"Very well," Guilliman said, "I am also curious about this Chaos Space Marine from the future. I want to know what he knows, and what has happened in the time to come."
Everyone was filled with a natural curiosity about the future, especially a future ten thousand years distant.
"You should all prepare yourselves before learning these things," Axis said, giving them a preliminary warning, "This information is quite …shocking."
The others nodded and followed Axis aboard his vessel, Solus Prime. Khârn, who had been left in charge of the ship, personally greeted the assembled primarchs.
"Great father! It has been too long, brother Kratos." After saluting Axis, Khârn turned his attention to Kratos.
"It has been too long, brother Khârn," Kratos said, stepping forward to embrace him, "I truly wish you would join my Legion. How about it? Come and build your future with us. I would make you my Legion's second-in-command."
"Hahaha! I am afraid I cannot do that. I must remain in the Golden Legion," Khârn replied. He had sworn to serve only one man in his life, and that was the great Father, Lord Axis.
Axis chuckled. "You audacious whelp, trying to poach your father's men. Is second-in-command such a grand title? From this day forward, Khârn is my Legion's second-in-command as well."
After some more casual conversation, Axis led the group to a special holding cell.
The walls were covered in all manner of golden psychic runes, and a large Gellar Field isolation unit had been installed. Kasha herself had inscribed the runes to suppress the two prisoners.
One was a Chosen of a Chaos God, the other a Primarch who had thrown in his lot with them. Neither was to be trifled with. To ensure absolute security, Axis had even placed both of them in stasis fields.
"Who would you like to see first?" Axis asked, "Lorgar, or the Chaos Space Marine?"
"We can deal with Lorgar later," Guilliman said, "We are all very familiar with him. Let us first see the Chaos Space Marine from ten thousand years in the future."
Sanguinius and Jaghatai Khan both nodded in agreement. Compared to Lorgar, their curiosity about the future warrior was far greater.
Axis gave a nod and ordered Solus Prime to deactivate the stasis field imprisoning the Chaos Champion, Khârn. The Chaos Space Marine was then brought forward.
The moment Kratos saw him, his expression changed.
The face was painfully familiar; it belonged to his beloved comrade, his brother, Khârn. But the Butcher's Nails embedded in his skull and the corrupting aura of Chaos that emanated from him made it clear this was not the same man.
The Khârn standing beside Axis let out a weary sigh.
He almost did not want to be there. This fallen version of himself felt like a complete desecration.
Kratos clapped his battle-brother on the shoulder and offered a word of comfort. "That is not you, Khârn. That is just a monster that surrendered to Chaos. Pay him no mind. You are who you are, my brother, the mightiest of Axis's sons."
"I know, my brother," Khârn said, "The very existence of this creature is the greatest blasphemy against my loyalty."
"Hmph. Such hypocrisy," the Chaos Champion Khârn sneered. "You know nothing of the greatness of the Chaos Gods, nor the divine power they command."
For reasons he could not explain, every time he saw his alternate self—a version who had achieved so much and was surrounded by close comrades and battle-brothers—a profound discomfort washed over him.
Why? Why was it he who had to endure the Butcher's Nails? A surge of indescribable hatred for his counterpart filled him.
"He is one of your sons?" Sanguinius asked, stepping forward to observe the prisoner more closely, "No, that's not right, Axis. His gene-seed does not seem to be yours."
"Correct," Axis replied, "His gene-seed comes from Angron. He was originally from the War Hounds Legion."
"What a rare sight," the Chaos Champion said, a mocking look on his face as he stared at Sanguinius, "To think I would see the Great Angel Sanguinius in the flesh. Hah, in my world, you died a truly miserable death."
At these words, the expressions of all the primarchs present turned grim.
Sanguinius had died.
"Tell me, traitor, how did Sanguinius die?" Guilliman demanded, stepping forward.
"Hahaha! An awakened Guilliman," the Chaos Champion said, "You were not much better off than he was. In the future, it would be more accurate to say you were a living corpse than truly alive."
Axis thoughtfully stroked his chin. From this Khârn's words, he could deduce the status of the master of the 13th Legion in the other reality.
Guilliman was likely still lying in the stasis field on Macragge, not yet resurrected by the Archmagos Belisarius Cawl. That meant the 13th Black Crusade had not yet begun, the Great Rift had not torn across the galaxy, and the events of the Arks of Omen, the Psychic Awakening, and the Pariah Nexus had not occurred. Lion El'Jonson had not yet awoken.
"It seems our fates were not very bright," Jaghatai Khan mused, "So, traitor, what about me? Did I also die? Or did I become a living corpse as well?"
"Hmph! The more you want to know, the more I refuse to tell you! Argh!" Khârn suddenly let out a pained scream.
Kasha, who stood nearby, had unleashed her sacred power, a gift inherited from the Emperor, scorching both his soul and body.
"If you wish to suffer more, then remain silent. I will take good care of you, wretched filth," Kasha said coldly.
"Khârn," Axis said, crouching down in front of the prisoner, "I can grant your wish. I can give you what you have craved for so long, if you simply answer my questions."
"My wish is to cut down the False Emperor on his Golden Throne!" the Chaos Champion roared.
"No, no, that is not your true desire," Axis said, pulling lightly at the Butcher's Nails behind Khârn's head, "Your real wish is to kill Angron. Your real wish is to be free of these metallic braids and the Chaos God that controls you."
Every time this Khârn looked at his loyal counterpart, his face was a mask of hatred, envy, and a deep-seated longing that quickly soured into insane jealousy. It was only natural. When faced with a more perfect version of oneself, one who had a much brighter future, anyone would lose their composure.
This Khârn was no exception. For ages, the Chaos Gods had been the ones to corrupt Space Marines, but this time, Axis wanted to try something different. If Chaos could corrupt them, then could his Ki reverse the process and make them normal again? Did the Four Ruinous Powers think they were the only ones who could poach from the Imperium? It was his turn to poach from them.
"What foolishness are you spouting?" the Chaos Champion retorted, "How could I possibly betray my master?"
"Is that so? Is this really the life you wanted?" Axis asked, his voice soft but firm, "Is this endless slaughter really what you desire? Battles with no honor, only the eternal cry of 'Blood for the Blood God, Skulls for the Skull Throne!' Chaos can corrupt a Space Marine, but the Ki I possess can reverse its effects. If you are willing, I can transform you back into a normal Space Marine. I can even implant you with my own gene-seed and accept you as my son."
Axis's words fell like a thunderclap.
Not only the Chaos Champion, but all the primarchs, Kratos, and Kasha stared at him in stunned silence. They never imagined Axis would make such an offer. Was he being ridiculously optimistic, or was he truly confident?
At that moment, everyone instinctively chose not to speak, but instead to watch Axis's performance. They were all transfixed, waiting to see if he could truly convince the Chaos Space Marine before them.
"You… what are you saying? I could never betray the Blood God," the Chaos Champion stammered after a few seconds of hesitation.
"Why deny it? I know what you were like when you served in the War Hounds. The change in you began then, did it not? The Butcher's Nails were the start of it all, and Angron was the source. You are a warrior who values honor. I am a warrior as well and I can see it in you," Axis said.
"Of course I am a warrior who values honor!" Khârn shot back, "But my honor is different from yours. I offer blood and skulls to the great Blood God."
"Is that so? You do not desire the cheers of the people, the praise of your battle-brothers? Do you truly enjoy what you have become? Tortured daily by the rage of the Butcher's Nails, with nothing else, no other emotions? Your destiny has always been decided by others. You followed your Father in his betrayal of the Imperium, but was that what you truly wanted? Think back to your past. Think of the War Hounds. Why not try, for once, to decide your own fate? Stop being a pawn in someone else's game. Besides, does your Blood God truly care for you? Why were you sent here to me? You are nothing more than a scouting pebble for him. He does not care if you live or die. You have been abandoned by your god," Axis said, each word a carefully placed blow.
The Chaos Champion's eyes began to shift, a sign of the intense internal struggle now raging within him.
Seizing the moment, Axis placed his palm on Khârn's head.
He channeled his Ki, converting it into a potent life force, and began to repair the brain ravaged by the Butcher's Nails.
After ten thousand years of torment, of a mind steeped in nothing but fury for an entire millennium, Khârn experienced a brief, shocking moment of clarity.
"I… I am clear," he whispered, his voice shaking as he looked up at Axis, his eyes lucid for the first time in an age, "I am free from the endless rage… the killing… this is not what I wanted. Please, I beg you, either free me from the Chaos God… or kill me."
Axis smiled. "Of course. I will help you."
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ps?