When the last trace of warped light from the Eye of Terror was completely sealed away under the laws of the material universe, Lox, seated upon the throne of Cadia, clearly sensed an unprecedented change.
The immense pull that had been constantly draining his strength to resist the Warp's corruption and maintain Cadia's defenses suddenly loosened, like a severed rope.
The nerves that had remained taut for so long, as though bearing the weight of the entire galaxy, were finally able to relax.
The throne beneath him, formed of intricate machinery and energy conduits, no longer conveyed that urgent, almost greedy hunger.
All these changes stemmed from the galactic wound having been repaired. Under the mighty self-regulating power of the universe, reality's veil in this region would slowly yet steadily return to the same thickness as elsewhere.
The Warp's greatest and most dangerous bridgehead into the material universe had been completely severed at this moment.
An indescribable lightness, mingled with the deep exhaustion of a long campaign and the immense relief of final victory, swept through Lox like a tide.
With a solemnity that was almost ritualistic, he slowly rose from the throne that had bound him for so long, yet also sustained him for so long.
The joints in his body let out faint grinding sounds, as though recounting the weight of all those years.
Almost at the same moment, beside Lox, the Emperor, who had likewise been seated upon a replica Golden Throne, rose to his feet. He had re-established contact with the God-Emperor in the Warp and learned the welcome news that the four Chaos Gods had decided to withdraw.
In the Emperor's perception, the connection between himself and the God-Emperor, once extraordinarily close, had been blocked by a thin barrier. He had to expend more power