A Prisoner

After retaking control of the flagship, Gage immediately ordered the captain to re-establish contact with the surface of Kaos.

"Calling Kaos, this is the Glory of Macragge, report your current situation."

After a burst of signal interference, Ventanus's voice echoed on the bridge.

"Chapter Master, this is Kaos's Omnissiah's Archive. Are you prepared for the orbital platform landing?"

"We still need time. The flagship is being boarded by Word Bearers, and we need to deal with these enemies first before we can spare any forces. My apologies."

Gage understood that the orbital platform was currently inflicting massive damage on the Ultramarines' warship. However, the threat of the Word Bearers was imminent, and they absolutely could not allow the Thirteenth Legion's flagship to fall.

He would rather see it sink than be captured by the Word Bearers. The fact that the enemy had not opened fire on the Glory of Macragge was precisely because they wanted to capture it.

If the Glory of Macragge were captured by the Word Bearers, it would deal a heavy psychological blow to the entire Ultramarines of the Five Hundred Worlds, and it would further embolden the enemy.

"Understood, we will continue to hold the line." Ventanus said no more, fully comprehending the flagship's current predicament.

If he were in their shoes, he would also prioritize preserving the flagship.

"I have one more thing to report: we've captured a Word Bearer prisoner, or rather, he surrendered himself to us." Ventanus added, making Gage's spirit lift.

"Interrogate him, spare no expense. We need more intelligence from within the Word Bearers' legion," Gage stated decisively.

Ventanus left the communications room and went to an open space outside, where a Word Bearer, covered in blood and pockmarks from bolter fire, had been waiting for him for a long time.

The Word Bearer knelt on the ground, his power pack's energy supply cut off, and his hands bound tightly behind his back, rendering him immobile.

"You've finally arrived," the Word Bearer said, removing his helmet and laughing. Blood and broken teeth flowed from his mouth, mixing with saliva and trickling down his power armor.

"Name."

"Mobarkshir," the Word Bearer replied.

An Ultramarine guard showed Ventanus what had been confiscated from Khir: a damaged bolter, an equally damaged power sword, and a dagger made of some unknown metal. It was half a meter long, a short sword for a mortal, but merely a dagger for a Space Marine.

The hilt of the dagger was wrapped with thin chains. Ventanus believed these chains would be useless for securing anything, as they would easily break in intense combat.

Therefore, he concluded that this was not a weapon for combat but a dagger used for some kind of ritual.

"Your identity and rank?"

"I am a commander, cousin." Khir showed no signs of being a prisoner; he was remarkably calm and at ease. If not for his bonds, he might have seemed like he was visiting the Thirteenth Legion on a business trip.

"You think surrendering will spare your life? That's laughable. We are sworn enemies, locked in an eternal blood feud." Ventanus raised his bolter, aiming it at Khir's head.

One shot would be enough to make his head explode like fireworks, ensuring his utter demise.

"You Ultramarines are still so arrogant. You stubbornly cling to the Imperial Truth, to your honor and morality, to that false Emperor on the Golden Throne."

"You are the ones who betrayed everything. Your corrupt Gene-Father failed the Emperor, and you turned your blades upon your brothers," Ventanus said, his voice cold and teeth gritted.

"The galaxy is engulfed in war. Warmaster Horus leads the awakened warriors against the false Emperor's deception. Why don't you join us and complete this great endeavor..." Khir continued his rambling, but Ventanus quickly interrupted him.

"If you just want to spew this meaningless nonsense, then you can die. We already know about the Betrayal. We accept reality, and the Ultramarines will set things right."

Khir let out a choked laugh, tears streaming down his face, mingling with the blood flowing from his eyes. His pupils were a pure crimson, not resembling human eyes at all.

"I want to see that person, the mortal who brought the news. He is the key. He tried to change what was already destined, but it was all in vain."

"Let me see him, and then I'll tell you what you want to know. It's a fair trade, isn't it?"

Ventanus paused, his brow furrowed, unsure of the Word Bearer's intentions.

The mortal named Loci was exceptionally mysterious, and the Captain was unsure of his origins. However, one thing was certain: Loci seemed to favor the Ultramarines, as evidenced by his aid to the Kaos defense forces.

Whether it was the material support or the sudden disabling of enemy Titans on the battlefield, Ventanus's estimation of Loci's importance and value was steadily increasing.

At the same time, however, doubt began to spread uncontrollably.

"Bring him here, but maintain a distance," he instructed his adjutant.

Loci possessed an unfathomable aura of mystery. His arrival was too coincidental; the Word Bearers launched their Betrayal at the same time the news arrived.

He possessed technology that the Imperium lacked, and his demeanor was unlike any mortal Ventanus had ever encountered.

Ventanus's intuition told him that this man named Loci was no ordinary person. Though he was nearby, he always maintained a sense of detached distance, as if he were observing the world's developments from a higher plane.

This was not something that status, position, or power could achieve; only time could forge such a person.

He wanted to probe Loci for information, as much as possible without crossing his boundaries, to understand the impact of this variable.

"You sent for me? What is it?"

Loci was quickly brought to the open space by his adjutant, Surus.

He glanced at Ventanus, then at the Word Bearer kneeling on the ground, clad in crimson armor.

"You've finally arrived." Khir's entire focus was on Loci, his gaze burning with intensity, as if he had found a rare treasure.

"It's you, the one not foretold in the Empyrean's prophecies. You shouldn't be here. You don't belong in this time – why, why are you here?"

"You should have slept forever in that ship, until the end of the universe, when all entropy ceases, and all returns to chaos. Why have you awakened?"

Khir suddenly became agitated, as if something intangible had touched upon his forbidden knowledge. He grew somewhat frenzied and extreme, and his adjutant immediately drew his power sword, ready to strike.

Loci, meanwhile, was contemplating the prisoner's ravings. What did he mean by "shouldn't be here" and "don't belong in this time"?

How did he know that Loci had awakened from ten thousand years of slumber to carry out a mission to preserve humanity's legacy?

Something had been watching him, not with simple malice, but with an expectation of change.

Just a Warp entity.

He realized that with his arrival, some things had already changed. Though a negligible variable in the grand scheme of things, it was a change in essence.

A small change, like a snowball on a mountain, would become a massive avalanche by the time it reached the bottom.

"But it doesn't matter. The gods of the Warp have noticed you. Primordial Truth is bestowing new warnings; the changes you bring will be erased."

"The Changer of Ways is very interested in you. If you are willing to become his servant, he will bestow grace and blessings upon you."

The Word Bearer made his promise with utmost sincerity. Loci looked into his eyes, seeing a mixture of absolute earnestness and madness.

This madman wasn't lying.

Keshir turned his head to look at the Ultramarines preparing to execute him.

"You arrogant Ultramarines, how much longer can you hold out? The Word Bearers' forces are more than ten times yours. We will crush you, just as we crushed your weak Gene-Father. Guilliman is dead. His corpse has been sacrificed to Primordial Truth, and he is suffering eternal torment, hahahahahaha..."

The Word Bearer's blasphemous words finally enraged the Ultramarines. Surus, beside Ventanus, drew his sword like lightning. The disintegration field severed the captive's body from his throat to his left abdomen. The Word Bearer commander was almost split in two.

Ventanus didn't have time to stop his adjutant. He merely sighed, knowing that interrogating a Space Marine was an almost impossible task.

However, with the gene-tracker, some of the enemy's memories could still be retrieved.

Though almost split in two, the Word Bearer's formidable vitality still held death at bay. Keshir muttered something and completely collapsed to the ground. A large amount of blood poured out and spread, forming a mirror of blood on the dry earth.

He was laughing, an unrestrained, wild laugh. The violent tremors split him completely in two, and shredded flesh and organs fell to the ground. The entire being seemed to bloom like a blood-red flower.