He Shenyan sat quietly in his chair without saying a word. He leaned back against it, his expression gradually settling into blank calm. The disguise had been stripped away, replaced by exhaustion and weakness. In an instant, what sat there instead was a man shaped like a withered skeleton.
This is still too much, he thought.
Drach'nyen, Slaanesh, maintaining the Astral Beacon. One thing after another; now he could truly say he knew what it meant to be worn out in body and soul. Human strength had its limits, and how much longer could he hold on?
He did not know, but he had to try.
The Adeptus Custodes stepped out from the shadows behind him and silently swept an arm toward the wall. Erebus, deprived of self-awareness, sank into the wall once more.
He asked, "How much longer can you hold on?"
"You might as well ask me how much longer I can live." The Mage leaned back in his chair and answered with his eyes closed. "I'll give you an answer you'd never expect, Lictor."
"All right, then how much longer can you live?"
"You actually asked?"
"It was, after all, an order from you. How could I not obey?"
"Honestly, Lictor, I'm starting to be unable to tell whether you truly have no emotional intelligence whatsoever, or whether you're putting on this act on purpose. But that doesn't matter. Central Hub, report the reconnaissance status of the Frost Wolf and the Unforgiven. We should already be nearing the Iron Warriors' sphere of influence."
Blue light lit up, and a curtain unfolded. A ripple always ran through the air when the holographic projection activated. The Adeptus Custodes stood without a word behind the Mage, whose eyes remained closed, and began reciting the detailed intelligence shown on it for