The Imperial strike team struggled through the aurora storm. Captain Grek's meltagun obliterated a crystalline Khorne daemon, but the diamond dust in the storm reshaped into Eldar Banshees. They sang Aetherlyn's elegy, shooting violet beams from their fingers that pierced through the chests of three squad members.
"Take cover!" Grek dove into a rock crevice and found that the bodies of the fallen were beginning to crystallize. Scout Norma suddenly screamed—her pupils reflected the figure of Susan. The one-armed woman was sprinting through the crystal forest a hundred meters away, her mechanical arm emitting bursts of violet energy.
"That's no human!" Grek aimed his gun but saw Susan turn toward him through the scope. Her right eye was entirely crystalline, while her left eye wept blood. "Run… It's waking…"
The Banshees' shrieks drowned out her warning. As Grek pulled the trigger, the melta flames collided with the aurora beams, creating a rainbow bridge that spanned the battlefield.