Return to Terra

He was silent for a moment, then said softly:

"I would be happier if Father could rise from the throne."

Guilliman looked at him without saying a word.

"I loved the days when he led us on our expeditions to the stars."

Lion's gaze drifted into the distance. "Even if he's not around for a long time, we can still see him whenever we turn around."

There was a hint of nostalgia in his voice:

"Back then, we truly believed that humanity could conquer everything."

Guilliman gently set down his glass.

He looked at Lion, his gaze filled with understanding, empathy, and a hint of—

The same longing.

Yes, it will.

He said the voice was calm yet firm:

"Someday, it will."

Lion turned his head and looked at him.

Are you sure?

Guilliman laughed:

"Uncertain.

but--"

He picked up his wine glass and raised it towards the void:

Let's wait and see.

Lion looked at him, at that smile, at the gesture of raising his glass—

He smiled too.

That smile held a sense of relief, anticipation, and a hint of...

The tacit understanding between brothers.

"Good."

He also raised his glass and lightly clinked it against Guilliman's:

"Then let's look forward to it."

The two wine glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound.

The sound echoed in the courtyard, echoed in the forest, and...

The echoes reverberated over the newly formed Caliban.

In the distance, the setting sun is slowly sinking, dyeing the entire sky a brilliant gold.

The golden light spilled into the forest, onto the monastery, onto the long dining table, and onto the two figures clinking glasses.

At that moment, time seemed to stand still.

Two Primarch, one blue and one green.

The two brothers, one calm and collected, the other proud.

Two children of the Master of Mankind, one just awakened, the other having waited far too long.

They just sat there, drinking and chatting.

Let's talk about the past.

Let's talk about the future.

Let's talk about those things--

This is a matter between brothers.

Guilliman took a sip of his drink and suddenly said:

"By the way, did you know there's a really fun place in Terra now?"

Lion raised his head:

"What?"

"A restaurant called ' Primarch's Home '."

A sly glint flashed in Guilliman's eyes. "Magnus drove it."

Lion paused for a moment:

Magnus?

"Open a restaurant?"

Guilliman nodded:

"With nothing else to do, he uses his Psionic Energy to conjure up all sorts of delicious food."

Sanguinius occasionally worked as a waiter—the guests were so captivated by his mere presence that they were satisfied just by looking at him."

Lion's lips twitched slightly:

Where is Angron?

Guilliman shrugged:

He was chopping vegetables in the kitchen.

One slash, one kill; extremely efficient.

Lion remained silent.

After a long silence, he uttered a sentence:

"What kind of life did you live in Terra?"

Guilliman smiled, a smile tinged with satisfaction:

"Good days".

Lion looked at him, at that smile, at that contentment—

He suddenly felt a sense of anticipation.

Looking forward to returning to Terra.

Looking forward to seeing those brothers.

Looking forward to seeing that legendary--

"The Primarch's Home".

He picked up his glass and took another sip.

The flavor of the fruit wine suddenly became even more mellow.

Maybe it's because there's someone to drink with.

In the distance, the sun finally dipped below the horizon.

In the sky, stars began to appear.

Those are the stars of the Milky Way.

Those are the stars of the Imperium of Man.

That is--

Their stars.

Guilliman put down his glass and stood up.

"It's time to go."

He looked at Lion:

"Back in Terra, there's still a lot to do."

Lion also stood up.

He looked at Guilliman, a rare hint of gentleness in his eyes:

"Good."

He turned around, looking at the Dark Angels waiting in the distance, at the warriors whose eyes burned with loyalty, at those—

His descendants.

"Wait for me."

He said the sound echoed in the night sky:

I'll be back soon.

Countless Dark Angels simultaneously knelt on one knee and shouted in unison:

"For the Lion King!"

The sound exploded in the night sky, echoed through the forest, and...

The festivities continued for a long time at the Caliban.

Lion turned his head and looked at Guilliman.

Guilliman extended his hand:

"Let's go, brother."

Lion grasped his hand:

"Walk."

Two figures simultaneously soared into the air, towards the endless starry sky, towards the distant Terra, towards that—

Their future awaits.

Fly away.

Behind him, the newly born Caliban spun silently under the starlight.

In its forest, the trees still sway.

Its monastery was still brightly lit.

On its land, countless Dark Angels still look up.

I look up at that receding figure.

Looking up at those two--

Primarch.

Looking up at that--

Humanity's hope.

In that endless starry sky, two figures flew side by side.

One is blue, and the other is green.

One is composed, the other is proud.

One has been waiting for far too long; the other has just woken up.

But they are all heading in the same direction.

Towards the direction of that Golden Throne.

Towards the direction of the father.

Towards that--

The direction of home.

Guilliman suddenly spoke:

"Lion."

Lion turned his head:

"Um?"

Guilliman's lips curled into a slight smile:

Welcome home.

Lion remained silent for a moment.

Then he smiled.

In that smile, there was relief, warmth, and a hint of...

gratitude.

"Thanks."

He said:

"Brother."

Terra.

Humanity's home planet, the center of the Imperium, the location of the Golden Throne.

The moment Lion's fleet jumped into the Solar System, he stood at the porthole of the bridge, gazing at the blue planet that was getting closer and closer, and an indescribable emotion welled up in his heart.

Ten thousand years.

Ten thousand years have passed, and Terra is still the same Terra.

The blue ocean, the white atmosphere, and the man-made lights that can be faintly seen even in space—that's the direction of the Imperial Palace, the direction of the Golden Throne, the direction of Father.

But as he got closer, he saw something different.

Countless warships are silently hovering in Terra's orbit.

The number of those warships was so great that they were densely packed like a school of fish in a sea of stars; the size of those warships was so great that each one was comparable to a mobile fortress.

They were arranged in neat formation, their bows pointing in the same direction—the direction of the Warp passage, the direction from which the enemy might attack, and the direction that welcomed him.

"This is..."

"Lion asked softly."

Guilliman stood beside him, a slight smile playing on his lips:

"Welcome your honor guard."

Lion's pupils contracted slightly.

Honor guard?

Is this some kind of honor guard?

That's an entire fleet!

But before he could say anything, a deafening cheer erupted from the communication channel:

Welcome back, First Primarch!

Welcome home, Lion!

Long live the Emperor! Long live the Lion!

The cheers emanated from every warship, converging into a torrent on the communication channels, assaulting Lion's eardrums, his soul, and his heart—sealed for millennia.

His lips trembled slightly; he wanted to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

Guilliman patted him on the shoulder:

"Don't get agitated."

"There's something even more exciting coming up."

Lion took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart.

"More exciting?"

Guilliman's smile grew even brighter:

"You'll understand once you enter the atmosphere."