"You still remember who guided you, don't you?"
Alexander's lips curved into a perfect smile, gentle and not at all off-putting.
Despite his youthful appearance, his tone was like an elder teaching a lost Dante.
That tone even made Dante recall his father, Aereas.
What chilled Dante to the bone was that everything Alexander said was perfectly accurate; it was precisely his experience when he was eleven years old.
Alexander spoke in such detail, every single point correct, as if he had been watching Dante at the time.
Most importantly, it was when Dante was on the verge of dying of thirst in the desert all those years ago.
"He guided you, didn't he?" Alexander asked with a smile, "When you were almost dying of thirst in the desert, that figure clad in golden armor, with pure white metallic wings, and a spiky halo floating behind his head?"
"He had a longsword the height of an adult hanging at his waist, a red and white emblem on his shoulder pad, and in his hand, he held high a Holy Grail filled with blood."
Dante's body trembled slightly.
He had indeed seen it; when he was on the verge of dying of thirst in the desert, an Angel descended amidst the yellow sands and pointed Dante in the right direction.
For the past millennium, Dante had always believed it was the Angel's blessing. Without that blessing, Dante would have died on his way to the trials long ago.
Dante had never spoken of this matter, nor did he believe that a Chaos God could easily peer into a moment blessed by Sanguinius.
Could it be, could it be that Sanguinius was not the only one watching over him at that time? Dante gazed at Alexander, whose smiling expression caused a ripple of doubt in his heart.
Dante's thousand years of experience could not discern any falsehood, only sincerity.
"..He pointed you in the direction, leading you to a corpse. On that corpse were four bottles of water, everything you had longed for during your week trapped in the desert."
"I remember, you dug a pit in the sand with your staff, buried the corpse as best you could, and prayed to the Emperor, praying for his soul to return to the Golden Throne. And you thanked him for his hope."
"You should know that I am the Lord of Death. When I saw that scene, I was very pleased with you."
Alexander gently touched Dante's memories with a soft tone:
"You understand the value of death; you are a good boy, and you will become a good Chapter Master."
"That's what I told Sanguinius at the time, and he also nodded in praise of you."
Dante fell silent, truly unable to judge the truth of Alexander's words for a moment.
He seemed to have truly witnessed Dante attending the trials, and truly witnessed Sanguinius giving Dante guidance.
If all of this was truly Alexander's lie, then Dante had to admit that he was the best actor in the entire galaxy.
"Your performance in the first trial was excellent, refusing to raise your butcher's knife against your comrades, preserving your integrity and morality as a human."
"This is precisely what we need, Louis Dante of Baal. We do not wish for the future Chapter Master of the Blood Angels to abandon his human integrity, for the Blood Angels bear such a terrifying curse. Once they believe themselves to be merciless weapons, they will inevitably be controlled by the Bloodthirst and the Black Rage."
"Deep in your heart, beneath the face of Dante, you are still the son of a salt seller, and this is why we chose you."
"The burden of a millennium is not something just anyone can bear. You must carry all the curses and hardships, and stand in Angel Keep at this very moment."
Alexander's face showed deep sorrow, and he sighed softly:
"Salt boy, for humanity, you have suffered immense pain. You should have found release and peace much sooner. You have earned this reward a thousand times over."
"But he cannot, nor can I. Even if I am death itself, I cannot grant you peaceful slumber."
"You still need to endure pain, you still need to make those difficult judgments, and you still need to fight for humanity."
"Now, Salt Boy Dante, please tell me, are you willing to trust me?"
Mephiston, standing in the corner of the room, watched this scene with a look of horror.
His expression was filled with bewilderment and fear. Was this a conversation he was allowed to hear?
That Warp entity actually claimed... claimed that Lord Dante becoming Chapter Master was something he and Sanguinius had arranged all along??
And what Alexander had just said, Dante actually didn't refute it?
Mephiston involuntarily began to recall all the information he knew about Dante, and he actually began to vaguely feel that there were too many coincidences in Dante's life, as if it had all been deliberately arranged.
From Dante participating in the trials to becoming a Blood Angel, and then becoming the Chapter Master of the Blood Angels...
In an instant, Mephiston's gaze towards Dante became strange.
He felt that he wasn't like Erebus, but Dante was Erebus... a life arranged by a Warp entity.
Dante remained silent for a long time, then slowly spoke: "Will I find death? Will I get the peaceful rest I desire?"
"..Yes." Alexander bluffed without batting an eye, "I promise you."
"On the day the Battle of Baal ends, when humanity finds hope, you will receive the peaceful rest you deserve."
"Dante, you are Sanguinius' most excellent son; this is what you deserve."
"..I almost trust you now." Dante's face was slightly pale, his expression a little shaken.
The power contained in Alexander's words was too strong; even Dante's mind, tempered by a millennium, felt unable to resist.
He could sense that this voice contained no power of the Warp, unlike the temptations of a Tzeentch Great Unclean One...
Moreover... "Moreover, I truly don't know which Dark God would use death to tempt someone."
Dante's lips curved into a bitter smile.
Tzeentch craves endless change, the Blood God craves eternal slaughter, Slaanesh delights in debauchery, and Nurgle deeply loves every life.
None of the four of them would tempt someone with only the peacefulness of death.
"Louis Dante." Alexander spoke softly, "You should make a decision; the mission of a millennium is about to end."
".." Dante lowered his head in silence.
Alexander's words almost stripped away all the masks he wore, revealing the face of the salt seller's child.
Dante looked through the mirror on the table, his eyes full of wavering doubt.
He almost believed Alexander's words, and even unconsciously felt a closeness to Alexander.
But deep in his mind, the rationality accumulated over a millennium was still resisting, reminding Dante of the risks involved.
"..I will consider this matter." Dante said, his face slightly pale, forcing himself to suppress the urge to agree.
His experience told him that he must never make decisions impulsively; he needed some time to calm down.
Alexander watched this scene, but merely nodded slightly.
He knew he had done enough.
With his understanding of Dante's life and the extreme acting skills granted by the Hot Plate & Robot Director, Alexander successfully gave a strong push to the scales in Dante's heart... This was enough. As time passed, the effect of those words would not disappear, but would become stronger and stronger, increasingly pushing Dante to take the actions Alexander needed.
"It's alright." Alexander said with a slight smile, "We have waited a millennium, and now we can wait a little longer, after all, the time is not yet right."
"But before the Tyranid arrive, I hope to hear an answer."
Alexander had to wait until the hive mind arrived and shielded the Warp before he could resurrect Sanguinius, otherwise he would have to directly face the Blood God's attack.
Moreover, there was still Kabanha, the Khorne Bloodthirster who was already attempting to invade Baal, yet to be dealt with.
"What if I refuse?" Dante asked, looking up.
"Then I would be very disappointed... But I still maintain that Sanguinius and I made the best choice back then. You are a good Blood Angel, Dante, perhaps the best one."
Alexander shook his head gently and said:
"But I must fulfill my promise to the Lord of Baal. I will achieve my goal in my own way, Dante."
Dante fell silent, then slowly nodded: "I will answer you in the next few days. Mephiston, arrange accommodation for this Lord."
Standing in the corner, Mephiston, with a somewhat horrified expression, nodded in a daze.
What he had just heard was too terrifying.
If Alexander was telling the truth, then Dante was placed in the position of Chapter Master by a Warp entity.
If Alexander was lying, then it was truly frightening; this ability to bewitch hearts was even stronger than a Tzeentch Great Unclean One.
"Good." Alexander nodded slightly, smiling as he pushed open the red-pink wooden door. Beyond the wooden door appeared the light of Astramael (Celestial Adalia).
It clearly led to the Saint's Treasure Vault, belonging to the Blood Angels' Librarians.
The light of that star, constrained and compressed by the Emperor's own power, shone on Alexander, but Alexander's expression remained as usual, seemingly completely unaffected.
Dante noticed this, and the wavering in his eyes diminished slightly.
"Dante." Alexander turned his head and looked at Dante, saying, "Your father is proud of you."
Dante's pupils contracted slightly, and he involuntarily asked, "Which one?"
Alexander smiled, not surprised: "Both."
With that, Alexander, accompanied by Mephiston, disappeared through the wooden door, and the red-pink wooden door also vanished from its original spot.
Only Dante was left sitting alone in the office, wearily covering his forehead.
Inside the Saint's Treasure Vault, Alexander looked with interest at the star hovering in the air.
He knew this thing was constrained by the Emperor's psychic power... He wondered how much this thing was worth?
"Lord." Mephiston asked in a low voice, "What you just said..."
Alexander noticed Mephiston's expression, blinked, and said, "Of course it's true, I'm not some blue-feathered bird."
"Look at my sincere expression, does it look like I'm lying?"
Mephiston's eye twitched slightly as he listened to Alexander's words.
"Alright... Everything that could be done with Dante has been done. Let's talk about the Warp side of things."
"I have an idea for dealing with Kabanha. Can you actively summon Kabanha to a specific location?"
"For example, summon him into a... semi-circular pocket?"
"Huh?" Mephiston's face showed confusion.