Deep within the Warp.
Tides of aetheric energy surged tirelessly, crisscrossing this realm and forming the bizarre, kaleidoscopic sights of The Empyrean.
Time and space held no meaning here. The laws of the physical universe did not apply; instead, minds and souls were better suited to the Warp's treacherous environment.
It looked devoid of life, but in truth, the Warp held far more living things than one might imagine.
A massive void whale roamed freely through the Warp Sea. Its body exceeded a terrifying twenty thousand kilometers in length; if placed in the real universe, this single void whale would have been far longer than Holy Terra.
Even within the peril-ridden Warp, void whales counted as relatively powerful creatures.
More terrifying still, these enormous void whales did not travel alone. They hunted in herds, following the Warp tides in search of food.
The void whales were so immense that their complex interiors had evolved complete ecosystems of their own. All manner of Warp creatures dwelled within them, like fish living among coral reefs in the oceans of ancient Terra.
But the Warp's ever-changing storms had always been impossible to predict.
The leading void whale suddenly released a piercing, low cry. Its ultra-low-frequency pulse warned the herd behind it that danger was approaching.
The instant the void whale's cry rang out, a sudden Warp storm exploded amid the herd. Several smaller void whales were immediately torn to pieces.
The void whale leader was filled with profound grief, but it was unwilling to linger with its herd any longer. It led the remaining whales away from this place of danger.
That was the Warp. One moment, all might be calm; the next, some unknown catastrophe could descend and reduce everything to ruin.
Yet the void whale leader failed to notice that, along