Morning light streamed through the towering arched windows of the Imperial Palace on Terra, casting long, sharply defined patches of light across its magnificent corridors.
The air still held the lingering chill of the night's condensation, mingled with the warmth gradually rising from the operations of the vast palace complex.
The footfalls of Primarchs, the scrape of armour, and low conversations began to break the silence of the ancient structure.
Lorgar Aurelian walked down the corridor, his pace a little slower than usual.
He had changed into his signature ornate, stately robes and the soft armour beneath them, but his usual air of quiet composure, as though everything lay within his grasp, was noticeably diminished today.
His face was the most striking part.
Even by the flawless physiological standards of a Primarch, the pale blue shadows clearly visible beneath the bronze skin around his eyes were far too conspicuous.
His golden eyes lacked their usual piercing depth. Instead, a thin haze veiled them, his gaze slightly unfocused, and he occasionally had to narrow his eyes to make out anything in the distance.
"Hey! Lorgar!"
A booming voice, brimming with undisguised astonishment, erupted beside him like a gong struck in a silent library.
Leman Russ abruptly thrust his shaggy head close, his amber eyes wide as he looked Lorgar up and down as though he had discovered some rare beast, paying particular attention to the shadows beneath his eyes.
"Didn't sleep well last night? What's with those two enormous dark circles?" Russ's voice was loud enough to draw looks from half the corridor. He even raised a finger and gestured beneath his own eyes.
"Hey, that colour looks like you've been fumigated with Mortarion's poison gas! You didn't sneak out and spend all night drinking someone under the table, did you?"