When Kaelah Saeryn first tentatively extended his psychic senses toward that descending teor, intending to guide the visitor to his small boat, an irresistible force recoiled back through the link. It caused everything to twist, fracture, and dissolve.
He felt as if he had been cast into a bottomless abyss, suppressed by unfathomable black waters while his internal organs inverted and burst from the inside out, devoured by invisible entities. Then, he felt himself beginning to solidify, much like those ancient Seers reaching the end of their lifespans; the petrification started at the tips of his limbs, creeping up his ridians until he beca a statue.
In that instant, he perceived a cacophony of sounds, lights, and colors: the roar of the ocean's tides through every cycle, the thunder of every tectonic shift. He saw the glisten of dew on stalks of rice and wheat, the brownish-tan of a plowshare cutting through soil, and the very first marks made upon papyrus and clay tablets... Countless voices, myriad colors, infinite records, and myths...
He had been wrong. Horribly, catastrophically wrong.
Kaelah cut his psychic connection to the teor with a desperate, near-shattering effort. Ethereal matter erupted from his "body," drifting toward the sky. This caused his already weakened soul to nearly dissipate entirely, leaving his boat rocking on the verge of collapse. Yet Kaelah had no ti for such trifles; he lay prostrate upon the deck in utter humility.
The re thought that he had previously talked back to this being—and even traded blows with him—made him wish he could vanish on the spot, lest he provoke this entity again and gift the Aeldari race yet another eternal nesis.
Hm?
Enkidu drifted down slowly from the sky, only to see a grey-haired Aeldari dressed like a beggar on a ramshackle, patched-together boat, welcoming him in a posture of complete prostration.
So, is this a traditional Aeldari welcoming ceremony? Or so new fashion trend from their Craftworld?
I truly don't understand these pointy-ears.
"So, how long do you plan on staying face-down?"
"That... depends entirely on you, Great One." Kaelah remained motionless. He felt as if he were lting; the sheer power radiating from the other was enough to consu him, yet escape was an impossibility. "Your radiance is too blinding for . Please... please, visualize your... your original physical form."
"Oh."
Enkidu looked at himself and suddenly realized he didn't look human at all. Various streams of water, soil, stones, and scrolls ford his outer shell, while a silver ring of starlight, like a thin veil, slowly rotated around him.
A bit strange, he thought. I didn't expect my image inside the Soulstone to look like this.
But perhaps it was normal? After all, Soulstones were tied to the soul, and all souls belonged to the Warp. Once the Warp was involved, appearances tended to get abstract. Even if he looked like a celestial sphere right now, it didn't an he wasn't human.
However, for the sake of communication, he made an effort to change.
He closed his eyes, recalling the Astartes he saw in the mirror, imagining himself standing upon the soil of Ancient Earth...
The floods receded. The geography of the Soulstone world was being reshaped.
Kaelah, still flat on the boat, felt the vessel's altitude plumting. The raging waves outside were settling; green life even began to poke through the receding waters. It was as if a solid continent had suddenly materialized from the void. The aimless flood imdiately seeped into the fissures of earth and stone, the vast majority becoming subterranean rivers and springs, while the remainder settled into defined rivers and oceans.
The boat disintegrated during this world-altering shift. Kaelah felt the floor vanish and slid downward involuntarily.
His feet touched the ground.
The Warlock opened his eyes in astonishnt, finding himself standing in a place resembling a Maiden World. Dark, oily, fertile soil pressed against his soles, and his hands brushed against crops heavy with seeds.
He looked out and saw a paddy field, a great river, and a sowhat out-of-place "Astartes."
"Is this better?"
"It is... perfect," Kaelah lowered his head, speaking with deep reverence. "Your power is awe-inspiring. I fear even the greatest of our Farseers could not compare to you."
"That's a bit of an exaggeration. I'm fairly certain I haven't reached the level of your race's greatest masters yet," the "Astartes" said mildly. It was impossible to tell that this was the sa ferocious being who had shoved him into a stone and stirred up a psychic storm earlier. "My na is Enkidu. I'm currently a recruit for the Blissful Spiral warband. And you?"
"Kaelah Saeryn, Warlock of the Isovin Craftworld. I shall now begin instructing you in the application of psychic power."
Kaelah bowed deeply, performing a humble and formal salute while simultaneously pulling his tattered appearance back into a semblance of dignity.
"I trust you won't include any 'clever' little tricks in your teaching—the kind that wait to go off until I actually start using them."
"Never! Do you think for a mont that if I did, your companions wouldn't offer my Soulstone to the Youngest Goddess?"
Kaelah spoke with absolute finality. If he truly had the ability to manipulate an entity of this magnitude, he would have escaped Slaanesh long ago. Why would he be suffering here?
Wait, no—this isn't suffering! Kaelah thought with a sudden surge of pride, still maintaining his humble posture. In the history of the Aeldari, no other kinsman has ever faced such a Great One unscathed, let alone guided him in the learning of the Arts!
Not even Eldrad Ulthran could claim this!
"Then let us begin."
Enkidu didn't have any grander thoughts; he simply hoped this pointy-ear would be honest and teach him properly so he wouldn't have to resort to other thods.
"First, you need to..." Kaelah started, but realized the standard curriculum for initiates was completely unsuitable for this being—both in terms of raw power and the lack of an Infinity Circuit. "I need to confirm: where are we currently?"
"On my brothers' starship."
"Uh, with 'brothers'? In the territory of the Youngest Goddess's followers?" Kaelah's eyelid twitched. He felt this being's tastes were truly unique—of all the places in the Human Empire to choose, he chose this dump. "This might not be ideal for our lessons..."
"We're in the Webway."
"The Webway? That's—wait, you are in the Webway?"
"Is there a problem?"
"No, no problem. The Webway is an excellent place. it shields against unwanted prying eyes and does not significantly interfere with psychic resonance."
"Good."
"Then, let us begin our first lesson. Please, close your eyes." Kaelah weighed his words with extre care, his eyes fixed on his "student," terrified of the slightest anomaly. "You must anchor your current perception of your physical form and existence. Then, relax your mind. Imagine yourself as a speck of dust cast out by a massive sun, drifting through the starry void of the universe..."
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