Beraal slowly opened his eyes. He was greeted by the endless plains of skulls and blood. He slowly forced himself up to his knees. A daemon flew towards him, its scream ripping into him. He had no time to react, save helplessly raising his arms to cover his face. Yet the daemon flew right past him to collide with a World Eater. The two locked into a mortal struggle, completely unaware of his presence. His skin began to glow with a gentle white light, and a peace creeped into the edges of his mind. His bloodlust… it was still there, yet somehow lesser than it had been. Sheer panic and terror gripped him as the comforting pain and rage slowly faded. He let out a roar and leapt at the battling daemon and World Eater, intent on joining the fray. Desperate to rekindle the inferno that once raged within he took a swing, only to slip through them. As he fell, the skulls and blood shifted away from him, as if the very realm were afraid to touch his flesh. He continued to fall through the newly made pit, the skulls parting for his descent into the darkness.

  *  *  *

  Sarai and Simeon looked on helplessly as their Primarch shivered and twitched uncontrollably on the bed in the room. Gabriel stood by the door, keeping it closed as he looked on, a grim acceptance holding his features. Navah flapped her wings and stood watch at the head of the bed.

  "What's happening to her?" Sarai's voice was touched by panic.

  "The warp has great effect on the beings who traverse it." Gabriel's voice was deep and solemn. "Ships with failing Gellar Fields experience hauntings, curses, and in extreme cases chaos boarding."

  "Of course." Sarai took a step towards Evaria's trembling form. "But what does that have to do with Evaria?"

  "Our Lady is a form of a intuitive Psycher. Typically, Psychers are affected by the warp even with the protections in place. A Psycher of a Primarch level who can’t turn herself off from the Warp... She may as well be alone and naked in the Immaterium, even with the Gellar Field."

  "So she'll be like this every time we warp?"

  Gabriel fell silent, and Sarai looked back at him. "Lord Angelos?"

  "There are things I am not at liberty to disclose."

  Sarai felt a frustration rise up in her chest, but she bowed her head. "I understand, Lord Angelos. I merely wish to know how I may help her."

  Simeon looked at Gabriel, who nodded.

  "Follow my lead, sister."

  Simeon walked up to the bed and knelt by Evaria's head.

  "Pray for the Emperor's protection over me, sister."

  He glanced at the sound of rustling chains before he touched Evaria, his gaze on the World Eater. The fehl marine was shivering just as Evaria. Simeon returned his gaze to Evaria as Sarai joined him. The Blood Raven librarian placed his hands on either side of her head and closed his eyes. Sarai hesitantly placed her hands on his forearm, and began to murmur prayers.

  "God Emperor, your will be praised and exacted upon us, we humbly request protection for your daughter, Evaria, and Simeon..."

  Simeon's eyes snapped open, golden light spilling out. Crimson tears began to flow down his cheeks, but he didn't let go. A servoskull flew over, the Blood Raven's sigil engraved and painted into the bone. It carried a blood bag underneath it and a spindly mechanical arm reached out from underneath its teeth, its emotionless mechanical eyes examining Simeon. The arm bore a needle, and it jabbed Simeon's neck. Crimson fluid flowed through the tube and into his veins. Gabriel looked on, his thoughts falling on the arduous task of even transporting his Primarch. He'd yet to finish reading everything he needed to properly serve her, having only discovered the prophecy of her return a year ago.

  His mind wandered to the ease of serving another Primarch like Guilliman or the Lion, both returned before this one. His eyes widened at his internal indiscretion, and shame flooded his heart as he averted his gaze from the trembling form of his Primarch. She was his duty. He was her son. His metal-clad fingers curled into fists, and his mind and heart fell to disgrace and darkness, even as that small voice continued to question. There was a knock at the door, ripping Gabriel back to the present. Clearing his throat he opened the door and looked down at an Adeptus Mechanicus tech priest attended by two medicae servitors. His voice came through garbled, his mechanical eyes staring up at the Chapter Master. His flesh had long since been peeled away to the clean bone underneath, his robes covering the mechanical means by which he operated what remained of his body.

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  "I am here to serve."

  Gabriel narrowed his eyes.

  "Serve who? The Inquisition, or the Primarch?"

  Machinery whirred and clicked from underneath his robes as the tech priest crossed one arm over his chest, his censer's chains rattling with the motion.

  "The Priesthood of Mars answers to the Omnissiah alone, and therefore his agents."

  Gabriel tightened his grip on the thick metal door.

  "And what if the Inquisitor finds out you're here and kills you for heresy or treason?"

  The tech priest didn't flinch. "Then I have served."

  Gabriel's shame only deepened as he faced the depths of faith in Evaria that this cog-head held, the unquestioning loyalty that he himself struggled to find. He stepped to the side.

  "Do your work, tech priest. But know I will cut you down myself should your intentions be malicious."

  The tech priest stared at him momentarily, calculating the sincerity of Gabriel's words. "I calculate a 99.79% chance that you will."

  Gabriel's eye twitched as he questioned if the tech priest could detect his doubt. The amalgam of bone and machine walked past him and stepped up to the bed, examining Evaria's trembling form.

  "Astartes, you are only 67.93% in tune with the Omnissiah's progeny."

  Simeon didn't respond, still enraptured within his psychic bond with Evaria.

  "Chapter Master Angelos, do I have permission to interfere?"

  Gabriel stepped forward, his metal boots clanging against the deck plates. "Interfere how? To break a bond suddenly would injure both."

  "There is a 51.32% chance of injury on part of both parties. I do not intend to decouple them. I wish to attune the Astartes more to the Primarch, allowing her stillness to work on her wounds."

  "Attune? How?"

  The tech priest held out one of his extra mechanical arms, and a servitor kneeled and held up a cable with two metal rods on each end.

  "I will create a psychic synchronization." He took the cable and plugged one end into the connection point on the back of Simeon's neck. The other he held over Evaria, examining her.

  "Miscalculation. This Primarch has no connection points." He stood still for a moment, then reached one mechanical arm with a cutting instrument towards Evaria's neck. In a flash Gabriel reached out and gripped the mechanical arm, his eyes burning with rage.

  "You will not harm her."

  "It is necessary."

  "I would rather her suffer the travel than allow you to cut into her neck."

  The tech-priest was quiet for a moment, then turned to the other servitor. It kneeled and held up a collar. He attached the cable to it, then turned back.

  "76.93% less efficient."

  "Don't care. Use it."

  The tech priest affixed the collar to Evaria's neck, and slowly her shivers subsided, and blood stopped flowing from Simeon's eyes.

  "Synchronization complete. 72.43% stable. Parameters... Satisfactory."

  The tech priest took Evaria’s hand that Fahlia had stabbed and removed the primitive bandage. His mechanical arms swiftly realigned the bones, stitching the flesh together from the inside out. Once done he picked a gilded box from his waist. All the while one of his arms gently swung his censer, its incense filling the space.

  The box was sealed with scrolls and wax, and he murmured a prayer in binary over the box before he broke the seal. Air hissed from the sealed container, and he opened it. Inside was a roll of intricately embroidered white and gold cloth. He held it up, continuing his prayer, before he reverently wrapped it around Evaria's hand. He then shifted and moved the blanket out of the way to access the crossbow bolt in Evaria's leg.

  "Projectile small. Effect great."

  The tech priest carefully removed the bolt. He repeated the process once more, then knelt and prayed in binary once more to the Omnissiah.

  Gabriel looked on, his jaw muscles tensing and relaxing in succession as he saw the reverence and devotion. He then noticed Evaria's blood on the bones of the tech priests hands, and watched as the blood soaked through. He returned to his post by the door, his gaze never wavering from the slowly building retinue that his Primarch inspired.