Date: 999 M41

  Location: Cadia, Kasr Kraf, Command Bastion (Ruins)

  The room was in ruins, a macabre witness to the initial ruthless bombardment of the chaos fleet of Abaddon the Despoiler. At a semicircur table sat the commanders leading the defences of Cadia, and in the centre of them was a stocky, robust man with an extremely square face and a prominent, robust jaw. On his face, he bears two long scars that run diagonally from the left area of his forehead to his right cheekbone. He wears a rge bck coat with a grey lining that drapes over his broad shoulders. The jacket is held in pce by a sturdy red ribbon with skull-shaped buckles. Ursarkar E. Creed, Lord Casteln of Cadia.

  The council of war was assembled and listened attentively to the words of the Archmagos, even though many of them could not understand the details of his theories.

  ?Let's see if I understand correctly, Archmagos.? Creed began with a tired face. ?Are you telling me that the Despoiler's invasions were not random and the Xenon Pylons are the only thing keeping the Immaterium from swallowing the gaxy??

  ?Affirmative.? Cawl stated, ?But not only those of Eriad VI. All worlds attacked by the Archenemy had structures 98% identical to the Cadian Pylons.?

  The statement made the council's blood run cold. No one wanted to acknowledge it, but the truth could not be ignored. A truth that easily expined all the Bck Crusades unched by Abaddon and his obsession with Cadia.

  ?Abaddon!? Creed roared, hitting the table with his bare fist, his face a mask of weary fury.

  The sound of a cane hitting the floor drew attention to the Custodian who had accompanied Bellissarius Cawl.

  Minimum 3 meters of full armour, entirely constructed of auramite, giving it the typical gold colour, is finely decorated with imperial and personal symbols. The elongated helmet has a visor resembling a skull with red eyes, is surmounted by a rge lock of purple fur, and, behind a finely crafted iron halo, is adorned with a finely crafted purple cloak, the symbols of the Adeptus Custodes, held to the armour by sturdy pure white ribbons. The Custodians are a rare, if not legendary, sight outside the Sol system, as no one would ever have thought or believed that one of the Ten-Thousand would leave the halls of the Imperial Pace for a fortress world still being fought over. His form and presence are a source of courage and inspiration for the tired and fatalistic hearts of the defenders, but at the same time, of dismay and authority since behind the lenses of the finely decorated pointed helmet, everyone could perceive not only the gaze of a Custodian with a clear hierarchical stature, but also of the Emperor himself.

  ?Lord Casteln.? the Custodian spoke calmly. ?Keep your strength. Do not vent your anger on a table that is not to bme.?

  ?...You're right. Forgive me, venerable Custodian.? Creed apologised after taking a deep breath. ?Archmagos, what do you need??

  ?Time.? Cawl coldly stated, ?The Pylons are our only weapon against the clutches of the Archenemy, but I need time to study them, and therefore, they absolutely must be protected.?

  The cim was as dangerous as the request was resource-intensive. Cadia is one of the most fortified worlds in the Imperium, but early assaults have severely tested the defences, giving way in some pces but holding out in others. Even though reinforcements were still arriving from all over the Imperium, everyone knew they would never be enough. Asking to gather all forces in one pce to defend it has its advantages, as they could have held their position more effectively against the forces of chaos, but also its disadvantages, such as becoming easy targets despite the support of the Phanx now orbiting Cadia.

  But pros and cons that they were, the only common thing was one: Cadia must NOT fall.

  ?...Your request is... substantial?, Creed said after a brief pause ?But I'll give you what you need. Go. Carry out your studies and may the Emperor guide you.?

  *****

  Date: 999 M41

  Location: Cadia, Elysion Fields, central front.

  The Custodian walked. His footsteps beat the dusty nd of the fields, and his heavy purple cloak seemed to repel the dust of the pce. His presence among mortals, among the guards of the 9th Cadian, was synonymous with terror for all of them. He couldn't bme them, as the entire regiment proved to be a mass of cowards who abandoned their positions early in the battle for Cadia. But at the same time, while he understood how fear and the survival instinct could take control of a man's actions, he knew that their redemption would come not through his passage through their ranks, but through the blood they would shed in the impending battle.

  Everyone saw him and knelt before him, praying and asking forgiveness from the Lord of Mankind through him. He let them do it, but at the same time, the simple act of being a self-propelled altar annoyed him. After all, the Emperor had never called himself a God when he was still walking among mortals and abhorring the very concept. The only reason he can't correct them, why the Custodes never corrected them, is that it would have created divisions that the Imperium can't afford now more than ever.

  The sound of fpping wings caught his attention, and a group of three women in bronze-colored power armour nded at his side. The women on the fnks had attached wing-shaped dorsal reactors to their backs; they were clearly twins, whose bck bobbed hair showed white tufts on the left and right, their faces equal and hardened by war. The woman in the centre instead had real wings, her face was young and delicate, her hair was a bck bob, while her eyes and body shone with a gentle golden light. The same light that, as long as he can remember, the Custodian knows well and whose memory has always given him comfort. The winged woman bowed.

  ?I offer you my greetings and tributes, Guardian of the Golden Throne.? The woman's voice was supernatural, but very kind, and the words rich in devotion

  ?You must be Saint Celestine.? the Custodian stated, gesturing to order her to rise. ?Your deeds in the service of the Emperor have reached the Imperial Pace. Your intervention during the war on Helentine's world particurly impressed me.?

  ?I don't deserve such praise. I have only fulfilled the duty entrusted to me by the Emperor.? she stated, rising, her cheeks flushed.

  ?You've saved lives. That's enough to earn my respect,? the Custodian said. ?But something's bothering you, isn't it??

  The saint looked down and then nodded affirmatively. The Custodian needed nothing else. With a gesture, he invited her to follow him, and they took themselves to a secluded pce. The twin girls accompanying her kept their distance, making sure no one bothered them.

  ?What's bothering you, Celestine??

  ?...Omens? she stated with slight hesitation, ?This wait is weighing on the hearts of the soldiers, impatient for this battle to begin in order to see what will happen. I, on the other hand, am assailed by visions. Daydreams assail me at every sunrise.?

  ?What do you see??

  ?A fortress on fire, its defenders submerged in a tide of blood? Celestine began. ?My wings are wounded and prevent me from escaping that tide, and the more I tried to free myself, the more it submerged me. But at the same time, I also sensed a presence beyond the wave, the figure of a familiar warrior, trapped behind an ice wall covered in Bck Legion corpses.?

  The Custodian listened to the end, but his expression hidden behind the helmet was clearly thoughtful and worried for Celestine.

  ?I see.?

  The simple statement left the Imperial Saintess shocked. She expected... to be honest, she didn't know what to expect from a Guardian of the Golden Throne, perhaps opposition, anger, or perhaps disgust at that vision. But she certainly didn't expect understanding.

  ?My lord?? she called him, genuinely confused.

  ?Hm? Why that confusion?? he asked sincerely, ?Did you believe I would condemn you because doubt assails you??

  ?My lord, doubt is the seed that leads to heresy. Doubt must never make its way into our minds.?

  The Custodian... ughed. A genuine ugh that left the saint even more disoriented.

  ?Celestine, doubt is in our nature. Yours is a healthy doubt about what is to come.? he said after recovering. ?You can doubt the future, because that is never defined.?

  ?But-?

  ?Do you believe in the Emperor? Do you believe in his guidance??

  At the question, the Imperial Saintess nodded with conviction and without hesitation, her bright eyes the mirror of her devotion.

  ?Then that's enough? said the Custodian ?The Emperor always shows us a chance, a path to follow. But remember, Celestine, we decide whether or not to go down that road. And so far, never once have you hesitated to walk it, no matter how difficult the path. Isn't that right??

  ?Yes, that's right.?

  ?Then don't be intimidated by the visions. Keep walking one step at a time, and when the time comes, you will understand whether they are true, false, or both.?

  ?For the Emperor.? the saint stated, making the symbol of the two-headed eagle.

  ?For the Emperor and the Imperium.? he stated in a gentle tone. ?Now go. I won't hold you back any longer.?

  ?Yes, Custodian.?

  Celestine bowed again and subsequently spread her wings, ready to travel the future battlefield again, in order to give security and courage to these insecure souls.