Indeed. Such a momentous matter required prior communication.
Sweeping away his previous lighthearted mood, Adam became deathly serious. He knew this was a consultation concerning the fate of all humanity, and there could be no room for misunderstanding. Communication with the Emperor was essential. If a situation arose again like ten thousand years ago—where the Emperor kept the Webway Project a secret, only for an ignorant Magnus to blow it up with a psychic "phone call"—it would probably make even Tzeentch die of laughter.
However... Adam frowned.
"Is it not necessary to have Guilliman enter this illusion and discuss the plan with us?" He looked at the dark-skinned little girl-Emperor before him and voiced his doubt. "Since your humanity and reason have recovered so well, to the point where you have clear self-reflection and logical deduction capabilities—and even the leisure to dress yourself in a 'skin' just like during the Great Crusade—why not let Guilliman join the discussion?"
A subtle expression appeared on the face of the dark-skinned Emperor. She seemed to hesitate for a moment before finally speaking.
"Let it be. The things we are about to discuss have nothing to do with him. Even a Primarch cannot play a key role in the coming 'Great War'."
"It is better not to tell him." The dark-skinned Emperor paused slightly, seemingly organizing her words, then added: "...And, I do not trust him."
She gently extended her wheat-colored hands and lowered her head, slowly staring at her small, youthful body.
"This has nothing to do with loyalty. I know the Thirteenth Son is loyal, but... forgive me, Adam. My memories and soul were shattered into fragments during that ten-thousand-year wash of faith. I am now a complex collective entity. Neither human nor god."
"You know as well as I do that Guilliman's reputation in the Imperium is not as... simple and pure as the other Primarchs."
"My impression of him remains at a level that is distant, even... terrible. This is not something the current 'I' can decide unilaterally."
Her tone was flat, yet carried a trace of helpless indifference.
Adam looked somewhat speechless. He indeed knew that the relationship between Guilliman and the Emperor was relatively thin; their actual time spent together wasn't long. If one used certain gacha games as an analogy, in the eyes of the Emperor as the "player," Guilliman was likely a character who didn't quite fit His personal "XP," but was a "meta" unit that had to be heavily leveled due to his sheer utility.
...For instance, even the Emperor's Sword had been granted to Guilliman early on.
Even so, if one expected a father-son bond between Guilliman and the Emperor similar to what He shared with Horus (pre-heresy) or Sanguinius, that was indeed expecting too much.
"Forgive me, my Majesty. The moment I saw you appear in this form, I truly thought you had recovered some humanity," Adam sighed. "That was my mistake. I shouldn't have held such expectations."
"Forget it." He shook his head. "Let's get back to the main topic. Where were we?"
"The plan to deal with the Four Chaos Gods." All micro-expressions vanished from the girl-Emperor's face, replaced by a cold solemnity.
"I have already felt the violent waves surging in the Warp, different from anything before. They are searching the entire galaxy by any means necessary for the variables I might possess. A storm is brewing, on a scale... similar to the Webway War ten thousand years ago. I prophesy a tide of demons will strike directly at the heart of Terra."
It's that serious? Adam was slightly stunned.
His original expectation was something on the scale of the "Battle of the Lion's Gate" that might happen on Terra in the future. He hadn't expected them to be so desperate. It seemed he had still underestimated the shock felt by the Chaos Powers—who thought they controlled everything—at the mysterious return of a Primarch to the Imperium right under their noses.
"However..." The dark-skinned Emperor gently extended her hands, the movement carrying a sense of ancient ritual that contrasted with her current appearance.
She raised her head, her gaze seemingly piercing through the cathedral's magnificent dome to look beyond the vast sea of stars and the boiling Warp, announcing calmly and firmly:
"It matters not. I shall act."
Adam remained silent. Good grief, you really know how to pose.
"...Fine." Adam twitched the corner of his mouth, ultimately refraining from further commentary. However, obtaining this kind of promise from this individual allowed him to set his mind at ease.
He should still be reliable enough, right?
With that thought, he straightened his expression and steered the conversation toward a more concrete future.
"Then, according to my plan, the next clear target is hunting the minor god who holds dominion over the realm of malicious arts—Vashtorr. If I successfully consume his essence, I will undoubtedly ascend to a Level 4 Reality Warper."
Adam looked at the dark-skinned Emperor with an inquiring expression.
"At that time, with my abilities as a Level 4 Reality Warper... perhaps I will have the chance to 'completely cure' you? To let you stand up from the Golden Throne, free from any Warp pollution or the poison of faith, and truly walk the world once more?"
The light in the cathedral seemed to freeze slightly at his question.
"That would indeed be a good outcome." The Emperor turned her head slightly, her gaze skipping over the ornate reliefs depicting human epics and sacrifices on the walls. Her voice was steady, showing no ripple. "To let me escape this eternal torment, the endless pain that has lasted ten thousand years, and truly obtain 'freedom'..."
She paused.
"But I refuse."
The Emperor turned back, looking at Adam—who had slightly raised an eyebrow in confusion—and slowly shook her head. On that youthful face was a look of near-ruthless determination.
"By sitting upon this Golden Throne, I maintain a delicate and dangerous state—jammed just before the completion of the 'Ascension' ritual. This seat is not merely a cage... it is also an 'amplifier'."
Her voice was soft. "Only by using this as a fulcrum can I wrestle with those four cheaters behind the veil, keeping the vast majority of their attention firmly pinned to this specific battlefield."
"Yes, Adam. Even if in the deepest part of my personal heart—that part which still remains of the one called 'Neoth'—I desperately crave to escape this endless torture, still..."
The girl-Emperor took a step forward on her bare feet, the hem of her pure white robe brushing across the smooth floor. She looked up to meet Adam's eyes. In the depths of her clear pupils, cold golden flames seemed to burn, identical to those on the sword held by the statue.
"For the future of all humanity, I must continue to sit here. Until the final moment, until final victory or eternal destruction arrives."
Her voice was still that of a child, as she slowly recited the oath that had been forgotten by most in the vastness of time, yet remained etched in the deepest part of her shattered consciousness:
"I shall face the Four Gods."
"I shall return in victory."
"I shall return to my throne—"
"To sit here for ten thousand years, and ten thousand more."
"I shall endure it all."