| Ollanius Persson POV |
During the assembly…
On the day of the assembly, in the orbit of Terra, multiple Bulk Carrier's—warp capable transports used by the auxiliary fleets of the Imperial Army and Legiones Astartes.
These Bulk Carriers were grouped in five's, each group bearing the heraldry of a regiment within the Imperial Army.
Aboard the ships, the speech of the Emperor was being broadcasted for all to see. The high command watched from the visual feed of the command room hololith, while lower-ranked auxiliaries were currently separated into platoons.
Each platoon typically consisted of approximately 20-30 guardsmen, who were watching the Emperor's speech from the data slates of their direct superiors, the Lieutenants and Captains.
In one particular group of guardsmen, there was one guardsman who, unlike the others around him that had varying expressions of admiration, hope, fanaticism and firm resolve.
Held no such expression on his face, in fact, his face was twisted in a frown that seemed to question reality and the Emperor.
This expression formed on this guardsman's face ever since he heard the Emperor say, "Soon, under the influence of our Archenemy, humanity's ability to communicate with each other was destroyed."
Another guardsman, the one holding the dataslate for the members of his platoon to see, had noticed the frown and questioned, "What are you frowning at Sergeant Pious?"
Sergeant Pious corrected his face back into a neutral expression and replied, "Apologies Captain Thomas. I just felt like there was a lot more to what the Emperor said about our "Archenemy." It worries me about what can cause the downfall of our species during our golden age."
Lieutenant Thomas stared deeply at Sergeant Pious for a moment. Normally, a frown on a guardsman's face—especially one that hinted at doubt regarding the Emperor—would be reported and lead to that guardsman being flagged.
However, Sergeant Pious was a different case. When he was inducted into the Imperial Army, his record was clean—clean in a way that invited suspicion of being falsified. What backed this up were his impressive abilities to command and fight.
This led to the higher-ups trying to find out more about his background, but they couldn't find anything and were left with one conclusion. One that perfectly explained the peculiarities of Pious and was the answer to many other odd guardsmen within the Imperial Army.
That Pious was most likely part of what was dubbed as the "Old Hundred," the original 100 regiments that comprised the Imperial Army, the Excertus Imperialis, during the Unification Wars on Terra in the 30th Millennium.
Many of these formations were composed of the first genetically-engineered soldiers the Emperor of Mankind created during that conflict.
These 100 regiments were later forced to disband or actively purged due to their resistance to the new order. However, some of the regiments and certain individuals were allowed to continue to serve, provided they pledge their loyalty to the Emperor.
The Old Hundred were greatly respected by all regiments and even by the Space Marine legions. After all, the Old Hundred once fought side by side with the legions in the Emperor's name during the Unification Wars and certain redacted wars afterwards.
Thinking of this, Thomas mused to himself, 'It seems he knows a lot more about this Archenemy of humanity, and perhaps he may have even faced it before.'
Thomas also noticed the slight growing unease of the other guardsmen inside the chamber. He turned his face away from Pious and spoke to reassure everyone.
"That's fair, but with the Emperor leading us. Whoever or whatever our Archenemy is, they will fall under his blade. After all, our Emperor is someone far beyond a mere man like us."
Pious blankly nodded his head at that, however, internally his thoughts raged.
'Just what is Neoth doing now? Surely he couldn't be planning to expose the existence of those things to humanity so soon, right??'
Yet just as he thought that, on the dataslate he was watching the speech from, worlds of humanity suffering from different plights were shown.
Pious was horrified to see that exactly what he hoped Neoth wouldn't do was happening right before him in real time.
Some of the worlds depicted scenes from those that had fallen to chaos, where humans were being skinned alive and hung like decorations. In the backgrounds of those scenes, Pious noticed shadows of daemons.
'Why?! Just why would you expose them this soon to that,' Pious screamed internally. 'Even if you use your power to prevent the scenes from triggering corruption, it is still far too soon!!'
Pious took a moment to breathe calmly and try to understand what was going through Neoth's head. In the next moment, he gave up. Trying to understand the thoughts of a madman, a conqueror full of hubris like Neoth, was simply impossible.
Pious thought back to when Malcador had suddenly appeared in front of him inside his quarters when no one else was around and informed Pious of something he had never expected to hear.
Malcador had said to him, "Surprisingly, it was easy to find you, never did expect you to enlist in the Imperial Army with that old nickname of yours. Then again Pious, or rather Ollanius… You were always a man ready to fight for a just cause. Listen here old friend, Neoth will visit you soon to discuss some matters with you, he wishes for you to serve once again at his side."
When Ollanius heard that, he intended to retort, expressing his refusal to ever serve again under Neoth's direct command.
After all, over time, he had become disenchanted with Neoth, for he had done too many things that would spell his and humanity's doom. Ollanius was barely able to tolerate Neoth's reckless deals with the chaos daemons and taboos he had committed.
Taboos that forced Neoth into becoming a psychic being, a being who was far different from the young man with bright ideas that once knocked on his door all those years ago.
The loyalty Ollanius had in Neoth was waning when he learned that, after all the effort of the legions, the army, and himself—after all, who died to achieve unification and to kill all the Techno-Barbarian Warlords and their forces.
Neoth had offered some of the Techno-Barbarian Warlords pardons, giving them a high level of autonomy as long as they were loyal. Some of these pardons took form as Warrants of Trade personally signed by Neoth, given to people now known as Rogue Traders.
Warrants of Trade made Rogue Traders unique and powerful Human individuals who serve as a combination freelance explorer, conquistador and interstellar merchant for the Imperium of Man.
It infuriated Ollanius knowing that after all the brave men and women that he had led to their deaths in order to fell these Techno-Barbarian Warlords. These very same Techno-Barbarian Warlords were now walking free and could wield power. Later, the last straw that led to his complete disenchantment with Neoth occurred.
He had never forgotten that day when Neoth refused to destroy that tower covered in Eunicia, a language related to the creation of the galaxy including the materium and immaterium. Simply speaking it would allow anyone to alter reality however they wished, as long as they have the strength to fully speak it and the ability to withstand the backlash of speaking it.
It was a language that the C'Tan and Old Ones used as weapons of imaginable destruction against each other during the War in Heaven.
However, it soon became clear that excessive use of this language had consequences related to fate itself and, even worse, attracted the gaze of The Unraveling Thread, something that seemed to slumber deep in the warp, at its very core—a place where none, including Neoth, the Four Chaos Gods, and many others, dared not to tread.
Considering all that, Ollanius couldn't fathom why Neoth would dare to keep knowledge of this language around. That language was a power that should only be rarely used in dangerous situations and should never be written, only spoken.
For in the wrong hands, it would spell the downfall of whoever used it and their entire species. So, Ollanius decided to betray Neoth with a dagger that would temporarily disrupt his concentration.
He then invoked words of Eunicia to destroy this tower, as he lacked the immense psychic strength needed to destroy Eunicia and could only use Eunicia to destroy Eunicia.
After destroying the tower that contained far too much knowledge on Eunicia and was even covered in the language, he fled, vowing never to serve Neoth again.
It was for these reasons that Ollanius intended to retort expressing his refusal when Malcador had once told him that. However, Malcador never gave him a chance to and put a piece of paper on his bed and left with the final parting words of, "When you decide you wish to meet with Neoth, instead of him finding you later, rip the paper and I will pass on the message."
At the time Ollanius had sighed inwardly thinking, 'Such a day will never come.'
Yet, that day had arrived, for Ollanius, in good heart, could not ignore whatever recklessness Neoth intended to perform. So, once the speech had ended, everyone was ordered to return to their quarters and prepare for future deployment.
Ollanius, who had returned to his quarters, opened up the small compartment under his bed and pulled out the piece of paper Malcador had left behind. He stared at it for a few moments, recalling everything that happened in the past and what may happen now and in the future.
He steeled himself and ripped it, waiting in silence for what came next.
Moments later, Ollanius felt the warp stir, and then time around him seemed to stop. Right before him stood a tall, bronze-skinned man wearing a yellow short-sleeve tunic and black pants. Ollanius stared at this giant of a man, left stunned.
When Ollanius first heard the rumors of the scar upon Neoth's face, he was startled, for Perpetuals should be able to completely heal wounds—unless the wounds were inflicted by extremely powerful Chaos and Xenos artifacts or from a completely overwhelming psychic attack.
Furthermore, even if someone got their hands on a weapon that could harm Neoth, just how powerful must they be to actually get close and use it on him?
Hearing the rumors and knowing what was needed to leave scars on Neoth was the beginning of Ollanius's concern and need to see Neoth himself.
Later on when Ollanius saw the speech and the scar upon the face of Neoth, that increased his need to meet again to see if he was truly ok.
Now, seeing Neoth in person, Ollanius can now do more than just see, but feel the damage done. From those scars he could feel four lingering warp traces and it terrified him, these wounds weren't just on Neoth's body, but also his soul.
Four of the lingering warp traces all carried immense power of destruction in different aspects and one of them, for some odd reason, felt like it came from Neoth himself.
Ollanius could feel it coming from the 3-clawed scar on the left eye, however he dismissed it, because Neoth wouldn't harm himself needlessly.
One of the warp traces also felt vaguely familiar to Ollanius, he could feel an aspect of ruin and something else from it. This greatly bothered Ollanius as he felt an old memory he had once buried trying to resurface.
However, before that memory could resurface the silence was broken, when Neoth spoke.
"I'm glad to see that you're doing fine old friend," Neoth said softly, with a small genuine smile on his face. "And even more so since you agreed to meet with me so soon."
While any other Perpetual would be completely unnerved at the sight of Neoth smiling, Ollanius the oldest living Perpetual, the first to serve at Neoth's side, was utterly stunned at this sight.
Stunned, old memories flooded his mind—memories of when he first encountered Neoth, way before the day Neoth saw something in the far future, before he made a deal with an unknown entity and began to change, physically and mentally.
Back when Neoth's appearance was not that of a towering man but simply an ordinary young man who wished to help humanity, despite constantly witnessing its worst. Just as he himself once had to witness his uncle murder his own father, leading to his first use of psychic powers.
Seeing that genuine smile on Neoth's face brought hope to Ollanius. Perhaps Neoth would no longer be doomed to fall due to his increasing hubris.
Ollanius couldn't help but have an insane stray thought form in his head, 'Was getting attacked and seemingly nearly killed all it took for him to regain traces of his old self? To perhaps realize the folly of his own hubris in his dealings with warp entities?'
Ollanius truly felt hope, that the true self of the man he had once faithfully followed and dutifully served, may have returned and what Neoth said next increased his hope.
"First, I would like to apologize for the lack of communication and my dismissiveness of your counsel," Neoth began to say solemnly. "I should have explained the few things I could, instead of leaving you in the dark to witness a repeat of history in terms of a tyrant's rise and fall."
Ollanius's eyes widened. He had never expected an apology, and to that apology, he nodded his head in acceptance.
Seeing the nod, Neoth continued, "I know you are a man of few words, so I will get straight to the point. I intend to create a new order called the Inquisition, they will be made up from the remnants of the Lucifer Blacks.
The Inquisition will be enforcers that ensures the nobles of every world are brought into compliance, knows their limits and will kill whoever dares to cross the line. I wish for you to serve as the Grand Inquisitor of the Inquisition."
Neoth paused to let it sink and gave Ollanius a questioning look, asking if he had anything to say.
Ollanius's face slightly frowned and then stared deeply at Neoth and then questioned, "Before I decide on anything, have your plans for the future changed at all? Will you keep spewing the same lies and hiding things that need to be said? Will you truly keep dealing with the forbidden, uncaring about its consequences? Is what I am seeing from you…
This openness of yours, the forgiveness, the care, and all the other emotions you had once forsaken. In order to turn yourself and the others around you into weapons for humanity. Is this all an act or will this truly be who you are once again going forward? Can you truly look me in the eye and reply yes, will nothing but only honesty?"
"No, I can not…" Neoth replied quietly, staring right back at Ollanius. "With my goal of saving humanity and elevating it, there is simply no way of doing it without committing taboos. Furthermore, in this short time, I've come to learn that some lies simply must be told, because some truths others can't handle or it is not time yet.
However, what I can promise is that I will explain whatever I can, when I can and no longer disregard the worries and needs of others. Going forward, the only tool of humanity will be me, I will give my everything and serve as its sword, shield, and light. Hubris shall never blind me again and I require your help in ensuring it doesn't blind those who serve me."
Silence took hold in the room after Neoth finished speaking, all that was left was for Ollanius to make his decision.
As for Ollanius, he was deep in thought, 'He is truly being honest, the last time he was this sincere was that time when he made that deal and said… WAIT!?'
In that moment, Ollanius finally recalled where he felt that warp trace of ruin and something else from. It was after Neoth made that deal with that unknown warp entity and became much stronger, while also becoming a complete psychic being. The day he had transformed into his current form and when his mentality greatly changed.
Ollanius was the only person to ever witness that transition and it was a memory he buried deep in his head, because of what he saw reflected in the warp. In that reflection, he caught the glimpse of the figure of Neoth's new appearance, except all he could see was darkness covering its form.
It utterly terrified Ollanius so much that he forcefully forgot it, praying that it was just another trick of the warp. However, now that he was exposed to traces of power that was similar to what he had once sensed or rather saw, an old memory of his returned.
Left stunned and horrified, Ollanius froze and then came to a sudden realization, 'Why do I have this memory? I was never there, I only witnessed the before and after. Why would I even know about the deal and that reflection of Neoth? Most of all, why would I forget it? I would never force myself to forget something that important!'
Ollanius was then snapped out of his thoughts when Neoth, who noticed his distress asked, "What troubles you?"
"Nothing," Ollanius hastily replied. "I will serve again."
Neoth internally thought, 'That was rather quick, but I'm glad this went well.'
Meanwhile, Olllanius's mind was in disarray thinking, 'I may not know why I have that memory, why only now it would show up but one way or another I must see to it that it does not come to pass.'
Neoth then asked, "I have many plans going forward, may I psychically impart it onto you into your mind?"
Ollanius nodded in agreement, and then the knowledge he gained made him pale.
The Genesis Project in its entirety was now known to him, and he could now make a guess as to what that memory might have been.
He might have been shown a future where the Genesis Project goes awry and Neoth becomes that thing. Perhaps that memory was Neoth's own doing—a fragment of the future shown to him. Trying to warn him of what may come to pass, something that he must figure out on how to stop.
With that conjecture, Ollanius decided to do what he believes may be best in this situation.
He opened his mouth and said, "I believe there is a high chance your plan fails and you end up becoming a warp entity that brings forth ruin."
After he said that, Neoth's eyes widened in shock and then he frowned.
Moments later, Neoth's mouth curved into a smile and he replied, "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I have a guess as to what may be wrong and I will adjust the plan accordingly. For now, let us move to Malcador's tower. My son Alpharius, Malcador, Valdor, and Jenetia are all there awaiting the news of our meeting and our newest member of our circle."
Neoth then raised his hand out in an ancient gesture that has stuck with humanity for a long time, the initiation of a handshake.
Ollanius looked at Neoth's outstretched hand and took it, and mused, 'I am very unsure of what the future entails under this new Neoth, but this time I will see it to the end.'
And with that, Neoth teleported the both of them to Malcador's tower, for introductions and to discuss further plans.
-To Be Continued...
(A/N: Welp I'm officially down to 1 job, so I should have more free time to do chapters much faster.
I had to spend a lot of time looking through fandom, lexicanum, and reddit because I know almost nothing about Imperial Army lore during the Great Crusade, so if I get something wrong please point it out.
Also I don't know if it's my misconception, but I'm starting to feel like one of those CN Writers who constantly repeat themselves, for example, me constantly repeatedly mentioning the scars on the Emperor's body. In my defense to anyone else who may feel the same, the emperor having scars is like mind boggling to anyone in 40k, cause he is supposed to be insurmountable.)