The thirty-minute window felt extraordinarily fleeting to Guilliman. He knew not what purpose drove Alexei to manifest the shadow of his adoptive mother before him once more.
Reason cautioned vigilance, yet as Guilliman looked upon that familiar face and heard those forgotten tones, the deep ache in his soul breached every barrier he had built.
Guilliman was simply exhausted. Looking across the galaxy, he could find not a single human remaining from his own age, and the home he once cherished had devolved into a realm of terrifying madness.
The moment Tarasha Euten materialized, the Primarch knew he had finally found a harbor where he could drop anchor, if only for a brief spell.
Even as a mere phantasm incapable of truly acknowledging his words, her comforting cadence and tender gaze brought Guilliman a sense of peace he had missed for ten thousand years.
"Mother..." he whispered softly, his voice trembling slightly. "I returned from the brink of death, yet everything has changed. Macragge is no longer the home we remembered, the Imperium has plunged into endless darkness, and even I... even I know not where the future of humanity lies."
Lady Euten's projection retained her warm smile, oblivious to his words as she continued speaking the comforting domestic chatter Guilliman remembered so well.
Yet at this moment, those quiet words served as the gentlest solace, coaxing the Primarch's frayed nerve to relax at last.
Guilliman followed Lady Euten's projection to a slightly worn bench inside the room. As the elderly woman sat down with trembling balance, Guilliman took a seat beside his mother.
He folded his massive frame inward as best he could, careful not to let his giant form block out her fading figure—a posture that made the normally imposing Primarch appear remarkably clumsy and endearingly awkward.
The old woman continued her gentle rambling, while Guilliman leaned in, listening intently. Sitting upon the bench at that moment was not a mighty demigod of the Imperium, but a mother's son who had finally returned home after a long journey.
Time slipped away minute by minute as the thirty-minute limit drew near. Watching Lady Euten's projection begin to blur, a deep pang of reluctance welled in Guilliman's chest.
He reached out his hand, desperate to grasp onto something, only to watch the figure slowly dissipate into thin air.
"I will set the Imperium back on its true path. I will bring them a new dawn of hope, and I will not fail your teachings," Guilliman spoke softly, his tone resolute.
When the last trace of the projection vanished, Guilliman took a deep breath, composed himself, and turned toward the door. Pushing open the warped frame, he found Alexei standing in the corridor waiting for him.
"Is it done?" Alexei straightened up, looking at the gene-primarch, whose expression had returned to its usual composure.
"...Thank you," Guilliman spoke softly after a moment of silence. Looking up at the smiling Alexei, he asked, "So, do you know... what became of Lady Euten in the end?"
Alexei paused momentarily before replying, "The last place Lady Euten was seen was right here. As for her ultimate fate, I cannot say."
Meeting Guilliman's somewhat wistful gaze, Alexei added, "Because Lady Euten's final moments were severed from time itself, leaving no trace behind."
In truth, when Alexei located this chamber and used his C'tan power to trace Lady Euten's fate, he had already deduced where she ultimately went. It was nearly time he paid that particular individual a visit.
"I see." Guilliman restored his mind to a state of absolute rationality, his gaze remaining fixed on the Governor of Aiur. "Even though you granted me a moment with my mother, the questions regarding you remain unresolved."
"I am aware. I simply wished to resolve a regret of yours," Alexei replied with a light nod and a smile. "Let us speak in your study. The immediate crisis is resolved for now."
"Very well." Guilliman nodded, taking the lead this time.
Along the way, the two maintained their silence. Mortal crew members went about their hectic duties, bowing respectfully whenever they crossed paths with Guilliman and Alexei.
Yet Alexei could still sense the complex, guarded looks those mortals cast toward him—a matter he cared nothing about.
Following the Primarch back to the private study, the Governor of Aiur pulled out a chair across from Guilliman as the Primarch took his seat behind the desk.
Looking at the quiet Primarch, Alexei took the initiative to ask, "Is there anything you wish to ask, my Lord?"
"There is no need to call me 'my Lord' any longer; you have earned the right to speak with me as an equal," Guilliman said, staring at the Governor. "Tell me then—why do you help humanity?"
"Why? Because I am human," Alexei replied with a shrug, emphasizing once more, "Just like your father, I am human. Are we not?"
Guilliman fell silent, momentarily unsure of how to respond. Alexei continued, "Furthermore, my objective aligns with your father's. Humanity should not suffer this endless decay. We ought to achieve greatness once more and stand as the sole rulers of the stars."
"The philosophy of Aiur reflects this as well. The FTL warp-skipping tech I mentioned can free humanity from the perils of Warp travel, while Archmagos Cawl's research into black obelisks can suppress the Immaterium. The future of humanity is far from hopeless."
"The dark gods of the Warp will not sit idly by and watch our efforts unfold. How do we permanently eradicate daemons born from raw emotion?" Guilliman pressed, his eyes locked onto Alexei's.
"The former depends on you, the future Imperial Regent. As for the daemons of the Warp..." Alexei smiled, his eyes shifting to a radiant golden hue. "Your father requested long ago that I visit him on Terra. To be frank, I was reluctant, as I knew not what your father intended for me."
"Yet regrettably, the opening of the Great Rift forced my hand—which is why I agreed to join your crusade fleet," Alexei said, looking at the impassive Primarch. "We must unite every force capable of being rallied to confront the perils of the Warp. That is the root of all chaos, is it not?"
"Will Aiur ever betray the Imperium?" Guilliman asked, his expression unreadable.
"I can assure you, we will never betray humanity," Alexei answered immediately—knowing full well that the Imperium of Man was not the sole representative of humanity.
"And what of that strange xenos entity?" Guilliman asked again.
"A organism forged through psychic energy and C'tan power, bound in absolute loyalty to me," Alexei replied.
Silence settled over the chamber once more. After a long pause, Guilliman spoke again, "So even had I refused your requests initially, Aiur possessed the power to forge ahead on its own path, did it not?"
"Yes." Alexei made no attempt to deny the Primarch's statement. Had Guilliman refused his terms back then, Aiur would still have proceeded along its path irresistibly.
Guilliman stood up, staring intently at Alexei, before suddenly letting out a soft laugh. "Then I would still agree to every request you made."
Walking toward the doorway, Guilliman paused before taking his leave. "Help me deal with those bastards."
"Inevitably so," Alexei replied with a smile.