Fake! It's All Fake! (Looking for Follow-ups)

When Magnus stormed into Room 1, he saw Francis eating mutated flesh from a Thousand Sons Astartes like it was tomato and egg noodles.

Magnus: "??!"

"Ahem, well. I'm just sensing the details of these lesions to optimize the treatment plan, believe me?" Francis lied with a straight face.

A stream of information came from the flesh.

"Thousand Sons Legion Astartes Gene, Shelby"

"Likes Magnus."

"Born in a border town on Prospero"

"Flesh mutation degree 31%"

"Skilled in psychic lightning attacks, brain explosions."

"Respected Primarch Francis, could you stitch me up first?" Young Shelby never dreamed that after becoming an Astartes, he would one day be a buffet for someone else.

Francis, blushing for the first time in a long time, quickly finished stitching him up and applied growth serum, new gene supplements, and gene stabilizers.

"Let's go, outside."

Francis led Magnus out. His originally snow-white medical uniform was now completely stained with blood.

"Through previous transactions, you've gained a lot of knowledge about the Warp. But I stand by my words, your deals with them can be voided."

"After all, they haven't fully fulfilled their obligations. Otherwise, your connection with Chaos will only grow stronger."

"You'll never know if the psychic powers you use are being influenced by them."

Francis's tone was extremely serious, a stark contrast to his previous flippant demeanor.

"Mhm." Magnus was also taken aback by the sudden change in attitude. It was clear this was a very serious matter.

"Then use your psychic powers! Take me with you." Francis patted Magnus's shoulder.

Magnus nodded. They explained the situation and had the warriors of the two great Legions guard the room, while they fully immersed themselves in connecting with the Warp.

It felt like the clear-headed sensation of falling into the ocean and sinking deeper and deeper.

"I am Xy'anus!"

"Are you afraid to recognize me, or afraid to admit that the Emperor will eventually abandon the Astartes?"

Xy'anus approached Horus, his eyes gleaming with madness. With a wave of his right hand, the world before Horus instantly vanished. "Look! This is the truth."

Horus snapped back to the dungeon of the Terra Imperial Palace.

"What are you doing! Why did you put me here?" Horus shouted at the air.

"I just want you to see the truth. The truth is inside, why don't you go see for yourself?"

In the dungeon, Horus walked confusedly inside.

Until he reached a room he had never entered before. The door was painted with twenty symbols, including a wolf, a snake, and a lion. The second and eleventh were clearly crossed out.

He pushed the door open.

Horus saw twenty Primarch vats neatly arranged there, each nurturing a Primarch. These vats emitted a mysterious glow.

"This is the truth of you Primarchs."

Horus ignored the voice in his mind and walked past each Primarch vat until he reached the eleventh Primarch's position.

Horus wiped the surface of the vat and looked at Francis inside.

"You shouldn't exist. If you didn't exist, so much suffering wouldn't have happened." Horus, lost in thought, suddenly punched the Primarch vat of Francis.

With a crack.

The entire scene shattered like a mirror, broken by Horus's punch.

Behind the scene was a vast palace.

In the center of the palace stood a statue of the Emperor, with all humanity kneeling before him. Beside the Emperor were only a few Primarch statues.

For example, the Primarch resembling an angel, and the man who looked like a lion. Even the Adeptus Custodes stood at the Emperor's feet.

Horus searched everywhere but could not find his own statue.

"This is impossible! This is impossible!"

"I am the Warmaster! I am Father's favorite son!"

"You lied to me, come out!"

Horus's eyes darted wildly. He roughly pushed aside the kneeling humans and roared at the air in front of the Emperor's statue.

"Don't you realize? The False Emperor is sacrificing all of humanity as the price for his godhood."

"Think about the Thunder Warriors, think about the Second Legion, think about the Eleventh Legion! What happened to them!"

Xy'anus's voice, like a demonic chant, etched itself into Horus's mind.

The scene of countless warriors being destroyed by the Space Wolves Legion, led by Leman Russ, their blood staining the world, was also seared into Horus's mind.

Horus clutched his head with both hands, shaking it wildly and shouting. "No! No! I am the Warmaster! I won't allow him to do this!"

"I won't allow him to do this!"

"This is all fake! This is all fake!"

Horus slammed himself against the walls and statues, desperate to purge Xy'anus's words from his mind.

"The False Emperor will destroy you."

"Otherwise, why is there not a single Primarch in the Imperial Council?"

"Why, after the False Emperor possessed you, did he still seek other Primarchs?"

"You are nothing more than tools for the False Emperor to rule humanity."

"..."

Knock knock knock!

"No, what you're saying is fake!"

"Father wouldn't do this! He definitely wouldn't!"

Horus frantically smashed the Emperor's statue until the golden effigy began to crack, fragments of it striking his head.

Horus raised his head in pain, staring at the scene in disbelief.

As the statue cracked more and more severely, countless fragments gradually fell away.

The Emperor's statue began to melt, and beneath its golden exterior, a black sun gradually rose.

Countless threads connected humanity, who blindly worshipped the Emperor.

The black sun greedily absorbed the souls of humanity.

"This isn't real!"

"This isn't real!"

Horus felt the presence emanating from the black sun; he was all too familiar with it.

It was the Emperor's presence!

Finally.

Horus could bear it no longer, letting out a loud wail. "How could this happen! How could this happen!"

He collapsed onto the ground, utterly spent. He didn't even notice the countless shadows creeping towards him on the floor.

"Horus~ Horus~ Don't be corrupted by Chaos! It's all fake!"

"I'm Magnus! I brought Francis to save you!"

"Whatever you do, don't fall asleep, or you're finished."

Magnus's voice gradually grew louder and clearer in Horus's ears.

"Magnus? Where are you!"

Horus's eyes welled with tears as he looked around frantically, trying to find them, but to no avail.

"Francis, what do we do? We can't get in."

"Too cautious, aren't you? Watch this! Horus, the Emperor's favorite son isn't you! He likes Magnus the most!"

Hearing Francis's shout, Horus's eyes snapped open. He shot to his feet and roared, "Magnus!!!"

Bang.

The image of the palace shattered once more, revealing a void behind it.

In the void stood four figures.

To Horus's right stood Xy'anus, arms crossed. To his left stood Magnus and... a half-Ork covered in blood.

Yes, a creature with the lower body of a human and the upper body of an Ork.

Horus: "..."

Xy'anus: "..."

"Ahem, actually, I am the eleventh Primarch, Francis."

"Due to some ability, I'm temporarily in a half-Ork state. But it's okay, I'll change back soon."

"Little Horus, do you understand now? I'm your eleventh brother."

Francis's explanation didn't seem to have much of an effect.

Even Xy'anus's expression grew more grim; this wasn't part of the original plan!

Magnus also looked embarrassed. He had been an Ork just moments ago.

How had he become a half-Ork in such a short time? This was too heretical!

"It's true, Horus! He really is the eleventh Primarch, Francis."

"He's just a bit... special. Father knows all about it!"

Magnus could only grit his teeth and help explain.

The result.

It would have been better if he hadn't explained. The moment he did, Horus's already chaotic mind completely broke down.

"Fake! He's an alien! He's lying to you!"

"Magnus, he's lying to you! He still has Astartes blood on him, he's a heretic!"

"He's fake! Xy'anus is fake too!"

"This whole world is fake!!"

"Hahaha~"

Horus frantically grabbed his head, then forcefully tore off the flesh from his face.