40k: Midnight Blade

Chapter 28 28. Khalil Lohars

Who are you?

a voice asked.

Who are you?

He drifted again, his consciousness blurred, and a kind of cold nothingness spread all over his body.

die. Is this death?

"No," said the voice that asked him. "Khalil Lohars, nameless ghost, this is not death."

boom--!

There was a roar of thunder.

——

"This is not death," a man said to him.

He has a dark face, a laurel wreath on his head, and golden armor. He was very tired, and even though he looked almost godlike and was wearing luxurious golden armor, he could not hide the fatigue rising from his bones.

"Who are you?" After a short silence, the ghost asked.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

Then, he shook his head to himself.

"Are you Khalil Lohars? No, you are not. Khalil Lohars is long dead. He knocked on the door of hell at the last moment of his life, and you - you ghost, Then he came as requested from behind the door."

The blue sky behind the man is so hot, and a high-hanging sun slowly shines in the sky.

brilliance

The ghost couldn't help but raise his hand and cover his eyes. It had been a long time since he had seen such strong natural light. Seeing the sun again almost made him cry.

But he couldn't ignore the problem.

"Who are you?" the ghost asked in a low voice.

The man didn't answer, he just stood in the sun and stared at him. His gaze was calm, but it made the ghost feel strangely irritated.

"Are you one of them?" The ghost suppressed his emotions and asked coldly.

"No." The man shook his head. "I'm not."

His words provided no evidence, but, somehow, the ghost believed him.

Just this one sentence - he believed it.

"So, who are you anyway?"

"I can't answer your question," the man said. "But it's not that I don't want to, it's that I don't know how to answer."

"Is there anyone in the world who doesn't know who they are?"

"Of course. Like you, like me."

The man turned his head and looked at the other end of the blue sky. From the moment his sight fell, there were plains and rivers in the place that was originally nothingness. Although there were still no animals, it was at least much better than nothingness.

"I know who I am," the ghost whispered.

"Then why are you still unwilling to call yourself Khalil Lohars?" the man asked.

".That has nothing to do with you."

Again, the man shook his head.

"This has nothing to do with me," he said. "But it's relevant now, Ghost."

"It's ridiculous - you're telling me riddles and lies here. You act like you know me very well, but you won't even say your own name. Also, where is this place?!"

"This is my memory," the man said.

He walked toward the plain before him, and the ghost followed him with a frown. He was still not sure what was going on now, but instead of staying where he was, it was obviously a better choice to follow.

Walk, keep walking - the sun still shines gently, and as they approach, the appearance of the plain gradually becomes clearer.

Along the river are two scattered wheat fields. Houses made of mud are scattered around the wheat fields, some children play happily among the dust, and a few dogs take a nap lazily in the shade of the trees.

"Where is this?" the ghost asked in a low voice.

The man turned around and replied calmly: "I told you once, ghost, this is my memory."

"Or, let's put it another way. This is the earth, the junction of the Eurasian continent at some time BC. The movement of the land has not caused this place to disappear. Those people are preparing dinner. They have finished their work for the whole day. ”

The ghost's hands began to tremble.

The man noticed this but said nothing. He turned his head again and looked at one of those houses. His eyes swept across the hole in the wall that was used as a window, and his eyes changed slightly.

"You" the ghost said slowly. "Say again, where is this?"

"Earth," the man answered. "If you don't believe it, I can show you more evidence, Ghost."

".who are you?"

"What do you think?"

The man stared at him with deep eyes. "Who do you think I am? You already have your answer, don't you, Ghost? You know very well that I didn't lie to you. Lies are unnecessary in a conversation like this."

Taking a trembling step back, the ghost began to take a deep, heavy breath. The man didn't offer him a chance to calm down, which he would have given enough time.

But now, what he lacks most is time.

Raising his head, the man glanced at the sky. The sun is still there, but the light is no longer as strong as before.

".Are you from the earth?" The ghost asked with a hope that he was not aware of at all.

"Yes."

"."

Yes, sometimes, is scarier than no.

The ghost closed his eyes and didn't speak for a while. Unspeakable complex emotions boiled and boiled in his heart, but the man interrupted his thoughts with words.

"I'm grateful you saved him," the man said.

"who?"

"My son - you call him Ghost, I call him Conrad Curze"

The man shook his head slowly: "I didn't have time to give him this name."

"He is your son?"

"Yes, a ghost. But, he is not what you think. He is not a twisted creation of the nobles of Nostramo, he is."

The man lowered his head and sighed. This was the first time he had shown such obvious mood swings.

".He is one of my visions for the future of mankind."

The man said slowly. "I don't have time to say too much, ghost. I wanted to tell you these things earlier, but you refused many times."

"It's you who has been--" The ghost's eyes suddenly widened.

"——It's me." The man interrupted.

He lowered his head, his expression becoming a little painful for a moment, but when he raised his head again, the pain disappeared.

He said expressionlessly: "I don't have time to say anything more, ghost."

"Let me make a long story short. This is no longer the era you know. The era you are familiar with has passed for a long, long time. It has been long enough for human beings to bloom and scatter leaves throughout the galaxy. However, if there is a surplus, there must be a surplus. "

Before he could finish his words, the man's body trembled strangely, and he suddenly fell to the ground as if he had been hit hard by someone.

The ghost frowned and stepped forward to help him up.

The light emitted by the sun in the blue sky was a little weaker, but the ghost was completely unaware of it. His attention was now on another place - starting from where he made contact with the man's armor, a familiar cold feeling followed.

".Is it them?" the ghost asked seriously.

"It's them." The man replied slowly. "Have you seen it?"

"I've seen it."

"That's it"

The man nodded, and something went out behind those dark eyes. He stood up and continued the topic.

"Human beings are now scattered throughout the galaxy, and there are many planets as bad as Nostramo. Oppression and suffering are almost everywhere in the galaxy. You should understand that what I say is true, ghost."

The ghost nodded silently - how could he deny it? He has witnessed the dark side of human nature for many years.

If you want to test a man, give him power.

There is no truth in this famous saying. What the nobles on Nostramo did after gaining power made him unwilling to think about it in detail.

"therefore."

The man slowly exhaled a breath and frowned slightly. The sun in the sky was blocked at this moment, and only the last bit of light came out, shining on the ghost and the man.

In the darkness, something floated towards me.

".They are coming." the man whispered. "This brief conversation of ours is over."

He looked at the ghost.

"I want to thank you, Ghost, for protecting him. You saved him from a rough and treacherous path."

The man solemnly extended his right hand.

"But I didn't save you because of his wishes." The man said slowly. "So, are you going to accept it?"

"Accept what?" asked the ghost.

“Becoming Khalil Lohars.”

Golden flames suddenly rose in the man's eyes, a hissing scream came from the darkness, and the stench of burning flesh was heard in the next second.

"Do you accept it?" the man repeated, his right hand hovering in the air. "ghost?"

"."

Khalil Lohars stretched out his right hand and took it.

I accept. He answered silently. The ghost's face appeared before his eyes.

I still owe him a knife.

——

The golden-armored giant suddenly opened his eyes, and the golden light flashed like lightning. He clenched his fists, pursed his lips, and blood slowly flowed from the corners of his mouth.

+Your Majesty. +

+I know, Malcador, I know. +

+You are taking a huge gamble. +

+I already know my opponent’s trump card, so where can I start making a big bet? +

+But, that ghost has many doubts about him. +

+A person's character is shaped by his past, and a person's behavior is shaped by his character. You know that, don't you? +

+Since you insist on doing so, I have nothing to say. Who made me the palm print bearer? However, you'd better pay attention. +

+What to pay attention to? +

+It is a very bad habit to ask questions knowingly, Your Majesty. Furthermore, I am troubled by your audacity in using psychic powers across half the galaxy to resurrect a person from the dead. +

+Although I asked knowingly, didn’t you also answer, Malcador? +

+That's because I can't help it, Your Majesty! +

The golden-armored giant smiled slightly and stood up. Arriving at the porthole of his room, he turned his back to the splendor brought about by this created identity. He has never liked those luxurious decorations, but since he is the 'Emperor' now, he must do so.

Gazing out the window at the stars, the giant nodded thoughtfully.

+Anyway, Malcador, how about trusting me for once? +

+Your Majesty+

+Huh? +

+I always believe in you. However, you should probably go see your heirs. Lorgar and Rogal Dorn disagreed on some points. They want to hear your explanation +

The giant was silent.

+Send in the Custodes. +

I said no knife, right? You still don’t believe it.

In addition, interested readers can guess where the Emperor is now.