The Emperor's will was absolute. With all the Primarchs confirmed in their loyalty, the Imperium had not lost its true master, even with him upon the Golden Throne. At critical moments, he could still communicate with them.
The Primarchs had not lost their father, and humanity had not lost its Emperor.
The restructuring of the Legions was proceeding with great fervor.
Axis drew fifty thousand Space Marines from his own Legion and reorganized them into fifty new Chapters. He even asked Karn if he was willing to depart and lead one as its Chapter Master, but Karn unequivocally refused.
Their Legion still numbered one hundred thousand strong. It was a well-known fact that Axis rarely commanded the Legion directly, with the true authority resting in Karn's hands. Why would he leave to lead a mere thousand-man Chapter?
Kratos's own forces were permitted to retain only ten thousand men. The remaining one hundred and seventy thousand were to be divided into one hundred and seventy Chapters.
Every Chapter that split from the Sons of Axis wanted to name themselves in his honor, proposing titles like the Spears of Axis, the Hammers of Axis, the Swords of Axis, the Fists of Axis, and the Wrath of Axis.
Naturally, there were not enough names to go around. Some resorted to naming their successor Chapters after the weapons of Kratos and Axis.
The Golden Legion, meanwhile, gave rise to successors such as the Golden Wardens, the Golden Flash, the Platinum Chapter, the Golden Claws, the Golden Lances, the Golden Fangs, and the Shining Knights.
Each splintered successor Chapter would maintain close ties with its parent Legion. For a long time to come, even though the Legions were now divided, the sons would still rally as one at their Primarch's command.
All Chapter names had to be officially cataloged, and every new Chapter would be assigned a homeworld, granting them rights to all its resources.
Aside from the First Founding Legions who were allowed to retain a core of ten thousand warriors, nearly every other Legion in the Imperium was subject to this division.
Innumerable Chapters of varying sizes would soon be scattered across the galaxy. The Great Crusade was officially over.
Finally, Axis found himself with a moment of peace. He returned with Kasha to the planet of Nuceria to reside, choosing not to remain on Holy Terra.
A Webway portal existed on the edge of the Nucerian system. Shortly after his return, Axis used it to enter the webway once more, making his way to the domain of the Goddess of Life and the Laughing God.
"Axis, you certainly kept us waiting!" the Goddess of Life, Isha, exclaimed with clear dissatisfaction. "You said you were leaving to handle a few things. We did not expect that to take you over a decade."
They had resided in their Webway sanctuary for more than ten years, and both had begun to wonder if Axis had forgotten his promise to them.
"I was delayed by some important matters," Axis explained. "Things have been quite busy on our end. As you know, humanity had just concluded the great betrayal, then we had to dismantle the Rangdan xenos empire, and after that came the military reforms."
He had come to her at the very first opportunity. Had he remained on Holy Terra, Axis suspected his fate would have been little better than Guilliman's, buried under an endless mountain of administration.
"Well, now that you are here, Axis, please, create a body for me! I can no longer wait to have one," the Goddess of Life urged.
Axis nodded and looked around her planet. It had transformed completely from how he remembered it. Beyond the small creatures that roamed freely, there were now large numbers of Aeldari present.
"It seems you have reconnected with your people during my absence," Axis remarked.
In truth, the decade-long delay had been partly by his design, to allow Isha time to nurture her world and bring its life-giving energies to their absolute peak.
"Yes! The Aeldari wish for the return of their Mother Goddess, and I miss my children dearly," Isha said. "Though, I only consider the Craftworld Aeldari and the Exodites to be my children now."
While Axis was busy with the affairs of the Imperium, news of Isha's return had spread throughout the Aeldari race. Guided by the masques of the Laughing God's Harlequins, a portion of her people had already made the pilgrimage to see her.
The Craftworld Aeldari arrived first, followed by a contingent of Exodites. Even the Drukhari from the Dark City of Commorragh had sent emissaries, pleading for their Mother Goddess to return and take up residence among them.
Isha, however, knew the true nature of the Commorrite Aeldari all too well. In her eyes, that faction of her children had fallen into utter depravity.
She refused their request without hesitation. She understood the Drukhari did not seek her return out of reverence, but because they wanted her to create a ward of life to shield them from Slaanesh's soul-draining predation.
Though she loved all her children, the Goddess of Life could not condone the path the Drukhari had taken. She would never acknowledge them as her people unless they forsook their depraved appetites.
"The Drukhari are indeed a foul lot," Axis agreed. "Very well, let us begin. I will create your body now."
He produced the seed of a Saibaman and several barrels of juice pressed from the fruit of a Tree of Might.
This potent liquid, brimming with life energy, would serve as a far superior nutrient medium.
"Excellent. I have also prepared what you require," Isha said, presenting a large vial filled with blood collected from a hundred pure Aeldari maidens, which would serve as the genetic template for her new body.
Axis dug a deep pit on the life-world, roughly two meters in height.
He planted the Saibamen seed inside and poured in a generous amount of the Aeldari blood. The seed immediately began to absorb the vibrant crimson fluid, while Isha's consciousness started to commune with it.
After burying the seed, Axis watered the soil with the Tree of Might juice, allowing the immense life energy within to be absorbed. Finally, he placed his hand upon the ground and began to pour in his own Ki.
The soil, saturated with the mixture of pure Aeldari blood and Tree of Might juice, began to emit a soft, rich emerald glow under the steady infusion of Axis's immense power.
The Saibamen seed, now fully merged with Isha's spirit, absorbed the surrounding life energy and Axis's power at a phenomenal rate. Above the pit, the air distorted, forming a visible vortex of vitality.
Axis maintained the energy output, fine beads of sweat forming on his brow. The cost of forging a perfect vessel for a deity was far greater than he had anticipated.
This was not merely the creation of a powerful shell, but a body capable of containing Isha's boundless divinity and form, a process far more complex than growing an ordinary Saibamen.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, the emerald light in the pit suddenly retracted, drawn into the entity at its center.
A massive green sphere of light slowly rose from the life-world's surface, and the entire planet seemed to rejoice in that moment.
A sharp cracking sound shattered the silence.
The green outer shell fractured, and a slender, impossibly white hand, coated in viscous fluid, punched through.
Axis ceased his energy infusion and stepped back, a trace of fatigue mixing with his anticipation as he watched intently.
A figure slowly emerged from the green sphere.
A verdant liquid, fragrant with the scent of fresh flora, cascaded down her smooth skin. The first thing that came into view was her hair, a waterfall of vibrant green, the color of the freshest sprouts of early spring, shimmering with the light of life itself.
Her face gradually became clear. It was a beauty that transcended the comprehension of mortal races, blending the signature refinement of the Aeldari with a sacred harmony drawn from the very wellspring of existence.
She slowly opened her eyes, revealing pupils of a deep emerald green. They seemed to hold the vitality and wisdom of a primordial forest, pure and flawless, yet steeped in the passage of unimaginable aeons. Her form was tall and perfect, cloaked in a flowing, pale green dress that was not woven from fabric but condensed from pure life energy.
When she stood fully upright, a warm and powerful aura of life radiated from her in ripples. The very air of the life-world filled with a refreshing and intoxicating essence, and even the material universe itself seemed to celebrate her birth.
The Aeldari Goddess of Life, Isha, now possessed a true body of her own flesh and blood. She was a physical god of the warp. And unlike the Primarchs, Axis could sense that she was significantly more powerful.
Isha looked down, flexing her fingers and clenching her fist, feeling the unprecedented sensation of true touch and the rush of power in her veins.
This was the first time she had ever truly possessed a physical form, and the man before her had been its creator. In that moment, Isha felt an inexplicable and profound closeness to Axis.
"Da…Daddy?" Isha's voice was as clear as a mountain spring, laced with the tenderness of new life.
The title startled Isha herself and stunned the nearby Laughing God.
Axis, however, wore an expression that said he had expected this all along. You wanted my Ki for free, nd look at you now! I caught a wild god for myself, he thought.
Beings grown from his Ki developed a filial bond with him that was difficult to describe in words. The true father of this body was none other than Axis himself.
"Yes, my dear child," Axis said with a faint smile. "Father is here."
"You… you tricked me," Isha stammered, only now realizing she had walked into his trap.
Yet, she found she could not muster even a sliver of hatred towards Axis. All she felt was a deep love and respect for him as her father.
"Come on," Axis encouraged playfully. "Call me Daddy."
...
..
.
ps?