Progress

The Necrontyr had been pushed back by the Old Ones in their first attempt at war until they were little more than an irritation to the Old Ones' dominance of the galaxy, a quiescent threat clinging to their irradiated world among the Halo Stars, exiled and forgotten. The Necrontyr's fury was cooled by their long millennia of imprisonment on their homeworld, slowly transforming into an utter hatred towards all other forms of intelligent life and an implacable determination to avenge themselves upon their seemingly invincible enemies.

But in the face of defeat, the always fragile unity of the Necrontyr began to fracture once more. No longer did the prospect of a common enemy have any hold over the disparate dynasties. Scores of generations had now lived and died in the service of an unwinnable war, and many Necrontyr dynasties would have gladly sued for peace with the Old Ones if the ruling Triarch had permitted it.

Thus began the second iteration of the Wars of Secession, more widespread and ruinous than any that had come before. So fractured had the Necrontyr dynasties become by then that, had the Old Ones been so inclined, they could have wiped out their foes with ease

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(Invoroth Rhyliac POV)

Time has passed. Nearly 1000 years ticked by and it seems that the Succession Wars of the Necrontyr are still going on. The wars used to last roughly a millennia before the Necrontyr met the C'tan and then eventually turned into the Necrons. Our race, the Aeldari have been progressing swimmingly. I was the one who advanced our race so far, that interstellar travel became possible rather quickly. The Aeldar race turned into the Aeldari Empire soon. We conquered planets and solar systems and all that in under a century. Our population grew more and more. I was among the ruling class of our Empire. I was offered the position on the high council and decided to accept, but stay very distant. My intelligence, despite the Aeldari having very high intelligence, stood out like a beacon in the moonless night. I was granted a lot of freedom and didn't have to answer most decisions and summons, giving me more time for myself and my studies. 

I made tremendous progress in most fields of science. I started with my own biology, the Aeldari anatomy and everything connected to it. The Aeldari appear very similar to Humans in their anatomy, although the comparison can only be made on a superficial basis, for in their minds and souls the Aeldari are truly alien. We Aeldari stand taller than the average Human male, with longer, cleaner limbs and handsome, striking features to Human eyes. I can say this is an absolute certainty, as I have seen some very appealing female Aeldari in my new life. 

Our skin is pale and unblemished as polished marble, yet with a surprisingly supple strength hiding beneath it. Our keen ears are pointed and our slanted eyes possess a penetrating quality more akin to that of a hunting cat than a man. The most fundamental difference can be seen when we Aeldari move, for we each radiate an inhuman elegance and poise. This is especially evident in the sinuous grace with which we fight and the dexterity with which we wield our weaponry. Every gesture is laden with subtle intent, and our reflexes are dazzlingly fast, a far cry from what I possessed in my past life. A casual, languid gesture can end in a pinpoint thrust should the necessity arise.

On closer inspection, every aspect of the Aeldari physiology betrays our alien nature. Our hearts beat at twice the speed of what humans did back in my old life, and our minds race through possibilities and process emotions so fast that even the so-called geniuses of Human history appear dull by comparison. I realised this far too late, as ironic as it sounds. I created methods to test various aspects of my Aeldari physiology and to determine if someone was sick or healthy and stumbled on the fact that my brain seems to be a photon compared to what I could do in my past life. 

Our lives are greater in span - we Aeldari enjoy lives of rich sensation and wonder that can stretch over a thousand Terran years, unsullied by illness, frailty or disease unless we die by violence or accident, something that hasn't happened often yet. Most Aeldari are not even considered mature until they have lived for at least a standard century. 

All Aeldari can manipulate mental energies to a degree. Each is psychic to one extent or another; it is said the ancient Aeldari could read thoughts at a glance, whilst those who trained their minds for war could crush a foe's weapon with a simple narrowing of their eyes. I can confirm that notion entirely. I have done extensive research on my own Aeldari mind and have found out that I can tell what someone is thinking by just being close to them. And the effect is getting stronger the older I get. My infinite willpower and unbelievably powerful mind are growing more and more and granting me more and more mental prowess. Even those who practice the 'art' of psychic abilities are not in my league. But more on that later.

The complex technology of our race is based upon psychic engineering, the manipulation of and even the creation of matter using mental energies alone. I started my technological progress as soon as I found out about this little detail and our powerful minds. But such raw power has its price. The same neurological mechanisms that grant our mind such power also incline it far more towards extremes than that of a Human. To us Aeldari, all of life's experiences are available on a far grander scale: the individual rewards of study, the exhilaration of battle, and every imaginable pleasure or sensation in between.

An Aeldari will at some point climb the noblest peaks of accomplishment, just as they will plunge into the darkest abyss of doubt. Their capacity to experience emotion enables them to attain transcendent bliss or, in contrast, experience soul-wracking sorrow. 

And yet, once again, I am the sole exception to this fact. I am incapable of experiencing soul-wrecking sorrow and my mind and soul can't be harmed in any way, shape or form. 

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After cataloguing all there was to know about my biology and anatomy, I started to research technology and other fields of science on the side. I needed technology to improve what I was working with. And for that, I needed to delve into the truths of all science to make full use of it. Mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, astrophysics, engineering, anything related to technology and so much more. If there was a field I didn't know about, I just started to experiment with it and after some time, I was proficient enough to advance further. I had several ideas on how to advance my physical aspect as that was something crucial in this galaxy. 

Granted, the Aeldai were the fastest race in the galaxy and we were at least second in terms of technological prowess at our peak. Whether or not humanity reached our level during its golden age is to be seen, but we are certainly not worse than them. So despite all those aspects, I am not satisfied. The threats I will have to face in the future, are staggering and would make anyone else who is actually capable of it, despair. The Necrons are coming and will wage war against the Old Ones, us Aeldari, the Krorks, all other races they encounter, and then finally the C'tan. The C'tan exist, the Tyranids are approaching our galaxy as we speak and consuming nearby galaxies, Chaos will arrive if it hasn't already and humanity will also want a piece of the galaxy. 

Yeah, being an Aeldari doesn't mean I will have a good time, just because. I want to reach higher levels of power and for that, I need to do more research. Which I did. 

I thought about what I know from fiction. There was the Super Soldier Serum from Marvel comics, the ACTH Experiments Slade Wilson went through, the Super-Serum created by Superman himself, the power-enhancer Kick from Marvel comics and of course, the Golden Sentry Serum that gave birth to the Sentry, one of, if not the most powerful superhero in Marvel Comics. If I could choose, I would of course go for the GSS, but that wasn't possible. I had to come up with something else. 

I dived deep into my genetic information and started to look for ways to improve upon it. With my intelligence, I surpassed the Old Ones themselves. There was nothing I couldn't do if I didn't really try and after thinking about it, I had an idea. 

Krorks

Those green battle-loving brutes were a treasure trove on how to make a race that has growth potential. So that's what I planned to do later on. For now, I would focus on my own biology and how I could improve it. And I found a way ... or many ways. 

(POV End)

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Invoroth Rhyliac, the original Aeldari is inside his laboratory right now and looking over the final arrangements of the operation. He had been preparing for this, for a very long time and he was finally ready. He had done extensive research and tests on his biology and had found out the most intricate secrets that the Old Ones probably wanted to hide from the Aeldari. Their sheer psychic potential was beyond any other race in the galaxy. The way the Aeldari souls were represented in the Immaterium showed just how strong they were mentally. But there was a secret that the Old Ones hid from them. Their genetics were locked in place with no chance to evolve past their current forms. 

This was the Old Ones' way of making sure there was some balance to the Aeldari and not have them run over the entire galaxy in a few millennia. Ilvoroth has found that 'lock' if you will and has created a method on how to unlock it. But that was only the tip of his research. After making sure that there wouldn't be any deterioration of his body in the future, he went further and looked for ways to influence parts of his biology. For one, he was looking at his healing. It was no secret that an Aeldari's body was strong and could suffer some damage before truly succumbing to the damage, but it wasn't anywhere near what Invoroth Rhyliac wanted. He was looking for something along the lines of Wolverine or Deadpool or at least a Perpetual. 

So that had to be researched and as he did that, he came up with something that might have been classified as a Super Soldier Serum, if it wasn't that most Aeldari were equal in the physical department. There was no more 'potential' to be unlocked as the SSS did. But he could enhance it.

So that's what he did. He enhanced. He created a procedure that enhanced all aspects he wanted. His strength, speed (yes even that), dexterity, and especially his healing. He found out how to become a Perpetual and more. So it was finally time. 

After a millennium of research and learning, inventing and pushing himself beyond his limits, he was finally ready to undergo the procedure that would make him so much greater than any Aeldari that would ever come after him. 

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Invoroth Rhyliac dropped his robes on the floor and right after, a metal arm picked it up and dropped it to the side. 

[Preparations ready, Invoroth. You may enter the chamber at your pleasure.]

The AI that Invoroth Rhyliac had created said. He had spent years doing everything himself until he found it tedious and created an AI for himself. He would have called it JARVIS but thought it was overused. So he settled for another name, LUMINOS. 

"Thank you LUMINOS."

Invoroth Rhyliac entered the chamber and prepared himself for what was to come. The pain would be present, as it had to be, but the rewards afterwards would be glorious indeed. 

"Start the procedure, LUMINOS."

[At once, Invoroth. Good luck.]