4 Chapter 4

"Malcador, we need to speak urgently, my friend," I said, looking into his eyes.

Constantin Valdor, accompanied by several more Custodes, approached us.

"Your orders my lord" Constantin said in a stoic tone

"Come with us," I say.

I concentrate and open the portal to the nearest room and soon the three of us pass through it into a relatively empty room.

I turn to Malcador and Constantin.

"My friend." He nodded his head in greeting before his soul lit up and seemed to be checking me out with his senses. "Something is bothering you... Or bothering you. I sensed an extreme increase in your strength earlier." And is it? And he didn't come to check? It was clear that he noticed my discomfort at those words, because he bowed his head in prayer... Which for me was both right and wrong at the same time.

"The four failed in their goal of kidnapping my children, and the leaders of the invasion were captured, but I saw a vision of a terrible future." I say.

At my words, the eyes of my two companions widened.

"Your humanity is no longer declining, the process is reversed?" says Malcador.

"That, my humanity is fully recovered, I have created a balance between it and my actions that I must do in the future to protect humanity". I tell him firmly.

"What did you see in your visions of the future?" Malcador asked, leaning forward with a hand on his staff for support.

A sad smile spread across my face " It is the 41st millennium. For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor has sat motionless on the Golden Throne of Terra. He is Lord of mankind by the will of the gods and master of millions of worlds by the power of his inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting corpse writhing invisibly from powers from the dark ages of technology. He is the Lord of the Carrion Empire for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day, so that he may never truly die."

"And yet, even in his immortal state, the Emperor continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the demonic miasma of the Warp, the only way between distant stars, their path lit by the Astronomicon, a psychic manifestation of the Emperor's will. Vast armies fight in his name on countless worlds. Chief among his soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades-in-arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defense forces, the ever-vigilant Inquisition, and the techno-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to name a few. But for all their numbers, they're barely enough to withstand the ever-present threat of xenos, heretics, mutants—and worse."

"To be human in such times is to be one among countless billions. It is living in the most cruel and bloody regime imaginable. I learned about this time from my future self and the lessons of that era are terrible. Forget about the power of technology and science, because so much has been forgotten, it will never be relearned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, because in the bleak dark future there is only war. There is no peace among the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter and the laughter of thirsty gods." I say and finish my monologue.

Malcador's eyes widened as I spoke to myself, as with every word I spoke I sent thousands of psychic images into his mind. Visions of a bleak and dark future where humanity was enslaved by fear and suffering. A swirling cloud of memories and plans passed to both Malcador and Valdor.

A sharp crack echoed throughout the chamber as the hilt of Valdor's spear shattered under his grip. I look at Valdor and think Custodes are calm, collected beings who have almost perfect emotional control, I turn on my empathic powers and see that Valdor is the greatest of them seething with red-hot rage for the very idea that he couldn't protect me.

I lower my voice and quietly reply to my closest companion, "This future will not happen, the knowledge I have gained will allow humanity to ascend. The parasites are thwarted in their plan."

"Then we have to cancel the project." Valdor spoke. "We can still terminate the pregnancy without spending too many resources."

"No." Power gave a ring to my voice as I said that one word and I restrained myself from destroying the floor with my fist. No one will harm my children. Not if I had anything to say about it.

"No." I continued, drawing my power into me. "I will not cancel the project. It's a version of the future. One that won't happen again."

Well, screw it. This galaxy still belonged to humanity, with only me at the helm.

"He will make sure that my sons remain loyal to me. I have a special plan to ensure their loyalty." I continued. "This galaxy will be full of danger for humanity, no matter what we do. From the Warp, from xenos... From humanity itself. Someone has to protect them".

"This is no like you my lord." Valdor said.

"No, loyal friend, but plans must change for the sake of humanity's prosperity." I tell him

Letting out a heavy shuddering sigh, Malcador lowered himself a little on his staff. He asked in a trembling voice "What now?"

He seems to have finished analyzing the information he was given.

"We will proceed as planned, barring some major changes. The Great Crusade will have to be delayed a bit, but with all twenty Primarchs leading from the start, we will be within acceptable parameters." I tell him.

"Malcador, the unification is coming to an end and the Astronomicon I have to tackle myself and incorporate a few features. As for the Astronomicon, start laying the groundwork with the Terrawat Elders for design revisions. Expect a much higher effect during ignition and probably better effects in clearing Chaotic Corruption ."

"Also, see to it that these individuals are subtly eliminated, make it look like a sudden death" I feed into Malcador's mind a string of data on tens of thousands of troubled individuals. From leaders of future rebellions to corrupt officials whose actions helped bring down the Imperium. Malcador just nodded at my words.

Turning to Valdor, I merely touch his spear and cause the adamantium-auramite alloy to rapidly heal. "This spear has served you well, Constantine, but I believe something new is in order."

I take my blade out of storage and hand it to Valdor. Dropping to one knee, Valdor took the sword in his hands and the blade shifted. Transforming from a golden longsword into a shining spear. "You are my most loyal and strongest bodyguard and you need a proper weapon."

I quickly dig through my thoughts and realize that due to the purchase of the Spear of Apollo, I have two copies of the Spear of Apollo and the Spear of Dionysus. One purchased and one natural.

"As for the Thunder Warriors, I have decided to change my plans. They have served me well, to put them down as raging beasts is not the fate of those who serve me faithfully." I say to Malcador and take a small pause, then continue "They will continue to die, but after their last battle, they will not be cleansed. Now that I have the necessary knowledge, I will correct all their flaws and find them a new purpose.

I have decided that the Thunder Warriors will be guardians of the land, its last defense if all else fails".

"How did your power increase so much, where did you get so much knowledge?" - Malcador asks in a worried tone.

I just smile at his words, I will not lie to him, I will tell the truth "I awakened my birthright, all my memories and knowledge". I say and start sending images into the minds of Malcador and Valdor, showing them everything they need to know, the whole truth.

I watch Malcador and Valdor's eyes widen in shock as they just look at me.

Alas, it seems that I am in problem, I will have to try to break through the new wall "Unfortunately, what you have seen is the truth, I am the closest thing to true divinity in this universe" I pause as if swallowing a lump in my throat and continue "The fate of humanity is turned by entities beyond the human understanding i am one such entity i need your help my friends to reunite and protect humanity because you were right humanity will always need an emperor.

"Are you my friends with me?". I ask.

I see the expressions on their faces and they stare at me for a few more seconds.

"I am always with you no matter what, my lord," Valdor said.

Custodians and their undying loyalty, I mean, loyal no matter what, perfect bodyguards and companions.

"What shall we do with the Imperial Truth given your full capabilities?" Malcador asks.

"It will be modified to suit our new situation, are you with me on this my old friend" I reply and send plans for the future into his mind.

"I'm with you my friend". Malcador answers.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The past few weeks have passed in a huge rush. Paperwork, logistics, all of that had to go through me to be processed, I didn't know running an empire required this much paperwork.

Another ability revealed my sight I could see everything with perfect clarity, and it was natural and maddening when I could see how the grain of the wood that made the door was uneven, how the lightning bolts, hand... carved by the best craftsmen on my expanding territory.

My Warp sight also revealed itself in full, how blind I was as a normal human being. Warp sight gave me the ability to perceive immaterial effects on the physical world. It was present around most people, a soft smudge like smoke around their heads and hands, but it also manifested around significant objects. Not necessarily worship - cherished heritage, well-maintained weapons, beloved ships. Everything would be dotted with faint traces of emotion.

Each one had its own character like a multitude of colors, depending on the emotions they marked. The windows were plastered with ethereal handprints, the eternal legacy of the craftsmen who built it. The cities themselves were still confusing; every stone in the cities was important to someone in his tens of thousands of years of life. The overall effect was a fractal patchwork of colors.

To look at people was to see the heart of each man who loved them laid bare in painful, intimate detail.

I'm looking at another part of the modification I put into the Primarchs, to give them the sex drive but not the ability to procreate, the better to keep countless future progeny of superhumans from spreading across the galaxy. I'm incorporating the last bit that allows me to give them the ability to reproduce if I change my mind later.

All twenty infant primarchs received enhanced movements, bodies, and genetic inheritance. Potential genetic errors in geneseeds that would otherwise cause harmful mutations have also been fixed.

Other changes included the removal of the maturation enhancer, primarchs will grow at the normal child rate.

Thirdly, the souls of each mayor are bound in one huge unbreakable chain that will strengthen them and protect them from corruption.

These and countless other changes were made to infant primarchs, a perfect blend of the best science of immaterium and matter. I admit that my best achievement was when I noticed that my and Luna's best gene-forgers who helped me in my projects did not understand what I was doing.

I finish the last part and stare at my kids "It worked, it worked" I say. Project Primarch was a complete success.