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"Hah... hah..."
Corax awoke from the shadows, his body jerking violently.
His lungs contracted and expanded fiercely as he gulped down air, each breath rasping through his throat like air leaking through a crack.
His pupils were unfocused and lifeless, his gaze fixed blankly ahead. Several seconds passed before his eyes focused again.
He had returned to the Shadow of the Emperor.
The familiar bridge, the familiar darkness, the familiar air.
The walls of fused flesh and metal writhed around him, as though welcoming his return.
The eyeballs embedded in those walls rolled toward their master, giving off a low, contented hum.
At that moment, the Shadow of the Emperor lay hidden in the shadows deep among the Stars.
Some force distorted and obscured the surrounding starlight, allowing the warship to blend into the dark backdrop as though invisible.
Its pursuers could not find it, their scanners could not detect it. Like a shark lurking in the depths, it waited quietly for its next chance to strike.
Bella stood beside Corax.
Her body, formed of black smoke, rippled faintly beneath the dim lights like a reflection in water.
Gentle concern filled her Amber eyes as she watched Corax's pale, exhausted face.
"Mr. Crow..." Bella began slowly.
"No, Bella..." Corax interrupted her. "This was just an accident. I didn't expect Lorgar to be aboard that warship. I didn't expect him to try to take me down with him like that."
"If those damned copies of the Lectitio Divinitatus hadn't suppressed my power, if those Chaos Gods hadn't abandoned me at the crucial moment, I could have..."
His voice grew increasingly agitated. His body began to tremble, and his fingers curled into tight fists, his nails digging into