Koz let out a strange laugh, as if he was about to die.
He was laughing, he was crying, he was looking at the broken sculpture, and at that moment, the Lord of Night was sure that he saw something underneath the pure white appearance—
That is the truth of the thing called "Sanguinius".
Archangel... Archangel...
Conrad struggled, why didn't you listen to my advice, why did you voluntarily walk into the abyss
He chuckled. He deserved it. He really deserved it.
Now... he looked at the broken god struggling in the illusion... This was Konrad Curze, the whisper that existed every moment.
…Angel, break.
Conrad Curz shed tears of blood, and he whimpered again, as if he was singing a dirge for his brother.
… He was right, but Coates didn’t want to be right.
—————
You feel suffocated.
Suffocating, ridiculous, unbelievable.
You look down the river, and the bright sunrise of Baal becomes the light on the Blade of Vengeance, and you see him, and there he is.
Horus Lupercal, your dear friend.
You are recognized as the best friends among the Primarchs.
You don't know that if fate had flowed as it should, Mortarion, who admired Horus, would have sighed that he was jealous of your relationship with Horus.
But in addition to this, he is the commander of the Sons of Horus, he is the eldest son who is the focus of everyone's attention, he is the Warmaster, and he is the "person the Emperor trusts most."
He is [the Primarch most trusted by the Emperor], no one else.
He was sitting there, at the strategy table where you once had long conversations with him, and he looked tired and exhausted—he had endured much more than you had from the beginning.
he…
You stare at his back.
He is injured.
You knew he was injured and you smelled blood, but you didn't see any obvious wounds from his back. The strong smell of blood pulled you in, carrying the chill of winter, which made you feel even more uneasy.
You lift your feet and try to walk over carefully.
[Horus?]
You asked softly, but he didn't answer your call, so you raised your voice again and spoke carefully.
[Horus?]
[…Emperor,]
Horus spoke with a hoarse voice. He seemed to have lost his soul, like a dog that had lost its home.
You walked behind him and saw the Warmaster in light armor, playing with two rings in his hands.
You recognize them, they are the Emperor's gift to Horus.
The clay ring had cracked, with ominous cracks creeping across it, and the gold ring had also become dull.
You realize that the two rings must have protected Horus to some extent several times, but now they can no longer hold up.
You stare at Horus, and you feel like he's been... infected? Or something else, Horus has more than just one aura.
But it could also be that you are being too suspicious.
Horus stroked the two rings, and something in his tone made you subconsciously shudder.
You build the Empire, you overthrow the Imperial Truth, you spread the faith of the God-Emperor.
You don't know which of these is acceptable to Horus.
[… Sanguinius.]
Horus spoke in a low voice, his hoarse tone hiding things that you can't face - disappointment, sadness, despair, anger... You can't try to distinguish them.
Horus gently stroked the crack on the ring, as if recalling the thrilling scene.
[… Sanguinius,
The wolf god lamented and prayed,
[Is what I am holding on to really just a joke? ]
Horus spoke softly, breathing heavily, he put on the two rings he had been playing with again and stood up resolutely.
You subconsciously took a step back in shock.
You watch Horus walking towards you but your wings are not reflected in his pupils. You are just an illusion in the prophecy. At this moment, Horus is the real one, and you, you are a futile passerby.
No, you are the executioner who caused this scene.
Horus stood stiffly on the thick woolen blanket in his study, the intricate patterns of ancient Terra gleaming dimly under the light.
You watched in amazement. Was he really Horus, or just a demon imitating his appearance
Horus stood still, his tired and evasive eyes regained clarity and determination at a certain moment, Horus turned his back to you again, as if he was facing some other existence that you could not see.
[Father,]
Horus spoke, and now you realized what Horus was doing.
[Are you really going to give me the title of Warmaster? I am not questioning your bravery and wisdom. I also know that I am the most outstanding among my 19 brothers.]
[But I still feel uneasy, that uneasiness is like a mist at night that has been covering me, like a crow standing in front of my window and crowing. I feel a little uneasy about my own existence. I can be the most outstanding one among the 19 soldiers, but I can't be sure that I will be a good general.]
Horus shut up, silent, of course you know what it is, the Emperor stood in front of his favorite offspring, comforting his child.
For a moment, you actually feel a little nauseous.
The Emperor—Does the Emperor know this
You think that he handed over an empire that was destined to collapse to the child who most hoped to fulfill his ambitions, and that the cornerstone of this empire was even a lie, which was a mistake.
You don't know how the Emperor comforted Horus, but you can imagine those empty and frivolous words, and even more illusory promises, which used just a few words of their own to cover up the heaviness of an empire.
You stare at Horus, who is still continuing his performance. Horus is the most innocent person in this game. You begin to hate the Emperor.
He personally pushed a soul loyal to him to the gallows.
You don't know the Emperor's final order to Hades, you only know that he ordered Horus to stand on the edge of the cliff.
After a brief silence, Horus smiled with relief. The smile on his face was so sincere that there was no trace of bitterness.
[I will, father, I will - I swear on the soul and life of Horus Lupercal, I will take on the name of Warmaster, I will lead the Empire to a more glorious ten thousand years, and I will not let you down in the slightest. ]
Horus smiled, and you could already imagine the words of the man across from him, nothing more than more, empty promises.
You look at Horus, look at him, your best friend, you look at him, rejoicing, he stands in the gaze of the entire galaxy, wearing a laurel wreath, joyfully taking over the empire from his father, he is rubbing his hands together, he is full of ambition, the Great Crusade is about to end, a more glorious future is about to dawn, oh my god, how can he not be happy
He looked at the empire in his hands with great joy, and tried to manipulate it carefully like a child. He believed that he would be able to master it soon because he knew that he was the most outstanding one.
Then-
Pop.
The masterpiece slipped from his hands and fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.
Horus collapsed.
Horus, who had just been reviewing and repeating the scene of communicating with the Emperor, collapsed to the ground. He hugged his head in pain, struggling and sobbing. The huge self-blame and guilt overwhelmed him.
He must have struggled, he must have tried, but this was not a situation that one Primarch could reverse.
Because he had struggled, because he had tried hard, his despair at this moment became even more unforgettable.
[… No…]
Horus whimpered softly,
[… No… Perturabo… No… You can’t… Lorgar… No… Alpha… No no no… Fulgrim… Magnus… No? ! Magnus-Russ!!]
Horus uttered incoherent words intermittently. You heard the name of your brother, the names of those planets and worlds, the names of some... demons, and the name of the Emperor.
The smell of blood intensified at your nose.
Blood... Blood oozed from Horus' feet. Blood was densely packed on the ground, and blasphemous characters centered on the Warmaster were written in blood.
It's a monster that plays a drama on you.
You blinked, Horus was still there wailing, but the carpet was neat and clean.
Listening to his cries of pain, you can't help but walk over, squat down, and wrap one of your wings around his back.
Horus,
You said firmly,
[This is definitely not your fault.]
You know you are just a phantom, you can't disturb him, you can only try to comfort him in vain - or comfort yourself.
But he raised his head.
Horus stared at you.
You feel goosebumps crawling up your spine.
[Then why did you betray me, Sanguinius?]
Horus stared at you without blinking, his eyes were bloodshot.
Your nose twitches again, and you smell blood—is he really Horus? Would Horus say such a thing to you
No… he will.
Indeed, Sanguinius thought, he would.
Horus' eyes were filled with hatred.
[The Second Empire? You... You just abandoned us? Is your new country built on the corpse of the Empire? You think something is gone? You think...]
Horus sighed deeply.
[… You think I failed, right? ]
Horus asked in disbelief.
This is Horus, you feel you have confirmed this again, only Horus would ask this,
You feel your mouth dry, you swallow and feel gravel passing through your throat.
[No…]
You retorted subconsciously, trying to keep your words as light as possible.
[Horus... Horus... This is just a temporary organization. I... I can't contact you. We have been waiting for your return. ]
[Should I be the one who betrays our father?]
No, that's not it.
You quickly added, [This is... This is just a helpless move. We have been holding on for a long time. I have been waiting for news from the Empire and you.]
You watch as Horus sighs once again like a dying man, and you realize that your words are still adding to his pressure—your presence, your words, your words to shirk your responsibility, are also adding to his pressure.
You, your Empire, your [Knight Commander], your [Inquisitor], constantly remind Horus of his dereliction of duty.
But the truth is, the Warmaster did fail in his duty.
He had failed to save the Empire - but was it really Horus's fault alone
You paused, then changed your voice to a lighter one.
[So what do you wish to do next, Horus? ]
Horus stared at you, he was trembling, his eyes were filled with hatred and confusion towards you, with collapse and despair, with the dead silence after a hopeless struggle on the verge of death, he stared at you closely, slightly opened his mouth,
Your mind tells you that Horus will say that he will judge you.
He will at least punish you for your actions to some extent, the Horus you know is a proud one, you are close friends, and this will make him suffer all the more.
But Horus said, he said,
The wolf shepherd sighed wearily.
[…I can’t forgive you.]
[… But I can’t forgive myself even more. ]
Horus' gaze on you shifted, and after a brief moment of stubbornness and anger, he was left with a long period of fatigue.
I just want to...
Horus sighed.
[… I just want to sleep for a while. ]
And then try to understand this crazy and broken world.
You feel something is wrong, and you start to get anxious. You know Horus' current situation. He can't sleep, and he must build a high wall in his mind to resist the whispers of the devil.
[You can't sleep.]
You said firmly,
You can't sleep, Lupercal, you have to let your awareness occupy your whole time - you can't give up.
Horus looked at you, and you looked at him, and you saw his evasive, uneasy gaze. He was not aggressive, and in this matter, Horus used his surrender-like attitude to stab Sanguinius in return.
At that moment you realize that the Horus in front of you can't hold on any longer.
His body was badly injured and his soul could not accept the fact. He could no longer go on.
He just needed a moment's rest - but the world wouldn't give him even a second.
He doesn't believe you, and you don't know if it's in his nature or if he saw something in the warp.
He tells you with his eyes that he is going to let his consciousness slip into a coma.
Horus shook his head feebly.
[… I can’t do it, angel… I can’t do it. ]
Horus blinked slowly, he was sleepy, sleepy at an alarming speed, you felt his body about to collapse in your wings, you heard those rising whispers,
You want to persuade him, but you suddenly realize,
Is this really Horus
Is this the wolf shepherd god you know
He gave up so easily
And after everything you've done, he still calls you an "angel"
You frowned, the smell of blood returned.
You slowly put your hands on your waist and hold your sword.
[You are not Horus.]
[Who are you? ]
Before you finish your words, the lights in the entire study suddenly go out, and you see a monster. Under his feet are blasphemous words written in blood, and in his hands are broken ashes. You stare at him, stare at him intently, trying to make out something.
You took a quick breath, the sword in your hand not shaking at all.
Now, you think, it doesn’t matter whether he is Horus or not.
It doesn’t matter which side is an illusion.
You shouted loudly, stabbing the monster with your sword. You just need to make sure you kill it.
Must, kill, it.
End his pain and suffering.
[God Emperor! Please give your offspring strength! ]
The dazzling light drowned out everything, and you knew you were about to wake up from your dream. At the last moment, you saw the dying monster and the dying Horus.
True and false, illusion and reality, you fall out of the dream.
————
Koz pounced on him.
[You hurt him! Why did you—]
Sanguinius stood up slowly, and the hand he placed in Curze's mouth quickly broke Conrad's newly grown jawbone again.
[This is just an illusion,]
Sanguinius said calmly, and he made his final decision.
[I have made my verdict. Now, Conrad, it is time for you to fulfill your promise.]
Conrad covered his mouth and sobbed, tears streaming from his eyes. He probably couldn't imagine that there were such cruel people in the world.
The Night Lord probably thought that was true.
It’s really gone this time, don’t wait, it was already three updates yesterday.
No more, yay!
There are fan activities in the book review area. If you are interested, you can take a look.
(End of this chapter)