At the very moment Axis launched his attack on the Garden of Nurgle, the Plague God himself, who was fully engaged in his battle against the Emperor, felt a disturbance. It was as if his little garden had just taken a heavy blow.
However, this was no time for him to be distracted. The four Chaos Gods were currently channeling all their power to suppress the Emperor within the Warp.
Because of Nurgle's momentary lapse in focus, their combined strength even weakened slightly.
"What are you doing, you fucking oaf?" Slaanesh demanded, its voice laced with displeasure. "Focus. We are fighting a war of supreme importance."
Although they could not manifest their true forms and could only channel their power into Horus's body, the Emperor was no ordinary being.
"What's wrong, Nurgle?" Khorne asked.
It seemed that the boy, Axis, had succeeded.Now, everything was proceeding according to plan. To think, he would even take on Tzeentch's work this time. This event was, without a doubt, the most high-level conspiracy ever executed in the entire universe.
"I suddenly feel that something terrible has happened," Nurgle said, his voice a worried gurgle. "It seems... it seems someone has attacked my Garden." He even suspected he might have lost something important. Was it one of his artifacts? No, those were merely little toys he crafted at his whim. What truly mattered to Nurgle was the one and only treasure kept within the Garden.
He remained confident in his home's defenses. It was most likely some newborn Warp entity that had foolishly stumbled into his beautiful domain. No matter. After this business was concluded, he would go and give some loving attention to the fool who had trespassed in his realm. He would make it understand that not every corner of the Warp was a place one could come and go from as they pleased.
"Your Garden was attacked? What wonderful news!" Slaanesh was filled with schadenfreude. Years ago, it had been on the verge of devouring the entire Aeldari pantheon, but Khorne had interfered, competing for the god of war.
This resulted in Khaine being shattered into countless fragments. Meanwhile, Isha, the goddess of life, had been snatched away by Nurgle. Slaanesh had no idea what madness had possessed Nurgle at the time, compelling him to fight for the life goddess. The memory was a festering wound, and Slaanesh had long plotted to reclaim its prize.
Hearing this, Grandfather Nurgle shot a furious glare at Slaanesh, who stared back defiantly, ready for a fight to break out at any moment.
"Be silent! This is not the time to discuss other matters," Tzeentch interjected. These fools were so tiresome. They could not afford to be distracted now.
For some reason, Nurgle still had a profound feeling of unease. Was everything truly alright at home?
The four gods ceased their bickering and refocused their attention on their battle with the Emperor. In the material universe, only a few minutes had passed. After the sacrifice of Ollanius Persson, the Emperor had unleashed an unprecedented level of power. Now, even with the might of the four Chaos Gods empowering him, Horus could do little more than wound the Emperor. The scales of victory had begun to tip in the Master of Mankind's favor.
…
Guided by the two Aeldari gods and shielded by Axis's Ki, the group made their way unimpeded to the Webway entrance on Terra that Axis had used before. It was from here that Axis had entered the Warp, leaving the section of the Webway protected by Magnus's psychic power. He had left a substantial amount of Ki behind as a protective barrier.
"We've arrived! The Webway entrance!" Cegorach's voice was filled with a sense of relieved ease. Finally, they could return to his domain. Once inside the Webway, they would be on his home turf. The Warp was a place of constant dread and peril, utterly unsafe. The Black Library was much more secure.
No, that's not quite right anymore, he corrected himself. The Black Library no longer felt as safe as it once did. The last time, this boy Axis had managed to bring Khorne with him. Even if it was just a psychic projection, it proved that his sanctum was no longer completely secure.
"Stop wasting time," Isha urged. "Let us leave this place at once. I do not wish to spend another moment here." More than Nurgle, it was Slaanesh she truly feared. Only within the Webway could she feel a sliver of safety.
"Patience, we're leaving now," the Laughing God said with a cackling laugh. He unleashed a psychic spell, guiding Axis and the Aeldari goddess of life into the Webway.
The moment they crossed the threshold, the hazy rules of the material universe began to reassert themselves, and Axis finally felt solid ground beneath his feet again. Upon entering, the once-corporeal form of the life goddess suddenly grew indistinct, as if she were becoming transparent. Cegorach was in a similar state. The gods of the Warp could not manifest physically in the material universe. Even within the Webway, they could only maintain a quasi-ethereal form. To interact with reality, they had to rely on the bodies of their followers.
It seemed quite unfair, really. A being from the material universe could enter the Warp, but the reverse was not so simple. For instance, the man before her, Axis. The Aeldari goddess could keenly sense that while Axis was a mortal, the strength of his soul was no less than that of the gods themselves. It was simply astonishing. How many secrets did this visitor from another world hide?
"This place doesn't feel like the ancient Webway. It's newly built, and quite fragile," the Aeldari goddess of life observed, now that she had confirmed her safety.
This did not seem to be one of the Webway passages excavated by the Old Ones. The tunnels built by the Old Ones were exceedingly stable. This however, appeared to be recently carved out, its state highly volatile and deeply connected to the Warp.
"You're correct, Lady Isha," Axis said. "This is not the ancient Aeldari Webway, but a section constructed by the Emperor of Mankind."
"The Human Emperor? I remember him. I observed him from the Warp," the life goddess recalled, "Its essence is even more terrifying than that of the Four Chaos Gods." It appeared this goddess also knew the truth behind the Emperor.
"That gilded fellow wants humanity to escape the perils of Warp travel and move through the Webway instead," Cegorach explained briefly to Isha. "He has even developed a new type of faster-than-light engine. Though it's inferior to what the Necrons possess, it's quite impressive."
"I see. But that will not be easy," Isha replied. "With their current level of technology, humanity cannot hope to master the Webway." She spoke the truth.
The Webway was a difficult realm to control, far beyond the reach of humanity's current technological capabilities. More importantly, the Webway was created by the Old Ones, and the Aeldari were their true inheritors, along with their ancient hatred for the Necrons.
Therefore, the Webway belonged to the Aeldari, even if their control over it had weakened. Who would willingly cede their own territory? If humans wished to use the Webway, they would have to excavate a new system of their own. Any attempt to use the old network would inevitably lead to a conflict of interest with the Aeldari.
"Humanity will forge its own Webway," Axis declared, "One day, we will master it."
"Then I wish you humans success. Now, where am I to settle?" the life goddess asked.
"What do you think of this place? Why not settle down right here?" Axis said with a smile.
"Are you joking?" Isha retorted, rolling her eyes. "This Webway system is extremely fragile. The moment Nurgle or Slaanesh finds me, it can tear this place open and drag me away."
As she had entered, she had seen the teeming sea of daemons just outside. Was this rascal trying to use her as a living shield against them? She was the goddess of life, not the Aeldari god of war.
"Haha! Just a joke," Axis chuckled. "I once discovered the ruins of an ancient Aeldari city here, with complete building complexes. It must have been an old Webway city. Why don't you go there?" Making the Aeldari goddess of life guard the Webway entrance to Holy Terra was, of course, a jest. The goddess was not a warrior, and besides, she was needed to cultivate the World Tree. Axis had no intention of exposing the sapling to the Chaos Gods.
He had already chosen a location. The place where he and the Emperor had fought was perfectly suitable. The space there was immense, ideal for the life goddess to establish her residence.
Strictly speaking, the area around the Black Library was the safest place. It was situated in the deepest part of the Webway, surrounded by a labyrinth of convoluted passages. Without a Harlequin or the Laughing God himself to guide the way, it was nearly impossible to reach. However, given Cegorach's cautious nature, Axis doubted he would agree to have her so close, especially not after her contact with the powers of the Warp. So, Axis did not suggest it.
"I know the place you mean," Cegorach said, "Those are the ruins of the Webway City of Akharu."
"The City of Akharu? Very well, I will settle there," Isha agreed. "Now, what of the body you promised me?" she asked. She was eagerly anticipating the vessel Axis had described, one capable of housing her soul. To possess a physical body in the material universe was an immensely significant thing for a god of the Warp.