Although the solution was not perfect, it at least provided significant relief. Sanguinius had a premonition that this flawless gene-seed, combined with a gene-son who possessed ki, could suppress the outbursts of the Red Thirst to the greatest possible extent. The numbers of the Death Company would be drastically reduced.
"I can help you, Sanguinius," Magnus offered immediately, "Our combined psychic powers can surely see a truer future. I want to see who kills you." He knew that if a brother were slain by an outsider, it was one thing, but fratricide was the most unacceptable outcome of all.
"Let's not discuss this for now," Axis interjected with a wave of his hand, signaling for Magnus to stop prying into the matter, "It is not the time."
This event was tied to the future Great Heresy. Axis was like a great butterfly whose wings had already stirred a storm; what the Great Heresy would become was now unknown. And the dark king was a variable he had through tread around carefully.
"Do you know something, Axis?" Magnus asked, looking at him.
"I do know some things, and the Emperor knows some things as well," Axis replied, "But believe me, this is an ultimate secret of the Imperium, one concerning the very survival of the human race. So, for now, I cannot tell you." Everything was connected to the Dark King, so Axis had to treat it with extreme caution.
"Very well," Magnus conceded, "We will discuss it later. Sanguinius, let us talk about your situation first. If you are willing to follow my plan, we will ascend into Warp deities with physical bodies.
"Although our power might not match the four Powers of the Chaos, it will be enough to influence many things. Once your level of existence elevates to that of a god, you can then use your genes to extract new gene-seed. This gene-seed will be even more perfect. At that point, you could even erase the flaws in your gene-sons' genetics at will, and the Red Thirst would be solved." This was the plan he had devised: if the Primarchs became more perfect, their sons would evolve along with them.
"Now that you mention it, that does seem possible," Axis nodded in agreement with Magnus's proposal, "If a Primarch were to reclaim his power as a minor deity, it could indeed be done."
"Haha! I knew you would support me, Axis!" Magnus clapped him on the shoulder, overjoyed.
"So, what is your method of…apothesis?" Sanguinius asked, holding up the red fruit Axis had given him, "Is it related to this Fruit?"
"Exactly, Sanguinius. It's related to this fruit. It actually has another name: the Fruit of the Gods, said to be a special fruit only deities can consume," Axis explained, "According to Magnus's estimates, you would only need to eat ten of these fruits for your physical body to be able to house your soul. It might even perfect your soul further."
"We are minor deities from the Warp, you say. Can you tell me more about this?" Sanguinius asked.
"Of course, my brother. I will hold nothing back. I will tell you everything I know," Magnus said. "When our father, the Emperor, created us, he first entered the Warp. Through some means, he obtained soul fragments of human minor deities.
"He used these fragments and created our souls. Then he returned to realspace and created our bodies. But even for our father, using humanity's most advanced genetic technology, he could only create vessels that could barely contain our souls.
"Because our origins are in the Warp, every Primarch possesses special abilities, psychic powers, and our own unique Warp essence." Magnus revealed everything he knew. He had some suspicions about how the Emperor obtained the souls for the Primarchs; he believed it was absolutely connected to the four Chaos Gods, and that they may very well have been deceived by his father.
"And Father? Is he a minor god like us? Formed from the soul fragments of a minor deity?" Sanguinius inquired.
"Father is different from us. There is some fundamental distinction, though I do not know the specifics," Magnus said, "But he is definitely not an ordinary human. He is far more powerful than any of us." The Emperor's psychic might was so immense that it had evolved the body of an ordinary human Perpetual to a level far surpassing that of a Primarch. Other Perpetuals, while immortal, were physically indistinguishable from normal humans; only their father was unique.
Axis nodded to himself.
The true origin of the Emperor was a subject of much debate in the world he came from. One theory proposed he was the combined souls of ancient shamans on Holy Terra, but Axis found that theory lacking.
The Emperor's power was far too great to have been created by a mere fusion of shaman souls. A second version of the story suggested that these human shamans had summoned the Dark King before it had gained self-awareness.
They then sealed it within the body of a human infant, sacrificing their souls to bind the Emperor to the duty of protecting humanity. This gave rise to the theory that the Emperor was a lesser aspect of the Dark King.
"...Incredible," Sanguinius mused, "Did Father tell you these things?"
"Part of it is my own conjecture, but Father did reveal many truths to me," Magnus replied firmly. "You must believe me, Sanguinius. I would never betray Father. I am the most loyal of his sons."
Axis had to resist a twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Magnus was indeed loyal; upon discovering Horus's treachery, he had immediately made a psychic call to the Emperor, only for his good intentions to pave the way to disaster. He was later deceived by a certain great blue bird bastard and fell, becoming a Daemon Primarch.
Of course, Magnus's betrayal was also tied to his own disobedience, his secret explorations into the mysteries of the Warp against the Emperor's command, and his private dealings with Tzeentch.
"I understand," Sanguinius said with a deep breath after a long breadth of silence, "I will accept your plan and complete the apotheosis with you, Magnus." His own powerful foresight dimly perceived that this was the correct choice, which was why he agreed.
"Hahaha! Welcome, Sanguinius!" Magnus exclaimed, "I was the first to uncover this secret, and you are the first Primarch to join. With you on board, I am sure more of our brothers will join us."
"Perhaps not," Sanguinius said, shaking his head, "Unless their gene-seed has a problem, do not actively entice them to join us." The idea felt like he was pushing his brothers into a pit of fire.
He even chose to hide this from Horus, his closest brother. He had noticed during recent conversations that Horus seemed distracted and even harbored a strange resentment toward their father, though Sanguinius did not know why. Horus had spent some time on Holy Terra, and since returning to the Primarchs, his attitude seemed to have changed.
"The process is a long one, requiring us to constantly temper our physical forms," Magnus explained, "This will demand a vast amount of life essence, as well as the power of ki to strengthen both your soul and your body. The first step is to create a son for you who possesses ki. You will be nourished by this son's ki. Over time, our bodies will grow stronger, allowing us to contain more life energy until we trigger a qualitative change, an evolution."
"How do I acquire this…son?" Sanguinius asked.
"Follow me," Axis said with a gesture, leading Magnus and Sanguinius down to a lower deck of Solus Prime. They entered a large chamber filled with fertile soil, "Sanguinius, take out a vial of your perfect gene-seeds and some of your blood."
Sanguinius nodded and retrieved one of the flawless gene-seeds that Axis had enhanced from an iron locker.
Axis then produced a Saibaman seed.
He inserted it into the gene-seed and buried the combined object in the earth.
"Now, Sanguinius, add a large amount of nutrient solution and pour your blood over it," Axis instructed.
Sanguinius immediately complied.
He drew a power knife from his belt and sliced open his wrist. Crimson blood flowed out.
Though the Great Angel's blood was red, Axis could see shimmering motes of golden light within it. It was no wonder the Blood Angels' battle cry was "By the Blood of Sanguinius!" His blood was truly extraordinary.
With the nourishment from the Primarch's blood and the nutrient solution, Axis immediately activated the Saibaman seed with his ki.
A massive fleshy cocoon formed beneath the soil and, after absorbing enough ki, began to develop. Unlike the process for Magnus's son, this one required no infusion of psychic energy.
Several hours later, a new being emerged.
It stood two-point-three meters tall, with a slender and well-proportioned frame, normal human skin, and slightly pointed ears. A pair of magnificent white wings sprouted from its back.
Having inherited the Great Angel's features, this special Saibaman was without a doubt the most handsome and beautiful of them all. Its appearance was also far more human-like; besides its pointed ears, it was nearly indistinguishable from a man.
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some powerstones? please?