The Inquisitor responsible for the investigation was brought before the Emperor to deliver a detailed report in person. His briefing included the specifics of the three Chaos Space Marine warbands involved, as well as information regarding the Chaos Champions and Chaos Lords who commanded them.
Axis shook his head. It seemed these Inquisitors hadn't managed to dig up anything of substance; they had completely failed to detect Ahriman.
"Is this the extent of your findings? Is there anything else you wish to add?" the Emperor asked.
"There is one more thing, Great Lord of Mankind. We discovered something rather unusual. It was simply too easy," the Inquisitor replied. "We found that the evidence pointing to these three Chaos Space Marine warbands was blatantly obvious. It almost feels as if someone were guiding us, deliberately ensuring we discovered that these specific warbands were responsible. This aspect is extremely suspicious."
Despite the overwhelming excitement of meeting the Great Lord of Mankind and being the first Inquisitor to be questioned by Him directly, the man faithfully fulfilled his duty, reporting every detail without omission.
He had inspected the site personally. The evidence left behind undeniably pointed to the work of Chaos Space Marines; there was no mistake there.
However, whether it was actually the work of these three specific warbands remained difficult to say. It was precisely because the evidence was so ample that the situation was riddled with doubt.
It appeared someone was trying to frame these three warbands, manipulating the Imperium into eradicating them.
"Oh? What else have you found?" the Emperor asked.
"Great Lord of Mankind, I have already cross-referenced the data with the Imperial Archives," the Inquisitor said, kneeling on the floor. "I discovered that the last recorded appearance of these three Chaos Space Marine warbands was approximately ten years ago. Furthermore, these three warbands do not typically operate together. I believe there is something fishy about this, so please allow me to investigate this matter thoroughly."
Standing to the side, Axis nodded slightly. This Imperial Inquisitor had some real skill; he was clearly worthy of his title, unlike those who might cower in bunkers rather than face Chaos Daemons head-on.
"Then, you shall be the one to investigate this incident. What is your name?" the Emperor asked.
"Great Lord of Mankind, my name is Karis. These Chaos Space Marines should not have gone far. I will find a way to locate them," the Inquisitor named Karis replied.
The Emperor nodded slightly, noting the name, and waved his hand to dismiss him.
The work that followed became rather tedious. The Emperor began to grant audiences to the surviving high-ranking officials of the Imperium.
Among them, the most emotional were the high-ranking Sisters of Battle and the Ecclesiarchy personnel who fought on the front lines.
"O Great God-Emperor, You have returned to Your people. Praise be to You, great God-Emperor."
"Praise the Great God-Emperor. All sisters of the Adepta Sororitas salute You. We salute the Great God-Emperor."
The representatives of the Adepta Sororitas and the Ecclesiarchy present revealed a fanatic devotion toward the Emperor seated upon the Golden Throne.
Seeing these people, the Emperor felt a deep sense of helplessness.
During the time he sat unable to speak on the Golden Throne, he had observed these Ecclesiarchy members. To tell the truth, the fact that he had become so powerful ten thousand years later was inextricably linked to these faithful servants of the Imperium.
However, deep down, he did not actually like these Ecclesiarchy personnel, nor did he care for these blind, fanatical religious zealots. After all, in the ancient past, he had utterly despised such things.
But there was no other way. The Ecclesiarchy was now the foundation of the Imperium. The Emperor could only nod to the priests and Sisters of Battle below, offer a few words of consolation, and allow them to leave.
Next came various other Inquisitors and the personnel responsible for guarding Holy Terra.
"Great Lord of Mankind, our primary task now should be to form a management layer. With the High Lords collectively eliminated, we need a new body to govern the Imperium," Captain-General Trajann Valoris stated.
"Agreed. Select a portion of the Inquisitors, a portion of the Ecclesiarchy, and have every Space Marine Chapter send a representative to form a Terran Council. This council shall manage the various affairs of the Imperium," the Emperor said. "Simultaneously, Imperial Regent Guilliman shall have full authority to manage all matters of the Imperium, large and small. If there is anything he cannot handle, report it to me."
Now that he had awakened, he could make the decisions on critical matters personally, while smaller issues could be left to Guilliman's discretion. Although he had recovered, he still could not speak at length every day. He had already said enough for one day; he needed to rest.
Trajann Valoris seemed to sense the Emperor's intention. He nodded to the Master of Mankind and ushered everyone out. Before leaving, Axis handed a portion of the Fruit of the Tree of Might to the Emperor.
In the days that followed, news of the Emperor's recovery, and his ability to speak and return to his people, spread rapidly outward from Holy Terra. Humanity across the galaxy celebrated the news; the Great Lord of Mankind could once again lead his people.
The awakening of the Primarch Guilliman had already been heartening news, but the awakening of the Emperor himself sent the entire Imperium into a frenzy of excitement. As for the loss of the High Lords, the Imperium's lower and middle management didn't care.
In such a vast empire, whose absence would truly stop the machine from turning? Aside from the One on the Golden Throne, everyone else was expendable.
Several days later, a woman was brought before Axis by the Custodes. The sight of this woman left Axis speechless.
Even Kasha, standing beside him, wore a strange expression. Kratos, was even more confused; he looked at his own mother, then at the woman before him, completely at a loss.
"T-This... Mother... Mother, is this... is this you?" Kratos stammered incoherently. Anyone seeing two of their own mothers would likely react the same way. However, this second mother looked significantly more haggard.
Her skin was pale, making her look as though she had been imprisoned for a long time. Although she had been kept within a stasis field, the environment of absolute darkness had left her complexion as pale as a vampire's.
"Are you a clone Father created to replace me? Or perhaps, am I the clone?" the local Kasha asked coldly, glancing at Axis's wife.
Who was this woman? Why did she look exactly like her, yet radiate such health and vitality? Although they shared the same face, their mental states were completely different.
"Did the Emperor tell you nothing about the situation here when he had you sent over?" Axis asked with a sigh. He genuinely hadn't expected the old man to actually send this world's Kasha to them.
"Heh. I slept for over ten thousand years. A long enough nap. As soon as I woke up, I saw that guy who looked like a dried corpse, and then I was sent here," the pale Kasha said. "I don't know anything about what's going on. Who are you? And that guy calling me Mother—what does he mean? I don't recall ever getting married."
"Explaining this might be a bit troublesome, but I am indeed your son—though, the son of the 'you' from another reality. My mother is also Kasha, the First Princess of the Imperium. However, she married my father, and then gave birth to me," Kratos explained the current situation.
He had to; his father was stuck in an awkward position, and his mother was bewildered. He was the only one who could speak up.
"What sort of nonsense are you spouting? Another me? What does that even mean?" this world's Kasha demanded.
"Let me speak... our destinies were identical in the beginning, but changes occurred later on. I met my turning point, met my true love, while you spent ten thousand years in a dark dungeon," the Kasha involved in the conversation took a deep breath and stepped toward her other self.
As she spoke, she used her immensely powerful psychic abilities to transmit a portion of her memories directly into the other woman's mind.
Being released from prison, accepting the Emperor's mission, meeting Axis, falling in love, and journeying together, every moment flashed like a movie through this world's Kasha's mind.
To be honest, the local version of herself had suffered a truly wretched fate. If Axis hadn't appeared, Axis's wife realized she too might have been imprisoned by their father for ten thousand years.
Or perhaps, by the time her father wanted to release her, he was already interred on the Golden Throne and powerless to act, and the Custodes would never release a prisoner on their own.
"How can this be? Why? Why was your encounter so different from mine? Why were you imprisoned for less than a century before being released, while I was locked away for ten thousand years? Why could you have your own son, your own husband, and build your own family, while I had to endure darkness and loneliness?"
After accepting the memories of her alternate self, the local Kasha's face changed instantly, twisted by fury.
Why was fate so unfair?
Why had she not met this man named Axis? Why had no one come to save her from that dark dungeon?
"The reason you are out now is because of me. So, in a sense, your situation is the same as my wife's, just ten thousand years late," Axis said. "Anyway, for those ten thousand years, you were in a sleep state and couldn't perceive what was happening outside. Besides, you are a Perpetual. Time is irrelevant to you. You can completely start a new life."
Axis couldn't shake the feeling that the Emperor had ulterior motives. Releasing this Kasha... surely he wasn't plotting something involving Axis? Or perhaps he wanted this world's version of Kratos?
"Mom– I mean, Motherother from another world, don't be sad. If your heart is heavy, you can talk to me," Kratos offered, intending to comfort this world's version of his mother.
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ps?