The words came from a thousand voices, all with subtly different intonations that gave them a different meaning.



'You are mine,' shrieked the false god. 'You have always been and will always be MINE! Only I have the power to save your sons. Obey me, and I shall grant you their salvation!'



'Lies!' shouted Magnus, power crackling all over his hulking frame as he stood, defying the power who claimed to hold fate in its hands. 'You have nothing! You are nothing! Only lies and deceit! You have no power over me!'



The crimson giant froze as he screamed the last words, a great revelation dawning upon him.



'You have no power over me,' he repeated, slowly, only now understanding their truth, 'and I don't need your help. You have no power over anyone that they did not give to you! And I give you nothing. Begone, and trouble me no more!'



'This is not over, Magnus!' threatened the voices. 'There will be a reckoning for this! You cannot defy me, for I am the Architect of Fate!'



'You are nothing,' replied Magnus, and he turned away from the one who had promised him the truths of the universe. 'Nothing but the lies we tell to ourselves, and I choose the truth. I shall free my sons of your poison, no matter the cost to myself – but I will never call upon you. Do you hear me, daemon? Never !'



The image of the Primarch vanished as he returned to the world of flesh and matter, leaving the thousand-headed god alone with a web of fate unmade by the rebellion of he who should have been its champion. For a timeless moment, there was silence, as the minions of the god looked upon their master, fearful of his anger.



Then, dark laughter resonated through the Warp, as the God of Change delighted in this new development and the opportunities it offered.



'There will be a reckoning,' the voices repeated, calmer this time. 'Kairos! My Oracle! Attend me!'



(Excerpt from the Index Astartes entry of the Thousand Sons, the heirs of ashen dreams, by Zahariel)

