Deep in the Underhive
Captain Reindel followed the Children of Mother deeper into the underhive. The further they went, the more the atmosphere shifted. The grime and desolation gave way to an unsettling cleanliness, a sensation of cloying peace and sensuality. Elegant, discreet pleasure houses now lined the alleys. They stopped before a large building adorned in purple and gold.
The young man accompanying him turned. "Mother is inside. She is expecting you."
Reindel entered alone. The air was thick with intoxicating perfumes and carnal promises. Women of disturbing beauty, with milky skin and clad in sheer veils, lounged nonchalantly among luxurious furnishings. Men with sculpted physiques watched him with enigmatic smiles. Reindel felt drunk, overwhelmed by the atmosphere. But the memory of his predecessor's fate sent a shiver through him. He regained his composure and quickly followed a guide, unable to tear his eyes from the hypnotic sway of her hips.
They arrived in a beautifully decorated room, a sanctuary of velvet and silk. And there, he saw her.
Seated on a divan, a woman with porcelain skin, flowing golden hair, and hypnotic violet eyes. Her legs, of sculptural perfection, were crossed with innate grace. This was Mother. An almost irresistible urge to kneel washed over him. He fought the impulse and, in a voice he tried to make firm, declared:
"I am the Captain of the Governor's Guard. My name is Reindel."
She rose with calculated slowness and approached him. Her hand, soft and cool, rested on his cheek. The caress was both maternal and deeply unsettling. Reindel, mesmerized, felt tears well up in his eyes for no apparent reason. His resistance crumbled. He fell to his knees.
"We... we are in danger," he sobbed, like a lost child. "Save us, Mother."
The woman looked down at him with infinite tenderness, a smile on her lips. Her voice was an enthralling melody.
"I will save you all."
In the Upper Hive
The battle raged. The Governor and his last loyal men were in retreat, forced to abandon the upper levels. The great palace gate, which had withstood centuries of assaults, was beginning to buckle under the relentless pounding of the Irons Skulls.
The Governor ran through the corridors of his palace, his maddened gaze flitting over the portraits of his ancestors. Hatred and fury boiled within him. So many years of power, of effort for his lineage... and now, everything was collapsing. He could not accept it. No. Absolutely not.
Suddenly, the decapitated head of Urek, which he clutched to his chest, began to vibrate. A black and sinister voice, no longer that of his son, whispered into his mind. It spoke of sacrifices, of ancient rituals, of taking back by force what was rightfully his.
The Governor, his eyes glazed, fell into a trance. "Yes... yes!" he muttered, drool trickling from his lip. "Bring me blood! Lots of blood! HAHAHA! I will succeed! I will succeed and I will have the power to win! HAHAHA!"
His collaborators, witnessing this scene, exchanged horrified looks. The situation was more than desperate; it had become damned. But what could they do? Disobedience would mean a horrific death for them and their families. They had no choice but to obey.
Outside, on the Battlefield
Julius and his army watched the last enemy defenses fall one after another. Victory seemed within reach.
Yet, Julius's unease only intensified. A pressure in the air, a growing corruption in the Warp that he could feel despite his protections. They had to hurry. He felt it in his bones. If they did not interrupt what was being woven in the depths of the hive, a far more untenable and catastrophic situation would unfold.