*Joe will be called as Kayvaan from this point to avoid fusion

  Kayvaan's mind ed as he listened. Memories of the Raven Guard surged within him—images of their incredible power, their legendary victories, their ability to erials no one else could. To him, there was nothing in the gaxy capable of withstanding the Raven Guard's onsught. Their motto, Victorus aut Mortis—Victory or Death—wasn’t just words; it was a decration of their unyielding spirit.

  The founder of the Raven Guard, Corvus Corax, was a rger-than-life figure to Kayvaan. Noble, righteous, and brilliant—every accode Kayvaan could think of fit Corax. Kayvaan respected him only sed to the Holy Emperor. But now, hearing Elizabeth's words, doubt crept in. Could it be true? Could the legendary Raven Guard really have fallen?

  One pert. That number lingered like a shadow in Kayvaan's mind. It wasn’t just daunting—it was horrifying. Such a slim success rate meant it was nearly impossible for the Raven Guard to replenish their forces. Wars bring iable losses, and when repts ’t keep up with casualties, extin bees a certainty.

  And to make it worse, Corvus himself was missing, lost in the darkness of the gaxy. Kayvaan lowered his head and sank into the chair, feeling a weight in his chest.

  Elizabeth noticed his rea, a trace of satisfa flickering in her eyes. Sensing the opportunity, she pressed oone sharp and unfiving. "If it weren’t for your past achievements, this trial wouldn’t have stopped at words. The Inquisition has methods far worse than this—methods you wouldn’t want to experience. Cruelty beyond imagination. So I suggest you cooperate. Otherwise, we might determine you’ve been corrupted by Chaos. And you know what happens then."

  Kayvaan gnced up at her, his voice ft. "Purification?"

  "Yes," Elizabeth replied, her voice chillingly calm. "You’d be buro ashes. And don’t think it takes much to reach that clusion. If I believe you’ve been taihen you’re tainted. I only need a pusible excuse. For instance, your face—it’s clearly not what it used to be. Obviously, you’ve been cursed."

  Kayvaan touched his face, his tone ced with dry humor and doubt. "It’s true my face didn’t look like this before. My skio be darker, rougher. Now it’s pale and smooth, but who could bme me? It’s been housand years since I’ve seen the sun."

  Elizabeth’s lips curled into a sneer. She studied his expression closely, searg for fear, panic, or something to firm her accusations. But she found none. Instead, Kayvaan's demeanor was calm—resigned, even—though there was an undeniable heaviness in his eyes.

  Elizabeth frowned slightly, then adjusted her approach. After a pause, her voice softehough her words remained calcuted. "You should know that your behavior earlier was reckless. Whistling at me during a trial? That oor decision. People being judged usually have the seo show their judges some respect."

  She leaned closer, her tone hardening again. "And don’t fet, Sahrives on indulgend pleasure. Your flippant attitude could easily be interpreted as evidence of corruption. I’ll be doting your behavior iail, a’s just say it could heavily influehe oute of this trial."

  Kayvaan stared at her, incredulous. "You’re telling me I might get buro death because I whistled? And because my face is whiter now?"

  Elizabeth’s reply was cold and serious. "It’s entirely possible. I e from the Ordo Malleus, and I have the authority to decide these matters."

  Kayvaan slumped ba his chair, exasperated. The absurdity of the situatio him momentarily speechless. He knew he had no choice but to py along—for now. Pride and honor could only carry a man so far when faced with the cold reality of the Inquisition.

  Kayvaan's thoughts drifted to his mentor, Kayvaan. They’d been through housand years together, and Kayvaan knew Kayvaan’s unyieldiion to honor. For Kayvaan, honor is my life wasn’t just a motto—it was the very core of his being. Kayvaan respected him deeply for that, but he couldn’t share the same unfling itment.

  To Kayvaan, honor was important, but survival mattered more. Dying for a slogan or an "iron pte," as he often put it, seemed pointless. It was a dangerous mi in this era, where strict adhereo honor and loyalty to the Emperor were noiable.

  He sighed inwardly. If the Inquisition saw him as too "flexible," it could isote him from the Imperium’s power structures. Worse, it could cast doubt on his loyalty—a suspi that would almost certainly lead to his execution.

  The focus of the iigation team wasn't whether Kayvaan was suspected of betraying the Emperor. That idea was absurd, and evewo judges from the Ordo Hereticus oeam saw no reason to question it. A hero from a legendary era, awakened after millennia, turning against the Emperor? It was an unnecessary line of inquiry. The judges uood this well.

  However, loyalty to the Emperor aion to Him as a divine figure were different thiirely. Many Space Marine chapters held steadfast loyalty to the Emperor but stopped short ious fervor. The judges, aware of these historical and cultural nuances, didn't question Kayvaan's loyalty or performahe harsh words and pointed questions hurled during the interrogation had a different purpose—they were driven by Judge Elizabeth’s instrus.

  "The more ing a daemon is, the weaker it tends to be," Elizabeth had expined earlier. "ing makes them clever, but cleverness often masks fear. And fear is a sign of weakness. This is especially true for daemons of Sanesh. Their very essence is rooted in indulgend dece. When those wretched beings find themselves fag humanity's strength, they falter—especially against someone like me, a judge of the Ordo Malleus. When their cover is blowakes over, and their fws are exposed. I need you to strike at him with your words, tear apart his defenses, and push him to fear and ahat’s when I’ll make my judgment."

  One of the Ordo Hereticus judges had raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "So, you're assuming our hero is corrupted by Chaos?"

  "Not assuming—speg," Elizabeth corrected. "I work with the assumption that he is promised, that he is an enemy in disguise. My methods will expose the truth, one way or another. If he's i, he will prove it through his responses. It's a fair process. This isn’t just my way—it’s the way of the Ordo Malleus."

  "Sounds more like a 'guilty until proven i' approach," the judge replied, visibly unfortable. The Ordo Hereticus and Ordo Malleus may both have been arms of Imperial justice, but their methods couldn’t have been more different.

  "Call it what you like," Elizabeth said coldly. "I’d rather err on the side of caution and kill millions by mistake tha one corrupted soul walk free."

  Before meeting Kayvaan, Elizabeth and the team painstakingly phe interrogation. Elizabeth, him through a one-way reflective window, watched his every move, every expression. She had expected a straightforrocess—Space Marines weren’t known for subtlety. Kayvaan was supposed to be an overfident warrior, all strength and no finesse. But the man in the room shattered those expectations.