During the glorious years of the Great Crusade, the predecessor of the Blood Angels Legion, the Ninth Legion—then known as "The Revenants"—was famous for taking in all kinds of fringe individuals.
While other Legions strictly adhered to standards of genetic purity, the Ninth opened its doors to mutants struggling for survival on Death Worlds and in irradiated wastes.
These recruits, whose bodies bore the marks of environmental adaptation—individuals other Imperial Inquisitorial bodies would deem suitable for purging—found a home in the Blood Angels' modification system.
Sanguinius's perfect and powerful Gene-seed demonstrated astonishing tolerance.
It did not act like a crude carving knife, scraping away all foreign matter. Instead, it behaved like a masterful sculptor, wisely discerning, guiding, and integrating the valuable parts of these mutations while gently correcting the flaws that might pose long-term risks.
In the end, these individuals, once rejected by the mainstream, were molded into powerful and loyal Astartes suitable for the Legion's standard.
This unique tolerance not only provided the Blood Angels with a wider pool of recruitment options but also allowed them to draw strength from demographic groups inaccessible to other Legions.
This showcased the superior characteristics of the Blood Angels' Gene-seed and, more profoundly, reflected the inclusive perfect ideal represented by their Primarch, Sanguinius, an ideal that transcended narrow definitions of human form.
After deep analysis of these cases, Osiris realized that the success of the Blood Angels Legion went far beyond the surface advantages of their transformation.
Their very existence was the most powerful confirmation of the Emperor's original design philosophy.
The true value of that original technique—based on directly implanting the Gene-seed to guide the autonomous generation of organs in vivo—lay in preserving a critical possibility for the Space Marines' evolution: access to the forgotten Third Phase of modification, which was lost due to the technical interruption.
In the Emperor's complete blueprint, the elevation of the Space Marine followed three distinct stages of advancement.
Phase One required the successful implantation of the Gene-seed and the autonomous generation of all necessary organs within the body. Phase Two involved the complete maturation and precise coordination of these organ systems, bringing the warrior to a stable, peak combat state—a stage that later generations mistakenly considered the endpoint of the modification.
Her true breakthrough lay in the never-implemented Third Phase.
This was not a matter of accidental, lucky mutation, but a complete, controllable procedure for reinforcement.
According to her design, after completing the first two phases, a specific biological technology could be used to directly induce the Gene-seed to enter a secondary developmental cycle, systematically unlocking the full potential hidden deep within the genes.
This profound awakening could release physiological functions and psychic talents far exceeding the conventional design, enabling the warrior to transcend their current life form and achieve a qualitative leap toward the Primarchs' core essence.
The accidental breakthrough of Blood Angels Librarian Mephiston ten thousand years later precisely proves the feasibility of this design.
His secondary development, triggered in desperation, was a brief glimpse of the Emperor's planned, controllable Third Phase modification.
This ascension was far from a simple increase in strength; it was a fundamental metamorphosis of life itself.
The modification techniques of the other Legions, due to their reliance on the "patchwork" surgical implantation of pre-formed organs, had their Gene-seed's vitality and integrity fundamentally constrained early in the process, losing the foundation for deep-level evolution.
This is precisely why only the Blood Angels have been able to touch this domain over the millennia; their inherited technical path preserved the Gene-seed's activity and potential most completely.
Osiris clearly understood that Mephiston's case was absolutely not an accidental genetic mutation but irrefutable proof of the Emperor's Third Phase modification concept in reality.
This sealed design blueprint was not mere fantasy; provided the conditions were right, the true power dormant within the Gene-seed could absolutely be awakened. The Blood Angels Legion, by inheriting the technical path closest to the original design, became the only Chapter to—even unconsciously—touch the threshold of this ultimate evolution.
This profound realization greatly strengthened Osiris's resolve.
He recognized that what he held was not merely a tool for patching up existing flaws but the key that could unlock a whole new evolutionary path for the Space Marines.
The treatment of the Imperial Fists rapid conscripts was merely the first step in validating and practicing this ancient wisdom.
His longer-term vision was to give more Astartes warriors the opportunity to reach the fuller life form that was rightfully theirs, fulfilling the Emperor's unfinished ideal.
However, Osiris knew deeply that this secret concerning the future evolutionary path of the Space Marines must not be revealed in the slightest, not even to Rogal Dorn.
The reason is that, having gone through the evolution of the Great Crusade and especially the trauma brought by the Horus Heresy, the "Gene-seed" for every Astartes Chapter is no longer just a biological cornerstone; it is the most sacred and inviolable relic of their lineage, historical honor, and Chapter identity.
Any attempt to "improve," "optimize," or even just "deeply research" the Gene-seed is seen by the vast majority of Chapters as the worst kind of blasphemy, a disrespect and betrayal of their Primarch's bloodline and Chapter tradition.
The case of the later Space Wolves Chapter serves as the clearest warning.
When their successor Chapters suffered from severe mutations due to being unable to receive the unique ritual blessing of the main Chapter—the "Wulfen"—to stabilize the "Canis Helix" genetic code, the then Great Wolf of the Space Wolves secretly instructed the Chapter's Apothecaries to research the Gene-seed itself, hoping to find a cure for the mutation.
Although the research itself may have stemmed from the good intention of saving their brethren, and despite the laboratory later being tragically destroyed by Chaos traitors, preventing all research findings from being used, the incident was later judged as "blasphemy."
Even more chillingly, when the dormant first Chapter Master, Bjorn the Fell-Handed, awoke from stasis and heard of the matter, the respected ancient hero explicitly stated that had the forces of Chaos not destroyed the lab first, he himself would have personally carried out the "purification" of the Apothecaries conducting the research.
While this might involve deeper, unsaid secrets concerning the Space Wolves and the Wolf God of Fenris, Bjorn's attitude unequivocally declared the Chapter's absolute stance on the Gene-seed issue: sacred, beyond questioning, and utterly untouchable.
This case stands like an invisible colossal wall before Osiris.
The original blueprint and pure Gene-seed templates he holds involve deep intervention and guidance of the Gene-seed's expression and potential, which precisely touches the most sensitive and inviolable nerve of all Chapters.
Should his intentions be exposed, he would instantly transform from a respected savant into a public enemy of the entire Astartes institution across the Imperium.
Therefore, Osiris must conceal his true purpose beneath layers of disguise.
His treatment of the Imperial Fists rapid conscripts must, on the surface, entirely conform to the framework of "repair" and "return to standard template," showing absolutely no signs of "transcending" or "improving" the existing Gene-seed design.
He needs to act like the most masterful cryptographer, subtly weaving fragments of imperial wisdom into a logic acceptable to the current technical system, quietly planting the seeds of the future without alarming anyone.
This is a dance on a tightrope; every step must be precise and covert. Any mistake would lead to irreversible consequences and completely bury that ancient spark of hope that could have illuminated humanity's future.