Chương 19: A God of Lehida

To be honest, the situation was shaping up to be rather unpleasant. The entity before us felt incredibly powerful in the Warp, only slightly yielding to me in raw might. But I had no doubt that it knew far more about the Immaterium than I did. For the spawn of the Sea of Souls, the Warp is their very substance, and they are connected to it from their inception to their very end. Manipulating psychic energy is as simple for it as breathing is for me.

Our main hope was that it would find it difficult to fight in the material world. After all, this is our dimension, and if it is anything like daemons, it should currently feel like a fish stranded on a sandy shore.

"Gabriel, this entity is incredibly dangerous, and we need to leave as soon as possible." My mind was already working at maximum speed, analyzing the situation, so I didn't flinch when I heard a foreign voice in my head. Transmitting messages via telepathy is much more convenient, as it saves time, and no language can convey the full depth of meaning more accurately than a mental image. Many of our lessons had taken place this way, and I couldn't help but admire the practicality of this method.

Even despite all its flaws. Although I possessed a defense against telepathy, it worked in a peculiar way. No one could brainwash me, but in return, I acted as a sort of receiver for all psychic messages. In a manner unknown even to my mentor, I intercepted any telepathic communications. Therefore, Jaya had stopped communicating with her servants and guards using mentalism. She claimed it was to avoid disturbing me, but I'm certain it wasn't without the fear of leaking "unnecessary" information to me.

But before I could answer my mentor, the creature before us let out a deep growl, then clenched its hands. The Warp around it began to swirl even faster, now resembling a literal hurricane.

"There is no place for secrets. I can feel you communicating. You cannot hide from my gaze. Everything on this planet is me. And I am everything." The entity's voice changed with every passing second. Sometimes it resembled the howling of various animals, and then it became like the rustling of leaves. Another trick that is only impressive if you don't know how it works.

In reality, you just need to infuse your vocal cords—or whatever serves that function for this thing—with psychic energy and channel the Warp through them with the desired intent. Though, this entity might simply lack extensive experience existing in this reality, hence its poor control over its powers. Before the conflict escalated into a hot phase, I slightly raised my hands and tried to calm everyone down. It's funny; for me, this situation was the least dangerous, yet I was the one seeking peace the most.

If this thing struck Jaya, she would likely die instantly. But that would force me to attack with full force. However, such an outcome would be pointless. And while I wanted to avenge all the people who had died, first I needed information.

"Since you are so inclined to talk, could we at least try to resolve this peacefully? I'll be honest, I have no idea who you are or what our conflict is even about." I stared into the empty eye sockets of the skull, where only a barely visible white light shone. This thing froze and remained motionless while I spoke, which only made the tension mount. But it was my mentor who broke the silence first.

"Gabriel, we cannot listen to this... entity. The spawn of the Sea of Souls bring danger simply by existing, and..." Right in the middle of her speech, a sound erupted from our unknown guest. Now it sounded like hurricane winds in the midst of a storm. It looked directly into my eyes, and there was something truly alien in its gaze.

"I do not like you. I cannot see you or hear you. I do not like this. But I will answer." It raised a hand, and pure, impenetrable darkness began to emanate from it, surrounding us. I instantly formed a protective sphere around us, refraining from attacking for only one reason: a conflict can always be started, but some answers wouldn't hurt right now. Besides, I sensed that its actions carried no underlying motive to harm us. As soon as the darkness completely enveloped us, it began to speak again.

"I and the planet—we are one and the same. I have been hers since her very birth, and I exist as long as she does. We are a single whole, the mirror and the reflection. We have coexisted longer than your entire species, and we will live even after the last of humanity turns to dust. The planet is life, and I am its soul. So it has been, so it is, and so it shall be, forever and ever. For all eternity." I frowned, trying to make sense of the nonsense it was spouting.

I knew that Warp entities weren't the most logical or comprehensible guys, but this one spoke strangely even for a daemon. Furthermore, the longer I stayed near this thing, the more clearly I recognized what it was, so to speak, made of. Every daemon carries a general taint—the ruinous power of Chaos mixed with a tiny fraction of the power of the god it belongs to. This skeleton, however, was truly connected to the entire world. I could feel every blade of grass and tree, animal and bug reflected within it.

Few people know this, but even things as simple as that affect the Immaterium. The most famous examples are the fauna of Fenris and the flora of Catachan, one of the deadliest planets in the entire galaxy. So, the skeleton was connected to the planet's entire biosphere, drawing power from it. Thus, it wasn't hard to guess why it disliked us so much. Our interference, though very slight, negatively impacted the environment. The only question was, why did it appear only now?

Previously, people died instantly, but Atreus and I had been here for over ten years. Before it could continue, the elderly Inquisitor spoke up. And she was, to put it mildly, not in the most welcoming mood.

"I know what you are. The simple result of the accumulated psychic potential of its inhabitants. A parasite feeding on the crumbs of the spiritual power of the mindless. A single virus bomb, and all your power will wither in an instant. Humanity has encountered 'gods' like you, but none have outlived us." The longer this deity spoke, the clearer it became how repulsive it was to the elderly Inquisitor. Not the strangest reaction, considering her former line of work.

Even quite obvious, actually, but it boded nothing good. And judging by the movement of her fingers toward certain—most likely heavily concealed and therefore powerful—artifacts, I could even guess what was coming next. The deity could not help but notice this, but for now, it displayed no aggression. At least, not physical. There was plenty of it in its speech.

"You sound as if I am worth nothing, but could you say that to your god? When the Anathema set out to find the fire in the darkness, he did not treat us as second-rate. Your kind reveres him, yet you are foolish and dark enough in your nature to pervert every single one of his lessons. He would destroy your entire species if he knew how low you have fallen." Now this was curious. I am fundamentally incredibly interested in all information regarding the Master of Mankind. Especially something this strange.

I had never heard of the Emperor even mentioning any Warp entities other than daemons and the Ruinous Powers. True, he didn't spread much about the latter until the Heresy, when things went completely south. But how many strange things might he have encountered that simply weren't worth a separate mention? But that would remain a mystery if the flames of conflict were ignited. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"I would like to remind you that we didn't come here to figure out who is tougher. We simply want to understand what caused this conflict and how to avoid further bloodshed. Let's start simple: what is the problem?" I spread my arms out to the sides, showing that I posed no threat. It would have little effect on my ability to manipulate the Warp, but as a sign of goodwill, it might work. The entity turned to me and seemed to bore its eyes into me even more insistently. Or whatever it used instead of eyes.

I suspect it navigates primarily using Warp senses and other Immaterium tricks, which is why it dislikes me so much. I am blind to Divination—a vital skill for any spawn of the Sea of Souls—and protected from reading thoughts. Jaya shot me an irritated, stern glare that clearly boded nothing good. And here I could understand her. An Inquisitor's job is not to make friends with every xenos.

And if you also consider the fact that she spent over five centuries in the Ordo Malleus, the Inquisition branch dealing with the Warp, her reaction becomes entirely obvious. But I tried to at least use my eyes to point out to her the aura emanating from this little god. A fight with it would not be easy, and while I believed in my own survivability, the elderly psyker wasn't nearly as durable. Vast experience wouldn't help you survive a firestorm the size of an entire city.

And judging by her facial expressions, that was the only reason we weren't fighting yet. But I'm also sure she didn't like how I was trying to dig for the truth. The history connected to this planet was clearly not one she wanted to share. Of course, drawing the ire of such an influential lady was a very bad idea, but I had an argument up my sleeve that granted me virtually absolute protection. I would be forgiven much for knowing the location of a true Primarch. Not everything, but very much.

"You do not need this knowledge, Gabriel. The Warp harbors many secrets, and my job is to keep them from the masses..." Jaya had truly solid arguments, but she was interrupted once again by our floating skeleton.

"I and this world are linked, like body and soul. Much more so than even others similar to me. Because of this, the Anathema did not try to capture me or lure me with pacts. The mirror and the reflection are inextricably bound. Therefore, if anyone tries to harm the earth, I must intervene. Over the millennia, we have faced thousands of attempts to spoil our perfect face, but no one remained here for long. The planet feeds me while I protect her. Eternal balance.

But everything changed when she came and found me, offering cooperation." I looked at the old woman in surprise. The situation was getting worse and worse. Jaya had already lost her mysterious charm and now looked genuinely furious. She was still keeping herself in check and hadn't initiated combat, but from her voice, you could tell just how close she was to starting a bloodbath.

"Gabriel, for now, I am asking nicely. What you are trying to uncover poses a danger not only to us, but to all of humanity. My job is to guard secrets and prevent them from getting out, as knowledge carries incredible danger and is one of the greatest threats to the Imperium." I stood silently, shifting my gaze from the entity to the Inquisitor, trying to decide what to do next. For some reason, the entity was waiting for my answer and continued to stare.

My mind was working at full capacity as I searched for a response.

"I..."...

"In the name of the Holy Inquisition, you are accused of practicing sorcery, witchcraft, and betraying the Emperor and the entire Imperium. Only one punishment awaits you. Fire will cleanse your souls, and you will no longer harm humanity." A tall man, clad in power armor adorned with Inquisition symbols and High Gothic text, stood before a crowd of thousands of commoners. In one hand he held a crackling power axe, and in the other, he clutched a burning torch.

Behind him were hundreds of pyres to which dozens of men, women, and even children were tied. Some were screaming, some were crying, and the most desperate tried to beg for their lives. But the Inquisitor did not listen to them and continued his work.

"Such creatures poison the Imperium, and this sector in particular. Like flies, they have infested Calixis and are now spreading a plague whose name is heresy. Sin and vice have spread across hundreds of worlds, but justice will prevail. Every psyker is a mutant who only waits for the chance to betray the human race for power and authority. Mark my words and pass them down from generation to generation..." He spoke with incredible confidence and the passion of a fanatical believer.

But right in the middle of his speech, he was interrupted. A high, thin voice practically laughed, yet sounded tens of times louder than it should have.

"Then why is the Inquisition itself so eager to find psykers to use in its own plans?" One voice out of a hundred stood out above the rest. An eight-year-old girl, tied to one of the pyres, sounded louder than all the others combined. Her voice was far from human and better suited some...

"Daemon. You are too arrogant, beast, to choose to appear here and now. I am ready for your arrival, and whatever power you possess, now you will know only pain." The Inquisitor turned to the crowd and pointed his axe at the girl. With his other hand, he signaled his Acolytes—a group of priests and Sisters of Battle—who immediately began surrounding the area, preparing to confront the entity of Chaos. But Rykhus continued his work, never stopping his speech.

"Behold where the practice of sorcery leads. This witch sold her immortal soul and, instead of the Emperor's judgment, will spend the rest of eternity being tortured by daemons. But do not worry, I will destroy this beast right now and send it back to the abyss from whence it broke free." The girl began to laugh maniacally.

"You actually believe all of this, don't you? Well, I wonder how you would react if you knew the number of 'heretics'—she spat the word with particular venom—"among your colleagues. How does it feel to be the butcher eradicating the rot, when the other hounds of the Corpse on the Throne are conversely training new, even more powerful psykers." The Inquisitor frowned, but stepped closer to her anyway, despite the danger.

"Your words, beast, will not deceive me. And if you think you can pit us against each other with such a simple trick, you are more foolish than I thought. The Inquisition is unbreakable and operates as a single mechanism."

"So, Soldevan is still your loyal apprentice, then?" The Inquisitor abruptly swung his axe, and a small arm flew to the side. Surprisingly, there was no blood, and the Daemonhost continued to speak.

"You can harm this body all you want, but it will not change the state of affairs. There is not a single drop of a lie in my words. If you wish, travel to Scintilla and see for yourself. I assure you, you will find many victims for your slaughter there..." Before she could finish, the blade cleaved her body in two. After that, all the pyres instantly ignited. The priests began to chant prayers, while the Sisters of Battle ensured no one escaped the Trial by Ordeal.

The body the daemon had possessed also began to burn, having been covered in sacred oil. The Inquisitor stepped aside and watched the burning pyres. A few minutes later, one of his Acolytes approached him, dressed in grey metal plate. There was not a shred of technology in it, as the armor was the work of an ordinary blacksmith from a feudal world. The Crusader held a bloodied blade in his hands and looked questioningly at the man in power armor.

"The trial is concluded, my Lord. The locals have stopped reporting anything useful and are now trying to use us to settle their petty squabbles. We have already drawn and quartered a few of such smartasses, but there have been no further reports of heresy. What do we do next?" The Inquisitor looked thoughtfully at the burning corpses of the witches, answering only twenty seconds later.

"That damned creature did not appear here for nothing. This witch was not strong enough to conduct a ritual and summon a daemon. Moreover, it did not attack us and only pointed us toward the sector capital. It is obvious that the Ruinous Powers are using us and preparing some sort of trap. Zerbe and probably Ahmazi must definitely be notified of this, but as for the rest... The work is shaping up to be specific."

"So we are heading there anyway? Didn't you say it was a trap?" The Inquisitor smirked, finally shifting his gaze entirely from the pyres to his Acolyte.

"Trap or not, the Ruinous Powers will be waiting for us there. And even if I am destined to die there, I will eradicate the witch taint until my dying breath."