"Yes, something truly useful," Kayvaan replied. In an instant, a massive suit of jet-bck Mark X power armor materialized over his body. From his fists, razor-sharp cws known as Raven’s Taloended, glinting ominously. "The most useful thing in a universe this dangerous is fighting."

  Without another word, Kayvaan lu Joe. For someone se, his speed was terrifying. Before Joe could eveer what was happening, the steel cierced his chest. A searing cold spread from the wound, quickly followed by a wave of suffog weakness. Death’s grip tightened around him. "Why...?" Joe gasped, his voice barely audible.

  "Don’t look at me like that," Kayvaan said casually, retrag his cws as if nothing had happened. "I was just saying hello. Didn’t expect you to be this fragile, though. It’s disappointing, especially sidering the wealth of bat teiques buried in your memory. Anyway, get up."

  The sensation of dying vanished as quickly as it had e. Joe scrambled to his feet, clutg his chest in disbelief. "I... I’m fine?"

  "Of course, you are," Kayvaan said nontly. "We’re in a spiritual space. Your body isn’t real here, so a bde ’t actually harm you."

  "But it felt so real!" Joe protested.

  "The pain, the cold, the sense of death creeping closer," Kayvaan replied, shrugging. "Those weren’t your feelings; they were mine. I shared one of my past experiences with you. Remember that sensation and learn to avoid it—because iy, it won’t end so nicely. That’s what we’re w toward."

  "Wait," Joe asked, still shaken. "You’ve actually had your heart pierced before?"

  "Yeah," Kayvaan said with a faint smirk. "It was during a brutal battle. If not for the surgery that gave me two hearts, I wouldn’t have made it off that hellish world alive. Enough about me, though. Let’s talk about you. You’re armingly weak. Your reflexes, mental fortitude, and bat experience are all practically ent. How is that even possible? I’ve seen incredible fighting teiques in your memories, and your world seems to pride itself on martial arts."

  Joe coughed awkwardly. "Those... might be from some novels. Fial stories. I’m more of a pacifist, holy."

  "That won’t do," Kayvaan said firmly. "Pacifism is a luxury you ’t afford. In this gaxy, peace is just the pause between wars. Luckily for you, lenty of time. I’ll train you myself. From now on, you’ll call me captain."

  "What are you pnning to—"

  "Careful with your tone, apprentice," Kayvaan cut in.

  Joe sighed. "Alright, captain. What are you pnning to do?"

  "You’re too weak, and weakness has no value to the Imperium. If you want to repce me one day, I’ll o train you—teach you how to fight, survive, and serve the God-Emperor properly. You’re lucky; not everyoo learn from me. Let’s start with the basics: uanding our ons."

  The massive armor vanished from Kayvaan’s body, repced by a simpler, more ceremonial set of garb. Raising his hands, he revealed a pair of sleek, razor-sharp cws glinting menagly uhe light.

  "These are Raven’s Talons, a on crafted by Corax, Primarch of the Raven Guard," he expined, clig the cws together. A sharp metallic screech echoed through the space, sending shivers down Joe’s spine. "Sharp, deadly, and perfectly banced for close-quarters bat. Nothing kills more effitly. Now that you’ve seen them, let’s move on to training."

  In the sciousness space, there was no day ht, no cept of time. Kayvaan had initially tried to track it by sheer estimation, but he gave up once his calcutions reached a thousand years. For both him and Joe, time had bee irrelevant. They didn’t need food or sleep, taking breaks only when exhaustion dema, then diving bato releraining.

  Joe's studies spanned every aspeperial life. Kayvaan was determio teach him everything: the Imperium’s history, its nguage, its s, and its culture. Like a sponge, Joe absorbed this vast trove of knowledge, finding so learning amidst the monotony.

  But the cultural lessons were brief pared to the endless bat drills. Once Kayvaan deemed the academic portion suffit, he poured his energy into honing Joe's fighting skills.

  The training was merciless. Joe's body was torn apart tless times, yet he persisted. Over time, the once-ordinary man began to grow, both in skill and resolve, uhe watchful eye of his captain.

  At first, Kayvaan only taught Joe how to fight with the Raven’s Talons. Under relentless and high-pressure training, Joe made signifit progress. Gradually, he could withstand Kayvaan’s attacks, though not without effort. “Very good,” Kayvaan said, his tone ced with approval. “You’ve grasped the basics of using cws. Although you’re slow to learn and, frankly, not very bright, it doesn’t matter. lenty of time to fix that. Now es my favorite part. This is still about cws, but what I’m about to teach you is entirely different from what you’ve learned so far. Pay close attention. These are my true martial arts.”

  “Wait,” Joe interrupted, blinking. “Are you saying everything I’ve learned so far was just the basics?”

  “Of course,” Kayvaan replied without hesitation.

  “...”

  The days that followed were a blur of grueling battles and torturous lessons. Only then did Joe begin to grasp how truly formidable Kayvaan was. As the training progressed, this realization deepened.

  Kayvaan’s fighting style defied simple expnation. It wasn’t just a colle of teiques—it was an art form born of y and perfected on tless battlefields. His movements were precise, ferocious, and effit, desigo kill with ruthless speed. As Kayvaan often said, "Crows don’t waste time tearing open a chest when a sihrust to the heart will do."

  His bat philosophy mirrored that idea. There were no wasted movements, no unnecessary fir. His attacks were swift and merciless, aimed directly at the enemy’s vital points. These teiques, passed down from Corax himself, had been refined in the fires of unending war. Simple. Effective. Deadly.

  Ohe physical training sessions ended, Kayvaan introduced tactical training. “bat literacy is often more important than bat skills,” Kayvaan expined as they sparred. “Each Chapter of the Space Marines has its own traditions ahods of war. For the Raven Guard, our specialty lies in assassination, sabotage, aru. We excel at operations behind enemy lines. When the opportunity arises, we strike at the enemy’s heart. Decapitation tactics are our bread and butter. There’s no need for us to engage in drawn-out battles to prove our strength. Our job is to elimihe enemy effitly and vanish into the shadows.”

  Joe nodded, his sweat-drenched face refleg his growing uanding.

  Kayvaan tinued, his voice steady and anding. “This is why bat literacy is critical for a Raven Guard. You’ll o know when to strike with purpose and when to bide your time. When to create chaos and when to simply lurk in the shadows, letting your presenaw at the enemy’s hese decisions are yours to make as a leader, and they won’t be easy. You’ll often find yourself deep ierritory, surrounded on all sides. One wrong move could doom your entire mission. It’s not just your life on the line—your decisions could shape the course of aire campaign. Brothers will die because of your mistakes. That’s why intelligend careful judgment are noiable.”