119 Interlude: Eternal Winter (End)

Thirty minutes later, Sol Tavitz finally emerged from the icy spring. 💥👺 🎉👻 His exceptional physical condition and physiological abilities played a crucial role in this, allowing him to hold on until now.

But he could not escape the cold; it seemed to have penetrated deep into his heart and blood, making his breath heavy with chill.

At this moment, darkness had once again descended upon the place, with the only light coming from the scepter in the hand of the Sigillites. Tavits stood silently in place, waiting for him to approach.

He tried taking two steps back, but the spring water had turned back into rock. His clothes were completely dry, his uniform jacket not a speck of moisture. It was as if everything that had just happened was merely a figment of his imagination or a dream.

"You've successfully joined us, Company Commander Tavitz," the Sigillites said slowly. "But I won't congratulate you; this doesn't necessarily mean you're lucky."

"I still don't understand," Tavitz said. "Besides, I was never informed that I was here to join an organization. Your vote is invalid for me."

"Once you understand everything, you will join us," said the Sigillites, his face illuminated by the firelight beneath his hood, his eyes gleaming with blue light.

He raised his scepter and struck the ground once more with its heavy tail. Immediately, mist spread from the void, obscuring Tavitz. When the world before him became clear again, the cave was gone.

Is it an illusion, or a genuine teleportation?

The Emperor's Children solemnly observed his surroundings. He found himself in a corridor, a place that was probably not originally intended for people of their height, as there were obvious signs of expansion on the upper walls.

They were made of ancient bricks and stones, torches were lit on the walls, and a musty smell wafted from the depths of the corridor on the breeze.

Thus, he arrived at the answer.

It's teleportation.

Is Malcador capable of doing this so casually?

Before he could think any further, his thoughts were interrupted by a breath. ♣☝ 🎀♦ Tavetz gripped the dagger in one hand and looked back, seeing a somewhat familiar person.

The man was a bit taller than him, with his arms crossed, standing a short distance away and sizing him up; the lightning bolt medal on his chest still gleamed brightly.

"Who are you?" Tavitz asked.

"Your senior," the man replied in a deep, thunderous voice.

His voice, words, and gestures all conveyed an extremely obvious distrust. Tavitz found that this man clearly placed himself in a superior position, in every way, and was not simply speaking as a senior member of a clandestine organization.

The Emperor's Children frowned, while the man strode past. It was a miracle that this place could accommodate two giants like them. He strode forward, unconcerned that Tavitz might take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

"I believe the Sigillites hasn't told you who I really am, but my identity is unimportant. You don't need to respect or trust me; I have only one purpose: to answer your questions."

The man spoke as he walked, his steps firm, making heavy thuds on the bricks and stones, as if he were marching in an army.

For some reason, Tavitz followed him, and his story didn't end there. "The organizations you join have many names, most of which are misunderstandings imposed on us by others. There is only one name, and the only one that is truly recognized."

He paused, then didn't continue. Tavitz understood what he meant.

"What is it?" he asked.

"The Inquisition," the man said. "We are responsible for combating the darkness that breeds within the Imperium; to be more precise, we exterminate it. To achieve this, we are granted numerous powers and authority."

He stopped in his tracks, and the brick wall on his right suddenly began to move and open spontaneously. A room resembling a tavern was revealed, with old furnishings and a dusty floor, clearly untouched for a long time.

The man snorted in dissatisfaction, but strode in anyway. He went behind the long bar, picked out a bottle of liquor with no label on it, knocked the bottle neck off with his finger, and downed half of it in one gulp.

"Like you." → He put down the bottle. "Do you remember those sounds you heard in the icy spring?"

"I don't recall hearing anything," Tavitz replied coldly. He remained standing in the corridor, not entering at all.

"Lying won't work. Of course you can hear their voices, otherwise the ice spring wouldn't have appeared at all."

The man tilted his head back, downed the drink in one gulp, and then spoke again.

"Let me guess, you lost many brothers and comrades. You witnessed at least one massacre, and they were the victims. That's why you heard their voices and what they said to you?"

Tavitz gripped the dagger at his waist, his face grim, and gritted his teeth, offering no reply.

"Don't want to talk about it? That's understandable; everyone has a past they're reluctant to discuss." The person nodded noncommittally. "But you've already been chosen."

"I don't care," the Emperor's Children replied softly. "I want to stay with my Legion, my Primarch. They need me."

"It was your Primarch who Primarch requested that you come here, Sol Tavitz," the man said calmly, uttering his name. "Otherwise, you would never have had the chance to see us, let alone know these things. He recommended you to the Sigillites, and do you know what he said?"

The Emperor's Children tensed his muscles and nerves, unconsciously preparing himself for the next sentence.

Vengeance are endless, but those Vindicators are few and far between.

He took a silver-gray square box from his pocket and placed it on the dusty bar counter.

"He left you a message," the man said. "You can choose to listen or not; it's up to you. But if you choose to listen, it means you agree to join us. Think it over carefully, Sol Tavetz."

He strode towards the door, turned and passed the Emperor's Children, leaving without a backward glance. Tavitz looked at him and asked a question.

"Who are you?"

"Thunder," the man replied softly, and hurried away.

After standing there for several minutes, Sol Tavitz finally decided to go inside. He walked straight to the bar, reached out and picked up the silver-gray box, which began to make a sound as soon as it touched his fingers.

A familiar voice came from inside, and Tavitz closed his eyes and lowered his head as if resigned to his fate.

"I know this is very unfair to you," Fulgrim said quietly and in a low voice. "But I have made my choice, Sol."

"I abandoned my past and embarked on a dark path. On this path, there is nothing but blood and Vengeance."

"I know you will follow me without complaint and fight alongside me for Vengeance, but I cannot just stand by and watch you become penniless madmen with me."

"Now, in my legion, only a few can still maintain a clear understanding of the world and face everything with reason. You are one of them, and you are born with an enviable integrity."

"No one is more suited to this place than you, and I personally would love for you to join, but I won't force you if you don't want to. However, before you refuse, I want to tell you something."

"Regarding all of this, regarding this catastrophe that has destroyed us, it could happen to anyone else in the future."

"Do you understand? I hope you do. I foresaw its arrival because I realized that it wasn't Horus Lupercal who destroyed us, but rather the thing that parasitized him who committed this atrocity."

"They are parasites, Sol. They feed on our souls. They will never be satisfied, for that is their nature. They will not stop until the last human is dead."

"Can you imagine that scene? The disaster that happened to us happening to others? Chemos..."

Sol Tavitz heard his Primarch's trembling sigh.

"So, this is what I want you to do. I want you to delve into the darkness, unravel the complexities, and, like summarizing tactics, extract what works against them, develop theories to prevent them."

"I want you to erect a high wall, Sol, a wall that can firmly keep them out of human reason."

Ultimately, Vengeance is certainly satisfying, something we all crave. We all want to Vengeance the dead, but who will seek justice for them? Who will make their deaths meaningful?

"I can kill that parasite, I can kill those traitors who aided and abetted evil, but it will all be meaningless, because the dead will still have died in vain."

Phoenix gave a soft, bitter laugh.

"This is our future," he said. "A group of people fighting for nothingness, a group consumed by rage and sorrow, this is us. And you still have hope, like Vespasian, you can make our deaths meaningful, Tavec."

"I beg you, to be this solitary hero," Sol Tavitz heard his Primarch say. "I beg you to face the darkness with courage and resolve, I beg you to leave the true spirit of the Emperor's Children to the world."

The recording ended, and the silver-gray box began to disintegrate and dissipate, leaving only a pool of ashes. Sol Tavitz stood there, silent. A footstep sounded from the doorway, Malcador slowly approached, his scepter gently touching the ground.

"A blizzard is coming, Tavitz," the Sigillites said solemnly. "The power of the Warp will soon be unleashed in every corner of the galaxy. As I said before, this is an eternal winter."

Tavitz glanced at him and suddenly asked a question.

How many people can we save?

"Even just one," the Sigillites smiled slightly, "Would be entirely worthwhile."

I've finally finished writing. There are two more 4k chapters left. One chapter is 4k and the other is 3k, so together they'll make 15k.

Let's talk about the timeline issue.

The timeline of Chapters 1, 2, and 3 of Terra takes place at the very beginning of the Battle of Calth, and the interlude I posted in Terra also follows this timeline. It can be understood as a story that takes place simultaneously with the Battle of Calth, but is set on Terra far away.

That's about it. Time to get back to writing.