Warp Passage

As Guilliman followed Yvraine and stepped into the colorful rift, an unprecedented sensory shock overwhelmed him.

This was not data observed through instruments, nor was it Psionic Energy remote sensing; rather, it was a genuine immersion of the entire being into that Chaos realm known as the "Sea of Souls."

"Bizarre and outlandish" is an understatement to describe even a fraction of it.

There is no up, down, left, right, past, or future here; all concepts of time and space depend on the subjective anchoring of the entrant.

The moment Guilliman "decided" that he should have a place to stand.

A semi-real, semi-illusory "ground," seemingly composed of frozen sighs and faded dreams, stretched out in his consciousness.

Beyond the scope of his subjective consciousness, the scene changes, collapses, and reassembles in endless ways.

The light does not shine from above; it is itself a distorted entity, a crystallization of emotions, and an echo of concepts.

The golden light that represents joy may suddenly twist into a deep gray of despair, and the crimson flames that symbolize courage may collapse into a treacherous blue mist in the next second.

Various colors that defy definition by the color spectrum of the Material Universe violently mix, flow, and devour each other, forming a wild and magnificent visual torrent.

Guilliman was not unfamiliar with Warp forces.

During the Ultramar Crusade, he had already frequently used Psionic Energy, whether for combat, healing, or communication.

But for someone of his level now, those applications are almost instinctive, one could even say they are "words that become law".

When he concentrates his mind, if he desires fire, his Psionic Energy transforms into raging flames; if he desires ice, the surrounding temperature plummets and freezes.

This is essentially no different from that Emperor of Mankind who sits on the Golden Throne; the only difference lies in the magnitude of the "total amount" that can be mobilized.

An Emperor's single thought could plunge a planet into an ice age, while Guilliman's current all-out efforts could probably freeze an area of a large city.

This is a difference in sheer scale of power, not a fundamental difference.

"It's time to snap out of it, Primarch."

Yvraine's crisp clapping, like a drop of cold water thrown into a boiling oil pan, gently but effectively jolted Guilliman from his initial shock at his observation.

The clapping sound was not a physical sound, but a kind of Psionic Energy harmonic that directly affects perception.

Guilliman shuddered slightly, as if emerging from deep water.

He turned to Yvraine and gave her an apologetic smile, "I'm really sorry, Yvraine."

After tens of thousands of years, this is the first time I've ever... personally experienced the environment of the Warp.

It's far more vast and chaotic than data description and edge awareness.

"Even the long-lived Eldar rarely ventures into this place with their complete consciousness unless absolutely necessary."

Yvraine's spiritual form was clear and stable; she seemed to have used some technique to make herself appear exceptionally "solid" in this Chaos.

"It's mainly because you're by my side that I feel safe enough to step directly into this area with you."

Her words carried a hint of friendly banter, but also contained the truth.

Guilliman's very presence is an unusual stabilizing force in this field.

The ultimate power of the Material Universe enters the Warp, and its irrationality is just like the evil forces of the Warp polluting the Realspace.

The power that Guilliman embodies, derived from Vitruum's bloodline and the essence of devouring Chaos, is precisely the manifestation of this "unreasonableness".

Yvraine had no doubt that if the Primarch in front of her were to erupt here without any regard for the consequences...

It can indeed leave some "wounds" in the conceptual realms of those four Chaos Gods that cannot be healed by time as "souvenirs".

"Then, let's begin, ma'am."

Guilliman composed himself, his eyes gleaming with a thirst for knowledge and a desire to experiment. "I'd love to learn some more sophisticated and in-depth Warp spells."

Frankly speaking, my current use of Psionic Energy is still at a relatively crude level of 'powerful outpouring and mental shaping,' and both efficiency and skill need to be improved.

"Good heavens," Yvraine put her hand to her forehead, making a slightly exaggerated Eldar- style expression of helplessness, "You're really blaming yourself."

Do you know how many Psyker in the Milky Way spend their entire lives pursuing this state of being able to wield great power at will, yet never achieve it?

Of course, for someone like you... well, a ' Godling ' who is still growing, it's only natural to have this kind of ambition to reach higher levels."

She cleverly used the term "Godling," which both highlighted Guilliman's essential potential and carried a hint of good-natured irony.

But then, the playful look on her beautiful face vanished, replaced by a deep seriousness.

"Guilliman, listen up."

Even you, a being created by your Emperor of Mankind and possessing true divine potential, must maintain the utmost reverence for the Warp."

Her voice rang directly in Guilliman's mind, clear and heavy:

"Because those who lose reverence for this realm, no matter how powerful an individual may be or how glorious a race may have been, will ultimately face an irreversible and tragic end."

Humans have proven this point, and we, the Eldar... have proven it even more tragically.

A deep sorrow flashed in her eyes, a sorrow that was the eternal pain borne by the entire race.

Guilliman's expression also became completely serious.

He understood all too well what the Warp represented; his knowledge, derived from his memories of his "past life" and his research in this life, made him understand its terror and origins better than most of the Imperium's high command.

Since the ancient "War in Heaven" between the C'tan and the Old Ones, the once relatively peaceful Warp (or Sea of Souls) has been in turmoil.

It was completely "boiled" by the extreme pain, hatred, and despair that permeated the entire Milky Way.

This gave rise to those Chaos deities that symbolize extreme emotions and concepts.

Each Chaos God symbolizes two sides of the same coin, representing both positive and negative aspects.

Khorne symbolizes courage and glory, but also endless slaughter and tyranny;

The Tzeentch) symbolizes wisdom and the pursuit of knowledge, but also endless cunning and betrayal.

The Nurgle symbolizes life and resilience, but also stagnation, decay, and disease.

Slaanesh symbolizes Pleasure and perfection, but also the ultimate depravity and suffering.

And this, of course, includes our human Emperor.

He symbolizes indomitable hope and a unified will, but he also symbolizes... cold rationality, eternal annihilation, and absolute rejection of the Xenos.

For the races in the Milky Way who know enough secrets, the rulers of the Warp have never been four, but a full five.

The reason they present themselves today as mostly chaotic and distorted, filled with the meaning of destruction and depravity.

It was simply because the negative emotions and pain that flooded into the Warp during the ' War in Heaven ' and the long years that followed were too numerous and too intense.