Within the asymmetrically designed palace aboard the Shadow's Sovereignty.
Nareth had spoken with Magnus for three days and nights, from their first meeting on Prospero to their alliance against the Squats at the galactic core.
Finally, they discussed their Warp-navigation race from Aghoru to Ullanor.
An ethereal prayer reached his ears. He rose.
He studied Magnus, considering how to deal with this fragment.
He remembered that, in his memory, Lemuel Gaumont had merged with one of Magnus's fragments, and though it was later extracted, it greatly enhanced his psychic power and knowledge of the Warp, making him one of the four founders of the Inquisition.
Almost all the Imperium's knowledge of the Warp originated with him, aside from the secrets held by organizations like the Grey Knights.
The one who had fully merged with Magnus was Revuel Arvida of the 4th Fellowship. He had been campaigning with his captain, Menes Kalliston, when they lost contact with the Legion. They had returned to Prospero, only to encounter the World Eaters.
Arvida, separated from the Legion, later met Jaghatai Khan, who had come to Prospero seeking the truth.
He had used his psychic powers to help Jaghatai return to Terra. But after the battle of the Kalium Gate, while guiding the White Scars to Terra, he was overcome by the Flesh-Change.
Mortally wounded, he was brought before Malcador.
Malcador bound Magnus's shining fragment to Arvida, saving him. The reborn Arvida became Janus, the first Supreme Grand Master of the Grey Knights.
'This is one option. Binding one of Magnus's fragments to anyone, even myself, would greatly enhance their psychic abilities.'
'At least this fragment of his soul would not fall into Tzeentch's hands. But are there other options? Hmm... perhaps after advancing to "Count of the Fallen," I will have new insights.'
He smiled. "My crew won't be used to your presence. So, I ask you to stay here for now."
Magnus nodded. "I have much to think about."
"There are many memories buried deep within my mind."
"I will visit you often." Nareth nodded, turning and closing the palace doors.
Walking past Etritch, he pressed his comm-bead, switching to Arsena's channel.
"No one is to enter the palace."
"All important meetings must include a Blank and be conducted within the Euclidean Runes."
"By Your will," Arsena acknowledged.
Nareth returned quickly to his private quarters. Out of sight, he stepped into the Kingdom of Disorder.
Seated upon the throne in the fourth layer, he extended his spirituality, touching the pulsing, pale gold orb.
He saw Hathor Maat, Chief Librarian of the Thousand Sons, kneeling at an altar, praying to the Black Emperor.
"My Lord, we were transported to a world of nine suns, covered in flute-like towers."
"Our father is secluded in the Tower of the Cyclops, seeing no one."
"I found the method to open a portal in the Book of Magnus. Using its power and the surging aetheric tides of the Nine Suns world, I opened a gateway to reality to pray to You."
Nareth, hearing Hathor had not prayed on the Planet of the Sorcerers, as instructed, extended his spirituality and drew him into the Kingdom of Disorder.
Hathor had reshaped his golden hair to black and his eyes to black. He knelt on the mist-covered floor.
"My Lord, following Your command, I banished Kalophis's Tutelary, I destroyed the Sons of Horus' warbands, I sent Sul Kontep to rescue the civilians."
Nareth nodded, satisfied.
His main objectives for the Burning of Prospero had been achieved: First, he had secured the loyalty of Kalophis, Magister Templi of the Pyrae Cult.
Second, he had set Sul Kontep on a different path.
He remembered that Sul had led his group in seizing three void-ships, using the Imperial fleet's dispersed formation to slip past the main force, though one had been sunk in the pursuit.
Sul had not joined the rebels. He had gone to Malcador, becoming a key force in the Siege of Cthonia, and had stopped a ritual of the Word Bearers.
That ritual, though left incomplete, had been intended to aid Horus in his duel with the Emperor.
Finally, he had prevented the Sons of Horus from capturing Tizcan civilians.
He remembered that Boros Kurn's five thousand Sons of Horus had never joined the main battle.
They had first rounded up civilians in the old city. Then, after the Wolves, Custodes, and Sisters of Silence had secured victory, they had spread across Tizca to contain the refugees.
On their final withdrawal, they had destroyed all the containment zones with artillery, erasing all evidence.
In the future Heresy, a large number of traitor Auxilias and cult troops would be psykers.
Horus had successfully gathered assets during the Burning of Prospero and corroded them with Chaos to serve his own forces.
'Horus, you never expected this. In our first clash, I won on Prospero.'
'Not only did you fail to gain the power you wanted, you lost nearly five thousand of your own sons.'
Hathor continued, "I have counted the survivors: three thousand nine hundred and forty-six Thousand Sons."
Nareth nodded. In his memory, that number had been one thousand two hundred and forty-two.
He recalled Hathor's report. He realized that his own commands had triggered the Flesh-Change early, causing the Thousand Sons' line to collapse.
'Both the Thousand Sons and the Wolves lost fewer warriors. I wonder if I can still gain some of them.'
Though he had already secured the Third Fellowship, the Order of Ruin, and Axandria IV, about twenty-three thousand Thousand Sons, there was still a chance to secure Sul's group.
But the main strength of the 4th Fellowship and the Thousand Sons scattered across the galaxy was still substantial. Many of them would gather on the Planet of the Sorcerers.
He remembered that about ten thousand Thousand Sons had fought in the Siege of Terra.
"You will continue to reinforce Kalophis's subconscious and work on modifying Menkaura's mind."
Menkaura of the Corvidae Cult was one of the Thousand Sons' most skilled psychic artisans, even surpassing Amon and Ahriman.
More importantly, his loyalty to Magnus was not unshakeable.
Nareth remembered that Menkaura had, at one point, become a loyalist due to his foresight and disillusionment with the Legion but during the Siege of Terra, he had returned to Magnus's side.
He had crafted a series of psychic devices, ultimately enabling Magnus's spell that allowed the rebel fleet to bypass Dorn's defenses and reach the heart of Terra from above the ecliptic.
This had made Perturabo's advance on Terra seem pointless and rendered Dorn's carefully constructed void defenses useless.
Menkaura, who kept switching sides, clearly lacked a strong will and was a prime target for conversion.
"You mean I should continue to stay by our father's side?"
"Yes." Nareth remembered that the Flesh-Change and the Planet of the Sorcerers' Chaos corruption would take time.
In fact, until the Siege of Terra, Amon, Ahriman, Menkaura, Sobek, Sanakht, and other Thousand Sons had not been corroded by Chaos.
He moved his mind. The Book of Magnus flew into his hand.
Pages turned rapidly, over thirty pages a second.
As he burned the secrets and spells Magnus had acquired into his memory, light and shadow flickered in his eyes. He paused at a page, which contained a bound Chaos demigod of the Dragon Realm, Shai-Tan.
It was wreathed in lightning, bound by golden chains.
With a thought, the dark red book returned to Hathor's hand.
"My Lord, this is my offering to You."
"Hold on to it for me. Without it, you cannot return to the Planet of the Sorcerers, and Magnus would suspect you."
Hathor trembled. 'My Lord cares so much for my safety.'
'Hmm... I hadn't expected my Lord to want me to remain with our father. I had planned to leave the Legion and serve my Lord directly.'
With some regret, he reported.
"I encountered the treacherous Wolf Rune Priest, Othere Wyrdmake, on Tizca."
"He blasphemed against You, and I executed him in Your name."
Nareth felt as if a bothersome fly had been swatted. He praised the proactive Hathor.
"Well done. Sanchez will be pleased to hear this."
Hathor clutched the Book of Magnus, clasping his hands in an inverted hold.
"Those who blaspheme against You are my sworn enemies, to the death."
As Nareth was about to return Hathor to reality, he thought of Leman Russ, who had gathered all his Wolves and compiled the Codex Omega, a record of their combat experience against Astartes.
He had presented the Codex Omega only to the Warmaster. Horus had fully absorbed its valuable lessons, giving the Sons of Horus specialized training and sharing it with the other rebels.
When Russ learned of the Warmaster's betrayal, he regretted it deeply.
'Though I don't have Russ's Codex Omega for the Warmaster, I can have the Codex Alpha.'
"You will gather the Thousand Sons and compile their experiences fighting the Wolves into a Codex Alpha to present to me."
"By Your will." Hathor bowed.
Nareth returned Hathor to reality, then extended his spirituality, touching a crimson orb.
He needed to send someone to retrieve Sul and the others still on Prospero.