"Axis."
"Mm!"
"Be silent!"
"Oh, I see. That woman down there must be your old friend, huh? Did something unpleasant happen between you two?" Axis asked.
Expecting a Saiyan not to stir up trouble was impossible.
This time, Axis made a very deliberate gesture, even directing his gaze openly toward the figure below.
This movement immediately caught the attention of the other two Primarchs.
Horus and Rogal Dorn followed Axis's line of sight downward. There, they too noticed the robed woman.
The instant their eyes fell upon her, both Primarchs felt their hearts shudder. Their pulses quickened in a way they could not explain.
It felt as though there was some strange, unspoken connection. That connection reminded them of the Emperor himself.
For a fleeting moment, both Primarchs were cast back to the day they had first beheld the Master of Mankind.
That same sense of blood-bonded kinship now welled up within them.
"Father! What is it? Is there something unusual about that person below?" Horus asked aloud.
Within the Emperor's mind. What should I do? Damn it, what should I do?
"It is nothing. She is of no importance," the Emperor replied coldly.
Why has Erda appeared here of all places? Do I kill her, capture her… what am I supposed to do?
But could I really be so ruthless? If I could, she would already be long dead. She would never have lived to this day. It wouldn't even require the Custodians or the Astartes. Assassinorum alone could have ended her life. A Perpetual may be strong, but they are not truly immortal. There are many ways to kill one.
The Emperor admitted to himself that when Erda had first appeared before him long ago, something within him had stirred.
It had been the feeling of finding a true love.
At first, Erda's devotion had not been love but a wild, fevered worship, almost like the adoration one gave an idol.
Only over time had true feelings grown between them.
If he could have chosen, the Emperor would have pretended not to notice her now, allowing her to slip away quietly.
But Axis, the troublesome brat, had noticed her as well, drawing the attention of Horus and Dorn.
"Father! That person gives me a very strange feeling. It is… it is…," Horus hesitated.
Rogal Dorn too felt it, but he held his tongue, silently remaining at the Emperor's side.
Horus, however, was different.
He had spent years at the Emperor's side, receiving a unique share of fatherly love.
Now he desperately wanted to know the truth behind this deep sensation.
Primarchs were extraordinarily perceptive. In an instant, Horus had pieced together many possibilities. The figure was clearly a woman.
Children could only be born from both man and woman.
Once, he had believed he was crafted solely from the Emperor's own gene, with no mother to speak of. But now… now that seemed less certain.
That woman below could very well be his mother.
"I have another joyous announcement to make to all the people of the Imperium!" the Emperor declared loudly, spreading his arms wide, "In the near future, the Imperium shall hold a grand wedding! My daughter, Princess Kasha, the Imperial High Princess, shall be wed!"
He did not answer Horus's question, instead rousing the crowds of Holy Terra into even greater celebration. At the same time, he deliberately obstructed the Primarchs' line of sight.
It was a signal.
After so many years together, Erda would understand. Even the smallest gesture between them could convey meaning.
And now, the Emperor's silent message to her was clear: Leave. Quickly. Go, and never appear before me again.
Erda looked up at the Emperor upon the high dais, and in that instant, she understood.
No matter what wrongs she had committed, that man would never be able to kill her.
He might appear cold and merciless before others, but if he truly lacked emotion, why would he ever seek companionship? If he lacked emotion, why would he care for humanity at all?
As long as he cared for the human race, it proved he was still a man, not a god.
But she could never accept his methods.
Humanity had struggled free from feudalism after tens of thousands of years, only to be dragged back into it.
He had founded a so-called Imperium of Man, proclaiming himself an eternal Emperor, and now ruled as a tyrant.
His sons, her sons, were becoming nothing more than tools for his will.
A thunder of applause erupted from below.
This day had become one of triple celebration!
The Imperial High Princess, newly revealed, was now to be married. The people wondered aloud which noble had the fortune to take her hand.
Who in all the Imperium could be so blessed as to wed the Emperor's daughter?
Horus, standing above, had little interest in his sister's marriage. What truly seized his heart was the sight of the woman below, now turning to leave.
"Father!"
The Emperor turned sharply, his eyes cold, warning Horus not to press the matter further.
Clearly, the Emperor was concealing something.
Horus knew that if he acted rashly, he might incur his father's wrath.
He tried to swallow the impulse, to wait and investigate quietly.
But then, as if compelled by some hand shoving him forward, Horus leapt.
He landed with uncanny precision directly before the departing Erda.
From above, Axis allowed himself a faint smile.
'Go on, Horus. Be the first to step forward. You are Father's beloved son. Whatever mistake you make, at most he will beat you down… leave you gravely wounded, perhaps, but nothing more.'
Erda froze in place, staring in disbelief at the towering figure clad in white armor before her.
Standing face to face, that sensation Horus had felt before now grew even stronger. It was a feeling beyond words, an emotion he could not deny.
The first time each Primarch had met the Emperor, they had all felt it, an unshakable bond of blood, an undeniable recognition that the figure before them was their father.
But now, as Horus stood before this mysterious woman, who barely reached his abdomen, his mind echoed with only one word.
"Mo… Mother?" Horus called out with chocked voice, as if something struck in his throat.
Yes. The woman before him was his mother. There could be no mistake.
He had a father, but now he realized he also had a mother. This woman before him was his mother.
But why had she hidden from Father? Why had she left so suddenly? In that instant, Horus's mind raced, thoughts spiraling with impossible questions.
It felt as though someone truly had shoved him from behind a moment ago.
For that, he was grateful. Otherwise, he might never have had the courage to defy his father's will and leap down.
The Emperor's face had darkened to the extreme. Horus was reckless.
Why had he jumped? Had his indulgence in the boy gone too far, granting him the audacity to disobey?
Kasha, standing beside Axis, had also noticed his gaze as the emperor did.
And at first glance, she had recognised the presence.
The woman standing near Horus was far too familiar, painfully familiar.
'What should I do?'
Would Father kill Mother? Would he truly slay her?
Or… would it fall to Kasha herself to end her mother's life and finally atone for the sins of the past?
Only Rogal Dorn remained outwardly calm.
Among all the Primarchs, he was the most in control of his emotions.
The citizens of Terra watching from the plaza had no idea what was happening. Why had a Primarch suddenly leapt down to confront a strange woman?
None of them had heard the Horus addressing the women as 'Mother'.
The Emperor had already acted.
With his immense psychic power, he seized control of every mind in the square.
All eyes glazed over.
Across the entire planet, every mortal, save for the Custodians, the Primarchs, Axis, and a few others, was frozen in thrall to the Emperor's will.
Deep in the Imperial Palace's vaults, Malcador had been studying the S-cells of Axis when he was shaken by the sudden psychic surge.
As the Emperor's closest companion, he immediately sensed that something had gone wrong.
He abandoned his work, and appeared at the Emperor's side.
There he saw Horus standing beside the woman, and the Emperor, grim and furious, holding the minds of all Terra in his grasp.
The moment he saw her, Malcador understood. No wonder his friend's composure had broken. This woman was the Emperor's sole weakness.
But why had Horus run to her side? And why was she here at all? The boy usually knew better.
This was unlike him.
The Emperor said nothing.
When Malcador appeared, he released a small breath of relief. He had deliberately drawn his trusted ally here. The Emperor, for all his wisdom, truly had no idea what else to do at the moment.
"Axis… that woman, she is my mother. But she is guilty beyond measure," Kasha said hoarsely as she came to stand beside him.
She herself had sinned but had paid the price, locked away for decades and later forgiven by her father after aiding Axis.
But that woman, she was the true culprit, and yet Father had never punished her.
Axis, meanwhile, was still quietly amused at having tricked Horus into taking the lead.
"Leave it to your father to decide. All we need to do is watch," Axis said with a smile and held Kasha's hand.
Malcador glanced once at the Emperor and immediately understood.
His expression conveyed: Trust me.
He then stepped toward Horus and Erda.
Erda looked at her son with a complicated expression, lips parting as though to speak, yet no words would come.
Should she confess she was his mother? Should she say, My child…?
Should she explain that, long ago, she had scattered them across the galaxy, believing it would save them from becoming their father's tools, only for them to still fall into his service as warriors of conquest?
What would her son think?
The Primarchs' upbringings across the galaxy had been harsh. Many had suffered greatly, and some were still lost.
Could her children forgive her?
No. She told herself she was never wrong.
She had done it for them, so that they would not become their father's weapons.
And no argument could ever pry her free of that belief.
"You… are you truly my mother?" Horus asked, somewhat excited, pressing further.
"Stop, Horus. Do not step closer. That woman is a sinner, steeped in unforgivable crimes. She is not your mother," Malcador said firmly.
"No! You lie!" Horus roared, turning to him, "I feel it! The same bond I felt when I first met Father!"
He never liked Malcador. In truth, few Primarchs did.
"How dare you show yourself here?" Malcador asked, turning his gaze on Erda, "Did you truly think we would not kill you?"
"I have never done wrong!" Erda declared, "I only wished my children not become their father's executioners. If not for you, we could still be together as a family, living a life in peace!"
Her eyes burned with hatred.
If not for Malcador's endless persuasion, the Emperor would never have stepped from the shadows to lead mankind.
It was this man who had stolen her companion, her lover. Malcador was, in a sense, her rival...
Then, suddenly, towering warriors nearly three meters tall appeared beside her. Their crude suits of proto-power armor groaned as they raised their weapons, aiming them at Malcador.
"It has been a long time, Chancellor Malcador," one of them snarled, "The fallen souls of the Thunder Warriors greet you."
Hundreds of thousands of Thunder Warriors had been purged, butchered without mercy.
To their last breath, they could never believe that the man they had sworn to serve would discard them.
The one who sat upon the dais was no savior, but a tyrant, a hypocrite.
"Hmph. You are nothing but failures of a bygone age," Malcador retorted coldly, "Yes, you aided the Emperor in unifying Terra, but how many atrocities did you commit in doing so? How many innocents did you slaughter?"
"Ha! We are Executioners! But whose executioners? Who gave the orders? Who created us? Who did we serve?" the massive warrior bellowed, his voice shaking the air, "Was it not that high and mighty hypocrite?"
...
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and the bonus chapter!
powerstones!