| Terra |
After about an hour of talking with Erda and Magnus about events long since past, Alpharius finally came around, and the room went silent as he entered, glanced around, and sat down on a chair I psychically made for him.
Magnus broke the brief silence by greeting Alpharius. "Welcome, brother. Mother and I watched your campaign, and I must say it was truly splendid. I hope that I achieve results close to yours when the day comes for me to lead my own legion."
"With your natural abilities and a bit of effort, you will easily surpass the skirmish I participated in," Alpharius replied calmly.
Magnus lightly chuckled and said, "No need to downplay what you've accomplished; you've earned an honor and duty worthy of you."
"Thank you for your kind words, brother," Alpharius said in a lighthearted tone. Then he looked at me with a questioning gaze.
Guessing what he wanted to hear, I answered, "Moments ago, Erda and I had a little discussion about our past actions, and after some deliberation, she will be rejoining the Imperium in my service. However, she will be under my surveillance, with limitations on what she may know. As for her judgment for scattering you and your brothers, I will not be the one to decide. You and your brothers will each individually choose what her judgment is; you may decide on it now or later."
We all stared at Alpharius pensively as he sat in silence, contemplating what I had just told him. A short while later, he first said, "Father, you are far too merciful, but so be it."
Alpharius then stared directly at Erda and continued, "My eye will always be on you for any signs of another betrayal, and I've made my decision."
Stretching out his hand toward Erda, Alpharius motioned for her to grab his hand, and, following his lead, Erda grasped it. Then, with an eerily flawless, emotionless face, Alpharius stated in a tone of tranquil fury what he had decided.
"Look into my soul… I want you to see and feel the beginning moments of my life as if it were your own. I want you to experience the confusion and fear I felt at being completely helpless in the face of those Four. The despair that consumed me as I watched them fight over who gets to claim one of us, like bidders at an auction.
Feel my everlasting agony at having my spirit, body, and soul torn in two. But most of all, the creeping feeling of anxiety—anxiety not for yourself but for another. For a while, I've had a faint connection to my other half, my twin brother. But now, I feel nothing, all trace of him disappearing in the blink of an eye. Leaving me wondering whether he is in trouble and needs my help, whether he is dead, or worst of all… fallen prey to the Four."
All of us had different reactions to his words. Magnus rose from his seat, intending to offer Alpharius a hug, but paused upon seeing that he was already mentally linked with Erda. She was trembling due to Alpharius's words, which increased her guilt, and from the pain of having her soul torn in two that he projected onto her.
As for me, I couldn't help but frown and mentally dwell on his words. "Everlasting agony… anxiety for his brother… I've always known that he had a faint connection to Omegon, his twin brother, but it never crossed my mind that, in the same way I can't sense my sons, he couldn't sense his twin."
My frown deepened as I recalled further and contemplated something I had just realized. 'Never once have I ever offered any real counsel to him, only assurances, knowledge, and praise. I, just like the original Emperor, fell into the assumption that my sons would be fine.'
'How could I have unknowingly pressured him so much since I found him?' I wondered in self-reproach.
I began to feel hollow as my thoughts continued down this train of thought, at this realization that perhaps I wasn't that great of a father.
Thinking back to recent events, I mused, "Perhaps my constant mentions of his first campaign, and as many people as possible watching it, must have made him decide to keep his worry about his twin to himself and temporarily bury it in order not to mess up.
And now that I think about it, did I ever speak more words to him when I had casually mentioned that half my sons betray me in the future? Did the combination of that make him believe that his twin might have been forced to become a traitor? Does he perhaps believe that he has no choice but to one day kill his own brothers, even his twin?"
A sudden groan of pain, followed by heavy gasps for air, snapped me out of my spiraling thoughts. Refocusing on my surroundings, I first noticed Erda retaking her seat at the table, her movements full of strained effort. As a Perpetual, she is no stranger to feeling extreme pain; however, in this case, I see that she has decided to heighten her numbed sense of pain and not even try to heal her current pain with her abilities.
I glanced over at Alpharius. He returned to his normal self and took a seat at the table, with a contemplative look on his face. Judging from what I'm seeing, it seems Erda might have shared something she knows with Alpharius.
Perhaps the original Emperor would view this with concern, but I do not, because their relationship was currently neutral, in a similar sense to co-workers in different departments. Maybe with enough time there might be less alienation between them, but for now, this was quite the positive start.
Magnus looked at the both of them and asked, "Are you both okay? Sharing memories between souls can be rather dangerous, at least for Alpharius it would be, since his abilities are still limited due to his restricted psychic power."
Erda looked over to Magnus and replied, "I am fine. I forced the connection to be as gentle as possible and gave him some guidance on how it works."
"I am alright, Magnus. My judgment is complete, and I've even learned a few new things. I am satisfied," Alpharius answered in a pleased tone.
"My sons," I began to say, looking at the two of them as they looked at me curiously. "This has opened my eyes to a failure on my part as a father."
Alpharius's eyes widened in slight realization, and Magnus looked confused. Alpharius first spoke, and then Magnus followed suit.
"Father, that outburst of mine isn't som—"
"What possible failure do you—"
Before they could finish their words, I cut them off, saying, "It has occurred to me that I've never offered counsel to either of you. Counsel to address any doubts or concerns you may have. For this failure, I apologize, and I wish to rectify it. Ask me any questions you wish; I will answer them to the best of my ability."
For a while, nobody spoke. Erda was still dealing with the pain, while Alpharius and Magnus were contemplating what to ask.
Or rather, based on the looks in their eyes, they were mustering up the courage to ask me for answers about their deepest worries, fears, and doubts. I patiently waited for them to speak, and eventually, Magnus was the first to ask.
"Just what would have happened if I had never once exposed my relation to the denizens of the warp? Would I have become a traitor out of sheer ignorance? Have my recent actions helped prevent any unneeded attention from the Four? Should I develop a contingency plan to neutralize myself in case I ever fall to them?"
I felt something drop in my heart seeing the fear, doubt, and resolution on Magnus's face as he spoke to me. I should have addressed all this sooner and prevented him from being plagued by such worries.
"Indeed, you may have become a traitor," I began slowly. Then I briefly showed him images of his variants. "Many of your other variants have become traitors in their own ignorance. However, there are variants of yourself who overcame the illusions woven by the Four and underwent their awakening.
You have already taken the first steps on this path due to your realization and the restrictions you've placed on yourself, making your use of the warp much safer. So absolutely do not create a plan to neutralize yourself, for I will be there to prevent any more attempts by the Four to corrupt you."
Magnus looked a lot more spirited, and it showed in his reply. "Thanks, Father. I'll reach out to you when another concern arises."
"You're welcome," I replied warmly. Then I turned my gaze to Alpharius, waiting for him to speak.
"Earlier, during our first meeting at Malcador's tower," Alpharius began to say, while fidgeting lightly in discomfort. "You said half your sons will betray you as if it was an undeniable fact. Where do my twin and I stand in all this? What events could possibly lead to a variant of me or my twin betraying you?
Are me and my brothers any actual help against the Four, because from what I've gathered, it seems all we do is become worse than merely a burden. By all logic, if in every timeline we betray you one way or another, then you should not give us free will. It would cost you far less if you designed us just like the Custodes or even better, just kept us as the weapons we were always meant to be.
You are being far too kind and lenient for someone in your position, allowing those who already betrayed you once to rejoin, and allowing us, the Primarchs, this much knowledge and free reign is far too dangerous. If any of us show signs of possible betrayal, please do not try to forgive us. You must erase any traitors from existence."
I expected that our conversation about giving Primarchs too much power would one day come up again, but I never thought he would believe that it would be better if he and his brothers were just weapons. This topic went greatly into the original Emperor's train of thought, in which he wanted necessary tools.
With a tired sigh, I looked Alpharius in the eye and replied, "When I first thought of creating all of you, I wanted tools who would aid me in the Great Crusade. Yet, on the day when it came to create you and your brothers, I hesitated. In that moment I realized that there is only so much those without free will can do.
None of you would have become what I needed, which are variables capable of doing what I cannot. My role in fate is set to be in a deadlock with my enemies; only my children are able to free themselves from a fate set in stone. For that alone, I chose to give you all free will despite the consequences. I know many see it as a mistake, and for a time I did too.
To counter the mistake, I originally planned to use a parental bond as a means of psychological control to secure the Primarchs' loyalty. But after nearly losing all of you and seeing the future destined for you all, seeing how some of you still called me father and tried to protect me despite all that I had done in those dark futures and alternate timelines, I decided to shed the falseness and embrace real fatherhood.
In this short time, I have come to realize that I truly love you all. What I believed was a mistake was a gift I don't believe I even deserved. So, Alpharius, understand that your free will is a gift as much to you as it is to me. If being kind and lenient brings me danger, then I will face it head on; that will be my retribution for my past actions."
After I finished, no one spoke. Erda's mouth hung open in disbelief, and she was currently staring at me wide-eyed. After all, she of all people here knows just how insane it is for Neoth to say he loves someone. She was frozen for a while until she gathered herself and then smiled beautifully.
Magnus's eyes were teary, and I braced myself for the obvious hug he was about to give me. In the blink of an eye, Magnus disappeared from his seat and engulfed me in a hug. He briefly shifted his body to look at Alpharius and, with beckoning arms, he said, "Stop being a dandere and get over here, Alpharius."
Alpharius, whose face was a mess of conflicting emotions, immediately turned to pure irritation at hearing that word. With a defeated sigh, he got up and, with feigned reluctance, joined the hug.
Magnus turned his head toward Erda and beckoned to her to join in. With some awkwardness, Erda joined in the family hug, and for a moment we all relaxed.
Never in my life did I believe that in a grimdark universe where hope dies and wars echo, such a precious moment would exist. This just gave me one more reason to continue my role as Emperor and rip the Four to shreds.
A few moments later, I released myself from the family hug and said to my sons, "Go on and prepare for the parade. There is something I must complete with Erda first."
Alpharius tried to reply, but Magnus clamped his hand over Alpharius's mouth and whispered softly, "Let's go. We should leave them alone, and if we're lucky, we just might get a new brother."
I let out an exasperated sigh at his not-so-quiet whisper. Alpharius rolled his eyes, and Erda just let out a breathless laugh at Magnus's antics. With a brief use of my power, I promptly kicked Magnus's psychic form far away from the house and waited for Alpharius to leave completely.
Once it was just Erda and I in the house, Erda looked at me curiously and, without even needing to speak, instantly knew what I was conveying and teleported with me to Malcador.
We both instantly reappeared at the entrance of his tower, and very soon Malcador came out and greeted Erda, saying, "A long time, Erda. I hope our future plans don't encounter any unfortunate accidents."
With a remorseful tone, Erda replied, "It's good to see you too, Malcador. You can rest assured, I know my place."
Malcador let out a hmpfh and said, "Time will tell."
He then turned toward me and said, "So shall we get started?"
I nodded my head and dragged all three of us into a teleport straight down into the heart of Terra. Arriving at the inside of the core, I felt the subtle shift of our location. We were no longer in real space, nor had we entered the warp. This was something in between, a place that functioned like a pocket dimension where time flowed much slower.
I took in my surroundings: it was a void that looked just like space but was filled with a myriad of colors and blue currents acting like webs. The myriad colors symbolized the essence of the World Spirit, and the blue currents were the wards set down by all the Perpetuals present over 27 thousand years ago.
We placed them to prevent the budding World Spirit of Terra from gaining full sentience. It was a cruel act, but at the time it was needed. I and the other Perpetuals were dealing with encroaching C'Tan shards seeking a new harvest, powerful xenos who detected the increase of life, and the occasional presence of warp entities.
In the past, we disguised the appearance of xenos ships as asteroids passing by, C'Tan observing the planet as meteor showers, and warp presence as clouds, and hid the remaining traces as rainbows or even the aurora.
But humanity had achieved technology that would allow them to detect traces of the warp, and even worse, they were beginning to use it as weapons against each other. It was a crucial point in humanity's history where there would no longer be separate governments.
Everyone was fighting to be the sole power of Earth, meaning the negative emotions were overflowing, which would possibly lead to the World Spirit being corrupted. Then from there, daemons embodying anti-humanity would be born.
For these reasons, we erased its budding sentience and placed the wards to prevent a new will from being born. Without the ability to think and being hidden from the warp, the World Spirit became invisible.
But now, with me, Malcador, and Erda working together, the wards preventing the will of the World Spirit from being born were broken. With the knowledge I gained from Star Child and Big E, and help from Malcador and Erda.
We worked together on crafting the embryo using the bulk of my power, Enuncia, and many other mystic crafts. Over an unknown amount of time, results began to show as a crystal sphere with the colors of the galaxy inside of it formed and started to radiate with power, then a will.
Suddenly, throughout the pocket dimension of the inner core, an aged voice full of weariness and suppressed anger asked, "What is the meaning of this?"
I was quite surprised at this development. I expected a new will to be born, but it seems the old one still existed, or rather, as a result of our ritual, it was reborn. Quickly noticing Malcador's and Erda's frowns and subtle movements in preparation to take action, I gave them a quick look to stand down and let me handle it.
Focusing my full attention on the World Spirit, I replied, "I will be straightforward, we all require your help in a bid to save and elevate humanity. We can—"
The World Spirit interrupted me, saying, "Why should I? Humanity has done nothing but take advantage of the gifts I have given. Look at what has become of my body, a barren wasteland devoid of the life that once populated it.
To them, I am nothing but a corpse to be hollowed out for more of your hive cities to exist. As for you all, you treated me like a threat… You built this cage to bury and erase me. Now you wish for me to aid you? End me. I will not participate in this charade of yours."
I found myself at a loss because of its words. Its anger was perfectly justified, and I didn't expect it to resolutely express that it would rather die than help. I had no intention of trying to force it against its will, nor did I want to erase it. So I decided that since words wouldn't solve this, I would make a gamble on a very risky action.
"There is something I wish to share," I said to the World Spirit as I offered a psychic connection to it and asked, "Will you allow me to show this to you?"
"I am powerless. If you wish to share something, then go ahead," the World Spirit responded.
With its implied approval, I connected my mind with it and acted on my gamble, a gamble where, if it failed, it would force me to take drastic actions to ensure it did not backfire on me or my plans.
Within our shared mindscape, the World Spirit's voice questioned in growing horror, 'Just… what is THAT??! WHAT IS IT THAT I AM FEELING!!'
'You,' I began to say, as the surroundings began to change, letting it see the full scale of what no one else ever has. 'Are bearing witness to my burden in its entirety, the fate that I've faced in every timeline. I show you all of this in hopes that you will reconsider and chose to aid me. Next, I will share something with you that no other being other than myself knows.'
With a single thought, the surroundings of the mindscape changed from the imagery of the Emperor's eternal torment upon the Golden Throne to a foreign Earth, and then I continued.
'I'm sure that you, like many other beings of a certain power, know about souls from outside this galaxy, and I will confess to you that I am one of them. Everything done to you was not done by me, but was done by me.
I, in the original's place, promise you that should you join me, anything you ask, as long as it doesn't cross my bottom line, will be fulfilled to the best of my ability. But refusal will result in me having no choice but to erase you. I'm sure you'd understand why I can't allow such knowledge to leave this mindscape.'
However, the World Spirit's composure was currently completely broke, and its form began to convulse from what it had been shown. Using my power, I soothed it and helped it recover from what it saw and felt.
A long while later, the World Spirit recovered its senses and, to my surprise, spoke to me softly, saying, 'You poor child, torn from your world and put in a position that would spell your death should you make a mistake or falter even once. Neoth has gravely mistreated you. I've decided that I will do what I can for only you, my sister's lost child.'
'Your sister's lost child," I questioned aloud. "Are you implying that you possess a connection to other Earths?'
'I do not possess a connection to other Earths. You've already shown me that in every other timeline I am suppressed, and it is impossible for me to possess any connection to Earths outside our multiverse. I call you my sister's lost child because every Earth in existence can be considered my family.'
'I see. So are you ready to make a pact? After all, I can—'
The World Spirit cut me off, saying, 'I understand what you want to say, and I accept. In fact, I can instinctively feel a much better way to form a pact between us. I will offer you full access to my origin. This will create a bond allowing you to always communicate with me, receive my blessings, and give you full control over me. Essentially, I will become a part of you, which will ensure what was shared here between us is never spread unless they miraculously pry it from you directly.'
'Very well then. On behalf of humanity, thank you for what you have offered us and for choosing to aid us in our time of need. I will begin the process, but first, do you have a name I can refer to you as?'
'A name… Yes, a name… I'll go by Tellus Mater, or simply Tellus.'
'Latin for Mother Earth. A fine name for what you are. Are you ready now?'
'Yes, let us begin.'
Due to Tellus being completely willing, the process of forming a pact and binding her to me went relatively quickly. Soon, I disconnected our shared mindscape since it was no longer needed, and my focus returned to the pocket dimension we were in.
Looking at Erda and Malcador, I noticed them giving me puzzled looks, as if they were questioning what had happened just now. I said to them, "It is done. Terra's World Spirit, Tellus Mater, will help us and perform her role in the Genesis Project. As of now, she is bound to me in a pact that gives me control over her and Terra. Erda, you will be sent down to the Laboratory to resume the old research into making Custodians genetically attuned with the Warp, specifically through me. Malcador and I must make our way to the parade, because by now it is time for our appearance to issue out honors to Alpharius and those who performed worthy service."
The instant I finished my words, I channeled my power and began to teleport all of us to our next destinations. Just as I initiated the teleport, I heard both Malcador and Erda yell, "Wait."
But it was too late. I had already sent Erda to the Laboratory, and Malcador and I were now on a stage built upon the main road that led to the Inner Sanctum of the Imperial Palace. Stationed behind us were Valdor and my Hetaeron Guard, along with Jenetia and a vigil of Sisters of Silence.
In front of us was Alpharius, with his First Captain Ingo Pech to his right and his Lernaean Terminators in line behind him. In formation next to Alpharius and his Alpha Legion was Magnus in his psychic form, along with the current high-ranking members of his legion, the Fifteenth.
Unlike the Alpha Legion, nothing about them had been changed yet; they were still known as the Fifteenth and still wore a light white-gray uniform with minor red, orange, or blue details. This was because Magnus wished to meet them all in person, get to know them, and decide from there their legion's direction.
In formation behind them were the Legion Masters of the other legions, with their high command present, and further behind them was the high command of the Imperial Army. In the surrounding area of the forces present, in the middle, were the rising aristocracy, administrators, remembrancers, rogue traders, and Imperial citizens.
A mere moment ago, when I locked onto this area, everyone present had been cheering in celebration of the unification of the Sol System. Yet now, in the instant I arrived, all the cheering stopped as every eye present looked at me with gaping jaws and wide eyes, including my own Custodians and sons.
I was baffled by this strange circumstance, where everyone but me seemed to have noticed something. For a few moments, everyone remained quiet until it was broken by the sound of Malcador letting out a incredulous laugh next to me.
I glanced at him from the corner of my eye with a pleading look, asking for an explanation, but all it did was turn his slight laughs into what sounded like a chuckle of pure disbelief.
Just as I was about to send him a mental inquiry questioning him, Tellus remarked, 'I didn't know you could be this silly, Andrew. It's quite adorable…'
'I prefer Neoth, and just tell me what is wrong here.'
'Well, Andrew, you've forgotten that not only have you received my blessings, but you also formed a pact binding me to you, which gives you a connection to the origin of humanity. You, in your inexplicable haste, forgot to conceal your aura. The masses are frozen in awe because all of them can now instinctively sense that you are something far beyond a mere man.
I guess, in a twisted sense, this works for you, since they will no longer view you as the God-Emperor of Humanity, just like you've tried to avoid. Instead, to them, you now feel like humanity itself, its Guardian God, and I believe going forward their inevitable faith in you just may be more positive compared to other timelines.'
My mind went blank listening to her words. After all the effort I put into making myself seem more human was undone in an instant, all because I wanted to rush back in order not to let Alpharius feel as if he was being stood up.
I restrained my aura as much as I could and sighed in defeat at the situation I was in. Instead of attempting any kind of cover-up or explanation, I just turned my brain off and continued the ceremony as if nothing had happened.
This was a problem for another day. Today I'll just get this over with, and tomorrow, begin the terraforming of Terra. It will be my first step in paying back Tellus for all that she had suffered under humanity's hands.
-To Be Continued...
(A/N: Well guys, this should be the last chapter for a while that will be spent on Wholesome 40k, I believe I've done all I could to build up how each character is. So, we'll be returning to the grimdark Warhammer 40k we all know and love. I'll start speeding up the timeline with minor timeskips here and there.)