Crack. The bone mirror shattered.
Slaanesh was getting rather heated.
Damn it, those useless Greater Daemons. An utter humiliation.
She had always thought the Keepers of Secrets under her command were rather useless, providing less and less amusement.
But she had never imagined they were this useless.
Bona had never left Terra in his life. The farthest he had ever traveled was probably the front line.
And yet, even after trying every trick they knew, her Greater Daemons had failed.
They had even displeased Bona, nearly getting the entire Fifth Ring blown apart.
She made up her mind. She had been far too lenient with these failures. Once Bona left, she would make sure they learned what true pain meant.
"Hello, um... Miss Love Goddess?"
Slaanesh immediately turned around, greeting him with a radiant smile.
"Hello, little one. I've been waiting for you for quite some time."
"Sorry. I got held up on the way. I ran into some strange things."
Look at those failures. He hadn't even taken them seriously.
The Love Goddess before him, whose beauty surpassed anything in the universe, seemed to oscillate between anger and delight. Bona found it rather strange.
Her temper seemed... perhaps a little unstable.
"May I ask... what is my trial? Do you need me to cut someone down?" Bona asked, raising his Chainsword.
"Oh, no, no, no."
Slaanesh appeared beside Bona almost as though she had teleported, lowered his Chainsword, and gently rested a hand on his shoulder.
"My trial isn't about fighting and killing like that lunatic's."
"That fellow is a deranged maniac. All he ever thinks about is chopping things up."
"You see, there is so much beauty in this universe."
"For example..."
She softly snapped her fingers.
The instruments in the palace began playing on their own, producing exquisite notes.
The paintings on the walls began moving, revealing the process of their creation step by step.
The flowers in the vases began to bloom, six marvelous colors unfurling from within their buds and blending into something extraordinarily beautiful.
"This universe is very dark. Almost everyone is thinking about how to kill someone else."
"But if we look at it from another angle, even this rotten, blackened mess of a universe has plenty of beauty worth discovering."
"And what we must do..."
She leaned against Bona's shoulder, gently poking his chest over his heart.
"Is feel it with our hearts."
Bona seemed awestruck by the sheer abundance of art in the palace.
"It really is beautiful. I just don't quite understand it yet."
"Hehe."
She chuckled softly.
"It's all right. Such feelings are rather too advanced for someone who has yet to experience the world. It's perfectly normal not to grasp them."
"But we can experience some simpler pleasures. For example..."
"Those of the flesh."
Faced with her bold advances, the scent stirring humanity's most primal urges mingling with her soft, warm touch, Bona hurriedly stepped away.
"I'm sorry. I still have duties to fulfill."
"I'm pressed for time. I'll go visit the next one now."
Then he fled the place as though running for his life.
She did not stop him. She merely extended her tongue and sliced it with a sharp tooth, savoring the flow of blood.
"Hehehe..."
There was no hurry.
This sort of thing was most entertaining when savored slowly, one bite at a time.
Come to think of it, it seemed she had not experienced this kind of innocent uncertainty in quite a long time herself.
As Slaanesh pondered this, she grabbed a few Aeldari from a nearby jar and ate them as snacks.
Bona sprinted outside, clutching his chest, his face flushed as he panted heavily.
He felt that if he had been any slower, his body would have overruled his mind.
He slapped his cheeks to clear his head and took a moment to recover.
That Love Goddess was really bold.
Forget it. Better get moving.
Bona searched through the Warp for who knew how long before finally finding the God of Life's Sanctuary.
Honestly, this place had been rather difficult to find.
Along the way, he had spotted two enormous Orks smashing each other with huge clubs.
As they swung, they kept shouting things like...
"I'm gonna sneak attack from the front!"
"I'm gonna charge head-on from behind!"
One glance was enough to tell him that these two oversized Orks were not to be trifled with, so Bona had taken a considerable detour.
Upon reaching the next Sanctuary, Bona spotted something from afar...
A banner.
A banner hung between two towering trees, bearing the words:
"Welcome our new family member to the family."
Before him lay a beautiful garden, lush and bursting with life.
Countless Sprites darted playfully among the plants, while diligent gardeners carefully tended every flower.
As Bona entered, all the Sprites cheered. They bounded about like squirrels, some even leaping onto his shoulders.
"Our good friend's here! Our good friend's here!"
Bona felt rather overwhelmed by the warm reception. The entire Sanctuary seemed to be welcoming him.
A burly, honest-looking man approached with a kindly smile.
"Friend, we've been waiting for you for quite some time."
"Sorry. I got held up quite a lot on the way," Bona apologized.
The big man simply smiled with kindly sincerity.
"It's all right. We're all family."
"Come with me. 'Father' has been waiting for you for quite some time."
Bona followed the big man deeper into the garden.
They made their way into the garden, where a large cauldron stood. Beside it, the God of Life, as gentle as a father, happily hummed a tune while stirring with a ladle.
But something surprised Bona.
Why was there a pointy-eared Aeldari here?
Although she was not as beautiful as the Love Goddess from earlier, her beauty was still ethereal.
Isha was one of the few surviving deities of the Aeldari.
Grandfather saw Bona and said happily:
"Ah, you're here."
He set down his ladle, walked over cheerfully, and gave Bona a great big hug.
Bona thought this deity smelled rather strongly of sweat, but he endured it.
"We've been waiting for you for quite some time."
"Sorry."
"It's all right, it's all right."
Grandfather walked back.
He seemed to notice Bona's particular interest in the Aeldari and introduced her with an affable smile:
"This is Isha, another good friend of mine. I specifically invited her here today. You don't mind, do you?"
"Hel... hello. I'm Bona."
Bona still warmly offered his hand to the Aeldari.
At least she looked human. That already put her ahead of ninety-nine percent of aliens.
"Mm, hello."
Isha hesitantly shook his hand.
Only then did Bona notice that this Aeldari's hands were actually bound with chains.
Huh?
He looked at Isha again, only to find her eyes filled with bewilderment and confusion.
But Bona did not want to meddle. Grandpa Malcador had told him before.
If he saw an Aeldari, he should just beat them to death.
He was only holding back out of respect for the God of Life. Outside the Sanctuary, Bona would already have attacked.
"Oh, child, do you know? Whenever I look at you, I feel as though I'm seeing my younger self."
Bona sat down as well, watching Grandfather stir the pot of soup.
"I'm rather flattered."
"Truly. I used to be just like you. Whenever I saw someone hurt or suffering, I always wanted to lend them a hand."
"You're very kind yourself."
"Of course. I sensed your compassion earlier. I knew you were one of our family."
The surrounding Sprites cheered together:
"Family! Family!"
The soup seemed ready. Grandfather ladled out two brimming bowls and brought them over.
"The soup's ready. Drink up."
"Thank you."
Bona accepted the bowl of soup, but saw that Isha looked deeply conflicted.
Huh?
He looked at the soup in his hands. It was just a bowl of thick soup with vegetables and fresh meat.
What a strange Aeldari.
Bona shook his head and drank it down in one gulp.
Beside him, Isha hesitated for a moment before finishing hers as well.
After finishing the soup, Bona's brow twitched slightly.
He thought he might understand why Isha had hesitated. Perhaps Grandfather really was a terrible cook.
Looking at the still-smiling God of Life, Bona forced down the churning in his stomach.
"Thank you for the meal."
"Haha, you're welcome."
The God of Life removed his gloves.
"I know you still have your own journey ahead, so I won't insist that you stay."
"But I can still give you a gift. Here, hold out your left hand."
Bona held out his left hand, and Grandfather lightly tapped his left ring finger.
In an instant, a cool, refreshing sensation spread through him.
Grandfather smiled and nodded.
"Good, good."
"Whenever you want to save someone from now on, just touch them lightly with that finger. That way, no one will ever have to suffer again."
Startled, Bona rose and bowed slightly.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, child. Have a pleasant journey."
Before you continue