Warhammer: In the Name of Nirvana

[Why did I come out of that summoning circle? 】

【because……】

[I am Alpharius. 】

[Whether it's you or me, we are all Alpharius. 】

"..."

Conrad narrowed his narrow dark eyes. Faced with this answer, he didn't even need a moment of doubt or thinking. Just by looking at the next actions of the person in front of him, he could see the absurdity in it. .

When the Spider Queen said this answer slowly, she was leaning back calmly, her back against the chair, and her feet kicked off the riding boots made of plastic steel and fine gold. Put it on the table.

Morgan was smiling. It was a too obvious and vain fake smile, which did not cover up the lies in her words at all: this scene made Midnight Ghost feel unhappy. After all, he asked this question with a very serious attitude. question.

After all, he had been troubled by that absurd scene for three or four days: his brother, his sister, the flesh-and-blood relatives whose existence he had finally acknowledged and tolerated, could actually summon from such a terrifying and blasphemous summoning circle. , walked out slowly, and didn't seem surprised or panicked at all.

Thinking of this, Conrad frowned.

"You should think about and answer my question seriously, Morgan. You know this is not a joke: if you didn't feel my seriousness just now, you should feel it now."

"Answer me: Why did you come out of that magic circle?"

[Because I was summoned, almost forcefully: it’s that simple. 】

[Rather: Why do you care so much about this matter, my dear little parasite brother? 】

The Spider Queen picked up the Assam black tea that Virgo had just brewed on the table. This tea with rich flavor and smooth taste, after adding a little fresh milk, became the Primarch's favorite milk tea. , she tasted the wine carefully and seemed to have little emotion about Conrad's question.

On the side, Virgo looked at the situation on both sides of the table, and with the Spider Queen's acquiescence, silently retreated to the far corner of the room, leaving enough room for the two Primarchs to talk.

"You shouldn't use one question to answer another question, my sister."

Conrad's brows were still furrowed, and he licked his lips, seeming to be struggling with how to organize his next words: Debate and elaboration have never been Midnight Ghost's strengths.

So, he was silent for a while, until Morgan drank a pot of tea in an orderly manner and turned all his attention, and Nostramo spoke again. By this time, Conrad had also recovered from the confusion. , calmed down: This ability to calm down quickly is also the result of his being around Morgan.

"Morgan, do you know what that ritual, which is constructed from countless alien blood and souls and requires a whole war to start, is used for?"

【have no idea. 】

Conrad leaned forward.

"It was a summoning ritual, a ritual that used countless deaths as sacrifices to summon those powerful beings from the subspace, and even to awaken those so-called gods."

"And you, coming out of there: do you know what that means?"

A rare trace of seriousness appeared on the face of Midnight Ghost. He spoke these words word by word and carefully observed the blood relatives in front of him: To Conrad's disappointment, after hearing After these words, Morgan was still not surprised at all.

She just looked at the midnight ghost, watching quietly, which made the somewhat irritable Nostramo people feel strangely peaceful.

Morgan chuckled.

[I can understand your current situation, Conrad: After all, this is the first such a tragic war you have experienced, and the negative energy and subspace waves lingering in this galaxy will actually interfere with your Thinking makes you go astray on certain issues. 】

[Now, let’s take a look. 】

The Spider Queen held up a finger.

[First of all, we all know how bad the state of High Priest Randan is. Its rituals in the later stage are simply full of loopholes. You know, here in the subspace, even the omission of even one letter will cause a huge spellcasting disaster. , so it is normal for there to be problems with its summoning ritual. 】

[Secondly...]

# A sneer #

[Whether it’s you or me, we all know that if you want to awaken a god, wars and sacrifices on this scale are far from enough: I’ve shown you a real ascension ceremony in the future, right? 】

"!"

Conrad's brows jumped. He had never mentioned this to anyone. Although he had always been afraid of the darkest future, he also knew very well that under the arrogance and glory of the Great Expedition, he would not Some believed the scaremongering of a mad Primarch.

But why would Morgan know...

[Take it easy, Conrad. 】

The Second Legion traced random numbers in mid-air with her fingers.

[The future is not a completely mysterious existence. It is like a river. Although I am not like you, I can see the direction of each tributary, but where the main trunk of this river will flow is something that can be deduced. As a result, although I cannot see what will happen in the future, through observation, summary and appropriate reasoning, I can also know some inevitable major events in advance. 】

[For example, it is impossible for this great expedition to land smoothly, because the empire currently has so many hidden dangers, and because our enemies in subspace are so powerful, they are destined to set off a greater war in the real universe. A great war to shatter the eternal peace imagined by our genetic father. 】

[And considering that in the Great Crusade, we will eliminate all threats in the galaxy, and at the same time, the power of subspace cannot exist in the real universe for too long, then, for those evil gods who are good at bewitching and corrupting, the best The solution was to divide and fight within the empire's own military forces, and to use the sword forged by the Emperor to pierce his empire. 】

[In this case, then aren’t the Primarchs, who actually have huge military power and can single-handedly influence the situation of the entire galaxy, the best targets for seduction and corruption: The Milky Way is so big, the Emperor The Emperor cannot keep all the Primarchs by his side. 】

[In other words, a rebellion, a rebellion started by the Primarch and the Legiones Astartes, which would sweep across the galaxy, bring an abrupt end to the Great Crusade, and make former brothers and comrades kill each other: this is almost Inevitable, unless our father actually completes his fantasy plan. 】

[I can tell by the look on your face, Conrad: He failed. 】

The Spider Queen spoke out those shocking words slowly and without any hesitation or panic. It was as if she was discussing the strangulation of an unknown alien race, with a tone of "this matter is ordinary".

Opposite her, a bit of shock flashed through Midnight Ghost's pupils, but he did not let any words from Morgan dissipate the indifference on his face: on the contrary, as Morgan told her reasoning, Conrad De Na's frown even relaxed a lot.

[We can even go further and reason further: If it really wants to threaten the entire human empire, then the rebel side must have a strong enough leader to unite their forces. After all, a piece of loose sand cannot knock down the empire. 】

[So, the leader of the rebels first needs to be a Primarch, with strong combat effectiveness and excellent command capabilities. At the same time, he should also have good relationships with other Primarchs and local forces. If possible, You also need to have the Emperor's trust, because such a betrayal will make people even more unprepared. 】

[There are not many candidates, right? 】

"..."

The words of tiger and wolf from the Spider Queen hit Conrad in the face. Although the meaning contained in these words would make any Primarch immediately violent and want to arrest Morgan to plead guilty to the Emperor, but the Midnight Ghost But he seemed very indifferent: What Morgan said was just the terrible future that he had seen long ago and was destined to happen.

Conrad hesitated, his face stayed in thought and surprise for a moment, and then turned into a sigh of relief: when he smiled again, his figure looked much lighter.

It is not easy to carry these terrible dark futures alone. He can't even talk to anyone: because everyone will regard these prophecies as rumors from a mentally ill person, and some of him likes to go online. Brother, he will even go to war with him for his "monstrous words to confuse the public".

Conrad had long seen this clearly.

And now, a blood relative who is barely close to him can share with him the darkness of the future, and jointly bear the terrible fate they are about to face: even if it is only a little bit, it is enough to make the current Midnight Ghost I feel sincerely satisfied.

He even had the guts to make a joke.

"These words of yours seem to be describing the position of Warmaster?"

[Who knows: But we can all see the disadvantages of the position of Warmaster. It can even be said that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. It’s just that our father is passionate about it: many times, he is not a rational person. 】

"..."

It was extremely rare that Conrad nodded in agreement, but then, a sly smile quietly emerged from the corner of his mouth.

"But, then again."

"My sister, you seem to meet the above conditions, don't you?"

【……】

Morgan raised a brow, and Conrad smiled even more happily.

"Whether it is the power brought by psychic energy or the war potential of the Far Eastern Frontier, it cannot be underestimated. As for the relationship with other brothers, look at Zhuang Sen. Even if you allocate your energy to deal with Zhuang Sen Half of it, I think you can win over a lot of people."

"Or……"

"Are you interested in running for war master? I think your success rate is not low."

[If that is really a campaign, I will give it a try, but for now, let Jonson chase the bone that the Emperor marked with the name of Horus. 】

Morgan casually kneaded those hair strands that lacked maintenance and had some split ends. She casually turned away from the topic, her tone was quite lazy, as if the two of them were just discussing the afternoon tea decorations instead of Words such as [Warmaster] and [Rebellion] are enough to set alarm bells ringing.

Opposite her, Midnight Ghost narrowed his pupils, and the Nostramo man's face relaxed a little. It seemed that releasing some psychological pressure would be of great benefit to his mood: Kang La Of course, Deya ignored the topic just now, but he did not forget the purpose of his visit this time.

"You're not done yet, Morgan."

Conrad leaned forward again, and he stared at the face of the Spider Queen carefully. His dark pupils were filled with a firm attitude towards asking for answers.

"You haven't told me yet: Why did you respond to the summoning ritual, or why is a ritual used to summon powerful creatures in subspace, or even evil gods, related to you?"

"Does the Emperor know this?"

He knows it all too well.

The Lord of Avalon complained silently in her heart, but she did not say it out loud.

In the bottom of her heart, Morgan had already thought of a complete answer plan: the confession about the future just now was not only to adjust Conrad's tense mentality, but also to delay a little time for her to perfect her answer.

With the smile that was gone and seemed extremely sincere, Morgan spoke.

[Conrad, do you remember what we first discussed? 】

"Of course: Alpharius."

[You know what that is, right? 】

Midnight Ghost nodded.

"Our brother who may or may not have returned, the leader of a schizophrenic legion, a hopeless Riddler and arrogant, who thinks he has accomplished everything, but has done nothing."

[Even someone like you, who has seen through the dark future, can't see him clearly? 】

Morgan stroked his chin, while Conrad spread his hands.

"You know, I can't see all the future. I can only see things that are relevant to me or very important. And they tend to be vague, confusing, contradictory, and subject to many factors. External factors take turns interrupting.”

"For example, when I am around you, the future in my mind is like a pool of water in a heavy rain. It is blurry and can even be deliberately ignored. And in the recent period, I have found that some of the future has already It’s taken a completely different direction: For example, in the future I saw before, I shouldn’t have participated in this war at all.”

[But you still choose to believe what the future tells you? 】

Midnight Ghost nodded.

"Since they have already happened, it means that they cannot be changed. In this case, the best way is to follow their predetermined path: You have told me the story of the Eldar Prophet many times."

【……】

Morgan nodded, and a small knot formed between her brows. Conrad's words made the Spider Queen discover a new problem. She seemed to have ignored the impact of the prophecy on her brother: before that, because she Her subspace ability could interfere with the prophecy in Conrad's mind. The Midnight Ghost rarely experienced any corresponding discomfort when she stayed by her side, which made Morgan subconsciously ignore this problem.

But now it seemed that her Nostramo blood relative's submissive attitude toward those future slides in his mind was not a good thing to be promoted and needed to be corrected: Morgan noted this, and she wrote about it In your own inner memo, this memo only records the most important things.

Now, they need to solve these problems.

[Conrad, I still hold a positive attitude towards the comments you made about Alpharius. 】

Morgan smiled. Of course she knew that Conrad was right: not long ago, the Lord of the Second Legion picked out two hidden Hydras from her new blood and promoted them to Glory. The Ghoul Star Frontier Sentinels.

[However, if we look at it from another perspective: Just as every Primarch inherits a part of the Emperor, the uncertainty in Alpharius also symbolizes some of our future. . 】

[After all, every Primarch is a creation of the Emperor. We are no more different in nature, but in personal information such as personality and values. In other words, Alpharius's This kind of uncertainty and ambiguity exists in every Primarch. 】

[We all shoulder multiple paths, and any choice will affect the future we will eventually fall into: Alpharius is just extremely mysterious on this issue, so it is very conspicuous. 】

[For example: Even based on the lowest possibility, whether it is you, me, or each of our blood brothers, there are at least nine futures. This is just a minimum estimate. 】

[The death of loyalty or loyalty, the death of betrayal or betrayal, and the absolute neutrality where the choice only exists in theory: At the same time, in the possibility of betrayal, there are five different options, which constitute nine paths. 】

[As Primarchs, we are so powerful and noble, so no matter which path we choose, we will not be rejected, it only depends on our own decision. 】

[What happens in front of you is just a step towards one of the possibilities when I choose my own path: although this step is most likely irreversible. 】

"...You took the initiative?"

【Passive. 】

"...are those...things?"

Morgan nodded.

Conrad frowned, and the happiness and relaxation on his face disappeared instantly: in an instinct that he was not even aware of, the Midnight Ghost began to use his poor knowledge in related fields to fight for his blood relatives. think.

In the end, he just said a word dryly.

"Maybe... you could... ask our father?"

"He must have a way."

Morgan shook her head, the smile on her face a bitter look of disillusionment.

[You know, Conrad, our father, he is not omnipotent: after so many years of study and experience, you should know this very well. 】

Midnight Ghost did not speak, but his pupils were obviously a little darker.

"Do you know which path you are on now, Morgan?"

[I don’t know, I can’t see my future like you do. 】

"I can't see a future for you either, and at this point, we're equal."

Conrad smiled reluctantly. He seemed to think for a while before raising a finger.

"However, there is a minor omission in your conclusion just now: in fact, there are not nine futures waiting for us, but a tenth possibility."

【what is that? 】

"Death, or judgment."

Midnight Ghost grinned, revealing those snow-white fangs. When he chewed words such as [death] and [judgment], his pupils shone with stubborn intoxication.

"Some cowards will not go to the more distant future. He is not willing to die in the flames of war, nor is he willing to live ten thousand years later. He is disdainful of choosing to fall, but he does not have the courage to face the price of becoming a loyalist."

"When that time comes, the Emperor's judgment will bring death, and that is the only gift."

【……】

【Who would choose such a path? 】

Faced with Morgan's confusion, Conrad just stared into her eyes and smiled.

"I."

"Or rather, the old me."

【……】

【You before? 】

"The vision of the future is complicated. It often changes, becomes confusing, and even contradicts itself. I need to use my own ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood."

Conrad spread his hands, and his tone could not tell whether he was happy or sad.

"The longer I stay with you, the more visions of the future will give me a death sentence: I have seen many different endings about my death, and the only thing they have in common is that they are still far away from the present, and …”

"I don't want to die well."

Speaking of this, Midnight Ghost even gave a sarcastic laugh.

——————

"I still don't understand, Morgan."

While each was digesting the information in this conversation and waiting for Virgo to serve the second pot of black tea, Conrad watched Morgan retract his feet and also lean forward, leaning on the table without any posture. At that time, he didn't feel much surprise.

In fact, the Midnight Ghost can definitely be called sitting and not sitting: although the two siblings seem to be discussing very important things, their postures are unusually relaxed, unlike those brothers in mortal families. How much difference.

"You just told me that this is the path you have chosen for the future?"

[Yes, but this is not my choice: in fact, from the day I developed self-awareness, I have never had many choices. 】

Morgan frowned and his tone was a little low.

"..."

Conrad still looked a little unacceptable.

"You mean that your future may lead to some subspace creatures, or even those gods?"

The Spider Queen looked at her blood relatives who looked in disbelief and became happy.

[You don’t seem to have a clear understanding of the energy of the Primarch. Conrad, you don’t really think that we were created by our genetic father alone, do you? 】

Midnight Ghost shook his head.

"No, I just..."

He thought for a moment.

"Before this, I understood that there were ways of the gods that only our father had touched upon: I had seen futures for the Emperor, but those futures were shrouded in an unsettling light. middle."

【gold? 】

"Gold and black, the black aura is even more... terrifying."

The voice of the Midnight Ghost is very soft, like a thief recounting a crime experience: obviously, for Conrad now, describing the darkness in his mind to others is still a novel and unsettling thing. .

In fact, if Morgan hadn't shown these strange gestures so obviously in front of him, including walking out of the summoning ceremony and speculating on the great rebellion, Conrad would have chosen to remain silent.

Indeed, in the past few years of getting along, the Spider Queen is almost the closest person to Midnight Ghost in his life: although this closeness is accompanied by daily hurting each other and murderous jokes, it is still close.

However, it is only now that the closeness between them has gone a step further, becoming a kind of kindred spirit who can hold secrets from each other.

Konrad had thought that he would reveal these things to the Emperor or Fulgrim: after all, the Primarch of the Emperor's Children was one of the few brothers he could feel goodwill about, but judging from the current situation, Morgan seemed It is also an acceptable option. At least he doesn't have to worry about being regarded as a mental patient.

[Let me see, Conrad. 】

The Spider Queen narrowed her eyes.

[You have seen the rituals required to summon subspace gods in those future episodes about the emperor, so you can be sure that you can deal with the things summoned by the ritual of High Priest Ran Dan. 】

"Like you said, Morgan, they're not prepared enough."

"Too stingy when it comes to sacrifices."

Conrad's two fingers drew a narrow circle in mid-air, and the Spider Queen nodded to express her understanding.

[So, the great rebellion that I deduced before, the war that will set the entire galaxy on fire, is a sacrifice that can summon the gods, right? 】

"..."

"Why do you know this?"

Conrad asked rhetorically.

[I have been exploring subspace for some time and have opened up a path. 】

Morgan explained casually, and this explanation made Conrad raise his eyebrows.

"Magnus?"

【……No. 】

[Not that far yet. 】

The Spider Queen denied it seriously.

Conrad nodded and continued to think.

"I still don't understand, Morgan, why you care so much about the issue of gods: Although according to you, you have to walk on this path, this is by no means the reason why you are actively involved in it."

"It's more sinister than you think: don't take any chances when it comes to gods, my blood. That's a quagmire that even our fathers could only sink into."

The worry on Midnight Ghost's face was by no means fake. He was obviously worried that Morgan would have some ambitions that shouldn't exist. To this, the Spider Queen could only respond with a bitter smile.

【Um……】

[Let me put it this way, Conrad. 】

[Have you ever played video games? 】

The Nostramo nodded.

"When I was in Avalon, I saw your mortal officers gathering together to play games imported from Ultramar: many of them have this preference."

【……】

【Ultramar? 】

"Yeah, don't you know?"

"With the opening of trade between your Far Eastern Frontier and Guilliman's Five Hundred Worlds, many Ultramar products have become in demand in the Far Eastern Frontier, and vice versa. In the field of video games, Five Hundred Worlds The imported products from the world have monopolized the entire Avalon, and the newly developed games are even priced at astonishing prices.”

【……】

Morgan really didn't know this: although when she first visited the Five Hundred Worlds, she did notice that in Macragge, the residents enjoyed a variety of electronic entertainment, which seemed to be stuck in the Renaissance. What Wallonia doesn’t have.

But what does this situation mean now?

Cultural invasion from the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar? Ambitious new explanation?

Morgan waved his hand, interrupting these useless thoughts.

【very good. 】

[So now, I am faced with this problem: If our destiny is a game, then when I first entered the game, I was forcibly assigned a main line. 】

"What's it called?"

[This is not important, but our genetic father is also conquering this main line, and his progress is much higher than mine: Voice, after completing the main line of Chapter 1, I did not choose to continue, and... …]

"Show it off?"

【……】

【Roughly the same. 】

[I started thinking about other things, such as expanding my territory, cultivating my legion and country, or writing a few books or something: but it is obvious that those existences in the subspace do not want to see me leave. The path they chose for me. 】

"So, those gods used an entire civilization as a bait and mechanism to force you to return to the main mission they set up: This ritual is like some kind of pollution that forces you to continue on this path?"

【……】

[It’s understandable, but the situation isn’t that bad yet. 】

Morgan sighed silently, and she stroked her reflection in the sea of ​​souls: ever since she was forcibly summoned by that ritual, she could feel some unknown haze surrounding her soul. Although it did not More harm, but it cannot be erased.

This is like some kind of announcement: tell the Spider Queen that she cannot spend her whole life in this self-deceptive comfort. She will eventually face the path chosen by the powers of the subspace.

"..."

Conrad was silent for a moment.

"Will you keep going?"

He asked, his voice dissipated in the increasingly cold air.

——————

Morgan didn't answer him.