Blood, crimson blood, hung on his neck, maintaining its flowing posture for ten thousand years, as crystalline as a perfectly polished ruby.
Chapter Master Marneus Calgar of the Ultramarines knelt in the shrine, his head bowed, placing his steel-forged hands on the ground.
Blood, blood was flowing down his neck.
Calgar silently gazed at the sacred figure in the center of the shrine.
Ten thousand years, Father.
The Static Field hummed, releasing a faint metallic scent of electrolyzed air, but it was quickly masked by the sacred censers placed near the throne.
Robert Guilliman, Calgar's genetic father, sat upon the throne.
He had slightly curly golden hair, skin as white as marble yet firm, his face bearing the majesty and beauty of Macragge's nobility, as well as the stubbornness and glory of a soldier.
Gazing upon a Primarch was an extremely difficult task; even Calgar could not do it.
With just one glance, Calgar would be awestruck by the aura emanating from the Primarch; he seemed to see fire, light, and war swirling around his genetic father. He appeared not entirely composed of matter, but rather a stern storm confined within a material body.
Light seemed to be bursting from his body, but it also seemed to be merely an illusion Calgar experienced when he was shaken by the Primarch's aura.
But if he were to cast aside rationality for a moment, Calgar would call that aura divinity.
The Chapter Master had read countless legends of his genetic father, knowing him to be a rational and intelligent strategist.
But the figure now sitting on the throne... his eyes held only the hollowness and sorrow of death.
His lips were slightly parted; until the moment he was placed in the Static Field, he still cried out those two words:
Father. Historical records documented that moment: when the Primarch was about to die, he cried out "Father."
Was he praying to the Emperor? Was he yearning for the Emperor's salvation? Or was he grieving his failure to complete the Emperor's work?
In any case, he was killed by his brother.
Fulgrim, Calgar cursed that name a thousand times.
The Primarch's fallen daemon brother had slit the Primarch's throat with a sword tainted by evil power, letting blood and life drain from it.
For ten thousand years, tens of thousands of pilgrims had been fortunate enough to witness this frozen moment of the Primarch.
But in Calgar's memory, only one was not overwhelmed by the sorrow of that moment.
Dante of the Blood Angels, that Chapter Master of the Blood Angels, was not overwhelmed by the sorrow of this moment.
"The Ultramarines only need to witness this sorrowful moment here and now."
"But my brothers and I endure the same, if not greater, anger and sorrow at all times."
So said Dante.
It is said that the Blood Angels buried their genetic father's remains in a crypt deep within Baal, and rarely entered it for worship.
They had already endured too much sorrow, pain, and anger.
But the Ultramarines chose to make this sorrowful moment open.
The Primarch's figure brought Calgar not only sorrow but also anger, anger towards the Emperor's enemies.
And, of course, strength.
Calgar had never heard his genetic father's words.
But he knew that if his genetic father were still alive, he would surely command Calgar to slay the Emperor's enemies.
Just by looking up at Robert Guilliman's body, Calgar felt as if he heard that command and drew strength from it.
"My Lord." A voice sounded from behind Calgar.
Calgar slightly raised his head; he knew who stood behind him.
"Tigurius, my friend." Calgar slowly spoke, "Are you bringing me a new prophecy or a new problem?"
Calgar trusted his Chief Librarian, but he often worried that his Chief Librarian was delving too deeply into the Warp.
He slowly stood up, his metal body emitting a low hum. He turned his head to look at Tigurius.
Tigurius' eyes constantly sparkled with psyker light, and countless cables connected to his brain.
And Tigurius held a force staff in his hand. That staff came from the battle of Andraxas decades ago, and was said to have once belonged to the hero Malcador.
Calgar hoped this staff would protect Tigurius' soul.
"My Lord, I wish to speak with you alone under the Primarch's gaze."
Tigurius' gaze fell upon the honor guard around them.
These veterans were responsible for protecting the Primarch, but most of the time this responsibility was merely an honor and a symbol.
Guilliman's Shrine was in the deepest part of Hera Fortress, making invasion almost impossible.
Moreover, even without them, there were very few in this galaxy who could simultaneously defeat Calgar and Tigurius.
So Calgar nodded slightly to the honor guard, and seven honor guard warriors exited the room.
"Tell me, Tigurius, what did you see?" Calgar asked.
Tigurius, however, bowed slightly and asked Calgar in return, "Do you believe hope still exists?"
This was Tigurius' common way of answering, using a question to answer another question.
Calgar was already accustomed to it.
"Hope? Did you see us gain new hope?"
Calgar asked:
"Those people on the glory blade?"
"An Archmagos, a Living Saint, an Inquisitor, an alpha psyker."
"I agree this is an extraordinary force, but I don't believe they can turn the tide of the current battle."
As Calgar said this, he couldn't help but sigh softly:
"What's more, there are two blasphemous xenos among them."
"Archmagos Belisarius Cawl served our genetic father ten thousand years ago." Tigurius said softly.
This sentence startled Calgar slightly; the Chapter Master involuntarily looked at the Primarch behind him.
"Father..." Calgar whispered softly.
An Archmagos who had spanned ten thousand years... This caused the scales in Calgar's heart to tip slightly.
He even harbored an unrealistic wish, that their genetic father had foreseen the current situation ten thousand years ago and commanded that Archmagos to bring them hope at this moment.
But Calgar also understood that prophecies could not be entirely trusted; he still calmed himself and looked at Tigurius, saying:
"I will consider what you've said, but I will only make a judgment after I've seen Archmagos Belisarius Cawl with my own eyes."
Tigurius nodded slightly, a hint of hesitation flashing across his expression.
He seemed to be considering whether to reveal all the prophecies and visions he had seen from the Emperor.
For example, that blue, round figure?
"The Emperor showed me the concrete form of hope; it is a blue, round figure."
Tigurius finally chose to speak:
"I searched all possibly relevant literature, from the fortieth millennium to the Old Night era."
"If it is not a brand new entity, then it must be an extremely ancient entity, ancient to the Golden Age or even earlier."
"A blue, round figure..." Calgar fell into a brief thought, but he finally shook his head: "This kind of information, full of symbolism and Warp meaning, is your specialty; I cannot offer any opinions."
Tigurius nodded slightly.
And Sylandri Shadowseer, standing by, unnoticed due to the Blind Spot Star's effect, also nodded, then looked at Alexander.
She scrutinized Alexander up and down, as if trying to see exactly where he was blue? And where he was round?
Alexander ignored her gaze and instead focused on Guilliman.
Unfortunately, the Static Field was too large; it would be too difficult to move it away entirely and silently.
Sure enough, it seemed he could only have Belisarius Cawl bring the Fate Armor here.
Moreover, although the defenses within Guilliman's Shrine were not numerous, the shrine was right in the center of the Ultramarines' Hera Fortress; any slight disturbance, and Ultramarines from all around would swarm in within minutes.
Alexander began to ponder how he could personally kill Guilliman, and then have Belisarius Cawl resurrect Guilliman.
"Aren't you planning to leave?" Calgar asked Tigurius, who was bowing his head and praying to the Primarch, as he walked towards the shrine's exit.
Tigurius shook his head slightly: "I also hope to gain enlightenment from the Primarch."
Calgar nodded slightly, not stopping him, and exited Guilliman's Shrine himself. Outside the shrine, many tasks awaited him.
After Calgar left, the entire shrine became much quieter.
Only the hum of Tigurius' power armor, the buzzing of the Static Field, and the burning of the censer remained.
Tigurius gently gripped the staff that once belonged to the hero Malcador, bowing his head and softly praying to Robert Guilliman.
Alexander and Sylandri Shadowseer exchanged glances.
Now that the map was explored, there was no need for the two of them to stay here any longer.
After all, the effect of the Blind Spot Star also had a time limit.
Thinking this, Alexander and Sylandri Shadowseer quietly retreated towards the shrine's entrance —
Thump!!!
Tigurius suddenly struck the staff in his hand, and psyker ripples spread out from the spot.
The surrounding time, space, and even reality itself seemed to become more solid and viscous; the entire Guilliman's Shrine seemed to transform into some kind of space more independent from the outside world in an instant.
"Do you truly believe that the sacred shrine of our genetic father is a tourist attraction that outsiders can visit at will?!"
Tigurius slowly turned his head, his voice imbued with magnificent psyker power, and hot psyker flames constantly burst from his eyes.
In an instant, countless psyker chains appeared from mid-air, locking the shrine's exit layer by layer.
"Do you really think your concealment is flawless and won't be discovered?"
"That would be underestimating the sons of Robert Guilliman, you little thief!"