The light dissipated.
As the burning, ancient ruins of Prospero were replaced by the familiar, elegant interior composed of pure white and pale gold on the bridge of the 'genesis', a feeling of being in another world arose in everyone's hearts.
The mission within the historical slice had been successfully completed.
'Sister!'
A sweet cry filled with dependence and joy interrupted this moment of tranquility.
A small, golden figure, like a swallow returning to its nest, rushed into Leticia's arms without hesitation, carrying a fragrant breeze.
It was Terrania.
She hugged Leticia's waist tightly, burying her small face deep into the soft black robe that emanated a faint scent of the stars, as if wanting to pour out all the longing and anxiety of these past days in this embrace.
Leticia smiled, reached out, and gently stroked her long hair, which was as brilliant as molten gold.
'I'm back, Terrania.'
'Mm!'
Terrania rubbed against Leticia's arms contentedly, then carefully raised her head, her pure golden eyes looking with a hint of curiosity behind Leticia at the new member who had just joined their family.
She saw an intellectual woman with cascading crimson hair, a tall and elegant figure, so beautiful that one could not look away.
She could feel an aura of knowledge as profound as the vast sea of stars from her, as well as a deep tranquility that had finally settled after extreme pain and struggle.
The moment those beautiful crimson eyes met Terrania's gaze, they revealed a profound awe and tenderness from the depths of her soul.
Magna looked at Terrania, this 'Little Majesty' who was nominally Leticia's sister but possessed a soul of supreme and great essence, her heart filled with indescribable emotions.
This was... the true light she had once been willing to sacrifice everything to protect.
Fogremia walked up with elegant steps, her deep purple eyes examining Magna with a critical yet satisfied gaze that belonged to an artist.
'Welcome home, new sister.'
She reached out to Magna with a perfect, impeccable smile on her face.
'I am Fogremia. I must admit, among all of Sister's 'works', you are one of the masterpieces closest to 'perfection'.'
Angronia also walked over, carrying her massive chainaxe.
She didn't speak, but simply scanned Magna up and down with her amber eyes, which were burning with pure Battle Intent, then nodded heavily, with a hint of approval.
For this furious guardian, this was the highest level of welcome she could express.
Finally, Sanguinia spread her huge, snow-white wings and, like an angel descending, came before Magna.
'Hello, Sister Magna.'
Her sky-blue eyes were filled with pure joy and tenderness for the new family member.
'I am Sanguinia. From now on, we are a family.'
Looking at these Sisters who had such different styles, yet were all equally perfect and powerful, and feeling this sincere, untainted warmth of welcome, Magna, who had just arrived, felt for the first time a true warmth and sense of security belonging to a 'home' in her serene crimson eyes.
...
Meanwhile.
On the other side of the real universe.
Outside the Holy Terra sector, the massive 'Indomitus Crusade' fleet was slowly sailing through the cold sea of stars like a group of silent steel beasts.
The flagship, the supreme strategic bridge of the 'glory of macragge'.
The air here was cold, heavy, and filled with the smell of steel and machine oil.
Hundreds of Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus, like emotionless machines, were busily and nervously working around a huge holographic star map that was constantly flickering with billions of light points.
And Robert Guilliman, the Regent of the Human Empire, the Primarch of the Ultramarines, stood silently before this huge star map.
His face was livid.
His deep blue eyes, which belonged to a Primarch, were fixed on the area on the star map that represented the 'Prospero' sector, which had once flickered with a dark red psychic halo.
And now, there...
There was nothing.
Only a pure, chilling... absolute darkness that seemed to swallow all light.
Just a few minutes ago, he had received the most urgent report from the Astropathic Choir.
A report that his brain, armed to the teeth with logic and data, could not understand.
The Subspace projection of the Prospero system, along with the psychic signals of the entire surrounding sector, had completely and without warning... vanished within a few short seconds.
'What does 'vanished' mean?'
Guilliman's voice was as cold as the vacuum of space outside the bridge.
'Was it destroyed? Or was it temporarily obscured by some unprecedented psychic storm?'
Beside him, a senior Archmagos, whose beard was entangled with countless data cables, replied in a trembling electronic voice mixed with fear and fanaticism:
'Neither, my Regent.'
'All deep-space detection arrays, all divination rituals, all logic engine simulations... have only returned one result.'
The Archmagos paused, seemingly searching for a suitable word to describe the phenomenon that was beyond their understanding.
'Nothingness.'
'That sector... it is as if, as if it had never existed in the real universe! All physical laws, all laws of causality, have... broken there!'
The bridge fell into a dead silence.
Every high official of the Imperium who heard this, whether it was a battle-hardened fleet commander or a deep-thinking representative of the Inquisition, showed unconcealed horror on their faces.
A sector, just disappeared into thin air?
How absurd! How terrifying!
Guilliman remained silent.
His brain was running frantically, at a speed exceeding any logic engine.
He immediately connected this event to the mysterious black-robed goddess who had just parted from him not long ago.
Leticia.
He recalled her pure black eyes, which were so deep they seemed to swallow everything.
He recalled the three powerful women by her side, whose auras were incomparably similar to his lost brothers, yet completely different.
He recalled her casual farewell when she left, saying she had'some family business to attend to'.
Family business...
Prospero...
That was the lair of his brother Magnus, who was thirsty for knowledge yet incomparably arrogant!
A terrifying, insane, yet deadly tempting thought, like the swiftest lightning, suddenly tore through all the fog in his mind!
Could it be...
Could her so-called 'family business' be going to Prospero?
Could she... really have the ability to completely erase a Primarch who had been deeply corrupted by the Chaos Gods and fallen for ten thousand years... from reality?!
No!
Not even erase!
But... correct!
Guilliman's heart shrank violently.
He thought of the Red-haired Valkyrie burning with flames, named Angronia.
Her pure, protective Battle Intent was so like how his brother Angron, who had long been driven mad by the 'Butcher's Nails' and left with only the instinct to kill... should have been.
He thought of the silver-haired sword maiden holding a gorgeous long sword, named Fogremia.
Her extreme pursuit of 'perfection' was so like the initial dream of his brother Fulgrim, who had long sunk into the embrace of Slaanesh and become neither man nor woman.
If...
If she truly had the ability to 'correct' those fallen, traitorous, hopeless brothers, one by one...
This thought was so absurd, so heretical, yet so... full of Hope!
So much so that Guilliman, the Regent known for his rationality and logic, felt an uncontrollable tremor from the depths of his soul!
'My Regent?'
An advisor, seeing Guilliman silent for a long time, spoke cautiously, voicing the guess in everyone's heart.
'Could this... be done by that 'Goddess'?'
In an instant, everyone on the bridge focused their gaze on Guilliman.
Guilliman slowly closed his eyes.
A few seconds later, he opened them again.
In those blue eyes, all the raging waves had been forcibly suppressed, leaving only a bottomless, cold calm.
'Continue to monitor all Subspace signals related to the 'Genesis Sisterhood'.'
'Without my order, no fleet is allowed to act rashly.'
'Yes! Regent!'
Guilliman finally gave the order.
But his fist, wearing a blue power glove known as the 'Hand of the Emperor', clenched tightly and uncontrollably in a corner where no one could see.
He realized.
The already fragile balance of power between himself and this mysterious 'ally' might... be far more imbalanced than he had imagined.
...
On the bridge of the 'genesis'.
The atmosphere was warm and harmonious.
Leticia looked at Magna, who had gained a new life but still carried a trace of scholarly reserve and unease in her brows, and revealed a gentle smile.
'To celebrate Magna's return.'
She looked around at all her Sisters and announced in a smiling, unquestionable tone.
'I have decided that today, we will hold the first, most formal 'Sisters Tea Party' of our Genesis Sisterhood.'
'Let our new sister be better integrated into this family.'
Leticia's gaze finally fell on Magna, her pure black eyes filled with a hint of expectation.
'And let us also listen to what our brand new 'Crimson Sage' has to say about the future of this universe.'
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