The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Talos reached out and opened the box, inside was a silver rod, a unique rosette made of lions and eagles, and a folded banner. →

"What is this?"

"A 'gift' from Imperial Chancellor Tyreene, he had the High Lords of Terra grant me the honorary title of 'Governor-General' before I left. You should be familiar with this title, right?"

"Governor-General, a trans-stellar district administrator directly appointed and dispatched by the Empire in the past, but it appeared very late. I only remember that Horus rebelled not long after. I didn't expect this title to be retained."

"It was retained, but it hasn't been used much. It's being used for me now."

Talos smiled and flicked the ash into the ashtray.

"It seems your trip to Terra was quite rewarding."

Hearing this, Zoshyan lowered his head and sighed deeply.

"Rewarding, yes, in many ways."

Then he raised his head, looked at Talos, and said very seriously:

"I met an entity who claimed to be a Mortal."

Talos didn't say anything, he seemed very calm, took a puff of his cigar, slowly exhaled the smoke, and finally said:

"It seems you have a lot to tell me."

After that, Zoshyan told Talos everything about his journey to Terra, meeting Li, the Mortal, and even the Void Dragon, without any concealment. →

He finished telling this pile of things just as Talos was about to finish his cigar.

Putting the remaining ashes into the ashtray, Talos raised his head as if thinking. Zoshyan didn't disturb him, just sat quietly in the chair, even thinking about other things, such as Muhr –

Maybe he should let him meet the Weaver of Fates.

"Zoshyan, how much of the truth do you think you know about this whole thing?"

Talos suddenly opened his mouth. Zoshyan blinked, thought for a while, and said:

"About thirty to fifty percent."

"Thirty to fifty percent..."

Talos's fingers tapped lightly on the table, then he lowered his head and looked at him.

"When a person only knows thirty to fifty percent of the truth, it is often the most dangerous time. This state is what is called half-knowledge. People in a state of half-knowledge are most easily misled and deceived, but you are indeed much more mature than in the past, knowing to only believe thirty percent of anything, so I believe you must have your own plans."

"Don't you want to say something, brother?"

Talos smiled slightly.

"What can I say? For me, whether it's the Emperor's grand plan, or the Star Gods, or the Gods of the Warp, none of it means much, and it's beyond my ability. After all, in the past, the so-called Soul Hunter was just one of the common people, a vulgar man indulging in self-destruction. Even after I broke free from the prophecy of death, the only motivation to live was the people I cared about. So, go ahead and do what you want, Zoshyan. I'm always on your side, and I sincerely hope that you and your wife can have a bright future. →"

Although it was expected, after experiencing so much, Zoshyan was still very moved to hear Talos say this.

But even so, he was a little sad, because when that ultimate choice really came before him, Talos would definitely try to stop him, which might bring him danger.

"Talos, if..."

Talos tilted his head and looked at him, as if guessing what he was going to say, and said in advance:

"If you become Xerxes?"

Zoshyan was silent.

Talos pressed his elbow on the table and said very seriously:

"Zoshyan, your current anxiety is foolish. This matter is not complicated at all, and there is no need to worry about it, because whether it happens or not is entirely up to you. As long as you don't want it, no one can force you."

"But if the Primarch..."

"Ask yourself honestly, is the Primarch really important to you? You are no longer the Zoshyan of fifty years ago. You already have your own views on the galaxy and the Imperium. Even if this order comes from the Emperor, is it necessarily right? If the Emperor never makes mistakes, how could there be the Horus Heresy?"

Zoshyan opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word. Talos shook his head and said:

"So things are not complicated at all. Just like you said, you want to decide for yourself. This is your business, your own business. You don't need to worry so much about plans, or rather, this plan should be controlled by you. When do you think you should make a decision? Even if you wait until the 43rd millennium, those people will have to wait obediently. As for me personally, I believe you will make the right choice, and I will fully support your choice."

When Talos said the word choice, Zoshyan had a strange feeling, because he knew Talos's abilities, so he cautiously asked:

"Talos, you must have seen something, right?"

This time Talos didn't avoid it, but said very directly:

"Yes."

"Can you tell me?"

"Telling you won't do you any good. The same sentence, just do what you want to do."

Talos said this, and Zoshyan couldn't continue to ask.

"Talos, what do you think of the Mortal's matter?"

"What do you mean, what do I think?"

"Who is the Emperor, him or the Deceiver?"

Talos shrugged.

"I can't answer this, and why do you have to choose one of the two? Maybe both of them are."

"Then what kind of state do you think the Emperor is in now?"

After thinking for a while, Talos replied:

"I'm not sure, but I once heard something. After the Prospero incident, Magnus the Red's soul was shattered, and the Thousand Sons are still searching for its soul fragments. This is just a legend, but perhaps this can explain the Emperor's current state. But you should be able to perceive that there are great differences between them. In the past, when I had nothing to do, I read a book, which was a theory of an ancient philosopher. He believed that people are like huge icebergs floating on the water. The behaviors or coping methods that can be seen by the outside world are only a small part exposed on the water surface, only about one-eighth exposed on the water surface, which represents the conscious part of people. The other seven-eighths are hidden under the water, and the larger mountain body surging under the water surface is the 'inner self' that has been suppressed and ignored by us for a long time. At the same time, it is also the core that drives the iceberg to move, just like people are also driven by the unconscious. I am not a philosopher, but I guess that perhaps their differences come from the conscious part and the unconscious part. But the Emperor's spiritual world may not be so simple, this is just my guess as a mortal."

Zoshyan looked a little puzzled after hearing this.