Webway, Ilmarin
Sanguinius
As soon as he arrived in Ilmarin, he went straight to the place where he was sure he would meet one of the Old Ones. One of them always guarded the Inner Sanctum, located in the very heart of the fortress.
Although the Black Rage hidden deep inside him had completely quieted down, the memory of the feeling that accompanied its outburst did not leave him for a moment.
And to his horror, it was not a bad feeling. Quite the opposite. He had never felt so good. So powerful, almost invincible. With one attack, he had annihilated both the matter and energy of the Immaterium within a radius of several kilometres. Without any difficulty and without having any control over it.
And it terrified him, especially since after surviving the Well of Eternity, it seemed to him that it was easier to control his flaw. However, it turned out that he was seriously mistaken and needed both the opinion and help of beings much more experienced than him, especially in the matter of C'tan power.
When he appeared in the vestibule to the Inner Sanctum with the help of one of the portals, he indeed found Seeker in front of the gate. As soon as he saw him, he must have realised that something was wrong because he quickly flew up to him and asked.
"Sanguinius, you are radiating the energy of Yngir. Hmh...Mag'ladroth...? What happened?"
Sanguinius stopped and lowered his head in shame. It was not a behaviour that could be seen anywhere else, but in the presence of these ancient and incredibly wise beings, he could not help but feel like a child.
Especially since, with all the hopes placed in him and the time devoted to him, he felt that he should at least control himself; unfortunately, he failed.
"I found the ship exactly where you had located it. However, it was controlled by an AI that I could not handle without manifesting my presence in Empyrean. Then I lost control and..." He gritted his teeth angrily as he remembered how easily everything had slipped through his fingers.
"Mag'ladroth's power manifested," his mentor finished for him.
Sanguinius nodded slightly and looked uncertainly at the glowing silhouette of the Old One.
"I did not even know when it happened. One moment I was in control, and the next I felt only fury and void which burst from me like a sea of darkness, consuming everything. The robots, the AI, the ship, and the chaotic energies of Immaterium surrounding it."
Seeker flew closer to him, coming within a few dozen centimetres of him, then asked gently, "May I?"
Sanguinius, guessing that he meant some kind of scan or examination, simply nodded.
He felt the psychic tendrils touch him and then reach deeper into his being. It all lasted only a few seconds, after which the Old One finished the analysis.
"And what? Did you manage to determine anything?"
Seeker flickered with various shades of blue lights, which Sanguinius had learnt to recognise in his mentors as a sign of thoughtfulness.
"We must have missed it, but somehow, Mag'ladroth's energy became much more powerful, and I have several possible explanations, but two are really the most likely," the ancient being admitted.
"When you entered the Inner Sanctum, the C'tan powers hidden within you must have somehow resonated with the shards there, strengthening them."
Sanguinius looked at him with concern, "And the second possibility? Is it perhaps even worse?" he asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Hmh, possible? It's hard to say which option is more disturbing, although both are possible. In any case, he supposes that it is due to the lack of a material body because your form is almost pure concentrated energy of the Immaterium. The Void Dragon energy, as strictly connected to the physical, material reality, tries to fill this missing space."
The Primarch began to circle in place, trying to organise his thoughts. The implications of these words were terrifying. Indeed, thinking about it now, when Black Rage took control of him, he felt as if his own had become more solid.
In addition, when he lost control, his body, held together by the power of his mind, should have started to fall apart.
He glanced back at his mentor. "You mean that Mag'ladroth's energy replaces my physical body?"
"Not exactly," Seeker denied. "The C'tan also didn't have bodies until the Necrons created them. But their powers were strictly matter-bound and affected by matter, while they were very susceptible to the energies of the Immaterium."
"Just as Materium and the Immaterium are two sides of the same coin, so the energies of the C'tan and those of the Empyrean are part of a whole."
"It could also be a solution to our real space problems. Normally you would have to use a similar method for the gods and demons of chaos, which is extremely expensive in terms of energy."
"Now, however, in theory we could use the Yngir energy to create a temporary body for your spirit. Think of it as putting on armour."
Sanguinius had to admit he was intrigued by the idea, but more questions arose. "Is this even possible?" he asked.
"It's hard to say, because you are an exception. The C'tan do not possess a soul as such but are a self-aware nexus of the Materium energy. Then again, neither we nor any living races, especially the Immaterium entities, have the power to manipulate reality directly, but we can use the Empyrean power to do so." Seeker replied; from his voice, it seemed he was also intrigued by the possibility.
"The idea seems and may make sense, but there is one problem." The Primarch of the Ninth Legion retorted, running his fingers nervously through his golden hair. "I do not know how to control these powers, or even if it is possible."
"Sanguinius, you have looked into the Well of Eternity and survived. I am certain that if anyone can control the C'tan energy, it is you." Seeker assured him, probably trying to reassure him, but that did not mean that his words were untrue.
Thinking now of the Void Dragon's power, he had to admit to himself that even if the C'tan were extremely susceptible to Warp energy, their power alone, or at least Mag'ladroth's, was lethal to that same energy and the beings created from it.
The Void could be an extremely useful tool in combating the Ruinous Powers, for even they could be erased from existence. There was no room for anything in the Void, only infinite nothingness.
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Immaterium
Great Conspirator
When he sensed this unnatural disturbance in the energies of the Immaterium, he was intrigued. This was something new, something unknown, bearing the mark of change. And this was his domain.
Hastily throwing out plotting further intrigues and twists of events, he went to the place where the anomaly occurred. However, when he arrived at the place, what he saw not only surprised his ancient mind, but he even felt a slight twinge of fear. Something he had experienced several times before, and that was standing in front of the Well of Eternity.
In the space of the Immaterium before him, he saw a glowing wound of nothingness, which spread like a black stain over a large area. He felt nothing – no energy, no forces, nothing. Only a dark void, which caused his constantly changing body to feel a slight shiver.
He flew closer to the very edge of this phenomenon, which cut into the Immaterium like some barrier of absolute darkness. Unable to contain his curiosity, he put his hand to it, which soon disappeared inside.
But he felt nothing. Literally. Suddenly, he simply stopped feeling his hand. Desperately, he quickly pulled it out, but there was no trace of his hand. It had ceased to exist. Only a smoothly cut stump ending at the forearm.
What's more, when he tried to regenerate it, nothing happened. As if it had never existed at all.
His quickly growing fear was quelled by even greater curiosity. This was something completely new and unknown, something he had never encountered before.
"Interesting. I have never experienced such power." His voice resounded like thousands of overlapping sounds. Constantly changing, constantly fluid.
In a fluid movement, he cut off the damaged arm with his other clawed hand just before the elbow. Blue fluorescent blood gushed from the wound, which immediately turned into energy, and after a moment the forearm began to reform, along with the previously lost palm.
The only clue to solving this unusual phenomenon was the fact that it did not have its source in the Immaterium. It had to be energy or power derived from the Materium. C'tan? Some weapon of their rebellious servants?
Now he was fascinated. What kind of power was this? Or maybe a weapon? Who did it belong to? What was this person doing here? ... And most importantly, could he, the Changer of Ways, use it, and how? The advantage such power would give him against the other Chaos Gods would be invaluable.
It would be some good news after a thousand years of troubles. While Khorne, Nurgle, and even that arrogant youngster Slaanesh were reaping the rewards of the civil war they had orchestrated in the Imperium of Man, he had to contend with Fate itself.
All his plans, delicately woven events, had fallen apart just like that. Something had happened that should not have happened and had affected Fate to the point of turning everything upside down. Even his most loyal servant, Kairos, seemed useless in this regard.
Previously, the Architect of Fate had been able to pick up useful information from the prophecies of his daemon, but now it was constantly changing, to such an extent that he himself could not make sense of it. Something that gave him an advantage over the rest of gods simply stopped working.
"Something's happened," he said to himself in a voice that had probably driven countless beings mad. "I feel the Change coming. And I don't think it's related to Anathema. It's something different, new, and definitely dangerous."
For too long he had been blinded by his ability to manipulate Fate and the possibilities that knowledge of Kairos' future gave him. He had underestimated the ability of other beings to act in secret and in hiding, believing himself to be unmatched in this regard.
However, it turned out that right under his nose, plans and changes were taking place that he had no idea about. Just admitting it to himself was driving him crazy at the moment. The only reason he could explain why he was unable to perceive it was that an entity or entities of similar or greater power were behind it.
It seemed to him that he knew everything that was happening in the galaxy, but it turned out that there were forces capable of blocking his vision. It was as unsettling as it was exciting. It posed a challenge and potential changes.
With these thoughts, he immediately teleported to his fortress – the Crystal Labyrinth, located in the heart of his realm.
A terrifying cry escaped his lips, shaking the very foundations of the fortress itself.
"KAIROS!!!"
It did not take long for the two-headed Lord of Change and arguably his most powerful and useful servant to appear at his beck and call.
Leaning on his staff, the blue-plumaged humanoid avian hybrid bowed both heads.
"My lord," one head greeted him.
"My servant," the other said, causing Tzeentch to feel a surge of irritation. As usual, he found it amusing to try to decipher which head was telling the truth and which was not, but at the moment that was the last thing he wanted to do.
It did not take long for the two-headed Lord of Change and arguably his most powerful and useful servant to appear at his beck and call.
"Kairos, someone's actions have escaped my sight, I want you to look into the past and find them. No matter how long it takes."
The Lord of Change replied, his voice carrying absolute certainty.
"The past and future are clear."
"The past and future are hazy."
"Someone has looked into the Well of Eternity."
"No one could survive looking into the Well."
"The son has survived."
"The son is gone."
"I see an Angel, a Savior, a God"
"I see the Devil, the Destroyer, a Liar"
"Black Sword."
"Golden Spear"
"Immaterium and Materium drowned in eternal Void."
"Materium and Immaterium bathed in golden light."
"I see the end of Chaos."
"I see the victory of Chaos."
"I see nothing more."
"I see countless things."
Then both heads fell silent, and Tzeentch had only one thought.
'This was so confusing that it would take him ages to discern which head spoke the truth and when.'
He could now look at his loyal servant with anger and irritation.