More than half a month passed.
After Cyrene Valantion regained consciousness, Lorgar spent several days arranging her treatment and care.
Yet once everything was settled, his mood only plummeted further.
He shut himself inside his chambers and refused to meet anyone.
Seeing this situation, Lorgar's adoptive father—Kor Phaeron—became increasingly concerned.
Kor Phaeron was, by all measures, a deplorable man.
Assassination, plunder, conspiracy—these were his familiar tools.
But even someone who served power and ambition above all else could, after years at Lorgar's side, develop something faintly resembling familial affection.
His right hand tapped lightly on the armrest as he quietly contemplated the matter.
Before long, a knock sounded at the door.
He straightened his posture and replied calmly:
"Come in."
As a high-ranking figure in the Word Bearers and Lorgar's foster father, Kor Phaeron naturally had an independent and luxurious office, and it was normal for people to seek him out for various tasks.
But when he saw who entered, he was momentarily surprised.
"Erebus? What brings you here?"
Though Erebus was also one of Lorgar's closest lieutenants, the two typically handled different responsibilities. Kor Phaeron could not guess the purpose of this sudden visit.
Erebus let out a quiet sigh, placing a stack of papers on the desk.
"You know how poor the primarch's spirits have been lately. I haven't been able to speak with him. I'd like you to pass these documents to him on my behalf."
Even Erebus had been unable to approach Lorgar during these days.
Kor Phaeron nodded in understanding.
"Very well. Leave it to me."
Given his closer relationship with Lorgar, he accepted the task without hesitation.
"Then I'll trouble you with it," Erebus replied before departing.
---
After a few minutes, Kor Phaeron picked up the documents.
Without ceremony, he broke open the sealed packet and began scanning through its contents.
He had done this countless times before.
Because Lorgar was consumed by religious devotion and uninterested in many administrative duties, Kor Phaeron handled much of the routine work.
He planned to review the material himself, and, if everything seemed in order, pass it on to Lorgar later.
But after reading for some time, he began to feel bored.
Most of the material was religious in nature—something Lorgar always obsessed over.
Kor Phaeron, despite being a nominal believer, had only ever been a shallow one.
Whether it was the Emperor or some other god, it made little difference to him.
Whichever god could grant him power—that was the god he cared about.
He was about to close the file when a particular passage caught his eye:
"Based on my years of observation and record-keeping, I have discovered that across countless worlds, species, and civilizations, the gods they worship share strange similarities.
For example, our homeworld once worshipped a pantheon of five deities before venerating the Emperor. Among them was one known as the Blood King—a figure not unique to us.
My research shows that no fewer than ten thousand species throughout the galaxy worship this same being, though under different names.
The oldest references can be traced back to ruins dating billions of years.
Therefore, we have good reason to believe that this entity is a real and powerful god."
— Erebus
Kor Phaeron's expression sharpened.
Although he was a false believer, he had grown up on a religious world and recognized the significance of what he had just read.
He restarted the document from the beginning—this time reading each line carefully.
Not long after, a pleased smile touched his lips.
As Lorgar's adoptive father, he understood something crucial:
Lorgar had worshipped the Emperor from childhood.
His entire identity, worldview, and purpose had been built around that faith.
The Emperor's destruction of the Perfect City had not merely disappointed him—
it had shattered everything Lorgar believed in.
No amount of rational persuasion could mend that wound.
But the discovery of a real god—an ancient and powerful being with worshippers across the galaxy—
could fill the void the Emperor had created.
Just like a drowning man grasping a lifeline, Lorgar would seize onto any belief that could anchor him again.
Carrying the documents with renewed excitement, Kor Phaeron hurried to find Lorgar.
He intended to use this revelation to redirect Lorgar's grief and pull him out of despair.
---
Ten Days Later
After processing large amounts of accumulated administrative work for the Word Bearers,
Lorgar, accompanied by Erebus, Kor Phaeron, and a small escort, boarded a vessel bound for a place of legend—
The shattered region left behind by the fall of the Aeldari Empire:
The Eye of Terror.
Based on their discussions over the past several days, they concluded:
If the god known as the Blood King, the Crimson Monarch, the God of Torment, and many other titles truly existed,
then He was most likely to be found within the Eye of Terror.
(In this, Erebus had provided heavy hints and subtle direction—guiding Lorgar precisely where he wanted him to go.)
∞
After a long and grueling warp voyage, they finally arrived.
A colossal vortex appeared before them—
a blood-red cosmic eye, endlessly roiling and devouring everything around it.
From its edges, they witnessed tens of thousands of dead worlds being slowly pulled apart,
their remains transformed into twisted asteroid rings.
Bolts of warp lightning flickered continuously through the writhing storm.
One did not need proof; merely seeing such a sight filled every rational mind with instinctive dread.
Nearly everyone present came to the same silent conclusion:
We should leave. Immediately.
Yet Lorgar was… different.
The moment his eyes fell upon the Eye of Terror,
a strange warmth flooded his heart—
a feeling of inexplicable closeness, of familiarity.
As if this place…
was where he truly belonged.
With that strange emotion lingering inside him,
Lorgar ordered the ship to proceed.
They entered the Eye of Terror.
.
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