In the depths of a cavern, Fabius Bile, having reverted to his human form, was crying. He remembered his past and was filled with immense regret.
He could also recall the oath he took when the Emperor found him among the stars and brought him back to the Imperium. Fabius Bile returned to the human empire, but the legion created from his gene-seed was small and dwindling. To invigorate his legion, Fabius gathered everyone and announced his command.
"We are the sons of the Emperor. We must let all those who look down on us know this fact. We are perfect warriors who will not fail the expectations of the Emperor. We never fail!"
The Emperor was moved by their declaration, granting them a unique honor: the Legion of the Emperor's Children was allowed to decorate their breastplates with the Imperial Aquila.
Fabius still remembered the scene of that oath to this day.
However, everything changed after the Horus Heresy. Chaos crafted a delicate plot against Fabius. The sword he captured and used during the Great Crusade contained a mighty daemon of Chaos. From the moment he acquired that sword, the daemon began whispering to him, eroding his mind.
Horus, having his morals twisted by the Chaos Gods, sought out Fabius first. Initially, Fabius did not want to betray, but the long-term corruption by Chaos and his friendship with Horus eventually led Fabius to join the rebellion.
The destruction Fabius caused went far beyond that, spreading from him to the officers of his legion, and eventually corrupting much of the Emperor's Children. Later, under the control of the Chaos daemon, Fabius killed another primarch, Ferrus Manus, beheading him.
Killing his own brother drove Fabius further into madness. He completely fell during a mental breakdown.
After Horus was defeated by the Emperor, who was critically wounded and had to enter the Golden Throne, Guilliman took over as the Regent of the Imperium. Fabius once again, during a battle, critically wounded Guilliman, cutting his throat, forcing Guilliman to enter a stasis field to survive.
Killing one and wounding another were once Fabius's proud achievements, but now they are his nightmare. Remembering all this, the Emperor's Child gene-seed quietly sobbed. His silver hair spread over the stone bed, the figure overwhelmed with grief.
He couldn't forgive himself for what he had done. He couldn't face the Emperor who had saved him, nor could he face Guilliman standing before him. He covered his face with a blanket, overwhelmed by shame.
The Emperor sighed softly. The Lord of Mankind opened his mouth but was at a loss for words. Finally, the Emperor said, "Fabius, rise. I need your strength."
"...And I will serve you once again, Father." Fabius finally composed himself. His face still had tear stains, but the gene-seed of the Emperor's Child, always striving for perfection, quickly recovered, just like when the Emperor first found him.
Fabius would not allow any flaw in himself. He tried to show respect and seriousness, but when he saw Guilliman standing before him, his pale and handsome face still showed shame: "I... I'm sorry, Guilliman..."
Saying this, Fabius's expression was as if he were being cut by a knife, overwhelmed with endless pain. He remembered the moment he beheaded Ferrus and mocked Guilliman mercilessly, eventually cutting his throat.
The painful memories almost suffocated him.
"Oh! No!" Guilliman's eyes filled with tears as he rushed forward to embrace Fabius tightly: "Welcome back! My brother!"
A warmth filled Fabius's eyes. The gene-seed of the Emperor's Child stood still for a moment, then patted Guilliman's back twice: "Thank you... thank you."
A few words were more powerful than a thousand words.
"Welcome back! My brother!" Angron also laughed heartily and embraced Fabius: "How does it feel to be back?"
"Not good. It's been a nightmare for ten thousand years, a stain on my life I will never forgive myself for. But I'm ready. I will atone for my actions." Fabius gradually regained his composure, hugging Angron while firmly patting his back: "Damn, you're here. After you disappeared, Khorne was furious, saying whoever brought your head to him could..."
"Directly ascend to Daemon Prince, right?" Angron said helplessly: "We've heard this from Magnus before."
"Damn, it was after hearing Magnus's communication, saying we needed to send Guilliman back to his crystal sarcophagus, that I led my men to the agreed location." Fabius took a towel from a custodian's hand, wiping his face hard: "He must have been turned back like Angron, right? Where is he?"
"He's sitting on the Golden Throne." The Emperor said indifferently: "Atoning for his foolishness."
"Oh, that's a good idea, at least Father doesn't have to sit on the Golden Throne anymore." Fabius stretched out his hands, parting his silver hair down the middle and draping it over his shoulders: "So, am I the third one?"
"We might find it difficult to pull Mortarion out of the Eye of Terror. Angron and Magnus's successive disappearances made Nurgle anxious, so he strictly ordered Mortarion not to leave the Eye of Terror." The Emperor nodded lightly, his tone very cold: "I'm not yet ready to deal with Perturabo's Iron Cage, so you're probably the last one for now."
"Looks like my luck isn't bad, now I'm back." Fabius nodded, his eyes still showing some shame, but from his demeanor and tone, the once perfection-seeking Primarch of the Emperor's Children had returned: "Can you tell me what's going on, Father?"
The Emperor's gaze held many memories, and he eventually nodded, explaining the circumstances to Fabius, including the existence of Ryan: "He is the last gift Magnus left me."
"Hello, my brother." Fabius shook hands with Ryan, his demeanor exuding perfect etiquette and manners. His face showed a trace of gratitude: "I don't want to say much, but I will prove everything with my actions."
"I look forward to it, brother." Ryan smiled, feeling somewhat awkward before Fabius's perfect posture. The brother before him was different from Angron and Guilliman; he naturally didn't seem as approachable.
After putting on a set of custom-made noble attire, Fabius exuded an almost perfect noble demeanor. He buckled his belt, tied his necktie, and straightened his collar.
After dressing, Fabius looked somewhat downcast: "Father, may I ask you something?"
"Speak."
"I know your power is to resurrect... I want to know, can Ferrus and the others come back?" Fabius ventured to ask. Hearing this question, Angron and Guilliman looked at the Emperor's majestic figure with hopeful eyes.
But they were to be disappointed this time as the Emperor shook his head lightly, his voice very soft: "It's been ten thousand
years."
Yes, it's been ten thousand years. The four Primarchs present sighed.
Fabius's face showed only sadness. Killing Ferrus with his own hands and critically injuring Guilliman were always his nightmares: "I am truly unforgivable. I owe you and everyone so much, Father."
"Then I need your strength, Fabius. You will accompany me to the south of Tilea."
"There lies an ancient relic. This time, we won't trouble Ryan. It might not be the right time for you to return to the Imperium... I can't stay here for long, and there are things I need you to handle."
"At your command, Father."
...
When the Baron returned to his domain, he was treated as a returning hero. The domain was decorated with lights and banners, and people cheered joyously for the Baron's victorious return and another victory for the kingdom.
The peasants didn't think too much about it. The ignorant people also had their virtues. The Baron was a Grail Knight, and whatever a Grail Knight did was right. As long as a Grail Knight went on a campaign, he would surely win. This was the consensus among the kingdom's people.
Although this wasn't always the case, the peasants never thought too deeply. They knew the Baron had eliminated the Red Duke and his army, and the hard-won good days would no longer be disturbed by the undead.
In early summer, the fields were all green. Ryan rode his warhorse straight through the roads, his silver psychic power armor and the Grail Knight badge on his chest denoting his identity.
"Good day, Baron!"
"My respects, Baron!"
"Good afternoon, Baron."
"Hello, everyone!" Ryan politely greeted his people. The head of the Red Duke bounced along with the warhorse's steps.
In the distance, the Baron's castle stood tall on the land. It seemed he had returned early; Francois's army had not yet arrived in the Jean domain. Ryan trotted alone into his castle.
The people in the castle had already heard of his return. The lady knight, wearing the standard uniform of a Marchioness, greeted him happily: "Ryan, you're back!"
"Yes, I'm back, Sulia." Ryan dismounted, seeing Sulia's beautiful figure, his face full of smiles. The Grail Knight opened his arms, allowing Sulia to rush into his embrace for a full hug.
"You're safe, that's wonderful, Ryan." Sulia gently leaned on Ryan's chest, speaking softly: "I've been worried about you, especially after Veronica returned. She said you, Gerard, Alfred, and Miss Theresa stayed behind to cover the retreat..."
"It went relatively smoothly, but the process was anything but easy." Ryan held the lady knight in his arms, feeling a bit sad: "Alfred and Gerard were injured, especially Theresa. She overused her magic to cover our retreat and has now fallen into a coma."
Sulia looked worriedly at Ryan: "Miss Theresa will be alright, won't she?"
"It shouldn't be too serious; she just needs a few months of rest." Ryan shook his head with a bitter smile, holding the lady knight's soft hand as they walked into the castle together: "By the way, where are Veronica and the others?"
"Miss Veronica returned to the Baron's domain a few days ago with her team. She, along with Estelle, Dais, and Mr. Abel, and two witch hunters, returned to the domain. They all have some injuries, but nothing too serious." Sulia spoke gently: "I've already paid the witch hunters their rewards. Mr. Estelle and Mr. Dais will be granted leave. As for Miss Veronica, she's currently continuing to supervise the progress of her wizard's tower."
"A hardworking woman." Ryan knew Veronica all too well; she was always like this. If Ryan was by her side, she would occasionally stop to enjoy moments of tenderness, but as soon as Ryan was away, she worked like a machine that never stopped.
"Are you going to work that hard too, Ryan?" Sulia asked with a faint smile: "Your bath has been prepared. Your dark elf maid, Olica, is waiting for you in the bathroom."
"Alright." Ryan nodded repeatedly. After a long battle, a dangerous infiltration, a hard fight, and the draining process of purifying Fabius, Ryan indeed felt exhausted.
Fifteen minutes later, in the castle's bathroom.
Thick steam filled the air as Ryan relaxed his body into the hot water, breathing deeply. This campaign had added a few minor wounds to his robust body, but they healed quickly. The sound of water, white tiles, a large bathtub, and the lion sculpture water outlet were masterpieces of the Winfort court craftsmen.
The water was clear, gently rippling in the tub. Outside the window, the mountains rose and fell, shrouded in mist. The early summer breeze brushed through the leaves on the boulders in the valley, contrasting with the blue waters of the Shennon River. In the bathroom, the dark elf sat behind Ryan, scrubbing his back. Her black waist-length hair covered her shoulders and her wheat-colored skin. Her delicate hands held a towel, and she wore a black and white maid's outfit, but because they were in the bathroom, the dark elf had taken off her stockings, revealing her tender legs and bare feet: "Master~"
"Olica, has there been any trouble at home during this time?" Ryan enjoyed Olica's service comfortably.
"No, Miss Sulia has been very kind and gentle to all of us. She's handled everything very well."
"That's good." Ryan nodded, confident in his choice of Sulia.
"But..." The dark elf seemed hesitant.
"But what?" Ryan turned and kissed Olica on the lips.
"Recently, Princess Morgiana hasn't been in the best of moods. I can tell she's restraining herself, but... Master, I think you should see her." The dark elf tentatively suggested: "Because... I can tell she really wants to talk to you."
"I was planning to see her after my bath to report on this mission, but before that~" Ryan grinned and reached out his hand.
Screams from the dark elf and splashing water sounds came from the bathroom. Then, the noise gradually diminished until it was barely audible...
Updated! Today's free, let's get high!
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