Outside the massive, sprawling Pharos mountain range, countless Necrons and Tyranid swarms were locked in a relentless cycle of mutual slaughter.
Having lost the "weakest" target—humanity—the two Xenos factions unleashed their full primary forces against one another. Hierodules, standing dozens of meters tall, appeared on the battlefield as infinite swarms of organisms surged toward the Necron lines.
Flickering energy beams easily pierced through the carnal forms of the swarm. Under the influence of the Blackstone structures, the Tyranid Hive Mind's psionic units were being suppressed.
Terrifying war machines crushed the Tyranid offensive, and the massive bodies of the Hierodules were systematically dismantled. For the first time on a frontal battlefield, the galaxy-spanning Tyranids were being suppressed.
Tyranid Hive Ships at the edge of the system were rushing back. Sotha had already been nearly picked clean by them; they would not simply relinquish the last delicious morsels. Half the sky of Sotha was obscured by the shadow of the swarm, and countless Mycetic Spore pods rained down upon the battlefield in a continuous stream.
The war on Sotha had reached a fever pitch. Humanity was like ants in a corner, fighting for the last sliver of living space.
Suddenly, the Necrons on the battlefield seemed to pause for a heartbeat. Simultaneously, they all turned to look in one direction: the site of the Pharos Beacon.
An angry roar erupted from a Necron Obelisk: "Seize those vermin! No accidents are permitted regarding the Shard!"
Countless Necrons began a frenzied surge toward the Pharos Beacon. Swarms of Tyranids blocked their path; the Hive Mind cared little for the Xenos' intent—it only sought to crush the beings interrupting its feast.
---
The Pharos Beacon, though named a "beacon," was actually a massive Xenos structure that seemed to occupy half the subterranean space of the mountain range.
Alexei's team fought their way through the underground tunnels. Wave after wave of Canoptek Scarabs rushed them, but the endless flames of promethium incinerated the mechanical drones. They had to pick up the pace; it wouldn't be long before these drones self-repaired and resumed their attack.
Alexei walked at the front of the group. He could feel an inexplicable power pulling at him, as if it were the thing he desired most in existence.
Within the labyrinthine underground tunnels, Alexei relied on this sensation to find the correct path. He was no Archmagos Belisarius Cawl; he had no interest in the Necron technology surrounding them. He wanted only one thing.
"What is that? Who's there?!" Torquill suddenly shouted, raising his bolter and aiming into the depths of the tunnel. Through the dim light, several silhouettes could be seen moving.
Everyone looked toward the spot, and Alexei's pupils shrank. He saw a figure—a gargantuan, nightmare-like hybrid of machine and biology clad in Martian red robes. He was operating numerous Xenos drones to excavate something. Surrounding him were several Space Marines far taller than average Astartes.
Those Space Marines seemed to hear the commotion and turned toward them. The massive mechanical entity also sensed something and slowly turned, half of his augmented face looking in Alexei's direction.
"Belisarius Cawl... the Prime Conduit..." Alexei murmured, finding the name in his memories. "Don't fire! I know what this is."
"Is it a Xenos trick? Or a Warp projection?" Torquill asked. As far as they knew, they should be the only humans inside this structure.
"No, this has nothing to do with the Warp. This is something happening in another timeline," Alexei explained, stopping the Astartes. "This is a dimensional mirror. It shows us an alternate path of destiny—a Necron technological creation."
They watched the busy Archmagos Cawl and the tall Space Marines. "Do they truly exist?" Torquill asked.
"Perhaps. We back away, and they will vanish on their own," Alexei said calmly, turning around.
The group left the scene. Torquill looked back; the phantoms had vanished, leaving only a kaleidoscope-like mirror surface.
They continued downward. The complexity of the Xenos structure far exceeded their imagination. The internal space was non-Euclidean; sometimes they felt they were climbing up when they were actually descending. They passed the same landmarks multiple times, only to realize they were new locations. Their auspexes were as useless as scrap metal.
Fortunately, Alexei did not lose his way. The internal impulse of desire grew stronger, guiding him toward the correct path.
The forks in the tunnels became more frequent. Suddenly, the group discovered something: Alexei looked at ancient plasteel steps bearing the mark of the Imperial Adeptus Mechanicus.
"It seems we aren't the first to be here," Alexei noted. The Imperium must have visited ten thousand years ago. Now, these Imperial relics were nearly corroded away by the Scarabs.
Without lingering, they reached a gap in the passage with a bottomless abyss below. Alexei calculated that he could easily jump across with his strength. He turned to the Astartes.
"We can make it," Torquill nodded.
The group leapt across the chasm. After passing through countless more forks, they finally arrived outside a room shaped like an hourglass.
"I'll go in alone. You don't need to follow; it's dangerous," Alexei said, looking back at the group in their battle-scarred power armor. "No matter what happens, do not enter the room."
"Understood."
Under the watchful gaze of the Astartes, Alexei walked calmly into the room. As expected, the interior was deathly silent.
Alexei walked slowly toward the center of the room. As he approached, the intense yearning in his heart surged again.
As his interface appeared before him, Alexei looked down. Suddenly, he felt a momentary lapse in consciousness.
When he looked up again, he was no longer in the room. He was inside a space of absolute darkness. Unlike the Warp, there was nothing here—just an infinite, oppressive silence, like a cage.
Suddenly, a gargantuan psychic force surged toward him. It felt like the collective consciousness of the entire Pharos mountain range. *They* had noticed the tiny insect that had intruded into their space.
"VERMIN!" the voice of the mountain spoke.
"My warmest greetings to you," Alexei said with a smile. "Hello, imprisoned God."