In the Primarch's palace, John, who had been lying flat on the ground, suddenly sprang up and locked eyes with the Black Wolf.
The "Monster" trembled all over, instinct warning him that the Black Wolf was dangerous.
The Black Wolf, long accustomed to dwelling within the Kingdom of Disorder, suddenly found himself back in the material world, aboard the voidship. The sensation was almost dreamlike.
As he lingered in confusion, a flare of hostility pricked his senses.
The Black Wolf glanced at the gyrinx and immediately recognized him as Nareth's pet.
'No, that's not right. He's Nareth's pet. I am too. No… I'm not the same as him.'
The Black Wolf paced two steps around Nareth, head held high in pride, and declared:
"From now on, you listen to me."
"Sigh…" he exhaled in a strangely human manner. "You don't understand what I'm saying, and you can't reply. That's just how it is with us…"
John watched the Black Wolf warily, struggling to suppress the terror his hypersensitivity stirred within him.
"I can understand you perfectly," John said at last. "But I came before you."
The Black Wolf froze, eyes widening in surprise as he stared at the gyrinx.
Several seconds passed before he muttered:
"You too are…"
He didn't know what word to use. In his long existence he had encountered others like himself, strange beings that skirted the boundaries of myth and reality. Each meeting had ended the same way: cautious probing, followed by a mutual decision to avoid one another.
After a long, measuring gaze at the gyrinx, the Black Wolf finally said:
"No. You're still not the same as me."
Nareth observed it all, John's fear, the wolf's arrogance, and the corner of his lips tugged upward.
He extended a massive hand and patted the wolf's thick fur.
"Do you have a name?"
"I…" The Black Wolf lifted his head proudly. "In the past, my followers called me the Wolf God."
"Wolf God…"
The thought instantly conjured Horus's image in Nareth's mind. His smile deepened.
"I know another bald fellow they call Wolf God. You'll need a new name."
Thinking of the wolf's penchant for dragging people into nightmares, Nareth spoke:
"Freddy. Your name is Freddy."
"Freddy…" the wolf repeated, his tone shadowed and deep.
Nareth paid no further attention to the dominance struggle between Freddy and John. The outcome was already certain: Freddy was an incomplete mythical entity, far beyond ordinary Beyonder creatures, but still lacking wholeness.
The next day, Nareth was in his office handling administrative affairs when his aide entered.
"My lord, the Third Chapter has arrived. Second Captain Mikhaeli and Third Captain Grzegorz request an audience."
"Send them in."
Moments later, two black-armored warriors entered, each bearing their Chapter's insignia: a deep, dark crescent moon painted on their right pauldrons. They bowed low.
"Father."
"There's no need for formality."
Nareth's gaze fell on what they carried. In Mikhaeli's hands was a crystal encasing a disk-shaped flower.
It looked like a sun in bloom, its golden petals curling outward in rippling waves.
The flower glowed faintly with spiritual light.
'Golden-Edged Sunflower. With this, the ingredients for the "Bard's" potion are complete.'
Sensing his interest, Mikhailovsky spoke:
"Father, this is the Golden-Edged Sunflower. Mordian is half eternal night, half eternal day. Neither side is suited for life, yet on the daylit face this flower blooms. It is… extraordinary."
"How fascinating. That is the strangeness of life itself." Nareth smiled faintly. "How many have you brought?"
"We have gathered one thousand and twenty-three blossoms, along with other rare items already delivered to your vault."
"Excellent."
Nareth nodded with satisfaction. He had already decided that the Second Chapter, under Wilshire, would specialize in developing beyonder beings along the Sun Pathway.
Their purifying powers were the most fitting weapon against Chaos.
From the Honor Guard, he had already chosen one hundred and fifty-four candidates. For now, the sunflowers would suffice.
"How fares the Third Chapter?" he asked.
Mikhaieli, having earned his father's approval, yielded the report to his comrade.
Grzegorz stepped forward. "Father, the Chapter has secured full control of Mordian."
"The Dark Lord observed that Mordian's suicide rate far exceeded the Imperial average, due to two natural factors."
"First, the eternal darkness. Second, the planet's lack of rotation suppresses the Coriolis effect, which prevents the formation of strong winds. The atmosphere is thus heavy, stifling, and dark."
"Those who did not kill themselves lived joyless lives, grim and fearless of death. Lord Bukayo has decreed that Mordian's bravery must be preserved, but their suicidal urge must be excised."
Nareth nodded slightly. He knew that aside from Nostramo, Mordian was infamous for its suicide rates.
After the Day of the Emperor's Long Life, Nostramo would be destroyed, leaving Mordian as the world with the highest suicide rate in the Imperium.
It was hardly an achievement worth boasting about. That Bukayo could change this tendency was a blessing.
The bright, multicolored uniforms of the Mordian Forces were themselves a rebellion against the suffocating darkness.
"Very well. How is the progress?"
"My lord, there was another factor in their despair."
"Billions of Mordians lived cramped upon land no larger than one-tenth of Terra's surface. Scarce resources were controlled by the Tetrarch, leaving the masses in perpetual want, crushed by military oppression."
"After their return to the Imperium, little changed. The Tetrarch merely became regent-governors, rationing what little remained. Naturally, discontent festered. The Mordian forces, when not deployed, served mainly as instruments of tyranny."
"But, my lord, with supplies delivered from Symphony of the Sea, Mordians have tasted joy unknown to them before. Now they sincerely praise the new order, and sing your and Lord Bukayo's names. Statistically, the suicide rate has dropped from 1.44 per thousand to 0.052 per hundred."
"Good," Nareth said with a nod.
"And the Chapter? The Auxilia"
"Mordian's population produces excellent soldiers. Of the candidates, 18,453 passed the initial selection and are now undergoing training."
"Auxilia: 7,913 passed selection and have been organized into three regiments, which we have brought here to the Wheel of Fire system."
Nareth, hearing this, decided to formalize their title.
"The Mordian Auxilia shall henceforth be known as the Mordian Iron Guard."
"Father, the name suits them well."
Nareth was satisfied with the report. He believed Bukayo would reshape Mordian, preserving its strengths and weaving its essence into the Third Chapter.
"Strategic map."
Arsena raised the control rod, projecting the Wheel of Fire system, highlighting the second planet.
"The five Ork fortresses on the second world will be your trial by fire."
"Father, we will not fail you," both captains swore.
After they departed, Nareth summoned members of the Honor Guard. Those who had passed his tests would now be elevated as beyonder beings.
He met with each of the new Court members in turn.
Two days later, his final audience was with Wilshire.
Wilshire drank the golden elixir, and under the Primarch's guidance, steadied the power spilling from within him.
Looking at his "Bard," Nareth said:
"Use the power I've given you. Inspire the other Shadows of Order."
In Nareth's mind, Wilshire was best suited for the role of priest. But since Lorgar Aurelian had not yet returned, no such office existed within the Legions.
He had no intention of being the first to institute it. Better to follow the tide of history.
Overflowing with confidence, Wilshire bowed. "Father, I will not disappoint you."
At the very moment Wilshire rejoined the Second Chapter, the Third completed its landings.
Heavy transports crushed ruined bunkers under their weight, disgorging siege-modified armored vehicles.
Landing craft descended slowly, and from them marched ranks of Shadows of Order and Mordian Iron Guard, setting foot upon the soil of the second planet.
As Stormbirds and bombers unleashed their fury upon the ork fortresses, Mikhaeli studied the xenos' defensive positions.
...
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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