Chapter 21

(Isha POV) (Early Morning)

The dining room on the Bucephelus was very impressive, she had to admit.

A large carpet in shades of red and gold dominated the floor, and the walls were covered in silk tapestries with detailed depictions of imperial victories.

On an elegant table of black wood, decorated with marquetry, placed in the middle of the room, there was a sumptuous buffet. Every corner of the table was filled with different dishes, from exotic fruit bowls to royal grilled meat delicacies and smoked fish. On the table was a set of decorated porcelain vessels to prove that the user had resources to throw away.

She didn't know why he called her.

Why did he need her?

He was sitting on a specially designed chair at the top of the room. He seemed confident and commanding as he twirled his fork and gold-handled knife.

Each morsel seems to have been carefully chosen and placed in a perfect way. His face expressed satisfaction as he enjoyed the meals carefully served to him.

"Why don't you eat, the food is very tasty," the asked emperor with a smile.

"I'm not hungry" she replied and calmly asked "Why are you looking for me?".

She saw a slight smile spread across his face "I need your advice on using a special weapon"

"What kind of weapon is that?" she asked worriedly.

"That's a surprise. All you need to know is that you've fought him before," he replied playfully.

'If he hadn't made some weapon from War in Heaven'.

'How much damage could it potentially cause?'

She felt her anxiety rise as memories of countless horrific weapons flooded her mind.

She couldn't guess what weapon he had acquired among the countless fearsome ones.

She looked across the table to see that he had finished his breakfast and took a few quiet steps towards her until he towered over her.

"Don't be afraid, everything is under control" he said with a worried expression and continued "Follow me".

Before she could say a word, a golden portal suddenly appeared in the middle of the room and the Emperor very lazily walked towards the portal as if he was going for a walk.

[Image here]

She got up from the chair and went through the portal with him.

A golden glow culminated around the portal itself, creating swirling patterns that vibrated with some kind of magical energy. Golden sparks came out of the portal, like magical shooting stars. The transparent walls of the portal were so clean and crystal clear that they seemed unreal and untouchable.

With each step closer to the portal, the feeling of some energy grew stronger.

One step over the threshold of the golden portal and the feeling that followed was indescribable. She was on top of the fortress.

Beneath it was a giant Gothic fortress with billions of inhabitants inside. Gray clouds hovered above, greeting her in some sickly glory. The smell of smoke and industry wafted through the air, creating a strange smell she didn't know how to react to.

The portal wasn't Warp by nature, she would have sensed if it was.

She ruled out highly advanced technology as the cause.

Her senses sensed nothing.

She looked and immediately realized that she was on top of the Imperial Palace itself.

Did he build a portal to Terra itself?

It took her a few minutes to realize it wasn't Terra.

This planet did not have the same features as Terra.

The very stars in the sky were in the wrong places and she could not recognize a single star and every attempt to search for a constellation proved impossible.

She was not on Terra, but on some planet containing a copy of the Imperial Palace.

How much time and resources was needed to build a palace on Terra, how did he manage to build another palace at the same time.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the Emperor who approached her and answered "This is not Terra and we are neither in the Materium nor the Immaterium"

"Where are we," she asked with piqued curiosity.

"In my warehouse, in me," he replied with a smile.

"I have never heard of such technology - she asked confused.

She did not feel the ebb and flow of the sea of souls, and instead of the nausea from the lack of connection with the sea of souls, she felt only peace.

No one has ever managed to build their own private pocket dimension.

"I created it" he answered and lazily added "Here I determine everything from the size to the flow of time".

"How did you do that?" she asked confused.

"It's a secret right now," he replied firmly and asked "Would you like to see my weapon"

"Yes," she answered curiously.

She suppressed her fear.

What terrible weapon did he create?

"Little dragon, come here!!!" he shouted with a smile.

Little dragon.

She was about to ask what kind of weapon it was with such a ridiculous name, but she was overtaken by a beastly roar before a giant dragon descended from the sky a few meters away from the two of them.

[Image Here]

She immediately understood what she was dealing with.

It was Mag'ladroth.

Damn Yngir.

The strongest and smartest of their kind.

How did he manage to tame it, a creature that heartlessly destroyed billions of worlds and devoured countless species in its pride and terrible hunger. The dragon was too proud a being to submit to anyone.

The dragon was looking at her and she felt overwhelmed with disbelief and horror. The dragon was a symbol of evil and destruction, ruthlessly devouring everything in its path. His power was so devastating that it left behind nothing but devastation and tears.

How did the Emperor manage to overcome such a force? What changed to cause such an upheaval?

Watching the dragon, she felt her heart tighten in her chest. All those innocences and lives that the dragon permanently destroyed were priceless, making an indelible wound in the Immaterium itself. As she thought about her own children who had disappeared into the teeth of the Destroyer, she felt a burning anger and sadness growing in her heart.

She wanted to hit the dragon with everything she had, but she suppressed the thought. She didn't have the strength to fight him.

How could the Emperor, a man who claimed to protect his whole life, bond with the Dragon and accept his cruelty as friendship? Was he willing to sacrifice all of reality just to prove his power?

"How could you do that!!!" she answered Caru very angrily.

"What?" asked the Emperor, tilting his head very confused.

"You know what I mean" she snapped in a sad voice and started babbling angrily "How could you recruit such a beast? How could you tame such a merciless power that destroyed everything before it, you remember very well all the horrors he did?"

"Dear Isha," he said in a melodious voice, "I understand your grief and the loss you have suffered. But, you must believe that my actions are motivated by the desire to stop further destruction. A tamed Void Dragon can become a powerful ally in my fight."

His answer sowed the seeds of insecurity and doubt in her.

Can she trust him in this too?

She gave him an oath of allegiance.

She slowly felt her curiosity grow.

"What are you feeding him here?" she asked after a long silence.

"In the Warehouse I can do what I want. I simply produce large amounts of pure energy and feed the dragon with it," he replied calmly.

"How did you manage to get him into your service? The dragon is an arrogant creature and does not recognize anyone's authority," she asked genuinely curious.

"I showed the Dragon what I will do to him if he doesn't submit and he submitted nicely without any opposition," he answered confidently.

"Emperor," she began quietly, "I understand you believe you have him under control, but how can you be sure he really is under control?

The Emperor paused for a moment, before replying, "Isha, there is no reason to worry. Even if he betrays me, I have ways to enslave him to my service with minimal resources. The dragon cannot be killed without significant destruction of the Materium.

She answered, confronting him, "But isn't it possible that you were too blinded by your own ambitions? Don't you care about all those whose lives have been destroyed? Don't you care about so many of your children who no longer exist?"

The Emperor paused for a moment, his eyes shining seriously. "Isha, yes, I care about all those lost lives. That's why I risked connecting with the Void Dragon. But I believe he can help us unite the galaxies. I have a plan to take over the entire Multiverse and bring all the dead back to life."

"How, so many lives were permanently lost?" she said sadly.

"I will break the time lock that hold the past and the future" he said confidently and continued with a wicked smile "I will master the Well of Eternity and through it the entire past, present and future. I will control the entire Multiverse as the eternal God-Emperor of Materium and Imaterium".

'He's crazy' she thought.

"Are you aware of how much damage this could cause to the Multiverse" she replied in astonishment.

The Emperor nodded, showing obvious understanding "I understand, Isha. My purpose is not to cause more unnecessary suffering, but to prevent further destruction. I have a plan that I know will work."

She didn't know why, but she felt that she could trust him.

"The dragon will be useful to us because you yourself know that the galaxy along with your children has faced numerous mass extinctions. This is not the first time you have been brought to the brink of extinction and the galaxy will face more. With your help and his help we will unite the galaxy very soon and prevent other crises" he replied to her silence.

She felt the sincerity in his voice.

"I'm with you," she said.

Doesn't know if the goal justifies the means, but she will try.

"I'm happy to hear that," he answered happily, and then he scratched his bare beard and added with concern in his voice, "We have another problem. This one concerns you."

"What is the problem?" she asked worriedly.

"Ladies, come here," he said.

In an instant the atmosphere changed and she felt the urge to throw up. The air took on the smell of rot and despair, and then she saw them and fell backwards in horror.

Two creatures with the skeleton of a thin woman appeared in front and both were covered in bandages and chains. They wore gray robes and oozed a disgusting miasma.

[Image here]

She recognized them immediately.

They were her.

"But how is this possible?" she whispered.

"They are you from the future where you are broken by Nurgle's torture," replied the Emperor with a trace of pity in his voice.

She could never have imagined that fate could be so dark.

The spiritually corrupted versions before her were lustrous, their eyes filled with sadness, and the auras around them glowed with despair and misery.

"They were very easy to get. They didn't resist at all and you can approach them if you want, they don't bite," he replied to her silence.

"How....did you....manage...to...travel....through....time" she said, stuttering with shock and horror.

'How did he manage to travel through time?' she wondered.

"I didn't travel to the future to acquire them. The method of acquiring them is irrelevant, what matters right now is whether you can do the same to improve their situation," he answered her question.

It took her a few minutes to regain her composure and she stood up and walked over to one of the Plague Maidens.

With every gentle movement of her hands and soft whispers, she tried to restore the lost light and joy in their eyes. No, the corruption that overtook them was strong and persistent. Despite her best efforts, the corrupted version showed no signs of letting up.

She tried on another Plague Maiden and the same result, failure.

A feeling of helplessness washed over her as she watched her failure. She was faced with an insatiable force that tried to spread despair and misery.

"Are you OK?" asked the Emperor and approached with concern on his face and added "Would you like me to try it. I know that healing is not my domain, but if you want, I will try it"

She thought for a few minutes and made a final decision

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," she replied and added full of anger, "I don't need help, this is my fight. Despite failure, I won't stop in my fight. I know this will be a long road to recovery, but I'm not going to give up . I didn't she realize the real threat this abomination posed before, but now I do. Listen to me, you abomination, I will see to it that your beloved microbes are completely wiped from the Multiverse. There will be no more room for disease, I swear by my destroyed pantheon!!!"

"There is no need to shout like that, everyone already hears your oath" replied the emperor with a smile.

"I know," she replied sarcastically.

"What are you planning" he asked at her sarcasm with a smile on his face.

"I will fulfill my oath. I will heal them both and destroy every disease and suffering that exists and I will be there when the bloated bastard dries up and dies in agony" she answered firmly.

He will pay for what he did.

"Then we'd better get going," answered the Emperor and pointed to the portal that opened before them.

She nodded in agreement.