Holy Terra, the Throne World.
This was the ancient cradle of humanity, now a rocky planet covered in countless hive spires, devoid of a single drop of natural water, and home to a population of at least a hundred billion, perhaps even trillions. The sole reason for its continued existence was that it was the seat of the Golden Throne.
This was the world Inquisitor Chris now found himself on, fast-tracked through every security checkpoint and ushered directly into the heart of the Imperial Palace. It was at this point that true panic began to set in. What had he done to deserve being brought here?
But there was no point in dwelling on it. The Custodes did not take him to the High Lords' council chamber, but to a special room. There, he came face to face with the Captain-General of the Adeptus Custodes, Trajann Valoris, and several ancient Contemptor Dreadnoughts bearing the sigils of the Ten Thousand.
Seeing them, Chris's panic reached its zenith. No Inquisitor had ever been granted such an audience.
"What have I done? The Primarch, the Apothecary... could it be... the legendary twenty-two Primarchs?"
A maelstrom of emotions churned in Chris's mind. Then, a terrifying thought branded itself onto his consciousness, impossible to dispel.
"..."
Trajann Valoris said nothing, merely observing the Inquisitor before him. He had activated a special, ancient artifact hidden deep within the Palace. Its influence could draw out the deepest, most unwillingly faced truths from a person's heart. Of course, the device had its limits; all the Custodes present were capable of resisting its power. This was, in fact, one of the trials for the Shadowkeepers who guarded the lowest levels of the Dark Cells. It was clear that while Chris was strong-willed, this first exposure had caught him completely off guard.
"Speak your sins," Trajann said slowly. He wanted to see what this Inquisitor was truly hiding.
"I learned... from an ancient Mechanicus priest who called himself 010 Omega... that the Imperium's Primarchs are not nine. Nor are they eighteen, as we know. There are twenty-two. This is my blasphemy against the Golden Throne. I know something I should not know."
"..."
When his words fell, you could have heard a pin drop in the chamber.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Having spoken the words aloud, Chris collapsed to the floor like a deflated balloon. A profound sense of release washed over him. Keeping a secret was not so easy, especially one so blasphemous and terrifying. Having finally vented it, Chris felt a sense of peace. He felt that even if he were to be executed here, in the presence of the Custodes, his soul returning to the Golden Throne, it would have been worth it. In other words, he felt fantastic.
He might have felt fantastic, but the Custodes before him were utterly stupefied.
They were wary of everything, especially a mysterious, unknown Primarch. Even if that Primarch's golden sword could scatter hordes of daemons, they had to remain vigilant. Their primary goal had been to see if this Inquisitor had made some secret pact with the new Primarch. But the result...
WHAT THE FUCK!!!
This was the unified thought of the golden-armored guards. Even the Captain-General himself turned to look at the ancient Contemptor Dreadnoughts. These were the most ancient of their kind, warriors who had walked among mankind alongside the Emperor himself. Some of them were even older than the Gene-Primarchs.
"My Lord... could it be him?" one of the ancient Dreadnoughts intoned, its voice filled with disbelief as it registered the reactions of its comrades. If it was truly the First Creation, then none of them would survive what was to come.
"My Lord, is this also part of your plan?" the ancient Dreadnought murmured toward the Throne, its voice suddenly lost and forlorn.
---o---
Soon…
"Hah!!!"
When Chris finally left the Imperial Palace, his face was a picture of relief. Pressure, it seemed, was transferable. He had confirmed that there were indeed twenty-two Primarchs. Now, it was the Custodes who were lost and despondent. He knew he had not blasphemed against the Golden Throne. See? They hadn't even wiped his memory. Clearly, on some level, it wasn't a major issue.
Only then was Chris brought before the ancient Senatorum Imperialis on Terra. The High Lords, who were rarely seen together, were all gathered. Chris handed the blasphemous sword fragment to the representative of the Inquisition, his direct superior.
"Now, regarding the matter of this Primarch. We have received word from the Golden Throne..." a Custodian announced, slowly addressing the assembled High Lords. He immediately set the tone for the entire meeting, causing the tense council members to breathe a collective, private sigh of relief.
If this new Primarch were a traitor, they would have to destroy him. They had all seen Zhou Ye's combat prowess. To launch a crusade against such a being... the sheer logistics of it would be enough to drown them. Worse, they had no idea what was really going on.
Immediately, a fierce debate began. The Ecclesiarchy wanted to welcome this son of the Emperor, as it would bring them more faith. The Inquisition deemed him a threat and urged caution. The usual, predictable squabbling erupted. Only the daemons knew what the final outcome would be.
Of course, if Zhou Ye had seen this, he would have grabbed the Custodian, strung him up, and given him a thorough thrashing for being so damn passive.
---o---
Meanwhile, in Quintus Hive.
A small, agile spacecraft bypassed all planetary defense systems and landed in a highly concealed location on the planet. As the vessel touched down, a squad of golden-armored guards emerged. Before them stood a young girl robed in pure white, her eyes now shimmering with a tangible, brilliant light.
Click.
With a single, unified sound, the squad of golden giants knelt as one.
"My Lord..." a choked voice rang out. It had been ten thousand years. Finally, they had received his command and come to this hive city.
"Ugh..."
The sacred golden light in her eyes vanished. Aiswei'er felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. The presence had only manifested for an instant, but it felt like she had been standing in the heart of a furnace.
Seeing this, the Custodes rose to their feet. They brought forth a special container.
"My Lord, are you certain you wish to release him?"
Hearing the Custodian's question, Aiswei'er slowly closed her eyes, and a new message entered her mind.
"He once secretly deployed a Custodian of the Emperor's Eyes, but that agent has recently gone missing. He can only sense that he is still alive, but can no longer contact him."
What they didn't know, of course, was that after receiving this Custodian, Zhou Ye had prepared an even larger stasis field for him, then locked him inside an Imaginary Cage. Never mind the Emperor; it was a prison that could hold even Chaos artifacts.
"Yes."
Hiss. Clank.
The Custodes said no more. With a crisp sound, the container was opened. A figure even taller than the Custodes slowly stepped out. Instantly, every Custodian raised his weapon, forming a protective circle around the fragile young girl.
Konrad Curze, master of the Eighth Legion.
"Father. Are you still unwilling to let me face the death I am owed?"
A voice filled with resentment echoed from the dark-haired young man, a dangerous aura radiating from his form. The disintegration fields on the Custodes' guardian spears activated, their stances growing even more tense. For ten thousand years, he had been locked in stasis. Now, he was free once more.
"He says, have your visions shown you a brother you have never met?"
"?"
Konrad Curze tilted his head, confused. He discovered he could see nothing. Before him was only a blank void.
A Custodian brought forth a servo-skull, which projected two video logs.
The first showed a figure in black and gold armor, scattering a horde of daemons with a single blow. The second showed the Fallen Primarchs Mortarion and Fulgrim being successively defeated.
Konrad Curze stared, stunned. He then turned to the girl at the center of the Custodes' circle, his eyes filled with utter shock.
"Father, have you created a newer, stronger tool?" Curze said slowly. Though his eyes were filled with disgust, they also held a profound sense of wonder.
Because he couldn't see. He couldn't see anything.
He quickly realized the implications. He was the most sensitive of all to the currents of the Warp. Not even Magnus could match him in this regard. This sensitivity granted him another ability: prophecy. And unlike Sanguinius's visions, his were as if he were personally experiencing the events.
But he could see nothing of the being before him. Absolutely nothing.
This was impossible. Not even the so-called Untouchables affected him this way. If a normal person's soul was a positive presence in the Warp, then an Untouchable's was a negative one. But this person was nothing. A pure void. It shouldn't be possible.
And yet, here he was. Such a being would create no ripples in the Warp. The Chaos Gods could never lock onto him. He was the true soulless one.
But could such a being truly exist?
Aiswei'er glanced at a Custodian beside her, who stepped forward.
"According to our observations, there is a fleet that has been gathering citizens from various Imperial worlds almost without limit. Yet, this entire sector shows no signs of Warp corruption. This is not the work of the Chaos Gods. Furthermore, Tillius, which was destroyed during the battle with Mortarion, and the Space Hulk from the battle with Fulgrim were both located in this sector. We have found no ripples in the Warp in this region. There is only one possibility."
A strange look crossed the Custodian's face. He looked at Aiswei'er, paused for a moment, then continued slowly. "Based on the intelligence we have gathered, that Primarch possesses a special method of FTL travel that bypasses the Warp."
"He says: 'He is humanity's hope. He is humanity's salvation. He is a Primarch of the Imperium, and even... uh, never mind.'" Aiswei'er blinked. She hadn't dared to speak the final part of the sentence.
The full sentence was: If he truly exists, then he can even be the new master of humanity, the Emperor of the Imperium. We are all tools, born for the revival of mankind.
But those words were far too blasphemous. Aiswei'er felt it was best not to say them aloud. That voice spoke with impunity, but she felt that if she were to repeat its words, the Custodes before her would go insane.
"You want me to find him, is that it? Fine. Leave it to me." A twisted smile spread across Konrad Curze's face. "Alright, leave it to me. I will personally go before this 'brother' of mine. Let's see just who he is."
Curze did not refuse. His entire form slowly faded from view, disappearing without a trace, undetectable even to the Custodes present. Seeing him gone, they breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"My Lord... is this truly alright?" a Custodian murmured, staring at the empty space where the Primarch had been.
Although Konrad Curze had turned traitor, he had not fallen to Chaos. So, there was still room for negotiation.
The squad of Custodes slowly melted back into the shadows. They would remain here, guarding this young girl. Just as her cry before the Lion's Gate had once sent a tremor through their very souls, they would protect her now. All they needed to do was provide the target and the clues; the Primarch would figure out the rest himself.
They had no other choice. The Custodian from the Emperor's Eyes had already failed. That left only two possible agents they could deploy: Konrad Curze and the Raven King, Corvus Corax. But Corax was currently soaring freely through the Warp, his form no longer entirely human.
So, they had turned to the Night Haunter, Konrad Curze, who had been—depending on your perspective—either imprisoned or simply rotting away on Terra. This new being was not without a trail, but finding him would undoubtedly be extremely difficult.
---o---
Trailblaze
"The gene-seed of that Raven Guard has completely vanished. There's no way to extract it. I need a team that specializes in stealth and infiltration, but I don't have the right material."
Zhou Ye flipped through the organizational charts of his forces, lost in thought. The mutated Raven Guard was a good template, but the problem was that he had, in a way, become a daemon of Corvus Corax. The gene-seed was now truly just a seed; it had fully merged with his being, and Zhou Ye couldn't find it to extract. If he tried to cook one up from scratch, who knew what kind of Warp-spawned monstrosity he would create.
---o---