I look at the result of my so-called sacrifice. I watch as Humanity and Aeldari work together against the forces of Chaos. As years go by, I see the Imperium grow stronger and more stable. They are able to use every technology I left behind to improve life across the Imperium.
However, even with all these improvements, there is still a lot of suffering, and I don't blame them. A Hive City is a breeding ground for hardship, and, combined with the Mechanicus's hatred of any form of AI, automation has a hard time taking root.
There is automation, but it requires a lobotomized human to function; because an organic brain performs the duty, it does not last long. It needs to be constantly swapped for a fresh brain to keep the task going.
Because of this, labor requires many humans, and working in a hive world's manufactorum means constant toil. You work for twelve hours at a minimum, performing menial tasks that should be handled by simple automated machines.
Then there is overpopulation. A Hive City can accommodate a large population, but most are already at the limit of what they can contain. When one city has a population of 50 billion, it is time to consider new ways to distribute people more evenly. That kind of overcrowding creates misery, which leads to riots, rebellions, and the formation of gangs. From there, it only creates even more suffering. It is a vicious cycle that is hard to fix. I don't think it is impossible, but it will be very difficult.
That is just one of the problems that still exist. There are many more, and the biggest, aside from the Hive Cities, is the Nobility. Almost 80% of the problems in the Imperium are caused by the nobles who manage the planets the Imperium owns.
They do not care about civilization. As long as they pay their tithes, they don't care how they extract them; they simply enjoy whatever their planets produce. Whether it's through forced conscription into the Astra Militarum or slave labor for raw materials, they take what they want from the people they rule.
However, if you set all that aside, the Imperium is improving quite a bit, especially when the Primarchs work together. It turns out, Primarchs who grow older become wiser. Who would have known? During the Great Crusade, they were nothing but children. Ten to eighteen years of growth followed by immediate war; they naturally acted like children or teenagers.
Now? They are wiser and no longer act like adolescents. Guilliman led the rebuilding of the Imperium. He is the one making sure the nobles do their jobs, and so far, 20% of them have been executed because they thought they were above a Primarch, a Son of the Emperor. Well, they are wrong.
After cleaning up the unruly nobles, he rebuilt what was broken and created something new along the way. Hell, he even uses all the tech I personally built. I can see Rita helping him from here, and Guilliman appointed her as the head of Kael's Support Units. Yeah, he named the new unit after me.
Jaghatai Khan continued his hunt. The Khan decided to attack Commorragh alongside the Harlequins. Surprisingly, they are winning. Because the Dark Eldar's psychic powers have atrophied from lack of use, they cannot beat the combined forces of the Imperium and the Craftworld Aeldari.
Lion El'Jonson is leading his Legion against the forces of Chaos, and they are planning to retake the Cadian System. Sadly, their advantage was halted by a surprising alliance between Perturabo and Magnus the Red.
However, what truly surprised me was that the Emperor and the Lion decided not to charge forward with sheer numbers, but to think strategically. They are growing and becoming wiser than before. They decided not to walk into an obvious trap, avoiding the mistakes Dorn had made in the past.
Leman Russ kept doing what he had done during the Great Crusade: hunting. He is leading his sons on a crusade to retake lost planets that were seized by Chaos or Rebels who thought they could leave the Imperium just because the Galaxy split in two. They take their jobs seriously and make sure to hunt them down completely.
As for the Aeldari, they are busy revitalizing the worlds they managed to retake from Chaos. They are especially focused on reclaiming the Maiden Worlds that were defiled by Slaanesh and her forces.
In addition to reclaiming their lost worlds, they are also helping the Imperium terraform planets. Among them is Atoma Prime. That planet has become lush and green. The city I ordered built is already complete. Instead of becoming a Hive City, it became a shrine world and one of the most popular pilgrimage locations.
Isha has taken over one of the moons, and I can feel her sadness each time she sings. She truly believes that I will be her husband and stand alongside her as a symbol of the alliance between Aeldari and Humanity.
I hope she can get over me. She is a sweet and very caring woman. I only knew her for a few years, but she is a good person. I love her laugh; it sounds like a gentle bell.
"What do you think? A better future, right?"
I turn to the right and see ROB grinning at me. I nod my head and say,
"Yeah. It is better by Warhammer standards. I'd prefer more, but I know it is impossible. The same goes for the war that keeps happening across the galaxy."
"Yeah… That is impossible. This is still the Warhammer universe. There will always be war, but at least it will now be reduced with the death of Khorne and the new rules added to the universe by the presence of the Soul Stone in the Warp. No more Gods will be born in the Warp. No one will replace Khorne, and lesser Gods, such as Vashtorr, are no longer able to ascend into Greater Chaos Gods. Hell, even Nurgle is no longer able to reach his peak because of this new rule."
"What about Tzeentch and Slaneesh?"
"They will maintain their full power, but because of your help, they need to think twice before sending their forces into Realspace because they can now truly die. When daemons die, their patrons lose power because each one is created using a piece of their patron."
"That is good."
ROB claps his hands and suddenly, the room changes. I can no longer see the situation in the Warhammer universe; now I am sitting in an office chair, with him standing in front of me behind a wooden table.
"So, let's talk about your reward, Kael. You have a perfect score; SSS-rank, in fact. Because of this, I will let you take ten things from your previous build. The only limitation is that they must be below [Divine] rank."
"Divine rank, huh? That is a shame, but there are a lot of things that I can choose from."
"Well, start picking. Ah, I took some of your traits to help me create the new rules back in the Warhammer universe."
I frown a little and look at the hologram in front of me. I go to the trait section and notice that [Prime Soul] is gone. Well, that is a shame, but I don't mind. While here, I immediately pick [No Peeking], which blocks any attempt to gather information about me. This trait was a godsend back in the Warhammer universe because it blocks precognition and allows me to surprise the Chaos Gods. Taking this with me is a no-brainer.
The next ones I take in the Trait section are [Uzumaki] and [Reaper's Writ]. Uzumaki will give me a good boost in both endurance and life force. Not only that, but the Uzumaki also have great regenerative capabilities and can heal themselves and others by imbuing their blood with energy or life force.
Speaking of energy…
"What about energy? Will I retain my energy reserves?"
"Half of it. Not because I don't want to, but because you have a massive amount of energy, Kael. Your new body cannot contain it all at once. You will need to train, but it will grow fast."
"I see. That is good."
Because [Reaper's Writ] requires a lot of energy to strip away immortality. Previously, I had the power of Soul Stones to help me compensate for the massive amount of energy needed to make Chaos Gods mortal, but now I don't have that help. I need all the energy I can get for my journey.
When I scroll down to the Skill section, I immediately pick the [Spear of the Untraceable Trajectory] because it is a great skill to have. That ability let me fight Khorne to a standstill. The Boosted Gear was a massive help alongside my other abilities, but without this skill, the fight would not have gone so smoothly.
The next one is [Master Hand-to-Hand Combat], which is also a no-brainer. With these two, I will become a formidable fighter.
I go to the Item section and blink for a second. I remember that the [Boosted Gear] was a mythical item, but I cannot see it on the list.
"What about the Boosted Gear?"
"Ah, I decided to reward Ddraig for helping you. He wanted freedom, and I decided to return him to his universe, at least an alternate version of it. I gave him back his true body and made sure he could not be imprisoned, so long as he promised not to destroy half a planet in a fight. Sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it. In fact, I am happy that he has his freedom. I wanted to take him on another adventure because I knew he was bored while inside the Sacred Gear, but this is a better option for him."
"Before I sent him home, he said that his adventure with you was the best, most exciting, and most terrifying thing he had ever experienced. He loved it."
"Then tell him that if we meet again, I will have plenty of stories for him."
"I will."
I return to the hologram and look at the item list. After thinking it over for a few seconds, I decide to take the [Holy Grail] because it's so versatile. The cooldown is not that long either; 30 days can go by really fast when you aren't thinking about it.
Now for the elephant in the room: the Ability Section. I have many abilities, and while most aren't very useful, there are still several that are. Without hesitation, I decide to take [Tinker – Alchemy (IV)] because creating concoctions for all kinds of situations is a very useful skill to have.
The next ones are [Tinker – Travel] and [Tinker – Energy]. Those two are a perfect combination. They allow me to create portals or even a spaceship, and with that energy specialization, I can build a generator powerful enough to power it all.
Now… for the last one. I considered [Tinker – Augments (III)], but decided against it. I choose [Divine Blade] instead. Why? Because I can always protect myself with it. With that ability, I will never be unarmed. The weapon created by that ability is also sharp enough to cut through most things.
With this, I am done.
"Good, you're done. Now, let's talk about your second reward."
With a wave of his hand, we are now floating in space. I can see countless stars in the distance, but what catches my attention is the massive ship not too far away from us. It looks sleek and beautiful. If the ships from the Imperium create a sense of dread because of their gothic design, this one creates a sense of awe.
"That will be your ship. The ship is called Genesis, and it has been traveling through the universe alone. This multiverse is experiencing a Great Reset, meaning every living being in it is gone. The ship contains an AI called June. She has been doing nothing but following her basic orders: patrolling the multiverse and searching for living beings to help or nurture into a good civilization. However, she has been doing this for 21,000 years, and she is starting to lose it. She is lonely and needs help. If you agree to be her captain, I will put her ship in your universe. She will be more than happy to accept you as her captain and will perform her duty perfectly so as not to disappoint you. What do you think? You can check on the ship later."
"I am more than willing to be her captain."
"Perfect! I will prepare for her arrival. For now, let's get you back to Earth. You've missed them, haven't you?"
I look down and smile.
"Yeah. I miss my family."
"Good! Let's get you back. I even created a perfect alibi for your return. When you arrive, there will be a suitcase filled with clothes in your size and gifts for your family. Don't forget to take them. Lastly, you will arrive at the airport; your family is waiting for you outside."
With a snap of his fingers, I see the room slowly dissolving, and I look at ROB.
"Thank you."
"Nah, this is your reward, Kael. You have done a lot for me. I thank you for it. Now, enjoy your reward."
As the room dissolves, it transforms into an airport. I look around for a few seconds and follow the signs toward the exit. As I reach the arrival area, I see familiar faces: my parents and my little sister.
I give them a bright smile and run toward them. When I reach them, I hug my mom tightly.
"Whoa! I know it's been a while, dear, but you look like you haven't seen me in decades!"
"I-It feels like it."
"There. There."
I continue to hug her for a few seconds before releasing her and hugging my father. He hugs me tightly and releases me a few seconds later. As for my little sister, I grin and pick her up. I kiss her cheek and watch her frown.
"Brother! Stop it! It's embarrassing! I'm ten!"
"But you are still my little sister."
I continue to smother her with affection. My parents laugh at my antics, and I soak it all in. I can finally feel my heart at peace because I know I'm home now. Yeah. I am home now.
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