Date: 999 M41

  Location: Macragge, Fortress of Hera, outside the Sanctum of the Chapter Master.

  In recent weeks, there has not been a moment of peace... always, if peace exists in this dark millennium. From Eriad VI to Cadia, from Ksius to Macragge. The Custodian has witnessed and participated in many events that have influenced the history and fate of the Imperium. But what happened on Macragge was definitely the turning point... and he hopes for the best.

  He was not wearing his armour, which was entrusted along with his Paragon Spear to the Archmagos Cawl for maintenance and to restore it to an optimal state. At least in these moments of breathing, it is better to prepare as best you can. He wore a simple purple tunic with gold embroidery depicting a two-headed eagle, set within an elongated shield. Simple and comfortable, yet formal. I admit, I missed it a little.

  His presence put the Ultramarine's Honour Guard, the scions of Roboute Guilliman and protectors of the Ultramar kingdom, the ancient empire created by Guilliman before he rejoined the Emperor of Mankind, his father, on alert.

  They stood guard in front of a massive, finely decorated door, on which the inverted omega, the Chapter symbol of the Ultramarines, had been engraved, surrounded by a halo, and below it was engraved the high-relief representing the kingdom of Ultramar.

  ?Why do I still live? What more do you want from me? I gave everything I had to you, to them. Look what they've made of our dream. This bloated, rotting carcass of an empire is driven not by reason and hope but by fear, hate and ignorance. It would have been better to burn among the fires of Horus' ambition than to live to see this.?

  A voice growled beyond the doors, and judging by the reaction of the Honour Guard pced in front of the door leading to the Sanctum, the Custodian realised that only he had been able to hear those words filled with frustration, anger, and... falsehood. The Custodian sighed and was about to knock.

  ?Forgive me, Lord Custodian. But we were ordered-?

  ?If the Lord of Ultramar will not receive me...? he interrupted him coldly ?he will tell me himself.?

  The Honour Guard seemed to want to add something else, but he was quicker. His fist knocked against the heavy, solid wooden doors leading to the Sanctum. There was silence for a few minutes, and, seeing that no one was answering, the Custodian understood that it wasn't a good idea to insist.

  ?Come in? thundered the voice behind the door.

  The Custodian was not long in coming and crossed the threshold, closing the door behind him. The interior is a long marble hall, with tapestries hanging on the western wall, as tall as an Imperial Knight, each masterfully crafted, representing the glory of the Chapter. Alien beasts killed, heretical despots executed, worlds saved, and pnets burned. The iconography of the Chapter is as evident as the two-headed imperial eagle. On several heraldic symbols, he headed a figure with a halo, seated on the throne, whom the Custodian knows well. On the opposite wall were imposing stained gss windows overlooking the Fortress of Hera and, at the back, a throne that was currently empty, but on whose side rested the sword that had once been wielded by the Emperor himself. The one who was seated there was now in front of one of those heraldic on which the representation of the Emperor of Mankind towered. A man much taller than himself, wearing refined and incredibly detailed armour, rich in symbols of the alliance with the Imperium at the Ultramarine Chapter, and a rge golden halo, held between the beak of an eagle, is pced above the wearer's head. A man whose features are sculpted and would sughter female hearts, with blond hair encircled by a urel wreath, while his deep, intelligent blue eyes were filled with anger, shock, and despair.

  ?You didn't really think that, Lord Guilliman.? the Custodian stated as he approached the Primarch.

  ?What are you referring to, Shield-Captain?? he asked by calling him with his rank within the Adeptus Custodes.

  ?To the statement he made exactly six minutes ago.? replied the Custodian, once close enough. ?It was your anger and impotence that was speaking. It wasn't your true feelings.?

  Guilliman watched him carefully before speaking again. But the Custodian needed no words to understand what he wanted to ask; he dared not ask, since he was his interlocutor.

  ?Lord Guilliman, I don't know what storm of feelings has been unleashed within you.? he began, staring him in the eyes ?But I certainly wouldn't condemn you if you wanted to vent them rather than fall into madness.?

  ?...How can you say that, Shield-Captain??

  ?Because ten thousand years have irremediably changed and diverted the Imperium as it was and as it was meant to be.? he stated, looking at the Emperor's form. ?And I know for a fact that our Lord would also be deeply displeased with what His dream has become. Or rather, your dream. The dream you fought for for an entire millennium, only to be destroyed by the fires of ambition, corruption, and the thirst for power.?

  The Custodian's tone had become slightly cold and dangerous when he made that statement. Coldness that did not go unnoticed by the Primarch

  ?You appear to be speaking from personal experience, Shield-Captain.?

  ?It's nothing that dramatic...? he began chuckling, ?but yes. I felt the same frustration too.?

  ?A Custodian, expressing compassion...? Guilliman said thoughtfully ?this is definitely new.?

  ?Among the Ten-Thousand I am "unique", Lord Guilliman. Both by induction and by results.? he stated nostalgically ?But no one has ever questioned my loyalty or devotion to the Lord of the Human Gender. Also, because I never gave them reason to doubt.?

  The Custodian moved and walked in front of the windows from which one can admire the panorama of Hera Fortress, the pins and mountains of Macragge beyond it. Guilliman walked to his side.

  ?I guess this pce isn't what you remember either, is it??

  ?Yes. Do you see those ramparts, Shield-Captain?? pointed Guilliman, receiving an affirmative nod from the Custodian ?There, once upon a time, there were my rooms. And before me, they were my father's, Konor Guilliman. There I had drawn up my pns, received and discussed with my brothers, there I ughed and got angry... once I even risked dying there.?

  ?And yet, now, those rooms rich with your memories, more or less beautiful, have been repced by buttresses and cannon batteries.? spoke the Custodian ?I am not originally from Macragge. It's the first time I've set foot on it, and before this, my feet have walked on the ground of different worlds.?

  ?Honestly, Shield-Captain, I would find it incredibly suspicious that you are originally from the realm of Ultramar.?

  ?A more than justified suspicion, given the dictates of the Edict of Restriction.? the Custodian confirmed. ?But to effectively protect the Sacred Terra and the Golden Throne, the Adeptus Custodes has unched sorties outside the Sol system. Nothing glorious or massive, of course. But in those pces, there was rarely a candidate for the Adeptus Custodes. However, whether he passed the ascension or not is another question.?

  ?What exactly do you want to tell me, Shield-Captain??

  ?Right, I digressed, I ask for forgiveness.? chuckled the Custodian ?What I'm trying to say is that all the worlds I've visited, including this one, had their ups and downs, but there's only one thing they all have in common, which I've always seen in the popution.?

  ?What would it be??

  ?Observe.? the Custodian stated without looking away from the bastion ?Tell me what you see.?

  Guilliman looked at him incredulously, but he did as requested and began to observe, finally seeing what the Custodian wanted him to see: workers worked incessantly to repair the war's damage, and the proud and determined Ultramarines stood in the stands. But what made the Primarch's eyes widen slightly was not what his subjects and his Chapter were doing. But what their actions represented: the refusal to give up.

  ?They were all born in dark times.? Guilliman stated, beginning to describe what he sees ?Since they were born, they have known only privations, suffering, and despair of an eternal conflict. And despite this, despite the countless enemies who long for their death, they continue to fight indomitably.?

  ?Knowing this, seeing this...? began the Custodian, looking at him in the eye again ?What do you want to do? To remain trapped in the glorious past from which you come, or to accept the fact that these brave souls, now more than ever, need someone to remind them of what they have lost and show them how to get it back??

  The question echoed in the Primarch's head, but the way it had been asked, the way the Custodian did it to him, was more intent on solidifying the course of action already formed even before that discussion.

  The Custodian smiled and turned to leave the Primarch alone.

  ?As you said, Shield-Captain, you are truly unique.? Guilliman spoke amusedly

  ?Even though I think you're already found it, look for the answer to my question. And regardless of your choice, I will stand aside and observe what your decision will bring and, if my duties permit, help you.?