Deep within Kayvaan Shrike’s spirit, a different se pyed out. Joe sat ihereal world of pure thought, surrounded by shelves filled with Kayvaan Shrike’s memories. Here, every event of Kayvaan’s life existed as a book. Whenever Joe opened one, he opened a window into Kayvaan’s past.

  The human mind is a strahing. Knowledge is ruly lost—it’s simply mispced, hidden in the byrinth of thought. In this spiritual realm, Joe had access to it all.

  With nothing else to do in this timeless space, Joe spent his days reading. At first, he delved into books about the gaxy and its history, driven by curiosity about this strange new pce. He didn’t know if he’d ever wake up in Kayvaan’s body, but if he did, he wao uand the gaxy he’d find himself in.

  The books were written iiful but unfamiliar characters. Strangely, though he couldn’t reize the script, the knowledge flowed into him effortlessly, as if the words spoke directly to his soul. Each page revealed wonders, horrors, and plexities of a universe far beyond his imagination. Through Kayvaan’s memories, Joe explored a new gaxy—and in doing so, began to see his owen a different light.

  If humanity in Joe's inal world was like a toddler just learning to walk, then in this universe, humanity had grown into a war-hardened veteran, bearing the scars of erials. In Joe's world, human civilization had barely scratched the surface, boasting only 5,000 years of recorded history. But here, humanity carried the weight of a staggering 40,000 years of existence. Su overwhelming span of time, brimming with triumphs and tragedies, made Joe marvel at its gravity.

  In this gaxy, humanity had once been the dominant force. During its golden age, humans unlocked the secrets of navigation, enabling them to traverse vast dista unimaginable speeds. Their ies stretched across the stars, spreading the mark of humanity throughout the gaxy. Yet this golden age was short-lived. The universe soon revealed its horrors—a catastrophic series of storms swept across the gaxy, severing the vital pathways of ielr travel.

  The storms shattered the grand human empire in an instant. Isoted ies, cut off from civilization, began tress. Some were destroyed by alieors, while others vanished entirely. The gaxy desded into chaos. Civil wars erupted, rebellions fred, alien invasions threatened humanity’s survival, and it teetered on the brink of extin.

  Then, everything ged with the arrival of the Emperor of Mankind. This marked the dawn of a new era, one of unity and resurgehe Emperor, a figure of unparalleled charisma, vision, and power, uerra under his rule and fed an alliah the Meiars. The storms subsided, and the pathways of ielr travel reopened. Uhe Emperuidance, humanity rebuilt its ies and expas reach across the stars. The Great Crusade, a 200-year-long campaign, began, with the Emperor leading humanity to recim its lost glory.

  It was a time of legends. Lost ies were recimed, alien empires were subjugated or annihited, and humanity’s dominion reached heights unseen sihe goldehe Emperor’s victories were celebrated on tless worlds, his achievements immortalized in t mos and endless procmations. This was the Imperium’s renaissance, heralded by the Emperor’s vision and unyielding will.

  At the forefront of this age were the Primarchs—the Empereically engineered sons, each a paragon of human potential. These Primarchs ahe Space Marine Legioe transhuman warriors capable of defeatiire armies. Thousands of Space Marines marched uhe banners of their respective Primarchs, waging war in the Emperor’s name.

  Among them, Horus Lupercal stood above the rest. Known as the Warmaster, the Emperor’s chosen general, and the most trusted of his sons, Horus anded half of the Imperium’s military might. He eerless warrior, a masterful strategist, and the architect of tless victories. But his name would forever be entwined with rebellion and treachery.

  Joe, deep in thought, couldn’t help but question the Emperor’s decision. “Why did the Emperor entrust so much power to Horus?” he asked. “Even with the utmost respect for the Emperor, wasn’t this a mistake? Shouldn’t the Emperor have implemented some kind of safeguard for such a massive force?”

  Kayvaan Shrike, who had seen the glory and despair of those days, sighed. “It’s not as simple as it looks, Joe. The Emperor trusted his sons, and Horus was the orusted the most. But you o uand—wars in the Imperium are nothing like wars oh. They don’t happen on a single p or even in a siar system. They’re expeditions spanning the gaxy, with frontlines so far from Terra that tral trol is practically impossible. Decisions otlefield ’t wait for orders from home. It’s like the old days of Earth’s cavalry warfare, where generals had to act without waiting for messeo return from the capital.”

  Kayvaan paused, letting Joe absorb the parison, before tinuing. “Now, repce those horses with starships traveling tens of thousands of light-years. That’s the reality of ielr war. Trust in the generals bees paramount, and Horus was the Emperor’s most capable and trusted general.”

  Joe houghtfully. “I see. But did Horus’s rebellion succeed?”

  “Of course not!” Kayvaan’s voice was firm, his expression resolute. “His Majesty the Emperor is invincible. You doubt this because you haven’t seen what I’ve seen. When you withe memories of my battles, you’ll uand. The Emperor’s presen the battlefield is enough to end any flio for the universe stand against him—not even the so-called gods of Chaos.”

  Kayvaan’s gaze grew distant, his voice softer yet filled with pride. “The days when the Emperor led us were unlike anything you imagine. Victory after victlory upon glory—we crushed every alien ra our path. We extinguished every threat before it could take root. Humanity was destio rule the gaxy. To serve the Emperor wasn’t just an honor—it was the greatest privilege any warrior could hope for.”

  Joe leaned closer, intrigued. “Is there any proof beyond just stories of how powerful the Emperor really was?”

  Kayvaan smirked, as if the question amused him. “Proof? Joe, the Emperor himself is proof. His strength, his will, his vision—those were the pilrs that rebuilt humanity. Once you see for yourself, there won’t be any room for doubt.”

  "Of course, if Horus had won in the end, we wouldn’t even be having this versation."

  "Why?"

  "Because a normal human body—even mine, with all the surgical modifications—’t st thousands of years without falling apart. If my body hadn’t been preserved in the Sanctum of the Honored Dead, we’d have been doomed long ago." Kayvaan Shrike paused as if to gauge Joe's rea. Notig Joe's lingering curiosity, he tinued before Joe could ask another question. "As for knowledge about the Sanctum, you’ll have the ce to look into it yourself ter. Right now, let’s put the books aside and focus on something that actually matters."

  "Something that matters?" Joe tilted his head in fusion.