Luke, Sanguinius, and Horus had just finished an in-depth discussion about the Imperium's current state, and the air still carried the lingering warmth of contemplation.
Luke was about to answer one of Sanguinius's questions regarding the principles of the Force when the words caught in his throat.
A cold, crushing ripple filled with endless pain and dark rage suddenly pierced through the vast sea of stars like a boulder cast into a tranquil lake, striking his Force senses with unerring precision!
"Ugh!" Luke groaned, his face instantly turning pale as paper. He staggered and slammed heavily into the cold metal corridor wall with a dull thud.
He instinctively raised a hand to brace himself against the wall, his knuckles draining white from the force.
"Luke?!" Sanguinius crossed the distance in a single step, his golden eyes filled with concern and vigilance.
Horus immediately shifted into a combat stance as well, his sharp gaze sweeping the surroundings like that of a hawk.
The Adeptus Custodes guards around them instantly tensed. Their golden spears hummed as they pointed in every direction, and the low roar of activated energy fields echoed through the corridor.
Luke did not answer immediately.
His eyes were tightly shut, fine beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.
The tremor rising from the deepest part of his bloodline was like a red-hot brand, searing his nerves.
He forced himself to focus, extending his Force senses like invisible tendrils toward the source of that cold darkness.
His mind crossed countless light-years, passing through burning nebulae and desolate dust belts... until, above the ruins of a war-ravaged world on the Imperium's distant frontier, he "saw" him!
That figure... even through endless smoke and the distortions of time and space, Luke could never mistake him!
Armor black as the Abyss, its