The Sanctum Sanatorium.
The room was clean and simple, with barely any trace of machinery to be noticed.
This was the best ward in the sanatorium, designed to block out as much interference from the outside world and even the Warp as possible.
It provided patients with the most comfortable environment possible.
Dorn lay sleeping on a soft hospital bed under a silk blanket, and from the look of it, he had already been treated.
His eyes were shut tight, his face tense with fear, and even his body was drawn taut. Clearly, his condition was not as stable as it seemed.
"Father!"
Dorn struggled slightly, then jolted awake from the nightmare.
"So it was only a nightmare..."
Covered in cold sweat, he sat up on the edge of the bed and let out a long, deep breath.
Once Dorn realized he was in a safe hospital room, he relaxed a little.
But the scenes from the nightmare still made his heart pound.
In that dream, Terra had been burning fiercely, while countless lives screamed in agony.
And the Emperor, that father of his, had watched humanity's suffering, howling in pain as He gradually transformed into another loathsome thing.
"Thank goodness... it was only a nightmare."
Dorn muttered the words again, adjusting his emotions.
Trying to calm himself down.
His hand moved instinctively to his abdomen, where the old wound left by the daemon blade had once been. But there was no longer even a faint ache.
Even the scar was gone.
"The Savior had someone treat my wounds?"
Dorn lowered his head and looked at himself.
He discovered that every old injury in his body had been healed. His whole body felt open and clear, giving him a sense of ease he had not felt in ages.
This body had returned to its peak condition, full of resilience once more.
"If I had been in this state before, perhaps I would not have lost so badly?"
The Lord of the Mountain Bastion recalled his battle with the Savior, but soon shook his head and stopped himself from dwelling on it.
He understood that even at his peak, he still would not have been able to defeat that Savior, that Emperor of the Imperium.
And he might even have been forced to face even more terrifying methods from that man.
Just then, a breeze drifted in, carrying a faint, fresh scent of earth. It cooled his whole body and made him relax without even realizing it.
Dorn turned his head toward the source.
The breeze stirred the sheer curtains, and outside the window stretched a grassland that ran all the way to the horizon. Long blades of grass swayed gently.
In the distance, a few leisurely grassland creatures could just barely be seen.
This was one of Terra's prairie regions, a landscape the Savior had built. It carried the quiet charm of grass rippling beneath the wind while herds wandered in the distance.
"Terra has changed too much. It's like a garden world, but beneath it lies a tightly layered line of fortifications..."
Dorn walked to the window and felt the breeze and the scent of nature, and a subtle sense of healing rose within him.
He liked a world like this.
Dorn had grown up on the ice world of Inwit. There, there had only ever been a dying red sun, and the planet was either in eternal day or eternal night.
Out in the wilds of that world, there had been nothing but endless ice storms that could freeze a person solid in seconds, not to mention the terrifying beasts that prowled the frozen wastes.
And because of the ice's powerful reflection, even after the blizzards stopped, anyone exposed too long on the snowfields would simply be dried out beneath the red sunlight.
If possible, Dorn wanted to remain here for a while and enjoy scenery this rare.
For ten thousand years, he had fought wars and built fortresses everywhere. What he saw was either mountains of corpses and seas of blood, or ruined mountain ranges and blasted foundations.
Then he had become lost in the Warp, where all he had seen were poisonous visions.
He had rarely had the chance to see such beautiful scenery, the kind that could quiet the heart, and he had never had the time to appreciate it.
"Perhaps only that man's New Imperium would have the mind to spend resources restoring and maintaining natural landscapes like this..."
That was what Dorn thought.
He knew that in ancient times, Terra had once possessed grassland scenery like this and many other natural wonders.
Unfortunately, all of it had later been replaced by hive cities and smoke-belching industry, until even the sky had turned gray-black.
The Lord of the Mountain Bastion took in a deep breath. Fresh air spread through his lungs and out into the rest of his body, bringing comfort with it.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Just as he was savoring that rare moment of peace, someone approached the room.
It was the Savior, the Emperor of the Imperium.
"Brother, your body's all healed up, right?"
Eden wore a warm smile.
After entering, he walked to the window and stood beside Dorn, looking out at the grassland with him.
"This is authentic old Terra prairie. We spent a very long time restoring an ecosystem like this."
"I like it as well, but perhaps it is a kind of luxury. Or even a waste?"
After thinking for a moment, Dorn said that.
"No. I'd rather call it beauty and hope. Humanity needs something besides mere survival."
Eden looked at the grassland outside and took a deep breath.
"I want people to know that humanity is still worthy of this kind of peace and beauty, not just endless suffering and darkness.
The pilgrims and soldiers on leave who come here see scenery not so different from what our ancestors on Terra once saw.
You could call it remembrance. Or hope for the future."
As he spoke, he frowned slightly.
"Of course, it's only hope. Humanity still has many problems to deal with, and we're not free from danger yet."
"You're right. We overlooked too many things in the past, and that was how Chaos found its chance to corrupt us."
Dorn thought of certain things from ten thousand years ago and sighed with feeling.
"It won't be like that anymore, brother. The Imperium has a completely new face now."
Eden turned to look at him.
"You must have missed the Emperor, right? I heard you calling for Him just now. As it happens, the old man has already awakened.
He misses you too. The moment He woke up, He asked to see you immediately."
Now that Dorn had recovered, the stubborn mule's peaceful time was over.
Once he had gone to see the Emperor, Eden would be able to assign him defensive duties.
That way, Eden himself could free up his hands and leave Holy Terra to organize a few strategic counterattacks.
He had a faint feeling that Chaos might soon be driven into desperation, and the Imperium needed to act as well and launch several savage surprise strikes of its own.
Perhaps the war that would determine the Imperium's final fate was already drawing near in places unseen.
One wrong step on the Imperium's side, and the whole board could be lost.
More troublesome still, he had no idea what Chaos' trump card was. All he could do was probe as much as possible.
"Father has awakened?"
Dorn's face lit up with joy, and he was moved that the Emperor should want to see him so urgently.
"Savior, take me to the Golden Throne. My body has already recovered!"
He knew the Savior still had his suspicions and would never feel safe letting him enter the Palace and approach the Golden Throne alone.
Eden patted the stubborn mule on the shoulder and said pointedly, "Looks like your body really has recovered well. Plenty resilient, plenty sturdy.
Then let's go now."
He led Dorn out, then gave an order to the Canoness waiting at the door.
"Please keep this room available. Brother Dorn may need to use it again later."
Dorn shook his head and refused.
"My body has already fully recovered. Those medical resources should be left for other warriors who need them."
This primarch raised on Inwit had developed a strong and steady temperament in that harsh environment, along with a willingness to sacrifice for the group.
He also knew how to treasure resources.
He understood better than most how precious medical resources were. Very often, they were the same as human lives.
Eden reassured him, "A follow-up examination is still necessary. Medical resources in the New Imperium aren't that scarce anymore."
"All right."
Dorn did not refuse again after hearing that. He already could not wait to see the Emperor, that father of his.
Soon after, the two of them hurried outside and boarded a luxurious dark-gold assault craft bound for the Palace.
Inside the cabin.
"Brother, you don't need to be nervous. Have some wine and relax."
Eden sat in the comfortable compartment, drinking red wine, and casually poured a glass for Dorn as well.
"What happened at the Golden Throne? How is Father now?"
Dorn was worried.
Ever since leaving the Sanctum Sanatorium, even with his dulled psychic sensitivity, he had been able to feel the psychic waves radiating from the Palace.
They carried agitation and fury.
"Sigh. Actually, it's nothing too serious."
Eden let out a soft breath.
"The earlier breach and upheaval woke the old man up. Once He learned that the matter had something to do with you, He immediately ordered me to bring you to the Golden Throne."
Crack.
The moment Dorn learned that the Emperor's anger was connected to him, his body went rigid, and he accidentally crushed the wineglass in his hand.
His hand trembled slightly, and he did not even notice the red wine spilling onto his trousers.
So the Emperor, that father of his, was in a hurry to see him because He wanted to settle accounts with him?!
The Lord of the Mountain Bastion was completely numb.
The Emperor's severe image and the sight of His anger had long ago been carved deep into his heart.
It instinctively filled him with fear.
More importantly, he had indeed committed a wrong. He had no idea what degree of wrath he was about to face from the Emperor.
Eden pushed another glass of wine toward him and consoled him.
"It's fine. The old man's just a little angry.
I'll help talk Him down. Nothing is impossible to get past.
Oh, right. The hangar on this ship has high-strength Blackstone armor that can effectively guard against psychic shock. Do you want to put on some armor before we head over?"
That armor had been prepared specifically to guard against a psychic backhand from the Emperor. His psychic might had grown ever stronger, and sometimes He did not control it very well, resulting in violent psychic impacts.
Blackstone armor could protect the wearer's body quite effectively and prevent injury from such impacts.
This was the gift Eden had prepared for his primarch brothers, so they could safely meet the Emperor.
???
Hearing that only made Dorn even more nervous, and he realized this meeting would probably be very difficult.
But after hesitating for a while, he still shook his head and refused.
If he put on the special armor the Savior had prepared now, it would be a display of cowardice.
He did not need it.
"Savior, this is a mistake I made.
As the Emperor's son, I have to face all of it and accept His rebuke and punishment..."
Dorn grabbed the wine and downed it in one gulp, his gaze turning firm.
"I don't need armor. A son going to see his father has no reason to wear so much protection."
"So bold!"
Eden looked at the stubborn mule like this and was filled with respect.
He drained his own wine in one swallow as well and set the empty glass down with a hard tap.
"Brother Dorn, I was too worried and underestimated you.
You are the hardest son of the Emperor I have ever seen. Thick, solid, and hard as iron!"
Eden was deeply impressed.
He had not expected that when all was said and done, the toughest primarch would still be Dorn, the great stubborn mule.
The other primarchs, even the fallen ones, all looked like mice in front of a cat when they saw the Emperor, scared into something not far from quivering little birds.
That showed just how deep their psychological scars ran. They wanted nothing more than to run immediately and get as far from the Emperor as possible.
But Dorn was different.
His face did not change at all, and he was even willing to take no protective measures whatsoever while facing the Emperor's wrath.
That took courage.
In the galaxy and the Warp, aside from Eden himself, perhaps no one else dared face the Emperor in a rage.
Even the Chaos Gods would probably feel a chill at the sight of such a scene.
Now there was one more being who dared to do it.
And that was Rogal Dorn.
There was nothing for a man to say but admiration. No wonder he was the Lord of the Mountain Bastion, the great master of defense.
He really could take it.
Eden felt even more confident now about the matter of having the stubborn mule garrison Holy Terra.
Dorn's combat power was not especially strong, but his ability to withstand pressure was maxed out. With Eden's resources supporting him, he would be fully capable of holding Holy Terra alone.
In the face of the Savior's praise, Dorn's stern face remained as steady as ever, as if he did not think it was anything unusual.
He himself had always been one of the Emperor's most loyal sons, a wall of the Imperium, and he would not be frightened by fear.
Eden nodded, then contacted the Sanctum Sanatorium again and ordered them to prepare the relevant medical measures for the stubborn mule.
"What are you doing?"
Seeing the Savior act that way, Dorn found it odd.
"Just precautionary measures."
Eden smiled warmly, looking as helpful as ever.
"You can trust how I handle things, brother. It won't be a big problem."
Dorn saw the emergency medical team the Savior had contacted, and suddenly felt even less secure.
He had rarely faced the Emperor's wrath directly.
In ten thousand years, Dorn had only ever been sternly reprimanded by the Emperor once, during the Council of Nikaea, when his dispute with Perturabo, that traitorous madman, had angered the Emperor.
Dorn comforted himself inwardly.
"I am one of Father's most trusted sons. Perhaps He won't treat me that harshly..."
The Lord of the Mountain Bastion quickly adjusted his emotions and steadied himself.
No matter what, he did not want to lose composure in front of the Savior, and even less did he want that man to think the Emperor did not favor him.
For a time, he truly carried the bearing of an unmoving mountain.
As for Eden, he personally went off to the hangar and armed himself with Blackstone armor, and a heavy version at that.
...
Not long afterward.
Inside the Palace, at the flight platform.
The luxurious dark-gold assault craft passed through hundreds of aerial defense lines and landed smoothly on the platform.
Soon, two figures stepped out of the cabin.
Eden was wrapped in thick armor, sealed up from head to toe, his whole body looking a full size larger, while Dorn was still dressed in those light, thin clothes.
The two of them hurried toward the Golden Throne Hall.
By then, the tremors beneath the ground had become clearer and clearer. Those were disturbances caused by agitated psychic power, radiating an intense pressure.
Dorn was already starting to panic. More and more, he felt that something was very wrong.
He even regretted not putting on the special armor the Savior had offered him.
But he still forced himself to keep walking.
By the time they reached the Golden Throne Hall and arrived before the steps leading into the throne chamber, his fear had reached its peak.
If possible, he would have liked to go in later.
Boom!
The psychic power surging inside the throne chamber rolled outward in waves, sweeping across everyone present and lifting even their hair.
The Emperor's agitation and fury were that intense.
Even the veteran Custodians standing guard looked at Dorn, that son of the Emperor, with open scrutiny and warning in their eyes.
Some of them even carried obvious dissatisfaction.
This son of the Emperor was the reason that being was so enraged.
"So this is what the Savior meant by Father being just a little angry?
This is way more than a little, isn't it?!"
Faced with that overwhelming psychic presence, Dorn went completely numb. A chill shot from the base of his spine straight to the top of his skull.
The shadow the Emperor cast over his heart spread wider than ever before.
That was the difference in perspective.
The Savior had seen too many displays of the Emperor's wrath already. Besides, the Golden Throne had been flaring up from time to time over the past few years, so to him this did not seem like such a serious problem.
But the Lord of the Mountain Bastion was the one involved, and as the Emperor's loyal son, of course he was terrified.
The shadow of the belt was already impossible to suppress. It was about to be drawn!
Dorn slowly turned his head, his voice a little hoarse.
"Savior, do you still have any armor left? I want to put on armor before going in to see Father..."
(End of Chapter)
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