40k: Midnight Blade

Chapter 332 52. Courage (4k)

Garvill Loken stopped, unwilling to do so, heading to another cell belonging to the Emperor's Children to deliver a message.

This is ridiculous. They are on a Glory Queen battleship, but they have to rely on such an ancient way to talk to each other. The more he thought about it, the more Loken realized the bitterness behind it.

But he had to stop.

Because Ezekiel Abaddon was standing opposite him. He emerged from the darkness. One second he didn't exist, and the next second he suddenly appeared like a man-eating shark rising from the water, with its mouth wide open. Loken stared at him, and the latter stared back.

Are they still brothers? Why do you look so similar to your enemy now? Loken felt a pang of sadness, but also realized something from Abaddon's appearance and attitude.

But is this possible? Horus knows now?

"Where are you going, Lorcan?" Abaddon asked softly.

"It's none of your business," Loken said. "I don't have to report to you what I'm going to do."

"Yes." Abaddon nodded. "But you haven't shown up in the duel field for three days, and Togaton. What are you doing?"

"I won't go to that place even once again."

"Whatever you want, but what are you doing?"

"This has nothing to do with you."

"I understand," Abaddon said. "But I deserve the right to ask, right, Lorcan? Have you forgotten our oath?"

"You and I are still brothers."

"No." Abaddon stepped closer to him, and the word he spoke made Loken grit his teeth. Fortunately, Abaddon still has a context, and it is not just a simple denial.

"There is another oath between you and me, which means that we have a closer relationship than brothers, Loken. The power of that oath is still effective on Ashimand and I, what about you? Togaton Woolen cloth?"

His eyes seemed to be embedded in the sockets, and there was some kind of suspicion. In fact, it was probably far more than suspicion.

He found out. A voice in Loken's heart said. He sent Abaddon here, and he knows everything.

Fear and shame began to creep in, but Loken did not let them take over. He was still standing there, breathing steadily - he was not a very qualified liar. In fact, in his past life, he was insulated from lying.

But now he has mastered this thing without any teacher, as if he has done it hundreds of times before, so naturally. He looked into Abaddon's eyes, kept his expression calm, kept his breathing gentle, and spoke with an unchanged voice.

But he only had time to say one word.

"I--"

"—Are you going to lie, Loken?" Abaddon asked.

He slowly walked towards him. Loken didn't speak, but clenched his fists. He didn't understand why he was doing this, it was an aggressive gesture that had no place between them.

For a moment, he was confused, but Abaddon had already walked in front of him.

"You've never told a lie before, Loken. You've always been a man of integrity, and Rogal Dorn even admires you. But what were you doing just now?"

Loken did not speak. He was silent for a few seconds, then chose to take steps, passing Abaddon and walking into the darkness.

He chose to leave Abaddon under the dim spotlight.

The latter turned his back to him, laughed, and then uttered a word, only two syllables, that sounded like a sentence. The tone used by Abaddon when he read it was not very solemn, but it made Loken stop immediately.

"Traitor," said Ezekiel Abaddon.

Loken turned around.

He thought he would be uneasy and nervous at this moment, but in the end there was nothing but peace. He turned back with his head held high, and Abaddon turned to look at him, seemingly surprised by his return.

"Do you think Horus did the right thing, Ezekiel?" Loken asked. "Do you think it was right for him to wound a Primarch like that, join his fleet, and reduce his legions to slaves so that they could kill each other for fun?"

"Don't tell me you didn't hear those laughs he made on the high platform of the dueling arena. The Emperor's Children were fighting, bleeding, and killing each other. Such cruel punishment and torture, but he regarded it as a kind of leisure time Enjoy it. Ask yourself, brother, is this really what we remember Horus doing?

"So you admitted it." Abaddon's face showed a false smile. He didn't want to smile. The meaning of this smile provided him was that he could continue to stand in front of Loken.

He was bluffing, and Loken saw it instantly.

Ezekiel Abaddon is guilty.

"You're changing the subject, Ezekiel."

"I am loyal to Horus," Abaddon said slowly.

"Do you still remember the responsibilities of the Council of Four Kings?" Loken asked, looking into his eyes.

"We provide advice to Horus. The original body's wisdom and character are a hundred times better than ours, but they are also human beings, and there are things they cannot care about. At this time, it is our responsibility to remind him. Tell me, Ezekiel, Do you think what he is doing is right?"

"What about you? Is what you did right?"

Loken shook his head in disappointment: "You still haven't answered my question directly."

"I guess I don't have to say anything to a traitor," Abaddon said with that smirk. "You betrayed us, Lorcan."

"I understand," Loken said. "But I am not a traitor, you are, Ezekiel."

"It's ridiculous, who did I betray?"

Loken didn't answer, just turned and left. He had said all he needed to say, if Abaddon was sent by Horus, if it meant that his judgment was coming then so be it.

But, he thought of a question.

What's the price of eternal integrity, Rogal Dorn?

——

You feel disappointed.

Garvill Loken and Taric Torgadun refuse to change their minds, and you begin to wonder if your efforts to persuade them were unnecessary. But you put the matter behind you in an instant and didn't have to think about it anymore.

You sit on your throne, surrounded by cheers. Mortal servants kowtow to you where they belong, and they recite your epic. This epic has not yet been formed. It should have millions of words and tell each of your stories in detail.

Soon, you thought. Just a few more steps and you're done.

When you listen to their voices, you feel a sense of peace that is unique to leisure time. And you know that this is actually just the last calm before the storm. You like the rainy season, and you always feel that the thunder is ringing for you.

It will be true soon, you said with a smile.

Once again, you are plunged into darkness. Your nose begins to bleed, sticky blood, as sweet as rotten fruit. You tasted your own blood, which was unusual.

You laughed again, your laughter echoing around the throne, but your thoughts began to wander deeper into the darkness. You feel a burst of power rising from somewhere and pouring into your body. Your body becomes stronger for this, and you almost think you can face everything.

In an instant, an unparalleled courage rises in your heart.

You had been hesitant about what you were going to do. After all, the cost of burning the entire galaxy to expose a lie was too high for anyone. But now you have firmed up this idea, and you have understood that it is necessary to neither break nor establish.

There is only one person in the world who has this kind of courage, and that person is you.

Only you can do this, only you can face the Emperor, face everything.

With this courage, you go deeper and deeper. The darkness embraces you, takes you in, and they touch feathers that remind you of Sanguinius. You were confused for a moment, but it didn't matter. You continued to go deeper, deeper, deeper.

Until reaching the deepest depths of darkness.

Now you stand here. Where the stars gather, where the gods gaze. The magnificence of the scene even exceeds the sum of the gorgeous scenes in all dreams. Just under your feet, there are a million stars that are constantly rising and dying.

You observed them for a while and then looked away boredly. You're tired of this sight, you've seen it too many times. So, you start looking at other things - like your brother.

This is true every day, and the darkness will always reveal some truth to you.

It's funny that the first person you see today is Conrad Coates. You see a killer with a pale face and ragged clothes, traveling between the gloomy tower-like cities, living by eating rats.

Then, his natural paranoia and perception of the future drove him into a desperate situation. He went crazy, but not completely crazy. He became a cruel ruler who relied on bloody means to maintain power and enforced justice with violence.

You couldn't help but laugh out loud. You didn't expect that Konrad Coates could be like this——

——"Where am I?"

It's not important, just keep reading.

"No"

Keep reading.

So you keep watching.

You saw Konrad Curze return to the Legion, and you saw him and his Legion being carried across the galaxy by the Emperor's orders. You saw that his legion was gradually filled with scum, and he himself was completely driven into madness by the excessive pain.

You stop laughing, you start thinking. His tragedy was still playing out, but it was no longer your main concern.

You suddenly realize that if the Emperor is really as good and warm as he says, why would he throw you all over the galaxy? And why not give this Conrad some time to deal with his planet?

You understand, Konrad Coates was driven crazy by his sense of justice and paranoia, but given enough time, he could actually reconcile with himself

The Emperor did not give him this time.

"Liar!" you growled angrily from the throne. "He destroyed you, Conrad, he turned you into a monster!"

The illusion dissipates and you begin to meditate, the darkness sensing your desire to see more. As always, it responds instantly to your commands.

It was so caring, so obedient, so unselfconscious, thinking wholeheartedly about you - and this time, you saw Magnus through the gauze that shrouded the stars.

Ah, your naive and well-educated brother, a scholar through and through, who values ​​knowledge more than war. You had been dissatisfied with some of his actions on the battlefield, but now you can understand it more or less.

There are always things that are more important than war, such as those thirty years. Why do you think of it again?

You laughed and shook your head, feeling ridiculous. You resume watching, and this time, you watch Magnus' life in its entirety.

You fell silent, inevitably realizing once again that if the Emperor had told Magnus these words ahead of time, he wouldn't have had to suffer.

"Why are you so silent, liar?" you said to yourself. "You asked us to call you father, and you do this to us."

But it doesn't matter, you gave that Magnus one last sympathetic look and waved away the illusion.

You sat on your throne and thought about it - the other you, the failed you, used some ingenious plans to achieve his goals, and he was torn apart by the wolves of Leman Russ and Fenris. Magnus's meeting place for wizards.

It was a terrible atrocity, but you would do the same thing if it were you.

At this moment, you thought of Magnus, the Magnus you knew. The last time you heard from him, he was under house arrest on Terra. That's good, you laughed.

A plan takes shape in your mind, and with just a little prodding, you can get a very good result.

"No," Horus Luperkar said in horror.

He has been covered by darkness, his flesh is disintegrating, and all the essence and good things in it are being replaced by something more twisted.

"I won't do that!" he roared. "I will-"

——You decide to send someone to Prospero tomorrow.

Ah, wait, what time is it today? You step out of the darkness, and in your shadow there are countless mortals chanting for you. You sighed contentedly and returned to your room.

Only then did you realize that you were already parked in the orbit of Istvan III. Will wandering in the darkness make time pass so quickly? A question arises and disappears quickly.

You thought for a moment, and at this time, another battleship appeared at the other end of the track. It was the Glorious Queen's warship called the Unwavering Resolve, the flagship of your brother Angron. So here they are.

Hmm. You nodded thoughtfully, the taste of blood slowly spreading on your tongue. It comes from nowhere, but you are completely satisfied. Then you thought again of the traitors on your ship.

They should be taking action soon, right?

You smiled.

It doesn't matter, let's raise hope first. Without hope, what's the point of despair?

You turn around gently and begin issuing orders to the mortals in your shadow. They are so useless, they tremble just when you look at them, but they are still better than servitors, at least they can convey your orders. Under your will, a meeting is set in motion.

You can't wait.

You want to see Angron.

You want him to face the truth.

besides.