Sanguinius opened his eyes.
He had not slept. It had been that way all night.
In truth, sleep had become irrelevant ever since he returned from death. He could go a very long time without rest and still remain brimming with energy. And yet Sanguinius did not like the feeling.
You could even say he hated it. Sleep was a human necessity, and he had lost it.
He sat up and sighed. The Angel of Baal began slowly putting on the clothes he had prepared in advance. If not for work, he would not have wanted to leave his room at this hour.
Half an hour later, properly and solemnly dressed, he met one of his brothers beneath a monument near Terra.
His brother was named Lion El'Jonson. His hair was white, his face aged. Sanguinius felt somewhat envious.
Of course, he would not tell his brother that.
"How are your preparations?" Sanguinius asked.
"Not very good."
Lion El'Jonson shook his head. The sternness of his expression loosened slightly, showing a trace of worry. That was a rare sight.
Sanguinius said nothing. He knew that Lion El'Jonson's pause at this moment did not mean he had finished speaking.
"Although I knew of his existence very early on, no matter how you put it, he is a 'brother' who has no blood relation to us whatsoever."
Sanguinius smiled. That smile made his brother look over in irritation. "All right, Lion El'Jonson, are you about to launch into another long speech about blood relations?"
"What do you mean, another?"
"You've done this many times already, Lion El'Jonson. More than once, you've told me and Leman Russ that the title of Primarch should not be applied to Steve, Frank, and Cran."
"Should it be?"
The Lion folded his arms, his face showing unmistakable