The Shadow of the Emperor.
The Raven Guard Legion's flagship hovered silently in the depths of the Sea of Chaos.
Its hull was pitch-black, as though forged from solidified darkness, standing in stark contrast to the multicolored Warp energies around it.
Around it, thousands of equally black warships lay scattered through the Sea of Chaos like a flock of ravens. Their vast, distorted silhouettes flickered in and out of sight amid the warped light and shadows, while Chaos Abominations could be seen nearby, peering through the veil into reality.
Corax stood at the highest point of the bridge, his shadow stretching long beneath the dim lights.
His long black hair hung loose over his shoulders. His face was gaunt and sharply defined, and a dark red light glimmered in his deep-set eyes—the mark of Chaos power flowing through his body.
He wore black Power Armor, its pauldrons adorned with the Raven Guard's emblem. But some force had warped that emblem: ominous claws had sprouted from the raven's wings, and blood-red light shone in its eyes.
His Fleet watched the Millennium World before them in silence, separated from it by the veil of reality.
That veil was woven from the Power of Faith of countless believers, an invisible barrier isolating the Millennium World from the turmoil of the Warp.
In Corax's eyes, the veil radiated golden light. It was the power of faith in the Emperor, a spiritual bulwark accumulated by Lorgar and his followers over hundreds of years.
His gaze pierced the veil, revealing the people of the Millennium World as they prayed and prepared for war.
They did not yet know that the shadow of death already loomed over them.
"The veil of reality is too thick, Corax."
A voice sounded behind Corax, smooth as silk and intoxicatingly alluring,