Bona stopped in front of the corridor and stood motionless.
He frowned, seemingly searching his mind for something, but that part of it seemed completely blank.
At last, he gave up the fruitless effort.
"Dakan, what was I going to do again?"
"You were going to Hall Three, Your Highness."
"What for?"
Company Captain Dakan looked at Bona's bewildered expression, his heart tightening, but could only bow his head respectfully.
"I don't know the details either, Your Highness. But Lord Fulgrim and Lord Magnus are already waiting there."
"All right. Must be something important."
Bona muttered and started walking.
Watching him leave, Dakan's face was full of worry.
Ever since His Highness had returned from the Warp, he had seemed like a different person.
In the past, he had been quiet because he preferred to listen, using his mind to analyze the wisdom and experience in others' words rather than indulge in pointless bluster.
Now, his thoughts often lost their thread, and his memories slipped away like sand, as though he were an old man who had entered his twilight years too soon.
Bona entered the Secret Chamber, and the heavy alloy doors closed silently behind him.
The sight at the center of the room stopped him in his tracks. Fulgrim and Magnus stood on either side, the former gripping the Blade of Flames, the fire along its blade brightening and dimming like breathing.
Magnus simply stood in silence, his single eye betraying nothing.
Between them, an equally towering giant knelt on the floor, intricate scriptural tattoos covering every inch of his exposed skin.
He knelt with such humility, such devotion, as though worshipping the holiest creation in existence.
At the sound of Bona's footsteps, the giant's eyes snapped open. The fervor and sincerity shining in them made Bona deeply