Chapter 78: The Key to Breaking the Stalemate
[Wake up. Your wife is long dead. I saw her soul fall into the Warp with my own eyes.]
There it was again. That nagging whisper.
Cornwall instinctively wanted to cover his forehead, but the moment his sleeve fell, he quickly lowered his hand.
[What are you even hoping for? A substitute? Something you've imagined? A product of your own escapism?]
That voice was always so annoying.
'You lied to me, you bastard,' Cornwall retorted internally. 'You said Uncle Price was dead, but he's alive and well. You damned foul things, you used me, you carved your blasphemies onto my body, and you tricked me into killing those people, telling me I would see Sophia again.'
[...]
The voice suddenly went silent. This was not the future it had seen. When it had been stuffed into this body by those damned Word Bearers, it had clearly glimpsed Cornwall's future with the power of the Lord of Change. He was supposed to have witnessed his own flesh and blood hanging from the Sorcerer's banner, to have fallen in the ruins that buried his last relative, and then to have gone to the Anathema's sanctuary and, with its help, burned it to the ground.
But everything had changed the moment Cornwall had boarded that transport upon arriving in the Upper Hive!
The daemon was frustrated. The Anathema's faith was too strong in this shrine; it couldn't even forcibly control this soldier's actions.
After cursing the daemon's entire family, Cornwall turned his hopeful gaze back towards the Sanctum. The Shrine had issued clear regulations: men and women could visit each other, but they had to be segregated, and a meeting required the permission of a Sister. As for those who dared to challenge this authority, they were still hanging on the punishment posts. These generous benefactors were not stingy with their food and water, but they would not tolerate any violation of the law.
Cornwall swallowed nervously. He was afraid. Afraid that all of this was a coincidence, a delusion.
[That's right, that's right. You think this is all fake too, don't you? Perhaps everything you see right now is just a figment of your own imagination?]
'Shut up.'
[You should really open your eyes and look around. Take a good look. See who cares about you. You're just a cowardly waste of space. You need others to prop you up just to survive.]
"Enough!" Cornwall growled in frustration, startling a stooped man who was waiting beside him into taking a few steps back.
"Cornwall?"
A familiar voice. Filled with surprise, with disbelief, with an unparalleled joy.
"Sophia!"
Cornwall looked up and saw his wife, and the child she was holding.
Doubt, frustration, hatred.
In that moment, it all vanished.
"Sophia!" he stood frozen, wanting to reach out, but afraid that it was all an illusion.
"Cornwall, it's really you!" Sophia, holding their daughter with one arm, ran forward, her other arm wrapping around his back.
"Sophia."
Hearing that familiar voice, feeling that familiar warmth, Cornwall finally relaxed his body and leaned in.
"Ah!" he cried out in pain. He had been burned. Burned by the Aquila sigil hanging around Sophia's neck.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Cornwall," Sophia said, quickly taking his hand in concern. "Did I touch your wound? I'll take you to the medicae right away. The lords were able to heal Uncle Price's injuries."
"No, don't," Cornwall quickly pulled his hand back. He knew his own condition. If the runes on his body were seen, it would be over. He hopped in place, indicating he was fine. "Let me look at you. Just let me look at you for a while."
"Sigh, you're still the same as always," Sophia said with a light laugh, followed by a hint of helplessness. "If it were anyone else, they probably couldn't afford to waste time like this."
"Oh, and look at Erica. Our child has grown so much. The merciful Inquisitor issued her a certificate as a sanctioned psyker. She doesn't have to hide anymore." Sophia gently held their daughter up to face Cornwall. "Erica, this is your papa. He's the one who took care of you from the day you were born until you were old enough to remember."
The little girl blinked, looked at Cornwall with fear, and then buried her head in her mother's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Cornwall," Sophia said, not understanding why her usually calm and well-behaved daughter was so afraid. She patted her on the back and comforted her. "This is your papa. He chose to join the army to protect Mama and Erica. Your papa is a hero."
Your papa is a hero!
His wife's words pierced Cornwall to the core.
He was no hero. He was a traitor!
"It seems you're living well," he said, stiffly changing the subject.
"Yes. The lords have given us plenty of food and water. We only have to transcribe scriptures for fourteen hours a day, and we have ten minutes of visiting time. And the Inquisitor-Lord has taken a liking to Erica. She's allowed me to stay on as a family member to take care of her, but—" Sophia held their daughter, whose back was now turned to her husband. "I feel like I should be doing something."
"Yeah." Cornwall squeezed his wife's hand, rubbing the worn but still clean fabric of her sleeve, and nodded absently.
"By the way, have you seen Uncle Price?" his wife asked. She felt her usually taciturn husband had become even more so.
"I saw him," Cornwall replied. "He's the one who told me to come and see you."
"Cornwall, Uncle Price took care of me after you left. He helped me find a place to live, and he protected us from the heretics for a long time. He was badly injured. If you can..." Sophia's lips trembled for a long time before she finally managed to say the words that, to her, seemed so shameful. "I hope you can go and take care of him. You are the best soldier. You've always been the best."
Sophia's words were filled with an incredibly complex mix of emotions. "Cornwall, I know what I'm asking is too much. If the crusade army or the Cadian lords would have me, I would give my life for them without hesitation. But there is no place for me among the Emperor's coin..."
"Yes, I'll go."
I should go!
Cornwall shouted in his heart, then said aloud, "I'll go!"
"I'm sorry, Cornwall." Sophia put their daughter down and then unclasped the Aquila sigil. It was an insignia she and the other women had inscribed while reading the holy words under the guidance of the Sisters. She embraced her husband again. "May the light of the Emperor protect you, my hero."
The two-headed eagle insignia rested on his chest, against his skin.
Cornwall reached up and held it.
This time, it didn't feel hot.
"I need to see a lord who can make a decision!"
At the recruitment center, Cornwall broke from the line and went straight to the adjutant.
"Sir, I have already emphasized that you are not suitable for the auxiliary forces. If—"
He ignored the adjutant's harsh words and directly pulled up his sleeve. His hand was clenched tightly around the Aquila sigil. He exposed the blasphemous runes on his arm to the adjutant's sight.
CLICK!
In an instant, the soldiers surrounding Cornwall drew their guns, scaring the nearby people into fleeing.
"I need to see a lord who can make a decision."
Facing the killing intent that radiated from all around him, Cornwall stared at the statue of the Emperor. A golden light seeped from the sigil in his hand, which made the soldiers who were about to open fire hesitate.
The hesitant, cowardly soldier was no longer afraid.