Vulkan and Ferrus's life was rigorous and orderly.
Monday to Thursday were study days, diligent and unceasing.
Saturday to Sunday were rest days, practice, and unwinding.
Every Friday, they went to Mount Deathfire. It was a practical exercise, a safety inspection, and also a warm family picnic time.
BAM!
Vulkan's warhammer came down with the force of a mountain, shattering the salamander's skull in one blow.
The giant beast crashed to the ground. Hot blood gushed from its ferocious snout and mouth.
"HAS! HAS!"
Deep in the lair, a dozen young salamanders, gnawing on volcanic rock, threateningly hissed at him, spitting scattered flames.
Vulkan put away his hammer and dragged the salamander's corpse back a few steps.
Organic matter is the material basis of life.
Plants use photosynthesis to convert inorganic matter into organic matter, making them producers in the food chain on many worlds.
But on Nocturne, this traditional ecology was overturned.
Many of Nocturne's native lifeforms could directly ingest inorganic matter. They could convert minerals in volcanic rock into energy needed to sustain life, as efficiently as plants using photosynthesis.
These creatures were amazing, but nothing compared to Orks.
Perhaps they were modified based on Ork genes.
On the open ground near the portal, Caelan had already set up a campfire, not using wood but lava.
Juno was using her claws to poke at rock-grilled steaks suspended over the lava. The pungent smell of sulfur mixed with the charred aroma of roasted meat filled the air.
Ferrus also returned, dragging another salamander of impressive size.
Vulkan glanced at his brother's prey, a smile appearing on his dark face, "Looks like I won."
Ferrus readily tossed his prize beside the campfire, "I lost."
The salamanders dwelling in the Mount Deathfire posed no threat to them. Victory depended on who had better luck, who encountered a larger prey.
Ferrus and Vulkan sat cross-legged, their eyes fixed on that inverted teardrop-shaped portal.
For over a year, the portal had remained dormant.
But the Drukhari would come eventually. And they would give those xenos an unforgettable welcome with their hammers!
Caelan suddenly asked, "What is the Webway?"
Vulkan answered, "A super-dimensional space created by the Old Ones."
Ferrus added, "It allows users to traverse the galaxy in an extremely short time, avoiding most Warp turbulence and daemonic predation, as well as all astronomical obstacles in the material universe. It is the most efficient known mode of transportation."
Vulkan nodded, "After the Old Ones vanished, the Aeldars inherited their legacy."
Ferrus continued, "Through the Webway, they not only expanded their empire to the farthest corners of the material universe, but also learned many hidden secrets of the cosmos. Though most of this knowledge has been forgotten."
Caelan questioned further, "Then who can tell me, where is the Webway?"
Vulkan stared at the Webway portal. The Webway was inside there, but this was obviously not the answer Caelan wanted.
But since Caelan asked, the answer must have already been told to them, just not yet realized.
They were in the material universe. Daemons were in the Warp. So, where was the Webway?
Ferrus and Vulkan met each other's eyes and simultaneously murmured, "The Veil."
Caelan said, "The Warp has many names: Empyrean, Aethers, Sea of Souls, and the Realm of Chaos."
"The Veil has many as well: Curtain, Domain of Fate, Boundary, the Membrane."
"I think 'Membrane' is most fitting, because it stretches between the Warp and the realspace."
"If there was no Membrane between the realspace and the Warp, there would be no material universe."
"Although the Veil is just a membrane, its status is no lower than that of the material universe or the Warp."
"The material universe and the Warp are reflections, but not two sides of a coin. They are more like infinite layers of a mille-feuille."
"Both are boundless. Across them lie parallel continua. Above and below them, endless dimensions. The reality we inhabit is but one layer."
"The Veil threads between them. It influences both."
"For Warp entities to enter realspace, they must breach the Veil. Conversely, the same for entering the Warp from the material universe. The function of a Warp drive is to tear this membrane, to drill from the material universe into the Warp."
"One reason the Veil is called the Domain of Fate is that the threads of destiny are hidden within it."
"To observe those threads is to glimpse possible futures. To alter them…" His voice softened. "Is to end a universe, or birth another."
"I suspect the Veil exerts similar influence upon the Warp itself."
"The Webway is built within this membrane. Some explain the Warp as the deep ocean, and the Webway as an undersea tunnel. This analogy is apt. But the material universe isn't the sky above the sea; it's the core world beneath the undersea tunnel. Because above the sea, there is no sky, only deeper waters."
"Therefore, I believe the material universe and the Warp are not in opposition. Rather, it's a triangular relationship with the Veil."
"The Warp is the domineering executive. The material universe is the overworked secretary crushed under pressure. The Veil remains… ambiguous."
Ferrus asked, "Father, why is your description so... anthropomorphic?"
Caelan pondered for a moment: "The Warp has its Four Chaos Gods. The material universe has the C'tan and perhaps even a form of cosmic consciousness."
"Why assume the Veil is empty? It may possess gods, maybe even a will. We just don't know yet."
"Father," Vulkan asked, "If the Warp seeks to destroy the Veil and invade realspace, why wouldn't the Veil and the material universe unite against it?"
Caelan shook his head: "That, I do not know."
The mysteries of the universe were boundless. What Caelan knew was but a single grain of sand.
As the Primarchs matured, there were questions even he could not answer.
Ferrus spoke, "Perhaps to the Veil, reality and the Empyrean are no different. Humanity's Warp travel also tears the Veil. The Aeldar Webway is built within the Veil's flesh. If the Veil truly had a will, the Webway might be the first thing it would destroy."
It was not an unreasonable thought.
Daemons longed to rend the membrane.
But didn't the material universe long for the same?
The Veil was ravaged by both reality and the Empyrean. Both sides were abusers.
Neither the Warp nor the material realm seemed capable of truly consuming the other. They could only wound the boundary between them.
If Caelan were the Veil, he would not aid either side. Let them fight.
Human vessels ripped through it brutally. The Webway tunneled through it like a parasitic network.
The Veil had endured these violations. It should be grateful it had not retaliated.
Vulkan tilted his head. "Perhaps it does not care. A man does not count his own cells."
Ferrus replied immediately, "The Webway is not a cell."
Vulkan shrugged. "Then perhaps it is gut flora."
Ferrus looked thoughtful, "You mean, perhaps the Webway and the Veil have achieved some kind of symbiosis?"
"I don't know. It's just a guess."
They often expressed their views like this. Whether the guess was correct wasn't the key.
The important thing was that they could speak freely.
At times like this, Caelan would quietly watch, waiting until they finished discussing before speaking.
Ferrus asked, "Father, what do you think?"
Caelan replied, "The Old Ones were the most powerful civilization I am aware of. They once traversed the Warp, exploring its mysteries."
"The Webway they created must be far more than just a transit network."
"Although the Aeldar inherited this legacy, they have long forgotten the Webway's true purpose and value."
"Though they still possess the Laughing God, keeper of many Webway secrets. But first one must find him within that labyrinth."
Vulkan asked, "Father, do you trust this xeno god?"
"Trust is irrelevant. What matters is whether the knowledge he holds benefits humanity. If he will not aid us willingly, then one day we may persuade him to do so… unwillingly."
"Even if our current strength isn't enough, given time, when human civilization develops to a sufficient height, the Webway's secrets will eventually be ours."
Caelan smiled, "About the only useful function of xenos is to contribute to humanity."
Ferrus and Vulkan also smiled. It was the xenos' honor to contribute to humanity.
Caelan added, "There's also an organization in the galaxy called the Cabal, composed of various ancient xenos, some even older than the Aeldars. They believe that by sacrificing humanity, they can starve and destroy the Four Chaos Gods. They once invited humans to the cause."
Ferrus frowned: "Such a foolish claim. Did anyone believe it?"
"Perhaps." Caelan's answer was deliberately ambiguous. In the established course of history, the Cabal had deceived more than a few.
The Warp cannot invade the material universe without a foothold. These footholds are material universe lifeforms that worship the Warp.
For tens of millions of years, the dominant powers of the galaxy were the Aeldari and the Orks, each bound to their own mighty racial gods.
During that vast span, the infiltration and influence of the three Warp Gods on the galaxy were relatively small.
Until the Aeldari fell.
From their excess was born Slaanesh, the fourth Chaos God, and with that birth came a wound that would never heal: the Eye of Terror.
That rift was like a spike hammered into reality, shattering the fragile balance between realspace and the Empyrean.
Humanity, as an emergent psychic race, had not yet brought forth a god of its own.
Its psykers awakened unguided, unshielded, vulnerable to whispers from beyond the Veil.
Daemonic temptation spread like rot.
Chaos surged in the galaxy.
The Cabal claimed that by destroying humanity, the Four Gods could be starved and slain.
But even if the material universe were destroyed, it wouldn't affect the Four Chaos Gods, because there was more than one material universe.
Even if all psychic life in the galaxy were eliminated, leaving only blanks, the Eye of Terror would not simly vanish.
There were other methods. The Necrons' Pariah Nexus has the potential to sever the Warp from the material universe. But such severance would suffocate all intelligent life save the Necrons themselves.
Moreover, there was another, darker possibility.
If humanity were annihilated, the Emperor would not fade quietly. He would darken. He would ascend, not as a savior, but as the fifth Chaos God, the Dark King.
The Dark King represented annihilation without motive. Destruction without end.
The Four Chaos Gods would be on his list.
In that narrow, catastrophic sense, the Cabal's claim contained a shard of truth.
Destroy humanity… and the gods might indeed perish.
Do not ask what would remain.
Caelan's voice hardened.
"If you ever encounter xenos who claim allegiance to the Cabal," he said solemnly, "you will exterminate them. Root and branch."
One's position determines one's attitude. Caelan is human. The Primarchs are human.
Whatever banner the Cabal flew, if its design required humanity's extinction, then it would be eliminated.
If mankind must die for your plan, why should you be permitted to live?
You will be buried with us.
Caelan is not an extreme xenophobe. He is a human supremacist, sharing the same aspiration as the Emperor.
Caelan was not a mindless xenophobe. He did not advocate slaughter for sport.
He was a human supremacist, aligned with the Neoth's grand aspirations.
Xenos who submitted to human dominion, who remained within defined bounds, were fine.
But humanity stood at the axis of destiny. Its survival was non-negotiable.
"ROO!"
Juno let out a low dragon's rumble from her throat. She gently pushed the roasted, charred salamander leg towards Vulkan and Ferrus.
Vulkan said warmly, "Thank you, Mother."
Ferrus echoed, "Thank you, Mother."
Juno purred contentedly from her throat.
Although the children had grown up, they were still well-mannered. This was all thanks to the child's father's careful teaching!
But even so, shouldn't the children be perceptive by now?
Juno lowered her head, staring at Vulkan and Ferrus. A dangerous glint appeared in her vertical pupils. Ferrus looked up, puzzled.
Vulkan silently tugged his brother's arm. They walked far away over the jagged volcanic rocks.
A flicker of puzzlement crossed Ferrus's silver eyes, "What's wrong?"
"Father told me a story. When young salamanders grow up, the mother drives them out of the lair."
Ferrus frowned: "You want to move out?"
Vulkan slowly shook his head, "Mother needs some alone time with Father."
....
Caelan looked at the roasted salamander at his feet, then looked up at Juno, "You want me to feed you?"
Juno gracefully lowered her head, gently nuzzling the back of Caelan's hand with her snout.
She deliberately restrained her movements, fearing her sharp scales might scratch Caelan.
"Alright."
Caelan used a small knife to cut a piece of roasted dragon meat. He raised the meat to Juno's snout.
Juno took the meat with her mouth. With just a light bite, the whole piece vanished between her sharp fangs.
Such a large piece of roasted meat was enough to feed a mortal for an entire day.
But for Juno, it wasn't even an appetizer. Barely enough to pick her teeth.
Although the feeding efficiency was very low, Juno wasn't trying to fill her stomach. She craved intimate interaction with Caelan.
Like the mortal couples she observed in Hesiod.
Caelan cut another piece and offered it to Juno. Juno slowly shook her head, looking at Caelan expectantly.
Understanding, Caelan cut a small piece and savored it himself. Only then did Juno contentedly lower her head and swallow the remaining meat.
...
"Please try it, Mother. I prepared it myself." Curze held a silver platter, offering the carefully cooked meat to Dorothy.
A flicker of worry appeared in Dorothy's eyes, "Konrad, are you alright?"
A gentle smile appeared on Konrad's pale face, "I'm fine, Mother. Why do you ask?"
Dorothy's voice was laced with concern, "I'm just a little worried about you."
She certainly couldn't say Sevatar had informed on him. Although they all knew, with Curze's prophetic ability, he had probably seen the truth long before Sevatar decided to inform.
Since he didn't stop it, everyone tacitly understood.
"Don't worry about me, Mother. My mental state is very stable."
Dorothy's worry only deepened. 'The more you say that, the more uneasy I get!'
She wanted to get him a psychological counselor. But how could a mortal cure a primarch's mental illness?
Only Caelan could heal a Primarch.
Dorothy had considered asking other Primarchs or the Emperor to talk with Konrad. But family shame shouldn't be aired publicly. This couldn't become known to all.
Even if arranging psychological counseling for Konrad, the Primarchs must be chosen carefully. Otherwise, would they be here to counsel or to swap pathology reports?
Prophecy was a factor in why Konrad became like this. But the fundamental reason was Caelan's absence.
Dorothy elegantly cut a small piece of meat with her silver fork. She took a light bite; the juices burst in her mouth.
"Is it to your taste, Mother?"
"Exquisite." Dorothy nodded.
Dorothy asked softly, "Konrad, would you like to go back to Nostramo and stay for a while?"
Konrad didn't answer immediately. He elegantly cut a small piece of meat, put it in his mouth, and closed his eyes in satisfaction.
Konrad shook his head slightly, "No need, Mother. Let my brother in."
Dorothy tightened her grip on her knife and fork. Konrad showed a gentle smile, "Don't worry, Mother. I saw it long ago."
"When?" He pushed open the door and asked.
Konrad didn't turn back, just let out a low laugh, "Before Sevatar informed on me, Corax."
The giant, as pale-skinned as Konrad, spoke softly, "Lady Dorothy, please allow me a moment alone with my brother."
Dorothy looked worriedly at Konrad's pale profile.
Konrad slowly put down his knife, "Please leave for now, Mother."
Dorothy sighed softly, her eyes full of helplessness.
SLAM!
The moment the door closed, Corax bluntly demanded, "What act are you putting on now?"
Konrad turned his head slightly, "Can't you see, Corax? I've been playing the same act all along."
"I only see your clumsy performance. Your mother is very worried about you!"
"Ah... are you jealous of me, brother?"
"I'm jealous she loses sleep over you. But I'm even more angry that you use her love as a prop on stage!"
Konrad slowly shook his head, "How sad, Corax, that you would think of me like that. I have never used my mother as a tool. I never wanted her to worry."
Corax's cold and stern expression softened slightly, "Then why are you like this?"
His brother might be delusional, but he wouldn't lie about something like this.
Konrad's expression turned cold, "You should ask Sevatar that. I never instructed him to inform my mother."
"And your prophecies?"
"What do you think prophecy is? A library I can browse at will? No, brother. I do not see all futures. And my sons are… inventive."
"What about our father?"
"I do not understand that either," Konrad admitted at last. "It is too clear. As though fate itself wished to show me a seam in the pattern."
"I am relieved you have not descended into madness. Perhaps my visit was unnecessary."
"No." A subtle, deep smile suddenly tugged at Konrad's lips. "Not entirely unnecessary."
....
15 Chapters ahead [email protected]/DaoistJinzu