Guilliman's fleet made no stops on its return journey.
The dark green crystal sealed in a stasis field container was placed in an isolated compartment in the deepest part of the flagship.
Blue-gold tracery of psionic energy flowed slowly across the compartment's walls.
Each line slowly suppressed and absorbed the faint fluctuations of psionic energy released by the crystal, converting them into harmless heat.
Guilliman visited the compartment every day to take a look.
His steps were unhurried, but each time he paused, he left a slowly healing impression in the gently roiling air.
The crystal remained suspended quietly in the center of the container.
The slowly flowing runes brightened and dimmed like some slowly breathing creature held beneath the water.
After they reached Terra, Cawl personally received the crystal in the palace's underground laboratory.
His metal fingers swept slowly across the surface of the container.
The slowly flowing blue-gold tracery brightened gradually beneath his touch, slowly reinforcing the seal.
His voice was quiet, but every word struck fine cracks into the slowly roiling air. "This crystal's structure is unlike anything I have seen in the Shard of the Void Dragon. Its outer layer is a polymer of Ork psionic energy, but deep within its core lies an older, more stable substance. That substance is neither psionic energy nor Warp matter, nor is it purely physical material. It resembles something compressed to the utmost, something between the two."
Guilliman stood behind him, his voice calm. "Can you seal it?"
Cawl fell silent for a moment. "Yes. But I do not recommend sealing it away permanently. It will passively absorb any residual psionic energy in its surroundings, including the background Warp radiation around Terra. Given enough time, it may slowly reactivate while sealed."
He turned around, a light slowly kindling in