| Laboratory 795.M30 |
During this past year I ramped up the practice of my basic psyker abilities by using them on and near masters at detecting its use, the Custodes.
For an entire year I terrorized them with harmless pranks.
Sometimes I would transform into Valdor and give absurd orders like take a broom outside and brush away any oxygen.
Other times I would manipulate the halls in the palace into becoming endless loops.
I eventually became bolder and decided to use the warp to create temporary stasis field traps in different areas for any poor custodian that walked by.
I was having quite a lot of fun enjoying this, because after all who knows when I'd be able to enjoy simple things like this again?
Eventually I began to feel some guilt.
From the most recent custodian I pranked, I could feel the extreme emotions of shame from his inability to detect this intruder and rage that promised retribution.
At first I believed I should stop, because it is only so far you should go with pranks before they aren't funny anymore. Especially against my sons, who take their duty very seriously.
But then I thought of a good reason to justify what I am doing. I recalled a certain necron with a fondness for collecting everything he could get his hands on, Trazyn the Infinite.
I decided to refer to my actions as training the custodes to be able to sense when Trazyn is near.
Immediately I assumed the form of Trazyn and began terroーtrain the custodes more.
Though of course, all good things must come to an end.
While I was pretending to be a moving pillar next to a custodian. I felt a soulless gaze full of confusion and concern lock onto me.
I instantly disappeared and reappeared right next to where I felt the gaze.
Despite my best attempts to avoid encountering Jenetia Krole and the sisters of silence during my pranーtraining.
It seems I got too carried away earlier and now Jenetia caught me in the act.
She silently said to me, "I apologize for interrupting your plans, My Lord."
I couldn't help but thank godーwait no, thank the Emperor that she was extremely loyal. And that she would never assume my current actions weren't some grand plan.
Bypassing her nature as a blank, I directly spoke into her mind saying.
"This is a test for the custodes, in preparation for the day a foul xenos named Trazyn breaks into the imperial palace."
After saying that, I quickly teleported back to the laboratory in extreme embarrassment at being caught in the act like that and having to make up an excuse on the spot.
___
Now that I am certain that I have mastery over basic psyker abilities after practicing them on the custodes.
I can begin practicing more serious abilities and develop my own applications of it.
I opened my palm and gathered warp energies into it, then with a thought I ignited the energies. Now floating on my hand was a golden flame that burned away all the residue warp energies around me.
I marveled at the golden flame resting in my palm, that was often used by the Emperor to erase daemons from existence.
Feeling the power of this flame I couldn't help but wonder, "Why didn't the Emperor use this flame to purify faith into energy he could use."
I then asked this question to Big E, the collection of knowledge from 39,999 timelines, it responded.
[Using warp fire to purify faith energy is not viable without paying a price too high. Faith is formed from intense emotions, so both the Emperor and the four will gain power from it. Even worse since the four are already gods so their control over it is better.
Meaning most of the power from faith would go to them and they corrupt it and force it upon the Emperor. Faced with this, all the Emperor can do is bear the burden of it because he does not have the spare warp energy to purge it.
His warp energy goes towards fending off chaos and keeping the astronomican ignited. Attempting to use more warp energy would weaken his own will and influence. Leading to the possible ascension of the Dark King.]
Absorbing this answer then realized something else and asked, "Why would faith lead to him becoming the Dark King, shouldn't it be the God Emperor?"
[The God Emperor first formed when the Emperor cast aside his humanity into the form of Star Child aboard the Vengeful Spirit as he delivered the final blow on Horus. When he was interred on the golden throne, the God Emperor became complete.
He is the corpse of the Emperor, the one who casts his rule over humanity with no weakness of emotions. What currently holds him back is the eternal three way war for control waged by Star Child, the God Emperor, and the Dark King.]
I couldn't help but just stand there in silence, at hearing the eternal torment the Emperor faces.
I sincerely apologized to the Emperor for the time I called him, "a shrieking vegetable on a throne."
A few moments later I had an ambitious heretical idea, one that barely made sense but at the same time could.
I asked Big E, 'If someone with an extremely pure soul or strong connection with a solid understanding of myself prayed to me. Would that faith develop a form of protection stopping the four from messing with it?"
[In theory yes, but not viable as it would require an extremely pure connection in blood and soul. Just like you with the custodes, but each individual would also require strength equivalent to fully mature primarchs. No being has the ability to match both requirements.]
"But there is," I countered back, "You are the collection of knowledge from 39,999 Emperors of different timelines. Also Star Child once said, "the others" meaning that besides the 39,999 there is also an unknown number of Emperors like me. So what if all of you just pray to me? That way we canー"
[...]
Immediately I felt both the warp and reality around me freeze and as three figures begin to materialize before me.
Then against my will, I was forced to the ground on my knees.
Looking up from my kneeling position I saw all three of them.
To my left was a beautifully crafted golden throne surrounded in fire. Seated upon it was a corpse whose face was stuck in an eternal scream with a red mechanical eye and mechanical augments connecting it to a golden throne
To my right was a being with a crown of thorns and eerie pale yellow eyes. It had the same features of the Emperor when he walked except this thing was completely covered in darkness.
Directly in front of me was Star Child with his palm out as if stopping something from reaching me.
I couldn't help but flinch when I saw how both the God Emperor and the Dark King seemed ready to erase me if it wasn't for Star Child standing in front of me.
After a while of dreadful silence of seemingly silent communication between them, all three of them looked at me.
Star Child spoke, "I have made a deal with them on your behalf. Your idea is feasible and if it succeeds, the results will hold greater meaning than you can ever imagine."
"You Neoth XL," said the God Emperor directly to me in my head, "Must prove your worth in a trial from us to show you are worthy of requesting faith from us and our counterparts."
"If you fail," the Dark King said directly into my soul. "You will be erased."
Then altogether they said.
"Do we have terms Neoth XL?"
In this moment I felt a sense of dread, all this for trying to think of a way to use faith energy?
Then it dawned on me why they would feel anger, for beings like them to pray to me. It was truly an insult for them to pray to somebody like me.
"Somebody like me," I thought again.
Thinking of this sentence gave rise to my own anger.
I am also a part of the Emperor, we all are.
So why should I kneel and bow my head to them?
I recalled all the times in my past as Andrew where I wanted to stand up to someone, or for something.
But I never did stand because I lied to myself that it's better to remain laid back than lash out.
I realize now, that was weakness. My weakness, my lack of will.
Will I let these three who put me here in this hell, order me around? In my own timeline separate from theirs.
Me? Someone who is their equal.
I felt something in my chest rise, my anger at them and myself taking shape.
It was my will, forming and defining my purpose.
To be better than these three and the others, to lead humanity to salvation not stagnation like these failures.
I slowly rose up as I felt my newfound will begin to burn, not just within my mind, my heart, and my soul, but also all around me.
Warp flames burning brightly, echoing with my will, began to clash with theirs.
I glared at them and answered their arrogance with my own.
"I Refuse."
-To Be Continued...
(A/N: If anything feels off lmk.
Thanks Bout_of_madness for pointing out grammar mistakes. But sadly I can't fix them anymore because I just realized that. Updating the chapter again after making edits erases paragraph comments and I want to keep them. :/ So I just need to improve my proofreading.)