Chapter 10: Let Us See Whether Your Prophecy Is Stronger—or My Deception
Lorgar found Erebus standing alone in a silent corridor.
When he stepped closer, he froze.
Four different hues of unholy light churned faintly within Erebus's eyes, like reflections caught in shattered glass. Warp-light. Residual. Dangerous.
Lorgar did not yet understand what had happened.
"Erebus—" he began.
Erebus snapped back to awareness as if dragged from a nightmare.
"You bastard. You daemon." His voice cracked with fury. "Do not let me find you again, or I will bury you beneath the Golden Throne itself!"
Lorgar recoiled, startled.
"Erebus?"
Erebus stared at him, eyes sharp and suspicious, then suddenly seized Lorgar's arm.
"No more games," Erebus muttered. "You've seen enough. Come."
He dragged Lorgar toward the central cathedral.
Lorgar allowed himself to be pulled along. Whatever this was, he trusted Erebus completely. As a fellow believer in the Emperor, Erebus would never lead him into harm.
When they entered the cathedral, the corpses from the previous day were gone. The blood had been scrubbed away. But the statues remained.
Four towering idols. Four false gods.
"Kneel," Erebus commanded.
Lorgar hesitated only a moment before dropping to one knee.
"This is a baptism," Erebus said.
"If this is the Emperor's will," Lorgar replied fervently, "then I accept it."
The setting troubled him. It was crude. Wrong. In Lorgar's mind, a true baptism should take place beneath the golden gaze of the Emperor's statue, in a cathedral worthy of divine reverence.
But faith demanded obedience.
"If you accept this rite," Erebus continued, "you will become the enemy of false gods. You will be tempted, whispered to, and hunted by the creatures of the Warp. You will stand alone."
"I am willing," Lorgar said without hesitation.
This was exactly what he wanted.
"Swear an oath," Erebus said quietly.
Lorgar inhaled—and faltered.
A deep unease clawed at him. A warning, sharp and instinctive, screamed that once spoken, these words could never be taken back.
Erebus tilted his head, eyes dark.
"Afraid? Then leave."
Lorgar clenched his fists.
"No."
He spoke.
"The so-called Prince of Excess is nothing more than a degenerate parasite, fit only to be butchered."
The air trembled. A crack formed across one statue.
Erebus smiled faintly.
"The Lord of Change is a fool," Erebus said. "A schemer too stupid to understand his own lies."
Lorgar repeated the words.
The air rippled again.
"The Blood God is nothing but a rabid beast," Erebus continued. "Fit only to die at the Emperor's feet."
Lorgar shouted the blasphemy.
A crimson glow flared within the idol.
"The Lord of Decay is filth given form," Erebus finished. "A kingdom of rot, built on weakness."
Lorgar felt terror coil around his heart—but he spoke anyway.
The statues exploded.
Warp energy howled outward. Erebus moved instantly, throwing himself in front of Lorgar—but the psychic backlash still struck them both.
Voices screamed through the air.
"Erebus! You will die!"
Lorgar staggered.
In the chaos, he saw a vision.
A figure in radiant gold armor descended from the heavens. Fire consumed the city. Towers collapsed. Faith burned.
The Emperor's voice thundered through him.
"I do not need your worship."
"Your path is wrong."
"The perfect city must be destroyed."
Lorgar's faith was shattered.
"No—" he whispered. "I only wished to love you—"
Pain exploded across his face.
He blinked—awake.
Erebus stood before him, expression cold. His hand was still raised.
"Enough," Erebus snapped. "Faith that demands reward is not faith. It is vanity."
Lorgar trembled.
"I saw the Emperor deny me," he said hoarsely. "He destroyed everything—"
Erebus struck him again.
"If the city falls," Erebus snarled, "then build another. If the Emperor despises monuments, then curse him for it. If he destroys them, then he is no god of faith."
Lorgar stared at him, stunned.
"The Emperor protects humanity," Erebus continued. "That is his purpose—not your salvation, not your comfort. If he accepts belief, it is on his terms alone."
He leaned closer.
"You can endure. Or you can break and drag mankind with you."
Silence stretched between them.
At last, Lorgar nodded.
"No matter what the future holds," he said, voice steady, "I will not deny my faith."
Erebus exhaled slowly.
"Good," he said. "Then you need to learn something."
"What?"
"How to curse."
Lorgar blinked.
"…Curse?"
"And," Erebus added dryly, "learn to fight better. Don't use my name when you start getting beaten."
Lorgar stared at him, utterly confused.
Who would dare strike a primarch?
The Warp laughed.