Warhammer 40: Shattered Steel Soul

Chapter 452: Heavenly Welcoming Ceremony
The town where Lorgar lived was located on a gentle slope of a mountain. Coming out of the chapel and out of the woods, looking down, a group of floats loaded with summer flowers and vines were circling the path paved for worshiping the gods, loaded with fluttering string and wind instruments, and the convoy was already very close to the chapel.

The car was loaded with many white-clad men and women of different ages, wearing garlands on their heads, joining the chorus of the song according to their own ideas. Rivka had already come out of the trance of being frightened by the prophecy, and the male believer Bondo had also come out of the confusion of being gently rebuked by Lorgar, and instead immersed himself in the festive atmosphere of the summer ceremony. Their smiles were pure and full of joy, and they quietly praised the greatness of the Emperor.

This calmed the anxiety in Luo Jia's heart.

"What does it mean to 'give the Summer Ceremony to Black Star', brothers and sisters?" he asked softly, "That also refers to the Emperor's Gift, right?"

“Of course, Aurelion,” Rivka said first. “There is only one true God, but He has many faces. When His body walks among men, we see Him as the Emperor. When His spirit looks down from heaven, we see Him as the Black Star. Have you seen the Black Star, Aurelion?”

She suddenly moved closer, as if looking for some mark on Lorgar's neck, and then sat back down in disappointment, "I thought you had seen the Golden Man, too."

"Tell me, Rivka, what is that?"

"That was... according to my mother, it was a dark sundog that would leave eagle claw marks on us. Warriors burning with black fire emerged from corpses, and silver angels soared in the sky. Behind them, the sundog caressed the earth without light..." Rivka said longingly, "The black star saved us from the hands of the evil enemy, on a dying summer day, in Yasimhe a century ago."

"How do you know that is also the Emperor?" Lorgar asked carefully, with a kind of joy mixed with fear.

"Because we prayed to the Emperor, He came." Rivka said sincerely, making the sign of the cross on her chest. Lorgar had never seen such a fiery passion in her light-colored eyes.

Tyrant Star. Nightmare Sun. Black Star. The three names flashed through Lorgar Aurelion's mind at the same time.

But there were still dark clouds floating over his mind: Why would the Tyrant Star destroy his people?

He was summoned by destruction, bringing with him crazy scorched earth and dust all over the planet. All rumors from the Holy Grail Expansion area maintain this consistent description.

"I will tell you, Aurelion, we were not as pious as we are now. Back then, a four-faith cult wreaked havoc on our lands. The foul breath infected Asimée until our world was soaked in blood and corruption, and countless demons poured out from the torn sky. How terrified we were!"

They arrived outside the chapel and, following the slow pace of the float, strolled along the boulevard, passing by low houses with garlands hanging from their roofs, and walked in the shadows cast by the windmill's rotating blades.

"But there were still pious men among us, and that summer, he begged the Emperor's forgiveness, asking that the Emperor's angels descend upon us and save us from the disaster and blasphemy."

"Your pleas are sincere, for you can now tell me the story of your conversion," Aurelion said, smiling. "You should ask for forgiveness first."

"We do ask for forgiveness, for we have sinned and committed iniquity, and have done wickedness and rebellion, and have turned aside from the commandments and ordinances, and this has brought upon us the calamities of heathenism. Then we pray that sin may be stopped, that iniquity may be atonement, that everlasting righteousness may be brought in, that the vision may be sealed, and that the Most Holy One may be anointed.

“Then came the black stars, warriors who resembled the Word Bearers, messengers from heaven, who came down to protect us from the birds—a changeable scourge that was a raven one moment and a serpent the next, tormenting us in agony.”

The convoy of floats moved toward the cliff. The believers surrounding the convoy surrounded Rifka, who was telling the story, and Lorgar, who was listening attentively. The men and women in white robes sitting on the floats also waved to Lorgar: "This is the story of our rescue, Aurelion, this is the story of our baptism."

Unconsciously, they had reached the edge of the cliff. A single gate stood on the cliff. The gilded relief on the left door was a man wearing a crown, and the right door was a woman holding a sword, together guarding this door to heaven.

"That day, the sky was dark, and there were four kinds of wild beasts howling at the foot of the mountain, with terrible horns on their heads. The believers said that we must have not been refined, and the wicked still did or would do evil, so we could not be cleansed. Only after the purification of purgatory can we rest. Because we must rest until the end of time, when we can enjoy our blessings and go to His kingdom."

Go to His Kingdom.

As Rifka narrated, some very vague images seemed to flash in the depths of Lorgar's mind. They were difficult to remember, as if they were blocked by someone, leaving only a hazy and bright silhouette.

He remembered that it seemed like overlapping mountains and waters, cities and cities, everything was new and bright, leading to the blue sky.

He was very sure that was His kingdom. He had seen it, as if it was more than a hundred years ago - no, it was in Sivers, on the day when he saw the black sun coming, he saw it again, the city of God in his dream.

In front of him, a single door opened to both sides. Its angle just framed the sun visible from the top of the mountain inside the door, and the bright light filled his eyes.

“So they went down from here. This was the punishment He wanted, and it was also the first step before His forgiveness.”

The convoy of floats continued to move forward, the people on the floats full of laughter and joy, scattering petals that shone transparently in the sunlight to Lorgar, their robes emitting extremely bright light. An unconquerable spiritual power burned in the fire in their eyes.

The floats advanced peacefully under an incredibly pure golden light, and then one by one they fell off the cliff into the roar of death.

The people escorting the convoy sang and hugged each other. Some of them ran to hug Lorgar, and Lorgar responded to them one by one, still staring at the golden gate in front of him.

Because of this call of death, the world became dark. The shadow of the dark sun obscured the light of the scorching sun. The smell of scorched earth caressed the earth. The foreshadowing of the destruction of all things shook Lorgar Aurelion's heart. In the darkness, an evil spirit with a snake body and bird claws was swallowed by the black flames.

This is the echo of the miracle that once befell Asimée.

"Go and wait for the end, for you will rest; and at the end you will arise to your portion..."

The man with the true words chanted softly, and a bright light quietly filled him. His voice blended into the chanting of the crowd like a drop of water falling into a heavy rain.

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city.”

A tear fell from the corner of his eye, and a dusty picture flashed before his eyes. He saw a dead finger bone, and also saw his living brother standing in the light of heaven with his angel, and he hugged him.

He remembered everything he had forgotten, which came only after the end and death, in the city in the sky.

He should have known it earlier.

Destruction is the prelude to revelation. Only after destruction can people be freed from the world and wait for the forgiveness they deserve.

He should have known it long ago, he had read the scriptures so many times and listened to so many enlightenments. But he only knew it today.

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. The elements will melt with fervent fire. But according to his promise, we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells..."

Lorgar silently recited all the scriptures he knew. These scriptures had accompanied him since his birth, guiding him, instructing him, and coming to his mind in all his confused moments.

Destruction is liberation from earthly bondage and the only path to true eternal life.

Then, everything is clear.

Because that was the way the Great Crusade was.

Because it was during the Emperor's Great Crusade that millions of troops marched across the galaxy, destroying everything, burning everything, showing no mercy, no hesitation, and renewing the entire world.

This is something that already exists, something that He silently supports, and something that He personally leads.

The Tyrant Star was born in the destruction that overturned the galaxy, and brought them to a new world that already had its prototype.

There, when the end comes, all who have been forgiven will be there, all who died on this planet of Asimè will be there, the Second Primarch will be there, Horus Lupercal will be there, every warrior and priest he died with, all who were freed from battle will be there, the loyalists who died to heresy and heresy will be there, all for whom Lorgar Aurelion once prayed and wept in the septs will be there, all who have sacrificed will be there, from the past to the future.

All that died will come back again, in the only new world.

And He will protect them from the hands of the fallen gods, just as they will gather around Him and allow Him to take all the power.

Only God will fight God, so this is their offering back to Him.

Lorgar heard his heart beating steadily and powerfully, and a sense of joy flowed through his limbs along the warm blood, making his body seem lighter. The best part of his guess was being verified bit by bit - the Emperor was the one who would come to protect His children, and the dark star was the spirit of the Emperor who had never appeared in the world...

It was in the Whispering Mountains, in Sivers, that he felt the coming of Tyrant Star, the familiar, cold, burning destruction and anger...

Tyrant Star is the other side of the Emperor. He came to save them and let some of them sleep in the dark purgatory first to cleanse their sins, so that they can pass through the city gate in the final revelation.

Number Eleven is a traitor, and his purpose is to prevent the advent of the Emperor's Spirit. Yes, Number Eleven had already hinted at this in the previous conversation. "You are too pious to believe it," Number Eleven replied to him.

Only a traitor would stop Tyrantstar.

Everything gradually became clear, like locks in the fog gradually opening.

He suppressed his excitement. Not counting the eleventh, Lorgar was not sure if he was the first Primarch to know about this. Did Perturabo, his eldest son, know about this? He might know too...

Lorgar's heart, which had been floating in the clouds, suddenly fell to the bottom. The warm touch brought by the Emperor's Will was lost in an instant, and cold worries quietly climbed into his heart.

If Perturabo knew that the Emperor was Tyrant Star, why would he use the power of the Chaos Crystal Serpent to escape from Tyrant Star's call?

No, all these doubts must stop, Lorgar strangled his thoughts.

The Emperor's Spirit's identity was confirmed, and this was a joyous thing. He could not be blindly deceived at this moment of joy and question the Lord of Steel that he had believed in for more than a hundred years. If he still had doubts, he would have to wait until he met Perturabo in person.

He would find him and ask him about this in person. He would believe whatever Perturabo said.

“Aurelian, Aurelion?” Rivka called out to him, waking him from his reverie. The summer ceremony she had just participated in had brought her to tears.

"What's wrong, Rivka?" Lorgar replied, and the frenzy rising in his heart gradually subsided.

“The Black Star is no longer so close to us,” the woman said sadly. “In our previous ceremonies, He would descend closer, and a few of us would always be blessed and chosen to leave the world. But this time, He chose no one - did we not satisfy Him enough, Aurelion?”

"The Great Crusade is coming to an end," Lorgar said thoughtfully, "and the destruction we have caused is no longer enough to keep Tyrant close."

Another believer suddenly called him, and Bondo looked at him and devoutly made a cross on his chest.

“You said, Aurelion,” he said. “You said that we should test the goodness of God, bear our own burdens, and give back to Him in our own way.”

"I did say that, and it's good that you remember," Lorgar replied, leaning over him and noticing with surprise that there were a pair of bird claw marks on the back of Bondo's neck.

This is His mark, he thought. This is His inspiration.

"So, can we create more destruction?" Bondo laughed.

"What do you mean?" Lorgar said softly.

"From here on, Aurelion, we are willing to wait for the end in death, and the new world after the end. If He needs power, we are willing to greet Him in the darkness." Bondo laughed, "You are His messenger, you should hold up the sword for Him, just like you did for Him in the Great Crusade."

"Do your duty to Him," said another follower, who had heard the discussion. "If you believe in Him, Aurelion."

"Our specialty is fire, Aurelion, if you need advice—"

"Everything is at your service, Aurelion. You will know how we will enter into eternal purity, for you will always hear His voice—"

"I..." Lorgar's heart trembled uneasily. Thinking about the connection between destruction and rebirth was one thing, but actually taking action and consciously bringing destruction to the sacrificer was another thing.

A warning of insecurity brought him a kind of mental and physical heat, and Lorgar took a step back slowly. His back hit something, which was a pillar of the Golden Gate of Heaven.

From far up the hillside, several Word Bearers priests hurried over, their eyes lighting up when they saw him.

"Aurelian?" Layak gently pushed aside the crowd, and the crowd made way for him.

He arrived in front of Lorgar Aurelion, sweating a little, breathing rapidly, and his eyes shaking. When Lorgar was waiting for him to speak, his lips closed tightly again, as if he was afraid that what he said would anger Lorgar.

"Speak, Layak," Lorgar said.

"It's Colchis," Layak said, and Lorgar had never seen him so frightened.

"What happened in Colchis?" Lorgar asked softly, a tone of slight pride on the verge of being shattered by uneasiness. A bad premonition found him, "I only heard that a memoirist went to Colchis. What else happened?"

"Aurelian, it..."

"Please, please tell me," Lorgar said.

This moment was stretched long enough for a vortex of endless emotions to roll through the Primarch's heart.

"Colchis... there is still a temple hidden underground, my lord, which was somehow missed when we destroyed the icons. There..."

Layak trembled. He had never seen the Primarch's face so gloomy, confused, and troubled. The glory and happiness that Xia Yidian brought him were torn to pieces in an instant by the huge gap.

"Go on," Lorgar said.

"There is still a sect of change of faith there, my lord. It lurks well, but it... it is right where the former High Priest Erebus was born. The people there betrayed the One Lord and brought the blasphemous devil with them. In one night - we just got the news, my lord, because the communication station was destroyed. The astropath said that the sky was broken -"

Lorgar blinked slowly. His skin had never been so pale, and his purple eyes were as pale as glass in the backlight.

He had conquered so many worlds, destroyed so many heretical planets, brought countless stars under the Emperor's rule. For years he had never made a mistake, and no traitor had ever appeared among the Word Bearers... except Erebus, except him. But today, at this moment, his own homeworld, the place where it all began, had become a stage for injustice and bloodshed. The world he had once been proud of had collapsed in an instant.

Is one third not enough? He wondered emptily, is it because he only killed one third of them back then?
He fell backwards, barely caught by the pillars of the Golden Gate. Layak immediately knelt before his Primarch, as did the other Word Bearers.

The inhabitants of Asime surrounded them, their eyes fixed on him. Lorgar could hear the vibrations of their emotions, which resonated back and forth in the air, silently condemning the Truth Bearer for his dereliction of duty.

"Listen to me," he said, his voice low and suppressed with an incredible tension, "listen to me. Let's go back, let's go back."

"Prepare--"

He stopped and heard a hoarse sound of sand colliding in his throat.

The air on which a man depends is sucked away from him, from the Colchis sky to the earth to the underground to the yellow sand of his memories and the holy city he built and the scriptures of the Bible he distributed and the promises and vows of the Colchis people to their devout faith and everything he could think of. The vacuum he had was filled with all of this and then shattered again, and the noise was much louder than any thunder that could sound in the world.

Lorgar Aurelion looked down at Layak, with something hard to read on his face, or maybe it was just a smile.

"Prepare for destruction," he said. "All will be well."

(End of this chapter)