"Hssss~ Your mutations sure come in all shapes and sizes." Francis kept rubbing his chin, wondering if he could get a taste of the Thousand Sons today.
"Is it difficult to treat?" Magnus was feeling both nervous and excited.
He was nervous that his sons might not be cured, and excited because he wanted to witness Francis's superb genetic techniques for himself.
"No! Of course not. I'm just worried they won't be able to stand the pain."
At that, the Thousand Sons warriors abruptly lifted their heads and stared at Francis, their eyes burning with hope. "Honored Primarch Francis, we've all heard! As long as we can be free of the Flesh Change, we can endure any amount of pain."
"Good! Then let's begin." With that, Francis started drawing up a treatment plan.
"You're covered in scales all over, and the tips of your fingers have sprouted tentacles. Your condition is mild. The Soul Drinker in Room 6 will treat you."
With a rip, Francis tore off a slip of paper and handed it to the warrior, telling him to give it to the Soul Drinker inside.
Inside Room 6, bone saws, chainsaws, power shears, blood packs, and all sorts of other things hung on the walls. The table was covered with several strange jars.
The liquid inside looked mucus-green, viscous, and bizarre.
"Give me the note. We're ready to begin." The Soul Drinker, dressed in a snow-white medical gown, took the note and opened it.
"First, scrape off the scales along with the skin, then cut off the extra tentacles. After that, cover the area with growth serum. Repeat the process to remove all mutated tissue. Finally, add the new gene supplement and the new gene stabilizer."
After entering, the Thousand Son saw a large, gleaming silver bed in the middle of the room. It seemed to have some kind of magic over him, and he found himself lying on it despite himself.
The instant he lay down, several clicks sounded. His arms and legs were all locked to the bed, leaving him unable to move.
"Brother Soul Drinker, why are you holding a chainsaw?"
"Why are you strapping me down?"
"Don't come any closer!"
Unfortunately, the Soul Drinker warrior merely replied, "Don't struggle, or it'll hurt even more. Just bear with it. It'll be over soon, brother."
The Thousand Son: "???"
A moment later, a heartrending scream rang out from inside the room. Outside, the Thousand Sons warriors waiting their turn looked half afraid and half excited.
For some inexplicable reason, a thought popped into their heads: That's wonderful!
"Next. You've grown several tentacles, and they have mouths on them. Hmm, pretty serious. Go to Room 2 and have Sarpedon treat you."
"Next. Your butt has split into eight parts, and you've grown quite a few extra excretory glands? Hssss~ That's a little serious. Go queue up at Room 1 too. I'll handle you all at once in a bit."
"..."
"Next. You've grown a bunch of grapes too? Go to Room 2. Sarpedon's good with those."
There were ten rooms in total, and many people were lined up outside every one of them.
"Ahhhhhhh~"
The screams coming from inside rose one after another. To Francis, they even sounded a bit like a symphony.
Suddenly.
It felt as though something had glanced at Francis. He turned around, but couldn't find anything. It was strange.
Gradually, Thousand Sons warriors began emerging from the rooms. They had been tall and imposing going in, but came out hunched over and weak.
Their eyes were filled with fear and relief.
When someone asked how they were doing, they would lift their clothes and show off their bodies, now free of mutations.
"It's true! It really worked!"
"Wonderful! We can finally be free of the Flesh Change!"
"Thank the Emperor! Thank the Imperium!"
The Thousand Sons warriors who had yet to undergo surgery were already cheering. Those who had finished the operation didn't say a word about how painful it had been.
And they really hadn't used any anesthetic at all!
The Thousand Sons warriors who had returned to normal could only shoot their Primarch a resentful look before sitting in a corner to ponder their lives.
"Francis, you're amazing! You're even more—ugh, ugh, ugh..."
Before Magnus could finish, Francis clamped a hand over his mouth and said, "You! You can't say something like that! That's heresy!"
After arranging everything for everyone, Francis entered Room 1 under Magnus's admiring gaze.
Francis pushed open the door and walked inside, thinking to himself:
Heh heh, today I'm going to get a taste of the Thousand Sons, one way or another!
"Let the guy whose butt split into eight parts come in first. I want to see how bad it is."
Meanwhile.
On the planet Davin.
An ancient ruin stood there, its walls covered in long-forgotten runes and symbols.
Beneath the moonlight, the runes glimmered with an eerie light, as if recounting the ancient history and secrets of the "Serpent Lodge."
The ruins were surrounded by dense vegetation, concealing countless traps and dangers.
On the way here, Abaddon and the others had already been attacked by many serpentine creatures twisted by the power of Chaos.
"Is this the place?" Abaddon turned and asked him.
"That's right!" Erebus of the Word Bearers looked even more sinister beneath the moonlight.
Still, Abaddon had a chainsword in hand, so he didn't find anything amiss.
At the heart of the Serpent Lodge stood a massive altar.
It was made of some unknown material and gave off a faint blue glow. A huge serpent was carved into its surface, its eyes seeming to see everything.
The five of them placed the unconscious Horus beneath the altar, directly facing the serpent carving.
Then, following Erebus of the Word Bearers' instructions, they had the local priests conduct an ancient Chaos ritual for Horus.
The group left the altar and waited outside for Horus to wake.
A quarter of an hour passed.
"Didn't you say he'd wake up as soon as we brought him here? Huh?" Abaddon grabbed Erebus of the Word Bearers by the collar and roared.
"How could it happen that quickly? The Warmaster was affected by an unknown force. How could he possibly wake up so fast?"
"Can't I just go in and check on him every once in a while?"
Erebus of the Word Bearers helplessly shrugged, indicating that this wasn't what he wanted either.
They had no idea that Erebus of the Word Bearers could enter dreams and minds. This was the moment he had been waiting for!
As the eyes in the carving inside the Serpent Lodge looked toward Horus, they began to glow red.
The unconscious Horus started to look troubled.
"Where am I?"
"Eichmand! Abaddon! Sejanus! Torgaddon!"
"Where are you?"
Horus stood weakly in a field of snow. The white sky and the ground seemed to merge into one.
He shouted for his sons, but his voice echoed through the air without receiving any answer.
Suddenly.
A gray-white snow wolf appeared before him, just like the one draped over his Power Armour.
Whenever he tried to approach it, the wolf would step away at just the right moment.
No matter how hard he chased it, he couldn't catch up. The two of them seemed to always keep the same distance apart.
The snow wolf kept its eyes fixed on him. Horus felt as if his head were about to split open.
Horus kept chasing, and the snow wolf kept running, until they reached a small river.
With a splash, Horus lost his footing and fell into the river.
The icy water jolted Horus from his stupor. Just as he started to feel himself growing drowsy—
A large hand pulled him up. When Horus came to, he saw Hastur Sejanus, the long-dead fourth captain of the Sons of Horus.
"Sejanus, how can it be you? What are you doing here? Are you all right?"
Horus excitedly embraced his son. The death of any of his sons filled him with immense grief.
Now, seeing that his dead son hadn't really died made him so happy!
"Father, the great Chaos Gods took me in." Sejanus embraced Horus too.
At the word "gods," Horus furrowed his brow slightly, then released Sejanus and said, "Do you know where this is?"
"I thought I was supposed to be on the planet Davin?"
Sejanus didn't answer Horus's question. Instead, he asked, "Father, do you know what will happen to us after the Great Crusade ends?"
"What do you mean? I don't understand." Horus sensed something was wrong.
"Father, I saw the future through the Chaos Gods. It was a future without us." Sejanus continued.
"Impossible! I'm the Warmaster! I'm the Emperor's son!"
"The Emperor would never betray us!"
"You're not Sejanus. Who are you?"
Horus stared at the face he knew better than any other, feeling that something about it was profoundly wrong!
At the same time, far away on Prospero.
Magnus felt the change in Horus too. He hurried to Room 1 and shouted to Francis, "Something's happened to Horus! I can feel Chaos corrupting him!"
"We have to save him!"
Before you continue