Thomas thought for a moment before asking:
"Father, do you mean that members of the court who receive the gift from you should call themselves psykers when they use their abilities?"
"Correct."
Nareth considered the future; there would inevitably be joint operations with other Legions. Inevitably, some extraordinary beings would be forced by circumstance to use their powers openly.
Aside from "Warriors," "Sleepless," and "Sailors," whose gifts could be passed off as physical ability, many sequences displayed abilities that were far too distinct.
A psyker's varied powers were the best cover for an extraordinary being.
And if they had a Librarius background, then anyone trying to uncover the truth of "psykers" would have an even harder time.
Every psyker, from the most common Shadow of Order up to a commander, went through a convoluted path: from their Legion into the Honor Guard, then into the Librarius, back into the Legion, then leaving the Librarius, and finally ascending to commander. Their identity shifted multiple times.
Outsiders, not being part of multiple internal Legion structures, could not trace such trajectories, making psykers difficult to investigate and their secrets even harder to discover.
"I understand," replied the Chief Librarian.
Nareth continued: "Szcezny will replace you as Lord Commander of the Ninth Chapter."
From among his captains, Nareth chose Szcezny, one of his earliest followers and fully capable of fulfilling the requirements of a Lord.
"The Ninth Chapter will remain under your command temporarily, until the Seventh Chapter finishes its campaign on the Seventh Planet."
Since the duel between Sanchez and Enoch had not yet ended, Nareth could not yet reassign captains and Tyrant pathway beyonder from the Seventh Chapter. Losing key commanders too soon would certainly harm its performance.
"The Ninth Chapter will garrison the Attack Moon, relieving the Fifth Chapter."
He turned toward his aide, tasked with recording his commands.
"The Second and Eleventh Chapters will withdraw from the Second Planet to rest and refit. The Fifth Chapter will replace them and continue the sweeps."
"When the Third Chapter arrives, they will serve as the main assault force against the Ork fortress, with the Fifth Chapter in support."
From the Dark Lord's reports, Nareth knew that Mordian culture was already being integrated into the Third Chapter. It was being reshaped.
For this reason, Bukayo Arshavin had not come in person. Instead, he sent Captain Mikhaeli of the 2nd Company and Captain Grzegorz of the 3rd Company, leading half the Shadows of Order.
Following Nareth's directive, Bukayo was also raising auxilia forces from Mordian elite troops. The Third Chapter and these auxiliaries trained together in Mordia, emphasizing urban warfare, then expanding into ship combat and orbital operations.
The five fortresses of the Second Planet in the Wheel of Flame would serve as the proving ground for the reformed Third Chapter.
After issuing these orders, Nareth turned to the "Mystery Pryer."
"What have you gained in the languages and rites of the occult?"
"Father, besides the linguistic materials I already forwarded to your aide, I have been researching primitive faiths across different worlds."
"One deity in particular is called the Fire God. His followers invoke him with words such as these, "
The Seeker's eyes grew deep as he intoned:
"Great Fire God, You are the master of the volcano, You are the crimson king who rules the flames…"
Nareth leaned back in his throne, committing each step of the ritual to memory.
After the Pryer finished recounting the rites he had collected, Nareth closed his eyes and began analyzing ritual magic.
The "Black Emperor" pathway had not granted him this ability. While he remembered fragments of ritual knowledge, he dared not experiment lightly.
The Warp teemed with fleeting demigods and lesser deities. Even he knew only a handful, like Vashtorr. To err in invocation could attract something altogether unknown.
To ensure success, Nareth gathered myths and rites from Terra and from xeno cultures.
Arsena, on his orders, was also collecting myths, especially the Fenrisian tomb-prayers, which held striking value.
After long study, Nareth refined the process: stripping away the useless, shaping a coherent structure.
The Seeker's recitation confirmed his own insight.
'Yes, it is as I remembered. A ritual can be broken into three parts: First, a sacrifice to please or draw the attention of the being. Second: an incantation describing the entity invoked. Third: the request itself, the substance of the plea. Each part must be expressed through structured, symbolic language.'
His mind raced. The symbols could come from the Black Emperor. The language could be Dunnic, steeped in mystery. The critical piece was the invocation itself.
'It must point clearly to me, to Nareth, to the Kingdom of Disorder.'
For now, he could not hear prayers himself. To receive them across the galaxy, even through the Warp, he needed the Seffiroth.
'How best to phrase it… threefold structure. First line: "Black Emperor of the Shadows of Order!"'
He analyzed carefully.
'The Black Emperor is the Shadow of Order, and I have already named the Eleventh Legion the Shadows of Order. Though I did not call myself Emperor, a Monarch is its synonym. By using "monarch" instead of "emperor," I keep within the logic of shadow. Thus the phrase can point both to the Black Emperor and to me in reality.'
He set the first line, then shaped the second.
'"Mysterious Sovereign of the Kingdom of Disorder!" That anchors it in the Dissolution, for Seffiroth is the core of ritual prayer.'
The third would complete the triad.
'It must link to the authority of the Kingdom of Disorder. Order is covered already, this last should emphasize law.'
"King of Light and Shadow, Who Holds the Rules!"
'The Judge sets rules, light. The Black Emperor twists them, shadow.'
Having defined the invocation, Nareth opened his eyes and looked at the Seeker and the Student of Logic.
"I want you to assist me in a ritual."
"Until now, you have been unable to wield the powers I gave you. You could not work ritual magic because you had no one to pray to."
At this, his aide glanced at him with anticipation.
Thomas hesitated. The Primarch's words smacked of faith, contradicting Imperial Truth. It clashed with all his training.
But then he remembered the Heartslayer of the Crystal Mirage. He knew it was real.
And his own powers, could the Imperial Truth explain how drinking a potion had turned him into a Mystery Pryer?
His doubt hardened into resolve. His gene-father's words were law.
Sensing this shift, Nareth continued.
"Now I will tell you the object of your prayers."
"Father, to whom shall we pray?" asked the Pryer, more adept than the Student of Ratiocination in ritual craft.
"You will know. But first, a technique."
Nareth spoke mind-to-mind, sending a pulse of thought.
"Ritual magic requires an undisturbed spiritual environment. We must create it ourselves. The method: enter meditation, gather your spirit, then guide it outward with a medium to shape the surroundings."
He lifted a crystal box from the desk and opened it, revealing a black dagger.
To him, it was a small knife. To a mortal, it would have been a short sword.
He circled the desk and held it out.
"This ritual dagger is forged from the paired-numbered black-metal."
Arsena peered closer, recognizing the markings {XI} and {XXXIII} etched in white upon the matte-black alloy, mined from a high-gravity world.
"The technique is simple," Nareth said.
"Hold the ritual dagger, and in Dunnic chant:
"I sanctify you, O blade of the ritual!
I purify you, that you may serve me within the rite!
In the name of the Black Emperor, you are sanctified!"
Speaking the words himself, Nareth's voice was short and commanding.
When he finished, he pressed the blade's tip outward and began circling the desk.
With each step, the Seeker and the Student felt invisible power surge from the dagger.
Spirit fused with air, forming a sealed wall.
By the time Nareth had completed the circle, the desk was isolated from the outside.
"The spiritual environment is now constructed," he said. "Breaking it is even easier."
He stabbed outward with the dagger, and the invisible wall shattered instantly.
Then he opened two more boxes, each holding a dagger, one long, nearly the size of his own, the other sized for mortal hands.
...
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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