=== Nira ===
Nira's breath came uneven as the last remnants of the Emperor's presence receded from her mind, leaving behind only the echo of his will. For a long moment she did not move, her hands braced against the edge of the table as though it were the only thing keeping her upright.
Vulkan stood nearest, while Maximus and Sebastian flanked the chamber at a respectful distance.
Agemman lingered near the entrance alongside several other officers and attendants, each of them waiting, none daring to speak first.
Nira exhaled slowly, steadying herself before she pushed away from the table, though she did not stray far from it, one hand still resting against its surface as she gathered the strength to speak.
"I have a message from the Emperor himself." she said at last.
"He is not idle," she continued, her gaze moving across them, ensuring every one of them understood the gravity of what she was about to say. "He is fighting the Ruinous Powers as well as the mother of Chaos."
"He showed me what we are facing," Nira went on, her voice gaining strength as she spoke. "And more importantly… what must be done."
"He is moving forward with his plans," she said. "The bridge between realities, the Ring, will be used sooner than we anticipated. He has already set events into motion on his side."
"He wants Sanguinius' body returned to him immediately. We are to gather our forces and go to the Ring. But there is a complication," she continued. " The Ring is no longer in a secure position around Tatooine. We had it moved to Naboo."
She looked round the room at everyone before continuing again.
"And there is another issue. A far more immediate one."
Her fingers tightened slightly against the table.
"The Emperor has shown me where Abeloth is drawing her strength from," she said. "There is a source, a focal point of power she draws from. Her own personal world."
She looked to Vulkan now, ensuring he understood the importance of what came next.
"It lies deep within the Maw, inside the Kessel system. Surrounded by black holes… a natural fortress that would make any direct assault difficult even without what waits within."
Her expression hardened.
"If we are to weaken her, truly weaken her, we must destroy that world."
"It will not be simple," she added. "She is aware of its importance. And…" a brief pause followed, her gaze narrowing slightly as she recalled the deeper layers of the vision, "…Tzeentch is aiding her."
Vulkan did not respond immediately, his gaze lowering slightly as he processed the vision.
"There is something else," she continued, drawing their attention back to her. "The activation of the Ring itself."
Her hand finally left the table as she straightened slightly, forcing the last of her fatigue down.
"It cannot be done remotely. Myself… and either Maximus or Sebastian will have to be there to activate the Ring."
Her eyes moved between Maximus and Sebastian.
"One of you must accompany us."
"I will remain." Sebastian voiced immediately.
"Mandalore requires oversight," he continued. "I will stay and protect the children. I have not yet finished praying to the Emperor for our brother as well."
Vulkan spoke then, his voice low and thoughtful.
"I have always found it… curious," he said slowly, his gaze resting briefly on Sebastian. "That the Emperor sought to erase all religion… all worship…"
A pause followed. "And yet… became the very thing he forbade."
"We do not have the luxury of philosophy Vulkan," she said, her voice cutting cleanly through the moment as she drew them back to the matter at hand. "Not now."
Her gaze swept across them once more.
"I will have a ship prepared immediately," she continued. "We depart within the hour. Those assigned will be ready."
The meeting dissolved without ceremony.
Agemman moved first, already issuing quiet orders as he stepped from the room, others following in his wake, each carrying their part of the burden that had just been placed upon them.
Maximus lingered only a moment longer, casting a brief glance toward Sebastian before turning away without a word, leaving the Black Templar standing where he was for just a second longer before he too departed.
Vulkan was among the last to leave.
He paused only briefly, his gaze meeting Nira's, something unspoken passing between them before he inclined his head and turned, the massive doors parting to allow his exit.
When the last of them had gone and the doors sealed behind them, Nira remained where she stood for a moment, her hand resting lightly against the edge of the table, her thoughts still churning. Only after a slow breath did she finally move, crossing the room toward another desk where she reached for the comm unit.
She began issuing orders, calling for a vessel to be prepared, for navigation routes to be cleared, for clearance codes to be transmitted ahead of their departure.
When the final acknowledgement came through and the channel closed, she let her hand rest against the console for just a second longer before pulling away, her shoulders easing slightly as she turned back toward the room.
Sanguinius sat in one of the chairs across from her desk, his form faintly luminous, more suggestion than substance, the edges of him shimmering softly.
For a moment, she simply looked at him.
"How does it feel?"
The question lingered between them. Sanguinius did not answer immediately, his gaze lowered slightly in thought.
"…Strange," he said at first, though the word did not seem to satisfy him. A faint pause followed, his expression shifting as he tried again. "No… not strange."
His eyes lifted back to hers.
"Anxious."
That, at least, seemed closer to the truth.
"I am… excited," he continued, his voice calm. "But also uncertain." His hands rested loosely against his knees, though they did not quite touch, his form never fully committing to the physical world around him. "For ten thousand years, my soul was not whole."
"I was not… present," he went on, searching for the right way to frame what he was feeling. "It was not death, not in the way we understand it. It was more like…" his brow furrowed slightly, "…like being submerged. A long, endless drifting in a vast sea."
He exhaled faintly.
"I was asleep," he said at last, "but not peacefully. There were fragments. Echoes. Moments where something would surface… and then vanish again." His gaze drifted briefly, as though remembering something half-formed and unpleasant. "Dreams, perhaps. Though they felt more like nightmares."
Nira listened without interrupting.
"I did not truly awaken," Sanguinius continued, "until the Emperor… placed what remained of me with you." His eyes returned to her. "That was the first moment of clarity. The first time I was… myself again."
She held his gaze for a moment longer before finally moving, circling behind her desk and lowering herself into the chair. She reached for a glass and poured herself a drink before leaning back slightly, taking a small sip as she let his words settle.
"We've come a long way since then," she said, her tone reflective.
Sanguinius regarded her for a moment, then inclined his head slightly in agreement.
"We have," he said. "More than I think either of us could have imagined."
"It has been… a blessing," he continued, his voice softening just enough to make the words feel more personal, "to be with you. To watch you grow." A faint smile touched his features. "From a frightened young girl… into the woman you are now."
Nira gave him a small smile.
"I had the best mentor anyone could have asked for," she replied.
Sanguinius' smile deepened just slightly.
"And I," he said, "will miss it."
That gave her pause.
"Miss what?" she asked, though she already suspected the answer.
"This," he said, gesturing lightly between them, though the motion was more symbolic than physical. "Being connected to you. Existing alongside you. Drawing from the light you carry." A faint, almost playful glint entered his eyes. "It has been… sustaining."
Nira blinked at him, then narrowed her eyes slightly, a faint smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth.
"So you've just been feeding off me this whole time?" she asked, her tone dry.
Sanguinius shrugged lightly, the motion easy and unbothered.
"I had to heal my soul somehow."
She let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head.
"A parasite," she said, taking another sip of her drink. "That explains why I've been so tired all the time."
He did not deny it.
If anything, his expression suggested he found the accusation entirely reasonable.
The moment lingered there, light in a way that felt almost out of place given everything else that surrounded them, yet all the more valuable because of it, and for a brief time, neither of them felt the need to fill the silence that followed.
"I will miss it too," Nira admitted, her gaze lowering slightly before lifting back to him.
Before either of them could say more, a soft chime broke through the moment, the comm unit on her desk lighting faintly as a transmission came through. Nira reached out, activating it with a touch.
"Grand Regent," came the voice on the other end. "Your vessel is prepared. We are ready for departure."
Nira straightened slightly.
"Understood," she replied. "I'm on my way."
The channel closed.
For a moment, she remained seated, her hand resting lightly against the console before she pushed herself to her feet, the last traces of fatigue set aside as purpose took its place.
She looked at Sanguinius with a faint smile touching her lips.
"Come on," she said. "Let's go get your body."
=== Maximus ===
For Maximus, the preparations never took very long. War had long since stripped away anything unnecessary from the act of readiness, leaving only the essentials, the rituals that mattered.
He finished checking his gear, and by the time he reached for his helm.
And yet… he did not put it on.
Instead, he simply looked at it before putting it beneath one arm and walking out of his personal quarters.
He let his feet take him where they wished, and soon found himself before Sebastian's personnel quarters.
The Ultramarine reached out, and pressed his hand against the control, the mechanism responding with a quiet hiss as the barrier slid aside, revealing the dimly lit space beyond.
The room was simple, absent of decoration, of indulgence, entirely devoid of comfort, and at its center, kneeling before a small, unadorned altar, was Sebastian.
The Black Templar did not move at Maximus' entrance.
His head remained bowed, his hands resting before him as he murmured words too quiet to be heard, his focus turned entirely towards the Emperor.
Maximus stood there for a moment, watching him.
Then, without speaking, he stepped forward and lowered himself to one knee beside his brother.
It was not something he did often.
Prayer had never been his instinct, never been his refuge in the same way it was for Sebastian, but this time… he felt like he needed to. He did not speak aloud, but he bowed his head nonetheless, his thoughts turning inward, searching for something that felt fitting, something that felt… right.
For a moment, there was nothing.
Then, slowly, he found it. He did not ask for victory, nor did he ask for survival. He simply… acknowledged what was to come, and asked for the strength to see things through. And in that acknowledgment, there was a kind of acceptance.
Sebastian turned slightly, his gaze shifting toward Maximus, his expression unreadable for a brief moment.
"I believe our journey may be coming to an end," he said quietly.
Maximus met his gaze, considering the statement for a moment before responding.
"If that is to be our fate," he said, "then it is by His will." His tone did not waver. "And He has ordained it so."
A pause followed, and when Maximus spoke again, there was something different in his voice.
"I do not fear death," he admitted, his gaze lowering slightly. "But I find… that I do not wish for it either."
"It is not the end that troubles me," he continued, more quietly now. "It is the uncertainty that follows." His eyes lifted once more, meeting Sebastian's. "Whether it mattered. Whether any of this… made a difference. And the fear of missing what comes next. I wish to live for a thousand years, to see how this all ends."
For a moment, Sebastian said nothing.
Then he reached out, his gauntleted hand coming to rest firmly against Maximus' shoulder.
"You have made a difference," he said, his voice firm, leaving no room for doubt. "Your life has carried purpose. Your actions have shaped the lives of others." His grip tightened slightly, not in force, but in reassurance. "That is enough."
Maximus held his gaze, searching it for a moment longer.
"I miss him," Sebastian said at last.
Maximus did not need to ask who.
"So do I," he replied.
For a moment, neither of them spoke, the absence of their brother felt more keenly in that silence than in any battlefield, any memory of loss sharpened by the stillness of the present.
"Whatever awaits us," Sebastian continued, his gaze drifting slightly as he looked back to the statue of the Emperor. "I hope… we are reunited."
"As do I." Maximus answered.
There was nothing more to say after that.
They rose together, and for a brief moment, they simply stood there, facing one another, as brothers who had walked through fire together and somehow remained whole.
Then, without hesitation, they stepped forward and embraced.
When they finally pulled back, Maximus rested his hand briefly against Sebastian's arm.
"Be safe," he said. "Guard Mandalore well."
Sebastian inclined his head slightly.
"I will," he replied, his voice steady once more. "And you…" his gaze hardened just slightly, "…bring them back."
"And when you do," Sebastian added, a faint edge of something fierce returning to his tone, "we will remind this galaxy what it means to stand against us."
Maximus allowed the faintest hint of a smile to touch his expression.
"For Raxor." they said in unison.
Then Maximus turned.
And without looking back, he left the chamber, his steps carrying him toward the waiting ship, toward whatever awaited him beyond the stars.
===
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