Kayvaan sighed, leaning ba his chair, his thoughts heavy. Pleasure was dangerous—temptatiht ruin, a siren song for the damned. His body, marked by the taint of Sanesh, the Dark Prince of Excess, ensured he was always under suspi. The Inquisition’s uing gaze followed him like a predator in the dark. For now, caution was his shield—a lesson lear great cost.

  ‘Perhaps things will improve when I leave the Segmentum Sor’, Kayvaan mused grimly. ‘At least there, I might savor a meal without fanatics g heresy and seeking te me for “indulgence.”’ His eyes settled on Darius, who stood before him with naive eagerness. The boy, sht-eyed and trusting, made Kayvaan’s gut twist with relut pity.

  “The gene-sis are in,” Kayvaan said softly, though the weight of his words lingered like a funeral dirge. “You’re a match. There’s no sign of reje; the impntation process should proceed without plications.”

  “Truly?” Darius almost leapt from his seat, excitement igniting his features. He paced like a caged beast, uo tain himself. “I k! I knew I could do it. This is my ce!”

  Kayvaan offered a faint, weary smile at the boy’s exuberance. “It surprises me, if I’m ho. Feirants e from noble. Most recruits hail from death worlds or hive slums where survival breeds strength. The fact that you passed is rare—miraculous, even. But tell me holy… are you sure? Being an Astartes is not the honor the Ministorum cims. It is a curse.”

  Darius’s grin faltered, fusion crossing his face. “A curse? What do you mean?”

  “Do you truly believe the propaganda, boy?” Kayvaan’s voice lowered, words sharp as a bde. “The Imperial Guard are ‘heroes’ whloriously into battle, they say. Lies. They are fodder—little more than a deying tactid us? The Adeptus Astartes? We are not human.”

  Darius blinked, his excitement draining. “Not human? What are you saying?”

  Kayvaan’s tone darkened further, his gaze uing. “You will cease to be what you are. The transformation ges everything. You gain strength beyond imagination, endurahat defies belief. But at the same time, you will lose… yourself. Your fears. Your desires. Your humanity. Fear makes men human, Darius. Without it, you are something else.”

  Darius stood frozen, abs the words, his brows furrowing. Kayvaan tinued, “You will bee unreizable—flesh, bone, even your face will into something other. And here’s the truth no one speaks of: you will have no need for women, nor will you desire them.”

  That struck the boy like a hammer blow. “Wait… what?” He gawked at Kayvaan, awkwardly gesturing downward. “You mean they’ll… they’ll cut it off?” His voice rose in arm, ced with panic.

  Kayvaan barked a harsh ugh, shaking his head. “Calm yourself. No one will touch you. But your lust, your need for panionship? That will wither like a fme deprived of air. You still partake, I suppose, but it will mean nothing. It will be ay act, devoid of joy.”

  “Empty?” Darius echoed, his expression horrified. “You mean… I’ll lose everything? Even that?”

  Kayvaan’s voice dropped, cold and final. “Do you think this life allows for such distras? Astartes exist to wage war, not to indulge urges. You will lose all sembnce of a normal life, and the truth is—” He met Darius’s stunned gaze with grim finality. “It will be easier that way. Desire festers like rot whe unchecked.”

  Silence huweehid oppressive. Darius’s youthful fidence fractured, his face a storm of doubt and unease. Kayvaahe words sink in before speaking again. “The pleasures you know will be stripped from you. Are you ready for that? To sacrifice all that you are?”

  Darius hesitated, his hands g into fists at his sides. A moment passed before he lifted his , resolve flickering in his eyes. “I e. I’ve made my decision. I want to leave. I want to fight.”

  Kayvaan sighed, his expression softening, though it did little to hide the bitterness in his voice. “I don’t uand you. You’re a noble—wealth, luxury, and ease have been hao you since birth. A, you wish to abandon all of it for the hell of war. Don’t tell me you seek some foolish sense of purpose?”

  Darius’s face darkened. He gnced quickly over his shoulder, as if ensuring no one else could hear. When he leaned in close, his voice was a hushed tremor. “I’m afraid,” he whispered. “I ’t stay here. I ’t survive here.”

  Kayvaan leaned back, frowning. “Why?” he asked, his toeady but curious.

  Darius’s voice brimmed with excitement, almost spilling over. “I was scared before—too scared to even say it. But now? Now it doesn’t matter. Things are different.” He paused, his eyes lighting up with fervor. “I want to bee one of the Space Marines. Space Marines aren’t afraid of anything. I want to leave this pce, get away from all these... creatures. I want to speak my mind freely and, one day, die proudly otlefield. No fear. ation. I want to stand tall and face life head-on. I want to be stronger.”

  “Yes, Space Marines are fearless,” Kayvaan agreed with a nod. “But what are you so afraid of?”

  “Everything. Everything here!” Darius stepped back with exaggerated movements and flopped onto the couch. He gestured wildly before falling into a quiet, almost haunted voice. “Every breath of air feels wrong, like it’s ced with suspi. Every gnce is probing, like they’re peeling away your soul. The streets are littered with cameras, eleic eyes trag your every move. It’s everywhere—this stant surveilnce.” He let out a hollow ugh. “Even when I drink, I ’t let myself get drunk. You know why? Because I ’t trust anyone. Informants are everywhere, willing to sell you out for the smallest reward. It’s suffog, like living uhe weight of invisible s. You ’t see them, but they’re there. Always there, tightening around your thoughts until you don’t dare to even think freely.”

  Kayvaan scratched the back of his head, his expression thoughtful. He’d heard of simir things in another world but had never experiehem firsthand. “Is it really that bad?”

  “Is it that bad?” Darius sat up, staring directly at Kayvaan with an iy that bordered on manic. “Let me tell you a story. I had a friend, a good guy, from a remote gaxy. He came from a wealthy family, generous and full of life. He was the kind of person who lit up a room just by being there. Then one night, he got drunk and said something he shouldn’t have.”

  Kayvaan's curiosity iqued. “What did he say?”

  Darius hesitated, his voice dropping to a near whisper, as though the walls had ears. “He said, ‘The Emperor created the universe? What nonsehose Sisters are insane.’” He chuckled nervously, the sound hollow. “ you believe that? He actually said that. Out loud. In public.”

  Kayvaan's eyes widened slightly. “What happened?”