"Each of you had your own place..." Lin Fan did not know whether it was merely an illusion, but he seemed to see sorrow flash through The Emperor's eyes, like a strong father who had been cruelly misunderstood by his own son.
"Lorgar... was meant to become a messenger, using enlightenment to protect humanity from superstition and teaching people to reject the whispers in the darkness. Magnus was to sit upon the Golden Throne, becoming the guardian of humanity's Webway and the librarian of the Library of All Knowledge. Horus..."
When The Emperor spoke that name, regret and anger both surged forth. "He was meant to become Warmaster, protecting all humanity across the galaxy from external threats. Konrad would become the enforcer of law. Mortarion would oversee genetic mutations on every planet that violated the fundamental principles of biology. Rogal Dorn and Perturabo would become the Imperium's architects. Fulgrim could become an artist. Alpharius and Omegon would make excellent intelligence ministers. Angron might even become a compassionate psychologist..."
"...Each of you had value and a place... All the sacrifices, plans, deaths, grief, glory, battles, trials, and hardships of over forty thousand years would ultimately lead to this single outcome. We were responsible for creating a relatively stable and safe environment for survival and evolution, until humanity developed a natural immunity to the Warp. Humanity would then attain eternal salvation..."
"And when that time came, I would cast off the heavy crown of the Emperor and become a mortal once more... walking among the world..."
Khan was deeply shaken by The Emperor's vision. He could not speak, only blink as he rapidly considered everything The Emperor had told him. The conversation he had heard today already far exceeded all the brief encounters he had once had with The Emperor.
"But... I...