Aisha stood upon the peak of a colossal mountain on the Cosmic Beast world, her silver-white hair streaming in the wind. No longer did her eyes hold the shadow of Chaos.
Instead, they shone with the clear light of Order. Aisha gently raised her hand, feeling the new power flowing through her veins—not the corrosive power of Chaos, but the pure power of Order, the divine authority of love and beauty that now belonged to her.
"So this is… the feeling of freedom? I've finally awoken from that nightmare." Aisha whispered softly, a long-forgotten smile appearing at the corner of her lips.
It was wonderful—her choice had been the right one. From this moment on, she was reborn: the Goddess of Love and Beauty of the Eldar.
No longer the dark god of Chaos, evil, lust, and excess.
…
At that very moment, in the Holy Palace of Terra, a faint smile appeared on Rhodes's lips as well. He could feel it: Aisha had completely severed herself from Chaos.
A new goddess of the Eldar, a goddess of Order, had been born. All that remained of Slaanesh was its corrupted Chaos divinity.
At the same time, all Eldar across the galaxy felt a joy beyond words. The soul-drain curse that had plagued them for over ten thousand years…
The eternal curse of the Aeldari, the doom from which they had sought countless ways to escape, seemed to vanish in an instant.
In recent years, this curse had already been weakening. Back then, all Eldar believed it was the rise of the Death God that fulfilled the prophecy.
But now it seemed that was not the case. Through the vast sensitivity of the psychic webway, every Eldar knew: their Mother Goddess, Isha, had gained a sister.
A goddess who ruled over love and hope. Another deity of the Eldar had been born.
Across the stars, Eldar everywhere cheered—this was a miracle. A new goddess of their people had arisen.
And with her birth, their ancient feud with Slaanesh had been utterly erased.
…
Meanwhile, the Death God of the Eldar was still adjusting to his new body—the one Rhodes had given him after the War of the Vigilus, a body of Ace Killer.
Merged with it, his divine power over death could now be unleashed to its full extent—many times stronger than before. If he faced Fulgrim again, there would be no humiliating defeat this time.
With Fulgrim defeated by Rhodes and the Emperor, Slaanesh's strength across the galaxy was collapsing, fading as if it no longer touched reality at all.
In its place, a new power arose—seizing dominion over art, love, beauty, and hope.
A new god of the Eldar had been born.
"A blessing indeed, at least for the Aeldari," the Death God muttered to himself. "But Kaela Mensha Khaine, you chose wrongly. You should never have thrown yourself into the arms of mankind."
In his mind, cooperation with the Imperium of Man, maintaining peace between the two races, was acceptable.
But to deepen their ties further—that was debatable. In his eyes, Isha's actions had been shameful for the Eldar pantheon.
Yet since she had chosen this path, it was not his place to intervene. But this new goddess… she was different. He had to find her quickly, and bring her back into the ranks of the Eldar gods. Perhaps then, they could rebuild a new pantheon.
Perhaps he himself could become the Phoenix King, the supreme deity of the Eldar. And perhaps this goddess of love and beauty… could even become his divine queen.
The Death God fell into a dream of grandeur. The new goddess's birth filled him with boundless confidence: the Eldar would be great once more.
Without hesitation, he cast his projection into the Warp, searching for her trace.
He wanted to be the first to congratulate her, to win her favor. Among the surviving gods of the Eldar, he alone, as a male deity, was worthy of such a goddess.
As for that clown—forever hiding in the Black Library, never daring to show his face—just a coward.
And the war god, though resurrected, was nothing but a rat: refusing to even acknowledge his own people, going so far as to join others instead.
Perhaps the war god had never loved the Eldar at all—for he had once sought to destroy them entirely.
Thus, in the Death God's mind, if the new goddess were to choose a consort, the best choice would be him.
…
Meanwhile, in the Black Library, Cegorach too sensed the new goddess's birth. But unlike the Death God, he chose silence.
This was no simple matter.
She had been born at the exact instant a Chaos god was stripped of its divinity. She had cut the soul-drain curse at the very moment of her awakening.
And the domain she ruled—love and beauty—was far too close to the powers Slaanesh once claimed.
This was no coincidence.
At her birth, she had taken a portion of Chaos's divine essence.
The galaxy and the Warp were in upheaval. Rhodes, that being from beyond, was reshaping the universe, heralding a storm that would sweep across the stars.
And Cegorach, as one of the old age's few survivors, knew that if he wished to live in this new age, it was best to keep his head down and remain silent.
…
At that moment, Aisha was within the Warp, purifying Chaos energies with the radiant might of Order.
From the shadows, the Death God appeared—his body cloaked in black robes like flowing shadow, his pale face carefully composed into elegance. He bowed slightly, his voice deep and resonant:
"Welcome back, embodiment of love and beauty—Goddess. May I know your name? I am Ynnead, the Death God."
Aisha turned, her silver hair cascading like a river of starlight in the glow of Order. She looked at him with neither joy nor hatred, only a cool, distant detachment.
"Death God Ynnead," she answered calmly. "Why have you come to me?"
Why was this god seeking her? She remembered him well. Back on Terra, she had crossed paths with him while wearing Isha's guise.
Her impression of him had not been favorable. Had he not once sworn to kill her—calling it destiny?
But that prophecy would never come true now.
Ynnead smiled faintly, stepping closer, trying to appear more amiable.
"Your birth is the hope of our people's revival. As one of the remaining Eldar gods, it was my duty to be the first to congratulate you."
Yet he could sense her faint distance toward him. Was it because his power was tied to death?
Eldar gods cherished life and nature—death was not a domain beloved among them.
His expression faltered briefly, but he quickly recovered.
"I have waited and gathered strength for this moment—to lead our people's gods back to glory. I am now the strongest among us. I carry the responsibility of restoring our pantheon.
I wish to invite you to join me. Together, we can rebuild the divine halls of our kind."
Aisha's lips curved into a cold smile.
"Sorry, but I'm not interested. And you should get one thing straight—you are not the strongest god of the Eldar."
As the goddess of love, she saw through him at a glance. Please. Do you even know your place?
She was already bound, carrying her beloved's child. And her man was very much alive.
"The new goddess of love and beauty seems to have some misunderstanding of me," Ynnead pressed, his tone soft. "May I know why you dislike me so?"
"You're standing in a body given to you by humans, aren't you? Without their help, you wouldn't even exist in this reality." Aisha's eyes sharpened. "And you dare call yourself the strongest of the Eldar gods?"
The strongest… was not some pretender like him, but the child she carried.
Ynnead's temper flared. Why did this new goddess harbor such hostility toward him?
"I have long prepared to sweep away Slaanesh and bring hope to our kind. I even defeated the bearer of Slaanesh's divine shard! I have fulfilled my mission."
Aisha's laugh was cold, her aura of Order illuminating his false facade.
"Prepared? You mean cowering in the Warp, watching our people's souls devoured while you hid?
And stop flattering yourself—the one who destroyed Slaanesh's shard wasn't you."
That was her man's doing—with the Emperor's help. Ynnead had been little more than a background prop… beaten badly by Fulgrim at that.
Ynnead's eyes flickered with anger, but he forced himself to remain composed.
"The situation then was too dire—reckless action would have doomed us all. But now things are different. Humanity shields us from Chaos's fury. We have a chance.
But tell me—who do you call the strongest god of the Eldar?"
Aisha's smile was serene, but her answer firm:
"That's easy. My son, of course."