The door creaked open before the clergymen could respond. A figure entered, cloaked in bck robes, their face hidden within the shadows of a hood. Their calm voice broke the tension. "Please don’t take offense, Kayvaan. Their i is not to treat you poorly," the figure said. "We know of your tributions, yacy. You are a hero of the Imperium."

  "Then what’s with these two?" Joe snapped, pointing to the clergymen. "They’re grilling me like a criminal!"

  The figure pulled back their hood, revealing themselves. "That’s their job," she said calmly. "I am Inquisitor Elizabeth, and I hold the highest authority here. You’ll ao me now."

  Joe blinked, momentarily taken aback. Elizabeth’s long, golden hair framed a striking face, her sharp blue eyes cold and unfeeling, like shards of ice. Despite her beauty, her severe expressio no room for warmth or passion. "Well, well," Joe muttered with a pyful whistle. "What a serious face. You’re quite the beauty, though I’d wager smiling isn’t your strong suit."

  Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed, her voice cutting through the air like frost. "Such frivolity is unwise, Kayvaan. If I were you, I’d refrain from whistling at an inquisitor. It borders on heresy."

  Joe smirked, spreading his hands in mock surrender. "And who, exactly, are you people? What gives you the right to question me? Before yreat-grandparents were even born, I was the Emperor’s knight and captain of the Raven Guard. What authority do you have over me?"

  Elizabeth didn’t flinch. Her lips twitched into a faint, humorless smile. "Ynorance isn’t surprising," she said, her tone ced with sarcasm. "I’d thought the reach of anization was known throughout the gaxy, but apparently not."

  "Sorry, I’ve never heard of this anization. The Inquisition? Sounds like a legal institution."

  “housand years is a long time,” Inquisitor Elizabeth replied calmly. “During those housand years, the Imperium has undergone many ges. You’ll ime to adapt, assuming you pass our evaluation.” Her tone greer as she tinued, "For your cooperation, I think it’s necessary to give you a brief introdu. The Ordo Hereticus deals with those who betray the Emperor; they will assess your loyalty. Meanwhile, the Ordo Malleus, which I represent, handles daemons born of y task is to determine if you are tainted by it.”

  Joe tensed. His voice rose as he smmed his hand oable. "I fought to the death against Chaos on behalf of the Emperor! I stood as a shield for Corax, taking the blows meant for him. I fell with honor otlefield, and now, after awakening, you treat me like a traitor? Do you think I’m someone who would betray the Emperor—or worse, one of those Chaos daemons? This is absurd!" His fear, though masked by anger, arent. “And daemons corrupted by Chaos don’t rials! You tell them apart just by looking at them!”

  Elizabeth didn’t flinch. Her cold expression remained unshaken. “Sir Kayvaan, tell me—how much do you truly know about Chaos daemons?”

  Joe, fuming, sat down heavily. “Not muor do I o. I know their necks are ots, and if you strike hard enough, they die. That’s all I o deal with them.”

  Elizabeth’s tone sharpened. “Then you know nothing. Sihe Horus Heresy, the Imperium has lived in stant turmoil. Chaos daemons are reatest enemies, having corrupted half of the Adeptus Astartes. After Horus's defeat, they retreated into the Eye of Terror, waging war against the Imperium even now. Tell me, do you uand that these forces have persisted sihe war you fell in?”

  Joe hesitated befiving a slow nod.

  “You don’t uand,” Elizabeth pressed. “These bastards, tainted by Chaos, have been a thorn in the Imperium’s side for housand years. During your long slumber, they’ve waged tless skirmishes against the forces of the Imperium, with occasional rge-scale flicts. But war isn’t their most dangerous on.” She leaned forward slightly, her gaze pierg. “Their most insidious threat is how Chaos itself corrupts. Even those with strong resolve fall prey, seduced and trolled by Chaos. These daemons don’t always show their true forms. Some are hideous and unmistakable, yes, but others disguise themselves as loyal servants of the Imperium. They hide among us, pretending to be our allies.”

  Elizabeth’s voice grew fervent, almost reverent. “No one be trusted. We must remain vigint, sparing no effort to root out aroy these creatures until all sves of Chaos are purged.”

  Joe gave a dismissive shrug. “Sounds like the enemy has gotten smarter. So what?”

  “No matter how ing the prey, the hunter always finds it.” Elizabeth’s eyes gleamed with iy as she focused on him. “And you, Sir Kayvaan—your curse from Sanesh is clear as day. Even your appearance has ged. The curse has turned you from a Space Mario…a pretty boy. For the love of the Emperor, I hate pretty boys.” She paused, her voice dripping with disdain. “You’ve been cursed, perhaps altered. For all we know, a daemon could be lurking within you, wearing Kayvaan Shrike’s skin.”

  The sound of metal ing filled the room as Joe smashed his fist through the table. His voice thundered, “You wretch! Who are you to accuse me of this? You dare speak this way to a captain of the Raven Guard? Do you even uand the weight of your accusations? Yes, I bore the curse, but it’s gone now! I’ve recovered! I am still a captain of the Raven Guard!” His voice shook with fury and disbelief. “You base this oion? How dare you?”

  Elizabeth raised a single brow at the ruiable but remained unfazed. Her voice was calm yet unyielding. “As long as Chaos taint is involved, I have absolute authority. Here, I am above the ws of the Imperium. Until your purity is firmed, yhts are suspended. Your past deeds, your tributions to the Imperium, your status—none of it matters here. Oh, and the Raven Guard?” She leaned closer. “They’re still active, but the Chapter is a shadow of what it once was. Your title holds little sway in this new age.”

  “What?” Joe's voice trembled with shock. “The Raven Guard wouldn’t let that happen! That’s impossible!”

  Elizabeth's voice was cold and deliberate as she spoke. "After the Horus Heresy, the Raven Guard suffered immense losses. Though they ehey are undeniably dimihey ck the numbers and resources of their former strength. Even their gene-seed was tainted after Corax’s desperate experiments to rebuild their numbers during the Great Sc."

  Her pierg gaze fixed on Joe as she tinued, "Do you uand what that means? Those experiments led to horrific mutations, f Corax to destroy many of his owions. Their losses and the Imperium’s inability to restore their gene-seed have left the Chapter weakehey fight valiantly, but the glory of the Raven Guard you remember is a thing of the past."