Time returns to the present.
Dorn stood among Throne Room. He had just reported to Emperor exactly what Garro said. Every detail was laid out in his unique and precise way, just like an engineer describing a structural drawing, with no omissions or additions.
When he spoke, his eyes always fell on Emperor's face that was half-covered by Golden Light.
But there was no change on Emperor's face, as if he was staring at a calm surface of water, not knowing how deep it was.
After Dorn finished speaking, Throne Room was silent for a moment.
That silence was like a slowly flowing river. No one wanted to break it, and no one knew how to break it.
Malcador stood in the shadows and made no sound.
The position of Valdor is still vacant, and he has already headed towards Mars with two thousand Adeptus Custodes and some Imperial Fists of Fleet.
At this moment, the only ones standing next to Emperor were Malcador, and Dorn who had just rushed back from Phalanx.
Emperor spoke, his tone like a gentle river flowing in the middle of the night.
He asked something that seemed to be an understatement, "Dorn, do you think what Garro said is true."
The question itself had no hint or tendency, but Dorn knew that his father never asked useless questions.
He pondered for a moment and replied, "Horus is my brother. I don't think he will betray, father."
He didn't use any sophisticated rhetoric or make any further defenses of his judgment.
What he said was the truth, what he really thought in his heart.
Horus is one of his best brothers. They have fought side by side on countless battlefields. They once stood together under the banner of Emperor and incorporated each Star System into the territory of Imperium.
He could not imagine that the man who was personally promoted to Warmaster by Emperor would one day wield a sword against his father.
Emperor's face is still calm.
But his gaze extended from the depths of Golden Throne and landed on Dorn's face.
"This is your shortcoming, Dorn." Emperor said slowly.
Those words fell into Dorn's ears, like a brick being gently placed on his shoulders.
He did not refute or ask questions, he just stood there and waited for Emperor to continue talking.
"This kind of terrible blindness can only occur in people who are too close, Dorn." Emperor's voice was neither high nor low, as if he was telling something that he had already seen through.
"Your judgment is clouded by the so-called admiration. Your eyes are completely blinded by the respect and love for Horus."
Every word is like a precise blow, without any extra force, but it accurately falls on Dorn's consciousness and emotion.
Dorn's expression did not change, but a subtle fluctuation flashed across his gray-blue eyes, and he heard something familiar in those words.
His father was reminding him of something he didn't want to face. He trusted Horus too much because he was willing to trust him.
"I hope you are as hard and unyielding as a stone, and will not be disturbed by anything, just like that ordinary but hard stone." Emperor's voice was as gentle as a whisper, but his eyes never moved away from Dorn's face.
Dorn realized something at that moment.
He lowered his head and was silent for a moment. He slowly spoke, his voice lower than before. "Father, what do you mean..."
Emperor did not answer immediately.
He sat on the Golden Throne and leaned forward slightly. This movement made the air in the entire Throne Room seem to move a little bit.
"Fabricator-General Utio's rebellion in Mars is just an ordinary sign, and there is another person standing behind him to support his actions." His voice was like lifting a layer of fog in the vast galaxy, allowing Dorn to follow the guidance and look deeper.
"Who do you think is possible?"
Dorn stood on the spot, and the fragments began to rotate rapidly in his mind.
Utio's Rebellion.
News from Lorgar.
Warning for Garro.
Death Guard Warship detained at Terra Starport.
Sons of Horus Legion.
Warmaster.
The death of Prospero.
One node after another is connected by transparent lines, as if he is piecing together a torn blueprint.
The outline of the picture gradually became clearer, so clear that his breathing stopped slightly for a moment.
"What do you mean..." Dorn's voice vibrated in his throat.
He didn't finish the sentence because the answer was already forming in his mind.
"Yes, Horus is not the only one who rebelled." Emperor's weak body sitting on top of Golden Throne nodded.
Dorn's expression changed.
A crack finally appeared on that face as hard as stone sculpture.
His pupils shrank slightly and his jawline tightened. He could not imagine such a thing. If it were not just Horus, but also if there were other Primarch brothers with the huge Legiones Astartes standing on the opposite side of Imperium, what kind of terrible disaster would happen.
One Legion is enough to make a Star Cluster fall into Warfire. If several Primarch turn against each other at the same time, the entire Imperium will shatter at their feet.
He thought of the brothers he had fought side by side, of their respective Legion, and of the Defense Line and Fortress that Legion had established throughout Galaxy. If those forces turned their guns at the same time, the civilization established by Emperor would be torn to pieces from within within a few years.
He could almost feel the picture unfolding in his mind, like a wave sweeping Stars towards Terra.
"What do you mean..." Dorn repeated this sentence again. He found that he could no longer express his current thoughts in more complete sentences.
"Well..." Emperor just responded, as if he didn't need to say anything more.
He finally uttered two words: "Get ready for war."
Those two words were like a floodgate opening, releasing all the heaviness accumulated in all the previous conversations.
Prepare for war.
No more investigation, no more verification, no more waiting.
Emperor has made a judgment, and the only thing left is execution.
"Understood, father." Dorn's face turned serious.
He didn't ask any more questions.
He turned around, made a heavy impact with the soles of his feet on the floor tiles, and strode towards the exit of Throne Room.
The figure in yellow armor paused slightly at the palace door, but eventually did not look back and disappeared into the deeper shadows outside the door.
Malcador stood in the shadow, watching Dorn's back disappear.
He turned his head and glanced at Emperor.
Emperor didn't look at him, Emperor's eyes still fell on Throne Room's door.
Malcador didn't speak anymore. He quietly exited Throne Room from the side door and followed the direction Dorn left.
The corners of the robe were gently fluttering in the airflow, like a gray shadow sliding against the floor tiles towards the depths of the huge Imperial Palace.