Chapter Summaries

Horus reflected on the Emperor’s two gifts and learned that the Emperor wanted him to face the cruel world born from humanity’s first murder. As Horus and Sanguinius discussed the Silent Sisterhood and Horus’s concern for Mortarion, the Emperor admitted that Horus was the primarch most like a human.

• Horus showed Sanguinius the Gold Ring and the crude Mud Ring the Emperor had given him, then recalled the Emperor’s explanation that the Mud Ring came from his childhood after the first murder.
• Malcador briefed Horus on the Silent Sisterhood, led by Hades, and the Emperor encouraged Horus to seek its help with Psychic Power users and the Warp.
• Horus told Sanguinius that he felt responsible for Mortarion and regretted losing the Death Guard’s trust after Konrad Curze’s outburst.
• Sanguinius told Horus that the relationship between the Death Guard and the Silent Sisterhood suggested their father was more wary of the Warp than they had believed.
• After Horus departed, Malcador questioned whether the Emperor loved his primarchs equally, and the Emperor called Horus the one most like a human.

Hades practiced with twin axes under Angron’s guidance while Mortarion, Lorgar, and their brothers debated gods and faith. Sanguinius concluded that the Emperor was preparing for a coming Warp disaster, but feared the preparations meant the Imperium would suffer heavy losses, possibly including Horus.

• Hades sneezed in the World Eaters' Arena, then began tossing and catching his twin axes as Angron watched.
• Mortarion argued with Lorgar about gods and faith, claimed to have seen things beyond imagination, and left after telling Lorgar not to deify everything around the Emperor.
• Lorgar reaffirmed his belief that the Emperor was a god who had chosen him, then decided to seek out Magnus.
• Sanguinius considered the Emperor’s approval of the Word Bearers’ preaching, the Warmaster’s title, and the Silent Sisterhood’s role in the Emperor’s plans.
• Sanguinius concluded that a Warp disaster was approaching and that the Emperor was preparing both the Silent Sisterhood and faith to resist it.
• Sanguinius wondered how many people the Imperium would sacrifice in the coming catastrophe, and whether Horus would be among them.

Malcador gathered Hades, Angron, Mortarion, and Guilliman to read a strange book that mocked Malcador and Hades. The reading ended with Hades claiming Terra was worse than Macragge, prompting Malcador and Guilliman to confront him about the politically loaded remark.

• Malcador gave Hades a book titled “I Don't Want to Become a Stinky Can, Okay?!” and Guilliman began reading it aloud.
• Guilliman handed the filthy passages to Hades, who laughed at the book's descriptions of Malcador and himself during a Warp voyage.
• Malcador chased and struck Hades with his staff while Hades dodged and mocked him, and Guilliman continued reading.
• Guilliman read Hades's comment that Terra was not as good as Macragge, and Malcador and Guilliman demanded to know why he had said it.

Over five years, Hades helped turn Fhaos into a powerful industrial and military stronghold in The Maelstrom, centered on the 21st Chapel and its research facilities. As the World Eaters prepared to depart with their ships heavily supplied, Hades learned that the Emperor had sent him to Nikea instead of the Death Guard.

• Hades oversaw Fhaos's growth, establishing laboratories, the Spirit Lamp, Blackstone safeguards, and a localized Reborn system around the 21st Chapel.
• Fhaos's Magi loaded ammunition and supplies onto the World Eaters' fleet as the Legion prepared to leave The Maelstrom.
• Captain Salin objected to the Magi overloading the ships, while Karn suggested using empty rest chambers for storage.
• Hades contacted Grand Sage Haisen and told the Magi to stop loading more supplies.
• Hades considered visiting the Death Guard so Mortarion could assess Angron's recovery, but the Emperor directed him to Nikea.

Hades traveled with Angron toward the Council of Nikaea, where he tried to prepare the World Eaters primarch for political debate while admitting he did not know why he himself was attending. Meanwhile, Mortarion sent Vokes to meet the Space Wolves and help expose Magnus, leaving the Death Guard primarch ready to confront her at Nikea.

• Hades explained to Angron that he belonged to the Death Guard and introduced him to Mortarion, while Angron gave Hades an Arena blanket and two axes.
• Hades warned Angron that the Council of Nikaea required political judgment, then admitted he was unsure whether the Emperor expected him to attend.
• Mortarion ordered Vokes to rendezvous with the Space Wolves and gather evidence against Magnus and the Thousand Sons.
• Mortarion told Vokes to support abolishing the Librarians publicly, despite privately allowing a small number in a Legion, and pointed out that the Space Wolves had Runepriests.
• Mortarion gave Vokes counteragents and instructed him to let any confrontation with Magnus become public and chaotic so the Thousand Sons could be condemned.

Hades prepared to attend the Council of Nikaea, uncertain what the Emperor intended and how Tzeentch might interfere. He considered the events that had led to the Council and wondered what he could do there.

• Hades realized he had missed Ullanor and Horus's coronation after time passed chaotically in the Maelstrom.
• Hades recalled that the Emperor intended to reprimand Magnus, while the Council publicly debated banning Librarians.
• Hades recalled how Leman Russ planned to use the Outlander Hauser as evidence against Magnus and the Thousand Sons.
• A Tzeentch daemon may have possessed the Custodian Guard Amon, making the Thousand Sons appear responsible and enraging the Emperor.
• The Emperor rebuked Magnus and forbade Librarians, after which Magnus returned to Prospero and made the psychic call that damaged the Webway.
• Hades wondered what the Emperor knew, what he could do at Nikaea, and whether Tzeentch would appear.

Mortarion arrived at Nikaea for the council and watched the other Primarchs and delegations gather before the Emperor. When Malcador opened the proceedings, Mortarion stepped forward to swear an oath and begin his case against the witches, despite Hades’s absence.

• Mortarion landed on Nikaea with Kirkland and inspected the unstable volcanic setting before taking the Death Guard’s seats.
• Mortarion greeted Russ, then offered Kirkland and Jin to assist Valdor and the Silent Sisters with Hauser’s testimony.
• Russ, Fulgrim, Corax, Rogal Dorn, the Angel, and other delegations arrived and paid their respects to the Emperor.
• The Crimson King arrived, but Mortarion noticed that Hades’s seat remained empty.
• Malcador opened the council and demanded truthful testimony, and Mortarion rose first to swear an oath.

Magnus feared that the Council of Nikaea would condemn Psykers as Mortarion argued against the use of Psychic Power. Hades and Angron arrived dramatically, with Angron publicly backing Hades, and Magnus and Mortarion both requested an adjournment.

• Magnus entered the theater, saw the empty seat of honor and feared that the Emperor would rule against the Librarians and Psykers.
• Mortarion argued that Psychic Power corrupted its users and warned that the Thousand Sons' reliance on it threatened the Imperium.
• Hades and Angron arrived late, and Angron entered with the World Eaters gathered around Hades to show their support.
• Hades noticed Mortarion staring at him from the stage, and Magnus and Mortarion simultaneously requested an adjournment.

At the Council of Nikaea, Mortarion struggled with jealousy and self-doubt as Hades kept his attention on the looming threat around Magnus. Hades left when the Silent Sisterhood called for him, leaving Mortarion and Angron to talk.

• Hades watched Mortarion and Angron face off, then invited them to sit and eat after they introduced themselves.
• Mortarion dwelled on how Hades had grown close to other primarchs and wondered whether he had been left behind.
• Mortarion mistook Angron’s concern for witchcraft, then learned that Angron had used Numerology to sense Psychic Power.
• Hades admitted he had told Angron about Mortarion, while Mortarion realized Hades was focused on the council and communicating through his channel.
• Mortarion told Hades to answer the Silent Sisterhood’s call, and Hades left without hesitation.
• Angron told Mortarion that Hades had shared many stories about him, and Mortarion regretted letting his personal feelings interfere.

Magnus experienced a vision in which she believed she was destined to sacrifice herself to save humanity, then insisted the meeting would continue and that she would win. Meanwhile, Vokes watched a brawl between two Magos in the secret chamber as Amon finally stepped forward.

• Magnus mourned what she saw as humanity's rejection of her pursuit of knowledge and envisioned herself sacrificing herself to guide humanity toward a bright future.
• Magnus was overwhelmed by a vision of a catastrophic future and tried to stop the destruction by casting an ancient spell.
• Magnus awoke beside Ahriman, rejected his help, and declared that she would win and save the Imperium and humanity.
• Vokes learned that a Psychic Power surge had erupted in the Thousand Sons Lounge, while Hades and others went to investigate.
• Vokes watched Jin and Kirkland trade insults and brawl as Hauser and Bjorn observed.
• Amon stepped forward while Vokes worried about the disorder in the secret chamber.

At the Nikea conference, Magnus argued that the Warp welcomed humanity, while Hades challenged her claim and demanded proof. In a secret chamber, Amon began speaking privately with Hauser, then an enemy attack alarm sounded as the conference reached its turning point.

• Hades returned to the conference and arranged for guards to watch Hauser while the Silent Sisters resumed their duties.
• In the secret chamber, Amon asked Hauser his name and revealed that his own first name was Amon; alarms then warned Vokes of an enemy attack.
• Magnus addressed the conference, praising Psychic Power and claiming the Warp held goodwill toward humanity.
• Hades objected and said the Warp possessed no goodwill, and Angron, the Lord of Death, and the Wolf King supported him.
• Hades demanded that Magnus prove her claim or face a charge of deception, and her Psychic Power rapidly receded.

Magnus tried to prove her innocence by summoning a Guardian Spirit, but the attempt became a disaster when Vokes, Wild Bear, and a possessed Custodian Guard crashed into her summoning array. Hades stopped Magnus, and the Emperor demanded that she answer for her sin.

• Magnus ignored Hades's demand for evidence at first, then summoned a Spirit Summoning Array and struggled to reach her Guardian Spirit amid the Soulless.
• Vokes, Wild Bear, Jin, Bjorn, and Kirkland fought the possessed Custodian Guard and used explosives to blast through the ceiling into the Main Hall.
• The falling combatants crashed into Magnus's glowing array, briefly revealing a twisted blue figure as Psychic Power erupted.
• Hades leapt in and subdued Magnus, warning her that he knew what she was doing as the array went dark.
• The Emperor rose and asked Magnus whether she knew her sin, while Mortarion, Jin, Kirkland, and the others concealed their involvement.

After a Tzeentch daemon was exposed and Magnus was judged, the Emperor dragged Magnus into his private chambers and left Hades and Malcador waiting outside. Hades reconstructed how Kirkland, Vokes, Jin, and Magnus had accidentally worked together to expose the daemon, and concluded the chaos had produced the best possible result.

• The Emperor dragged Magnus from the Main Hall into his private chambers while the Thousand Sons remained under guard.
• Hades and Malcador waited outside as the Emperor furiously berated Magnus and Psychic Power clashes and crashes sounded behind the door.
• Hades pieced together how Kirkland and Jin blasted open the floor while Vokes restrained the Tzeentch daemon with grenades and special medicine.
• Magnus's summoning kept the daemon in place and drew it into the ritual array, where Vokes's final White Grenade exposed its phantom form.
• Hades activated his Null Field, helped bring the incident to an end, and kicked Vokes and Bjorn away from the Custodian Guard to protect their Legions from suspicion.
• Hades reflected that the unlikely chain of events had led to Magnus's conviction and the daemon's exposure, and suspected Tzeentch would claim it had all gone according to plan.

Sanguinius tried to understand why Magnus had crossed the Imperium’s forbidden line and suspected the Thousand Sons’ cure for their mutations might be tied to Warp Entities. He left Mortarion and Russ with a warning to stay away from the Warp, then headed for the World Eaters’ lounge to find Angron.

• Sanguinius left the Blood Angels’ lounge and saw Hades and Malcador guarding the door to the Emperor and Magnus.
• Sanguinius studied the kneeling Thousand Sons and realized a Warp Entity had appeared during Magnus’s incantation.
• Sanguinius connected Magnus’s claim to have cured the Thousand Sons’ mutations with the Legion’s possible dealings with Warp Entities, and thought of the Blood Angels’ Red Thirst.
• Sanguinius asked Mortarion and Russ whether they were willing to warn him about the truth, and Mortarion told him to stay away from the Warp and not trust its entities.
• Sanguinius concealed his unease, left Mortarion and Russ, and headed to the World Eaters’ lounge to look for Angron.

After nine days and nights in Room 363, Magnus endured the Emperor’s judgment and mutilated herself while begging for forgiveness. The Emperor left, telling her he would never trust her, and Hades followed him after seeing the bloodied room.

• The Emperor sat across from Magnus amid visions of destruction and called her a traitor and a failure.
• Magnus suffered the Emperor’s golden punishment and begged him to forgive her.
• The Emperor called Magnus his daughter and his pride, while she clawed at her face and gouged out her remaining eye.
• Magnus offered her shattered eyeball to the Emperor and begged for forgiveness, but he refused and said he would never trust her.
• After nine days and nine nights, the Emperor emerged from Room 363, and Hades followed him while Malcador remained silent.

Angron spoke with Sanguinius, who wanted to know how Angron had met the Master of the Silent Sisterhood. Angron recognized the Archangel’s psychic troubles and urged him not to seek dangerous solutions alone, leaving Sanguinius steadier but still surprised.

• Angron opened the door and let Sanguinius into the World Eaters' lounge.
• Angron offered Sanguinius tea and pastries, then asked him to get to the point.
• Sanguinius asked how Angron had come into contact with the Master of the Silent Sisterhood.
• Angron realized Sanguinius was troubled by Psychic Power and warned him against dealing with dangerous forces on his own.
• Angron advised Sanguinius to seek help from the Emperor or Hades, and Sanguinius thanked him before leaving.

The Emperor judged Magnus for his use of Witchcraft, dissolved the Thousand Sons, and ordered the guilty and Magnus sent to Terra’s dungeons while the Space Wolves and Death Guard prepared to purge Prospero. He allowed each legion to retain a minimum number of Librarians for warnings and defense against psychic threats.

• Sanguinius and the other primarchs gathered in the Main Hall after the Emperor summoned them.
• The Emperor condemned Magnus for lies, forbidden Witchcraft, and implicating his legion, declaring the Thousand Sons dissolved.
• The Emperor ordered conspirators among the Thousand Sons to Terra’s dungeons, offered aid to those innocently cursed, and sent Magnus to the dungeons as well.
• Leman Russ and Mortarion pledged obedience as the Emperor ordered the Space Wolves and Death Guard to purge Prospero.
• The Emperor warned the primarchs against crossing forbidden boundaries and accepted Hades’s proposal to retain the minimum number of Librarians in each legion.

Hades guarded the imprisoned Magnus aboard the Emperor's Dream while Malcador explained why the Emperor had chosen to keep her alive despite the danger of her pact with the Lord of Change. The Emperor planned to take Magnus to Prospero, and Hades was left responsible for watching her during the purge.

• Hades watched the gaunt, blindfolded Magnus in her rune-bound cell after she had gone without food and water for nine days.
• Malcador explained that Magnus had given part of her soul to the Lord of Change, but still controlled most of it and could struggle against her fate.
• Malcador said the Emperor was gambling on Magnus because she appeared in the prophecies where humanity triumphed, and that the Emperor intended to keep her imprisoned.
• Hades asked whether his Null Field could change the course of Magnus's fate, but Malcador said he was not yet powerful enough.
• Malcador assigned Hades to guard Magnus during the Emperor's purge of Prospero, then told him the Emperor was doing terribly but was used to it.

Vokes, Bjorn, Kirkland, and Custodian Guard Amon recovered in the same infirmary while Jin kept Bjorn in line. Mortarion revealed that the Thousand Sons had been disbanded and would be apprehended on Prospero, while Malcador reprimanded him for using a drug against the Custodian Guard.

• Vokes woke in the infirmary, discovered Bjorn and Kirkland were also there, and decided to play dead.
• Jin struck Bjorn's broken legs at Vokes's urging, while Vokes argued that their evidence would have been buried.
• Jin told Custodian Guard Amon that Malcador had ordered his recovery alongside the others.
• Mortarion visited Vokes and said the Thousand Sons had been disbanded and the survivors would be apprehended on Prospero.
• Malcador confronted Mortarion about developing a drug against the Custodian Guard, and Mortarion agreed not to target them again.

Hades guarded Magnus in prison and tried to make her face the consequences of her bargain with a Daemon and her defiance of the Emperor. Magnus learned that the Emperor wanted her alive and useful, while Hades offered little reassurance about what the Emperor had shown her.

• After more than ten days of silence, Magnus asked Hades who he was, and he identified himself as her guard.
• Magnus insisted she would never try to escape, then asked how the Emperor was and confessed that she had never meant to hurt him.
• Magnus defended her bargain as the only way to save the Thousand Sons, and Hades challenged her for risking her legion's future without understanding the price.
• When Magnus feared the Emperor would never forgive her, Hades told her that her legion would not be imprisoned and that the Emperor had spared her because he still needed her.
• Magnus questioned Hades about his relationship with the Emperor, and Hades advised her to stay put, obey, avoid the Warp, and stop expecting the past to return.
• Magnus concluded that the Emperor wanted her alive but inactive, then looked bewildered when Hades asked whether she wanted food.