Horus stood at the highest point of the Vengeful Spirit, on an observation platform known as the Eye of Lupercal.
Situated at the very top of the warship, it was enclosed on all sides by transparent, psychically reinforced Crystal Walls, offering an unobstructed, three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of the surrounding stars.
He stood tall and imposing, his hands clasped behind his back. His gaze passed through the transparent Crystal Walls, through the dark void studded with countless Stars, and into the boundless reaches beyond.
He was waiting.
Recirculated air poured through the Vent. His face was expressionless, like that of a statue carved from marble.
Just then, he saw a brilliant blue light flash among the Stars.
It flared in a distant star cluster, like a blue Fireworks blossoming in the darkness. Though countless light-years separated them, it remained clearly visible.
The light lingered among the stars for several seconds, then gradually dimmed and finally vanished into the darkness.
But to Horus, that brief flash was a Beacon Fire kindled in the dark, a Horn sounding through the silence.
Horus understood. This was Magnus's signal.
The Webway had been breached.
The Secret Passage that had troubled them for so long, that the Emperor had poured immeasurable effort into constructing, that vital facility upon which the future of Human Civilization depended, had been successfully pierced by Magnus's Grand Spell.
The Emperor's attention would be tied up in repairing the Webway. Gaps would open in Terra's defenses, and they could finally act.
Now was the time.
It was time. Time to proclaim the beginning of the war.
The faintest smile appeared at the corner of Horus's mouth, carrying a hint of relief.
He slowly turned, drawing his gaze away from the stars outside the window and settling it on the closed Metal Door behind