Chapter 5: Psychic Warriors
The Warp is the echo of all sentient thought.
It is a dimension where emotion acquires substance, where time and distance hold no fixed meaning, and where physical law dissolves into dreamlike instability. Every soul casts a reflection into that immeasurable sea, like stars scattered across a night sky.
Among humanity, a rare few possess an unusually strong resonance with this immaterial realm. Such individuals can draw upon its currents, shaping phenomena that defy conventional reality: foresight, telepathy, telekinesis, and countless other manifestations.
These individuals are known as psykers.
But every gift carries a cost.
To touch the Warp is to be noticed by what dwells within it.
Yuki sat cross-legged, following Malcador's calm instructions as she sank into the strange inner stillness he described, searching for the subtle resonance within her own mind.
Moments later, her eyes opened.
Her violet pupils shimmered with an uncanny inner light.
Malcador inclined his head slightly.
She had succeeded.
"How did it feel?" he asked.
Yuki turned slowly, like a curious cub exploring an unfamiliar world.
"Strange… but pleasant."
The palace chamber had vanished from her perception. In its place flowed a vast ocean of color and light — currents of shimmering hues drifting like auroras in motion. The colors stirred emotion, evoked longing, whispered promises of comfort and belonging. One could easily imagine surrendering to that beauty forever.
No wonder some psykers lost themselves here. Compared to the harsh brutality of reality, the Warp could feel… inviting.
"Remember, child," Malcador said gently, "the Warp is not a sanctuary. It is a tool — and a peril. Touch it lightly. Never surrender yourself to it. This is not merely my counsel; it is the Emperor's command."
"Understood, understood," Yuki replied quickly, closing her psychic sight.
(Also, for some reason, Uncle Malcador's psychic reflection looked like a white-haired boy. Warp aesthetics were weird.)
"Only you can perceive the full extent of your abilities," Malcador continued. "What did you discover?"
"Uncle Ma… I seem to have a little bit of everything."
She scratched her head.
Moments earlier, she had predicted Malcador's next movement two seconds before it occurred and announced it aloud.
Malcador gave a knowing look.
When the Emperor designed Zero, he had tested a wide spectrum of genetic potentials — the templates that would later be refined into the Primarchs. In theory, Zero contained echoes of many future capabilities, though in attenuated form.
"In that case," Malcador said, setting down his teacup, "my instruction is complete. Your Highness may continue practicing."
"What? No way, Uncle Malcador!" Yuki dropped into a squat and grabbed the hem of his cloak. Given their difference in height, the scene bordered on absurd. "Uncle Valdor stopped teaching me. Now you're stopping too. I've only been learning for one day! What can I possibly master?"
Malcador gently freed his cloak.
"Your Highness, you must trust yourself. You are already more capable than you realize. There is no merit in lingering over foundations you have surpassed."
Yuki watched him depart.
Great.
She had been in this universe for two days and was already being pushed toward a battlefield.
Terra hadn't even been unified for a century. According to the historical records she had skimmed, it would take decades more to complete. Add the Great Crusade, and humanity was looking at centuries of war.
Wonderful.
Life was full of exciting prospects.
…
Usotan shifted uneasily.
As commander of a Thunder Warrior host, he had seldom seen all the legion commanders assembled in one place. (Strictly speaking, the Thunder Warriors had no Primarchs; these commanders served as field marshals rather than gene-sires.)
He leaned toward the commander beside him.
"Do you know why the Emperor summoned us?"
"No. Those Custodians at the entrance might as well be statues."
Inside a command pavilion near the Imperial front lines, twenty Thunder Warrior commanders waited. Outside the entrance, two Custodians stood immobile, their silence absolute.
Not long ago, the commanders had been ordered away from active battlefields and instructed to assemble here. Several offensives had been postponed. Had the summons come from anyone else, they might have responded with violence.
Heavy footsteps approached.
Every warrior rose.
Golden light spilled into the pavilion.
The Emperor entered.
Malcador and Constantine Valdor stood at his sides.
Yet no one focused on them.
Every gaze fixed on the figure behind the Emperor.
She was tall — impossibly tall.
Thunder Warriors averaged nearly three meters in height.
She stood taller still.
Auric armor encased her form. Three pairs of immaculate white wings rested folded behind her. Snow-white hair framed a face of serene beauty, and her eyes shone like polished amethyst. Twin longswords rested at her waist, their presence hinting at power utterly at odds with her angelic appearance.
She was holiness made flesh.
A vision that did not belong in Terra's brutal age.
Usotan's thoughts raced.
I have heard rumors of a hidden Empress… could this be her? Why bring her here?
The Emperor's armored hand settled on Yuki's shoulder, claws clicking softly against her armor as he guided her forward.
"From this day forth," the Emperor declared, "I will withdraw from direct command of the Unification Wars. My daughter, Yuki, will lead in my stead. You will honor her authority as you honor mine."
He squeezed her shoulder lightly.
Speak.
Yuki inhaled slowly and stepped forward, meeting the curious, skeptical, and openly amused gazes before her.
Usotan would remember this moment for the rest of his life.
He would remember how the angel placed her right hand over her heart.
How she knelt upon one knee.
How dust settled upon her white wings.
And how she swore her oath.
"For my father. For the Imperium. For the warriors who have fought to lift humanity from endless strife.
I know you may not trust me. I know you may doubt my ability to lead as he does. I do not possess my father's immeasurable power, nor his strategic genius.
But I swear this:
I, Yuki — daughter of the Emperor — swear to give everything I am to humanity's cause. I will face the terrors before us at your side until my last drop of blood is spent. I will share in the glory of victory — or fall with you into the abyss of defeat.
I may not live beside you.
But I will die beside you."
Usotan never forgot the glow in those violet eyes.