When lightning struck, it rippled through space and time, causing a faint vibration that went unnoticed by any machine. In that fleeting moment, an unlucky student was caught in its path, and their soul was swept into the narrow rift created by the lightning.
Joe was struck down, his life abruptly ended. Yet, his soul slipped through the fragile seam between dimensions, traversing the gap of space and time to arrive in another world. His journey was beyond comprehension, a chaotic blur akin to being torn from reality itself.
But Joe tale was only one fragment of the storm. Far beyond the bounds of his new existence, a betrayal of unimaginable proportions unfolded. When the news first broke, no one believed it. It was like thunder without rain, a distant, impossible sound.
That disbelief shattered when the weapons of former allies roared, their aim turned toward the heart of mankind—Earth itself. Only then did they understand the unthinkable had happened: Warmaster Horus had betrayed the Holy Emperor.
For those who heard it, the betrayal was a scar on their souls. Horus was not just any leader; he was the most trusted of the Emperor's children. During the Great Crusade, it was he who carried the Emperor's banner, bringing victory after victory to the Empire. His name was synonymous with triumph, his loyalty seemingly unshakable. Yet now, that same name struck fear and fury into the hearts of those who once praised it.
Horus's treachery wasn't a solitary act. Half of the Emperor's elite Space Marines, once paragons of loyalty and honor, turned their backs on humanity. Corrupted by the whispers of Chaos, their souls were twisted into instruments of destruction. They turned their formidable guns, once used to protect humanity, toward its annihilation. They marched under Horus's banner with one goal: to kill the Emperor and destroy the human race.
The betrayal was obscene. These warriors had been the pride of humanity, the Emperor's finest. They sailed across the galaxy on starships, landing on alien worlds to crush brutal xenos and bloodthirsty abominations. They were the Emperor's blade, honed to perfection and wielded to carve out humanity's place in the stars. And now, that blade had turned against its master, aiming to pierce the heart of mankind.
Amidst this chaos stood Kayvaan, a veteran of countless battles, his power armor bearing the scars of war. In his hands were "Raven's Talons," lethal weapons integrated into his gauntlets. Sharp, electrified, and unyielding, they were extensions of his will. As he drove the claws into an enemy's helmet, blood sprayed out in a violent arc. A pulse of blue electricity crackled, reducing flesh and bone to ash. The smell of charred remains filled the air, mingling with the acrid tang of blood.
Kayvaan had seen it all before. Death had become a rhythm, as familiar to him as his own heartbeat. The bloodshed was relentless. The Empire's defenses were crumbling under Horus's relentless assault. The once-unthinkable had come to pass: the Warmaster's genius in warfare, once humanity's greatest asset, was now its doom.
Horus's legions had reached Earth. The Emperor's palace was under siege, and humanity bled. Yet even as exhaustion pulled at his body, Kayvaan refused to yield. With a guttural roar, he kicked a corpse into the oncoming enemy ranks, sending bodies sprawling like broken puppets. His power armor hummed with energy as he surged forward, his claws carving through flesh and steel with brutal efficiency.
Blood mist filled the air as Kayvaan tore through his enemies. He moved like a shadow, swift and merciless, a reaper in ornate black armor. Each strike of the Raven's Talons was precise, fatal. No foe could stand before him for more than a heartbeat. He was the Crow Guard's youngest killing master, second only to their leader in close combat. He was death incarnate, unflinching and unstoppable.
But even his unmatched skill couldn't shift the tide. The battlefield was awash in chaos. Space Marines, who had once fought side by side, now slaughtered each other. The bonds of brotherhood forged over centuries had been twisted into hatred and betrayal. Horus's tactical brilliance was unmatched, and he wielded it like a scalpel to tear apart the Empire's defenses.
The horrors didn't end with the traitorous Space Marines. Among the corpses and blood-soaked ground, the enemy performed their vile rituals. The air shimmered with unholy energy, and grotesque demons began to emerge. Mutated beasts, snarling and feral, charged into the fray alongside corrupted Space Marines, their howls blending into a cacophony of rage.
Kayvaan Kael swung the Claw in swift, calculated arcs, cutting down enemies with precision. His calm demeanor masked the grim reality—there were simply too many foes. No matter how many he felled, the enemy seemed invincible, their numbers unending.
The battle was going poorly. No, it was worse than that—it was desperate. The Immortal Wall, their bastion of defense, faced relentless assaults. In the distance, the "Lion's Gate" spaceport had fallen almost instantly. The enemy had secured an ideal landing point, and now their forces poured in like an unrelenting tide. From the chaos, Kayvaan heard a familiar roar from afar: "Victory or death!" The cry was deep, powerful, and carried a mix of sorrow and resolve. It was the battle cry of his brothers in the Raven Regiment.
The brothers who had fought shoulder to shoulder with him were reaching their limit. Their rallying cries weren't just words—they were declarations of defiance, meant to bolster their resolve in the face of annihilation. But deep down, everyone knew the truth. Victory was no longer within reach. All that remained was to face death with honor.
The battlefield was a maelstrom of chaos. Above, the skies were streaked with lines of light—not stars, but tracer rounds from countless anti-aircraft weapons firing relentlessly. The ground shook as these weapons launched torrents of ammunition skyward, weaving together a deadly rain that defied gravity, shooting from earth to sky.
Beyond the clouds, the battle raged in space. The deafening booms from above were not thunder but the unending exchange of artillery fire between warships. High above Earth's orbit, fleets clashed in brutal combat, firing volley after volley in a merciless duel. Warship against warship, cannon against cannon—there was no finesse, only raw firepower. It was a contest of attrition, a brutal test of which side could endure longer.
Explosions lit up the heavens as massive warships were torn apart, their shattered hulks descending toward the planet. These falling behemoths, burning as they entered the atmosphere, looked like enormous meteors streaking across the sky. Occasionally, a battered ship would steer its final descent into the enemy's positions. Inside one such doomed vessel, a helmsman, miraculously still alive, shouted one last time, "For the Emperor!" before slamming into the enemy ranks.
Even such acts of heroism could not turn the tide. The enemy surged forward like a tidal wave, overwhelming all resistance. Despair loomed large as Kayvaan fought his way toward the source of the earlier battle cries. He hoped to reach his brothers, to aid them, even if only a few remained. But pushing forward through a sea of enemies felt like swimming against a river of blood. Soon, the cries fell silent. When he finally glanced toward their source, his fears were confirmed—his brothers had fallen.