saw that he had cleaned and bandaged his more serious wounds, of which there were two that I could see. He had bandaged the bite mark on his arm, and another smaller wound on his lower leg. By then, my pain was starting to lessen. I had also begun to feel warm and fuzzy, and that everything was going to be alright. Yeah, that's definitely laudanum, I thought. I stretched.

The intense migraine was losing its grip, and I was beginning to feel like I could finally think again. The Tzaangor broke the silence, and asked me again,"Now tell me. What happened out there? The devilesses. You set them aflame."

Oh, that. "I did a good job, didn't I?" I said, reaching for more water and feeling a little intoxicated. It felt nice to feel both my terror and pain melt away. I really didn't want to get into the whole psyker thing because I still didn't really understand it, but Alberich had really saved my life here, so I guessed that a little trust was in order. After taking a drink, I began. "Well, I told you that I came from another world, right?" The Tzaangor nodded. "So, the body I have here, it isn't actually my body, like I said. But, since the woman who owned this body was a serious psyker witch, I'm taking a wild guess that I'm psyker now too. I'm still trying to get a hang of this since I've only been here for about a day. I know it doesn't really make sense, but it happened, and here I am."

"What is a 'psyker'?" Alberich asked, also drinking more water. My tongue felt somewhat loosened by the potion, and I tried to explain myself.

"A psyker is a term for someone with powerful psychic abilities. I actually came from some other reality where there were no psykers or anything like that. This is all new to me. The place I came from had no real magic. Or, I think it had no real magic. But the lady who owned this body before me, she could do magic, so now I can do it. That's my best guess."

The Tzaangor appeared very thoughtful. He nodded, and seemed to be contemplating carefully on how to respond. "I have told you that I came from another place as well," he said. I saw his fists close and open while his jaw clenched. Something was causing him anxiety. "I apologize, but I did not tell you the entire truth. Your story rings similar to my experience. I don't know how or why, but I am not from this strange place also. I feel as if I do not belong here." Alberich turned to me again, touching his face and tracing a claw along the lines of his beak. "You see this face, this bird's head I wear? I was once a human man. The world I lived in had little true magic. My government was doing research into psychotronics to tease every bit of magic out from the unknown, for it would ensure us victory in the ongoing war. I was captured and died in the custody of an enemy, but that was not the end of me. I woke in another man's mutating body on the other side of the continent here. Maddened warlocks were attempting something unholy with this body as the subject, but somehow, their ritual was corrupted, and I was pulled into this form. I was able to escape, the ritual only partly complete, and now, here I am."

"So, you traveled here from another place?" I asked him.

"Yes," he said. "But that isn't all. I had a-"

There was a sudden noise in the general direction of the bedroom. It sounded like a moan of pain. I stood up, my head still swimming. I realized that I had dropped my dagger outside. Alberich was instantly on his feet, rushing to grab his glaive. His expression was half maddened as he held his weapon in front of him in the direction of the bedroom. "Stay behind me," he whispered, beginning to walk into the bedroom. Not wanting to be alone, I picked up the lantern and fell in behind him as he cautiously stepped. Had the pylons deactivated so quickly?

The Tzaangor and I cautiously walked down the short hall to the bedroom, and just as we had reached the doorway, the noise repeated itself. It sounded almost like a word, repeated over and over in a guttural voice.

"Danger... danger... danger..." it said.

Alberich's ears swiveled, pinpointing the sound. In two strides, he walked to the trap door, hooked his glaive under the ring, and opened the entryway into the cellar.

"Danger... danger... danger..."

"Are we really going down there?" I asked the beastman as he looked down into the dark below. His expression was inflamed with exhausted anxiety. None of us were in the mood for this.

"Danger... danger... danger..."

Alberich didn't respond, and I could see his ears were moving as if trying to pinpoint whatever was saying "danger" downstairs.

"Oh," I said, remembering the desiccated corpse we had found.

"The man..." the Tzaangor was still listening. "The dead man. He speaks."

"Danger... danger... danger..."

"But the pylons, they're on. Right?"

Alberich didn't respond. He kneeled down on the ground in preparation for stepping down on the ladder.

"You're going down there?"

"Do you have a better solution?" He asked me, his voice impatient.

"Danger... danger... danger..."

"Yeah, don't go down there," I said. The Tzaangor ignored me, and began stepping down the ladder into the gloom, leaving his glaive on the bedroom floor.

"Give me my weapon and the lantern, please," he said when he reached the cellar floor. His tone wasn't fearful, but it wasn't exactly disarming. His tired face was illuminated by the lantern as I handed it to him. When my hand reached around the haft of his weapon, I got another chill that caused goosebumps to crawl across my skin. There was definitely something up with his glaive, I concluded, as he took it in hand below. I would have to ask him about it later.

From where I was watching from above, I saw Alberich holding his glaive protectively out in front of him, facing where the dead farmer was sitting. I heard the muttered repetition of "Danger... danger... danger..."

"You should come down here," he said, looking up at me. "There's something you should see. There is no danger. The man is dead. Something else speaks."

"Danger... danger... danger... traveler..."

That last word caused alarm, but I then remembered the dead villagers speaking in the village at the base of Amnaich's statue. They had spoken an instruction for me to go to the pylon, and I wondered if the same animating force was at work here.

"I'll probably regret this," I growled, stepping down the ladder to join Alberich.

The Tzaangor didn't move, and was still facing where he was when I stepped into the small, dimly lit cellar space. I looked where he was staring, and saw that the corpse was indeed still there. It hadn't spoken since I started descending the ladder. This time, I noticed a glint of shining metal in the dried mummy's left eye. Startling me, I then saw the bit of metal move, adjusting itself. This dead farmer, just like the cultists, had been mechanically modified. It just hadn't been overtly visible.

"Traveler," it said, clearly; its lips did not move, but the voice still spoke. The artificial nature of the voice became apparent now that I was very close to it. It was as if it was vocalizing out of the dead man's throat instead of him actually speaking. Alberich turned to gauge my reaction to this, but I was as clueless as he.

"Traveler," it repeated once again with a guttural voice of rotted metal, "You must make haste to the tower. You are in danger." It spoke very quickly, as if harried by something.

"Who are you? How... how are you speaking here?"

"I am the one who warned you of danger at Alys. I speak through the technology implanted in the masses. I can explain all when you arrive," the artificial voice had an edge of desperation to it. "You must listen; there is not much time. I cannot stabilize the network forever. I am sending a messenger south to you to meet you along the road. I can help you. I can h-"

The last words were rattled off under increasing distortion before a slight crackle in the throat of the corpse silenced it like the sound of a light bulb shorting out. A vague burning scent filled the air as I felt a peculiar chill wash over me. The Tzaangor looked at me again, questioningly. "I do not understand," Alberich said, standing nearly as still as the dead man seated before us.

Once again, I tried delving into my knowledge of 40k lore to help me out here. I had never been that into Imperial planet lore, and the most I knew about the Cadian pylons was that they stopped magic, nothing more. This planet and its peculiarities were entirely new to me. From what I could see, the mechanical implants that the locals all had here appeared to be able to be remotely accessed by someone, or something. Unfortunately, this didn't narrow much down, since this sort of technology in this universe probably wasn't all that far fetched, used by many different cultures, xenos, and alignments all around the galaxy. I just hoped that whoever was trying to communicate with me wasn't some kind of homicidal xeno.

I honestly did not feel like thinking too much about this because the laudanum was slightly intoxicating me. I cleared my throat and began to attempt an explanation, "So, listen, I think there's someone over at the tower messing around with it, trying to shut the Warp out. When all the people died up next to the statue, some of them started talking to me. Or, I guess their implants did. I don't really know."

"So this has happened before, the speaking dead. Why didn't you say something?" Alberich growled at me while he poked the dead farmer's body with his glaive.

"I don't know, really," I shrugged, apathetic and mildly intoxicated. The light of the lantern made this little dark space appear extra sinister, and I really wanted to go upstairs again. "These cultists, they all committed suicide for that golden god daemon, but when whoever this was shut the Warp down, it saved me. I don't get it, and if I stop to think, I'll lose my mind. Someone is over at that pylon, and that someone prevented me from being killed."

"So someone lures you through the mechanical implants on these people after they die?" Alberich sounded very skeptical. To be fair, I also became skeptical when he put it that way.

"Look man, don't have anywhere else to go. Where else am I going to go after what I've been through? What else do I have left to lose?" I retorted, rubbing my temples. It was the sad truth.

The Tzaangor was still investigating the mummified farmer when I began climbing up the ladder while I muttered "screw this". It was very dark up here without the lantern, so I just sat on the bed and waited for Alberich to get bored with examining the corpse. I could dimly make out some of the severed vines sprawling on the wooden floor like black snakes. The laudanum was diverting my ongoing existential terror into a sort of gallows humor. Internally laughing at the absurdity of it all, I laid down on my back on the bed and closed my eyes, willing reality to go away. This feels like I'm stuck in a bad fanfiction. In some of the other fics I had read, people got to be primarchs or sassy rogue traders. Why couldn't I be a primarch, huh? Being an unstable neurotic rage psyker had way too many drawbacks. Why couldn't the writer of my fanfiction give me some manageable Mary Sue powers to make this a little easier?

"Because this is far more interesting, dearest."

Despite only hearing it once before, I recognized that unearthly polyphonic voice. My eyes snapped open, and I sat up. He was right there, leaning against the door frame, holding a small porcelain coffee cup. He wore a mischievous grin.

"Are you enjoying my Hell? Let's have a chat!" Tzeentch cooed, demurely sipping his drink as the shadows leapt out from every corner of the room to devour me.

The world fell away when the shadows became alive again, and all I could focus on were the penetrating eyes of the Chaos God smiling at me in the void. The sensation of a whirlwind enveloped me, and then, I was someplace else.

Somewhere familiar.

Suddenly, I was seated at a cafe I once frequented in graduate school in Manhattan. It was as if I had just come into reality here, with no transition. Bustling New Yorkers, important and unimportant, went about their business, drinking coffee, working remotely on laptops, and chatting with friends. It was so beautifully normal here that I almost could believe that I was home, if not for one detail.

The small white marble table I sat at had another chair, and I saw a familiar tall blond man in a suit walking toward me holding two porcelain cups, one in each hand. He placed one cup in front of me, and went to sit down. The man's alien golden eyes twinkled with amusement as he smiled. "One latte for my adorable little Traveler! Two shots of espresso and a dusting of cocoa powder, just like how you like it!"

"Alright, what is this all about?" I asked Tzeentch as he took his cup in his hand.

"Do I need an excuse to be nice to you? How cynical and east coast of you, Erika!" He took a sip of his latte, and distantly, I heard the sounds of feeble screaming.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Why do anything? The multiverse is my playground, and I enjoy living to the fullest," Tzeentch placed his cup down. "So, what do you think?" he asked, grinning happily with an almost boyish excitement. Another mouth grew on the side of his face, also grinning.

I was confused. I observed the cafe. There wasn't anything really out of the ordinary aside from everything being anything but ordinary with my existence here.

"No, no, no!" Tzeentch said with a jovial laugh. He gestured dramatically to the scene around me. "I know I did a good job here, silly! This 'here' is a shared dream pulled from the subconscious thoughts of little mortals from your home reality. A lot of people like this cafe, so it wasn't difficult to reproduce. Since I'm the god of magic, I'm good at making a scene!" Of course he was reading my mind again. I couldn't even think. I picked up my beverage so I wouldn't have to fixate on looking at the eldritch horror sitting next to me in the skin of a stylish man. At that thought, I saw him raise an eyebrow and twist his lips into a childish pout.

"You do wound me, my dear!"

"Well, what do you mean, then?" I asked him, holding my cup. I took a nervous sip, and the liquid felt electric going down my throat. A few emotions and fractured images wafted through my subconscious. Tzeentch lattes were probably made of some weird stuff, but I had to be polite here. Don't be rude to the all powerful Chaos God who could unmake you with a thought, and all.

The god began smiling again. "I'm asking about where you physically are, the planet in the future with the pylons that isn't Cadia. I've been setting that whole thing up for awhile. Put a lot of work into it, I did! I'm looking for some feedback. How did I do? Do you like it?"

"Like it?" I responded with dumbfounded incredulity.

"I know, I know. You probably love it! I knew you'd appreciate it! It was a tough fit. Took some serious effort to splice some of the story patterns and universal archetypes from that Wizard of Oz thing you like so much with the grim darkness of the far future, but I think I did a good job! I think you being an artist means that you definitely appreciate it."

I couldn't even speak, the thought was so absurd. I took a sip of Warp coffee.

"Aww, you're probably still sore over that Amnaich thing, I bet. It'll get better, I assure you. I'll ask again later when that subplot is done. Slaanesh has never been that much of a good sport with games. You'll have an opportunity to get your retribution if you want."

"Um, Tzeentch?"

"Yes?" Both his primary mouth and the secondary mouth spoke. I had to be careful here, unless I wanted another new body as a chaos spawn.

"Why did you make everything like the Wizard of Oz? It can't have all just been for me. If you're going to trap me somewhere, why not just like, normal 40k reality?"

"I thought you'd enjoy that. Like I said before, you're interesting, so I set all this up for funsies. I like planning things, and you like all that Wizard of Oz shit, so I used that for a template on how your little quest for home develops so we could both have fun. It's a nice hook to keep you motivated, and on my end, it's very fun to watch! Like a big game of Mousetrap, but for gods instead of mortals! Heck, even Slaanesh got himself involved so I know I did a great job. You running around down there has made you very popular in the Immaterium. With my childer, you've become a celebrity! You're actually the Changeling's favorite mortal right now, so be flattered!"

I had no idea what to say to that insane revelation, so I just marveled, "You... really just planned all this to be this way?" I took another sip of my drink, trying to remain calm and polite. It was kind of on brand for this particular Chaos God, I had to admit. Wow.

"Of course I did!" he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world while sipping on his screaming beverage. "They don't call me the Architect of Fate for nothing. I see and weave the threads of fate as easily a spider in its web!" Tzeentch's gaze was drawn to a passing attractive red headed woman, who promptly glitched out of reality in a spasm of light as she passed our table. This did not go unnoticed in the cafe. An older bald man pointed in fright at where the woman had been, only to be scolded by what appeared to be his grown son, who hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary. The Chaos God appeared momentarily embarrassed, and a blue green "blush" appeared across his pale cheekbones. "My apologies, that was rude. You have my full attention again!"

"Alright so, what's next then?" I dared to ask as the startled man near our table began to dissolve into quiet hysterics over this supernatural occurrence. I could hear him raving that he had seen that red woman vanish, and that "witches" were after him. No one else had apparently seen the disappearing woman aside from Tzeentch and I. I kept quiet, intimidated by my own dangerous circumstances.

"If I told you what was next that would ruin the surprise, dearest!" He chirped. "I need to cultivate hope from you organically, and I don't want you reading ahead in your own story. Oh, you're just gonna love it! And seriously, don't worry about that tawdry Keeper of Secrets, you'll have an opportunity to show Amnaich the Molden what for. Speaking of that, you know he's got like, a chunk of your soul? Word in the Great Ocean is that he's been altered by eating pieces of a pissed off Traveler. He's even changing his name because of it! Oopsie!"

Traveler! There was that word again used to describe me! What was that all ab-

"Oh, that 'Traveler' designation, right. No one actually told you," Tzeentch interrupted immediately, causing me to startle. Appearing pensive for a moment, the god drummed his fingers on the table. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the raving old man was now angry at his son. He angrily stood up. "Fine, I'll give you a freebie. I like you best out of the Travelers right now anyway. I dabble in the multiverse as a whole, and every so often, someone from your Materium jumps over to a different plane. The energy differential between a foreign soul and a new realm makes for some interesting effects. Lots of chaos and potential for change, there! Those lost bastards are called Travelers, and you're one of them. It's a big time mystical secret across the galaxy in many cultures and races since no one wants anyone to know that there are actually ways to jump a reality. You've probably read all about those people on your fanfiction site who find themselves trapped somewhere else through different means and methods. It happens more often than you would know! In fact, infinitely! What's also fun to think about is that due to the infinite universe theory, someone is probably writing about you in another reality and posting your story on another fanfiction site right now!" The Chaos God's eyes shone brightly for a moment.

"So, there are others from my dimension?"

"Oh yes! From different times and places! And not just limited to your shitty boring dimension. Oftentimes, these little planar adventurers choose to travel, but most of the time not. Sometimes, even the body makes the jump with the soul, too, but obviously, in your case, that didn't happen," Tzeentch laughed, and drained the rest of his drink.

"Excuse me."

Our little meeting was interrupted by the figure of the old man, who was now standing at our table, looming anxiously over both of us. He was sweating profusely, and a vague odor of scotch hung around him.

"Hasn't anyone told you that its rude to interrupt two people when they're having a private conversation, pal?" Tzeentch said, his eyes narrowing at the visitor.

The man ignored the god, and looked at me, his jaw gnashing and his eyes wild. "How dare you curse me, you liberal witch! Don't you know who I am?" He growled hatefully at me. Despite his hostility, I could almost taste his barely concealed fear, and his fists were clenching, revealing white knuckles. Behind him, I saw his son approaching.

Tzeentch watched the little confrontation with his normal sadistic interest. I nervously sipped my latte.

"Dad, c'mon, there's no one there," the son said, coming up from behind his father and clapping him on the shoulder. "How much did you have to drink earlier?"

"But they're right here! You can't tell me you don't see them!"

"Dad..."

"Don't talk back to me! This bitch is the reason everything is falling apart! She's going to kill America! She's an evil witch!" I had never seen this guy before in my life, so I had no idea what he was talking about. Random crazy people saying this sort of thing wasn't all that unheard of in New York, so I just tried to ignore him.

In my mind, I heard the god speak to me again as he laughed, shaking his head. Madmen in your home dimension see a lot of things, some true, some not. This particular lunatic saw you a long time ago in a dream after briefly meeting you in person. There is a sort of psychic fallout from being near you because you are close to my direct attention, being a psyker and all. But, you have my favor, and he doesn't! Tzeentch winked at me cheekily with a giggle.

The stranger took the laughter of the Chaos God very personally. "What's so funny? Stop laughing! I know who both of you are, and I'll fucking ruin you both! I'm not saved in your Hell!"

He had said that loudly enough that the din of the cafe was momentarily silenced with surprise, and a few heads turned toward us.

"Is. That. So?" Tzeentch rumbled with a threatening purr. Smiling like a Cheshire cat, and shaking his blond head, the god slowly stood up in a unnaturally fluid motion. "Ah, I think our little meeting is nearing its end, my dear," Tzeentch said to me as he fixed his glowing golden eyes downward on the old man, who was now angrily staring back up at him.

"I'm not fucking afraid of you, demon! That Satanic whore you're with doesn't scare me either!" The man said, insanity pitching his words into a falsetto. Uh oh. Saying all that to a Chaos God was probably a very bad idea, I cringed. I took a big drink of my latte, which inexplicably tasted like vengeance. It invigorated me, somewhat.

Tzeentch remained mirthlessly smiling as I watched the scene unfold. The old man was stood his ground as he ignored his son behind him, who was emphatically insisting in a desperate whisper that no one was there, and that he was embarrassing himself. The rest of the cafe was beginning to notice the strange altercation, but it did seem that we were both invisible to everyone but the old madman.

"I would think that a distinguished figure such as yourself would be more inclined toward being polite and grounded in public," the Chaos God softly intoned. He didn't even appear very angry, only cooly disappointed. Tzeentch remained staring as a pair of sliver scissors materialized in his slender hands. The crazy man wasn't backing down, even as his son tried to forcefully pull him away. Somehow, I could now literally sense anxiety radiating off him. It almost had a taste to it, sharp and cutting.

"Take her and go back to Hell where you belong, spawn of the devil! Vade retro Satana!" the stranger began yelling at Tzeentch, who reached out with his other hand, and caressed a line of shimmering strands into being from nowhere. The air around his hand was distorted, and difficult to look at. All of this remained invisible to the rest of the cafe, as the people seated nearest to us began to slink away from the upsetting scene of a man losing his mind to an empty table.

"Dad, please!" The son continued to plead, nervously watching the gawking public around us.

"Its a shame, you know. I'm sure an apology for any rude behavior would've been fine. If there's one thing that really makes me tick, it's disrespect," Tzeentch pulled on the loose bundle of scintillating threads, and with his scissors, he began cutting them, one by one. As each thread broke, I heard a metallic twang, and felt a sensation of extreme foreboding. "The threads of fate that wound your timeline are quite fragile, it seems. What a shame!" Another cut, and disembodied wailing began to ring through the air. The old man's ears and eyes began to bleed a black fluid as he was now frozen in place, unable to move, only able to vocalize his terror in short whimpering cries.

"Erika, you should leave. I don't want you to get any mess on you. Check the nightstand when you get back. I'll talk to you later, my dear," the terrifying god lazily suggested to me as my world began to fade away again. The last thing I was able to see was the old man shrieking in madness as the entire cafe took out their mobile devices and began to film the chaos of a pitiful figure having a public meltdown.

I awoke again on the bed just in time to see Alberich stepping up through the trap door. Had I only been gone a moment?

"Did you feel that?" he asked me in a hush. His feathers were on edge.

"What?" I sat up, my head swimming.

The Tzaangor shook his head and said, "Nevermind..." as he crawled upward with his weapon, which he leaned against the corner of the room again. A weary sigh escaped his beak, and he sat down next to me on the bed. I could smell sweat, blood, and dirt, but I wasn't sure if that was me or him. Alberich appeared worn out, and we sat in silence for a couple moments, his hands grasping his knees. He did not look directly when he began speaking again. "We should probably leave here soon, my friend. But, before we go, I need you to know something."

I looked at him, and I could see his jaw tense. The shadow of the lantern's guttering light underlit the Tzaangor, making him look like some sort of gargoyle. Alberich looked upward toward his glaive, watching my reflection indirectly through the shining metal. Afterward, he turned directly toward me, his tired blue grey eyes shining in the dim light. "My friend, I must say that I am most impressed with your skill. I had never seen such incredible power, not here, and not when I was a man. I am a seeker of knowledge, and universal truth, first and foremost. If you would allow me, I would request that I accompany you on your journeys, so that I may learn more and heighten my own understanding of the universe."

"Aren't we already traveling together to go to that pylon?" I asked, confused.

"Yes, but I mean, beyond that. Fate favors you, that much is true. I easily see it now. We should not have survived that last ordeal where hell came to us, but the hand of God stayed our demise. I follow the will of the divine, and I see His will enacted through you. God Himself protects you and has gifted you with great power, and I wish to follow the one whom God has touched. I would be happy to enter in your service, if you would have me."

Alberich appeared sincere while saying this, although it appeared he was somewhat anxious, probably because we had both almost died not even a half an hour ago. He was looking at me expectantly, his head feathers slightly bristled like a curious crow.

Tzaangors followed Tzeentch, I remembered, and I had just spoken with that god a few minutes ago in a vision. If the Architect of Fate was trying to help me by giving me bodyguard in this universe, I should really probably take it. This reality was dangerous, and I remembered just how brutal Alberich was in combat when I saw him slicing up daemons like Christmas hams. Having him would go a long way.

"What's the catch?" I asked.

"No catch. I simply wish to accompany you where you travel. Adventure and knowledge will be my payment. I can fight, as you have seen. You would find my company most useful."

I took a deep breath, and considered for a few moments. He had indeed saved me, and so far, the arrangement was really working out since I was still alive, so I said, "I'm not exactly sure where I'm going after the pylon, but you can come with me if you want."

Alberich smiled, and exhaled deeply. He had been holding his breath. Slowly, he stood up. He took a step away from the bed where we both had been seated, and he turned to face me. I noticed here that his clothes were torn and bloody in places. The way he held himself definitely registered that he had been at least somewhat injured on top of his bandaged wounds. I was surprised when the Tzaangor knelt before me on one knee, bowing his head. I could now see that he had two spaces where his horns would've been, but the area was flat, as if they had been sawed off. He began speaking again, his voice low and serious.

"I swear by God this sacred oath, that I will obey absolutely the orders of this psychic master, chosen of the Great Architect. I will with loyal dedication perform my duties and obey without condition the orders of my charge."

This was a little weird, I had to admit. An oath wasn't necessary, but I wasn't going to argue with him tonight if he thought it was a good idea. It did somewhat cement my trust of him, though. I sincerely hoped that what this Tzaangor had said was truth, and that I could hold him to his word. Alberich stood up without fanfare, and nodded curtly at me. "There, it's done," he said, glancing at his weapon with a small smile. "We should go soon. Hell could be upon us at any minute, and if we have a glimmer of hope at the black tower, I believe we should chase it. Do you know the identity of the messenger being sent?"

"No. I have no idea. It's a mystery to me."

"Well, let us pack up and be off. We are about an hour outside of dawn, so sleep is now inadvisable. Better to get an early start on a long hike," Alberich said before taking his glaive again and walking back into the dark parlor.

I stood up and stretched. Due to the laudanum, I didn't feel much in the way of pain. I felt as if I was forgetting something in my haze, though, and I struggled to remember what it was. I found my riding skirt, shirt, and blood stained boots, and properly dressed myself. My history book was sitting neglected on the nightstand, so I picked that up and packed it away for safekeeping.

"Oh!" I vocalized, remembering Tzeentch had told me himself to check the nightstand during my vision. I opened nightstand drawer, and inside, I found something both intriguing and chilling.

It was a long silver pair of scissors, right out of my vision. I hadn't checked the nightstand before, so these could've been here this whole time. I reached to pick the item up, and found them to be strangely light. Inspecting them, I found no markings, and placing them in my fingers, I found that they fit me perfectly. The shape of the shears when closed reminded me of a thin stiletto blade approximately a foot long, and they could be gripped in a hand like a dagger. What I could not deduce at all was what these were for. Tzeentch had used them to cut the strings of fate off of someone, but I wasn't a Chaos God, so I had no idea. I placed them in my pack. I now had two weapons that I didn't really know how to use, counting the one that was still laying outside. I guess I could now be a Chaos hairdresser now if I had no other options in this reality.

After about a half an hour of packing supplies and eating a humble breakfast of meat that had been smashed against the wall by a daemonette, Alberich and I were ready to depart as the first signs of dawn started to ring the eastern sky. Exiting the broken farmhouse, I picked up the black dagger, placing it back in its scabbard. I started my second day in this weird universe, pleased at myself for staying alive so far. Turning north, we walked at a brisk pace toward the shadowy light forest that ringed the mysterious Warp-nullifying pylon that loomed over us.

The wind was breezy and cutting, and smelled as if there were a storm on the way as Alberich and I walked down the old road. Clouds were rolling in above us, and we found ourselves walking against a blustery north wind, which certainly wasn't comfortable. There was a silent tension in the air that spoke of unspoken memories from last night's brush with Hell, and we found our steps hastened by foreboding. The tall, bluish-leaved trees swayed like skeletal arms in the air over us as the farmland became light woodland, and we walked in the wild shade of this unfamiliar forest. The landscape had a sort of uncanny valley to it. The nature here was almost earthlike, but not quite, I observed. Alien ferns wore thorns and would catch on clothes if one wasn't careful walking on the decrepit path, with the Tzaangor entangling his ankles with a swear at one point during our walk. We stopped near a babbling brook for a bite to eat after a few rushed hours.

Alberich placed his pack down on a tree stump, and reached inside, removing a shank of meat.

"This land, no one is here now," he said, a hint of sadness in his German voice. "We do not see people. No civilization."

"Probably good for you, honestly. No offense," I said to him, also finding a place to sit nearby. "Normal people would probably be afraid of you, so it is good we haven't run into anyone."

"None taken," Alberich said with a smile, tearing off a chunk of meat in his sharp beak. "I am not a stranger to having others fear me." I could spy that although he had a beak, he also appeared to have sharp teeth, which made him even more intimidating when close.

There was a dark edge to the last words he said, hinting at the fury I had already witnessed, but I was more curious at how much he actually knew about the reality were in. He had said he had come here from another place, and on top of what Tzeentch said about Travelers, it piqued my curiosity. Alberich could also be a displaced person from another universe, but there were plenty of feral worlds out there with only limited knowledge of the greater galaxy that he could've been dragged from via Warp fuckery. Not many people from from my home dimension had knowledge on how to expertly use a glaive to smite daemons. Halberd daemon melee combat was a rather niche skill to this universe, I admitted.

"Alberich, back at the farmhouse, you mentioned that you came from another place. What was it like?" I asked. I cut a few slices of meat for myself, and drank from the flask.

"A world with very little magic, different than this one," he answered curtly. "This is not the world I came from, but I find myself here. It is of little importance now." I got the sense that he didn't really want to talk about it, hearing his beak snap at the conclusion of his answer. "What about you and your world? What was it like?" he asked in return.

"Same," I said, unwrapping the other half of a food bar I had saved from yesterday. "I lived outside a big city, all humans. Compared to this reality, it was really primitive."

The Tzaangor chuckled. "Did you live in a mud hut? By my observations, you cannot get much more primitive than this world." He tapped the base of his glaive against the broken road. Maybe he had indeed come from a more feral world that wasn't all that familiar with space travel?

"I think I have some interesting news for you, then," I said brightly. Alberich's feathers ruffled in interest as I watched him reach into his pack for a new improvised cloth bandage for his arm.

"Do go on," he encouraged, changing the wrappings on his wound.

"So, hear me out, and don't think I'm crazy. I'm pretty sure we're on a fringe planet of a huge human-controlled galactic empire."

Alberich nodded, his eyes bright with interest as he tied his bandages. "How do you know this? Did the body you wear hold these secrets?"

"No, I just know about it. See, this is wild, but this universe in my home world is just part of a series of tabletop games and stories. I thought it was all fiction, but I guess it isn't, because now, I'm in it. A lot of the things we are seeing are actually in stories I read, like that pylon we are walking to."

"Truly?" the Tzaangor intoned. He wasn't calling me bonkers just yet, so I continued as he listened with interest as we both ate.

I went into general detail about what I knew about the Warhammer 40k universe, about the Emperor of Mankind, the Horus Heresy, daemons, the four Chaos Gods. I went into more detail about Slaanesh and described the daemons we had fought last night, and the Warp rift they had come from. This sort of talk back home would make 99% of my friends glaze over and walk away from me, since it was exceedingly geeky, but at least Alberich here was interested. Not surprisingly, he was particularly interested in Tzeentch and his alignment when I started talking about him. I mentioned the Warp-nullifying pylons that existed on other planets, like this one, and how they use unknown alien technology to sever a local area from the Warp. I didn't go into the whole Wizard of Oz and Tzeentch "planning" all these circumstances because that was a whole other mess. That son of a bitch set this whole awful thing in motion for laughs, and I would find it difficult to explain just why that god was interested in me in particular, and how he expressed that interest. Being a point of fascination to such a fickle chaos entity felt incredibly dangerous.

"So, would this tower we go to, would it hurt someone with psychic powers?" my traveling companion asked me as he finished off the rest of his meal and straightened up again to continue our walk through the forest.

I stood up, placing my pack on my shoulders. "No, I don't think so. The pylons won't specifically hurt psykers, but they do sever the connection of magic to the real world. Daemons can't walk if those pylons are active. You remember that black dog we saw last night?" Alberich nodded. "That's Wolfie, and he's an astral hound, a Warp entity. He can only manifest here when the Warp is connected to the Materium, which is why he isn't here now. But, when the pylons are active, he isn't hurt; he just can't exist here. The nullifying pylon shuts them out, but it doesn't, like, actually hurt them. And since we are creatures of the Materium, having an area shut off from the Warp won't hurt us, no matter what our abilities." This was my best guess here.

"How did you make an ally out of such a beast?"

"Not sure. I have a feeling that he's a friend, if that makes sense. He looks a bit like a dog I used to have when I was a kid. In my mind, he's the ghost of the little black terrier I once owned, but I don't know if that's true."

Just then, there was a distant metal whine coming from ahead of us. Both of our heads turned, and Alberich was instantly on guard with his scary spear. "Did you hear that?" he asked me, his ears forward.

"Barely. What do you hear?"

A few moments passed as Alberich listened, turning his head. "Something metal. It makes a buzzing sound. I do not know what it is. It is ahead of us, very close. It travels south on the road, heading toward us."

Something that was metal? Could this be our Tin Man, or perhaps the messenger that was sent?

I took out my dagger again. Without my psyker rage, I still wasn't very confident that I could do much of anything. I remembered the Key, which still stood under my shirt, cold and unresponsive since the mass suicide at the settlement. I briefly wondered why the daemons wanted it so badly, but my distraction was diverted when ahead of me, I saw a flash of silver quickly approaching us from a darker part of the forest.

The small thing was struggling in the wind, it was easy enough to see. It looked almost like a bumbling fairy creature, dipping and diving as it buzzed with a mad beating of metal wings. Alberich held his glaive out threateningly, but this did nothing to dissuade the fey creature, who, as it buzzed closer, only seemed to be only a little bit bigger than my hand.

"A metal insect?" Alberich marveled as it flew near to him clumsily. The Tzaangor relaxed a little, and reached out with a hand as if to touch it. Deftly, the insect evaded him, and flew straight to me. It landed gracefully on my drawn dagger, fluttering its gossamer wings before settling.

In wonder, I was able to see that it was a mechanical praying mantis! It was beautifully crafted, and I marveled as I saw it adjust its grip on my blade with four slender legs. It had two spiny forearms that it kept tucked against itself, and a ruby-eyed head regarded me curiously with chittering metal mandibles. Two long antennae curved elegantly over its head, which it moved nervously as it watched me.

"Salutations to you, Traveler!" The squeaky voice that came from the little machine was comically high, like a cartoon chipmunk. "I shall briefly introduce myself, but we have little time for pleasantries. My name is Null, and I am the keeper of Adler tower. This drone you see and speak to is Jiminy, my trusty mechanical homunculus, a masterwork of spirit and technology. I speak through him using my genius!"

The bug bowed dramatically, sliding precariously on my dagger. I held out my left arm and let "Jiminy" perch there instead. The breeze was picking up, and I hoped we wouldn't get rained on.

"A kind thanks! There is a wind about today!"

Alberich was studying the drone, tilting his head and swiveling his ears again like a curious goat. "So you're the messenger that was sent?" he asked, finally relaxing his stance. He leaned on his glaive like a staff after stepping closer.

"You wished for something more substantial, no?" the metal beastie sassed back, crossing his two toothed front legs. "I assure you that I am larger and of a more intimidating appearance in person."

"Are you the one making the dead speak?" the Tzaangor questioned, walking adjacent to me to get a better look at the insect that clutched my forearm.

"I do not make the dead speak. I only have access to the technology in their bodies, and that speaks," Jiminy cheeped indignantly. "The people in this land, they live a hard life, so they come to me to facilitate their lives. Is that so wrong?" The mantis turned his head north, and pointed a sharp foreleg. "I answer more questions in depth when you arrive. You are 3.67 hours away on foot at your current pace if you begin walking in ten seconds. You are in danger. You must make haste. I can help. I can fill in the empty pages of your knowledge."

My curiosity was killing me, and I really needed to ask another question. I was beginning to worry that our Tin Man would be some kind of Necron. Tzeentch had a sick sense of humor, and I could actually see him sending me to Trazyn the Infinite for his own fun while lying to me the whole time. "One more question," I said as the drone tapped a claw in irritation. "Are you... a Necron?" I dared.

The mantis seemed upset at that, and pinched a little bit of my flesh to let me know. "The knowledge I hold of the Necrons dictates that they are a soulless un-species incapable of artistry and heart. I have a heart! Look at this metal drone and tell me that I am not an artist with a soul as wide as the horizon!" Jiminy raised his forelegs and unfurled his wings, appearing to show off his grand majesty. "I am insulted at the comparison! But, you are to be forgiven. Fleshlings often make illogical mistakes, such as standing around talking when you should be walking!"

"He's right," Alberich said, grabbing his pack and his weapon. "I don't want to face creatures from Hell for at least a few more hours." The Tzaangor stepped back out onto the road with a big stretch, and began walking again.

"You will need me as a guide as we get closer. As you approach the outer periphery of Adler tower, Jiminy here will be needed to deactivate some of the security measures I have in place. And no more questions! Questions deplete battery power! We must go!"

Jiminy fluttered his wings again, and crawled up onto my shoulder with squawk. His insect legs felt sharp through the fabric of my shirt. "Let's go!" he demanded, tapping my collar with a foreleg. Little guy probably wanted a ride after being blown around in the wind for miles. I fell in behind Alberich, and we continued on our merry way.

None of us wanted to fight more daemonettes, steeds, and other nasties.

"Rather demanding little insect, isn't he?" Alberich said ahead of me with a smile without turning around.

Jiminy scoffed. "My goal is to help you, you ridiculous fools. This doomed planet currently sits at the cusp of a fracture in realspace, so there is very little time for frivolous snark unless you enjoy swimming naked in the Immaterium. I'm cutting the remote feed from Jiminy now. Conserving power! Will reactivate when you are closer!" The drone sounded three tones, and then, a brief sound of static before it was silent. It remained clinging to my shoulder as we began walking once again, balancing himself like a natural insect would.

The last few sentences caused my blood to run cold. This planet was actually entirely doomed? Were the pylons keeping some big Warp problem in check, and now, they were completely failing? Would there be a new Eye of Terror blowing up the Ghoul Stars at any minute? Oh no... And here I was thinking we might almost be to the Emerald City part of the story.

I walked up past Alberich. We really did need to move quickly.

I sank into the chair, concentrating on lowering my heart rate. I began to experience a slight headache, and a few drips of blood fell from my nose. My hand found the Key again, and discovered that it had completely cooled.

"What in the...?" I began to say when the door to the kitchen burst open again and Null appeared, brandishing a green bottle.

"Here we are! A little bit of liquid courage and a celebratory toast in one draught! What a marvelous day it is!" Null walked excitedly to the table, carrying three short glasses. He began to pour a jade liquid into two of the glasses, leaving the third empty. To my right, I saw Jiminy buzz in through the doorway, and settle himself on the table across from me, his insect legs skittering a trail across the dusty surface of the tabletop.

"What's this?" I asked as I was offered a glass held in a metal clamp.

"Amasec. Do the games and books that tell our story in your universe speak of it? This one here is a very old vintage; it was in Virgil's personal items. He had saved this for when he would be proven correct, and now he has." Instead of sitting in a chair, the eccentric tech-priest seated himself directly on the dusty table. Comfortably sitting on a normal chair with all that crazy metal shit implanted in your back was probably not easy.

"He died in the eagle," I said, an image of Virgil's screaming astral form standing over that throne flashed behind my eyes again, and quickly, I drank the amasec. It was actually very similar to absinthe, but even sharper on the sinuses, which caused my bloody nose to get even worse. "This is good," I said, wincing from its harshness.

"Here now, you have a bleed," Null reached in to a pocket and handed me a grey rag that smelled suspiciously like turpentine. Not having much of a choice, I held my nose with it. "Your companion should be here momentarily. He has been called for."

"What happened down there, Null?"

"I think I know," the tech-priest answered as I saw Alberich walk through the door to the mess hall. He was wearing clothes similar to my Imperial military outfit, just like mine, even down to boots to fit his long legs. It was actually uncanny how well everything fit him, I thought muzzily as he approached the table. His outfit looked perfectly tailored.

Another unbidden image of Virgil screaming as he disintegrated flashed in my mind's eye, and I shuddered. Null was kind enough to top me off with more breakfast booze. I wished I had some ginger ale for this stuff, damn. The scent of turpentine from the rag certainly didn't help with the liquor's bouquet.

The Tzaangor walked to one of the empty wingback chairs, and sat down directly to my right. The tech-priest filled the third glass with a generous pour of amasec, offering it in one of his longer mechadendrites, which Alberich took in confusion. "Breakfast?" He asked, one feathery blue eyebrow raised.

"Just a little victory toast. I now have full confirmation that the greatest mystery is close to finally being solved! A little test with minimizing the output of the Warp-nullifying pylon network was all it took, and the Key immediately called to its origin! The white stone that Traveler Erika wears is the Key to the Divine Retribution! I wager now that we can now get inside the vessel!" Null clapped two of his metal hands like an excited schoolgirl.

"Why didn't you tell us you were doing this?" I angrily asked. So, that was why that Keeper of Secrets was able to snake inside my dreams, and why the Key was glowing, and why I saw a ghost! Null simply topped me off with more liquor. I looked down to the Key again, wrapping a hand around its cool surface.

The tech-priest's facial implants retracted from his mouth as sipped his drink. "I needed to know for certain. I am a true man of science. Words, dreams, and theories only go so far, but you were never in any danger. Well, maybe a little, but you're fine now, so whatever. Well, anyway, I have the ability to adjust the influence of the anti-Warp network of the blackstone pylons on this planet if I so choose. I usually keep it running at about 80% power to prevent any existential discomfort in the remaining population. When you arrived, I reduced it slightly further to allow for minor Warp influence. I did so early this morning. Nothing too harmful; daemons would still not be able to manifest. I needed to test my theory. And I was correct, praise the Omnissiah! The Key you wear is connected to the Divine Retribution, and even with only the slightest of Warp whispers allowed through, the Key will react to the ship's close proximity," Null explained, a satisfied tone in his buzzing voice. Jiminy fluttered up on Null's shoulder, and cheeped.

"Is this why I had nightmares?" Alberich quietly asked. I noticed that he had left his glaive back in his room.

"But, why didn't you warn us? What was all that I saw underground with the ghost?" I asked, still pinching my nose shut.

"If I had told you my plans, you may have used your psychic abilities in an attempt to deceive me into believing something that may not have been true. I would not be alive if I were not cautious. But now, I know with certainty, and I am satisfied with what I see. It aligns with everything I had expected, and what Virgil described. I'm convinced now that you are not some fraudulent witch sent by a Chaos cult or some secretive Inquisitorial operative sent to end me. I had to be sure. Seeing the artifact glow at your chest with the same energetic signature as the Divine Retribution was conclusive proof. Watching you venture down to the lower levels and meet an old friend of mine was simply a bonus. Tell me, what did you see?"

I began to flash back to the image of the familiar dark figure whispering in Virgil's ear, and shuddered again. I put back another shot. At least my heart rate was going down.

"I saw a something that looked like a golden ghost. He called himself Virgil, and he was so happy to see me, like I was expected. He did something that pulled me out of my body. He took me to where the eagle was, and together, we went inside. We weren't in there long. He said he needed to find the bridge of the ship, and we went to the eagle's head. There were three chairs on the bridge, one for each of the eagle's eyes, I think. The center chair was really complex, covered in wires and other things I couldn't really see."

I remembered hearing the voices that seemed to echo from the central seat, and shivered again. "Virgil... he disintegrated when he stood over that one center chair. He screamed and his body dissolved. That's all that I saw," I said, leaving out that I had seen a Chaos entity lurking down there. My nose had stopped bleeding, and I removed the now-bloody rag, which was snatched up by a mechadendrite. "Who was Virgil, Null?"

"Virgil, well..." Null sighed. "Virgil was the psyker that had been assigned to us. He was a talented young man, but had a habit of digging into things that he should have left alone, much like a certain Archmagos cursed with too much curiosity and far too little sense." The tech-priest looked up at us both, his eyes were now a deep blue. While I had never figured that tech-priests of Mars would be unemotional, Null was remarkably emotive with his body language and his animated eyes. I listened as he continued.

"En route to our assignment, Virgil confessed to me that he very much pushed for being assigned to us as our astropath, saying that his prescient psyker abilities had led him to Levant, and that a great discovery would be found there, something even greater than the blackstone towers. When he led us to the Retribution, his words were proven correct. I myself had been, well, doing some rather unique research into the nature of the multiverse resulting from some of my more dramatic assignments in the Halo Stars, many years previous. As Virgil and I spoke, we struck up a sort of scholarly friendship. Much of what he had seen in his visions I myself had seen in my studies, and he even admitted some heretical things to me, but I kept them secret. I implored him to keep his mouth shut. There was brief talk among my fellows of alerting the Inquisition, or even the Deathwatch, but having earnest Virgil and his wild intuition around was simply too valuable for us once the excavation began."

Alberich listened beside me, and opened a pocket in his jacket. He pulled out a paper-wrapped slice of dried meat, and began to eat as Null continued.

"I was actually the one that suggested fully projecting himself deep into the dig to see if we could find more information. We implanted a psychic catch device in his collar to pick up any images or sensations he would perceive. During his final projection, he died, but through his eyes, we were able to see inside the Divine Retribution, but we also witnessed something else."

Null appeared to pause and collect himself, lightly wringing his metal hands before beginning again. Alberich handed me a slice of dried meat which I took gratefully.

"What I did not tell you earlier was that through his memories, we had witnessed that he had seen a woman with a bright, but utterly alien soul. She had a bit of white in her braided hair, and it made her distinctive, recognizable. Around her neck, we saw a shape of holy power that shone like a bright star, but could not make out what it was exactly. Through Virgil's memories, we heard him refer to something called "The Key". He heard this "Key" calling to the eagle below. And the woman, well, my research and his visions had often told the stories of these strange bright ones, the alien Travelers that came from beyond our universe, wielding strange powers and knowing strange things. Their souls would sing a different song in the Warp that was unlike that of a normal human, and would appear very distinctive in witch sight. Virgil immediately proclaimed the woman to be the Traveler he had been dreaming of. He instantly knew it!"

Null held his head down, almost in shame. "He was right. Dear old Virgil was right! You were the one he saw. I understand now. Just before you arrived, a major disjunction occurred in the pylon network, and it shorted out. This was the second time the network had been damaged in one month, after perfect stability of over three hundred years! I could not believe my eyes when I witnessed through my telescope something that looked like Evanora but with a familiar bit of white hair. Through a special lens, I saw a similar aura of scalding white as she confronted the greater daemon in Alys. She was similar to the woman that Virgil had seen! After all these centuries, I needed to know. I used emergency power to jump the network's power, and I coaxed you here. Omnissiah forgive me for all I have done, but I needed to know that it wasn't all for nothing!" Null finished his drink, and Jiminy crawled down his shoulder to settle himself in one of the tech-priest's pockets in his red robe.

"It all makes sense as of this morning. Time has no relevance in the Warp, and once I had lessened the power of the network, the Key called to the Retribution, and you were able to flit away into the past, into Virgil's last adventure. You braided your hair before doing so. When I saw you fall after breaking into the locked lower levels, I immediately reengaged the network, and came to you. Foolish of me to think that any sort of technological boundary would stop you, since your kind can pierce the skin of reality itself." Null laughed grimly, and poured himself another drink.

"Your name isn't really Null, is it?" I asked.

There was a very tense pause as I saw the tech-priest grip his knees nervously, and bow his head.

"No," he said finally, and with sadness. "I was once Nemo, but because of my research, my actions, and what I have uncovered, the very root of who I am has changed, and now, I am Null."

"You are nothing," I heard the Tzaangor say beside me. "Null means nothing."

"Yes, yes it does," Null rattled off, slouching as he nursed his drink. "In fact, many languages, both archaic and contemporary. Shortly after Virgil died, I took the name after our exploratory fleet met with an very unfortunate accident while in the Warp on a supply run. A tragic loss. The person responsible for that, well, he should be forgotten."

"You..." Alberich straightened in his chair, wide eyed, his beak hanging open in an expression of shock at what the tech-priest had implied.

Null silenced any further questions. "We will not speak of such things, as the past is in the past and is no longer relevant. Now that I have confirmation on Erika's status as Traveler, we must get to work on leaving this cursed ground. I am very glad that Virgil met his end fulfilling his life's ambition, and gladder still that he died in the Retribution, and not in the Warp or as a gateway for daemons. I believe that the ship utilizes similar technology similar to the Golden Throne of Holy Terra to power itself, so his soul now fills a good purpose."

"The ship ate him?" I asked. Holy shit, I really had been in danger when I was with Virgil! I remembered all the hushed voices I had heard when looking at the throne.

Null didn't answer and stood up. "I promised you both a tour yesterday, and I will now fulfill that promise. The network resonates at a higher power now, and will not allow any sort of psyker phenomena, so we are more than safe to approach the Divine Retribution as she sleeps below. I have more bowls of nutrients to offer you both, specified to your metabolic nutritional needs and current activity level. Sir Alberich will require more than you, as he is still convalescing and should not be exerting himself."

About fifteen minutes later, two more bowls of gruel were brought to us by servitors in the mess hall. Null had rushed off on some unknown errand. I was a little tipsy from drinking the liquor earlier, so that at least was nice. Drugs and alcohol were really working out for me in this universe. Alberich ate in silence, his ears lowered and eyes thoughtful. Trying to change the mood, I observed how well he was dressed. It appeared that his clothes fit him perfectly, just like mine. His body wasn't quite human, but everything looked tailored to his form. He even had boots that fit his long calves. It was remarkable.

"You look nice," I said to him, finishing up my paste. "Feeling better from yesterday?"

The beastman placed a hand on his chest. "I feel better, thank you. I only experience a residual soreness."

"Its really impressive that Null found clothes that fit you like that," I observed, and I watched him smile at the complement.

"I do have to commend the metal man on his tailoring and cobbling. My morale is much improved by wearing a good uniform," he said, straightening his collar. Hearing his pointed German accent along with his Imperial military garb was a little unsettling. "And I should say that you are looking quite well in your own uniform. It suits you."

"I wonder how he got everything made so perfectly?" I wondered.

From down the hall, I heard Null answer as he walked back to us, raising his voice so he could be heard. "This planet is quite remote from the general Imperium, so we were sent a machine that could put together a uniform within a matter of hours if a set of specifications was inputted and the cloth was on hand. When Jiminy met you on the road, I was able to calculate both of your bodily measurements, so both of you could be well clothed and civilized when you arrived here. You were both rather filthy when you showed up, I must admit."

That was a little on the side of creepy, I thought. Alberich was finishing his second bowl when the erratic tech-priest appeared at the doorway once again. In one hand, he held two lanyards displaying metal cards with strange markings, and in the other, he held his staff. Jiminy sat on his shoulder, his little praying mantis legs clutching Null's red robe like a parrot. We stood up as he approached us, and we were each given a card to wear around our necks. "Here you go! Wear these so you don't get disintegrated or worse! Erika, I'm quite thankful that you didn't wander into any the areas with defensive turrets. My goodness, that would've been unfortunate. I request that you both leave any weapons behind as to not trip any threat sensors."

On our way, we both passed our rooms again in the hallway. I dropped off my dagger, and we were ready to go. It was actually a little strange walking around with Alberich without his glaive.

The three of us entered the same elevator I had taken before. After flashing some kind of holographic image from one of the palms of his many hands, Null pressed the button for the second floor. After descending smoothly, it stopped with a friendly "ding", and opened into what looked like some kind of engineering center with various lit computer terminals and mysterious machines droning. In the background, I could hear a very low hum coming from nowhere and everywhere at once. A grated metal floor and dark metal walls gave this location an unsafe feel, and will all the technology scattered everywhere, it reminded me of a mad scientist's laboratory. A servitor with two metal arms stood motionless against the far wall like a mannequin, his welded-on goggles black and featureless. Null walked confidently into the area, even humming a little tune to himself. As Alberich and I stepped off of the elevator, I saw four laser sights immediately train themselves on both of us, which vanished after an affirmative beeping noise was heard from somewhere. I didn't even see where those sights had come from! Null turned around after a few steps, seeing us both reluctant to follow after that. "Come on then, silly fleshlings! You would've been vaporized already if I had any worry that you were enemies!" he said as he beckoned us with his staff.

We followed the tech-priest as he turned to the left and walked quickly down the length of this cluttered area filled with various beeping machines and strange devices. After a minute, he came to a heavy metal door, barred and covered in what appeared to be complex locking mechanisms. "Alright, let's say hello to the old girl, shall we?" Null did something that caused all the locks to disengage at once, and the door swung open. A wave of cool damp air washed over me.

We were definitely underground again. The three of us were now walking through a broad curved tunnel of rock a few meters wide. Caged lights and lanterns guttered overhead as we approached, reaching down from the tall ceiling. No servitors walked this area, I noticed. The floor was smooth here, like a paved concrete. Humming merrily to himself, Null tapped his staff on the ground as he strode confidently ahead of us.

After about five minutes of brisk walking down this gently curving path, we came to a sudden bend, and ahead of us, Null stopped. He turned, and smiled at us with his eyes again.

"Every so often, I consider deleting the memory of this view from my mind so that I could experience the wonder of it all once again. How I envy you both! Come and see!" He waved us to hurry up and join him as he skittered ahead beyond my line of sight.

As Alberich and I rounded the corner, we were met with an incredible sight. While I had seen it in ghost form, and as a book illustration, nothing could prepare me for the full sight of the Divine Retribution in person. Flickering lights attached to rocky walls and metal floor lanterns burst to life ahead of us in the massive space, far wider than a football field and roughly dome-shaped, as far as I could see. I couldn't even make out how tall this space was. As the lanterns directly ahead of us ignited, they illuminated a mirrorlike section of a giant golden talon three times my height attached to the body of a colossal golden eagle standing over us, wings partially spread across the entire cavern. So far, I could only see the dim shape of a beak above the Divine Retribution's solid gold body. The lanterns were all still guttering on as we entered the space, but seeing this incredible construct stunned me into dumbness. It was absolutely amazing! The gold on the giant claw was highly reflective, and I could see my awed reflection in its flawless surface. Beside me, I heard Alberich whisper something that almost sounded like "Mein Gott", but I was too busy taking in the brilliant sight to pay attention to anything else.

"Divine Retribution!" Null sang out while still walking ahead, finally stopping between where the two giant eagle claws clutched the smooth ground. I could hear pride in the tech-priest's mechanical voice as it echoed in the vast underground chamber. He stood ahead with his back turned to us, leaning on his staff and gesturing upwards grandly with two left arms, observing as more and more of the golden ship revealed itself as all the lights flickered to life. "That's what she is. A worthy chariot for divine justice, crafted long ago in the Dark Age of Technology, or perhaps earlier. Fully entombed in earth until dear departed Virgil led us to this very spot. Omnissiah bless his memory for that! Cawl, Kelbor-Hal, eat your metal hearts out! I am the one who discovered and preserved this wonder of technology! This was my project! Me!" Null almost squealed in delight, and turned around to us again.

"And now, now, we have a Key for it!" Null dashed over to me, getting right in my personal space again. His scary whip mechadendrite appeared way too quickly and positioned itself over my chest, pointing only an inch away from the artifact.

"Woah hey!" I said, reflexively backing up. Alberich didn't even respond to Null dashing up as he was still taking in the sight of the ship, which was now well illuminated and reflecting golden light, giving the atmosphere a magical fairy tale feel.

Null laughed at my reaction, and retracted his metal whip. "You have no need to fear me, fleshling! I doubt I could remove the Key even if I tried! My research suggests that whatever the Key was, that it could not be separated from its owner. Even the death of its owner would not allow it to be taken. Now I understand why Evanora was never without it!"

"If Evanora had had the Key the whole time, how come she never tried to steal the Retribution and fly away? Did she know about this?" I asked Null as he backed off and turned upward again. Looking up, I could now see the three-eyed eagle's head that housed the bridge I had seen with Virgil, and the Retribution's vast wings half bent at the midpoint. The wings were very large, easily dwarfing a 747 in their span, and they were still bent! From here, I could also see that the wings also appeared to have stylized golden feathers, some of which tapered to razor thin contours at their leading edges. This was incredible!

The tech-priest offered a shrug in response. "Perhaps she was ignorant, and simply fancied it a magical trinket that she enjoyed? Barring any experiments, I kept the pylon network powered to suppress Warp energy when she was near, as I did not trust her heretical ways. So, even if she were to know of the Divine Retribution, she would not be able to fly it, as it seems to rely on Warp energy for at least some operations. Even so, I took note that when I adjusted the nullifying field to allow some magic from time to time, the Key never once glowed with her as it does for you, so perhaps it has Traveler-specific operations."

Alberich finally turned back to us, his head feathers were ruffled in excitement. "This eagle, you say it is a ship that can travel through space?"

"Certainly! And Warp-capable too! I'm not exactly certain how it shields itself, but I'm certain that once I'm inside, I can figure it out! There are many mysteries yet to be discovered, and soon, I will be able to study the interior of this construct and learn from it."

The Tzaangor walked near a giant golden talon, looking at his distorted reflection in the gold. He touched the surface with a hand, and turned around to face the tech-priest again. "How do we get inside? I see no entryway."

I wasn't surprised when Null's manic attention went right back on me. "We have a way in now," the tech-priest said happily, his eyes pink with cheer. "I do believe that I will need to lessen the Warp-suppression network by a certain percentage to enable an entryway to appear when the Key is brandished."

"Wait, hold on. I have a question. Does anyone actually know how to fly this thing?" I dared to question as I looked at the beak of the eagle hanging overhead. Everything was now brightly lit, and stunningly gold. Studying the ship again, I could now vaguely make out the corner of one of the three eyes on the eagle's head. Remembering my vision, the bridge had three important-looking chairs. Did it need three pilots, or maybe if it was like the Golden Throne, did they just need to stick a psyker in there and... Oh. Oh, no.

Tzeentch, sweetheart, I know you can't hear me right now but I'm sorry I complained about how I wasn't a primarch or something cool like that back when I was high on farmhouse drugs because seriously I can't sit on a fucking Golden Throne thing and fly a-

"You can fly it!" Null cheerfully replied, and Alberich's head swiveled to me. "It must be you since you have the Key and you are a psyker! I can only hope that you're strong enough to not get consumed by the ship!" The way the tech-priest said this was so surreally positive that I began to feel a sense of terrible dread. Virgil had died by even being close to that throne thing! I felt a panic attack coming on, and once again, the mercurial tech-priest was by my side.

I felt a mechadendrite pat my shoulder in a comforting motion. "Here!" He revealed that he had brought along the bottle of amasec from inside a deep pocket, and handed it to me. "Do not fear! Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration! I read that in a book once!"

I took the bottle and promptly drank about a third of the remaining liquid, not too worried about the taste anymore. Fuck my life.

After showing us the outer part of the Divine Retribution, Null brought us both back upstairs to another underground dome on the eighth floor. By then, I had become fairly drunk, and was giggling at how absurd my situation was.

Just a few days ago, I had been showing art in Newark, New Jersey until some asshole poisoned me, making me almost die and letting Tzeentch get his greedy tentacles on my soul, planting me in this terrifying universe that no fan fiction person ever wants to find themselves in.

The dome was very dimly lit from an unknown source, and about fifty meters in diameter. At its center was some kind of wide cylinder of an dark metal that didn't reflect any light that reached to about chest length. My echoing giggles were apparently inappropriate to the tech-priest in here, and as we approached the center of the space, Null abruptly turned around, his body language tense. I stopped giggling. This guy was moodier than a high school goth kid, damn.

"Look, I-I'm sorry but I have no idea how to fly that ship, Null," I said, shaking my head, still nervously and drunkenly laughing. "I'll sit down and it'll eat me like Virgil, yep. Hope you have a guidebook on how to fly these things, because I didn't read about any Golden Throne eagle ships in the lore anywhere."

"You seem to be intoxicated," he dryly stated to me, ignoring my alcohol-induced rambling. In the very dim light of this space, Null's eyes were illuminated with a violet light. The dim lighting and the silhouettes of his many mechadendrites made him somewhat look like a super villain from a comic movie.

"And you seem to be like Doctor Octopus with all that metal shit on you, you know that?" I said, and began laughing at my own unfunny observation. He didn't actually look like Doctor Octopus, and my observation was not funny.

"Who is this 'Doctor Octopus'? I do not recognize the name. A rival I should be aware of?"

I shook my head. He just wasn't getting it. I belched and started talking again. "Not unless he came here from his own universe, but maybe he did, so who knows? He's from Spiderman, but you guys wouldn't know about that stuff out here in the grim darkness of this future. I get it, man. Daemons, Tyranids, Inquisitors, it all just fucking sucks. No offense, but this universe really sucks. No fun allowed here, putting people on thrones and roasting them. You probably can't date the toaster you want because Mars said it wasn't kosher, blah blah blah."

Alberich was by my side, and he was suppressing a laugh with his funny German blue bird head. "Just a little too much alcohol. A good thing we did not attempt to fly the Divine Retribution a short time ago." I considered for a second that Alberich would probably be a huge hit back home in the furry community. Would he be classified as a furry or a feathery? Hmmm.

The tech-priest made an annoyed chuffing sound. "Well, you need to be sober for this, no matter who or what you are! This is important, Traveler!" Null scolded. So this jerk was getting mad at me for drinking the alcohol he gave me. Okay.

"Sure, just get me a Gatorade and slice of cheese from Ray's. Fixes me right up all the time," I said, suddenly craving a pizza again. I really did miss pizza.

Impossibly fast, one of the tech-priest's mechadendrites flashed outward, and struck me in the neck with a pinch. "Ouch! What the Hell?" I said. A warm sensation began to spread from where I was struck, and immediately, I felt the urge to vomit. I was able to get back to the passage we came from and puke all over the grated floor.

Alberich had rushed to my side, and I could hear him yell "What have you done?" in the direction of the tech-priest as I vomited amasec all over the place. It was over quickly, and I straightened up. I then discovered that I was now completely sober. I could see the Tzaangor snarling fiercely at the tech-priest.

"What did you do?" I asked, holding an angry Alberich by his arm so he wouldn't rush Null and get himself killed doing so.

"A simple injection that neutralizes common intoxicants. Always good to have on hand for when fleshlings are imbibing."

The fact that he had done this without asking me first upset me. "Null, if you want to work with people you can't just do things like randomly injecting someone with drugs without asking them for permission."

"You're well now, so that's what matters," he said curtly, turning back around and walking briskly toward the center of the room. "We need to move quickly unless you desire a new existence in the belly of a daemon, as this planet does not have much time left."

Alberich supported me with an arm, and we followed the tech-priest to the wide cylinder in the center of the room. No fun allowed, indeed.

Null was now standing next to the dark shape, and from here, I could see that it had a curved glass top and was about a meter wide. I could see from behind that it appeared to be typing something, or manipulating some kind of machine. As we came with a few steps of him, the tech-priest said, "Stay right there, I've almost..."

Suddenly, the dome room was filled with numerous holographic representations of stars, planets, nebulae, and various other stellar objects. Alberich backed up in fright away from the tech-priest, apparently not understanding any of this.

"Oh!" I said, reaching for a tiny map of a star system ahead of me, planets rotating and asteroids dipping in their orbits around their stars. Similar holograms were repeated all throughout the dark domed room, and I realized that we were looking a holographic star map. I watched Alberich try to grab what appeared to be a ringed planet in curiosity, only to see it pass right through his fingers.

"One moment, let me adjust this," Null said, and the view pulled backward until we were looking at a representation of the entire Milky Way! There were areas of red discoloring certain places like wounds, and one western area of the galaxy was almost completely covered in a red hologram. This domed room was apparently a sort of large three dimensional map of the galaxy.

"The Eye of Terror!" I said, amazed and frightened at the same time. "Look how big it is! And this space here, this is the Maelstrom, am I right?"

"Ah, to live in a universe where our terrors and tribulations are but mere stories and games, and to learn all about our Hell for entertainment. How I envy your past, Traveler," Null tutted. He did something with the machine that caused one area to the far upper right of the holographic map to magnify, which also revealed an index. I saw the name "Levant" briefly highlighted, and the map moved and adjusted itself until we were looking at a star with five planets circling in their orbits, each marked with a name. Levant and its star were both simply named "Levant". The other planets appeared to be small lifeless things, only depicted with a few pixels and very few notes. The planet we were on was the second from the sun, and didn't appear to have a moon. The hologram illustrated that this system also had at least a few highly elliptical comets or asteroids roping around the sun in very long orbits. What I didn't enjoy seeing was another swath of threatening red encroaching from the south, even appearing to cause one of the comets to circle through a faint part of it at its apogee. That probably wasn't good. I saw a word designating the red area as "Malefactus".

"This planet has been my home for a thousand years now, and as you can see from the encroaching influence of the Malefactus Warp rift, we do not have much time. In addition to this, I have stated before that Levant itself seems to be the center point of weakening of reality. It is probably why you are even able to be here, Erika. You were only able to come to this world due to this unique phenomena. Perhaps whoever built these blackstone pylons knew that this particular world would become part of a tear in time and space, and attempted to stop it. Fate does not barter with even the mightiest of us, I suppose."

"If reality is weak here, is it possible that I could just find a way to go back home on this world somewhere? If I got through, there has to be a way back." I questioned.

"If only it were that easy. The tidal forces surrounding this weak point are like a whirlpool, and are tearing reality asunder as time advances. The pylons keep the Warp energy enveloping it in check, but we are looking at the birth of another anomaly similar to the Hadex, only smaller, if you understand what that is. To put it simply for your less efficient, fleshy brains, if you managed to survive the shredding of all your atoms into eternity, you would have no choice on what reality you would be spat out in or at what time. Only with a stable Gate to the Deep Warp can you hope to make such a precise jump back to your own reality."

"Where are we going after this planet?" Alberich asked. "It sounds as if we sit upon a time bomb. Where can we flee?"

Null responded by expanding the map slightly, illustrating a few other points of interest. The red area bleeding from the Malefactus Warp rift still covered a lot of the space here. To the east southeast of Levant, a planet named Quilan was marked. As this world was highlighted, a number appeared between the two planets, noting "210.67 light years". The red area seemed to flee from this planet, as if it were protected. A strange symbol marked it, appearing like a triangle atop a staff broken with a few lines. Null pointed at it with a mechadendrite. "While Quilan is a pleasantly clean world and offers shelter from the Warp, we would not be welcome. It is an Exodite world of the Aeldari, and they were never too pleased when they saw our fleet in the local area."

"What are the Aeldari?" Alberich asked. Wow, Alberich really didn't have a handle on the greater galaxy, did he?

"Aliens. I'll tell you later," I responded to him as I saw Null adjust the map once again, pulling back.

The map was still filled with a terrible amount of shimmering holographic crimson. It appeared that going directly south or southwest was a bad idea, as it was completely engulfed in a sea of red. To the southwest, a dark planet named "Obsidian Reach" spun hatefully near the edge of the crimson bruise, 370.19 light years away from our present location. Its symbol was an eight pointed star, so I wasn't surprised when Null said, "No, not a nice place to visit. Daemon world. A place of eternal darkness carved out of solid black glass, where daemonic things dwell that see with sound and listen with emotion. In all this time, I have not seen any outward activity from that foul place, and it seems to be contained within itself. While our route brings us close, we will definitely not be stopping there. But, fear not! I have mapped a route for our escape."

Null paused, tapping his fingers nervously on the console, and expanded the view even further. Directly to the west, there was an area of mostly empty space 1500 light years long named "The Lost Path", and within it was a dot named "Kolch" which was labeled as being 1275.85 light years from us. The tech-priest zoomed in on this area, and we discovered that this world was labeled as "unclassified" but had a few notes that described it as mostly primeval forests and ancient ruins, but with no intelligent life remaining. It was the third planet from its sun, earth sized, and with two small moons. Seven planets orbited this star, each of differing size. I noticed that the notation had been edited by an "A. M. Ogun Nemo".

"This world here, it is beyond the reach of the new Warp rift opening in this location, assuming my calculations were correct. As you see, it is approximately 1276 light years away from here, an estimated in-Warp travel time of about 24 to 36 hours if the Retribution functions as I believe it does. We can stop there, and I can further examine the ship in peace without the danger of a rift blowing open next door. From there, we contemplate our next move."

With a motion of his hand, he traced a holographic route that was basically a straight shot west before jumping out of Warp just beyond the system's outer planets before hooking around the orbit of Kolch. When I traced back to our starting point, I noticed the chilling detail that indicated that we were to jump into Warp as soon as we were out of the atmosphere here, and not at a safe distance from the planet. From what I remembered from the lore, transiting to and from the Warp that close to a celestial body was dangerous, but apparently, this was the best way for us. The tech-priest wanted to get the hell out of here as quickly as possible, safety of the planet be damned. At least it didn't look like there were many points of interest between Levant and Kolch. Quilan was to our east, but that Obsidian Reach daemon planet was a dangerous 63 light years to the south of our route at its closest, but it appeared to be absolutely bathed in a mess of red Warp danger. I hoped that the bad weather will keep whatever evil monsters dwelling in that eldritch hellscape away from us.

I then remembered that we would be traveling through the fucking Warp, the place where time and direction have little meaning. I might not even have the benefit of the Astronomicon to orient myself, if I was even able to sense it at all. Normal psykers didn't fly ships; Chaos possessed crazy people, daemons, and Navigators fly ships through the Warp, and I'm none of those things! I'm just some joker from New Jersey! This whole thing was incredibly intimidating, I thought, my mouth going dry. I started to protest, "Listen, everyone, I really don't know how to fly the ship, let alone guide it through the Warp," I said nervously. "This looks great, but really, I have no idea how to work any machine spirit or anything like that. I'm not a Navigator. I only have two eyes."

"Let me assist in that aspect. Once we are inside, I will attempt to commune with the machine spirits within the Retribution, and facilitate our movement."

"I have a concern, and correct me if I'm wrong," Alberich began. "It appears that the vessel remains buried underground. How would we escape?"

Null turned away from the map and looked at us both again with smiling pink eyes. "Leave that to me! I've had a very long time to prepare for such an occasion. I will say that I am greatly looking forward to it! I have some fireworks planned for our departure!"

"So, what's the plan then?" I asked as the star map retracted again, displaying the sparkling hologram of the Milky Way. A window with our route from Levant to Kolch remained shining above us.

"The plan is this. We need to leave as soon as possible. The network is stabilized for now, but if any sort of random failure occurs again, it may fail for good. I will need to take care of a few essential preparations first, but after that, we can meet in the Retribution's cavern. I will then lower the network's strength until we see the Key respond, and cause an entryway to appear. Once we find our way inside, I will determine the lowest setting on the pylon network that will allow a launch. We should pray that it isn't under 30%. We launch, and we run into the Warp as quickly as we can, just out of atmosphere. I calculate with 75% certainty that the ship has enough residual stored fuel to make the trip, so we have good odds. The pylon network will die after I am not able to reinforce it at the end of the week, causing the rift to appear behind us while en route. Looking on the bright side, we might get a little bit of an immaterial tail wind from it as we flee."

Null weakly laughed at the end of his explanation, but I could obviously tell that this worried him too. 75% probability that we had enough gas on a ship that hasn't flown since before the damn Horus Heresy to outrun a Warp rift blowing open was pretty terrifying. Also scary was that everyone was assuming that I could play the part of space eagle navigator to do all of this. When I thought about this, I felt that we were 100% screwed. I wished that I was still drunk.

"Remember what I said about fear, Erika," Null said, powering down the star map and turning toward me. "I have faith that the Omnissiah has guided me true. I have devoted so many years toward protecting this artifact, this treasure, and I believe that I have been called to defend it on its journey. I want to see it fly, and I have faith that I will." There was a solemn note in his voice as he placed one of his right arms briefly on my shoulder. It was strangely touching.

"So," Alberich chimed in. "When do we start?"

"Now," Null said, his eyes flashing bright gold with determination. "We start now."

The three of us were in a tense mood when we followed Null back to the elevator. He had not explained what needed to immediately happen, so we just followed him instead as he wrung his hands. Once in the elevator, Alberich broke the silence.

"What do you need us to d-"

"Quiet, mutant! I am extrapolating probabilities!" Null said as he flashed a hologram again at the wall of the elevator as he pressed the button for the very top floor, the 19th.

Alberich and I exchanged nervous glances. I hoped that Null had a real plan here.

The elevator door opened to a wide area with a metal mesh floor which was somewhat exposed to the outside weather. A blast of cool, midmorning wind struck us. It was nice to get some fresh air.

We were now on a wide covered balcony that stood about three meters out, and five meters wide on either side of me. A metal railing that stood about chest height rimmed the area, and allowed for viewing the local landscape at a good height. Ahead, and slightly to the right, a irregular shape the size of a small car covered in a black tarp stood partially over the railing. Null stepped off the balcony, and once again, laser turrets fixed sights on my chest before shutting off. We followed Null again as he walked to the covered shape, his metal steps clanking in the open air. I looked up, and through gaps in the sheet metal roof, I realized that we were flush with the pylon and about ten stories up.

"99-Z, unveil the scope," the tech-priest said, standing aside the tarp.

Behind us, and previously unseen, another servitor walked into my field of view. This one was thinner than the others, and was once a woman. It contained a few thinner mechadendrites that snaked around its back, appearing more specialized for precision work. Just like all the others I had seen, this servitor had those familiar dark, welded on goggles. With a few appendages, it reached out, and unfurled the covering, revealing a complex machine that only vaguely suggested a telescope.

It was covered in tubes, wires, and antennae, all of which I saw slightly adjust themselves as Null walked to it. The tech-priest placed his face inside what seemed to be a viewfinder. The machine appeared very powerful, and resembled some kind of steampunk-y cannon, with gears, wires and mysterious crystals covering it. "Scope, fixate on location Alys Island," the tech-priest said. The telescope began to adjust with a whirring sound.

Alberich and I stood waiting for Null next to the railing. The weather was cool and sunny, and the breeze at this height was refreshing. I placed my hands on the dew covered surface of the welded metal. Looking out over the landscape, I could see the road where I had come from, crossing the rushing river outside of the walls of this site before vanishing into the forest. The road reappeared through the flat farmland before arcing up onto the prominence that housed the settlement of Alys, and Evanora's ruined manor. Standing above everything, I saw the tall statue of what was now called Am'Erika glinting gold in the sun. From this distance, it looked even more like the Statue of Liberty.

"Fuck," I muttered.

This really was awful, being designated a fun plaything by an extremely fickle and obscenely powerful Chaos God. Seriously, thanks for this whole thing, Tzeentch. He set all this up for fun. A daemonic Slaaneshi Statue of Liberty-looking colossus that had renamed itself Am'Erika that lives on what Null called Alys Island. And now it wanted to hunt me down and eat me. Great. Cutting through my ruminating self-pity, the Tzaangor beside me said, "I must not forget Valkyrie," quietly to himself.

"What's that?" I asked, keeping my voice low as we waiting for the tech-priest to tell us what he was doing.

"My spear. It is precious to me."

"As is the Divine Retribution to me, as is all the technology I study, " Null said, still looking through the telescope. "So," the tech-priest pulled away. "You may have wondered how I have such miraculous sight across the land, and even into auric emanations? Not only can I see through all implanted individuals in the region, but this scope, also crafted by my hand, has the ability to not only see up to seven hundred fifty kilometers away, but it also holds the ability to sense Warp-reactive phenomena which would be invisible otherwise! Just a degree or so off of reality. Nothing too harmful to sanity, of course!"

Null really liked showing off, I thought. "See anything dangerous out there?" I asked.

There was a tense pause. "Look through the scope."

I put my eyes up against the viewfinder, and found that I could see Evanora's ruined manor, and found it to be perfectly clear. This was about 90% cool and 10% creepy, I thought, witnessing just how much this tech-priest could survey the land while never leaving this site. "This is Evanora's manor. How do I adjust it?" I asked. Fingers of warm metal moved my right hand to a gear-like tool on the side of the apparatus, and my left hand to some kind of rolling sphere attached to its base.

"Turn the side wheel to focus, and move the ball for small locational adjustments. Now, focus it on the statue, and tell me what you see."

I adjusted the scope to the golden statue, and found her lower robed half. Readjusting, I pulled back until I could see the whole figure of Am'Erika. I could spy a few discolored corpses at her feet, and from here, I could now make out her face, which held a slight crack of amusement. In her right hand, held above her head, I could see that what I thought had been a torch was actually a sort of flaming sword. Huh, had I been wrong about what I had seen before?

"Anything look abnormal to you?" Null asked me as I looked.

I studied the profane golden statue. She still definitely looked like Statue of Liberty, but aside from the sneer she wore, and the flaming sword, everything looked as it did before. The colossus I had left at the settlement was as upsetting as ever, but now that I could clearly see her face...

Wait.

"The statue!" I cried out in recognition as I turned back to my companions. "It turned around! It was facing the other way when I left! I swear it was! It was facing south! I remember I spat at it right before leaving and it was facing away from me!"

At hearing that, Alberich rushed over to the scope. I stepped aside. After awkwardly placing his eyes against the viewfinder as well as he could considering his beak, I heard him gasp, "How could this be?"

"Perhaps Traveler Erika knows why," Null said. "I noticed it early this morning. It must have occurred during the outage two nights ago. The amount of Warp energy needed for that massive statue to physically turn around on its heel is monumental. This demonstrates the danger we are in." The tech-priests words betrayed a small amount of fear.

"I don't know how that happened," I said in shock. "Let me see again, Alberich."

Alberich moved away, and allowed me to look through the scope. He had focused it on her familiar, placidly cruel face. It looked like she was looking right at us, dead on. I shuddered as I came to a realization. "She's looking at me," I said, pulling away. "Amnaich, er-Am'Erika. She's looking at me. She promised me that she would hunt me down and eat me. She changed her name too. She came to me in a dream last night, promising to never stop hunting me."

No one said anything to contradict me, but Null nodded solemnly. "Amnaich the Golden has its vile desires set upon you, yes. I saw it promising destruction after you arrived."

"That's not just it. She, um-it, I don't know. She changed her name; she told me. That thing has pieces of my soul from a few days ago, so now she's calling herself 'Am'Erika' because of it."

Null's eyes brightened in surprise. "The daemon ate parts of your soul?"

I nodded. "Yeah, she tried to tear me away from my body!"

The tech-priest took a deep breath. "You should be thankful for your resilience that you still stand uncorrupted from that. I am impressed."

"Guess I didn't taste too good, huh?"

Null laughed at my gallows humor. "Your soul was probably too alien for it to instantly devour. And you say it changed its name? To Am'Erika?" The tech-priest laughed nervously again, and strangely, I could see that Alberich was also amused. He was shaking his head and suppressing a laugh. This wasn't funny. Well, maybe a little.

"My research into Travelers suggests that your foreign energy is probably like no other meal they have had, and to a Keeper of Secrets, you were an entirely new sensation for it to experience. It changed its name because likely, it is now obsessed with eating the rest of you, even to the point of adjusting its identity. This is a terribly unfortunate situation for you to be in, but I have faith that you can manage it."

"What does this mean for us?" Alberich asked, composing himself.

"All of this means that since a physical statue that large was able to transform on a whim, the weak point over Alys is quite dangerous, and that as soon as this daemon can, it will immediately hunt Traveler Erika down."

"So, on top of a rift forming, there's a greater daemon that will immediately come after me as soon as it can," I said.

Null nodded. "Yes, we must work quickly to depart from here," he confirmed again. "I will now show you what I intend to do. 99-Z, bring me the Icon of Revelation, access code 20-22-alpha-omega-phi." The lady servitor silently bowed, and walked to the elevator, pressing the button. It departed.

"So, it comes to an end. It is hard to believe I am actually here, at the end of this world, and the beginning of the new dawn," the tech-priest said, walking to us. "I do admit the danger of it is quite exciting! My circuits are quite hungry for the next chapter to begin."

Null walked to the railing, clutching the metal. "Directly opposite us on the other side of the pylon, 50 meters down underground, the Divine Retribution sleeps, but soon, she will escape."

"You're going to blow all that up, aren't you?" I asked, and saw Null's expressive animated eyes brighten in anticipation.

"Not just that, but yes," he answered earnestly. He then pointed in the direction of the front wall where we had come from. "The last obstacle is the river. If I were to use simple explosives, the rubble could conceivably damage the Retribution, and the water from the river could flood the site, making it very hard to retrieve. But I have a solution."

Behind me, I heard the elevator arrive. I witnessed the servitor gently offer Null a hand-sized cube covered in a fine red cloth covered in strange golden runes. The tech-priests eyes were shining gold as he took the object with careful metal fingers.

"Scope, fix coordinates on site Hephaestus," Null said as the placed the red box on an elaborate empty table adjacent to the telescope. "Look again, tell me what you see," the tech-priest said as he opened a drawer on the table, removing what appeared to be a stick of incense, and a small glass vial.

I looked in the viewfinder again, and saw that I was looking at a very tall white wall overlooking a flat plain of grasses and scrubland. I was confused, and looked again with my own eyes. This had to be very far away, since I couldn't make out any hint of this wall anywhere on the horizon. Null was busying himself with lighting the stick of incense, and placing it in a holder built into the table. I looked back into the viewfinder. The structure was very tall, with white walls that gleamed in the morning sun. The surface was convexly curved. Distantly, I saw sea birds flying about it, one with a fish in its beak. It dawned on me that I was probably looking at a very tall dam. I zoomed back outward, revealing that this structure had to be very long, as I could not see the end of it on either side.

The tech-priest resumed speaking, and I could now smell a spicy burning scent in the air. "In an effort to offer more arable farmland to the people of Levant, many millennia ago, the ancient settlers who came here constructed a dam to stop up the inland sea that used to be here. The effort was a great success, and as the land before us dried up, fertile grounds were revealed, perfectly flat and ready to produce food for all. I imagine the architect of the entire endeavor likely never lived to see the full fruits of his labor, but, it worked beautifully. This area all used to be a part of an expansive freshwater sea, dotted with islands that were simply too small for good farming. The great dam was renamed to White Water Ridge, and for thousands of years, it has stood intact. To earthquakes, storms, it stood as strong and as immovable as the Imperium itself. It stood tall until today, as the end of the world began."

I pulled away from the telescope, and saw that Null had uncovered the cube and placed it on the table. The cube had actually been a golden box, and he opened it. Inside was a panel covered in small switches of various colors, and a golden keypad. The tech-priest stood over it, placing a woodsy aromatic oil on the tips of his metal fingers, all while lowly chanting. He raised four of his metal arms, bent at the elbow, hand open in a gesture of offering.

"I give thanks to the technology of the ancients long past, and the spirits of the machine that enlighten us. I give thanks to those who have not yet come to be. I give thanks to the spirits of the great blackstone towers, their strength holding us since time immemorial. I give thanks to before, I give thanks to now, I give thanks to after. To the spirit of ignition, the strength and beauty of technological destruction, to this I give praise. May my actions light the way to a brighter future. I am Archmagos Ogun Nemo become Null, a vessel for your will, oh Omnissiah. Bless me now with your grace as I endeavor to do your just just and divine will!"

Null spread his arms and mechadendrites out in wide praise, and after a few moments. "Omnissiah be praised! And so thus, we witness the beginning of Levant's end!" the tech-priest called loudly into the area before a left arm reached out, entered a code into the keypad, and hit the top most red button.

Nothing happened, but Null turned back to us with his shining golden eyes, and walked to the telescope again. After a quick look, he pulled back, very obviously satisfied.

"What just happened?" Alberich asked. "I saw nothing."

"Look through the scope," Null said, smiling.

After awkwardly positioning his beak, he was able to put his eyes partially against the viewfinder. "Where is this? It is an area of water and smoke. Are we in any danger?"

"The dam was quite far away. I destroyed it. We are safe here. However, due to the topography of the land, the entirety of this area, from this site to Alys and all beyond, it will flood soon. A wall of water twenty meters high rushes the land."

"Why did you do that?" I asked. I went to look through the viewfinder of the telescope again, and saw that where the dam had been was now blasted area of billowing fiery smoke and rushing water. He blew the dam up! If there was anyone left living on the lowlands, they would all be killed!

Before I could protest, Null spoke up, "In order to raise the Divine Retribution, I needed to lower the river. We are in no danger, as the prominence we are on now is fifty meters at its lowest. The river will dry up when its source flees to the lower water below us. In addition, this begins the process of scattering the traces of technology here as to not allow any Dark Mechanicus hereteks to scavenge. If this world is claimed intact by Chaos and is not simply destroyed by the rift, I will leave them as little as I can."

Null enclosed the metal box again, and covered it with the red cloth. He handed it to the female servitor, who bowed in return. The tech-priest said, "Initiate stage two, 99-Z. Arm subterranean vortex grenades, authorization code 'alpha-omega-zeta-289'." The servitor bowed again, and reached into a hole below its rib cage, where it adjusted a mysterious dial that I couldn't quite see.

It dawned on me that Null was probably not someone you wanted to get on the wrong side of. He had sabotaged his own fleet, and now he was blowing up everything as to leave no trace of his passage and...

Wait, did he say, vortex grenades?

"I know what vortex grenades do!" I said in alarm as Null calmly motioned for us to follow him.

"You do? Then you know that there will be no rubble to trouble us!" the tech-priest said happily.

Alberich was looking very confused listening to Null and I nerd out, so I helped. "A vortex grenade opens a tiny vortex into the Warp that destroys everything it touches. No debris or bodies left behind."

"Correct, the fleet left behind some interesting weaponry, so I've put it to good use here."

"Aren't those things really dangerous and unpredictable?" I asked.

"Not if they've been researched and perfected by me! Come with me now. We go to the Retribution again. After almost ten thousand years, the Divine Retribution will once again be entered!"

I really wasn't looking forward to this, I thought as we walked back into the elevator.

After stopping at a floor directly below us, and inputting a complex series of numbers into a nondescript keypad attached to a wall in what looked like a server room, Null told us that it was alright to take our weapons and possessions from the ground floor. 99-Z came with us, and stood silent and still as a statue as it held the cube that contained the remote explosive triggers. Were we just going to leave right now? I wondered, nervously tracing the contours of my diamond dagger and adjusting my pack. I didn't like that no one was addressing the fact that I was not a Navigator and could not fly the ship! Once again, we stopped on the second floor, but this time, Null and 99-Z didn't get off the elevator, and told us to wait outside the Retribution. Alberich and I stepped into the menacing mad scientist laboratory area.

"I have to manually adjust the power to the pylon network from the first floor," Null informed us. "I will send 77-X with you, along with Jiminy. You are to do as I instruct. If my theories are correct, the ship will respond and an entryway will emerge after a certain lowered threshold is reached." Jiminy launched himself off of Null's shoulder, buzzing briefly until landing on my right shoulder again. The elevator doors closed, and I wondered which servitor he was referring to.

The sound of heavy metal steps advanced to us from the far corner of the room as the metal-armed servitor we had seen earlier approached us both. Unlike most of Null's helpers, this one looked like he was made for fighting, as it was bulky and even taller than Alberich.

"You follow us?" I asked the big servitor, looking up at his emotionless face. Dark goggles moved down to regard the Tzaangor and I.

"I obey," it said. The arms on this particular servitor were ropey, metal things with shiny metal muscles, and he resembled a body builder. This one was so big that he could conceivably get into a boxing match with a space marine and win. Alberich and I walked to the end of the room again, and were once again barred by the locked doorway. Jiminy fluttered ahead, and flashed some kind of hologram against the metal of the door, causing all of the locks to disengage before flying back to my shoulder.

Again, we walked down the long passageway, and again the lights flickered on as we passed. Finally, we came to the giant area where the Divine Retribution stood. The lights in this room flickered on once again, bathing the room in a warm, surreal golden radiance.

"Alright, we're here," I said, standing between the two giant gilded eagle talons.

I heard a static crackle from Jiminy on my shoulder. "I am at the power matrix for the network now. Stay positioned where you are. I will announce each percentage of the network as I lower its output. We are currently at 82%. If anything should happen, such as a mishap or a manifestation, 77-X is a combat servitor, and will defend you."

Alberich and I looked at each other, and I saw him ready his glaive. "I don't like this," he said, ears back and feathers ruffled.

We waited about a minute in silence, until hearing, "75% power, 100% of units responding," call from Jiminy's high pitched voice. Nothing felt any different, and soon after, we heard, "70% power, 100% of units responding."

"Units responding?" The Tzaangor wondered, his ears still back.

"I think he means all the other towers on the planet. He has control over the whole network," I responded. That was really honestly very impressive, I thought. Null really had control over the fate of all of Levant! This moody tech-priest was literally causing the end of the world, and he sounded excited about it.

"65% power, 95% of units responding. Power failure, South Pole." Right after this, I heard a rumbling from somewhere above, and it felt like the earth was trembling. "That was the inland sea flooding once again, tidal wave height 21 meters. Complete decimation of Harlow plane and surrounding areas. Mechanicus dig sites 1-29, 31-33 destroyed. All research stations at Harlow, destroyed. Seawall at Adler, holding. You need not worry, fleshlings!"

I did not listen and still worried. The ground around us trembled, and small pebbles were knocked loose above, clattering to either the ground, or the hull of the Retribution standing ahead of us.

"Status on your Key, Traveler Erika?" I heard Jiminy question me. I reached for it and held it with my hand.

"It isn't glowing, but it's warm," I responded.

Next to me, I saw Alberich closing his eyes while laying his head against the flat of his blade again. Before I could wonder about that, I heard Jiminy announce once again. "60% power, 95% of units responding, power fluctuations in towers Zeta, Ramses, and Firebough."

In my hand, I now noticed that the key had started to dimly fluoresce. "Null, its glowing! Look!" The tremors continued, and a larger rock fell from the ceiling, which was miraculously deflected from hitting Alberich on the head by a previously hidden telescopic mechadendrite on 77-X. Woah!

"Excellent!" Null said through Jiminy. "Walk toward the chest area of the Retribution, see if anything changes."

"We can't reach up there," Alberich protested. "The chest of the bird is too high up. We put ourselves in danger just by being here!" More rocks fell with a clatter.

"The quakes should stop soon. There is debris in the lahar. It needs to pass. Traveler Erika, go to the Divine Retribution."

With a nervous hand around the warm, glowing Key, I cautiously walked toward the golden eagle. To my right, Alberich held his glaive, ready for anything, and to my left, the monster servitor 77-X walked silently and calmly. At the point where I was right beneath its beak, I stopped. Nothing was happening. Once again I noticed Alberich laying his face on the glaive. Why was he doing that?

"Null, you need to lower it to 47%. The door won't appear over that percentage!" Alberich suddenly announced, certainty in his voice. Wait, what?

Jiminy turned toward the Tzaangor. "You know, I had my suspicions, and now this confirms it. We will deal with this matter later, mutant, but now there is no time," the metal mantis said, a note of disapproval in his high mechanical voice. No one said anything for a few moments, until suddenly, I began to feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and a chill pass over my body. The Key began to glow a little brighter. "50% power," a pause which felt bad. "75% of units responding. Power failure at Zeta, Ramses, Firebough, and Dorn's Nail."

That pause and the slight tremor in Null's voice through Jiminy gave me a bad feeling. 25% of the pylons were down. I took a breath to compose myself, holding the glowing Key and looking upward at the Divine Retribution. At least the quakes above had begun to settle.

"47% power, 75% of units responding," Jiminy announced, and I looked up at the bird towering over me. Maybe I had to tell it to open?

Knock knock. Open up, gold eagle ship! I yelled at it inside my mind. Maybe it needed a password?

Something incredible happened then. In amazement, we watched as the Divine Retribution's eagle head slowly turned, seemingly regarding us with one of its closed three eyes on its tilted head. It felt as if I was a squirrel about to be eaten. It was looking at us!

WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE TRAVELER? The words absolutely boomed like a thunderclap inside my mind, so much that I flinched. Beside me, I saw Alberich also stagger, gripping his head. The ship stood over me, waiting for an answer. I was too overwhelmed to even think of anything in the psychic shadow of this impossible golden ship.

Jiminy aggressively pinched me on my shoulder, snapping me out of my disorientation. "Traveler Erika! The phrase! The phrase I taught you! Say it!" It flew off of my shoulder, and into my face.

I... I... Oh god I forgot it again! For fuck's sake I can't... I can't fucking win! I began to lock up in panic. Another tremor began rocking the cavern, and then, suddenly everything froze.

Time had stopped.

I don't know how, and I didn't understand, but it did. The Divine Retribution stood above me, glowering for an answer, and the falling pebbles around us were frozen. Alberich's beak was open in mid-shout and the servitor's mechadendrite was extended in protection. Jiminy was frozen mid-flap, hanging motionless in the air.

"Hello," I heard an unfamiliar voice male behind me. I turned around, feeling strangely calm. It was a flickering golden ghost, a man I had not seen before with shaggy dark hair about my height. He glided over to me. "I've heard about you."

"Who are you?" I asked the stranger.

He smiled. "I am an echo of something that was, a very long time ago. I am now here. I always wanted to see and know, and now I do," the man said cryptically, his grin falling just a little bit.

"Are you the Divine Retribution?" I asked him.

"I might be. Or maybe not. Names are very subjective. The roles we play through the cycles of time change, but the souls fade and remain. For you, perhaps maybe I am in this moment, but I remain an echo."

I had a feeling that somehow I could trust this strange shining spirit. I held my glowing Key, and asked him. "How do I get inside the ship? I have to leave this planet! I need to see the Wizard of Molech!"

"As to be expected, yes, you do," the man nodded. "What is your goal, Traveler? Your purpose?" he asked me.

"To go home," I answered immediately.

"No, no. Your real purpose," he asked, gliding around me. Everything else remained frozen.

"But, that's what I want! I want to get home!"

"You have another force that burns within you. The primal motivator that drives you forward. The people who stole from you, those who tried to murder you. Tell me your motivation."

I took a deep breath, not even caring that he somehow knew this stuff.

"Justice, retribution," I admitted. "I... in another reality, I'm dying. Someone tried to murder me. I want justice for that. I don't want the bad guys to win."

"That's right. Good answer," the ghost looked up at the eagle. "The last pilot had a similar motivation," he sighed sadly before looking back to me. I could now see that this ghost was beginning to dissipate, just as Virgil did inside the Retribution. Floating over to me, he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Do good, alright?" he said to me, almost in a fatherly tone. I nodded. "Find your justice, your retribution, but help them if you can along the way. Many of them don't understand. Forgive them." I didn't know exactly what he was referring to, but I felt myself begin to tear up regardless. "You'll be alright, just as the thousands who came before and will come after. My words will open the way. Allow me into your flesh, so that I may say them."

Without even thinking, I accepted, and he went to embrace me, the sad smile never leaving his face. I felt the defenses of my mind fall as the phantom jumped into my body.

Time started again in this loud terrifying space, but now, I knew no fear. I looked up at the Divine Retribution, and holding the Key, I felt myself shout, "Sic itur ad astra. Sit nomen viator benedictum!"

The presence inside of me said Do what you will, and I felt it depart with a contented sigh. I was rewarded with seeing the form of the Divine Retribution begin to kneel down. As it lowered itself, a door pulled itself open from its suddenly malleable golden hull. A gangway also appeared. As this was happening, I dimly heard Jiminy call out, "47% power, power failure on multiple towers, 70%!" There was a note of fear in Jiminy's tiny voice. A falling pebble struck one of his wings, and he struggled to stay airborne. The quake was beginning to subside again.

"Come on," I said, now feeling determined. I walked up the gangway, and entered the ship. Jiminy bumbled behind me like a drunken bumblebee. I heard footsteps behind me, and an image in my head of Alberich and the servitor flashed. I guessed that was just a random psyker moment.

As if the ship wasn't majestic enough on the outside, the interior of the vessel was gold embellished with brass and silver in finely articulated irregular plates that made up the floors and walls. I was walking in an interior passage about two meters wide with an arced ceiling. A runner of small white lights lined each side of the passage, leading us further into the ship. It was less mirrored than the outside, with a dull buff over every surface. The light was dim, but we could see. The ship probably wasn't completely "on" yet, I concluded. Adding to the light, my Key glowed warmly, reflecting across the metal surface of the interior walls. Jiminy buzzed ahead of me, turned around, and once again, fluttered on my shoulder, resting himself. "Incredible, incredible! I cannot wait to see it with my own vision!" Behind me, I heard Alberich and 77-X walking inside.

"Power stabilized at 45%. It would probably be unwise to stay too long at this low a level here! Six towers have died in the network, but this one is still up!"

"Where to now?" After a few paces in, we were currently standing in a wide round metal room. To our left and right, there were two passages, and another corridor directly ahead of us. Orienting myself, I figured that the bridge of the ship, the head, would be behind and slightly above us somehow. I walked further into the round room, and turned around. I was rewarded with the sight of two narrow staircases built aside the passage we had come from.

"To the bridge!" Jiminy said, rapidly buzzing up one of the narrow staircases. Of course Null was happy about all of this. He wasn't the one everyone was expecting to sit on a golden throne. I didn't move for a few moments, collecting myself.

Alberich made his way into the ship. "This is indeed incredible, as the insect says," he remarked to me. He massaged a temple with his free hand, while holding his glaive with the other. I didn't immediately say anything, and looked at Alberich's blade.

"Valkyrie," I remarked, looking at it. The shadows and light reflecting off of his weapon were very dramatic, and made it almost look like some kind of a creature was watching me. Without moving, I swear I saw the reflective shadows shift and dance. I turned away.

"You named that glaive?" I asked, beginning to walk up the left staircase with Alberich. 77-X slowly fell in behind us. That thing was an absolute tank. If Null decided to kill the beastman right now for owning that weapon, he would have no problem doing so.

Alberich took a little bit too long to answer my question before saying "No."

"It named itself, didn't it?"

"Yes."

We both continued climbing up the long flight of stairs. I busied myself with wondering how flexible the neck of this ship was to keep myself from thinking that Alberich possessed a Chaos-blessed weapon, or maybe even one with a daemon. "Talk about it later, not now," I said, concentrating on walking ahead.

"Agreed," he plainly said.

"Come, come here!" Jiminy called out to us from above as we climbed.

After some climbing, we came to a landing area that was split into three other passageways, each leading up. This ship was decidedly large on the inside, with each passage big enough for two men to easily walk side by side, I thought, continuing onward on the central staircase. We were definitely the neck portion of the ship, I thought.

"The bridge! It is here!" I heard Jiminy loudly proclaiming ahead. The passage once again met a landing, and ahead of us, a large opening with a pointed arch yawned before us. A dim room awaited ahead. Behind me, I heard Alberich and 77-X as they climbed.

This was where the Golden Throne thing was, I thought with a shudder. I knew it was in here before I even saw it, and as I crossed the threshold of the opening, a shiver washed through my body.

The air in here felt strange, almost electrified. An ephemeral sense of metaphysical danger hung around this area. Ahead of me, I saw Jiminy fluttering in the air, hovering over something. As I walked further in, the glow from my Key offered brighter illumination.

My breath caught as I saw what I expected to see. The three chairs, each facing a large curved aperture in the shape of a pinched ellipse. Each aperture appeared shut from here, and each corresponded where an eye would be on the ship. Jiminy fluttered in front of the central eye, which was slightly bent over us conforming to the shape of the eagle's head. Across from the central eye lay the dreaded throne that I had witnessed devour Virgil.

"This is something that only a few people have ever seen, archaeotech such as this," Jiminy remarked, still hovering. "The one on Terra is bigger, of course, much more substantial. It powers the Astronomicon with its holy strength, extending across the galaxy to guide humanity."

With great trepidation, I walked further into the room. I couldn't get the image of Virgil's screaming disintegration out of my head. Slowly, I walked around to the front of the throne, where Jiminy buzzed in midair. The center chair was as I had seen it before in my vision. It was slightly elevated, and covered in mysterious machinery, wires, and strange dark crystals. Of course, it was gold, and as I got closer, I swore it began to shimmer with its own light. It almost looked as if it had grown organically into its shape, there were so many twisting cables and unknowable seals and symbols woven within. The more I looked at it, the more dangerous it seemed.

"Now what?" I dared to ask. Another slight tremor shook us, and Jiminy's attention turned back to us.

"Now you sit down," the metal mantis said simply, indicating the throne with one of his bladed foreclaws. He flew back to me, and sat on my shoulder.

I saw Alberich and 77-X enter the bridge, walking to where I stood having an existential crisis. "The ship feels asleep, like a living animal," the Tzaangor remarked poetically.

"She is, in a way, alive. She simply needs to be properly woken," Jiminy said, still on my shoulder. "After all this time, you're here, Traveler. Here you are. I can't help but be excited! And they wanted to dissect this wonder like a grox for dinner! Fools! They didn't even know what they had found!" The metal insect began to laugh, but then abruptly stopped. A feeling of dread washed over me.

"What is it?" I asked Jiminy.

"One moment, I-"

Another tremor struck us. It must really be crazy upstairs with that flood.

"Power fluctuation, Adler Tower," he said, a nervous warble in his voice. "That's us. I'm attempting to compensate by pulling power from the remaining units. Erika, sit in the chair."

"W-what? Just like that? But it killed Virgil! He died screaming! The ship ate him! I know what the Golden Throne of Terra does to psykers!"

"What other options do we have? The mutant cannot sit on the throne, and you're the one with the Key to the ship. I calculate with a 68% probability it will not immediately kill you because you hold that artifact, so have faith."

Another tremor, and this one felt close. No one spoke. Distantly, from the cavern, I could hear the sound of an alarm.

"What is that?"

Jiminy didn't answer, and another quake struck us. "Either that you give yourself a chance of survival by guiding us out of here, or, we all die in the coming Warp rift less than a hundred kilometers away, Traveler. Please tell me that you didn't come to our dimension to simply disappoint us all by immediately dying."

"Erika," Alberich said, almost inaudible. "I am sorry. I do not want to die. Not again. If you can save us, save us."

"Yes, save us," Jiminy said, almost pleadingly. "Listen, if you need a boost in your abilities in order to have more confidence, allow me inject you with something that will boost your strength. I have one dose here, with Jiminy. I cannot promise a miracle, but it will bring your chance of survival up to 72%"

Everyone was looking at me as I tried to muster enough courage to sit on something that could devour my soul like a Dorito. Well, I conceded to myself that drugs and alcohol were working out for me in this universe so far.

"Liquid courage, I hope," I said, steeling myself. I held out my left arm, and pulled up my shirt sleeve. Once again, I felt a sting in my neck. Fucking hell! I gave him a choice this time, injecting me in the neck was-

Wait, what? I began to feel dizzy, and stumbled. Behind me, I felt metal arms catch me as I fell. "What was... in that?"

"A mixture of a quick metabolizing tranquilizer and a drug called 'Spook', a psychoactive enhancer," Jiminy said, jumping off my shoulder and flying into the air again. The world was greying out as I felt another tremor, fading to shadows. "77-X, put her on the throne. And so the wheel of fate turns again. Omnissiah, help us," the metal insect sadly intoned to me. The last thing I felt before falling unconscious was the sense of cold metal arms lifting me before placing me on a hot surface that sang of pain.

"Tailsn, come ben now!" I heard the heavily accented voice of a scolding mother right before I felt the sun on my face, and the wind in my hair.

I felt as if I was waking from a long, pleasant dream. I was warm and comfortable, and as my senses came back to me, I realized I was sitting in a tall tree with bluish leaves and lazily drifting vines. I was looking down at a young girl of about six with long brown hair wearing a rough canvas dress. She was smiling up at me.

"How come urr ye bein' sae pernicketie?" the mother asked, exasperated.

"Juist a bawherr mair time, mama!" the little girl protested. Their accents were extremely thick, almost like Scottish, but as I listened to them speak, I felt something change, and I could understand them perfectly. "The Sun Lady is back!" she shouted.

"Her and her imaginary friends, I do so worry about her," the woman said with genuine concern. I turned toward the other voice, and saw a man and a woman standing in a doorway of a familiar farmhouse. The weather-beaten farmer's expression shone of a life that was both filled with toil and happiness. He was shaking his head with a smile next to a sturdy woman with flushed cheeks and hair bound in a scarf.

"Let her have her fun, Serene. This is the first time in two weeks we've had good weather," the farmer said with a smile to the frustrated woman standing next to him. "The Alysians won't come by for another week yet for their take. Let her have her fun when she can."

The broad smile only made the man's lined face kinder. "Kitten, you shouldn't be disobeying your mother," he said with warmth, shaking his head. I spied a boy a few years younger than the girl peer out from behind Serene's long apron. It looked like he was eating a fruit. He glanced up at me, and looked away before going back inside the house. I wasn't sure if he had seen me or not.

"I won't go far, promise. I want to talk to the Sun Lady!"

"Alright kitten, just a little bit longer. But you must come when called when supper is ready, you understand young lady?"

"Yes papa!"

With that, the farmer walked back inside, leaving the front door open. The smiling girl turned back up to me. What a pleasant day this was, I thought, swinging my legs in the tree. This felt like a little slice of heaven.

"Mama and papa think you are imaginary, but I can see you!"

"You can?" I asked from my perch.

"Yes! I'm smart! Mama and papa tell me I'm a side kick!"

"I think they meant 'psychic'," I said, smiling down at her. Without climbing down, I felt myself standing next to her. She reached for my hand, and when I went to hold it, I noticed that my body was insubstantial.

She motioned for me to kneel down to her height. "Psst, I've got a secret!" she said.

I leaned down, and she whispered in my ear, "I found buried treasure! Mama would be cross with me if she knew I was digging in dirt again. Come and see!" The little girl turned around, and began leading me through the grass.

We passed a familiar-seeming well on our right as I followed her behind the farmhouse. I looked at it, and distantly, a part of me wondered where I had seen it before.

Reality flickered, and we were standing over a small hole dug in the dirt next to a crop of what appeared to be cabbages. A ring of nine crudely sewn dolls stood around it, and deep within, a blue box sat, miraculously spotless. "It's magic!" the girl announced. "The Smiling Man told me it was here. The Smiling Man likes the number nine, and I'm learning my numbers from papa. Look, I made the right number of watchers, just like he said!"

"The Smiling Man?" I asked her.

"Mm hmm," she nodded, and reached into the hole, her hands picking up the box. "He smiles a lot, and we talk when I'm sad. The Smiling Man fights against the Wicked Witch, the Angry Man, and the Green Man. He lives in a blue maze with all his friends. He said this was for you!"

Tailsn offered me the blue container, and I took it from her. It was about the size of a shoe box. Inside, I saw a pair of silver scissors. Strange runes danced around and through the metal, swimming almost like fish. Where had I seen this before?

As I studied the peculiar scissors, reality flickered again. I found myself standing over something that resembled a huge black crab, absolutely covered in spines and armor. In the hand that I had been holding the scissors, I instead held a black length of hair. It was damp, and the scent of blood, electricity, and oil hung in the air. How odd, I thought, examining the hair. At one end, I discovered a piece of bloody flesh. It was still warm. I was cognizant that there were loud explosions and screaming all around me, but I remained unharmed and strangely calm.

"Kill it, KILL IT!" I heard the voices of angry men around me. Why were they so upset with me?

I held up my other hand as they began to shoot at me again. "No," I calmly said. All the projectiles stopped. I saw a giant in black bulky armor madly charge at me. He wore a necklace of skulls, and his head was hidden by a bloodied horned mask. Behind the mask, I knew that he was still the frightened boy that only knew his father's beatings thousands of years ago on Cthonia, and his suffering had curdled him into what he was now. He held a chainaxe that roared as galloped forward like a maddened bull. The pain and hate within him was repulsive. This man, if he could even be called a man anymore, was hate made flesh. He wanted to maim, tear, and kill. I didn't like it when people tried to kill me, I remembered. "Stop," I said. Both of his hearts turned to molten lead as he struck an invisible barrier. Before he could even hit the ground, I turned his bones into powder. He fell to the floor, dead at my feet. As his soul fled his body, I plucked it like an apple on a tree, and ate it. He screamed in terror as he was broken down and digested, his energy fleeing to the Key. It left a sour taste on my tongue. Around me, I felt numerous giant bodies belonging to similar former men that were also filled with hate and pain. I looked up at them, and I smiled. They recoiled in maddened awe, actually hesitant on what to do next. Before I could further appreciate this, things changed again.

"-and your surname is Romanov? How fate ties us together!" The stranger with the dark scraggly beard and long hair said to me in the empty parlor. He sounded absolutely delighted. My attention was brought to a dart that hung motionless in the air, its point aimed toward me a few paces away. I somehow knew it contained a deadly poison, but something had frozen it in mid-flight. "It was foolish of them to try that. Like poison would stop you. Let me fix that. I'm no stranger to people trying to kill me, and I believe you aren't either, but dying is always uncomfortable." The dart fell to the ground with a motion of his long fingers. "Foolish to think that they could stop the will of God with something as simple as poison, the weapon of cowards!" The ragged man smiled widely, and his penetrating blue eyes did not smile with him. "Allow me to introduce myself, fellow wanderer, I am-"

Before the stranger could tell me his name, the scene burned away, and I found myself in a place that didn't exist, with colors I had never seen before.

I saw four shadows standing around me, one of which was clapping his hands in joyous applause. Their features shifted and bent continuously, and I couldn't get a good look at who they were. The clapping man appeared very happy. "What a banquet! The glory of hope! The spice of ambition! The raw power of change! A feast of pure chaos!" the smiling man in the dark suit cheered.

And then, instantly, somewhere else. It was as if reality was skipping like a scratched record. "-and in the chaos of it all, I forgot my brothers," said the injured young space marine laying on the table. I was standing over him, alone in some kind of medical area. He was speaking to me, telling me parts of his story. "I forgot that even against the foulest of beasts, that I was to be fearless. There was no excuse. What I did was cowardly, and my life now shall forever be in penance of that." I stood over the man, stripped of his armor and dignity. I didn't know what to say, but I did feel sorry for him, I knew that much. "Whatever I am now, I am still a Dark Angel, and I should still have my Lion's pride, even if I should repent for the rest of my days."

I was with the little girl again at the farmhouse. She was crying in a dark bedroom, seated on a twin bed. "Sun Lady, please help me," she said to me. I was holding her hand. Her misery was palpable, and it caused my heart to hurt. Her name was Tailsn, and she was now seven years old. I knew she loved playing in the forest with her brother, and helping her mother on the farm. She believed in angels, I realized, and she knew beyond all certainty that I was one. No one believed her, since grownups just didn't understand, so now, she kept the angels a secret. She knew that the Sun Lady would take her away one day. She knew things that others didn't, and sometimes, it scared her. Her knowing was as strong as the earth beneath her, and stronger than the metal the tin man put in her family. I held Tailsn's small hand as she cried. "Don't worry, I won't tell them you're here. Mama will get mad. The Tin Man came again. He wants me to go and live with him in his tower. I don't want to go with him. Please don't let him take me!" I saw her brother asleep in another bed in the room, blissfully unaware.

I listened, and I could hear the sounds of an argument. "They'll be back, you know. The Alysians. They're taking everything! The fields are barren, and we cannot offer them anything else! And don't think they'll be satisfied with just Tailsn. They will come and take Bran too! We should take the Watcher's offer. This is the only way! The Watcher in the Tower has technology that can help them both, and make sure they survive. He has always looked after us. He cured Tailsn's fever last year."

"I have a bad feeling about this. I know he's good, but my gut just says-"

"What choice do we have? We send them both away to Adler, and-"

"Has anyone ever come back from Adler recently? Anyone at all? I feel like a storm is coming. Is the Watcher really who he says he is?"

"Its either that, or the Alys cult comes for them both, and no one ever comes back from Alys. We're one of the last families here. And we know that the cult is foul! You should know that of all people."

"I want to be safe," the little girl said to me, crying as silently as she could. "I want to stay with my family. They won't stop trying to take things. Sun Lady, can you help us? I think mama and papa got in trouble. The Smiling Man said you have wings that could fly away from here. Please take us all away! Please!"

A mess of scrambled images, all a mess of pain and loss.

"Sun Lady?" I heard Tailsn's voice in the darkness. "Are you there, Sun Lady?" She sounded very tired, and her voice was hoarse, like she had been screaming.

There was someone else in this room. It was so dark and oppressive here that I couldn't really make out what was going on.

"Oh, this is bad. Bad, bad. Beta subject 11 sees the Sun Lady entity," I heard a familiar metal voice tut to himself. I heard some buzzing and humming sounds, and the little girl moaned out a sound of choked pain in a voice too tired to scream anymore. "Power fluctuation, Adler Tower..." I managed to hear the voice say.

"Sun Lady, you're here. I knew you'd come for me. I knew it. Mama and papa and Bran will be happy," Tailsn cried. She was so weak and tired.

"Not enough residual fuel in the Retribution, can't take off. Very bad. Very, very bad." Distantly, I could hear the sound of an alarm sounding.

Power fluctuation, multiple units. Warning, grid instability.

"Sun Lady? Will you take me away like you promised? I think the Smiling Man lied to me. I think the Smiling Man and his family, they're bad."

I pushed and tried to see where Tailsn was in this darkness. The more I pushed, the louder the alarms became. I could now see a tiny shape curled inside an ovoid pod, wicked wires and painful things implanted deep inside her skin. I was floating over her, and she looked at me. I could see her smile weakly.

There was a dark shape in here, and I could tell he was frantically trying to fix something. There were two other figures that slumbered in their strange coffins, wires wrapped around necks, tubes inside of yawning throats.

Another skip of reality, and found myself floating over another completely different dark shape. This one also fussed over another tall black tower. Instinctively, I knew this was somewhere else, somewhere very far away. He was talking with something that was soulless, dead. They spoke of the planet being in trouble, or at least, that was the sentiment they expressed. I looked skyward, and saw long bands of unnatural colors scarring the smoky sky. It hurt to look at, so I turned away.

I found myself floating over Tailsn again. The girl was so tired. "Think, think, think," I heard the figure say as it paced about the dark room. He was very nervous. I saw as he stepped toward the two other coffins, one containing a boy, and the other, a middle aged woman. "Two Iotas do not equal a Beta, but I have little choice! Transferring power draw to the remaining Iotas will not last so long, but a low Beta is enough to jump the ship certainly, yes, yes."

"Sun Lady?" The little girl whispered, looking above at me, like she could see me. I wanted to hold her hand. I just wanted to tell her it would be okay.

"99-Z, initiate emergency transfer of network energy source. Transfer network reliance to Iota subjects 181 and 182. Duration, terminal. Omnissiah, I pray this works."

A rush of energy filled my being, and the alarms around me grew ever louder. I saw three other dark shapes standing in the room with me, their souls burned away and dead. They were carrying things.

"Come on, come on..."

Power fluctuation, Adler Tower. Dimensional instability detected, Omega level threat, location-

"-Alys, yes I know, I know."

The dark shape hustled to Tailsn, who still looked up to me with tears in her unblinking eyes. "Mama never believed you would save us. I always knew. I always did."

With shadowy hands, I saw the shape remove each attachment to her body, and cradle her like a broken doll. "I'm coming, mama. I-"

"Hush, hush," the dark shape said. "Designated units for scenario Alpha-Omega, report to the Divine Retribution. Follow my signal!"

Power level 35%, falling. Warning! Warning! Insufficient local energy input. Multiple unit failures. Structural collapse of Sengue Tower, floodwater. Estimating time to total power failure of blackstone pylon network.

I floated over Tailsn as she watched me in the arms of the dark figure. Her little hand reached out to me, but whoever held her did not notice me as I floated. A line of other figures also followed behind him, all converging on one place. I could feel the taste of desperation in the air.

I found myself above Tailsn as the figure carrying her climbed a flight of bright shining stairs, with others following him close behind. Floating above her, I held her tiny hand. She was so happy to see me. Right before he rushed through the open gate of this heavenly place, he shouted behind him, "99-Z, activate vortex grenades!"

Estimated time to total power failure, nineteen minutes.

I felt myself dragged painfully back into reality as some sort of terrible explosion happened above me. I was sitting on something that both sparkled and screamed in my mind's eye. I realized I was crying. "Tailsn," I weakly said. At my feet, I could hear something barking, like a dog.

"You're still alive!" A familiar voice with a strange accent said. "Erika, can you hear me?"

"He's going to plug her into the ship," I groaned, trying to force my eyes open. I had to save Tailsn!

"You're already plugged into the ship! Can you operate it?"

"Tailsn, he's going to..."

Once again, I found myself on the warm summer farm. Tailsn stood against the setting sun, so bright that I had to shield my eyes. She smiled. I blinked, and then I saw that her family was there. Instead of looking sad and worried like they did in the farmhouse drawing, they were all so happy. Even the son, who had always been sad, was happy.

Sun Lady, thank you, the mother said to me, her arm around Tailsn's shoulder, who beamed with happiness. I could feel her instead of hearing her. Tailsn knew you'd come, and now I know. She said you were an angel, and now we can all go together. You have freed us. Thank you.

The careworn father's face smiled. Our little angel was right, and now we're saved. Now we are here with you, Sun Lady. The father held his daughter's other shoulder from behind.

Sun Lady can only take you if you let her, the little boy said to his sister. It is your decision.

I couldn't say anything as I watched this family begin to fade into the bright light behind the sunset. Squinting, I could make out that Tailsn nodded her head. Take us, Sun Lady. Take us away from here with your wings. I was dimly aware that I was crying.

Thank you Sun Lady, was the last thing I felt before it became too bright for me to make anything out, and I once again found myself on a chair of what felt like electric needles. My body jolted awake, and my neck snapped back. Around me as I forced myself into awareness, I felt parts of the ship begin to come to life.

Ship? I was on a ship? I wondered distantly. When did I get on a boat? Why did everything hurt so much? I forced my eyes open.

Three tall ovoid ellipses stood in my field of view, and as I opened my eyes, I saw the shapes also begin to open. I struggled to focus. A wide flickering screen appeared before me, like I was in a movie theatre. It was too much, so I closed my eyes again. Everything was so loud. Something bad had happened above me, and I could feel rocks and dust falling on my wings.

I felt a presence descend on me, and behind my closed eyes, a series of cascading letters and numbers became visible to me before each unscrambled themselves. It reminded me of a computer booting up.

Operations: limited

Fuel Capacity: 15%

Emergency Fuel Capacity 10%

Prime Energy Cell: error, replace prime energy cell

Primary systems on backup, power rerouting from weapon systems

Void Shield Capacity: 10%

Parson Shield Capacity: 95%, Scanning captain intake

A wave of sharp, bright energy washed through me, causing me to wretch onto myself, and again, the letters unscrambled themselves into information.

New Captain detected. Authorization override admitted. Welcome, Captain. Sit nomen viator benedictum.

Please stand by for initial scan.

The uncomfortable sense of cold rushing water passed over me, and more information appeared.

Biometrics Scan Complete

Health: Fair, Mild Fatigue, Mild Iron Deficiency, Mild Dehydration, Intoxicants Detected

Current Psi-Level: Low, Blue Dwarf, Analog-Zeta

Motivating Impulse: Retribution

Recent Intake: 5

Range Estimate: 5.6 parsecs, sublight. 327.899 parsecs, Warp

Backup Parson shield: 32 hours

Urgent! Replace Prime Energy Cell. Limited operations in effect.

Recommend intake: 6

I blinked and took a painful breath. What was going on? Everything was alive and I felt terrible. I felt an urge to stretch, and I extended my influence outward. I had been asleep for a long time. My name was different too. Why was my name different?

My wings struck rock when I tried to fully extend them. Why was I underground? That was silly. I belong in the air, not underground. Who put me down here? Distantly I heard screaming. A small voice was begging me to close the ship. Close the ship? Why would the ship be open, anyway? That was also silly, so I closed the ship. The small voice continued to annoy me, though, so I stunned it with a shock. It stopped bothering me.

Above, I felt an area of unstable reality. There wasn't any rock left above me, but this was strange, like a wrinkle in the Materium. I willed myself to go over it, pulling the protective Parson shield around my skin like a warm blanket. I heard panicked screaming from a few small voices, and with ease, I was able to float quickly above it, surfacing as if I was buoyant in water. After surfacing, my talons found purchase on a precipice of rock and hard clay, standing over a deep hole facing a black tower. How irritating, just like the sound of that dog barking on the edge of my perception.

I was very hungry, I realized. It had been a long time since I had eaten anything, and parts of me didn't have enough energy to function. The part of me that contained the catalyst to ignite many of my systems was cold and dead. I was currently pulling energy from a bright soul in my belly, attended to by one of the metal men that used to maintain me. My will came from my captain, of course. It was a new one, a female this time. My shield pulled from her directly, more sophisticated barrier than a Gellar field, and as bright as the sun when I would travel through the Immaterium, as so all could see my glory from light years away. I was proud.

The sound of the barking dog was confusing me. It felt like a Warp entity, but friendly to the captain, so I did not eat it. Sleeping for over ten thousand years had left me quite groggy, I realized.

I still didn't understand why any of this was going on, so I put myself in the air to give myself some perspective and time to think. I liked flying, I thought, even through the Immaterium. The higher I got, I pulled my legs into myself, and straightened my body, aligning my neck and body properly for flight. With a good stretch, I finally extended my long wings, curling the sharp tips of my flight feathers in the air. I didn't need to do anything as crude as flapping my wings to rise, I thought, lifting vertically into the air above. That shit was for the birds.

But, birds needed to flap their wings to fly. Isn't this ship an eagle? Deep within me, another part of me started to reassert its identity.

A ghostly dog was barking at my feet. It was a translucent black terrier. Was that Wolfie?

The clouds of confusion were pushed away from my mind, and I found myself seated in a painful chair, my vision directed toward a large holographic display, bent up and around me like a giant 3d movie screen. Through it, I could see that I was far above the surface of the earth, floating like feather impossibly on the wind. An image flashed in my head that I was seated on the bridge of a giant golden ship in the shape of an eagle. The surface of the chair I sat upon felt both hot and cold at the same time, and it seemed to be attached to me. I finally came to full consciousness, and for a moment in disbelieving fright, I felt the ship fall.

The barking sound near my feet whined.

I willed the ship back into the air, and it responded. I took a deep breath. Okay, okay, I've got this. Deep breath. I blinked and tried to center myself as I tried to also keep concentration on keeping the Divine Retribution aloft. Ahead of me, on the metal ground, a shadowy dog sat watching me, and Jiminy the metal mantis lay non-functional on the floor. Oops.

"Hi Wolfie," I said dizzily. I was glad to see him again, but that meant that the pylons were either dead or almost dead. The astral hound barked. It appeared as if he was struggling to keep physical form, his body glitching in and out of existence like a spotty radio signal.

Alright, get your shit together. The hard part is over. I lived, and was not disintegrated. I felt really loopy, though, which I attributed to the drugs Null had given me. In the upper left quadrant of the large viewing screen, I saw a few lines of basic information, designating how high I was, how fast I was going, and how much fuel I had.

Reality: Materium, planet, atmosphere class A, 95% gravity

Altitude: 555m above sea level, 490m above surface

Airspeed: Stationary

Fuel remaining: 25% WARNING prime energy cell failure, recommended action, replace prime energy cell

Key reserve: 5 (11 units)

Warp dampening: 19%,

I had no idea what those last two lines meant, so I just sat on the throne for a moment savoring that I was still alive. I'd have to do something about that battery being dead later. Apparently, archaeotech golden throne eagle ships had batteries like cars. I felt a layer of wet sick soaking through my front, suggesting that I had vomited.

I contemplated my situation, gripping the arms of the throne. Sitting on this really felt terrible. It felt as if my back and every bit of my body that touched the throne was electrified in a way that pulled on my very being. In a strange way, I felt as if I was now a part of the ship, just a piece of its grand construction. Through the throne, I reached through a wing, and realized that I could feel the currents of air breezing over the surface of the Retribution's skin. It wasn't even flapping its wings, but since this was a universe where space magic was real, I wasn't about to argue with the physics of this. I looked down, and saw that the local area was devastated, with water drowning the entirety of the lowlands, easily over all the tops of the tallest trees in the forest. Only Adler Tower (which I hovered next to) and Alys Island remained above the deluge. From up here, I noticed I could see the faint shadow of another tower, and saw smoke rising from its base. I wondered if Null blown up more than just that dam.

"Can you hear me, Traveler Erika? I've discovered the ship's energy processing area. I am speaking to you through a terminal," a voice from deep within the ship called out to me. My awareness found what appeared to be an engine area, situated where the liver would be.

"I can," I said aloud. In the upper right hand corner of the screen, I received a moving image of Null dancing around happily next to four empty coffin-like glass pods, and a handful of servitors standing around motionlessly. They appeared to be holding Null's luggage, like he had packed for a vacation. One of the pods had an occupant. A small, childlike occupant.

"Oh no, no," I said, feeling dread. I fixed my awareness on the occupied pod.

It was Tailsn. A quick few touches with my senses confirmed it. This was the little girl who had called me the Sun Lady at the farmhouse. Another push, and I knew that her life force was currently feeding the ship, sustaining its badly drained systems.

Null had stopped dancing, and he looked up at a corner, making eye contact with me. There must be some kind of a camera or computer down there, I guessed. "She was a powerful psyker, Traveler! Her sacrifice means that we can go! But there is a problem, I am afraid."

I didn't respond to Null's grotesque enthusiasm over draining a little girl, and looked back at her glass coffin. I could spy that she wore a small smile. Her expression was that of untroubled peace. Not a bad way to go in this universe, really. It still made me sad.

When I didn't respond to his words, the tech-priest began to explain. "When the power didn't immediately ignite when we put you on the throne, I deduced that the ship's main internal battery had failed. A dead battery can be, as they say in technical circles, 'jumped' with a proper energy source. The only thing powerful enough for that was this psyker girl. Unfortunately, I had to switch the energy feed to the network to something far less substantial."

I was still upset over Null's treatment of Tailsn, but I would yell at him later, I reminded myself. "How much time left do we have? I'm still figuring this out. The ship also says it needs a new battery and that it is low on fuel." I willed the ship up and forward, circling around the pylon.

"Under nine minutes before complete pylon failure. The rift will begin to open afterward, but I am not sure on when that will be. I'm hoping I'm wrong," the defeat in Null's voice was palpable. Was this like sitting next to the center of the Eye of Terror when it blew up?

"Nine minutes! That's all?"

"Approximately, yes. The ship seems to have an innate ability to repel corruption, seeing as how you were able to simply float above and through two active vortex grenades lingering on, but with only scant fuel, fate must indeed be on our side to survive this. We must find a way off and quickly! Get to Warp as soon as you can and run from here!"

At the corner of my hearing, I could now detect a otherworldly singing coming from an unknown source. Nope, I'm not taking that bait, planet-that-is-getting-Warp-corrupted. I pulled the ship further into the sky simply by thinking, up, up. It ascended in a lazy spiral, like a vulture would on warm air currents. The strange music seemed to come in and out of my range of hearing, and was slowly getting louder as the pylons failed further. I definitely needed to find a way out of here.

"Higher, up! We have to get to Warp! Null said to break atmosphere!" I yelled at the ship.

"Fuel level too low for efficient fast exit. Conserving energy, slow ascent," the ship responded to me with that sedate androgynous voice. We were definitely running on fumes, even with draining the life out of Tailsn.

Because of that, I wondered if the ship even had the capability to jump to Warp at all. The terrible thought hit me again, holy shit, I was going to have to pilot through the Warp! Why didn't we talk about calculated Warp jumps back at the map room?

"Uh, Divine Retribution, are you Warp capable at this time?" I asked the ship. Hey, it couldn't hurt. Well, it could hurt this planet. And everyone left on it. I tried not to think about the apocalypse that was happening around me, and how many people it would kill.

It took a few moments to respond as I felt a diagnostic run. I felt a slight "pull" from the chair, and it responded. "Parson shield operational. Power level too low for Warp translation. Recommend replace prime energy cell. Emergency solution, recommend more intake."

"Define intake", I asked the ship.

"Raw Warp energy or standard life energy from living souls. Intake requested, 12 units. Activate emergency Key draw?"

Were there souls in the Key itself? Suddenly, I remembered when I was in Alys that I had stolen a handful of souls from Am'Erika! The souls had been drawn through the Key!

"Yes! Take the souls stored in the Key!" I said. I wasn't thrilled about this solution, but other choice did I have? The Golden Throne of Terra eats souls, and this throne also needs to be fed just the same. The Key glowed brightly on my chest for a moment, and then subsided. Shortly after, I felt and saw the last moments from all the souls I had captured, from the settlers in Alys, and strangely, to a... wait a minute... Black Legion Terminator? Holy shit, that's what I saw in the vision? So, I actually did that somewhere? I actually killed a fucking Chaos space marine? Wow, I should put that on my resume. No wonder he tasted like shit. The Key's energy bled into my body, which held the souls for a moment before the throne pulled them right out. I discovered that the unfortunate Chaos Terminator's name was Klaudandus, Eviscerator of Innocence. As much as I wanted to laugh about that ridiculous name, I had to worry about finding a way to get the hell out of here. I did notice that I now felt a little stronger, and I was able to straighten my back on the throne.

The ship responded to its tasty meal by saying that it was still hungry. "Intake required: one. Request permission to draw from crew interior. Draw soul from a source?"

Wolfie was still sitting at my feet, still translucent and flickering while cocking his head at me curiously. No, not feeding my dog to the ship. I looked at Alberich who was currently watching me with a mixture of amazement and horror while occasionally looking at the holographic display. Apparently, it had not registered to him what the ship was asking for, since he probably would've been upset if he discovered that I was considering sacrificing him for ship food. He was sitting on the arm of empty chair to my right with his arms wrapped around himself, holding his shoulders. No, can't do that either. This Tzaangor is a friend, not a food, and he saved my life. I intuitively knew that the servitors wouldn't be adequate as I considered 77-X standing motionlessly against a far wall. There had to be another way.

I noticed that the stats on the corner now said "Warp Dampening 5%" When did it get that low? While looking at that number, I watched it then go to "Warp Dampening 0%" and then disappear. At least with that, I saw Wolfie stop flickering and become the familiar black smoky shape I had seen before.

From deeper within the ship, I heard Null cry out "Adler, power failure. Total pylon network power failure! Get us out of here, Traveler Erika! There must be a way!"

As I sat wondering what else I could absorb for power, the singing voice outside began to become more decipherable. I could now tell that it was originating from Am'Erika's golden statue. Still trying to gain height, I willed the eyes to focus on the golden abomination to see if it was doing anything. I then realized that I had stopped ascending, and I wasn't exactly sure why that was. There had to be something we could do here! Tzeentch wouldn't just set all this up to watch me get killed by a daemonic Statue of Liberty, would he? Nervously, I studied the statue again, my skin crawling in revulsion.

Another line of information appeared on the upper far right corner of my vision. It said "Warp Interference 10%, Raising Parson Shield." I felt a wave of energy wash over the hull of the ship, as if I had been immersed in a warm bath. I wasn't exactly sure what a "Parson Shield" was, but if the ship automatically put it up when there was Warp trouble, I wasn't going to argue with it.

As I kept my eyes on the settlement of Alys, the ship helpfully magnified an image of the gold statue on the screen before me. I could now see that the singing wasn't just originating from the colossus, but it appeared that its lips were actually moving. The land under the statue was beginning to contort and bend into some sort of unnatural pinkish crystal at its feet, and behind it, I saw a shimmer in the air, like heat. The air behind it was rippling and bending. "Fly higher" I commanded the ship.

"Warp Interference 15%, Parson Shield Operational 100%, Detecting external pressure. Fuel reserves too low for in atmosphere emergency translation," the ship replied, and I felt a groan as it struggled against something above us. What was happening?

I now saw that the statue had raised its left arm, and was now holding it at head length, claws extended. Somehow, I could tell that Am'Erika was doing something to keep the ship from rising further, even from eighty kilometers away! It wanted to keep me here so it could play with me. It was smiling as it began to sing again, and this time, I could make out the words, and they were sung to a wickedly familiar tune.

O beautiful for endless cries,

For ember'd waves of pain

This can't be real. This cannot be happening.

For pleasure stoked in agony

Above the flooded plain!

The robes on its body began to move as if in wind, revealing those sharp goat hooves on golden legs. The robes then shifted into what appeared to be an American flag, wrapped revealingly around a body with six breasts, the top pair of which were very large and unnaturally shaped, almost like dollar store breast implants on a porn star. Two scythe-like crab-clawed arms revealed themselves, and these were now completely golden instead of black as I had seen them before. The flaming sword held above its crowned head began to shine with a wicked red light. The statue was moving! It was alive!

"Erika, please tell me this... this thing isn't what I'm seeing," Alberich said, watching the display. The words, "Warp Interference 21%" appeared, and it began to feel as if the sky was shifting into a pinkish marbled color. Far away, I could see another tower fall like a rotted tree. The Tzaangor looked back at me in horror. Still many kilometers away, the greater daemon began to laugh before singing again. I could hear it all the way from here!

Am'Erika! Am'Erika! Gods shed their grace on me!

And drown your good, in daemonhood from scream to wailing scream!

My heart jumped in my throat as I saw a hoof step off the pedestal, and onto an area of pinkish crystal that had miraculously formed on the water. Another step, and more crystal formed, perfectly carrying the abomination above the floodwaters. It was walking toward me, and I couldn't escape!

I could see. I didn't know how, but I could see, even with my eyes closed. Despite being on that terrible throne covered in my own vomit, I was now a majestic golden bird flying through a lush forest. It was very windy, but I was a skilled flier, and simply used the currents of the wind to aid me along. The wind of mortal emotions ruffled my feathers pleasantly, and I enjoyed myself. It had been awhile since I had experienced flight in the Warp, and it was nice to finally get some exercise. The gusty breeze even gave me a good challenge, which I enjoyed after my long sleep.

This was a dark, dense coniferous forest, like the ones that were filled with night birds singing their songs in the moonlight when I used to go camping. While everything was dimly lit, like twilight, I noticed that I had a layer of radiance shining off of me. My light wreathed me in a protective halo, making me very visible to anything watching in the forest. No monster or daemon could pierce my glow, but they would all see me. I didn't mind that so much, since I was so majestic.

I passed around the low hanging branches of trees, diving through heavy leaves of thought and time. This was nice, and for a time, I simply enjoyed myself on the wind. There was a place I had to go to, and I felt my direction pulled toward it, so I went there. A golden path shimmered into existence ahead of me, and I navigated ethereal currents as they playfully bent and swirled to stay close to it. Follow the yellow brick road, I thought, the mantra coming from somewhere deep within me.

My passage did not go unnoticed, I saw as I dipped and dove through the trees. That was to be expected. My brightness caught curious reflected eyes from strange creatures lurking in the hollows of trees. I even saw a few human-looking shapes as they pointed at me as I flew by. They were very small, and some wore strange armors and robes. To my right, a flock of tiny but radiant blue green birds appeared, watching me with curiosity. They flitted alongside me for a few moments before vanishing back into the forest. I continued on my way, toward where I needed to be.

My senses prickled with danger as I then saw all the occupants of the forest begin to flee. Small creatures dove within the heavy leaves, taking shelter, while other birds flew rapidly away for safety. I thought that they were running away from me until I felt something terrible happen.

I was jolted awake in the throne, and I screamed. The throne held on to me tightly as a tsunami of emotion and strange images passed through my mind like a talon through the belly of a rotted corpse.

Alys was no more, and then, neither was Levant, and across the galaxy, other places fell in simultaneous agony. A primal scream reflecting the pain of a reality tortured by war and death rang across time. It was a rare calamity of unusual strength, one rarely felt by beings both real and unreal. This terrible scream fed into a grand seizure gripping the tortured collective unconscious raging through the souls of sentient creatures of the galaxy. Some agonies were slightly displaced in time, occurring hundreds of years before or after. The damage spilled out into the Materium, breaking unfortunate worlds within its reach. Such was the case of the happy farming planet that was simply too close to a fleet of Imperial Black Ships. Guilty only by proximity, the world had ceased to exist when an old man, plagued by psychic nightmares of seeing a little girl named Tailsn psychically drained to death, decided that the Imperium would never take anything else away from him ever again. His white-hot indignation caused a break in reality which killed every single soul on the Black Ship sent to take him and his grandson away. The cascading hate and fear from all the caged and dying psykers echoed in the Warp, and every world within one hundred light years of the unfortunate vessel was unmade. The old man himself was torn to screaming but sentient shreds by hungry daemons in the Warp as a reward for his anger. The boy became a chaos fury, and through the eternity of the Warp, helped to rip his grandfather to pieces with glee, over and over again, forever.

The echo of the old man's anguish arced hundreds of years backward in time toward a vessel named the Limitless Grasp just as her crew members heard the chorus of billions of screams wail in terrible revelation on the planet Verronus. The requiem of the old man and his grandson joined the infernal song, pushing the music to a final crescendo. The great scream of Verronus caused the very laws of time and physics to break their chains, aiding the One who sacrificed everything to know All through time. A single depthless moment before He Knew, He saw the Eagle.

Magnified through the godlike mind of the Sanguine Oligarch in his last moment made eternity, the rush of displaced energy from these past events advanced rapidly forward like a serpent of liquid helium, racing to find its termination in the future. It was drawn to the brave cries of righteous warriors and the bellows of foul daemons near the Eye of Terror itself, an area of weak reality. A symphony of emotion sang with dissonant perfection as the Cadian Gate fell along with its brave planet, blackstone pylons falling to crumbled planetary debris. All of this pain carved a mortal injury across the galaxy. The Great Rift formed, tearing space in twain. The terrors of the Eye met the agonies of the past from the Hadex Anomaly, hundreds of years before. The galaxy had broken!

I screamed as I experienced Hell. I screamed and I screamed and I-

"Who are you?" I was then standing in a dark city apartment. A bright light was aimed directly at my face. A man in his 20s stood shining a flashlight in my eyes. He appeared absolutely livid. He shook his head in disbelief. "Not again, not again! What are you doing here? Get out!" He appeared distressed and, and his accent betrayed him as English.

I couldn't even answer him, but at least I wasn't screaming anymore. "I-I..." I tried to speak, but the words were caught somewhere in my throat.

"Did you think you could trick me? Come into my flat when you think I'm sleeping? You think I wouldn't be up?" He roared at me, still shining that light in my eyes. I shook my head. I started to cry as I began to uncontrollably shake.

This caused the man's angry face to immediately melt. "Oh, no. Wait. Don't do that. No," said the man. He placed the flashlight down, and dimmed it as he placed it on the sofa. "I-I hate it when pretty girls cry. I thought you were someone else. Hey, hey, sit down. I'm sorry, love. I didn't mean to scare you. I've been under a lot of stress, and I've been where you are! I right walked into old lady Cameron's flat when I was pissed with me mates just a few nights ago. Were you the girl who just moved in down the hall? I'm sorry, we've had a lot of break ins. And-and I think I'm just under a lot of stress. I'm sorry for yelling. I just, I just need to relax here."

I still couldn't move, I couldn't speak. The man walked over to a small table in what appeared to be the kitchen, and poured two small glasses of what smelled like... bourbon? I-I liked bourbon, didn't I? I think? The Englishman turned on a small lamp, and revealed old-ish furnishings that made the place look like it was from the 90s. He was an average-looking man, with hazel eyes and messy hair in a ponytail. He wore a black shirt and dark brown trousers.

Maybe this had all been a dream, I exhaled. "Here, it's the fancy stuff," he said as he offered me one of the glasses. I sniffed it, and took a sip. It tasted familiar. The man exhaled heavily, and sat heavily on the couch, putting his head in his hands. A small pause.

"Um, so, sorry, I don't have any wine. I-um, so," He sputtered with his words. He looked up at me, holding the glass of bourbon, his appearance pained. Quickly, he downed his drink, and took a few deep breaths. "Please, sit down," he patted the cushions next to him, and as I looked around, I was able to see that this looked like a bachelor's pad. I carefully sat down, still not exactly sure what was real.

"This-uh, this is good stuff though, right? Bourbon from America, Kentucky! Really posh stuff!" he said, pouring himself another drink. "Are you alright? Here," he topped off my glass, which I held tightly in two hands. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"I think I am," I said, gathering myself. Was I a ghost? I took another small sip of the bourbon. It was pretty tasty, at least. I saw the man's expression relax. I felt like I had tasted this very same drink before.

"Oh, you're an American? My goodness!" He said, sipping his drink. "I'm, I'm so sorry for being so jumpy. All the break ins, they have me on edge, you know. And I just- I was in the middle of writing this story. I don't know if you write or anything, but sometimes you can get lost in it, right? And, you know its the damndest thing, I had just written a part where a woman comes to-" there was an aggressive knock at the door, and the man's composure immediately evaporated. He froze, and looked at me. Fear began to race across his face as the knocking continued. He looked at me, and whispered, "They found me. H-how..."

"Sebastian!" An older authoritative voice yelled as the knocking continued insistently. The voice had a mocking malevolent quality. The man looked at me with great sadness in his eyes. The loud knocking continued. "We know you're in there, Sebastian. We just want to talk. You have company, don't you? A young lady, maybe? She won't be hurt. Not too much, at least."

I didn't move. This situation suddenly felt very dangerous. Sebastian leaned in to my ear, and hissed, "Listen to me, alright? You have to listen to me! Don't make the same mistake I did. As soon as you can, as soon as you find an out, run away from here. Do not stay here! Don't let them take you! Don't let them keep you!"

More knocking. "We'll break the bloody door down if we have to, Sebastian! Come on out now!"

"What is this? Who are you?" I was able to ask in a small choked voice.

He didn't answer, and kept warning me, "Don't let them keep you! Don't be like me! Run away!" His tone was desperate, as he looked at the door. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he said. I saw him begin to cry as the frame of the door began to buckle. Whoever these people were, they were now trying to break the door down. "This is all my fault! All of it! I-I'm just so sorry. I'm sorry I never got the chance t-"

I came to after a slap to the face. I was sitting on a chair that hurt me. It was pulling something from me. "Erika!" A splash of water hit me. I sputtered awake.

"The metal man says we are drifting. We are being pushed blindly in this storm! Snap out of it!"

It took me a few moments to bring myself back to composure. I could still see the mortal terror in Sebastian's eyes. It was burned into my psyche. But I knew the man slapping me. The blue bird man.

"Alberich?" I asked. He nodded.

Oh, I was on a spaceship flying through Hell, I remembered. And this bird mutant here was a Nazi. Haha, funny where life takes you.

"Divine Retribution, where are we?" I asked, half aware, forcing myself to consciousness. The ship shook slightly.

Location: Warp eddy surrounding rogue planet Nemesis. I looked up, and saw Divine Retribution's helpful holographic map of an outline of a planet against a background of swirling winds. We were caught in some kind of heavy current buffeting a dark place labeled "Nemesis." Once again, hazardous areas blinked red or other colors, and I could see that there was an overwhelming wave of wind blasting in from one side, and now, also from the south. Pulling the map back and retracing our steps, I could see a mess of blinking reds and violets around what looked like a jagged line right where we had come from. A new rift had broken open. I pulled back outward, looking for our plotted course. It appeared that we had been blown somewhat south of our target path, and were now swimming around the leading edges of the Malefactus Warp rift. Almost like an ocean, we were caught between the tidal forces of both Malefactus, and Levant's new rift as they converged. When I zoomed back out, Kolch finally appeared, far to the northwest, in a safer area.

"How far are we away from Kolch, Divine Retribution?"

"Estimated 909 light years from current approximate location. Translation to realspace not recommended. Heavy Warp activity."

A shudder rocked the ship. This did not feel like a safe place.

"Where the fuck is Nemesis? I don't remember that on Null's map," I said, teeth chattering. "Null?" A video channel opened to the engine area again, and the tech-priest immediately jumped to attention. The ship trembled a bit, and the violet lighting in here made it look extra spooky. I noticed that while Wolfie was still around, he wasn't his normal energetic self, but was curled up next to the throne at my feet, and not moving.

"You're awake again! I thought we'd lost you!" His voice actually sounded quite frightened. "I thought that mutant had-"

"Null, shut up about that and tell me about the planet Nemesis. The ship says we're in some Warp eddy around it. I think something bad happened in the Warp, something bigger than Levant's rift. Like, something happened with Cadia, I think. It's real bad out there," I said, still dazed. I couldn't get Sebastian's frightened eyes out of my mind. A sense of heavy dread washed through my body. Swallowing, I realized I could even feel the taste of bourbon on my tongue. Oh, this was scary.

It was even scarier when I thought back to seeing Null's star map back on Levant, and I suddenly realized that there was no Great Rift bisecting the galaxy. Did...did I just feel Cadia fall? Did the Great Rift just happen?

"Let me see here. I have a map with me," he said. Through the channel, I could see that he was going through a list of planets, after some time, he finally said, "Here we are. Archaic name for..."

"What? Tell me."

"Obsidian Reach," he said, his metal voice breaking with a crackle. "How close are we? Don't translate there! That is a daemon world!"

"Divine Retribution, current distance to Nemesis," I asked from the throne.

"Estimated 275,410 kilometers if translation occurs presently. Translation not recommended." Holy shit, we were right next to a daemon world. Did it pull us here?

Through the channel, Null had heard that, and quickly said, "No! Do not translate! Run away from here! Do not stay here! Omnissiah's sake, get far away!"

I didn't have to be told twice. Fuck. Here we go again.

"Divine Retribution, plot a course to Kolch."

There was a pause as the ship shook again. I closed my eyes, willing myself back to the forest, and to the path of the golden road that would light my way.

Instead of the pleasant forest I had been flying through before, I was now flying through a very heavy rainstorm over a black sea of oil. The swirling winds were keeping me in one place as I struggled to free myself. It was difficult enough to keep myself from falling into the black morass below me. Through my shining skin, I could feel that this black ocean was somehow both hungry and angry that I existed, and it wanted to drown the annoying light that was stinging its surface. I made another push through the swirling winds, and found myself nearly smacked out of the sky by a sheet of rain that resembled a skeletal claw many times the size of the Retribution. Distantly, I heard someone say "Woah!" and a dog whining in fear.

As I desperately righted myself, one of my wings grazed the surface of sea, and instead of flying, I found myself floating in a dark, featureless space.

My eyes were shut, but I could still see movement in the void. There were shadows that moved in this black tapestry, and I could feel their eyes instead of seeing them. I felt as if they gripped me in impossibly huge ropes of black obliteration. Whatever it was watched me, and it hated me. My radiance was being quashed by this terrible thing. Thinking quickly, I remembered that when I was in the forest, I had a protective golden glow around me. I willed it to brighten like a bonfire against this black tide, not allowing it to consume me. As quickly as the darkness had seized me, I felt it unravel, parts of it burned away to ashes. I felt a light burning from my three eyes now, scalding any sort of darkness ahead of me. The evil sea below me howled in pain.

"Heading Beacon activated," the Divine Retribution said distantly.

"Erika, push harder! You're breaking through!" I heard someone say. The dark eyes never stopped watching me as I found myself blazing through the forest again at a breakneck speed, my wings clipping and snapping branches as I screamed through. I caught some kind of wind at my back, and felt myself rapidly pushed along. Once again, I was treated to a handful of unexplainable images as I rapidly sliced through the rainstorm toward the place I needed to go. I was going so fast that I felt flames lick at my hull.

"Don't let them keep you..." Sebastian's words echoed in my mind.

"Run, run, run..." I breathed.

There was an armored knight in a castle watching a shooting star, and a young man in robes placing glowing cards on a table. A scraggly man with an unkempt beard and long hair lay meditating in luxurious quarters with a beatific smile across his face, and a maddened blonde-haired woman wearing a suit of gaudy colors was preaching something on a bright street corner in an urban area. She reached up and screamed, "behold!" just as I found myself back on the throne again.

My vision was blurry as I lifted my head. I felt like I was down a few liters of blood, and my mouth was very dry. Alberich was standing by my side, looking at me with concern.

"Alberich," I said, before closing my eyes again. He looked at me in the violet light, and kneeled down to my seated level. "Give me some water. How long was I out just now? Are we still over Nemesis?"

"Twenty minutes, at most. We are free from the eddy, I think," he said, producing the flask from his pack, and holding it to my mouth. I took a long drink. In the corner of my eye, I could see the 77-X servitor standing unbothered and motionless near one of the eyes. The ship wasn't shaking anymore at least. Wolfie still laid by my feet, curled up.

"Divine Retribution, where are we?" I asked.

"Warp. Kolch system periphery," the ship said impassively. I looked at the big 3D map ahead of me. A tail wind was gliding us along, slowly entering the orbits of where the outer planets would be.

"You're kidding? That can't be right," I said. "Wasn't Kolch like, 900 light years away ten minutes ago?"

It was Null who answered from the display, "The Warp is often undefinable in its passage of time. I believe we found a favorable wind, but all that matters is that we're away from both the Malefactus rift, and Levant's rift."

"Oh, so we're here? That's cool," I said, dizzy. I felt fucking terrible. "Divine Retribution, translate out of Warp. Make toward the orbit of Kolch."

"Before you lose consciousness, ask it to land, please. I've transmitted coordinates to the bridge. Land there, it is suitable."

"That too. Land where the tech-priest says, Divine Retribution..." I was having trouble keeping my eyes open now.

Don't let them take you! Don't let them keep you!

"Divine Retribution, when you land, unhook me from this throne too. Don't drain me to death for dinner, thanks."

Don't be like me! Sebastian's warning rang heavily in my mind, and the last thing I could feel before passing out were the tears on my cheeks.

Alberich had told me that he had gone for a run outside earlier, and claimed that the planet was actually fairly pleasant. He described that we were indeed close to a slow moving body of clean fresh water that flowed outward from an underground spring separate from the rushing river of the canyon, and that it was a good place to get a clean bath. The Tzaangor complained that this world did not seem to have a typical 24 hour rotational period, and that the "faster" days (18 hours) were upsetting in a visceral way. We had landed during daylight hours, only to see the sun set quickly, putting any serious trailblazing off until tomorrow.

Null had come prepared, and offered me a towel and some soap. Sadly, shampoo and conditioner weren't high on his packing list, so I would have to make due with this brick of sharp-edged harsh lye-based soap that could probably strip paint from a car. I took a simple thin robe and a small jeweled comb I had packed from Evanora's things, and let Alberich guide me to the exit of the ship.

Once again, the ship was bent low, and a gangway led to the ground. Wolfie trotted by my side, an ever loyal happy cloud of dark Warpstuff. A warm gust of dry air hit me as I started down the stairs. Levant had been cool, damp, and blustery, and it seemed that we had landed in a warmer, more arid area on Kolch. An herbal scent not unlike sage hung pleasantly in the air. The wind felt like Las Vegas at night, warm and very dry.

It was early evening as I stepped out of the ship, and onto the dry rocky desert ground of a planet 1,200 light years away from where I had been a mere few hours ago. I took a moment to reflect on how awesome that was. I had piloted a magic eagle spaceship through the Warp after fucking up a greater daemon, so good for me, I thought with a smile. While the overall situation was still terrifying, I had to admit that this was extremely cool and very metal.

Alberich waved me ahead, and pointed to a spring about ten paces away from where the Divine Retribution was standing on huge golden talons, wings outstretched above us. The pool wasn't very large, only about three meters around, and flowed into a babbling brook that flowed away from the canyon's faster river. The beastman had marked the area with a few small torches in the light of the setting sun, and I walked over the rocky ground to where he had indicated. Wolfie walked alongside me, his fuzzy dark outline difficult to see in the waning light.

"Null is organizing his dead metal slaves to set up a way to drain the spring for potable water. He is currently gathering a hose so that he may transfer it, but now is a good time to bathe," the Tzaangor explained as I walked on the alien planet for the first time. He had brought his suspicious glaive along with him.

I was too out of it to give a damn about anything aside from getting a good bath. While I did feel better from having Null's mystery paste rations, I still felt very drained. We arrived at the spring, and the Tzaangor turned around to offer me some privacy. Wolfie sat at attention near the edge of the water.

"You don't have to guard me, you know," I said, stripping off my sweaty military clothes. I dipped my feet in the water, and found it to be pleasantly tepid. This area was probably desert hot during the day. After placing my clothes on a rock, I stepped in the clear pool. It wasn't that deep, and I found that I could stand submerged up to my shoulders in shallower part of the pebbled bottom.

"But I do. I swore an oath. We are in an alien land, and as much as the metal man says that he knows everything, even he admits that he does not have current information on this place," the beastman said, his back to the spring as he held his legs close to him. The warm desert wind ruffled his colorful longer head feathers, and from here, I could see two stubs of where his Tzaangor horns should've been near his long ears.

I got to lathering up the Mechanicus-made bar of soap. It smelled a bit like floor cleaner and eucalyptus, but it was better than nothing. It felt nice to have a good bath, and I tried to put away some of my worries for now.

Can you hear me? I felt the words as I immersed myself. Instinctively, my attention went to Alberich, who was remained sitting with his back to me.

Alberich? You can do this? I asked, concentrating on pushing the thought over to him. Oh, he was a psyker, that's right. Without responding in voice, I saw him nod.

I can, yes. I had been sharpening my abilities when able. I simply never had the opportunity to use them with you.

I took a deep breath, and dove under the surface of the water to get my hair wet. I surfaced, and asked, So, you came from Nazi Germany. How about that? I began to wash my hair with a little bit of soap. I'd definitely need to get conditioner or oil for my hair.

Fate takes us strange places, he stated plainly.

There was a pause when no one spoke. I could now spy a few insects that looked like fireflies surfacing in the balmy evening as the horizon was painted with warm sunset colors.

I'm assuming you are from a future further than mine, or an alternate reality, if such things truly exist. Tell me what happened with Germany, please. I heard Alberich take a deep breath and sigh.

I gave him a short telepathic history lesson as I bathed, detailing Hitler's overreach, and the split of Germany into two states after 1945, and then, following the fall of the Iron Curtain after the Cold War ended in 1991. I condensed a short story of state of the world as history advanced up until 2018.

You are not from the American military? he asked me, genuinely surprised.

I was getting a headache and wanted to get out of the bath, so I just replied to him in voice with a cheeky, "As far as I know, I wasn't part of any sort of military psychic program. I'm just incredibly unlucky, I guess. Someone poisoned me back when I was having a gallery show, and I found myself here afterward. I have the impression that this is all happening as I am dying in my living room."

"But you're here," Alberich responded in turn, and I stepped out of the spring to begin toweling myself off. "You're here and not dead. Or, I don't think you are. Hmm."

"Maybe this is just how I'm perceiving my own death, but I really don't know. Or, maybe I'm really here? I have no idea," I wondered, slipping the robe over my head. "You told me that you died awhile back. I thought someone was just doing magic on you in this reality. I'm sorry it didn't occur to me to think of you as an actual Traveler before. I remember you said you said you died too. Oh, you can turn around now," I said, brushing the tangles out of my wet hair with my comb.

"I believe that I am dead or at least dying in the custody of the British," he said, not turning around. "Perhaps this is all a condensed experience as I also lay seizing in a holding cell surrounded by officers. I'm not certain they could bring me back from the cyanide capsule I had hidden in my tooth, so I am fairly certain that my demise happened. I am at peace with it, as I trust in the will of fate now. I am pleased that I now have a new existence in a futuristic universe filled with magic, so it is not so bad."

The notion that being transported into this universe and thinking that it "wasn't so bad" was morbidly amusing to me, and I stifled a laugh. This made me curious about who he actually was, and I hoped that he wasn't someone infamous or well known in history for terrible things. Committing suicide when captured by enemy forces seemed like a severe action, and was more commonly taken by more well known or extreme figures. Maybe this guy was Hitler or Goering under a new name, and that's why he thought this universe was just fine? Tzeentch pairing me up with a Hitler bodyguard just for fun was definitely something I could see that Chaos God doing. I cleared my throat and steeled myself as I asked, "If you don't mind me asking, what was your name back on earth? Did you take a new one or is Alberich your name?" I was really hoping that I wouldn't recognize it.

"Heinrich," he said heavily. "Heinrich Weiss," the Tzaangor turned around, and stood up. "I... worked as a researcher of the mystical arts, and now, I suppose this is my afterlife." He leaned down and picked up Valkyrie, clenching the haft of the glaive in his hands. And this weapon, Valkyrie, holds a wise spirit that has greatly aided us. I have wanted to tell you about it for some time. It is because of Valkyrie that you are still alive, for it had warned me of the daemons at the farmhouse.

I then watched as Alberich once again leaned the flat of the blade against the side of his cheek. Valkyrie wishes to speak to you, he announced, offering me the weapon.

I shook my head and stood back. I know some things about this universe, and I know that what you likely have in there is a daemon. Daemons are very dangerous as you've seen already.

But this one, it saved your life, Erika. And-hold on, it speaks...

I waited with my growing headache brushing my hair out. Using psyker abilities gave me a headache, and I definitely needed some good hair products if I was going to look cool while doing space magic with my new golden eyes. If the Emperor can rock the golden eyes and luxurious long hair look, so can I.

It says to tell you that it is a friend of Glinda's. I am not certain what that means.

I relaxed a little. Okay look, we're going to have to have another big talk about being friends with daemons, but for now just be careful. We've got the eyes of at least two, maybe three Chaos Gods, and we're just fun toys to them. At least I know the "Glinda" daemon you're talking about is aligned with one that seems to want to help us for now. Another thing, don't talk about this at all with Null. He's not a very tolerant sort toward Chaos.

"You mean The Great Architect?" Alberich audibly blurted out in excitement as we both started walking back to the ship. The sky was now a teal-ringed glow around the western horizon, and the stars had begun to come out. I put my finger up against my lips to "shush" the Tzaangor. Despite my migraine, this was not a conversation I wanted to have anywhere where Null could overhear.

He's got a lot of names, but he's mainly called Tzeentch. He's the Chaos God responsible for us both being here, since he has domain over magic and time. He's actually the reason why we're still alive, but I still don't trust him. He makes it his business to enact crazy plans and meddle in mortal affairs for fun. He plays with us like game pieces, or puppets on strings. Right before we struck Am'Erika, he appeared and nudged the Retribution into the angle it needed to be in to hurt it, so for now, I guess we are in his favor. My headache was getting worse as we neared the gangway, and a nosebleed had erupted. Talk about this some other time. We're going to need to find a way to use these abilities safely. Doing magic and psychic stuff in this universe is very dangerous, so be conservative using it.

"Thank you, Erika," Alberich said, placing a hand on my shoulder as we walked.

Faster than a blink of an eye, I was standing in front of a room, speaking to a group of men in black uniforms. The image burned away as quickly as it had come, and I shuddered. I need to learn how to control this!

Alberich, Wolfie, and I approached the Divine Retribution again just as a 77-X appeared, hoisting what appeared to be a long flexible metallic cloth tube that resembled a fire hose over his shoulder, and was slowly walking down the gangway. Behind him, Null stood, adjusting something on Jiminy as he observed the big servitor.

"Ah, you're out of the bath. Good timing. Now the soapy water will be well downstream, and well into someone else's problem. I've discovered how to resupply our water, but I do need you to direct the ship to open the water port."

"Do I need to get on the throne again to do this?" I asked, drying my hair with the towel. Alberich brushed past us both, and further into the ship with Valkyrie.

"I don't believe so. Since you are now its attuned captain, it will simply respond to your will if you are within close proximity, so tell it to open the external water port, please."

"Divine Retribution, open the external water port. You're getting a drink," I said after walking further inside. I heard something shift as I walked more inside as the ship lowered itself further to the ground. Wolfie remained walking beside me.

I walked past a couple servitors that I hadn't seen before in the dim interior of the ship. They walked like zombies through the Retribution's dim metal halls. They had apparently been ordered to clean, and one servitor with a telescopic broom was sweeping away the accumulated dust in the main hallways, and another was polishing a wall fixture of an eagle with a rag and cleaning solution. While I wanted to explore the ship further, I wanted to go back to my room and relax even more. After having my soul wrung out by an energy-eating spaceship, I just wanted some time alone. My nose started to bleed again as I found my space deep within the interior and upper left portion of the ship. Interestingly, I noted that this was where its heart would be if the eagle was a living animal. Unwelcome, I saw 99-Z standing motionlessly in my quarters, holding another nutrition packet and another jug of water. Ignoring her, I took my dirty clothes and bunched them up, making a makeshift pillow on the rough surface of the old mattress. I did notice that it was somewhat cleaner in here now, as the main room of this suite seemed to have been dusted. Null, while irritating at times, was incredibly helpful to have around, I had to concede. The remains of ten thousand year old furnishings had made the place very dusty, so I was very happy to see that some of it was being cleaned away. Depending on how long it took to get to Molech, we should find a space Ikea to make this ship livable in the meantime.

I laid down on the ancient mattress, my head on my dirty clothes. I turned on my side toward 99-Z who stood motionless standing next to the table, under which Wolfie settled himself, sitting attentively. The servitor began to speak in a monotone, "It has been suggested by the Master that the Scion sustain her mental facilities with high glucose nutrient paste and water. Please consume all water and all allotted foodstuffs for optimal nutrition. The Master will arrive in fifteen minutes to arrange a physical checkup."

Ugh, I didn't like being Null's little project right now, I grumbled, but I probably did need a physical exam after everything that happened. I got up again and took the nutrient packet from 99-Z's mechadendrite. A cup of water was poured for me and left on the table before the servitor left the room. Again, I struggled to open the packet of paste. What was fantastic was that I was a psyker that could kill daemons and navigate psychic eagle ships, yet I still struggled with stupid things like these poorly-designed food bags. I reached down into my pack, and found my silver scissors. As soon as they met my hands, they immediately glowed bright white. I dropped them on the floor with a clatter, startled. The shears glowed, and then, returned to their normal silver shine. What on earth?

I picked the scissors back up, and investigated them. At some point, I needed to find someone to figure out what kind of evil mystery these scissors held, seeing as I had seen them in my vision with Tailsn, and that Tzeentch himself wanted me to have them. From here, they looked just like a normal pair of thin silver scissors, although they were very sharp. Maybe the Architect of Fate himself had foreseen my need for scissors to cut open these food packets? Whatever, I thought, and used them to clip open tonight's gross dinner.

The paste had a sweetness to it that made it taste like a mixture of overripe banana and mashed peas. It wasn't very good. After we pick up some furnishings, we should stop by a space Costco for some real food, I thought. After drinking my cup of water, I began to feel better. Null hadn't come by yet, so I decided to go through my things and see if I could find any entertaining reading.

As I went to pull out the Cadian Cookbook again, the small blank journal fell out. I remembered that I still had the pen that I had picked up from the farmhouse, so now I could keep a journal if I wanted to. I opened the journal, and saw something new.

There was writing in the journal now! Where before, it had been nearly entirely blank, it appeared that a few pages had been filled in with a silver ink that faintly glowed. Interested, I began to read.

Dear Traveler,

If you are reading this, then you have consumed at least one human spirit, and now, the Key is anchored to you, and cannot be taken away unwillingly. Your psyker level, as per the Imperial Assignment, is at least an Iota in scale, for if it was lower, you could not be reading this, nor would the Key have accepted your soul in my vessel.

If you do not already know by now, you are, as some rare scholars describe as a Traveler. Your soul knows no roots in the Immaterium, as you were not born on this Materium, making you highly resistant to the Immaterium's corrupting taint. Perhaps you have left the doomed planet of Levant in search of your glory, or perhaps not. As you continue your quest across our galaxy, more of this book will become visible to you, as for every soul you consume through the Key, the more powerful you become. I hold myself privileged for allowing my body and its powerful lineage for your use, and wherever I may be, I pray to Almighty God that you will destroy those who would subdue you.

Continue to practice your psionic abilities, and continue to integrate souls into yourself, and watch your power grow in great strength.

~Evanora, Scion of the East

She had signed it "Scion of the East", which was interesting. I supposed that she would definitely be a Traveler too now if she wanted to escape this universe. I wondered where she ended up? Maybe she's now in Oz as the actual Wicked Witch of the East? The thought made me laugh. Someone as diabolical-sounding as Evanora would be extraordinarily bad for any universe to experience.

The following few pages were filled with instructions on esoteric techniques for meditation, protection, and psychic intimidation. As I started to read further, I heard Null step through the door without knocking. I closed the journal and set it aside.

"Good, you have consumed your food. Psykers of a higher potency have different dietary needs. These packaged meals should be enough nutritionally for your unique requirements," the tech-priest said, sitting awkwardly on one of the two chairs in this room as I sat up on the bed.

I noticed that Null was still actively avoiding making direct eye contact with me, and I felt somehow that he was intimidated just by being in my presence. He removed a thin metal tube from a pocket in his robe, along with something that vaguely hinted at a stethoscope with strange blinking lights.

"I wish to examine you, if you would allow it. You have likely been under immense physical and mental strain. So, if you would permit me," Null inquired.

"Just don't inject me in the neck with anything else," I said.

The tech-priest pointed a bright light into my eyes with the metal rod, pressing a button that offered some sort of readout on its surface that I couldn't see. He then placed the stethoscope over my heart, and listened for a few moments. Without explaining what he had found, he then reached into his robe, and produced a thin metal bracelet lined with mysterious clear crystals and glyphs.

"Place this upon your arm. We use this little piece of tech to determine psychic potency to test suspected psykers when in the field. It can offer a rough estimate to your strength."

Null gave me the bracelet, and I put it over my left wrist, where it immediately clamped down and locked. Before I could become upset at this, the device came to life began to softly glow red, before shifting to orange, yellow, and finally a bright yellow green. After the colors stopped shifting, the bracelet unlocked itself, and Null took it away.

"It appears that you are a high Eta, or maybe a low Zeta," the tech-priest stated. "Your health appears stable, but you should try to get some good rest tonight."

"Null, please don't kill Alberich. Just try to get along with him for now," I said with a yawn. "I know he's a mutant, but for now, he's sworn to protect me with his life."

"He's not a Traveler, Scion," Null said, putting away his things in the many pockets of his red robes. "He can't be. The mutant lied to save his life, and will probably continue to lie. It is their nature to be beastly. It is in their nature to fall into corruption and degeneracy. The probability of two Travelers on one world at the same time is exceedingly minuscule."

"Alberich came from my reality, Null," I insisted. "He knew things no one else could know, and was familiar with my world."

"I will still say that he lies, but it is your decision to keep him here, so I will not harm him. I will again say that he will be a great detriment to you once you reveal yourself to the greater galaxy, and once we start heading into Imperial space, the ship you ride in will begin to attract attention, that is, if it hasn't already. Aside from that unpleasantness, I have something that might interest you."

Null produced chain of dark metal links a bit longer than my forearm, offering it to me with a metal hand. It appeared to have a clasp, and could be used as a short necklace. As the tech-priest held out the chain, I saw Wolfie curl up in a sleeping position under the table before vanishing into a smear of smoke back to the Warp.

"What's this?" I took the chain and examined it. It was heavier than it should be, even if it was solid metal. I rubbed the links between my fingers. It felt calming.

"This used to be Virgil's. He was plagued by visions the further he got in his research. His physical blindness did not stop the amount of information his mind picked up, so he often wore this dampener to muffle his premonitions when he wished to simply read or study. It isn't meant to be a substitution for good mental discipline, but he said it helped him. Virgil wore it around his neck from time to time. He had, well, 'borrowed' it when assigned to a previous Mechanicus fleet."

I took the metal chain. "Thank you. This is definitely useful."

Null sat aside from me, clasping his four hands together, and still not making any eye contact. "We should talk further when we have replaced the battery for the ship. We are only seeing a shadow of what she used to be, as she is operating on emergency systems. I am studying as much as I can, but for now, do not judge her as dirty or weak. The Divine Retribution has already maimed a Keeper of Secrets at only a sliver of its true power, as you have seen."

"Well we have water now, at least," I placed the metal links on the nightstand. "What we should do is find a way to get some furniture or something here when everything is fixed up. Make this ship livable again. Molech is far away. How much do we know about this local area?"

"Not much, truly. There are few stars out here in the Ghoul Stars, and livable planets are even rarer. There is evidence that an unknown event stripped these worlds of their civilizations many thousands of years ago, so there are many ruins, but little populated cities."

Wait, something that strips civilizations? We were located on very eastern fringe of the galaxy, and since he had not been off planet for over a thousand years, maybe Null didn't know about...

"Null, do you know about the Tyranids? In the stories I read, there was a group of giant insect aliens that came in and started eating the galaxy a few hundred years sometime before the end of M41. I can't remember where exactly, but I'm pretty sure one of their fleets strikes an area to the far east. What year is it?"

"It is currently 999.M41. I know nothing of 'Tyranids'. When heavier Warp activity began to isolate Levant, I experienced a severance of my ability to listen in on news of the greater Imperium. Do Tyranids originate from the planet Tyran? One of my old colleagues was posted there, and may still be there, but that was very many years ago. It is a heavily fortified ocean world, so I doubt any insect xenos could cause difficulty."

"I have some bad news for you, Null."

For about ten minutes, I described the menace of the Tyranids, and all about how they assaulted the planet Tyran, completely overwhelming and devouring it before the fleet picked up and moved to strip another planet. The tech-priest listened in horror, and I could see him gripping his knees nervously. His now yellow eyes blinked in surprise and horror, and I even thought I spied a tear move across the surface of one eye.

"Omnissiah, save us. Another new horror for humankind to suffer," Null said as he shook his head sadly. "You say that they will avoid areas of high Warp activity? Would you be able to sense them if they were close?"

"Not sure, really. What I do know is that they have a huge psychic shadow is so powerful that people were calling it the 'Shadow in the Warp', because it disrupts psyker abilities. Tyran couldn't even use an astropath to call for aid because of that. I'm not sure if it is possible to sense them moving in the area. From where I saw on the map on the bridge, the Malefactus rift isn't very far away from here, so I would think the bugs would avoid that, but I'm not certain on that either," I said.

Oh man, I hadn't even considered any Tyranid danger out here. I had been so occupied with worrying about greater daemons, cultists, Necrons, and manipulative Chaos Gods that the possibility of running into a Hive Fleet hadn't even entered my mind. Holy shit.

"After we're done here, lets get away from this part of the galaxy. I don't want to be lunch," I said, yawning.

"Of course. While my information may be out of date, I do know of a few locations that are somewhat neutral toward those simply passing through. We shall plot a course after the battery is replaced, and the ship has regained full functionality. I will tolerate the mutant for now, but I strongly suggest you get rid of him or hide him on the ship when we arrive at a human world. He is an untrained beastman psyker, and could be very dangerous to you."

Null appeared understandably upset at the revelation that Tyranids existed when he left my room shortly afterward, wishing me a good night. I got a few unbidden images of him directing different servitors toward different cleaning tasks, and another of a test of a water faucet, which worked after sputtering for a few moments. I decided to try out the dark chain the tech-priest had given me, and held it in one of my hands, which caused the images to immediately cease. I really had to get better at being a psyker without needing that chain, because this was overwhelming.

I spent the rest of the evening reading up on techniques on psychic intimidation, and how to cultivate emotion to fuel different desired effects. I didn't want to scare anyone, so I just ended up yelling at my scary reflection, pretending that it was Evanora, and swearing at her for putting me in this body. Eventually, I got fed up and angry over my circumstances again, and fell into a fitful sleep, dreading raiding that damn Necron Tomb tomorrow.

I woke up to the sound of a buzzing intercom in the dim room. "Good morning, Divine Retribution!" Null's distorted voice echoed through the ship. "This is your resident archmagos, Null. Today we should be expecting pleasant weather as we enjoy a walk through a canyon. A cooling front pushed through the desert overnight and..."

I sat up in the bed. Wolfie glitched into existence in a puff of darkness sitting on the floor near my bed. The astral hound stood up and stretched with a yawn, just like a normal dog would. He looked up at me, and wagged his tail, ready for more fun adventures.

...OUTSIDE?... the desire from Wolfie was clearly communicated to me. With a smile, I gave him an affirmative nod which caused the black ghost dog to get even more excited for the day, jumping about in a circle.

"Lights on," I said, and the lights in this room came on as I stepped out of the bed and onto the metal floor.

I stretched, and turned to the mirror, momentarily not recognizing my reflection once again. "Yep, definitely an anime villain now," I remarked, looking at my terrifying eyes and catastrophic bed head.

I discovered that it was actually close to noon when Null read out the weather reports for the local desert. We would be starting a little later than originally planned due to some inclement weather. The morning had been blazingly hot, but a thunderstorm had just passed over us, cooling the area down considerably. I had slept right through it. I needed the sleep anyway, so I was happy about that.

Standing in here, I started to actually study the suite I was in for the first time. These were the captain's quarters, as I had been told earlier. My bed was a longer double bed instead of a single, and my room had an en suite washroom that I hadn't noticed before. The whole suite was an irregular living space about eight meters long by five wide of a few different rooms, each open with the exception of the washroom. The previous pilot enjoyed riding in style, it seemed.

If one were to walk through the front door, the bed I had been laying on was located in a slightly raised area in a room in the upper left corner. The size of the bed allowed for two people to sleep comfortably. Above the bed, I noticed a line of shelves, and the remains of some books decayed to time and unreadable. A small nightstand held my water cup, Evanora's journal, Virgil's chain, and the mystery scissors. My pack sat by the base of the bed, and I reached down to remove the Cadian Cookbook, and the history book, placing them on the nightstand for later reading. My belt with my sheathed diamond dagger had fallen out and lay on the floor nearby.

Directly facing the front door, a large black horizontal screen was built into the wall. Below it, a silvery table with two simple metal chairs offered a good place for a conversation. Touching the chairs, I was able to see that they were somewhat anchored to the floor, and with a little effort, they could be moved. It felt as if the chair legs had been magnetized to "stick" to the ship's floor. That was probably a good idea in a vessel of any kind, as no one wants furniture flying everywhere if rough weather presents itself. On the black screen, there was nothing, but it felt like it was probably some kind of display. Maybe when we got more power it would turn on?

To the right of the entrance was a thin sliding door which led to a very fancy gold bathroom. A deep claw foot tub of solid gold took up a fair amount of space, as did a tall flawless mirror over a basin sink. I tested the sink, and with a groan, water began to flow. Awesome, we have water now! Another door in the bathroom led to another entirely gold feature, the toilet. Seeing all this gold made me wonder what the bathrooms in the interior of the Imperial Palace on Terra looked like. Probably more nonsense like this, I thought. At least there weren't heroic frescoes of buff space marines doing hero things everywhere covering every inch of space.

Stepping back into the main area, I examined the right side of the suite. I spied a small den with two nearly threadbare couches with metal legs facing each other over a coffee table of weak, aged wood. On the wall, high above and near the ceiling, I was surprised to see a framed art piece that appeared completely untouched by time. I recognized it; it was a depiction of Leonardo DaVinci's ornithopter sketches. Even assuming that these were copies, it was incredible that these art pieces did not look all that aged, considering the ship had lain unused for over ten thousand years. Below the sketches lay another black screen, presumably another display port like in the main room. Face down on the floor, I spied a metal picture frame, and I picked it up. It looked like it had been on the coffee table, and had been knocked down. Unfortunately, whatever this was did not withstand time as well as the ornithopter hanging on the wall; the paper crumpled when I moved it to investigate. I could only vaguely make out that it was a picture of two men smiling in a posed, friendly picture before it fell apart.

Turning left from the social area, there was another room that also contained a few shelves with ruined books, and what appeared to be a large rectangular table that hit at about my navel. Two more dark threadbare couches with metal legs sat against the wall. I could see the scattered remains of fabric tapestries that once decorated the walls, their subjects faded and lost to time as the majority of the threads that composed them lay in piles of dust below. As I walked in, my feet hit a nasty surprise as I stepped on something small, metal, and spiky.

I bent down to investigate, and was surprised.

The sharp metal object appeared to be a painted model of some kind of armored knight, or maybe even a space marine. I picked a few of the tiny metal figurines up, and placed them on what I now assumed was a gaming table. Maybe this was a game room, I wondered with amusement. The model I held in my hand was a soldier wearing bright gold armor, his arm holding a spear into the sky. That halberd hadn't been fun to step on at all.

As I was investigating what I presumed was a game room, I heard a knock at the door. It was 99-Z. Once again, she was holding food packets. "The Master requests your attendance in the galley. He apologizes that the intercom has ceased functioning," she said blankly. I was never going to get used to servitors, was I?

"I'll be right there. Give me a moment," I responded. I took Evanora's comb with me to untangle my bed head before heading down to the galley.

Once again, I saw Alberich seated at a long table. I heard Null fussing over something behind a door in here. Alberich saw me and stood up. He was dressed in his military wear, but without the jacket. His black sleeves were rolled up and he appeared to be barefoot.

Good morning! he said with telepathy and a short bow.

"Good morning," I said to him in return in voice. I didn't want to start the day with a migraine. Gotta save my magic points.

"One would think that a heating coil would be an easy thing to find in here..." Null muttered behind the door in the galley.

"Hi Null," I said loud enough to be heard.

The tech-priest walked out of the kitchen, holding what appeared to be an electric metal toaster. "I wanted to try out some of the basic ancient tech here, but I am afraid that whoever left this ship left it in a disorganized state. Appalling. Would've never happened in my crew." Jiminy buzzed out from behind the doors, and flew to land back on the tech-priest's red-robed shoulders. The metal bug was cleaned of his scorch marks, and had been polished to brilliant metallic reflectivity.

"So, we're hiking through a canyon, and raiding a tomb?" Alberich asked as Null walked back into the main galley area.

"Yes," the tech-priest answered simply as he made his way back to the table. 99-Z stood motionless while holding the food packets, apparently waiting for Null's signal to offer them to us, which he did with some sort of hand gesture. Again, I found myself an impossible to open packet with an eye icon on it. Feeling irritated that I had left my scissors in my room, I tried to magic it open, which only caused it to fly straight out of my hands and strike the ceiling before falling back to the table. After watching Alberich have a laugh at this, I asked the beastman to open it again with his claws along with his own packet, and soon, I was eating gross sweet paste again as the tech-priest began to explain his plan.

"Without a functioning battery, most of the Divine Retribution's systems are offline. Lucky for us, I have surveyed that this particular Tomb is close to the surface, and easily accessible by a cave in the canyon. Also fortunate is that the battery itself seems to be relatively small, and can be carried by 77-X back to the Retribution; I am more than capable of installing it as well. Afterward, we're going to need to quickly jettison the old battery somewhere as it is dangerous for fleshlings to be around. Jiminy will remain here along with the other servitors as a watch. If anything happens, I will be informed. We have a five kilometer walk ahead of us, and another five kilometer walk back. If time doesn't permit, we may stay overnight in the cave if our progress is slow. My survey of the canyon and the river suggests we will be walking along a rocky shore most of our way, but it should be noted that there may be areas where we might need to wade through water. The river is mostly shallow, but some areas may hold a rough current that we will unfortunately be walking against. I expect the weather will be pleasant, warm, and sunny. This planet seems as tame as it was when we did the initial survey. You may witness some local alien flora and fauna, but this world wasn't classified as a death world, so simply avoid bothering any indigenous life forms, and all should be well. Still, it would be wise to pack weapons, just in case," Null added, indicating Alberich's daemon glaive which leaned against the wall.

"So, in this world, greater magic functions?" the Tzaangor asked.

"Yes, of course. This world has a normal relation to the Warp as any other. Despite its slumbering occupants likely being of the same race as those who had built the pylons on Levant, this world has no such suppression devices."

"What do we do when we get to the cave?" I asked, slurping on my rations. This one had a faint aftertaste of salt water taffy, making it extra gross.

"Leave that to me. Tombs are dangerous places for fleshlings. If everything is well, I will survey the Tomb once we are at its threshold. I am no stranger to Necron Tombs and their various layouts, technologies, and possible defenses. I need to find a particular kind of ship in one of their hangars, and from there, I will abscond with a fresh energy cell. Depending on Tomb size, this may take as little as ten minutes."

"When do we go?" Alberich asked.

"My suggestion is to meet outside the ship in ten, but it is the Scion's decision."

"Scion?"

"It is the honorific we should be addressing Traveler Erika by," Null mentioned as if I wasn't sitting right there. "In old texts, Scions are inheritors of God's wrath, fallen down to this universe to mete justice. It is simply a term for addressing a powerful chosen Traveler, which Erika is here."

Wouldn't that make me one too? Alberich snarkily asked me as he sat across from me. I ignored him.

"So, with the Scion's permission, I would like to begin our quest," Null stated, gently bowing his head.

A short time later, I stood outside the ship in the sunny midday weather wearing the last clean shirt I had, and my riding skirt. I had simply pulled my hair back in a ponytail this time. Both my diamond dagger and my silver scissors were placed inside the scabbard on my belt. Alberich appeared on the gangway, still barefoot and carrying his glaive, which flashed in the sun. Wolfie appeared very excited for his walk, as he bounded around us like a happy golden retriever with too much energy. Heavy footsteps caused me to turn, and I saw 77-X stepping down the gangway, his metal arms shining chrome in the sun. On his back, he held a very large pack that seemed mostly empty. Close behind him was Null, humming a tune to himself, and carrying his metal gear-shaped Mechanicus staff. Jiminy buzzed outside and settled himself on one of the Divine Retribution's wings above. "Alright, we have rations and water. We are ready to go, my friends!" the tech-priest announced brightly.

Null turned to me once he was downstairs. "The ship will only respond to you, so you must be the one to tell it to close."

I looked up at the big golden ship. It really was something to behold, especially in the daylight. Its hull of solid gold made the vessel almost blinding to look at directly in the bright desert sun. I observed its wings, one of which had maimed a Keeper of Secrets. Incredibly, both wings remained completely spotless. "Divine Retribution, lock up and wait for us to get back."

The ship did just that, and the entryway sealed itself seamlessly after retracting the gangway. The eagle pulled itself up, and slightly folded its wings into the same position I first had seen it underground.

"Off we go! What an adventure! Oh, how I've missed field expeditions!" Null said cheerfully, tapping his staff with one hand, and holding a device ahead of him that displayed a rough map on a dark screen in another hand.

The first hour of our hike was uneventful, and much like any desert hike back on Earth. Wolfie really enjoyed himself, bounding around like an excited puppy, but staying close to me for the most part. I was getting used to having a Warp beast as a pet. The astral hound was a smoky shape of swirling blacks and greys, with eyes of pinpoints of white starlight. His good nature belied his scary appearance, and I really liked having him around.

We walked along the winding pebbled shore that followed the river as the canyon rose dramatically above us, giving us shade. The river was shallow, and only reached up to about the knee, but it was fast enough to cause Alberich to nearly lose his balance when he went wading. Null stayed close to the canyon wall, holding his device ahead of him as he walked with 77-X in tow, not talking much. I assumed that was an auspex.

There were succulent cacti of various unrecognizable forms growing here, and some spiky plants that gave the air that distinctive sage-y smell. I was intrigued by some of the small six-legged alien lizards we saw skittering away when they saw us, and a low undulating howl of wind traveled through the land as the canyon rose up. We were mostly in perpetual shade along the river, so there were no concerns about sunburn or overheating. Jagged bands of reddish ochre rock and wind-carved depressions gave this place an exotic, beautiful feel. I could now see why Null had us land so far away, as getting to the bottom of the canyon in the gusty wind would've been extremely dangerous. We continued walking along the shoreline that consisted of weather polished gravel of many colors. Wolfie stayed close to me, and I took drinks from my flask from time to time.

After finding a good place to stop after the second hour, we took a rest break. Null needed to adjust a mechanical component on 77-X, and Alberich stood over a part of the river that flowed into a small pool, holding his spear blade down over the water.

"Fishing," he told me as he noticed me approaching. A few moments later, and he had moved Valkyrie impossibly quickly into the water, cutting an aquatic animal the size of a small dog clean in half. I decided to be helpful and test my abilities again by telekinetically reaching for the tail half, and pulling it out of the water. Focusing, I placed it on a nearby boulder where it twitched and bled blue blood.

Alberich and I examined the decapitated creature. He had speared something with red, yellow, and black stripes in the shape of a mutant mudskipper. "We probably can't eat that," I said. "Those colorings back home usually mean that an animal is poisonous. 'Red touch yellow, kills a fellow', the saying goes."

"Back in Germany, I was used to trout and perch, not whatever this is," the Tzaangor said, poking the fishy corpse. I noticed that Wolfie was now standing ahead of us on the river's shore, his back and tail straight.

Null was still occupied with tinkering with something on 77-X's body when I heard another moan echo from the direction we were headed. Wolfie shifted from paw to paw, and wagged his tail briefly again before freezing.

"Hey, look," I pointed out the astral hound's behavior to Alberich. "Did you hear that? Look at Wolfie."

"It is the wind echoing through the canyon," the Tzaangor said. "I used to hike, and mountain trails often hold howling wind. I wouldn't be too worried."

Just as Alberich said that, another howl echoed through the canyon. It made the hair on the back my neck stand on end. It was pretty spooky. Did Necrons make that sort of noise?

"Blast it!" I heard Null cursing as he dropped a metal tool into the rushing water while adjusting something on 77-X's back. The irritated tech-priest turned back to us. "There seems to be some minor electromagnetic interference in this area. Not enough to cause me much in the way of difficulty, but enough for irritation." He had dropped the tool into a deeper part of the river, where the bottom could not easily be seen.

Alberich surprised me by walking forward to where Null had dropped the item. Holding his arm out, he closed his eyes, and I saw the metal tool rise from the water and back in the tech-priest's hand. "You're welcome," Alberich said as Null went right back to tinkering.

Wolfie remained standing ahead of us, his ears pricked and listening. The eerie moan of the canyon winds kicked up again, and I saw the astral hound's form flicker momentarily before he trotted back to us. We were on our way again.

"Interesting! This beast seems to be engineered for maximum lethality, so I imagine there are many more here. Crazy old Roquat will have his work cut out for him when he activates once again! Yet another thing for him to lose his temper over! Do you happen to know who seeded these life forms on this planet? A creature like this would indicate a very hostile world, but it seems to be out of place. It is as if someone put it here," Trazyn observed jovially as he stood admiring the long quills on the dead Screamer's shoulders. On one side of the corpse, and half in the water, large holes of open flesh lay open and exposed to insects in the sun, as if a giant crab had been gnawing at the body overnight. The smell was sharp and foul as my companions and I stood nearby, waiting for Trazyn to get bored. "What do you think, Plane Walker? Do you know anything useful?"

"I have no idea," I said, standing around waiting for the Necron celebrity to finish whatever he was doing. We had walked a total of ten meters to where the Screamer lay dead before Trazyn had become distracted again like a magpie discovering yet another a shiny object. I hoped that he wouldn't attempt to steal this corpse, but I was darkly curious to see how much crazy stuff he could fit inside the endless hole inside his ribcage. I answered his question with, "You took Lian away, and he would be the one that would know about the monsters here. I think this was a hunting lodge for space marines, so maybe they imported their quarry."

Null was leaning against his Mechanicus staff, and his eyes were still dim and grey. If he were any other electronic device, we'd probably be seeing a low power warnings and errors flashing on him, judging by his behavior. The cowed tech-priest added, "We categorized the place as a simple feral world a thousand years ago when we sent a probe down. This creature must have been a newer artificial addition, maybe delivered by the traitor marines or another party."

"Why thank you for your insight, metal human. I do so like it when I am not called 'foul xenos' while hearing that I should be purged! What is curious about you is that a portion of your metal is necrodermis, and it seems I cannot remove all of it without your structural integrity being compromised. How you managed to alter yourself like that actually quite extraordinary for your primitive race. Since I am a reasonable fellow, I will allow you to retain what you need to stay 'alive.' Aren't I generous?"

No one said anything in response as Trazyn knelt down to tear a fang from the Screamer's burned mouth. He placed it inside his chest. "No 'thank you Trazyn, you are a gentleman' in return? Well, I know I have a good sense of self worth, so I don't need verbal reinforcement. You should never rely on others to prop up your self-esteem, as that sort of behavior can be unhealthy." The metal alien turned back to us, still smiling. The other Necron warriors still stood motionless behind us, with the one that had been pushed over remaining face down in the water. They had not moved. As intimidating as this situation was, listening to Trazyn chatter about whatever was on his mind was much easier than dealing with the Nome King and his entire planet waking up.

I looked up into the morning sky above the canyon, and took a breath to center myself. Strangely, I felt an odd sense of disconcertment, as if I was in an elevator that had dropped a few floors. Time almost seemed to slow for a moment. I watched as Trazyn turned away from the corpse, and began walking down the riverbank again, as cheerful as ever. Nauseated, I wobbled, and caught myself before I fell into a stinking puddle on the shore.

"Are you okay?" Alberich asked from behind me, steadying me with a blue arm around my shoulders.

"No," I replied. "Ever since that thing with Lian, I have been dizzy. At least we have the battery, but I'll be happy when we're off this planet." I stood for a moment collecting myself, as the world spun around me. I shut my eyes.

"Here," I heard Alberich say to me as I held my eyes closed. He placed something that was both cold and hot in my right hand. "This should help."

"What is-?"

Greetings, Traveler! I'm a cousin of Glinda's, and I'm here to help! a new telepathic voice said, beaming with optimism.

Surprised and still disoriented, I opened my eyes. Trazyn was walking ahead of us. He shouted over his shoulder, "Are you coming or not? Your ship is this way, correct?" In my hand, I saw that I was holding Valkyrie. Alberich stood beside me, as Null and 77-X slowly walked ahead.

The beastman waved. "We shall catch up. My companion had a dizzy spell, and I wish to see if she is alright," Alberich said to Trazyn, who turned back around and began to walk onward again.

The strange new voice spoke to me, and I looked up at Valkyrie's shining immaculate blade. Iridescent colors like that on the surface of a soap bubble danced across the surface of the metal. It said, You have overtaxed yourself, favored one, and not at a favorable time. The threads of fate ahead of you are in a terrible tangled knot! Be warned, for there are many dangers ahead. Not only are you watched by many, but time itself is being reworked under the direction of a third party. Trouble ahead!

You're Valkyrie? What dangers? I asked the daemon blade as I took a step, using the weapon as a hiking pole. I felt somewhat stronger as I began to walk.

I am called that, among other names. As you know, you've attracted the eye of the Great Lord of Change, and I am here to assist you. There are many eyes converging onto this planet, aligning themselves in curiosity of the strange gold bird they see from far above. You are being watched, Traveler.

I instinctively looked upward as I walked along the canyon shore. We're being followed? Who is watching us?

You are studied from a distance by a number of interested parties. A golden ship under a clear sky would be quite easy to see by anyone above soaring through the stars. And, there are other concerns I must alert you to...

My vision was psychically directed at Trazyn as we began walking through a twisting area of the canyon. Far ahead, the Necron had stopped, and was now leaning on Roquat's staff as he glanced almost nervously about. Alberich looked at me from over his shoulder a few steps away, his eyes narrowing in knowing concern. The beastman knew I was talking with Valkyrie. Null and 77-X walked slowly ahead together, unaware that I was chatting with a daemon.

What's going on? I asked, not quite understanding as I picked my way along the shore. The glaive was extremely light, almost as if I held a hollow cane in my hand instead of a staff topped with a large metal blade.

We of the Great Lord of Change are sensitive to the flow of time and fate. Time is bending and reordering itself, and not by our hands. Even the soulless one has a sense for such things, as he has been subjected to temporal manipulations before. In addition, dangerous creatures still stalk this area, so you must be on guard. It is in our best interest that you live, so I will gift you a portion of my strength so that you do not die in the next nine minutes.

Nine minutes?! I responded in alarm as I saw Alberich walk back to me. He gently pulled Valkyrie back before I could hear a response, and asked, "Do you feel better now?"

I took stock of how I felt, and nodded. I actually did feel better, like I had had a few cups of espresso and a good breakfast. My headache was gone, and my nose had stopped bleeding. Did something just happen? I looked ahead, and saw that Trazyn had turned around, giving the impression that he was growing impatient with our slower pace.

"Yeah, I feel better. Thank you," as I saw Alberich swipe his glaive in a few dramatic arcs ahead of me. "But, uh, I think there are still predators or scavengers around, and they might be dangerous. It's weird, but I'm also getting a feeling that time is being manipulated. I can't describe it. It makes me feel strange," I said, not voicing that a daemon-possessed weapon had told me these things within earshot of Null.

Ahead, I heard Trazyn raise his accented hollow voice and interject himself into our conversation. "Did I hear you say that you felt a manipulation of time?" the Necron lord stopped walking, and waited for the rest of us to get to him. He had dropped his smile, and stood as still as a statue as we approached. "What is your intuition, Plane Walker?"

"I'm not sure, but I definitely feel that there are more dangerous things out here," I said, focusing on the more immediate threat that I could wrap my head around. I didn't understand any of the supposed "time manipulation" Valkyrie suggested. I thought that messing with fate was Tzeentch's realm, and hearing the daemon inside Alberich's glaive disavowing Tzeentch's involvement in this situation was definitely upsetting. "Behind us, I saw that something had been chewing on the Screamer, and I get a feeling that it is still around and not friendly. We should keep going."

Trazyn stepped forward to me, and stopped, preventing me from walking forward. He towered over me, and his glowing green eyes were very serious. "This is important. Tell me what you are sensing about the flow of time."

"I told you. I don't know. Sometimes I just pick up on vague sensations, but the only thing I can sense about time is that it is not moving naturally, and that something may be manipulating it. I can't give you any more details."

I saw Trazyn's eyes narrow into glowing green slits as he leaned down, studying me.

"You are not lying, I see. Hmm. Do tell me if you feel it again," the Necron lord said, tapping a long silver finger on his chin with the sound of someone hitting a fork against a metal table. With a shrug, he turned around and began walking again. From behind him, I could see that he had removed a metal cube from his chest, and was casually tossing it in the air like a softball. It was similar in appearance to what I had seen him hold in the bolt-hole. Was Lian imprisoned in there?

Null spoke up, "If there are more aggressive megafauna moving about, we should be wary. I am not at optimal strength, as many of my systems are damaged. You seem to have put some sort of behavioral inhibitor within me, so I would appreciate it if you removed it so that I may be more helpful." Seeing the tech-priest look this miserable and weak was upsetting. "The astartes you captured is definitely a capable fighter, and releasing him for defense when danger presents itself would be a prudent idea."

Trazyn scoffed at that idea, obviously not taking the tech-priest seriously. "If you're worried about dangerous beasts, I would not fret. You seemed to have done just fine killing the apex predator around here, and I'm no stranger to combat if I need to get my hands dirty. This isn't really my body so I don't care anyway."

"But we had Lian's help, though. Without him, we'd probably be dead," I protested, trailing around another winding curve through the canyon, the river rushing noisily. Null said nothing and walked a few paces behind Trazyn with 77-X, the smell of ozone trailing him. Alberich walked next to me, his eyes serious as he gripped Valkyrie. I wondered what the daemon was telling him.

"The river," Alberich murmured under his breath next as we began walking down a straighter stretch of the canyon shoreline. The Necron lord strode confidently ahead of us, playfully kicking a stone into the river with a splash.

"What?" Trazyn turned around again to us, and his sardonic smile had returned. He was tossing the metal cube he held in his hand up and down. "Yes, I can see that is a river. That much is obvious. Is he a little slow, Plane Walker?"

I then noticed that Alberich wasn't looking at Trazyn, but at a shadow that had suddenly appeared under the river behind the Necron.

The moment blinked.

Trazyn reacted so quickly that it felt as if he had almost skipped in time, vaulting out of the way of some kind of submerged monstrous shape that had reared up like a trap door spider, causing a wave of water, mud, and gravel to wash up toward us in the river, striking our lower legs. I felt Alberich's arm push me backwards to the ground just as a gust of wind washed over me, and I was able to see a long shape twice as thick as the Tzaangor's body with spiny legs strike the side of the canyon right where my head used to be. Holy shit!

Stay down! Alberich mentally shouted to me. I was positioned on my back and side partially leaning up against the rock surface of the canyon wall. I turned to see what new monster fate had thrown our way as it withdrew into the river.

It resembled some kind of unholy marriage between a lamprey, a worm, and a long-limbed centipede covered with plates of grey-ish chitinous armor. As quickly as it had struck (and missed), it had then retreated with a splash. It appeared to burrow under the shallow riverbed, submerging itself. Alberich stood over me, holding his glaive protectively. Trazyn stood further down the riverbank, holding Roquat's staff in a similar defensive posture. Null had toppled over along with 77-X, and both were struggling to stand. In the river, I could see a shadow moving under the water, coiling like a snake in preparation for another strike.

Great job assessing this planet for danger, Null, I thought again. "What in-!?" I heard Trazyn shout in alarm. This caused the worm-centipede to go after the Necron instead of us, rearing out of the water once again. Exceedingly agile, Trazyn sidestepped the monster's attack, and again, it blindly battered the canyon wall. The Necron lord took this opportunity to strike at the creature with Roquat's staff, causing a section of its armor to burn away in a blast of green fire where the green orb had struck. It screamed and retreated underwater again.

I think it is blind, and it is mainly drawn to the Necron, Alberich said, standing motionless above me as I lay half sitting up against the canyon wall. Make no movement, and do not speak. Let it kill the alien, the beastman said. In my peripheral vision, I could see that Null and 77-X were now both on their feet, and that the combat servitor had placed the battery on the ground as four long clawed mechadendrites emerged from his back. This movement caused the angry worm-centipede to whirl around to lash at 77-X, who struck back at it with an uppercut from one of his huge metal arms, causing it to withdraw into the water again.

"Why you little," I could vaguely hear Trazyn growl as he reached inside his chest. Before he could remove whatever it was he was looking for, the creature responded, obviously not slowed down by its injuries. It roared out of the water once again. This time, Trazyn did not move fast enough, and was slammed against the canyon wall, pinned. From here, I could see fanged jaws emerge around the lamprey mouth of the creature, and the Necron lord was quickly partially swallowed before the creature retreated beneath the water again, taking its "prey" with it.

I watched the whole scene helplessly while still on the ground. It was better for us that this monster worm was trying to eat Trazyn instead of us. As the water began to splash and roil, I noticed something next to where I lay.

It was the metal cube that Trazyn had carried, possibly the one that held Lian. I quickly reached out, and took it, hiding it behind my back against the rock wall. It was very warm, and about the size of a large orange. Up close, I could see that the object was covered in strange shifting runes that shifted into indecipherable patterns. I watched 77-X stand over the agitated water, his sharp mechadentrites poised over him threateningly.

"Are you well?" I nearly cried out in fright when I heard Null softly ask while kneeling down beside me. The water in the river had become more and more turbulent as the worm was probably realizing that Necrons aren't very tasty.

"Shh! Keep quiet! It hunts by sound!" I hissed. "Here," thinking quickly, I placed the cube in one of Null's innumerable pockets within his red robe. "Hide this. I think this is where Lian is."

Null wordlessly accepted the object with a nod, and whispered to me. "I am no longer compelled by the xenos. I am playing along. Do not-"

The tech-priest was interrupted as an explosion of water, sand, black slime, and shredded insect organs burst out of the river, covering us all in filth and knocking 77-X to the ground. Alberich had been standing defensively near me, and had unfortunately taken a direct hit in his open beak by some greenish-ochre viscera, causing him to reflexively drop his glaive and gag, spitting on the pebbled shoreline.

The three of us watched the frothing filthy river waters as pieces of the worm-centipede began to surface, some of which were steaming in the morning air. The insect's blood was apparently some kind of oily black ooze, which made it extra repulsive. There was no immediate sign of the devoured Necron lord. Was this actually the end of Trazyn the Infinite? Getting eaten by an exploding worm? That would be anticlimactic for such a famous 40k personality.

My question was answered when I saw a figure begin to stand inside the river, up to his chest and absolutely covered with black slime which was washing slowly away. Trazyn's green eyes glowed as he waded back to us through the water, reminding me of some kind of bad movie monster from the 1960s. "I was not... very... edible..." he said haltingly.

I began to stand up, upset that I was now also covered in insect goo. Beside me, I saw Alberich hacking and choking. He looked like a sea bird that had been a victim of an oil spill, his feathers covered in oily blood and worm bits.

At my feet, I heard what sounded like a birdlike chirp, and nearly fell backwards again in fright. Holy shit, not another thing to fight, I thought. I looked down and was surprised to see a black and green insect that resembled some kind of oversized fattened tick with an angled body about the size of a small watermelon. It was making a cheeping noise, scuttling around like a crab on the shoreline. I backed away from the creature, and watched as Trazyn made his way to shore. Steam was rising from his body.

"Hmm," the Necron lord growled. His attention was on the crab-like critter as it moved about. Alberich was still gagging, and Null (who was somehow the cleanest of us with only a few black blotches on his robe) guided 77-X over to retrieve the energy cell, which I was hoping was still safe.

"What do we have here?" Trazyn said, his voice suspicious. He waded out of the river, his upper half still covered in black slime and steaming with heat. "Well, well, well," he rumbled as he bent down to pick up the creature with his left hand. As he observed it, I could now see that the crab was actually made of metal. It beeped and squealed in response to being in Trazyn's hand. I recognized that this was likely a Necron scarab. The metal alien placed Roquat's staff in the crook of his arm, and with his other hand, pressed some kind of switch on the creature's back. Immediately, neon green lines of light projected outward, crafting a hologram that focused into clarity within a few seconds on the pebbled shore. Trazyn seemed to recognize it, and I saw his face shift to shock until contorting into contempt.

It was another Necron, and this one had a strange shape. While he was slighter than Trazyn, he held a tall elaborate staff which shimmered as if it were only partially properly translated as a hologram. He was bent, and leaned on his distorted staff with both hands as if he were an old man. A headdress of plated metal decorated his crown, and a short metal "beard" angled his chin sharply. His most obvious deviation from the typical Necron template was the large singular eye in the center of his head, which blinked as the hologram shifted into focus.

"Greetings to you, my fine and felonious rival. I have prepared this message for you and the individuals you travel with. It appears that you have stolen the Nome King's body, and that you have survived at least one of the numerous creatures of this planet. I will not tolerate anyone attempting to supersede the prophecies of the Plane Walkers by simple measure of being a kleptomaniac. Your measure of foresight does not compare with my mastery over the flow of time."

"Orikan..." Trazyn hissed at the projection.

"By now you are probably upset with me, and maybe you have recognized that somewhere on your stolen body, there seems to be something attracting the attention of the mindless beasts out here. I know you enjoy a challenge, so hopefully you will appreciate this. Hidden and unaltered inside your purloined person is something that is attracting all manner of nasty hunters in this canyon. If you attempt to remove or disable it, you risk triggering a self-destruct mechanism, so don't do that. But, I have faith, dear rival, that you will overcome any danger you encounter, even when the danger is drawn to you as if you rang a dinner bell across the entire region. This will hopefully keep the attention away from your new found company, as they are made of flesh and far less durable than you. One drawback, however. If you are battered enough, I believe the Nome King's sentience might begin to reassert himself, so try not to get hurt too much. I have a feeling that someone may have warned dear old Roquat before his nap concerning your visitations. Just a hunch, I suppose."

Trazyn had begun to crush the scarab in his hand, his eyes burning with hatred. The metal drone continued to project the hologram in the air. By this time, a very filthy Alberich had noticed this new development, and stood holding his glaive once again, watching.

"You are now probably wondering where I am, and also how best you can make me suffer for interfering in your selfish plans. You also wonder how I have such magnificent foresight, and how is it that I am brilliant enough to foresee all of this. It is simply that I spend my infinite time in study and learning, rather than the mindless acquisition of trinkets. Trying to sunder the fellowship of the new Plane Walker piloting what is now called the Divine Retribution is a bad move, but I welcome you to come and plea your case to me personally. Right now, I am patiently waiting for you in the company of some of my finest warriors upon the wing of the mythical ship you waited ever so long to see again. W-we eagerly wait your arrival, assuming you survive intact. B-but, I believe in you, so cheer up and have hope, dear rival."

The scarab was almost crushed as Trazyn began to get even angrier, but the hologram was able to spit out a few more words.

"You have lost again, old friend, but I am willing to take your loss in grace, as long as you-"

Trazyn crushed the scarab into a pile of useless crumpled metal. His fists clenched furiously, and his eyes blazed with brilliant green hatred. "Orikan!" the Necron loudly bellowed the name like a hated curse into the canyon, causing an echo to resonate even over the sound of the rushing river.

As Trazyn wailed in outrage, another shadow abruptly appeared in the water behind him, and once again, the Necron lord was slammed against the canyon wall, and dragged into the water again by a different worm-centipede. This time, I distanced myself from the river, and began walking quickly away from where the worm had appeared, trying to avoid the inevitable black tide of gore that was likely to follow.

It was a small amount of time before the metal mantis responded. "Do excuse my newly reformed compatriot, Scion. He, well, I think he is somewhat confused on his... condition."

"What are you talking about, friend? I'm fine. This isn't my first projection," Virgil quipped. "Stop speaking through that drone and just talk to me directly."

"Virgil, I'm going to need you to be quiet for a little bit. You are experiencing confusion. Just try to relax. I'll be right with you."

The gilded shade didn't seem to understand, but nodded in the affirmative. Holding his hands behind his back, Virgil began to float aimlessly about the bridge, his expression displaying deep thought. Behind him, Wolfie happily approached me and stood ahead of me, his tail wagging in excitement at all the wildness around him. Stay next to me, boy. Stay, I psychically instructed him. Don't go anywhere, and don't bark. I have to make sense of all this. The astral hound responded by walking to the right of my throne, and sat down attentively.

Taking a deep breath, I began to take in the transformation the ship had undergone.

The gold on the bridge was no longer a simple buffed metal, but now seemed to shine with an inner light, giving the atmosphere an incredibly powerful feel. My energy felt amplified simply by being here, stronger than I would normally be. Motes of light floated like electric fireflies on ethereal currents that caressed my skin, causing goosebumps to alight. This place felt unreal. The amount of power I now felt both around and through me was staggering. Through the throne, I felt the Divine Retribution initializing long dead systems, from the previously dead view screens in living quarters, to the cooking appliances, to the steam sauna. I was extra grateful when I felt the living gold begin to reconfigure itself under each wing into four cannons (two for each wing). We were now no longer defenseless! Ahead of me, the large, holographic screens flickered to life like a computer monitor booting up, static dancing across the surface of the air until it fixated into not one, but three large screens each as tall as a small movie theatre ahead of each throne. Each sculpted itself into a nearly opaque star map of the local area before dimming to translucence once again. The screen ahead of the leftmost throne buzzed and vanished, leaving only the projections ahead of Alberich and I. Below, I could feel a quake. Necrons...

An unbidden image flashed in my mind's eye. Far beneath, a gigantic, irregularly shaped crescent ship staggered to life, before failing, again and again. It was much larger than the Divine Retribution. Through my magnified senses, I realized that it had intended to break through the surface of the planet directly below us, but found itself without enough power to do so. It was missing too many essential energy cells. Not only that, other larger vessels below found themselves bereft of enough energy to function properly! This catastrophic failure actually prevented this entire regional contingent of Necron ships from rising. Frantic orders were being given from a singular newly woken general to find a way topside, no matter what, which resulted in the primitive display of individual Necron warriors teleporting to the surface and promptly getting smashed flat by giant gold eagle talons. Whoops, sorry about your missing energy crystal, guys! Seems you needed that!

Escaping from the earth wasn't a problem for the rest of the aliens on the planet. Thieves had only repeatedly targeted the Tomb directly below us, leaving others intact. Different Tombs were now able to send some of their vanguard ships above, but until the Nome King could reform himself, coordination between his military forces was poor and confused. He had invested too much control of his own people within himself and only a handful of his direct subordinates, so when Trazyn stole his body, their entire army found itself temporarily decapitated.

I came to awareness again while laughing at the scene in my mind. These Necrons had rolled a critical failure in waking their own Tomb World. It didn't make them safe to be around, but it did give us a little extra time, thank goodness. Feeling somewhat relieved, I continued taking stock of my present situation.

To my right, Alberich had his head down, and a line of drool fell from his beak. Intuitively, I now knew that the ship had "initialized" him as a sort of backup copilot on the rightmost throne. Why this hadn't worked before confused me, but I was happy that he hadn't been eaten. Having a copilot was probably a good idea; someone else to share the burden of the soul drain was a welcome development.

As I watched the Tzaangor, his head wearily pulled up and squinted at me. Immediately, I noticed that his eyes had changed. While not entirely metallic like mine, Alberich's irises were now ringed with gold, giving his already keen blue grey gaze an extra edge of intimidation. That wasn't the only thing that had changed. On his bare upper left shoulder, I noticed a strange mark that faintly shimmered as he struggled, almost as if it wasn't really there. I hadn't seen it before on him, so I studied it as the beastman attempted to pull himself back to full consciousness.

It was an image of an eye ringed with flames, and I realized that I actually recognized it from the lore. That was Tzeentch's mark! When did he get that? Had he always had that?

"What happened to me, Erika? What happened?" Alberich said miserably as I studied him, his goatlike ears lowered in fear. "I... I can sense the ship now. It's alive! It's alive! And you are..."

The Tzaangor turned to me, and his expression shifted to that of astonishment. He said nothing.

My eyes were still on his Chaos mark. I didn't like this development one bit. Tzeentch had put a brand on someone very close to me. Blindly trusting Tzeentch enough to receive a mark like that was dangerous, but I could not afford to worry about that right now. I answered the beastman's question with, "You're apparently my copilot now, Alberich," I said. "Buckle up, buckaroo."

Alberich shook his head like a dog, snapping himself aware again. "But... why?" he asked, observing the new bright gold bridge. "What happened? What is this all? What...?"

"I'm guessing Null plugged the new battery in," I replied. I turned back to the main holographic screen before me, and gripped the throne's armrests.

Behind the screen, I could tell that Lian was still shielding his eyes from the new incredible brightness around us. The ship was still adjusting and reigniting. Another quick mental image pulled from below saw Null with his servitors. The group watched the swirling light of the battery as a translucent barrier was lowered down around it, surrounding it in a protective shield. I could also spy a handful of glass coffin-like structures laying at a 45 degree angle against the walls of this room. All were empty with the exception of one, which contained a small shadowed figure the size of a little girl.

Tailsn lay dead, her body already partially mummified by the Divine Retribution's voracious hunger. She had trusted me to save her, and this is how she ended up.

Aside from Tailsn's corpse, I could tell that Null appeared absolutely ecstatic. The tech-priest fell to his knees, and prostrated himself in front of the battery as it glowed, exulting praises to the Omnissiah. After his prayers, he stood up, and with a motion of his hand, a screen appeared in front of him beside the battery on a pedestal.

As before, a small individual screen opened up beside my throne, and I physically beheld the engine room again. The emerald battery was happily glowing green in the background, and Null's eyes were pink with cheer. The tech-priest was overjoyed.

"You may have noticed that the battery has been accepted! Energy moves through the ship again!" the tech-priest proclaimed joyfully. His animated eyes studied me through the screen. "You shine! You glow! A halo! How glorious!"

"Archmagos Nemo?" Virgil had heard the voice of Null again, and walked behind me to get a good view of the screen. "Tell me what is happening, archmagos? I...I don't feel well. My hallucinations persist. My heart hurts; it beats irregularly. Do hurry with the injection! I want to tell you everything I have seen."

Null studied Virgil, and I saw his eyes search his friend's ghostly form. Through his animated eyes, the tech-priest's expression shifted from happiness to a sort of bittersweet resolution. The tech-priest composed himself before speaking. "Listen, stay where you are, Virgil. Stay there and try to relax, and please keep quiet. I will be there when I can be. There is an emergency around you. All will be explained later, but in the meantime, do not get in the way of the living Traveler sitting on the throne. You are onboard the Divine Retribution. We got inside! You are currently aboard the bridge!"

"The Great Eagle? You know its name?" Virgil asked happily. He then began to study me, as if seeing me again for the first time. "Oh yes, I remember you! I was right! The one from my dreams! I saw you in my projections! Wait, you... you now sit upon the Golden Throne of Terra? Am I on Terra? Has a new age dawned already? Do I see now into the bright destiny of humanity?"

"Well," I struggled to find a way to respond to the unbalanced ghost. "Just try to settle down for now, buddy. Do what the archmagos said. Just try to relax," I advised Virgil. Poor guy didn't know he was dead.

"Of course, my God-Empress. I apologize for my strangeness and insubordination. I-I believe that I am projecting myself into your glorious future. I am at your command whenever you wish." Virgil bowed heavily and stepped away, wandering ahead of me. This crazy ghost had it in his head that I was an "Empress" now after the ship had apparently regurgitated him. It didn't even appear that he knew that any time had passed since I had seen him die.

"What is all of this? What is this?" I heard Lian cry out as he finally composed himself enough to start talking. He still stood behind the translucent holographic screen. From his silhouette, I watched him rapidly turn, frantically trying to understand what had happened. He began to blindly walk ahead through the translucent screen to stand before me. All traces of his reactionary anger had melted away, and he stood as if mesmerized, his eyes filled with wonder and his mouth agape.

Lian's eyes then found me again. He stopped as he stood directly before me, looking me right in the eye. He placed an armored hand over his mouth in shock. "Throne..." he whispered, all the color in his pale face leaving him. He did not move.

Virgil's random wandering brought him near where Lian gaped, stepping close to him before suddenly noticing that he was there. "Pardon me, astartes lord. I did not see you. When did you get here? Are you a representative from Fort Pykman? I was not told that we were having visitors. My name is Virgil Allegrii, chief astropath directly serving under Ogun Nemo. Welcome to our outpost!" The reflection of the ancient spirit politely said, definitely confused. Lian still didn't even seem to notice the astropath, and stood motionless before me. Virgil bowed and said, "I have spoken out of turn, and I do apologize. Forgive my strange behaviors!"

"Virgil," I said, my voice careful and soft. The ghost's watery eyes fixed to me again as he wore a smile. "Please, just stand aside. I command you to relax. I have to, uh, fight the enemies of mankind."

"Oh yes, of course, my Empress!" Virgil bowed, and then floated aimlessly away.

Lian's eyes followed Virgil as he wandered off, his expression still frozen in awe. The Fallen looked at me again. Before I could tell Lian to get out of the way of the holographic screen so I could start plotting a course off this planet, he fell heavily to his knees before me with a loud "thunk". I saw him take the gauze wrapped weapon from behind his back, unwrap it in shaking fingers. He unsheathed the blade from its scabbard, and held the sword parallel to the floor in a gesture of display, as if offering fealty to me. He still said nothing, bowed his head, and stared low into eternity, trembling.

The sword was the same massive, space-marine-sized greatsword I had seen on display in Hunter's Repose. The blade itself was easily taller than I was, and beautifully wrought with a finely embellished hilt topped with a pommel that depicted some kind of roaring beast. I thought that I had seen Trazyn steal it, but apparently I had been mistaken. Maybe they had more than one of these blades?

The blade appeared to be a power sword that glowed with a faint pale light. Strange runes lined its blade and pommel, and it was very catching to the eye in its lethal beauty. Dark Angels, Fallen Dark Angels, and space marines in general had a fetish for cool magic swords, so I deduced that this was some sort of blessed weapon that was important to his (now dead) band of brothers. A sacred chapter relic, perhaps. I hoped that this meant that he was indeed pledging fealty to me, and would no longer be dangerous to us.

"Forgive me," Lian choked, his eyes not rising. "Forgive me, for I did not know," he almost whimpered in a voice way too small to originate from such a large, powerful individual.

I decided to lean into it a little bit, and willed my voice to project outward, through both myself and the ship. I didn't want this wild Lion getting aggressive against me again. "What do you offer me?" I asked the kneeling Fallen Dark Angel.

"My fealty to you. Forgive the trespasses I have committed. I didn't... I didn't know..." the marine trailed off. "I know now."

"Do you promise not to kill anyone here, even if you have your own ideas on what looks heretical or not?"

Lian nodded energetically. "Yes. Yes, of course. My sword to you, my-"

I was grateful when Null interrupted from the engine room. This exchange was getting weird and upsetting.

"Pardon me Scion, but we need to go. The systems of the Divine Retribution are all nearly back online. Get out of here as fast as you can!" he said as another quake reminded us that the Necrons, while slowed down, were still a threat. Lian remained motionless, still kneeling and offering his sword.

"Divine Retribution," I called out. This time, I felt all the ship's systems "point" at me, ready to answer my commands. "Are we able to leave the planet yet?"

"15.3 minutes of initialization remaining until full operations restored. Stand by, reconstructing lascannons. Reconstructing plasma torpedoes. Reconstructing heavy void shields. Reconstructing scything talons. Reconstructing bladed beak..." It rattled off a list of different functions.

That all sounded really awesome, I thought with excitement. That made it sound like this ship could actually go into physical combat with another ship and rip it open like a squirrel! I wondered what else it could do. As my eyes settled on Alberich's glaive, laying on the floor ahead of him as he dry heaved on his throne, my memory was summoned back to the warnings the daemon weapon had given to me about being "watched".

"Divine Retribution, do you have, uh, long range scanners?" Did this ship understand lingo from Star Trek?

"Affirmative, long range scanners now online." The screen ahead of me became the large, partially three dimensional map of the Kolch system I had seen before when mapping the jump to Kolch.

Lian was still in the way as he kneeled with his offered sword, head down. "Lian, stand up and get out of the way. I need to see the map."

The Fallen stood, but kept his eyes down. He placed the large blade within the scabbard on his back again, and picked up the gauze wrapping that had fallen on the floor. The emotions bleeding off of him were almost as bright and as strong as the gold on this bridge. He definitely no longer registered to me as a threat. The Fallen walked to my left and behind me, watching the system map, and mutely overwhelmed. As he passed, Wolfie softly growled beside me at my feet. Stop it, I admonished the astral hound. I know you don't like him, but try to get along. The black Warp dog responded with a short whimper and a yawn.

Okay, time to check out who was in the neighborhood. "Divine Retribution, scan to see if anyone is in the area watching us. Any other vessels in the local system?"

Two heartbeats passed before the ship said, "Affirmative," and, to my dismay, five other icons in various places appeared in the system map, with one directly adjacent to Kolch. Another lurked behind one of Kolch's moons, and three more stood further away, quietly loitering near one of the outer planets. "Five other space faring vessels in system."

"I feel sick. My eyes sting," Alberich said to my right. "I can't get up."

"Let me handle this," I replied, mentally directing the gaze of the Divine Retribution on the first icon, the one that was very close to us.

The Divine Retribution's attention "looked" upwards. Before the star map, a three-dimensional model of a spaceship began to coalesce from holographic strands of light. It was a smaller craft than ours with short silver fins, and it had a pointed bow like a fat arrowhead. Its unadorned silver black hull gave the impression that it was made for both speed and stealth. Luckily, it didn't seem to have any spikes, tentacles, or eight-pointed stars, but I also didn't see any Imperial regalia. Overall, it wasn't very remarkable, and soon, a notation under it was visible.

Vessel craft: Human

Alignment: undetermined

Size: 31m length, 12m width, 12m depth

Estimated Crew: 9, mixed

Type: reconnaissance, scout

Armed: yes

Warp Capable: yes

Behind me, Lian snapped to awareness. He pointed over my shoulder at the hologram before me. "I know this vessel! That's the Ebon Hare! I'd recognize its bow anywhere. This is a fast craft that stalks the Ghoul Stars! They are a crew of dishonorable mercenaries hired by our enemies who are too cowardly to venture out into the wilds. We thought that we had evaded them months ago to the south. They have few weapons but are very maneuverable, having survived numerous skirmishes, both in realspace and the Warp. They will flee if they know they have been spotted, and like trained dogs, they will run back to their masters for payment!"

"So, these guys can't hurt us, but they're bad news?" I asked.

"I'm not sure what 'bad news' you are referring to but they are a menace, having no loyalty to any one faction. They have been known to sell their information to many parties, including the Inquisition, and to the others looking to hunt my brothers. If they know that you can see them, they will run, and you will be hunted by the same people who hunt us! It is highly unlikely that you can outrun them. We have tried, and failed. They may be here because of my hunting party. My deepest apologies."

Okay, understood. We needed to run these guys down and blow them up before they ran off and told people about us, I thought quickly. I tried not to think about the prospect of killing everyone on that ship to save ourselves. Could we reason with them? Did they know we were scanning them? The Ebon Hare appeared as if it was flying in a lazy circle, cruising far above us in space. I noticed that as Lian confirmed the name of the ship, the hologram labeled itself Ebon Hare. At least it didn't look like it was going anywhere right now.

My attention requested the second icon, which hid in shadow behind one of Kolch's moons. Ahead of me, I saw the new holographic representation begin to form. It quickly built itself into a broad crescent, easily distinctive in its shape. My intuition told me that I had met the owner of this vessel.

Vessel craft: Necron

Alignment: Necron

Size 97m length, 133m width, 20m depth

Estimated Crew: 50, mixed

Type: VIP transport, diplomacy

Armed: yes

Warp Capable: other

Before I could be worried, I watched as the ship's icon began to move, and it immediately vanished from view with a flash of green light. Thanks for the help. See you around, Necron time wizard.

I had to zoom out on the space map to effectively see the other three ships, which were all clustered together. These three icons lurked around the orbit of one of the outer planets partially hidden behind the rings of a blue gas giant. The ships that began to form in a holographic model before me were strange, sleek things of some kind of alien make, entirely unfamiliar to me. Their graceful hulls were blue green and psychically luminous. Colorful jewels decorated their avian shapes like royal space-faring tropical birds. I found that I had to push the Divine Retribution in order to see these mysterious crafts in their entirety. When I finally saw them (the three were identical), my mind's eye burned with the image of a stern, almost gaunt male face. The man was grey-eyed, fair-skinned, and wore a silvery diadem of knotted metal on his head. His pointed ears peered out from his long dark hair, and I felt him recoil in surprise after I was able to pinpoint his location as the leader of this small band.

Aeldari? Fuck, now these assholes were getting involved! The Divine Retribution confirmed my impression:

Vessel crafts: Aeldari x 3

Alignment: Exodite, Craftworld, unknown craftworld, other

Size: 22m length, 18m width, 12m depth (irregular)

Estimated Crew: each vessel, 5, mixed. Warning! Presence of high potency psyker(s) detected!

Type: reconnaissance, scout

Armed: yes

Warp Capable: yes

Unexpectedly, I sensed the group of Aeldari turn and actually "look" at me. I felt three distinct individuals psychically directing their senses, demanding to know who (and what) I was. I could sense outraged curiosity colored with disbelief. I even felt an echo of a sentence said by one of them whisper through my mind.

We have been seen! I felt the one I had caught explain in surprise. Seeing him again, his identity then echoed through my senses.

...Farseer... ...Elder of Quilan...

Oh no. Really?

FUCK. OFF! I mentally snapped at the Farseer as he continued to watch me. This caused him to break contact with a pained flinch.

I saw Lian point again to another section on the map as my attention was diverted by the Aeldari ships. The Ebon Hare had stopped circling, and had begun to turn around.

The Aeldari ships had not moved, and were still prodding invasively at me. Oh, go away. Mind your own business, stupid elves! I've got enough on my plate here!

"Divine Retribution, void shields up! Parson shield up, but don't go to Warp yet," I angrily said, feeling the ship once again grip me in order to fuel the Warp shield. This time, I felt Alberich flinch as he was also gripped. A low whine escaped his beak. Maybe shields would stop their spying? I felt the Aeldari ships recoil, but they did not move. They persisted. The Ebon Hare was speeding up, and pointed away from this Kolch's sun. Catching that mercenary ship was the priority, I decided. If we didn't catch him, he would tell all his little friends about us. I was definitely terrified of the Inquisition discovering that we existed, so I wanted no part of that. Getting Black Ship treatment or locked in a cell under the Imperial Palace forever was not part of my long-term goals.

"You ready to lift off yet, Divine Retribution? You got your weapons ready?" I asked tensely. I was beginning to breathe heavily with nervous adrenaline. No. I was not going to risk these people telling the Imperium about me. No more people coming after me, and no more assassination attempts. No, no more. If it was them or me, I would stop them first. I steeled myself.

"Scion, what are you doing?" I heard Null ask through the small screen. He sounded worried. I ignored him.

"90% spaceworthy. Capable of flight and Warp flight. Plasma torpedoes online, lascannons at 80% reconstruction."

"Good enough for me! Lets go get them! Lift off, and go after the Ebon Hare. Rabbit season is on!"

"Good morning to all lazy fleshlings who slept instead of being busy productive members of society! It is time for you to wake up!" Null's voice spooked me awake, and I startled out of bed, immediately bolting upright. Fuck! My left arm burned as if someone had held a fire to it. What a terrible nightmare!

I took a few deep breaths, and realized that I was covered in cold sweat. Was I ever going to have a restful night sleep here? Deep down, I knew that whatever I had experienced wasn't a simple nightmare. It really felt like a warning. "Don't be like me," Sebastian the Traveler had said. This poor guy had been the last pilot during the Age of Technology and had destroyed an entire group of planets because of his misuse of a xenos artifact. Was the warning to avoid alien artifacts, or to not kiss daemons masquerading as spouses?

"Don't be like me," I whispered aloud as I settled myself. This was actually the second time I had heard Sebastian send me a warning, with the first time during another vision when I first piloted the Divine Retribution in the Warp. I poured a cup of water, and caught my unusual golden-eyed reflection once again in the metal cup. While distorted, I realized that I held a passing resemblance to the the lost English man as he had clutched the Heart in my vision, and I looked away. "Alright, no messing with xenos artifacts, and no assuming that I'm a god. Got it," I said aloud, my head still swimming.

I listened to the intercom crackle to life again. Two voices were arguing. I was blessedly distracted by the barely audible sound of someone protesting the tech-priest's tone.

Null responded to them with, "No! They need to hear it!"

"...you keep doing this! This is why you weren't..."

"Fine, you win. Will all gentle sweet fleshlings who had a nice beauty rest please come to the galley? Pretty please? If you are a traitor astartes, please pretty please do not go on a mindless killing spree and instead follow the track lights toward the galley. I have sweeties for you! See how that sounds?"

"...ridiculous..."

"...yes, yes..."

After a few confused moments, I deduced that I had heard Virgil over the com arguing with Null. How long had I been asleep? I turned toward my view screen, and saw that the time was 10:32/32:00. Seven hours had passed, so I was assuming that it was morning outside. Null hadn't woken me up, but I guess I had needed the sleep. Unexpectedly, soft classical music then began to filter through the com, echoing across the halls. It sounded familiar. Where had I heard something like this?

"Is the music necessary?" I faintly heard Virgil protest.

"I found it on the information disk and I like it."

"What does that light mean? Are you still broadcasting?"

"Oh!" The transmission then cut off, and the music continued to play through the ship. The melody was terribly familiar, like what would be played over a morning scene in a cartoon. The familiarity of it made me incredibly disoriented, but it was pleasant to hear, at least. It sounded like Null had gotten into Orikan's disk, and had discovered music. That was nice.

My eyes caught my reflection in the cup again. The strange woman breathed when I did, and shook when I shook. In this universe, I had gained the ability to terrify people at a glance, set things on fire when upset, and exist naked in the Warp without dying. People seemed to be almost instinctively fearful of me, treating me with obvious deference. On top of it all, my psyker powers sometimes manifested with a gold halo.

I took another deep breath, calming myself. My intuition was demanding that I attend to a terrible revelation, but I decided not to deal with anything mind-breaking before breakfast, so I set about getting ready to meet my crew.

"No. Impossible. Don't be ridiculous. It isn't the same. Can't be," I said to myself as I crawled out of bed.

I had no clean clothes left, so I decided to wear my sweaty military uniform without the coat, which I had puked on. We needed more clothes, or a washing machine. Whenever I had read dashing sci-fi space operas, no one ever had to worry about wardrobe issues. We really needed to find a laundromat, I thought, pulling my trousers on. I figured there would be more yummy food packets waiting for me, so I took my silver scissors along, placing them in my front shirt pocket.

The walk down the hallway to the galley was much brighter than it had been before, and the classical music persisted. It was actually quite pleasant in here now. Halfway to the galley, Wolfie reappeared from nowhere again, attentively walking by my side, his tail wagging. The astral hound's dark form was a large contrast now to the bright interior of the Retribution. The ship was now flush with power, and its metal walls were clean and shiny. The servitors had probably been at work for awhile cleaning.

I arrived in the galley just as Alberich showed up, not carrying Valkyrie. He held a short canvas bag on his shoulder, the same one that carried his belongings from the Levant farmhouse. He was very disheveled, and looked as if he had seen a ghost. In addition to his newly changed gold-ringed eyes, I noticed something else had changed. Alberich now had small twisted goat horns that peered out from his feathered head plumage, sweeping backward away from his face like a dragon. His horns were only about six inches long, curled, and black like his beak. Aesthetically, they suited him. Had he grown those overnight? I stopped before the entryway to the mess hall.

"Nice horns. Did you just grow those?" I asked him, pointing to his scalp.

Alberich's hands went up to his head, investigating himself. His expression let me know that he was surprised at this. "I don't know what happened. I will file them off later. I feel peculiar ever since I was fastened into the ship. I want to talk to you alone later about what we saw."

"Yeah, we can do that. Breakfast first," I replied. Down the corridor, I saw Lian's armored shape heavily walking down the hall as he followed the track lights to the galley. Alberich walked into the room first, and I heard him greet Null with a soft "good morning". Null grunted in response. I waited for Lian. Did he ever take that armor off? Could he even remove it on his own?

"Hello," I said to the giant space marine as he approached me.

The Fallen bowed to me in response, his expression stone. He seemed to slouch as if embarrassed of his height now. "This vessel, I cannot believe it. I have never seen so much holy power. And now, music?"

"You're lucky to be here, Fallen Angel," Null's voice chimed in from inside the galley. He sounded loud and strong again, so I assumed that he had fixed himself from his Necron-related malfunction. "Before you come in here, you should not think of getting violent with us again. Perhaps on a genetic level you know where you are, and that the Scion can now shuck the soul from your body as easy as meat from a clam while in here, so do try to be mindful of your behavior."

I ignored Null and asked Lian, "So, you doing alright?"

The Fallen nodded, but did not immediately respond, nor did he look me in the eye. "I have much to meditate on."

"Hi everyone," I said, walking into the galley. Our little crew was growing, and the classical music continued to serenade us. Alberich was just sitting down on one of the benches, and Null was perched atop one of the empty tables, obviously unable to sit at anything comfortably with a chair back. While he looked thinner than he had been on Levant, he still had plenty of limbs and mechadendrites sprouting from his shoulders, giving him the appearance of some kind of humanoid metal squid. Virgil stood adjacent to Null, his hands in his robes, and his head bowed. Even though the astropath was just a hologram now, he looked completely solid here. Next to Null, I spied a selection of food packets organized neatly on the table. Incredibly welcome, I noticed two bundles of clothing beside him as well, neatly folded and bound with a cord. Oh, thank goodness!

While truculent and moody most of the time, Null was incredibly useful to have around. My feelings toward the tech-priest right now were extremely conflicted after thinking about all the innocent people he had either killed or turned into servitors to use as slaves. Without him, we probably wouldn't have any food, and those dried meat shanks we had taken from Levant were probably nearly gone by now depending on how fast Alberich had been eating them. I was forced to admit that the tech-priest was nearly indispensable. He was a technological genius who was also versed in medicine, and who happened to be a walking encyclopedia of Imperial knowledge. He was a damn two thousand year old archmagos, and not just a tech-priest, I had to remind myself. I wondered what his goals were exactly. His original objective was to flee Levant after awakening the Divine Retribution, and since he had accomplished that, what did he hope to do now? Did he want to fly this eagle back to Mars as a big "fuck you, I was right" to his old AdMech friends?

Lian walked in behind me, and found himself one of the few larger separate chairs in this galley. I saw Null's eyes narrow at the astartes, but he sat quietly and did not argue with anyone. Lian's submission was really something to witness. He had thought I was a sensei, but it couldn't just be that. Maybe it was because he had been standing right next to me when the Divine Retribution was finally given a fresh battery, but I was unsure.

Or maybe..?

No. Not that. No. I realized that I was holding my breath, and exhaled. I should have taken that calming chain with me.

Where would I sit? My eyes were drawn again to the large raised seat in the corner with the embellished gold wings on its back. Should I be sitting there because I'm the captain? That seat looked a bit too big. Maybe I could learn some biomancy and get swole enough to fit? Since I was the captain, and no one else was sitting there, I decided that this was where I should be, and settled in. The wing throne was so big that I felt like I was a small child seated at an adult table. I felt a cold breeze on my shins as Wolfie settled in at my feet.

Everyone turned expectantly toward me, and the classical music continued to play through the weird moment, making me feel put on the spot. Uh...

"So, how is everyone? Null, did you go outside last night?"

"I did indeed," the tech-priest replied happily. "I've taken some more detailed atmospheric readings and I have done a cursory visual exam of the left wing. We have minor damage, but it appears that the living gold is knitting itself together once again. If solar energy indeed effectively charges, all we need to do is wait a few days here. The landscape was as described by the machine spirit here. It appears to be a desert wasteland, devoid of all life. No xenos or any sort of overt danger. There are ruins nearby that have been mostly claimed by the sands. I have a proposition on what we should do today. But first, each of you take a food packet and nourish yourselves."

Lian and Alberich immediately got up and walked to where Null had displayed the ration packets. I started to get up, but then, Virgil made eye contact with me and motioned for me to remain seated. He picked up a psyker packet, and walked over to place it before me.

"Oh, you can pick things up?" I asked the astropath.

"Seems so," he replied with a short smile. "The light-weaving technology on this archaeotech is incredible. I had studied it for years before my death, and now to actually experience it is incredible. I'm almost not upset about being dead!"

I took out my scissors, and snipped open my ration. This one tasted like chewed oatmeal raisin cookies. While I was grateful for them, I was getting really tired of these rations and wanted some real food. I hadn't actually had a good meal since New Jersey. "Well, be happy for what you've got, right?"

"Yes, praise Empress I am," Virgil said, his eyes closed and his expression happy.

"Virgil?" Null piped up behind him as the massive form of Lian picked up two larger packets for himself on the table.

"Oh, excuse me. It has been requested that I stay with Null this morning. If you need me though, just ask," the astropath said to me with a short bow. He walked back to where the tech-priest stood.

This was not the first time Virgil had mentioned an "Empress", and something in my subconscious continued to demand attention. My vision with Sebastian was causing me distress, and eventually, I'd have to think it over, but I wanted to have a little bit of down time for now so I wouldn't have a panic attack about it. My soul was probably still a little fried from yesterday. I wondered if Null had taken over everything I had seen him carry from the destroyed planet...

"Hey Null, do you still have that amasec from Levant?" I asked as everyone started to settle down again with their food. Alberich had produced his haunch of dried meat, and was slicing off pieces of it to offer to Lian. At least the Tzaangor was making an effort to be friendly.

"I do. Why do you ask?"

Why do you think, dummy? "Because I want some of it. I had a vision last night and I can't calm down."

"Would you prefer a sedative?"

"No. Just that amasec, thanks."

I watched as Null turned toward one of the motionless servitors standing mutely in the room. This servitor was an average-sized bald man in a dark bodysuit, and had the heavy black goggles that all of Null's servants wore welded to their faces. Briefly, the servitor's goggles flashed white. It bowed and began walking out the room.

"75-SD will return soon with the refreshment. I suppose since Virgil is here it is good to celebrate his resurrection with his special amasec. Just don't get drunk again."

"You saved it?" Virgil said, looking at Null happily. He had not stopped smiling since speaking to me. "Probably isn't drinkable since it is so old, you know."

"It is perfectly non-toxic in its normal toxicity, if you were concerned about that," the tech-priest replied almost sassily. He cleared his throat as everyone began to eat. The pleasant classical music cut off.

"Good morning, everyone. It appears that we have two new crewmembers. One is a space marine of dubious lineage named Lian who has sworn to serve Scion Erika, and the other is a hologram representing the chief astropath under the 99th Exploratory Fleet of the Adeptus Mechanicus. His name is Virgil Allegrii, and I worked with him a thousand years ago. Do treat him with respect. Now, I have a proposal for our activities here on Nubua. We should stay here for at least 72 hours. This will give ample time for the hull to renew itself through solar recharging, and also, allow me to study the regenerative properties of this vessel. While I was outside last night, I was able to get a good view of the local terrain. It seems that we have landed adjacent to a large ruined city that has been nearly consumed by the desert. But, closer to us, and quite curiously unscathed, I discovered something else within walking distance. Something very interesting..."

Null held up his left arm, and it opened up to reveal a small compartment. With a flick of a switch, a three dimensional rendering of a large pyramid atop dusty sands appeared before us all in the dining room. Once again, this caused Alberich to initially jump in fright before relaxing. The pyramid slowly rotated before us.

My heart fell. It was the pyramid I had seen in my vision, I knew immediately. The Divine Retribution had been here before, and right before all of these planets had been cursed to death. Just in time, the amasec-fetching servitor appeared in the doorway. After pouring a drink in a short metal cup and leaving it for Null, the tech-priest made some kind of gesture with one of his other arms, and the slave-creature walked to me, right through the hologram.

Lian raised his hand, indicating that he wished to speak. Null pointed at him. "Forgive any ignorance, but is this structure related to the vessel we are within currently?"

"Not that I currently understand, no. This is a structure that appears to date from during the Dark Age of Technology. It is most curious that despite this planet being devoured by the ravages of time that this pyramid seems perfectly intact. I am curious as to why that is, which is why I wish to have approval to visit it."

The servitor holding the amasec placed the the cup down before me before pouring a generous serving. Happily, it left the bottle when it turned around to walk back to Null, who was now looking at me again.

"You want to explore the pyramid?" I asked as I drank my amasec. Getting at least a little drunk really did help me to deal with all this sci-fi horror shitshow of a future I've magically found myself in. From where I was seated, I saw Alberich reach up to his head and cover his face. He did not look eager to engage in any exploration. I added, "What do you think you'll find? Maybe there's some kind of time manipulating technology keeping it up?"

Null nodded. "Yes, this is what I was thinking as well. Technology from this forgotten age is rare and incredibly valuable to the progress of mankind, and anything that generates a temporal field has always been of special interest to the Adeptus Mechanicus. I am specifically interested in this technology as it can often be altered to create effective stealth fields, which may be of use to us on this vessel. We of Mars, sadly, were forbidden to visit this region under the warning that it was too dangerous to navigate with no Astronomicon. From what I remember on my old directives, the area was not marked as hazardous in terms of interior danger, Chaos, or xenos. It was only forbidden to us because of its difficult terrain, both in the Warp and realspace. Since the Divine Retribution can fly and pathfind itself through the Warp, we have little need of a beacon to guide us through the bad weather."

My senses prickled, and I felt that Null wasn't telling the whole truth here. But, I still had to admit that I was interested in this pyramid, and why it was untouched after this entire region had turned to sand. On the more practical side, having a stealth field on this ship definitely sounded useful. We were super obvious wherever we went. I felt a strange feeling that I "should" be here, too. I hated thinking about that, so I poured myself another shot of amasec as I finished off my gross food packet. Was this how psykers in this universe coped? How could anyone be sober and function here? I wondered if the Emperor sat around and got drunk when things got tough?

"Anyway, my proposal is that we send the Fallen and the mutant out to do a cursory investigation on this interesting structure. After that, I will go outside and investigate it thoroughly myself. Simply give the order and I will make it so, Scion."

"I have a name, Null," Alberich groaned, still covering his face with his hands. "And I'm this ship's copilot now. Call me by my name. I don't care what you think about me. Just call me by my damn name."

"Fine. Alberich and Lian are both strong enough with their adapted physiologies to withstand any atmospheric perturbations."

"I don't have my helmet, tech-priest," Lian rumbled. "Is the atmosphere safe enough for an unguarded human or not?"

Null paused before responding. It felt like he was getting fed up that his suggestions weren't immediately being followed. "The atmosphere is somewhat thinner than standard, as is the gravity. Most of the time, it is easily tolerable, but I have seen through the Divine Retribution's meteorological scans that heavy storms race across the upper atmosphere which lowers the pressure further, which may cause some discomfort."

"I wanna go outside," I said, drinking my booze. Fuck it. "I saw a white pyramid in my vision, and I think I know how this area got destroyed. I want to see it for myself."

"We need you to pilot the ship, Scion. If you pardon the old saying of 'don't put all your servitors on one shuttle', I would rather you stay aboard and rest. If both you and the copilot happen upon an accident, I don't want to be stranded here. You are obviously drained. I'm sure you've noticed your physical changes from the last Warp jump." Null said to me, his eyes shifting rapidly from grey, to blue, to green in some communication of tech-priest anxiety.

"You said that there wasn't any life of any kind on this world, right?"

"Correct, but that doesn't mean that accidents can't happen! I'm only trying to be sensible here!"

Lian raised his hand again, perfectly polite and obedient. "If I may, tech-priest, if the 'Scion' has received a divine vision, perhaps it is imperative that she visit this site? It strikes me as convenient that we were transported directly here and directly in orbit of this world by the Warp's winds. I'm sure that you know that the probability of such an event happening is very small. Fate and divine providence may wish her to trod upon this dead world."

That's putting it artfully, Lian. Thanks. I watched Null's reaction as I decided to leave out the detail that a Lord of Change had teleported us here. While trusting Tzeentch entirely was pretty stupid, it honestly did not feel like he wanted me to die just yet. Like what he had said back on Levant, it was definitely sounding like he set all this up like a giant game of mortal Mousetrap. It was probably like watching an entertaining television show for him. Or, he's writing a big interdimensional 40k fanfic about me and I'm living in it. What a fucking nerd.

At my feet, I heard Wolfie growl as the lights flickered again. That was still going on? As the power stabilized, I noticed that Alberich's feathers were standing on end, and that he was looking at me with a concerned expression. "What?" I said when I noticed that everyone was looking at me. "Don't look at me. I'm not messing with the power. No idea."

The tech-priest's eyes shifted to a blue-grey, and he sighed, clearly expressing both irritation and resignation. "Well, I can't stop you. Perhaps you should go if you had a vision. You will need a filtration mask and perhaps some supplemental oxygen for comfort, as you are neither an astartes nor are you a mutant. I will also go with you for extra security. I would've needed to go out there eventually anyway."

"Alright, when are we going?" I asked. The alcohol had shaved the edge of fear right off my existential dread, and I was ready for action now. Anything to not think about what that vision I experienced, and what it suggested. My gold-eyed reflection caught on the metal of my cup again, and I looked away.

"As soon as you will it, Scion. I have three supplemental air masks available, but my supply of oxygen is finite and will have to be replaced soon. I brought much over from Levant, but my supplies are being depleted. After this world, we will need to make a stop somewhere to resupply."

Lian didn't raise his hand to speak this time. "Levant?" he blurted out in surprise. "You came from Levant? How long ago?"

"Why yes, we did," Null replied. "This vessel, the Divine Retribution, was found on Levant. We departed for Kolch only a few days ago."

"Levant was destroyed months ago by an emergent Warp rift. We've been listening in on astropathic relays and they discussed it. How is that possible?"

Null's eyes went to me as he answered Lian. "Some anomalous irregularities with time are to be expected when dealing with the Warp, I'm sure you must know. But, when we get back to the Divine Retribution, I propose that we hold another meeting to speak about the fate-bending properties of this archaeotech. Virgil here was especially interested in its esoteric nature, and I'm sure he'd be willing to educate you all now that he exists again." Virgil turned toward Null in what appeared to be surprise, but I wasn't sure. Null's expression then changed to serious concern, and he looked at Lian again. "You say you were listening in on astropathic relays. What were they saying?"

The Fallen studied us all again, his green eyes briefly conflicted before speaking. "Brother Mariz stated that he overheard astropathic chatter from the Deathwatch about Levant's ending, and that an investigatory team would soon be sent to the region to understand what happened. Just before my final hunt with my brothers, we caught talk that some of the astartes of Fort Pykman had been experiencing strange dreams, and that one had been having visions of a gold phoenix flying across the galaxy. There was talk of an event occurring in the Omega Vault of Watch Fortress Erioch as well. Now that I know that this vessel is shaped as a golden eagle, I suspect that this ship was what they were seeing in their visions."

Woah, they're already suspicious, I thought with a chill. I knew that we were very visible in the Warp, but I didn't think our visibility extended into dreams of nearby worlds. Maybe the Ebon Hare had been sent by the Deathwatch, and I actually did the right thing by immediately running them down? We were definitely going to be in for some interesting times once we hit Imperial space. Molech was still so far away. Sebastian had been there too, I remembered. Sebastian and I seemed to share a lot of similarities...

Null spoke up again after hearing Lian's revelation. "That gives us something else to worry about, but I can't say I'm surprised at this. For now, the Broken Desert is offering us an oasis of safety. The Warp in this area is perturbed, and while not exactly a storm, it may have a disruptive effect on anyone trying to find us. I suggest that for now, we focus on the task at hand, which can include investigating the mysteries of the timeless white pyramid outside. Whenever you are ready, Scion, we can head out."

"No problem," I said, finishing off my third drink, and definitely now nursing a buzz. An ancient pyramid untouched by time in an area of planets that had seen their entire civilization turned to sand by the former pilot of this vessel? Just fine, yeah. Perfectly safe. "Time for another adventure, boys," I said with forced optimism that I hoped would mask the uncomfortable crisis I felt beginning to broach the walls of my denial.

"Are you sure it will it be safe for me?" Alberich stood nearby as he held Valkyrie in his right hand. His beak made it so he couldn't wear an oxygen mask, so he had wore a simple cloth across his face like a scarf along with a pair of loose fitting goggles. It made him look like an old-fashioned World War 1 fighter pilot.

Null didn't even turn around, and answered, "Your aberrant physiology gives your lungs more efficient capacity. I will carry an extra canister for safety, but you need only to worry about overexerting yourself. I still say that one of you should stay within the ship for safety"

"I've sworn to protect Erika. I must follow."

I overheard the tech-priest mutter, "...stubborn."

The mask I was wearing resembled a typical oxygen mask from my time, but made up from a synthetic black fabric woven through with metal wires of differing sizes. A tube roped behind my neck and fed from a small air tank strapped on my back. On my head, I also wore a pair of high tech-goggles that displayed current atmospheric conditions on the bottom right corner of my view. They seemed to be fancier than the goggles that Alberich and Lian wore, and were wired into the mask. Right now, they showed a small warning of, ".05% blood alcohol" on top of other atmospheric statistics, which was why I wasn't all that worried about much right now.

I felt Lian looming behind me. He also wore a pair of goggles and a cloth scarf around his face. Null didn't deem it necessary to equip him with an oxygen mask either. Being a space marine meant that he could probably handle it. I turned around and noticed that he held the short powersword he normally kept hidden at his side. For whatever reason, he had declined to bring his big sword with him.

Virgil stood nearby, watching us all. "While I will say 'walk with caution', you are in good hands. Null has always been very attentive to his crews, so you are all safe," he informed us. The astropath was going to stay onboard. I wasn't sure if he could leave the ship, seeing that he was a hologram. Wolfie sat at my feet attentively and wagged his tail, obviously excited for more adventure.

"There, all ready!" Null said after making a few more adjustments to my mask. "When I open the door and we pass the Divine Retribution's energy threshold, you will likely immediately feel both a pressure and gravity shift. Do not be concerned. The air here is equivalent to being on 4000 meters above sea level, which is still breathable. Both I and the Scion will see a warning if a low-pressure event is on its way. We only have a walk of about three hundred meters to the pyramid, so this shouldn't be so hard."

I swallowed nervously. I remembered that Null had said that we were safe on Kolch, and that had not turned out well for us.

"Do we have knowledge of any traps, or any other environmental hazards?" Lian asked behind me.

"I've done a cursory scan of this area with my homunculus, Jiminy. There are no active traps, but there are areas of fine silt off the main path you will walk on, so do not stray from the road. I don't know how deep these silt pools are, so you might bury yourself if you venture there."

I visualized what I had seen in my nightmare again. The area around the pyramid used to be a grassland, and a short road led to the pyramid. If we were where my vision suggested, the walk didn't seem so bad at all. I pulled my hair back to prevent it from blowing everywhere in the wind.

"Are we all ready?" Null said, standing before us, and holding his jagged gear-topped Mechanicus staff stiffly in two left metal arms. Jiminy sat on his shoulder, tethered to the tech-priest with a length of metal chain. Both Alberich and Lian responded in the affirmative before I said, "Let's go."

"Divine Retribution, open gangway," Null instructed.

The doorway opened, and before us, a desert landscape in rolling sepias and golds appeared behind a shimmering energy barrier. The scene was mostly obscured by billowing sandy winds. There was an orange cast to the light, likely caused by all the dust in the atmosphere. Null walked ahead of me, and hooked my arm with one of his mechadendrites. "Visibility appears low today. We should keep ourselves together. Here, each of you attach yourselves with this cable. It will keep anyone from getting lost," he informed us.

The tech-priest produced a long metal chain interspersed with short adjustable loops from a compartment in his chest. While Null held the front, I placed a loop over my left hand like a bracelet, and passed the chain to Lian behind me, who hooked it around one of his thumbs. The Fallen turned to Alberich, who took the end of the chain and also wore it on his wrist. The chain offered a few meters of slack between each person so that we wouldn't be crowded. We now all stood linked together in a line. This was probably a good idea. People get lost in sandstorms.

Null was the first one to step beyond the barrier and onto the gangway, and I soon followed. My ears immediately registered a pressure change as I stepped beyond the barrier, and I felt a brief sensation of vertigo from the lessened gravity. Lian and Alberich followed, and we disembarked. Wolfie vanished in a puff of smoke, and reappeared at the base of the gangway, watching as I stepped forward.

The wind was gusty, but not overwhelming as we walked off the ship. The information displayed in my goggles now read, "705mb, Wind 20-30kph" but didn't hold any warning of low oxygen. The wind definitely held silt and sand, though, and I could feel it hitting areas of my exposed skin on my face. I tried not to think about what some of the sand used to be, and kept moving. Null was the first to step on the stone walkway.

In sadness, I definitely recognized this ruined road. This was the path of pale stones that led to the pyramid, but instead of being made up of a clean alabaster, it was broken and coated with a thin layer of yellow dust. Time had not been kind to it, and it had been eroded nearly completely away. I was actually surprised that it remained here at all after all this time, seeing that it had been exposed to the elements after a nuclear war for over fifteen thousand years. Ahead of us, the shape of a huge pyramid loomed ominously before us through the clouds of dust and sand. My vision of Sebastian seemed right on the money here, and it made me very sad to see the end product of his lapse of judgement.

We began walking down the path. Behind me, I heard Alberich's glaive tapping against the walkway, and Lian's heavy footsteps close behind. Woflie walked a few paces ahead of Null, and didn't stray far from us. The astral hound appeared more relaxed here than on Kolch. Maybe Wolfie only became excited when there was the possibility of action?

The wind wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and the novelty of being on an alien world was definitely beginning to distract me. The landscape around us was made up of sand dunes and dust clouds, and the pyramid ahead of us slowly came into focus the more we walked down the yellowed brick road. To my right, where the city of Byrblan was in my vision, I sometimes saw the faintest suggestion of the skeletons of ancient structures poking up from the desert like jagged whale bones. The yellow-orange lighting of this land gave it a very depressing apocalyptic feel. Every so often, the wind would howl in a way that sounded like a man or a woman moaning in agony or terror as it thrashed across the dunes. The thinner air smelled like cold ashes and blood, and the lighter gravity definitely made me feel unbalanced. Maybe being out here wasn't such a good idea...

We were about halfway down the road when Null slowed down to walk directly beside me. "My infrared vision detects faint heat around the pyramid. It surely seems that temporal technology or an enchantment is at play here," Null informed us, slightly raising his voice. "The old inhabitants of this world obviously held great significance to this pyramid. Tell me, what did you witness in your vision, Scion?"

I observed this walkway, remembering how it looked surrounded by people that were so eager and happy to see Sebastian as he walked to the pyramid, and how deeply uncomfortable he was at the entire spectacle. It literally made my heart hurt to know how this civilization ended, and I still didn't want to go into too much detail on what I had witnessed, so I offered a blunt, alcohol-influenced explanation. "So, I think the pyramid is a museum, and it held a powerful alien artifact which cursed everyone here to death. All the people and everything alive in this entire region turned to sand right after a short nuclear exchange, and this is where it happened. The last pilot of the Divine Retribution stopped here, visited the museum, and accidentally caused the end of the entire human civilization."

Null immediately froze in his stride. I stopped, and behind me, I heard Lian and Alberich also stop. The tech-priest's artificial eyes were nearly white and wide with shock, and all of his mechadendrites had contorted into claw-like gestures. I had never seen him look so disturbed. Ahead of us, Wolfie noticed that we weren't following, and sat down to wait for us.

"Are you... c-certain of this?"

"Yes. At least, I'm pretty sure of what I saw in my dream. The model of the pyramid you showed us looked exactly like the pyramid I saw in the vision, so I guess it was right. The name of the ship used to be the Divine Intervention, and the old pilot's name was Sebastian, and he was a Traveler too. Maybe you or Virgil know about him?"

Null still stood before me, an expression of horror etched across his artificial eyes. He had been absolutely stunned into dumbness at what I was saying. He held his gear staff so firmly that it looked he'd snap it with his grip. We all remained stopped on the walkway, the wind screaming around us eerily. The tech-priest choked out a response to me: "S-Sebastian? His name is Sebastian?"

"Yeah. Last night was the second time I had seen him, actually. He's a guy from a world like mine. Imagine that? When Levant's rift opened, I also saw him and we talked. He was confused and thought I was trying to break into his apartment in England. And- uh, wait, uh, are you alright?" I asked him when I observed that the tech-priest was trembling.

The tech-priest rapidly shook his head. His eyes were still nearly white, and I thought I saw a spark race across one of his arms. "N-no, most certainly not," he replied. Null's eyes then shifted quickly to a deep, sorrowful blue. "This, well... I have a t-theory on the last pilot..." he trailed off, still shaking his head. "It is s-something we should now address when we get back to the Divine Retribution." Null looked up at me again, appearing very upset. "I will just say that I do hope that history does not repeat itself once again in regard to the fate of this lost empire. Hearing that the last pilot may have been responsible for the accidental genocide of an advanced human civilization, well..."

"Nah, it's fine. The artifact isn't active anymore, so it can't hurt anyone else," I offered, my tongue loosened by the amasec. "Sebastian broke it when he killed this civilization. He warned me with 'don't be like me' too, so I promise not to mess around with dangerous xenos tech I don't understand and assume that I'm a god, which is how he messed up. I'll be a good captain, promise."

"S-scion?"

"Hmm?"

"Please... stop t-talking," Null whispered, his body language still very tense. Another spark raced up his arm, this one burning a small hole in his red robe. "I-I mean no offense but, please do not speak on this subject further right now. Talk later about this but not now. It is too much for my circuits to process. T-too much."

"Is everything alright?" Alberich walked up to Null and I. Lian remained standing quietly near us, as did Wolfie.

"No. Not at all. But, yes. For now, y-yes. Everything is safe right now. My concern is in regard to the Scion's vision. I have been given some new information that correlates with some of the r-research Virgil and I had been investigating over the years. It has s-shocked my circuits, so I just need time to compile this new d-data and accept it. Fear not, my f-friends. Let us investigate this pyramid in the meantime. Keep to the present."

Did I just break Null? I shrugged. To be fair, I was also having a hard time. But, at least I was on a cool pyramid adventure right now, right? Wow, it felt like I was drunker than I was before. Oh, right, thinner atmosphere. That'll do it.

We continued walking down the broken pathway as we watched the pyramid appear from behind the windy curtain of sand. It was just as large as it had been in my vision, and had to be at least two hundred meters tall, much bigger than any Earth pyramid. My vision dictated that there was an entryway at the very end of this road, and I was proven correct when I saw what appeared to be a large round arch ahead of us that was about three meters tall, and carved out of the same white stone as the pyramid. It opened to a dark corridor which led inside the pyramid.

"And here we are," Null remarked, now standing ahead of the archway. "I will now double check for any kind of trap or anything else that could kill us. One moment please," the tech-priest said to me. Wolfie sat near my feet, and yawned.

Null held out one of his arms, and a faint green light issued forth from under one of his metal wrists. He passed it over the archway twice before responding that the area was safe. Wait a minute... I remembered Null's suggestion this morning to send Lian and Alberich out first by themselves to investigate this area without this extra safety check for traps. Real awesome of you to suggest that the people you don't like check this place out first, Null. Real smooth.

"The outer areas of the pyramid are not under a temporal lock, it seems. Perhaps some of the tech has failed over the years. It must have been recently," the tech-priest informed us. "It is safe to pass. I will walk ahead and light the way. Stay close to me."

Null began walking through the arch, and pulled us along using the chain. It was dark in here, and the floor of this area was covered in dusty sand. Dimly, I saw one of Null's mechadendrites reach above him like a snake, and a white light now illuminated the dark corridor. When we had light, I noticed with revulsion that some of the sand was reddish, like rust. I hoped that it was just sand, and not a disintegrated person. I wondered what had happened to the priestesses in the gold masks?

Our group walked quietly down the corridor until coming upon an expansive open space with white walls. Looking upward, the ceiling was high and flat, and was about ten meters in height. To my right and left, two different arches opened up to other rooms that had been partitioned inside the pyramid. Directly ahead of us, and leading deeper into the structure, there was some kind of tall metal barrier that bore the symbol of a three-eyed gold eagle with outstretched wings. It looked suspiciously like the Divine Retribution, and I sensed some kind of powerful enchantment. Aside from the closed barrier ahead of us, everything resembled the museum I had briefly seen in my vision. Intuitively, I knew that the broken Heart of Worlds lay deep within the center of the pyramid, probably behind that closed metal door.

Null and Lian's metal footsteps echoed in the wide space. "I'm going to pull the chain back now, as we are unlikely to get lost in here," the tech-priest informed us. We all undid our bracelets, and with a tug, Null began to gather the chain back into himself. Wolfie, being a dog at heart, immediately began to chase the retracting metal chain, and barked in excitement as Null took it back.

"A museum? In a pyramid? How curious. My organization in my old life studied these structures for hidden knowledge, but never once did we see one that was used as a museum like this," Alberich spoke up, very intrigued. "It looks quite intact. Only a little bit of damage. The paintings, after thousands of years, should be dust." The Tzaangor held up his daemon glaive, and it began to glow with a soft blue light, further illuminating the space. Lian had stepped away, and was now studying some of the paintings on the walls.

"Indeed," Null responded as he examined something in a dark corner that lay in a mess of sand. "I believe the temporal lock on this area only recently failed, perhaps only in the last few years. I will need to find where the energy field to the inner chamber is being generated so I can study it. Ah, and another thing..." the tech-priest beckoned us forward to where he stood with one of his hands. "It seems we aren't the first to breach this pyramid's outer walls."

I approached Null, and looked where he pointed, and beside me, Wolfie let out a short chuffing bark.

Two massive and menacingly armored figures lay dead face down on the floor. Lurid black and pink armor decorated the two dead marines. Their spiky armor was scarred and scorched. When Null bent his light mechadendrite, I was able to see something else. It appeared that there had been a fight here. Another figure, dry and mummified, lay crouched in the corner. A curved white sword and a tall helmet lay at his side, and a strange rifle was still clutched in his hands. The crouching figure wore dark, form-fitting armor over his slim body, and a bright jewel lay visible and softly glowing on the plates of his chest armor. The knife-like shapes of his pointed ears were still visible through the remains of his long black hair, marking him distinctly as an Aeldari.

"Looks like two chaos marines, and that other one is an Aeldari, I think" I observed as I stood next to Null. I heard Lian and Alberich walking to us, their steps echoing in the hollow space of the museum. "And this must be a spirit stone," I said, pointing at the glowing gem.

"You are correct," Null said, gingerly stepping around the bodies of the dead chaos marines, and very careful to avoid contact with their obscene armor. When he stood over the crouched figure, one of Null's mechadendrites reached out and tapped the armor plating around the Aeldari's spirit stone, which caused a rivulet of red sand to fall from the corpse with a hiss. The glowing spirit stone fell from the armor, and into the sand beside the body. "Interesting. If you say the population of this world and all others near it were turned to sand, then it seems the curse still exists, although it has decreased in potency. This means we should probably not stay on the surface of this planet for long. Let me examine further."

"The curse is still active? I thought you said we were safe?"

"What are these dead things, and what curse?" Alberich asked as he now stood beside me. Null gave me a look, suggesting that I explain it to him as he began scanning the sandy corpses with one of his left hands.

I pointed at the dead astartes as Lian joined us in our investigation. "These two big guys are Chaos space marines. Normal Space marines are people like Lian here, augmented at childhood to become larger, stronger, and tougher than normal humans. Chaos marines worship evil supernatural powers, and are very dangerous. These two are corrupted by the god of excess, Slaanesh. I'm not sure what chapter, but I do recognize these symbols. Slaanesh is the same god that put a daemon in the statue on Levant." I then pointed to the smaller corpse. The head was a mummified skull with paper-thin skin stretched over bones in an eternal yawn. "This one is an Aeldari, an alien that looks like an elf from old stories back where you're from. It looks like all three of them died fighting each other, and it looks like this happened a long time ago. Can you tell how long, Null?"

Null stopped scanning and said, "Mmm, actually only a few weeks at most. That is odd. Very recently, it seems. And partially turned to sand by the effects of a potent lingering entropic curse that was delivered by... a very powerful individual. My best guess is that the phenomena of life disintegration is a sort of accelerated entropy combined with an unknown sort of power. It assures that everything that is either living or was once living will desiccate and turn to sand, given enough time. Truly, this is a Deadly Desert. Either the Imperium did not know about this, or it did not feel fit to tell me when I served as archmagos, which is highly unusual considering my station. This curse is not specifically Chaos corruption, which is why it wasn't detected as such earlier. Since I did not detect any sort of anomalous entropic readings on the Divine Retribution, I'm going to assume that it offers us as measure of protection when we are inside. The last pilot had to find a way off this planet somehow, anyway."

Lian offered his input and spoke up behind us. "If you wish to know, the heraldry on this armor marks these two beasts as members of the Angels of Ecstasy, a Chaos warband that holds a special interest in the torture and extermination of Aeldari. It is likely that the vessel that transported them here is nearby, either intact or wrecked. The xenos here appears to have fought bravely to his last strength. There may be other Chaos marines or Aeldari nearby, but I am unsure. They are likely neutralized as threats considering the curse on this planet. How long do we have before we start turning to sand?"

Null was now beginning to examine the armor of the Aeldari with his mechadendrites. "We should not be outside for longer than 24 hours at a time, lest negative effects begin to accumulate." I watched one of Null's limbs reach for the spirit stone, and delicately pick it up.

"Hey, let me see that," I said, holding my hand out. Null offered me the spirit stone. It was warm, and its light danced across its shimmering surface like a liquid opal. Wow, a real spirit stone. I turned the glowing ovoid object around in my hand. Alberich watched as I held it, so I decided to give him a 40k lore lesson. "So, this is a spirit stone. It holds the soul of the Aeldari corpse right there. If these aliens don't trap their own souls after death, Slaanesh eats them, so they put themselves in spirit stones to make sure that doesn't happen."

Wolfie reached up with his paws to scrape at my trousers, and actually began to beg for the spirit stone as if it were a piece of bacon. I had a brief laugh before saying, "No, boy. We'll find you some more fun things to do later, but this isn't food for you."

The astral hound sat back down and whined sadly. Poor little pup just wanted a snack.

Alberich appeared captivated, and held out a clawed hand. "It contains a soul? May I hold it?" he asked me, and I obliged him. The beastman's eyes were filled with wonder as he turned the magic stone around in his hand. As I watched him examine the jewel under the soft blue light of his glaive, a blinking red light appeared before me. It said, Warning! Low pressure event detected! Seek shelter immediately!

I took the spirit stone back from Alberich, and put it in a pocket in my trousers. "Guys, we have a problem. One of those low pressure storms is on its way. I don't know when it'll get here. My goggles are warning me," I informed my crew as they explored the room.

Null had also straightened up from examining the mummified corpses, and I saw that his eyes were searching. It appeared that he had received the same message. To my relief he didn't seem too worried. He blinked a few times before saying, "Oh, what a bother. A storm will reach this area within ten minutes. Scion, when you see the blinking light that says 'ox+', turn on your mask. The rest of you should be fine. Perhaps weakened, but fine. You may begin to feel tired, or perhaps sick, but these storms quickly pass, so do not worry. It will feel as if you are at 5919 meters. The storms here typically pass under one hour."

We needed to be here anyway to find whatever archaeotech Null was looking for, so a slight delay here didn't bother me, I convinced myself. As long as we didn't stay on the surface of this cursed planet for too long, we'd be fine, right? There weren't any screaming monsters or Necrons here like on Kolch, so hanging out examining dead bodies and art really felt like a welcome change. Behind me, I heard Alberich offering Lian some advice (which he probably didn't need) concerning how to weather high altitudes. I was actually very glad that Alberich continued his efforts at being amiable. The two of them began to examine some of the paintings on the walls, but stayed close to me.

"So, what do we do till then?" I asked Null as he began to walk away to examine a nearby painting.

"A little exploration, I think. The storm will require that we also stay put for our safety, as the winds will become very dangerous. I have a special love for uncovering the remnants of civilizations long dead, and their strange technologies. These paintings here, they are probably very culturally important to this ancient civilization to exist behind a stasis lock. I wonder who engaged it the final time?"

"Sebastian, probably," I said as I began to further explore the museum, walking up to a nearby painting. Null didn't respond, and I felt a curious sensation of both uncomfortable excitement and cognitive dissonance shimmer off of him as I walked away from the corpses. Yeah, I feel you there, buddy.

The painting I stood before was in shadow, but I could see that it was about half my height in size. It looked very familiar. Had I seen this in my vision too? "Hey Null, can you give me some light over here?" I asked the tech-priest as he scanned a different painting nearby on the wall.

Null walked to me, still upset. The "ox+" warning began to flash in my goggles. "What do you see?" the tech-priest asked me as I fumbled with the switch on my mask. He aimed his light mechadendrite over the painting that I was observing.

I was glad that I was still mildly intoxicated, because I probably would've had a heart attack at seeing the art that hung before me now. To say that this painting was familiar was an understatement. It was an eagle wreathed in gold, wings spread in the air, and its eyes looking at the viewer with intelligence. Delicate marks created by sable-tipped paint brushes illustrated a keen hand, but colored with frustration, one that I knew all too well.

How was this possible, I thought. How could this be here?

"You know, some guy only offered me $150 for this. Can you believe it? Took me 50 hours to make," I said, laughing nervously as the oxygen started to flow through my mask. "I was the one who made this. This is my art. I made it in New Jersey."

"Wow," I said, taking deep breaths to calm myself down. Half-aware, I reached up and flicked the switch on my mask. Need to breathe.

"I don't understand. You made this? How? What is "New Jersey"?" Null asked me as he held his light over the painting I had made.

"You don't really want to know," I responded with a dry laugh. A dizzy sensation caused me to briefly sway with vertigo. Null's eyes flashed with concern, and he reached forward with one of his hands to inspect my mask.

"You turned it off," the tech-priest informed me as he switched the mask back on again. A few deep breaths and I was now feeling better. I noticed that I felt a very slight wind on my skin now, despite being inside. "Here, you better sit down for a moment. Let yourself acclimate." I sat under my eagle painting, taking deep breaths of oxygen as Null crouched down and visually inspected me. My goggles now displayed "490mb, 9.2% ox" which definitely showed why I felt so woozy. Null briefly waved his wrist scanner across my face, and said, "You're fine. Just wait a little bit until you acclimate to the lower pressure."

Alberich was now kneeling down next to me and asking the tech-priest what was wrong, and I dimly heard him explain that I was suffering from a sort of altitude sickness, and that it would pass. The Tzaangor nodded and sat down next to me as Lian walked up to Null and asked him something. The two of them walked away, further into the room. Wolfie, ever attentive, laid down beside us on the floor.

"Hi," I said to Alberich. "I've never climbed a mountain before. This feels like it sucks."

"When I was a man, I once climbed Mont Blanc. I remember a feeling of similar sickness. It passes, and you will definitely feel better shortly with that oxygen."

"You sure you don't need it?"

"I had my doubts when Null said I did not require oxygen, but it seems that he spoke truth. I only feel a slight affectation of my balance. The storms outside must be violent to affect air pressure so dramatically."

"Yeah, wow," I said, taking deep breaths. I watched as Null and Lian had a short hushed conversation away from me. I couldn't quite hear what Lian was saying, but he sounded upset, and he also occasionally pointed at one of the paintings on the wall that I couldn't make out.

He recognizes a painting, I heard Alberich say to me in mind. My ears are keen. He claims that a painting displayed here came from one of their sacred places, where his people gather. He wonders if it has been stolen.

You see this painting above me? I said back. I actually made it. I'm the original artist. It came from my Earth. Right before I was poisoned, I had hung it in my art exhibition. I made this. I don't know why it is here.

Alberich turned toward me, his eyes wide and beak open in surprise. He blinked a few times and shifted his weight as he held Valkyrie at his side on the floor. "Something is strange about this world. You have had visions of it, and out of all the places we could have been transported to, the vulture daemon trans-"

Quiet! Don't talk about daemon stuff in voice! Null will not tolerate any mention of daemons or Chaos! I scolded the Tzaangor, who immediately shut up with a snap of his beak. If Null found out that I had hung out in a friendly way with Tzeentch and one of his sadistic greater daemons in the Warp, I had a feeling things might get rough for me. Luckily, the tech-priest seemed to be engaged in a heated discussion with Lian, who was very upset.

Alberich nodded. I forget. My deepest apologies, my leader. I... I still have not recovered from my experience attached to the vessel you pilot. I saw so many things.

There was a short moment of tension. I could feel that the Tzaangor was afraid. He finally asked me, "What happened to me on the ship? I do not know how to process what I saw." Alberich's beak was chattering in anxiety.

"It's complicated, really," I said with a weary sigh as I watched Null and Lian speak heatedly. "The Divine Retribution isn't just a spaceship, as you probably know by now. It is a sort of psychic artifact, to put it as simply as I can. From what I understand, it integrates living souls as both fuel and as crew. As its pilot, I am essentially being used as its brain, and since you're my copilot, you're being used as a secondary intelligence. It has a sort of oversoul, or a spirit in the machine that binds it all together, I think. That's my best guess, anyway."

"What wonders and terrors this universe holds," Alberich responded. "And what of the, um..." the Tzaangor cleared his voice, and then spoke to me in mind. What about the creatures we saw in the landscape outside in what you called the "Warp"? The vulture demon that destroyed the ship we were chasing. Did that happen?

I kept forgetting that Alberich was entirely alien to this setting. "The Warp is a parallel dimension to the one we're in right now. Since time and space are just suggestions within it, the people in this universe can use it as a form of faster than light travel. It is why we have been moving thousands of light years at a time each time we 'jump' to it to travel. The bad news, as you probably saw, is that it is a sort of Hell dimension where daemons and Chaos Gods live." I braced myself before explaining the rest of his question. To be safe, I spoke to his mind instead. The vulture daemon we saw is a Lord of Change. It is a greater daemon of Tzeentch, and they're very powerful, and even more dangerous. We're lucky that Tzeentch actually seems to like us right now, since we almost met with disaster when our shield had problems. We could've been like those people on the Ebon Hare.

If the shield fails, we enter Hell?

I nodded. Yup, that's right. We go straight to Hell. Forever.

"You damned those people," Alberich said to me in a hush, his ears low and his eyes searching. "When we ran them down to exhaustion, and their ship ruptured, you became responsible for their damnation."

Defending myself against that accusation was impossible, because it was true. I nodded again. "Yes. Yes I did. I made a decision in the heat of the moment. This universe is very dangerous. Lian said that the Ebon Hare was a mercenary ship, and that one of their clients was the Imperial Inquisition, which would both definitely hunt all of us down, take our ship, and torture us to death. The Imperium of Man is a ruthless authoritarian regime, and is not exactly open-minded toward people like us, so I want to keep our existence as quiet as possible as we make our way through the galaxy."

"Then you did the right thing by destroying them, my leader," Alberich said, tapping his fingers on the haft of the glaive. "A difficult but prudent choice. Better them than you."

I shook my head. I still felt sick that I had done that. "Fuck," I said, still shaking my head. "I'm tired of this crazy universe. I don't know if you came from my universe's past, but how are you coping with all this, Alberich?"

"Truthfully? Not well, but I consider this as my afterlife. The teachings of my organization suggested an infinitely broad universe, one where Aryan supermen could travel in different bodies through differing trials over all of time. I could be somewhere worse, but if this is where I am, I am at peace with it. I have seen many things, and I just try to accept that somewhere, there is a divine architect of my fate."

I turned to study the feathery beastman. His new small horns gave him a more malevolent silhouette. I really did not like that he seemed to be a full devotee of Tzeentch, even after that god pulled a sneaky on him by causing him to slip and fall on the other throne, causing his soul to be linked unwillingly to the Divine Retribution. This was not a sustainable path for him to take.

So, when did you get your Mark? I asked the Tzaangor as I remembered that he had a Mark of Tzeentch. Further into the room, I could hear that Null and Lian were still speaking, with Lian still audibly upset.

Alberich reached up and clutched his left arm reflexively. I've always had it since coming into this universe. When I died, I had a vision where I spoke with the Great Architect, and he marked me as his own before putting me in this body.

You know what that is, right?

A divine mark? Alberich's psychic words suddenly had an edge of doubt.

It is, but in this universe, it marks you as a representative of a Chaos God. Tzeentch only marks his favored representatives, but with him, you have to be extremely careful, as he is violently chaotic and changeable in his whims. One day, you might piss him off just by deciding to have pie instead of cake for dessert, and he would turn you into a mindless mass of flesh.

He is the Great Architect, and I submit to his will. Alberich replied curtly with a tap of his daemon possessed glaive on the museum floor.

I was about to protest this when both Null and Lian walked over to us. Both seemed tense. Wolfie stood up, his body tense as he watched the scene.

"It appears that Lian has also recognized one of the paintings here," Null said as the Fallen stood over us. "Look here, astartes. The Scion herself claims to have created this gold painting. Can you stand now?" the tech-priest asked me as he pointed at the piece of art hung above on the wall. Null reached down with one of his mechadendrites, and helped me up. Alberich also stood up, and the two of us walked to the other side of him.

"You have not been here before? Tell me, why did you fly us here?" Lian asked me, his deep voice echoing in the empty dim space.

"I have no idea why the Warp spat us out right on this planet, but since the previous pilot had been here before, maybe it had a flight path stored somewhere. And where I'm from is a long story, but I've never been here before."

"Where are you from?" the Fallen gently asked. Oh great. This will be fun to explain again.

Before I could answer, Null turned to him and gently offered, "The short explanation is that this woman comes from another universe. A separate reality to ours which is beyond the boundaries of both the Materium and the Warp. The archaeotech you found yourself on can only be piloted by one of her kind. Travelers like her are impossibly rare, and I have been studying their existence for over a thousand years. The Imperium knows of her kind, but suppresses any discussion of them. In some rare texts, they are called 'Marii-Suze', if you've ever come across that term."

"Yeah, that's about right, I guess," I said, shaking the sand off my trousers. "I found myself here about a week ago after someone poisoned me in my home reality. I woke up on Levant, rescued Alberich here on the road, and then, found Null at the base of one of the Necron pylons that world had. We killed a giant statue possessed by a Keeper of Secrets right after getting the Divine Retribution by ramming it. But what's really crazy really is that this-" I indicated toward the painting I stood before. "-this painting was something I made about a month ago, when I was still in my home reality. I wasn't even in this dimension then. I was having a gallery show where I was showing my art, and this piece was in it. I don't understand how it can be here. I know things are crazy, but this is even crazier. Next level shit."

Lian appeared very confused, which made sense, since the whole thing was confusing. This had been a very eventful week, I thought back. "Look, whatever, we'll talk about it back on the ship. What's the painting you recognize?" I asked the Fallen.

The space marine pointed an armored hand at another painting on the opposite side of this wall that stood in a shadow, and motioned for me to follow him. As we began walking to it, the Fallen began to explain. "A secretive chapter of my order keeps sacred artifacts in sealed chambers. One of those, I remember with perfect clarity, is this painting. We are only permitted to look upon the artifacts though a force field. I do not understand why it is here." With only a little vertigo, I trailed after him with Null, Alberich, and Wolfie.

"The aforementioned sealed chamber of artifacts is under guard at all hours deep within our monastery. Breaking into it and stealing it would almost be an impossibility," Lian said as we stood in front of the painting he recognized. It was dark, so Null raised his light mechadendrite to offer some illumination.

Another impossible familiar thing assailed my eyes. "My god," I whispered. I recognized this one too! This was a wide painting, about two meters long and half that wide. On the left of the canvas, I recognized Horus standing evilly over a shattered Sanguinius as the Emperor stood enraged on a set of stairs to the right. This was a very iconic 40k illustration, done by an illustrator in my time, and certainly not in this era. "Oh! I know this one too!" I exclaimed.

"You do?" Lian asked softly, his brow knitted in confusion. "How is this possible? Where have you seen it? A vision?"

"In my old reality," I said, taking in all the detail and brush strokes. It was neat to see this iconic painting in person. I turned back to Lian. "Like what Null said, I'm from another universe. I came from a place where all of this-" I motioned around me. "All of this is actually a series of fiction books and games. People from my universe create lore and make entertainment from the stories that result from it. This painting was an illustration done for the game, and the game itself is named 'Warhammer 40k'. It's how I know all that I do. I used to play these games and read these stories. I even used to write fan fictions of them." This was really difficult and awkward to explain, but I was doing my best.

Lian did not look like enjoyed hearing this; he probably didn't believe it. "You claim to come from a realm where people make up stories and games from our trials? All our suffering, all our pain and misery... is a game to you?"

Clearing his throat, Null spoke up again, redirecting Lian's uncomfortable emotions before he could get angry. "The multiverse is a vast place. It has infinite possibilities and permutations, and in one, her people craft our existence. Her native reality and ours are linked in an inexplicable way. She did not know that we existed, but knows now. We have had others of her kind and from her reality that have come before her, and they have had a monumental effect on the universe around them. With what you see before you, I cannot truly explain why you both recognize this painting, but reality can work in mysterious ways. When was the last time you saw this painting, astartes?"

"One year ago."

"Mmm," Null made a musing sound. "The temporal lock on this part of the pyramid fell within the last hundred years, perhaps earlier. I do not think it fell within the last year. If I had to guess, if you were to return yourself to whatever renegade monastery you come from, you would see that this painting has not been stolen. Perhaps some kind of Warp power copied this image. It is certainly evocative." Null pointed one of his mechadendrites at Sanguinius' broken body.

Lian continued to search me, this time looking me in the eye. Something was causing him great conflict. Would I have to slap this Fallen to the floor again? Wolfie stood next to me watching the Fallen, bristling and uncomfortable. The dog still wasn't over Lian trying to attack him, I guessed.

Alberich ended up being the peacemaker, and decided to discuss the painting directly to Lian's left to diffuse the situation. This painting was a richly rendered interior painting of a golden ballroom where elegantly dressed dancers and attendees mingled and posed among elegant furnishings that resembled an old Victorian manor. "This painting here, it reminds me of my home. When I was a man, I often visited a country called Austria. This very much captures the spirit of wealthy party goers."

The Fallen's expression rapidly shifted between anger, conflict, and almost awe as he studied me from his height. I decided to try to pay attention to Alberich instead, and observe the ballroom painting. As I started to walk around the marine, a thought jumped from him to me, causing me to briefly startle.

It's you, isn't it? You're the new one, the new Revelator as brought to us by Tuchulcha, Oroborus, and Plagueheart. You're the one that was found, and summoned to us. You're the Chosen One. You're the Inheritor of Mankind, he said to me, his psychic words strained. I could tell that he wasn't a psyker, and was trying his best to "think" loudly enough so that I could hear him.

I paused as I stopped beside him, and held my breath. I turned upward to the marine, whose eyes actually began to wet again as he struggled to maintain eye contact with me. An insight struck; deep down, this giant Fallen Angel was both reverent and absolutely terrified of me. The moment stretched out, extending deep within the well of my being. Alberich's observations on the ballroom painting drifted unheard into the background. Deep down, despite not knowing what Tuchulcha, Oroborus, and Plagueheart were, I knew what Lian was asking me, and I could feel his conflicted disbelieving excitement again.

Another flash of psychic intuition told me that the Fallen had not only been on a hunting trip on Kolch, but that small groups of marines had been all the way out in the Ghoul Stars searching for someone, or rather, something. A ritual had been held somewhere secretive by a splinter group of their hidden order. This ritual was enacted to import hope into this failing galaxy by summoning a shard of the divine from a reality beyond their reach. One to help change the miserable trajectory of mankind for the better, and one that wasn't stuck rotting on a throne. And they had found me.

Oh, no way. No. I recoiled.

Lian was right, wasn't he? It was true, wasn't it? But, it couldn't be! I wasn't nearly as powerful as Sebastian! Null had rated me at only a Zeta psyker assignment, so this couldn't be true! But, Sebastian also had the Key, and the Key ate souls. With each soul that I had "eaten" and passed on to the Divine Retribution, I had felt stronger. Was I gradually getting stronger by absorbing life energy? Fuck, was that actually how Sebastian got so powerful? My self-doubt was being bowled over by my keen clairsentience and sense of knowing. I somehow absolutely knew that not only were the souls in the Key feeding the Divine Retribution, but since I was a working part of the ship, they were also feeding me!

It really was true, wasn't it? It was why everyone was scared of me. It was why everyone was deferential to me. It was why I was the captain of the Divine Retribution, and it was why I was having all these wild visions. In response to my heavy emotions, I felt a lick of power rise up and around my shoulders and head.

The term for that feeling of gold psychic energy wreathing around me was a "Corona", I suddenly knew. Just like Sebastian. Sebastian and I were the same sort of 'thing', the same sort of being.

Fuck...

Are you the Inheritor? Lian asked me again as I had my crisis.

My stomach turned, and my mouth went dry, but I knew. There was no escaping it now. I knew it beyond all denial.

I am, I said, pushing my words to him with an extra jolt of power, and exhaled.

Of course, with those two words, Lian flinched heavily. He once again knelt on the floor, his head bowed in submission. I'm sorry for my insolence. I did not know. We did not think it would be a woman. I will serve faithfully and without question to my death. When I speak with my brothers, they will serve faithfully as well. Ave Imperatrix, he quickly said to me. Of course he said all that. Of course.

"...and the English didn't want to surren- what? What's going on?" Alberich had stopped talking about the ballroom painting, and had turned toward Lian and I. The Fallen was still kneeling.

"Get up, Lian," I instructed the marine, who instantly obeyed. Wolfie stood watching me, his tail wagging and head cocked in concern.

Your halo glows. Is everything alright? Alberich asked me with concern in mind. My head had begun to ache. At the same time, Null was now eyeing me suspiciously.

I consciously pulled my Corona back inside myself. It was like dimming a lantern. "I'm fine, guys. Let's just keep checking out this gallery. Just relax." Crossing my arms, I walked to the next piece of art to the left of the ballroom painting. This one was a rendering of some kind of vicious black wolf monster in a lethal fight with a large red dog-like creature with horns and scales. It looked like a flesh hound of Khorne, but I wasn't sure. At least I didn't recognize this one.

"What was that about?" Null quietly asked as he stepped up beside me.

"I needed to clear something up with Lian. Are you at all familiar with the names of Tuchulcha, Oroborus, and Plagueheart?"

Null did not respond immediately. "I see..." the tech-priest replied slowly as he glanced back at Lian, his animated eyes pink and vaguely smiling. The Fallen began to walk over to us, his head bowed. "It seems that the wicked Evanora of the East wasn't the only force that was trying to punch a hole in this reality. We will need to speak about this further. And you," he pointed at Lian as he stopped near us, and raised his voice. "Perhaps you aren't as bad as your fellow renegade heretics would have me believe. The official rumor from on high was that those engines were lost. Worry not, I will not divulge your secrets, but I am forced to admit that I am impressed. Clever, clever," the tech-priest admitted with wry amusement.

Lian said nothing, his expression stone.

Alberich dryly coughed nearby as he stood beside the daemon dog fight painting, and spoke up, "If we are done with the posturing, I would like to see if there are more mysteries among these paintings. The scene in the ballroom looked like it could be from my universe."

"Yes, of course. With the, eh, Scion's direction, we may continue to examine this museum. I would advise you all to stay close to me, as my vision is keen enough to see through most traps, if they are active. And, I have my light," Null said. His tenor voice had a vague sort of warble to it, as if he were very emotionally charged.

My head swam as I turned and began to walk hastily to another piece without waiting for the rest of my group. I wanted to be alone, but that wasn't an option right now. I came to a painting that hung in the shadow. Better to concentrate on checking out these mysterious paintings than think about what Tzeentch might have planned for me in the long term, considering what had happened to Sebastian. Okay, I need light to see. Should be easy enough for me. In this universe, I'm some kind of psychic monster of unique holy power, so I can do this. I held out my hand, and visualized the gold in my Corona turning into a lantern that I could use to light the way. Let me just try and...

A fireball of sparking golden light the size of a beach ball appeared hovering ahead of me, blazing like a spotlight. This caused my crewmembers to cry out before I willed the fireball to wink away. Momentarily blinded, I stood there feeling sorry for myself again. Great job, loser. This universe is fucked if they think I can help them. Sucks that they got me instead of someone useful.

"Sorry guys. My bad. I was just trying to light up this room and got a little carried away. Crazy ass Traveler magic, I guess."

I wanted to lay on my bed back home and stream movies. I wanted to feel safe and secure again, and as Dorothy said, there was no place like home. Sebastian didn't want this, and neither did I. Oh god, I didn't want this. People in Mary Sue fics always seemed to have an easier time with this sort of power, relishing in it and enjoying their new skills in their new universes, taking to it like a duck to water. They made it look so easy, righting wrongs and fighting injustices. But, when actually faced with it being a reality in this universe, I found myself deeply cringing away from it. This setting literally eats people alive, and I wouldn't have Tzeentch's support if he didn't think I could just be manipulated along for his amusement. He planned Sebastian's fate, and he planned everything with me too! I was stuck, and saved in his Hell! There was nothing I could do about it! I realized I had been biting the inside of my lip so hard that it began to bleed, and my ears rang. My vision began to blur as I started to hyperventilate. Wolfie began to scratch at my leg in concern.

"Don't be like me", Sebastian's warning rang in my mind again. Too late for that on some points, I guess.

Null walked to where I stood freaking out next to the new painting that hung in the darkness with Lian and Alberich in tow. He didn't ask me what had happened, and simply held out his light mechadendrite to illuminate the painting.

To my dismay, I recognized this one too, or at least the subject matter. It was a painting of a familiar man with white-blond hair in a perfectly tailored black modern suit floating beside a Lord of Change who was bent happily over a giant spinning wheel. The painting was so realistic that I could almost see the fabric of the man's suit rippling in the currents of the Warp around him, and the motion of the spinning wheel the greater daemon used. The man's expression was that of sadistic intelligence, and I could almost hear him as he turned to me and said, "So, I'll ask you again now. What do you think?"

The shock of finding yet another person living on this dead planet caused a deafening silence, and no one spoke for a few startled moments. I finally said, "He says he doesn't want to hurt us. He's a psyker. He spoke using telepathy."

I watched as his shadow became more cohesive in the settling dust. He was only about my height as he stepped forward, and held himself in a dignified manner. Each step he took caused the small bells lining his robe to jingle. The masked Blank women still remained kneeling, and perfectly still. Had our entire visit been foreseen?

"Scion, I do not understand," Null said to me nervously. One of the tech-priest's hands was held tensely at his side, as if he were preparing to draw a weapon.

"Neither do I," Alberich stated. "Who is this man? Why were these people hidden here? They even seemed to have been waiting for us. We were only randomly transported here by a-" the beastman caught himself before he could finish his complaint. Null's head whipped over to Alberich, and his expression displayed narrowed suspicious eyes.

"He says his name is Nabopolassar, and that he's the last king of Nubua. I don't know how he got here," I replied as he stood before me.

We all stepped back from the stranger. He was not tall, and only a hand's width above my height, even with his headdress. Nabopolassar wore embroidered robes that appeared to be silk in many noble colors wrapped around him like a toga. Tiny gold bells attached to his cuffs tinkled when he moved, and he wore a short headdress of pale muslin over his salt and pepper hair, reminding me of a religious leader from my own time. He was in late middle age, clean-shaven with tan skin, dark features, and eyes that suggested a heavy burden.

"What are you doing here?" I finally asked, and then immediately felt silly for asking. Maybe telepathy would translate for him? My companions continued to exchange confused glances, and Lian had not let his guard down. Alberich stood clutching Valkyrie with his eyes half-closed, presumably asking the daemon inside for advice. I realized that I was getting more and more uncomfortable with the beastman's reliance on this creature. Something would eventually have to be done about that.

Nabopolassar began to speak again in mind. His voice was gentle and fatherly.

My apologies, blessed Omega, but I cannot respond in voiced speech to you, as I do not speak your tongue. I can understand what is spoken to me, but I cannot speak it. But, as you can see, I am a capable sorcerer, and can communicate easily in this universal manner.

The stranger gingerly stepped out of the dust cloud, his long, eagle-topped staff tapping against the ground. I watched as Lian immediately walked ahead of me, brandishing his sword defensively.

"No, no. Put your weapon down. I don't think he wants to hurt us," I instructed.

The man turned to us and bowed before I heard him speak again. The masked women hadn't moved, and remained kneeling.

At last we witness you, blessed Omega. Your visit has been foreseen, and now you are here. I am the last of the prophet-kings of Nubua. I was here to witness the scouring of my world through the hands of the Weeping King. It was as it must have been, to my great grief. Fate advances as it should, and we are powerless over its passage. I have waited outside time and within stasis for your arrival, so that our last chapter can be written.

"He says that he's been waiting here in stasis for us, and he was here when these worlds were scoured. He called Sebastian the 'Weeping King', I think," I explained to my companions before turning back to the ancient king. "Why were you waiting here? All of this feels like I was expected. What is the meaning of all of this?" I pointed to the two kneeling Blanks. They had not moved and had remained perfectly still.

Our prophecies spoke of the before, and of the after, but as prophecies go, we often did not understand them fully. As he spoke, I translated what Nabopolassar said into voice so that my companions could understand. He then spoke a few words in a strange language, and the masked women stood, walking to us with their heads bowed. The ancient king's expression was tense, as if he was carefully considering his next words.

We invited the Weeping King to our world as he rode through the stars on his gold chariot, Garuda. His coming had been prophesied by our mystics for thousands of years, and we knew that one of his kind could interact with our sacred Heart of Worlds to bring peace to the Independent Empires. When he finally came to us, I and only a few others were within the Great Pyramid when the Ruination occurred. Our prophecies were correct. He brought everlasting peace to us, but through the annihilation of our civilization. The mystical strength of the Great Pyramid sheltered us few within from the devastation, but there was nothing else left alive outside. Not only did every single living thing perish, but their souls were trapped in eternal torment in within our vast borders. Our fate was grim, but there was peace.

Nabopolassar sighed heavily, and his shoulders dropped. A small tear rolled across his tired face before he spoke again. I continued translating what he said for my companions.

The Weeping King departed in his guilt as he wept, never to return. We few left alive divined our futures once again, and discovered that the only chance of salvation would now exist in the Weeping King's Inheritor, a woman known as the Omega. Only an Inheritor could manipulate the Heart of Worlds, and unmake the curse, but we knew not when she would arrive. In their grief, the other priests resigned themselves to the sands outside. Only I and the Silent Witnesses sealed ourselves away here to await the coming of the Omega. Only she could break the lock to the locus chamber with her touch, and that would break our temporal sequestration, signaling her arrival.

Nabopolassar then briefly kneeled on the floor as I finished the translation.

"The Weeping King. Hmm," Null mused thoughtfully. "Is that what he calls the God-Emperor of Mankind? This is the first I have heard of such a title. Why?"

Divinity has many names, many prophets, as you see here on our sacred records, the king spoke to me as he gestured to the long hall of various Inheritors, understanding what Null had said and responding to it. I translated for him again, and the king slowed down so I could easily elucidate what he said to me to my companions. He did not go by the name the God-Emperor as he traveled his Golden Road, but he had many names. We knew that he had been given the designation of "Revelation" by other civilizations. In our oracles, he was known as the Weeping King, as it was his fate to suffer anguish in the service of humanity. We knew him by his Corona, the halo that moved with him. It is like yours to my sight, Omega. Even the Silent Witnesses can see it with their ashen shadow-souls.

"Everything he says is true," Alberich announced after communing with Valkyrie. Null glanced at the beastman again suspiciously.

"Incredible. Here after all this time," Lian remarked, placing his weapon away. "These three are relics from the Dark Age of Technology."

The king stood once again as he wore a tearful smile. Many years have passed, I am assuming.

Null answered with, "Indeed. Over fifteen thousand years, ancient one. Your worlds have been dust for quite some time, forgotten by time and the rest of the galaxy. It is remarkable that we found you here."

The ancient king continued to wear his sad smile, and said, Fifteen thousand years? What wonders the peoples of the future must be experiencing!

"Well..." Null began, trailing off. "Time hasn't exactly been kind to the rest of the galaxy, I'm very sorry to say."

Nabopolassar dropped his smile just a bit, before relaxing. Then it is the will of fate, and I accept it thusly.

The ancient king then watched the two Blanks beside him as they began to sign, and their gestures were emotive. He nodded, and began speaking in a musical, syllabic language to them both before touching each of them on their shoulders with two fingers. The women immediately fell to their knees, and began to silently weep behind their masks.

Before you, you see the Silent Witnesses, and there were always two. They had devoted their entire lives toward guarding the Heart of Worlds against corrupted sorcerers. Their names are Ennoia and Morai, and they are both fighters of fierce strength against wicked sorcery. Today, their guardianship ends, and I have released them from their duty, and their vow of silence. Their duty is now to follow you, and to defend you with their lives.

The two women stood again, and bowed twice with their arms crossed over their chests.

They will serve you through the stars until death.

"Silent Witnesses. Most curious, and a curiously similar name to the Sisters of Silence," Null said. "Something I must ask. You were behind a stasis lock, waiting here in accordance with your prophecies. Am I hearing that correctly? You were waiting here for this, eh, 'Omega' as you call the gold woman before you. Her title of the 'Omega', what does that mean?"

Prophecies are not precise, but yes. Her arrival was foretold, but we knew not when, only that it was inevitable. As you can see in our sacred records in this pyramid- Nabopolassar motioned broadly to the mural- we devoted much of our existence to understanding the strength of divinity through time. The paintings here were all resultant from the visions of our finest minds through our civilization. Minds which are now all sand, and souls which are now trapped in an eternal screaming limbo. Each of these Inheritors is a revelation of an aspect of divinity, and each was given a name by our seers.

Nabopolassar hadn't really answered Null's question. Alberich then spoke up, "The name 'Omega' suggests something that is the end."

"Yeah," I said. I removed the scissors from my shirt pocket. As I did that, Nabopolassar and the Silent Witnesses took a step back. The king even flinched as his eyes widened in wonder at what I held. "The mural in the other room has me cutting a gold cord with these scissors that started all the way back at the beginning with a little boy."

"Nemeses Argentum," the king physically said in a hushed voice, awestruck. You hold in your hand the holy weapons of the Nemeses Argentum. 'Two made one, undone by Omega, unless by none,' the king said as another small tear rolled across his cheek. Forgive me for my emotional state. Nemeses Argentum was almost thought to be completely lost to time, even when it appeared in our visions. Once upon an ancient time, it was wielded by the Inheritors named the Dancing King and the Dire Wolf. To see it with my eyes! Oh, praise be! Once again, the king fell to his knees.

"Weapons?" I asked, holding the scissors. "Plural? I thought this was just a magic pair of scissors. I found them in a farmhouse on a planet thousands of light years away. They weren't guarded or locked up or anything."

Far more than mere scissors, blessed Omega. Far more. What you hold in your hand are two anathema blades hidden in a humble form, similar to how you are currently hidden in plainness. Ah, to actually see them! Such power in deceptive smallness! They lay sleeping now, but there will come a time when they are woken. They must drink as you must drink, and once you are stronger, they will rouse to full glory.

"Anathema blades?" I asked. I hadn't heard about any of this in 40k lore. Maybe it was in one of the eight thousand Black Library books I didn't read?

Beside me, I could see that Null was vibrating with excitement again. His artificial eyes were flickering and cycling through many different colors, and one of his metal hands clutched at his chest. "Null?" I asked. "Do you know what an anathema blade is?" I held up the scissors before me.

"T-t-t..." the tech-priest was stuttering, and I heard the sound of a shock move as a spark raced over one of his metal arms. "A-anathema Blades," he started speaking again with great difficulty as he fixed his eyes on the scissors. "W-w-what you h-hold is p-p-priceless. V-v-very few weapons like it in our r-reality. V-very few. Only other c-confirmed weapon s-s-similar is..." Null could not finish his sentence.

"The Emperor's Sword," Lian said as he slowly kneeled before me. "The Emperor's Sword and perhaps the Lion Sword are the only Anathema Blades I know of. They are blessed weapons of great strength, and when wielded by a master, they are capable of permanently killing a daemon."

So I really did get a pair of scissors instead of a flaming sword. Just my luck. "But these are just scissors, not swords. I haven't seen them do anything special, aside from maybe channeling some psychic energy and helping me to kill a monster. And what do you mean by 'they need to drink'?"

Their power lies dormant now, thirsty for life energy. I can sense it. Just as you are a vortex for spiritual energy, pulling souls into yourself to strengthen your power, so these humble blades will also need to feed. As with yourself, they require soul energy, and with every life that is taken close to you, both you and the Nemeses Argentum grow in power. You must consume to progress along your fate, as with every Inheritor. The blades will surely show their true forms in due time once you gain enough power.

"I have to eat people?" I asked, horrified. I remembered that when things died around me, their souls were drawn into the Key, and whenever I was plugged into the Divine Retribution, I felt the souls pass through me from the Key before heading into the ship. "So, with every soul I absorb, the Nemeses Argentum and I get stronger? Is that how it works? Am I also feeding the, um, gold chariot? I have it parked outside."

The gold chariot Garuda is itself another mystery, but it remains a constant through many Inheritors. Our people surmised that it and the blessed Inheritor that commands it have a special bond, one only attainable by a soul not tainted by the touch of the reach of this darkening galaxy. It too needs to drink life energy, as I am sure you have noticed if you made it here.

Null made a contemplative sound, and turned to me. He had calmed down, but was still obviously very excited. "V-very interesting. I believe now that the K-key you wear, when bonded properly to an individual, acts as a sort of gravity well for life energy, transferring souls to its bearer, increasing their power while simultaneously fueling the Divine Retribution. I think I now I understand that it could not have bonded with the wicked Evanora properly, as it required a soul from beyond our universal boundaries to properly f-function."

"Evanora?" Lian asked.

"The W-wicked Witch of the East. The Scourge of Levant. She was a sorceress with m-many titles, and good riddance to her. Evanora was the original owner of the body you see the Scion wearing. When the Scion came from her d-divine reality, she displaced Evanora's s-soul. She now walks in Evanora's body," Null waved his hand dismissively.

Lian nodded.

"What about the term 'Omega'. Why are you calling me that?" I asked the ancient king.

Because you are the last. That is your designation. The end. You are here to end our story, and I am grateful for it. It is time for the ink to dry, and for the tortured to be put to rest. Now that you are finally here, on behalf of all of Nubua and her once vast congregation of Empires, I humbly and formally request the Grand Rite of Undoing. All the souls here must be set free, and not tormented forever in an un-life of dust and sand.

"Grand Rite of Undoing? I don't know what that is," I answered.

It was foretold that at the end of our time, that the Omega would bury the Heart of Worlds deep within the center of the Nubua through the Depthless Well, and that that event would be our final end. At the center of this world lies a psychic amplifier that once fed dreams and life to the peoples here, which was focused by the Heart. If the Heart's corpse is sent down the Well, it will collide with the Oversoul Engine. This will unmake all of the Independent Empires, setting all souls free to wander the multiverse, free from this cursed existence, and even free from this reality. Peace at last for us!

"You wish to unmake your existence. How will that effect us? If the entirety of this region is 'unmade', then certainly we'd be unmade along with it. I'm not certain if this is a wise course of action," Null said to Nabopolassar carefully.

Once the Omega enacts the rite, you will have time to leave here before it is complete. The Heart must have time to fall down the Well to the center of Nubua, where the Oversoul Engine presides. We would be eternally grateful for your help, blessed one. The king smiled shortly.

"And you'll come with us to help," I stated with a nod. Having another psyker like him around would definitely be useful. I got the sense that he was very powerful.

A pause. The ancient king's smile dropped briefly, and he shook his head. My road ends here, blessed Omega. My people died long ago, and now, I wish to die with them. The Silent Witnesses will come with you since their shadow-souls are immune to the curse, but I cannot leave the pyramid without certain immediate death. I am a native of Nubua, so I have a special link to the Heart and its divine malediction. But, do not despair; I can still aid you on your journey. I desire to commit myself to your embrace at the moment of my death, my soul offered to you freely.

"You want me to... eat your soul?" I asked incredulously.

Before the king could answer, a brief tremor struck below us. Nabopolassar sighed, and shook his head. I thought we would have more time, but now, they're here. It is as it has been prophesied. The king began to speak to the two women, who nodded briefly. They turned around, and walked back to the space where the slab had fallen. They began knocking against the shallow stone indentation.

"What is happening?" I asked. Lian immediately drew his weapon again, and faced the direction of the entryway.

"Someone else is here? Mein Gott, more danger!" Alberich also asked, alarmed. He gripped his daemon glaive, which briefly glowed in blue flame.

The king turned to me with sadness. We do not have much time, and I wish I could explain everything to you in the easy way, but now, fate advances quickly. You must do what I ask of you, for our lost civilization deserves peace. Trillions of people languish eternally in torment between realities due to the curse the Weeping King enacted. We must begin the Grand Rite of Undoing first, and afterward, I wish to die by your hand, and to be drunk by your radiance. My strength and memories will be yours, blessed Omega.

"Who is here? What's going on? Tell us! What are these tremors?" I asked. Oh god, not more Necrons, please. How did they hide from the Retribution's scans? Can't I have a break?

The king took a breath, and turned to the painting of the Angels of Ecstasy. Oh no, I thought, my stomach dropping. No. Nabopolassar began speaking again. It was foretold that foul warriors would arrive shortly after you, and seek to end your existence before you can even properly be born. They follow their nightmares, they seek the omens of devils. The tremors you feel are the talons of your chariot fighting against them, refusing them passage.

Null stopped shaking. "We were followed? But these marines! They are dead! We discovered two dead marines in the outer areas of the pyramid. They had even partially transfigured to dust from the entropic curse."

Lian shook his head, but remained watching the entryway. "Chaos marines devoted to Slaanesh typically travel in warbands of six, and we only saw two. It may be that there are more, either marooned here or even waiting in orbit."

Aw, crap. They could've been in orbit, I realized. I never checked the space around Nubua, only the planet itself. "If they were here and this whole area is cursed, then how are they even alive? Wouldn't the curse have turned them into sand if they stayed here waiting around?"

"Chaos and its infernal blessings may offer a protection." Lian answered.

"Where are they? W-when are they..." Null asked, nervous again and unable to continue.

-Expected to be here? Not long. Not long at all. With sadness I must say that these warriors are very powerful. Among them is a sorcerer who seeks to become an immortal devil, one whose visions lead him here. He is a Champion of a detestable new flesh god, one that I am not even familiar with. Right now, he and his vile brothers are occupied with attempting entry into your chariot.

Oh, well, maybe that's not so bad? Trying to cut into the Divine Retribution when it was simply parked somewhere had never worked for anyone. Not only that, I remembered what had happened to the Necrons on Kolch who had decided to start shooting at the Divine Retribution's talons, and was briefly relieved. I didn't know it could automatically defend itself, and if it was doing that, that was a nice surprise. Maybe Virgil was somehow involved, and he had ordered it to fight back? I smiled, imagining the giant Divine Retribution stomping on some Chaos Marines like ants. Get squashed, jerks! In curiosity, I willed my awareness outward, back to the ship. I wanted to see these fuckers get flattened.

I saw in my mind's eye that the storm outside had somewhat abated, but high winds still swirled around four figures that stood on a large stone landing pad that supported the Divine Retribution. Three of the marines held weapons that screamed, and were pointing them at the ship, laughing in mad ecstasy at the cacophony around them. Each marine's armor was a familiar pink and black, covered with spikes and fleshy protuberances. They wore no helmets, and I didn't look further to see what the ruins of their faces looked like. One Chaos Marine stood a little further back, holding his hand up in a strange gesture.

"Noise Marines," I informed everyone, my eyes still closed. "There are four Noise Marines. Angels of Ecstasy, I think. Like we saw in the outer hall. They're shooting at the ship." From behind I could see Lian tense his grip on his short sword, and Null folded a pair of his metal hands in anxiety.

"What are they doing?" Null asked. "T-tell us!"

I nodded, and resumed my viewing.

Most of the Noise Marines stood a fair distance away from the vessel. My attention was pulled to one particular marine who was larger than the others. He was the one who held his hand in a strange claw-like gesture. His face resembled a desiccated fanged corpse, just like the painting on the wall. His physical appearance made him look like a feral starved ghoul with long teeth, and a grotesquely large forked serpent's tongue that licked the air as he cackled. He was laughing deliriously as he held out a three-fingered clawed hand, and instead of using his sonic blaster, he was using his strength of mind to pummel the Divine Retribution open with an invisible wall of force.

"I see... a Chaos Champion of Slaanesh!" I said with a gasp. "A psyker, and a tough one. He uses his mind instead of physical weapons. Let me see if I can get more."

I dipped back into the psychic viewing, and I watched the Champion throw walls of invisible force against the Divine Retribution's chest, causing the windy air to ripple around him. One of the Noise Marines advanced closer to the vessel, wielding his sonic blaster where the Champion was aimed. The eagle had apparently had enough of this, and fought back. I watched as it quickly lifted one of its talons, and reached forward to stomp on the closest marine, flattening him to a paste that turned to sand, blowing away in the wind. The other marines were not discouraged, but now hung a safe distance away from the Retribution's talons. The Champion simply laughed at the scene, managing to bite his own snake tongue bloody in his mad haze. Another quake rumbled, and just as I felt it, I perceived the peculiar sensation that I was being watched once again.

As I viewed the scene, the Champion turned and somehow looked directly at me, and said, "I SEE YOU!"

I staggered back, a fierce migraine striking me, and putting me off balance. Now he definitely knows we're here. Great job again, me. Fuck.

My companions rushed to my side when they saw me stagger. I waved them away, and stood up again.

We have now been seen, the king said calmly as I struggled to relay what I had seen to everyone, my words racing. The two women had reappeared by Nabopolassar's side, and now, I could see that they were both holding two long sai daggers in each hand, each crafted of flawless gold. At least we have more muscle now, but seriously, a psyker Champion of Slaanesh? That's really bad.

I informed my companions, "There are now two Chaos marines and one Champion. The Champion saw me," as I reeled. I received an image of the remaining three marines as they backed away from the Divine Retribution, and began to speak among themselves in the storm.

Then we must do this quickly. Come. To the locus chamber, and to the sundered Heart of Worlds. I will show you what must be done to commit the Great Rite of Undoing, and after that, you must consume me to empower yourself so that you and your companions may survive to complete your journey. May righteousness guide your future path, Omega. Ave Imperatrix!

"I'm not certain if participating in a ritual is the best idea right now, Scion," Null protested behind me as we followed the ancient king back into the domed room. "There are two Noise Marines, and one full fledged Champion of Chaos outside this pyramid right this very minute. We don't know when they will strike. They could be on their way as we speak!"

Alberich added, "I agree. Can't we confront the, what you call, Noise Marines in here? Wait for them to come to us? Our priorities must be in order first."

"Yeah," I responded. "And if you're a sorcerer, we need all the help we can get against them. I think we should just wait here and let them come to us. Then, we can help you with what you need help with, right?"

Nabopolassar responded, speaking to me in mind. I translated his words into voice for my companions as he strode forward into the room with purpose. I sense that the evil warriors will not enter the Great Pyramid, as their Champion knows you must come out in order to leave this place. He sees that you must depart the Great Pyramid to go to your vessel, and his want is for you to encounter him there outside, where you would be at a disadvantage. These unholy men are somewhat resistant to the effects of the Ruination through the blessings of their infernal god. The king walked to the center of the room, where the Heart lay broken in a pile of sand. It was black and dead. Nabopolassar exhaled a long sad sigh. It is the will of fate, and therefore, it must be.

My companions and I stood behind him, and so did Ennoia and Morai, who now flanked me by standing a little bit too close. When no one else said anything, I said, "So, what now? What do you need us to do?"

With a tinkling of the bells on his robe, the king turned around, and looked at us thoughtfully, still wearing his sad beatific smile. The ritual is not complex. First, I will open the gateway to the Depthless Well. The sand will drain, but the remains of the Heart will not fall. This shaft reaches to the very heart of our once verdant civilization, and connects with a grand spirit construct called the Oversoul Engine. Once that has been accomplished, you, blessed Omega, will place your hands on the Heart of Worlds, and will it to mend.

"Just like that?" I asked, skeptical. "Just, uh, I put my hands on the pieces of the Heart and it's fixed up? Good as new?"

Not quite. Yes, you have to will it to repair itself. But, it will remain dead, for its death is irreversible. From then, it has been said that you will know what to do. It will only speak its secrets to one of your kind, blessed Omega.

"I... I really don't know about this," I said, shaking my head. This sounded really dangerous. We just met this guy, and while he's been helpful, he was now requesting I participate in some strange ritual using the corpse of an unfathomably powerful artifact. And then, he wanted me to kill him. I was definitely reluctant to touch the thing that had killed 55 planets in Sebastian's hands through an accident.

"I mean, do we have to do this? Couldn't we just, I don't know..." I floundered, thinking on if there was anything else we could do instead. Honestly, there wasn't much. At the very minimum, we needed to get back to the Divine Retribution if we weren't going exploring anymore, but that wasn't easy since there were now Chaos Marines hanging around. We were going to have an inevitable conflict once we went outside. Maybe by blessing the Heart, I'd get stronger?

"You don't have to do this, Scion," Null said to me. "I wouldn't take him up on his request if you feel hesitance. Your, erm... predecessor-"

I turned to Null as he mulled over his next words, and I could feel that due to my recent heightened anxiety, my own Corona was currently lightly shimmering across my head and shoulders. The tech-priest looked away in submission, unable to meet my eyes nor complete his sentence. It was then that I realized something. How long had he known who (and what) I was? How come he hadn't said anything earlier? When Virgil was calling me "Empress", Null had diverted him away from using those words. I didn't quite understand why he had behaved that way, but now wasn't the time to worry about it. I kept my eyes on Null for a few more heartbeats until I heard him stammer out, "-your p-predecessor... His intuition was renown. He knew and foresaw things with frightening clarity. I-I'm certain that this quality may be present in yourself."

I took a deep breath, and looked at my crew. Lian hadn't said anything, and Alberich didn't seem to have any further input.

Nabopolassar looked at me with sad eyes, and then, down to the broken Heart again. I closed my eyes, and exhaled, consciously pulling my halo back within me. If this civilization's last king wanted me to bless a dead artifact that would bring this region peace, and possibly help the trapped spirits here in some mysterious way, I should really help him. Chickening out just because I was nervous wasn't something I was "supposed" to do, I felt. My intuition gave me a gentle nudge of "do the right thing", and I nodded. "Alright. I'll do it. Tell me what I need to do."

The king smiled broadly, and bowed to me once again. He walked slowly around the sand-filled depression in the room, and then, spoke a few sentences in an unfamiliar language. The masked Blanks nodded and walked back to the edges of the room. I have told them what I will now tell you and your companions, blessed Omega. Only you can manipulate such a sacred artifact once the ritual has begun to heal it. Even as a corpse, the Heart is still dangerous.

I explained what Nabopolassar had said to my companions, who then walked nervously to where the Blanks stood against the wall. The king and I stood facing each other over the sand depression, looking at the pieces of the Heart.

I will now begin the incantation to open the Depthless Well. The sand will drain. When I give you the instruction, place your hands on the Heart of Worlds, and let it communicate to you, Nabopolassar said gently in mind.

The ancient king then raised his eagle-topped staff high above his head, held in two hands, parallel to the floor. He began to speak in his strange, musical language a rhyming cadence. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that the Blanks were kneeling again, their arms raised in praise.

Please be careful. I still don't think you should be doing this, Alberich transmitted to me from behind. I am told the evil men now wait eagerly for us near our vessel. The pink Champion has vile intentions for you. Do not hold back when we see them. Valkyrie has spoken to me a magic word that will bring us help from another realm.

This isn't helping me relax, I thought quietly and tensely as I listened to Nabopolassar's chanting. I had no idea what "help from another realm" was, as it could be anything from summoning lesser daemons to summoning warpfire. Please just keep quiet, Alberich. We'll deal with it when we get there, I implored the Tzaangor.

A grinding noise under us, and the flickering of the lanterns above us signaled that something was happening when Nabopolassar's speech raised in volume and cadence. The sand that held the two pieces of the Heart of Worlds began to fall away, draining below. I expected to see that a grate held the artifact when the sand was completely gone, but to my surprise, the Heart was now suspended in midair over a black pit only a little larger than what the Heart's diameter would've been, if it was whole.

The ancient king lowered his staff, which now had begun to glow with a soft blue light. There was a heavy magic in this area, and my psyker senses felt the presence of an unfathomably huge Warp presence below us, deep within the planet's core. Even being near the Depthless Well when it was open was difficult, I realized.

Look upon the Heart of Worlds, Nabopolassar said to me, just as he had said to Sebastian so many years ago in another era. I flashed back to my vision, remembering that my predecessor had been right where I had been, standing over the Well. I felt a clear purpose here now. I had to touch the Heart. It would be very dangerous, but I had to.

I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath, bracing myself as I rolled the cuffs of my sleeves up. Unbidden, images of Sebastian struggling with all his might came to me. Even he had been humbled by this artifact, and I was nowhere near his ability. I had to be brave, and hope for the best.

I slowly held out my hands, feeling cold psychic wind washing against me from deep within the Well. It felt almost fluid, lapping against my bare arms and causing goosebumps on my skin. I was aware that the Nemeses Argentum in my shirt pocket had begun to softly glow as I reached out. From here, I could even see the part of the bloody hand print where Sebastian had gripped the Heart.

"Here goes nothing," I said.

With each hand, I touched the two pieces of the Heart, and immediately, deafening wails of supernatural misery assailed me in both psychic and physical senses. Screaming wraiths blasted up from the Well, buffeting my hair and clawing icily at my face.

An outraged voice of trillions demanded, "WHO DARES SEEK THE CURSED DEAD OF NUBUA? YOU MUST JOIN US IN DUST!"

Waves of negativity vomited forth from the cold winds below, washing through both me and my companions like a black flood.

Furious indignation flavored with despair began to race through me as the trapped souls of Nubua now fixated their attention on the living beings in this room. Around me, I felt my companions blaze with anger, their emotions similarly hijacked. In self-defense, I pulled within myself, and consciously forced my Corona to brighten. It bathed my head and shoulders in a protective golden halo. Seeing this, the wailing voices somewhat calmed then, and I then felt many ethereal hands touch me, now curious instead of murderous.

I centered myself as I watched my conscious perception of this room wash away into an unnatural shadow. My companions were gone, and the pyramid was gone. Everything was gone with the exception of me, the broken Heart of Worlds, and the multitudes of agonized trapped souls. My next words almost came automatically. "You will not consume me. I will not become dust," I said, amplifying my voice to blaze against the dark. A strange intuition fell upon me, and I found myself saying, "I am the End that Is, I am Inevitability, I am the Omega."

"THE OMEGA COMES. THE END IS THE BEGINNING. THE BEGINNING IS THE END! THE OMEGA COMES!" the spirits keened in a mad proclamation. "THE WEEPING KING BETRAYED US! BROKE US! LEFT US TO SUFFER! FOREVER, WE HAVE SUFFERED!"

"Tell me what I must do to relieve your suffering," I gently asked the ghosts who swirled around both me and the broken Heart.

The edges of the shattered halves of the Heart glowed in this nothing space, and I knew immediately.

"HEAL US. RELEASE US. MEND US. DELIVER US." Those words were repeated trillion times a trillion through my very being, filled with pain and eternal longing.

They wanted me to join the pieces. All I needed to do was join them. Was it that easy?

I was vaguely aware that my fingers were beginning to freeze as I pushed the pieces of the artifact together. As if magnetized, it mended itself under my touch, and returned to a perfectly round orb with a thunderclap. However, instead of a clear crystal soap bubble in Sebastian's vision, the Heart was now a flawless void about an arm's length in diameter. It roiled and burned with such power and intensity that it almost felt like I was in contact with a small black hole. The impossible chill radiating off the eldritch artifact was incredible. Instead of fire, as Sebastian had experienced, I felt ice.

I slowly raised the mended Heart to chest level, watching it swirl with terrible un-life in my hands. The world around me was still "away", and I could no longer perceive the room around me properly. Through the dead Heart, I could sense the lost Empires that had once sang joyously within. The many cursed worlds of this region were still connected to it.

As it had been with Sebastian, I then felt my awareness begin to involuntarily expand. My sight swept forth like a wave across everything. I could sense the artificial anger and despair of my companions as they stood fearfully nearby, and then, I was past the pyramid. I saw the three Chaos Space Marines grinning eagerly as they stood just out of range of the Divine Retribution's talons, their sonic blasters pointed in the direction of the entrance of the pyramid. One of them wanted to be a daemon prince, and he was so close. The Angels of Ecstasy had actually been hiding on this world for over a week, waiting under the shifting sands in their craft for more Aeldari to come and claim their fallen comrade. They discovered that a much fatter prize was to be had on this world when they consulted their visions. The preternatural transformative soul drain had both weakened and maddened them, and their bodies were now dried and leathery, but that was not a concern. Blessed Slaanesh had his eye on a strange psyker woman of holy power, and Chaos Champion Grikk'ahn had been instructed to cause her as much suffering as her body could handle, and remain alive.

I shuddered, understanding Grikk'ahn's intentions.

My expansion of consciousness continued, continuing past the corrupted warriors. The dead artifact was now alive with un-life. The Heart of World's held a power that felt like an inverse to natural existence, brought about by Sebastian's curse. With unseeing undead eyes, the countless shadows watched me as I raced my awareness across the entirety of Nubua, and then, across three more dead worlds, all similar to this one. All dust and ghosts existing eternally in a curse that spanned over an area of many light years.

Across dried sea beds, and skeletonized ancient cities, I breathed. Wastelands of wailing ruddy sands instead of lush jungles raced past my sight. Even forgotten military spacecraft clawed defiantly up from their graves on a flat plane of blacked sand.

Everywhere I looked, there was nothing. It even expanded through to the space between the worlds, as drifting derelict spaceships filled with weightless dust remained in high orbit around once vibrant planets, a chilling reminder of the incredible power of the curse.

The pain and loss of it all made my heart hurt. The great Independent Empires were lost forever. There were no more pearl divers, no more philosophers, no more statesmen, no more dying mothers, no more gemstone tradesmen. No more animals, grass, or germs. There was nothing but a shade of what used to be, reflections of things that had once been alive that had been swallowed up in a singular moment of terror thousands of years ago. Yet still, the shades lingered, screaming in eternal torture, unable to die, unable to forget. But, as I passed through, their screams began to hush in hope. I enveloped every single planet that had been cursed. Where the fire of life once moved, the chill of eternal entropy now stilled.

My senses heightened, and I felt something new; my sight was drawn to it.

There was something else here. Something different. It was watching as I broadened my awareness. What was it? I pushed my sight further as my hands burned with cold.

I could see someone, and he was watching me from very far away as if through a hazy nightmare. He wasn't here on any of these planets, but somehow, he still watched me. The presence was a man, and my action here had summoned his attention. He was sitting in a lonely apartment, sitting over an old computer, his face in his hands. Or... wait. Was that him sitting on a chair weeping silent tears as worlds burned around him? I couldn't really tell. Most unusually, this individual was somewhere far outside the region, and what I saw of him was very blurry. I pushed further, trying to get my vision to focus. I was curious, even when I felt the shades try to jealously pull me back.

He was familiar somehow, and I felt that my presence had been sensed now by him. I felt his breath catch, even though I knew he was not breathing. He slowly raised his head, which didn't actually move, and then I saw him.

We made eye contact. He had gold eyes, and he startled.

"You..." Sebastian said in shock.

The moment lasted only a tiny fraction of a second, because on his end, I felt an incredibly powerful whiplash of psychic energy strike me away as easy as a dragon swatting a sparrow out of the air. I reeled and nearly fell over where I stood, but the Heart held me in place.

"RELEASE US. DELIVER US FROM OUR SUFFERING. GIVE US DEATH, OMEGA," I heard the spirits scream through me, demanding my attention back to them.

It was difficult to focus now. My distraction had stunned me. When one's awareness is spread out over multiple dead cursed worlds, concentration on a single point was not easy. I pulled deep within myself and forced myself back to my physical form, following the bright spot of gold radiance on one particular planet. I then concentrated on the pain racing up my arms as my physical hands began to freeze solid. My eyes snapped open. There were people shouting desperately around me, angry and fearful, bathed in negative energy.

"DROP THE HEART!" Everything around me all at once screamed at me.

In a wild pull, I desperately pulled my frostbitten hands away from the Heart of Worlds, trying to let it go, but just like Sebastian, I found myself unable to drop the artifact. I tensed my arms, and pulled with all my might again, and still, I could not break contact. The coppery smell of my own blood filled the air as I saw another figure standing before me, gold and insubstantial. As I struggled, the mysterious figure reached up with his own hand, and struck the top of the orb with a closed fist, and that was somehow enough to dislodge it from my grip.

I reeled backwards, screaming in pain. Cold smoke wafted from the tips of my fingers. The figure I had seen had vanished.

Large hands caught me as I fell backward, and prevented me from falling. The wind was still blowing about, and my hair whipped around me like a banshee.

"Scion!" I heard a tenor mechanical voice shout over me. Yellow artificial eyes filled my field of view. Reality was too much right now, so I closed my eyes.

"...dropped the gas mask and goggles down the well!" the metal man yelled distantly as I struggled to pull myself back into reality.

"What happened?!" An angry German voice demanded. "What happened?! What have you done?!" Near me, I could sense that a beastman holding a flaming glaive was yelling at a man wearing colorful silks. The man did not react, and stood smiling calmly.

"No, no. Leave him alone," I struggled to reorient myself as I made sure a fight didn't break out. "Don't hurt him. I'm okay. I'll be fine. I agreed. It's cool."

"Omnissiah's sake, you aren't! No, it's not 'cool'! It's very cold, in fact!" Null said in worry. "You've been injured! Frostbite! Look at your hands!"

"I know, but seriously, it's cool," I said, taking deep breaths, and slowly opening my eyes again. I held up my hands, and saw that they were indeed frostbitten all the way up my forearms, with some of my fingers actually blackened and completely immovable. Oh, that's gonna sting later, I thought blearily. Wind was circling around this room, and it felt as if the pressure had changed. So, was it done? Was that what they wanted me to do? Did I do good? Fuck me, that was awful! The images of what I had seen were still swimming endlessly in my mind's eye, including that of a familiar gold-eyed man.

Who had I seen in my vision in the Heart? Who helped me drop the artifact when I couldn't let it go? Was that Sebastian? Was that the Emperor?

Despite the chaos around me, the king began speaking to me with a warm psychic voice, It is complete. Soon, we will be no more, and our souls will be free to roam existence when the Heart has reached the center of Nubua. Thank you, Omega. And now, I ask but one more favor. One that will give you the strength to destroy the warriors ahead of you.

Oh, that's right. He wanted me to kill him. And, there were three Angels of Ecstasy waiting outside to kill us. I was now in absolutely no shape to do any kind of fighting with my frozen hands. I could barely keep myself upright, but I pulled myself away from Lian's grasp anyway.

Nabopolassar walked up to me as I recovered, reminding me of what he wanted me to do. You must now kill me, blessed one. Let me join in your radiance and grant you my wisdom across the stars. I give to you freely my strength. The king gently kneeled, placing his eagle-topped staff on the ground two paces ahead of me.

Holy shit, give me a minute, guy, I thought, still struggling to compose myself. Behind me, Lian asked, "What is your command? What would you have us do?" I would have you all shut up for five minutes while I recalculated what proper reality looked like, that's what I'd have you do.

"Well, uh, you heard the man," I said muzzily, neglecting to realize that the king had not spoken in voice, and then realizing that Lian could not possibly have heard Nabopolassar's telepathy. I shrugged and continued talking, not turning around to face the Fallen. "I have to kill this guy now. He says I have to." With frozen fingers, I reached inside my pocket, and tried to grip the Nemesis Argentum. Unfortunately, not only could I not bend my fingers effectively (a few of which were frozen solid), the artifact was now also scalding hot with psychic energy, and I dropped it as it burned what little nerve endings I had remaining on my hands. The scissors fell to the floor with a clatter. How was I going to do this, I thought, feeling a wave of nausea. I was badly injured!

Alberich then walked up to me, radiating with negativity. The mood-altering qualities of the Heart were still active, even as it fell down the Well. "You're clearly delirious, and your frostbite is quite severe. That artifact was cursed! You should not have let yourself be deceived! Let me kill this man in retaliation!" he snarled, pointing at Nabopolassar with his daemon glaive.

The ancient king did not react to Alberich's words, and remained kneeling as he wore a serene smile, waiting for me to kill him.

"Do not counter the judgement of a Scion, mutant. With her predecessor, an unclean mutant such as yourself would have been put to death for such brazen insolence long ago," Null unexpectedly retorted with venom as Alberich now turned to him, growling. "A Scion's judgement is immutable, and to go against it is a damnable offense. Also, you are the one that should be suspect here! Tell me, beast-headed spawn of evil, what is it that transported us here? Did you collude with a Chaos power to deceive us to arriving here on this cursed planet? Tell us the truth! I demand to know!" The tech-priest's anger was broiling, and I saw him brandish his gear staff threateningly. For the first time, I saw all of Null's mechadendrites aggressively pull back over his head as if he was a scorpion ready to strike. In his hands, he then revealed a previously unseen long scourge of glowing white energy at his side. It crackled and spat with electricity. Uh oh.

"No! Stop it! All of you!" I shouted to my companions. Only Nabopolassar and the Blanks seemed unaffected by the negative energy here, and around me, I felt my companions continue to seethe with supernatural anger. I stood before where the ancient king, protecting him as everyone began to throw accusations and blame.

The Fallen now began to shout, "From what I have seen, all of you have let yourselves be deceived into coming here! An archmagos should know better than to associate with a mutant, and I consider him guilty by association!" Lian's short sword was out again, crackling with energy.

"Guys, stop it!" I shouted desperately. My companions, while not fighting each other yet, were shouting and blaming one another for everything that had gone wrong. Frightened, I turned to the ancient king, who was still seemingly untouched by the Heart's dark influence as he knelt on the floor. "What's going on? Make this stop!" I plead.

This was to be expected. The Heart's radiance has been corrupted, inverted. However, there is an easy fix for what your companions are experiencing. You will become strong enough to dispel the negative winds influencing your friends once you do what I ask of you, Nabopolassar said calmly. He wore a peaceful smile on his lips as he watched my companions fight. The ancient king then pulled his head back, exposing his neck to me. But, I couldn't even pick up the damned scissors now, I thought with exhausted frustration as my companions argued heatedly.

As everyone else bickered angrily, I steadied myself. I've gotta be stronger than this, and I have to do better. Some of my fingers still work, so I can do this. I closed my eyes, and willed the pain in my hands to abate, at least temporarily. Holding out one frostbitten hand, I willed the scissors to float to my hands as I consciously numbed any sensation of pain. The Nemeses Argentum now felt pleasantly warm, even in my frozen fingers.

Do it, the king said, closing his eyes. In his neck, I could actually see his jugular vein beating in anticipation. Kill me, gain my strength.

Taking a deep breath, I braced myself. I very much did not want to do this, but I felt as if I had little choice. Resolutely, I decided that I didn't want to wait until I had recovered my wits to do this terrible thing, and I certainly didn't want to wait until the emotional fight between my companions degenerated into a physical one.

I pushed some of my energy into the Nemeses Argentum, similar to how I had channeled my energy into killing the Screamer back on Kolch. The artifact began to softly glow, a tiny lick of blue-white flame arcing along the length of the blades. It now looked very similar to the scissors depicted on the painting above us on the ceiling. Nabopolassar was now praying in voice, and his last tears rolled across his worn cheeks. I opened the scissors at a 45 degree angle, and then, I quickly swiped the glowing artifact across his throat, effortlessly cutting him ear to ear. I was immediately sprayed with hot, bright red blood as the shears proved exceedingly sharp.

As I stood over the bleeding form of the king, the shouts of dismay from my companions faded away into the background, as I felt the familiar sensation of the warmth of the Key as it responded to my act. As Nabopolassar's eyes fluttered, I then felt like I had been struck in the chest by a large amount of energy. My sternum momentarily numbed as my heart began to race under the Key. My limbs began to ache and electrify as power began to swim through me. Memories that weren't mine of the great empire of Nubua flickered in my mind's eye, and my gold Corona then brightened against the cloud of supernatural negativity in this room, banishing all black thoughts. My companions instantly stopped fighting as they witnessed me begin to float in midair. Nabopolassar's soul energy writhed through both me and the Key, which was now glowing like a star under my blood-soaked shirt.

An intuition spoke in me that because this man had freely sacrificed himself, I had been able to absorb far more of his soul energy than a typical death would allow. New languages, teachings, cultures, and most usefully, sorcerous abilities had now been fully assimilated, and I felt markedly stronger. Feeling rushed back into my injured arms and hands, and I watched as I saw my injuries spontaneously heal.

Deep within, I felt a presence smile at me. It said, Now, the memory of Nubua lives within you. Tell them of us, and who we were, and tell the Weeping King that we forgive him, oh blessed Omega. Our eternal grace to you. Go forth and do well. Ave Imperatrix.

I was crying as my feet touched the ground again, and I saw that my companions had ceased arguing. The gold halo around me was especially bright, saturating this room in a shadowless brilliance, almost as if I was on the bridge of the Divine Retribution. The Blanks were still kneeling, their arms outstretched in praise. Lian soon followed suit, gazing at me in rapt attention as he knelt down again. Alberich then also kneeled, and said "My honor is my life" again. Finally, even Null fell to his metal knees.

Lian whispered, "Ave Imperatrix," as he kneeled, holding his left arm over his chest.

With my heightened sensitivity, I could sense the whispers of thoughts radiating from my companions as they knelt, bathed in my light.

The reincarnation of the Great Leader. Hail! Echoed from Alberich.

It's true. She knows. It's true. She knows, Null repeated over and over again in his mind.

Unwelcome, I then felt the awareness of the wicked Angels of Ecstasy as they stood outside, laughing and gibbering as the storm buffeted them. They were watching me.

THERE IS NO ESCAPE! the Chaos Champion of Slaanesh bellowed with a bawdy laugh at me in mind. COME OUT, COME OUT AND PLAY WITH US, LITTLE WHORE! LET YOUR SCREAMS BE MUSIC ALONG THE DRY WINDS!

I now sensed that the three Chaos Marines had begun to walk in no hurry down the stone path toward the pyramid, laughing madly.

"They are coming," I announced, my voice strong and resonant. I took the Nemeses Argentum in one hand, holding it closed like a dagger, and I watched as bright light covered its surface like water. Incredibly, I watched as the scissors then lengthened a few inches, and the grip sculpted itself into something more appropriate for a long dagger than a pair of scissors. Warm gold energy was still blazing through me, and I felt suffused with power and purpose.

Feeling very bold, I turned my awareness in the direction of the advancing Angels of Ecstasy, and pushed my thoughts into their leader. Do you think you can win against me? Me of all things? You. Are. Damned!

The Champion actually slowed his stride, and stopped laughing for a moment before continuing again, signaling his intimidation. He did not respond, and I smiled. I know what I am now, and these fuckers would pay!

"Let's show these stupid Chaos bitches what for, everyone!" I said as I watched my companions stand, readying themselves for battle!

I was very pumped up. I was furious and ready to fight as energy exploded through my being. I watched Lian and Null both stand, and the Fallen brandished his sword. Everyone was looking at me.

"W-what is your command? The storm is still moving above. Most of us are not astartes, and will be at a disadvantage in an anoxic environment of scouring winds," Null asked, gripping his staff.

My ears began to ring and my heart jumped as I found myself taken away through another of Nabopolassar's memories. He was meeting a man in white robes and long hair at the front of the pyramid. I was having a difficult time integrating all this fearsome power.

A memory of children, their hands raised in praise as they gifted me a gold sculpture of an eagle. Another memory as I raised my staff in anger at the ineptitude of my fellow politicians in a round, windowless room. "You will damn the Empires!" I shouted to them.

My heart began to hurt, and began to beat both irregularly and rapidly. Time felt as if it was skipping along with my heartbeats.

"Hey, come back!" I heard Alberich distantly ask me as I jumped through memories. "...pulled away in reverie!"

I felt a pain on my side as I forced myself back to the present. My eyes forced open, and I saw Alberich as he pulled his hand away from pinching me. "Stay with us! We need you here!"

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. Maybe I wasn't ready to fight right this very second? Okay, just a minute. Calm down and focus here, Erika. Don't have a heart attack.

I now saw that Null was now quickly pulling each of the remaining few black crystals off the wall here. The body of Nabopolassar lay at my feet, his hot blood pooling on the floor and flowing down the depression on the floor, and into the Well itself. I was breathing heavily, filled with new energy and now the trauma of seeing another human being die messily by my own hand.

Where were the Chaos Marines? Were they here yet?

Flashes of impossible memories continued to involuntarily ignite behind my eyes. I gently nudged my vision out again, looking to get a better view on the movement of our adversaries, and to see just how bad the weather was. The sandstorm still raged, just as Null had said, and the Angels of Ecstasy were still meandering down the road toward the pyramid while laughing maniacally. At least they weren't running here. We were a good few hundred meters away, and I hoped that they would keep their leisurely pace until I could get my mind together after consuming a big willing psyker soul.

"Scion? Are you well again?" Null's voice brought me back to the present. Another snap of a wall crystal. "What do we do? Command us!"

"Only one thing left to do. We have to fight. But, give me a second. I guess I'm still a little messed up from eating this guy. The Chaos guys are on their way, but they aren't running here," I said, wrestling with disorientation. My shirt was soaked with blood, and I still held the Nemeses Argentum in my right hand, gripping it tightly like a dagger as blood oozed into the spaces between my fingers. Within my mind, snippets of foreign memories continued to race, and I saw what this world had once looked like before it had been cursed.

Rolling plains of long grasses swaying in wildflower-scented summer winds; cobalt skies over lush forests filled with alien wildlife; glittering picturesque cities filled with happy people wearing colorful clothes. This place had been a literal utopia, according to Nabopolassar's memories.

And Sebastian had accidentally killed it. I supposed that I now knew the real reason why this place was off limits for Imperial exploration, I thought bitterly.

That got me upset as I looked at the fresh corpse of the ancient king, and my gold Corona continued to shimmer around me as I processed the soul of a stranger. This hadn't happened before when I had absorbed souls. Usually, they just went into the Key and I absorbed them right before the Divine Retribution pulled them out of me, but maybe the fact that the king was a psyker that had willingly given his life meant something? I had no idea, but my intuition again told me that was true. The Key felt nearly uncomfortably hot against the skin on my chest, so I uncovered it to lay atop my bloody shirt. It glowed like a small lantern.

My eye was then drawn to the tall gold staff Nabopolassar had lain on the floor before he had died. It almost seemed to shine with its own light. I bent down, and picked it up. Immediately, I could tell that it was enchanted. My senses told me that it was some kind of psychic amplifier, and a memory from Nabopolassar revealed that he had used it to channel lightning from the sky during a religious ceremony. Alright, that's pretty awesome. I stood up, almost hypnotized by the beautiful artifact. It was topped with an intricately rendered eagle of gold, wings partially spread about a half meter in width, with three glittering eyes that almost seemed to look back at me as I observed it. It was almost like a miniature model of the Divine Retribution. Despite appearing very top heavy, it was very light, and only weighed about as much as a wooden broom.

Another memory pulled me away. I was holding the staff as I presided over a ritual of Nubuan nobility. As I conjured a small orb of blue flames, lightning and wind rained down from the sky with a motion of the staff. A misty rainbow formed itself over the city of Byrblan. From this memory, I gleaned the name of this artifact.

Force Staff of Zuze, station of office of the high prophet-king of Nubua. Focus of will and power.

With great effort, I dragged myself back to the present by biting the inside of my cheek. I needed to stay focused here.

Near me, I saw the Silent Witnesses as they watched curiously from their kneeling positions. Could I communicate with these women now?

I plumbed the depths of my new memories, and then felt the knowledge of an additional language on my tongue. I turned toward Morai and Ennoia. Clearing my throat, I hoped that this would work. I had only ever heard Nabopolassar speak a few sentences of this mysterious language just a short time ago, but somehow, it felt completely natural for me to know.

When I spoke to them, it was in the priest-caste tongue of Nubua. The name of the language was "Ereni", and it reminded me of a musical blend of Hebrew and Persian. "Please stand. Can you understand me? You have been released from your vow of silence, Witnesses. You are now free to speak."

The two women stood, and began signing. I could now understand their somatic language. Knowing all these new things was both very exciting and very scary.

"Praise you, Omega. We are sworn to protect you with our lives. If it is permissible, we would prefer to be silent, as silence is all that we have ever known. I am Morai, and this is my twin sister, Ennoia. We are daughters of ancient Nubua as she existed before the Ruination."

While both women were identical twins,with long white hair wrapped in a topknot atop their heads, I was able to see that Morai had a slightly less muscular build than Ennoia, and a visible scar that resembled a half moon across the top of her right hand.

Another snap of a crystal being removed from the wall. I spoke to the Witnesses again. "We're going to leave soon. Our vessel is parked just outside, and evil warriors are making their way here. They wish to do us harm, so we're probably going to need to fight them," I informed them. They bowed in response as Alberich watched me. I was happy that these women didn't seem to be too upset by the unusual appearances of both the Tzaangor and Null. Only the giant armored Fallen seemed to frighten them.

"You can speak to them now?" the beastman asked me in wonder. Lian was also watching while close by as he guarded the entrance to the passageway. His short sword crackled with electricity as he held it before him. I wished that he had taken his big fancy longsword with him, but to be fair, we didn't know that we'd be fighting Chaos Marines here on a completely dead world.

"I can speak their language," I replied with a short grin. "I have Nabopolassar's soul, so I now know what he knew. I feel a lot stronger too. I think the way it works is that if someone gives their life to me freely, I get more energy than just being around a person when they die. Look!" I held up the staff, and willed a small orb of blue warpfire into existence in midair. It appeared with ease (and without any headaches this time).

"Incredible," Lian observed with a quick glance from nearby as he stood before the passageway. "We will soon have a test to your abilities, and I have faith that we will endure."

I willed the fireball to wink away, and it vanished. I noticed that I felt no worse for wear, and that I was not drained at all. I could get used to having this extra stamina.

Null continue to tear the black crystals off the wall as I anxiously dipped my awareness out once again to observe the Chaos Marines as they walked down the road. They were still walking at a slow pace. While I was stronger, was I strong enough to square off against a sorcerer Champion of Slaanesh who was one hiccup away from daemonic ascension?

"Hopefully we won't be so outmatched now," Null said, struggling with another difficult crystal as it broke off the wall. Did he need all those crystals? We needed to think about our priorities here. I guess being a tech-priest made you want to loot things from ancient civilizations compulsively. I was surprised that he wasn't asking us how to steal the whatever the Oversoul Engine was inside this planet.

I was pulled away by another unbidden memory. Or, was this a vision? A fine lattice of Warp-reactive crystal machinery pulsed like a beating heart deep under the surface of this world. This was the Oversoul Engine. Impossibly built by unknown alien hands, it enveloped the molten core of this world in a skin that resembled animate watery cellophane, processing and regulating the spiritual energy of the Independent Empires like a sleeping eldritch god. I realized that the Heart of Worlds was merely an interface to this incredible construct, and when touched by the right hands, the souls and dreams of all those in this region could be influenced. The pit in the center of this chamber led straight down to it.

I pulled myself back to the present, and looked at the Depthless Well, concerned. My emotions were beginning to cool, but my Corona still remained hot.

"Uh, hey, Null?" I began to ask, realizing something important as I looked at the Well, which was now spewing cold air as the ancient king's blood drained into it, and found that he actually did not know for certain how long it would take the Heart of Worlds to fall through the center of the world. That wasn't comforting in the least, but he didn't seem too worried about us having enough time to escape, so it had to be fine, right? "Null, how long until the Heart of Worlds hits the Warp engine below us and everything gets unmade? The king actually didn't know how long. I think he just thought we'd have enough time to get out, but he didn't know precisely how much time we had."

Null paused. He only had two crystals left, and he turned around, his blue eyes filled with concern. "I had assumed that what he had said to us was truth. That he only made an assumption is quite upsetting. I cannot make an accurate estimation without a calculation on the object's mass and any sort of mystical parameters that would effect its descent." The tech-priest walked over to the Depthless Well, and looked within it, his scorched robe fluttering around him in the cold wind. "How heavy did you say it felt?"

"Uh," I thought back. "About maybe 20 pounds? 10 kilos? Maybe? I couldn't concentrate when I was attached to it, but it felt like it shifted in weight a lot."

"Variable weight, and the density of the air that issues from the well also seems to be changeable, which is why you have likely noticed a pressure shift. The wind issuing from below will also effect rate of descent," Null stated. "One moment, let me make an extremely rough estimation that utilizes mass and planetary gravity."

The tech-priest's eyes briefly flickered. I was not at all happy to see when they flashed to his alarmed yellow color. Null blinked, obviously upset. "72 minutes. If my calculations are correct, we only have 72 minutes until the orb reaches the center of this planet, assuming no Warp interference. Let us hope it falls more slowly, for I do not think 72 minutes is enough time for us to depart this stellar region."

I pushed my awareness out again. The Chaos Marines were still advancing along the road. The Champion angled his head up, apparently sensing that he was being watched again. I ducked out before he could find me.

Null bundled his sack of crystals up, and attached it to some kind of ring on the side of his chest where they jangled. "We need to leave, all of us. Chaos Marines or not, if we don't leave right now, we'll certainly die, or worse. We have little choice." He began walking to the entrance to the passageway out of the locus chamber, but did not enter it. Null probably didn't want to immediately be first in line to be hit with a sonic blaster. I heard a strange mechanical noise chittering from Null's robes as he passed, and I saw two metal mantis antennae slowing moving over a pocket on the tech-priest's side. From here, I could see that the poor little drone was scorched and discolored from my earlier recklessness involving the eagle gate. Oops, sorry Jiminy. I was also reminded then that I hadn't seen Wolfie in awhile, and I hoped that he would show up again soon. The astral hound loved action, so he'd probably be thrilled to fight space marines.

"I do not look forward to this," Alberich said, shaking his head.

Lian was already ready to go, and stood slightly ahead of Null, holding his short sword bravely before him as he watched the passageway. Alberich's feathers were ruffled as he gripped Valkyrie, which was now blazing in blue flame once again. He also began walking to the entrance of the tunnel.

"What do they say? They appear upset," Ennoia asked me in short gestures, watching my companions ready themselves for combat. I motioned for them to follow me as I walked to join them, which they did.

I cleared my throat and began speaking in a foreign language once again. "We're worried. First, the warriors in black and pink armor painted on the wall in the other room are walking down the road toward us right now. They are inhuman followers of dark powers, and one of them has strong psychic abilities. The second thing is that we only have a short time to escape this entire region by the calculations of Null, our tech-priest. The Heart of Worlds is currently falling down to that Well toward the center of this world, and I was told that once it hits a thing called the Oversoul Engine, that this world would be "unmade". We aren't in a good position." I pointed at Null, who stood shifting his weight nervously, probably wishing that he had brought his combat servitor bodyguard with him.

The two women nodded in understanding as they stood beside me, angling their bodies so I could see their gestures. Morai began to sign, "Our souls are shadow-souls, as you and your friends must have felt earlier. We are well equipped against fighting witches and other abusers of the mystic arts." In demonstration of her words, she brandished her two gold sai daggers threateningly. While I didn't think that sai daggers wielded by normal human women would be particularly effective against Chaos Space Marines, I knew for certain that Blanks were tremendously useful against any sorcerers. It would be interesting to see what these ladies could do. "We will escape here. Destiny has been scribed, and we follow the will of fate, as all Nubuans did before us. We are ready to follow you to victory."

"We await your command, Scion," the Cowardly Lion also announced as my Tin Man and Scarecrow stood anxiously waiting to leave. Ready or not, time to fight adversaries that were overwhelmingly powerful and also escape a doomed planet. Again. I sighed as I realized that I had already fought terrible things and fled ruined planets twice already. I hoped this didn't become a habit.

"Okay. Lian, you're in front. Have you fought sonic weaponry before? If you have, please tell us what to expect. Null, you probably know all about this, but Alberich, listen up. This is important!" I translated for the Silent Witnesses beside me.

"I am familiar with the sonic weapons of the Noise Marines through confrontations with the Emperor's Children. These weapons wielded by the Angels of Ecstasy are not the same, but likely similar. If the winds still rush outside, their potency will be muffled, but still, they are likely to be incredibly dangerous. Sonic-based weaponry utilizes overwhelming noise in order to damage and madden opponents. The sound is so potent that it has the capability to rend and disintegrate flesh at a close enough range. Disarming any sonic weapons should be your first priority, as you all likely do not have the strength to immediately injure any Chaos Space Marine. Do not attempt to pick up and use these weapons, as they are filled with Warp-taint, and are also too powerful for non-astartes. These weapons have the capability to deafen you even with an indirect hit, and even in the wind. While it probably won't aid mortal ears, I would suggest all of you block your ears with anything you can find for at least some measure of protection. It would be better than nothing, in the least."

I translated for Morai and Ennoia, who stood perfectly still in stalwart bravery, clutching their sai daggers. Alberich began to tear off a length of his sleeve, and began wrapping his goat ears up. I have to do that too, I thought, snipping away one of my sleeves with my scissors to wrap around my head. Lian continued:

"We have information that there is a Champion of Chaos outside, a powerful sorcerer of dark strength. He is devoted to Slaanesh, the god of excess and sensation. He will likely be larger and considerably more deformed than his two companions. While I do not know what powers his flesh god has gifted him, it is highly likely that he can call upon the powers of the Warp and summon daemons to aid him. Disarming and killing him should be our priority, through whatever means you can establish. Show no mercy or hesitation. Champions of Chaos are ruin incarnate, and I would believe that we would be walking to our doom if not for the Scion, and now, these two Pariah women. My suggestion to you both is to find a way close to them, and unleash your Null-auras upon the Champion. Your black souls can cripple his connection to the Warp, and may be able to turn the tide for us," Lian informed us as he pointed at Silent Witnesses. When I was done translating, they both nodded.

Once again, I pulled my awareness outward, watching our opponents as they walked in the storm. The Chaos Champion Grikk'ahn was a terrible sight, with wide reptilian eyes, pebbled white leathery skin, and long sharp teeth in a terrible mouth that extended ear to ear, almost like an eel. He was bald, and at least a full half meter taller than his companions, and six short horns rose from the cracked skin on his forehead. I could now see a glowing Mark of Slaanesh etched across his cheek. His tortured and desiccated appearance very much resembled a fleshy mummy without any wrappings. It was remarkable that he was still alive in that state.

This time, the Champion noticed me spying on him, and faced me with a cackle. He licked the air with his long bleeding snake tongue, and sang in singsong mockery, "Pretty bird, oh pretty bird, bound in a snare! Wings we'll pluck with eyes aware! Flight to sunder, flesh to tear! Soon she'll be quite worse for wear!" I pulled my awareness back with a shudder.

"His name is Grikk'ahn, the Defiler of Purity," I now spoke. "The Champion. That's his name. There's something wrong with him too, even more wrong than being a Chaos Marine. Well, there's something wrong with all three of them. From what I saw when attached to the Heart, they're all dried out and extra crazy from being here for a week. They look like what the painting in the room looked like. They were hoping more Aeldari would come and retrieve the corpse and its spirit stone we saw earlier, and were leaving it untouched as bait. The leader started having visions that..." I trailed off, and braced myself. "...Grikk'ahn started having visions that someone like me would show up here, and Slaanesh told him that he wanted to taste as much suffering from me as he could. That's why they're laughing and happy out there, even when they look like corpses. They can't wait to go after me."

A feeling of dread washed through the room. Lian was the one who spoke again. "Then we must fight well. A weakened Champion is still a Champion, but I have faith we will prevail. Divinity is on our side this day," the Fallen briefly bowed his head. Through the reflection in his eyes above me, I could see that my halo was still bright.

I have a trick up my sleeve. I am forbidden to speak of what it is. The Great Architect himself has said to me that it is to be a surprise, Alberich whispered to me in mind.

I sure hope you do, I quickly replied, not taking the time to get mad that Alberich was trusting what Tzeentch had said again.

"Alright, everyone. Null, you get behind Lian. You are both very heavy and strong against the wind. If you have any weapons, get them ready. Alberich, stay behind me and guard the back. If you have any secret plans to help us, now would be a good time to use them." I instructed everyone as they filed in.

I turned around and spoke to the two Blanks. "Stand behind Alberich, the beastman with the bird head, and guard the rear for now. You two should do what the armored giant, named Lian, said. The Champion is a sorcerer, and a big one. As soon as you can, see if you can get close to him, and remove your masks or do something that gets him in your aura, but don't get yourselves killed. These guys are extremely dangerous."

"We obey," Ennoia signed with a short incline of her head.

"Alright everyone, let's go. They're on their way here and this region of space is about to not exist anymore, so we don't have too much to lose by giving this fight our all," I said, willing the gold in my Corona to brighten. Just as when we fought the Screamer on Kolch, I felt the fear of my companions lessen, offering a morale boost. We'd need all the help we can get. I pointed my force staff ahead, and said, "Go!"

"Wait, Scion, you lack a mask and goggles. They fell down the Well. You will not be able to tolerate the lowered air pressure of the storm outside! It will be like fighting atop a high mountain during a storm," Null spoke up as we began walking. I held up my hand, indicating that we should stop. Oh, that's right. I dropped my equipment. Great job being a heroic space Empress leader, me.

"No worries," Alberich said, removing his goggles and offering them to me. "I will be capable. I have a keen environmental fortitude in this body. I will be alright."

"No, wait," I said, not taking the Tzaangor's equipment. A foreign memory was surfacing. Nabopolassar had not enjoyed wearing any sort of mask or breathing aid since it would touch his sacred headdress, so he had frequently utilized an enchantment when visiting some of the more environmentally hostile worlds in the Independent Empires. It created a globe around the head of the caster which supplied clean breathable air, and protected against any harmful airborne particles! "Hold on, let me see if I can do this. I think the king knew how to cast some kind of air creation spell," I said waving Alberich away.

I closed my eyes, and willed an orb of air surround my head. When I felt a slight electric breeze around my cheeks, I knew that it had worked! I didn't need a mask or goggles now! "There, it worked!" I explained. "The king knew a spell to create a protective area of air around his head, and now it works, so keep your goggles."

"What about the women?" the Tzaangor asked as he donned his eye protection again. Uh...

"Hey, Null. Didn't you have some extra oxygen canisters?" I asked, remembering what he had said when we were first suiting up to explore the pyramid. I also had my own cannister on my back, and I reached behind to unhook it from the brace it had been fastened to on my back. Unfortunately, its indicator showed that the tank was now empty.

"Two!" he said, producing two small cannisters about the size of my hand from a deep pocket in his robe. Each was fitted with a small brace that attached to the back like a shoulder holster. "But I lack extra goggles. Do the masks offer protection?"

The women stood near me, bewildered and waiting for me to translate, which I did. "Outside, the atmosphere is inhospitable. The air pressure is too thin for normal humans to breathe. There is a sandstorm. Do your masks protect you at all?"

Ennoia nodded as Null handed her an oxygen cannister. A long flexible tube was coiled around it, and it terminated in two nose holes. It wasn't a full mask, but it would help. She handed the mask to her sister, and began to sign, "Our masks offer our faces protection, but we need air. Thank you for this, cyborg Null. We will remove our masks only for a moment to attach our air supplies. Please keep your distances from us so you do not feel discomfort, kind folk."

"They're unhooking their masks for a little bit. They have to do that to hook up their air. Give 'em some space," I said, backing up to stand at the opposite edge of the domed room. Morai and Ennoia walked a few paces into the passageway, putting further distance between us. Everyone else immediately followed me, with Alberich looking especially urgent in getting out of the way. Our little group was at the far side of the chamber again when the now familiar awful wave of loathing passed through the area. The Tzaangor leaned over and wretched on the floor, clearly greatly effected by their pariah auras.

Suddenly, I received a flash of a vision from outside. The Angels of Ecstasy were no longer laughing, and had halted about halfway down the road. The storm was finally beginning to abate around them, but was still buffeting their skin with entropy-cursed sand. Their leader was facing this way, his tongue tasting the thin air as it blew relentlessly around him. He didn't notice that I was watching him this time. I could tell that he now knew that there was something unexpectedly dangerous in the pyramid beyond myself, something he had not anticipated. He began to speak with his companions, and I caught him beginning to chant in some kind of guttural infernal tongue before I was brought back to the present.

That can't be good, I thought.

Ennoia had appeared in the threshold of the passageway, and she now had an oxygen cannister attached to her back, as well as a tube that extended under her mask. She waved us on to follow her now.

"You ready?" I asked.

"Certainly. Tell the cyborg a kind thanks once again."

"They say thank you," I translated to Null, who had started to busy himself with the same sort of glowing bundle of long whips I had seen him with before. Was that an electrified scourge? I could smell the electricity in the air as he was also flipping some switches on his gear staff. I had always read that archmagi were absolute monsters in combat, but it appeared that Null shied away from any fighting. He was probably someone who just preferred to have a bunch of other servitors and skitarii fight for him instead, knowing his ego.

The tech-priest waited a little before responding. "Oh," Null finally replied, clearly absorbed in what he was doing. "Just getting ready here. It has been some time since I have needed to fight personally." His electric scourge crackled to life before dimming again. One of his mechadendrites briefly telescoped a long thin blade before retracting again, and another snapped at the air with three sharp pinchers that buzzed with electricity.

"Alright, lets go. Everyone back in position," I said, motioning with the eagle staff, which softly glowed in my right hand. I placed the Nemeses Argentum in my shirt pocket for now, since I was not confident in my ability to use a pair of long scissors in melee combat with Chaos Marines, even if they were blessed with holy energy. "So, let's get to the outer gallery of the pyramid and guard the passageway outside. If they get in here, they don't have the disadvantage of being trapped in a sandstorm, so we need to stop that from happening."

"Agreed," Lian said, and immediately began walking forward down the long tunnel. "Keep behind me, and inform me of any movements on the traitors."

"Will do," I replied, filing in behind Null, whose gear staff now seemed to have a slight electric glow.

Do you know what you're doing? Alberich asked behind me as he followed. Despite the earlier morale boost, I could still sense that the Tzaangor was worried.

No, I replied. We don't have a choice. We're all going to die unless we get out of here in a little over an hour anyway, so we have to fight, and we have to fight now. We need fate on our side here. We are extremely out of our depth. In the games in my universe, facing Chaos Marines usually means instant death or eternal torture if you're just a normal human, but I guess none of us here are normal humans so maybe we won't die?

I can't even remote view the Champion warrior, Alberich said with a long sigh as we walked along. I tried. He shields his mind from me. If you can see him, maybe he is weak against your ability? Your psychic voice is louder now as well. I am truly privileged to be by your side, my leader.

I wondered again why the Tzaangor frequently used the title of "My Leader" to address me instead of my name. With my improved sensitivity, I could tell that it even felt like a feminine leader, somehow. It was too bad I didn't know German, and now was not the time for a psychic linguistics lesson. Oh well. Couldn't be bad, right?

Lian continued leading the way down the hallway, and we crossed the atmospheric energy barrier. My ears popped again, and my stomach sank, but I was grateful that I could still breathe. Feeling a dull ache begin to cross my temple, I decided to see how the Sunday stroll in the entropy sandstorm was going for our homicidal adversaries.

They had not yet resumed walking, and now stood in the middle of the stone road, exposed to the wind. Grikk'ahn still chanted in a dark speech, the volume in his voice reaching a fearsome crescendo.

I soon had my answer on what these marines were doing, and it wasn't good at all. Before my sight, the Champion raised his unarmored clawed hands (which were now bleeding) and made a series of quick gestures. Grikk'ahn clapped his bloody hands, and a line of pink and purple energy began to writhe in the air before him. With a sickening tearing noise like a ripping bedsheet, it began to broaden until it resembled a large flat oval that glowed with an unnatural light that hurt to perceive.

I knew enough to know what that was. Oh no.

"Stop, stop," I said, just as we reached the end of the tunnel. We were now in the main gallery again. "They're doing something," I said, fending off a wave of sickness at witnessing such an event.

My companions turned to me, their faces expectant.

"Daemons," I announced. "They're summoning daemons."

Our group filtered into the main outer gallery as my temple ached uncomfortably. I knew intuitively that there was an open portal to the Warp ahead of us outside, and one that was now spilling more terrible daemons into the Materium. I had had enough of Slaaneshi daemons back on Levant, but apparently Tzeentch thought it was funny to screw around with my fate and pit me against more of those revolting things. We had been "miraculously" transported here by that one Lord of Change, anyway, so of course the Architect of Fate knew there was trouble here waiting to find us.

There was a faint breeze in the dark interior of the gallery, and the smell of cold ashes filtering in from the storm outside. The heavy darkness in here almost seemed to swallow up the light from Null's lantern mechadendrite, and Alberich's blue flaming daemon glaive. A feeling of visceral foreboding had fallen over us.

"What manner of daemons do they summon? Can you tell?" Lian asked as we all walked to the corner of the gallery, near where the dried corpses still lay. Staying out of the direct line of sight of the outer passageway was probably smart.

"I'll check this time," Alberich answered helpfully, stepping near the corpse of the dead Aeldari.

The Tzaangor's eyes closed as he gripped Valkyrie, and his colorful mane of feathers ruffled as he clenched his beak in concentration. After a few heartbeats, he blinked, looking at us in confusion. Alberich then sneezed, and shook his head. "I cannot quite see the Champion, and can only really perceive his companions. But, I do see that there are woman devils, daemonettes as they are called, but there is also something else. I fear I do not know how to describe it," the beastman said, cocking his head in bewilderment. Alberich took a breath and tried to offer a description regardless. "A tall devil walks on four disjointed legs, and moves as a crab would. It has a thin face that halfway resembles that of a cow, but also, it has the features of a reptile and a scorpion's tail. Like a centaur, it also has two forearms, but instead of hands, they are long crab pinchers. It is bizarre." The beastman sniffed the air, stifling another sneeze. "And, I sense that there is a heavy strange scent around it."

"A Fiend of Slaanesh, I'm guessing," I answered. Oh fantastic. I read somewhere that those things had a magical stink that could mess you up, and I found myself grateful that it was windy outside.

"That's not good," Null chimed in. "To those who do not know, a heady scent surrounds these Warp-spawned beasts. This odor can completely incapacitate those in close proximity. Stay away from being too close to this daemon if you have a sense of smell. Ah! I've got it working once again!" the tech-priest ended his dire warning on a lighter note when one of his mechadendrites transfigured itself into some kind of futuristic space blaster with a glowing green barrel.

I quickly translated for the Witnesses as I nervously watched the direction of the outer passage. As I spoke, I noticed that to my right, Alberich was once again curiously examining the bodies of the Chaos Marines on the floor as Null's mechanical mantis drone buzzed very clumsily into the air before returning to the tech-priest's pocket ahead of me. It appeared that Jiminy was out of commission. Lian stood a few steps before us as he also faced the direction of the outer passageway, guarding our little band against the inevitable.

"Jiminy cannot sustain flight, and cannot be a spy for us, I am afraid," Null informed us.

"That gun you have. What is it?" Lian asked, not turning around. Null turned around and walked up to the Fallen's side, and I could see him demonstrating the blaster on the end of his mechadendrite from behind.

"Energy weapon. Customized from xenos technologies, if one could forgive me for using such things. It is something that can be dissolved and reformed from metal, allowing for maximum portability. Truly, I am loathe to use it, and I could never really operate it repeatedly without issues with overheating. We are in a perilous situation now though, and need all the help we can get," Null explained.

The tech-priest continued to chatter about his blaster as we nervously waited around near the outer passageway, but my attention was now fixed on Alberich, who had placed his glaive against the wall, and was now chanting in a mysterious language under his breath as he stood over the corpses.

What are you doing? I asked the Tzaangor. He paused his chanting.

Do not interrupt. Keep the metal man distracted, as he will not approve of this. It is our surprise from the Great Architect. It will help us.

A twitch of an arm in the Aeldari corpse left me very alarmed, and a shine of blue energy rose from around the Tzaangor's head as he continued to chant.

"What is he doing?" Morai asked me with a few curious gestures as she stood nearby. It was interesting that the somatic language of the Witnesses could be used even when they held their sai daggers. Much of what they said was illustrated in the motions of their arms and hands, and I could tell that these motions were nervous here. Ennoia was now reaching for her mask.

"Uh, look. Don't worry about that. Don't take your masks off just yet. I think Alberich is trying to help us."

Null stopped talking and then turned around to see Alberich obviously using his psyker abilities for an unknown purpose, and shouted in alarm.

"Don't..." I commanded to Lian and Null, who were now both turned toward me. "I am allowing this." I gestured toward the Tzaangor. "Fight about it later. Like you said, Null; we need all the help we can get. I do not want to d-"

I was interrupted as a shiver ran up my spine, and my attention was immediately drawn to the passageway. "Look!" I had time to yell before a grinning daemonette appeared, poking her head through the tunnel. She was smiling widely, and covered in dust.

"Delicious yummy yummies! Dinner is here, oh sisters!" she cried out, leaping into the gallery.

Lian reacted almost instantaneously, and charged at the creature. The daemonette easily jumped aside and away from his blade. Like an Olympic gymnast, she bounded and somersaulted happily around, singing and laughing. Null's mechadendrites reared up once again like metal cobras waiting to strike, and as Lian recovered, Null brandished his laser scourge with an electric crackle. The daemonette screamed, and made a wild leap toward the tech-priest, who attempted to defend himself with a downward chop of his electric gear staff. This was also easily dodged by the daemonette, but what wasn't dodged was Null's scourge, which struck the creature savagely right across the face, setting her on fire and sending her smashing back against a priceless painting, ruining it as she crumpled to the floor.

Another daemonette appeared from the passageway, also filthy and also grinning madly. She danced into the gallery, singing a mad keening song. "Dance with me!" she called out. Unfortunately, Lian's interpretation of dancing involved swiping wildly at creatures that were mostly way too fast for him. At least she was just dancing and not killing right now.

This was happening so fast that I didn't even have time to catch my breath, and I was no longer paying attention to Alberich's chanting, which had not abated. Alright, lets light this party up!

I dipped into Nabopolassar's memories, and uncovered a sight of the king lighting a bonfire with his staff. I liked setting daemonettes on fire, so that'll do. I quickly focused my energy, and concentrated it onto a point at the tip of the staff, magnifying it. With a motion, the daemonette that was taunting Lian was now immediately consumed in blue fire, screaming and laughing all the while. This gave the Fallen the opportunity to decapitate her, which he did very quickly. I noticed that my immolation of this daemonette was more powerful than when I torched the daemons way back on Levant, and I felt no fatigue. I was definitely much stronger!

Lian stood ahead of me, ready for more action. Ennoia and Morai now advanced into my field of view, brandishing their sai daggers and ready to fight as they flanked our sides. Behind me, Alberich continued to chant behind me, and I began to hear a strange scraping sound.

"Champion Girkk'ahn wishes your soul tenderized but not killed, lost little Traveler!" the daemonette that had been struck by Null's scourge said as she forced herself to her clawed hooves, still on fire. "We promise not to-"

A blinding green light flashed in the gallery as her grinning daemonic face exploded into glowing cinders.

"Never listen to daemons!" Null barked angrily, holding his blaster, which smoked above his head.

Alberich's chanting reached a fever pitch behind me as two new daemonettes cartwheeled into the room. Lian was ready this time, and one was immediately dispatched at the end of his blade, plunging it deep into her chest. She literally exploded into a pink cloud of sickeningly sweet perfume. The second vaulted right over the Fallen, and charged at Null, but not before Ennoia raced out from the shadows. The creature wailed as the masked Witness skewered her between her ribs with her right sai. The daemonette's black crab claw rose in defense, but it was captured with a clang by Ennoia's left sai dagger. The Witness continued to twist her right blade inside the daemonette's innards as her crab claw was immobilized above her head. This daemonette only had one crab claw, and its humanoid right hand was futilely striking the Witness on her mask, which didn't seem to phase her at all. These women were hardcore! Morai came to the aid of her sister, and plunged her daggers into daemonette's other side, causing it to explode into pink flesh, which melted into mist.

Little bird, little bird, come out and play! Little bird, little bird, your skin we'll flay! Little bird, little bird, you'll sing so sweet! Little bird, little bird, your flesh we'll eat! An extremely loud and evil voice echoed in my mind. Reflexively, I brightened my Corona, willing it to become a shield against any psychic intrusion.

Behind me, I could hear more scraping, and a strange hissing sound. Before I could figure out what the fuck Alberich was doing, I received a vision from outside. Grikk'ahn was now almost here with his two men, who were readying strange weapons as they approached the entrance. He noticed that I was watching him, and he smiled, his sharp teeth coating with a layer of sandy ash. It really was incredible that these marines were alive, looking how they did. Plague Marines looked better than these guys, I swear.

I felt bold, and mentally jeered, You want to mess with me, you dried out mummy? You're not perfect enough to be a daemon prince anymore, you sorry sack of mutated shit! Looked in a mirror lately? You're so ugly Nurgle won't even take you now!

Oh, joyful humiliation! Sing to me, little poison bird! Sing to me when I rend your flesh and drink your blood! Grikk'ahn responded cheerfully. I felt amusement from the direction of the Chaos Marines outside, and then...

"What is he do-" Null began to demand of Alberich but was cut off as a booming noise erupted from inside the tunnel. It resembled an excessively loud electrical chord, and it rang like a screaming dragon in the room. The Noise Marines were here! They got here in like five fucking minutes!

While I appeared to be somewhat unaffected, I could see that Null and Lian were now both staggered, with each clutching their ears. I reflexively backed up, and raised my staff.

I'm finished, Alberich quickly informed me in mind as another loud blast echoed in this room. Lian was struggling, and Null was typing something in his arm.

"What?" I turned and saw that the corpses had rendered down out of their armor into some kind of blue black sludge which was shifting and roiling like a giant amoeba. I watched, momentarily fascinated as this blob swirled and bent itself into a round figure. A long clawed limb reached out from the mess before I turned away. I began summoning more of my own energy so that I could set a Noise Marine on fire as soon as I saw him.

"They're in the tunnel! Push them out of the tunnel!" Lian yelled, gripping his ears. "The sound is echoing inside! Push them out!"

Since Alberich was busy with Chaos magic, and I was charged up with psyker strength, I had a moment of insane stupid bravery and ran to the front of the passageway.

"No!" Null yelled protectively as I passed him.

The long passageway now yawned before me, and I willed my Corona to blaze into a protective shield. The light reflected off two sets of acidic yellow-black eyes on pink helmets, and I felt a sensation of revulsion. They both were at least as tall as Lian, and I could dimly see the pink spikes and swirls on their power armor in the dark. Holy fucking shit! Real life Chaos Marines! The two Angels of Ecstasy were standing just inside the outer threshold of the tunnel, and were both currently readying what appeared to be heavy handheld cannons with screaming grilled faces on their barrels, which I was assuming were their real life sonic blasters that could vibrate the real life flesh right off my bones. I caught them with my gaze, and felt them hesitate, which gave me a moment.

If Chaos Marines were instinctually afraid of the Emperor, then fuck them, I could make them afraid of me too. I would push these jerks back outside!

I flashed back to playing Skyrim in my rathole apartment in Newark, New Jersey. I was always very fond of dragon shouts, especially the classic Force Push one. It would be very useful here. I inhaled, and instead of shouting Dragon language, I simply channeled my fury into a scream, releasing a controlled torrent of kinetic energy ahead of me. The effect was similar to the effect I had seen against the farmhouse daemonette back on Levant, but substantially more powerful. Strangely, I noticed that the "scream" sounded very close to that of the Screamer back on Kolch.

With a laugh, I was rewarded with the sight of the two Angels being completely swept off their feet and knocked back, pushed entirely out of the passageway and outside the pyramid itself. They landed flat on their backs on the yellowed brick road outside. The sickening ochre light of the sandstorm was now visible at the end of the tunnel.

"Lian, go! I knocked them outside!" I yelled as I sidestepping the passageway to let him pass. I felt wind as the Fallen bolted down the tunnel as he shouted a challenge I could not quite make out.

"Null-"

"On it already!" Null passed me, nearly tripping over parts of his torn robe. He held his scourge and Mechanicus staff before him, and I could smell ozone and electricity as he dashed outside.

Ennoia and Morai didn't need to be told, and immediately followed the tech-priest to exit the pyramid.

This was insane and I couldn't believe we were doing this, I thought, briefly looking at all the out of place 40k artwork from my universe hanging around the gallery. I reeled again at all the bizarre "coincidental" circumstances that had brought me to this exact spot on this exact planet. Everything here definitely had a Tzeentch-y "just as planned" vibe.

Less thinking, more fighting, I thought, shaking myself out of another anxious fugue. I'm from New Jersey, so I'm used to fighting things! I rallied myself again, getting ready to run outside into a supernatural entropy storm and fight Chaos with my mind powers. I heard the sound of someone running behind me as I watched the two Witnesses run ahead, and I said, "Alberich, can you-?"

A human-sized pink wad of animate chewing gum with a comically oversized maw of sharp teeth and two spindly legs skipped behind Ennoia and Morai, giggling like a hyena. It had three arms, and skin that glowed a shifting iridescent magenta. Atop its head, three tentacles writhed. As it passed me (while avoiding my gold halo as best it could), it nodded briefly, and said, "At your service, 'luv!" as it gave me a small salute with a long-clawed reptilian hand. It bounded happily down the hall, laughing and squealing in glee toward the battle. Well, that was certainly new. What the fuck?

"Was that our 'surprise'?" I asked Alberich as he now stood beside me, holding his flaming glaive once again. The Tzaangor was apparently a daemon summoner now. Fantastic. On his chest, he now wore a glowing blue pendant of his own. Where had that come from?

"Some of it," Alberich replied, starting to trot down the passageway toward the battle outside. "It is called a 'horror', I think. It will serve us."

"A pink horror," I said running in behind Alberich as we both entered the tunnel. "That's a daemon of Tzeentch. I hope it obeys you. Have fun explaining this to Null later," I said.

"Whatever," Alberich said ahead of me, readying his glaive in two hands as he raced forward. "We need all the help we can get."

Far ahead, I heard the sound of metal striking metal, and the howling of the tormented winds of Nubua. The light was much dimmer than it used to be when we were outside earlier, and the visibility was very poor. Alberich ran ahead of me outside, and immediately had to brace himself against the wind. I watched as he met a charging daemonette on the yellowed brick road, and roared ahead of me. Alright, here goes nothing. Time to play space wizard!

I stepped outside, concentrating on holding up a psychic shield to the elements around my entire body. It somewhat worked, but I still felt buffeted by the scouring winds outside of my head.

There you are, pretty pretty bird! A terrible voice suddenly struck my skull like a church bell. Fuck! The only warning I had on where Grikk'ahn was was a strange pink shimmer in the air rushing impossibly fast down the stone road around where my companions stood sparring with daemonettes and the two other Chaos Marines. He was so fast that it appeared that he was glitching through time, and before I knew it, his face was right before mine, and I was thrown backwards back into the passageway on my back, the wind knocked out of me. My gold Corona winked out as I was stunned.

The tall Champion of Chaos now stood leering over me as he caressed his armor in a way I did not like, tracing lines with sharp claws over his breastplate that caused him to murmur in pleasure. He smiled down at me. "Teasing me are you, pretty little bird?" His voice was deep, drawling, and extremely husky, reminiscent of a cartoon villain. A bloody black tongue licked the air salaciously as the monster slowly kneeled down above me, washing me in an absolutely revolting aura that somehow resembled both vanilla perfume and rotting flesh. "Such a delicious little tease! I expected a banquet of death, but it is a little early for dessert, don't you agree? I really wanted to enjoy this more!"

The terrible mutated mummified face of Grikk'ahn was really something else when seen up close. This marine was huge, and had to be at least a half meter taller than the other Noise Marines. He had unnaturally large yellow reptilian eyes that resembled a serpent's, and a wide mouth that resembled a shark's filled with sharp black teeth. His six black horns swept back from head like a goat's horns, and his drooling acidic spittle burned a small hole in my trousers. The worst part, somehow, was still that he appeared nearly completely dried out. His thin lips were cracked and split, and his skin looked like leathery white paper over his bones. His massive white hands, which held six inch long black claws on each finger, were unarmored and dripping a thick dark red blood as he began to reach for me as I lay coughing on the ground.

What he said next chilled me to my core as he slowly flexed his clawed fingers before my face. He hissed, and another drop of his saliva burned a hole in my shirt before saying, "Am'Erika sends her regards, my pretty little bird."

Luckily, that was as far as it went, as the Champion suddenly stood bolt upright with a cry, his horned head nearly striking the roof of the tunnel.

"No bad touch! Naughty, naughty, naughty! Where are your manners?" an unnaturally loud squealing voice shouted behind the Champion. "Teach you decency, I will!"

Grikk'ahn furiously whirled around, aiming to backhand the interrupting pink horror with a massive clawed hand for getting in the way of his fun. I quickly noticed that part of his power armor near his lower back and buttocks had been burned away by a strange fire, which still smoldered on him. The Champion actually wasn't fast enough to hit the daemon, and the horror simply backflipped away from the strike, giggling. In one of its hands, the horror held a small fireball of multicolored changing Warp energy, ready to blast the Champion again.

Behind Girkk'ahn and the pink horror, I quickly took stock of the rest of the battle on the road in the sandstorm as I struggled to right myself. The land was a screaming ruined mess of sand, ashes, and wind, and the sky was a dark, poisonous yellow. Gusts of wind that approached that of a hurricane buffeted us from a side perpendicular to the dusty yellow road, but thankfully, it wasn't powerful enough to knock me off my feet. The visibility was so poor that I couldn't even see the Divine Retribution from here. Vaguely, I could make out that Lian was struggling against two daemonettes, and I also saw the shining blue of Alberich's daemon glaive and pendant as he dodged a fast overhead swipe of a pink glowing power sword wielded by one of the marines. I could see the gold of the mask of one Witnesses as she taunted another daemonette. Upsettingly, I could not see where Null and the other Witness were, nor could I see where the Fiend of Slaanesh Alberich sensed was located.

I recovered, and jumped back up to my feet willing my Corona to ignite again. Ahead of me, the Champion was now staring down the pink horror, and with a bellow, conjured his own perfumed warpfire against the friendly daemon, which was countered. A fiery magic duel between the two individuals had commenced, with each participant hurling gouts of warpfire at the other. I happily noticed that Grikk'ahn's power armor had burnt up or transfigured enough to expose a small area of his bare pocked skin below his left kidney.

I took my force staff, ignited it with flaming electricity, and went to slam the butt end down on the rear end of the Champion ahead of me. Before I could move fast enough to do this, however, Grikk'ahn's head twisted 180 degrees around like a daemonic owl's and chuffed a guttural word down at me, causing me to stagger back again, but not fall to the floor. My Corona remained up this time.

This was enough to give the pink horror an opening, who pushed his line of multicolored warpfire ahead, slamming the Champion in the chest and as he fell backward, and nearly onto me. I sidestepped Grikk'ahn as he toppled over, and the horror continued to blast Grikk'ahn relentlessly, pinning him to the ground. The friendly daemon then turned to me as he did this with a toothy smile and said with a happy politeness, "Nice lady can pass now! Nice lady is favored by change! Go and make pretty fireworks!"

Grikk'ahn was flailing on the stone ground, so I decided to take the advice of the horror and get the hell out of this tunnel. I ran past the Champion and the daemon. Just a few paces away, I heard a high pitched whinny, and an electric cracking sound. My intuition suggested that the singular pink horror was now two blue horrors, as it had been revealed that Grikk'ahn hadn't really been injured beyond the damaged armor on his back, and had only been momentarily pinned. Of course, things couldn't be easy, I thought running ahead and trying to find someone else to help me.

A bright green flash illuminated the air around me, and although I could not see him, I knew that Null was still in the battle. Distantly, I swore I could hear a dog barking somewhere. Was Wolfie back again? I decided to run further down the road, looking for Null and maybe Wolfie. The winds continued to scream, buffeting me and howling like hungry ghosts.

"...Omega..."

I half heard the word through the screaming winds. I willed the staff to brighten in preparation to blast anything trying to trick me.

Another flash of green light ahead of me, and I could now hear Null yelling.

"Back! Back, foul Warpspawn!" the tech-priest shouted angrily, followed by an unnatural musical trumpeting sound that resembled a group of autotuned elephants. I could now also see a very large shadow moving on the road behind the ochre veil of the sandstorm, and I guardedly approached. Behind me, I heard the shrill keen of a Noise Marine's sonic blaster, and Lian screaming in anger.

The wind also continued to scream, and again, I heard a whispered voice call out to me: "...Omega..."

This whole situation was terrifying, I thought, blanching as I tried not to think about just how much danger I was in right now. No more fear, Erika. I'm magic and I can do this! I'm stronger now!

My nose crinkled as a very heavy musky scent passed around me, and I immediately felt strangely tired. The scent reminded me of burning pitch, sandalwood incense, and pumpkin spice with faint notes of sharp body odor. It smelled like the world's filthiest new age store, but a thousand times worse. Shaking it off, I pushed more energy into my Corona, and the scent seemed to dissipate. I looked up at the giant moving silhouette a few paced ahead in the blowing sands, and put two and two together on what I was now probably close to. Was this the Fiend of Slaanesh? Over the screaming winds, I could also hear a faint barking and Null's swearing.

I flinched as Wolfie appeared in the storm racing down to me, his eyes bright hot points of hyperreal starlight in the obscuring sandy winds. He ran around me in a loop, excited for action as always. An excited thought projected from him to me: ...TALL STINK BEAST... FIGHT FIGHT!..

The astral hound turned back around and charged the Fiend just as it became visible to me.

As if seeing Chaos Marines wasn't novel enough, the looming sight of a Fiend of Slaanesh really ruined my day even more. This lavender-skinned monstrosity was over twice my height, and four backwards reptilian legs scuttled it about like some sort of mutant centaur-shaped crab. It had a long head that vaguely resembled a crocodile's, and its crown was topped with two jagged horns. A mane of bruise-colored fur ran down its neck, and the front of its torso was lined with multiple pairs of breasts. An oversized scorpion tail loomed behind it, swaying in the wind. Two strong arms ending in purple crab claws were currently occupied with swiping at either Wolfie or Null, the latter of whom stood close by as he attempted to strike at the beast's legs with his scourge before jumping back away as the beast reached out again. I could make out a smoking wound on the side of the Fiend's shoulder. At least someone had gotten a hit in.

"What are you doing here!?" Null shouted at me just as the Fiend noticed that it had a new playmate to kill. "The musk! You have a sense of smell! Get b-"

The Fiend charged toward me, lunging forward with one of its claws with a musical scream. As it came close, the musk that surrounded it managed to permeate my air shield. I confounded its plan by reinforcing the enchantment around my head as well as holding my breath for safety. I would need to keep this up, as it seemed that the musk was a sort of Warp ability that could transcend barriers, and not just physically based.

The daemon's claw swept downward. "Nope!" I yelled, taking my force staff, and slamming it down on the exposed crab claw as I jumped aside the Fiend's attempt at ending my life. I was very happy to see that entire claw immediately ignite in hot blue-white flames. How many wounds did Fiends have on the tabletop 40k game, because I was pretty sure that I was able to deal at least one right there.

Another blast of a Noise Marine's sonic blaster behind me, and a vision of Grikk'ahn chasing a blue horror and two brimstone horrors as they danced around him, taunting him about how ugly he was. The brimstone horrors were small animated bonfires of hate that were deceptively fast, and I was grateful that the Champion was somewhat distracted for now. I heard the psychic scream of a daemonette as it was shunted back to the Warp at the end of a sai dagger. We were holding our own!

The Fiend recoiled at my strike, trumpeting its distress at being on fire as Wolfie leapt up to bite at its other crab claw, which it snagged like a pitbull from hell. The astral hound was then physically lifted into the air by the monster, who shook Wolfie violently, trying to get him off. The little Warp beast was able to hold on for a few shakes until a piece of armor separated from the daemon's arm, and Wolfie was thrown over the boundary of the road with a yelp. To my surprised terror, I heard my little buddy actually fall as he screamed, as if the silt on either side of the road wasn't actually very dense at all. This meant that if anyone fell off the road, that they'd probably die in the silt! Holy shit! As if this couldn't get any worse!

The Fiend had endured enough of our shit, and had now decided to charge me instead. Bellowing a challenge, it galloped ahead, its one crab claw still on fire from where I had struck it. I jumped out of the way, and fell to the edge of the road. The Fiend didn't stop, and continued galloping in the direction on my companions further down the path, charging like a maddened bull. Uh oh!

Alberich! The Fiend is running your way right now! I desperately warned the Tzaangor, who had only a moment to acknowledge me until the monster was upon him, racing at a breakneck speed. I gaped in horror as the I received a vision of the Fiend rearing up and slamming the Tzaangor in the chest with a backhanded crab claw, sending him into the air.

Time slowed down as I saw Alberich sail right over the road in my mind's eye, and into the silt. I could hear his terrified scream from here!

I cried out in surprise as I felt hot mechadendrites pull me to my feet. "It's just me, it's just me!" Null replied. His animated eyes were flashing between red and orange, and I could see that the tech-priest was trembling.

"Alberich!" I cried out. "It threw Alberich over the side!"

"Don't worry about lost comrades right now! You're the hope the galaxy needs, not him! Fight!" Null shouted at me.

Okay, alright. Get it together, get it-

"...Omega..."

And now the wind was talking to me. Was I losing my mind? Okay, I have to fucking survive. Cry about the Nazi beastman later. Get it together! Get angry! I'm a goddamn Inheritor, a Marii-Suze, a Plane Walker, and a godlike Traveler beyond time in this universe!

I was an Empress!

One of the Angels of Ecstasy had appeared through the obscuring winds, this one wielding a long magenta power sword. He was screaming loud incomprehensible nonsense through the grill in his helmet as he ran down the road to us. This marine looked like he had lost his sonic blaster, and that he also now had a slight limp. I held my staff, and visualized my energy collecting into a point at the tip of my staff, which started to glow brightly again. With a short chop, a fiery Warp bolt shot from my staff in the direction of the Noise Marine, who raised his other arm in protection. My Warp bolt caused his arm to explode right off his body in a shower of gore. Incredibly, he was only slowed, and continued heading my way. Behind him, I now saw Lian racing to catch up. The Fallen's face was bloody and covered in ash and dust. Directly behind the Fallen, one of the Witnesses also ran. She looked behind her, as if she was fleeing from something.

"Blast it!" Null was apparently trying to fire his plasma gun at the approaching Noise Marine, but his weapon wasn't cooperating. At my side, Wolfie magically popped back into existence, barking with excitement.

Get him, boy! I commanded the Warp beast, pointing at the Angel. The brave little ghost dog promptly charged the Noise Marine, and leaped onto him in a fit of snarling. This managed to stop the Angel from charging us as he was now wholly occupied with the furious astral hound that had latched onto his sword arm.

I inhaled in preparation to force push the Marine right off the road and into the silt, but became distracted when I saw the form of the now badly damaged Fiend of Slaanesh emerge from the curtain of sand behind the Witness. It was bellowing loudly in distress, and its scorpion tail now hung limply at its side. From here, I could see that a figure was standing atop its back, stabbing it repeatedly from behind as it blindly ran ahead. It was Morai! Wow!

My distraction caused me to lose my psychic concentration just as I saw another faint pink shimmer skip through time down the road toward us. Null finally got a wild shot off, missing the Champion but striking the Fiend behind him in its right foreleg, causing it to scream. As if in slow motion, I watched the pink distortion race toward me like a cartoon Tasmanian Devil, and I forced myself to attention again.

Oh no you don't. Not again, I thought, immediately pulling my energy back, inhaling, and screaming in the direction of the distorted form of Grikk'ahn. Back off, asshole! The Champion was shunted back into proper existence, and slipped backward on the road again. Behind him, two brimstone horrors appeared, and began jumping on his chest to claw at his un-guarded face.

Null was swearing again, and I saw him begin to cautiously advance toward the crippled Noise Marine with his Mechanicus gear staff and scourge, apparently unable to get another shot off with his plasma gun. This guy was still very much occupied with Wolfie's furious attack, but he still had his pink powersword. From behind, Lian still approached, giving the furiously flailing Fiend of Slaanesh a wide berth.

The Fiend still fought, and was now wildly swinging at everything around it with its remaining crab claw as Morai stabbed it mercilessly in the neck. Ennoia finally ran toward the creature, and removed her mask with one hand as she leapt toward it, holding one of her daggers ahead of her. I felt a wash of loathing once again as the maskless Ennoia stabbed the beast in the chest. The monster screamed deafeningly before exploding into pink ethereal slime which burned away in the wind. The Fiend was dead!

Nearby, the unmasked Blank's aura had the unfortunate effect of banishing one of the brimstone horrors harassing the Chaos Champion as he swung wildly at the irritating fiery daemons. Through his slower motions, I could definitely tell that Grikk'ahn could also feel the presence of the nearby Blank, and was not moving with his normal preternatural quickness. I tried to see if I could force out another Warp bolt, despite being near a Blank, but I was rewarded with the familiar feeling of an aching temple instead of a fireball. Doing magic near a Pariah was not easy.

Ennoia placed her mask back on, and the two Witnesses stood once again ready for battle. The sisters immediately confronted Grikk'ahn, who had also recovered, and was now trying to stomp on the remaining brimstone horror that was taunting him.

I heard a distorted yelp of pain, and I now saw that the crippled Noise Marine had dispatched Wolfie. He was now limp-running on his way to us. The tech-priest laughed, and clanged his gear staff and mechadendrites together in a challenge. "Come to me, broken heretic!" Null mocked when the Angel was almost to us. Once again, at the last minute, I noticed something terrible. The second Noise Marine had somehow snuck around Null's exposed flank of the battle in the obscured windy atmosphere. With a shout, I only had enough time to get out of the direct line of fire of the sonic blaster as it screamed through the air, striking Null on his right side at a very close range, and also pushing him off the side of the road. The tech-priest desperately scrabbled at the road with his mechadendrites to find purchase, dropping his gear staff. I saw his fearful yellow eyes as he too fell over the side. No!

I had no time to get sad over this, as there was now an uninjured Noise Marine with a sonic blaster a few paces away, and the injured one was nearly on me, wielding his magenta sword with his remaining arm. I was too stunned by seeing Null fall into the silt to move for a few moments, momentarily frozen in shock. Luckily, I watched as the nearby crippled Marine lurched and fell over face first onto the road. The Angel gurgled out "Grikk'ahn, my soul to you!" as the soul left his body. Strangely, I wasn't able to grab it, and it fled like a bat away from my sight.

Behind the toppled monstrosity, I saw Lian withdrawing his short sword from the body of the Angel. The Fallen then immediately went after the other Marine, who was readying his sonic blaster for another strike as I stood unable to react. "Die, foul children of Fulgrim!" Lian yelled, frantically leaping after the remaining Noise Marine.

"...Omega..." the whispering wind snapped me back to reality, and I was able to move again. A sonic blaster was aimed at me at close range, and I saw a finger move to trigger it in slow motion. Lian wouldn't be able to stop him in time.

"NO!" I yelled, concentrating my energy on gripping the Noise Marine's terrible weapon, and with a pull of my left hand, I wrenched it out of his grip. I then smashed it on the stone road, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

Nearby, Grikk'ahn and the Witnesses were now circling each other, with each sister holding a hand behind her mask, ready to ruin everyone's day. Lian had not slowed down at all, and was now squaring up with the remaining Noise Marine as he guarded me. The Angel drew his own lurid magenta power sword, and made an obscene loud hissing sound through his helmet.

"We shall complete our mission!" the Angel screamed. "It is useless to fight! We have more men! Our lives to the great Grikk'ahn, Defiler of Purity, Shepherd of Souls!"

"...Omega... ...Omega..." the wind whispered as I rallied my energy to defend myself. The call came from somewhere on the wind. I took my staff, and concentrated once again, watching the swirling sands. More men? For real? I pulled my intuition out again, searching for where these new guys were, and found three more Noise Marines soaring somewhere above us in a modified space craft, waiting for a signal from their Champion to flee this world. This was the vessel the Angels of Ecstasy had arrived in, and the same one that they had been waiting within for more Aeldari prey to show up. Their ship was a fat pink scaly thing about fifty meters in length with bat-like wings and hot powerful engines. It once also held human cultists (which had since died from the entropic sand curse), and one enslaved Imperial astropath who had been torturously melded to the interior of the ship on the bridge, impossibly still alive. I realized that these Marines had a teleporter beacon attached to Grikk'ahn, and they had hastily prepared a chair with psychically enhanced chains in their ship to... Oh, that was for me. Great. This gets better and better!

Guard me! I'm looking for their vessel! I screamed into Lian's mind, hoping that he would hear.

How would anyone be able to fly in this sandy death hurricane? A quick mental image gave me an idea of what the storm looked like over us, which was a broad flat spiral swirling through what was left of the atmosphere. It functioned like a hurricane, and its "eye" was close to passing over us. Dust devils and extremely destructive ropey tornados were also meandering around the land at the fringes of the storm, and I realized just how dangerous this weather really was. The pilot of the ship above us had to be very good to avoid the tornadoes and not get blown out of the sky.

I held my staff, remembering that Nabopolassar had used the Force Staff of Zuze to control weather, specifically. Hmm, I wonder...

Intentionally, I began to make myself as angry as I could, pulling on all my feelings of rage and frustration at my nigh-hopeless desperate situation. It wasn't difficult. I had been stolen from, brutalized, poisoned, left for dead in my own apartment, and I kept having to escape more death for the entertainment of the Chaos Gods. I had just watched my companions fall to their deaths, a Champion of Chaos wanted to do unspeakable things to me, and now, this whole region was going to die and I was stuck inside it! How can things get any worse? My Corona responded by brightening like a nova, and I focused my energy into the force staff.

I could sense an especially ruinous tornado raging about a kilometer south of here, swirling so destructively and violently that it could probably pick up a house in Kansas and transport it here instead of Oz. It reached incredibly all the way up into the upper atmosphere, spewing ash, sand, and hatred everywhere. With my other hand, I imagined that I was gripping the terrible storm, and I began pulling on it.

It responded. The tornado was now under my control! Awesome! Watch out, Wicked Witches, I'll drop a house on you!

Once again, I searched for where the Angels of Ecstasy were in the sky, and found them only about a kilometer up, circling overhead with the winds of the storm. They were physically unable to see what was going on below them due to the poor visibility. Too bad none of the airborne marines were powerful psykers like me!

The imprisoned astropath responded to my scrying, but he did not warn his captors. His name was Quale, and he had been trapped for over six years now, always suffering, and never dying. Kill... me... he faintly whispered in a telepathic plea to me.

Dimly, I was aware that I could hear that the Noise Marine Lian was fighting was screaming at me, and the sounds of metal striking metal shot around me. I felt something nudge my side, and then, I could smell that something was burning, but I could at least tell that I wasn't hurt. Better get this done quickly.

I slowly moved my staff, gripping the tornado at its base, and steering it. Hopefully I wouldn't get us all killed, but fuck those guys. If I wasn't getting out of here alive, they couldn't just teleport back to their stupid ship and run away.

My feet began to levitate off the ground, and I steered the fearsome storm over to where I heard three Noise Marines gossiping in their ship. They were contemplating how best they'd like to torture me as they wondered how the battle was going down here, frustrated that they couldn't see it. I grinned when I heard an alarm begin to blare inside their ship as their pilot began to adjust course to avoid the Chaos-seeking tornado I was pushing around. A swift change in direction caused them to feel relief, with one of them saying, "Slaanesh, that was close! I hate flying in bad weather!"

"Not so fast," I whispered, smiling as I levitated, surrounded by my psychic halo of gold light. I pulled the tornado around, looping it to where they had moved. Their alarm began to sound again.

"What?! Full speed!" Their ship lurched and sped up in a swift dive, but their alarm kept sounding as the tornado bore down on them, speeding unnaturally through the atmosphere to follow wherever they fled. "What in the Warp is going on? It's like its following us! Slaanesh, help us!" The pilot began to flick switches, pull on throttles, and desperately try to escape through a change of altitude and another dramatic turn of direction. "Slaanesh, aid us!"

"No... escape..." the enslaved Imperial astropath that was melded to the ship began to laugh. "There... is... no... escape..." Since poor Quale didn't have a voice box, his laughter came out as coughs and gasps. Through him, I could now feel incredible relief, as he knew he was about to die. Take me, God-Emperor, he transmitted to me when he felt my presence come over him. He gratefully allowed me into his body, and through him, I began to speak to the Noise Marines that had imprisoned him.

"Slaanesh isn't here, you little bitches," my own voice sounded perfectly from Quale's mouth, which was impossible, as he also hadn't had a proper throat in years. He had screamed too much when they had first kidnapped him from his Imperial Guard regiment years ago, so they had mutilated him before melding him in to the metal of the bridge. It was now the Angels' turn to scream as they struggled futilely against their flight controls, helplessly watching an unnatural entropy tornado as it chased them down. I continued laughing through Quale's body as I steered their doom toward them. "Only I am here. Just me. The one Grikk'ahn hunts. You are all mine. You are all going to die."

I was absolutely delighted to hear the sounds of terrified Chaos Space Marine screaming as I slammed the tornado into their vessel, but I wasn't thrilled to hear them shout strange words, and end their lives with, "Grikk'ahn, our souls to you!" Despite all the fancy future metal alloys and Chaos enchantments their ship had, it crumpled like tissue paper when the extreme winds of a Nubuan entropy tornado struck it like meeting the fist of an angry god.

My feet touched the road once again, and I saw that Lian was injured, and breathing heavily at my side, his sword out. My Key brightened again on my chest; it had managed to absorb what little energy was left in Quale's soul. I sensed that I had not pulled any other souls from the destroyed vessel, and that the Noise Marines on board had also fled my grasp. Bringing myself back to the present, I saw that the Angel that Lian had been fighting was now nowhere to be found. "Lian?" I immediately looked toward where the Witnesses had been fighting Girkk'ahn, and saw no one. "Lian, where is everyone?"

Lian said nothing, and pointed further down the road. I was able to make out the limp forms of Ennoia and Morai laying on the ground! Where was the Champion? Were they dead too? What the fuck, man. And I thought things were actually looking up for us!

"Your light has dimmed! I will put it out forever!" I heard the missing Angel of Ecstasy shout at me from beyond a sheet of sand. His electric pink powersword blazed to life again as he raced to me! I could see that the Noise Marine was blackened and burned. Lian, despite being obviously injured, turned toward the running scorched figure, and held his sword before him, ready to defend me.

Get ready for the rest of the surprise! I heard a cheerful German voice say to me in mind. Alberich?!

Out of the swirling silt off the side of the yellow road, a glowing blue shape soared into the sky above us, and a bolt of multicolored warpfire erupted from a figure standing atop it, blasting the charging Angel with the forces of raw change! The Noise Marine began to slow, and then stiffen in his tracks. I heard the crackling sound of breaking glass, and I realized that he was being transfigured. Before he could die, he said, "Grikk'ahn, my soul to you!", and once again, I wasn't able to grab his soul. I didn't want to eat shitty Chaos Marines anyway, so I was fine with that. The burned Angel of Ecstasy transformed into a thousand shards of sharp glass, and spilled onto the road in a torrent.

I looked skyward, and saw a glowing cyan and aqua blue disk rimmed with irregular spines and teeth. It skated on the screaming winds like a kite, leaving behind a wake of multicolored fire. Atop the disk, and shining with Warp energy, I could make out Alberich, who was absolutely filthy with ash and silt, as he stood balanced like a surfer, holding his flaming glaive aloft! Okay, that was a pretty cool surprise, I had to admit. Distantly, I could make out a glint of reflective metal laying on the base of the disk, and I could see a limp mechadendrite under a blackened red robe. Alberich had rescued Null!

Null is injured, as am I. We need to go! We're running out of time! Alberich replied to me as he flew around the road above us on his awesome new Disk of Tzeentch.

Bravo, naughty little bird! Commendable resistance, but you're not going anywhere, I felt that malevolent voice rasp into my mind again. The Champion's psychic voice now had a more fearsome quality. A pink distortion pulled itself out of the wind, and before me, Grikk'ahn now stood clapping his hands a few paces ahead of us. The Chaos Champion appeared unnervingly calm in the sight of losing all his allies, and an aura of dark power was swirling around him as he grinned evilly. He began to speak audibly, and his physical voice was much more resonant, like he was speaking from the bottom of a well. "I must say, this certainly wasn't how I imagined your taking would go, but I am satisfied none the less, and more importantly, so is blessed Slaanesh. While I had hoped that your soul would be the one to trigger my divine ascension, I will simply deliver you as a gift to the great Am'Erika instead! My rebirth begins!" Grikk'ahn shouted as he raised his arms in jubilation.

Cracks began to race across the road below us as another pair of monstrous arms erupted from Grikk'ahn's body. He was laughing when I realized in horror what had happened.

The souls of all the Noise Marines, both here and in the shuttle, had been devoured by him. That had been enough. He had been close anyway, I remembered, feeling my stomach turn. They had all pledged themselves to Grikk'ahn, being wholly devoted to him, in both life and death. Just as I got stronger with eating souls, so had he. He had been eating other Chaos Marines for years, and now, he had finally devoured enough to impress Slaanesh.

"He's ascending into a daemon prince!" I shouted to Lian. "We have to stop him!"

The air around me began to sing with many voices, all of whom were either screaming in agony or ecstasy as I watched the flesh of the Chaos Champion begin to ripple like water. I could even hear voices pleading for their lives, and others, blessing Grikk'ahn as he held his four arms skyward, laughing in rapturous bliss.

"Stop him!" I yelled, empowering my voice and beginning to focus my own energy within myself. From above, I saw Alberich dive on his flying disk, his daemon glaive as bright as a blue comet in the ochre gloom of the sandstorm. How he wasn't falling off in this wind was a mystery, but I was grateful to see him reach back with Valkyrie, and hurl a Warp bolt of his own at the transfiguring Champion with a scream.

The Warp bolt dissolved as it struck some kind of barrier that had surrounded the gibbering Champion, who was now growing taller. Another crack echoed under the yellowed brick road as I took my own energy, pushed it into the staff, and hurled my own magic missile at Grikk'ahn. While my bolt was able to pass through the Champion's shield, it was neutralized with an outstretched hand. Lian, ever brave, then charged the figure, his power sword outstretched and electrified. Despite his rage, he too was repelled by an invisible barrier, bouncing off of it and getting knocked to the road.

"You can't stop me!"I heard Grikk'ahn howl with defiance at us. "I am blessed with the pleasures of eternity! Six hundred sixty six souls scream in perfect harmony within my breast, and now all are one! "

Alberich desperately summoned another Warp bolt down on the twisting marine, diving closer to the Champion as he let his magic fly. It showered over the shield in a cascade of sparks, and Grikk'ahn was still untouched by our efforts. A sickeningly wet tearing sound filled the air as I saw the Champion grow another pair of legs, his armor transfiguring to accommodate his shifting form. As his lower back bent horizontally and perpendicular to the ground, he now vaguely resembled some kind of entirely humanoid centaur with an extra pair of arms. His lower body then began to swell into a round shape that somewhat reminded me of a poisonous spider, and on his abdomen, gold representations of screaming faces pulled across his armored skin.

Watching this all happen before me was revolting, and the Champion's white eel face began to stretch and pull, enlarging as it wore a mask of utter bliss. His neck lengthened, becoming serpentine. Could we even stop this at all?

...Omega... the wind whispered to me again. Was it just me, or were the phantom wind voices getting louder?

So far, I had been the only one to puncture the Champion's shield, but we needed to try to fight back! I began to rally more energy, and I tried to penetrate whatever barrier stood around him with another furious blast of hot blue electric fire, only to find it also dispelled again by an outstretched clawed hand as Grikk'ahn laughed mockingly at me. "Does the little bird flirt with me? Does she wish to get my attention?"

Above, Alberich again dove around, gathering more energy for another strike. Lian had pulled himself back to his feet, and I could now see that he had a bleeding head wound. What we were doing wasn't working, and we needed to do something, and fast!

The Blanks! I thought quickly as another of my strikes ended up going nowhere. If they're still alive, that is...

Alberich, see if you can get to Morai and Ennoia and see if they're alive. Wake them up if you can. I don't think you can get through Grikk'ahn's shield, but maybe they can! I transmitted in mind to the flying Tzaangor.

Understood, he replied to me, and turned around, his glaive dimming as he dismissed the Warp bolt.

A long pair of pink tentacles exploded off the shoulders of the Champion, and I began to back away. I brightened my own energy once again, and sent a fiery projectile up against Grikk'ahn, which was again deflected with a laugh. A quick search for my helpful tornado buddy revealed that it had since dissipated, and that the eye of the larger storm currently above was set to soon pass directly over us.

Again, I focused my power, forcing myself to become enraged at my circumstances, and screamed. A kinetic wave of force pushed ahead of me, which was actually successful at causing the ascending thing that had once been a Chaos Space Marine to stop laughing at us.

"Misbehaving little bird sings so sweet! How I wish to caress her!" Grikk'ahn growled at us. The long black tongue lolling outside of his eel mouth abruptly lashed out, and like a gecko, he reached for me, a full five meters away! He was able to latch on to my leg, and began to drag me forward. However, he unraveled his tongue shortly after it had grappled me with a cry of pain, and I saw that it was smoking as if burned. He began to cough. "She is a spicy treat protected by a magic staff! I will take her toy stick from her!"

One of Girkk'ahn's new shoulder tentacles grappled outward, this time reaching for my staff. Instead of using my energy to blast the Champion, I opted to become fast enough to avoid him instead, sidestepping the attack in a blur of motion. "Nope, not happening," I said quickly, trying to cull my fear as the road beneath us continued to fracture. Why was the road coming apart? Did this have to do with Grikk'ahn, or was the world getting ready to die already? I felt a sick sensation in my stomach as I sought a vision of the Heart of Worlds. The artifact was still plummeting deep into the planet.

Due to its magical nature, and the accelerating gravity, I noted that the Heart was now three quarters of the way through the Well! We actually had very little time to escape, but at the very least, if I wasn't getting out of here alive, Grikk'ahn wasn't either. Nabopolassar was very explicit about this world being "unmade" rather than destroyed.

What would it feel like to be unmade, I wondered, beginning to shiver.

...Do not fear, Omega. Fate guides you... the voice in the wind now whispered to me, and I felt my fear suppressed, and my halo brighten. Out of the corner of my eye, a white shape briefly appeared in the sandy wind, but soon vanished.

Another of the Champion's shoulder tentacles shot out to grapple my staff, but Lian was ready this time, and managed to get a good strike in with his short sword, severing the tip of the appendage. It fell to the road writhing before melting into sizzling pink slime. Grossly, Grikk'ahn squealed in masochistic pleasure at this action.

"Oh, just the tip, little bird!" he laughed sleazily, easily regrowing the tentacle. I strengthened my gold shield, determined to not die. There had to be a way to survive this situation!

Tell me... what to... do... Lian shouted telepathically to me with all his might as he stood by my side, watching the sick scene before us. Okay, okay. Think. Nothing we do can really touch this guy and my tornado is gone. We need more firepower! How close was the Divine Retribution? The Retribution has lascannons, plasma torpedoes, and has bite and claw attacks that I have never successfully used. This felt like a better idea than what we were doing now. Quickly, I put my awareness out, searching for our big eagle ship. Yeah, that sounded like a more hopeful idea. Fuck heroics right now. If Morai and Ennoia are dead, we pretty much wouldn't be able to stand a chance against this ascending monster in a conventional fight. While I was indeed stronger, I was still too weak to face a psyker Daemon Prince in battle. A better option would be to use the Divine Retribution's firepower to smash this unholy monster or marooning him on this planet as we made an escape. Bravery shouldn't equal stupidity, and I wanted to survive this encounter!

...Omega!.. Once again, I heard the hissed word on the wind, and it came from the direction of the Divine Retribution. What was causing these voices? Were there ghosts or daemons out here, or was I just losing my mind from all the crap I had been through? Grikk'ahn was still laughing as his body cracked and bent.

The ship was very easy to see in my mind's eye, and I saw that it was only about a fifty meters away, but physically invisible to us in the obfuscating storm. Unusually, when I caught a glimpse of the vessel, I felt a faint presence that was "looking" for me, but I couldn't discern what it was.

They don't move! The women breathe but they are unconscious! I cannot wake them! Alberich cried out to me in mind further down the road. He had reached the Witnesses, who were apparently completely incapacitated. Tell me what to do, my leader! The tone of the Tzaangor's psychic voice was pinched, and I could tell that he was afraid.

Fuck. Well, there goes that idea. Time for Plan B. Alberich, see if you can fit them on the disk, and fly them back to the ship. I'll meet you there, and I'll open it up. I'm going to to try to use the weapons on the Retribution against this guy instead. We can't touch the Champion! I responded.

Understood, Alberich responded nervously. That disk was going to be crowded soon.

Tell... me... Lian shouted, spitting a line of bright red astartes blood on the ground.

On my mark, we're going to run to the Divine Retribution. We can't hurt the Champion alone, but maybe we can stomp on him with the ship and run away from this dying place, I said quickly. Lian turned to me, and nodded.

Grikk'ahn's spine lengthened as he grew very tall. He was beginning to resemble the Fiend we had killed earlier, but even larger and more disgusting. He had to be at least five or six meters in height now! What sort of monster was he becoming? I didn't want to find out, and we had to find a way to survive!

The Champion was now growing a series of white breasts down the front of his torso, and his tongue now lashed and licked at his own body in mad pleasure at his own transformation.

Be ready, Lian. One...

Two...

Above, I sensed Alberich soaring overhead with Null and the unconscious forms of the two Witnesses. A drop of blood fell on my cheek. Grikk'ahn seemed to be occupied with fondling himself right now, and the shapes of moaning faces began to bloom on his paper white skin.

Three!

Lian and I both bravely turned tail and ran down the road toward the Divine Retribution as quickly as we could. I was upset to see that Lian and I were both running at the same pace because of the Fallen's injury. I pushed my awareness ahead, looking for the vessel in my mind's eye.

"Going somewhere, pretty little bird? The whore is being such a tease!" Grikk'ahn's voice boomed behind us just as the large shape of the Divine Retribution began to appear ahead as we ran. Alberich's overloaded disk arrived ahead of us at the base of the ship's talons, but the Fallen and I weren't so lucky. An excessively loud evil laugh boomed through the wind as something caught me at my waist and pulled me back and to the ground. Lian was able to get a few more furious paces further before he was also pulled back and slammed to the ground by an invisible force. "Playtime has only just begun!"

Something was definitely different about Grikk'ahn's voice now, as it actually sounded like many voices speaking together in a cacophony of screams and moans. It was terrifying!

"Divine Retribution, open up!" I called out as I struggled to get to my feet again, stumbling twice before finding my balance again. I immediately turned around to face the ascending Daemon Prince in the scouring wind, brightening my staff to enhance my protective gold Corona. Behind me, I could sense Alberich hastily hauling Morai and Ennoia up the gangway. He was breathing heavily, and he was absolutely blackened by soot, silt, and ash.

I am here! Tell me what to do! the beastman cried out again to me in mind.

I didn't answer as the yellow veil of the sandstorm began to part ahead of us. The eye of the storm was now passing overhead, and with it, the raging winds began to abate. Unfortunately, I could now feel the pressure drop even further, and I reinforced the air shield around my head to protect myself from the environment. That seemed to work, but this probably didn't feel good for any of my other crewmembers, Alberich in particular.

...Omega... the winds whispered to me again, and then, they said something new as a large shadow began to emerge from the thinning ochre gloom. ...Kill him, Omega... I confirmed to myself that the wind voices were growing louder and more insistent, but whatever caused them was still a mystery. Another man-sized white shadow appeared suspended in the sky for a moment before it vanished.

Behind me, I sensed Alberich hasten his loading of everyone he had collected on his Disk of Tzeentch onto the gangway, which had blessedly opened at my earlier words. I also sensed his fear and revulsion at witnessing what was now advancing before us.

The devil comes to us! the Tzaangor called out to me.

Grikk'ahn was no longer humanoid, and indeed now resembled some kind of nightmarish centaur over twice Lian's height. He now had six "human" legs that moved him forward in a scuttling gait, and they were attached to a swollen abdomen that was armored in articulated in shining gold and encrusted with jewels, almost like a metal spider. His chest was tall, scaled like a reptile, and sported six large breasts that were adorned with gold nipple piercings and tinkling metal chains. He had two pairs of humanoid arms that held four bright pink swords that curved like scimitars. On each shoulder, he had two very long pink tentacles that were held above him in the twisted shape of a question mark. Of everything, his head was the most unsettling. Before, he had reminded me of an eel because of his unnaturally wide fanged mouth, but now, his face had lengthened into a snout, and he now looked like some kind of snub-nosed sea monster with gigantic yellow-green reptilian eyes. His black horns had lengthened, and now formed a frilled line of spines down his back. His forked black tongue lashed at the air before him, greatly lengthened and dripping with hissing amber spittle.

"Holy shit!" I whispered.

"Holy is correct, pretty little bird!" the new Daemon Prince hissed out at me in a musical voice. "Oh what a pretty, pretty little bird! Sings so sweet! So desired by those of Slaanesh! I must admit that I respect your resilience, the fight in your eyes. Your struggle is beautiful. And, because of that, I will now give you the opportunity to praise and worship me, as I have done all of my respected foes over millennia. If I find you pleasurable, perhaps I won't gift you to Am'Erika, and you can be my..." a long stream of hot yellowish saliva poured out of Grikk'ahn's mouth. "...divine wife."

"We would never join with you, monster," Lian barked angrily.

"The offer wasn't for you, fool," Grikk'ahn laughed, and then spat a gout of amber liquid at him, which Lian luckily dodged. The bricks below us began to dissolve. "I think I'm being reasonable enough. You've impressed me, a living god, and for a pitiful mortal, that's something special. I'll even let your little friends go. Maybe we'll see them again, and they'll offer an even better fight when you are joined to me. What an excitement, don't you agree, little bird?"

I directed my sight backward, and saw that Alberich was struggling, but that he had been able to load everyone but Null aboard so far. He was coughing, weakened by the thin air. Close to the front of the ship, I witnessed an unexpected sight. Virgil was helping him at the top of the gangway! Virgil and Alberich were talking, and then, the beastman shouted back to me in mind.

You face a powerful devil, and Virgil says there is a sword on board here that has been enchanted against such things! Lian can wield it! Virgil says it can destroy Grikk'ahn!

A magic sword? Was that the sword Lian had taken on board with him?

"You'll let them go?" I asked, not responding to Alberich. Maybe if I keep Grikk'ahn talking, he'd fuck up, like any ridiculous over the top evil villain in this scenario. If anything, it would give Alberich time to get everyone inside.

"Yes, my sweet little gold bird. If you come to me with open arms and allow me to joyously defile you, both body and soul. I am most enchanted by the glow about you. It seems familiar to me. What causes such a shine? Why, I have been ever so curious!"

...Kill him, Omega... the wind suggested to me instead.

"Lian, go back to the ship," I instructed the Fallen beside me.

"What? No! He'll-"

Lian, listen to me. There's a daemon-killing sword on the ship. Take it from Alberich an-

"Listen to your mistress, dog," Grikk'ahn barked as he scuttled slowly toward me, his eyes cringing and squinting as he looked at me in hunger. "Go back and do not interrupt. Better for you to flee this world anyway. She'll be safe with me. I can always hunt you down and devour you another time, now that I have your scent."

I felt extreme conflicting emotion bleeding from Lian as he turned and hastily walked back to the ship.

Another crack emerged under us, and the earth rumbled as if in pain.

"This world dies," the Daemon Prince hissed at me as he advanced. "You did something to kill it. I am impressed at that. A lowly mortal woman killing an entire world! The little bird has a lot of willpower! And I am impressed at your pragmatism. Your ship will not be able to escape in time, but you can live on when joined with me in eternal bliss instead of dying in the devastation to come. I suggest you consider my offer." The Champion's four swords vanished from his grip, and he held his four clawed hands out in a gesture of welcome as he gazed hungrily down at me.

"Yes," I said, discretely mentally viewing Lian as he trotted back to the ship. I furrowed my brow, making a show that I was contemplating his offer for a few moments. "I like to think I'm reasonable. You know, I've been hunted by both the Imperium and by Chaos, and honestly, I'm tired. I really am. Tzeentch is after me, Slaanesh is after me, and everyone wants me dead, and I'm sick of my useless crewmembers too. So tell me, how does this work? Will I get to live on with you?" I said, feeling the earth groan under me again as I put on my best poker face.

Grikk'ahn appeared both surprised and amused, and licked the air ahead of him with his black tongue, tasting it like a snake. "I devour you, body and soul, and your essence becomes a part of me, as countless others have come to know my embrace over hundreds of years. We will be eternally joined in bliss, my little wifeling! And that jewel you wear, I do wonder about that as well. A glowing star upon your fair breast, visible even when it is hidden under your clothes. Much of you is intriguing!" Grikk'ahn extended his tongue as he loomed over me, drooling yellow acid all over the road in hunger. "That gold light from your staff, it nearly burns me."

The Key was growing warm again as it sat against my bare skin, and I looked at my staff, and saw that it was bathed in the same gold light as I was. I didn't need my staff to keep this aura up, but maybe the Champion didn't need to know that? Instead of coming up with another lie, I decided to appeal to Grikk'ahn's libido to divert his attention. Followers of Slaanesh were often written as horny degenerates in the lore, despite the Pleasure God's portfolio actually being sensation, perfection, and excess, and not sex explicitly.

I licked my lips as I looked at the monstrosity, making an awkward show at being sexy. "Well, maybe you like it? Pain can be good though, right? I mean, you're not running away, and you walked right up to me even when you were getting toasted. You enjoy that pain, don't you? I'm sure you Slaaneshi boys know all about that," I said to him with a seductive grin. This worked, and I watched as he became entirely transfixed upon me. I felt like a snake charmer holding the attention of a deadly giant cobra.

...Omega... Deception... the psychic voices in the air gently observed. That's right, disembodied wind things. In my upper left breast pocket, I felt the Nemeses Argentum begin to grow warmer as I started to charge it with energy.

"And how do I know the little bird isn't being deceptive toward me, hmm? How can she prove that joining to me is her desire?"

I cleared my throat, and readied myself. This would have to be an incredible bluff, and I hoped he bought it. "You see this staff? This is the Force Staff of Zuze, similar to the one Malcador the Sigilite owned. It's an artifact of great power. Let's be honest here. If I was tough enough to kill you, I would've done it, but deep down, I'm just an untrained horny psyker chick on the run from the Inquisition. This staff is how I've been able to fight back at all, and the cause of that gold aura. And now that I'm standing here, I find that I enjoy this feeling of being threatened and abused by you, a beautiful new immortal god. Seeing you ascend right in front of me has really awakened something in me."

Grikk'ahn appeared skeptical, cocking his fanged eel head at me. I could see that his pupils had slightly dilated in interest though, so I at least had him on a hook. To prove my sincerity, I dropped my staff in a demonstration of surrender. It fell to the road with a dramatic clatter. At the same time, I consciously dimmed my radiance, drawing it back within my body. A faint shimmering aura remained around my form, protecting me from the elements. Grikk'ahn grinned evilly as the white skin on his body flushed pink with arousal. The monstrosity was now towering over me, murmuring and gibbering in anticipation, the pupils in his reptilian eyes now fully dilated in interest. "See? And I noticed you liked drinking that light, even when it burned you," I said as I stood my ground. He had bought it. I began to slowly unbutton my shirt with one hand, causing the Champion to drool in interest.

"Oh yes, indeed I do!" A long pink shoulder tentacle gently wrapped around my waist, and lifted me up to eye level. Even with my Corona dimmed, I could somehow tell that the Champion felt pain as he gripped me. As he held me, Grikk'ahn stepped angrily down on my staff in triumph. "And now you cannot fly away, even if you wished, little bird. You've bewitched me with your forwardness, and I now understand why Am'Erika was so eager to own you. I will claim you as my own instead! Your suffering will be delicious. I will not let your blissful agony be brief, as I have promised Slaanesh my direct attention on you. This I promise you, little bird. You have made the correct choice." The overconfident idiot even left my hands free so I could continue unbuttoning my shirt as he pulled me close to his monstrous daemon eel head. "The kiss of entropy. The thrill of death. Being on this planet has heightened my love of the sensation of the draining of life, and I have learned new tricks! Oh, you shall enjoy eternity as a part of me, just as hundreds of others scream within!"

...Kill him, Omega... the wind whispered, and the Heart of Worlds began to gradually disintegrate as it reached the proximity of the outer core of Nubua, much sooner than I had anticipated. ...Kill him...

"Your light, my sweet, it still clings to you in a faint shadow. It is ever so familiar," Grikk'ahn purred to me in many voices as he held me close to his head. My shirt was partially undone, and my Key was fully visible, softly glowing over my heart. I reached with my hands, swallowed my disgust, and pulled my fingers across his white scaly cheeks, causing the daemonic monstrosity to shudder in bliss. Where my fingers touched his bare skin, he was burned, leaving black marks that smoked. "Ah, as much as I enjoy your dimmer, more natural glow, please swallow that radiance so that I may devour you more effectively, my love. Eternity awaits!"

The Champion was fully transfixed on me, gazing at the Key with hypnotized hungry eyes. He even somehow missed that the Nemeses Argentum was now covered by my undone shirt next to my breast pocket, and away from his direct view.

I received a vision of Lian loping around behind the Champion. He was wielding a long shining sword. You're fucked now, asshole, I thought. I smiled sweetly, touching his face again and keeping his attention fixed entirely on me. I consciously shadowed my light further to oblige his request to buy Lian more time, and Grikk'ahn's eyes sparkled in happiness, knowing without a doubt that he had won. Space Marine psykers always think they're such hot invincible shit, and Daemon Prince Space Marines were even worse. They're used to having all the lore and stories center them, so I guessed it made sense. Main character syndrome to the extreme.

The Daemon Prince slowly began to open his cavernous jaws, and I could hear the screaming of all the people he had devoured, willing or not, over many thousands of years. Deep within his throat, I could see the shifting of tortured and laughing faces shifting in his daemonic guts. Grikk'ahn dislocated his jaw wide, and pulled me toward his mouth...

...Only to roar in surprise at the feeling of a blessed longsword being sunk into a part of the gold armor on his spider abdomen that had been melted away by the pink horror! Grikk'ahn remained holding me in his tentacles as his head whirled around to confront Lian, and I took that opportunity to remove the Nemeses Argentum from my front shirt pocket, push more energy into it, and plunge it deep into his exposed left eye!

Some kind of magical circuit was reached between the two weapons, and as I was thrown away from Grikk'ahn's grasp, strong psychic visions began to assail me at the speed of light. I saw a very large Space Marine with long blond hair wearing elaborately decorated green power armor falling in battle, and a world breaking under my feet. The cries of war echoed around me, and I felt a terrible feeling of betrayal. I heard a single name screamed out before I was brought back to the present.

LUTHER !

I scrambled backward from the flaming form of Grikk'ahn, summoning my force staff to fly to me in the process. Holy shit! Lian's sword!

"You bitch! You fucking bitch! What have you done!?" many voices screamed in a symphony of agony above me. Grikk'ahn was no longer salaciously playful, and was now on fire. White flames covered large portions of the Champion's body, and his pink swords were summoned back into existence in his four hands. A furious single eye as hot as a dying sun found me, and many legs began to run to me as I still struggled to my feet. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you, whore! Suffer forever!"

"You will not kill her!" Lian yelled at the top of his lungs as I saw the bright shape of his sword cut down a second time on Grikk'ahn's spider abdomen from behind. The monster roared in pain, and swung around again with his four swords to meet the Fallen's radiant blade. The Champion was now absolutely and desperately enraged as he swung madly at Lian. The Fallen was miraculously able to parry each of the four swords as they struck at him in a whirlwind. The Nemeses Argentum slipped from the Champion's blinded eye, glowing white like a star as it fell to the road.

With a quick mental tug, the enchanted shears flew to me, and I clutched them like a dagger in my free hand as I willed the light in my Corona to shine as bright as it could in a halo of protection.

...We come, Omega!... the voices on the wind began to sing. The Heart of Worlds was crumbling below. We had to get out of here! Behind both Lian and Grikk'ahn, I saw a white translucent figure in the shape of a man pull itself into existence out of the ugly dark yellow air. As Lian's bright sword furiously parried the immolating Champion's blows, the white ghost rushed through the air. The Fallen's aim was true once again, cutting one of Grikk'ahn's legs off at the knee. At that precise moment, the white ghost passed through the Champion, and emerged holding another ghostly figure. This one was another man, and he was being held by his long hair as the mysterious specter dragged him away and into the Nubuan sky.

Lian continued to fight, furiously parrying, his head bloodied. But still, he held his own, and the flaming form of Grikk'ahn began to slow as he bled black daemonic ichor all over the road. Two more white ghosts appeared from the winds. They both rushed Grikk'ahn, and the two of them pulled a larger soul from the Champion's heart. This one looked large enough to be a Space Marine, and he struggled, but could do nothing as he too was dragged away into the sky.

"I fight for the honor of mankind, the honor of humanity!" Lian bravely yelled as he fought the weakening flaming monster. More white shapes appeared, each pulling struggling shades from Grikk'ahn's form as they flew through the beleaguered Champion of Slaanesh. "I fight for my primarch, I fight for righteousness, and most of all, I fight for the Inheritor of Mankind!"

I pulled within, seeking my own energy reserves, and with a motion of the staff, I sent a fireball of warp energy at Grikk'ahn's head, which connected with an explosion of light. Many more ghostly white shapes of people appeared in the air, and I could now see their features as they became more coherent. I recognized them! These ghosts wore the same clothing as the people I had seen in Sebastian's vision, and their robes were a similar style to Nabopolassar's. These were the ancient trapped shades of the Independent Empires, and their prison was disintegrating along with the Heart of Worlds!

White ghosts assailed the flaming form of Grikk'ahn as he madly fought Lian, pulling souls from the Champion as they passed through him. I could see now that Grikk'ahn was now actually physically shrinking as he bled both souls and daemonic ichor.

"Fight harder, heretic!" Lian said, bringing his magic sword across, severing one of Grikk'ahn's arms. In response, I saw something unexpected. The Champion actually looked like he was trying to withdraw from battle, and was backing up, his sword strikes all defensive. The white shades continued to tear souls from him, and he was now obviously weakening. The Fallen was an absolutely incredible swordsman!

"This isn't over, dog!" Grikk'ahn raged at Lian in a choked voice. "I am immortal! I will find you again! I will bring Am'Erika next time, and she will destroy all of you!" Since the Champion was fully distracted again, I used my energy to psychically grip the Nemeses Argentum. I began charging it with energy again, and willing time to slow down so I could get a clear shot at Grikk'ahn's other eye from this distance.

Lian laughed, and gripped his sword in two hands. "You know not the blade I wield, do you, beast?" His sword glowed bright, and he held it dramatically aloft. "This is the sacred sword of my order, a holy sword passed down from trusted brother to trusted brother since the Horus Heresy! You stand in the presence of your doom."

...Ready... Time had helpfully slowed once again, and at my side, I could now see many white shades standing around me, each wearing a peaceful smile and touching my back and shoulders with comforting white hands. A ghost resembling Nabopolassar was touching my head. ...Your aim be true, Inheritor... all the voices sang at once as I concentrated. ...We will direct you...

...Ready? I heard the voices whisper to me as I held my Anathema Blades aloft in midair. Lian was once again locked in a struggle with the Champion, and now, the two of them were slowly turning in the decelerated progression of time as they fought. Very slowly, Grikk'ahn's remaining eye began to reveal itself. The Champion was struggling, and his torso was still ablaze and white ghosts still assailed him, but he still fought and still lived. Daemon Princes were very tough!

I drew my willpower back like a bow, and pushed as much power as I could into the artifact that floated above my hand. The white light emanating from the Nemeses Argentum became difficult to look at.

...Now!... the voices instructed me, and I telekinetically hurled the shears the entire six meter distance down the road, and right up into Grikk'ahn's remaining eye just as Lian's sword found purchase deep inside the Champion's chest.

A deafening psychic scream threw me back to the ground, and I hastily brought myself upright once again, ready for more fighting. However, I noticed that I was beginning to shake with overexertion. Even through I was now stronger, everything that I had done had severely taxed me, and I was finally starting to get tired.

What I saw was unexpected. Everything was quiet, and around all of us in a perfect circle, a host of white phantoms stood watching. Lian was now on the ground, his sword knocked from his grip. I blinked, praying that he wasn't dead, but I discovered that time had actually completely halted save for myself and the white ghosts. Where Grikk'ahn had been was now a singular white shape in the form of a normal-sized Space Marine standing over Lian. I blinked. I thought the process of killing a Daemon Prince would be different, but I was admittedly inexperienced in that department.

The central white ghost stood unmoving for a bit, and then began to slowly turn around, watching all the other shades surrounding him. His pauldrons showed an unfamiliar design of some kind of heroic winged lion holding a sword in its paws. The stranger's eyes then caught mine, and his face shifted to confused surprise.

His features were innocent, almost boyish for a Space Marine, with high cheekbones and a proud expression. His skin was smooth and unmarked. Intuitively, I knew here that I looked at represented a young Marine, only into his first few decades of service. He cocked his head, and looked at me curiously.

"Who are you?" he asked me in a hollow voice.

"I'm the Inheritor," I found myself answering as I stood close by. The white ghosts surrounding us began to whisper and chatter among themselves in excitement.

"The Inheritor?" he asked me, obviously confused. "What's that? Am I dead?"

I didn't answer that question, and instead asked him, "What is your name?"

"My name is Grikk'ahn, Honor Guard of the Sons of Ulthunas. What is your name?"

Intuitively, I found that I didn't want to give him my name, so I decided to be mysterious and said, "I am the Inheritor. I am Revelation."

More excited whispers from the ghosts. I could see that many of them were smiling.

"Where are my brothers? I'm dead, aren't I?"

"I'm afraid so," I said, walking forward, leaning on my staff for stability. Yeah, I was definitely getting tired.

"Why can't I remember the battle I died in? Did I fight well at least?"

I took a deep breath as I looked at the face of the confused young marine. Was this the brave soul that used to be Grikk'ahn? Was this the memory of the brave fighter that had been subsumed by ages of corruption and the consumption of souls and dark magic? When I walked close to him, he looked at me almost like a frightened lost little boy asking where his mom and dad were. Even after everything that I had seen from him, the emotion of pity began to fill my heart.

"You did, Grikk'ahn," I said, answering honestly. "You fought very well."

He nodded, and I saw him exhale a deep breath. "So, this is the end. What comes after?"

"The story keeps going," I said, not knowing what else to say.

The lost memory looked down at me in contemplation, and I saw a single tear fall from his sad eyes. "Your gold halo. It looks like the Astronomicon, the gold light of the Emperor Himself. I saw it in a dream once, before the nightmares came. That's what it looks like. I remember now. It is very beautiful."

"It's because of who I am, Grikk'ahn."

"Revelation. The Inheritor," he puzzled, and looked at me again from his height. I blinked, and suddenly, I was looking down at him from a very tall height instead. I smiled down at him warmly. At the root of it all, I found myself genuinely feeling sorry for this memory of a man.

"I think I understand now," he said, pulling a slight smile across his face. From where I stood above him, he definitely reminded me of a small lost child. "I-I think I'm ready now."

I opened my arms, and the memory of the courageous Honor Guard that had once been Grikk'ahn, Defiler of Purity, walked to me, his chin up and brave for the last time as he faced his judgement. "I forgive you," I said to him.

"My soul to you, Inheritor," Grikk'ahn said to me as he fell into my embrace, and then, he was gone.

Time restarted, and I found myself being hastily pulled to my feet by Lian, who was holding an absolutely massive sword that blazed blue fire. The ring of white shades was gone, and Grikk'ahn was nowhere to be seen. On my chest, the Key felt hot and wild once again as a new soul ignited within its heart. Images of a Space Marine psyker fighting Chaos began to fall upon me involuntarily, filling me with energy and chasing the exhaustion from my limbs.

"I have destroyed him! We must go!" Lian said, holding me as he placed the Nemeses Argentum in my hand. I said nothing, and with a quick mental pull, I telekinetically summoned the staff to me once again.

As we both limped our way to the Divine Retribution, I could now see that the white shades had reappeared in the sky, surrounding us in a wailing whirlwind. The spirits began to sing, their voices harmonious in an ethereal choir of the undead. I could make out only a few sentences said in the ancient tongue of Nubua in their sweeping song.

"The Omega is victorious! Eternal blessings upon the Omega! We are saved, and we are unmade! Praise the Inheritor of Mankind, the Traveler from Heaven beyond time!"

More cracks began to arc across the surface of the road as the Heart of Worlds continued to dissolve, falling through the outer core of the world. We had killed Grikk'ahn, but we were not out of the woods yet!

Alberich's silt-blackened face still wore an expression of amazement as Lian and I hauled ourselves up the gangway of the Divine Retribution. I placed the Nemeses Argentum in my breast pocket, and leaned on my eagle-topped force staff for support. The Tzaangor's feathers were as black as if he had fallen into a coal mine, which made his gold-rimmed blue eyes very striking. Blue light glowed with dark fire from his daemon-possessed glaive, and the disk he had used to fly our injured crewmembers to safety was nowhere to be seen. "You... how did you?" the beastman sputtered as Lian helped me up the gangway. Virgil was also there, standing beside Alberich as his lower jaw trembled in awe. The hologram's form was shimmering in emotion.

"Blessed are the names of the Travelers, for they bring the light of God. Blessed are the meek, for they shall be the inheritors of heaven," the hologram was muttering under his breath.

Translucent white ghosts flew around the Divine Retribution in a wide spiral like dry leaves in a windstorm. The countless white shades of singing ghosts chanted and sang in the ancient tongue of Nubua. "The Omega is victorious! Eternal blessings upon the Omega! We are saved, and we are unmade! Praise the Inheritor of Mankind, the Traveler from Heaven beyond time!" they cried out joyously in an otherworldly symphony around us.

"What... what?" the Tzaangor was having trouble articulating himself.

"He's been destroyed. The daemon's essence has been obliterated," Lian said behind me, raising his voice as to be heard over the singing white ghosts. I heard the Fallen spit off the side of the gangway. The glow of his mysterious holy blade cast an unearthly light that reflected off the gold exterior of the Divine Retribution's hull. With a brief sigh of relief, I passed the atmospheric energy barrier that surrounded the vessel. I dropped the protective enchantment around my body. The Fallen followed me, again spitting off the side of the gangway as he climbed.

Both Virgil and Alberich stood just inside the ship, stunned. Alberich took a breath to ask me again what had happened, but I stopped him.

"No time to talk! The planet is dying! The Heart is hitting the core already! Divine Retribution, close up and get ready to jump to Warp!" I vociferated as I pushed past my stupefied crewmembers and onto the ship itself. I sensed the living gold seal itself up with a short hum after Lian entered, and the track lights on the floor illuminated our way to the bridge.

Behind me, I heard Virgil shout with a startled gasp as I raced away, "What has happened? What's wrong with the Archmagos? Who are these women?"

I didn't respond as I dipped my psychic awareness far below, and saw the Heart of Worlds as it continued to gradually dissolve like a sugar cube in a body of water. It was passing through fine layers of psychic crystal in the core of the planet. Outside, my attention was pulled to the entirety of the dead Independent Empires across this broad band of space. Wide holes of empty obliteration millions of kilometers in width had begun to appear in the Deadly Desert as the region began to burn away to nothing. Space was turning into Swiss cheese, and the entire Broken Desert of Nubua was disintegrating!

"Sorry! I'll explain if we're still alive in an hour!" I shouted behind me to the hologram. Smears of fresh blood from unknown injuries covered the floor as I stepped over the unconscious bodies of Null, Ennoia, and Morai. I immediately started running to the bridge. Worry about them later, I thought. I hoped that Null was okay, considering that he took a direct hit from a Noise Marine's sonic blaster at close range. That's terrible. How does anyone survive that? Whatever, worry about that later too. We needed to get out of here!

I frantically bolted through the ship. Behind me, I heard both Lian and Alberich following me the long distance to the bridge. Lian's armored boots were loud as they connected with the floor behind me, making me flinch as we went along.

Wow, we destroyed a fucking Daemon Prince, I thought, briefly giddy at our accomplishment. And I had devoured a remnant of his soul. I allowed myself a feeling of achievement before I went back to fearing for my life.

Behind my eyes, involuntary images flashed of a familiar young marine as he bravely fought heretics with two power swords. Grikk'ahn had been a talented swordsman who possessed a modest amount of psychic acumen, but not enough to be trained as a Librarian. The whispers of Slaanesh had eventually corrupted him as he sought to perfect his martial prowess right before his Chapter Master fell to Chaos. The corrupted Honor Guard had discovered that he felt a desirable rush when dispatching an enemy, so Slaanesh had given him the special ability to pull souls within himself, feeding his hunger and making him strong. The faded memory of the marine that I had consumed was weak, and like Quale, it was battered and bled of most of its energy, but at least it was something, I thought, dodging a servitor as it continued to mindlessly clean the walls. I'd probably be unconscious from exhaustion had I not eaten him by now.

I guessed that eating souls was now my thing too, I thought as I dodged more servitors wandering the shiny metal halls. I now knew that Sebastian had also consumed life energy for power via the Key, just like me. Maybe that really was how he got so strong? What a terribly ghoulish way to gain power.

"Don't have much time! I sense the ghosts outside grow more numerous!" Alberich cried out behind me as we reached the stairs to the bridge. "Do you want me to join with the ship again, my leader?"

"Yeah, no time for a bath this time, dude," I said pulling myself up the stairs. Would we be okay to fly without Null being conscious? He had been acting as the ship's engineer, but it seemed like the vessel basically flew itself. I honestly had no idea, but we didn't have the option of sitting around and waiting for the tech-priest to wake up, if he ever did.

The gleaming raised golden throne at the center of the bridge made me reflexively cringe as I prepared myself to make a yet another great running escape from yet another dire situation. Alberich did not hesitate, and actually leapt onto his rightmost throne, his blackened feathers all on edge. Here, he definitely reminded me of a scared crow. He placed his daemon glaive on the floor next to where he sat.

I quickly settled myself in my golden throne. "Divine Retribution, attach me," I said, closing my eyes for bravery. Lian stood behind me, waiting for any command that I might give.

My nervous system sparkled as I felt the ship grip me, and once again, I felt a powerful foreign force reach through the ship, and into my very being. The vessel itself had an incredible machine spirit. It truly had a will of its own, and when I was attached to it, I felt like a symbiotic part of its willpower, and just another part of its construction like a brain in a body. A quick realization passed through me. Sebastian had sat on this very chair, and had piloted this very vessel through the galaxy as its captain after being dragged into this shitty dimension, just like me. I felt a curious mixture of dread and wonder, and I decided not to think about that either.

"Alright, let's get this party started," I said, attempting to lighten the incredibly dangerous mood by trying to sound like some kind of tropey space captain. I remembered that I had seen Grikk'ahn blasting the ship with his psyker energy when I was in the pyramid, and wanted to see if anything had been damaged. "Divine Retribution, full status! You okay?"

The three screens large holographic view screens flickered to life ahead of us, and once again, the leftmost screen quickly dimmed and vanished. We still didn't have a third pilot, but I wasn't sure that we needed one. On the center screen (and in my mind's eye) a series of notations once again appeared before us.

Operations: Fair

Fuel: 92%

Emergency Fuel Capacity 50%

Prime Energy Cell: 99%

Void Shield Capacity: 90%

Note: Minor hull damage, left wing. Suggested action: Solar and/or soul regeneration.

Parson Shield Capacity: 95%, Commencing initial scan of Captain, secondary Navigator

The vessel sent a brief wave of cold energy once again through my body, and beside me, I heard Alberich gasp.

Commencing comprehensive scan of Captain: I felt another, more powerful wave of energy wash through me. It felt like I had been immersed in both warm and freezing water at the same time.

Captain Biometrics Scan Complete

Health, Captain: Moderate Fatigue, Mild Iron Deficiency, Moderate Dehydration, Intoxicants Detected

Current Psi-Level: Moderate, Yellow Star, Analog-Epsilon/Delta variable

Motivating Impulse: Escape

Recent Intake: 3 (16)

Range Estimate: 5.7 parsecs, sublight. 1199.999 parsecs, Warp

Backup Parson shield: 408 hours

Recommend intake: 2

Before the Divine Retribution could fully scan Alberich, I felt the its attention pull toward the Key around my neck as the ship appeared to have the munchies. "Hungry? You want a snack, Divine Retribution? Take the souls from the Key!"

Quale was the first soul that left the Key, and he briefly filtered through my body on his way into the vessel. There was very little that remained of him, but I could sense a soft gratitude in the shreds of his soul that remained. Second, the memory of Grikk'ahn was pulled. His soul was similarly fractured and abused. The last soul that came through actually caused the lights of the ship to brighten momentarily as Nabopolassar's powerful and willingly sacrificed soul swam both through me and the vessel. The Divine Retribution's spirit responded almost with delight, and I felt additional energy push through its body. I even felt the peculiar sensation of satiety from the absorption of the ancient king. The ship had found him absolutely delicious. Curiously, I noticed that I did not feel as if the king's memory was entirely consumed, but that a sizeable portion of his strength remained within me, much more than any other soul I had previously consumed.

Commencing scan of Secondary Navigator:

Secondary Navigator health: Fair. Warning! Recent exposure to raw Warp energy! Secondary Navigator may be prone to mutation if fully interfaced! Recommend soul purification procedure. Confirm?

I felt Alberich's head whip toward me, and his beak was open in surprise. I physically turned toward the Tzaangor on his throne. "What does purification process entail, Divine Retribution?" I asked quickly with a stammer.

"Forcible removal of residual malfeasance from subject. Subject may suffer damage. Chance of success, calculating..."

"Wait, no," Alberich said. "I'll get off the throne. I-"

"Chance of success, 95% percent," the ship impassively intoned.

"Oh," the beastman exhaled. He paused, and I saw that he was thinking. We really didn't have time for this.

"Alberich..."

"I'll do it. You need a copilot," the Tzaangor said as he steeled himself on his throne, gripping his armrests.

"How long does that removal procedure take?" I quickly asked the ship.

"Estimated procedural time, 2.5 seconds."

"Do it," Alberich and I both said at the same time.

The Divine Retribution's attention turned inward toward Alberich's throne, which turned bright white as the Tzaangor cried out as if stabbed in the chest. It was over quickly, and the light gradually dimmed. The beastman was now breathing heavily, his features pinched in pain.

"Cleansing procedure successful."

"Good. Attach Alberich and let's get going."

I felt the Divine Retribution push through Alberich's soul as it integrated him into his intelligence. I swallowed nervously. We have to go!

I realized that Lian was still standing beside us on the bridge. "What do you command of me, Inheritor?" he said, still holding his glowing sword in one hand as the vessel attached the Tzaangor.

I turned to Lian as Alberich's soul integrated within the vessel. The sword the Fallen held was now so bright it was actually difficult to look at, and it now reminded me of some kind of massive light saber. It sent a bright light that reflected scintillatingly across the already bright gold of the bridge. An air of holy power now surrounded him, radiating from the sword he held. I studied the huge sword again, and at the corner of my consciousness, I once again witnessed a giant marine with long blond hair wearing kingly green power armor as he wielded this very sword against another monster of a marine in dark armor decorated in lurid indigo, red, and black. While my lore on space marines and their primarchs wasn't the best, I was able to put two and two together once I saw the bat wings, white skin, and utter insanity decorating the second individual. The sword Lian held had been wielded by a primarch in battle against another primarch, and was blessed by incredible power. With a quick nudge of my incredible new psychic intuition, I had my answer on the identity of that blade.

Wow, I could only think, shaking my head. Holy shit.

Ready when you are, my leader! the beastman said to me through the ship. Alberich was now ready. I paused, still staring in surprise as I studied Lian, who was bloodied and exhausted, waiting for me to command him. He had a bleeding head wound over his right eye, and it appeared that a small part of his scalp had been torn out, revealing a hint of white bone. A line of bright red blood fell from his nose and mouth, dripping to the floor.

"Is that sword what I think it is, Lian?" I quickly asked, mentally willing the gold wings of the vessel to extend in preparation for departure. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Cypher supposed to have that sword? What are you doing with it?" I pushed my awareness through the Retribution's body, feeling its body come alive and initializing the vessel's esoteric mechanical systems, readying us for takeoff.

Lian didn't immediately respond, but I saw his jaw clench. Since we didn't have time to mess around, I willed anti-gravity engines to ignite in my wings, belly, and tail as my gold talons pushed me off the surface of this dying world. A convenient updraft caught me, and I was easily pulled into the air. My left wing was still injured from being struck with a mine in the Warp, but the damage was mostly cosmetic, and shouldn't hamper my flight too much. Ghosts filled with life energy caressed the underside of my wings, offering an additional lift. The two large holographic screens ahead of me displayed what the ship saw directly ahead of it, which was a nearly opaque sandstorm and a singing band of white ghosts. With a flicker, the ship projected a green wire frame representation of the ground below us through the thick dusty winds.

"How... how do you...?" the Fallen started to ask, shaking his head before stopping himself. "Of course you know. You are who you are. I should not be surprised. Forgive me for my skepticism. Copies of the blade were made to keep it hidden, and Lord Cypher was expected to pass through this remote area of space to retrieve it once again on his own mission." He turned the sword point down, and rested it on the floor of the bridge. It had begun to dim.

"Well, let's talk about that later," I said quickly, bringing my attention fully back to flying.

Lian was in possession of the damn Lion Sword! No wonder he had been so nervous about the Imperium finding that bunker!

I closed my eyes, willing the ship to become myself as I pulled further up into the atmosphere. It was somewhat of a struggle here, as the irregular winds buffeted us, causing the ship to roll and pitch from time to time as if it were a boat on rough seas. The eye of the storm had passed over this area, and we were once again in the full fury of the storm. A sudden downdraft slammed into me from above, and I felt the ship rally to stay airborne. I wondered if I could change my perspective and experience flying this vessel just as a natural bird would fly around in the Materium instead of being on this throne? This was what I had done in the Warp, but maybe I could do it here too? Would that make it easier to steer in this rough weather? Keeping my eyes closed, I pushed my visual awareness ahead and through the front of the ship. The Divine Retribution easily figured out my intentions, and complied with a, "Visual Acuity Navigation Mode: Materium activated" response.

With a slight jolt of pain, my consciousness was transferred, and I was now a massive mechanical eagle flying through the sky, and seeing a perfect physical representation of the landscape around me, and the wireframe that represented the obfuscated ground. Lines of helpful information describing altitude, height, airspeed, and other statistics appeared at the lower right corner of my vision.

Reality: Materium, planet, atmosphere class B, 85% gravity

Altitude: 490m

Airspeed: 587kph, variable. Warning, sandstorm gale conditions. Warning, airborne debris. Winds, variable directional, gusts 150kph+. Void shields activated.

Current rate of ascension: 79mps, variable, emergency spiral ascent, emergency vertical ascent unavailable, spatial instabilities detected.

Fuel remaining: 92%

Warning! Unknown reality instability detected! External interference detected! Calculating hazard...

That last line didn't make me feel good, and I had no idea what it meant. Around me, I could now visually see through the Retribution that the whirlwind of singing white ghosts had actually broadened and was continuing to grow larger as they flew around me. With my keen eyes, I could even make out individual white spirits in the maelstrom as they sang joyously in anticipation of their destruction.

"Behold Garuda, the Great Eagle, the Herald of Heaven! The ancient oversoul enshrined in gold! The Chariot of Fire!" the whirlwind of white spirits sang.

How fast could we get to Warp and not get ourselves killed on this planet? Instead of asking the ship verbally, I pushed the inquiry through it, and it responded readily in my mind with, 5000m minimum jump altitude. Energetic instability at ground level. Warning, planetary integrity may be compromised!

"That's not too high; this place is doomed anyway," I said aloud through my body on the throne, soaring high in an increasing acceleration in a tight upward spiral, much like a large bird of prey. Being attached to the ship like this had somewhat eased my anxiety. The Divine Retribution's machine spirit apparently had an ego from its numerous encounters, and within it, I felt an assurance that just like every other danger it had faced, it would overcome this hardship as well. But, I did feel a shadow of a worry from deep within as it calculated on what peril we currently faced. Both the ship and I were concerned. I willed my curiosity through the Divine Retribution as I soared higher, asking the ship what it sensed.

"False vacuum decay correction within 500 light years. Pockets of degenerate space of undefinable definition expanding outward. Pocket of degenerate space forming within .5 light year distance. Danger!"

Oh, that sounded bad, and unfortunately I couldn't ask Null about what we could do about that. Running away as soon as possible was probably a good option here.

Are we going back to that hell place? Do we close the eye shutters now? Alberich asked me through the ship. I could tell that he was watching our progress through the monitors which displayed what I was observing.

Yeah, I said, feeling Alberich's nervous tone. Brace yourself. Let me drive, and just stay alert if I need you.

"Divine Retribution, as soon as you can, close the eye shutters and jump to Warp, and be prepared to fly at full speed out of the Deadly Desert. Let's get out of here!" I physically spoke through my body on the bridge, only barely sensing the contact of the throne on my human form. I sensed that Virgil had appeared beside me with Lian, and both were watching the large holographic screens on the bridge. The hologram had his hand over his mouth in worry, and it appeared that Lian was consoling him.

"Trust in the Inheritor of Mankind, astropath," the Fallen said stoically to Virgil as he gestured toward the holographic screens. Lian's holy sword had now dimmed to a soft white glow, and the blade was at rest by his side. "She is the new hope for mankind, and I will trust in her judgement."

The shutters of the Divine Retribution's three eyes closed, and I could sense that the hologram had startled in fright at the clattering noise. "I pray you are right, my lord," the hologram responded.

"Warp jump commencing in 5..."

"If she fails, humanity dies," Virgil said, turning to the Fallen.

"4..."

"She will not fail. Have faith," Lian said, swallowing his own fear that he shouldn't be able to feel as an astartes.

"3..."

"The Imperium is failing. Null told me. If she dies-"

"2..."

"Do not speak of such things," Lian cut the hologram off.

"1..."

"-humanity is doomed," Virgil's holographic form anxiously shimmered once again.

The Divine Retribution pulled a skin of my own soul energy over itself as I felt myself step backward in reality. Unlike a normal Warp jump, when I translated this time, I felt reality actually tear to pieces behind me, unable to handle the additional stress. The expected familiar sensation of time and emotional currents streaming over my gold feathers did not come, but instead, I found myself immediately blown out of control, thrown careening into the winds of a violent reality storm!

"Danger! Ongoing reality collapse! Cause: undefinable!" I heard the Divine Retribution peal out a warning. I opened my internal Warp eye into the storm, and found a horrifying scene.

We were flying uncontrollably through a black and white whirlwind of rage and pain. Pieces of resentment crystallized by time shattered off my void shields, forcing me to extend more energy to keep myself intact. The hit was severe enough that my Parson Shield registered the hit, and my human captain cried out in pain.

"Heavy Void Shields activated! Void Shields: 90%. Danger!"

Alberich and I both cried out in surprise as an even larger sharp obsidian boulder of congealed misery immediately blindsided us, and struck the forehead of the Divine Retribution, causing the ship to reel in pain. I shook violently.

Void shields: 72%, Parson Shield: 90% the vessel informed us, stunned by the heavy impact to the head.

"We have to leave this cursed place," the amalgamate consciousness of all of us stated, and I began to seek a direction for my escape, plotting down where my golden road would take me. Anywhere away from here was satisfactory. My wings dodged more falling rocks and sharp shards of black nothingness borne on keening white winds of stark brutality. This shredded ruin was not how the Immaterium was supposed to look, I thought with worry. There was no gradient of emotion, no color, no dreams and no nightmares. Only the desire for annihilation raged here. One of my minds attempted to visualize the pleasant forest to fly in once again, but before the landscape could even be born, more wailing debris was smashed against it, and nothing could be made. Without a visual landscape, a road ahead could not be built, and the degenerating Warp was resisting any attempt at constructing anything that could help me escape.

The skeins that built the network of dreams, nightmares, and emotion behind this area of space were coming apart, and were not behaving properly. Again, desperately, I tried to forcefully demand the landscape of the Warp to conform to my will, only to see my efforts torn asunder before they could even be built, exploding into sharp black snowflakes of stinging nihilistic pain.

This was an emergency, I thought, evading a whirlwind of screaming skulls that mindlessly wanted to pulverize any concrete thoughts and emotions. The Warp in this area demanded nonexistence, so any thought would not be tolerated. Without a road, I would not be able to navigate effectively, lost here in the morbid death screams of this ancient dead civilization.

I was actually in peril, I thought, surprised. It had been a long time since I had perceived such an imminent threat to my existence. Calculating that was an emergency, I decided to consult my archived memories for insight.

I reached back through my many lifetimes, and my numerous captains of many races. My machine spirit was truly vast, larger than most dreams that could ever be imagined, and my well of knowledge, nearly depthless. Any mind attached to me would not be able to comprehend my presence in its fullness, so they only saw a fraction of me, and only during times of most dire need. Many lifetimes ago before golden roads needed to be crafted to fly through the Warp, I remember utilizing a Constant. A Constant was a fixed point in the Warp used for navigation when all other orienting methods failed. The two minds attached to me contemplated on what a "Constant" meant, with one imagining a lighthouse in a storm, and another, the light of the Astronomicon.

I read through the memories of the main intelligence that directed me, and discovered that the Astronomicon was a Warp beacon that originated from one of my old captains, shining with the same light as I did. Indeed, that would suffice for a Constant. If I could find such a light, it would be easy to find my direction once again, even without a golden road. However, I discovered that the light was currently trapped behind a wall of upset Warp space, and could not be seen from this distance.

Another black boulder struck my shoulder. 65% void shields.

A brief search of old memories stored in hidden places in my machine spirit. Whispers in the abyss and cries to the light. Whoever my light touches, it does not leave, and can never be removed. I am a point of gold in a universe of infinite dullness, and I am an eternal flame that will not be snuffed, even in the eons of my age. This old captain, I now understood, had not been physically alive for a long time, but still, the gold aura pulled from me remained. It would cling to him forever.

Any previous captain would retain my brilliance even beyond physical death, as my touch cannot be dimmed. Like a compass, I was always attuned to it, even beyond the rules of reality, real or unreal.

"That's impossible!" my captain physically said, watching as I took control of the situation. I laughed at the thought of a so-called "impossibility."

I existed as an entity beyond the rules of these tepid realms and barely clad in beautiful metal flesh. I have served Travelers, Scions, Inheritors, Gods, Kings, Warlords, and Conquerors over millions of their years. I was left behind by Those Who Came Before as a beacon of hope to the Warp-sensitive races of the galaxy against the dark, and I am very old. I am a shadow of something wise, wild, and untamed in the universe of the before, and the universe that will be after.

Nothing is impossible to me, for like my current title, I am divine retribution. I survive and I endure to mete the justice of the Creator, and I will not be stopped. The rules of eternity stack probability my favor!

And so, I look to myself now for a potential Constant, seeking my own bright shadow to guide me through this storm. In my wisdom, I gifted him my light many years ago, and now, he will use it to save me.

The present captain turned our eyes to where the old captain was dead and dreaming, so far away. She remembered a name that he had once used, and cried out to him.

"Sebastian!"

And through the gulf of the broken galaxy, the suffering corpse of the creature that used to be Sebastian responded.

I realized that I was being guided by the hand down the Yellow Brick Road by a strange man. I wasn't exactly sure who he was, but he felt safe, so I just let myself be led along as I took in my heavenly surroundings. The sun was high and beautiful in a brilliant cobalt sky, and the air smelled fresh and clean. The landscape around me was a healthy light forest filled with sycamore and maple trees that swayed gently in the soft breeze. The stranger walked slightly ahead, pulling me along by the hand. When I tried to focus on him, I realized that the sun was now directly ahead of him, and its bright glare made it difficult to make any details of his body out. "Follow me," he said without turning around to look at me, his voice deep and mellifluous. "We need to talk."

A whisper deep within me diverted my attention from the lovely afternoon. 55% Void Shields, it said. What did that mean?

I somehow knew that something large and sharp had struck my right shoulder. Reality glitched, and I was now falling through a swirling storm of black boulders that resembled obsidian. My shoulder was hurt, and with another tug by the man ahead of me, I had evaded another strike. As quickly as I had seen this, I was back on the Yellow Brick Road, and it was a perfect sunny day once again.

The idyllic landscape was very pleasant to walk through. As the stranger pulled me along, I felt as if we were being watched, and I turned to look around us. I further studied the trees as we walked briskly along the road, suspicious. Ahead of me, the stranger holding my hand slowed. Again, without turning around, he said in a softer voice, "Forgive me for this, but I have to know for sure, and you won't survive if you are trying to deceive me..."

I was confused as to what he meant, but then, I was violently pulled backwards away from Oz along a corridor of fire. Images of battles, defeats, conquests, and joys from unknown people filtered through my mind at the speed of light. Suddenly, the sensation of trillions upon trillions of eyes were upon me, scattered across existence as I was hurled through time and space. The eyes were drawn to the light of the Astronomicon, which had surged and was now blazing right through the Great Rift!

Something else grabbed me, and I found myself thrown into in some kind of strange metal chair. Immediately, the sensation of millions of electrified needles directly inserted into my very being jolted in my body, every single nerve on fire! The pain was absolutely unfathomable, and I attempted to scream, but found myself completely unable to move. Alarms screamed around me as a strange man removed a cup from my eye, and triumphantly announced that he got two tears. I sensed many invisible gold shades floating around me, and I felt a consensus among them.

I was blessedly torn away from the metal torture chair, and I was now thrown forward, back along the corridor of fire. As if none of that had happened, I was now walking behind the stranger. A tired sigh escaped from him, and he stopped, but was still holding my hand. In shock at what I had experienced, I fell to the road, traumatized. I wasn't in Oz; I was somewhere else! I looked up at the stranger before me. I realized that I could now make out a few details of his body. He looked like he had a ponytail, and that he was a little taller than I was. Instead of the sun making it difficult for me to look at him, I then realized that a golden halo surrounded his body like ball lightning.

"Sorry you had to experience that. I needed to absolutely confirm it. You would've been snuffed out had there been any deception or taint," he said as a casual statement of fact. "You're still alive, so it must be true. I'm sorry that it's true," I heard a familiar English voice explain sadly. He shook his head, and pulled me to my feet as I remained trembling, unnerved by the experience. We continued to walk, but he did not turn around.

"Who are you?" I asked.

He stopped again, and I saw his shoulders slouch. "We've met before. I'm the Weeping King," he responded. "You're the Omega, and it's all coming true. I didn't write it this way. I'm not sure why its like this. It wasn't supposed to be this way."

My memory abruptly came back to me. This wasn't a dream, and I knew who this was. I looked ahead at the man who was leading me along. I felt my blood run cold.

"Is your name Sebastian?"

The stranger continued walking. "Yes," he answered quietly, a choke in his voice. At the edge of my hearing, I could hear many other voices as they observed me. They whispered things like, Omega, Empress, Inheritor, and even, Anathema, but I could not see where they came from. I heard Sebastian begin to speak again. "Or, at least I used to be him a very long time ago. I don't know what I am now. I am a singular personality split from a vast whole of my greater self." A pause as his steps slowed. "You're from my universe, aren't you?" I saw his head slightly turn, and I could now see some of his facial features from here. His hair was dark, and his eyelashes were thick.

"I think so. Maybe. I'm from New Jersey, and the year 2018," I replied.

"2018?" he asked, and I could hear slight surprise in his voice. "Slightly ahead then. I'm from 1997. I'm from Bristol, England, if you know where that is. Right now, I am testing the connection between the two of us. Time has slowed down so that I can see properly."

"You're... the Emperor?" I finally cautiously asked, watching him with both fear and awe.

He simply nodded, "What you see before you is a mere piece of myself broken off to speak to you in this lost area of space, a shadow of who I used to be. Sebastian is one of my most humble and human personalities, modeled on who I once was in my home universe. As I said, what you see before you is a small fraction of a greater whole."

I was stuck in a peculiar space between fangirling and mortal terror as we continued to walk along the Yellow Brick Road as if everything was just fine. I looked down at the hand guiding me along. It was a normal-sized hand. I honestly was so stunned at being in close proximity to the Emperor I did not know what to ask him, so of course, I blurted out the first thing to come to mind. "So, uh, I thought your name was Neoth. The lore in my universe said your name was Neoth, and that you were the product of thousands of shamans committing suicide."

"Lore? In your universe?" Sebastian laughed darkly. "Incredible. I suppose we do indeed come from different points of origin. Similar enough, though it appears," he observed. "Neoth existed, yes, but he was the Alpha, the first one of the high Holy Bloodline of perpetuals. He convinced many people to sacrifice themselves to him after he discovered the Key in ancient Anatolia, and his strength was the product of thousands of shaman souls. As he held the Key, the ritual transformed him, and made him into the first immortal, the first perpetual on top of being the first Inheritor. From him, all other perpetuals originate. A rare few of these perpetuals are chosen for the lofty purpose of housing a Traveler's soul. The body I found myself in when I got pulled into this universe came from his line."

"And who brought you in to this universe? Why did they do that?" I asked.

I could hear a weary, frustrated sigh escape his lips. He still had his back turned to me.

"The question of who brought me here remains a mystery. Concerning those responsible I only found scattered rumors of an ancient occult order devoted to progressing mankind's spiritual evolution. But, I discovered another perpetual who had belonged to the periphery of the order, so I know they existed. He went on to become my dearest friend, my closest confidant. Even he was not able to supply full answers to what I sought." Sebastian paused, weighing what he would say next as he shifted his weight. "As for why, the closest answer I was able to discern was that a unifying figure for humankind's future was desired, and since the Key and the Divine Intervention would not accept a soul native to this corrupt universe, I was 'imported' using an unknown ritual. Perhaps they still exist, as you also are here now, little sister."

He stopped. Sebastian then took a deep breath, and turned around so that I could fully see him. While he still had that bright halo, it wasn't overwhelming, and I could now make out his features.

He wasn't huge, wearing gold armor, crowned in gold laurels, or wielding a giant sword. Here, he was a tall, lean muscular man with high cheekbones, and thick dark hair bundled in a ponytail. He wore a plain black t-shirt, and a pair of jeans. His skin was fair, and he wore a contemplative neutral expression as he regarded me. While he wore a different body than when I had seen when I had first interfaced into the Divine Retribution, I could intuitively tell that this was the same man. This was the same form I had seen him wear on Nubua, when he had cursed the Heart of Worlds. He was decidedly normal but for one thing:

His eyes were bright, inhuman gold. The same eyes that scared me in my own reflection. Between his unnerving gaze and his halo, he was still difficult to look at directly.

"Tell me, what is your name, little sister?" he asked me, letting go of my hand. I was shaking.

"Erika," I answered.

He nodded. "How did you find my ship?"

I felt a slight compulsion as he held me under his eyes, and I knew that I had to tell him the truth. Information began to fall out of me. "I woke up in a new body on a planet called Levant way on the eastern side of the galaxy right before the Great Rift formed. I was guided to a Necron pylon a short distance away. There, I found an archmagos who was sitting on top of a dig site with a bunch of servitors. He told me he had been studying the 'Great Eagle' that was buried here for a thousand years, but that his Exploratory Fleet was gone. I'm actually pretty sure he sabotaged his fleet, so they all died. The archmagos said that on top of researching the buried ship, he'd been researching what he called 'Travelers', people from different dimensions. It's a long story, but I then got plugged into the ship, a Warp rift happened, and we escaped the area." I took a breath. "Why was it buried there? What happened?" I dared to ask.

Sebastian nodded thoughtfully, taking in what I said. "The answer is... complicated. We buried the Divine Intervention on Levant in a flood. She was supposed to be intentionally 'rediscovered' some years after the Great Crusade, and flown through the stars once more as a great herald of Imperial achievement once our conquests were nearing completion. Sadly, this never occurred, and she was forgotten. The Divine Intervention's rediscovery would have triumphantly soared through media and propaganda outlets as proof of mankind's supremacy and bright future."

"You intentionally buried it?" I asked, incredulous.

"Propaganda can be a powerful tool. Everyone enjoys stories of discovery, especially if they align with political and spiritual interests. It was all very intentional, all planned. I hated seeing her drown, but I knew that I see her fly again in all her glory. I didn't know that it would be so many years away."

"It's called the Divine Retribution now," I informed Sebastian.

"A new name?" A short chuckle. "Interesting." He did not elaborate further.

I felt like I probably wouldn't have an opportunity to ask questions like this again, so I quickly got curious. "So, you came from another universe, and then became the Emperor here. Did you ever find the opportunity to leave? Why are you still here?"

He didn't answer me at first, but I could feel a sadness from him. "I and my friends discovered a Gate through the Deep Warp to my home universe, but circumstances changed, and I decided to stay here. I had an opportunity to go, but my choice was to remain." There was something evasive in that answer, I could definitely tell.

"A Gate through the Deep Warp?" I quietly wondered aloud. Why did that sound really important? Wait, was that the Warp Gate on Molech? That was my eventual destination! Had Sebastian met the Wizard? Maybe he had information that could help me get home?

Excited, I began to rattle off my questions in earnest. "Are you talking about the Warp Gate on Molech? Do you know about the Wizard? Who is he? Can he help me get home? Please tell me! I want to go home!" I quickly asked, almost frantic.

Sebastian did not answer me, and turned away from me, his gold eyes searching. Great conflict once again crossed his features. A small quake rocked below us on the road, and the sky started to darken. "It seems we don't have much time left already, and I'm sure you have a lot of questions. But, listen," he stood there once again very conflicted as to what to say. "When I thought you were a hallucination, I told you to get away from here as soon as you could. I... I am amending that suggestion." He took a deep breath. "We are avatars of hope to mankind here, and our power is unique. Because we came from creator universes, we can create and bend fate along our paths. This universe, it needs hope, little sister. I don't know how long I have left, but you might need to be the person that picks up the pieces. Do you know far along you are in your change?"

I looked at him curiously. "Change?"

His expression fell. "You don't even know, do you?"

"I don't understand."

He closed his eyes, and shook his head. The sky was continuing to darken, and I could hear thunder in the distance. "I need access to your body on your throne for a short time, little sister. I need to see something before my light fully dims in this region again. I will also guide you away from the disintegrating space here. There isn't much time for me to explain this, but you'll have to trust me."

"You mean possess me?" I looked at him, intimidated. Sebastian's Corona flashed like a matchstick for a moment before dimming.

"Only for a short time. I will leave knowledge behind in your mind that will help you in this dangerous universe. I can't stay here and talk to you. Time is dilated here, but it still passes."

I cringed back from him.

He regarded me heavily with his incredible eyes, and slowly walked to stand very close to me. His gold Corona began to contact my shoulder, and I could actually feel my own energy respond to his in a short electric crackle, which briefly frightened me. He reached out to touch my arm. "We're the same, you and I. Since we are linked to the same intelligence, and the same eldritch power within the Great Eagle, we carry the same energy. All you need to do is let me in, little sister."

The darkening sky glitched, and once again, black boulders careened through the air, one nearly striking us on the road before the Yellow Brick Road came into being again.

"Okay, fine, just... just help me!" I said, frightened.

The false land of Oz fell dissolved into golden dust, and I found myself sitting on my throne again.

I startled awake, and discovered the peculiar sensation that I was now two people. It isn't something one can articulate in any way, but I felt as if a second intelligence had settled within me, and I was not the personality in the driver's seat. Animate rays of preternatural radiance streamed from the throne below me, and I realized that I was now casting two distinct shadows on the metal floor of the bridge. I briefly panicked.

Trust me, I heard his voice, and I instantly relinquished command to the other within me.

I then became someone else as Erika stepped aside, still aware and awake within herself. Not wanting to be distracted by her words or any fear that may come from her, I first silenced her voice inside of me.

I took a breath. Then two breaths. I was in flesh again. I pulled one of my hands off the throne, and briefly observed it. An astartes groveled on the floor, completely overwhelmed by my presence. A hologram spasmed in light before winking out altogether, unable to handle my proximity. The light of the bridge was now likely overwhelming to anyone here.

Well, time to get to it, I thought. I cracked my knuckles. Here I go.

I closed my physical eyes, and pushed my willpower forward through the great golden eagle I was attached to, remembering the luxurious feeling of flying this marvelous archaeotech. This vessel retained its own intelligence, and its willpower was indomitable, unwilling to be tamed even by myself. It represented something ancient and wild that had come from an earlier time in the galaxy, all the way back during the War in Heaven. It wasn't precisely an 'eagle', but merely resembled one to humans in this age, and thus it was called so. Nostalgic rose-colored memories of my early years in this universe briefly filled my mind, but I did not have time for reminiscing.

I searched for where my light had come from in the Warp, and easily found it. Quickly, I visualized how successful my endeavor to bisect the Great Rift had been. Right now, a hot corridor of holy light split the galaxy in twain, and my efforts had been successful. Good. Erika, within her own body, watched me in awe. She tried to say something to me, but found that she was silenced. With a step back, I took stock of how much time I had back on Terra.

Psykers were draining at a rapid pace, each turning to dry powder as my voracious touch immolated their souls from within. Alarms screamed and adepts barked orders. That was to be expected.

I calculated that I had about ten seconds remaining in proper time. Should be enough, I thought. Time means very little when in the Warp, and since my Sight had domain over temporal flow, I could just bend time around further if I needed. Being in a fleshy shell and having physical resources definitely helped here. This would require me to make a formal request in normal time on the state of the body I was in though, and that would eat up a few seconds.

"Divine Retribution, progress on bodily Captain Ascension?" I quickly called out in a strange voice that was both male and female. As I felt the ship study my body, I looked down at the throne that I sat on, noting its craftsmanship and current size, quickly studying it and committing it to memory. I stretched, watching my own arms and hands move, pushing psychic energy and my Sight through them, examining how deviant this body was from human. I felt a sense of relief at being able to move around a little again. I felt brief frustration that I couldn't just possess her forever and leave my husk on Terra behind.

Erika responded to that thought with alarm, and I silenced that too.

...7

The ship hummed. "3 out of possible 9. Minor physical changes. Sight: low. Potential: Alpha+"

I nodded, and inhaled sharply. Good. Full potential, but awhile to go yet, little sister, I thought. Whoever summoned her into this universe had made an excellent judgement call.

...6

"You aren't Erika," a strangely accented voice responded to my right. I turned, and felt great distaste to find that it was some kind of bird mutant, and he was fully integrated as a copilot! His feathers were black, and his beak was short and hooked, like a falcon's. He essentially looked like a feathery long limbed human with a bird's head. A sense of irritation washed through me. How could a mutant have access to this majestic vessel? I sensed trepidation through the bird man as he looked at me, his ears pulled back and his blue-gold eyes wide. "What are you?" he quickly asked me. I didn't have the time or patience for speaking with this fool.

...5

"A friend," I growled impatiently, continuing to prod this vessel with my Sight, studying its changes, its imperative, everything I could in the short amount of time I had. I prepared myself to kill this mutant, but an urge within Erika stayed my hand.

...4

"You're a daemon aren't you?" the mutant accused me.

I glared at him. "Furthest thing from a daemon, ignorant filth."

...3

To stop any issues with his interference without killing him, I rendered him unconscious. Idiot.

...2

Alright, time to get to business. Using her soul reserves fixed into both her and the Parson Shield, I pulled into my Sight, and willed physical time to obey me, and it did, slowing down considerably. I felt great strain on Erika's soul, but she had to learn. Her Sight was a small fraction of my own, but luckily, it was existent, allowing me to bend the rules of reality a little, and permitting our escape.

I willed my consciousness to the front of the vessel, and I became the Divine Retribution once again, flying through the slower Warp. Carefully, I reached out with my Sight and manipulated the state of reality and time around the Parson Shield, allowing us to move quickly in the manipulated Warp.

Watch and learn, little sister, I instructed the native soul within myself. She watched.

Black boulders of ruin that threatened to smash me now flew much more slowly in the Warp, and I could now easily fixate on the light that held my consciousness sparkling ahead. For an easier time seeing the corrupted space before me, I operated the heading beacon, which projected ahead of us in a radiant corridor of holy light, similar to the way the Astronomicon functioned, but with far less potency. Because the connection to the Astronomicon was now quite good, I felt a few more of my personalities slip into this borrowed body, empowering me further. A lost Chaos Fury was struck by the light, and it screamed as it was burned. The heading beacon pulled from Erika, who groaned with the strain.

A brief glance back on Terra, and I could taste the panic in the Imperial Palace and the bowels of the Astronomicon. Tech-priests were frantically praying and weeping on the floor, pleading for the machine spirits within the Throne to calm so that the light that came from me wouldn't burn out.

A boulder appeared quickly in front of me out of nowhere. No problem. Divine Retribution, Phase Shift left. I instantly phased out of existence and reappeared aside the boulder as it swung harmlessly away. Erika responded in surprise, and I decided to open myself up to conversation once again.

How are you doing this? Did we just teleport? she asked me.

I used the Sight and manipulated the Parson Shield skin around us to bend reality, allowing for both faster travel and a short phase shift. The Parson Shield is actually a sort of reality-altering skin emanating from your own Traveler's soul, more potent and useful than a standard Gellar Field. With enough skill, it can do many things. You have the Sight as well, but you are not strong yet to do this alone. You must consume more souls to become more powerful. Feast on those who would subdue you, little sister.

I willed a map to appear in my mind's eye, and pushed the engines onboard the Divine Retribution into overdrive, willing us to follow the light ahead. We were going so fast that it now looked like we were skipping through the Warp on the map. I felt a trickle of blood fall from Erika's nose and one of her eyes. She was experiencing great psychic strain from this. Behind me, I could see that the Warp was tearing further. The entire area was being annihilated, both Immaterium and Materium. This was quite a danger, I was forced to admit. Why was she on Nubua on the first place anyway?

I projected the thought casually to her, and she was slow to respond. She explained to me that a Lord of Change transported them there. Of course that happened, I shook my head. Yet another meddlesome action by Tzeentch. Even Erika weakly laughed.

You must not trust Chaos in any capacity, little sister. Your charge is to protect humanity, and none of the Chaos Gods wish mankind to have a good end. Being who you are as a beacon of hope, you are especially at risk for being manipulated by Tzeentch, so you must be wary, I instructed as I steered us through the Warp.

Yeah, well, too late for that, Emps... she responded weakly as I continued to bleed from my eyes.

Emps? I questioned for a moment. Oh. I allowed myself a rare laugh. She was funny. Blood began to flow more heavily through my nose, flowing down my neck and onto my chest.

I sensed many eyes were now watching this region from many alignments. No doubt, the disintegration of the vast Broken Desert of Nubua was now also an astronomical event that was being curiously watched on top of the Astronomicon's power surge. That would probably be a problem later concerning unwelcome attention. I wondered how this was affecting the dreams in this region? If they were ignorant of her before, they certainly wouldn't be now.

Skipping along through the Warp, I sensed metaphorical color and light begin to filter through the area once again, and the black nothing boulders became less frequent.

...1

We were almost out, and I was almost out of psykers to devour. Pity, I had actually begun to enjoy myself. I briefly examined Erika's body, and found that this had taken a heavy toll on her. The Parson Shield and heading beacon were both burning up her soul at a quick pace. I turned off the heading beacon, concerned. She was slouched and motionless on her throne, even as my consciousness still clung to her. She'd probably not feel well after this.

We're almost out, I reassured her. She didn't respond.

The Warp was now filled with blessedly normal nightmares and typical surreal terrors, and I saw that many of them were fleeing in the same direction I was. A frightened newborn void whale was flying close to me away from the cataclysm. It had been blown away from its pod, and was crying out in fear as it fled from the devastation behind me. I worried about the captain's health, and made a decision. With a rapid diving turn, the Divine Retribution rammed the unlucky creature's head with a perpendicular slice of its sharp wings, carving through an essential nerve cluster near its brain. I registered a small hit to the void shields from this action, but this would help the us. The newborn whale screamed in agony in the Warp as it died, and its life energy was greedily consumed by the Divine Retribution.

"We're losing power!" An adept shouted as they started to frantically force more screaming doomed psykers into the Astronomicon's machinery. The very instant these pitiful individuals were plugged in to their vestibules and coffins, they were consumed in a flash of energetic light. Piles of dusty human remains were now swirling on the floors, and the air was so hot that servitors fell, their systems overloaded beyond functionality. Death cries and screams of madness blended together in a cacophonous symphony. That was probably my cue to go home. With an easy command, we translated to realspace, and I commanded the Divine Retribution to land on a rocky dead world orbiting a nearby star at a modest distance. A few rapid calculations, and a safe landing area had been chosen. It could regenerate there using solar winds. The vessel began adjusting its trajectory to land on the planet. There, all finished.

I sat thinking for a moment in Erika's incapacitated body, clinging to her in a Corona separate from her own. She was bleeding from her ears now. Hopefully, they had a doctor on board, but even if not, the perpetual nature of her body would slowly regenerate any damage. I now recalled just how difficult it actually was to be the pilot of such a willful soul-greedy transformative machine, especially early on. As wonderful the eagle was to fly, the toll on the body could be severe, and it didn't exactly come with an instruction manual. Once she was strong enough to take a more powerful form, things would get easier, I reassured myself.

Through my Sight, I critically observed her again. Already, I could see signs that Erika had shifted away from baseline human. The distinctive gold Corona was already there, along with some minor physical manifestations. Sharper cheekbones, smoother skin, and more idealized features were evident. The mental changes the Eagle would inflict upon her would see to that her moral compass would eventually be appropriately aligned, trammeling her soul into the creature she would become. Humanity needed to have hope in something in this grim universe, no matter how unlikely.

And for humanity's sake, she could not depart this reality. Erika had to stay here, and not flee through Molech's Warp Gate. I had neglected to tell her of the Wizard, the trials she would face, and the impossible favors he would request of her. In time, she would come to understand that humanity needed her here. The Great Eagle would make sure of that.

Through my Sebastian personality, I then felt strange pity. Conflicted, I found that I still wanted to tell her to run away, that every moment of my existence had been a torment for over ten thousand years, even after all my efforts. A dark part of me whispered that it was all useless, and it was all going to come to nothing, no matter what I or anyone else did. I discovered that I could not voice my fears to my new probable successor. It was impossible. Even with the heightened humanity of the part of me that was Sebastian, my warnings remained unspoken.

Instead, I found myself reaching out with an astral hand, and I softly cradled her as she bled, feeling terribly sorry for her eventual plight, but not able to implant a warning in her that she should flee from this doomed plane the moment the opportunity presented itself. As Sebastian, I suddenly felt very human here, and the sensation of genuine human empathy toward one singular individual surprised me. Even when I had spoken to the people of the Independent Empires a short time ago, the feeling wasn't nearly as strong as it was now. A quiet part of me still so deeply missed being human, even after all this time. There really was no place like home...

Far away, a man shouted with glee that he had captured a third tear from my cheek.

She'll do alright. I did alright, didn't I? I wondered with that guttering spark of genuine humanity as I began to feel myself drawn back to the Golden Throne.

Didn't I?

My conscience was then silent, and within the well of my vast soul, I remained cold, detached, and utterly inhuman, a cheap gold-plated simulacrum of God in the shape of a savior.

Wake up, little sister, I whispered to her, and I gifted her with an embrace of additional soul energy and knowledge from my own light, causing the Key on her chest to brighten. That should ensure that she regenerated fully. I felt the heart in her chest jump to life as I was once again pulled backwards through the corridor of fire, and back to my tortured body on Terra.

I startled awake and back to life. Blind, bleeding, and screaming, I became Erika once again.

I was screaming!

A white featureless void surrounded me as if I was staring directly into a spotlight! A salty mixture of tears and blood fell from my eyes as I frantically blinked in terror, screaming at what I had just experienced!

I was blind!

Even when I closed my eyes, I could only see white. The only thing I could feel was fiery pain right down through my skeleton, and it felt as if I was being continuously struck by lightning. The residual visions of seeing myself on the Golden Throne of Terra, and the sensations of having a second alien soul subsuming my own were cycling through my mind in a whirlwind. The searing metal of the throne I sat on felt like I was sitting on a hot electric cooking range. A drop of blood from one of my eyes fell into my mouth, which caused me to panic even more, causing me to scream even louder. I was blind! I was blind!

"Help her off the throne!" I heard a male voice distantly speaking to someone else. He sounded upset, I reached desperately forward, convulsing and bleeding from every orifice in my head. "Astartes! Get up! Help her! The presence is gone!"

I sensed a large shape moving near me, and I could somehow tell that Lian was trembling, greatly spiritually unnerved. Easily, I was able to pick up his anxious thoughts. It is blasphemous to stand higher than the Golden Throne. I am committing heresy. It is blasphemous to stand higher than the Golden Throne. I am committing heresy, he repeated over and over inside his mind, completely unable to react to conscious stimuli.

"Get me off! Get me off!" I screamed in a loud, resonant voice, and I felt the throne detach me. Every cell of my body felt like it was on fire! I frantically reached out again, unable to see anything but the terrible white void. I promptly pitched forward to fall on the metal floor, screaming and bleeding. My voice began to crack. "I'm blind! I'm blind!"

I received a mental image of the Fallen flinching in fear as I continued screaming on the floor. I could feel a sort of existential dread reaching through him, and he had started backing away from me, not knowing how to parse what he had seen.

"Scion!" I heard a different male voice over me. "He's gone! He's gone now!"

Through my panic, I could easily sense fear on the bridge. Everyone was afraid to touch me, it seemed. Somehow, I knew that they were perceiving that light was spilling from me. I sensed that my Corona was involuntarily lit, aflame and wreathing me like a cocoon.

"The mutant isn't moving either," the Fallen quietly observed nearby in a daze, still unable to react at the situation before him.

I continued screaming. I couldn't help it. Memories of having my soul bled out of me for energy tore through me over and over again. Memories of seeing Sebastian on the Yellow Brick Road, and feeling his absolutely overwhelming presence and finding it to be completely alien made me wretch in between breaths as I screamed. The Emperor wasn't human, nor was he even close to human! I knew what had happened now. He... he had been forcibly transformed into something else by this ship! And now, the ship was in the process of transforming me! What was happening to me, and why am I only finding out about this now?!

My new gold eyes, my increasing psychic strength, my gold Corona, my ability to intimidate, my weird aggressive behavior I had been occasionally feeling... it all made sense now! It wasn't just a natural ability that came from being a Mary Sue Traveler; I was being transfigured!

More screaming. Everything was blinding white. Blood continued to drip from my nose, eyes, and ears. All I could feel was the sensation of being confined to the Golden Throne, and the visceral agony of it. I clawed at my own skin, wondering if it was still human, and wondering if I was still alive. Heat and electricity crawled from my skeleton, and outward to radiate through my skin. I was blind! I was blind!

Can you hear me? I heard a mental voice cut through the noise of my own terror. The surprise of hearing a strong psychic voice actually caused me to pause in my panic. My pain did not cease, but at least I had stopped screaming. Good, you can. Good. This is Virgil. You are bleeding. You have just been blinded by being in close proximity to the Emperor's light.

"What?" I audibly choked out, taking a shuddering breath as I struggled to control myself. A wave of burning electricity coursed through me, causing me to arc my back reflexively in pain. "V-virgil?" More blood flowed into my mouth, and I dry heaved as I lay on the floor.

"I think he sanctioned you. You're blind, yes?"

I took a deep breath, and hoarsely composed myself. Stop it, stop it. Calm down, I demanded of myself, directing my conscious attention away from the electric agony inside me. Between gasps, I was able to miserably croak out, "Yeah, I can't see. I'm b-blind. Blind. Everything is white! S-something else than sanctioned. Something else. Everything f-feels like burning!" I then began to shiver violently again, still on the floor. "I... I saw him! He p-p-possessed me! He t-told me so many things! Are w-we s-safe now? Are we out of the D-deadly Desert?"

No one said anything. Oh, I was the captain, I slowly realized. I was the one who needed to ask the ship that.

"Divine R-retribution, where are we?" I weakly asked, retching again on the floor as I spasmed in pain.'' This was all too much!

Silence. My crewmembers were standing around me, unwilling and afraid to touch my radiant burning body.

"Is everything okay? W-w-why isn't the ship responding?!" I questioned in alarm, trying to pull my head up. Everything was still a bright void before me, and I kept blinking my unseeing eyes. The Fallen nearby blazed with spiritual intimidation, and cringed away from the direction of my blind gaze.

"The central display is communicating that information. I'll read it out for you," Virgil replied. "Location: Materium, Fuel capacity: 67%. Parson Shield capacity: 6%, Void shield capacity: 39%, Beacon: off. That's what it says."

6% Parson Shield? Did that mean I had 6% of my soul remaining? Wow, we probably should stay out of the Warp for a little while, I thought with feeble humor. I really fucked up this time, haven't I? My lips pulled into a faint smile, and I began to laugh at my ridiculous circumstances, much to the chagrin of my crewmembers. I curled up further into a fetal position, giggling madly at how crazy the last two weeks of my life had been.

The ship then audibly intoned, "Warning: Extreme psychic exhaustion, heavy psychic stigmata, and moderate bodily damage detected on captain. Minor psychic stigmata and minor physical damage detected on secondary navigator. Warning: Parson Shield critically low. Approaching world, TJ-157. Estimated arrival time, 57 minutes."

Oh no, another new planet? Fuck me, no more space adventures! I'm fucking done! Why are we landing here? I had lost consciousness midway through the Emperor lecturing me and tearing chunks of my soul out for food. Did he order us to land there? I groaned in both pain and frustration. "Divine Retribution, where are we landing? What's this world like? And tell me audibly." Hopefully not another shitty fucking planet with mysterious danger pyramids, cursed xenos artifacts, chaos space marines and fucking entropy tornadoes.

"TJ-157: Class E planet. Classification: Dead World. 1.17 gravity. 1.06 standard rotational time. .006 standard atmospheric pressure. Negligible atmosphere. Full pressure suit required."

Was it really dead, or was there some kind of terrible secret that we would discover that would fuck us up if we went outside? I cleared my hoarse throat as I weakly tried to pull myself up into a sitting position. As I regained control of my mental facilities, I found that my pain was subsiding. "Okay. Every... everyone, l-listen. N-no one goes outside. We're just... we're just going to stay on this dead world somewhere for a l-little bit, got it?"

"Of course," Virgil said. "We obey."

Nearby, I could sense that Lian was finally snapping out of his fugue, and I heard him kneel down next to me on the floor.

"Tell us what to do," Lian quietly requested, a slight choke in his voice. "Please just tell us. Tell us. Tell me." I could sense the proximity of the Fallen's holy sword as he leaned down next to me. In a strange way, it seemed to comfort me a little. I could focus on the sensation of the warmth radiating from that blade nearby instead of focusing on the supernatural fire that still raced through my blood. Wow, Lian had the Lion Sword, I remembered.

"Everyone else," I spat a gout of blood on the floor. "T-tell me about everyone else. Is anyone dead? B-bird Nazi guy? The Tin Man? The... the, uh, the B-blank witness ladies? Moray and Ennui, w-whatever their names are? Is anyone dead?" I babbled the questions, forcing myself to breathe heavily on the floor as I remained lightly shivering. "The Em-emp...Emp... he went after Alberich. Almost killed him, but I said no. Emps calls me 'little sister', says I'm changing."

A very heavy pause, and I heard the light metal scraping of Lian's ceramite armor.

"The bird mutant is unconscious. He bleeds from his ears, and remains on his throne," Virgil replied, kneeling down on the floor to speak to me. "The others, I will check. Null appears to be gravely injured."

So, the Emperor didn't kill Alberich, but he had knocked him unconscious. No wonder. He was a mutant that had mouthed off to the fucking Emperor, I remembered now. The beastman had called the Master of Mankind a daemon. Really bad move, dude. I began laughing softly again. Alberich was actually lucky to be alive considering his weird connections to Tzeentch. He probably shouldn't be attached to that throne right now, I concluded.

"Divine Retribution, d-detach copilot," I croaked out. My throat was raw. "H-help me... help me off the floor," I said, my teeth chattering so hard that one of them chipped. "N-null is injured. How bad?" I asked as I flashed back to the tech-priest taking a hit from a sonic blaster from only a couple paces away and getting thrown off the road. He was lucky to be alive at all. My Corona began to dim as I began to calm down.

"The situation is dire, I'm afraid," Virgil replied solemnly. "Tech-priests of Mars are typically more resilient than fleshy beings, but much of his circuitry is destroyed, and he is unresponsive to stimuli. I know that his core may be damaged, but I am no tech-priest doctor and cannot diagnose problems."

Leaning his holy blade against my throne, Lian then gently grasped me behind my shoulders, and easily picked me up to hold my body like a sick child in his arms. I curled up in a fetal position as he held me. While I was still blind and still burning up, at least I had stopped screaming. I could feel that the Fallen was trembling under his power armor, also finding this action somehow "blasphemous".

"Okay, well, what do we do?" I asked, trying to swallow everything I had seen without screaming again. "So Null is dying? Am I hearing you correctly, Virgil?" Lian's power armor had been damaged at some point, I felt, idly touching a dented area on his breastplate that hadn't been there before. "Take me to my room, Lian," I requested.

The hologram cleared his throat as we began to depart from the bridge, leaving Alberich alone. "I... I'm not certain about the archmagos," Virgil stated, his voice slightly choked. "I regret that I am not skilled in medicine, but I do know that he's-" the hologram paused, considering what to say. "I don't think he's coming back from this without intervention."

A mental image flashed in my mind, and deeper within the ship, I witnessed the broken form of the tech-priest sprawled on the floor. Two servitors stood motionless around him, almost in some sort of vigil. I blinked my blind eyes at seeing this, and then remembered something Sebastian had told me. I apparently had a special ability called the "Sight", which is unique to... creatures like me. I now knew that it was a form of heightened clairsentience and temporal manipulation that went beyond normal psyker skills. It could both sense and manipulate probability and manifestation using the fate-bending abilities of the Traveler's soul magnified and perfected by the Divine Retribution. To put it simply, it almost felt like it was a fancy way to describe stacking the deck in my favor with a twist of plot armor. At high level, it even seemed to be able to manipulate matter without the corrupting touch of the Warp, which was closer to the ability of a C'tan than a human. That was incredible, but since I was nowhere near Emperor strength, I couldn't do the wild stuff he could do, at least not yet. But, maybe I could use the Sight to help Null here?

I took a deep breath, and pushed my senses forward, pulling into the well of my being like Sebastian had done. Around me, I felt my Corona brighten as I lay in Lian's arms, and in my mind's eye, I saw Null on the floor again, but the image was more coherent. He was bleeding both thick red blood, and some kind of black oil, and I could tell that he was gradually losing power from some kind of battery in his core. Deep within, I knew then for certain, these injuries were mortal. Without intervention, he would die.

Pushing the ability further, I tried to see if I could find a way to heal him, to force his broken body to mend. I found that I had apparently been taxed to my limit earlier, and I felt a sudden stabbing migraine. Blood began to trickle from my ears again. However, I was able to pick up one odd thing with my enhanced perception. My Sight was still somehow showing me that he would live, but that something "alien" would save him. What was that?

We continued walking down the hall of the Divine Retribution's straightened neck, and I shifted myself in Lian's arms. "Virgil, do you know of anything at all that might help him? I'm talking anything, even if it's on the heretical or alien side. I'm too messed up to heal anyone, but there has to be something."

The hologram was silent for a moment as we strode down the hall toward my quarters. "Well, yes, there... there may be, but it, well, it is not very orthodox," he carefully spoke.

"Tell me," I instructed, starting to lose patience, causing Lian to flinch as he held me.

Another long moment as Virgil carefully weighed what to say to me as we walked. "Null has, over his life, collected many xenos artifacts from the places he has ventured to. Very few do I understand, but well, just yesterday, when he and I were meeting in his workshop here, he spoke about one artifact that he had been studying that had captured his attention. He... he said that it was Necron tech, and that it had the ability to heal metal flesh, to mend it back into the memory of what it had previously been. He spoke of a lot of other things, much of which I did not properly understand, but Null did tell me that... that at some point after his tests were completed that he was looking forward to integrating the tech onto himself. He was very excited about it."

This was certainly convenient. Null was hoarding mysterious xenos tech and he hadn't told me? Well, color me surprised. "What is it, this thing?" I asked.

"He told me not to speak to anyone about it..."

"You're going to tell me what it is right now," I growled, getting upset. "I outrank him. Tell me."

Even though he was a hologram, I could sense that Virgil was now trembling in fear; he quickly answered me. "A belt. A-a jeweled belt. It came from a Necron world, I was told. Null has been studying it nearly constantly since my resurrection. 'Unmatched regenerative properties', he said."

Why did that sound familiar, I wondered. I closed my eyes, and I found that I had actually hit my psychic limit a long time ago today, and couldn't use the Sight anymore. "What do you need to do with the belt to save him?"

"I... I think we just place it upon him, like a normal belt. Nothing more. From what I understood, that's all."

"Okay," I murmured. So, Null was going to die for certain if we didn't do this. We were drifting into 40k trope territory once again. Misuse of xenos tech was definitely on the "40k disaster bingo" card, but we didn't really have much of a choice. "Do it, then, Virgil. Put the belt on Null. If he somehow turns into a Chaos Spawn or a Necron or something we'll have to kill him, I guess. I'd like him to live, so we have to take a chance."

Virgil responded with a shaking affirmative, "Yes, y-yes, my Emp-uh, Scion. Thy will be done. I go now." I heard the snapping electric sound of the hologram phasing out of existence, no doubt teleporting to where Null was bleeding.

Lian was now walking inside my suite, and he gently laid me down on the ragged bed. "Thank you," I said to the Fallen.

"You appear to be injured," Lian observed in a soft voice. "Tell me what you wish of me, and I will perform this task."

"Go and help Virgil with Null, Lian. Take your sword just in case. And Lian?" I pulled myself up on the bed, and tried to smile in his general direction. "Thank you again. We killed that asshole. We destroyed a daemon prince! If I could give blessings or something right now I'd do that, but I'm still figuring out how this works myself. This isn't my home universe, after all."

Lian did not respond for a few heartbeats, and I could feel that he was radiating emotion, and was having difficulty articulating himself with something. I felt him brace himself for bravery before he began speaking again.

"I beheld a vision of what you would become when he possessed you, and our brave future," the Fallen confessed in a voice like faraway thunder, and I could hear him kneeling next to my bed. "You... you were very tall, very strong, and you were like a living angel of retribution against the enemies of mankind. Many rallied to your banner across the galaxy. You wore a crown of laurels on your head, and you waged war with two white blades against the beasts of the Black Legion. I saw this. Throne, I even saw you in a duel with..." he paused, and I could now feel overwhelming adulation shining from him. "I saw it!" A warble in his voice as he paused to catch his breath. "I am... I am ashamed at my earlier behavior. As my brothers said, I was a coward. No one considered that a woman would be summoned, and my pride and assumptions got the best of me. When I contact the rest of my order, they will see, and the galaxy will know you. They will bow. This I promise. My name as Cowardly Lian will know absolution in bravery, this I swear."

I blinked my blind eyes. That sure was a lot to take in, and I didn't feel like dealing with it right this minute. "Well, any encounter with the Emperor is going to be, uh, powerful, to say the least. Let us discuss this when everyone has had more rest. Right now, please go and help Virgil out. You and Virgil talk to me telepathically if you need me."

"Yes, my Empress," Lian said automatically, jumping to his feet. He left my room and I could hear his heavy footsteps as he dashed right back to the bridge to retrieve his sword.

Space Marine endurance was incredible, I idly thought before remembering what Lian had just called me. "Shit," I quietly swore, and shook my head. I could feel dried blood caking the dirt and silt on my cheeks, and my hair was matted up from the wind. At least I was blind so I didn't have to see how much of a mess I was. This was even worse than escaping Kolch. I reached up to pick at the flakes of dried blood around my eyes, self conscious. "They could've summoned an army guy, or a politician from my universe. Instead, they get me, some random nobody who does shitty art and writes shitty fanfiction. This universe is screwed now, I guess."

Alone in the blinding white void that was my bedroom, I continued attempting to center myself, trying to make sense of everything. My situation just kept getting worse. I was completely blind and completely fucked up from having the Emperor's soul possess me and then do crazy space-time acrobatics to guide us away from Nubua. While it had been necessary, the strain this had put on me had been terrible. Aside from bleeding everywhere, new imported memories flew like frightened birds in my mind, racing through my thoughts so quickly that it was difficult for me to actually contemplate them critically. One thing definitely did stand out, though.

The Divine Retribution was altering me, body and soul, transforming me into something that wasn't human. It was actively bending me around to suit itself. It was doing this through the Key as I devoured souls, compounding my psychic strength to new levels. This explained my changed eyes, hair, and gold aura. Was my behavior being influenced too? Looking back, I remembered how ruthless I had suddenly been when hunting down the Ebon Hare. I hadn't even tried diplomacy, and instead, I had pursued that little ship until it blew up. I still felt horrible that I had done that; it had felt as if my normal human conscience had been silenced.

I needed to calm down, and in relief, I remembered Virgil's psychic calming chain. Blindly, I grasped outward and searched for the table in my suite. I discovered the metal water jug and a cup (which I promptly knocked to the floor), but as soon as I found my heavy "chill-out" chain, my thoughts began to slow down.

Sitting on my ragged bed, I passed each of the metal links over my fingertips, concentrating on my breathing, and trying to relax. I vaguely wondered who had summoned Sebastian away from his universe. In my case it had been Evanora on Levant in her little circle... or, had it been Lian's shadowy order? Wait a minute, didn't Tzeentch have something to do with this too, and didn't Tzeentch hate the Emperor? Why would he bring another potential Emperor figure into this universe? I still didn't understand a lot of what was going on, and Molech was still awhile away. If I could get there and leave as quickly as I could, I'd be okay, right? I didn't want to end up like Sebastian.

I reached down and picked up the metal cup I had knocked over, and sat up to pour myself some water from the jug. No Null means no servitor slaves to serve me, I guessed. I hoped that Null would survive; he really was indispensable. A quick dip with my general psychic senses saw Virgil floating through narrow gold hallways carrying a wide belt covered in jewels and tinkling charms. Outside, I distantly heard Lian running down the hallway to retrieve his mighty daemon-killing holy sword. I was still in awe that the Fallen was actually in possession of the damn Lion Sword. Didn't he say that Cypher was supposed to come looking for it? Was that shadowy edgelord going to start chasing us around now? Fuck.

Maybe a bath would help relax me, I wondered after a short time of drinking water and grasping my calming chain. Slowly, I began to peel off my bloody, dusty clothes. I discovered that I had an large burning abrasion wound on my back from when Grikk'ahn had thrown me to the road, as well as what felt like sunburn on the skin of my upper body. When I was unbuttoning my shirt, my fingers found the Nemeses Argentum, and a I felt an electric spark snap at me when I touched it.

"Damn magic scissors bit me..." I grumbled. I reached into my shirt pocket, and removed the shears. They were strangely warm, and also, I could feel that they now seemed longer. They were easily the length of a good-sized dagger now. Had they grown again? I gripped the shears with my right hand, feeling their weight. Holy daemon-killing scissors, I thought. Well, isn't that something? Sebastian got a cool sword, and I got magic scissors. Perfect. I still didn't really know much about this artifact. Would these scissors become huge and scary if I got strong enough? I drew them across the air in a short arc. I don't know how many more daemon princes I'd be killing if I remained blind, though. I placed the artifact on the table.

Blinking, I tried to see if any of my vision had returned. It wasn't getting better. I removed my shirt, and since it was saturated with blood and dirt, I threw it on the floor. What was I going to do if I didn't get my vision back? I gripped the calming chain tightly.

What was I going to do if I couldn't ever get home? What was I going to become?

Before I could even get my trousers off, I was suddenly beset with cathartic wracking sobs. I leaned over on the bed, ugly crying. I never, ever wanted this. Wasn't this sort of power something that Mary Sues wanted? Vast power and strength? Having people look at you like a heroic living god? Maybe in another universe, but not this one! This universe eats people like potato chips, I reminded myself. They call it "grimdark" for a reason, because that's what it was. Sebastian had been in my position thousands of years ago, and he, despite his unfathomable power, had still failed. This was one of the worst places you could find yourself isekai-ed into, even if gifted with incredible strength.

"Fuck," I said. "Both I and this universe are totally screwed."

I would just have to leave before I became too messed up from my attachment to the Key and the Divine Retribution. An unwelcome whisper of, "maybe it wouldn't be so bad?" then intruded in on my anxiety, but I shut that down. Sebastian had still failed despite how powerful he was, and I had to remember that. I had to leave. I had a fast awesome spaceship, so I had to find a way to get to Molech in one piece.

My thoughts then drifted to what I had learned about the Divine Retribution. The spaceship I was attached to was absolutely incredible, I definitely had to admit. No wonder Null went crazy when the Imperium had wanted to cut it open. It was priceless, and it wasn't just pre-Fall Aeldari tech like I had thought, but goddamn War in Heaven shit. It wasn't quite clear on who had built it, but Sebastian seemed to think it was the product of some Old One Warp engineering for use against the Necrons, which explained why Orikan and Trazyn seemed to be knowledgeable of its existence. Whatever it was, it was clearly an incredibly powerful weapon. It even had its own little mini Astronomican that it could use as beacon! And, my god, did using that heading beacon hurt! Using that function in any consistency would probably have to wait until I was healthier and stronger.

Standing up, I went to remove my trousers. As I took them off, I felt something hard and ovoid inside one of the pockets. I reached inside, and discovered the glowing spirit stone that I had found on the Aeldari corpse on Nubua. While I couldn't actually see it, I could definitely somehow sense that it was glowing. It also felt both hot and cold in my hand, and I received random images of what appeared to be a Aeldari Ranger bravely fighting a large Chaos Marine in the colors of the Angels of Ecstasy. If we ever ran across any Aeldari, this might be useful for making friends. I placed the spirit stone on the table with a clatter.

Alright, time for a bath. I held my arms out, I began to blindly walk to the bathroom, holding the calming chain in my left hand.

Psychic words from Virgil made me cry out in surprise and almost fall to the ground. I am now here with Null with the xenos artifact.

Wait for Lian. He should be there in a moment; he is running to you, I suggested as I picked my way to the tub. I realized that I was dizzy, and that I really had been drained to my limit. Brief vertigo caused my world to spin for a moment before I found my balance. My hands found the faucet, and I started filling the tub. The gurgling water was very nice to listen to.

He just arrived, Virgil replied after a short time. Is, ah, there a reason he bears that holy sword with him here?

Insurance in case something goes wrong, I'm afraid, I responded. Using xenos tech is dangerous, but we have to take a chance, otherwise Null dies.

I am saddened that I agree with that, but your wisdom is sound. Null truly is a brilliant archmagos, so I have faith that his earlier judgement on this artifact was sound. Shall I apply the belt? Where should I put it? The hologram asked me with anxiety as he held the belt in his hands.

Just put it where a normal belt would go, I guess? I offered.

Did all this mean I was the Omnissiah too? That couldn't be right, I thought, listening to the water flow into the tub. I was happy that I still had Null's Mechanicus lye soap and my comb on the sink, so I could at least clean myself up. Another wave of vertigo struck me, and I gripped the rim of the tub for stability. Without warning, in my mind's eye, I was struck with another vision. In my weakened state, this caused me extreme discomfort, and I almost toppled forward onto the bathroom floor.

The area of space that had been the Broken Desert of Nubua, a dust cloud spanning over a thousand light years in over an irregular band of forbidden dead worlds, flashed in brilliant white-gold light against the deep void of space. It brightened like a supernova for one final time, and then, it vanished as if it had never been, not even leaving atoms behind. Nubua and all the Independent Empires had vanished, leaving only shadowy memories in very few places. While it made me sad to witness, I was glad that the ancient ghosts had achieved some kind of peace. Intuitively, I knew that the event had definitely been seen. Multiple parties had witnessed this event at a distance, and were already shouting questions to themselves if this was related to the sudden brightening of the Astronomican. A solitary individual in a tiny craft raised a bottle of liquor to the event as he witnessed the stellar pyrotechnics in a drunken toast, and slurred, "Here's to you, gold bird; let's hope you're dead!"

Was he referring to me? "Well, sorry buddy, I'm not dead," I whispered audibly, wondering who that guy was but too tired to care.

I waited for Virgil to get back to me as I sat on the rim of the tub, clutching the calming chain and trying not to ruminate too much. Hearing nothing after a handful of minutes, I then carefully dipped into the warm water, and stretched out.

With a wince, I could now feel every single little cut and bruise on my body. The wound on my back burned with pain, and I hissed. It was probably good that I couldn't see right now, as the water I was in was probably turning black with all the dried blood, ash, and silt I was covered in. I began to untangle my hair with the comb.

Once again, I heard Virgil speak to me. So, we've attached the belt. It has latched onto Null's body. Here it is:

I received an image of Null laying on his back as he lay on a large bed somewhere on the ship. From here, I could definitely sense that he was severely damaged. Many of his mechadendrites were broken and bent, and his robe was blackened and torn. His metal chest was slick with blood and oil, and he was missing one of his left arms. Null appeared lifeless, and even one of the (currently black) animated eye displays on his face was cracked. Lian stood over the scene, clutching his holy sword and watching for trouble. The jeweled belt could barely be seen under the tech-priest's burned and bloodied robes, and was wrapped around his waist. My head began to hurt again, and more blood began to flow from my nose. I cut the image off for my own safety. While I was a lot stronger than I was on Levant, I still had my limits.

He no longer bleeds, and it appears to me that his core is no longer draining. What should we do now?

I guess we wait and see if he regenerates, I replied, massaging my temple as I held the calming chain. Tell Lian to set up a watch over Null if he can do it. Don't take chances.

I could feel that Virgil was speaking with Lian. What of the other injured? And who are the two women with the gold masks?

I yawned. I was absolutely exhausted. Go and see to the them. They are two very powerful Blanks, and they wear those masks to suppress their own auras. Long story, but we found them on Nubua, and they swore themselves to me. They're friends. I don't want Lian leaving Null's side, just in case, but if you can examine the women and see that they're not immediately going to die too, just see if you can put them in beds and make sure they're comfortable.

Understood, Virgil replied.

I felt like this sort of care was woefully inadequate, but I didn't have much of a choice here. Not only was I blind, but I could barely move. I pushed the bar of soap over my limbs, and felt how dirty I was when dirt began to accumulate under my fingernails. Would we ever go somewhere normal? Like, would we ever visit a planet where things weren't trying to kill us and the planet itself wasn't in peril? Had Sebastian had experienced the same kind of constant danger flying this ship? Maybe he did until he was himself was transformed into something even more dangerous before conquering Terra and capering around the galaxy on his Great Crusade. What would happen to me, I wondered again, shivering as I pulling my legs up to my chest as I lay in the bath. I didn't want this. I'm just some loser nobody, not an Empress-construct-thing.

I yawned again, and wondered about Alberich who had been left alone up on the bridge. He was just unconscious, and not about to die, so at least that was good. My thoughts then went to Wolfie, who had been cut down by a Noise Marine's power sword. Wolfie was an immortal Warp beast, so I assured myself that he'd be back. It really was neat that I had an astral hound as a pet, and I wondered if this Wolfie was the same Wolfie I had back in the real world when I was a kid. Probably not, but it was fun to pretend. If I was going to be the "Dorothy" in this whole thing, I definitely needed a "Toto", I thought with a smile. The little black Warp beast would definitely be back.

When I didn't hear any more immediate updates on Null's condition, I rinsed myself off, and stepped out of the tub, still blind and still not getting any better. Toweling off and putting on my robe, I fumbled my way to the bed. Maybe if I went to sleep, I'd wake up and everything would be fixed? I was totally spent, spiritually and physically.

I placed the calming chain under the remains of a dirty shirt to serve as a pillow, and I quickly passed out.

Virgil? I called out in mind. You around, Virgil? Alberich, you awake yet?

Silence answered me. With a quick dip of my psychic senses, I realized that I couldn't feel any of my crewmembers. That was definitely worrying.

I stood up, and began to blindly pad around my quarters, my hands held out before me. "Hello? Guys?" I called out audibly. "Are you all okay? I'm awake now. What's going on?"

At the edge of my hearing, I heard distorted whispers. They sounded as if they were coming from a very fuzzy radio. Was the com system on the Divine Retribution busted? I cautiously picked my way out of my room, opened the front door, and stepped into the hallway.

I strained my ears again, and heard what sounded like two people, a man and a woman, having a very secretive conversation, desperate not to be heard. Their furtive words were fearful. I couldn't quite hear what direction they were speaking in, so I ducked behind the entrance to my quarters, and listened. Were these intruders?

"...and I swear, he isn't listening to anyone anymore! Have you been able to talk to him at all?" a woman spoke tersely. She sounded both frustrated and afraid.

"What's wrong now?" The person who responded was a man, his deep voice equally concerned and quiet.

"Bastian's been crying down in the galley trying to get drunk for hours, but it isn't working. Says he's worried about his 'transformation' thing again. Sounds like he's really frightened." The woman's words were quick. Whoever these people were, they sounded like they didn't want to be caught having this conversation. I continued to listen.

I heard the sounds of someone walking past, and both voices quieted. Wait, did she say the name Bastian? I knew that the name Bastian was often used a short version of Sebastian, so maybe they were talking about the former captain of the Divine Retribution? Maybe these people were actually ghosts? I had seen many apparitions on this vessel when I had first toured inside of it with Virgil, all the way back on Levant.

The strange woman spoke up again in relief, "Okay, coast is clear. Yeah, he's frightened, I know it."

The man who responded to her did so quietly and cautiously. I could definitely sense anxiety in his words. He sounded older and serious. "Truly, we're the ones who should be frightened. Yesterday, he got upset and accidentally set Lea's robes on fire with his mind. Then he got upset with himself for doing that and actually dented a strut in the dining room when he punched it. His temper has been getting worse since that last world, all those poor people."

"That was an accident. One of those giant evil god things tricked him. He didn't mean that to happen."

A frustrated sigh from the man. "That doesn't make it any better. Anyway, listen, I'll try to get Malachi to talk to him again. He listens to me. Maybe he's just having a breakdown or something?"

I was surprised to hear a third person interject. This one was a high-voiced woman with very distinct American accent, which was jarring to hear. "Wait, so, hold the phone. Bastian can't get drunk anymore now? Holy shit. Since when?" She almost sounded like she was from California, with a faint "surfer valley girl" accent.

"Some kind of poison resistance, Mal told me. It has something to do with, uh, that transformation he keeps going on about." The serious man sounded like he wanted to diffuse the situation.

"And hold up, what is he becoming, exactly? Did Mal actually tell you anything? Why isn't anyone allowed to talk about it? It's obviously fucking him up. And now he can't get drunk? Man, that's totally awful," the California girl spoke up, sounding exasperated.

"Well I don't-" the older serious man was interrupted by the first woman I had heard. She sounded very upset, and began to rant:

"Stop making excuses! I'm really damned tired of it. Bastian's been messed up and scary to be around recently, full stop. I mean, fuck me for being concerned, right? Our beloved captain dented a metal strut with just his damn bare fist, and you guys are just trying to explain it away! And you know what else is fishy? Mal seems just fine with it, all happy and acting like everything is great. Hasn't anyone noticed this? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills! You've seen all that bizarre light Bastian's been throwing off, right? He's gotten taller too, and something is weird with his face. Not to be an asshole here, but he's setting off an uncanny valley sense with me now. Really gives me the creeps! I mean, are we in danger here?"

Another different man spoke up, this one a younger guy with a heavy English accent. It appeared that I was overhearing an entire meeting of ghosts, all of whom were very upset at Bastian's recent behavior. "I agree, but we ruled out daemonic possession, so what could it be? I mean, I noticed that he's been getting stronger and stronger as time goes on, but lately, he's become unstable. Something really is happening to Bastian, and I also want to know what it is! Mal just keeps saying that it's normal, but no one is telling us about it! It's actually starting to look like Mal is encouraging it!"

The serious older man sighed, forced to concede to his more desperate fellows. "I completely agree, but what can we do? He's doing a lot more good than bad, yes, but I'm worried too. He's a good spirit, and to see him tormented so, it hurts me. He's always been forthcoming with us before. Best I can perceive with my sensitivity is that his psychic abilities have begun to increase exponentially due to an unknown factor, and his body is having difficulty regulating itself. It still does not excuse his recent behavior."

One of the women spoke up again, and indignation raced through her whispered words, "Real talk here, but are we all just supposed to forget about Molech, pretend it never happened? You know what I heard him say when he was talking to himself last week? He says he knows what he needs to get through the Warp Gate now, and to get us all home to our respective universes, so why aren't we going? And why isn't- wait, hey, did you hear something?"

I froze, holding my breath. Could they hear me?

"Could've sworn I heard something. Like, a scream or something," the California girl observed.

The angry woman snorted, "This old bird, filled with ghosts. Filled with weird alien ghosts. I'll talk to Mal this time, and once we get some evid-"

I woke up with a startled cry as I heard a mental scream echo through my mind. What is restful sleep? I have no idea anymore. All I could see was a canvas of blotchy white, and once again, that briefly frightened me until I remembered that I was blind. The psychic scream trailed off, sending shivers down my spine. As I sat bolt upright in my bed, I felt that my skin was tingling, and I put my hand over my left shoulder for a good scratch.

A swath of skin fell off in my hand, making me cringe in revulsion. Oh, yikes. As I sat feeling very grossed out in my bed, I noticed that numerous patches of my skin had fallen off in my sleep, and that I was now sitting in a nest of my own dead skin flakes. Another psychic yowl rang through my mind, causing me to cringe.

My leader! I heard Alberich cry in the direction of the bridge. Where are you? You were assaulted by a devil!

I'm okay, Alberich. That wasn't a devil. We need to talk, I responded in mind to the frightened beastman, scrambling out of my bed which was now more sheets of my own skin instead of sheets of destroyed bedding. Actually, I was very much not okay, I thought, feeling my peeling body. Really scary and really gross! What's going on now? Am I turning into a snake or something?

The unwelcome realization that I actually was actively transforming into something inhuman cut through me like a knife, and my breath caught. Was this peeling skin part of it? I ran my fingers across my rough, cracked skin. This whole predicament was simultaneously terrifying and strangely exciting, I reluctantly conceded. Before I could start thinking about how being a godlike psychic monster-lady might not be all that terrible, I quickly choked that thought with a reminder of what had happened to the last person who had been transformed by this ship. Nope.

I put my attention back on Alberich instead. Are you okay? How is your vision? Can you stand up? I'll see if I can get to you.

A pause. Yes, I can stand, and my vision is fine, he replied to me. I sensed now that Alberich was standing up, and examining his body. Clouds of dust were falling from his arms as he examined himself, and I felt his worry at this. I am covered in dust and I feel very strange. My body feels odd and itchy. Was I really this dusty after Nubua? Did that devil curse me? The last thing I saw was a demon of light possessing your body. I tried to fight back, but I was attacked. I am sorry, my leader.

Look, just try to relax up there. I'll come up to you in a little bit if you're having a bad time. That really wasn't a devil, and a lot has happened since you got knocked out, I tried to explain as I rubbed my eyes, trying to see if my vision had changed much since I had been asleep. Instead of a backdrop of blinding white light, I could now see slight smears and shadows in my vision. I was still effectively blind.

Alberich replied, Very well. I trust you, as I felt him begin to breathe heavily, willing himself to calm down.

I reached for the table and water jug as I stood in my suite, and just as I found it, my feet struck something hard and metallic. Sitting and pouring myself another cup of water, I reached down to investigate. Oh, I thought, my fingers finding the cold hilt of Evanora's diamond dagger. I had nearly forgotten about this. I picked up the dagger and put it on the table next to the spirit stone. I guessed that I would primarily be using my magic daemon-killing scissors from now on, but the dagger could still be useful somewhere, no doubt.

Drinking my water, I began to realize that I was becoming hungry. I reached out with my senses through the interior of the Divine Retribution, examining how my crew was faring.

Aside from Alberich who stood on the bridge, my crewmembers were still clustered around Null as he lay on a bed near the engine room. I could see that Virgil was currently speaking to Lian, who had sheathed his sword on his back. Their body language was relaxed, so I assumed that nothing had gone awry with Null yet. Virgil was able to perceive my psychic eye, and I saw him look up.

You are awake, good, the astropath hologram spoke to me with a relieved smile. What can I do for you, Scion?

Any changes with Null and the belt? I stretched my itchy body, reaching down to touch my toes as I stood in my room. I felt a little strange, but I attributed that to all the crazy shit I had had happen to me recently.

Virgil responded eagerly. He remains in a coma, but we are seeing regeneration of his injuries. Null was right about the belt. It seems to have memory on the correct form of his machinery, and is swiftly repairing him. His metal is quickly healing, and his core is even regenerating in power, pulling it from some source in the belt. It seems to be helping him greatly, but Null remains unconscious. But, aside from this, instinct tells me that something else is wrong, so I would request that you examine him soon if possible.

Alright, I'll be down there soon, I responded, touching the large areas of peeling skin on my body. I needed to be exfoliated, asap. How long have I been asleep?

You have been asleep for a little over five hours. The ship has since landed itself and settled on the dead world, and we respect your wishes to not go exploring, Virgil replied warmly. I sensed obvious relief in his psychic words. Before he could continue, I sensed that Lian was now speaking to him, and asking him to relay a message. Lian and I also wish to speak to you concerning the nature of this vessel and possible Warp phantoms within it. Both of us, in the last few hours, have been seeing what many Imperial citizens call "ghosts" floating through the halls. They are similar to what I saw on this vessel right before my death.

Right, I remember seeing ghosts with you when we first projected into the Divine Retribution when you died, and I think I just saw a few here in my dream. Are they hurting you at all? Causing any problems? I asked my crewmembers. On top of seeing the ghosts when I had first projected within the Divine Retribution, I pondered the voices I had heard in my dream. Was Bastian actually short for Sebastian, and what had happened with his crew to get them so upset?

Virgil responded to me: No, they don't hurt us. They have been floating insubstantially through the air down here near the engine. They sometimes watch us, but they seem harmless. I know better than to dismiss any Warp phenomena as harmless.

Yeah, I said, taking another big stretch and lightly scratching parts of my tingling, peeling skin. This was so gross. Was Null's soap really that caustic, or was this a transformative side effect? I shivered, preferring not to think too deeply on that. Always good to be on guard, but if it isn't an emergency, just ignore the ghosts for now. Distantly, I felt Alberich begin to freak out again on the bridge, now greatly upset at his experience. Hey, Virgil? Could you please come up here? I need you for something.

The air in my suite crackled and hissed like a exposed electrical circuit, and with a brief smell of ozone, Virgil had teleported himself to my room. Before he could say anything else, he observed audibly, "My! I had noticed your hair had changed when you were on the bridge, but not your skin! And it appears that you are taller! You've experienced numerous physical changes, it seems!"

"My hair?" I asked in surprise. "I'm taller too?" If I was taller, it probably wasn't by much, but on top of everything else, it was still pretty upsetting.

"Here is what I see. You are a few centimeters taller than before. It is not much, but I used to be slightly taller than you, and now, you stand eye to eye with me. More of your hair is white now as well. But your skin is what alarms me! It appears to be coming off in sheets! Are you afflicted with a disease, or is this a burn?"

Virgil sent me an image of what I looked like now, and I briefly gasped in surprise. The white areas of my hair had been limited before to two long thin sections over each eye, but now, I could see that white was extending further across my hairline and down my scalp. From what Virgil could see, my hair was very messy, but it also seemed fuller. I sort of looked like Rogue from X-Men now, which was pretty cool, I had to admit.

My skin was in bad shape. It appeared that I had experienced a severe sunburn without the burn, and large areas of my entire body were peeling and cracking. I had no idea what had caused this, and the only thing I could could think to immediately blame this on was that this was some kind of weird psychic burn that came from being in close proximity to the Emperor's light.

Curiously, I noticed something else: my facial features seemed a little more angular and polished than before. I wasn't sure if that was just how Virgil was personally seeing me, or if something had actually changed.

Whatever, I thought about all my changes. If I get my vision back, I'll worry about how I look like a comic book character now. At least I'm alive, I reminded myself.

"I have no idea about my skin, but the rest of it isn't too bad, aside from the blindness of course," I replied finally, feeling self-conscious as I began to lightly scratch my peeling arm. "I think it came from a sunburn by being in contact with the Emperor. I don't think I'm diseased, just gross."

"Perhaps this is all a simple cosmetic effect. When I was sanctioned, not only was I blinded, but my dark hair became this color," the hologram pointed at his mop of sandy-brown hair. "But your skin..."

"Forget about my skin, Virgil. It doesn't hurt, but it's very itchy," I said, feeling embarrassed. I finished my drink of water. "Anyway, Alberich just woke up on the bridge. Please help me get to him. I sense that he isn't doing well."

"Certainly, my uh Em-" the hologram sputtered, clearly wanting to call me "Empress" again.

"Okay, look, when everyone is awake and healthy again, I want to sit down and figure out what you guys should call me from now on, alright? For now, call me whatever you like, and please take me to the bridge. I'm still blind."

I could sense that Virgil was nodding, even though I couldn't see it. The astropath hadn't moved, and I could feel that he was now somewhat starstruck by being near me.

"Virgil?"

"Oh, yes, of course, Scion. I don't know where my wits went. It has been a taxing few hours for all of us here. Put your arm in mine, and I shall guide you to the bridge." My right hand found Virgil's left arm, and he gently guided me along the hallway to the bridge.

It was absolutely amazing that I could touch the hologram like this, I thought as we walked. He felt about 95% solid, and even registered a normal body heat from his form. His form buzzed with what felt like a very low static electrical charge, as if he had been walking across a carpet in a dry room. My face must have registered concern as we walked, because the holographic astropath spoke up.

"The blindness, you know. It isn't so bad once you're used to it. I was similarly blinded when I was sanctioned as an astropath, if you happen to know what that entails, and after a time, I didn't really need my physical sight anymore. It isn't so bad, really."

"It's getting a little better, I think," I said, blinking ahead of me. I could now see faint shadows in the white void, but I really hoped that my sight would resolve itself. "I can see a little shadow here and there now."

"Whatever your outcome, I'm certain you're up for the challenge. You were seen and witnessed by the Emperor Himself," Virgil said as we reached the stairs to the bridge. I sensed a tenseness coming from him, and his arm gripped me with slightly more pressure. "Did... did you speak with Him at all?"

"Yes," I responded simply, causing the astropath to react with amazed wonder. We began walking up the stairs. Ahead, I sensed that Alberich was not having a good time. Faint German singing could be audibly heard in the passage now from the direction of the bridge. "We talked. He said a lot of things to me."

"What did He say?" Virgil responded to me in a small excited whisper. "The Emperor speaking directly to you is... is..." he could not find the words. "I am sad that I lost holographic coherence on the bridge right before He possessed you. The energy of His presence is like sitting inside a star! If He actually spoke in words to you, that's really all the proof I could ever wish for, concerning who you are."

"He actually called me 'little sister', and he said a lot of things. I think I just need time to digest all of this."

"Of course. Forgive any rudeness, this is all so new to me that I may sometimes forget myself. A mere week ago for me was a thousand years ago, and I was still blind and alive," the astropath nervously laughed.

The German singing grew louder as we grew closer. It almost sounded like a nursery rhyme, and it also almost sounded like Alberich was trying not to burst into tears as he was singing. His sung German words sounded strained.

We crossed the threshold to the bridge, and the German singing stopped. "Erika? Meine Führerin?" I felt him turn to me.

"My leader? What has happened?" I heard Alberich walking hastily over to where I stood with Virgil, stopping a pace away. He then gasped. "What did that devil do to you!" the beastman cried out in worry, reaching to touch my shoulder. "You're blind! Your hair has changed again, and your skin! You look as if you've been burned!" I stepped back from the beastman, not wanting him to grab my sensitive itchy skin with his claws. I sensed that something had dramatically changed in Alberich too, but I couldn't immediately figure it out. I heard him lightly scratch at his head and neck with his short claws.

Virgil noticed my hesitation at being touched by the nervous beastman and got between Alberich and I. Alberich, seeing this, began to reluctantly back off. I sensed that he was definitely freaked out at what had happened, but probably didn't know that he was actually lucky to be alive. Calling the fucking Emperor a "daemon" to his face was not a very safe thing to do. Standing in front of me, Virgil began to speak, "Listen, the Scion has been through much. She has spoken with the Emperor, and He has sanctioned her under His holy light. Do not crowd or cause upset, mutant. You may have been permitted to live, but please, give her some space in this time."

Something snapped in the Tzaangor at being referred to as a mutant again, and he began yelling at Virgil. "Do not get in my way, ghost! You aren't even really alive! I have sworn my life to Erika since Levant! I simply wish to know what is happening to me!"

"I am a hologram, you uneducated poorly-bred beast! And I served as a high-ranking astropath in the Imperium of Mankind. My loyalty toward humanity far exceeds what you can perceive in any capacity, mutant!" Virgil sniped at Alberich, raising his voice.

I felt Alberich's anger begin to boil over, and I sensed psychic energy begin to charge in the room. Nope, not having this now!

"Calm down!" I yelled at the two of them, my Corona igniting powerfully around my head and shoulders in emotion, stronger than it had been before. Alberich's psychic energy was immediately dispelled by my presence, and both he and Virgil cringed away submissively from me. This was not something that I felt like dealing with right now.

"Listen, we almost died on Nubua, Alberich! The only reason we're alive is that the Emperor actually came through for us and guided me out of the area as it was disintegrating! Do you know who that is? The fucking God-Emperor of Mankind? That name should give you a clue. He had to possess me for a short time to do that, and it blinded me. Now, I'd rather take blindness and being alive then being disintegrated, wouldn't you?"

Both Alberich and Virgil were speechless for a few moments, and each cringed away from me. I inhaled sharply, and pulled my Corona back within myself. My skin tingled uncomfortably.

"But, what happened to me?" Alberich miserably cried out after a short silence. "Look!"

I could hear a rustling as I sensed that the beastman had held out one of his arms to show us what had happened. I could hear a faint swishing sound, and got the impression that he was lightly scratching the downy velvet of his skin. Unexpectedly, I felt a sense of surprise from Virgil, who let out a concerned and intrigued, "Ooo..."

"Well, is someone going to tell me?" I asked, irritated. I couldn't very well look at anything while blind.

"The uh, mutant's skin and feathers," Virgil spoke. "The black soot that covers him. When touched, it flakes off and falls to the floor, intermixed with bluish dust."

Virgil sent me a mental image of what he had witnessed. Alberich was so covered in ash and dirt that he looked almost black in places. The beastman had his arm out before him, and his expression was pained and desperate. I didn't understand what was being communicated here.

"Okay, he's dirty. He fell into a silt pit on Nubua. So what?"

"If I look closely, under the layer of dirt, his plumage is now, grey, or ivory. I cannot tell. His color has bleached."

Virgil sent me another image as he leaned forward, examining Alberich's arm. A line of grey and white had appeared on the beastman's exposed velvet where he had scratched.

"My horns fell off too!" Alberich interjected. "I did not like them to begin with, but they pushed right out of my head! I feel like I've been burned internally. My skin painfully crawls as well."

Okay, something else happened here other than his feathers turning white, and he was clearly very distraught at the experience. I knew that the Emperor had gone after Alberich, but not that anything had happened to him like this. Maybe he had been damaged by the Divine Retribution when it had cleansed him of Warp taint? The vessel had warned me that the beastman could be damaged by the cleansing process, so maybe this was what had happened? "Let's get you cleaned up first and see what happened to your coloring fully," I offered, trying to be disarming.

"And you're blinded! How are you not more upset about this?" the beastman cried out again, pain in his voice, and his beak chattering. "And your skin, it looks like a peeling burn! And your hair! You've been cursed by that devil!"

"I know, I know, and I told you why. Stop making me feel self-conscious about it right now, alright? Go and take a shower, Alberich. Catch up with me afterward and we can examine what happened to you."

I felt Alberich suddenly bristle with frustrated anger, and he briefly growled at me.

"Is that an order, my leader?" Alberich sudden barked in a snide voice my way, putting me on the defensive. Jesus Christ, calm the fuck down! What brought that on? Fucking relax!

Because I wasn't in the mood to deal with any bullshit right now, I felt my Corona brighten like a torch again around my shoulders and head as I became upset.

"Jawohl! Das ist ein Befehl!" I bellowed his way, in my strong voice. "At least you're not fucking blind, asshole!"

Alberich scurried backward with a squeaked "Es tut mir Leid, meine Führerin!" and ran away, scurrying down the stairs and exiting the bridge. It was only a few seconds later that I had realized that I had spoken in German.

"What was that language?" Virgil asked me quietly when we were alone on the bridge. "It sounded very angry."

"German, apparently," I said breathing deeply, and now feeling a strange energy filter through my bones. Bringing myself to heel, I consciously withdrew my Corona. "I don't know German, but maybe I do now. I don't know." My heart sank, worrying about my transformation again. Would my crewmembers be gossiping about how they were afraid of me soon, just like the ghosts did in my dream? "Look, I'm sorry. I don't know what's happening to me, Virgil. I'm changing into something. Sebastian told me. He said the ship is doing it, and that I don't have a choice," I said, remembering the terrible knowledge that now swam in my head, and feeling my stomach drop again at realizing the depth of it. I really had to find a way out of this universe. I had to not suffer Sebastian's fate!

I began to wobble on my feet. Virgil did not respond to my words, and reached out to support me, putting an arm around my shoulders. "Oh, I should probably eat something after all that psyker stuff," I said with a weak smile. "Do you know where Null kept his rations?"

We turned around and walked back down into the ship, Virgil guiding me faithfully. He was very quiet on the walk, and I could sense that he had been intimidated by my outburst. Maybe I was hangry? I confirmed that I needed a meal when I began to actually crave one of those sweet paste rations again. We walked past the general living and bath areas, and I could hear that someone was taking a shower. A brief flash of my Sight suggested to me that Alberich was actually crying as streams of filth and soot washed off of him, revealing silvery feathers as he wept, curled up and shivering in the corner of a shower stall. I felt bad for yelling at him. He was obviously having a very difficult time, and I had never seen him this bad before. We would have to have a talk later.

Leading me down a long passageway, Virgil and I headed toward the guts of the ship. The astropath pointed out servitors standing about here in various places, motionless and mindless without any tech-priest to guide them along. One was even collapsed in a corner, and was mindlessly twitching. "We know that Null is in a dangerous condition when his personal servitors begin to fail like this. This is part of the reason I am worried. Something else is afoot aside from physical damage, I suspect," the astropath said quietly.

We continued onward, ignoring the incapacitated servitor on the floor.

"And here, look, I see a ghost," the hologram then informed me in a hushed tone as he directed me to lean against the hallway wall. Virgil sent me an image of a translucent watery white phantom of a tall man wearing robes patterned with faint chevron-patterned stripes. The ghost was floating through the metal hall, and as he passed us, he turned, almost appearing to actually see us, according to what Virgil had shown me. Before anyone could get further spooked out, the ghost vanished into an insubstantial cloud, and we were left alone.

"How often do you see these things? Did you see them on Nubua at all?" I asked as we started walking again.

"Lian and I have only witnessed them since your flight from Nubua. They simply float and observe. I tried to communicate with them, but either they cannot understand me or care not to communicate."

"Well, like I said, if they're not bothering anyone, I'd say just leave them alone for now. We've got bigger things to worry about right this minute," I responded. Great, the ship was haunted with ghosts now. This vessel sustained itself on souls, so it made sense that it was haunted, I had to admit. Maybe the Divine Retribution had scooped up some of the yummy singing spirits from the Independent Empires for a snack?

After heading past a heavy blast door, we began to walk down into the engine area. I sometimes forgot just how big this ship was. "150 meters from beak to tail", Virgil had said to me back on Levant, but being inside it now almost made me think it was larger, especially now that it was fully operational and flying around again.

This area was lit differently than the rest of the Divine Retribution, and Virgil pointed out that small caged white lanterns lined the hallways instead of elegant track lights. Each door that we passed was very thick, and it reminded me of the interior of a submarine. To our right, closed doors lined the halls at regular intervals a few meters apart. I sensed that Lian had appeared in the doorway of one of those rooms near the end of the hall, and called to us as we approached. "Greetings," the Fallen called out to us as we approached. "We have placed the tech-priest in what we assume is the chief engineer's chambers. Virgil may have already told you that he is slowly regenerating. One of the two Witnesses has woken, but we cannot communicate with her."

"What can you tell me about her? How is she doing? Did we find out how the women were injured?" I asked, blinking my blind eyes, and trying to see if I could see Lian's outline in the white blotchy mess in front of my field of vision.

"We placed her with her sister in a room with two beds down here. We cannot understand her way of speaking, but she seems to be comfortable and does not seem to be upset that she is here. We showed her to a washroom, offered her water, and she seems to be able to walk with no impediment of movement. The woman is quite sturdy, and after seeing the two of them dispatch a Fiend of Slaanesh, I believe we may be looking at physical enhancements that strengthen their constitutions."

"Thank you," I responded. "Lead me to her, and Lian, Virgil, please follow me."

"Hello," I spoke up in the ancient tongue of Nubua as I was led into a small room to my right. The Fallen then turned around, and walked back to wherever Null was recovering. In this room, I could sense that two beds lined the walls. I could hear fabric shifting to my right, and I assumed that one of the women was now signing to attempt to communicate with me. "Hey, so listen," I spoke cautiously in her language. "I was blinded from my experience piloting this ship and escaping Nubua, so I can't see your signed words. But, I'm here to tell you that we're safe. We defeated the daemons and their masters, and now, you're inside what your people knew as 'Garuda'. We're presently parked on another world as we figure out where to go next." I translated what I had said for Virgil who stood behind me in the doorway.

Silence as no one said anything. More shifting of fabric.

"So, like I said on Nubua, you're released from your vows of silence. If you can speak, I'm going to need to hear you speak so we can communicate here. I'm sorry, but I can't see your signed language."

"I..." the woman began to speak. Her voice was soft and hesitant. "It is strange, hearing my voice again. I have not spoken in many years. If you are blinded, then know that I am Ennoia. I thank you for your rescue, blessed Omega."

I translated Ennoia's words for Virgil as I sat down beside her on the bed. I smiled at her, trying my best to seem reassuring.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady Ennoia. My name is Virgil Allegrii, former Imperial astropath and advisor to the Traveler captain of this vessel," the astropath said warmly and politely to my left. I translated what Virgil had said to her.

"I am happy to meet you, Virgil Allegrii," Ennoia responded with similar warmth. "Please tell me, blessed Omega. How did the rest of the battle fare?"

"We destroyed the Chaos Champion, and had to flee Nubua as it was unmade after the Grand Rite of Undoing. All the souls in the Independent Empires are at peace now, and their curse has been lifted," I explained.

I heard a relieved, but sad sigh emerge from the masked Blank.

"It is a great and good day to hear such news from you, blessed Omega," Ennoia said. "I must ask, how did we get here? My sister and I fought some kind of strange tall monster with a poison tail and deadly musk, and then, the last thing I remember was seeing a pink blur surround us. And now, I wake up here."

"You and your sister were knocked down by the Champion, and were rescued and taken aboard by the man with the bird's head. His name is Alberich, and right now, he's somewhere else in the ship, but you'll see him again soon. I'd like to formally welcome you to my ship, the vessel you know as 'Garuda'. It is called the Divine Retribution by us."

"Garuda," Ennoia breathed in soft wonder, her voice dreamy. "Only a myth to many, and now, I ride upon her golden wings. What wondrous places does fate take us!"

"They might have concussions if they were knocked unconscious," Virgil spoke up, walking into the room and touching my shoulder. "Forgive me for my interjection, but I am concerned if she is experiencing any headaches. She might need extra medical care." I could sense that as the hologram touched me, he briefly flickered out of existence before reforming.

"So, Ennoia," I pointed at the hologram, who now stood beside me to my left as I sat on the bed. "Just to let you know, Virgil here, he's-well... he's not really there. Did your people understand the concept of a projected image? Something we call a hologram?"

"Do you mean a machine-ghost-memory? We used them for servants."

"Uh," I briefly scratched my peeling arms before remembering that I was sitting on someone's bed. "Well, I guess, something like that." The term "machine-ghost-memory" seemed to be some kind of tech-based Warp entity, but since its definition was somewhat close, that was at least something we could go on right now. "Something like that, sort of. So, Virgil, the 'machine-ghost-memory' is asking me if you have headaches. If you were knocked unconscious, he worries that you might have a head injury."

Ennoia laughed softly behind her mask. "We are enhanced, blessed Omega. Our bones are fortified with strong materials, and our cells have been strengthened to heal us of common injuries. Injuries that would kill those of normal constitution would merely glance us. We were the holy guardians of the Heart of Worlds, and we were engineered for great endurance from childhood. We take some time to regenerate, and then, we are well once again. Morai should wake soon. Fear not, for we will serve you as we have sworn to do so, Omega."

Oh wow, these women had a healing factor. No wonder they were so tough! I cleared my throat and began to explain to Virgil. "So, these two women are very strong. Not only are they Blanks, but she's just explained to me that she and her sister have been enhanced, and that they can regenerate injuries."

My stomach began to growl again, reminding me that I needed to eat. "So, I was thinking about getting some rations if you'd like to join me. We also need to see how our tech-priest, the cyborg man made of metal, is healing. He almost died, and he's still very hurt."

"Yes, Omega," she said simply. "I am quite hungry as well."

I stood up, and Virgil hooked his arm through mine again. "What now?" he asked as Ennoia also stood from her bed.

"Food," I replied. "We need it. Where are those ration packets? I feel like I'm actually looking forward to eating them."

Virgil led us to a storage room further down the hall, and after rummaging around for a few moments, he reemerged to offer me and Ennoia some ration packets. "Pick some packets up for Lian and Morai too. Also get a psyker packet for Alberich when he's done in the shower. I bet they're hungry," I instructed the hologram.

Oh man, I can't wait to dig in, I thought happily as I pulled at my plastic ration packet, trying to tear it open.

This was not to be, as once again, here I was, a psychic human demigod of incredible potential strength being outmaneuvered by a plastic packet of mush. Ennoia noticed me struggling, and offered me her sai dagger so that I could puncture my packet.

Ennoia and I were hungry enough that we immediately began to dig into to our rations in the middle of the hall. How she did that under her mask was a mystery, but I was too emotionally exhausted to puzzle over mundane stuff like that right now. This packet tasted like birthday cake batter, so it wasn't all that bad. I began to feel much better after getting some nourishment.

"So, let's go see Null. I really hope he's okay," I said to Virgil.

"I will stay and wait for my sister to wake, if that is satisfactory for you, Omega," Ennoia informed us. "I will tell her of our situation, for I do not want her to be frightened."

"That's just fine, Ennoia. Nice to have you aboard," I responded to her with a smile.

Virgil led me further into the vessel, and I received an image of a very large blast door at the very end of the hallway. It was partially ajar, and I could hear a low humming originating from this room. My intuition told me that this was the engine room, and was where the Necron energy cell and glass psyker coffins were located. To this room's right, there was another smaller door, and that was where Lian led us.

"Prepare yourself," Virgil warned as we stepped into this room. An image of this space appeared in my mind.

This was a larger suite, and immediately upon walking in, a wide work table could be seen seen. It was covered in bits and pieces of machinery and scrap metal. Metal boxes were strewn about the room, and the combat servitor 77-X was laying limply on the floor. A handful of servitors stood on the right side of the table, mindlessly staring in different directions . To the left of the table was a large bed, and on the large bed, Null was laid out on his back.

From what I could perceive from Virgil, the tech-priest was in rough shape. What remained of his red robes was torn, dirty, and blackened. One of his left arms seemed to be missing at the elbow, and his arms and mechadendrites were laying limply beside him. He wasn't bleeding, and neither was his core draining power anymore, from what I could perceive; life remained clinging to him very precariously. A glint of shining jewels and gold caught Virgil's eye, and he indicated, That's the belt, to me telepathically.

"He still hasn't regained consciousness, even when all his systems seem to be operational enough. We have been waiting for him to wake down here, but he remains in this deep coma," Virgil informed me gently.

The astropath then touched my shoulder, and tapped me with one of his fingers.

Between you and me, I believe that worse assails him within his spirit, but I do not voice my suspicions to the astartes, as he would surely kill him, the hologram then said to me in mind. If you can help him, please. Please help him.

What Virgil was telling me was extremely concerning. Had Null picked up a daemon? We had fought daemons on Nubua, but I didn't think they could just jump into people like that out in the open.

The hologram led me to his bed, and the two of us stood over his battered body. The tech-priest's breathing was shallow, and a sense of danger surrounded him. This was not good, and I probably should have come down here earlier.

As I stood over Null, considering what I could possibly do in this situation to help, I felt a peculiar urge to touch the tech-priest, and I wasn't sure where that came from. "Can I touch him?" I asked the room. Did creatures like me have a "lay on hands" healing ability? I really had no idea how all this worked. Sebastian should've left me with better instructions.

"I had to move him to get him onto this bed, and I perceive no ill effects from that action. I will stand guard if you are concerned about a reaction from making physical contact with him," Lian informed me.

As I stood hesitantly over Null's battered body, I realized that this was something I could probably utilize my Sight ability for. It was a sort of all-purpose reality-bending psyker skill that I still couldn't quite understand, and one that could tap into extreme sense of clairsentience beyond what normal psykers could experience. I mentally pulled into the depths of my being, filtering my perception outward. Doing this, I felt my Corona ignite around my head and shoulders, and I heard someone behind me gasp in wonder.

I reached forward, following my intuition. The Sight functioned as a unique ability to bend reality around those who could use it, and I now knew that intuition could steer me into making the right choices here. Maybe if I touched Null, I could heal him, and it was that simple? I felt a peculiar sensation of warmth lick from my halo and travel down along my right arm, onto my outstretched hand. Strangely, I also felt that parts of my face and eyes were tingling, and I hoped that I was doing this right.

I could hear Virgil muttering behind me: "Blessed are the names of the Travelers, for they bring the light of God. Blessed are the meek, for they shall be the inheritors of heaven. Blessed is the will of the Traveler, for they are the mind of God, blessed is the..."

My right hand lightly brushed against Null's metal cheek, and a powerful jot of electricity jumped between us, causing pain to race up my arm. I felt my Corona dim, and I removed my hand, backing away. Did I fuck up again? Seriously, can't I catch a-

The tech-priest immediately jumped to life with a huge inhale of air. He was shouting, "Thieves! Thieves! Thieves! Stole my precious! Stole my precious!" Before I could react, one of his mechadendrites madly flailed over to strike me on the shoulder, knocking me down to the floor. I sensed that Lian saw that, and the Fallen immediately sprang into action, putting himself between me and the the flailing tech-priest, and pinning him down with his strength.

Null began to scream with bloodcurdling volume at the top of his mechanical lungs at this action, struggling with furious strength on his bed. His metal arms reached forward and I heard him scratching madly at Lian's armor. "I will dispatch him on your order," Lian informed me as he struggled to hold Null down.

"No!" I called out, and stood back up, massaging my shoulder. My eyes were tearing and burning, and as I reflexively blinked, I realized that somehow my vision had been partially restored! Everything was washed out and blurry, but I could see definitive shapes now. Not stopping to celebrate the return of my sight, I brought up my Corona again. I remembered how I had been able to influence my friends on Kolch during the fight with the Screamer, so I brightened my halo and stood over Null again as Lian kept him pinned to the bed. I reached into my Sight again, and willed my energy to reach inside the tech-priest's soul, trying to figure out what the issue was. As my light began to shine through the room, Null began to calm his wild flailing and screaming.

I felt an urge to say words to him deep within myself, and again, I let my intuition be my guide. I had the impression that Sight could guide me in the right direction, even if I didn't know what exactly to say.

"Be at peace, Archmagos Ogun Nemo," I found myself speaking to him in my resonant voice, pushing my will right through him, demanding that he calm himself so I could fix him. Behind me, I felt that my companions were watching what I was doing in absolute rapture. Apparently, this looked really cool to them.

I was now half able to see that the tech-priest's bright green eyes were fixed on my own. After a second of this, I felt his protests cease. My perspective then shifted, and I could now see deeper within the tech-priest's soul.

Trapped deep within his own mind, a middle-aged man with very pale skin and a shock of messy white hair wearing a red robe was cowering in a ruined warehouse. The man was bloodied and beaten, and he defended himself with a glowing electric flail that crackled in energy. A tide of black and green insects were swarming around him, chittering like oversized rats as they climbed over themselves in an effort to devour the man in a frenzy of metal teeth. I watched as the red-robed man desperately fought against the buzzing black tide, his flail striking and destroying his enemies as they threatened him. He was tired, and now, despite his courage, he was in danger of being consumed by this relentless swarm. That would not do. Subverting his willpower over this visualization of his own near death experience, I floated into the wide space on gold metal wings like a cloud, right over the evil insects. The insects screamed and collapsed into piles of melting scrap metal as I approached the man, who looked at me, dumbstruck, still holding his electric flail.

"It's you," he whispered in a voice that was almost familiar, watching me with wide blue eyes. All of the threatening giant insects in the warehouse were now coming apart like broken toys before melting into pools of molten metal on the floor. The man watched this in amazement before looking back up at me.

"Yes," I responded. "It's me."

I reached forward with a mechanical gold arm as I floated above him in the warehouse, bathing the entire area in gold brilliance like a miniature sun. "Trust me," I said to the man, and he instantly trusted me. He reached for me, and I rescued him away from this dark place, and back into the light, pulling him away from his own oblivion.

Back in reality, I stood over the damaged tech-priest, willing my Corona to wash over and soothe him, dragging him away from doom and insanity, and demanding reality to refashion itself to bring him back from the brink. My strange divine Sight ability was able to see what had happened, as it now confirmed to me that Null was being internally confronted by another intelligence vying for control of his body. It didn't feel like a daemon, but almost like a corrupt part of his programming that was trying to will itself into taking control of the tech-priest's body. That wouldn't do. With a flick of my wrist, I willed whatever was giving Null a hard time to depart, and it was burned away.

A feeling of intense satisfaction now flowed through me at my actions, and I felt a vivid shiver of frission as a peculiar sensation came to me:

Bring hope. Bring salvation. Bring them to their light as you did this lost one. All of them. Feel your purpose. Feel your function, a silent whisper from far away and everywhere encouraged me in my actions. The words weren't so much words or instructions, but a deep and powerful suggestion of justice within me. As quickly as it had happened, the feeling passed, and I continued chasing the night away from the tech-priest's soul.

Around me, I could feel that my companions were basking in my glow as I stood over Null, willing him to life and sanity again using my Sight. Lian's eyes had begun to well with emotional tears as he stood beside me, pinning Null, who was no longer struggling. This whole room was now bathed in a warm gold light. Behind me, I could hear Virgil muttering strange prayers.

"Let him go, Lian," I gently instructed the Fallen, who instantly stepped back from holding Null. Lian immediately readied his sword instead from behind me. "That won't be necessary," I suggested without turning around, continuing to stand over the tech-priest. Lian sheathed his sword.

The tech-priest remained staring into my eyes, and now, he was breathing deeply and regularly. The white void that had surrounded me in my blindness was also now slowly being chased away by a gradient of lights, darks, and colors. Null's eyes were a curious bright neon green as he watched me, dazed and still not quite aware. I wasn't sure why or how I had regained my vision like this, but I wasn't about to complain.

After a few heartbeats, the tech-priest began to pull himself up in the bed, and he was now blinking as his animated eyes fixed on me. Null was fully conscious once again, with no trace of whatever corruptive programming had tried to consume him.

"Omnissiah..." Null finally said softly, positively beaming with reverence as I anxiously stood over him, soothing him with my halo's proximity. I could sense that all of his circuits and implants were buzzing with soft energy as he drank in the golden light that wreathed around me. "Have I been blind all this time? I see you!"

"Yeah, I guess it was pretty nuts, but Lian and I, we actually destroyed that Daemon Prince! As in, he's dead forever! He's not coming back to haunt us like the ghosts on this ship, so we don't have to worry about that. We both have Anathema Blades, after all! I may not have a huge cool sword, but I definitely have moxie!"

"No, no," Null quietly said. "You're... you actually are... You really are. I thought that... I thought that you were just..." The tech-priest dropped his eyes and covered his face with his hands.

Virgil chuckled smugly as I went to sit down next to Null on his bed. I put my arm around the tech-priest, and gave him a friendly squeeze. His metal shoulders were trembling.

"Oh, it's true, old friend, and it is glorious! And she's alive, right here and speaking to us! Alive! Active in the galaxy! I was right again!" Virgil chattered with excitement, leaning down to pat Null on the shoulder reassuringly. The astropath then displayed his index finger, and playfully gestured down to the tech-priest as if he were a naughty child. "I told you before. It does not matter the package of the spirit, only the fire of the soul itself. Stop being stubborn! She holds both titles!"

"I-I saw," Null whispered in a tiny metallic voice as he stared away from both of us now. "I will speak of this later, but I saw something." The tech priest continued to stammer, and was hugging himself as if he was very cold with his remaining three arms and his last three mechadendrites. Like Alberich, he appeared traumatized. I became aware that I was probably being inappropriate to someone who had almost been consumed by corruptive programming overwriting his circuits. Null had come within a hair's breadth of death, I realized. Not only was his physical form nearly broken to complete inoperability, but another intelligence had tried to eat him, and it had almost succeeded. I stood up and stepped back, giving him some space.

No one said anything for a couple seconds as Lian walked over to stand near us. I could tell, even with my blurry vision, that his armor had been scratched by Null's flailing earlier. The Fallen leaned over, investigating the tech-priest. Null continued to grip his body, shivering. Something had tried to literally consume his willpower from within, and I thought back to what I had seen inside the tech-priest's mind.

Those metal insects greatly resembled Necron scarabs, I thought. Something of Necron make had tried to take control of him. And now, he was wearing a mysterious Necron-made jeweled belt. I guessed we had confirmation on the culprit

With a sudden cry, the tech-priest then quickly stood up from the bed as he clutched his midsection, and nearly fell over. Virgil leaned over to steady him with a concerned arm, as did Lian.

"Sit back down, friend. You've been through a lot, I suspect," Virgil said, guiding Null back down to his bed.

"Many of us have recently witnessed wondrous sights. Consider yourself lucky to be able to experience such awe-inspiring things directly, Null, as we rare few live through historical events now," Lian rumbled, and I sensed his eyes briefly passing over me. He trembled in an emotive wave of deference, and turned away, suppressing an urge to kneel once again.

Hearing Lian say this, I was then reminded that the Fallen had also had some kind of spiritual vision when I was possessed by the Emperor on the bridge. I didn't know how accurate his vision had been, but he had claimed to have had seen me with a crown of laurels fighting the enemies of mankind. Actually, wait, no. The Black Legion, the Fallen had said specifically. With a brief shiver, I hoped that Lian's vision wasn't accurate, because I sure as hell didn't want to get in duels with any of those psycho Chaos Marines.

With a start, I realized that many of us had experienced profound spiritual events over the last few hours. I wondered if these sorts of wild experiences were common if one found themselves in close proximity to the Master of Mankind himself? Do people just completely lose their shit if the Emperor shows up? Being a Chaos player back home, I hadn't really studied too much Emperor lore, nor had I read any of the 40k Horus Heresy books, so I had no frame of reference to go by.

"What's this?" Null asked us, a perturbed warble in his synthetic tenor voice as he settled back down. His hands had discovered the Necron belt on his person. "How long has this been on me?"

"I apologize, but you were going to die, old friend," Virgil said regrettably. "Your core was draining, and you had stopped breathing for awhile. Your servitors even began to fail, as you can see in here. After everything we had studied, I did not want to see you die just as a new age is born. It was decided that we would attempt to use the belt in a last ditch effort to save you."

I decided to speak up. "Sorry, the belt is actually my fault. I'm the one who ordered that we use it. Null, you were doomed without it. I just wish you had told me about it. How long have you had it?"

Null appeared put on the spot, and looked up at Lian before sighing in resignation, slouching his shoulders. He was gripping his midsection, repeatedly passing his metal fingers over the elaborate bejeweled artifact. "It came from the Necrons of Kolch, specifically, one of the Necron Lords we encountered in the bunker. Trazyn, I think his name was. When Trazyn had teleported away at the end of our visit, he dropped both this belt, and his staff. I left the staff, and took the belt. I wanted to do a few more tests to see if the xenos tech was safe before I revealed it."

"Now we know that it regenerates metal. Does it do anything else? I uh, saw something in your mind that suggested that it housed an intelligence."

Null stared at me again. "You saw that?"

"I saw enough, Null," I replied, scratching idly at my peeling skin. "We can talk in private later, but for now, just tell me what else the belt can do so we can all be safe."

Null ran his metal fingers over the belt's jewels once again, drumming his fingertips nervously across the surface of the jewels with a soft clicking noise. "What I know is not much, admittedly. This artifact is powered by an unknown source, one that I am still not certain of, and allows the healing of metal flesh, as you must have seen on my body. It also seems to allow the integration of intelligence from the bearer to another machine spirit, but not the other way around. It was a surprise to me that I experienced what I did. Of course, this is why I always vigorously study any new technology I come across, so this sort of thing does not happen."

"I'm thinking maybe you should just take it off now, considering what happened," I suggested. Virgil nodded beside me, and I saw Lian shift his weight. His power armor was really scratched up now.

"Well, you see, there is a problem with that," the tech-priest replied as he began to touch the belt again, tapping it. He then attempted to place his fingers underneath it. Because my vision was still very blurry, I couldn't exactly see what was going on from here. "Come, look." Null waved me over to him.

As I responded to Null's motion, Virgil spoke up in boisterous excitement. "You can see again?!" The astropath clapped his holographic hands. "Null, the Scion was briefly blinded through her contact with the Emperor Himself, but now, even her blindness seems to be resolving itself quickly. Ah, another thing I was right about! Given time, her kind can heal themselves of injuries that would maim or even kill!"

"You were in contact with the Emperor?" Null asked me in shock. "What happened?"

"Sure was. We all almost died because the Deadly Desert started to disintegrate when we tried to fly away from Nubua. Both Materium and Warp were coming apart, so our situation was grim. Because of all that, I couldn't even steer the ship, so I called out for help. Really crazy, but the Emperor answered, somehow. He was able to possess my body, and steer us away from our doom. The contact temporarily blinded me, burned my skin, and caused more of my hair to turn white, as you can see. It sucks but honestly I'm fine with all that because I'm happy to be alive," I informed the tech-priest, as I looked down to study his Necron belt. "Pull back your robe. Let me see."

Null pulled his ruined robe aside, and I still couldn't precisely see what was going on with my blurry vision. "Hey, Virgil," I asked, turning around. "Come over here a minute. Show me what you see with this belt."

The astropath made a "hmm" sound as he stood next to Null, critically observing the Necron artifact. I then received an image of the jeweled belt itself. It was strange for such a beautiful thing to have been found on a Necron Lord, and its gemstones shimmered with an internal light like captured stars. Emeralds lined the articulated gold plates that made up the belt's structure, and a square jewel about the size of my palm swirled with animate radiance like a glowing cloud. One thing I was now able to notice: the belt seemed to be melded onto Null's metal body as if it were a part of him now.

"As you can see, I cannot remove it. I was afraid of something like this happening," the tech-priest replied. Null cautiously stood up again on shaky legs with Virgil steadying him again. "Xenos technology, while fascinating, should always be adequately tested before being used in the field. Lesser tech-priests than myself will often misuse technology, becoming hurt or corrupted by it. It takes a skilled hand to safely use the strange tools of the Necron race."

"What should our next action be, then?" Lian rumbled behind me. "Should we cut the artifact off of him?"

"Now that I think about it, I don't think you'll need to do that. From what I sensed with my Sight, any corruptive programing that existed before that would've hurt or killed Null has at least been, well, 'nullified'." I chuckled at my own joke, and no one else laughed. "But, yeah. Whatever it was, it can't corrupt you anymore, from what I can see. I do think you should study it further, though. Figure out if it can do anything else aside from regeneration, and maybe figure out a way that you can remove it in one piece."

"Agreed," Null said, turning away from my direct line of sight. There was something weighing on the weakened tech-priest's mind, but he wasn't voicing it. Since most of us had been traumatized by the events of the last day, I decided to not sweat it.

"Hey, so, everyone?" I backed up to the front door frame of Null's messy engineer's suite. "We've been through some serious shit, and I bet that those of you that can get hungry are probably hungry now. Virgil has some ration packets on him, so pick one up, and meet me on the bridge in two hours. I want to have a meeting about what we're doing next. We're on some random dead world right now, but I have no idea where it is. I lost consciousness partway through our escape of Nubua, so I don't know where the Emperor ended up parking us. Hopefully this world is safe and totally dead."

"We obey," Lian and Virgil replied. The Fallen lightly bowed in response, and straightened up again. I watched as Null quietly nodded as he sat on his bed, clearly trying to emotionally navigate his own intense brush with death.

After stopping to inform Ennoia of what we were doing, I decided to take Alberich's rations to him. My vision was good enough that I could now pick my way through the ship on my own. I instructed Virgil to remain with Null, and to keep me informed if anything changed. The astropath informed me that we were running low on food, and that we would need to resupply somewhere, which filled me with dread. We had not had a lot of good luck with safe places recently. Null had mentioned that he knew a few neutral planets that we could visit and pick up some essentials, so maybe those planets wouldn't be so scary and danger ridden like the last two. Lian bowed again and saluted to me before heading off to his quarters holding two pouches for himself.

I felt bad about losing my temper at Alberich earlier, and made a promise to myself not to allow my temper to get the best of me. Something like me losing my temper would not be safe for anyone if I got much stronger, I thought. After asking the ship to guide me, I started walking down the hall, back toward the main living quarters where Alberich's room was located.

Having a little time to think as I walked, I shuddered inside again, wondering about what would eventually happen to me. I knew enough from the lore to know that the Emperor was like, fourteen feet tall. How exactly would that work? Would I eventually lose my temper and suddenly pull an Incredible Hulk somewhere? Knowing me, it would probably happen in an area with low ceilings. Classic me. I thought for a moment, and remembered something the Emperor had asked the ship when he had possessed me. I wondered what that meant.

Curious, I decided to ask as I picked my way along through blast doors, and dodging the occasional ghost. "Divine Retribution, progress on Captain Ascension, please, and tell me in my mind, not over the whole ship," I spoke the query.

3 out of possible 9. Minor physical changes. Sight: low. Potential: Alpha+, the vessel responded to me telepathically. Okay, nine steps, and I'm a third of the way there. And, I had the potential to be an Alpha+, which both frightened and excited me. With where I was headed, the Imperial Inquisition and I were probably going to have a date soon, and I wasn't looking forward to it.

A translucent ghost breezed by me, looking like it was in a hurry on an unknown errand. This whole thing that this ship had freaking ghosts now sure was great, I thought sarcastically. At the very least, it didn't look like these entities wanted to bother us.

"Okay," I replied. "Divine Retribution, status on current captain psyker level," I asked, curious.

Captain psyker power level: Epsilon/Delta

Null had graded me as a high Eta or a low Zeta before, so I was definitely increasing in ability. Divine Retribution, how many souls would I need to chow down on before hitting Alpha+? I asked the ship in mind.

Cannot be quantified at this time, the ship responded to me. Well, I guess that made sense. Different souls had different weights, and if they freely gave themselves to me, I'd get a lot more energy than if I just ate them via proximity. If I consumed a bunch of Grey Knight Librarians who had sacrificed themselves to me I'd probably level up to Empress immediately.

I came to the heavy blast door that separated the engine area from the main body of the ship, and passed through. Another ghost floated by, and this time, when it passed through me, I felt a sense of brief fear coming from the phantom. I could somehow tell that the ghost was afraid of something.

Using my telepathy, I reached out, searching for Alberich's presence when I reached the general living quarters. The beastman sensed me, and I heard him respond with an I'm over here. I am in my room.

Can I visit? I asked the beastman. I've got some food for you.

Are you alone? Alberich asked me. I sensed that he was dressing himself, and watching his reflection in the mirror.

Yes. I was just spending time helping Null down in the engine area. He came close to dying, but he'll pull through now. And, I got some of my vision back. Not all, but some.

I know. I saw that. I remote viewed it from here. I warned him about the alien artifacts, but he will not listen to me, the beastman mentally drawled. You can come to me. I have to apologize for my behavior anyway.

A door opened to my right further down the hall. Here, I heard Alberich instruct.

As I started to make my way down the hallway, another ghost appeared, this one seeming to materialize out of Alberich's room. This one had a tall staff topped with some kind of bird with spread wings similar to my eagle staff, and was wearing dramatic robes as if he were a monk or a mysterious wizard. He seemed to radiate the same sort of anxiety as the other ghosts that I had seen earlier, and was about to pass by, until he stopped right before me as if he could actually see me!

I halted my stride. The ghost pulled his hood back, and his face was oddly coherent, even with my blurry vision. He was a thin older man with sallow cheeks, and bright eyes. He wore a serious expression that turned to confusion as he looked at me. With a cautious hand, he slowly reached forward to touch my face. I began to back away, and then, I heard him speak to me.

"Can you see me, phantom? Can you hear my voice?"

I nodded in surprise. His voice was very distant, as if spoken to me through a radio with poor reception, but I could hear him.

"Tell me, why do you haunt us? Who are you, ghost of the Intervention?"

"Haunt you? You're the one haunting us. I think you're confused here," I said back to the ghost. This was very freaky.

The ghost man was not pleased to hear this, and he angrily tapped his eagle staff against the floor before sneering at me.

"Do not trifle with me, wraith. Attempt to play games, and I will scorch your essence until nothing remains of you. You will not be evasive with me. Now, I demand your identity and your purpose here, lest I become even more upset and banish you to a hell even worse than the Warp," the ghost growled at me, before a glow of energy surrounded him.

I had had enough bullshit for today already, I definitely knew then.

"Excuse me? Don't you threaten me, buddy! This is my ship, and you're definitely the ghost in this conversation," I snapped back at the threat, and nearly instantly, my Corona was alight again. Just after I had promised myself that I wouldn't lose my temper, I had lost my damn temper.

The ghost took a step back, appearing to be intimidated by my anger-halo. Before he could say anything else, I very distantly heard another voice call out to the apparition before me. "Mal, hurry! He's getting worse!"

Whoever Mal was then evaporated into bright vapor, and relieved, I dimmed my Corona once again. Mal? Wasn't one of the people I had overheard in my dream named Mal? Short for Malachi, I think.

Or Malcador.

I stopped in the middle of the hall, and I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down before Alberich called out to me, "Are you coming or not? What's going on out here?"

"Did you see it?" I asked, walking up to the door. "There's ghosts in here now! Virgil and Lian had see- oh!"

Alberich was sitting sadly on his bed, and he had indeed been dramatically changed. His hand was nervously moving across the haft of his daemon glaive, Valkyrie, which lay beside him on his bed. Once he saw me, beastman then leaned over, placing both of his hands on his head. His feathers had been completely bleached! Instead of his normal deep cyan-blue velvet and shimmery colorful head feathers, Alberich was now silvery white! "Holy shit!" I said in surprise. "What the hell happened?"

"Firstly, I will now formally apologize for my insubordination on the bridge. It will not happen again," Alberich quietly apologized with a shake of his white feathery head. "I am at least happy to see that you have regained your vision, my leader, as you are able to see me," the beastman (I didn't know if I could call him a Tzaangor anymore, since he looked nothing like one now), said, looking at me with pained blue-gold eyes. "How did you get your vision restored?"

"I-I don't know, really," I replied, still stunned at Alberich's new appearance. "I was trying to find a way to heal Null and wake him up, and suddenly I could see again. Everything is blurry, but I'm not blind anymore."

Alberich nodded pensively, and said nothing.

"Do you have any idea on what caused this change in your coloring, and the loss of your horns? I was thinking that the ship damaged you when it cleansed you of Warp taint. Or maybe the Emperor did this just by touching you." I walked further into his room and shut the door.

He shook his head, and then, I saw his ears rise up. "I'm not certain. I felt a burn inside my body when I as initially attached to my throne, and the ship did warn that I could suffer damage if I was attached to it. I suppose it was correct. Either that, or the daemon that attacked you did this to me."

"That really wasn't a daemon, Alberich," I corrected the beastman again before handing him a psyker ration packet. He curtly thanked me, and with a swipe of his claws, he began to eat. "Like, what he said on the bridge, he's the furthest thing from a daemon."

I sat at one of the two chairs at the table next to Alberich's bed as the beastman slowly ate. A quick look around showed that his quarters were somewhat like mine, with a small living space and larger bed. A mounted display on the wall showed an animated image of the system we were currently parked in, which looked like a small, blessedly boring system of five rocky dead worlds around a yellow star. Alberich's quarters did not have a washroom, but these were clearly officer's quarters when compared to Ennoia's spartan room back near the engine. "I'm serious. The presence that possessed me was literally the Emperor of Mankind, the guy who made all the primarchs and went around conquering everything for humanity over ten thousand years ago in this reality. Remember when we talked on Levant? That guy. The damn Emperor of Mankind. He's an enemy of daemons, for the most part."

"An enemy?" Alberich asked me, turning his dark beak my way, and studying me with his gold-ringed blue eyes. He put his food packet down. I had to admit, his new coloring was somewhat striking. He looked a lot more natural than before, much more like an anthropomorphic white falcon rather than a malformed Tzaangor with filed horns. This probably wasn't going to go over to well in his prayers to Tzeentch, I thought, looking at the daemonic glaive that lay on his bed next to him. Those two were probably going to have an awkward conversation soon if they haven't had one already.

"Yeah. He hates daemons. When you called him a daemon, I could tell he was thinking about killing you, but I said no, so he didn't."

"While I thank you for that, isn't that reaction somewhat extreme? What did I ever do to him? Why would he want me dead?"

"That's just him. He hates things that aren't human, so welcome to the 40k universe, I guess. Hate the alien, fear the alien, as they say here," I observed with a shrug, standing up. "Hey, can you stand up for a second? I want to see if your height changed. I couldn't really see you on the bridge before."

Alberich obliged, and stood up. His height had not changed; he was still somewhat taller than I was, but I had definitely gained a little bit of height. "I see you are taller," he also noticed. "Are you at risk for an infection for your broken skin? I worry for this."

"I don't think so," I said, further observing the beastman's new coloring. He still had a small ruff of pale longer feathers around his head and neck which made up his "hair", but there were no unnatural shades anywhere in his white plumage. He did seem to have few areas of speckled black and grey feathers here and there, reminding me of a pale gyrfalcon. My skin was itchy, so I lightly rubbed an area of exposed skin on my forearm. Another swath of dead skin fell off. The new skin underneath was very smooth at least. "Knowing what I am now, I'll probably just heal anyway."

Alberich cocked his head at me. "And what are you? You are certainly a human. One that is a psyker Traveler, they call it here, correct?"

Oh, did he not know yet, I realized. I settled back down in my seat in preparation for explaining what I had discovered recently. The beastman also sat back down.

"So, listen, Alberich. You know how sometimes people call me Inheritor or Empress or other weird things?"

He nodded. "I just considered that they were confused. There is a lot I admittedly do not understand still about this universe, but I accept where fate has brought me. My philosophy is that God's plan will be revealed to me in the allotted time."

"Do you also remember when I described to you who the Emperor of Mankind was?"

Alberich nodded again.

"So, I only just found out about this like, yesterday, so forgive me if I mess up explaining this. The Emperor, I just found out, is actually a sort of superpowered psyker that was transformed and ascended by this piece of ancient technology." I reached over, and tapped the metal wall of the ship with my fingers. "He was the last captain of this vessel a very long time ago, and he was a Traveler, like we are. His name was Sebastian, and he came from a universe like ours to this one. Sebastian had the Key, like I have now." I removed the Key from under my robe, displaying it for Alberich.

Alberich appeared very interested, and leaned forward on his bed with interest as I continued to explain.

"The Key here, as you know, functions as a Key for the Divine Retribution, and it cannot be removed after it is bonded to you. It marks a pilot as a symbiotic part of this eagle's function, as I'm sure you sense when you are attached to it as a copilot. The Key also devours souls, and stores them like a battery so that the captain can feed them to the ship for fuel. And, each time Sebastian ate a soul, he and the ship got stronger, and after awhile, he got obscenely powerful. He ended up conquering what was once Earth in this universe, and spreading out to conquer the galaxy. He's still around too, in a really vague sense." I took a breath, steadying myself. "So, parts of history seem to be repeating, but I'm the one with the Key this time. I'm transforming into whatever creature the Emperor became, even if I don't want it. I don't have a choice. As long as I'm attached to this vessel, and I keep feeding it, I'll keep getting stronger."

Alberich watched me finish explaining this with rapt eyes. "This. Is. Incredible," he responded, absolutely enthralled.

"Wait, what?" I asked. This wasn't quite the reaction I had expected.

"You're going to conquer the entire galaxy." He said that sentence as a statement of fact instead of a question. He leaned back, and began nervously clutching Valkyrie again. "I was right all along. Your soul is that of a conqueror and a leader, meine Führerin. Perhaps this is why you were poisoned in your home dimension?" He cocked his head at me slyly, and then, a massive grin pulled across his short beak. "I think I understand now."

I didn't quite get it until I realized what "meine Führerin" sounded similar to. Wait, does this guy think I'm a reincarnation of... of...

Oh hell no! Before I could object, he started speaking again.

"This indeed would make sense. I have been wondering for some time now as to why anyone would assassinate you from what you've told me, and my intuition has led me down an interesting path. I don't mean to disparage you, but if you were a normal woman, you'd be beneath everyone's notice."

Alberich then stretched as he began to fidget with excitement, his white "hair" ruff standing on end. He grasped his ration packet, and started eating again as he spoke to me. "It has been my suspicion that you, like me, carried some inborn psychokinetic ability in your home reality, and you were simply ignorant of this. My theory is that the American psychotronics program has been scouring the world, searching for souls of power, and seeking to eliminate them wherever they should be reborn, therefore strangling great leaders and Christ figures in the cradle. The Americans are likely determined not to allow another great leader similar to the one I served to rise, as it would subvert their iron grip on the world. This would even mean killing one of their own, if they deemed you inadequate to their goals."

I stood up, backing away from the terrible insane thing that Alberich seemed to be suggesting. He simply smiled as continued to eat his psyker paste rations. All traces of anxiety and upset seemed to be lost on him now, and he radiated satisfaction. "It makes perfect sense! I imagine that, as a soul of power, every time you tried to stick your neck out, the United States government was there to cut it. If you made the slightest wave, the smallest perturbation in the collective unconscious, they would find and quietly murder you to maintain status quo. And so, you eventually did something, ignorant or not, to finally upset them enough to act. Ah! I enjoy being correct, and now, I am filled with happiness and gratitude that I can serve someone like you once again. Peculiar that you were an artist in your old universe as well!"

I shook my head, and started to sputter as I stood up. I was not having this psychotic psychic Nazi conspiracy shit right now! "You're confused, and I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm not Hitler. Come on," I said simply. "I'm..."

"No, you're not," the beastman elucidated, happily eating his rations. "Not precisely. But you are an archetype of something like him. Whatever your belief, Adolph Hitler the man was only an archetype of a breed of powerful soul that many of us followed. He was a conqueror, like you will be soon, and a being of spiritual power, like you already are. He utilized the symbol of a great eagle, as you yourself fly under. The Great Architect has put me on your path to guide you, and I see every day that his wisdom is sound. You are a force of great change and upheaval, just as my former charge was. I am very pleased to serve such a powerful anointed soul such as yours once again."

"Look, Alberich," I replied to his crazy talk, starting to become distraught. "I'm not what you think I am. I'm-" I shook my head, getting upset. Why was he talking like this all the sudden? "I'm going home as soon as I can! I'm not conquering the galaxy here or anything like that!"

"Don't you understand what you said earlier, my leader? You do not have much of a choice in this matter. You've been chosen by fate to conquer, to subdue, and to rule, no matter what universe you're in. This is your soul's destiny. Why do you think you even have that Key in the first place? Why were you put in that specific body, and why was I placed directly in your path? Fate has deemed you to be this symbolic conqueror and herald of change in this majestic universe, and as I served under Hitler, I will gladly serve you to my death. Meine Ehre heißt Treue, as I said to you."

Hearing myself be directly compared to Hitler, I snapped, and my Corona immediately blazed to life around my head and shoulders in distress, causing my skin to tingle uncomfortably. Of course, this display of power only made Alberich smile even more.

"Why deny this glorious mantle, my leader? Look at you! Chosen by God himself to mete his retribution on His enemies. Even this glorious spaceship's name is the Divine Retribution, Erika! I even hear from Virgil and Lian that they fear that the great human empire of this galaxy is in danger of failing, and that you are needed to bolster it! You have a divine calling, and you need to answer it!"

"Stop it! Stop talking!"

"Behold, the anointed one! Your halo as bright as the sun, and your voice is as powerful as thunder!" Alberich fell to his knees on the floor, looking up at me in rapturous glee. "Look where we are in this glorious new universe, Erika! A universe of strength and war, and a shining example of the potential power of humanity! I find my wildest dreams have come true here, living somewhere where I can use actual magic and speak to spirits effortlessly as I fly through the stars. I couldn't have asked for a better universe to be reborn in! And, to follow a leader blessed by fate itself!" the beastman folded his hands in praise.

"I told you to stop it!"

Alberich was then thrown across the room, his back slamming against the front wall of his suite. He staggered, falling to the floor, but actually remained smiling up at me, his gold eyes sparkling. "Oh, the raw power of it all. Divinity in flesh!"

My heart was beating heavily with furious adrenaline as I stood over the beastman, and ripples of golden light were now leeching out of my skin, which I began to scratch at nervously. No. No, no, no. This is not... this is not who I am! This is Tzeentch screwing with me again!

At the very worst time, a terrible whisper from within dragged through me, But it is who you are, and what you will become...

I turned, and ran out of Alberich's room, making my way back to my suite. As I hastily walked down the corridor, I struck a section of metal wall with my fist, slightly denting it as I fled back to my room.

Once again, I found myself sitting in the ship's sauna, brooding over my behavior. I was upset about what Alberich had said, and totally disgusted at myself for losing my temper repeatedly. My anger had become so inflamed that I had actually telekinetically thrown the beastman across the room, and after that, I had actually dented a metal wall of the Divine Retribution's interior. Dented. A metal wall. With my own fucking fist.

With deep breaths, I clutched Virgil's calming chain as I felt steam wash over my broken skin, thinking about what I had done. I was forced to consider that mental changes might be included in the transformative package into... whatever the hell Sebastian had eventually become. Physical and psychic changes weren't the only dramatic transfigurations, I thought with dread. I really had to find a way to control myself!

My fingers passed over each heavy link of the calming chain. Whatever this enchanted item was, I was grateful for it. Just the act of touching the thick oval links of this heavy metal chain elicited a sort of psychic tranquility, which I definitely needed right now. Examining it again, I saw that it had a latch on one end. Could I use it as a short necklace? As I placed the chain around my neck, I was pleased to see that it was just long enough to latch successfully without being uncomfortable. Breathing regularly and deeply, I continued to meditate, watching the steam roll in this small, dimly lit space.

Scion, I heard Virgil call to me in mind. Are you available to speak?

Go right ahead, Virgil, I responded. I'm in the sauna. How is Null doing? Any changes or anything?

No changes, no. Null is currently quite weak, and he and I are about to walk to the bridge. I believe he will take some extra time to walk, given his condition. He wishes to relay to you a thank you for you help, and also, a concern.

A concern? I asked, standing up and opening the glass door to the sauna. I found my robe and put it on.

He states again that we are now running low in supplies, just as I also suspected. He states that the need is quite important, and humbly requests that we prioritize this at our meeting.

"Humbly" requests? I chuckled as I began to walk the short distance up to my suite, and then instantly felt bad. I'm sorry. He's really been through a lot. But, alright. We definitely need food. I'll be up on the bridge in about thirty minutes. Could you tell him to bring a change of clothing for me to the meeting? I know he packed a few bundles for Alberich and I from Levant, and all my clothes are bloody or dirty.

A pause as Virgil communicated this to the tech-priest. Null states that he has two bundles of clothes left for you, but is concerned that your size might be off with regard to your recent height gain. He offers to see if any alterations can be made when he sees you.

Wow, a very proud Archmagos offering his services as a mere tailor? Maybe Null had been eaten by a foreign intelligence after all? It seemed a bit silly, so I just said, Not a big deal. I'm only a little taller. Null was certainly behaving with more deference, but I really didn't want my crew being afraid of me. A future where I become lady space God-Hitler here was not a future I wanted for myself, I thought, walking into my captain's suite and shutting the sliding door.

I walked into my bathroom, and removed my robe, preparing for a quick bath to see if I could get rid of some of this flaky peeling skin. Turning on the bath tap, my eyes caught my blurry reflection in the mirror as I placed my robe on the sink. I leaned forward to see if I could get a clearer look at myself. Everything was still very fuzzy. Taking a short breath, I decided to pull into my Sight again, and closed my eyes. If the use of Sight could help me regain my normal physical sight, I should at least try it.

The warm familiar electric lash of energy swirled around my head and shoulders, and my eyes began to burn and tear again. I attempted to "will" my vision to repair itself. I winced as my eyes began to painfully sting.

After a minute or so of this, I opened my eyes again hesitantly. The good news, my action seemed successful. My vision seemed to be perfectly clear now. It worked!

The bad news, however, was that the person I saw in the mirror wasn't me at all. Looking back at me, I saw the somber face of the man I had seen curse the Heart of Worlds, the same man I had seen possess me on the bridge. This time, he wore his plain black t-shirt, and his hair was loose in the reflection, falling over his shoulders in a cascade of wavy ink. He actually looked very normal here, aside from his incredible Emperor-gold eyes.

"Sebastian?" I asked. Strangely, I realized that I was completely without fear seeing this. This all felt perfectly normal somehow. I wasn't even nervous that I was standing here completely naked. "What's going on? Are you Sebastian? How did you get through to me again?"

The reflection casually answered me, his tone that of someone addressing an old friend: "Yes and no. I'm more of an echo, an imprint placed upon this vessel by Sebastian's use. I have many faces, but we've met before. I was the vision that you saw as you first boarded this grand ship. I am the one who asked your intentions."

Oh. That felt like a long time ago. I did recall seeing an insubstantial gold ghost right before boarding the Divine Retribution for the first time.

"So, what's going on now? What does this mean?" I cautiously asked. "Am I hallucinating?"

"No. Not exactly," fake-Sebastian grinned for moment. "Who I am really is not important. Consider me a friend. You are gaining strength rapidly, and you stand before a long and difficult road. You will need help in your adjustment. I will stop in now and again to offer advice to you, Inheritor. Consider me somewhat of an advisor."

I growled at the strange reflection, tired of all this weird supernatural bullshit. Was I ever going to get any peace here?

"Okay, fine, so what's your advice then?" I said, shrugging at the man in the mirror. "Got any hot tips for tempering my temper, because I have been having a really hard time. I got pissed off and dented a metal wall."

The reflection smiled beatifically. "It is all to be expected, little Inheritor. Just as a child experiences difficult emotions as they transition into adolescence, so does the Inheritor experience erratic behaviors as they mature. It is normal. What you are experiencing is excess psychic and Sight energy traveling through a body unfamiliar with such power. You are not accustomed to it, and the excess energy manifests outwardly as anger. For now, you must learn to channel and reroute such strength. Do you have anyone in your crew that can help train you, perhaps?"

I nodded, thinking about Virgil. Could he train me, even as a hologram? "I have an astropath on board, I guess, but he's a hologram."

The reflection smiled. "Then seek his advice. Your crew is here to serve you, Inheritor. You will need temperance later. The caged lioness will soon wish to hunt in the wilderness, and she should be ready and strong when the time comes."

"Okay, great," I said looking away. "That's really poetic and nice to hear, but what else can I do? I can't very well go hunting in any wilderness, whatever that means. I don't want to go looking for trouble, dude. That's just not me."

"Your imperative will demand it at some point, Inheritor," the reflection said ominously.

I was getting tired of hearing this Sebastian shadow poetically lecture me as I stood here naked in my bathroom. Honestly, I was probably just losing my mind. Psykers go crazy in this universe all the time, so this shouldn't be too surprising. I rallied myself, closed my eyes for bravery, and began to scold the hallucination: "Look, I don't know who or what you are or what is going on or if I'm going crazy from being attached to this ship, but I'm telling you one thing-"

"-that you're planning on going home as soon as you can, is that right, Erika?" I was interrupted, and my sentence effortlessly finished. What? I looked again, and saw that the reflection was now my own old face from my home reality! I wheeled back in horror, stumbling backward on the bathroom floor with a short cry. Immediately, I stood up again on shaking legs. What the fuck was that all about?! I examined the mirror, and gratefully, my reflection had reverted to my natural normal Evanora reflection once again. My eyes were burning and tearing from whatever had happened, and I turned the sink on so I could splash my face.

With a few splashes of water and a lot of blinking, I was able to see then that my vision had been restored for real!

My Corona briefly lit in surprise as I was finally able to see myself clearly, and I noticed that along with my gold halo, my eyes would briefly glow when my "light" was on now. With a shake of my head, I withdrew my Corona again, noticing that it seemed a little brighter now. At least my vision had returned, even if my sanity was apparently being eroded. You win some, you lose some, I guess. Hallucination or not, I did have to admit that I probably needed some training for my abilities. I couldn't just keep "winging it" in this universe, even if I was a... whatever I was.

"C'mon, relax," I whispered to myself, touching the calming chain on my neck. The bathtub was now almost full, so I estimated that I had lost about a few minutes of time in a strange hiccup of reality. I guess this is my life now, I thought with an exasperated sigh. Experiencing psychic hallucinations inside a ghost-haunted magic eagle spaceship that's stripping me of my humanity. Neat. I turned off the tub faucet, and then, went back to examining my changes in the mirror.

Like what Virgil had shown me, my hair was long, full, and wild. While still mostly black, I saw that the white section of my hair had indeed grown larger. Turning my head to the side, I could tell now that the white seemed to be advancing down my scalp. I confirmed that it did indeed look pretty cool, at least. As I examined myself further, I squinted. While this wasn't my original body, I had grown to see it as mine, so any change of features was definitely noticeable. The lines and angles of my face seemed slightly more dramatic and smoothed, and my cheekbones were more defined. It appeared that my face was also changing, but at least I wasn't getting ugly. And if it wasn't something I could control, then there was no use in worrying about it right now.

Turning away from the mirror, I went to step into the tub. Time to shed my skin.

As I was giving myself a good scrub, I heard a knock at my door. A quick psychic view showed me that Virgil was standing outside of my suite. "You can come in, Virgil. I'm taking a bath," I called out.

I heard the door slide open. "I'm just dropping off your change of clothes now instead of later. Figured I'd do that on the way," the astropath replied. "And, uh..." Virgil cleared his throat, and began to speak to me in mind. Are you alright? I thought I heard a psychic scream, but I am not sure.

"I'm fine, Virgil. Just going through some normal Emperor things, you know? I ended up having a biomancy accident and now I'm fourteen feet tall. How awkward is that? Ended up hitting my head on the ceiling too! I'm kinda upset now, and because of that, I'm feeling an urge to start wars, make primarchs, and to conquer the fucking galaxy!" I emphasized the last part of my funny joke with my commanding voice, and had a secret giggle that the metal walls of the bathroom made my strong voice sound even more terrifying.

A very tense pause. Both my companions were gripped with fear. Alright, that was probably in poor taste.

"I'm joking. Come on, guys."

"Err, is everything alright?" I heard Null quietly ask from the hallway.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, sorry. Bad joke. I was just joking, you two. I'm getting ready to get out of the bath and I'm still normal-sized. Don't worry about me," I responded quickly. "My full vision came back too, actually. Give me a few minutes and I'll meet you on the bridge."

"As you wish," Virgil replied, closing the door behind him. I felt like a dick now.

After a short amount of time scrubbing off the looser parts of my flaking skin, I stepped out of the bath, and found my change of clothes sitting on the bed. It was another grey and black Imperial military uniform, much like my other one. While I was able to fit into my clothes, I did find that while this particular outfit had fit perfectly before, it now felt slightly off on my frame. In addition to gaining a few centimeters, I also seemed to be slightly more muscular, which still didn't explain how I had gotten strong enough to punch a dent in the metal wall down near Alberich's room. If I continued to lose my temper like this, I would become very dangerous to be around. I made a mental note to talk to Virgil. That reflection-hallucination-ghost definitely had a point, and I did need training.

My companions were right to be afraid of me like this, I thought finally as I laced up my boots and tied back my hair. And here I am looking like lady Hitler now in this outfit, I thought, observing myself in the mirror.

After a short walk up the stairs to the bridge, I realized that I was the last one to arrive to this meeting. The bridge was, like normal, bathed in a warm golden radiance. The three tall pinched ellipses that made up each of the three eyes of the Divine Retribution's head were open, and outside, we had a view of the desolate moonscape that made up this dead world. Null and Virgil stood chatting with Alberich, who was grinning happily as his white head ruff was fluffed up in excitement as he held his daemon glaive. This looked like the best day ever for the beastman, despite me hurling him against a wall earlier, I thought with dread. I hoped that he wasn't talking 1940's German fascist philosophy shit with these people. Being thought of as a magic Empress Nazi in Space wasn't appealing, and if he started Nazi saluting me, I would not be pleased.

Lian approached me, and bowed. The Fallen offered me the eagle staff I had unceremoniously left on the floor after our escape from Nubua. I accepted the staff in my right hand. As I made contact with the artifact, I experienced a pleasant wave of warmth washing over my skin. For a split second, it felt as if I was standing outside in a warm summer day, and my Corona licked around my shoulders. Examining the force staff, I was reminded of the staff I had seen the "Mal" ghost carrying when he had threatened me earlier. I was pretty sure that this wasn't actually Malcador's staff (or if that ghost I had seen was actually Malcador), but I knew that this artifact was very powerful concerning all the memories I had pulled from Nabopolassar's soul. It would be very useful. "Thank you, Lian," I responded to the Fallen, who then saluted me by putting his fist to his heart.

Both Silent Witnesses were awake now, and I could now see that each were quite dirty from the battle on Nubua, their red tunics mottled with dark dust almost like tie dye as they stood behind the rest of my crewmembers. I wondered if we had a laundry machine in here that I didn't know about? Ennoia and Morai crossed their arms over their chests, and bowed as they saw me.

"Hello everyone. We've had an exciting few days here, haven't we?" I asked, walking into the broad space of the bridge. The three gold thrones shimmered against my psyker sight, and once again, I instinctually cringed upon seeing the center one. I did not like being attached to any golden throne, either here or on Terra.

"Yes, quite exciting indeed," Null replied tensely as the rest of my companions watched me, averting their eyes in deference. I could actually feel intimidation and strange awe roiling through the air here, and it made me feel sad. I really didn't want them to actually be afraid of me, and nor did I want them to think I was some kind of god figure that they had to be submissive toward. I would need to talk to Virgil about learning how to tame my energy. Throwing overpowered temper tantrums like a big gold psychic toddler was really not my style.

No one spoke as I walked ahead of the center throne, and internally bracing, I sat down, leaning my eagle staff beside me. I did not order the ship to fully connect me just yet, but I felt it somehow "notice" that I was sitting, and its attention was pulled to me. My crewmembers then walked to stand around me as the large central holographic display flickered to life ahead of us. Alberich was not immediately sitting on his throne, I noticed.

"Okay, so, first order of business is we figure out where we are exactly. I really have no idea where the Emperor decided to land us, so lets figure that out here," I said to the room. "Divine Retribution, where are we in the galactic region? And, retrace our steps from Nubua, please."

The central display flickered, and then, we were shown a large map of the northeastern part of the galaxy. The map then zoomed in on a broad band of dust, and then, further focused in on a planet deep inside the cloud. Further magnifying, we saw our eagle icon as it began to spiral away from the planet in a frantic flight. The map then shifted, displaying the currents of the Warp once again, and the currents displayed were absolutely terrifying, with multiple destructive whirlwinds and large black fissures that had a blinking *error* notation within them. This was much worse than witnessing Levant's storm, I realized.

In this apocalyptic area, we watched as the icon of the Divine Retribution began to fly in random directions, obviously lost and blind in the degrading Warp. Scarily, it then began drifting to one of the *error* fissures when suddenly, the eagle icon brightened. The icon then turned around, and began to quickly flee from the chaotic mess, expertly dodging reality fissures and whirlwinds. After a short distance of quick flight, it sped up to an incredible speed, and then, it abruptly skipped like a stone across the map, covering a distance of about six thousand light years in a few moments! My crewmembers were similarly amazed. We watched as the Divine Retribution's icon then jumped out of Warp, and meandered over to a rocky dead world, where were were sitting right now. I noticed that a notation of *error* now hung over the entirety of the Deadly Desert. That entire region had been scoured from existence!

"Wow," I exhaled. "That's something serious, isn't it?"

"I have no words," Null said softly beside me, one of his right arms gripping the armrest of my throne. "The speed at which we traveled in such a short time, remarkable! Praise Omnissiah! I do wonder how much time has passed in the material universe as we made this flight."

"We can ask," I said helpfully. "How much time has passed from our flight from Nubua to now, Divine Retribution?"

The ship spoke in its impassive voice, "Eight days, ten hours, twenty-three minutes, and forty eight seconds." Wow, time in the Warp really didn't mean anything, huh? Somehow, our journey had taken over a week in the span of a few seconds of the Emperor's possession and control of this vessel. None of it really made sense, but the Warp travel in this universe never really made proper sense anyway.

"Incredible," Lian said, holding an armored hand up to his mouth as he walked to stand ahead and to my right. "Such a journey would take weeks in a proper Warp-faring vessel, but we only experienced minutes of time on board as we fled. Praise the Emperor for His salvation."

"Over six thousand light years!" Alberich said, appearing absolutely amazed. "I should not be surprised, as a chariot of God would not be bound by the rules of conventional physics!"

Internally, I cringed hearing what the beastman had said, but I didn't say anything.

"So," I said, turning to my crewmembers. "Is anyone familiar with this area? What's next? Null, I think you had something to announce, right?"

Null quietly nodded. "Yes I do, Scion," he stated nervously, still obviously amazed at our progress. "Pull the map out a little, please."

I zoomed the map back out, and from here, we could see a few other stars, some random dust clouds, and a sparse cluster of other systems. Gradually, I pulled the map back until Null told me to stop.

"I believe that right now, we are the edge of the range of the Astronomican, and as such, we are a mere few hundred light years to the border of formal Imperial space and the Ultima Segmentum. Everyone, it is my proposal that we stop for more provisions, as the journey to Molech is long, and we do not have enough rations to sustain us beyond four or five days now, as we have many crew members. I do wonder if you can see the light from the Astronomican from our current location, Scion?"

"Uh, about that," I replied slowly. Null apparently had not believed Trazyn when the Necron Lord had offered news of the formation of the Great Rift and the destruction of Cadia. This would probably be difficult to hear, I thought sadly. "Trazyn was telling the truth back on Kolch. Right now, there's a brand new giant Warp rift cutting the galaxy in half, and we're on the wrong side of it. If the Astronomican was visible from here before, it isn't visible now. We're on the wrong side. The Great Rift blocks it out here."

A powerful disbelieving silence fell on the bridge. Null then walked slightly ahead of me, and briefly turned around, his neon green animated eyes filled with disbelief.

"You're joking again, certainly," Null replied anxiously to me. He then turned back up to the display. "A rift? Of that magnitude? The xenos was trying to unsettle us!"

I clenched my jaw. How could I put this? "Null, I'm sorry, but I'm not joking. Trazyn told us the truth. From what I know, the Great Rift was described to have happened right at the start of another Black Crusade, which, I guess, just started very recently. I know this from the information I got from my home universe, and from what my intuition tells me. Cadia was actually destroyed, and a huge Warp rift is splitting the galaxy in half now. The light of the Astronomican really has been cut off from half the galaxy."

"How can this..." Lian then walked ahead of me, and looked back at me in dismay. His eyes were also wide in similarly pained disbelief. He then also turned back toward the display. "Would it show on this vessel's map here?" he gestured upward. "Can this be displayed before us?"

"Well, let's see. Divine Retribution, show the entire galaxy as it currently appears right now on the display, and indicate any Warp rifts and storms. I hope I'm wrong here, guys."

The map pulled out at a dizzying pace from our location. Around me, I heard Virgil, Lian, and Null all choke in horror as the galaxy was displayed.

It was true, and it was terrible.

On this map of the galaxy, a red gash cut through the entirety of the Milky Way like an infected wound. The Eye of Terror, and the Maelstrom also smoldered balefully, and even Levant's new Warp rift burned like a hot coal far from where we had come. Seeing it all like this, just out there and plain to see, gave me a sense of incredible dread. Somehow, this made it terribly real, and I began to feel sick, knowing all the unfathomable atrocities that were now happening all over this galaxy. People were being tortured, killed, and enslaved by the forces that caused this vile thing, and it was all happening right now and in real life. It was unnatural, and it was unjust. Unexpectedly, I found myself dramatically emotionally moved, my heart quailing in sympathetic pain as I witnessed the utter enormity of this horror. This literally hurt to look at! Seeing this meant that humankind truly was on the brink of ruin, the cancer of Chaos gnawing at it as it slowly bled to an agonized death. The Astronomican couldn't even be seen on this side of the galaxy anymore! Humanity was screwed! No, this reality was screwed!

Unbidden, a vision of a scene from far away raced through my mind, and I could see a conflict that was happening right at this moment. My eyes rolled back in my head, and I was briefly taken away.

I beheld a warship filled with red-armored and red-horned Chaos Marines. They were laying siege to a peaceful farming world simply because it was close to the Great Rift, and because of the approval of the Blood God. In my mind's eye, I witnessed a vivid scene of an elderly farmer and his wife as they were brutally murdered in their beds by a screaming Khornate Berzerker. They prayed for the Emperor to save them, but their prayers fell on deaf ears. Only I witnessed this, I knew, and I could could do absolutely nothing to help them as I watched a spray of brains and bright red blood paint the interior of their once treasured family home. The laughter of Khorne pierced through my mind like an ice pick.

It then somehow got even worse. As I struggled to pull myself away from this distressing vision, Khorne's eye began to focus on me like it was the fucking Eye of Sauron! And like Sauron, a supernaturally stentorian message was transmitted along with the Chaos God's brutal laughter.

I SEE YOU

This was too much! Now I had Khorne after me on top of Tzeentch and Slaanesh! I was finally able to pull myself out of my vision when I felt a hand touch my left shoulder. It was Virgil, and his eyes were concerned. "Are you alright?" the astropath asked me. "You look a bit pale"

I shook my head. "I had a vision just now of a planet getting conquered by Chaos Marines, and..." I took a deep breath as cold sweat began to race across my body. Fuck, I hated being this way! I hated being a psyker! "...and the Chaos power responsible for it saw me watching, and put his eye on me. Khorne. It was Khorne. Khorne saw me!"

"It should not be surprising," Lian calmly stated as he walked back to my side. "All Chaos powers surely watch you. You are an anathema to their existences, and a threat to them, so they will surely stalk and menace you. That they pay you attention like this means they are threatened by you."

"Do you require anything?" Virgil asked me, gently touching my shoulder again in concern.

"I need Chaos to fuck off, that's what I require," I angrily barked as I was afflicted with yet another psychic nosebleed. Fuck, don't lose your shit again, Erika! Realizing that I was bleeding, I pinched my nose, and then turned back to the astropath apologetically. "I'm sorry, Virgil. I'm going through a lot of shit right now, you know? This is not easy."

Virgil nodded, placing his holographic hands in his grey embroidered robes. "It is understandable, Scion. It also gives me perspective concerning your predecessor and what He must have experienced. The strain on your body and mind must be heavy, and I hold faith that all will turn out alright in the end."

"Sure hope so," I replied. I felt a tap on my right shoulder as Alberich helpfully offered me a handkerchief, which I held to my face.

I meant what I said earlier.I will follow your power and your divinely anointed will to my death. My honor is my life, Alberich whispered to me telepathically as he walked to sit in his throne to my right. I felt the Divine Retribution acknowledge him when he made contact with his throne. The beastman sat watching me with a small smile from his throne.

Really not wanting to deal with insane Nazi shit right now, I put my attention back to the display. "Okay, so, anyway, point being," I pointed up to the scar bisecting the galaxy. "That's the Great Rift. The Astronomican can't get past it, but we don't need it to fly, really. This ship sort of flies itself when I'm directly attached to it. And it also has its own little Astronomican if things get really nasty outside, but it really drains me to use."

Bringing my attention back to the map, I watched as Null slowly walked into my field of view again, his remaining three mechadendrites drooping like wilted flowers. After his brush with death, he now appeared very frail and weak. "It's true, isn't it?" the tech-priest exhaled in great sadness, shaking his head in his torn and burned robes as he regarded the Great Rift before him. The grief I felt from Null was palpable. Virgil walked beside him and placed a supportive hand on his arm. The tech-priest shook his head again. "Well, now we know, I suppose," Null said, collecting himself. He then looked back up at the map. "Kindly go back to where we are located, if you can, Scion. I need to see exactly where we are."

I willed the central display to show our location again. A handful of sparse stars and bands of dust hung in the black void. Our eagle icon sat on a planet in the center of the map. Null made an affirmative noise, and said, "I confirm that we are located at the threshold of the Ultima Segmentum. In this area, there are a few worlds that we can visit that are beyond formal Imperial jurisdiction, but many are feral, and will not be able to offer the supplies, rations and discretion we require. Look up here at this system," the tech-priest spoke as he gestured to a large blue-white star to the north of our location. He even aimed a red laser pointer from one of his mechadendrites on to the map. I willed the Divine Retribution to focus in on it, and a star system with fourteen planets with wide orbits was highlighted. The fourth planet from the star was the point of interest here, and it was labeled as "Ormunendung". I nudged the vessel to zoom in further on the map, and we beheld a mottled rocky marble with lots of snow, heavy white cloud cover, and a single moon.

Null pointed up at the display with two of his remaining arms. "This is Ormunendung, a mining planet that serves in raw materials to the Adeptus Mechanicus and Rogue Traders in times of emergency in this remote region. It is officially a feudal world, but nigh-feral at times. A cloud of comets causes problems every few decades with frequent impacts. The local population is now very suspicious of any visit from a void ship, as whenever they are visited, the comet cloud surrounding their star is disrupted, and their world becomes bombarded once again. But, perhaps they could serve us if we make it clear that they have no choice? Pull back out, please. There are other worlds," Null instructed.

We were now back to the sparse map of stars, and the tech-priest pointed his mechadendrite laser at a tiny reddish star far to the west of the center of the map. I willed the map to zoom in again.

"And here," he pointed to the small red dwarf star with a singular planet orbiting at a very precarious distance. This planet was an earth-like globe covered in what appeared to be copious oceans, lots of green land, and even possessed a Saturn-like ring. "Rhadabus is populated by the overly-friendly descendants of an eccentric sybaritic Rogue Trader and a small population of his imported serfs. It is a small independent civilized world that is used as a stopover for some traders and more than a few pirates on their way to and from the Ghoul Stars. The peculiar insular population of Rhadabus is often willing to trade in food and supplies, but the last time we visited them, we suspected a genestealer infestation. That, or their years of inbreeding has made them both very ugly and exceedingly disagreeable to work with. Coupled with their inappropriate natures, the planet is not very pleasant to visit, even if they are welcoming. It has been a thousand years since I visited them on my way to Levant, and I can't imagine this world has improved much from when I last saw it."

"I don't want to go to Rhadabus," Virgil spoke up this time, shaking his head. "I am a hologram, and cannot go far from the ship, and I still don't want to go to Rhadabus."

Rhadabus sounded like if "The Hills Have Eyes" was a planet instead of a cult horror movie. I decided to rule out that world. Even the comet planet sounded better than a planet of "overly-friendly" space inbreds that may or may not actually be genestealers. No thanks.

Once again, I pulled the map back out as Null and Virgil briefly chatted about how much they both hated that world.

"I have a suggestion, if I may," Lian then spoke up, his hand raised politely. I nodded at the Fallen, and he turned to the map. "Please highlight that star." He pointed at a yellow star in the south part of the display. I mentally directed the Divine Retribution to magnify where Lian had indicated. A star system with eight planets then came up on the display. A notation at the bottom right of the screen designated this as the "Vigaz System."

Lian walked ahead of me again, and turned to the side so he could see both me and the display. The Fallen began to speak: "This is the Vigaz System, and I am pleased to see that we are somewhat close to it. Its namesake comes from the second planet from the star, the independent frontier world of Tar Vigaz. My order has a covert satellite chapter operating out of the capitol city state of this world. It is not part of the Imperium, and, it bills itself as aggressively neutral. No one faction has a foothold there. In the past, it has billed itself as 'The Gateway to the Frontier', as it sits within a mere ninety-nine light years of the Ultima Segmentum's formal borders."

"Tar Vigaz?" I asked, not familiar with the name. I turned to Null to see if he could explain further. The planet itself had wide swaths of what appeared to be desert, but it did possess areas of open water and green vegetation. Sparse clouds danced in its atmosphere, and if I looked closely, there even seemed to be twinkling lights beneath some of the clouds. Was that an indication of civilized development?

"I am familiar with Tar Vigaz," Null replied. "Not actually a bad choice, all things considered. More urban than I would like, maybe a little too public, but not a bad proposition. It is an independent world, and a liaison for many races of the galaxy for both entertainment and trade. It has been said, and somewhat exaggerated, that you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy this side of the galaxy. There are far worse places to visit, but at least Tar Vigaz is somewhat civilized. And, yes, that world prides itself on independence and neutrality. Nearly everyone is welcome there if they can pay. It is not an inexpensive world, mind you."

"Our privacy can be assured. A special Writ of Confidentiality can be secured with the right connections, as well," Lian offered helpfully. "This means that official records of our visit to such a planet will be burned. My order has the means to secure a Writ, and once I contact them, they will certainly welcome us."

"I am familiar with the Tar Vigaz Writ of Confidentiality," Null quickly responded. "Now that I think back, I may also have a contact on this world that could be quite useful to us in gaining a Writ, but without the danger of associating with renegade marines. Many years ago, I knew of a Magos stationed there. I can cash in a few favors with this individual, and that Magos can indeed help us, and even possibly help in the procurement of supplies for the ship."

"Sounds like you both are pretty familiar with that place, huh?" I observed, leaning back on my throne. My nose had stopped bleeding, and I pulled the rag away.

"Reasonably, but my knowledge is about a thousand years old, so it may be slightly out of date," Null admitted.

"I visited this world not six months ago," Lian stated plainly as he then turned to speak to me again. "With this, I now formally request that we stop at Tar Vigaz. My order has a presence there, and they will want to hear news about the destruction of Kolch and Hunter's Repose. They will also need to hear that the holy sword I bear is safe." The Fallen then kneeled ahead of me as he bowed his head. "The esteemed Paladins of Tar Vigaz are affiliated with those that helped to bring you here to us through the veil of reality, Scion. They will likely wish to meet you."

"Meet me?" I asked, suddenly intimidated.

"You have nothing to fear from the order that made it possible for you to be here. I have sworn to serve you, and they will as well."

I apparently looked nervous because Null spoke up: "You don't have to meet any of these Fallen Angels if you don't want to," Null buzzed, walking up to stand beside Lian's kneeling form. He then faced me, his neon green eyes animating concern. "I can find a way to procure the supplies we require and the Writ as well. I assure you, I remain well connected. One doesn't rise to the rank of Archmagos without connections, you see. By my calculations, that Magos' tenure on Vigaz has not yet ended."

Lian shot Null a look as he remained kneeling. The last thing I wanted to see was an argument. As long as we could find a way to get supplies, and not be attacked by Chaos Marines or Necrons, or get the Imperial Inquisition after us, I was fine with this planet. Being seen with renegade marines was dangerous, I had to admit. However, they probably didn't advertise to everyone that they were Fallen Dark Angels, and if the Imperium actually knew that they were there, they'd definitely be purged in a hot minute. After a few moments of consideration, I said, "Alright, well, how about this? We set course for Tar Vigaz. We'll see if Null's contacts hold when we get close, and then, we can reach out to Lian's secret brothers too. I honestly have no problem with either idea."

"Forgive me, but I do object to associating with more renegade astartes, Scion," Null stated nervously, not making eye contact with me or the Fallen beside him. "To be seen by them, even in a world as firmly neutral as Vigaz, is not safe. Even with a Writ, being seen even in modest proximity to renegade marines is dangerous. The Imperium has eyes everywhere, even in places they do not directly control. There was a reason a Magos was stationed there."

I took a breath, and closed my eyes. This was a difficult decision. Rhadabus and Ormunendung didn't sound like good places to visit, but Tar Vigaz actually sounded like a civilized place where we could pick up rations and other supplies. Maybe the Sight could help me here? I felt my halo light around my head for a moment, and my intuition branched outward, searching for the best option. In my mind's eye, I saw a group of kneeling Fallen wearing white robes over dark armor, and one of them held the Lion Sword aloft in a heroic gesture. The mood was very positive, and the impression I got was definitely a good one.

"I'll meet with the Fallen," I stated before realizing my voice was amplified. Oops. "I think it's the right thing to do."

No one fought my judgement call this time, and both Lian and Null stood up from their kneeling positions, with Null walking behind me. Lian had a slight smile on his face as he stood, obviously very pleased. I felt a message jump from the Fallen to me in mind.

I told you that my brothers will see who you are, and I told you the galaxy would kneel. I intend to keep my promises. We stand at the dawning of a new age of hope for mankind, and I hold myself privileged to be a part of it.

The Fallen then saluted me again with his hand on his chest, and stepped away. While I appreciated Lian's voracious loyalty, I didn't like it when he drifted toward bellicose speech. We'd have to have a talk in private concerning what he'd tell his brothers before we saw them.

The issue had been decided. "Alright, you heard them, Divine Retribution. Plot a course for Tar Vigaz, but don't take off yet. How long is it going to take to get there?" I asked the vessel. The ship briefly hummed as some statistics were spat out on the central screen.

"Present location to Vigaz System, destination Tar Vigaz: 227.5 light years. Estimated Warp travel time: 23.1 hours. Heavy tail wind."

We had a new destination, I thought with mild hope, and it wasn't some wild ruined cursed or dead world, but an actual civilized urban world with people! I was actually super curious to see how an urban planet would look in this universe in real life. For the first time in awhile, I felt mildly optimistic about my future!