Seraphs of the Emperor’s Judgment

Chapter 88: Death and Destiny

"Sometimes, as a member of the Astartes, you must do things that might otherwise repulse you. In a sense, we constantly face moral dilemmas. Can you always uphold the ideals proclaimed by the Emperor, or will your convictions waver?"

"The ideals... proclaimed by the Emperor?"

"Ah, I almost forgot. The Imperial Truth was abandoned long ago."

A bitter smile surfaced on Sol's rarely expressive face.

"To this day, I cannot worship the Emperor as a god. Do you understand?"

"..."

Such a statement could be branded as Heresy in any setting.

But having spent these days with Sol, Soshyan had also learned some things from ten thousand years ago, the Imperial Truth among them.

It was hard to imagine that the Astartes had once fought under such ideals.

"Child, whether based on ideals or faith, there are some bottom lines that can never be crossed... Killing those citizens and soldiers forced into rebellion by their livelihoods is a necessary evil, and killing those landowners who tortured the rebels after they laid down their arms is likewise a necessary good. Yet, you should feel unsettled by both."Soshyan abruptly sat up from the ground, propping himself up by his waist. Turning his head to look at Sol, he said in confusion, "B-but, as you said, our killing was righteous, yet must we remain unsettled in our hearts? Does that not sound both cruel and hypocritical?"

"You truly are one prone to philosophical thought."

A trace of appreciation appeared in Sol's voice.

"If this galaxy were a slightly more just and peaceful environment, such cruel actions would indeed be entirely unnecessary. But as I believe you have already witnessed, this galaxy is neither just nor peaceful, and it certainly brooks no weakness."

"Will it always be like this..."

"It is precisely because of this that we exist."

Sol stood up, turned toward Soshyan, and looked down at him.

"The rest of our lives are dedicated to such a sacred duty: protecting humanity until they reach that distant future filled with justice and peace. The journey may be exceedingly long, but we will advance wave upon wave, never ceasing."

Soshyan looked up at him. At this moment, the Company Commander of the Emperor's Children felt just like the monument standing tall in the void: profound, towering, and brimming with the will of the martyrs.

"Let go and act. Do what you can. Serve the Emperor; serve humanity."

Sol's outstretched hand still awaited his response.

"Until death takes us."

Soshyan nodded, reaching out to grasp the armored hand. Sol took his hand in return and hauled him up from the ground.

The three days passed swiftly. Right before stepping onto the Teleportarium Array for the last time, Soshyan confirmed with Loken once more whether his orders had been carried out.

Loken confirmed that, as per Soshyan's request, he had planted a massive amount of explosives within this underground space.

The moment the Teleportarium Array activated, all the explosives would trigger. Under the premise of not destroying the Webway portal, they would devastate the underground space as much as possible, ensuring it was filled with a massive amount of rubble.

As the teleportation halo enveloped Soshyan, he vaguely heard muffled roars in his ears.

Upon stepping out of the Teleportarium, the very first thing Soshyan did was take YT-0001 to the archives to find Brother Zayd.

"It seems you have found it."

The Dreadnought stood before YT-0001, seemingly observing the Battle Automata. Standing to the side, Soshyan spoke up after the other finished, "Venerable One, was this Cohort deployed by the Legion?"

"Hmph."

Brother Zayd grunted, seemingly acknowledging it.

"It has been too long. My memory is somewhat fragmented. I only roughly remember that the Primarch arrived on this planet after participating in a campaign to exterminate the Greenskins. Back then, it was still desolate and uninhabited. The Primarch discovered this active Webway portal underground. It was precisely because of this discovery that the Primarch gained insight into the Emperor's plan."

"You never mentioned this before."

"Because my memory is fragmented. It can only be restored with its aid."

Brother Zayd's mechanical arm pointed at YT-0001. "It?"

"It carries a secret data storage drive. From the moment it set foot on the Starfire, I began receiving that data."

"I see. So, the true objective of this operation..."

Soshyan looked at the motionless Battle Automata.

"Was it, or rather, the storage drive it carries, correct?"

"Indeed."

"Then Venerable One,"

Soshyan took a step forward and asked, "What have you discovered?"

"The location of Ullanor. I roughly have some clues."

Hearing Brother Zayd's words, Soshyan's heart jumped. He suddenly recalled the last words Sol had spoken to him in the plaza.

At the time, the former Company Commander of the Emperor's Children had leaned in close and spoken to him in a near-whisper.

"You need to pay close attention to Brother Zayd."

Soshyan had feigned surprise.

"What?"

"Just keep a close eye on him."

"Brother Zayd... Do you have some doubts about him?"

"I wouldn't call them doubts, but don't you think the things he knows... are terrifyingly numerous?"

"This—"

"If you knew of Malcador the Sigillite, the Imperial Regent, you would believe that such a man would absolutely never make such an elementary mistake. The First Captain of an erased Legion, actually retaining his memories? Hah, such a thing would absolutely never happen with him. The meticulousness of his mind is simply beyond mortal comprehension."

He still clearly remembered those eyes of Sol staring at him, as penetrating as a mirror of truth reflecting the human heart.

"There are only two possibilities. First, Malcador deliberately stayed his hand. Or, Brother Zayd is not the identity he claims to be. But regardless of which it is, there is inevitably something hidden beneath."

"Soshyan?"

The vox-caster suddenly rose a pitch. Soshyan blanked for a second, immediately realizing his mind had wandered.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing, it's just..."

He paused for a moment, then poured out everything they had encountered below and what had happened subsequently to Brother Zayd, including the fact that he had slaughtered the entire upper echelon of Cetis.

The only thing he kept to himself were the words Sol had spoken when they were alone.

After listening to Soshyan's recounting, Brother Zayd fell silent for a minute before saying, "Soshyan, you are the Chapter Master, and also the future lord of the Legion. Your every word and deed will represent the will of thousands upon thousands of Astartes. Therefore, you must learn to restrain your emotions."

Brother Zayd's body sank slightly, as if letting out a sigh.

"These words, I will only say to you. The traitorous Primarchs... some of them were not irredeemably evil from the very beginning... Their fall accumulated bit by bit. They indulged their emotions because of their power."

Saying this, one of Brother Zayd's mechanical arms rested gently upon Soshyan's shoulder.

"This is also why, after the Great Rebellion, the requirements demanded of the Astartes became so high. We must become the masters of our own minds, not their slaves... I am not completely faulting you for doing something wrong, nor do you need to fear bringing shame upon the Chapter's banner. You are the one anointed by destiny; you will inevitably reach the end of your journey. But you absolutely must remember, you can never again allow your emotions to manipulate your actions."

Listening to Brother Zayd's profound words, Soshyan lowered his head and humbly replied, "Soshian Alexei shall respectfully follow your teachings."

After the Astral Knights departed, three sneaky figures popped out near the Webway portal.

"Have the monkeys left?"

"It appears so. Thank goodness the shelter from the past is still usable."

One of the figures removed their pristine, pointed helmet, revealing an iconic Aeldari oval face, and swept their gaze across their silent home—their former home.

"It looks like the monkeys deployed a lot of explosives."

"Those filthy creatures."

Another figure limped forward; it was the female Aeldari whom Soshyan had wounded earlier.

"This grudge shall be avenged!

Starting by slaughtering every single monkey on this planet."

"Speaking of which..."

The third Aeldari stepped forward, also removing his helmet.

"That iron-skinned monkey earlier, when speaking in our language, seemed to say a code phrase."

"What?"

The female Aeldari looked at him in surprise, and the other did the same.

"Yes, I shouldn't have misheard. It was a very ancient... proverb? I don't remember it too well."

"Let's hear it."

"Hmm... Death and destiny play together behind this curtain."

Hearing this phrase, the pupils of the leading Aeldari violently shrank.

"That's a proverb of Cegorach—"

Saying this, he immediately swallowed the rest of his words.

"What is it?"

The female Aeldari turned to him curiously, but the other simply shook his head.

"Set aside the matters here for now. We return immediately. I have matters I must report to the Farseer."

The Emperor's Angel of Death

(End of Chapter)