| Osiris POV |
Seeing that the Tesseract Labyrinth worked like it was supposed to and now feeling assured that his father and brothers were safe, Osiris visibly relaxed and gazed at the greater daemon before him with a resolute gaze.
Aetaos'rau'keres' multiple faces gazed right back at Osiris, and for a fleeting moment, nothing happened. The two of them just faced each other until the greater daemon unleashed a blast of raw psychic energy that flung Osiris back and left him helplessly pinned against the wall of plasteel behind him.
That blast would have outright vaporized him if it wasn't for the sigil increasing the faith energy he wielded into a defensive shield. Osiris sluggishly forced his drained body to move and got himself out of the indent left in the wall caused by his crash into it.
"What a cheap trick," Aetaos'rau'keres murmured in amusement while watching Osiris's struggling body. "To think that of all beings in this galaxy, Anathema chose to use faith. As expected of that thing, a repulsive hypocrite and chronic liar."
Osiris glared in fury at the greater daemon before him and retorted, "The Emperor protects… And keep his name out of those revolting mouths of yours, daemon!!"
"How laughable…"
In that moment, sudden flashes of inexplicable change occurred, and Osiris had no time or ability to react to the sudden flashes of power. He felt his state of self shift into something else. When he came to, in his eyes, or rather, his newfound omnidirectional vision, showed him his own body slumped uselessly on the floor below him.
"Oh, the amount of times I've heard those words from your species… I always loved showing them the truth of Anathema and devouring their tantalizing emotions of despair. I wonder, will you show me the same despair? Oh, pitiful soul…"
Hearing those words and feeling out his current state, Osiris now understood that his soul had been separated from his body. As for the words of the greater daemon, Osiris ignored them as he tried to figure out how to escape whatever spell this was.
"How foolishly brave of you, still believing you have a chance. Did you really think your scheme would succeed against me? Your plans have failed before it even began…"
'What!?! There's no way it could have—' Osiris began to question in alarm but was interrupted.
"What!?! There's no way it could have," Aetaos'rau'keres said out loud, then he let out an echoing, hollow wail of laughter that splintered into a myriad of distinct voices.
"Humans always manage to find new ways to entertain me. Always ignorant… Always naive… Pitiful soul, you really thought I wouldn't notice Anathema's power answering you in that little dimension of yours?
I've seen every possibility of the scheme Anathema passed over to you. Your pathetic attempt at goading me into devouring your soul, thereby allowing Anathema's power within you to poison me. Or perhaps your attempt at becoming a vessel for him using that object on your arm as an anchor.
I've even seen the more preposterous futures in which you tried to drag me down with you by detonating your subdimension. From the beginning, you showed such obvious intentions to drag me down with you."
This time, Osiris's mind began to waver, and Aetaos'rau'keres sensed it, causing his mouths to smile even wider.
"Behold the futility of your actions and their consequences," Aetaos'rau'keres said with revelry as it manipulated the warp inside to create a new reality to suit what it wished to do next.
All around Osiris were multiple possibilities his actions caused in the future, and in every one of them, his actions led to failure and the death of Magnus.
With the imagery it desired completed and seeing Osiris slowly break, Aetaos'rau'keres continued, "In fact, I thank you for making my task so much easier by immobilizing Magnus in that creation of the soulless slaves. I hope you enjoy this bonus gift I give you in return."
Not only was Osiris suspended under Aetaos'rau'keres's control and being forced to watch his failure in every possibility of the future, but he was also being bombarded by throes of agony, fear, sorrow, and despair. The kind of throes that manifest in someone when their life is taken by another, but in this case, it was far worse because these throes came from the death of every person he witnessed in the possibilities, every death he died in these possibilities, and from specially chosen souls from the multiple planets Aetaos'rau'keres had devoured and assimilated into himself.
This torment of experiencing moments before death one by one withered down his will and the faith energy left in his soul. In a matter of seconds, Osiris couldn't tell whether the screams he heard belonged to the people whose deaths he was experiencing or if they were his own.
"Take a good look at what comes next," Aetaos'rau'keres whispered into Osiris's fracturing mind. "I've taken great care to make sure that you can, it wouldn't be fun if you broke too quickly. Now then, watch carefully as I tear open the subdimension and kill your father before you."
The surrounding space began to quiver from the next action of Aetaos'rau'keres, who started expending immense quantities of psychic energy on a fixed point in the air.
Osiris watched helplessly as the fabric of the subdimension was forced to appear and began to crack from the onslaught of energy from the greater daemon. A few moments later, a small tear formed in the subdimension and was immediately widened.
"Ahh… I want you to observe as I—," Aetaos'rau'keres's preening stopped due to not seeing what he had expected inside the subdimension. There was no sign of the Tesseract Labyrinth holding Magnus; it was just an space with a few objects and bound lesser daemons.
"W-What's… wrong, daemon?" Osiris rasped mockingly despite his excruciating pain. "YoU s-say the scheme faailled, y-you aare blind j-just as tthe Emperor said."
Aetaos'rau'keres temporarily halted the torment of Osiris's soul and drew it closer. Osiris was now face to face with Aetaos'rau'keres's original face that reemerged above the countless others.
"Speak clearly, slave," Aetaos'rau'keres snarled while attempting to glean Osiris's memories. "Answer swiftly and your death will be granted as so. Refuse and not only you, but every living being on this ship, will be subjected to torment that not even Slaaneshi daemons can endure."
Osiris let out ragged gasps, trying as if to reclaim air that he could no longer feel or needed.
Aetaos'rau'keres observed Osiris closely, and once he felt that his slave had been given enough time to regain the ability to speak, it resumed its torture of Osiris, but not to the point where he would struggle to talk like before.
Seeing the shimmering anger in the greater daemon and its growing unease, Osiris let out a loud cynical laugh. Osiris's laughter barely continued for two seconds before he felt a lash of energy strike his soul, stopping his laughter. However, that action did not stop the scorning smile full of malice being presented through his soul.
"The plan never failed once," Osiris began to say in a tone full of contempt. "Everything you claim to have seen was, in fact, true. It was how you were going to die and in your own delusions. You believed just knowing about it would stop it from happening!?! NO, your fate is inevitable, daemon!!"
Fury started to cloud Aetaos'rau'keres as he raged internally, 'This thing must be lying to me!! I've seen it all and done everything, starting with obscuring everything on this ship from the warp. I've locked this slave of Anathema's and weakened the very essence of his soul to prevent Anathema from taking action. My actions just now have laid the subdimension bare to me; it is now firmly in my control. I'm sure of it… This is just a bluff, an attempt—'
"This is just a bluff, an attempt—" a voice said out loud.
Unnerved at its own move being used against it, Aetaos'rau'keres hurriedly struck Osiris's soul, almost completely destroying it, and it distanced itself from Osiris. Once at a safer distance, it roused up a deadly storm of psychic energy imbued with howling souls. This was a strike that it was sure would erase Osiris's soul from all existence.
Wasting no further time, Aetaos'rau'keres hurled the deadly mass of energy at Osiris. It observed closely in apprehension as its attack hit Osiris's soul.
At the precise moment the attack hit, Aetaos'rau'keres perceived a weird, weak fluctuation of energy that briefly appeared, but then became stronger by the millisecond.
'This energy… NO!! This signature is—'
"W-would you like to know the answer to what's occurring, daemon?"
All of Aetaos'rau'keres's anger, humiliation, and unease now turned into a growing sense of dread. It could not fathom why Osiris, who should have been helpless in its grasp, was now displaying unbelievable power.
It should not be possible; it had done everything to prevent every possibility from coming true. So why is it that Anathema's power on Osiris is increasing?
Aetaos'rau'keres didn't dare reply back, as it was too busy trying to make sense of this occurrence. Though its silence answered for it, because despite its fear, it truly wanted to know.
"Every possibility you saw," Osiris kindly explained sarcastically, "was a different part of the plan, and you, in your arrogance, falsely assumed you avoided it all. The Emperor predicted all your predictions and freely handed you all that you know. And with that knowledge, you yourself became the architect of your own demise. Thank you, daemon, for being so predictable."
"LIES!!" Aetaos'rau'keres shrieked in disbelief and terror. "ONLY THE DARK GODS OR ANATHEMA COULD PRY SO FAR INTO TIME AND PREDICT MY ACTIONS. ALL OF THEM ARE LOCKED IN A FIGHT WHERE EVEN A MOMENT'S DISTRACTION WOULD DOOM THEM. THERE'S NO OTHER BEING THAT CAN DO SO, THIS—"
Aetaos'rau'keres abruptly stopped and let out a relieved sigh, then with growing confidence he continued.
"I see what this is, it's nothing but a trick. An illusion made by the last bits of Anathema's power present within this ship. I'll admit, slave, you almost succeeded in—"
"Almost succeeded?" Osiris repeated. "We have succeeded, and you are pathetically trying to believe otherwise."
'We?' Aetaos'rau'keres wondered in confusion.
"Let me tell you something, I never needed to become a vessel for the Emperor because I already am one. And know this…"
'Noo… NO! NO!! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!!'
"He is already here, daemon."
"I am already here, Aetaos'rau'keres."
Aetaos'rau'keres' faces turned in the direction where the second voice came from. Osiris's body, which should have been lying on the ground, was now standing tall, covered in burning flames that incinerated everything around it, including the body itself.
The glare from those piercing blue eyes engulfed in blazing golden flames clarified everything to Aetaos'rau'keres. Anathema was here, and not as a mere possession; a part of his soul was present. Even though it was just a small part of Anathema's soul, it was more than enough to erase part of it forever.
So, with not only its plan in ruins but also facing the greatest enemy of the warp, Anathema, Aetaos'rau'keres mustered up all his strength and unleashed all his power in a desperate attempt to delay Anathema, even if it was for a second.
After all, among the daemons of chaos, the amount of daemons that can put up a fight against Anathema without dying in mere seconds, besides the Four, could only be counted on two hands. As for Aetaos'rau'keres, it was not among those rare few, so like any sensible daemon who lacked the absolute support of its master, it fled.
It teleported itself multiple times to different locations in the warp, desperately trying to escape Anathema. However, later on it would learn that even its cowardice in fleeing had been accurately predicted too.
Back aboard the Photep, Osiris's soul beheld the astonishing sight of a greater daemon fleeing in fear.
"As expected of a Tzeentchian daemon, always ready to flee when an uncounted variable appears in their endlessly useless schemes."
Hearing the Emperor's voice, Osiris tried to kneel by instinct only to realize again that he was no longer in his body and had already died. As for his body, it had become a vessel that the Emperor used to act and speak to him.
"You've done well, Osiris. I placed you in a vulnerable position where even the slightest mess up would have allowed Aetaos'rau'keres to see through the bluff. I apologize for being helpless at the time Aetaos'rau'keres effectively killed you and tortured you."
"No, My Liege!!" Osiris hurriedly replied. "You have always done more than enough for all of us, you need not apologize for any action of yours. Moreover, it is my duty to serve you and carry out your will. It was only through your immense power and intellect that a greater daemon could be so easily tricked and chased off."
"Don't downplay your role. I showed you your own death and the torment you'd suffer after it. It takes immense courage to face a greater daemon while knowing you will die and that if you messed up once during the act, everything will collapse, leading to the deaths of your father, Magnus, and your legion. Take pride in what you've done; not many in this galaxy can boast that they fooled a greater daemon of Tzeentch."
Osiris felt warmth like no other bloom in his soul at the Emperor's praise, and he replied, "Thank you for your kind words, My Liege."
The Emperor who inhabited Osiris's body nodded in approval and then continued, "Now then, since Aetaos'rau'keres has fled, the spell should be completed soon. The Tesseract Labyrinth did indeed land in the hands of Chief Librarian Maibe, and very soon your successor, Chaplain Anubis, will unlock the Tesseract, freeing Magnus and the others. In the Emperor's name I promise you that Aetaos'rau'keres will not retreat unscathed from this. It will soon have a run in with the Emperor."
'In the Emperor's name?' Osiris questioned, feeling that that statement was not right.
"You are correct to think that. Aetaos'rau'keres was right about one thing. The Emperor had no ability to interfere, so I, his associate, acted in his place. You will learn more about me depending on your answer.
The war to save humanity extends far beyond what you can imagine. To fight these wars that occur in silence, special soldiers are needed. Ones that can fight continuously, souls possessing strong wills that can bear the weight of the Emperor's wrath.
Osiris… He will not force you into this. This is but a request where there is no right or wrong nor judgment of any kind. Do you wish to enter true death, or are you willing to join the Legion of the Damned? A legion of the departed that continue the Emperor's will, loyal souls that endlessly fight the darkness of daemons in order to defend the light of the still living."
Without hesitation, Osiris answered, "Since I first saw the Emperor's light and pledged my eternal loyalty to him, I felt despair at the fact that a lifetime of service was not enough. Nowhere near enough to ease his burden even by the slightest margin. So to your gift I say…"
Staring straight into the eyes of the one inhabiting his body, Osiris loudly declared, "I accept!! There is no greater honor than this!! Even in death, I shall serve his will and dream!!!"
Although Osiris couldn't see it, he could tell the one he was speaking with was smiling, and what was said next only confirmed it.
"What a lovely child of mine you are. I will guide your soul to the Emperor's domain and see to it that the Bell of Lost Souls is rung in your honor. Furthermore, in the recently completed Sanctuary of Heroes on Terra, you will be the first to be enshrined."
'What an honor,' Osiris thought absentmindedly. 'To think the Bell of Lost Souls would be rung for me… I still remember the day when the Tower of Heroes was completed and capped atop it was a colossal bell nearly the size of a titan. It was to only be rung when the greatest of the Imperium's heroes perish.
And not just the bell, for me to be the first enshrined in the Sanctuary of Heroes. Compared to the others, am I really worthy? How can I… No, I mustn't think like that. This is a decision made by the Emperor and the one before me; it is an insult to question their decision.'
"Good, take care not to keep questioning your own worth. You spent all that time telling off your trainee Karnis only to end up doing it yourself. Well, joke aside, my child, it is time to go now. Today won't be the last time you work with your legion."
Although Osiris was befuddled by the honor granted to him and the odd words of the one before him, he still recollected and readied himself for the continuation of his service in the name of the Emperor.
At the same time Osiris and the Emperor's associate left, the modified nexus spell was finally completed. The Photep and Chaeronia were now back in realspace far in the galactic north of Terra in what would one day be called Segmentum Obscurus.
Inside the Photep, Maibe was sprinting towards the last known location of Chaplain Anubis. In his hands he held a cube tightly; he didn't know what this object was, but Osiris had left words on it saying that it was imperative to have it opened to save their father, Magnus.
Maibe trusted Osiris with his life and readily believed that whatever he said must be true, so following that message, Maibe finally reached Chaplain Anubis and the company under his command. He informed Anubis of what all he knew, but didn't quite understand Anubis's expression of shock and mourning.
To Anubis, what Maibe just said told him that Osiris was dead, because only the High Chaplain has access to the Tesseract Labyrinth. It was only upon the High Chaplain's death that authority is automatically passed down; it was a system set in stone by the Emperor's power.
Suppressing his sorrow, Anubis quickly chanted the oath that allowed him access into the subdimension. He was horrified to see the giant tear in it and the cracks of instability in the subdimension. Not wanting to be present if it collapsed, he moved quickly and picked up the secondary command bracelet for the Tesseract.
Anubis returned to his previous position next to Maibe and activated the Tesseract; Magnus, Thutek, and ten terminators of the Sekhmet appeared. The Space Marines present looked on in panic at Magnus's injuries and wanted to quickly apply aid to him.
But Magnus listened to no one and stopped for no one. Without delay, he teleported to hangar bay 9, the exact location he had been trapped in the Tesseract Labyrinth by Osiris. What should have been a spacious hangar with ships and a floor was now a great crater that stretched across many walls and floors both up and down.
Magnus hovered in the air closely observing everything. He detected the lingering sinister signature of Aetaos'rau'keres and the ever-burning signature of his father the Emperor. Scanning the crater further, he found what was left of who he was looking for.
A broken, discarded Chaplain's helmet rested under a bit of collapsed plasteel. Magnus carefully lifted the collapsed plasteel with his telekinesis and pulled the helmet into his hand. Taking another look around the crater, he noticed a fragment of plasteel flooring that had an odd burn mark seared onto it.
Magnus investigated it and quickly reached a conclusion: his father somehow aided him again by using Osiris as a proxy. And now Osiris's body had become an ash mark on this flooring due to the amount of power his father had to use in a body not meant to wield such power.
Peering deeply around the Photep and taking in the high casualties, then looking at the helmet of his brave son held in his hand, Magnus felt his hearts become hollow and his eyes become hot. Soon he felt something go down his cheek.
What started as one became many as his tears for his sons refused to end anytime soon. To Magnus, this was his fault for not preparing enough. He believed he could have done more.
Over time, other Space Marines who were desperately trying to find Magnus filed into the crater, and they all fell silent. Many among those present recognized the helmet of Osiris held in Magnus's hand and felt sorrow. Osiris was beloved by all throughout the legion for his great character, leadership, and his words during counseling.
Seeing the death of one they treasured and their own father weep, their own hearts became hollow at seeing their father weep, and so behind their helmets they wept too. Altogether, as one, the Crimson Arbiters mourned in bitter silence for Osiris and their fallen brothers, and many of those present swore they heard a bell tolling a hero's end.
-To Be Continued...
(A/N: I waas originally going to add the MC's part in here to complete the explanation of how the scheme worked, but I felt that switching from 3rd pov to 1st pov would be kinda weird even if I created a chapter break and eased into it.)