Chapter 24: Lorgar and the Golden Sun

(1/3)

Well, well, another one who thinks everything is going according to plan and can safely sit back and enjoy the show.

Aaron rolled his eyes at Lorgar, looked around, and dragged a chair over.

"Since you have your own plans, I won't stir up any trouble. Let me tell you a story about our father."

Lorgar did not offer much pushback this time, simply nodding.

Aaron cleared his throat and moistened his voice:

"First, you need to understand one thing: he is an absolute bastard. The first day you meet him, you must punch him!"

"You have to promise me this! Guilliman looks far too steady; he’ll probably chicken out. So, I have to rely on you to get revenge for me."

Lorgar frowned. "Revenge? You've mentioned this more than once. What exactly did your father do to you?"

Speaking of this, Aaron began to hold forth:

"When I was a kid, he’d throw me into the river during bath time, and if he didn't see me for half a day, he wouldn't even bother looking downstream."

"He argued with Mother every single day. Whenever he lost an argument, she’d grab him by the hair and drag him into the room to beat him. After losing, he’d look completely exhausted, and on his way out, he’d kick me for no reason."

Lorgar hurriedly stopped him: "That’s just mundane family squabbling. Enough."

He had assumed that father had done something much more drastic—like sacrificial rituals or bargaining away his son to demons, steering his fate toward a predestined tragedy. Such things had happened plenty of times in the dark cultist territories of Colchis. Fathers would offer their sons up for a moment of pleasure or to cure a disease.

"I have no such emotions. When Kor raised me, he only taught me to worship the one, omnipotent True God."

Lorgar did not even notice that his tone was somewhat... envious?

"However, I promise you: if I see your father, I will punch him."

Aaron clenched his fists and jumped off his chair!

"Great! I am truly comforted to see we stand on the same side, my brother."

He didn't care whether Lorgar admitted it or not.

Aaron sat back down and heard the ritual led by Erebus coming from outside the tent. It was a scripture to comfort the departed, a send-off for the brothers who had sacrificed their lives in today's war.

"Lorgar, I think you should be the one leading the ceremony. If this continues, the believers will only remember Erebus."

Lorgar regained his composure and began to pray in his seat:

"May the one True God comfort the departed and protect their souls so they may witness eternal peace, undisturbed."

Only then did he look up:

"This is part of the test for Erebus. As I said, I have my own plans."

Aaron sighed, helpless, and prayed along:

"May you protect them. I don’t know if I count as a god, but I’d like to protect them too."

Lorgar ignored Aaron's irreverence and closed his eyes.

Outside the tent, the ritual reached its most solemn moment. Erebus was already contemplating whether to contact Kaleth to conjure up some light and shadow effects—like clouds parting in the sky and light descending—to demonstrate the response of the one True God when he led the rites. A response that Lorgar would never receive.

However, the cautious Erebus opted for safety; after all, Lorgar was in the tent nearby, and the fluctuations of a demon would surely draw his attention.

Erebus felt a tinge of disappointment, but looking at the expressions of the believers as they followed his prayers, he felt satisfied. At least the objective was achieved.

Erebus shouted aloud:

"One True God! You shall shelter these souls!"

*Hummm—*

A strange sound echoed in the surroundings, and the anxious voice of Kaleth rang in Erebus’s mind:

"This is bad, Erebus! A daemon of the Prince of Pleasure has taken a liking to these souls, and I cannot hold it back."

Erebus hurriedly cursed:

"What are you doing, Kaleth! We agreed you wouldn't interfere!"

Kaleth’s voice carried a hint of schadenfreude:

"It’s an accident, not of my doing. Otherwise, I wouldn't be so happy to come and tip you off. You must make a decision and end the ritual! Your messy invocations of the 'one True God' have truly sent ripples through the warp. Either—"

Kaleth’s voice cut off, yet its desire was already laid bare.

Erebus gritted his teeth:

"Either I let you manifest before them, pretend to be the response of the one True God, and devour these souls, right?"

Erebus’s legs trembled, and he knelt on the ground; the believers assumed he was overcome with emotion. He truly felt the approach of that herald of the Prince of Pleasure.

"Enough. Do it your way. I don't want to fight a herald of the Prince of Pleasure; I don't want to repeat that experience."

Kaleth sounded respectful: "As you command, Erebus. Kaleth serves you."

The Lord of Change searched his memory for various templates of miracles, intending to elevate Erebus to the status of a saint in one go.

*Boom!*

A holy bell tolled. The sacrificed companions began to manifest as souls, their eyes shifting from confusion to clarity as they realized their form of existence. They bid farewell to their comrades, waiting to enter the kingdom of heaven. People who witnessed this miracle knelt one after another; even the ordinary followers who were not devout were forced to marvel and convert.

Erebus felt the gazes upon him—they carried a new, sublime weight. Although it was risky, the effect seemed surprisingly good. Erebus looked warily toward Lorgar’s tent; there was no movement from that side.

"Kaleth, continue. Be prepared; do not let these souls show pain when you devour them. We cannot let anyone see the flaws."

"Kaleth? Kaleth?"

Erebus called out to his partner, but received no reply.

(3/3)

In reality, the souls finished their farewells and their final prayers, but they did not ascend to the sky. Instead, they walked toward Lorgar’s tent, as if that were the kingdom of heaven itself.

"Kaleth, damn you, stop your tricks! Don't make me clean up after your unplanned messes every time!"

"Kaleth! You son of a bitch, what are you doing!"

Erebus cursed, already forming a convenient explanation in his mind: because of his own loyalty to Lorgar, these souls were granted release through his prayers, honoring Lorgar's status as a saint. It would also avoid Lorgar’s suspicion, and the believers would trust him all the more. Ah, his own damned brilliance—always finding the most advantageous side of a chaotic situation. As for Kaleth, he would pluck every one of its feathers later!

The souls, granted rest, walked one by one into the tent toward Lorgar. Lorgar, who had been meditating, was stunned by the sight. Was this an illusion of the Dark Gods, or a revelation from the one True God?

The moment the first soul touched Lorgar, he realized his vision—no, all his senses—had transcended the shackles of his physical body. He arrived in a golden void, surrounded by flames of fury that did not burn him.

A phantom, a silhouette seated high upon a golden throne, permeated every direction of the void, omnipresent. It looked at him:

"My son, Lorgar Aurelian, your brother has found the timeline before the catastrophe."

"You have the right to decide what kind of person to become, rather than the mission I forced upon you. Perhaps this will change that devastated future."

"Return now, return. The city of perfection you dream of shall finally be realized."

In that moment, shrouded by the golden sun, Lorgar believed he was the son of the one True God. Aaron was his brother.

And then, he remembered his promise to his brother and threw a punch!

"You are omnipotent; why not simply create a beautiful world? Why let life suffer in agony, tortured by those dark false gods!"

"Answer me, Father!"

His fist struck the throne, the golden sun shattered, and a corpse, withered to the extreme, was revealed.

"Because I am not omnipotent, nor omniscient, nor am I capable of facing my own mistakes. Lorgar, you are the root of everything; you sustained human civilization through the dark abyss for ten thousand years. Therefore, this story begins to change with you."

"I... apologize to you."

Lorgar was gradually pulled away, failing to hear—

At the end of time, another ancient, mocking voice asked the golden sun:

"Is this your true heart speaking, or just another means to control your son? The Cursed One. You are heartless and ruthless; you will destroy everything in the end. You are the ugliest, filthiest existence among us!"

"Oh, oh, playing the 'sincerity for sincerity' card this time? I truly feel pity for your sons."

The sun remained silent, burning quietly.

Everything returned to calm. Lorgar remained in the posture of throwing a punch.