Warhammer 40k:The Lone Star

Prologue – The Vision of the Emperor

POV: Leondis

Current Location: Sir Jacob's Monastery

Where is everyone? I wandered through the monastery, searching for someone to play with.

The halls were eerily empty. Normally, the laughter and chatter of children filled the air, but today, there was only silence.

After some time, I grew tired and made my way to a simple wooden chair positioned before the towering statue of the Emperor.

"I guess no one's here yet," I muttered, slouching in my seat as my gaze settled on the imposing figure of the statue.

It stood tall, a masterfully sculpted depiction of the Emperor of Mankind—his golden armor gleaming under the dim candlelight, a massive sword raised high as if challenging the darkness itself.

I stared at his unyielding face, taking in every detail. Then, something changed.

A strange sensation crawled into my mind, like an unseen force tugging at my very soul.

The air around me warped, twisting as though reality itself was bending. The candles flickered violently, their glow swallowed by an unnatural golden mist that seeped from the statue's base.

My breath hitched. The world around me cracked and melted, folding into itself like a collapsing dream.

Then—

Darkness.

Pain.

A shrill cacophony of screams flooded my ears, overlapping voices crying out in endless agony. It was an incomprehensible, distorted wail—millions, no, billions of entities shrieking at once.

My skull felt as though it were being split apart, my mind drowning in a sea of madness.

I wanted to scream.

I wanted to run.

But I could do neither.

The agony built to an unbearable peak—until, like a thunderclap breaking the sky, a single voice shattered through the chaos.

"Awaken, child."

The command was like a storm, silencing the deafening cries instantly.

The pain vanished. The weight on my mind lifted.

I gasped, clutching my chest as I realized that I was somewhere else.

I tried to open my eyes, but something prevented me, as though unseen hands kept my lids shut.

"It is best you do not open them yet, child."

The voice was deep, resonant, and absolute. It did not merely speak—it commanded.

"Who… who are you?" I asked, my voice weak and trembling.

"Fear not, for I mean you no harm."

The voice, though thunderous, softened slightly, as if recognizing my fear.

"Then… where am I?" I asked, trying to steady my breathing.

"You stand within a place no mortal should ever tread."

I swallowed hard. "Then why am I here?"

A heavy silence followed. Then—

"Because I have called you, son of Varkas, to be my herald."

I froze.

Herald. The word echoed in my mind, heavy with an unknown weight.

"Who… are you?" I asked cautiously. My mind had cleared enough to grasp that I was standing before something far beyond my comprehension.

I steadied myself, clinging to my faith. As long as I remained steadfast in my devotion to the God-Emperor, He would shield me from all danger.

A sound like shattering stone echoed around me. My body tensed as an overwhelming pressure filled the space, like an ocean pressing down upon me.

Then, the voice changed.

It no longer carried the patience of an all-knowing protector. Instead, it burned with something else—something I had never associated with the God-Emperor before.

Rage.

"Thou shalt not address me as those filth have named me."

The weight around me grew unbearable. My knees buckled, and I dropped to the ground, gasping for breath.

"Their ignorance offends me. Their lies weaken me."

The very air seemed to tremble as the presence before me seethed.

"I am no god."

My mind reeled at his words.

What is he saying?

The voice continued, every word dripping with contempt and fury.

"I am the Emperor of Mankind. I built an empire of reason and purpose, a dream of humanity unchained from myth and falsehoods."

"And yet… they have turned me into a golden idol, a god to be worshiped. A lie."

The sheer weight of his disgust made my body tremble.

"But… but you are the God-Emperor," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

The voice snarled.

"I am not a god. I never was."

For the first time, I forced my eyes open, desperate to see the being who spoke with such divine wrath.

And before me, standing amidst a vast golden field of light, was a towering figure.

He was magnificent. Clad in resplendent golden armor, adorned with intricate designs of eagles and suns, he radiated a presence beyond mortal comprehension. His long hair flowed like strands of starlight, his face sculpted into something both impossibly regal and utterly inhuman.

His piercing eyes burned with the fury of a thousand dying suns.

I fell to my knees immediately.

"M-My lord… the Emperor of Mankind," I stammered.

He stared down at me, his expression unreadable.

"Hmm… good. Thou shalt address me as such."

He studied me for a moment, as if evaluating something unseen.

Then, a shift.

The golden mist surrounding us trembled.

A vile presence seeped into the space, clawing at the edges of reality.

The Emperor's eyes narrowed.

From the darkness beyond the Emperor's golden field, something stirred.

Shadows moved, writhing like serpents of filth and madness.

And then—they came.

Daemons.

Twisted figures of nightmare, eyes gleaming with malice, their forms shifting between monstrous and formless.

They screeched and howled, their corrupted voices whispering blasphemies beyond mortal understanding.

They should not be here.

The Emperor observed them, his gaze thoughtful but unbothered. As if they were insects beneath his notice.

Yet, they did not lunge at him.

They lunged at me.

A wave of terror unlike anything I had ever known seized my heart.

Why… why are they after me?

The Emperor's expression darkened. His golden eyes glowed with absolute fury.

With a mere flick of his hand, an invisible force obliterated the approaching daemons. Their wretched bodies ignited in golden fire, their screams vanishing into nothingness.

He exhaled sharply, his gaze shifting toward me.

"Interesting."

There was something in his tone—an edge of curiosity.

He studied me for a long moment.

"Why do they seek you, child?"

I had no answer.

My mind spun with questions. Why had he called me? Why did these abominations seek my destruction?

The Emperor's gaze did not waver.

"It seems your path will be far more troublesome than I anticipated."

Then, everything shattered.

I gasped, bolting upright, my body drenched in sweat.

The monastery's familiar stone walls surrounded me. The statue of the Emperor stood untouched before me.

Had it… all been a dream?

I clutched my chest, my heart hammering.

No.

It was real.

And the Emperor had spoken to me.

And something in the darkness wanted me dead.