On the Strike Cruiser Blood Gladius, a faint Warp tremor echoed like a tide.
Power armor, resembling dark red muscle exposed to the air after being flayed, appeared directly within this vessel belonging to the traitor.
Mephiston, the Chief Librarian of the Blood Angels, glanced around with his gray, cold eyes set in his pale skin. A squad of Saint Blood Guard and Librarians appeared behind him.
They had not boarded the ship through normal boarding procedures, but rather were swept up by Mephiston's powerful Psyker abilities and teleported directly into the vessel.
Such a mere World Eaters Strike Cruiser would ordinarily not warrant such a grand display, let alone the presence of Mephiston, an psyker whose Psyker power could rival that of a named Greater Daemon.
The reason for deploying such a luxurious lineup had little to do with the World Eaters.
It was because Mephiston, during a routine pre-battle Psyker prophecy, detected an inexplicable and strange Warp fluctuation emanating from this ship.
This fluctuation was unlike anything Mephiston had ever encountered; its power was even greater than his own, deep and profound like an boundless forest.
Mephiston followed this Warp fluctuation with a prophecy, but what he saw was a bewildering illusion.
He saw a dark and gloomy deep forest, with colossal shadow beasts lurking within, babbling streams flowing endlessly, and silent, black-armored knights.
This deep forest was endless, stretching to the edge of the sky and returning from the other side, covering the entire planet.
Then, Mephiston saw time, fate, and causality torn apart. A terrifying rift ripped open the entire planet, and an attack from the future caused the planet to disintegrate and shatter.
Amidst the collapsing mountains and cracking earth, Mephiston felt as if his will was drawn into one of the fragments.
He saw a giant forest boulder, tilted and half-buried in the soil, with one end rising towards the profound void.
On top of the boulder, someone seemed to be lying asleep, but Mephiston couldn't see clearly.
He could only look down and see a moss-covered tombstone beneath the boulder, with two lines of text carved upon it:
"The King of the Forest lies here."
"Once a King, always a King."
In a trance, Mephiston seemed to hear countless confessions.
They confessed devoutly, saying: The King of the Forest is not dead, but merely resting and healing at the edge of the world. When the Imperium faces danger again, The King of the Forest will return to save humanity, absolve sinners, and punish Chaos.
He will be resurrected, a thousand penitents said.
He never died, a thousand penitents said.
He will eventually return, The King of the Forest, ten thousand penitents said.
This strange prophecy made Mephiston's heart pound. He did not know what this prophecy symbolized or represented.
But to be cautious, he personally led the Saint Blood Guard and Librarians onto this eerie Strike Cruiser.
The strangest thing was the almost complete silence.
There were none of the usual screams, roars, and clashes of weapons common on World Eaters ships in the corridors. Instead, Mephiston faintly heard the gurgling of water, the rustling of wind through leaves, and the faint chirping of birds.
Nor did the air smell of blood; instead, there was a faint fragrance of earth, the bitter scent of crushed leaves, and the musty smell of the humus layer.
This was very strange, as if Mephiston and his companions were not standing on a ship in the void, but in a deep, dense forest on a planet.
"Mephiston, you have to see this." Gaius Lascellas, the second-in-command of the Blood Angels Librarians, and one of the few people Mephiston considered a friend.
He gestured for Mephiston to look at the object in his hand.
It was a thick, snake-like, withered vine, still covered in rich, dark soil.
But Mephiston's gaze was not on the vine in Gaius' hand, but on the deep, dark ship's ceiling above Gaius' head.
He sensed something even more important there.
Shadows writhed, and a heavy, dark mass descended from above like a black lightning bolt, striking directly at Gaius, who was half-crouching on the ground.
"Beast, you dare not." Before Gaius could react, Mephiston uttered a cold whisper.
Powerful Psyker energy, like an invisible heavy hammer, struck the dark shadow, pressing it heavily against the steel wall, which deformed under the immense pressure.
Gaius showed a look of shame. He understood that he had just put himself in danger due to carelessness. He nodded, apologizing and thanking Mephiston.
Mephiston said no more; after many years as old friends, words were no longer needed to convey emotions. He turned his attention to the dark shadow he had pinned against the wall.
It was a grotesque giant beast, with a head like a tiger but a body covered in black scales, a sharp stinger on its tail, and sharp claws on its limbs, each claw connected to a venom gland.
Mephiston had never seen such a creature; even with his knowledge as the Chief Librarian of the Blood Angels, he had no record of this thing.
But his keen Warp perception made him realize that these giant beasts themselves seemed to be products of Warp-induced distortion... No... That's not right.
Mephiston extended his hand slightly, and the giant beast rapidly aged and withered before his eyes, then vanished into thin air.
The vine in Gaius' palm did the same, turning into dust and specks of light, disappearing without a trace.
Both this giant beast and the vine in Gaius' palm were products of the Warp, but this kind of technique was something Mephiston had never heard of.
Bang ————
As the giant beast disappeared, three shattered corpses fell before Mephiston. They were all wearing World Eaters power armor.
Clearly, the silence within this ship was because these giant beasts had devoured the World Eaters and then hidden themselves in the darkness and shadows.
Mephiston's expression was somewhat somber.
He had initially guessed that the Chaos traitors on this ship might be playing some Warp sorcery, but now it seemed that what was happening on this ship was even more complex than he had imagined.
Mephiston waved his hand lightly, signaling the Saint Blood Guard and Librarians beside him to stay close.
His Psyker perception spread into the dark ship's hold, probing the surroundings like tentacles.
Mephiston quickly found the origin point of the Warp fluctuation, but the Warp concentration in this ship was rapidly decreasing. It was evident that the entity causing the Warp fluctuation was leaving.
Mephiston made a gesture, and the other Blood Angels responded with imperceptible movements.
This small team swiftly plunged into the dark depths of the Strike Cruiser, moving towards the entity Mephiston had sensed.
Blades cut through the air. Mephiston's silver-steel longsword shattered reality, and hundreds of slender sword marks streaked across. The beast, resembling a giant lizard, was cut into several pieces by Mephiston's sword, blood splattering on the ground.
Along the way, they encountered several ferocious giant beasts, each one more powerful than a typical Astartes.
Fortunately, Mephiston was there, and fortunately, those he brought were all elites, allowing them to reach the location Mephiston had sensed, filled with Warp energy, without much trouble.
It was an empty ship's hold, but upon entering, everyone felt as if they had arrived in a deep, abyssal forest.
Layers of trees completely covered the hold, obscuring the steel ceiling. Beneath their feet was a thick, viscous layer of humus, sinking into a deep pit with each step.
Streams flowed through the forest, polishing the giant stones within them until they were smooth and round, like the eggs of prehistoric beasts.
The Saint Blood Guard and Librarians stepped on these giant stones to cross the streams, following closely behind Mephiston.
The further they went, the more their hearts pounded. They smelled danger in the air, and vague illusions appeared before their eyes, feeling as if their heads were about to be punched off at any moment.
Finally, they stood by a wide and calm lake, beside which stood a giant boulder protruding from the ground.
Mephiston stopped, holding his breath and gazing at the boulder.
For he saw, upon the boulder, amidst the swirling mists,
The King of the Forest, the Lion, was slumbering upon it.