What is psionics?
Is it safe?
These questions had once been the subject of a major Imperial conclave—
a formal debate overseen personally by the Emperor.
It had been an extremely serious discussion.
Magnus argued that psionics was a powerful and valuable resource,
a force that could be rationally controlled and used.
He proposed that every Imperial army should include trained psykers
to handle problems that conventional troops could not resolve.
He further suggested that the Imperium establish dedicated institutions
composed entirely of psykers to study the Warp and uncover its secrets—
thus allowing humanity to better understand the forces that shaped the cosmos.
But among his Primarch brothers,
those who distrusted or despised psionics argued passionately against him.
Some believed psionics inherently corrupted its users,
others insisted it attracted daemons,
and some simply preferred the honest simplicity of killing enemies with their bare hands.
They presented case after case,
citing mutations, possessions, and Warp manifestations,
all to prove that psionics was unstable and dangerous
and should therefore be rejected by the Imperium.
In the end, those opposing psionics won.
The Emperor did not outlaw psionics completely,
but he dismissed Magnus's proposals
and ordered him to cease his research into the Warp.
But such a command was, for Magnus,
the equivalent of cutting off his own limbs.
His natural talent, identity, and purpose
were built entirely around the use of psychic power.
How could he possibly accept such a decree?
Thus, though he verbally agreed with the Emperor,
he continued his research in secret—
determined to produce achievements so brilliant
that even his stubborn, muscle-brained brothers
would be forced to acknowledge his ability
and the Emperor would rescind his judgment.
And the psychic spell he wielded today
was one of those long-studied "achievements."
But the overly naïve Magnus had no idea
that the true dangers of the Warp
far exceeded anything he imagined…
For Tzeentch,
the God of Knowledge, Schemes, and Fate,
had seen into Magnus's heart
the moment he hungered for forbidden learning.
Following the branching threads of time,
Tzeentch read the many futures available to him,
and over the years subtly nudged Magnus's research in a very specific direction.
Under the insidious guidance of the Changer of Ways,
Magnus believed he was studying psionics,
but in reality, he had already deviated from true psychic science
by hundreds of miles—
what he had mastered
was Chaos Knowledge.
Knowledge born from the malice of the Chaos Gods.
Thus, when Magnus unleashed his full power
and cast the spell he had built upon this corrupted foundation…
The five Chaos Gods sensed it instantly.
Expressions of mild amusement, disdain, and mockery
appeared across their faces.
Gods of Change, Excess, Fear, Despair, and Bloodshed—
mischievous as always—decided to "improve" the spell.
They strengthened it a hundredfold,
and worse,
converted Magnus's intended message
into a vast swarm of Warp entities.
Thus, without Magnus even realizing it,
his warning had mutated into a catastrophic psychic attack.
And still, under his control,
the unleashed power hurtled straight toward Terra.
This moment would one day define Magnus's tragedy…
---
Terra
After centuries of development,
the Eurasian landmass had become a single endless sprawl of architecture.
This was the Imperial Palace—
the most heavily fortified location in the entire Imperium.
Deep within, a hidden laboratory bustled with activity.
Custodians in golden armor guarded the chamber,
maintaining order while scientists worked feverishly,
adjusting machinery and calibrating energy conduits.
At the heart of the room stood a colossal dimensional gate,
hundreds of meters wide.
The Emperor, clad in radiant gold,
watched the trembling portal with unmistakable joy.
He could feel it—
the entrance to the Webway was about to open.
Once stable, the Imperium would finally be free
from the unpredictable dangers of Warp travel.
Humanity would at last gain control of its destiny.
The thought filled the Emperor with long-awaited relief—
a sense that at last, he was on the verge of victory.
"Reduce energy output on the right conduit by 1.1112 percent…"
He continued calmly directing the scientists—
when suddenly,
a terrible premonition struck him.
Before he could react—
A crimson beam ripped open reality
and plunged straight into the unfinished portal.
The moment the energies collided,
a catastrophic backlash erupted.
Within a heartbeat,
a storm of devastating force filled the chamber.
In less than a second,
tens of thousands of Custodians
and nearly every scientist—bearers of the Imperium's greatest knowledge—
were annihilated.
Worse still,
the readings across every instrument flickered wildly.
Spacetime coordinates twisted,
and the gateway's destination shifted—
away from the Webway,
toward something else.
Frozen in disbelief,
the Emperor tasted the Warp signature lingering in the crimson beam.
His expression turned murderous.
With a roar that shook the palace, he bellowed:
"MAGNUS!!!"
Had the spell's caster been anyone other than Magnus—
one of Terra's own—
the psychic blast would have been intercepted long before reaching the palace.
But there were no second chances.
The ruined portal
began to open like a broken dam.
From the depths of the Warp,
countless daemons poured into the laboratory,
screaming, clawing, writhing—
a flood of horror unleashed upon Terra.
...
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