---Twenty Minutes Later---
Once Angron's tears stopped flowing, my uncle took a step back and wiped his face. Trying to apologize for his pathetic display, I assured him he had no reason to be sorry. Giving me a grateful smile, Angron meekly turned toward his father like a terrified child.
"Father… I have something to say.", Angron stated, his hung low. "I am- "
"I will hear no apology from you, my son. It is I who owes you one.", the Emperor of Mankind asserted. "Your brothers and sisters in arms died on Mt. Fedan Mhor because of me. I could have aided your efforts, but I chose to rip you from them when they needed you the most. Worse still, I never bothered searching for a cure to repair the extensive damage caused by the Butcher's Nails. Instead… I… I tried to squeeze as much use out of you as I could before they claimed your life."
Bowing his head to Angron, my grandfather gave him a heartfelt apology for everything he had done. Taken back by his sincerity, Angron silently stood there trying to figure out what he should say or do. Choosing the first thing that came to mind, he stepped forward and hugged his father tightly. Softly accepting his apology, the two men held each other while the rest of us watched. Once they let each other go, I dropped a bombshell on them.
"What if I told you there was a way to save your fallen comrades on Nuceria?", I inquired. "Would that interest you?"
"If this were coming from anyone else, I would immediately kill them for making light of my pain. I know you would never joke about this, so please, tell me more.", Angron pleaded, trusting me unconditionally.
"I have three possible options for you to pick from…", I began.
Firstly, I could send Angron back in time to Nuceria's distant past to fight and die alongside his comrades. Arriving just as the Emperor of Mankind's fleet vacated the star system, he could have the Warrior's Death he had longed for. It would be a major loss for the Imperium, but my uncle had already suffered more than enough for it.
Secondly, the two of us could travel back to the same point and help his comrades vanquish the enemy. Once we defeated them, we would lead a campaign to rid Nuceria of its tyrannical leaders. The two of us would have to operate incognito, but his original goal would be achieved.
Lastly, I could save his comrades by pulling them forward in time to the present day. As they were already fated to die on that mountain, bringing them here would have no impact on historical events. Once here, their Butcher's Nails would be removed, and they would have the opportunity to join the World Eater Legion.
"Victor, how exactly do you intend to pull this off? I know you are a scientific genius, but this is time travel we are talking about…", Dorn commented.
"I believe now is a good time to show exactly how powerful I am.", I stated, transferring my relatives, Valdor, and me onto the palace's outer walls. "I am about to take us to a fixed point in the Imperium's history. Please do not interact with anyone or anything without speaking with me first. The slightest misstep could have a grave impact on the timeline."
Without waiting for follow-up questions, I encapsulated us in a time bubble. Sending us all back in time, the cityscape below us rapidly began to regress. The centuries swiftly passed, revealing the numerous struggles Terra had faced. While we had all read up on them, seeing it happen before our eyes was even more heartbreaking.
"Father… Were… Were you conscious for all of this?", Guilliman asked, mortified by what he was seeing.
"Yes… I witnessed every single moment of this.", the Emperor acknowledged. "I sat on that damn throne and watched helplessly as fools tore everything apart. Corrupt bureaucrats and noblemen squandered all the sacrifices we made safeguarding our Imperium. It is why I feel nothing when Victor and you make examples out of them. They are a blight on our people, but… We need them to keep things moving forward."
---Siege of Terra, Final Hours---
Arriving at our destination, a grim silence welcomed us to the closing hours of the Siege of Terra. Hesitantly taking a few steps forward, my uncles slowly surveyed the gory carnage all around us. The bodies of soldiers and civilians littered every square foot of land as far as the eye could see.
"My god…", El'Jonson gasped, taking in the devastation for the first time. "I have read the after-action reports multiple times, but this… This is even worse than I imagined."
"I forgot you were not there at the Siege of Terra. You were forced to reroute your fleet to quell the civil war that Luther started on Caliban.", Vulkan stated, hearing the faint sound of children crying in the distance.
Vulkan's jaw was clenched as he turned to me, his desperation to save them palpable. Before acting, I ran a quick check. I used search magic to get a fix, then scryed their location. My only concern was the fallout, but a check of their historical contributions confirmed they were no more than a nanoscopic blip on the timeline. Teleporting them to us, my uncle immediately swept them into his arms to soothe them. While he sang them a lullaby from Nocturne, Corvax approached me with a burning question.
"Victor, would it be possible for us to revisit the Drop Site Massacre of Isstvan V? I have a score to settle with Lorgar and Perturabo…", Corvax growled, clenching his fists in anger.
"Before I answer, I must clarify a crucial point: time traveling is a perilous endeavor. Even the most minute, inconsequential change can have far-reaching consequences. To manage this immense risk, a powerful race of people called the Time Lords developed three golden rules.", I explained. "These rules are…"
First: a time traveler must never cross their timeline. Though it sounds minor, this is the easiest way to damage the flow of time. Ignoring this command could lead to the creation of a paradox or, even worse, a rupture of space-time. Should either happen, the Reapers will inevitably arrive to remedy the situation—by any means necessary.
Second: a time traveler must never change a fixed point. These points are the foundational anchors of history; they are the events absolutely necessary for the current timeline to exist. Any adjustment, however minor, creates an unpredictable ripple effect that causes temporal chaos. Therefore, all fixed points must be treated as untouchable.
Third: a time traveler must take extreme precautions when altering the timeline. Although it is generally safe to alter parts of time that are in flux, one must exercise great care. Making too many small alterations can have just as significant an impact on history as changing a fixed point. Mindfulness is key; so long as they remain cautious, a time traveler can improve the past without dangerously changing the future.
"Both the Drop Site Massacre of Isstvan V and the Alpha Legion's sabotage of your rapid replenishment efforts are both fixed points. They are what ultimately drives you to pursue the traitors into the Warp, keeping some of them off the Imperium's backs.", I said, with an apologetic smile. "That said, I can save the two men right before they are killed so you can deliver the finishing blow yourself. Their death is a fixed point, but who delivers it is not."
"Very well, I will take what I can get.", Corvax accepted.
With his question answered, I went to take us back to the present day, but my grandfather stopped me.
"Victor, would it be possible to see Malcador before we return?", the Emperor inquired, desperately wanting to see his dear friend again.
Aware of the brotherly bond they shared, I used the Time Stone to review the potential ramifications the visit could have. Witnessing nearly a million different potential outcomes, it became clear we could do far more than visit him.
"We can certainly do that, but I have a better alternative. How about we save Malcador and bring him back with us?", I suggested. "His death is not a fixed point; what he is sacrificing his life for is. So long as we ensure the same outcome happens, saving him will have no impact on Imperial history."
"We will go with your plan then.", the Emperor agreed, turning toward the stairs. "Let us be on our- "
"Father, we cannot approach the Golden Throne on foot.", Vulkan reminded him, giving him a playful smirk. "The Eternity Gate is sealed, and thousands of Chaos Marines roam the palace grounds. If we are to reach the throne room without drawing attention to ourselves, we must rely on Victor's teleportation magic."
With a quick, apologetic nod for his haste, my grandfather turned back and offered a goofy, forgetful smile. Shrouding us in a powerful veil of magic, I instantly transported us to the throne room. We materialized behind the loyalist defensive line and hurried toward the throne where Malcador was slowly dying. As we cautiously revealed ourselves to him, the Emperor immediately motioned for him to remain silent.
"Malcador, I am sure you have many questions, but right now time is of the essence. All will be explained shortly; for the time being, just know we are here to save you.", the Emperor said, with a joyful smile on his face.
Understandably confused by what was happening, Malcador nevertheless followed his old friend's request. Erecting powerful barriers on both sides of the breach, the strain he had been experiencing abruptly disappeared. Once I was confident that the barriers would remain intact until the Emperor took his throne, we removed the old man from his position.
"The breach… What about… the breach?", Malcador wheezed, looking toward where the Webway portal was.
"Do not worry about it; the enemy cannot penetrate my magical barriers.", I assured him, using high-level illusion magic to create a copy of him. "Anyone foolish enough to try and breach it will have their soul eviscerated. The barrier will remain in place until your Emperor returns from Horus' flagship."
Glancing over his shoulder at the exact copy of himself, which now sat on the throne, the Sigillite's eyes bulged in shock. With our objective completed, I immediately brought us back to the present day.
---Golden Throne Room, Present Day---
Reappearing just after our departure, the people we left behind looked at us with stunned confusion. Upon noticing that Malcador was now with us, they realized we had truly gone back in time. After mending his bodily injuries and soul, Malcador began demanding an explanation from all of us.
"This may be difficult to believe, but you have been brought forward in time to the 41st millennium. At my behest, Aremus' biological son used his mystical power to spare your life and reunite us.", the Emperor elaborated, motioning to me. "This is my grandson, Victor von Stark."
"You mean that snot-nosed brat has sired children?! That poor woman!", Malcador gasped, grinning like an idiot. "Where is Aremus now? I would like to hear how exactly he managed to pull that off."
"Unfortunately, Aremus was slain sometime after the Siege of Terra. He was on his way back to render assistance when a possessed Zephrim struck him and his men down.", I informed him. "There is a lot you need to be updated on, but I will leave that to my grandfather."
Malcador nodded slowly, the grim news of Aremus's death hitting him harder than I expected. Assuming the two of them were close, I felt guilty for dropping this bombshell on him so abruptly.
"Victor, I have come to a decision on your offers. I would like to bring my brothers and sisters in arms here to give them the best second life possible.", Angron spoke. "The Death World of Nuceria is not worth saving; it's better to just cut our losses. Besides… Maestro would raise the planet before we could get anywhere close to him."
Staring at Angron, Malcador's jaw flopped open in shock. Taken aback that he could now speak normally, he was about to ask about when I cut him off.
"Hold on a second… Did you say Maestro?", I pressed Angron. "Is he a massive, green man with a balding head?"
"Yeah… How do you know him?", Angron questioned.
"I do not know him personally, but I have heard countless tales of his twisted cruelty.", I answered. 'Agamotto said Maestro was one of the main instigators behind Earth's untimely destruction. He will pay dearly for harming Angron and killing billions of innocent people.'
Thanking my uncle for the information, I began the process of bringing his comrades here.