Vance remained silent.
He listened to Darius's words, hearing the irrepressible... sorrow in his tone. The deep, agonizing sorrow of watching countless people suffer while being completely powerless to stop it.
A surge of complex emotions suddenly welled up in Vance's chest. He had known for a long time that Terra had a population exceeding a trillion. He had known for a long time that beneath the glittering, glorious facade of this Imperium hid an abyss of darkness. Back during his conversation with Paul, he had even defended the Imperium, arguing that the sacrifice of some was necessary to secure ultimate victory.
But never before had he felt the crushing weight of those sacrifices, the sheer gravity of that darkness, as vividly as he did right now.
He turned to look at Darius. Looked at the expression in his eyes as he stared out the window.
There was so much buried in that gaze.
A sudden thought flashed through Vance's mind: This teacher of mine... is not a simple man.
Darius Stanton. Vance suddenly recalled Darius's surname. Stanton.
On Terra, that surname belonged to the aristocracy. And not just any aristocracy—an ancient noble house with a long history.
Darius Stanton was a Terran noble. He was born into an aristocratic family, enjoying resources from childhood that ordinary people wouldn't see in a lifetime. He possessed the influence to serve as a Voidship Strategic Advisor for the Emperor's Children Legion, and the authority to command tens of thousands of troops in the Expeditionary Fleets.
He sat at the absolute apex of the Imperium's pyramid.
But right now, the words he was speaking... These were words that would make any future Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus draw their bolt pistol on the spot, press it to his skull, and scream Die, Heretic!
The things he was saying fundamentally shook the very foundation of the Imperium. It was pure, unadulterated heretical thought, actively detrimental to Imperial unity.
Moreover... he had completely betrayed the ideology of his own social class.
Vance looked at Darius, silently thinking to himself, It seems my teacher is a man with a lot of history.
Darius seemed to feel his gaze. He slowly turned his head, looking straight at Vance. His eyes were entirely serious now.
"Stellan," Darius said, his voice soft but carrying an undeniable weight. "Back on Laeran, I could see the foundation buried in your eyes. You have never fallen into despair over this world. You possess the burning drive to change it." He paused, a faint smile breaking across his face. "That is why, out of countless individuals, I chose you. And even now, I firmly believe I made the right choice."
Vance's heart rate ticked up slightly.
"I am going to enroll you in the finest military academy in the Eternity City," Darius continued. "I will tell you the exact same thing I told you back then." His gaze grew stern, his tone heavy with gravity. "Stellan, pour every ounce of your strength into growing stronger! Grow until you can look any Primarch in the eye and say no. Grow until you can truly seize control of the direction of the entire Imperium."
Darius raised his hand and clamped it heavily onto Vance's shoulder. The grip was so firm that Vance's entire body swayed slightly.
"And when that day comes!" Darius's voice suddenly spiked, carrying the desperate resolve of a man burning his own bridges. "Never forget where you came from! Go and truly change all of this! Let the citizens of Terra finally see a single ray of light! Instead of just being ground down into... spare parts for this bloated Imperium!"
Vance's pupils contracted slightly.
He stared at the old man in front of him, staring at the blazing fire roaring in his eyes.
This was absolute... treason.
This was Holy Terra. The beating heart of the Imperium of Man. And here was a Terran noble, standing in an orbital elevator, spouting this level of heresy to a penniless kid from a backwater system.
Vance's fists slowly clenched at his sides.
But he couldn't deny a single word Darius said. Because he had seen the darkness too. On Laeran, he had watched waves of Imperial Auxilia soldiers get mowed down like grass. Those men were no different from the ordinary people in the Terran underhives.
No one cared if they lived or died. No one remembered their names. They were just statistics, just consumables, just stepping stones paving the road for the Emperor's Great Work.
But Vance... Vance was an Imperial player. He hadn't chosen this faction to sing praises of the Emperor's greatness. He had chosen it because he hoped that one day, this Imperium could genuinely become better. That the ordinary people crushed at the bottom could actually live like human beings.
Vance's eyes hardened with resolve. He lifted his head, locking eyes with Darius. In his gaze burned the exact same fire.
"I understand, Teacher," his voice was calm, yet it carried an ironclad determination. "I absolutely will not fail your expectations. I will become a man who can truly take control of the Imperium."
Darius looked at him, seeing the light burning in those eyes. And then, he smiled. It was a smile filled with deep gratification, and profound relief.
He pulled his hand back, patting Vance's shoulder much lighter this time. "That's enough then. Rest easy, kid. In a little while, I'll take you to visit a few of my old friends. I guarantee I'll squeeze you into the best military academy they have." Darius paused, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes. "And once you graduate, I'll pull a few more strings and get you commissioned as a Tribune in the Solar Auxilia. You'll be commanding anywhere from six thousand to twelve thousand men. How does that sound?"
Vance froze.
The Solar Auxilia. The absolute, undisputed elite of the Imperial Army. To command six to twelve thousand men and be commissioned as a Tribune...
He took a deep breath. He knew exactly how heavy a gift this was. If he really were just a penniless kid from a backwater system, the path Darius was paving for him was practically a one-way ticket to the top. He looked at the old man before him, an indescribable sense of deep gratitude washing over him.
"Thank you, Teacher," his voice was quiet, but every word came straight from the heart.
Darius waved him off dismissively. "Alright, alright, enough with the sappy stuff." He turned back around, gazing out the window once more.
Vance followed his gaze. The scenery outside had shifted entirely.
The orbital elevator was decelerating, the carriage vibrating slightly as it approached a towering, majestic structure ahead. This was the upper spire district of the Eternity City. Tower after tower pierced the sky, their gilded exteriors blazing brilliantly under the light of the Astronomican. They stood densely packed, like an infinite array of golden swords.
Between those spires, countless bridges and transit tubes crisscrossed and interconnected, forming a massive, three-dimensional, hyper-complex transit network. Various atmospheric aircraft wove between the corridors, trailing pale blue exhaust flares in their wake.
Down below, the broad avenues were packed with people. The way these people dressed was a hundred times more exquisite than anyone Vance had ever seen in the underhive. They strutted with their heads held high, confident smiles painted on their faces.
These were the upper echelons of Terra. The lucky few who sat atop the golden pyramid.
Darius's voice drifted into his ear, laced with a hint of sarcasm. "Well? A far cry from the underhive, isn't it?"
Vance nodded. "It really is. The people here actually live with dignity."
Darius let out a soft scoff. "Because they believe they are superior to regular humans. They are born never having to worry about their future. And they never, ever view the people in the underhives as their own kind." A sharp edge of irony cut through his voice. "Yet every single thing they enjoy was bought and paid for with the lives of those same underhive citizens. The world is just fundamentally unfair like that. Those with the power to change things choose to look away, and those who truly see the rot lack the power to do anything about it.
"That makes me a complete failure. I once tried to lead by example, throwing my heart and soul into forcing change. I abandoned every shred of honor my family name afforded me and enlisted in the Imperial Auxilia, joining a regiment attached to the Emperor's Children. But in the end, all I did was watch my brothers-in-arms die one by one, accomplishing absolutely nothing."
Anger bled into Darius's expression. "Because those damn command billets are forever monopolized by these highborn aristocrats. In the end, I compromised. I returned to my family and used their influence to secure a position as a Voidship Strategic Advisor for the Emperor's Children." He let out another heavy sigh. "So yes, I am a failure. But I hope to cultivate someone who can truly change everything in this Imperium. Even if it means using the very methods I once despised the most. If you actually succeed one day, Stellan, I will gladly shoulder all the infamy that comes with it."
Vance remained silent.
The orbital elevator gave a slight lurch and ground to a complete halt. With a low, mechanical rumble, the carriage doors slowly slid open.
Darius patted Vance on the shoulder and stepped out first. "Let's go. Shake it off. I'm taking you to see some old friends."
Vance took a deep breath and followed closely behind him.
But the very second he stepped through the carriage doors, he saw it. And his feet instantly cemented to the floor.
Standing directly outside the elevator doors was a golden figure.
Standing three and a half meters tall, wielding a golden guardian spear, and clad in a set of immaculate, master-crafted golden power armor. The Emperor's Aquila was deeply engraved into the golden plating, every groove carved as deep as a trench. Runes exclusive to the Custodes were branded onto the pauldrons, glowing faintly under the lights as if they were alive. Dead center on the breastplate sat a massive, lifelike double-headed eagle, the gemstones socketed into its eyes reflecting a cold, hard glare.
The face was entirely concealed beneath a golden helm, leaving only twin beams of light piercing through the visor slits.
And standing directly behind this figure were exactly ten more identical golden giants. They stood in perfect formation, an impenetrable wall of gold.
In that exact moment, Vance's heart practically stopped beating.
The Custodian Guard.
The Emperor's personal bodyguards.
The most lethal warriors in the entire Imperium of Man.
Standing right in front of him.
And the frigid eyes of that golden demi-god were locked dead onto the mortal before him.