I was born.
Born on a world blanketed in verdant, dense forests.
Seen from space, it was a beautiful blue-green planet, a jewel in the dark universe.
But if anyone actually set foot on that land, they would discover the dangers lurking within and see its true, terrifying face.
Hordes of behemoths threatened people's lives.
Within just a few decades, once-scattered towns fell one after another, and tens of millions died violent deaths under the behemoths' rampage.
Now, the City of Light, Tizca, sheltered the few remaining survivors.
Towering walls embraced the entire city; majestic pyramids pierced the clouds.
Yet, in the face of the swarming flying behemoths, these defenses seemed so fragile.
They could easily fly over the walls and attack the mortals within.
And the people were powerless to stop them.
The shadow of death always hung over the Prosperines, until finally, I was born.
I fell from the sky. The burning incubation pod, like a falling star, trailed a blazing tail as it streaked across the heavens.
When it crashed into the central square, the entire city trembled.
People gathered fearfully at the perimeter of the impact zone. Psykers joined forces to create a barrier, shielding against the oncoming heat wave.
The bravest psyker was the first to step into the ruins.
The marble floor had melted into red-hot magma, but in the impact crater, they found a miracle.
A flawless silver incubation pod, and me lying inside.
"There's a child in there!"
He exclaimed. More powerful psykers followed, using their powers together to extinguish the fire and cool the area.
Finally, they lifted me out of the incubation pod.
I looked at them, my young face betraying neither joy nor sadness.
Because I remembered who I was.
"Father," I murmured.
The man holding me showed a flicker of confusion, thinking I was calling him.
But I remembered. I remembered my father was the Master of Mankind.
I remembered my origin. I remembered how my father created my brothers and me.
I was born in a laboratory, created by my father from certain things originating from the Empyrean.
Beneath our human-born exteriors hides a great essence derived from the Empyrean.
That is me.
"Father," I said, inside the incubation pod, submerged in nutrient fluid, yet to take on the form of a mortal infant.
I had no lips. Not yet.
But I had a mind. I remembered who I was, gaining awareness earlier than all my brothers.
They were still foolish, ignorant infants living in swaddling clothes, but I was superior to them all.
I could call out "Father."
The golden man pacing between the incubation pods found me, the source of the voice.
He should have been surprised.
"You are even more outstanding than I imagined, my son."
I rejoiced at this, my unformed body bobbing up and down in the incubation pod.
From the moment of my birth, everything was etched in my memory.
My consciousness was incredibly clear. I remembered everything.
I remembered how I was born, how I was swept away, and how I landed on Prospero.
I also remembered who my father was.
"Father!" I called out loudly, unconsciously, urgently.
I dreamed of Father. The scenes in the dream were clearer than ever before.
He stood there, as if right in front of me.
I waved at him excitedly; my eyes must have been filled with joy.
But why, why didn't Father acknowledge me?
"Father!"
Father walked towards me. I opened my arms, but Father walked right past me.
He walked towards another dark-haired child. I remembered him.
One of my foolish brothers. He was Number Eight.
I saw through my brother's essence and foresaw his future. My brother is a cold, dark perpetrator of violence!
He uses fear to enact his justice. He is a madman, and he will kill Father!
Father sleepwalked, stumbling forward, then suddenly collapsed just a few steps away from the monster.
My heart nearly stopped, because my monstrous brother was staring directly at Father. He held a piece of the incubation pod, his face expressionless, his thoughts unknown.
"Stay back! Get away from Father, you monster!"
My voice trembled, but I still spread my arms to shield Father.
But his gaze pierced right through me, as if I didn't exist.
He completely ignored my warning and took a few steps forward.
"Stay back! Monster!"
I picked up a stone and threw it at him, but the stone passed through him.
I looked down. The stone was still on the ground. What had I thrown?
I experienced the feeling called despair. I couldn't touch him, couldn't stop him.
I saw the future. My monstrous brother would slit Father's throat. He would kill the Father who came to find me.
Father would die, and there was nothing I could do.
"Father, wake up! Father, danger is near, wake up!"
I fell to my knees, desperately shaking Father's body. Tears splashed onto his face and disappeared without a trace.
I wasn't really here. I was just an observer.
I watched the monster walk towards Father, holding the shard.
He was silent for a long time, then silently returned to his incubation pod, quietly sitting inside.
It was as if he had never climbed out, even though he had been surviving alone underground for a long time.
"No," I heard my brother whisper to himself. He too had seen the future, and he rejected it.
Father finally woke up.
His gaze passed over me, landing directly on that monstrous brother.
He looked at my monstrous brother, a pained expression on his face.
"Why did it have to be Curze?"
My monstrous brother tilted his head, looking at Father in confusion.
He gripped the shard tightly; he could easily kill Father, even though he was just a child.
But he didn't.
"Your father entrusted me to find you. Maybe you don't trust me now, but we can leave the underground first, and I'll explain everything to you."
Father spoke to his monstrous brother with gentle persuasion, and his monstrous brother understood, but just looked at him silently.
Father climbed upwards in the darkness. The boy followed quietly behind him, neither crying nor making noise, very well-behaved.
"Sent me over without even a word of notice. Your father is quite something," Father insulted the boy's father. Curze looked up, confused.
And I, I just followed silently.
Because in this world, I have never existed.
"You hate me," my monstrous brother suddenly asked.
"Hate you? No. Just that your difficulty setting is a little too high. Annoying, that's all. Don't take it personally."
They talked, like two strangers who didn't trust each other.
How foolish. His monstrous brother didn't even know how to cherish this!
I hate him. I hate that brother named Curze!
The chance was mine. I am the smartest of the primarchs. I should be the first-found son!
But who took it from me?
I don't understand.
"Get on my back. You can't make it up yourself; I'll carry you up."
Whatever they did, I could only watch helplessly, watching them go from guarded distance to inseparable.
That monstrous brother, once full of gloom, could now openly open his heart to my father.
But he's faking it!
Father is deceived. Only I see clearly.
My brother's essence is still a monster. He is a madman!
"Father, don't trust him!"
"Father, wake up!"
"He's been lying to you all along. I am your son! Father!"
I cried out in the darkness. My monstrous brother stood by the bed. Father finally woke from the dream.
The room was lit. The pale giant stood quietly before him, watching him.
"Did you have a nightmare?" the monster asked.
Father ran a hand through his hair. "Not really a nightmare. Just someone in the dream saying some things to me."
"Who?"
"I don't know. Maybe it was Little Mag. He's the only one I can think of with that ability. But how did he find me? Calling me 'Father', saying someone was lying to me. Shouldn't he be having psychic phone calls with the Emperor?"
"Who is Little Mag?"
"Magnus, Primarch of the Fifteenth Legion. Your brother."
"Heh."
Curze gave a cold laugh. "What kind of person is he?"
"A psyker, a paranoid, an immature brat, a giant baby," Father answered without hesitation.
Tears streamed down my cheeks. So this is how Father sees me?
No wonder Father hasn't come for me. I have been abandoned.
Father doesn't like me.
I curled up in the shadows, still watching, but already numb.
But why does my heart still hurt?
It feels like my heart is being torn apart. It twitches, pleading with me. But what can I do?
But then I heard my monstrous brother ask, "Father, what about the other brothers?"
Father said, "Magnus is a paranoid giant baby, Perturabo is a conflicted giant baby, Angron is a short-tempered giant baby, Horus has a father complex giant baby. In short, your brothers all have various flaws."
My monstrous brother asked, "And me?"
Father's assessment was merciless. "In the future I know of, you are a madman giant baby!"
"Prophecy is your gift, yet you did not use it well. You succumbed to your gift, inferior even to an Aeldari Farseer!"
I slowly looked up, suddenly understanding.
So in Father's eyes, we are all the same. We are all giant babies.
Thinking this, it didn't seem so painful anymore.
So we are all the same. Father treats us equally.
His brother asked, "And what about now?"
A gratified smile appeared on Father's face. "The you now, makes me proud."
Curze said, "Then, I will continue to make you proud in the future. And so will my brothers."
"Is that your prophecy?"
"Yes," Curze said. "I have foreseen the future."
I watched quietly, even though no one noticed me.
Father doesn't dislike me. He just dislikes the 'me' from before, the 'me' from his prophecy.
But he doesn't just dislike me. He dislikes many of my brothers.
We are all the same.
If even Curze can find redemption and love, why can't I?
We are all giant babies.
No, I am not a giant baby.
Not yet. I am just an infant.
The 'Magnus' Father spoke of is not me. I am not him.
My father and brothers launched a great revolution, liberating a hive city together.
On that day, our father arrived.
He was radiant, just like the first time I saw him.
The crowds cheered. For the Master of Mankind. For their gene-father. For the Lord of Nostramo. For the Night Haunter.
But no one noticed me in the shadows.
Because I don't exist.
Yes, I never existed. I don't belong here.
I lowered my head, despondent.
"Don't be sad. You are also our child."
"He will find you. He loves you just as much as he loves your other brothers. But fate hinders him."
"Don't believe in the tricks of fate. When you truly meet him, you will understand how much he loves you."
I looked up. Father was encouraging me with warm eyes.
Only him. Only he noticed my presence.
"Father."
My eyes grew moist.
He was the first person I ever saw. He was the most powerful being in the galaxy.
He is also my father.
So he has been watching me all along.
Father left. Just as Father said, he went to find me.
"Great, Father! You've gotten rid of that liar! Now, find me. I will lead you to the truth!"
This time, surely it's my turn, right?
I will tell Father the truth. I will tell him I've been waiting.
I will wait for Father to tell me himself that he doesn't dislike me!
As long as Father is willing to teach me, just as he teaches my other brothers, I will never become a giant baby!
Full of anticipation, I waited patiently.
I woke up.
I was one month old.
Gradually, I began to distinguish between reality and prophecy. What I saw was not the future; I was merely witnessing my brother's happiness.
And I am still waiting, in solitude.
"Father, come find me! Please, you must find me!"
"Father, I have waited so long. Why haven't you come for me yet?"
"Father, why haven't you come for me?"
The child sobbed pitifully.
"Four have already been found. When will it be my turn?"
"It's three!"
"Maybe you remembered wrong?"
"Impossible."
Three, or four.
Father said three, but I clearly saw four.
I was four months old.
So it's four. It is indeed four.
But why?
So time is not linear. I seem to understand.
Father asked, "Are you Magnus?"
"You've got the wrong person," I said dryly, then couldn't help asking, "Father, when will you come for me?"
"How should I know? The order in which the Primarchs are found isn't under my control."
"Then who does it control?"
Father didn't answer. So he didn't know the answer either.
But I think I already understand.
"Fate."
I lowered my head. Yes, as my gene-father reminded me.
Fate is mocking us.
But what is fate?
And who controls fate?
Where are the answers?
I followed Father, just like before.
I just followed silently.
Father couldn't see me. He wasn't as powerful as my other father.
I met my fifth brother. Or maybe my fourth.
Angron.
My most fragile brother. And also my most unfortunate brother.
He was being hunted by Aeldari. Though he killed the xenos, he was already exhausted.
But Father came. He saved my brother, just like the others.
I always remembered. Every time Father descended, he gave my brother redemption at the most opportune moment.
What about me?
Until when must I wait?
I was lost.
Father left the snowy mountain, taking my fragile brother with him.
He couldn't see me either. No one paid me any attention. As always.
I followed them as they rescued a group of gladiators. I followed them into a city called Desh'ea.
It was here that I met a true monster.
"Nice to meet you, dear Caelan. I am Claudia Octavia."
She sat on a throne, her posture elegant, her bearing magnificent.
Father and brother were both deceived by her beautiful visage. Only I saw through her true nature!
She is not human!
"Father! Danger! Watch out for her!" I shouted hoarsely, my voice trembling with fear, but I could not stop her.
"Be good now. Don't disturb Mommy while she's pursuing Daddy."
An invisible force grabbed me. She gave me a sly wink with those mismatched blue-purple eyes.
"Am I beautiful, dear?" She smiled sweetly at Father.
"Have we met before?"
"I'm sure this is our first meeting, but I'm even more sure we will spend our lives together."
I despaired.
My foolish brother couldn't see her true nature. She isn't human, yet she covets Father's body!
I was imprisoned in her palace. Several times I almost escaped, but each time I fell short at the last moment.
I watched their relationship grow closer day by day.
Watched my brother's Legion arrive and unify the world.
And watched Father leave in her arms.
What about me?
I was still imprisoned there.
"Alright, time to talk about you." She looked at me, teeth showing in a smile.
But in my eyes, she was only baring her hideous fangs.
She asked, "Are you very afraid of me?"
I stubbornly shouted, "You are not human!"
"No respect for elders. Call me Mommy!"
"Even Angron doesn't call you that! Why should I?"
I refused.
She furrowed her brow slightly, troubled. "That is a good point. Your father is always so unromantic. It's quite troubling."
"I'd rather Father be unromantic," I muttered. "If Father were romantic, wouldn't you, the monster, get your way?"
She wasn't angry, hiding a light laugh behind her hand. "You keep calling me a monster. Have you ever considered what has been helping you all this time?"
"No one has helped me."
She nodded gracefully. "Exactly. It's not human. It's a beast."
"Alright, stop watching. This place isn't yours. Don't spy on your brother's privacy. You wouldn't want your brothers to witness yours, would you?"
I truly didn't want this, but I was still unwilling to accept it. "Who is helping me?"
"Go ask your father. He will tell you the answer."
"But don't trust people lightly. You wouldn't want to be deceived by a monster like me, would you?"
"They are much better liars than I am. If you were to fall, Mother would be very sad."
"You are not my mother!" I still refuted.
Claudia said, "I will be, eventually. Let's make a pact. Don't tell your father about me."
"I won't make a deal with you!"
"Then I can't let you leave here. Are you sure you want to stay here forever?"
Magnus did not want to stay here. It was torture.
But he didn't want to agree to her either.
He asked stubbornly, "What price are you willing to pay for this?"
"Any price. Then, the pact is sealed."
She gradually blurred, and I woke from the dream again.
I was five months old, but I never dreamed of Father again.
"Father, why?" I asked the golden giant in confusion.
"Time..." Father told him.
Time what?
I didn't hear clearly. Something interfered with his voice. It was always like this.
When I was six months old, I briefly dreamed of my brother Angron and his foster mother.
Today, I am nine months old.
I had another dream.
I dreamed of my Father. He is finally coming.
I rejoiced!
.....
30 Chapters [email protected]/DaoistJinzu