David's brain struggled to process what he was hearing. An idea he had dreamed of and spent years designing and thinking about was now real. He could even live and fight alongside characters he had made as a passion project.
The system continued to talk but David was no longer listening he was instead just staring. Walking below towards him was three of the six named hero characters he had made for his person fan fiction space marine legion. He could list their names without even thinking. He had spent hundreds of dollars trying to make the idea into a reality. He spent months learning how to 3D model just to make their designs. It took him 5 years just to make the physical models and another 2 months to paint them until he was satisfied. They were his greatest achievement and proudest accomplishment.
Below David, the leader of the trio suddenly stopped. He nodded for the other two to continue moving. The now lone figure raised his head to stare at David. He took a few more steps into the candlelight to fully reveal himself.
'It's him, I can't believe it's him. Odessian, lord commander of my fan made space marine legion.'
Below David a 9-foot-tall warrior clad in space marine power armor stared up at him. He wore custom MK3 "Iron" power armor. The armor was made of large, armored plates and each one was covered in a scalelike design. Each individual scale was shaped sort of like a sickle. His left thigh had a pistol holster, a mag pouch as well as a sheath for a combat knife strapped to the armor. His right thigh had another pistol holster as well as a pair of mag pouches. The small gaps between the thigh and crotch armor were covered in a black scaled hide. The hide looked like it was taken from some sort of spiney snake. His waist armor had a belt of mag pouches and grenades attached to it. At his waist a small gap between his armor was present. Hanging down from the large plates of armor covering Odessian's stomach was more of the black scaled hide, hiding this gap as well. His chest and stomach armor were made up from multiple overlapping large plates of armor. Attached to his chest armor, small straps held four more ammo pouches. On his right forearm a dozen spears were engraved amongst the scales. Each spearhead was pointed down towards his wrist. The top of both hands were covered in more scaled plate. The top of the left hand had small blades rising from amongst the scales. Each blade reached like a talon from the hand, fitting perfectly between the fingers. If Odessian got into a fist fight, his left hand would be like a spiked brass knuckle. His fingers were covered in dozens of tiny armor plates, giving him incredible protection whilst maintaining his dexterity. His shoulders held massive pauldrons. The outer edge of both pauldrons extruded slightly from the rest, giving the armor a well-defined border. Wrapped around the bottom lip of both pauldrons hung more of the black hide. The hide draped down over his upper arm like mountains and valleys. The smooth raised edges of the shoulder pauldron encased an encirclement of the raised scale design that covered the rest of the armor. The center of the right pauldron rose a shield with a pair of crossed spears. On the shield a flaming skull extruded from its flat surface. Odessian's left shoulder pauldron had the same design as the right except that instead of the shield and spears the roman numeral for 2 (II) was engraved into the pauldron.
At the top of the chest armor a small gorget rose to protect Odessian's neck and the underside of his helmet. The gorget was covered in raised design facing out from him. A shield rose from the far left and right sides of the gorget. In between the shield, small flaming skulls looked like they were traveling from the left shield towards a gate at the center of the gorget. On the other side of the gate, tiny figures of humans seemed to walk from the gate towards the shield on the right.
Odessian's helmet was the most striking part of his armor. He wore a knight like helmet. A secondary angled armor plate came down over his face plate. The top of the second plate was just below a pair of angled rectangular eye slots. The center of the secondary plate rose up towards the brow. The closer it got towards the center directly over the nose, the sharper the angle. The tip of the secondary face plate ended just between the eyes. About a dozen small breathing holes were in the smooth angled sides of the secondary armor plate. Above the eyes, another secondary plate covered the brow of the helmet. The center of the brow plate curved down behind the raised peak of the secondary face plate. The center of the brow plate didn't just droop down; it also formed a peak traveling up the center line of the helmet - up towards a black metal crest. Raised from the smooth metal on either side of the helmet from the back of the head to over the ears, a laurel extruded from the black metal. The laurel was made from the exact same material as the rest of the helmet. The only reason it could even be seen is because it extruded from the smooth surface. The top of his helmet bore a metal crest, moving from the back of his head to the front. It only ended once its' base met the sharp tip of the brow armor at the top of the forehead.
On his back rested a massive backpack. This backpack had two exhausts coming out from either side of the top and four vents jutting out from its base. In its center, a large fan like apparatus spun. The backpack thrummed with power, as it gave energy to the armor. Haze rose from the vents and exhausts due to the heat they ejected.
"Are you just going to keep staring?"
A booming voice echoed in the hall. It was deep and robust. His voice carried the weight of years of conflict and war. It was sharp and commanding but held a comforting touch. It sounded like a disappointed father gently scolding his child.
'What, can he see me?'
"Don't look so shocked, do you really think I wouldn't notice you floating up there."
David continued to look at Odessian in bewilderment and Odessian shook his head once before asking again.
"Are you going to come down here and talk or are you just going to keep staring at me like I am some sort of awe-inspiring mystical creature?" as Odessian finished asking his question a faint chuckle escaped his lips.
'Mystical creature huh. There's no way I look that dumbfounded right? I should go down there and talk to him, but I don't know how to leave this tiny area.'
A sigh escaped Odessian's lips as he slightly shook his helmeted head.
"Instead of frantically looking around, open your mind and imagine yourself floating towards the ground. I can tell you have knowledge but, extremely little experience. I will guide you, David."
'Wait what! How does he know my name?'
"I know your name because this is the soul keep; I know everything about you. Your memories, your actions, your emotions. Your soul is connected to mine, as well as everyone else in this space. In order to even come here, you are first judged by your history to see if you are worthy."
As David listened to Odessian his mind was unraveling - it was as if Odessian could read his mind.
"First focus on your form. Think of it as water that you are pouring into a cup. Once you have done that, picture slowly lowering the cup down towards the floor"
After a few moments, David finished processing the shock and began to focus on Odessian's instructions. His ethereal form slowly lowered itself down towards Odessian. The closer he got, the more detail and small discrepancies in the ornate design he noticed. Small scratches and nicks hid amongst the scale design. Tiny deformations where damage had been repaired and destroyed areas replaced. The slight fade of a few scales, where something must have damaged their color. A small dent in his chest plate where what looked like a bullet had been deflected.
'He even has all the small details I was never able to fit or paint onto his model.'
"If you are here, that means you must have died. Your soul is both a very powerful and fragile thing. If you wish to survive in this universe, you must learn how to not just survive... but thrive."
"Now that you have figured out how to move, let's get you to manifest your body. I will teach and train you. First, I want you to focus on an image of your body before you died."
'Manifest my body? Wtf, I don't remember this being in any of the books involving the warp.'
"You have reservations, I can see it in your movements and body language. I will guide you. Do not be afraid. You are safe from the evils of the warp here."
As Odessian spoke these words, he slowly moved closer to where David's ethereal form gently floated, at eye level with him. He raised his gauntleted hand and let a small blue flame erupt from the small gaps between the armor of his hand. The blue flame gently swayed as if in a breeze.
"Picture this flame as your soul, it is small, weak and easily extinguished. With training it will become a fortress, not just for you but for the souls that have been cast into the ether to be devoured. With time, patience, and dedication, you will learn our ways. You will become a guide for the souls of the forgotten dead. "
As Odessian continued talking, the small flame grew in size and started to condense into the shape of a human.
"You shall be broken down and reforged into a warrior and protector. In time you will master this space, your body, your mind and your soul. You will lead fallen souls from damnation to this place. Protect them, train them, and learn from them. If you are capable, you may even be able to guide them to salvation."
With Odessian finishing his speech, the flaming figure split and turned into six individual figures. They floated in the air as if lost. Another larger figure materialized and led the others. In his other hand a large flaming gate appeared. The six flaming figures were led to the gate by the larger seventh one. As each of the six crossed the gate they disappeared. In their place, glimpses of human faces flashed in the air before disappearing completely.
"This is our purpose, the reason we were created."
'I knew this was the purpose I gave my custom legion, but I never thought it would become a reality. It is as if the universe is shifting to align with my fanfic.'
"So how do I manifest my body from my soul?" David had spoken for the first time. His voice was a broken thing. It was rough and cracked multiple times - he had not spoken in over a month and the words seemed foreign to him.
"So, the mute finally speaks" Odessian said as he let out a chuckle. "I will help you but, I warn you now, it will be painful. Are you prepared?"
"Yes"
With that single word, blue flames engulfed David's ethereal form. David began to scream. Pain coursed through his body. It was worse than the chemical burns, worse than being thrown around and battered by Shleemlow centipedes, worse than being eaten by a parasitic larva!
"Then this shall be your first trial. Do not disappoint me. I have seen far too many be broken at only the first step on this path" Odessian spoke but knew that David could no longer hear him.
Odessian watched on as David writhed and screamed. At this point. he was unfazed. He had seen this countless times. He and his brothers had rescued hundreds of billions of forgotten souls from the clutches of the warp. Every time they would ask if the soul was ready, but every time within the first few minutes the soul would break and plea for the pain to end. He had seen over the 10 millennium, how the souls he saved had grown more and more fanatic. With time he would often think to himself, 'What has become of our imperium? Why would the emperor, beloved by all, ever allow this fanatic worship of himself?'
Odessian knew what was happening, the taint of the corrupted sea of souls was being burned away so David's soul could be freed from the chains that bound it to the waiting beings residing there. 'Yes, you are suffering, but the pain will free you and make you stronger. Do not give in or you will be consumed'
David's trials had begun. This would be the first. The trial of purification. It wasn't just pain and suffering, but a mental war as well. Each corrupted being that had left claim on his soul would need to be removed. David would need to resist their claim and overpower it with his own.
The pain started to slowly recede, and the screaming died down into a quiet whimper. David's soul had turned from a broken, dying amalgamation of energy into a solid, healthy human shaped being made of flame. His ethereal head had turned into a skull encased in blue flame.
"Your soul has been purified of the warp's taint. The next step will be a slow and arduous process. You must guide your soul into forming a shell for itself. Think of your anatomy, imagine the bones that gave you structure."
David focused on what Odessian was saying. He understood, but didn't know how to proceed. What had only been about 10 minutes of suffering to Odessian, had been 4 months of torturous pain and the endless feeling of being ripped apart and killed for David. His mind was rattled and his will in tatters.
'Is this all the training I will get? Just endless pain. Is this really even salvation and purification or just another twisted way for the gods of chaos to break me even more.'
"David!" Odessian's voice boomed in David's mind. It felt as if he had been struck in the temple by a hammer. David's vision blurred as a headache coursed through his skull. Shaking his head to try and clear his vision, David raised his head only to see the soft glow from Odessian's helmet boring holes into him. David's vision began to clear as he stumbled forward slightly. Flame ignited from Odessian's palm and gently coiled around David's flickering form.
"Easy now, steady your mind. Your mind must become a bastion to the dark. Do not let emotions cloud you or you will be consumed." Odessian softly spoke as he guided his flames to softly stabilize David.
"You have fought through the first trial and passed. Your mind and body have fallen into a state of exhaustion." Odessian spoke with a compassionate tone, but he noticed flickers of red flames mixed in amongst the blue. He knew what these were and what they meant.
Odessian had seen this many times before. It usually happened to the vengeful and betrayed. He had seen many of his cousin astartes be consumed in the red flames. The strong would use it to become wrath itself. Those less resolute, would burn until nothing remained.
He thought of the stories he had heard from them before they were claimed or burned out. Of the betrayed loyalist and how they had been sent to die on a dead world by their former brothers. He had watched as an Iron Hand was so full of rage he turned into the very being that had killed him. He still remembered his face. He thought of the story an ultra-marine had told him about how his friend had betrayed him. He was then forced to watch as his brother astartes were all butchered. The ultra-marine was then tortured for weeks and finally killed as a sacrifice. Odessian knew where that Ultra-marine ended up and held hope that he was able to get vengeance. He heard the despair of a dreadnought who had given everything to save his primarch and legion only to be killed by those he tried to protect.
But he had also heard many stories from distraught civilians pleading to see their families or zealous sisters of battle that were convinced he was either sent by their "God-Emperor" or malignant entities that wished to turn them from their faith. Those words still left him nauseous. One of his favorite memories was the soul of a remembrancer he had known during the Great Crusade. Before the remembrancer had entered the first trial, Odessian had spent a few weeks talking to him and learning about his craft. To this day, Odessian still has the carved wooden desk the remembrancer had taught him how to make. Odessian had become distraught for a few days - when the remembrancer had come out of the first trial as nothing more than a hollow shell, to broken to even be recognized as his former self.
The memories haunted Odessian but what scared him more was the zealotry and ignorance that seemed to grow exponentially from the souls he was entrusted to guide once the cataclysm of Horus was over.
Their dogmatic zealotry often doomed them as they would refuse purification, treating it instead as a challenge to squash. He had seen countless humans venture into the inferno and return as hollowed shells, while others would come back as warp-based entities fueled by the power of their faith. Only a small select few would fully pass the first trial.
"You know he is still trapped in the shackles of his mind right?" A deep and rugged voice broke Odessians' quiet remembrance. It carried with it countless years of wisdom and compassion.
Another armored warrior strode out from the darkness he wore the same armor as Odessian. The only visible differences between the two was the ornamentation, amount of frontal armor and helmet.
Extra armored plates covered the front portions of his body, they had the same carefully crafted scalelike design but marred with shell craters, cuts, nicks, and dents.
On the right shoulder pauldron, a shield rose but instead of a flaming skull a pair of axes and a spear decorated the shield.
His groget rose higher than Odessian's covering most of the mouth part of his helmet. The small portions of the mouth of the helmet that could be seen, resembled the wings of a bird. The top of his helmet had a laurel made of twin axes. Three spears came down the center of his head. One ended with the spear tip at the edge of each of the slanted opening for his eyes. The third spear tip ended at the helmets nose.
"I know he is fighting a losing battle but, I want to see how much he is willing to endure. The weak and faltering will not survive the horrors of this galaxy. This test will show me if he is worthy."
"I agree but it is still a shame. His soul has already been battling for months within his mind. He has burned away the taint, but it seems that he does not wish to leave the battle he has already won."
"Do you think it would be a good idea to enter and see what he is doing?"
"It would be intriguing, but you know that is not the way of the trials"
"Yes, Old friend, it may not be the way of our trials but, have you ever dealt with such an anomaly before?"
"Odessian, we both know this man is special. But that does not mean we should be intruding upon his trials. As we have discussed many times before, we do not interfere with this new version of the galaxy."
"But is that what he would have wanted brother? Is that what our gene father gave up his soul for? Do we just abandon the emperor beloved by all's dream? Do we let humanity fester and decay as we watch the imperium, that we sacrificed everything for, slowly die?"