The Shape of Angels

People always imagine what angels look like.

Long ago, in the ancient times when humankind stumbled out of ignorance and looked up at the stars.

Some of the early inhabitants of the western border regions of the continent used strokes of their writing, a mixture of fear and awe, to depict the image of their supreme guardian.

It was not the handsome human body familiar to later generations, but rather a huge, bloodshot eye hanging indifferently in the sky.

Behind it, a dozen or so giant wings, layered upon each other and covered with feathers or burning flames, spread out menacingly.

It coldly and unemotionally surveys humanity, its very existence being the embodiment of law and judgment.

People call him "Seraphim", "Judge", "God's Lieutenant"...

Numerous names, but the core remains unchanged: absolute, inhuman, and awe-inspiring divine authority.

As time flows, beliefs change.

As religion gradually shifted its need to soothe the soul and shape order over its primal deterrent, the image of angels slowly softened and became more humanized in the collective imagination of humankind.

Compassion replaced cruelty, benevolence overshadowed judgment, and handsome faces, gentle manners, and protective postures became the norm.

Behind this lies a profound psychological and belief movement that has lasted for thousands of years:

People are finding it increasingly difficult to tolerate the rule of a purely "other"; they need gods, and divine messengers.

They believe that God should possess human warmth and understand the suffering of mortals.

That was a dramatic change that occurred 30,000 years ago in the spiritual world of the same planet and the same race.

Who could have imagined that, 30,000 years later, after experiencing technological barbarism, the Age of Conflict, the rise of Emperor, the Great Crusade, the Horus Rebellion, ten thousand years of darkness, and now this near-annihilation siege...

In the same world called "Terra," the collective unconscious and yearning for faith of humanity are once again erupting and reshaping their definition of "angels" amidst the ruins where the Warp and reality intertwine.

Once upon a time, the people of Terra and indeed the entire Imperium believed that the Emperor's angels (Adeptus Astartes) should look like that:

His stature was as imposing as a moving mountain, his face as resolute as cold marble, and his eyes burned with an inhuman calmness or absolute indifference.

They inherit the genes of the sons of God, naturally transcending the mortal realm, naturally commanding all living beings; they are the embodiment of war—distant, powerful, awe-inspiring, and unapproachable.

That was a stereotypical "correct" image shaped by millennia of Imperium propaganda and countless battle records.

However, as the smoke of battle gradually settled, and the golden phantom of the Emperor that had once illuminated the sky slowly faded away.

When the offspring of that blue giant did not return to the insurmountable orbital fortress, but instead shed their heavy armor, rolled up their sleeves, and walked into the ruins, towards the crowd...

Something deeper, older, and more vibrant began to sprout and grow in the hearts of the survivors.

They felt that the "true" appearance of angels was being revealed to them for the first time so clearly and warmly.

"Hey, brother, what are you daydreaming about?"

A cheerful, friendly greeting, brimming with the energy of youth, pulled an ordinary engineer, who was lost in thought, staring at the cleanup site in the distance.

The engineer (Hassan, from the Hive Seven Survivor Zone) came to his senses and realized that he had unknowingly walked into the temporary rest area.

He shook his head, said nothing, calmly took a bite of the somewhat dry synthetic bread in his hand, and then naturally took a metal flask handed to him from the side.

The person handing over the wine jug was an Ultramarines.

He wore a simple dark blue military uniform, without Power Armour, but his towering 2.7-meter-tall frame still resembled a small fortress.

He looked very young, with some traces of youthful immaturity still etched on his face. His clear, bright blue eyes were looking at Hassan with a friendly smile.

In fact, he is quite young—he has just turned twenty Terra Standard Years this year.

Hassan didn't think much of it and tilted his head back to gulp down two large mouthfuls from the spout.

"Cough! Cough cough cough!!!"

A violent, fiery surge of alcohol, like liquid flame, instantly rushed into his throat, nasal cavity, and brain!

Hassan's face turned bright red at a visible speed, and he choked on his tears.

He put down the flask, coughed violently, and after a while, caught his breath. He then mumbled a complaint to the Ultramarines beside him, who was watching him with great interest:

"You... your wine... is way too strong!"

Is this for cleaning the oil lines of a tank engine?!

"Hahaha!"

The young Ultramarines was amused by his reaction and burst into laughter, his laughter deep and sincere. "High-energy 'awakening' liquid specially supplied by the Adeptus Mechanicus!"

For us, this amount of alcohol is about the same as drinking water; it just adds a bit of flavor.

But for you...

He blinked. "Wouldn't it be great to have a little 'excitement' after dinner?"

Hassan wiped away the tears that had welled up in his eyes, and looking at the other person's harmless smile, which even carried a hint of pride at being appreciated for sharing something good, his resentment dissipated.

He waved his hand and sat down on a stone pier formed by a partially collapsed colonnade column.

The stone pier has a rough surface, but it is wide enough.

The Ultramarines sat down next to him.

The two sat side by side, their sizes resembling those of a giant and a child.

But the atmosphere was neither that of elders and juniors, nor that of gods and believers.

Rather, it's a peculiar, naturally flowing intimacy, like two brothers resting side-by-side and sharing drinks after completing a difficult task together.

Hassan took another small sip of the "Awakening Elixir." This time, he was prepared; the burning sensation was still there, but it brought a strange sense of relaxation.

Looking at the incredibly tall yet cheerful young man beside him, he suddenly felt an indescribable warmth and... a sincere prayer welling up inside him.

(Holy Emperor... if possible... please let this scene continue forever.)

Please bless these... lovely big guys, may they always be safe and sound.

They... are truly the least angelic people I've ever met, yet the people who most deserve to be called angels...