"This is your story, Ryan," Vulkan observed as he scrutinized the mural, which traced Ryan's journey in sparse strokes, ending with his coronation as the Knight King of Bretonnia.
"Yes, this is my story, my origin—etched here long ago, perhaps even at the world's beginning," Ryan said, studying the faded colors of the mural. Despite a protective rock layer, the images had dulled with time, the once-bright enchantments now lifeless.
Asuryan had predicted everything: Ryan's departure from Nord, his battle against Egil Red-Eye, his marriage to Sulia, his struggle against the Tzeentch armies at Mousillon, and his ascension to the throne.
"Look at this, Ryan," Vulkan pointed out another part of the mural, intrigued. "This one?"
The mural showed Ryan and Vulkan sailing toward the Phoenix Pyramid in a small boat.
In the next scene, they were inside the Hall of Daylight, where Vulkan reached for a scroll on a table, while Ryan took something else entirely. "It seems Asuryan foresaw us coming here to take these things."
"Apparently so." Vulkan's mood suddenly shifted to one of frustration. As he let go of his sword hilt and raised his hands, he vented, "So, what's the point? If this has all been preordained, then why are we sneaking in? We could've walked in and claimed these as Asuryan's will! It's written right here."
"Good heavens! Here we were, thinking this mission would be difficult. We devised countless plans, even brought two ironclads, spent months preparing—and for what? For this?" Vulkan paced furiously, hands on his hips, his voice laced with resentment. "What does any of this matter if fate is already set? Why are we wasting our time here?"
Ryan could understand Vulkan's frustration. His brother was a perfectionist, and the realization that their careful plans were already foreseen made them feel meaningless.
For Ryan, however, the murals were simply an affirmation. Examining the last two panels, he noted that they ended abruptly; nothing he did made the rock respond further.
In the second-to-last panel, Ryan stood beside Lilith in a marriage scene. Behind her were both Olica and Sulia, each with distinct auras—Sulia radiated a golden glow, while Olica was shrouded in icy mist. The three seemed to reach an agreement, shaking hands in truce.
The final mural showed Ryan in a sea of flames, fighting an imposing figure with flowing golden hair, clad in armor of enchanted gold. Ryan wielded a hammer in one hand and a sword in the other, while his opponent held a silver sword and a shield.
Vulkan? Ryan wondered, but quickly dismissed it. No, it wasn't Vulkan.
The image instead resembled Prince Sigvald the Magnificent, Slaanesh's chosen champion.
So, it was destiny, then. He would face Sigvald in a climactic duel.
He couldn't help feeling a little excited by the prospect.
"Let's go, brother," Ryan said, gesturing for Vulkan to press on. "Time's ticking."
Vulkan took a deep breath and shook his head. He wasn't one to obsess over things as Perturabo or Konrad would, and though the prophecy had disappointed him, his purpose remained clear: to rescue Saint Gilles.
"Asuryan's prophecy implies that he controls all things—how dull," Vulkan remarked with a smirk as they descended a staircase. "Saint Gilles had a similar ability."
"Yes, but they only see the beginning, never the end. Saint Gilles foresaw Horus's fall, but not the conclusion," Ryan replied. "Likewise, Asuryan's predictions are unclear. Lilith told me that his prophecies are notoriously vague."
"Take Phoenix Guard Captain Kadroin, for example. Lilith and Olica both mentioned that he was once an infamous rogue," Ryan explained. "Elves have a tradition of making at least one pilgrimage to the Phoenix Pyramid in their lives. Kadroin entered, stumbled into the Hall of Daylight, and read a few scrolls of prophecy from Asuryan. After that, he swore an unbreakable oath of silence in front of the then-captain of the Phoenix Guard."
"I get it," Vulkan nodded. "He received some form of revelation. But how does this relate to Asuryan's prophecy?"
"Kadroin found that Asuryan's prophecy was not entirely fixed," Ryan replied. "In his vision, he knew he would face Olica, but the outcome wasn't clear. Much of his interpretation was left to his discretion."
"Understood."
After five minutes, they reached the Hall of Daylight.
It was a small library filled with scrolls, bookshelves, and glass jars, organized into neat rows.
"We should move quickly," Ryan said, and both Primarchs immediately began their search.
Ryan examined a few scrolls, finding they were simply reports from Phoenix Guard patrols. The next shelf contained locations of Waystones in Ulthuan and the number of guards at each. None of it was what they sought, so he placed the items back.
Moving to another shelf, he opened a thicker tome of ancient elven writing.
The content piqued his curiosity.
"No matter the god, all share a common origin. Every deity derives from the highest realm, where they once roamed and explored the endless domains together."
"Before the War in Heaven, the higher realm was not the distorted place it became. There, the Crow God, the Hound God, the Serpent God, and the Eagle God coexisted peacefully with the Phoenix God, the Moon Goddess, the Hunter God, and the War God. In that distant past, all gods contended freely for faith."
"During the War in Heaven, the highest realm was twisted as endless streams of warped energy flowed in, changing them all. The gods faced a choice—a distinction rooted in perception."
"The Crow God, Hound God, Serpent God, and Eagle God chose betrayal, absorbing the primal, negative emotions. They grew immensely powerful yet were forever warped."
"Led by the Phoenix God, the others chose reason. They lost power but retained order, ceding initiative but keeping superiority."
"The protracted divine wars left all gods weary; none could truly kill the other. Again and again, worlds rose, thrived, were invaded, and perished."
"Until one day, a mortal killed a god."
The text ended abruptly. Ryan paused, pondering the implications. Mortals? Gods?
If the book was accurate, then before the War in Heaven, Chaos and Order gods had coexisted peacefully, born from the same highest realm. But as the war warped this realm (now the Warp), they split, with the Chaos gods accepting all emotional power—rage, joy, sorrow, and hope. Though chaotic, these emotions gave rise to immense strength, ultimately birthing the four Chaos gods.
Meanwhile, Order gods embraced reason, embodying qualities like war, death, glory, knowledge, and the hunt. This left them weaker than the Chaos gods but made them guardians of the world.
The two sides repeated a cycle of creation and destruction, unable to kill one another—until…
Ryan's thoughts lingered on the final line: Until a mortal killed a god.
This suggested that while gods couldn't kill each other, mortals could. A god slain by a mortal would die for good.
Of course! Ryan's eyes widened in realization. Mortals—created by the Old Ones—were designed as weapons to oppose the Chaos gods!
The Old Ones had pinned their hopes on mortal creations to defeat their fated enemies, the Chaos gods.
But their plan failed, as mortals could also be corrupted by Chaos. The blade forged to destroy Chaos might well turn back on the Order gods, and many such gods had likely perished this way.
Countless chosen of Chaos through the ages…
Morgur, the Beastlord of the Beastmen, had consumed several manifestations of elven gods!
No wonder the Old Ones abandoned the world during the Chaos invasion. No wonder Lilith mentioned that Asuryan regretted creating the elves. And no wonder he hadn't left the Phoenix Pyramid since Aenarion's time.
The reason was simple: Asuryan knew that even if the world fell, Chaos could not truly kill him. He would eventually resurrect in the next cycle. But if he ventured out like Lilith and was killed, he would die permanently.
Asuryan feared that mortals could truly end him.
The Phoenix God was afraid.
By contrast, Lilith was fearless, frequently manifesting in the mortal realm to stir events, always searching for a weapon (and, secondarily, a suitable husband) to oppose Chaos and protect herself.
This weapon had once been Teclis or Araloth. After casting a wide net, Lilith ultimately chose Ryan.
As for Asuryan? He preferred detachment, laying out all his knowledge and plans for others to use or ignore as they wished, content to remain confined to his pyramid.
The aloof Phoenix God, the cold-hearted Phoenix God… Ryan returned the book to its shelf with a sigh. Asuryan, the supreme god and the only one on the world stage with power to stand against Chaos, was consumed by self-preservation.
These revelations left Ryan with many questions. He would have to ask Lilith about this later.
Next, Ryan browsed another shelf that chronicled the reign of the second Phoenix King, Bel-Shanaar. It contained stories of the elven empire's golden age, along with several secrets, including one about Lilith's Star Crown, rumored to hold boundless power.
Yes, Lilith had once asked him, Teclis, and Araloth to repair the Star Crown. Now, Ryan wondered
how the repairs were progressing. Since he'd obtained a fragment from the Empire, he'd left the rest to Teclis and Araloth.
With the elves' unique sense of time, who knew how long that would take?
After skimming more volumes, Ryan came across a book sealed in ice.
"On the Origins of Ancient Ice Ruins and the Use of Ice Magic in the Far North – by Caledor the Dragon Tamer"
Ice ruins and ice magic! Ryan carefully pulled the book free, its cover and pages so fragile they nearly fell apart. Inside, it held intricate theories on ice magic, as well as descriptions of three powerful ice spells:
- Summon Greater Ice Elemental
- Frost Burst AOE and battlefield control spell
- Ice Phoenix Crystallization Seal
This would surely be invaluable to Teresa and Aurora, Ryan mused. Tucking the book away, he thought, Teresa will love this. Aurora could also benefit, provided she shows some loyalty.
After searching three more shelves without success—though they held historically valuable elven artifacts, they were useless to him—Ryan heard a triumphant shout from Vulkan.
"I found it! Ryan, the Phoenix Scroll!"
"What?" Ryan quickly returned to Vulkan, who was holding a long case. Smiling, Vulkan opened it to reveal Asuryan's Phoenix Scroll, enveloped in the brilliant white-gold flames of the heavenly Phoenix Fire.
This pure flame would be the key to freeing Saint Gilles from the Chaos curse.
"And there's this—a vial containing the Tears of the Old Ones," Vulkan added, handing the vial to Ryan. "I can feel immense pure Warp energy inside…"
Vulkan's words trailed off as a series of hurried footsteps echoed from outside.
"Thud, thud, thud…"
Both Primarchs paled.
"Not good!"
"Quick—hide!"
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