Beneath the Himalayas.
A vast laboratory lay buried deep within the mountains.
In the shadows stood a tall man; before him floated twenty-one incubation pods, each containing an infant-like being — twenty-one creations that looked human, yet were far beyond mere men.
"Soon… the rebirth of mankind shall begin," the tall figure said quietly.
But after he left the facility, a Warp storm erupted without warning, consuming the lab. The twenty-one pods were flung into the Immaterium — scattered across the endless stars.
One of them, marked with the Roman numeral XVII, drifted through the tides of the Warp until it fell upon a radiant world within the galaxy.
That world was Colchis — a beautiful, faithful planet devoted entirely to worship.
The capsule fell from the heavens and crashed on the outskirts of a small settlement.
A group of tribesmen discovered the child and sought to raise him as their own, but a man named Kor Phaeron stopped them.
He slaughtered the entire tribe and took the child away.
Kor Phaeron was the high priest of the Covenant, the dominant religion of Colchis — and one of the world's many souls already corrupted by Chaos.
.....
Lorgar's mind blurred.
A moment ago, he had been at a club playing Honor of Kings with his friends — and the next instant, he was here.
His whole body tingled as he stood up shakily. In front of him stood a half-length mirror.
He looked — and froze.
A towering giant stared back. His height was measured in meters, his skin a deep bronze marked with glowing golden runes.
His once-familiar hair was gone; a shaved head gleamed under the faint light. Three seconds of stunned silence later, he muttered, "Holy… shit."
"I… I became Lorgar!?"
Panic and realization flooded his mind. I'm Lorgar.
Then this is… Colchis? Has the Horus Heresy happened yet? Do I still have a chance to join the Emperor? What about Guilliman? Does he still need a subordinate?
Before he could think further, the golden doors behind him creaked open.
A pale man in red robes stepped out, his expression twisted and severe.
"Oh, my dear Lorgar. Why are you just standing there?"
Lorgar stared at him — and memory answered instantly.
Kor Phaeron.
"Lorgar? What's wrong?" the man asked.
"Your soul…" he muttered suddenly, then his expression changed. A flicker of realization. He drew a dagger, his voice turning sharp.
"Who are you? How dare you possess the body chosen by the Most High—"
Bang!
Before the sentence finished, Lorgar's fist drove clean through his chest.
The strength of a Primarch — the Emperor's genetic sons — dwarfed that of any mortal. Against an ordinary Chaos-tainted priest, it wasn't even a contest. The punch tore through flesh and bone alike.
Kor Phaeron choked, spat blood, and collapsed.
"Master!"
A squad of guards rushed in, spears in hand — and froze at the sight: Kor Phaeron's body sprawled on the floor, and Lorgar's arm dripping with blood.
The captain's eyes darted to the dagger lying in the blood pool. His mind raced, and within seconds he understood the safest interpretation of this scene.
"Great High Priest! This vile traitor dared attempt to assassinate you!" the man shouted.
Whether it was true or not didn't matter. Surviving this encounter was already a blessing; none of them were foolish enough to ask further.
"Take the body away," Lorgar said coldly. "Burn it."
"Yes, my lord!"
They wrapped what remained of Kor Phaeron in silk and carried him out.
When the guards were gone, the servants came in and cleaned the floor — and the blood from Lorgar's hands.
Left alone, Lorgar began sorting through the memories in his mind.
Based on what he knew, it was currently Year 856 of the 30th Millennium — right when he had just unified Colchis.
In the original timeline, in M30.856, Lorgar brought peace to the war-torn planet. And in M30.857, the Emperor himself descended upon Colchis and recruited Lorgar for the Great Crusade.
Judging from Kor Phaeron's reaction just now, Lorgar recalled an old rumor: that Erebus and Kor Phaeron had been sent by the Chaos Gods to corrupt him. Judging by that look of panic, the rumor was absolutely true.
"All right… all right… all right…"
Lorgar rubbed his temples. Things were far messier than he'd hoped.
Still, since he was here, he might as well play the hand fate had dealt him — and this time, he'd make damn sure the Chaos Gods learned what faith truly meant.
He exhaled, calmed himself, put on a clean white robe, and stepped outside.
This was Verradesh, capital of Colchis. His army controlled it completely — he'd taken it without spilling a drop of blood.
Back then, the Covenant had split into two factions: the Followers of the Old Faith and Lorgar's Brotherhood. The resulting civil war — the Schism War — tore the planet apart for six long years.
When it ended, the people of Colchis were forced to choose sides.
Afterward, Lorgar gathered a massive host and marched on Verradesh. At the city gates, after a sermon that seemed to shake the heavens, the gates were opened to him.
The lower clergy presented the bodies of the old missionaries and chieftains as tribute.
City by city, Lorgar's army advanced — converting the faithful or purging the unrepentant. At last only one city resisted: Gahvarla, protected by ancient Dark Age storm generators.
Miraculously, Lorgar approached the swirling tempest, split the storm apart, and led his forces through the gap to victory.
He stood at his balcony now, gazing toward the horizon.
"All right," he muttered, "time to think what comes next."
He clenched his fist, a cold grin crossing his face, "Next, I find that bastard Erebus… and tear out his guts."