The Path to Ascension

The novel experience brought by the Webway filled Lox with curiosity. He did not feel anything like the agonizing tearing sensation of a Warp jump.

He understood that this was caused by the difference between the Empyrean’s rules and those of the real universe. Some weaker, more sensitive people even suffered extreme pain during Warp travel, or died amid the distortions.

The Webway was different. Beyond that brilliant gate of light lay a flowing passage with no visible end, its illusory walls wreathed in complex colors imperceptible to the human eye.

The Webway was not some straight thoroughfare. From Lox’s perspective, it resembled the winding capillaries of some colossal being. As the fleet traveled onward, the space before them grew increasingly vast.

Faint golden beams seemed to flicker through the space, lending it an air of mystery and sanctity.

"So this is the interstellar highway built by the creators? Incredible. Simply incredible."

The absence of any discomfort was precisely what made the Webway so remarkable. Even the Necrons’ Pharos beacon network made travelers feel unwell when it transported them.

"Yes. This is the greatest legacy left behind by the Old Ones. It can block the tides of the Warp and travel through the galaxy at faster-than-light speeds."

Uthran puffed out his chest, brimming with pride. The Old Ones had once been so mighty that even their creations continued to serve their purpose tens of millions of years later.

"For such a great race to have perished in war is truly tragic."

Lox sincerely regretted it. According to the Aeldari, the Old Ones had once been an immensely powerful and gentle civilization. They had truly been like creators, enlightening and creating countless races while leaving behind such unimaginable interstellar works.

At least from his current perspective, few civilizations in this vast galaxy could be called decent.

The Necrons were among the chief culprits behind the galaxy becoming what it was today. The Aeldari’s indulgence had awakened She Who Thirsts, and the cosmic anomaly known as Cygnus X was one of the messes they had left behind. The war-obsessed Greenskin Orks were an even greater cosmic disaster once they formed a WAAAGH!.

Even humanity, viewed from the perspective of other races, was an utterly terrifying and extremely xenophobic species.

They possessed nearly endless mortal soldiers, as well as huge metal-can types with formidable combat power who shouted, "For the Emperor!"

Then there were the oilheads who had subjected themselves to extensive inhuman modifications, digging up graves across the galaxy and earning the resentment of countless civilizations.

There were no good people in the galaxy. Every race fought desperately to seize living space for survival. Compared to all those monsters and fiends, the Old Ones—who had long since left the stage—seemed so… normal.

A normal person always seemed terribly out of place in the Warhammer universe.

"Uthran, can we use the Webway to reach Terra directly? The Ruinstorm has trapped us for far too long. We have no time left to waste."

The Aeldari seer fell silent for several seconds before giving a somewhat vague answer.

"I do not know, but it should be possible."

What did he mean, it should be possible? Seeing Uthran once again showing signs of becoming cryptic, Lox immediately pressed him.

"Lox, tell me. Do you truly believe that the brutal human civil war currently raging on Terra is merely a war?" Uthran asked.

Lox froze at the Aeldari seer’s question, hesitation coloring his voice.

"What else would it be? The Emperor’s son Horus has rebelled. He wants to overthrow the ruler of humanity. Half the Space Marine Legions have joined the Wolf Lord’s faction, and they are fighting fiercely in the Solar System."

Uthran revealed a meaningful expression.

"Yes, but also no. It is not merely a civil war. It is a ritual of extraordinary importance to the entire galaxy. Through glimpses of the future, I have seen fragments—certain timelines. An unimaginably terrifying dark figure will awaken from this war—in my view, It is no different from the existing Warp gods."

"The Solar System is the ritual’s altar, and everyone is a sacrifice. Once the ritual begins, not everyone will be able to enter. That is why I do not know whether you can actually enter this ritual through the Webway."

After hearing Uthran’s words, Lox stood there in a daze.

"You mean the Emperor will die, and a new Chaos god will be born?" Lox found it difficult to accept such an outcome. What meaning would all their efforts have then?

If the future was destined to be darkness and destruction, then would that not prove that everything they did was futile?

"No. I do not know who that dark figure is. It may be the Emperor, or it may be Horus."

"Do not fall into the trap of prophecy. Nothing has happened yet. Those timelines are merely possibilities."

Seeing Lox’s dejection, Uthran tried to comfort him.

"The future has never been predetermined. I firmly believe that. This Horus Heresy is, in truth, a choice for your human civilization. It has long surpassed the ordinary concept of war. If the Emperor wins, humanity will continue to exist independently."

"But if Horus wins, humanity will become lambs before the powers of Chaos, sacrifices from which They draw strength."

"And the terrifying dark figure I saw is very likely the future of either the Emperor or Horus. However, prophecies involving the Warp gods are all inaccurate. I cannot give you a definite answer."

Uthran’s words undoubtedly overturned Lox’s understanding of the world. Neither he, Guilliman, nor the Lion had realized the true nature of this war.

The Aeldari seers, due to their innate detachment, viewed the events unfolding in the galaxy from an objective perspective. Having also learned from the fall of the ancient Aeldari Empire, they naturally saw more clearly than humanity.

The birth of She Who Thirsts had not merely been the result of the Aeldari Empire’s boundless excess. It had also been the result of the Warp’s further invasion and corruption of the real universe.

The Aeldari had originally been creations of the Old Ones and should have guarded the real universe for their departed creators. Yet they had instead become the bridgehead for the Warp’s invasion.

War was merely the means. The ultimate purpose was to determine victory or defeat, and through it, decide the direction humanity’s future would take.

"To be honest, I admire your Emperor," Uthran said. That human tyrant was an utterly mad human supremacist, filled with heartfelt hatred and a desire to destroy all xenos.

But if Uthran had been human, he would have felt fortunate that his race possessed such a person.

"He attempted to reshape your human civilization and reunite all the people scattered across the stars. It was an incredibly difficult choice, yet he carried it out without hesitation."

"Humanity once attempted ascension in the past. Unfortunately, those people failed, and their end was miserable. Humanity thereby fell into the long night."

"The Emperor’s Great Crusade was another attempt at ascension. Yet in my view, he too failed. And the consequence of that failure was the Warp’s backlash, which triggered the outbreak of Horus’s rebellion."

Ascension?

Lox realized that this old fellow Uthran truly knew how to hide things. All sorts of concepts Lox could not understand often slipped from his mouth. Lox did not know whether he was showing off or simply speaking carelessly, but unless asked, he generally would not explain anything on his own.

"Stop flaunting your knowledge, wise seer of Ulthwé. Hurry up and explain what ascension means. And when exactly did humanity attempt ascension? How did I not know about it?"

Lox immediately grew impatient and urged Uthran to stop speaking in riddles.

His attitude undoubtedly satisfied Uthran’s vanity. After gathering his thoughts, the long-lived Aeldari began to explain.