They exchanged a glance.
This matter was undoubtedly connected to Horus or the traitors.
"I understand," the Emperor said, "You are dismissed. Continue sending astropathic messages and report to me the moment you receive any word."
He then turned to his staunchest followers. "Rogal Dorn, and you, Malcador. We will return to the Golden Throne. Magnus and I will attempt to see if we can use a psychic signal to contact Ferrus Manus and his forces."
A thought then occurred to him. "By the way, where is Axis? Why do I not see him?" the Emperor asked.
At this critical juncture, Axis had to be summoned.
Humanity's survival through this catastrophe depended greatly on his power.
"My Lord," Constantin Valdor replied, "Axis went to Princess Kasha's chambers last night and has not yet emerged. I did not disturb him this morning. If you require his presence, I will fetch him at once."
"Send someone to summon him."
The Emperor nodded, but just as he was about to give the order, two figures appeared before him.
"There is no need, Father," Kasha said, a gentle smile on her face as she looked at him.
"Is it truly you, my daughter?" the Emperor asked, his voice filled with surprise, "You have awoken. I believed you would need at least another year and a half."
"Yes, Father," Kasha explained. "Axis and Magnus combined their efforts to complete the final restoration of my soul, allowing me to awaken successfully."
"I see," the Emperor said, a rare warmth in his tone, "It is good that you are awake. For you to awaken at this moment is a great boon for the Imperium."
He was truly astounded that the cooperation between Magnus and Axis could awaken Kasha more than a year ahead of schedule.
After ascending the Golden Throne, his psychic abilities were amplified to their absolute limit, allowing him to accomplish feats that were previously impossible.
And Kasha's own psychic potential was immense.
She had once been weaker than Malcador, but after spending time by Axis's side, her psychic abilities had undergone a quantum leap.
Now, in terms of raw psychic power, the only ones in the entire Imperium who surpassed her were the Emperor himself and Magnus.
Even Malcador the Sigillite, the Regent of Terra, could not match her.
"It seems something has happened."
Axis said, his gaze serious, The atmosphere in the chamber was tense, and Axis sensed that something was gravely wrong.
"Axis, our Astropaths have completely lost contact with the main force under Ferrus Manus," Rogal Dorn explained grimly, "He is leading a full eight Space Marine Legions to engage Horus. We have no way to reach them now. If it is a trap, we are doomed."
"Come with me, Axis, and you too, Kasha," the Emperor commanded. "I must return to the Golden Throne. With Magnus's aid, we will see if we can break through the warp storms and deliver our orders to the forces of Ferrus Manus."
"Father, do not forget one thing," Rogal Dorn interjected, his voice low and suspicious, "Ferrus Manus may very well have sided with Horus. His bond with Fulgrim was exceedingly strong." He even suspected that Ferrus Manus, as the commander of the loyalist vanguard, might have deliberately sabotaged communications to prevent orders from Terra from getting through.
Axis cursed inwardly.
Man! This guy truly live up to his reputation. His capacity for suspicion is something else. Not like I can blame him.
Ferrus Manus was arguably one of the most loyal primarchs to the Emperor. He had been driven into a burning rage by Fulgrim's betrayal and was ultimately killed by his brother in their duel.
"We cannot exclude that possibility," the Emperor admitted, his voice heavy with weariness, "After all, Horus and Fulgrim, whom I trusted most, both betrayed me."
Even Malcador, standing beside him, nodded in agreement.
He and the Emperor had once discussed the potential for primarch betrayals and had even listed several they believed would remain absolutely loyal.
Two of those names were now traitors. Ferrus Manus had not even been on their list of the unconditionally loyal, and given his profound friendship with Fulgrim, the probability of his betrayal was significant.
"I do not believe so, Father-in-law," Axis said firmly, "There could be another reasons for this. It is possible Horus fed them false orders."
Rogal Dorn shook his head, "I have already sent out the order declaring Horus a traitor to the eight legions under Ferrus Manus's command. It is impossible that they would obey an order from Horus now."
"But who can be certain of that?" Axis countered, "Horus is a despicable man capable of anything, and he is a master strategist. With the Four Chaos Gods aiding him, he only needs to issue a false command in the name of Holy Terra to deceive them. Ferrus Manus would surely fall for it. He has no direct way to communicate with Terra himself; he relies on the Astropaths aboard his fleet. Let us consider a terrifying possibility: what if the Astropaths on his ships have been corrupted and are deliberately guiding the eight legions into an encirclement?"
Corrupting an Astropath would be a simple task for Horus now.
"Your reasoning is sound," the Emperor conceded with a wave of his hand, "Regardless, let us first attempt to send an astropathic message." He then led them all back to the Sanctum Imperialis, the great hall of the Golden Throne.
Magnus looked much improved.
Though his face was still pale, he sat vigilantly upon the great machine.
"Father, you have returned," Magnus said, then turned his gaze to his sister, "And it is good to see you, elder sister. It is wonderful that you have awoken."
Kasha bowed her head respectfully. "I must thank you, Magnus. Without your help, I would not have woken so soon." Axis's ki and his purified warp energies had indeed been a great help to her, but it was Magnus's precise control of the energies, amplified by the Golden Throne, that had been the fundamental reason for her recovery.
"There is no need for thanks, my sister," Magnus replied.
"You have endured much, Magnus," the Emperor said, "You have saved not only the Imperium but your sister as well. Go and rest. I will sustain the Throne now."
Throughout the entire Imperium, only Magnus could withstand the power of the Golden Throne besides himself.
If his son had not returned in time, the Emperor would have been trapped, forced to sacrifice Malcador just to leave its confines for a few short days before the Sigillite's life force was completely extinguished.
Perhaps Kasha could have also taken his place for a time upon her awakening, but it too would have cost her her life.
The only ones who could truly sit upon the Golden Throne unharmed were himself and Magnus.
"I can continue, Father," Magnus insisted. "You sat upon it for months. I have only been here for a few days." In fact, while on the Golden Throne, his soul was infinitely magnified, allowing him a clearer view of the warp than ever before.
He contemplated that if his apotheosis plan had succeeded, he might have been able to sit upon the Golden Throne completely unharmed.
Had Axis not appeared, it was possible that Magnus, upon ascending the Throne, might have even been tempted to abandon his physical form entirely, his soul dissolving into the warp to return to its source.
The Emperor nodded, "I will need you to join your psychic might with mine. Together, we must locate the fleet of Ferrus Manus and send them a warning before they walk into Horus's trap."
"I understand, Father."
The Emperor nodded, took a deep breath, and once again ascended the dais, seating himself beside Magnus on the Golden Throne. Two tides of terrifying psychic pressure emanated from the throne. Father and son looked at one another and nodded, then unleashed the full might of their psionic power.
Their combined energy, a force of unbelievable magnitude, pierced through layer after layer of the roiling warp storm as they sought to locate the fleet of Ferrus Manus.
The joint will of the Emperor and Magnus was so potent that it did not take them long to lock onto their target.
But just as they were about to transmit their message, a terrifying gale of psychic energy erupted before them.
Powers of blood-red, deep purple, sickly green, and dark blue coalesced into a barrier, blocking their psychic reach.
t was the power of the Four Chaos Gods, working in concert once more to stop the Emperor. Despite their efforts, the Emperor and Magnus could not deliver their message with any precision.
At every critical moment, some new obstruction would arise.
Beyond that, the Emperor felt another, more insidious will working against him from the shadows, thwarting him.
The Dark King had its own designs. Otherwise, with his and Magnus's combined power, they should have been able to force their way through the Chaos Gods' barrier.
The Emperor could now see his future destiny with much greater clarity.
This was all part of the Dark King's plan. It wanted to guide him, step by step, into the abyss, to a complete and utter damnation.
"Father," Magnus said, turning his head in shock to look at the Emperor. "Your… your power…" Just as their combined psychic force was about to break through the Chaos Gods' barrier, his father's power had faltered.
What was more, he sensed a cold, dark, and desperate energy radiating from the Emperor.
"I will explain some things to you later, Magnus," the Emperor said, his voice grim. "It seems we will be unable to contact Ferrus Manus and his Legions." He turned his golden gaze to Axis.
"Axis, I need you and Kasha to go as reinforcements. If you can reach them in time, you may be able to avert this defeat."
Now, only Axis could reverse the tide. If he could reach the battle, Horus's scheme could not possibly succeed.
...
ps?