The shattered Spirit Stones were ground into fine powder, then scattered from the platform, drifting throughout the hall.
Under the ancient treaty, these gems did not count as Aeldari.
Iax cared nothing about shattering Spirit Stones.
Looking at the horrified expressions of the Aeldari prisoners, Iax knew it was effective.
Then the Servitors on the platform began an extremely inefficient task.
A Servitor stood beside each pile of Spirit Stones, casually grabbing a handful and tossing them into a grinder.
Wails from the souls began to ring out repeatedly across the floating platform.
The Aeldari prisoners below could not escape. They could only endure the relentless mental torment.
Anger and roaring were meaningless.
Their psychic power was suppressed, their bodies restrained, and their minds repeatedly tortured by the agonized wails of their kin's souls.
The Spirit Stone powder constantly falling from the edges of the platform drifted through the air like a thin mist, shimmering with an almost dreamlike luster beneath the spotlights overhead.
The unending wails and screams from the souls filled this dreamlike scene with eerie horror.
Perhaps any species would have considered this exceedingly cruel.
But the Men of Iron had no such feelings.
Records from the Imperium indicated that Spirit Stones were, to the Aeldari, equivalent to family and kin.
According to the technical guidance, shattering Spirit Stones would cause their souls to be plundered by Warp Daemons and subjected to torment.
Yet these Spirit Stones were not covered by the Ancient Peace Treaty.
They were a loophole in the ancient treaty: Aeldari who did not count as people.
Iax had no intention of deriving satisfaction or pleasure from tormenting these Aeldari prisoners.
The sole purpose was to make the Aeldari Pathfinders among them cooperate.
Locating the Aeldari Craftworlds was likewise merely a way to better