Leman Russ disappeared after entering the Eye of Terror, which was born from Aisha's own birth.
Thus she shared a special link with the Eye and had witnessed Russ enter it.
What a stroke of fortune—his wife knew where Leman Russ was.
"So you know where that wild wolf is now?" Rhodes asked quickly.
"I do. In a sense, he really did find the Tree of Life," Aisha said.
"Is the Tree of Life truly so miraculous? Could it restore the Emperor and let him rise from the Throne?" Rhodes asked.
"The Tree of Life contains immense life energy—a rare treasure. In ancient Fenris legends, it's also called the World Tree. If it fully matures, its fruit could indeed restore the Emperor's body, but he still couldn't leave the Throne. The Dark King is an obstacle that cannot be bypassed," Aisha said.
If the Emperor left the Throne, he could no longer suppress the Dark King. Should the Dark King emerge, humanity—not to mention the Chaos Gods—would suffer.
"Never mind that. Can you give me his exact location? I'll bring the wild wolf back and restore him to the Imperium. Then all loyalist Primarchs, except the headless one, will be home," Rhodes said.
Dealing with the Dark King would be hard—something to attempt once he could summon legendary-tier monsters, at least of Ultraman King caliber.
"He is on a special planet at the source of fear. Time there flows differently. I can give you the coordinates, but you must hurry and extract him. Time there moves very fast. One day on that world equals decades outside. Russ has been there less than a hundred years subjectively, but ten thousand have passed outside," Aisha said.
"If you knew where he was—even when you were a Chaos Goddess—why didn't you capture and corrupt him into your Daemon Prince?" Rhodes asked curiously.
"Good question. Entering that space isn't easy. You can be lost in that planet's temporal snare without realizing it. And it's Aeldari territory, protected by a special ward set by the Aeldari gods. The Eye may be in the warp, but the Four don't have true bodies. We have no concept of physical form," Aisha said.
Besides, he was just a Primarch. The Chaos Gods only grabbed one each out of curiosity back then. Don't think they're priceless—if they were, none of the traitor Primarchs would have gone unclaimed by the chaos god.
"Understood. I'll bring him out as fast as possible," Rhodes said.
Most missing Primarchs were in places with warped time. Ten millennia could pass outside while they remained unaware. If they had known of the Imperium's peril between M41 and M42—Chaos, Orks, Tyranids, monsters everywhere—they would have returned immediately. Only isolation or imprisonment kept them away.
"Go. Don't delay. A single minute there can mean days outside," Aisha said.
That planet was one of the strangest in the Eye, in the interstice between the warp and realspace, but not part of the webway.
After a few more words, Rhodes ended the call, found Guilliman, and explained everything.
"So fast? I thought it would take you years," Guilliman said in surprise.
They had parted for less than a day, and Rhodes already had solid intel on Russ. Given a bit more time, he might bring the man back.
"You know I have good relations with the Aeldari. The Goddess of Love and Beauty had detailed intel. I've basically confirmed Russ's position. I just need to retrieve him," Rhodes said.
"No problem. Go," Guilliman nodded.
"Every minute I linger means days outside. I need you to write a letter and record a video. Otherwise I may have to use force to bring him," Rhodes said.
He wanted Guilliman to provide proof; Russ didn't know him. If Terra completed the godshard extraction while he was away, it could be disastrous. He set himself a ten-minute window; ten minutes there meant one or two months outside. No time for long explanations. A video proof would help, otherwise the hot-blooded Wolf King might refuse to come.
"Russ is impulsive but reasonable. Still, we can't waste time. Why not just knock him out and bring him back? Same result. I'll talk him down on Terra," Guilliman suggested.
Every minute was dangerous. Even watching a video would take minutes, meaning twenty-plus days outside. The Emperor's situation could change any moment. The safest approach was to render Russ unconscious and extract him; persuasion could come later.
"Simple and crude—I like it. I'll just one-shot him," Rhodes laughed, clapping Guilliman's shoulder.
Guilliman was right—forget videos or messages. That would waste time. A clean knockout would be best.
"In extraordinary times we act extraordinarily. Father and Terra could face danger at any moment. Minimize risk. Go now, Rhodes. Try to return within three days. Finish the fight within a minute; take two minutes to leave. With your current power, Russ shouldn't beat you," Guilliman said.
Rhodes waved goodbye, summoned Tartarus to open a portal into the Eye, and the two entered a special region.
Following Aisha's guidance, after hours they arrived at an emerald planet bearing a gigantic tree.
The tree radiated a strange field isolating nearby warp energies; the planet was untouched by Chaos.
"Master, this planet is like a black hole. Look—everyone on the surface seems frozen. Their time flows, yet to us they're nearly motionless, or move only after long intervals," Tartarus reported.
As an ultimate lifeform from the Ultra universe, he had keen senses. This world was bizarre, like the threshold of a black hole.
"So I must extract Russ quickly. Stay in orbit—don't land. Be ready to pull us out the instant I signal," Rhodes said.
Tartarus would be the outside failsafe, lest Rhodes be trapped by the planet's time snare.
After setting contingencies, Rhodes plunged toward the planet. As soon as he entered, a unique field gripped him; time and space around him distorted.
From orbit, he seemed to descend at a glacial pace, like a helium balloon drifting down, though he himself felt he was falling at supersonic speed.
It felt like Interstellar. This time-world was among the most dangerous places in the cosmos—one day could equal years outside.
…
Under the Tree of Life, Space Wolves noticed Rhodes's descent. They had spent decades here and had never seen an outsider. They reported the stranger to Leman Russ immediately.
The Wolf King wasted no time. With his Wolf Guard, he went out to meet the intruder.
Rhodes landed steadily on the strange world.
He immediately sensed the difference: the Tree of Life suffused the world with verdant vitality, a surging life force encircling the planet.
Here, lifespans stretched. An Astartes who'd live a thousand years might live several thousand here.
And with time dilation, the Space Wolves remained as young as when they first followed Russ ten millennia ago.
Leman Russ eyed the newcomer curiously. The armor bore clear Imperial heraldry.
That was why he hadn't ordered his guard to open fire. The man's height suggested a normal Astartes.
Had the Imperium sent someone to find him? But the Tree had not yet matured. He needed a few more centuries before he could bring its fruit back to save his father.
"Who are you? Did the Imperium send you to find us?" Russ asked.
"I don't have time to explain. I'm a new Primarch. Name's Rhodes.
You must leave this planet with me now. The Imperium needs you. The Emperor needs you," Rhodes said.
"No. I must remain a few more centuries until the fruit matures. And as far as I know, there shouldn't be any new Primarch program. Are you some contraption cooked up by Guilliman?" Russ said.
Rhodes shook his head. Golden-red energy flared around him. He launched a colossal Bull-Breaking Fist at the Wolf King.
Guilliman had been right—persuasion could take minutes, days, or months. The fastest way was to knock the wolf out and extract him.
Caught off guard, Russ and his guard were shocked. Several Wolves were blown away by the shockwave and knocked unconscious before they could react.
Russ drew his power sword and barely blocked once—only to be blasted skyward, spinning 360 degrees before pile-driving headfirst into the ground.
Pain wracked his body. He reached for his Frost Chainblade, but couldn't move.
What monster was this? A Primarch, downed in a single move!
Rhodes had controlled the Bull-Breaking Fist precisely—enough to subdue the Primarch and his men without harming them.
Without a word, Rhodes grabbed Russ and wrapped several Space Wolves in telekinesis, then lifted them into the sky.
Russ tried to struggle, but another punch sent him into darkness.
From landing to defeating and extracting Russ, Rhodes took three minutes. Those three minutes felt endless.
Only after they broke free into orbit, away from temporal distortion, did Rhodes exhale in relief.
"Tartarus, how long was I gone?" Rhodes asked.