3rd POV – Ember Vow, Training Deck
The training deck rang with the clash of armored fists and the hiss of burning Haki. The air smelled of ozone and scorched ceramite.
Shawn stood in the center, his bare feet planted firmly on the blacksteel floor. Liquid Haki poured from his arms, wrapping into sharp, silver-streaked edges. Across from him, Vulkar swung his warhammer in wide arcs, the weapon's head coated in thick, blackened Armament Haki.
They collided. Hammer met Haki blade with a thunderclap. Sparks burst between them.
"Too slow!" Shawn barked, pushing Vulkar back with a shove of Spirit Projection energy that rippled through the floor.
To his right, Tahak and Basur were locked in their own bout. Tahak's movements were sharp and calculated — Haki condensed along the edges of his gauntlets to slice at weak points. Basur, all raw power, slammed downwards with Haki-coated fists, each hit cracking the reinforced floor.
The newer Astartes circled, taking turns stepping in against Shawn or the veterans. Their Armament Haki was solid, but Shawn could see it lacked density. Each time they struck, their blackened armor flickered.
"Hold it longer," Shawn told one as he parried a blow. "Haki's not just for the strike — it's for every moment before and after."
3rd POV – Spirit Projection Drills
The next phase began. Shawn raised both hands, liquid Haki flowing into the air like molten metal. He shaped it into a massive, spiked shield, its surface swirling with silver veins.
"Break it," he ordered.
Vulkar and Basur slammed into it together, Haki-coated weapons hammering the surface. The shield buckled, cracked, then shattered into silver motes. Shawn staggered slightly — each large projection drained his stamina like a deep wound.
He wiped sweat from his forehead. "Again."
This time he formed a barrier that shifted, extending spikes toward attackers. Tahak's Observation Haki let him dodge each strike, but the others took hits before they broke through.
Shawn's breathing grew heavier. My limit's still too low for prolonged constructs, he thought. I can't afford to collapse in a real fight.
3rd POV – Command Briefing
Hours later, the warriors gathered in the ship's strategy chamber. Inquisitor Valen stood at the holo-table, the flickering projection of Kharon's Rest replaced with new target worlds.
"Your… methods," Valen began carefully, "have caught the attention of more than just the Ordo Malleus. Ordo Xenos, and possibly even the Lords of Terra, will be reviewing your actions."
Shawn leaned forward. "Let them. We're not stopping."
Magos Eristan adjusted his mechadendrites, laying a metallic case on the table. "The STC fragment is now partially restored. It contains schematics for portable warp-disruption pylons. Deployed in formation, they can thin or close rifts temporarily."
Vulkar's eyes lit up. "That's the tool we need for planetfall assaults."
Shawn nodded. "We'll test them on the next cleanse."
3rd POV – Departure
Before departure, Shawn, Vulkar, Tahak, and Basur sat cross-legged on the floor of the Ember Vow's core chamber. The blacksteel walls thrummed under their combined Haki, threads of energy weaving into the hull's very frame.
The ship seemed to breathe. The Warp's whispers faded into distant echoes.
"Feels like home," Basur rumbled.
Shawn closed his eyes. "Then let's carry it to the next world."
The Ember Vow's engines roared to life, and the stars stretched into the Warp once more.