Seraphs of the Emperor’s Judgment

Chapter 64: Enigma

Soshyan's hand, which had already left the grip of his pistol, grasped it once again after hearing Sol's words.

But to his surprise, Brother Zayd freely admitted it.

"That is correct. In reality, we are not a successor Chapter of the Imperial Fists."

Subsequently, he turned the questioning around:

"But Company Commander Sol, you are not who you claim to be, having drifted in the Warp all this time, are you?"

Sol let out a long breath.

He said nothing; he remained completely silent.

At this moment, Brother Zayd gestured for Soshyan to approach the lectern behind him. Reaching into a hidden compartment beneath it, he retrieved a fist-sized, highly polished brass sphere.

Soshyan then placed it in the center of the low table between them.

Sol raised an eyebrow at this antiquated holographic projection device. He took a step forward, the joints of his power armor emitting a low hum.Before he could reach out, Brother Zayd spoke:

"Company Commander Sol, we do not know each other. Our meeting this time may be a coincidence, or it may not, but that is unimportant. You can leave, go anywhere you please, or you can take a look at this and find the answers you seek..."

Sol raised his head.

"Then why give it to me?"

"Why."

Brother Zayd's tone turned the statement into a rhetorical question.

"For the Emperor."

Sol looked at Brother Zayd's iron coffin. His dim eyes seemed capable of piercing the thick metal plating to meet the gaze of the man inside.

"That is not an answer."

"I assume you want to ask, will knowing the truth cost you your life?"

Sol showed no reaction.

"Then let me ask you, Saul Tarvitz, if you were to die on this ship... would you care?"

The Captain of the 10th Company retracted his hand. He took a deep look at the brass sphere, then turned his gaze toward the surrounding bookshelves.

"May I look at these?"

"Of course."

Soshyan guided Sol to the contents on the bookshelves. The man was primarily interested in materials regarding Imperial history.

In the archives, besides the Chapter's own history, the most important records were the historical archives of the Imperium. Before undergoing transformation, Space Marines could have been anyone.

Gang members from the lowest levels of a hive city, barbarians from feral worlds, or miners from a forge world...

Due to the Imperium's attitude toward monopolizing knowledge, aside from those who had studied in aristocratic academies like Soshyan, most people had a very vague understanding of the Imperium, let alone its complex and lengthy history.

Therefore, after becoming Space Marines, they had to undergo a "cultural curriculum," the most important part of which was familiarizing themselves with Imperial history.

Because the Astral Knights were founded exceedingly early, the Imperial history compiled within the Chapter was far more authentic and detailed than that of the vast majority of Imperial bureaucratic institutions or academies. With the help of servo-skulls, Sol quickly gathered a large stack of scrolls.

"Chapter Master Soshyan, could you provide me with a private room?"

Embracing the bundles of parchment scrolls, Sol made a sincere request to the master of this warship.

"Certainly."

Soshyan then summoned a Chapter serf, instructing him to lead Sol to a private Space Marine cabin on the upper decks of the Starfire. There were many such rooms; after all, they currently had only twenty-odd personnel and couldn't use that much space.

"Thank you."

The man gave him a grateful nod and then followed the Chapter serf out of the archives.

When the doors closed once more, Soshyan turned to Brother Zayd.

"Venerable One, I don't quite understand."

"What is it."

"Why do you trust him so much."

"Trust who."

"Saul Tarvitz."

In the next second, that unique, dry chuckle echoed from the Dreadnought's vox-caster once again.

"Hehehe, him? He is not Saul Tarvitz."

"What!?"

Soshyan's eyes widened in astonishment. He never expected that the person they had been talking to for so long was an imposter.

"Then you..."

But Brother Zayd's next words made him realize he had guessed wrong.

"Saul Tarvitz died long ago in the flames of Isstvan III. This is merely a vengeful spirit wearing his shell. Ten thousand years of hatred, ten thousand years of obsession, have long twisted him into a terrifying monster. He is no longer that Captain of the 10th Company, nor is he the Master of the Death Eagles anymore."

Seeing that Soshyan still looked perplexed, Brother Zayd let out a long sigh.

"Soshyan, do you think Astartes are truly immortal?"

"Um... The Emperor granted us near-immortal lifespans. At least until now, there has been no instance of an Astartes dying of old age."

"Indeed, our bodies are so incredibly resilient. But did you know, the heart of an Astartes has a lifespan? The long passage of time gradually grinds away at our hearts. Every battle makes us more numb, and we slowly lose the desire to survive. When the emptiness within expands, the desire for death becomes the only motivation."

"This..."

The young Soshyan could not yet fathom the terror of the ages.

"Loyalty, oaths, convictions—none of these can withstand the attrition of time. The only things that can sustain an Astartes for ten thousand years are obsession and hatred. That is an incomparably terrifying and incredibly pure power. Such a person will think of nothing else except the object of his desire."

Brother Zayd took a step forward, grasping the brass sphere tightly in his massive hand.

"That is the reason I choose to trust him, because I know his heart is already completely filled with something else, leaving absolutely no possibility for him to turn back."

"Even if he hasn't fallen."

Soshyan glanced at the lectern and the secrets hidden beneath it. Even now, he felt extremely uneasy.

"...There is also the possibility of him leaking our secret."

"Rest assured, he has nowhere left to go."

"Venerable One, what do you mean..."

"You are all too young, and the path ahead is extraordinarily perilous. However, I cannot accompany you in battle at all times. He will make a fine mentor."

Recruiting a veteran from ten thousand years ago—this thought struck Soshyan as exceedingly bizarre.

Moreover, would the man even agree?

Seemingly perceiving Soshyan's thoughts, Brother Zayd waved his arm.

"You needn't think too much about it. He will naturally come looking for us in two days' time, and then everything will become clear."

With that, Brother Zayd walked with heavy, thudding steps to the back of the lectern and pressed a hidden switch, whereupon the floor beneath his feet slowly began to descend.

At that moment, Soshyan seemed to think of something and suddenly asked aloud:

"Brother Zayd, then what is it that has sustained you for ten thousand years? Is it hatred?"

The slowly descending Brother Zayd did not answer.

It was only after more than half his body had sunk beneath the floor that a ghostly whisper sounded from the vox-caster.

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"Regret."

Soshyan chewed on that word.

"Regret..."

"I failed to completely fulfill my loyalty."

With a click, the gap in the floor sealed shut, leaving Soshyan standing alone in the silent archives, a myriad of conflicting emotions swirling within him.