Magnus finally released a helpless sigh. He rose slowly, his steps heavy as he walked down from the Golden Throne.
He knew then that he was powerless to change what was to come.
All those years sitting upon the Golden Throne with the Emperor, maintaining the safety of the Webway and guiding the Imperium's interstellar travel, had given him a profound understanding of the terrible power of the entity that resided within his father.
It was a being of darkness they could never hope to defy. With a single thought, it could incinerate him completely, burning away both his physical body in the materium and his psychic presence in the Immaterium.
If that entity were truly born, it would spell the end of the entire universe. The first to be sacrificed would be the souls of all mankind. No one would be spared, from the primarchs and the Space Marines to the common mortals of the Imperium. Rich or poor, high or low, all would face certain death.
Among them all, perhaps only Axis could escape this fate. In essence, Axis did not belong to this world and therefore had no connection to the Dark King.
"Father, I swear to you that I will protect the Imperium of Man with all my might," Magnus said, kneeling on one knee before the Emperor.
At that moment, it was the only thing he could do. He would gamble his own life to protect the Imperium, to protect the foundation his father had so painstakingly built.
The Emperor nodded and patted Magnus's shoulder. He then turned and slowly lowered himself back onto the throne.
The instant he made contact, an unprecedented wave of sensations washed over him. Darkness, cold, despair, and a pain that transcended words all crashed down upon the Emperor's being.
He knew that once he sat down, he might never be able to rise again.
There were two possible outcomes should he ever stand from the throne. The first was that he would become the Dark King and burn the entire universe to cinders. This was once the only possibility.
The second outcome was a new possibility, one that had only emerged after the arrival of Axis. It was the Emperor's only hope. This path required Axis to succeed in cultivating the perfect divine fruit, use its power to defeat the Dark King, and then repair the Emperor's body, allowing him to stand once more.
All the primarchs, along with Axis and his family, Captain-General Valdor, and Imperial Chancellor Malcador, gathered around the Golden Throne. Unable to bear the sight of his friend's suffering, Malcador stepped forward and grasped one of the Emperor's hands, siphoning away a portion of the pressure and torment of the Golden Throne.
He channeled a vast amount of his own psychic energy into the Emperor. From the other side, Kasha did the same, nourishing the Emperor with her own psionic power.
They quickly discovered a horrifying truth. Within the Emperor's body was something akin to a black hole, an abyss that was madly absorbing everything they poured into it.
"My children. My family. My dearest friend, and my son-in-law," the Emperor began, his voice slow and measured, "I have some final words for you now. From this day forward, I will no longer communicate with any of you."
"Father, what has happened? Why must you sit upon the throne?" Kasha asked, her face filled with confusion. "Magnus can help you. He could even take your place for a time. So could I."
The other primarchs shared her confusion. The purpose of sitting on the Golden Throne was primarily to seal the breach into the Webway and to power the Astronomican, the great psychic beacon that guided warp travel across the Imperium.
These were tasks that Magnus and the Emperor could have handled separately. There was no need for the Emperor to shoulder all of the burdens alone.
"My children, if I do not sit on the Golden Throne, I will die," the Emperor explained. "I have only one day left to live before my body truly perishes in the physiological sense.
"After I have given you my final instructions, I will activate the Golden Throne's stasis field to preserve my body in this very moment. Otherwise, I will be completely dead by the end of today."
He gave them a simple explanation for why he had to take the throne.
"Father!" the primarchs cried out, desperate to ask more, but the Emperor silenced them with a wave of his hand.
"There is a chance I may be restored in the future, and the key to that restoration lies with Axis.
"However, you must not ask why, nor should you ask Axis what he must do. Only three people know the full secret: Axis, Chancellor Malcador, and Magnus. I want the three of you to promise me that you will never reveal the secret I carry." The Emperor's gaze fell upon the three of them.
They were the only ones who knew the truth about the Dark King.
Axis knew the most, and he was the only one who possessed the ability to give the Emperor a chance to stand again one day.
"I understand, Father-in-law. I promise you that I will accomplish this in the future," Axis said with a firm nod.
Saiyans were not fond of making too many promises, but once a promise was made, it had to be, and would be, fulfilled.
"I understand, Father. I will keep this secret," Magnus replied, bowing his head.
As for Chancellor Malcador, his relationship with the Emperor was such that no promise was needed. The Emperor's trust in him was absolute.
"Now, hear my final decree. When Roboute Guilliman returns, he is to be appointed Lord Regent of the Imperium. He will restore the Imperium's strength and reform its military. All of you must remember to obey his commands. The Lord Regent's authority is second only to my own, and he has my full authority to govern the Imperium in my stead," the Emperor commanded.
Before his long slumber, he had to choose a suitable successor. He had once believed that successor would be Horus, or perhaps Kratos. After careful consideration, however, the Emperor concluded that the only person truly fit to be Lord Regent was Guilliman.
It was not even the master of defense, Rogal Dorn, whose personality was too rigid and unyielding. Dorn was not skilled in the use of strategy and intrigue, whereas Guilliman excelled in these areas and was better suited to dealing with mortals.
The decision left the primarchs at a loss. None of them had expected the Emperor to grant the position of Lord Regent to Guilliman, who had not even participated in the final battle and had yet to arrive on Holy Terra. They had assumed the position would go to Axis, or Kratos, or even Rogal Dorn, but never Guilliman.
"The Council of the High Lords of Terra, which I established, will also continue. Chancellor Malcador will oversee the High Lords. The Astartes are not to interfere excessively in the affairs of mortals. After I take my place on the Golden Throne, the Great Crusade will end." The Emperor began to set out his final arrangements for the future of the Imperium. His aura was growing weaker with each word. He was reaching his limit.
Axis stepped forward and infused the Emperor's body with a measure of his life energy, temporarily stabilizing his condition.
Axis's energy was immense, but the Emperor's body was like a shattered cup. If he channeled too much power, he risked breaking it completely.
"Father-in-law, must I also obey Guilliman's orders in the future?" Axis asked.
He had no desire to be constrained by others, so he seized the opportunity to secure his autonomy while the Emperor could still speak.
"You are not skilled in Imperial politics, Axis," the Emperor said with a nod, "But I can promise you this. You may focus on doing what you must do, for you are the key to my eventual resurrection. Therefore, you are not required to follow Guilliman's orders."
With that, the Emperor granted Axis a special privilege, making him the only one among them all who was exempt from the Lord Regent's authority.
Having said all he needed to say, the Emperor lay back quietly upon the Golden Throne. A powerful stasis field enveloped his body, freezing the flow of time around him. For the Emperor, his physical form would be locked in this moment, almost untouched by the passage of ages, while the world outside sped by.
His spirit, however, would be infinitely amplified by the Golden Throne, ascending into the mystical realm of the Immaterium to become more powerful than ever before.
"Father!" The primarchs knelt as one, tears streaming down their faces.
"Do not lose hope," Axis said, "You heard the Emperor's final words."
"I believe in you, Father. You will surely succeed," Kratos was the first to rise, supporting his own father, "Since Grandfather told us not to ask about what you must do, then none of us will."
Leman Russ, Magnus, Rogal Dorn, and the other primarchs followed, collectively vowing never to inquire about the Emperor's true secret.
On that day, the Master of Mankind took his seat upon the Golden Throne, his body caught in a state between life and death, forever bound to his gilded prison.
The secret of Axis's task was sealed by an oath sworn by all the primarchs present. None would ever speak of it.
The loyal primarchs who were not on Terra would be informed of the new reality in due course.
With the Emperor secure, the Legions on Holy Terra began their counterattack, hunting down the fleeing forces of Chaos.
A day later, Roboute Guilliman arrived at Holy Terra with 400,000 Ultramarines. Of these, 250,000 were veterans from his original Legion, while the other 150,000 were new Space Marines completed the process over the past decade, while using the resources the ultramarines to the fullest.
The news that greeted Guilliman upon his arrival felt like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. The Imperium had won the war, but the Emperor was gravely wounded.
The Master of Mankind was now entombed upon the Golden Throne and would never speak to his children again.
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ps?