Chapter Summaries

Alvin told the Lion King about the Imperium’s fractured state and the Great Rift, leaving him determined to return to Terra and reunite with his brothers. With no warship, he chose to begin by fighting the Chaos forces on Karmas and announcing his return.

• The Lion King learned that Guilliman had divided the Astartes into Chapters, cursed him, then acknowledged the necessity of the decision.
• Alvin recounted the Imperium’s recent history, including the Great Rift and the Imperium’s renewed division, and told the Lion King that Dante Luis held the positions of Warmaster and Regent in the Dark Imperium.
• The Lion King despaired over the Imperium’s state, then resolved to cross the Great Rift and reach Terra to find Guilliman and the Emperor.
• Zabriel explained that Karmas was locked in a stalemate between its defenders and the Chaos Gang Myriad Eyes, led by the fallen Librarian Sarax.
• The Lion King decided to begin on Karmas, raise his battle flag, and declare his return to the Imperium and its enemies.

Alvin, Zabriel, and the Lion King stormed Red Moon Fortress and fought their way to the Chaos psyker Sarax. After the Lion King killed Sarax, a Warp Rift opened and a rocket struck him, leaving his condition unknown.

• The Lion King rejected Alvin’s suggestion to make a plan and led him and Zabriel across the fortress’s ruined defenses.
• The Lion King killed the Chaos Cultists who confronted them in the fortress hall.
• The trio found Sarax and his Chaos Space Marines, and the Lion King and Zabriel attacked while Alvin used Kamar-Taj magic to kill two enemies.
• The Lion King crushed the Chaos Space Marines blocking his path, struck Sarax with a stone pillar, and tore off his armor before killing him.
• Alvin sensed Warp energy gathering and warned the Lion King, but a rocket shot from a Warp Rift and blasted him backward.

Alvin used the Dimension Mirror to trap the Chaos forces in a distorted version of Red Moon Fort, scattering them and giving Lion El'Jonson a chance to confront their Librarian. The Librarian faced the Lion King alone as he declared his name and title.

• Alvin and Zabriel fought back after a Chaos Librarian and his Space Marines ambushed them, while Lion El'Jonson broke free from the wall and charged.
• The Chaos forces pinned down Lion El'Jonson with coordinated fire, and Alvin asked Zabriel to draw their attention.
• Alvin gathered psychic power and cast Dimension Mirror, folding the room into a reversed space that scattered the Chaos Space Marines.
• The Chaos Librarian found himself alone with Lion El'Jonson, who announced that he was lord of the First Legion and father of the Dark Angels.

The Lion revealed himself as Lion El'Jonson and battered a Chaos psyker while Alvin held the other Chaos Space Marines back. Alvin tested his method of routing the cost of Marvel magic through the Warp, then used crimson lightning to defeat the attackers without suffering psychic backlash.

• The Lion announced that he had returned and beat the Chaos psyker into submission with a series of punches and a knee strike.
• Alvin folded the Mirror Dimension to isolate the Lion and psyker, then faced the remaining Chaos Space Marines alone.
• Alvin blocked incoming fire with Seraphim Shield and bound two Chaos Space Marines with Khorne's Crimson Chains.
• Alvin dodged Chainsword attacks by scattering into butterflies and reassembling elsewhere.
• Alvin unleashed Borsat's Thunder to swallow the Chaos Space Marines and confirmed his experiment had succeeded.
• Alvin explained that he used Psychic Power to pay the Vishanti's price for magic, avoiding both Warp backlash and the usual cost to mages.

After killing the Chaos forces, Lion El'Jonson learned that his weakness came from aging rather than a curse. He then judged Alvin’s battlefield performance inadequate and decided to train him personally as a Calibanite Knight.

• Lion El'Jonson tore apart the Chaos Psyker and single-handedly killed the remaining Chaos Space Marines.
• Lion El'Jonson asked Alvin to lift the weakening curse, but Alvin showed him in a mirror that he had grown old during his ten-thousand-year disappearance.
• Zabriel explained that time had aged Lion El'Jonson, who accepted the truth and returned to Red Moon Fortress.
• Lion El'Jonson left the fortress to look at the stars, and Alvin followed him.
• Lion El'Jonson criticized Alvin’s reliance on psychic powers and announced that he would personally train him as a proper Calibanite Knight.

Alvin endured half a month of brutal swordsmanship training from Lion El'Jonson before being sent into a mysterious forest with only a dagger to hunt a Behemoth. After three days, he remained hidden near the swamp as Zabriel questioned whether the trial was fair, while the Lion King insisted Alvin was no ordinary person.

• Lion El'Jonson trained Alvin in Caliban swordsmanship through relentless sparring, teaching him to move efficiently and defend himself in real combat.
• The Lion King took Alvin's weapons and armor, left him a jagged dagger, and set him the task of hunting a Behemoth in a mysterious forest.
• Alvin spent three days observing the Behemoths and hiding in a swamp while he waited for an opportunity to strike.
• Zabriel worried that Alvin, a mortal without proper weapons, could not defeat a Behemoth and challenged the fairness of the trial.
• The Lion King told Zabriel that Alvin was no ordinary person, prompting Zabriel to recall finding him enclosed in a golden sphere of light.

Alvin ambushed a Behemoth in the forest and castrated it, only to discover that the enraged beast was a Furious Golden Lion with devastating psychic powers. He escaped its first attack but feared the Lion King had set him up by claiming to have subdued one as a child.

• Alvin crept through a bog toward a sleeping Behemoth, armed only with a rusty dagger.
• Alvin stabbed the Behemoth in the groin and cut off its testicles, provoking a deafening roar and a surge of psychic energy.
• The Behemoth shed its mud coating, revealing golden fur and a terrifying appearance that Alvin recognized as a Furious Golden Lion.
• The Behemoth used psychic gravity and struck at Alvin with a powerful fist, but Alvin's psychic barrier briefly held long enough for him to escape the attack.
• Alvin wondered whether the Lion King had lied about subduing a Behemoth bare-handed when he was three.

Alvin fought Behemoth in the swamp, using psychic powers as the Golden Lion’s monstrous opponent shrugged off his attacks. A blood-red mist then engulfed them both, and Alvin realized Khorne had blessed them before Behemoth’s next punch struck.

• Alvin unleashed a fire dragon at Behemoth, but the creature shattered it and charged through the forest.
• Alvin tore a mountaintop away with telekinesis and hurled it at Behemoth, which smashed it apart with one punch.
• Alvin and Behemoth exchanged attacks in midair, leaving Alvin battered and Behemoth’s chest cut open.
• A blood-red mist filled the swamp, heightening Alvin’s senses and driving Behemoth into a murderous frenzy.
• Alvin realized Khorne had blessed them both, and Behemoth charged at him with a devastating punch.

Alvin fought Behemoth in Khorne’s blood-red domain, and both were badly wounded in their brutal exchange. Just as they prepared for a final clash, Khorne transformed Behemoth into a far more powerful Daemon, leaving Alvin stunned.

• Alvin realized Behemoth was healing by draining life energy and understood that Khorne’s domain was pushing them to fight to the death.
• Alvin equipped his power gauntlet and Atropos's Blade, then dodged Behemoth’s charge and slashed open its abdomen.
• Behemoth struck Alvin, hurling him through trees and badly injuring his arm and leg, while its own wounds left its organs exposed.
• Alvin and Behemoth paused to recover before facing each other for what they expected to be the final blow.
• Khorne’s blessing transformed Behemoth into a Daemon, and Alvin was left wondering why his opponent had gained a last-minute power-up.

Alvin awakened a power that let him perceive possible outcomes and used it to defeat the Chaos-blessed Behemoth despite his injuries. The Lion King refused Zabriel’s request to intervene, leaving the reason behind the trial tied to a mysterious understanding between the Emperor and Khorne.

• As Behemoth charged, Alvin entered a strange state in which he saw possible outcomes and dodged its attacks.
• Alvin exploited Behemoth’s exposed armor and severed its arm with Atropos's Blade.
• Alvin predicted Behemoth’s next moves, knocked it off balance with a psychic shockwave, and cut off its head.
• Zabriel asked the Lion King whether they should help, but the Lion King said Alvin’s fight was a trial and they must not interfere.
• The Lion King worried about what had happened in the Warp during his long sleep and why the Emperor and Khorne seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement.

Alvin returned after slaying Behemoth and discovered that his battle had awakened a strange precognitive ability. His feat convinced Zabriel to accept him as Grand Master of the Sons of the Forest, and the Lion King told Alvin to formally knight him.

• After killing Behemoth, Alvin recovered from the strain and realized Warp power had let him glimpse possible futures during the fight.
• Alvin wondered how Khorne had invaded the Lion King's Warp domain, then returned carrying Behemoth's horns as proof of his victory.
• The Lion King declared that Alvin had passed the blood trial and qualified as Grand Master of the Sons of the Forest.
• Zabriel recognized Alvin's strength, knelt, and pledged allegiance to him as First Watch Knight and Grand Master.
• The Lion King instructed Alvin to knight Zabriel, explaining that Zabriel would become his first knight.

The Lion King found the Sword in the Lake in his Warp realm and finally led Alvin and Zabriel out of the forest. They emerged in a desert, where hostile Space Marines attacked, and the Lion King reluctantly shouted “Excalibur” at Alvin’s request.

• After wandering the forest for days, Alvin suggested the lake might be the key to escaping, and the Lion King revealed a sword beneath its waters.
• The Lion King drew the Sword in the Lake, while Alvin asked him to shout “Excalibur” when using it in battle.
• The Lion King ordered Zabriel to train Alvin, but Alvin continued pestering him to fulfill the request.
• Two days later, the Lion King led Alvin and Zabriel out of the forest into a desert instead of Karmas.
• Space Marines fired on the trio, and the Lion King drew his sword and shouted “Excalibur” while Zabriel protested that he spoiled Alvin.

Lion El'Jonson learned that the Dark Angels were threatened by Abaddon at Caliban and vowed to stop him. Alvin offered to produce a cruiser, after securing the Lion King's promise not to punish the heretical things aboard it.

• The Lion King killed the Chaos Space Marines who attacked him, leaving one survivor alive to answer his questions.
• The survivor told the Lion King that Abaddon was attacking Caliban and the Stone Fortress, then recognized him as Lion El'Jonson.
• The Lion King killed the survivor and hurried to find the planet's location and a way to reach the Stone Fortress.
• Alvin told the Lion King he could produce a cruiser, and the Lion King promised not to hold him responsible for heretical behavior.
• Alvin revealed that his ship contained a machine spirit made from Transformers, Aeldari runes, Necron Scarabs, Devourer slaves, and Ollsen's Dark Angels Penitence Legion.

Alvin tested whether the Navigator System could transport the Lion King to another world and brought him aboard the Holy Flame Arbiter. The Lion King discovered Alvin’s collection of xenos, mechanical life-forms, and Fallen Angels, but warned him to be careful rather than condemning him.

• Alvin transported himself, the Lion King, and Zabriel to the Transformers world aboard the Holy Flame Arbiter, where the Lion King endured intense pressure during the journey.
• The Lion King inspected the Mars-class cruiser’s weapons and remarked that the Imperium’s technology had barely advanced during his ten-thousand-year sleep.
• Alvin showed the Lion King Necron Canoptek Scarabs and mechanical life-forms posing as Tech-Priests, prompting Zabriel to warn him to keep them from the Adeptus Mechanicus.
• The Lion King encountered Devourers, the Trinity machine spirit, and a Necron Lord, then warned Alvin about the dangers of working with xenos and Abominable Intelligence.
• Alvin summoned nearly a hundred Space Marines, and Ollsen recognized the Lion King as the Lion King confronted Alvin about sheltering the Fallen Angels.

The Lion King warned Alvin that the Imperium’s rules protected humanity from dangers such as Abominable Intelligence, then confronted Ollsen and the Dawnwatch Legion over their past plan to join Chaos. Ollsen accepted responsibility and prepared to die, but Alvin intervened before he could take his life.

• The Lion King reprimanded Alvin for breaking the Imperium’s rules and warned him about trusting Abominable Intelligence.
• Alvin acknowledged the Lion King’s concerns and promised to follow the rules whenever possible.
• The Lion King questioned Ollsen and the Dawnwatch Legion about their former plan to join Chaos and attack an Imperial outpost.
• Ollsen confessed that he had intended to join Chaos and asked the Lion King to spare the younger members of his force.
• The Lion King spared the others, and Ollsen drew his dagger to take his own life before Alvin intervened.

Alvin persuaded the Lion King to spare Ollsen, strengthening Alvin’s authority over the newly pardoned Sons of the Forest. Ollsen then asked Alvin to let him and seven other veterans undergo Primaris Surgery so they could qualify for the God-Forging Plan, and Alvin agreed on the condition that they all survive.

• Alvin defended Ollsen before the Lion King, who spared Ollsen but warned Alvin that he would be held responsible for any future rebellion.
• After leaving the control room, the Lion King told Zabriel not to reveal what had happened, while Zabriel recognized that the confrontation had strengthened Alvin’s standing.
• Alvin reassured Ollsen and accepted the nearly one hundred former Fallen Angels’ oath to serve the Emperor, the Lion King, and Alvin as Sons of the Forest.
• Ollsen asked Alvin to approve Primaris Surgery for himself and seven other former members of the Crowned Host, explaining that only Primaris Space Marines could join the God-Forging Plan.
• Alvin agreed to the surgery after Ollsen explained their reasons, but insisted that all eight veterans survive.

Alvin learned that Sentinel Prime might be able to repair the damaged Sky-Shaking Unicron Armor by searching Cybertron for Saitianjiao’s lost legacy module. He then discussed the Adeptus Mechanicus with Aruman and revealed his plan to use faith to reshape Primus into the Omnissiah, leaving the consequences uncertain.

• Alvin gave Sentinel Prime the damaged Sky-Shaking Unicron Armor, and Sentinel Prime said repairing its unique AllSpark would require finding Saitianjiao’s legacy module on Cybertron.
• Alvin trusted Sentinel Prime to investigate the Thirteen Primes’ possible legacy modules, which could help revive the Transformers.
• Alvin summoned Aruman and asked how the Adeptus Mechanicus had developed over more than ten years.
• Aruman reported that the new generation of Transformers had nearly forgotten Primus, though he doubted Alvin’s plan would work.
• Alvin explained that faith could transform a god’s nature and that he intended to use the Omnissiah’s worship to replace Primus as the Transformers’ creator god.

Alvin returned to his universe with the Lion King and a nearly hundred-thousand-strong force, while still wondering about the origins of his Navigator System. Near Avalon, the Lion King appointed Alvin supreme commander, and Alvin chose to gather the Hive World's forces before heading to the Stone Fortress.

• Alvin prepared to replace his damaged Sky-Shaking Unicron with Tony's Vibranium armor and planned a more advanced suit for the future.
• The Lion King told Alvin that he had sensed the peace of the alternate world and agreed to depart with him.
• Alvin asked whether the Lion King knew how he had traveled between worlds, but the Lion King said he did not know.
• Alvin returned to his universe aboard the Holy Flame Arbiter, several dozen light-years east of the Stone Fortress near Avalon.
• The Lion King appointed Alvin supreme commander and praised his decision to summon Avalon's military forces before proceeding.
• Zabriel suspected that Alvin might be the Lion King's bastard son because of the Lion King's unusual favor toward him.

Alvin contacted Avalon’s planetary governor, Hal Kusman, to request repairs for his fleet, but she refused entry because Avalon was under Chaos attack and she could not trust the fleet. Alvin arranged a guarded meeting with Hal, then explained to Zabriel why they could not simply announce that the Lion King was a Primarch.

• Alvin’s fleet contacted Governor Hal Kusman, who questioned why it had appeared on Avalon after exploring the Black Zone.
• Hal refused Alvin’s request to enter the Hive City’s spaceport, citing the Chaos attack and her uncertainty about his fleet’s allegiance.
• Alvin proposed that he and another person meet Hal in the Hive City under guard and surrender their weapons, and Hal agreed.
• Zabriel asked why Alvin did not announce the Primarch’s return, and Alvin explained that people would need proof to believe the claim.

Alvin and Zabriel entered the Hive City to negotiate with Governor Hal for Avalon’s forces and fleet, but were placed under guard while she dealt with the Chaos invasion. Alvin explained why they had to avoid provoking a civil war and decided to wait for a political opening, leaving their next move dependent on who proved friend or foe.

• The Lion King gave Alvin the Lion Sword for protection, and Alvin stored it in his Personal Space before asking Zabriel to accompany him to the Hive City.
• Alvin and Zabriel surrendered their weapons to Governor Hal’s Astra Militarum escort and were taken to a guarded residence instead of the Governor’s Mansion.
• Zabriel proposed storming the Governor’s palace and taking Hal hostage, but Alvin warned that doing so would turn their allies against them and invite a civil war.
• Alvin explained that the Lion King’s identity had to remain their trump card while they sought to unite Avalon’s forces and secure its fleet peacefully.
• Alvin told Zabriel he had a general plan and would wait for an opportunity, while warning that his eventual solution might be aggressive.