This is the bonus chapter for reaching 900 Powerstones (even though I am not sure since I forget to check, but I trust you guys)
--
BONG! BONG! BONG!
The bell towers across the hive chimed simultaneously.
The deep, resonant tolls pierced the night sky, one after another, ringing exactly twenty-three times.
Cogboy looked up. "Five minutes until the New Year."
Blood Angel and Schrödinger Bro stepped up to the railing as well.
The six of them stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the top floor of the Governor's Office, looking down at the massive crowds gathering to count down to the New Year.
The parades on the streets came to a halt.
The people looked up toward the bell towers. Parents hoisted their children onto their shoulders, and the elderly straightened up on their walking sticks.
Everyone fell silent.
Only the echoing chimes of the bells remained.
The instant the twenty-third toll faded...
"Ten!"
It was impossible to tell who shouted it first, but the voices rapidly merged into a single, deafening roar.
"Nine!"
"Eight!"
Guilliman's fingers gripped the railing tight.
"Seven!"
Sanguinius's wings fluttered gently.
"Six!"
Ferrus's eyes were locked onto the crowds below.
"Five!"
Cogboy's mechanical bionics locked onto the massive holographic countdown projected in the distant plaza.
"Four!"
Blood Angel took a deep breath.
"Three!"
Schrödinger Bro smiled.
"Two!"
Below, the voices of tens of thousands merged into an unstoppable torrent...
"One!"
"HAPPY NEW YEAR...!!!"
In that exact instant, all of Kent Hive erupted.
And in the exact same second the cheers shattered the silence...
Fwweeeee... BOOM!
The first firework launched from a staging area on the hive's periphery. It dragged a golden tail of fire into the pitch-black sky before detonating into a brilliant, blooming sphere of crimson light.
Immediately following it was the second, the third, the hundredth...
Fweee-fweee-fweee... BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!!!
The fireworks were like a reverse meteor shower, launching from all across the hive and blossoming into countless, radiant flowers in the night sky.
Every firework existed for only a few fleeting seconds, but new ones constantly ascended to replace the fading light.
The night sky was continuously illuminated, burning as bright as day.
The three Primarchs looked up, watching the spectacle.
Guilliman's ice-blue eyes reflected the sky full of flowing light. The colors danced and shifted within his gaze, ultimately settling into a quiet, profound awe.
Sanguinius's pristine white wings fully extended. He tilted his head back, the amber-gold depths of his slit pupils reflecting the soaring trails of the fireworks.
Ferrus stood completely still, the flashes of light rippling across his silver-grey power armor as if breathing life into the metal.
Cogboy, Blood Angel, and Schrödinger Bro watched in absolute silence.
It was a long time before Guilliman finally spoke.
"What you have ignited... is not merely fireworks."
"It is the hope of an entire world of Imperial citizens," Sanguinius finished.
Ferrus remained silently standing.
The fireworks continued.
Blossoming one after another in the dark sky, they illuminated the upturned faces of the crowds below, illuminating their smiles, illuminating the hive that was undergoing a true metamorphosis.
--
Far away, the strike cruiser Light of Dawn hovered silently above a massive canyon.
Inside the bridge, Paul stood before the observation armaglass, holding a cup of liquor.
It was a Bourbon purchased from the System shop. Although most of the players weren't accustomed to the taste, today was a special occasion.
Behind him, Tax Bro, White Scars, G Bro, [Have You Been Loyal Today?], and all the other players stationed aboard the ship also held cups.
Even the Assassins, the Contemptor Dreadnoughts, and the Tech-Priests had silently raised their respective beverages.
Paul turned around.
His towering 3.55-meter Custodian frame cast a massive shadow across the bridge under the lumens.
"Brothers," Paul raised his cup, his voice laced with a smile. "Although we cannot go down there right now... although we cannot light firecrackers, eat dumplings, and watch the fireworks with our brothers in Kent Hive..."
His voice suddenly rose in pitch. "The day will come! The day will come when we will stand openly upon any planet we choose! When we will celebrate the Spring Festival and welcome the New Year alongside everyone who believes in the Crimson Dawn! When we will..."
"...witness the true dawn together!"
Every player roared in unison, "CHEERS...!!!"
Cups clinked, liquor sloshed.
Laughter echoed throughout the bridge.
--
Deep within the Warp, within the concealed domain wrapped in layers of camouflage near the Astronomican's edge...
Lucian lay on his luxurious bed, tossing a pale golden emotional crystal in his hand.
Reflected within the crystal were the endless fireworks bursting over Kent Hive, the upturned, laughing faces of the crowds, the awe-struck expressions of the three Primarchs, and Paul raising his cup in a toast.
Lucian chuckled, his smile brimming with amusement and... a hint of helplessness.
"My fellow… players, this emotion of hope you're generating is getting a bit ridiculously dense..."
He caught the falling crystal and examined it closely. A golden halo swirled within.
This was a fragment of the Authority of Hope, harvested and purified from the ninety-million-strong population of Kent Hive.
"If you guys keep this up, I'm actually going to turn into the God of Hope and Change..." Lucian muttered.
He sat up and slammed the crystal hard against his chest, absorbing it.
Drawn in by his immense power, the crystal rapidly vanished, integrating into Lucian's Authority.
The smile remained on his lips.
"However... so long as you're happy. Only with an abundance of hope can you carve out a path in this grimdark Warhammer universe... oh wait, this mecha universe..."
"To carve out a true..."
"...Ray of the Crimson Dawn."
--
The firework display over Kent Hive lasted for a full ten minutes.
When the very last firework faded into the night sky, when the light slowly receded and darkness reclaimed the night skies...
The crowds on the streets below did not immediately disperse.
They stood exactly where they were, gazing up at the once-again silent night sky, the phantom afterimages of the fireworks still lingering on their faces.
Then, it was impossible to tell who started it... applause.
At first, it was just a few sporadic claps, but it rapidly multiplied, ultimately merging into a continuous, thunderous roar.
They were applauding the faded fireworks. Applauding the arrival of the New Year. Applauding this rare, joyous night of celebration.
And applauding... the organization that was changing their lives.
On the top floor of the Governor's Office, the three Primarchs withdrew their gazes.
Guilliman took one last look at the applauding crowds below. Deep within his ice-blue eyes, a certain decision had finally, fully crystallized.
"Tomorrow," the Ultramarines Primarch spoke, his voice returning to its usual steady cadence, "I will sign the official decrees and issue the orders to grant comprehensive administrative authority over Aurelian IV to the Crimson Dawn, officially appointing Cage Lawrence to the position of Planetary Governor."
"The term will be ten years. After ten years, we will evaluate your governance and decide whether to renew your mandate, or expand it."
Sanguinius smiled and nodded.
Ferrus kept it brief. "I expect you not to disappoint Guilliman's expectations."
Cogboy, Blood Angel, and Schrödinger Bro simultaneously pounded their right fists against their left breastplates.
"Thank you for your trust, lords."
"The Crimson Dawn..."
"...will not fail you."
Guilliman nodded slightly, turning to leave the observation balcony.
But before he took a step, he looked back at the three of them.
"One final question."
"Please ask, Lord Guilliman."
"You said earlier that you all come from the very bottom, that you have experienced true suffering," Guilliman's ice-blue eyes locked onto them. "Then tell me... what was it that made you choose to believe in the dawn after enduring all of that, rather than simply sinking into the easier path of the darkness?"
Schrödinger Bro answered without hesitation.
"Because those who have truly witnessed the darkness desire the light more than anyone else."
"And becoming the light..."
"...brings far more joy than becoming the darkness."
--
Goal = 250 Powerstones.
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