novelraw Chapter 198: Consensus
Chapter 198: Consensus
The main doors opened as Sol approached, the rusted metal swinging outward to reveal a small antechamber, not far from the entrance to the archives.
Subsequently, the doors closed quietly behind him. He stepped over the threshold and waved a hand, causing the brands within the sconces on the surrounding walls to ignite.
The plaster had cracked in many places, the murals that had once adorned it now nothing more than faded memories.
The mosaic tiles inlaid into the floor were equally indiscernible, ground nearly smooth and colorless by the passage of countless generations.
This place was once a meditation chamber in the ancient monastery, meant solely for the use of high-ranking priests, but it had now been repurposed by the Astral Knights Chapter.
There was no extraneous furniture here; only a round table and two facing high-backed chairs around it. Atop the table sat an incredibly thick, dust-covered tome.
Sol leaned his sword against the back of his chair, sat down, and gazed at the book thoughtfully.
It appeared unadorned and unassuming, bearing only a single numeral—[XI].
This was an exceedingly ancient tome brought out from an incredibly secretive place by the Primarch of the Eleventh Legion. It was named the Book of the Dead, and was also the only Legion relic preserved by Zayd.
Currently, however, only members of the society had the right to peruse this book.Just as Sol raised his eyes, a presence appeared like a ghost on the opposite side.
He was towering, possessing a sharp, metallic outer shell. In the flickering firelight, it looked just like suede, covered in the marks left by long and unforgiving years.
Before Sol could speak, the other spoke first.
"You are here again."
"No, I just arrived."
Sol said with a smile, extending a rough hand and beginning to flip through the ancient book, the thickness of which nearly matched the length of his palm.
"Why do you do that? They are of no use to you."
"Habit."
Sol continued regardless, his practiced fingers sliding across the pages before dramatically flipping them together.
"The contents, they are all the same."
The ancient one said calmly.
"It doesn't matter which one you look at."
"It does matter, it feels like it matters. Every decision bears consequences."
"Indeed, but you've already made your choice—you simply need to admit it to yourself."
Sol picked up the tome with his hands and turned it upside down. Instantly, the descriptive text transformed into an image: a crow, perched atop a shattered skull, its sharp talons digging deep into the bone.
"Shadow."
Then, he turned another page, and the image changed into a hooded grim reaper, draped in tattered robes and wielding a scythe.
This was the true power of the Book of the Dead—prophecy.
The obscure text written upon it was merely a certain chaotic arrangement; only by finding the pattern within could one glimpse its true visage.
But merely seeing the images was insufficient. How to interpret them, and understanding the connections between them—at present, only Brother Zayd understood this matter, at least on the surface.
Brother Zayd was not surprised that Sol could parse the images within the tome.
"What happened in the past cannot be changed."
He said solemnly.
"We have already discussed this many times."
"Indulge me."
Sol leaned back, crossing his hands in his lap. Brother Zayd looked at him and asked in a low voice:
"Then why have you come? Has someone disturbed your mourning?"
"I want to find answers, as always."
Sol straightened his posture.
"I seek your wisdom, your insights."
"Why?"
"I am afraid."
"What is the root of your fear?"
"Failure."
Sol replied simply.
"And not death?"
"If I die, there will be no more regrets. Living in failure is torture."
"If you knew you could not defeat that person, yet your regrets would be fleeting, would that bring you peace? Even if the chance was fleeting."
"A fleeting moment or an eternity, there is no difference."
Sol cleared his throat.
"We do not have much time left. If you have a plan, you must reveal it now."
"What if I told you I am merely leaving it to fate?"
"If we do not win, everything will be damned."
"And what would you pay for this?"
Brother Zayd asked, His attention focused entirely upon Sol.
"Everything I have."
"You have already paid it."
"My death."
"And your soul?"
"Such a thing ceased to exist long ago."
"Allow me a bit of metaphysical shorthand: what value does your soul hold for you?"
"I do not understand the question."
For the first time, Sol felt uneasy under Brother Zayd's formless scrutiny. He began reconsidering something once more.
"I—"
Suddenly, the bell on the table chimed, signifying that a third person had entered this secret space. Sol swiftly closed the Book of the Dead on the table.
Subsequently, Soshyan, dressed in robes, walked in briskly, cradling a wooden box in his arms.
"It seems our Chapter Master has discovered something."
Sol turned in his chair with a smile, watching Soshyan walk quickly over to the table and place the wooden box upon it.
"What are you planning to tell us?"
"A discovery, a major discovery."
Soshyan, having not slept all night, opened the wooden box, then took out the notebook within and spread it open on the table.
"These are the research notes of that father of mine. What do you guess I found?"
"Since when did you start enjoying keeping people in suspense too?"
Brother Zayd's voice carried a hint of teasing.
"Alright, I'll just say it straight. I unintentionally flipped through these notes, and as a result, I discovered that our family is very likely connected to the planet Ullanor. An ancestor even fought on Ullanor as a member of the Expeditionary Army!"
Soshyan spoke, opening the notebook and handing it to Sol.
After looking at it for a moment, the other also let out a low exclamation.
"Indeed."
"Afterwards, I read through the later notes as well. The general chain of thought I roughly sorted out is that, prior to the thirtieth-generation ancestor, every generation of the family had been trying to return to Ullanor. They intended to search for something. Until the end of the Second War of the Beast, Ullanor still existed. But by the time of the thirtieth-generation ancestor, Ullanor had vanished from its original position!"
"Vanished?"
Sol raised his head and looked toward Brother Zayd.
"What do you think of this?"
"Unless it was completely destroyed, how could a planet just vanish? But if it was completely destroyed, there should still be debris."
Zayd turned to Soshyan.
"Did your ancestor mention this?"
"He did. The thirtieth-generation ancestor even specifically went to the star system where Ullanor was originally located to investigate. There were no traces whatsoever, not even planetary debris. It completely vanished into thin air."
"Which means."
"It was hidden by someone."
Sol picked up Brother Zayd's sentence.
"To hide an entire planet, such methods..."
He pondered for a moment, then raised his right palm and held up three fingers.
"Within the borders of the Imperium, there are absolutely no more than three factions capable of achieving this. It must either be the Imperial Palace on Terra, the Inquisition, or..."
Sol and Soshyan met eyes, while Brother Zayd lowered his frame slightly.
"The Adeptus Mechanicus!"
In the next second, all three spoke this name in perfect unison.