"Where to this time?"
Caelan looked up, his eyes meeting the sight of towering, majestic pyramids.
Of all the Primarchs' homeworlds, only Magnus's mother planet possessed such a unique architectural style.
Prospero.
Caelan turned and looked back. The towering city walls, like the arms of a giant, tightly embraced the entire city.
This was the City of Light, Tizca. The city of psykers.
The city was built along the coast. Its architecture was dominated by massive pyramid-shaped structures, planned in a radial pattern from the center, maximizing the city's order and aesthetic appeal.
All the buildings were made of pure white marble, giving the entire city a remarkably unified aesthetic.
The pyramids also had a unique reflective design, glistening under the skyline, further emphasizing their majesty and sanctity.
Pyramids adorned with golden tops pierced the clouds, the jade-white marble making them shine brilliantly.
Focusing on the coastline, Tizca also had a large but desolate harbor, with various ships docked at the piers.
Outside the city stretched vast, lush forests, seemingly full of life and vitality.
Everything appeared exquisitely beautiful, as if this place were tranquil and wonderful.
Once, it truly had been.
"Time to find Magnus."
Caelan spoke to himself, his gaze turning towards the city center.
The towering, majestic pyramids stood like ancient guardians, surrounding the heart of the city.
Caelan walked towards the pyramids. The bizarre inhabitants all looked at him with curiosity.
Because he was too normal.
Here, there were lion-men covered in thick manes, cat-people with two tails, beastmen with goat heads walking their beastmen cubs, and crab-people with three eyes and pincers.
Compared to these mutants, a normal person like Caelan seemed out of place.
But this was Prospero.
In the Golden Age, Prospero had been a desolate border world.
To escape persecution, mutants and psykers had built a home here, living in isolation.
Even during the most glorious Golden Age of human civilization, these outcasts had never been truly accepted.
Even though Prosperines had reproduced for millennia, the children of mutants were still mutants, and the offspring of psykers had a much higher probability of being psykers than normal humans.
Because psykers themselves were special mutants created through genetic modification, their descendants naturally inherited these special genes.
Mutants' genes were so chaotic that it was a miracle there was no reproductive isolation between them. But when two mutants with such genetic disorder coupled, the chance of their offspring's genes returning to normal was incredibly low.
Even if one generation temporarily reverted to normal, the probability of the next generation producing mutants remained very high.
A normal person like Caelan naturally seemed incongruous among them.
Although Tizca also had psykers who looked normal, they didn't live in the outer city.
Even though Prospero was a colony built by people fleeing persecution,
Colonies still needed order, and strict hierarchy and formal language are rules etched into human genes.
Psykers were indeed more powerful than mutants, and they naturally became the rulers of Prospero.
But even so, Prospero's psykers did not discriminate against mutants.
Psykers and mutants had long been accustomed to living in peace with each other. They did not hate or kill each other because of physical mutations.
Before the disaster struck, this colony founded by fugitives was a veritable utopia for mutants and psykers.
Only on such a world could Magnus have a safe childhood.
Otherwise, whether it was his red skin or his psychic talent, he would have faced discrimination, rejection, and even persecution on other worlds.
On most worlds, psykers had a difficult life.
On those worlds with relatively primitive technology, psykers would be executed as witches.
And on those worlds with Warp travel capabilities, psykers would be used as batteries for Gellar fields.
A world like Prospero might be unique in the entire galaxy.
Caelan made his way through the bustling streets, heading towards the central square.
In the middle of the square, the gestation pod bearing the Roman numeral XV stood quietly, like a commemorative monument.
The pod had caused massive destruction when it fell, turning this magnificent marble square into ruins.
The ruins remained uncleared because the people of Tizca lacked the materials to repair it and could only leave it be.
But judging from the surroundings, it was clear that Magnus had arrived on Tizca a long time ago.
But where was he now?
Caelan looked around. As he was pondering how to find Magnus, a strange red color caught the corner of his eye.
It was a young man, standing among the crowd at the edge of the square, yet completely out of place.
He had a rare crimson complexion and long, dark red hair. He was quietly watching Caelan.
Such striking features were very easy to recognize.
"Magnus."
Most of the Primarchs Caelan had met were infants or young children. Ferrus was the only adolescent he had seen.
The only adults had been Mortarion and the Khan, and now Magnus.
Based on Caelan's experience, an adolescent Primarch should be about a year old.
A one-year-old Primarch already had a relatively complete understanding of the world.
If Caelan wanted to teach him, he would have to change his worldview.
This was very difficult, but Caelan had to try.
Many thoughts raced through Caelan's mind. He weighed how to introduce himself to Magnus, but the young man's actions took him by surprise.
"Father." His voice trembled, almost choking. "You've finally come."
Caelan was stunned for a moment. All his prepared words stuck in his throat.
He abandoned his carefully planned opening and gave a gentle smile. "Yes, I'm here. I've kept you waiting. I hope I'm not too late."
Magnus replied, "Nine months and nine days. From the day I landed on this world, I've been waiting for you to come for me."
Caelan asked, "So it was you warning me all along. Why didn't you admit it?"
Magnus blushed, but his skin was already red, so it was hard to tell.
"I was still young," Magnus said, his voice also very small. He had been too young then, too afraid to admit it.
Caelan: "You saw me and your brothers in your prophecies?"
"Yes," Magnus said, raising his head proudly. "This is my gift!"
Unlike Curze, who only had the gift of prophecy, Magnus possessed the gift of using psychic powers.
Only Magnus had both. He was the only psyker among all his brothers, the only one who shared the same gift as his two fathers!
And only he had known his father before meeting him.
Long before Father arrived on Prospero, they had already been close father and son!
Caelan asked, "How much did you see?"
"Everything."
Caelan's expression became awkward. This is bad.
He vividly remembered standing before each Primarch and relentlessly comparing Magnus to a giant baby.
It wasn't that he was targeting Magnus specifically; he treated all Primarchs equally.
Whether they were Loyalists or future Warmasters, he would call them out one by one, listing their flaws.
His intention was to warn the Primarchs and have them learn from it.
But if Magnus had been watching all along, wouldn't that be like criticizing one son in front of another?
Magnus gazed at Caelan, as if he could read his complex expression. His face was serious.
"Father, I have reflected on myself. My brothers and I were too naive!"
"Without your guidance, we would all have become giant babies, heading for a tragic future."
"But now things are different!"
He straightened his posture. "Because you have taught my brothers, and now you are here with me. With your teaching, I will never repeat their mistakes!"
"I will prove myself worthy of the title 'Primarch' and become a son you can be proud of!"
Magnus's declaration was resounding and powerful.
Caelan looked into his sincere eyes and was certain Magnus's words came from the heart.
He had truly reflected and gained true insight from it.
The maturity and self-reflection he displayed now were completely different from the naive, arrogant, paranoid giant baby 'Little Mag' in Caelan's memory.
If the Primarch had already become a better person through self-reflection, what was Caelan supposed to do?
Take the credit?
Caelan wasn't that shameless.
Magnus had seen Caelan's life and the lives of other Primarchs. He regarded Caelan as his father.
So when Caelan taught other Primarchs, Magnus would also listen in, even though Caelan was completely unaware of his existence.
But while teaching, Caelan also unintentionally hurt Magnus.
He was just a child, yet he had to watch Caelan closely accompany his brothers, giving them warmth, while simultaneously criticizing him mercilessly.
Anyone else would probably hold a grudge.
Caelan would never claim innocence, nor use 'ignorance' as an excuse.
Only the victim has the right to forgive the perpetrator. Ignorance is not an excuse for a criminal to absolve themselves.
Caelan was silent for a long time, looking at the red-skinned young man with guilt. "Magnus, I am so sorry."
He had done wrong. Wrong is wrong.
Apologizing isn't claiming innocence; it's admitting guilt.
Magnus shook his head gently. "Father, I have never resented you for this. Not in the past, not now, and not in the future."
"As long as you treat me and my brothers equally, there's no need for guilt."
"Because I understand you came to make us better people."
Magnus behaved very maturely; his psychological age was no less than any adult Primarch.
But the more he did so, the more guilty Caelan felt.
What had he done?
"Father, do you think the current me is a giant baby?" Magnus asked.
"Of course not," Caelan answered with conviction.
'If even Magnus like this was considered a giant baby, then who in this world could be called mature?'
Magnus said, "Then why dwell on it?"
"What you criticized was merely one of countless future possibilities. But that is not me."
"Just as you changed my brothers' futures, you have already changed me."
"It will not become reality. I will not take it personally. You need not blame yourself for it."
"You're right," Caelan said. "But if I truly didn't care about the mistakes I made, I wouldn't deserve to be your father."
The current Magnus was so mature it was heartbreaking.
The hardest person to teach is not the worst, but the one who performs best.
Just like Magnus.
If he had already witnessed Caelan's education of the other Primarchs, what could Caelan possibly teach him?
Magnus seemed to see right through him. "Father, companionship is the best education. It's also the education I crave most."
Caelan nodded, "Then, show me around your hometown, Magnus."
Caelan still felt guilty, but he couldn't wallow in self-pity.
He had to find a balance between the two.
That, too, was a compromise.
If he got lost in either emotion, he would be utterly ashamed.
"Please, follow me, Father." A bright, happy smile appeared on Magnus's face.
He had been worried about missing the chance to bond with Father!
He knew the first half of Father's life with the first five primarch brothers like the back of his hand, but Father knew nothing about him.
How could a father not know his son?
He would show Father the best of him, make Father understand that he was far more worthy of pride than the other primarchs!
"Magnus, did you see all of the primarchs?"
Magnus answered without thinking, "Only the first five. Curze, Lorgar, Russ, and Angron."
"That's four."
Magnus's voice stopped abruptly. A flicker of confusion and bewilderment appeared in his eyes. "But I clearly remember five. Who was the fifth? Why can't I... remember?"
Caelan rubbed his brow. "I probably know the reason."
The missing primarch was likely Horus. He was the first-found, and also the last-found.
Magnus could see him and Horus precisely because Horus was the first-found.
He had forgotten the details of that memory because Horus had not yet returned. It hadn't happened yet.
Fate had not yet woven the beginning and end of the event; the details were still unknown.
"Magnus," Caelan had many things to ask him.
"Father, please call me Little Mag."
"Little Mag, how do you view the relationship between psykers and the Warp?"
Magnus said, "Psychic power is our gift, but it is a double-edged sword. It can bring progress to humanity, but it can also invite disaster."
"We should use it wisely, be careful with our gift, not reject it outright."
"Unrestrained abuse will attract those evil entities lurking in the Warp. It is precisely these evil entities that have caused Prospero's suffering."
"And," he paused slightly, "No matter when, no matter what happens, we must not engage in any form of transaction or contest with Warp entities, no matter how favorable the situation may seem."
"Because the Chaos Gods never keep their promises. The terms they offer must hide traps. This is the bottom line a psyker must not cross!"
"During the Age of Strife, unrestrained psykers already cost humanity dearly. Millions of worlds were destroyed because of psykers."
"You once told me that the only thing humanity learns from history is that humanity learns nothing from history."
"But I am a primarch. My brothers and I should learn from it, because we must lead humanity towards a brighter future!"
"My psychic talent is second only to yours and Father's. I possess a gift none of my other brothers have, and I bear an unprecedented responsibility. I was born to be the leader of psykers."
"I will teach psykers just as you taught me, help them learn to control their gifts just as I have."
"Chaos's corruption of mortals is essentially using mortal desires as bait."
"As long as we remain rational and restrain our greed, Chaos is nothing to fear."
"They are indeed masters of the Warp, but in the material universe, we humans are the masters of the galaxy!"
"Psychic power once ravaged the galaxy, but in the future, we will tame this power and use it for the benefit of all humanity!"
Magnus stood tall, his voice passionate, his eyes shining with blazing light.
"Little Mag, you've really grown up." Caelan gazed at the red-skinned young man, his expression complex.
Long before Caelan had truly educated him, he was already a mature primarch.
Magnus the Red in Caelan's memory no longer existed. Caelan believed that the Magnus of today would never become what he was in that future.
Magnus's words came from the heart, not just to please him.
"I haven't!" Magnus stopped urgently. "Father, I still need your companionship! Teach me just as you taught my other brothers!"
"And I will accompany you."
Caelan slowly raised his hand and gently placed it on Magnus's shoulder. "To make up for my mistakes."
"You have no mistakes," Magnus stubbornly insisted. "My brothers are more naive than me. They don't understand your good intentions. They need you more."
"Then consider this a gift from a father. This is what I owe you."
"You owe me nothing."
Caelan said, "I think I owe you, so I owe you!"
Magnus was silent for a moment, then asked quietly, "May I use this to ask for a promise from you?"
"What promise do you want?"
Five years. You accompanied my brothers for five whole years. I don't expect more than them, but I will not accept less."
"Even if you have an unavoidable reason to leave," Magnus conceded with difficulty, "then at least, make up the time you owe me!"
Caelan's voice was unusually serious. "Then, I promise you."
How could Caelan possibly refuse such a humble request?
Magnus could have asked for more, but instead only requested what he was due.
He was too mature.
A bright smile appeared on Magnus's face at Caelan's promise. He was only nine months old.
But he had spent over a decade as a listener in dreams.
What kind of people Caelan wanted to shape them into, what principles he wanted them to understand, Magnus understood it all.
He would never disappoint Father, just as Father would never disappoint him.
.....
30 Chapters [email protected]/DaoistJinzu