At dawn the next day, the communication arrays of Cadia Fortress suddenly broadcast a shocking announcement across all frequencies.
Inquisitor Sima—the veteran Inquisitor known for his conservatism—unprecedentedly announced that his disciple, Knox, was exceptionally promoted to full Inquisitor.
This appointment was like a massive stone thrown into the calm Warp.
Although it had not yet received formal approval from Terra headquarters, Seema used his prerogative as the Sector Inquisitor, making the appointment effective immediately.
In the fortress corridors, servo-skulls zipped back and forth, carrying data-slates, spreading the news to every corner.
"This is against regulations!"
The elderly Inquisitor William slammed his hand on the table in the strategy room, his commendation ribbons on his chest rising and falling violently with his agitated breathing.
"That boy hasn't even completed five years of his probationary period!"
Meanwhile, on the lower decks, the Adepta Sororitas gathered in the chapel, whispering amongst themselves.
"They say he displayed a miracle during the purification ritual on Immor," Novice Sister Irene's eyes sparkled. "Some say they personally saw the Emperor's holy light enveloping him..."
At this moment, while the entire fortress was buzzing with his appointment, Knox was in the most secluded conference room of the Daemon Inquisitorial.
Through the thick reinforced glass window, the purplish-red nebula, unique to the Cadia Sector, slowly drifted in the void.
Inquisitor Sima stood with his back to him, a holographic star map projected from his mechanical eye slowly rotating between the two of them.
"You must have heard the commotion outside, haven't you?"
Sima's voice had the metallic quality characteristic of his mechanical modifications; his withered, eagle-claw-like fingers lightly tapped on the star map, and a star system on the outer edge of the Eye of Terror was immediately marked in a dazzling crimson.
"This is precisely the reaction I wanted."
Sima remained with his back to Knox , his gaze piercing through the window and fixed on the unfathomable void in the distance.
His wrinkled face appeared particularly solemn under the illumination of the nebula's light.
The conference room fell into a brief silence, broken only by the faint humming of the servo-skulls.
Finally, Sima spoke slowly, every word seemingly carefully considered: "Knox , as you officially take office..."
He paused, "...there is one more task I need to entrust to you. If successful, it will not only solidify your reputation but also permanently silence those noisy old men."
Knox maintained a perfect posture, his gaze calmly fixed on his mentor's back.
Sima slowly turned, his mechanically enhanced eyes glinting with a dangerous red light in the dim room.
"The Eye of Terror," his voice suddenly deepened, "you should be well aware of what kind of place that is."
He took a step forward, his metallic bionic leg making a heavy sound on the floor.
"According to the latest report from the Mechanicus exploration fleet, they discovered a... special relic in the ruins on the outskirts of the Eye of Terror."
Sima's mechanical eye slightly contracted, "Preliminary analysis suggests that this artifact may contain power against Chaos."
The old Inquisitor suddenly moved closer, his scarred face almost touching Knox 's.
"I want you to bring it back," his breath carried the metallic scent of machine oil, "intact."
Knox could feel Seema's gaze moving across his face like a scalpel, trying to discern something.
He slightly lowered his head, letting the shadow obscure his expression: "It sounds... interesting, this mission."
"Interesting?"
Sima suddenly let out a harsh sneer, the sound like rusty gears grinding against each other.
"You ignorant boy!"
He slammed his hand on the table, making the data-slates on it jump.
The old Inquisitor took a deep breath, his mechanical lungs hissing: "Listen, this isn't one of those heretical uprisings you usually deal with; every molecule on the outskirts of the Eye of Terror is saturated with Chaos corruption."
His voice suddenly became extremely serious, "One mistake, and you'll become something far more terrifying than death."
Knox then raised his head, a perfectly mask-like expression of deference reappearing on his face: "I understand the gravity of the situation, Master. For the glory of the Emperor, I will not fail."
(Internal Monologue: Tsk, the side effect of getting too into character has arrived. This old fox seems to have brought out even the Eye of Terror, the ultimate testing ground, to verify the authenticity of this 'saint.' Although it's only the periphery, even the Warp dust floating around there is enough to mutate an ordinary psyker into a tentacle monster.)
His lowered eyelashes cast a perfectly fitting shadow on his face, flawlessly concealing the self-mockery that flickered in his pupils.
After a long three-second silence, the old Inquisitor turned around, his metallic bionic leg tapping a dull sound on the adamantium floor.
"I will assign you a special operations team," he pulled out a stack of encrypted data-slates, "a Terminators squad from the Grey Knights' Seventh Brotherhood, plus elites from the Adepta Sororitas. They will be your most capable assistants."
He slapped the data-slates heavily against Knox 's chest: "Depart in two days. Bring the artifact back," Sima's mechanical eye gleamed with a dangerous light, "Don't make me regret my decision to appoint you."
Knox took the thick stack of data-slates, his fingertips lightly caressing the encrypted runes. He bowed politely and turned to leave the room.
As his fingers rested on the doorknob, a distinct sound of footsteps came from the end of the corridor.
It was the characteristic hum of power armor servo-systems, mixed with the clatter of master-crafted boots on the metal floor.
Knox 's movement paused almost imperceptibly.
A Grey Knights in silver-white Terminator Armor was approaching him.
The sacred armor was covered in exorcism runes, emitting a faint psychic glow in the dim corridor.
As the two passed each other, the Grey Knights' faceplate tilted slightly, revealing a pair of piercing eyes beneath.
Knox noticed the Seventh Brotherhood emblem engraved on his shoulder pad.
A sharp sword cleaving through Chaos.
"Inquisitor."
The Grey Knights' voice, filtered through his comm-unit, carried the cold, mechanical quality unique to it.
He performed a concise Aquila salute, then pushed open the door to Sima's office.
The moment the door closed, Knox 's pupils suddenly contracted.
In his Soul-Seizing Eye's vision, the Grey Knights was enveloped in a pure psychic glow.
It was the fire of a soul tempered through a thousand trials, more dazzling than any psyker he had seen on Cadia.
This intensity of soul energy... if he could absorb it.
Knox's tongue unconsciously licked his lips.
But the next second, he crushed this dangerous thought deep within his consciousness.
The souls of the Grey Knights all came with "Emperor WiFi"; even a slight movement would likely result in a friendly greeting from Terra.
"Still, it's better to keep fleecing the faithful!"
Knox silently shifted his gaze, as well-behaved as a novice priest caught stealing communion wafers.
After all, only by living could he continue to grow stronger, and courting death...
That was the exclusive privilege of Chaos cultists.