"Because of my gene-father's folly, the God-Emperor's hopes for humanity's revival would be reduced to nothing. The Imperium and Horus's rebels would become like the ouroboros of myth, trapped in an endless war."
"Lorgar, why could he not understand that everything was a trial set by the God-Emperor? Perfect City was a test, meant to prove the sincerity of his faith."
"Yet his hollow faith and his own ignorance left him unable to comprehend the God-Emperor's will. Instead, resentment grew in his heart, and he took a path opposed to the God-Emperor."
Watching the Hermit's grief-stricken appearance, Lox felt a frustrating sense of helplessness.
He had read about the entire Perfect City incident and knew of the Emperor's extreme loathing for religion and faith.
That lord of mankind possessed a hatred and hostility toward gods far beyond that of ordinary people. The Word Bearers' and Lorgar's act of worshipping him as a god was no different from dancing upon his most sensitive nerve.
Yet in the eyes of a true fanatic like the Hermit, every action of the Emperor was a test.
To believers, God was everything.
His praise and wrath alike were blessings; thunder and rain were both divine grace.
The Hermit interpreted the Emperor's actions entirely through a religious lens, yet everything could be made internally consistent from that same perspective.
"If all Word Bearers were truly like this, we'd have far fewer problems." Lox sighed. He had once witnessed the terrifying disasters caused by faith turning against itself, and true believers would never abandon their faith.
Guilliman, meanwhile, looked at the Hermit with a complicated expression. He even felt a trace of fear. Something as intangible as faith could turn Space Marines, weapons of war, into ignorant fanatics.
*Fortunately, my Legion has no such problem. My sons