When the warship broke through the boundaries of Realspace and slipped into the twisted dimension of the Warp, an invisible pulse sent ripples through the ocean of Chaos, like a stone cast into a still lake.
The instant the warship carrying Lorgar's body entered the Warp, four gazes locked onto it at once.
Those gazes came from thrones in the deepest reaches of the Warp, from beings beyond time and space, from ancient wills that had existed since the universe began.
In that instant, the Chaos Gods all turned their attention to the lone warship, like four beasts lurking in the darkness that had simultaneously spotted prey trespassing in their territory.
But they could not intervene in person to seize Lorgar's corpse.
The gaze of the Cursed One known as the Emperor was still fixed upon this place.
That golden gaze, blazing as fiercely as the sun, hung like a sword over the Four Gods even through the endless turbulence of the Warp.
Although the Emperor was overwhelmed by the crisis in the Webway—the shattered entrances, the Daemons pouring out, the corruption of Chaos spreading beneath Terra—
He still had power to spare for that warship.
His power enveloped the warship like an invisible shield, preventing the Four Gods from intervening directly.
Deep within the Warp, the Four Gods held a silent exchange.
Thoughts beyond language collided and intertwined in the ocean of Chaos, until at last they reached an agreement.
They would form an allied army and seize Lorgar's corpse. All four Chaos Gods approved the proposal, for their interests aligned on this point.
Lorgar's soul and flesh were priceless treasures to any one of them.
But this so-called alliance was founded on the ulterior motives of each of the Four Gods.
Every Chaos God wanted a chosen like