Ahzek Ahriman and Hathor Maat Begin Their Struggle

After the Fifteenth Legion and Fourth Legion ended their fighting with the League of Votann, they took a short rest.

Subsequently, the two legions were once again ordered to conduct a joint operation, heading to Dawn Star to rescue the local population.

In 853, the 28th Expeditionary Fleet arrived at Dawn Star.

Azek Ahriman led his entourage to the ruins of Zarukin.

Although he has not yet complied with the new system established after Primarch Magnus returned to the Legion, which requires every candidate for company commander to be seconded to another Legion, he still has more than a hundred followers as the former de facto leader of the Legion.

Ahriman was not worried about getting the position of company commander. The Primarch did not arrange for him to be seconded to a legion simply because no suitable candidate had appeared yet.

What worries him now is the vacant position of Chief Librarian. As the Temple Master of the "Corvidae Cult," he can foresee that this position is far more important than those of the other legions because of the Primarch' preference for knowledge and Psionic Energy.

Even though Lord Nimrod was the first to persuade the Emperor to agree to the establishment of the Librarian, Thomas of the "Shadow of Order" was not the second person in the Legion.

The Reapers's successor, the war-hardened Sanchez, Bukayo House Arshavin who discovered many key worlds such as Cepra Mundi, and Howard Fender who carried out his work in establishing order and rebuilding territories such as the Osiris Sector are all obviously more central figures.

Another Primarch who advocated the use of Psionic Energy, Sanguinius, did the same within his legion.

The Fifteenth Legion is different; the Chief Librarian is the legion's second-in-command.

Ahriman has always believed that he is the only one suitable to be the Chief Librarian.

Although Amon was his father's mentor and deeply trusted by the Primarch, his presence in the shadows made him clearly unsuitable as the leader of the Legion.

Based on what Ahriman knew, most of the Thousand Sons believed that he should rightfully become the Chief Librarian.

But recently this situation has changed. Hathor Mhat has suddenly risen to prominence. His performance, especially the knowledge of the Squats he brought back and several rare runes that condense Warp energy, has greatly elevated his status in the eyes of the Primarch.

Although his father never explicitly stated it, Ahriman had already foreseen that this operation on Dawn Star would be the stage for his showdown with Hathor.

The best performer among them will become the Chief Librarian.

Ahriman wanted to win this victory. So far, apart from Sethak of the Eleventh Legion, all the legions that had reunited with the Primarch had their commanders become the second person under the Primarch.

He didn't take the brief lead of Hathor, who was closer to the Primarch, to heart in the Council of Masters he had held earlier.

But the position of Chief Librarian is different; once you obtain this position, you can use the power you possess to control a large Thousand Sons.

In order to win, Ahriman chose Zarukin.

Facing the impending magnetic storm, remaining here would be a reckless move, even for Astartes.

But in order to win, Ahriman was willing to take risks; he wanted to seize the precious knowledge that generations had painstakingly accumulated in a lost era.

His consciousness drifted with the wind, merging into the pale ashes swept by the gale, howling through the collapsed ruins and shattered buildings.

The marble columns are pitted and uneven, and the glass glitters between the grand buildings.

The rugged mountains of Zarukin stretch out along the wide river valley, with ravines so straight they look unnatural.

As Ahriman wandered through the ruins, his gaze piercing through time. He realized that the city had not been inhabited for thousands of years.

Nature has reclaimed its territory from its ancient concrete canyons and broken streets, and the buildings it has passed through are in the style of the Old Night.

Their styles are unique and varied, lacking the typical modular aesthetic characteristics of humanity's rapid expansion among the stars in later times.

Dawn Star was inhabited as early as the beginning of the Dark Age of Technology of human exploration, and Zarukin was one of the earliest cities on the planet.

"Is this the place where the first king of Dawn Star established his capital?"

Ahriman asked, studying the playful movement of the particles in his palm, watching them swirl in increasingly complex iterative patterns.

The iron oxide particles shimmered with bright, fragmented light; the ancient metal relic had long since turned to dust in this desolate city.

Now they are awakened and dance under the influence of the Raven Arts.

Ahriman seeks meaning in patterns and designs, listening to the echoes of the past.

Predicting the future has always been his focus; now, he must find the hidden past in the depths of the Great Ocean. Both present the same challenge to him.

Now is the time for us to open our hearts and communicate with each other.

Ahriman ascended to the second level of Mindset, releasing his mental barriers and allowing his consciousness to sink into the Great Ocean, communicating with the consciousness of this place:

Why is it that only your world has survived the touch of madness, surviving the Old Night?

"Why did Dawn Star survive, yet your capital city fell and perished?"

Is it your greed that's causing this, or your arrogance? Or perhaps, it's just a matter of time?

Nine breaths later, Ahriman suddenly ascended to the third level, trying to capture the trace he had sensed leaving its mark on the Great Ocean.

The Great Ocean flowed into his body, like water cascading down a series of complex channels, guided and shaped by the thoughts constructed by the Third Mindset.

The unknown has become the known; possibilities that were never witnessed or written about are now being revealed.

Ahriman trembled, thrilled by his discovery. A breathtaking image took shape in his mind.

He glimpsed a dreamlike city standing atop the world, its spires melting as the world burned.

Is this what the Apocalypse of Zarukin looked like?

Is this Zarukin's Apocalypse?

At the same time that Ahriman was unleashing the Raven Arts and uncovering the Mysteries of Dawn Star's history, his only rival, Hathor, also led his Third Fellowship and a portion of the "Pavoni" who were not assigned to a Society onto the surface of Dawn Star.

On the left shoulder armor of everyone in the group, the curved surface is adorned with the serpentine star-shaped emblem of the "Thousand Sons" Legion, painted in a pale ivory white against the crimson Power Armor.

A shimmering feather has been added to the emblems of Hathor and hundreds of others.

That was the symbol of the "Pavoni," which Hathor controlled as the Temple Master.

The Thousand Sons painted with bright feathers on each shoulder armor were clearly more handsome than their battle brothers.

Every single one of the Liangyu was handsome; in this respect, they were comparable to the Emperor's Children.

Most of them were not this handsome when they underwent the transformation surgery to become Thousand Sons.

But they used their Bright Feather Technique and Psionic Energy to repeatedly alter their flesh and blood, giving themselves marble-like faces, and ultimately won Hathor's approval.

Hathor himself was even more so; even standing among a group of Emperor's Children, he would stand out remarkably.

Rumors circulated within the Fifteenth Legion, with many, including the Primarch, believing that Hathor should be seconded to the Third Legion, where he would surely gain Lord Fulgrim's favor.

Although the Thousand Sons felt regretful about this, they were all happy that Hathor had been valued by Lord Nimrod and even Bestowal precious runes, so he was seconded to the "Shadow of Order".

Hathor had already guessed his rival's intentions from Ahriman's decision to go to the ruins of Zarukin.

He did not choose the ruins, for no ruin has a history surpassing that of Zarukin, and his ability to extract information from them is far inferior to that of Ahriman.

Hathor knew that his only chance was to make good use of the abilities Lord Nimrod had given him.

Therefore, he chose the largest city on Dawn Star, the stage where he could best demonstrate his abilities as a "Psychiatrist".