Seeing the Emperor speak to the returned primarch through a psychic possession, Lox's heart immediately sank.
Clearly, the Emperor's condition had worsened again, to the point that he was unwilling to speak with Vulkan face-to-face himself.
No, perhaps it was not unwillingness, but inability. A terrifying psychic void had formed around the Emperor, enough to crush anyone who came near. He could no longer perfectly control that power.
"My son, you have finally returned to my side."
"Vulkan, the most humane of my eighteen sons."
The Emperor, possessing Malcador, spoke. Though the voice of a psychic echo could hardly convey emotion, everyone still sensed an extraordinarily subtle joy.
Among the Emperor's most favored sons, Vulkan was surely one of them.
The Lord of Humanity took pride in Vulkan's humanity, and thus favored him.
"Father... forgive me. I came too late."
The dark giant slowly lowered himself to one knee, his tiger-like eyes already wet.
A primarch's tears fell from Vulkan's eyes, crossing the ridges of his skin and soaking into the scorching golden floor.
Malcador extended his thin, withered hand and gently stroked Vulkan's head.
"It is good that you have returned. Good that you have returned."
In an instant, the Emperor read what this child of his, whose fate had been so turbulent, had endured since the outbreak of war.
Beginning with the betrayal at Isstvan, Vulkan and most of the Salamanders had fallen to the traitors' treachery.
Vulkan's Perpetual nature caused him to be captured by the traitors. Konrad Curze, in particular, who had been tormented by prophetic visions and nearly driven completely mad, tortured his kindest brother with unimaginably cruel methods.
Curze exhausted every vicious method at his disposal—beheading him, tearing out his heart, burning him to ashes with a promethium flamer, or casting him into the