Had he never registered the effulgence of illumination — he might, perhaps, have persisted in his accommodation to the perpetual darkness.
Throughout half his existential trajectory, he had endeavoured to evacuate the proximity of death.
At its terminus, he had comprehended, with visceral certitude, that even his divineprogenitor was incapable of emancipatinghimself from the constrictive reticulation of predestination.
He had communicated this apprehension to his fraternal associate — and had received, in exchange, estrangement and suspicion.
He had, accordingly, acceded to his predestined existential termination. He had catapulted himself into treachery — exclusively to annihilate his progenitor's futileaspiration and his own vestigial prospect of redemption.
At the chronological instant, however, of his determination to adjudicate his transgressions through existentialexpenditure —
Why did the effulgence of illumination re-manifest itself?
Why did redemption recur?
Why, Nyx — why did you not ARRIVE at that chronological JUNCTURE?!
"REPATRIATE yourself to the perpetualSILENCE, Konrad Curze!"**
The Night Haunter discharged his accumulated existential distress through this ululation.
The lesions he inflicted upon his adversarymanifested themselves, simultaneously, upon his own corporeal configuration.
Since his insinuation into this temporaltrajectory, the future Curze had been entangled in an indissoluble connectiveinfrastructure with his 'past' iteration.
He could not evacuate the attritionalexpenditure he occasioned.
This circumstance registered zero affectiveinvestment in his cognitive infrastructure.
The future Curze aspired to — precisely — consign himself and his 'past' iteration to the abyss.
"I shall not EXPIRE within this precinct..."
Curze's enunciation was laboured, his respiratory apparatus compromised by catastrophic haemorrhagic attrition.
"...I shall traverse your desolate cowardice!"
He and the Night Haunter collided once more.
Though his defensive perimeter progressivelyattenuated, he succeeded, with considerablevolitional exertion, in synchronising his offensive rhythms with those of his 'other'iteration.
"Enfeebled... You and I have, together, registered that tenebrous future. I have, however, endured considerably more protracted existential distress than you!"
What was the threshold of a Primarch's volitional fortitude?
Analogous to Dorn — he could sustaincenturies of solitary confinement and the corruptive effluence of Khorne's cognitiveinsinuation.
Analogous, however, to Mortarion — he could persist in his odium of the Emperor throughout his entire existential trajectory because he was incapable of terminating his adoptiveprogenitor with his own manual extremities.
"I shall, likewise, endure this existentialdistress. I shall not, however, endure it in isolation..."
"I am possessed of successors — and a fraternal associate worthy of trust... and a progenitor."
"You designate that 'False Emperor' — that 'Imperial Cadaver' — as 'worthy of trust'?!"
The future Curze could not comprehend this formulation.
If Nyx's manifestation had effected Curze's existential transfiguration — then the Emperor was the provenance of his existential distress.
It was the Emperor who had fabricated them. Curze had registered, with visceral certitude, the Emperor's catastrophic inadequacy and His pervasive dissimulation.
How could Curze repose his trust in such an entity once more?
"Affirmative... He is, indisputably, imperfect."
"I register, however, within His essentialconfiguration — humanity."
"And the paternal solicitude of a progenitorfor his successors!"
These enunciations occasioned in the NightHaunter an affective effluence approachingemesis.
His invidia for his 'past' iteration intensified.
Everything had transfigured itself.
His entire accumulation of existential distresshad been reclassified as a desolate comicnarrative.
Attributable, in its entirety, to the manifestation of that 'supposititious' fraternal associate.
"This circumstance is immaterial..."
"Subsequent** to your existential terminationwithin this precinct — every existentialtrajectory shall repatriate itself to its primordial configuration."**
The Night Haunter — his cognitive facultiescomprehensively subsumed by derangement— had dispensed with all vestigial martialprinciple.
His lightning claws recurrently perforated the umbra, lacerating his 'past' iteration with increasing velocity and savagery.
With each offensive commitment, his own corporeal configuration registeredcommensurate attrition.
He registered, with visceral clarity, that his existential terminus was imminent.
"We... are expiring."
The future Curze's maxillofacial configurationdistended into a grotesque simulation of maxillofacial gratification.
His ocular organs, however, could not occludethe profound desolation suffusing his enunciation.
This attenuation of Primarch vital effluencepropagated outward.
Sevatar — who was, at this chronologicaljuncture, still engaged in his protractedmartial convocation with the Raven Prince — registered this desolate perturbation with visceral certitude.
"We must TRANSLATE ourselves to that PRECINCT — my progenitor is EXPIRING!"
Sevatar's enunciation was a fulminantululation.
At this chronological juncture, his corporealconfiguration was comprehensively inscribedwith lacerative impressions. Ralph and Crite had, likewise, sustained catastrophiccorporeal compromise.
"I am constrained to interdict your trajectory... This commission was transmitted to me by my progenitor..."
The Raven Prince's enunciation registeredunmistakable attrition.
"...Even should my progenitor, at the terminusof this engagement, encounter his existentialexpenditure."
Sevatar dispensed with further discursiveelaboration.
His regard encountered that of his 'other'iteration. His determination was unambiguous.
His fractured power glaive re-ignited its disruption-field generator. Its effulgence was exceptional.
"Ralph... Crite!"
Sevatar enunciated the designations of his two fraternal associates.
Before his injunction could attain comprehensive articulation, they had alreadyapprehended their designated commission.
They catapulted themselves at the similarlyattenuated Raven Prince — employing their corporeal configurations as constrictivereticulations.
They immobilised him.
CRACK——!
Sevatar's power glaive perforated the Raven Prince's ceramite plating.
It perforated, simultaneously, one of his cardiac organs.
Ralph and Crite immediately registered the attenuation of their adversary's offensiveinvestment.
They released their constrictive reticulations. The Raven Prince's corporeal configurationcollapsed upon the substratum.
"Proceed... To sustain my progenitor..."
"...Perhaps you shall effect what I was incapable of effecting... Sevatar."
Curze's corporeal configuration accumulatedprogressive gravitational investment.
He had expended more than half his haemorrhagic reservoir. His proximity to existential termination was infinitesimal.
"At last... This protracted existential trajectoryapproaches its terminus."
"It appears that, at the chronological junctureof my expiration, I shall, after all, remaindesolate."
The future Curze's maxillofacial configurationdistended into its customary derisivesimulation of maxillofacial gratification.
He had repatriated himself to his throne within the secluded chamber.
He observed, with languid deliberation, his innocent, enfeebled 'past' iteration — progressively translating himself towards his predestined existential terminus.
His palpebral configurations progressivelyaccumulated gravitational investment.
His vital effluence commenced its terminalcountdown.
A temporal increment elapsed.
An additional temporal increment elapsed.
The Night Haunter did not register his anticipated existential cessation.
His corporeal configuration was, incontrovertibly, undergoing remediation.
How can this CIRCUMSTANCE TRANSPIRE?!
His ocular organs abruptly activated. His regard fixed itself upon Curze — who had collapsed upon the substratum.
The subsequent instant, his respiratoryapparatus emitted an ululation of comprehensive existential apprehension.
"ILLUMINATION...!"
The Night Haunter recoiled behind his thronewith ignominious celerity.
What had he registered?
Sanctified configration erupted from Curze's corporeal configuration. It remediated his catastrophic lesions.
Its incisive argent effulgence precluded any direct ocular engagement.
At the instant of his recoil from this effulgence—
The sanctified configration propagated itself to his own corporeal configuration.
This configration did not occasion combustivenociceptive effluence.
It remediated his lesions.
It was not, however, as fulgurant as he had anticipated.
The darkness within his sensorium, however, ululated its existential apprehension.
"Why, at this chronological juncture... do you manifest your connective infrastructure with me?!"
"I had, protractedly since... acceded to my predestined existential termination!"
"I am exclusively an ignominious traitor...!"
The Night Haunter's visual registrationprogressively attenuated.
He elevated his manual extremity to sanitisethe commissures of his ocular organs.
His digital extremities encountered frigidhumidity.
...He was lacrimating.
Do Primarchs... lacrimate?
The future Curze did not know.
He knew exclusively that the Primarch corpuswas fabricated for august martialcommission. They were demigods, veneratedby the Imperium.
Demigods were not authorised to lacrimate.
Why, then, do these lacrimal effluencescascade from my ocular organs?
Nyx... Why are you so... BENEVOLENT?!
The sanctified configration progressivelyattenuated.
The secluded chamber was no longersaturated with absolute tenebrosity.
Curze registered, with visceral clarity, his 'other' iteration — contracted into a foetalconfiguration behind his throne.
His former self. So abject. So authentic.
"He frequently simulates affectiveinvestment... His paternal solicitude for his fraternal associates, however, has nevertransfigured itself..."
"Never."
"His solicitude for you... is identical."
"Trust** does not necessitate rationaljustification!"**
"...This formulation..."
The Night Haunter's enunciation was subauditory, raucous.
"...Constitutes** his most catastrophicerroneous determination!"**
He elevated himself from his recumbentconfiguration.
At this chronological juncture, he did not endeavour to conceal himself within the umbra.
The entire secluded chamber was saturatedwith effulgence. There was no umbra within which he could occult himself.
Their lightning claws collided once more.
Fulgurant scintillations erupted from their engagement.**
On this occasion, however, the NightHaunter's lightning claws encounteredexclusively Curze's pauldron plating.
His anterior thoracic compartment was comprehensively perforated by his adversary's offensive commitment.
"...Why...?!"
Curze's regard registered comprehensiveincomprehension.
He could not comprehend why his adversaryhad elected to encounter his offensivecommitment with zero evasive translation.
"I have persisted in my occultation for a protracted temporal increment..."
"When the effulgence of illumination re-manifests itself — it constitutes the chronological juncture of my existentialtermination."
"I do not repose my trust in that 'FalseEmperor'..."
"I aspire, however, to repose my trust in you. In my fraternal associate..."
Further discursive elaboration was unnecessary.
For the inaugural chronological instant in his existential trajectory —
The future Curze's maxillofacial configurationdistended into an authentic simulation of existential gratification.
His ponderous corporeal configurationcollapsed upon the substratum with a sonorous percussive event.
His corporeal configuration then progressively attenuated in substantiation. It transfigured itself into an evanescent, phantasmic configuration.
It was as though he had never manifestedhimself within this temporal trajectory.
An effluence — saturated with his accumulated existential registrations, his comprehension, his prospect of redemption — cascaded into Curze's corporealconfiguration.
It was analogous to a subauditory aqueoustranslation.
This was the terminal beneficence of his 'future' iteration — conferred at the chronological juncture of his existentialexpenditure.