Anxiety and Explosion
By rights, now that the Warmaster of the Great Crusade fleet—his own Primarch, Horus—had recovered and returned, Loken should have been very happy these past few days, even overjoyed.
After all, Warmaster Horus was the Primarch of their XVI Legion. If anything happened to him, it would be nothing short of devastating and world-shattering for those of them known as the "Sons of Horus." Loken could hardly imagine what it would be like if such a terrible thing really happened.
But in truth, for reasons he couldn't quite explain, Loken couldn't shake the feeling that something strange was going on aboard the flagship Vengeful Spirit.
Because...
For some reason, Loken had the vague impression that their Primarch, their Warmaster Horus, had seemed a little different ever since he'd survived that disaster, recovered, and returned.
But he couldn't put his finger on exactly what had changed.
In short!
He'd noticed that Primarch Horus often hid alone in his office, talking to himself. He also seemed less patient with the officers under his command than before, and even deliberately kept his distance from them. At times, he'd complain to them openly, voicing certain grievances against Terra and the Emperor.
Of course!
If those things were only minor problems—just the Warmaster grumbling about some of the Emperor's decisions—then perhaps they wouldn't have been cause for concern. But the Warmaster had begun showing excessive fondness for Erebus, the Chief Chaplain of the Word Bearers. And there were rumors that the strategic studies room on the command deck—the place that had been converted into the Lupercal Council Chamber—often rang with terrifying whispers and roars. The dreadful howls would fill the elite Astartes standing guard nearby with inexplicable tremors deep in their hearts. That was a major problem, one that frightened Loken.
Because