Sometimes, life is truly awful. Astelus would occasionally think this when he had no combat missions and no secrets to keep.
The veteran Dark Angel walked out, closing the door behind him, leaving the elder who was not a Dark Angel inside. Then, Astelus's head rotated unnaturally within his helmet. If it weren't for the mission, he wouldn't actually want to visit the mortal named Luther in the room.
He never felt that this person was a member of the First Legion. In fact, this was the mainstream view within the Legion. On this point, he was simply going with the flow. Even if Luther was personally brought by [The Lion], special treatment would not bring universal respect, at least not within the First Legion.
Even [The Lion] himself... Astelus stifled the urge to continue thinking. This old man named Luther, what essential difference was there between him and those ordinary mortals confined to office buildings, poring over documents, toiling their entire lives, and being utterly ignorant? Perhaps it was because he was a Calibanite. Caliban's... Knight Luther? Astelus reached this conclusion. He wanted to laugh, but he suppressed the scornful sound.
Then, he turned and stepped into the path on the left. His black armor quickly vanished into the exceedingly dim light of the corridor. Astelus walked in this darkness, deliberately slowing his pace, as if savoring it.
Such deliberate darkness was not actually favored by the First Legion. [The Lion]'s sons preferred a simple, direct atmosphere. They even disdained decorating their surroundings, for only the most primitive environment could best preserve everything. After all, a secret, so-called, was the most fundamental form of everything.
But this did not prevent Astelus from wholeheartedly embracing this flickering, dim atmosphere. It was a personal preference, a free spirit distinct from the rigid emotions brought by the gene-seed. In the shadows, he could calmly contemplate, thinking about things that could not be considered, or even dared not be considered, in the sun-drenched lands. It was precisely due to this that he received an invitation from the [Moon Shadow Chapter], becoming one of its new initiates. This was the twenty-sixth miniature group Astelus had joined since joining the First Legion.
Twenty-six. Astelus remembered this number, clearly. It was a total, an account, the only existence he had accumulated in decades of campaigning for the Emperor. But it wasn't the number Astelus currently held, because some groups had silently vanished: when they were no longer needed by the Legion, this was their only destination. Now, this Dark Angel was a member of only seven Chapters or brotherhoods. This even made him feel both relieved and somewhat apprehensive: because as a warrior of the First Legion, this number was truly low.
Iron boots clanked on the unadorned floor, producing a grating metallic sound that set teeth on edge. Astelus savored it all, unhesitatingly passing through hidden corridors and secret doors. Sometimes, he advanced through public areas accessible to all, but the next second, he would push aside a hidden curtain and enter an unacknowledged private space, accessible only to Dark Angels.
All these entrances were strictly guarded. He would occasionally see a silent warrior lingering around a corner or at the entrance of certain rooms. Astelus would nod to some of them. Some would return the gesture, while others maintained an arrogant silence. In other cases, Astelus would accept the salute of these silent guards, but he would only respond to a portion of them, ignoring the rest. All of this was neither about etiquette nor personal affection; it was a product of the First Legion's unique Legion culture, and everyone had to adapt to it.
The Dark Angel's journey finally ended before a pure black door. He opened it. Inside, there was only a round table and a few chairs, emitting a light slightly brighter than the corridor, barely illuminating everyone's faces. One Dark Angel was already seated inside, his hood pulled up, the shadow cast by it negating the dim light in front, keeping his face hidden in the darkness. But even so, Astelus could still recognize the figure before him.
"Brother Castiel." "Welcome, Brother Astelus." In the dim light, the two members of the [Moon Shadow Chapter] greeted each other. They didn't show any solemn or tense emotions, for this was just a simple daily conversation that wouldn't involve combat or deeper secrets.
"On the last topic, what new insights do you have, Brother Astelus?" Castiel leaned back in his chair, while Astelus leaned forward as much as possible, maintaining a certain unspoken respect.
"You know, it's difficult, Brother Castiel. After all, we are contemplating somewhat rebellious ideas. In the legions of ordinary folk, their warriors would even consider such behavior a form of betrayal, rather than a necessary part of new thought."
"Rest assured, Brother Astelus. Do you truly believe [The Lion] is unaware of our actions? He personally reshaped the Legion, excising the part he most abhorred, and became the new, unprecedented core of the web."
"Everyone in this Legion has secrets, except for [The Lion]." "Likewise, everyone in this Legion will have no secrets, except for [The Lion]." Castiel laughed, a smile mixed with triumph and sadness, as if casually smearing and destroying a completed painting with fresh paint, exuding complex sorrow.
"We once envied the reunion of other legions, Brother Astelus. We rarely envied them, but when we saw them fight alongside their gene-father, we felt jealousy—we once discussed this topic, discussing the spiritual connection between a gene-father and us, and without a doubt, we indeed felt jealousy. And the moment [The Lion] returned among us, we indeed felt joy."
"Although he brought [Change], our joy made us choose to accept it all."
"And facts prove that [Change] was not entirely correct. Some once correct things were recklessly erased, and a wrong war is being fought senselessly. This should have been a rational, cooperative encirclement, but it was twisted by stubborn arrogance into a grueling, single-handed duel."
Astelus listened in silence, then briefly uttered his own thoughts. "But we can't stop him, can we?" "He is activating those Calibanites, those barbarians from the forest, even individuals who aren't even Astartes. But we cannot stop him, because he is [The Lion], and [The Lion] is unstoppable."
"No..." Castiel replied with a laugh. "When this war ends, [The Lion] will truly be unstoppable." "And you, I, and even we, probably won't see that day."
They continued to chat, discussing the content and tasks of the [Moon Shadow Chapter]. Those things that couldn't be discussed in daylight, those things that wouldn't be tolerated by the light of day, yet they existed nonetheless, and they had to be faced. And the mission of the [Moon Shadow Chapter] was precisely this.
Within the First Legion, the [Moon Shadow Chapter] was not unique; there were also several other small groups with overlapping functions. They maintained their independence and secrecy from each other, operating within their respective spheres without interfering with one another. [The Lion] knew all of this. He knew, of course, as was natural.
Time passed minute by minute, and Astelus and Castiel's conversation gradually drew to a close. They listed topic after topic, recounted deduction after deduction, and various defiant words freely flowed from their mouths, enough to make a dozen Ultramarines or Imperial Fists faint from anger. When they finished their discussion, the two battle-brothers exchanged glances. They thought and remained silent for a while until Astelus spoke first.
"How is the progress on the port matter?" "Currently, there's no very obvious effect." "In what aspect?" "Many warriors from other legions dislike our arrangement, and fear has spread among the mortals. They believe that the rigid officials at the port will be their pathetic future, but they don't see the deeper meaning behind this and the benefits to the Legion."
As he spoke, Castiel's body involuntarily leaned forward. The atmosphere in the room seemed to suddenly change with this movement: Astelus, who had always seemed like a subordinate, now suddenly appeared to be the higher-ranking individual. This was only natural. Although Castiel was Astelus's superior in the [Moon Shadow Chapter], when the topic shifted to the matters of the [Deadwood Brotherhood], Astelus became Castiel's mentor and guide.
Of course, some matters were not limited to this. For example, these two battle-brothers, who were simultaneously members of multiple miniature groups, would never bring up topics related to siege warfare. After all, in this domain, Astelus was a member of the [Grey Feathers Chapter], while Castiel was a core member of the opposing [Stone Wall Knights].
These two groups had maintained decades of mutual hostility and contention regarding relevant content. And in other areas, the two sides would also have no common topics. Astelus would not tell Castiel about his research content in the [Falling Star Company], and he was also expected to not inquire about Castiel's actions in other groups.
Astelus and Castiel: the former was sometimes the latter's superior, and at other times his subordinate. Occasionally, they would be rivals in competition. But most of the time, they were simply ordinary battle-brothers with no relation to each other. When they met in their free time, depending on the topic and need, the battle-brothers could choose from over a dozen different relationships and forms of address. This was the Dark Angels Legion. After [The Lion] drastically streamlined the Legion's internal organization according to his home world's customs, it became this simple. So simple that it even caused discontent.
"The war continues, growing longer and more foolish. Even those from the Second Legion are getting involved." Astelus sighed. "Those [Fangs]?" "Yes, a bunch of troublemakers." Even as ordinary Dark Angels, Astelus and Castiel still shared some topics, topics only Terran veterans within the Legion possessed.
"[The Lion], the arrogant [Lion], he has destroyed too many things. He is turning the Legion into some pathetic object that has lost its past, memory, and history, becoming something only he likes." "He will do it. Through this war, the Emperor's Angels will become Caliban's Knights.
Blood and war will achieve all this. And [The Lion] is expanding it. His Knights are continuously pouring into the Legion, awaiting their blood-soaked positions." The veteran's bitter words echoed in the room. They weren't afraid to speak these words, nor were they afraid that [The Lion] would hear them. He would know eventually.
It was Terrans who were bleeding in this war, not Calibanites—within the First Legion, countless people thought this. Some merely felt sorrow, others were mixed with disdain and resentment. Such sentiments increased with more bloodshed.
Those Terran veterans were gradually disappearing from the Legion and the front lines, but their words were not. Only blood and corpses remained in their former places. Astelus and Castiel, the two battle-brothers, continued talking. Finally, they seemed to tire of the topic of [The Lion]. So, they naturally began to chat about another group of annoying fellows.
"The Second Legion... I thought they were all dead." "Impossible. The fewer they are, the less likely their warriors are to die. Calamities and troublemakers have always been like that. Their lives are tough; otherwise, they wouldn't have survived until now." "Then what are they doing here? Are we supposed to clean up their mess again?" "What are they doing? Have you forgotten?" "This is the front line against the Rangdan. [Xenos], [Powerful Xenos]. Once such words appear, those troublemakers are like dogs that smell meat. At least, some of them are."
"In other words, they haven't all come?" "How could they all come? When have you ever seen the Second Legion act together? Perhaps on Holy Terra, there was still some possibility, but ever since leaving the Sol System, it's been impossible." "Yes, it's impossible..." Astelus's mind flashed through fragmented memories: sparse ranks, silver armor, flying fangs, and that... damned... He closed his eyes. "Let's talk about [The Lion] instead."
Confused? Perplexed? Riddles? Then that's right, that's the Dark Angels.
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