In those golden eyes, Leticia's face was reflected.
Within them lay bewilderment regarding the past, fear for the future, and a trace of fledgling-like reliance that had just sprouted, one she hadn't even perceived herself.
"Who are we?"
This question, like a feather, gently yet incredibly clearly knocked upon Leticia's soul.
At that moment, Leticia's heart was seized by an indescribable emotion. It was a mixture of pity, responsibility, and a trace of guilt caused by lying.
She could not say.
She could not tell this young girl before her, who was like a frightened bird, that they came from another world and that their bodies and souls were filled with mysteries.
That truth was too heavy, enough to crush anyone who had just built up a fragile sense of security.
Leticia did not answer immediately.
She simply reached out and, with an extremely gentle and slow movement, tucked a strand of golden hair that was stuck to the girl's cheek behind her ear.
The warm touch of her fingertips made Terrania's body stiffen slightly, but she did not pull away.
"We..." Leticia deliberated her words, her voice as gentle as a flowing stream in springtime, "are travelers who have lost our way."
She gazed into Terrania's eyes and continued in a calm, soothing tone that brooked no doubt: "What happened in the past is not important for now. What matters is that we survived. And as long as I am here, you will no longer be in danger."
This sentence was like a warm barrier, temporarily shielding Terrania from the surging fear and unease in her heart.
Terrania understood only partially, but she could feel the firm strength in Leticia's words.
She looked at Leticia, her long eyelashes fluttering a few times, and in the end, she chose to believe.
She nodded gently.
Seeing her settle down for the moment, Leticia breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
"Who are we..."
She asked herself in her heart.
"Yes, who exactly are we?"
The answer to this question, perhaps, lay within that cold system.
Leticia stood up, took Terrania's still-cold hand, and led her to the brand-new command console.
"Look."
Following Leticia's will, a massive three-dimensional star map slowly unfolded in the holographic projection before them.
Countless stars flowed before them, forming a silent and Decay-filled sea of stars.
And in the very center of the star map, a blood-red mark, like a scar, was flashing ominously.
"First story dungeon unlocked—"
"[Horus Heresy: The Lament of Isstvan III]"
Terrania's golden eyes were filled with confusion. She could not read the text, but she could feel the heart-wrenching aura of sorrow emanating from the mark.
"This is our 'past', and also our 'future'." Leticia's voice became a little deeper, and she began to tell a story, a long tragedy that was enough to make the stars weep.
"A long, long time ago, in this sea of stars, there once existed an incomparably glorious Human Empire."
"A god-like Emperor led his twenty sons, who also possessed god-like bloodlines—they were called 'Primarchs'—and launched a Great Crusade, aiming to bring all lost human worlds back under the glory of the Imperium."
Leticia's fingertips swept across the star map, lighting up star sectors that were once glorious.
"That was a golden age, with Hope shining like a star in every corner. The Emperor's sons, each one a dragon among men, were generals, scholars, artists, and builders... They were humanity's most perfect creations and the Imperium's most solid pillars."
Terrania listened, mesmerized; she felt as if she could see that most brilliant era in human history from Leticia's description.
But the next moment, Leticia's tone shifted abruptly into deep sorrow.
"However, even the most perfect creations have flaws. Even the most blazing sun casts a shadow."
"The Emperor's most favored and trusted son, Warmaster Horus, at the peak of his glory, listened to whispers from the darkness. Jealousy and arrogance planted poison in his heart."
"Thus, he raised the banner of rebellion."
"A civil war that swept through the entire galaxy, tragic to the point where words could not describe it, erupted."
Leticia pointed to the blood-red mark.
"Half of the sons betrayed their father, and half of the legions turned their slaughtering blades against their former brothers."
"And the place we are going, Isstvan III, is the most heart-breaking scene in this immense tragedy."
Terrania's breathing became rapid, and her hand unconsciously tightened on the corner of Leticia's clothing.
Leticia gently patted the back of her hand and continued the story.
"Among the traitor legions, there was one legion named the 'Emperor's Children'."
"Their Primarch, their Gene-Father, was named Fulgrim. He was hailed as the 'Phoenix' and was the most handsome, noble, and perfection-seeking of all the Primarchs."
In Leticia's mind, the information instilled by the system surfaced.
"He was a born artist; his swordsmanship was a perfect dance, his tactics were a perfect poem. Every warrior in the legion he led was a noble seeking the ultimate. They loathed all ugliness and flaws, determined to build the Imperium into the most perfect work of art."
"It sounds like... he was a very good person." Terrania said in a very low voice.
"Yes." Leticia's answer carried a trace of a sigh, "He was once the best. But the ultimate pursuit of 'perfection' also became his most fatal weakness."
"During a battle, he obtained a sword from an ancient alien, a sword possessing a demonic soul. That sword promised him a more ultimate, transcendent 'perfection'. It seduced him, corrupted him, and let him taste unprecedented, fallen 'pleasure'."
"In the end, this artist who pursued perfection was completely possessed by the demon in the most perfect hall of victory he had created with his own hands, becoming the very monster of ugliness and desire he had once detested most."
"And Isstvan III was the first crime he committed after his total fall."
Leticia's voice was as cold as the vacuum between the stars.
"Horus ordered all legions deemed to have 'questionable loyalty' to launch a ground assault on the rebels of Isstvan III. But after those loyal warriors landed on the surface, the rebel fleet launched an exterminatus-level virus bombardment on the entire planet."
"Billions of civilians turned into sludge within minutes. And those loyalist Space Marines who had landed, although they survived thanks to their power armor, were plunged into a desperate situation."
"Fulgrim, this former Phoenix, led his fallen 'Emperor's Children' legion and descended onto this land of death. His task was to 'cleanse' those surviving sons whom he had once trusted most and who remained loyal to the Emperor."
"He personally slaughtered those finest warriors who refused to fall with him."
The story ended.
Inside the bridge, there was dead silence.
Terrania's face was already covered in tears.
She could not imagine what kind of hellish scene that must have been, nor could she understand why a father would personally kill his own children.
That sorrow seemed to cross time and space, pressing heavily upon her heart.
"Why... tell me these things?" She raised her head, looking at Leticia with teary eyes.
Leticia did not answer, but instead took her hand in return, pulling her to her side so she could overlook that vast sea of stars with her.
"Because this universe is sick, very sick."
Leticia's voice was no longer just a simple narration; it carried an unprecedented determination and pity, as if she wanted to embrace the entire universe.
"It is filled with betrayal, regrets, and endless lamentations. Countless heroes who should have shone brightly ultimately fell into darkness and turned to dust."
She reached out her other hand and gently tapped the dungeon icon named [Horus Heresy: The Lament of Isstvan III].
"And we, Terrania..."
Leticia turned her head; in those pitch-black eyes that seemed capable of devouring light, the girl's teary golden eyes were reflected, as were the endless stars.
"We might be the only Hope to cure it."
"The system, or 'God', has given us a chance. A chance to return to the past, to the moments these tragedies occurred, and to make up for these deeply ingrained 'unresolved regrets'."
"We can go and save him, save that Phoenix who should never have fallen."
Terrania was completely stunned.
Return to the past? Save a god-like hero?
This was beyond the scope of what she could understand.
But she could clearly feel the powerful, reassuring, seemingly omnipotent aura emanating from Leticia.
She looked at Leticia's profile, that face so beautiful under the pink-purple halo that it seemed not of this mortal world, and looked at the determination in her eyes.
For some reason, all the fear and bewilderment in her heart were replaced at this moment by a brand-new, blazing emotion.
If this is her mission...
Then I also...
Terrania took a deep breath and, using all her strength, nodded heavily.
"I... will go with you."
Leticia smiled.
That smile, like the first ray of dawn blooming in the dark night, instantly illuminated the entire bridge.
"Good."
She did not hesitate any longer, her heart filled with unprecedented heroism and anticipation. She focused her will and selected the blood-red dungeon.
"Enter dungeon!"
The next second.
A cold, emotionless prompt box suddenly popped up before them, covering the entire star map.
The scarlet text, like a basin of cold water, extinguished the Hope that had just ignited.
"[Warning: Entering dungeon [Horus Heresy: The Lament of Isstvan III] requires [Warband Points]: 1000.]"
Immediately after, another line of smaller text appeared below.
"[Currently held [Warband Points]: 0.]"
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