Chương 3: Whispers of Slaanesh

The ascent lasted several hours, during which Frederick told us about the customs up above. To me, they did not differ much from the existence of ordinary people, just with more plaster decorating reality. Of course, the standard of living itself is orders of magnitude higher, but they still pretend as if their lives are harder than the fate of a worker from the lower hive levels, plowing away at a manufactorum for fourteen hours every day. However, our "patron," of course, treated all this with great reverence.

It was amusing; his soul was mired in the filth of Chaos and darkness, yet he still worried about local intrigues.

"Life among the noble society is not as simple as it might seem at first glance," Frederick explained.

"Yes, we have more resources and opportunities, but the responsibility is also significantly heavier. For us, legacy is the beginning and the end. The prestige of every highborn family is based on the number of generations that can be traced."

"This is also reflected in the architecture: the most influential families, like ours, possess the most ancient and magnificent estates, from the heights of which one can look down upon the entire city and even further, observing the wild and undeveloped continent. This, by the way, leads to amusing embarrassments, like newly elevated noble families building their estates in the style of ancient bastions.

Of course, such things can only fool those ignorant of our laws, as a professional will easily determine true antiquity. But even that is not the most important thing."

"Every respected family also possesses a veritable treasury of ancient works of art, whose history spans millennia," he continued.

"We, for example, have the only specimen of a vase by one genius creator, who, however, only made bowls..." Our escort delved into the history of some famous artist, which I listened to with half an ear. Yes, of course, I memorized everything that might one day come in handy, but I paid more attention to the world around me. Due to the pyramidal structure of the hive, each of its tiers was smaller than the one below and, correspondingly, was populated by fewer people.

Therefore, if the very base of the local pyramid was inhabited by tens of billions of people, here there were a couple of million at most. The spire of the hive was truly a special place. This was exactly how I could imagine a city in the far future on the other edge of the galaxy. First of all, all the architecture here was executed so flawlessly that practically every building could be considered a true work of art.

Absolutely all of them pleased the eye with their elegance and were unique, one of a kind due to all the symbols skillfully woven into the design. Secondly, the true sky was visible here. It was covered by massive glass, but that was enough for me. Honestly, I looked at it far longer than at the masterpiece ornaments of the buildings. It was grayish and full of heavy clouds, but I still stared at it without blinking, my head held high, enjoying the natural beauty.

Memories from my past life immediately flooded my mind. The one where the sky was still clear and open to all people on earth, not just a single ultra-rich handful of the elite. The other children noticed my actions and stopped, looking where I was. They were also amazed by the sight and froze in place. After all, they had never seen anything like it in their entire lives. Frederick noticed our actions and at first looked highly surprised, but soon smiled simply, likely touched by our behavior.

Except, at the same time, such foul and disgusting emotions began to bloom in his aura that I quickly snapped back to reality, shifting my gaze to his.

"Forgive us, my lord, it is just that we have never seen anything like this before..." His smile widened and he slowly shook his head from side to side.

"Nature can indeed be beautiful, I will agree with you there. However, I believe that a true masterpiece lies in how human will alters this very nature, removing all its flaws and mistakes. I have seen such things on paradise worlds and it is simply magnificent. I am certain that one day you too will enjoy this beauty." We stood for a while longer enjoying the sky, after which we continued our journey. Amusingly, there was no road transport on the aristocratic tier.

People simply walked along the bustling streets, which did not even have roads for vehicles. Frederick explained to us that this was due to some local fashion trend, which dictated that everyone travel exclusively on foot. It was amusing, of course, but because of it we had to trudge for quite a long time to the Machenko mansion. At least we had time to enjoy the local ambiance of laconic wealth. Arriving at the home of Frederick's family, I could not help but admit that they knew how to build.

The dynasty lived in a massive tower-temple, decorated in a militaristic style. Also impressive was the enormous aquila, the two-headed eagle that served as the symbol of the Imperium. It was crafted from pure gold and was clearly more than ten meters in both width and length.

"I ask you to joyfully settle into the mansion of our house," Frederick announced.

"It is one of the very first homes founded during the colonization of the planet, which clearly shows how influential and ancient our dynasty is. I suggest you settle in here until the evening gala, which the entire elite of the planet will attend. Furthermore, we shall extend all our hospitality to you and make you look your absolute best." I gave a slight nod, keeping a small smile on my face, and the children immediately mirrored me. Frederick smiled broadly, and now I noticed that he was looking only at me.

It was repulsive, but I had to play my part. At least for now. We spent the next few hours exploring the truly colossal building. It was obvious that it was tens of times larger than our orphanage, while being orders of magnitude more elegant and better crafted inside. The walls of every corridor were hung with various, clearly expensive and very ancient paintings. The floor was covered with a lilac carpet that you almost did not want to walk on, so exquisite it was.

Literally every centimeter of this place was steeped in antiquity, luxury, and elegance. Unfortunately, something else could be felt here, soaking this place to its very foundations. I continued to concentrate, tracking the influence of Chaos, and with every passing hour, I found more and more evidence of the pernicious forces' corrupting touch. Roughly every tenth painting radiated something unnatural. It carried the stench of a slaughterhouse and something cloyingly sweet.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Out of curiosity, I briefly dipped into the Warp to figure out what the matter was. I really wish I had not, honestly. In the Warp, I could see exactly what these paintings were. From what I understood, true human blood and various other fluids of highly unsavory origins had been used instead of paint during their creation. And this entire creation practically radiated in the ocean of the psychic dimension.

True, this raised one very unpleasant question. If they were so deeply mired in Chaos, how had no Inquisitor punished them yet? As far as I remembered, most of them are psykers, which meant they should have known about such things. Yes, the influence felt rather subtle and well-hidden, but I had somehow found it, had I not? I had a few theories. Either the local Inquisitors are so incompetent, or they themselves are tainted by the cult.

If the latter is true, it will demonstrate a simply fantastic level of my bad luck, because Inquisitors turned traitor incredibly rarely. Supposedly, every occurrence is such a rarity that it is immediately recorded in the annals. And that makes sense, for if they sided with the enemy more often, the Imperium would have fallen apart long ago. After all, in essence, it is they who rule the state, since they answer only to the Emperor himself, whom no one has been able to reach for the last hundred centuries.

But I also could not quite believe in an idiot Inquisitor. Most undergo training in the Schola, where the selection is extremely rigorous. I am sure there must also be some sort of mental aptitude test, weeding out those who would miss such a massive problem. That leaves the dumbest, but more or less plausible option. The cultists were indeed hiding very well, and I alone was able to sniff them out, thanks to my potent psychic abilities or something else.

I do not like believing in my own exceptionalism, as that could lead to an inflated ego, but I had no other ideas. Logically speaking, the knight and the journey through the ocean of colors most likely affected me somehow. In any case, this would be good, as it lent more weight to my words, giving me actual proof of Chaos interference. Moreover, the ability to sniff out cultists should greatly increase my value to this powerful organization. All these reflections took place alongside the exploration of the mansion.

"... And this, you might notice, is my esteemed sister, who seems to have decided to grace us with her presence. Persephone sponsors homes for the disabled and wounded veterans, so she is practically a true saint."

"You do me too much honor, brother." Before us stood a stunning aristocrat. At a glance, one might give her twenty-five years at most, but knowing the aristocratic tradition of utilizing rejuvenat treatments, the woman could well be over two hundred. She had white curly hair, with a single black lock falling over the left side of her face. She was dressed in a black-and-red gown with a very provocative neckline.

Fundamentally, she gave off the impression of a femme fatale capable of capturing the attention of practically any man. However, the reason she shook me so deeply was different. Unlike her brother, she was an actual psyker. A weak one, but she was still the first psyker I had ever met in the flesh. I immediately reinforced my concealment, trying not to show my revulsion. She was no less tainted than her relative, but her soul shone much brighter in the Warp, which made the stench of rot all the more vile.

"I am happy to welcome our dear guests," the woman said, looking at us with a smile and warmth in her eyes.

"I am incredibly glad to know that our family continues the tradition of supporting young talents, the very thing that elevated our house. If you ever need help, know that you can always turn to sister Persephone." Her voice was soft and literally endearing. She quickly cast her gaze over everyone, but soon stopped on me. After that, she licked her scarlet lips and shot a quick glance at her brother.

"We are also grateful to your family for helping us," I replied.

"It is people like you who make the world a better place." It was obvious that even though these people had given themselves over to serving the cursed gods, they were still human. And if I was right, the influence of Slaanesh should only make them more susceptible to praise and exaltation. Judging by Persephone's heightened reaction, I hit the mark.

"There is no need for that, no need at all, my dear," she cooed.

"It is our duty as aristocrats to help the destitute. We are nothing without the common people upon whom the Imperium stands. Our duty is to repay you and make your lives better. And we shall start with the proper attire. I assure you, you will shine at the gala!" After that, we spent the next couple of hours trying on various outfits from a practically endless wardrobe. Dozens, if not hundreds, of different suits of all conceivable styles were tried on. And who was the most popular model?

I do not think it is hard to guess. We only stopped because the other children were practically nodding off. After all, this day was the most emotionally packed and impression-filled of their entire lives. Plus, their age was showing. I was the one who, with my unnatural stamina, could hold out for an insanely long time. Therefore, the brother and sister chose the best suit for each of us, after which they escorted each of us to our own room. And these were veritable royal chambers, so expensive did they look.

They featured multi-meter gilded beds with feather mattresses an order of magnitude larger than ourselves, as well as dozens of meters of free space filled with works of art and plants. Most often, these were flowers that even I had never seen before, and to the other children, it was an entirely unknown miracle sent by the Emperor himself. We were to be left here until the end of the day, given access to full-fledged servants who would fulfill our every request.

All the children were led to their rooms, and I was the last to leave, as I wanted to make sure each of them was alright. Finally, only I and the two representatives of the house remained. Frederick kept his hands behind his back and looked at me with a smile, while Persephone showed me my room.

"... and here you can see a screen through which you can watch various pictures captured in time," Frederick pointed out, showing me the local equivalent of television.

"The most amazing thing is that they can move, can you imagine?" It looked like a red-and-black screen with silver inlays. Honestly, I was even curious about what they broadcasted here. Did the humans of the far future manage to preserve the art of cinematography? I feigned genuine interest, turning to the pair.

"I confess, I have never seen anything like this before, but I will try to figure it all out as quickly as possible so as not to bother you."

"No need, Gabriel," Frederick replied.

"On behalf of the heir to the great House of Machenko, I can tell you that our home is your home. Know that we are always ready to come to your aid should you need anything." I did not say anything and merely offered an embarrassed smile, fixing my gaze on the floor. This should have the desired effect on them, plus it gave me time to concentrate on my own senses. I saw an incredible source of corrupted psychic energy beneath my feet, somewhere deep within the mansion.

It practically exuded a cloyingly sweet power, toxic to all living things. Obviously, it was something extremely dangerous, seeing as it was hidden so well that I had not been able to detect it earlier.

"Well, for now we will leave you and give you time to rest," Persephone said, her tone somewhat strange.

"But remember, you can ask us for whatever you desire." I sensed there was more to her words, though I simply gave her a slight nod before she smiled and left with her brother. Finally, I was alone, whereupon I let out a heavy sigh and lay down on the bed. Most likely, I was still being watched, so I could not relax too much. But still, I had to give my mind at least a little rest. Such acting games were difficult for me, and ahead lay an even more arduous and risky event where my fate would be decided.

But I will do everything in my power and more to achieve the best outcome.