"Damn it! Think of something, Kasha. I have to break this damned blessing." Axis spoke with clear irritation.
This so-called Blessing was nothing short of a trap, especially for a Saiyan who hated troublesome entanglements. He flared his body with Ki, trying o dissipate whatever filth was clinging to him, but he didn't feel a thing. His senses weren't picking up a thing.
Unbelievable. Slaanesh, you bastard, you really pulled something outrageous this time.
If things did not improve, Axis had already decided he would avoid public occasions altogether. He would remain among men, and with his sons, he would continue the Great Crusade.
Battle was the true love of a Saiyan.
"I have only made a preliminary judgment that it is a blessing. What concerns me most is that it may carry side effects. You should know, the Gods of Chaos are not benevolent. Their blessings are often curses in disguise.
"For example, some human women might fall hopelessly in love with you, and you would ignore them completely. If their love twisted into hatred, that hatred would swell to terrifying proportions. They would find ways to harm you," Kasha explained.
Unfortunately, the curse had revealed itself just as Guilliman's foster mother had come to visit.
Kasha strongly suspected that Slaanesh had chosen the most critical moment deliberately.
The primary target of this curse seemed to be Lady Euten, Guilliman's foster mother. Today, she had proved utterly defenceless against Axis.
Others felt at most a fleeting attraction, but once Axis showed disinterest, they accepted the situation and departed without fuss. A basic sense of restraint remained. At worst, his charm had been amplified slightly, nothing more.
But Lady Euten was affected most severely.
When she departed just now, her gaze toward Axis had already become tinged with obsession.
And this had been only their first meeting. If they were to encounter each other more often, Kasha could hardly imagine how far her infatuation with Axis might grow.
With Axis's temperament, he would never respond to such feelings. He would likely feel only irritation.
Thus, love would turn to hate.
Once she returned to Guilliman, Lady Euten might twist the story and sow discord. That could create trouble for Axis.
Yet there was one thing Kasha could not understand. Guilliman was a Primarch, but compared to Axis, his strength was insignificant. Since Slaanesh surely understood Axis's power, why would it resort to such a petty scheme?
To Kasha, this looked less like strategy and more like spiteful revenge. But would a Chaos God truly waste effort on something so meaningless?
"Axis, as things stand, your aura barely affects most women. But to Guilliman's foster mother, it is devastating. I think she may have been planted as a pawn by Slaanesh," Kasha said at last.
"You mean the real target is Guilliman's foster mother? The maids and attendants were only drawn in slightly?" Axis asked.
If Slaanesh intended to drive a wedge between him and Guilliman, then the it likely knew exactly which Primarchs had betrayed the Emperor. Was he trying to expand that number further?
Guilliman could do untold damages to the empire if he were to join forces with Horus.
Axis had confidence he could defeat them, but the losses to the Imperium would be immeasurable.
"Yes, Axis. Next time you strengthen Lady Euten's body with your ki, do it from another room. Make sure she cannot see you," Kasha advised.
"Then we watch for now. I will avoid meeting her. I will strengthen her from afar," Axis agreed.
With his mastery over ki, even through walls and at distances of ten meters or more, he could channel his power into her body with precision. It was slightly less effective than direct contact, but sufficient.
Her main need was life extension. So long as she could ingest the fruit of the Tree of Might, that would suffice.
"I will speak to my father privately about this and see how this thing can be undone. Do not worry," Kasha said.
Axis nodded in silence.
For the next several months, Axis appeared only before his sons. At feasts or gatherings, Kasha represented him.
When strengthening Lady Euten, Axis worked from another chamber.
Lady Euten felt disappointment at not seeing him. Perhaps her lapse of composure on their first meeting had given the Primarch a poor impression?
It puzzled her. By nature, she would never have behaved that way. But sometimes the impossible happened regardless.
After months of strengthening, Axis had elevated her physique to the level of an ordinary Astartes.
With Kasha's aid, she drank her first diluted draught of Tree of Might nectar.
The result was remarkable.
Vitality suffused her body. Her forty-year-old appearance transformed into that of a woman of thirty. Her skin became smooth, her golden hair radiant.
Yet despite the daily touch of Axis's ki, the fact she never saw him left her restless.
The process continued routinely. Each month she was strengthened, then given more nectar.
A year passed swiftly. Lady Euten's appearance shifted from that of a forty-year-old matron into that of a stunning woman in her twenties.
Meanwhile, Kasha reported to the Emperor. Upon hearing that Axis had received a "blessing" from Slaanesh, the Emperor took it very seriously.
But war held him fast, and it would be three years before he could come personally to resolve the matter. Until then, Axis was told to endure carefully.
Axis accepted. The so-called Blessing of Love barely hindered him, provided he avoided Lady Euten.
That year passed peacefully. Axis felt the blessing did little more than amplify his natural magnetism.
One day, after a strengthening session, Lady Euten could restrain herself no longer.
"Lady Kasha, is Lord Axis busy? I have been here more than a year, and saw him only once on the second day. Since then, I have not seen him again."
Her voice carried frustration.
"The lord is extremely busy, as your foster son Guilliman is. The Twelfth Legion demands much of him," Kasha replied calmly.
"But not even a single meeting? I have regained my youth. I wish to thank Lord Axis in person."
The more Axis refused to see her, the more unsettled she felt.
It was a harrowing feeling coming from the depth of her heart, it was as if her sould longed to see him. Her mind was once against those feelings, but gradually, it had been worn down.
In all her year on Nuceria, she had glimpsed Axis only at a distance. Each time his ki coursed through her body, she felt indescribable. It was like a drug that kept her going.
It was a sensation she had never known before. Though she knew nothing could come of it, she longed to see him, even once.
"Lady Euten, thanks are unnecessary. This is simply a bargain between Lord Guilliman and Lord Axis. Do not trouble yourself. The administrators you brought have been invaluable," Kasha said firmly.
The rejection stung.
Lady Euten huffed coldly and departed.
That night, lying in her chambers, she tossed restlessly, her mind filled only with Axis's image. No matter how much she struggled get the image out of her mind, it persisted.
Unconsciously, she slipped into slumber.
In her dream she walked through a vast palace, opulent and decadent. Courtesans in scant attire bowed before her.
At the end of the hall, a man stood smiling, too beautiful to be described in words.
The moment she saw him, Lady Euten's mind went blank.
"Welcome, my lady. Welcome to the ultimate paradise, the Palace of Pleasure."