October Wolves, Angels, Ravens, Bats (II)

"We both know that we can't control everything," Horus said. "That's why we sometimes need to ask others for help. There's nothing shameful about that, Sanguinius."

He's very persistent, the angel thought. Several hours have passed, and he's still bringing it up from time to time.

He sighed inwardly.

What else can be said? This is the classic Horus approach—if he believes you need help, he will try to melt the ice with enthusiasm until he is explicitly rejected.

At this moment, Sanguinius had taken off the brown-white robe he wore in his studio and put on a solemn and dignified white suit. The clothes themselves were near perfect, yet they still couldn't capture even a fraction of his essence.

He and Horus walked side by side through the magnificent, ever-changing corridors of the Red Tear, their expressions quite different.

The Primarch of the Blood Angels remained almost silent, their expressions thoughtful. Horus Lupercal, however, wore a look of anxiety. Sanguinius didn't let this detail slip away; he grasped it, but was unwilling to follow it further.

"Yes, it's not shameful. But this goes beyond the scope of 'helping,' Horus. What I see is an abstract picture, one that even I cannot understand. How can I describe to you what I see?"

"But you need help." Horus paused. "Was I wrong, Sanguinius?"

His words implied a plea.

No.

The words almost slipped out of Sanguinius' mouth. But he didn't; he simply remained silent.

To say he didn't need it would be tantamount to lying. He couldn't lie to his brother, but he didn't need help either.

At least not now.

Extreme darkness is still just extreme darkness.

Horus received no answer. He sighed, stopped, and shook his head. Sanguinius saw sorrow in his eyes, but he felt neither anger nor disappointment at Sanguinius's concealment; the emotion in his eyes was compassion.

For a while afterward, there was only silence between them. This silence continued until they boarded the shuttle, where Azkaellon of the Sanguinary Guard and Fakus Keiber of the Justaerin Terminators had been waiting for some time.

Nevertheless, these two Primarch Guards were not fully armed, not even wearing ceremonial armor. Their clothing was in their respective legion's colors, but without much detail or decoration. It was simple, elegant, and had clean lines.

Horus greeted the two men with a smile, but of course, in his style, a greeting would not be limited to a simple hello. In fact, he also affectionately pulled Azkaellon and Pharchus over, put his hands on their shoulders, and began to chat comfortably and naturally.

Sanguinius maintained a smile, but his mind was elsewhere. For a moment, it was as if two completely different people were in one body.

Outwardly, he is friendly and gentle, with a smile on his face. Inwardly, however, he harbors a coldness and only wants to extricate himself from this environment.

His wish soon came true; the shuttle docked with their destination after a flight of about ten minutes.

Golden Radiance, accompanied by the hum of machinery, streamed into the cabin. Horus, abandoning his usual intimacy, ended the conversation with a joke. Afterward, he and Sanguinius stepped onto the Emperor's Dream side by side.

Their guards followed closely behind. There was no honor guard or enthusiastic welcome, not even a guide—this was Horus's request; he knew the Emperor's Dream very well, even better than his own flagship.

"Turn left ahead, Sanguinius," Horus whispered. "You'll see a series of white stone pillars and fountains, as well as meadows, trees, and various plants. Many rare and endangered animals inhabit this area."

The angel blinked with slight interest and did as he was told. Sure enough, he saw the things Horus had described. These were things he had never seen before. He, like Horus, had boarded the Emperor's Dream, but he had not lived there as long as Horus had.

The angel couldn't help but turn and glance at Horus amidst the fresh scent of the earth. The latter was smiling happily, as if he had completely forgotten his previous silence.

"Come on," Horus beckoned to him. "It's best not to look too closely. Several of these animals don't like being stared at for too long. If you get too engrossed in looking, they might come and chase you."

He shrugged. "Or peck you. To be honest, it doesn't hurt, but it's embarrassing."

Sanguinius couldn't help but laugh.

They began walking side by side again, and along the way, Horus described to him many sights on the Emperor's Dream as if they were his own.

Sometimes it's a long, magnificent, and solemn corridor. Other times it's just an unremarkable painting, which Horus can not only name the artist but also tell the story behind it.

He knew every corner intimately, and Sanguinius listened patiently, not feeling that Horus was showing off. He was happy to accept this sharing.

However, as they passed through a door, Horus stopped and frowned for the first time since boarding the Emperor's Dream.

"What's wrong?" Sanguinius asked, his voice tinged with concern.

He looked at the door and noticed a logo on it that was clearly out of place with the overall decor of the Emperor's Dream: a pale, sharp blade that gleamed in the darkness, as bright as moonlight.

Horus shook his head, looking somewhat puzzled, but did not immediately explain.

He looked around and successfully found an inconspicuous button embedded in the wall.

He reached out and pressed it.

A mechanical voice immediately sounded, "Authentication successful, welcome back, Horus Lupercal. What's the matter?"

Horus turned his head, smiled at Sanguinius, and pointed his finger at the button in the air.

The angel smiled helplessly—well, this time, Horus really is showing off.

"Ahem." Horus cleared his throat. "I'd like to know, what's the purpose of this door... no, this room?"

It's a bedroom.

"Bedroom? Who does it belong to?"

"Karyl Lohars," the mechanical voice replied.

Horus opened his mouth, but said nothing. Sanguinius noticed a fleeting shadow on his brother's face, which puzzled the angel, so he too spoke.

"Is he an instructor from the Eighth Legion?"

The mechanical voice paused for a moment before replying again, "Voiceprint matching, biometric data retrieval in progress. Identity verification successful. Welcome back, Sanguinius. Yes, this room belongs to Karyl Lohars, an instructor from the Eighth Legion."

"Why does he have a room on the Emperor's Dream?" Horus asked, puzzled.

"This unit cannot answer," the mechanical voice said. "Please proceed to the bridge and locate Cogitator Array A-7 to obtain the answer via mainframe query."

"Alright." Horus shrugged, seemingly unconcerned, and casually put his arm around Sanguinius's shoulder before turning and leaving. "Looks like this was Father's doing. We'd better go see him first, what do you think, brother?"

"I have no objection," the angel replied. "But isn't he still talking to Corax?"

"He can't possibly refuse to say a single word to you and me, can he?" Horus winked and joked.

However, when they arrived at the Emperor's study, they were indeed stopped at the door by guards in golden armor.

"I'm sorry, but His Majesty specifically instructed that he does not wish to be disturbed by anyone at this time," the Adeptus Custodes said in a detached tone. "Not even the two lords."

Horus fell silent again for a moment; he had fallen silent far too many times today. Sanguinius felt a pang of worry for his brother, but besides that worry, he also felt an urge to laugh.

The Primarch of the Luna Wolves turned around as if sensing something, glared at the angel, and shook his head disapprovingly at the latter's expressionless face.

"Laugh if you want, Sanguinius. What I said before certainly has a laughable absurdity compared to our current situation."

Sanguinius turned his head and smiled silently at the wall of the corridor.

Horus sighed, looked at the Adeptus Custodes who had spoken, and after a brief stare, uttered a name: "Ra? Ra Endymion?"

The Adeptus Custodes nodded, their red tassels fluttering on their heads.

"Oh, it's you. How have you been lately?"

"Your question is very humorous," La said.

Horus couldn't help but chuckle and stroked his chin. His previous remark was indeed a joke, but he hadn't expected the Adeptus Custodes to respond in this way.

"Alright, let's get down to business. Was my father talking to Corax inside?"

"Yes."

How long has this been going on?

"Thirteen hours and twenty-seven minutes," said La Endymion. "This conversation will likely continue for quite some time."

"But it was he who sent me and Sanguinius not long ago." Horus frowned. "If my father had things to do and couldn't see us, why did he summon me and my brother?"

"Because he instructed us on this matter beforehand," Ra Endymion replied calmly. "He hopes that the two Primarch can entertain a friend who has come from afar on his behalf."

Horus's brow furrowed deeper and deeper. "Who?"

"Karyl Lohars," the Adeptus Custodes said.

His tone changed, no longer so emotionless, but becoming somewhat strange. Sanguinius noticed this subtle detail, and the angel slowly raised an eyebrow, his fingers rubbing his palm. Horus nodded after a moment of silence.

"I understand," the Cthonia replied seriously.

Two more chapters to go.