My Life as A Death Guard
Chapter 384: Opening Ferrus's Eyes
Hades had not held much hope for this meeting to begin with.
Primarchs were notoriously temperamental, and Hades's decision to invite one aboard a Silent Sisterhood vessel—purely to probe the other party's loyalty—was, at best, "somewhat" discourteous. In fact, before Ferrus responded to the Silent Sisterhood's request, Hades was not even sure this Primarch would accept the invitation at all.
So when Ferrus readily agreed to meet him, Hades was deeply moved.
And when Ferrus said there was no need for pleasantries, Hades felt he could practically award him a "Most Touching Citizen of the Imperium" medal.
Time was tight. The sooner they reached the Eye of Terror to uncover the truth, the better. Yet securing the trust of cooperating Legions was equally vital. A Primarch like Ferrus—one who was willing to place trust simply by being presented with facts and truth—was practically one in a million.
Logically speaking, once two technically minded individuals were aligned, the only thing Hades should have needed to worry about next was how to help the Iron Hands adapt in advance to fighting Warp entities.
But…
What did Ferrus mean by what he had just said?
Hades looked at Ferrus with slight hesitation. As if realizing Hades's confusion, Ferrus—who had suddenly sunk into memory—spoke directly, staring at him.
"I once spoke with the Lord of Death about certain matters…"
Ferrus frowned slightly, choosing his words carefully.
"Matters concerning the Warp."
Ferrus noticed that Hades was staring at him in some confusion, but then Hades spoke:
"What did you see, Ferrus?" Hades asked without hesitation.
"Mortarion would not reveal such things to someone uninformed… unless… you had seen something."
Ferrus's brow nearly knotted into a small mountain. He stared at Hades, as though assessing whether Hades was someone who could be entrusted with this knowledge.
After a brief silence, Ferrus made his choice. The Lord of Medusa gently shook his head and looked away.
"Mortarion trusts you, and I trust Mortarion."
"I hope you are worthy of that trust, Hades, though I admit I am perplexed by your existence."
Hades spread his hands. Ferrus was unlike other Primarchs; he had once personally stated that he was a tool of the Emperor. In terms of self-perception and identity, perhaps Ferrus and Hades shared some common ground.
"I am responsible to humanity and the Imperium, Ferrus. Everything I do is founded upon preserving humanity as much as possible. And by the nature of my current office, I will do everything in my power to prevent the Warp from encroaching upon the material world, even if it is Mortarion who stands in the way of humanity's future…"
Hades paused, his tone lightening slightly.
"And that is precisely why Mortarion trusts me."
The corners of Ferrus's tightly set mouth lifted briefly, but he quickly returned to his tense composure.
"It seems our cooperation will proceed smoothly, Hades."
Ferrus swallowed briefly. As expected, he caught sight of the red glow flickering in Hades's left eye, yet Hades's calm voice still carried a faint tremor.
"I saw something akin to Fulgrim."
Out of the corner of his eye, Ferrus watched Hades's expression. To his surprise—yet somehow also as expected—Hades showed no strong reaction.
"…You don't seem surprised."
Hades sighed softly and shook his head.
"You already knew this, Ferrus. That will make what I need to explain to you next much simpler."
Thank the Emperor for Mortarion, Hades thought, even as he considered how to explain things to Ferrus. For Ferrus's education, Hades had originally intended to start with the Warp itself—but it seemed Ferrus had done his homework in advance and jumped straight to the matter of betrayal.
Ferrus fell silent—long, prolonged silence. At last, the tense muscles in his cheeks shifted slightly.
"What else could happen?"
Hades blinked.
"Allow me this discourtesy."
In the next instant, Ferrus felt that weakness from the moment he first boarded the ship return. At the beginning, that sensation of powerlessness had grown stronger the deeper he went into the vessel—but when he reached the strategium, it had abruptly vanished.
Now it came surging back, like a viscous, pitch-black ocean.
Ferrus took a shallow breath.
"Is this your ability?"
"Yes. It can negate part of the Warp's influence on the material world."
As Hades spoke, he gestured for servitors to bring chairs and water.
"It seems this conversation will take some time."
But this was no longer a waste of time. When Ferrus had just said that their cooperation would go smoothly, Hades had received authorization from the Lord of Medusa. By Hades's calculations, the Iron Hands and Silent Sisterhood fleets were now reorganizing their defensive formations, preparing to continue their voyage.
Hades handed Ferrus a cup of water. When he saw Ferrus cautiously glance at the liquid inside, he smiled.
"I'm guessing you've already sampled the Death Guard's poisoned wine?"
Ferrus sat down. He raised the cup and took a sip.
"It's an unforgettable beverage."
He commented politely.
Hades sat as well, his eyes bright and fixed on Ferrus.
"We both prefer speaking plainly, Ferrus. I need to know where your limits of acceptance lie."
Hades watched as Ferrus began drinking water again. A Primarch needed some time to assess his own mental state, and Hades naturally allowed him that space. While Ferrus drank, Hades spoke as if idly chatting:
"The first to learn these things was Mortarion… he was truly terrified at the time. Don't tell Mortarion I said this! But I think no one could face these truths without fear or despair. I myself was in despair for a long time."
"But accepting it is actually quite simple,"
Hades paused.
"You only need to realize that the world is not as radiant as Imperial propaganda claims. Malice permeates everything. If you have never felt your own life being constricted, then you probably haven't noticed the string tied around your neck."
"Mm…" Hades fell silent for a moment. "After that, Mortarion became that detached figure, because he was always on guard."
"I understand him." Ferrus spoke.
"Hades, I can accept the death of brothers, regional rebellions, and the existence of things that violate the Imperial Truth."
He looked at Hades and allowed a smile to surface. A similar scene—Ferrus suddenly recalled the time Mortarion had forced him to drink. His fingers gripping the cup twitched uncontrollably for a moment.
Thankfully, this time it was water.
Hades took a deep breath.
"Then this becomes simple."
Hades said, "Let me begin with the campaign we are about to face. Ferrus, we are now heading for the Eye of Terror—also known as Cygnus X-1. This region of space exists in a state where the Warp and the material world overlap, which means Warp entities can manifest there far more easily."
"Warp entities are unlike ordinary enemies. It is not merely a clash of gunpowder, firearms, blades, and steel. In their domain, emotion and the mind are also battlefields. Specific emotions empower specific Warp entities, and if a person's mind collapses during such a confrontation, that individual becomes far more prone to mutation, becoming a tool and a slave of the Warp."
Hades glanced at Ferrus. He seemed to be taking it well, even though the mere existence of Warp entities already violated the Imperial Truth.
Hades continued, "And Warp entities vary in strength. Among them, the most powerful beings…"
Hades paused.
"…are stronger than the Emperor as you currently understand Him. And such beings are not singular within the Warp."
Ferrus's clipped voice sounded.
"Acceptable. On the battlefield of Ullanor, there were also beings my father could not match."
Hades screamed internally—foolish child, your father was acting!
To give Ferrus a deeper understanding of what they were truly facing, Hades hesitated for a moment, then finally chose to speak.
"My description is still not precise enough. What I mean is that these powerful Warp entities are closer to what people would call… "gods"."
"And moreover…"
Hades said slowly,
"Aside from the Silent Sisterhood and the Death Guard, who insist on standardized terminology, most people who encounter Warp entities simply choose to call them "daemons". Do you understand what I mean now?"
Ferrus Manus did not move, like a statue cast from iron. Yet Hades watched, with his own eyes, as a bead of sweat slid down from Ferrus's head.
Ferrus understood. What Hades meant was that, to prevent panic, the official terminology was Warp entities—and the truth was…
Hades coughed awkwardly.
"Are you all right?"
He asked tentatively.
"If you need anything… though I wouldn't recommend drinking at a time like this, I do have a few bottles of Mortarion's poisoned wine in my personal collection, if you need—"
"No, I do not."
Ferrus cut him off immediately, as if unwilling to recall that unbearable past.
"Then why the Imperial Truth?" Ferrus asked.
"As I said earlier, specific emotions and states of mind provide power to Warp entities. In fact, even outside a war zone, every moment—every second—any emotion produced by beings connected to the Warp is feeding them power."
Hades saw Ferrus almost freeze in place, his breathing all but stopped. Better sharp pain than prolonged suffering—Hades decided to finish it in one go.
"Knowing that Warp entities exist, and consciously choosing to empower them, is fundamentally different from ignorance. The Emperor wished for all humanity to believe that no beings exist within the Warp—this collective force of belief likewise exerts an effect within the Warp, weakening those entities."
Hades let out a bitter smile.
"No need to panic too much. Thanks to the laws of this universe, Warp entities cannot easily cross the veil between the Warp and the material universe to disrupt reality."
Only then did Ferrus finally let out a shallow breath. The Lord of Medusa spoke softly,
"If that is the case… then I understand why…"
Hades froze.
"Understand what?"
"Why… why I saw Fulgrim like that. What has happened to him… if there truly exist Warp entities that toy with the mind, stronger even than our father."
Ferrus took a thoughtful sip of water.
"Earlier, Mortarion only warned me that our brothers might become monsters, and cautioned me to beware of the Warp—but he did not explain the details or the principles."
Hades smiled. Internally, he thought: Mortarion not lecturing you on numerology is already a miracle—you can't ask for more.
But that was not what he said aloud. Instead, Hades replied smoothly,
"He was on guard against the Warp's presence. Intense emotions and specific words can draw their attention, so he could not be too explicit."
"As for here, that is unnecessary," Hades said lightly.
"I am a Blank. In places where the veil is thick enough, I can block them out. That is why we can speak clearly about all this here—of course, with the exception of a few terms that carry the highest Warp resonance."
Ferrus paused for a moment.
"Aside from the Blank, are there other ways to avoid the Warp's influence? The Iron Hands Legion possesses collar technology to restrain psykers."
He saw Hades's eyes light up. The Head of the Silent Sisterhood leaned forward slightly.
"That depends on its internal principles, but I wouldn't place too much hope in it. At present, aside from the Blank and blackstone technology, there are no truly efficient methods."
Hades raised a hand and tapped his own head.
"For beings with souls, the best way to resist the Warp is to possess a resolute soul."
Ferrus let out a long sigh.
"I will. And so will he."
Hades naturally knew who that "he" referred to. His response was a polite smile.
That said, Hades did indeed need to confirm Fulgrim's situation—after all, the Emperor's Children were one of the Legions closest to this region.
"After you spoke with Mortarion, did you go warn Fulgrim?" Hades asked.
Ferrus answered, his words carrying a trace of hesitation. "Naturally, I spoke with him… I advised him to be wary of the Warp, and not to pursue perfection so obsessively… I urged him to use fewer ornaments that served only decorative purposes. He was somewhat disappointed in me because of that."
Hades almost choked on nothing. The first part he could understand—but what in the Emperor's name was that last part?
Because Hades was truly baffled by Ferrus's behavior, he had to ask one more question.
"…Why did you advise him not to wear ornaments?"
"Because I saw that counterfeit. It was very—"
Hades raised a hand.
"Alright, I understand."
"Advising him to stay away from the Warp and not to pursue perfection to extremes was the right call, Ferrus. Extreme emotions breed Warp entities."
Ferrus fell silent for a moment.
"I will issue another warning to Fulgrim."
"Now?"
Hades said. "I must remind you of one thing—the Warp is extremely unstable right now. Any message you send via astropaths is very likely to be lost, or worse, distorted."
"Then what should I do?" Ferrus asked stiffly.
Hades sighed.
"Trust him."
Hades spread his hands.
"That is the only thing you can do."
He looked at Ferrus with complete sincerity.
"Every Primarch has the potential to fall. The only thing I can guarantee is that the Primarch I follow will not be influenced by the Warp. Look—"
Hades waved his hand casually. In an instant, the command wall was flooded with dense streams of data.
Ferrus's eyes widened.
"In the Silent Sisterhood's contingency plans for corruption," Hades said lightly, "there is also a file on the Death Guard."
"But…"
Hades continued. Ferrus saw two files highlighted in red—one labeled Iron Hands, the other Iron Warriors. Hades waved his hand again, and the red highlight over Iron Hands vanished.
"Now, we should be paying attention to the Fourth Legion."
"…Perturabo."
Ferrus softly breathed the name.
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind paying $5 each month to read the latest posted chapter, please go to my Patreon [1]
Latest Posted Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 421: Guilliman Scores Some Points[2]
Link to the latest posted chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/152512330?collection=602520[3]
https://www.patreon.com/collection/602520?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/152512330?collection=602520
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/152512330?collection=602520
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/602520?view=condensed