His adoptive mother, Lady Tarasha Euten, had been his father Consul Konor's seneschal. In his childhood, Konor had given him a father's love, while it was this seneschal who had provided him with the love of a mother.
But the years had passed.
His mother was now over two hundred years old, and the standard life-extending rejuvenat treatments available to humanity were having less and less of an effect on her.
Although she still appeared as a middle-aged woman in her forties, the Rejuvenat Adepts had calculated she had at most a century left to live. To a Primarch, a hundred years was a painfully brief time, and he had constantly searched for a way to extend his adoptive mother's life.
Now, an opportunity had finally arrived.
According to Guilliman's calculations, if his adoptive mother could consume this fruit, she could live for at least hundreds of years, perhaps even longer.
This was something that could potentially allow his mother to remain by his side forever.
Yet he had only just received the fruit and knew little about its properties. He worried that the terrifying amount of life essence contained within would be impossible for an ordinary human to consume safely.
He did not dare to experiment recklessly for fear of damaging the precious fruit. The best course of action, he concluded, was to ask for help from Axis, the one who had sent it.
"Do not fret boy. These old bones can still last for another century," Lady Euten said, standing beside Guilliman. "I believe you should consume this wondrous fruit yourself. Its benefits to you are plain to see."
Ever since Guilliman had come of age, he no longer called her "Mother," instead addressing her as "Lady." During a rebellious phase in his youth, he had even called her "woman." She had always dismissed such things with a smile, knowing they were simply the foolish things every boy did in his youth.
However, everything had changed after Consul Konor was assassinated and Guilliman took up the mantle as ruler of the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar. He hadn't addressed her as mother since, and he tried his best to not address her with anything.
"I do not need a second one. This will be far more beneficial to you," Guilliman said, his gaze fixed.
"You have grown," Lady Euten said with a gentle smile. "You are now not only the Consul of the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar, but also a Primarch of the Imperium. You must think more of yourself."
She had dedicated her life to raising this child and had never married. There was a time when she had turned away all suitors while she waited for Konor, but the two of them never came together in the end.
She remained a seneschal, a steadfast companion to the father and son.
"My Lord Guilliman, a message has come from the Astropathic Choir. Lord Axis has agreed to a direct conference with you," an Ultramarine announced, hurrying to the Primarch's side and dropping to one knee.
"There is good news at last," Guilliman said to his adoptive mother with a smile before turning to leave, "Please, wait here for me for a moment. I will find the proper way to use this special fruit."
Soon, Guilliman followed his son into the Astropathic Choir's chambers and met with an Astropath on duty.
The psyker bowed to the Primarch and spoke.
"My Lord Guilliman, Lord Axis asked me to convey a message. If you wish to acquire more of the fruit, it may prove difficult. He has only found a few of them, and the remainder are reserved to enhance his Legion's own Astarts. He cannot spare any more."
"Please relay my reply," Guilliman said. "I do not desire another fruit. Rather, I wish to know if there is a way for an ordinary human to consume it."
The fruit was indeed precious, and if possible, he would have liked to have more. But he already knew that the other Primarchs had only received a single fruit each, while he alone had been granted two.
He reasoned that the additional fruit was likely a reward for his prompt agreement to assist in transferring administrative personnel to the Nuceria system.
This was the deserved outcome of a good deed. Had he hesitated, or delayed for some time, he might never have received a second miraculous fruit.
The Astropath nodded and began to relay the message back to Axis.
"Lord Axis, Lord Guilliman wishes to inform you that he is seeking a method that would allow a mortal to consume this fruit. He is not requesting another."
Upon hearing this, Axis smiled.
It was just as he had predicted. Guilliman would certainly offer the spare Tree of Spirit fruit to his adoptive mother.
Axis remembered that this woman was incredibly important to Guilliman and had lived a very long life. It was only after the Great Heresy that she had truly entered her old age. As the Primarch's adoptive mother, she had been given the best rejuvenat treatments technology could offer.
Even the founding of the Imperium Secundus was connected to her, for it was Lady Euten who had persuaded Guilliman to establish that second empire. She held a monumental influence over the Primarch.
Although records of her ultimate fate were lost, it was assumed to have been a peaceful passing. When the Primarch awoke from his long stasis, he often reminisced about his past.
The memory of his adoptive father Konor's assassination still brought him great pain, yet he held no such painful memories of his mother. It was logical to conclude that she had died a peaceful death. The last historical record of her life dated back to the Great Heresy.
"I see," Axis's thoughts came through the Astropath, "Relay to Lord Guilliman that this fruit of life is difficult for a mortal to consume. Even my own sons must use a version diluted to the extreme when enhancing their bodies with it."
Axis had never performed such an experiment on a mortal.
He estimated that the fruit's essence would need to be diluted by a factor of ten thousand or even more.
The slightest miscalculation could be lethal. Such a procedure required extensive testing, and the subject was an elderly and frail woman, which only compounded the risk.
The Astropath before him nodded and relayed Axis's words to the Primarch on Macragge.
After a moment, the psyker's eyes flickered with the light of the warp again.
"Lord Axis, Lord Guilliman asks for your help. This matter concerns his adoptive mother's life," the Astropath relayed, "If you are willing to help, he will owe you a great debt. You may ask anything of him in return."
Having Roboute Guilliman owe him such a favor was an appealing prospect.
It was true that it was impractical for a normal human to consume even a diluted solution from the Tree of Spirit. However, Axis could use his own Ki to nourish and strengthen her body, reinforcing it to the point where it could handle the fruit's power.
He thought of Kasha. When he first met her, her body had been only slightly stronger than an average human's.
Over the years, nourished by his Ki, she had reached a terrifying level of power, far surpassing that of an ordinary Space Marine. Even before eating a fruit herself, she could have matched a member of the Adeptus Custodes.
Now, her strength rivaled a Primarch's. Furthermore, the existence of this special power called Ki was now an open secret among the Imperium's high command.
"Very well," Axis decided after a moment's pause. "Tell Guilliman that I do have a method that will allow his adoptive mother to consume this fruit and extend her life. The method is as follows…"
The Astropath's eyes shimmered once more as he transmitted the plan to Macragge. A short while later, a response arrived.
"Lord Axis! Lord Guilliman agrees to your plan. He wishes to know how long this enhancement will take."
"To completely absorb the life energy of the fruit, it will require at least ten years," Axis replied after a rough calculation, "Her body will need to be reinforced to the level of a Custodian to ensure she can consume it safely."
This shortened timeline was only possible because his own Ki had grown much stronger. Otherwise, the process would have taken even longer.
"Lord Axis, Lord Guilliman is immensely grateful for your gift of the wondrous fruit. He asked me to convey his regards and will give you a final answer tomorrow," the Astropath said.
Axis nodded, had the Astropath return his own regards to Guilliman, and then departed from the Astropathic Choir's chambers.
Back on Macragge, Guilliman took the remaining Tree of Spirit fruit and eagerly returned to his adoptive mother's side.
He could not wait to share the joyous news.
"I have wonderful news," he began, "Axis does have a way for you to safely absorb the essence of this special fruit. It involves using that power of his called Ki to strengthen your body, which will then allow you to consume it. If it is successful, your physical constitution will be no less than that of the Custodes who guard my Father."
"The strength of a Custodian… I cannot imagine it," Lady Euten replied, her expression thoughtful. "My Lord, wouldn't this process cost the primach much?"
"Not from what he has explained, although,"Guilliman confirmed. "It will take ten years to reinforce your body to a point where you can safely consume the fruit."
"Then perhaps we should forget it," she said, shaking her head. "I do not wish to leave your side, nor do I wish to waste the much valuable time of a primarch."
"Mother," Guilliman took out his strongest card, "You are my most trusted, and beloved advisor. You can deny it however much you want, but I see you as my mother. I need you by my side for the life I have ahead of me. I do not wish for you to stay with me for a mere century! I want you to stay much, much longer. So I implore you, please make this journey. It is only for ten years. Think of it as a pleasant trip."
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[So, something I failed to explain in the earlier chapters: The fruit from the tree of might was never shown to have, at least to my knowledge, the ability to extend lifespan in DB.
That said, in this story, if a mortal can completely digest a fruit, which they can't without violently exploding themselves and the planet they are on, they can live for more than a thousand years.
But mortals can only consume a tiny portion of the fruit without killing themselves, and that is after the enhancement with Ki. They can, however, periodically take these fruits to extend their lifespan, which will tie them to Axis.
I'm a bit muddleheaded with a bit of cold, so this is the best explanation I can give rn.]
WAAARGHHH powerstones!!! it's a bonus chapter every 200 ps!