At the same time—
In the western reaches of Ultramar, on the edge of the Sol System's sphere of influence, lay the Thousand Sons' homeworld: Prospero.
It was like a pearl half-buried in sand. Most of its surface was nothing but barren gray wastes and silent mountain ranges, save for the plateau near the equator, where there rose the brightest beacon of human civilization and the heart of the planet's greatest city—
Tizca.
It was also known as the City of Light, a miracle beyond compare.
This was a sanctuary of knowledge, a gathering place for sorcerers. The Thousand Sons collected every book they could find and stored them there. Psychic study was not forbidden in Tizca—if anything, it was encouraged. That stood in direct contradiction to the Imperial Truth, yet at the same time it had once been tolerated by the Emperor himself.
But the open exchange of learning, the study of psychic power, the deep exploration of all those mysteries—everything the people of Prospero took pride in—had been shattered by a single event:
The Edict of Nikaea.
Ever since the Council of Nikaea, the Emperor had explicitly forbidden the Legions from continuing the use of psychic units, and ordered all research related to psychic arts sealed away. For the Thousand Sons—a Legion that relied heavily on psychic power—this was no less than a crippling blow.
It was like pulling out the fangs of a great wolf, grinding down the claws of a lion, or stripping a warrior of his weapons.
Naturally, Magnus had argued his case with everything he had—but he had still been suppressed by the Emperor. Not only that, he had been confined to Prospero to reflect on his actions, while also being ordered to uproot all research related to psychic study.
As a loyal son, Magnus obeyed the first order and accepted confinement.
As for the second…
Magnus had very slyly chosen to pretend to comply.
Once back on his homeworld, he publicly banned psychic research—while privately continuing every forbidden project in secret.
A ban? Ridiculous. His father was only hostile to psychic arts because Magnus had yet to produce results impressive enough. Did Magnus not know his father's temperament by now?
The man was one of the greatest psykers alive. The two of them had even wandered the Warp together before.
As long as Magnus could produce something real—something that would make his father proud—then the ban would naturally be lifted.
"I'll succeed. I have to."
That was the goal he repeated to himself over and over.
At present, the most urgent issue was finding a way to resolve the Thousand Sons' second outbreak of the flesh-change. Otherwise, the Legion would never be able to expand again. But the problem was far from easy.
Even the Emperor himself had struggled with it. To Magnus, however, that only made it a greater opportunity.
Right. If he could solve it, then wouldn't that prove his mastery of psychic power once and for all? At that point, surely his father would have no choice but to acknowledge him.
"?!"
Just as Magnus was doing what he always did—letting his mind drift through the Warp—he suddenly sensed something strange.
A familiar soul.
And along with it… a familiar cry for help.
Driven both by curiosity and by his own sense of righteousness, Magnus traced the source of the call.
And what he found defied description.
His brother—Horus—was imprisoned by four mighty Chaos Gods.
"Damn it!"
Magnus immediately tried to intervene with his sorcery.
But before the four great gods of Chaos, Magnus's proud psychic arts accomplished nothing. He could only watch helplessly.
At the same time, he remembered the vision he had once glimpsed through psychic foresight—the future in which Horus was corrupted by Chaos and brought utter ruin upon the Imperium of Man.
No. This had to be reported to Father at once. Otherwise everything would be lost.
Just as Magnus was about to withdraw to realspace and think of a countermeasure, a miracle occurred.
The four shadows surrounding Horus's soul vanished one after another.
A blaze of brilliant golden psychic light erupted, so dazzling that Magnus almost had to shut his eye.
"F-Father?!"
When his vision finally cleared, he saw a golden giant driving back the taint of Chaos.
That flaming sword carved through a green shadow again and again—
And yet what puzzled Magnus was this:
Why did the psychic power surrounding that figure feel… slightly weak?
If it were truly Father, it shouldn't have felt this insubstantial.
Before Magnus could sort through the contradiction, he realized that "Father" had already noticed him—and was rushing straight at him.
Instinctively, Magnus tried to flee, only to find himself locked in place by overwhelming psychic force.
By the time Horus's soul had settled once more, the last thing Magnus saw was a young man he had never met before carrying his brother away.
An Astartes?
Where had he gotten psychic power like that?
How could he possibly do such a thing?
"Magnus! My foolish son!"
The Emperor's voice rang out, full of anger.
"F-Father!"
Magnus trembled before the blazing golden sun.
At that moment, he was sure of it. This was his father's power.
And at the same time, he knew he was in trouble.
Because the Edict of Nikaea had forbidden the use of psychic powers and prohibited further exploration of the Warp.
And Magnus had violated both.
"Did I not order you to cease using psychic power?! Then why are you here?!"
"Get back! At once! Go back immediately!"
"Yes, Father!"
Magnus dared not hesitate. The instant the restraint vanished, he fled in a panic.
Only after putting real distance between himself and that overwhelming presence—after confirming again and again that his father had not pursued him—did he finally breathe out in relief.
Good thing Father hadn't pressed the matter. Otherwise, what awaited him would have been far worse than a psychic slap to the face.
After all, Magnus had made a scene at Nikaea, openly rebuked the Emperor's misunderstanding of psychic power, and even then all he'd received was house arrest back home.
Strictly speaking, even having him seized on the spot and imprisoned in the Imperial Palace would not have been excessive.
"Hah… Father's understanding of psychic power is far too narrow-minded."
Having escaped punishment, Magnus still couldn't understand why a psyker as mighty as the Emperor would prohibit everyone else from wielding that same power.
If Magnus hadn't used psychic arts, how would he ever have discovered Horus being corrupted by Chaos?
It was Magnus who had prevented Horus's fall.
But then again, who exactly had that young Astartes been? Why had it felt as though he shared some sort of extraordinary connection with Father?
Magnus lingered in the Warp instead of immediately returning to realspace, replaying what he had seen. After carefully dissecting the scene, he came to a conclusion:
What had first drawn him there had been Horus's cry for help.
The one who had saved Horus had been Father.
And Father had somehow emerged from that Astartes.
"Wait…"
Realization struck Magnus all at once, and he stiffened.
By what right?
No—that wasn't the point.
He needed to confirm something with Father first.
Surely there wasn't another psyker in the galaxy stronger than the two of them?
Especially not an Astartes.
That was impossible.
"Yes, yes… you're right to think that, seeker of knowle— ahem, child."
A familiar voice suddenly drifted out of nowhere.
The disturbance rippled through Magnus's psychic field, because he remembered all too well the last time he had encountered that presence in the Warp. It had been during that encounter that he lost one of his eyes.
And yet, that same eye had granted him the power to perceive the deeper currents of the Warp—and for a time, it had even eased the flesh-change in his sons.
Unfortunately, after the flesh-change had been suppressed, other problems had emerged in its place. Still, the results had been real.
It simply meant he had to go one step further.
"You?"
Following the sound, Magnus moved toward it—and soon found the source: a familiar cloud of light.
It shimmered with rainbow-like halos. Inside it floated countless spinning geometric sigils and drifting fragments of knowledge.
As Magnus extended his senses, he perceived within the cloud a tall scholar in white robes, his features blurred, his presence exuding calm authority and the aura of endless wisdom.
"We meet again, child."
The scholar's voice sounded like a chorus of sages whispering in unison.
"It gladdens me greatly to see you again, wise one."
Magnus bowed respectfully to the being he knew as the Wise Spirit of the Warp.
To Magnus, this sage stood on a level not far below his own father. Every encounter with him was exhilarating, because there were so many questions that only he seemed willing—or able—to answer.
The things Father would not say. The things Father did not want to explain. This being knew them all.
Which meant Magnus's own research, his doubts, his problems—
He could ask here.
Scholarly exchange, after all.
"I can see it plainly, child. Your heart is burdened with many questions. Speak them."
Magnus had originally intended to ask about the flesh-change.
But just then, the image of that young Astartes flashed back through his mind.
He fell silent for a moment. Then, after thinking carefully, he changed his question.
"I saw a young man just now. He seemed to share an unusual connection with my father. What exactly… is going on there?"
"That one…" the scholar hissed through clenched teeth. "He's a bastard. A peeping creep. A shameless libertine. A degenerate. A filthy, contemptible little— ahem."
The scholar abruptly stopped himself, then resumed in a calm tone.
"In any case, child, he is dangerous."
"Dangerous?"
Magnus was puzzled. Why had this wise being spoken of the youth with such obvious hostility?
More importantly—dangerous how?
Hadn't he appeared alongside Father? Hadn't he even driven off the Chaos Gods? If he were truly dangerous, why would Father have allowed him near Horus at all?
"He has deceived your father. Do you remember the vision of destruction you saw before? Yes—he is the root of it all."
"It is by his hand that the Imperium of Man shall meet its end."
Those words struck Magnus like a thunderbolt.
The ruin of the Imperium?
Because of him?
That Astartes?
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 139)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter171)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter100)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter184)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 168
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 156
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 105
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 185
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 160
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 150
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 76
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 97
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 116
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 75
Uma Musume: I Want All 93
I Can Copy Unique Skills 79
Summoning an Evil God, but the 55
Supernatural Multiverse 75
My Harem Is Indescribable 68
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 70
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 69
Still playing traditional Honk 49
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 53
What Should I Do After Switchi 42
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 50
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 38
Transmigrated as Sukuna 35
Checking In in Demon Slayer 40
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 55
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