Chapter: 2.1

Chapter: A Deal

=*=

Part: 1

Onboard Departmento Munitorum: Imperial Transport 'Gauntlet'(???)

Inquisitorial Quarters(???)

Inquisitor Greybrand found herself in a state of surreal suspension, caught between the realm of reality and the immaterial. Her physical form deteriorated as the cold of the Immaterium and the heat of this new realm assailed her, while her consciousness was subjected to an encounter with an entity that was so far beyond her understanding that her eyes melted at its mere sight.

The voice echoed again, resonating within her very being,

"You are a unique tapestry... or rather a Frankensteinian monster of souls and consciousness. An anomaly deserving of observation, won't you agree?"

The being's words carried a weight that transcended the concept of physical, a presence that seemed to stretch across the entire cosmos.

Greybrand didn't answer its question, or rather she could not answer it. Her eyes were not the only ones affected by its presence, her entire body felt as though it was boiling, her skin bubbled, her hair incinerated, and her organs melted within her body. 

The agony was unbearable.

"Existence itself is a delicate threadwork, woven by the threads of choice, consequence, and the unpredictable nature of fate itself. You, however, are something... abominable."

More pain erupted all over her body! Her skin melted right off of her, the muscles beneath turned raw from the scorching heat, bones turned to gel and she felt something important melt inside.

"I am the watcher, an observer of the cosmic ballet."

It started to introduce itself, and with each word, the temperature seemed to rise even higher.

"I am the Echo of the Celestial Weave, the Voice of the Thread. I am the Father of the Star Gods - the C'tan, the Yngir. When they failed to meet my expectations, I became the Creator of the Old Ones."

The voice continued to speak, the temperature rising ever higher and making it difficult for Greybrand to focus. Her flesh had cooked, burnt, and charred off of her frame, now all that remained was a skeleton structure and even that seemed to melt, and yet, somehow her soul was trapped within her mortal body... or at least what still remained of it.

The speaker's tone seemed to shift slightly, becoming less self-assured and more mysterious.

"I am the Shadow of Madness! The Light of Reason! The Eye of Oblivion! My mind has seen all the Possibilities of Realities! I know the answers to all the Questions! I am 'THE' question of existence itself..."

The voice echoes in the vast expanse of this strange realm, the remnants of Greybrand's consciousness clung to the fragments of her being. The pain was excruciating, both physical and metaphysical, it became an indistinguishable part of her wretched existence. 

She, now reduced to a mere skeletal form, remained an unwilling audience to this cosmic revelation, the being who identified itself as an Omnipotent Existence continued its enigmatic monologue for several minutes before addressing her, 

"But enough about me, let's focus on you, shall we? What do you call yourself mortal? A knot in the Fabric of Destiny? A distortion in the Grand Tapestry of this Galaxy? Both are good names, if I do say so myself."

Greybrand couldn't answer. Though the pain had been numbed by the surreal nature of this strange encounter, her soul, however, was barely clinging to existence. 

The being seems to finally take notice of her predicament,

"How utterly fragile! Does my mere presence threaten to obliterate your soul? Ridicules! It never ceases to amaze me how pathetically weak are the children of my children."

It seemed to finally take note of the damage that its presence was inflicting upon the Inquisitor and the voice snorted in contempt,

"An infinitesimal being such as you, with the audacity to exist in this vast cosmic expanse. Fragile, insignificant, yet persistent. Mortality's struggle against the inevitable. A paradox, amusing in its banality."

The skeletal remains of Greybrand shuddered as if responding to the being's words. The pain, now distant echoes of torment, continued to weave through her shattered essence.

"I shall restore you! For without that fragile form of yours, you won't be able to consider my offer."

The being's tone shifted once again, this time carrying a hint of amusement. Its words resonated within the remnants of Greybrand's consciousness.

"Fear not, insignificant one. I shall mend the tapestry that is your feeble existence which had been frayed by my mere presence."

A surge of energy coursed through the skeletal remains, knitting together the shattered bones, reconstructing the melted flesh, and binding the soul to the restored form. The pain subsided, replaced by a surreal sensation as her body reconstituted itself, and yet, she couldn't perceive the strange being that was talking to her.

"Now, insignificant one, I offer you a choice. A chance to transcend the limitations of your mundane existence! Serve as my agent and wield the power to command your fate."

The voice continued with an amused undertone,

"Refuse, and return to the mortal coil, a mere puppet dangling from the strings of fate, oblivious to the grand design that encompasses you. I shall erase all memories of our encounter and you will return to that primitive pile of metal you call a spaceship."

Greybrand was utterly lost, her situation sounded absurdly familiar. But that situation usually comes right before reincarnation, not when the reincarnated person is about to die! 

But those were only fleeting thoughts of amusement, she was pretty sure who this so-called 'Watcher' was, and if she was right, then accepting its offer would result in a fate worse than death.

She spoke for the first time in that strange realm,

"yOu CaN't FoOl Me! DeMoN oF tZeEnTcH!"

Her voice was jagged and hoarse, not from overuse but because she remembered her throat drying up to the point that it felt as though she had just ingested a fistful of glass shards.

The question, however, was met with an unusual silence and then... there was upheaval!

=*=