Warhammer: Primarch's Life from the Beginning

Exiled Star, in the Wilderness.

Leo felt as if he were in the Amazon rainforest, where the rain wasn't just drizzling, but pelting down in torrents.

The water hit the helmet and shoulder armor with a series of sharp, rapid splashes, quickly merging into a deafening roar that made it difficult to hear anything else around. The swampy ground, still warm, churned up as it touched the cold rain, carrying with it the smell of decaying plants and the corrosive odor of metal.

He walked forward in the direction he sensed with his psychic powers, his steps quick and firm, constantly pushing aside the incredibly strong suction of the mud beneath his feet.

The once discernible path had been washed away by the rain into a black torrent, with broken vines, fruit shells, and small animal carcasses swirling in the water. Several drooping vines slowly tightened in front of him, like muscles twitching, while a carnivorous flower beside him suddenly closed with a bang, splashing dirty water between its petals.

Leo didn't stop. He swept his hand across the path, snapping the branches and vines blocking his way at the roots. His figure passed through the faintly visible ruins of an old settlement shrouded in mist. Half a tower lay buried among the tree roots, and an old sign carved with a double-headed eagle lay askew in the mud, only its corner protruding. Humans had once lived here, and the Empire had left its mark here as well.

Occasionally, the wary cries of animals could be heard in the distance, short and sharp like a sharp object scraping against stone, swallowed up by the sound of rain. Further away, something large waded across the water with a loud splash. The Primarch's senses constantly picked up information about his surroundings, but he paid no attention; none of it concerned him.

He didn't know the route the company that Emil had mentioned had taken, but at least for now, he hadn't found any trace of Space Marines.

.

.

Outside Maryfit Abbey.

As the shuttle descended near the gate, Astartes of the Exorcist Chapter displayed a more complex expression than when facing Leo.

Upon seeing the Holy Hammer Order insignia on Catherine, they bowed and led the way. They hadn't expected that a demon inquisitor would be among Leo's group, and their eyes were filled with wariness and unease. Catherine wasted no time; after descending the gangway, she exchanged only a glance with Kara before the group entered the monastery.

Catherine, supported by the wall and helped by Kara, entered the rest area. Her abdomen was still wrapped in a bandage, her lips were pale, and her black hair was pressed against her skin by sweat. The accompanying medical nun was about to stop her when Catherine raised her hand to stop her.

"I can still walk." She put her long coat back on and reached for the molten pistol. "Exiled Star, Exorcist Legion, what else did you encounter?"

The elder sister spoke slowly, briefly recounting the events of the Holy Commandment escaping the storm, Leo landing on the ground, the attack on the monastery, and the Primarch's pursuit deep into the rainforest.

The judge listened and nodded slightly, without showing any emotion.

She offered no comment, simply placing her hand on the table and speaking in a very low voice.

"I can only tell you the information I have; everything that follows is an imperial secret."

Kara nodded; she wasn't surprised at all.

"The Exorcist Chapter isn't an ordinary chapter, is it? I saw the Inquisition's insignia in the base."

“Your judgment is correct.” Catherine found a chair and sat down. “They are the product of experiments led by the higher-ups of the Inquisition, Astartes created for those warp beings.”

She continued speaking.

"During their recruit selection process, candidates undergo a ritual called 'Controlled Demonic Possession,' in which a warp demon is possessed within their body for approximately 12 hours, after which the demon is pulled out and expelled. Those who survive the night through willpower and faith remain, while Space Marines who suffer severe trauma during the ritual are immediately executed. The data on Exile is strictly sealed by us; it is closely linked to the higher-ranking demon hunters of the Holy Hammer Order."

Kara wore a complicated expression after hearing this; these actions could already be considered heresy by the state religion.

She hadn't expected the court to operate in such an extreme way; it was a miracle that this warband had survived to this day.

"While I don't agree with this approach," Kara finally spoke, "I respect these Astartes who were willing to sacrifice themselves."

Catherine looked at her and nodded.

"It's enough that you can think this way."

The court is rife with factions, and the older generation of officials, for the sake of the empire, have tried almost every possible path, right or wrong.

There were even radical inquisitors who, in order to save and strengthen the Emperor's power, joined Abaddon's Black Legion as advisors in Chaos, and their advice indirectly led to the unfolding of the Great Rift.

Then she changed the subject.

"You already know the name Rodrigo Nathan, right?"

"He was a cardinal of the state church and also a radical inquisitor in the Inquisition system," Catherine said. "I never met him, but the files say that after witnessing the power of people possessed by demons, he believed that these were high warriors who could lead humanity forward and should not be executed or imprisoned. Later, he began to believe that it was a new path for human evolution."

As Catherine spoke, disgust surfaced in her eyes.

"And so he fell, seduced by the whispers behind the veil, and betrayed the Empire. No one knows how he did it. Nathan infiltrated the Exile, rescued a group of recruits who were supposed to be executed, and escaped into the Warp. He subjected the recruits to the corruption and baptism of Chaos, forming the Sword of Enlightenment Warband."

"They are those Chaos Space Marines you encountered before. The Exorcist Chapter cannot tolerate this betrayal, and in order to protect their reputation, they launched the Amadel Purification Campaign to hunt down the Sword of Enlightenment."

The fact that the Sector Bishop of the State Church, who is also the Inquisitor, has sided with Chaos and fallen into becoming a lackey of the evil god is utterly blasphemous!

Kara's face gradually darkened, the veins on her forehead bulged, and she crushed the ceramic water glass in her hand.

This is no longer just a matter for the Exorcist Chapter.

She will never forgive a traitor.

.

.

Meanwhile, Leo traversed the forest. The rain had subsided considerably. Ahead, there were fresh footprints and drag marks in the woods, with blood mixed in with the mud. He stopped, the sensors inside his helmet scanning the ground before looking up into the distance.

He smelled a scent that did not belong to the life and death of the forest; it was a scent that should not belong to this environment, or even to this world.

Chaos and corruption.

The power armor's sensors detected a large heat source ahead.

Leo turned off the night vision function, and he could see the smoke rising in the distance without the need for sensors.

There was a camp there, and he could hear the casual conversations of ordinary humans inside.

The smells and sounds coming from the surroundings were amplified several times by the Primal's senses, and the heavy breathing and moving outlines gradually took shape in Leo's mind.

These civilians were unaware that they had been targeted by a corrupt beast.