In the laboratory's lounge area, Kieran's gaze was gentle yet tinged with an indescribable complexity. On the holographic screen before him, streams of data refreshed like cascading waterfalls, constantly retrieving historical documents and technological archives from the Imperium of Man's database.
Every search was like leafing through a chronicle dancing madly at the edge of an abyss of despair. Every breath this civilization took was accompanied by a fierce tug-of-war between destruction and rebirth.
He let out a soft sigh, his eyes holding both a scholar's curiosity and a trace of barely perceptible pity.
Time quietly passed amid the silent waiting.
At last, the newly formed body on the Lifeweave platform made a slight movement.
Her eyelashes trembled like the first unfurling wings of a butterfly, then slowly opened.
Those eyes were no longer bloodshot, no longer filled with madness, no longer sunken in pain.
In their place was a clarity like the sky after rain, along with a... deep serenity that put others at ease.
She blinked, seemingly dazed as she adjusted to the surrounding light and sensations. Her gaze slowly swept across the brothers and sisters gathered around the platform.
There was no expected fury, no hysterical roar, not even an immediate struggle to rise.
She simply lay there quietly, as though feeling the long-lost vitality and peace flowing through this brand-new body.
"How do you feel?" Sanguinius asked gently, extending a slender white hand to help her up.
With Sanguinius's support, she slowly sat up. Her cloak slipped down, revealing the healthy wheat-colored skin beneath.
She lowered her head and carefully examined her open hands, then gently touched her cheek. Her movements were slightly unfamiliar, but there was no panic—only the exploratory curiosity of someone newly born.
"I... feel good." Her voice rang out. It was no