"That's it!"
Yuki swung his blade with all his might. Hermit parried the blow casually. Yuki immediately transitioned into an upward flick, but Hermit spun, catching the blade against his own and blocking it behind his back.
"Wow, Mr. Hermit is so cool."
"Ilia, shut up," Yuki grunted.
The practice session ended. Hermit threw on his cloak and took the water Yuki handed him. He sighed. "You're terrifying, kid. Your raw strength is already greater than mine. If your combat techniques were a bit more refined, you'd have no trouble taking down a Space Marine in a duel."
"Thanks for the compliment."
Hermit had adapted to life here. In fact, he quite liked it, mostly because none of the residents were normal people—some weren't even human.
The conjoined twins, Ilia and Ilya, would have been burned at the stake in the Middle or Spire levels. Eleven was a near-Alpha-level psyker; if she had undergone Astartes augmentation, she might have become a powerful Librarian. Yuno, the mysterious woman, possessed psychic potential that seemed more terrifying than Magnus the Red. And Yuki—this man knew legion secrets that even Hermit himself wasn't privy to.
In the past, Hermit would have felt duty-bound to destroy such beings. But things were different now. He was a "traitor" himself. A gathering of the Imperium's "enemies" felt strangely appropriate.
Hermit felt a twinge of melancholy.
"Hermit?"
"What is it, Yuki?"
"You participated in the Great Crusade, right?"
"Yes. Alongside my gene-father."
"Then... if your gene-father returned and offered you forgiveness, would you follow him?"
Yuki was asking about events a hundred years into the future. Right now, Lion El'Jonson was still missing, but Yuki knew that when the Lion eventually returned and offered amnesty to the Fallen, almost all of them would flock back to their Primarch's side.
Hermit's gaze became incredibly firm. "My gene-father betrayed me. I will not make the same mistake twice."
Yuki pursed his lips. To be honest, he didn't believe a Space Marine could ever truly shake off the genetic dependence on their Primarch. Once the Lion actually stood before Hermit, he would likely follow him to the ends of the universe.
"Boss," Ilia interrupted. "Can Mr. Hermit teach us how to fight too?"
Yuki looked at the Fallen Angel. "Any problem with a few more students?"
"None. I don't have anything better to do anyway."
"Then call Gack over too. I like that kid."
Gack was a young man Yuki had personally promoted. Despite his youth, he was already in charge of an entire block. He happened to be visiting today to seek Yuki's advice. Gack's body, once frail from malnutrition, had grown strong and healthy. He felt nothing but gratitude for Yuki, the savior who had dragged him out of hell.
"Boss."
"Gack, you need some training too. There will always be those who won't follow you unless you can back your words up."
"I'll train hard, Boss."
Yuki smiled and pulled Hermit over. "This is Mr. Hermit. If you have time, you can come to him for instruction."
"Understood, Boss."
Gack looked a bit nervous. Yuki clapped him heartily on the shoulder. Just then, Eleven came downstairs.
"Boss? Wow, why is it so crowded in here all of a sudden?"
"A little liveliness is a good thing. What's up?"
"Nothing much, Boss. Miss Yuno wanted to know what we're having for lunch."
"You could have just asked me via the link. Everyone here is capable of handling that information." Yuki scanned the room and was suddenly struck by the urge to take a photo. People always talked about "founding teams"—wasn't this his founding team?
"This is a rare opportunity. Eleven, call Yuno down. Let's take a group photo as a souvenir."
...
Yuki: Former human, current Tyranid hybrid, lover of Yuno. Yuno: Hive Mind consciousness, the Great Devourer, lover of Yuki. Ilia & Ilya: Human mutants. Eleven: Human, near-Alpha-level psyker, devout believer in the God-Emperor. Gack: Human, middle-management of the Yuki Gang. Hermit: Astartes, former member of the First Legion (Dark Angels), current Fallen.
Six and a half "people" stood together in a small processing plant in the Underhive and took a group photo. When Eleven looked at the resulting image, her mouth opened, but she said nothing.
Her psychic visions showed her a sliver of the future. This would be their only group photo.
...
"Yuno, what do you think will happen to us?"
Lying in bed later that night, Yuki entered a state of quiet reflection.
"The future? How far ahead are you talking about?" Yuno leaned against him. In this moment, she seemed the more vulnerable of the two.
"A long, long time from now. After everyone we know is dead. When it's just the two of us left."
"Don't be afraid, Yuki. I will never leave you. I swear it by the Centaurus constellation."
"Do we have to do the swearing part?" Yuki joked.
They both laughed, pressing their foreheads together to feel each other's warmth.
"We have so many things to do," Yuno whispered. "You haven't seen the death of a star. You haven't seen a brilliant meteor swarm pass through the Hive Fleet. You haven't seen a fleet that blots out the sun... there are countless things I can do with you."
Yuno's hand traced over Yuki's chest. "We will step toward eternity." Her voice carried a tone of absolute certainty. "I swear it to the stars."
...
A few months later, in the junkyard.
Uninvited guests had found Hermit's former hiding place.
"There are signs of habitation here. They left not long ago."
"We must find him. Make him repent."
"There is an Inquisitor on this planet. we must not reveal our presence."
"It matters not. If necessary, we can reveal ourselves to him. As long as the Legion's secrets remain safe, everything else is acceptable."
As they spoke, a crowd had gathered outside. They were local gang members, watching these intruding strangers with hostility.
"They likely saw our target. They may also be corrupted by Chaos. Keep a few alive for questioning; purge the rest."
"Understood."
Their movements were fast and light. Snapping a man's neck was as effortless as a gentle caress. Their power swords sliced through bodies as if there were no resistance at all. Within seconds, the gang members surrounding the site were obliterated.
The only member who hadn't joined the slaughter crouched on the ground, noticing strange traces.
"Psychic energy... there is a psyker of significant power here. Everyone, proceed with caution."
"Understood."
Highly disciplined, they vanished as silently as they had arrived.