Chapter 369: Conversation
Flames…
Parched sand struck against his cheek. In the distance, towering crimson pyramids wailed as they collapsed in thunderous ruin. He was just about to raise his blade and advance when a winter gale violently yanked at his cloak, the low howling of wolves echoing through the air.
The Emperor opened his eyes. Calmly, he watched Malcador enter the chamber.
"My lord, we will arrive shortly. The Legions are already prepared."
The Emperor lowered his gaze. Golden fire blazed fiercely.
"Tell Hades that if he is confident he can make the Crimson Sinner deliver a speech ordering the Thousand Sons to surrender, then the Imperium will treat the remaining people on Prospero well."
Malcador looked quietly at the Emperor.
"My lord… and if Hades is not confident?"
"Then I will use psychic power to forge Magnus's orders."
. . .
"Only fools step onto the battlefield for the satisfaction of defeating another."
"War is never the goal. The goal of war lies in the people behind it—and the civilizations and wisdom those people carry—"
"So that's why you abandoned the Space Wolves on the battlefield and led the Thousand Sons alone to protect a xenos library?"
Magnus let out a loud, frustrated groan. The Crimson Sinner was sitting cross-legged, angrily slapping his knee.
"Leman Russ is just a barbaric mutt! He has no idea how valuable a completely intact library is. All he knows is how to lead his pack of pups around, biting and tearing!"
"But I heard that in that joint operation, the Space Wolves suffered heavy losses because the Thousand Sons withdrew suddenly?"
Magnus clenched his teeth and fell silent. Only after a long while did he struggle to say that it had been Russ's own tactical failure.
"Then what about your cooperation with Konrad Curze?"
The questioning did not relent.
Hades blinked and asked naturally, "I heard you nearly came to blows with him, because Curze insisted on burning down a library, while you opposed it?"
"You'd rather believe a prophecy-obsessed madman and a mutt than believe me?!"
Hades coughed once—then watched Magnus immediately wilt again.
"I didn't bring it up this time."
"…Yes. Yes."
Magnus once again became despondent. Perhaps the sudden reality of becoming a prisoner had made him overly sentimental.
But Magnus himself knew very well what he had done. The Crimson Sinner, too, wished to find a corner to hide in, to escape this cruel reality—just as he had done in the original canon.
Knowing he had destroyed the Webway, Magnus was consumed with guilt. He personally severed his connection with the Thousand Sons, locked himself away in the library, and left his sons to face the Wolves' judgment alone.
Hades's assessment was that the Emperor's bloodline was absurdly powerful—screwing over one's children was practically hereditary.
Of course, screwing over one's father was too.
"…Hades, will they issue an Exterminatus on Prospero?" Magnus suddenly asked.
Hades raised an eyebrow.
"Then how would you like them to deal with Prospero?"
He watched Magnus stammer for a long time, unable to say anything at all.
After all, no one understood the situation on the Thousand Sons' home world better than Magnus himself.
Psychic ordering in restaurants. Free psychic healthcare for all. Nearly the entire population made up of psykers. Summoning circles scattered across every convenient corner. Before the pyramids of the Pyrae Cult stood war engines that could only be operated through psychic power.
Everything looked perfect—
As long as one ignored the psychic power.
Hades found himself very curious about just what the Emperor had shown Magnus.
Hades guessed that what Magnus had seen was probably Tzeentch—or truths related to Chaos. Otherwise, Magnus would not be this utterly shattered. He had fully realized that he was wrong; even attempting to argue now filled him with shame.
"Try to look on the bright side," Hades said. He sensed Magnus was about to sink once more into an ocean of self-reproach, and he was afraid the man would drown himself in it.
"At least part of your sons will survive. They'll inherit the good parts of you and continue to contribute to the Imperium and to humanity."
"And as long as you behave yourself and don't cause trouble, if the Imperium ever really manages to rid itself of Warp garbage and the Emperor finally has some free time, I reckon he'll beat you up once and then let you out—rather than keep you locked up forever."
Magnus seemed to think over what Hades had said. Then, pale and frightened, he shook his head.
"I would rather the Emperor never think of me again." Magnus said dully.
"I don't wish to face him anymore."
"What did he do to you—"
Magnus suddenly screamed, "No. Don't talk about that!"
"Alright, alright! I'm changing the topic!"
Hades hurriedly cut off Magnus's shouting.
"Then what is it that you actually learned?" Hades asked tentatively.
"I learned everything."
Magnus buried his face in his hands. He could see nothing now. His broad palms rubbed roughly against his face as he spoke in a muffled voice,
"Everything—everything unbearable. Absurd pasts, twisted futures, those blasphemous, evil things. No… no, no…"
"And the blue one latched onto you."
"Don't say it!" Magnus screamed again in terror.
"The Warp can perceive language and thought! The moment you mention it, it gazes back at you!"
What a pity Hades hadn't met Magnus earlier and learned this—otherwise, he definitely wouldn't have accidentally given the entire Death Guard a massive spoiler buff, leaving Mortarion jumpy every single day now.
"But I'm a pariah," Hades said calmly. "Otherwise, why do you think he sent me to watch you?"
Magnus froze. Then he recalled Hades's identity once more. Unfortunately, every conversation with Hades made him forget, again and again, the fact that this man was a damned pariah.
Magnus took a deep breath and said wearily,
"Will you keep guarding me? If it's you… at least you can block the connection between me and the Great Ocean."
Magnus sighed.
The Emperor had brutally stuffed him full of endless knowledge. He knew that it was not… not something he should have touched. And when he thought of the mark still branded upon his soul—
Magnus trembled subtly. Suddenly, having a pariah's null-field shielding no longer seemed like such a bad thing.
Hades briefly recalled Malcador's PUA-style speeches to him.
"Most likely I'll only be guarding you for this leg of the journey. After that, someone else will take over. My guess is Malcador."
Magnus let out a loud wail. He clearly didn't like Malcador either. Hades tried to comfort him,
"It's fine. I hate Malcador too—no respect for elders or the young at all—"
Bang! Bang!
The heavy sound of a staff striking the bridge echoed. Hades slowly turned his head.
"Yo, Old Mal—ah, good, good to see you."
Hades forced an awkward laugh. Magnus swore he had never known anyone who could change faces that fast. Even though he couldn't see, the shift in Hades's tone was instant and unmistakable.
Malcador stood there, expressionless.
"Hello, Hades."
The old man said through clenched teeth. The staff in his hand trembled slightly.
"You should be grateful that you're currently on assignment."
"Ahahaha—hahahaha—well, look at that, what a coincidence—"
Magnus had never heard Malcador speak in such a dark tone before, nor had he ever seen anyone dare speak to the Imperial Regent like this. Once again, Magnus marked in his mind that Hades was no ordinary figure.
After a few sounds of friction, everything went quiet. Magnus sat calmly yet uneasily in the darkness, the Crimson Sinner troubled by Malcador's sudden appearance.
Was he here to punish him?
Magnus wondered—then immediately laughed bitterly at his own naivety.
On the other side, Malcador signed a few gestures to Hades. The old man coughed once, then departed again.
Naturally, Magnus did not see how Hades's expression turned heavy.
Hades paused. His voice became serious.
"Malcador has given me a task, Magnus."
"Go on. What else could it be? I can imagine every kind of torture."
Magnus said lightly, but the tight, rigid tension in his muscles betrayed him.
Hades was silent for a while—absolute silence. The kind of silence Magnus had once yearned for pressed down upon him. Suddenly, Magnus felt a suffocating panic as he was engulfed by utter quiet and darkness.
He almost wanted to shout, just to check whether his warden was still there.
"Before we talk about Malcador's task," Hades said, gripping his scythe, ever on guard, "there's actually something I've always been curious about."
"Magnus…why… why did you give your other eye to the Emperor?"
Magnus trembled.
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