Chapter 55:

Chapter 55: Unexpected family developments are always hilarious.


Eldar time and age nonsense will never stop being hilarious.

I am currently holding my own former older sister in my arms and she is now the newborn sister of my apprentice who is destined to be a being of such evil we want to make an evil monster of a goddess born out of baby eating psychopaths and worse actually look at him and blush in admiration.

I can't stop laughing at this nonsense, at least my soul can't, as my body hides my amusement from any onlooker.

"Have you calmed down?" I asked the fussing baby that used to be my sister.

I did not believe her when she told me she was cursed, but now I do and I am quite worried about it.

Cegorach can be petty yes, but not this petty and not when for some reason she hasn't had her memories erased of her time in the Orphanage. If she did not remember me I could believe Cegorach decided to be petty and call in a favor to deal with treachery, but she does remember me which meant she avoided Vaul's anvil or Asuryan-Khaine's flames which is downright impressive. She is truly as stubborn as she is unlucky.

It's almost as impressive as her being born in a temple dedicated to the Goddess that wants to eat her soul and only realizing it when she was taken out of the nursery by her own brother.

"Yes." She pouted as she sang.

"Good, you're not getting back into my family as I told you, or getting to be a priestess again so please relax. You'll be walking the path of princes in the daughter organization I've created on this world and I can give you protection from the disease so you can relax. Your duties will be slave liberation and other related nonsense as we try to uphold a treaty with my former people." I sang to her.

She also remembers both my lives and I am pretty sure I am in the reality where I was reborn as a creature of darkness, which she remembers too.

I don't want to think about that nonsense. Paradoxes are only fun until you try to figure them out, as afterwards your mind starts cracking. It's better to just take nonsense as it comes at you and deal with it.

There is a single hard rule to follow when dealing with true paradoxes, you never know everything in it. Everything else is malleable but that part is the most important if you wish to keep your sanity.

You don't know its beginning, some intermediate part of the process or the end, because if you do know all that it's not a paradox and if it's a paradox and you somehow try to figure it out you'll run into a serious problem.

Paradoxes are nonsense, complete total and utter nonsense, and nonsense makes no sense and the more you try to make sense of the how they work the more you start losing contact to reality because the solution comes from outside reality.

It's easier to just do your part in making them, ensure that the parts that concern you can't be used against you by the one you're doing it to then not bothering with them anymore. Nonsense is nonsense, you don't try to understand it because you can't understand it.

It just works and the best you can do is document it and try to find if you can use it to your advantage.

Even the tool Ulthuan made does not close or deal with paradoxes as he thought, it simply tells them to not involve you because Existence has three ways to deal with time nonsense and you can't stop it from doing one of those. The ways are: make whatever caused them explode, paradoxes or shunt them somewhere else where nobody can see every single part of them.

Our tool just asks Reality to not get the one using it involved in paradoxes, it does not actually deal with them if the one making them intends to make them your problem, as my fellow Older Brothers and Older Sisters checked and told me of it.

Speaking of siblings.

"Apprentice, is there something you wish to say?" I asked him softly.

He looked annoyed and I knew exactly why, for his silver bracelet still rested on his left hand.

"No master, this one has absolutely no idea what you might be referring to." The cheeky little bastard said.

He was two centuries too old to be pulling that tone on me, but it just made me chuckle a bit before addressing him.

"Oh, so your continued enslavement is of no consequence to yourself?" I smugly asked him.

His face soured.

He was still a slave as I certainly did not request his bond to be transferred to me, nor did the pretender priest give it to me. I think he was just so scared he forgot, but I most certainly didn't.

"Did you honestly think I forgot about it? Vect you wound your master with your sharp tongue." I continued.

His face soured even further.

"You are having fun at his expense." The nameless child sang to me.

"He's a hilariously evil piece of shit whose absolutely comical levels of evil are only matched by his arrogance that towers above even the Divine, so of course I'm having fun at his expense, because if I don't do it now then I won't be able to do so in the future. Now, go to sleep and when you wake up you'll be given to a family to love you." I sang to the baby and she did as I said.

The little traitor knew better than to go against my word. I am giving her a chance at redemption and if she fails she won't need to kill herself to go into her next life as there won't be one as I have soul stones to put her in.

"You do know he can order me to spy on you? And do a lot of things in his name to your detriment." Vect continued.

He's clumsily trying to get me to kill the doomed man that holds his leash as if I have any say in it. The fool is already dead and his body and soul are simply not aware of it yet. A pity, as he was the only one with a shred of courage in his soul among that wretched thing pretending to be a temple.

Vect is not quite where he would be as an Archon or as the Overlord of Commoragh yet, but that is fine as it means I can remove whatever strange affliction made him think that Divinity rules above Mortals. Eldar bow to no one but each other, and we make plays for divinity to come watch and they are at best our equals for it.

"I am aware that this is a possibility but you have no reason to honor the wishes of the dead." I sang back in amusement.

The ships in orbit took the moment I finished that sentence to cauterize the temple for its blasphemy in a single lance of light.

'Please relax, we are not in any danger.' I said mentally to the men that were spooked by the explosion.

They didn't but it is fine, Orbital Bombardment tends to do that to people, and it is why everyone likes doing it.

We all looked at the smoking crater that once was a small temple as the rest of the city was in disarray.

"Do you have any other questions Vect?" I asked as he took in the sight.

His silver bracelet was gone now and he looked at it more than the burning temple. It took him a few heartbeats for him to register my words before he turned to me.

"That was impressive, how did you do it?" He asked cockily.

At least he was thinking like a Prince. Princes do things and Priests arrange for something to happen and the distinction is very important.

"People forget we are a void faring race apprentice, as well that excellent sensors are required to fly into the void and not hit what you don't intend to and hit what you do want to. I am a damned priest of Cegorach on a world ruled by the priesthood of the New Divine and I am always under surveillance to make sure I comply with our deal. I did nothing but walk to that temple and point out the issue to those I talked to, and the lackeys that watched me noticed what I did as well and decided to make their displeasure known once it has been confirmed that yes, what I spoke of is indeed a Greater Blasphemy against Eldar and the Divine and must be purged with prejudice." I answered and I could see he lost interest.

A pity, because my time planning was rather annoying to pull off.

"I also timed our conversation well enough to make it look suitably impressive." I continued a few heartbeats later as my apprentice got deep in thought.

Seven other such bombardments thundered on this world and begun and ended as I vocalized the word 'impressive' as the other ships in orbit bombed the other Blasphemies they could see with the expected predictability one expects of tools. It made the word 'impressive' seem like it was spoken in Orbital bombardments which did the trick in getting him to pay attention to my words properly.

Their death song certainly caught his attention and he stopped trying to plan his escape for now.

I had no way to keep this man near me, as he'd just run the moment he thought it advantageous and do whatever he felt like doing. As such, I needed to make it obvious that what I offered him is worthwhile and make him think that running will not help him.

Dangle power in the face of a man that has never had any, especially one such as Vect and he'll happily take it before stabbing you and now I actually got his attention.

"What do you want from me?" He asked and for the first time he was looking at me properly.

So far he was looking beyond me to his freedom but now I had his full attention.

"My grandmother is a very unpleasant creature and is really interested in this world, and so I need you to learn how to annoy her for me. Learn what I have to teach you properly and suffer my presence for a year or two at most as I set up some nonsense for my own amusement and then you'll be free from my designs and in the perfect spot to make her life miserable for Millennia just by living your life." I informed my apprentice.

He was finally thinking about it. I also sang to my bodyguards to stop gawking at the crater and they apologized in speech for it and we started moving again. They've been very silent since our conversation, but all seven of them agreed to my deal after I explained it to them.

"What do I get in return?" He asked.

He's negotiating now.

How quaint.

"Beyond the fact that you get to learn important skills and knowledge that you were never taught beyond just deceit? Beyond the ability to network with individuals I know you will find useful and earn favors for yourself once you are away from me to abuse to your benefit? Or beyond the ability to make the life of one of the things ruling over that which enslaved you since birth miserable? Well… name your price my would be little deceiver..." I trailed off

The man was thinking about it and he smiled.

"I get to keep my life after you leave." He said slyly.

Ah, I see now, he sensed a trap where there was none. I did say that all those that ever worked at that temple would die for the Blasphemy after all and I hummed as I considered his request. I suppose the knowledge that he transgressed against the Divine with his life is enough to get him to think about his mortality and expect a trap where there was none.

He's mine now and the Priesthood of Slaanesh was informed that the boy is a possible peace offering to her and to kill him would transgress against her, but he does not need to know that. If he becomes too annoying I will just kill him if he breaks one too many taboos as he thinks himself untouchable.

I need him to keep his devious mind that sought every advantage and was willing to do anything in the name of power, not go drunk on unearned power and his potential.

"An interesting proposal Vect, what makes you think I can grant it? And won't this kind older brother think of his cute and little baby sister?" I cajoled.

"You kept her from killing herself in fear until she fell asleep and gave up, I doubt she's scared of what's coming for her that isn't coming from you, but I need to worry about it Bessar Agail." He answered.

A smart answer made out of a simple misunderstanding on his part.

I am a priest, I don't protect people meant to be executed for Blaspheming, I make sure they die when they do it. If Vect was to die, he would have died already and the only reason he didn't was because the tools in orbit were too dumb to look down on the planet. If I didn't actually need him he would be dead by now.

The tools in orbit don't seem to realize there's Eldar here and this makes it far more dangerous than whatever could come from the void for a world in what's effectively research quarantine.

Even pirates don't wish to come here.

"I'll grant you your request if you manage to impress me in your apprenticeship to me, and because I'm a generous soul I'll include your little sister in it as well." I answered him after pretending to think about it.

He just smiled thinking he got one over me.

We continued to walk on the white streets. It was the first time I allowed myself to look upon this city properly since reaching this world. I came to the opinion that I don't like this world after less of a minute of being on it and the city did not convince me otherwise. The city is ill and it shows in the architecture, as it is too empty of decorations and song.

Eldar worlds have multiple layers of art on them as I was told by my siblings and observed on the World of a Thousand Names. This world was empty of such things.

It had the Wraithbone architecture sure, it was even polished to be white and the material had various gems in it to make it look pretty but it was perfunctory. It felt like something done because it needed to be done, not because those living in it had to do it to live in it and it saddened me.

There were songless parts even, where the only decoration was purely physical and I felt my disappointment grow when I found those parts as we walked. This world is one of the few whose song remembers us from before our deal with the Old Ones and yet there's homes in it without Song in them. There should be an obscenity of layers upon layers on them as generations upon generation sang on top one another until it was difficult to know where the song ended and where it begun.

Yet there was nothing, because this world and its people are ill.

I saw the closest thing our civilization has to healthy still and compared to this world it felt truly alive. Under Sil Orgaus, eldar could enjoy life with little worry, especially after her own husband made a giant firewall in the Webway out of Khaine's flames to protect her world from any carrying the virus that under normal circumstances would last thousands of years.

Few people appreciate competent rulers and having rulers that can think about more than what they'll do tomorrow but actually consider the future of their domains and seek to keep it safe and are cognizant of the threats they face.

"Asdrubael Vect, think of what do you want of life, then answer me as truthfully as you can. Think this through properly as it will influence what I teach you." I demanded of him.

We walked in silence for an hour after I said those words through the streets that felt too Empty to be Eldar even as they were filled with a large number of them that cowered in front of me. They had learned to fear me since I had made my presence known three days ago and they've already learned to leave me alone because I grant them what they all want, which is the cure, and the cure kills them.

The souls of Eldar upon death get a choice to make. They can try and get into the reincarnation system and find a new life to live, they can join or rejoin the Divine or they can ask for a reforging by Vaul where the souls will get their memories wiped and then turned anew before making a request of how they wish to be built.

The souls of the ill are usually just subjected to reforging by Vaul as they burn in Khaine's flames, while the Immunized reach the divine and get absorbed by them to further the spread of the cure. This is how the Divine got Immunized, I just sent them Immunized souls and enough of them accepted to rejoin the Divine that the Divine learned how to make more of the cure and are spreading it among themselves to prevent reinfection and ensure all of the new souls born of them are now fully Immune to Boredom if not Slaanesh.

All those that are left to spread it are those that do not take the offer of reforging or the new souls that will get infected in the worlds they live in. Khaine Murdering the Empire or Slaanesh eating it should handle them and make sure we are safe from the illness, even if my Immunization won't actually keep us safe from Slaanesh.

The virus operates by exploiting vulnerabilities to get into the soul and circumvent its defenses, then once inside avoids our soul's attempts at killing it and instead rots us, and my cure gives us immunity once the soul is infected. It does not close the vulnerability I was told, but it does make it easier for an Eldar to resist that which uses it, which is really all I could ask for.

Eldar being aware of where the issue is coming from should be enough to allow them to find a solution to Slaanesh slowly draining their souls and eventually the parasite path might not actually be necessary and if it's not necessary then Reconciliation might be abandoned as a plan.

"I wish for power, power to not be questioned, to have all fear my will and know that to slight me is to mean death." My apprentice told me.

I considered his words and I think I know where the problem is. He imprinted on the priests that had the legal power to do as they please with him as being actual power and even as his mind is telling him something his instincts say something else.

"You won't last long with that mentality once you have it. You need to be questioned and challenged, otherwise you won't see when the knives come for you, but it is fine, as it's my duty as a priest to give advice to would be princes." I answered jovially.

"Why would I wish to be a prince? They don't do much and are little compared to the Divine." He continued.

Ah, it is a lack of proper role models too. He was to be turned into a sacrifice to Slaanesh and that obviously left a mark. That would be tricky to deal with.

"There are two paths to power as known to the Eldar my apprentice, the path of princes and the path of priests and all other paths are but lesser versions of these two or an attempt at combining the two to diluted and embarrasing results. The path of princes is for those that act, and that of priests is for those that make it so that others can act as they will. Both can occupy the same positions, but the path of priests always requires others to act on your behalf in some way to achieve anything worthwhile, while even the least of the ones that walk the path of princes can derail the plans of the Divine and Priests.

One young woman which I have taken as my concubine managed to do so to my own plots with such startling ease that I had to remake all of my plots from just a few of her well placed words, so that I would not die for insulting her. In the meantime I killed priests just by walking and being intimidating." I informed him

I see where the problem is now.

Vect has seen the power of those wielding the power of the divine as they held power over him, but not their weaknesses, while he had seen the weaknesses of warriors and princes and knew exactly how to deal with them with ease.

Considering that Slaanesh would be an omnipresent threat and that the divinities he would see would seem near unstoppable I could see why he would think that the Divine is mightier than Mortals, as he just hasn't seen Mortals worth a damn that did not use Divine Power be an actual threat to him, as opposed to merely something to worry about and yet easily handle.

"The people still fear you, and what's the difference between the two anyway? Power is power and the princes have their own subordinates to do as they will" My apprentice asked.

"You'll learn it properly as I teach you the art of deceit, which is a simple thing to learn. It's not something I can just tell you, you need to experience it properly to understand it" I informed it.

We continued walking for a bit before he spoke again.

My mercenary bodyguards continue to not wish to engage with me and my apprentice, which is a shame but it is fine, they'll get to interact as they work together. They are still uncomfortable with our arrangement and what it entails but they'll get used to it.

"What are you going to teach me anyway? Deceit is not that hard, I do it all the time." He asked snidely.

Now that's just a bunch of lies, I would not have such an easy time manipulating him if he could actually deceive people.

"There are four types of deceit, the basest form is lying and providing false information to mislead others which is what I assume you know how to do and call deceit otherwise you would not be saying such nonsense. To use this on one deceiver and claim it deceit is an actual insult. The second is a combination of truth and lies to mislead or confuse others and it's equivalent in many ways to normal speech in how useful it is, but I don't need to teach you how to speak, you can clearly do so and this and speech are equivalent.

The third is what we will be doing during your apprenticeship, as it's easily taught as it is the usage of only the truth to mislead others while remaining consistent. The fourth form represents something unique for each deceiver and you will have to learn what it means by yourself as no deceiver perceives it quite the same." I revealed.

My apprentice looked confused at it but it is fine, as he will learn what I meant when it is time as he is a smart man. Now I need to find out how do I make Vect be a man that values action more than plot.

Kings are men of action and whose actions become so great they twist reality to fit their whims and the Divine are beings whose existence becomes so large and powerful that they become part of the setting that is reality. Princes can act against that and gain power over the destiny of Mortals and the Divine, while Priests can only use the power of things other than themselves to act.

The more one advances on their paths the more they become like it, where priests become less and less capable of acting themselves and instead have to use the power of others to do things and princes become better and better at acting and can act on a greater and greater scale until their actions affect the entire eldar race.

And now I am stuck with trying to teach Asdrubael Vect that the path to which I have no worthwhile example of their power is mightier than that which he only has examples as being The Path to Power.

"Can't I just do both?" He asked and I smiled

Well, at least he's got the instincts one needs to have as a king, as all true Eldar Royalty look at the power of princes and priests and think 'I want to possess both.'

"Yes, yes you can, but you are not there yet." I told him.

Now I just need to figure out how to teach him that as this world has no examples I could use and if I tried to create one Vect would just think that the Divine is superior to Mortals and we can't have that.

Eldar refusing that nonsense is why we have civilization in the first place, but before that I need to find the boy some actually decent clothes to wear.

I can't have people think he serves Slaanesh still, this creature can barely look at me and pretend I am an equal, let alone think something as above him. It would not do to have my apprentice lie about who and what he is so openly as I won't allow him to lie to me until his apprenticeship to me is complete.