A tall figure with golden wings descended outside. All the Blood Angels present felt their souls tremble. It was a wave of familiarity, a sense of intimacy that defied language.
"Father!"
Almost simultaneously, the word appeared automatically in the minds of every Scion of Sanguinius present, regardless of whether they belonged to the Blood Angels or one of the Successor Chapters.
"This sensation!"
"What is happening? Do you... do you all feel this strange sensation?" the Chapter Master of the Knights of Blood asked.
"I feel it too. I cannot describe it," replied the Chapter Master of the Blood Swords.
"There is something outside. Something incomparably familiar, absolutely related to our Father!" a Chaplain declared.
Meanwhile, the dozen Librarians present, including Chief Librarian Mephiston of the Blood Angels, looked out the window with trembling expressions of disbelief.
As powerful psykers, their perception far exceeded that of mortals. They could see things mortals could not, and sense what mortals missed. They could clearly see and sense what was outside, and that clarity was exactly why they were terrified; it was the cause of their visible shock.
"What did you see? Mephiston! Tell me what is out there," Chapter Master Dante of the Blood Angels demanded, his expression changing as he approached his Chief Librarian.
Mephiston was the Chief Librarian of the Blood Angels and the most powerful psyker in the Chapter. His abilities were beyond the imagination of ordinary men.
Even within the entire Imperium, few Space Marine psykers could compare to him, perhaps only Ezekiel of the Dark Angels or Tigurius of the Ultramarines. Even then, in a one-on-one duel, those two might not be Mephiston's equal.
But now, the usually stoic and unshakably calm Mephiston wore an expression of sheer horror. Dante needed to know what was out there.
"An angel... I see an angel! A Great Angel," a Librarian from a Successor Chapter stammered, his body shaking as he instinctively fought the urge to kneel.
"I cannot explain it. I do not know how to say it, Dante... but that thing outside is our Father!" Mephiston took a deep breath and looked at his Chapter Master.
"What! That is impossible. Father... Father is dead! Could it be the Sanguinor? Did you mistake the Sanguinor for our Father?" Dante's expression shifted wildly as he asked.
Sanguinius had been killed ten thousand years ago during the Horus Heresy by the Arch-Traitor Warmaster Horus. Their great father died in that battle; his body was brought back to the homeworld, Baal, and interred within the fortress of the Blood Angels.
Therefore, the being outside could not be their father. However, a figure radiating golden light with powerful psychic energy and wings fit the description of another entity: the Sanguinor.
This was a legendary warrior, neither part of the official roster nor recorded by the Imperium. He would appear suddenly on the battlefield only when the Blood Angels were in dire need, aiding Sanguinius's descendants in securing victory.
The identity of the Sanguinor had baffled the Blood Angels for ten millennia. There were two prevailing theories. One was that the lingering soul of Sanguinius, unwilling to see his sons suffer, created a physical manifestation to protect them in their darkest hours. The other theory was that the Sanguinor was actually Azkaellon, the surviving member of the Sanguinary Guard. Neither theory, however, convinced all the Blood Angels, and his identity remained unconfirmed.
But if it was the Sanguinor, why did every Blood Angel and Successor Marine feel such a strange sensation? It felt as if their actual father was outside.
"Chapter Master Dante, is Father's body still there? I want to know if his remains are safe," a Successor Chapter Master asked.
Other Chapter Masters turned their eyes to Dante. The remains of the Great Father had always been guarded by the Blood Angels, the First Founding Chapter.
"I promise you all, Father's body rests undisturbed within the Angel's Keep. No one can disturb Father's eternal slumber," Dante stated firmly.
"Come out, my children! Why do you fear seeing me? Why do you hesitate?"
At that moment, a voice—holy, incomparably warm, and cleansing—rang in the ears of every Blood Angel and every son of the Blood. It was the voice of Sanguinius. It was the voice of their Great Father.
It was too inconceivable. It was absurd. Could the being outside truly be their great father? But if so, what had he become? was he still human?
"Chapter Master Dante, make a decision! What should we do? We will follow your lead," a Successor Master asked, looking to Dante.
"We... we shall go out and look," Dante inhaled deeply and led the group out of the Angel's Keep.
Appearing before them was a figure over four meters tall, radiating golden light, clad in golden armor they knew all too well. He possessed a breathtakingly handsome face, long golden hair, and a majestic stature. At first glance, every son of Sanguinius felt certainty.
The figure in the sky was their Father. It was the great Sanguinius.
But if the being in the sky was Sanguinius, whose body had the Blood Angels been guarding for ten thousand years?
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sensing the divine aura of Sanguinius, many Space Marines dropped to their knees involuntarily before their Sire.
"Father! Great Father!"
"It is Sanguinius! It is the Great Angel!"
"Father has answered our call. Father has come to help us defend the Homeworld."
Excitement swept through the crowd. Only Dante looked grim. He knew the entity before him was Sanguinius, yet he also knew it was not their Sanguinius.
"My brothers, do not be deceived! Stand up! He is not our Father. You will not trick me, heretic! I have seen my Father in the Warp. I once begged him to take me away. He does not look like you!" Dante shouted.
Despite his boiling blood and the trembling of his soul reminding him that this was his father, Dante refused to believe the fact. He found it easier to believe this was a plot by the Chaos Gods.
He was the oldest living Space Marine, having served as Chapter Master for 1,600 years. This far exceeded the normal lifespan of an Astartes. A major reason for his longevity was that, like Mephiston, he had encountered his true father, Sanguinius, within the Warp. According to all records, the Great Sanguinius possessed pure white wings, not golden ones.
Upon hearing this, the others looked on in disbelief, glancing between the golden archangel in the sky and Chapter Master Dante. They were at a loss, unsure whom to believe.
"Calm yourself, Dante. That person... that person is our Father. He is our Father."
At that moment, Chief Librarian Mephiston stepped forward. He placed a hand on his old friend's shoulder and spoke with absolute conviction. He would not be mistaken. None of the Blood Angels were mistaken. No son of Sanguinius would misidentify his own father.
"Mephiston! What... what are you saying?" Dante looked at him, stunned.
"Do not doubt, my children. I am indeed your Father. I have completed my ascension within the Warp. I have returned to your side to help you resist the invasion of the Tyranids," the hovering Sanguinius declared.
He told a white lie.
During his journey through the Warp, he had indeed encountered the Sanguinius of this universe. The state of that soul was, to put it mildly, terrible. It possessed three forces: the holy power of the Great Angel, the Black Rage, and the most potent of all, a chaotic, bloodthirsty power.
In the Warp, the soul of this world's Sanguinius appeared as the monstrous form he had transformed into during the Siege of Terra.
The Sanguinius of this world had not been lucky enough to meet Axis, nor had he received the Fruit of the Tree of Might or the nourishment of Ki to gain a body matching a Warp God.
After a brief exchange with his other self, this ascended Sanguinius had decided to help. He used his holy light to alleviate the suffering caused by the Black Rage within his counterpart, a scar left by Horus's blade, before rushing to Baal to support the Blood Angels.
"Great Father, why have you suddenly resurrected?"
"My children, this is the Emperor's arrangement. It is the will of the Master of Mankind," Sanguinius replied.
After this battle concluded, Sanguinius planned to ask Axis to intervene and help save this universe's version of himself. At the very least, he would help his sons break free from the Black Rage and the Red Thirst.
...
..
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ps!!