The Imperial Guard had voted on their strategy. On one side of the Alacaster plains, their forces assembled defensive lines like a steel tide. Tanks rolled into position. Soldiers dug trenches. Everything moved with military precision.
On the other side of the planet, things looked very different.
Above wastelands twisted by Chaos energy and ruined factories, the Chaos faction completed their preparations. Unlike the organized Imperial forces, the Chaos preparation area looked like a mad marketplace.
Khorne berserkers wore crimson armor. Tzeentch psykers draped themselves in eerie robes. Nurgle warriors carried bloated plague armor. Slaanesh Noise Marines wore elaborate, decorative gear. All of them mixed together in chaotic disorder.
Ragged traitor guards moved among them. Their clothes were torn. Their weapons mismatched. Lesser demons wandered through the crowd with crazed or blank eyes. The whole scene felt oppressive despite the chaos.
Then two system notifications appeared above all Chaos players. Each had a distinct style. They landed like massive stones thrown into a swamp.
["Eternal Chosen of Tzeentch" See You Tomorrow has joined the battlefield]
The text glowed deep blue. Geometric light patterns shifted constantly around it.
["Eternal Chosen of Khorne" Scorchwind has joined the battlefield]
The text burned blood-red. Lava flowed behind it. Skull-crashing sounds echoed with each word.
Deep blue and blood red. Two beams of light shining together. Everyone stopped to look.
The Chaos side's public chat went silent for a moment. Then it exploded with shocked reactions and excited whispers.
Most players knew about Scorchwind. The top streamer had triggered the Khorne mission and become an "Eternal Chosen." But a Tzeentch Chosen? People had speculated on forums, but no one had confirmed it existed.
Now a second Chosen had appeared. And this one served Tzeentch—the complete opposite of Khorne. The revelation injected new energy into this chaotic carnival. New variables. New unknowns.
The camera quickly found the source of the first notification.
In a relatively quiet corner stood a figure among twisted metal structures. Blue runes flickered unstably around him. That was See You Tomorrow's character.
He looked nothing like the fierce units around him. He was simply a thin youth in plain blue robes. No armor. No visible weapons. He appeared completely unarmed.
His head tilted slightly down. His hands rested casually in his robe pockets. No aggressive psychic energy radiated from him. No terrifying aura projected outward.
But that ultimate "ordinariness" created a shocking contrast with the deep blue "Eternal Chosen of Tzeentch" title floating above his head.
He stood there, out of place among the surrounding chaos. Yet he also seemed like a drop of deep blue ink blending into dark water. Silently announcing his presence.
His cold, detached aura shocked viewers. He seemed to drift apart from everything around him. What power did this mysterious Tzeentch Chosen actually possess?
The chat flooded with wild speculation about See You Tomorrow's identity and abilities.
Meanwhile, across the battlefield, the camera focused on a very different figure.
Scorchwind's character stood beside a crude altar. The altar was built from discarded armor plates and enemy skulls. He stood proudly before it.
Scorchwind had chosen the Berserker class. He wore heavy crimson armor covered with spikes and runes. In his hands, he no longer held chainswords. Instead, he gripped two chainaxes. They were slightly smaller but spun more frantically. Their teeth looked more vicious. Skull decorations dangled from the axe handles.
Just standing there, Scorchwind gave off an almost physical aura. It radiated hunger for battle and destruction. He was the complete opposite of See You Tomorrow's calm presence.
Scorchwind flexed his wrists. He tested the new armor and weapons. He prepared to say something inspiring in the public chat.
Then a private panel appeared at the edge of his vision. Only he could see it. Blood flames burned around its edges.
The panel had no decorations. Only a few lines of text. The words seemed branded directly onto his eyes with red-hot iron. They carried Khorne's characteristic fury and bluntness:
[The cunning deceiver has also cast his piece into play.]
[Mortal, show your full strength!]
[With the hottest blood! The hardest skulls!]
[Show that old bird hiding behind fate's veil the purity and power of the way of slaughter!]
[I care not from whence the blood flows.]
[Though if that blood comes from that mortal who believes in 'Change'...]
[It might be especially delicious.]
[Use his blood as banner offering, and I will grant you a more powerful blessing.]
Scorchwind read the message and clicked his tongue mentally. His patron god was really easily provoked. And shameless about encouraging infighting.
Of course he couldn't actually attack See You Tomorrow. Setting aside that they were currently teammates, just thinking about the guy's unknown combat style gave him a headache. Much less actively provoking him.
He silently closed the panel. He decided to pretend he hadn't seen it.
At the same time, See You Tomorrow received his own private message.
A panel formed from deep blue and purple streams of light appeared in the corner of his vision. Only he could see it. The text was elegant and intricate. Full of hidden meanings and double implications. It unfolded in layers like a spider's web:
[The stupid brute has also thrown his war beast into the game.]
[Remember: in Chaos's domain, trust no one.]
[The Warp's power is wild and untamed. So-called 'allies' may become beasts that devour you in the next moment.]
[When necessary, regard him as an expendable 'resource.']
[A well-timed 'sacrifice' might pave your way forward.]
[As a practitioner of the Ways of Change, your every choice, every 'utilization' will lead toward the 'outcome' you anticipate.]
[Go then.]
[For Chaos, seize everything.]
See You Tomorrow's gaze swept across the words. His eyes showed no reaction. He might as well have been reading a weather forecast.
He calmly closed the panel. His hands didn't even leave his pockets.
Deep blue calm and blood-red fury. Two "Eternal Chosen" bearing the will of different Chaos gods stood across the Alacaster wasteland from each other.
They were supposed to be the spearheads of this Chaotic invasion. Allies in the coming battle.