"The past is a ghost. But sometimes, ghosts offer the only map to the future."
"Forgive my unannounced arrival, old friend."
Vincent chuckled, the sound like the rustle of autumn leaves. "Unannounced? My dear Ilstra, you're the High Priestess. Protocol bends for you. Besides," he added with a wink, "a bit of Luminary glamour brightens even the dreariest day."
The cottage was a haven of rustic charm. Bookshelves lined the walls, crammed with worn volumes. A crackling fire blazed in the hearth, casting dancing shadows that painted the room in shades of amber and gold. Ilstra always found solace in this place. A world away from the grandeur of the Luminary Temple, Vincent's home was a sanctuary of simple comforts and honest conversation.
"Please, sit," Vincent gestured towards a sturdy oak chair beside the fire. "Let me pour you some tea. And tell me what brings the Light of Luminara to this humble place."
As Ilstra settled into the chair, she couldn't help but admire the intricate details of Vincent's home, from the hand-stitched tapestries to the meticulously arranged collection of Nexium War memorabilia. "Your home is as welcoming as ever, Vincent." She noted, "How is the leg?" She asked, gesturing towards his prosthetic leg.
Vincent moved with a slight limp, retrieving a steaming teapot from the hob. "Oh, she creaks a bit in this weather, but she holds. Better than some of the lads back in my battalion can say, eh?" He poured her a cup, the aroma of Luminary blossom tea filling the air.
He passed her the cup, and she took a sip, the warmth spreading through her. The moment for pleasantries had passed. "Vincent, I come to you with a matter of grave importance," she began, her voice losing its gentle lilt. "It concerns the Voidwalker."
Vincent's weathered face tightened. He knew of the Voidwalker. Everyone in the Imperium did. The whispers had reached even this remote village. "Voidwalker.. ah yes I remember! He was the one who had that bumpy landing the other day. News travels but yes, what of him?"
Ilstra hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "He wields a power unlike anything we have seen. Aethermancy. A power thought lost to the ages. And... he is troubled."
"Troubled how?" Vincent's voice was sharp, his eyes narrowed.
"He struggles with his purpose. He is lost, unsure of his path. And the God Emperor… he has tasked me with finding knowledge, lost knowledge, that I believe might guide him."
Vincent stared into the fire, his gaze distant. The mention of the God Emperor and lost knowledge always unsettled him. "What kind of knowledge?"
"Outer knowledge, Vincent. Whispers of realities beyond our own. The Imperium believes that understanding the external forces that may threaten us will help The Voidwalker master his own power." Ilstra paused, her brow furrowing. "And… there are whispers of a rising darkness, a shadow stirring in the depths of the Void. Something stirs in the Outer Sectors and this assignment is to aid in it's understanding. Knowledge might be our only defence."
Vincent's hand trembled slightly as he set down his teacup. The Nexium Wars. He had seen enough darkness in his youth to last a lifetime. The thought of another conflict, another wave of destruction washing over the Imperium, sent a chill down his spine.
"So the Dynasty seeks to arm itself with forbidden knowledge." He was a veteran and so he was fully aware of what Ilstra was suggesting.
Ilstra met his gaze, her eyes filled with a quiet determination. "The Dynasty seeks to protect. To guide. To govern humanity with wisdom and light. The Imperium, including myself and the Emperor, seeks to achieve eternal peace throughout the universe. We stand against the Void, Vincent. Always."
The silence that followed was thick with unspoken fears. Vincent rose from his chair, his movements slow and deliberate. He walked over to a small table, his prosthetic leg clicking softly against the wooden floor. On it sat a framed photograph, faded and cracked with age.
"My brothers," he said, his voice heavy with remembrance. "My Valorian brothers. We fought together in the Nexium Wars. We saw things… things that should never be seen."
He picked up the photograph, his fingers tracing the faces of the young men in the image, their eyes full of hope and defiance. A lifetime ago. They all held a rifle in their hands, with the Aculon imperial symbol proudly emblazoned on their shoulders.
"We swore an oath to protect the Imperium," he continued, his voice barely a whisper. "And we paid a heavy price."
Ilstra watched him, her heart aching for the pain etched on his face. She knew the sacrifices he had made, the horrors he had witnessed. She knew why the prospect of another war terrified him.
He returned to his seat, placing the photograph carefully back on the table. "What do you need from me, Ilstra?"
Ilstra took a deep breath. "The God Emperor believes that knowledge of Outer Worlds may lie hidden, lost to time. I need you to think, Vincent. Think back to your days in the Grand Army. Think of anything, any rumour, any whisper, that might lead me to this knowledge."
Vincent closed his eyes, his brow furrowed in concentration. The fire crackled and popped, the only sound in the room besides the relentless drumming of the rain. Finally, he opened his eyes, a flicker of recognition in their depths.
"There was something," he said slowly. "Something we found, something we kept secret." He got up, his leg clicking as he moved towards a dusty chest tucked away in a corner of the room. He produced a rolled-up parchment, yellowed with age.
"An old Imperium Celestial Chart," he explained, unrolling the chart on the table. "Of the Luminary Frontier Sector. We found this in our early war days. Me and my comrades were sent on an extraction mission to Tarsis to collect Toxistium. Needed it for the war effort and the amplification of soldiers for the Grand Aculon Army."
Ilstra leaned closer, studying the chart. It was filled with intricate symbols and archaic lettering. "Tarsis," she murmured, tracing her finger across a small, insignificant-looking world on the edge of the sector. "What do you know of this place?"
"Not much," Vincent admitted. "It's a backwater world, hardly worth mentioning. But during that extraction mission, we stumbled upon something… something we didn't report. Some secrets. We were young, foolish. We thought we might need a place to hide, or maybe just a place to get away from the war."
Ilstra's eyes widened. "What kind of secrets?"
Vincent hesitated, his gaze clouded with uncertainty. "I can't say for sure. It was a long time ago. But I remember whispers of an ancient technology, something… alien. Something that didn't belong."
Ilstra's heart pounded in her chest. This could be it. This could be the key to unlocking the knowledge the God Emperor sought. "Tarsis," she repeated, her voice filled with a newfound urgency. "I must go there."
Vincent nodded, his expression grim. "Be careful, Ilstra. That world… it felt tainted. Like something dark was watching us." He looked at her, before saying "One piece of advice, Luminara; trust your instincts. The Light will guide you, but sometimes… sometimes you have to listen to the inner demons too."
Ilstra looked at Vincent, a strange emotion stirring within her. Vincent's advice was not her usual way of thinking, but she appreciated the thought of it all the same. "Thank you, my friend. Your wisdom is a beacon in these uncertain times."
She rolled up the Celestial Chart, securing it with a silken cord. As she turned to leave, she paused at the door.
"The Imperium remembers its friends, Vincent," she said softly. "Your sacrifices will never be forgotten."
Luminara stepped back into the storm, the weight of the Imperium, and the fate of the Voidwalker, resting heavily on her shoulders. The rain had stopped, and a single ray of crimson light broke through the clouds, illuminating her path towards the uncertain future. The Imperium, though momentarily dimmed, would shine again. But not without a journey into the unknown.