On the eternal night world of Ornsworld, Chief Librarian Thomas looked up at the black onyx mountain peak.
The "Scrolls Professor" shouted in the Dunnic: "Freeze!"
Thomas raised his hand and flicked his wrist. A grey-black scroll flew over the heads of the Ratlings.
Crystalline streams of light rained down, freezing the Ratlings within.
Thomas's eyes, filled with mystical significance, stared at the Ratlings inside dozens of icicles.
Within the vision of his "Eyes of Mystery prying," the Ratlings' bodies reflected a thick blackness.
This blackness was absent in Ratlings from other worlds.
Another difference: their hands did not emit the glow of their kin elsewhere.
'The biggest difference, however, is their unusually steadfast will.'
The Black Emperor did not wish to simply crush the Ratlings of this world. His divine will commanded the Shadows of Order to search every mountain peak for the statue.
Once they confirmed a peak held none, they would immediately move on.
Through his psychic perception, Thomas had largely confirmed that the statue worshipped by the Ratlings was in this region.
Now he needed to confirm if it was on this specific peak.
Thomas waved to the CORV Drone beside him: "Maintain vigilance!"
The "Scrolls Professor" then took a pale black parchment scroll from his belt. He ignited it with his spirituality.
"Wind Walk!"
The pale black scroll ignited with cyan flames, fluttering noisily as it burned.
Woo...
A hurricane materialized from nowhere, but concentrated solely around Thomas.
The encircling wind lifted his body, propelling him up the mountain.
The Ratlings raised their weapons, firing dense beams of light at the black-armored giant in the air.
Thomas twisted his body, dodging left and right, as if riding a gryphon in his own world as Chief Librarian.
The telepath donned his Banshee Mask. His throat vibrated, emitting a piercing wail.
The shrill scream echoed in the minds of the Ratlings.
They chittered in fear, scattering in all directions as if waking from a dream.
A flicker of surprise passed through Thomas's eyes. The steadfast Ratlings of Ornsworld had suddenly lost their mental fortitude.
He didn't dwell on the reason, instead producing another "Wind Walk" scroll to accelerate his ascent.
The wind howled. In an instant, he had climbed a thousand meters, the peak coming into view of his mystical eyes.
A statue.
Joy welled in Thomas's heart. He involuntarily took the entire statue into his mystical gaze.
A graceful, beautiful maiden, her long arms raised and crossed above her head.
Her body twisted elegantly, as if dancing.
Youthful, vibrant, dreamlike...
The Maiden Goddess of the Aeldari's three goddesses, the Dream Goddess Lileath.
From the materials bestowed by the Black Emperor, Thomas knew the Aeldari revered Isha as the Mother Goddess and Morai-Heg as the Crone Goddess.
'Could it be... the Ratlings'... unwavering will... is them being trapped in a dream…'
'They're not afraid... in their dreams…'
'Not good... I'm falling into... a dream...'
Thomas's mystical eyes clouded with hazy shadows. Mist gathered around him.
His heart racing, he immediately entered the Thelema mindstate, slowly ascending to the third level.
Gradually gathering his scattered thoughts, he did not approach further. Instead, he produced a brown leather scroll from his belt.
"Nearsightedness!"
Thomas's mystical eyes grew dim, as if something obstructed his vision.
Having suppressed the effect of his "Eyes of Mystery prying," he turned his body downwards and opened his communication channel.
"My Lord, I have found the statue You spoke of..."
"You have done well. Withdraw from the peak. I will come at once."
The authoritative voice of the Black Emperor sounded over the vox channel.
"Your command shall be obeyed." After landing, Thomas immediately led the Librarians away from the peak area.
Moments later, he saw a point of golden light descend upon the peak like a meteor.
Nareth flew to the summit and immediately saw countless Ratlings lying densely packed around the statue.
Suddenly, they all awoke simultaneously, raising their weapons to fire.
Countless blazing energy beams shot towards him.
From the right eye of the Lileath statue, a barely perceptible beam emerged from the thick darkness.
Light and shadow flickered in the Primarch's eyes. In his world, a dazzling, multicolored beam shot towards him.
His body suddenly went cold.
The Eye of Night.
The "Mentor of Disorder's" spirituality surged. In a single stride, he appeared before the statue.
The dense beams shot into the air, leaving trails of color.
Black mist rose in Nareth's hand. He tentatively reached into the right eye socket of the Lileath statue.
Whoosh!
The Eye of Night vanished.
'Not a sefiroth substance!' Nareth thought with disappointment.
If it were a sefiroth substance, the Kingdom of Disorder could not have absorbed it.
'The Eye of Night, the anomaly with the Dice of Prophecy divination, the eternal night world of Ornsworld, the Ratling's dreams.'
'It's very likely a Uniqueness of the Darkness Pathway.'
'Though not a sefiroth substance, still not bad. It is a Uniqueness, after all.'
His disappointment fleeting, he consoled himself.
'I originally came seeking an artifact to control the Blackstone Fortress. Two Uniquenesses as incidental gains is already a pleasant surprise.'
'At least, I've achieved my goal.'
Nareth thought of the original owners of the Hand of Darkness and the Eye of Night.
'Abaddon, since you couldn't hold onto either artifact, you might as well not have either.'
Nareth recalled that not only was the Hand of Darkness, given by Abaddon to Mortarion, subsequently stolen by Yvraine for recovery, but the Eye of Night was also recovered by Inquisitor Greyfax in the 42nd Millennium.
At this thought, a smirk touched his lips.
Finding joy in having swindled Abaddon out of two artifacts, Nareth's mood settled. He then recalled the anomaly with the Dice of Prophecy divination.
He frowned slightly, puzzled.
'The Eye of Night wasn't active. Its authority of Concealment wasn't fully in effect.'
'Otherwise, Moriana couldn't have prophesied about it in the future.'
'Moreover, she wasn't divining the Eye of Night directly, only indirectly involving a partially concealed Uniqueness.'
The anomaly with the Dice of Prophecy... it defied the principles of mysticism.
Though not an beyonder specializing in mystic pathways, nor possessing the prophetic talents of Magnus, Sanguinius, or Konrad Kurze, Nareth had extensively read the books of the Fra'al and acquired considerable Aeldari knowledge from the mind of Slau Dha, the Autarch who, while not specialized, still had some understanding.
His accumulated knowledge in this area was no less than Magnus's or that of beyonders skilled in divination.
After comparison, he could roughly confirm the difficulty of the divination.
'Aside from Concealment, only Fate could have interfered.'
'Abaddon... the chosen of the Four. Could the anomaly have arisen because it involved him?'
'Hmm... no. The divination for the Hand of Darkness was different from the Eye of Night.'
As Nareth pondered, beyond the veil, inside the Impossible Fortress in the Empyrean,
Threads of fate snapped silently. New, shimmering threads emerged in their place.
"The threads of fate I wove... The plan... failed..."
A face on Tzeentch's left chest muttered softly, repeating: "The threads of fate I wove... The plan... failed..."
"The Accursed One has not yet destroyed Monarchia... Lorgar's enlightenment is not yet due... Nareth is faster..."
As the face on His left chest burst like a bubble, a face on His right leg exclaimed in surprise: "Monarchia remains undestroyed... Lorgar's enlightenment is not yet due... Nareth is faster..."
"I need a new plan..."
A face on His right shoulder, gleaming with wisdom, echoed: "I need a new plan..."
The hands of the Fate Weaver moved irregularly. Countless threads of fate danced chaotically.
....
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