本章概述：

????????????修女哭泣，魅魔祈禱。

????????????In which a sister weeps, and a succubus prays.

?

正文：

那句話出口時(shí)溫柔似水，卻又震耳欲聾。

……我就要死了。

難以置信。

簡(jiǎn)直是……五雷轟頂。

終于，我接受了自己的心意。終于，我接受了自己對(duì)伊莎萊的感情無(wú)可置疑，而在我把自己交給她后，卻發(fā)現(xiàn)已經(jīng)太遲了。

“你能不能……”這些話尚未出口便卡在了喉嚨里。“你就不能做些什么嗎？那……那我呢？”

“如果真的有辦法……能和你共度余生的話……我的亞歷莎，”伊莎萊抬起一只手，虛弱地?fù)崦业哪橆a，憐愛(ài)地說(shuō)，“我會(huì)去做……毫不猶豫?！?/p>

她在正常情況下如雪花石般飽滿的蒼白皮膚，現(xiàn)在卻因病弱而黯淡下來(lái)。無(wú)論是她的手還是四肢都孱弱無(wú)力，對(duì)于一個(gè)曾獨(dú)自挑戰(zhàn)一大群綠皮野種的她來(lái)說(shuō)，這幾乎不可想象。

伊莎萊日出般的長(zhǎng)發(fā)現(xiàn)在正無(wú)力地?cái)傇谖业碾p腿上和她的周身，她胸口的起起伏伏隨著一次次呼吸而愈發(fā)地虛弱。

“為什么是現(xiàn)在？”我輕撫她的臉，絕望地想要在她的生機(jī)消逝前感受到它。“為什么……？你剛才還是好好的?！?/p>

“我燃燒得……太明亮了，”伊莎萊虛弱地微笑著?！皭?ài)得太激烈……太深沉……我告訴過(guò)你了……靈族的靈魂……會(huì)在亞空間里燃燒的?！?/p>

“你——你是說(shuō)我——？！”

“不，”伊莎萊皺起眉來(lái)，拼盡全力地?fù)u了搖頭，用僅存的一絲力氣握緊了我的手。“這段時(shí)間以來(lái)……我一直都瀕臨死亡……而我選擇了這樣，Cre’yth?！?/p>

“為什么？”

“因?yàn)椤覑?ài)你……”伊莎萊回應(yīng)道，而在我看來(lái)她幾乎連微笑的力氣都沒(méi)有了?！拔夷菚r(shí)已經(jīng)快死了……而我想……想要愛(ài)你……在終焉之前?！?/p>

出口的每一個(gè)字都伴著艱辛和痛苦，與此同時(shí)我已經(jīng)泣不成聲。我把她拉起來(lái)，靠在她的身上不住地抽泣。她的頭無(wú)力地垂在我的肩膀上。有那么一會(huì)兒，在我環(huán)抱著伊莎萊紋絲不動(dòng)的身軀時(shí)，我只能從她呼吸時(shí)的微弱嘶聲來(lái)得知她還活著。

“你不能這樣，”我的雙唇貼在了她逐漸失溫的額頭上。“你不能死，‘萊……不要在我終于才找到你的時(shí)候這樣?！?/p>

“我很……感激，”伊莎萊低聲說(shuō)，我只恨這恐怕是她能發(fā)出的最響的聲音?！澳阕屛摇詈蟮臅r(shí)日……如此的美好。

“不要再說(shuō)了！”我抱緊了她，抽泣著說(shuō)?！安灰龠@樣說(shuō)話了！你拯救了我！那也一定有辦法拯救你！”

她搖了搖頭，竭盡全力地抬起一只手臂，與我的手掌相疊，隨后微笑起來(lái)。

在這般痛苦下，我已無(wú)語(yǔ)凝噎。

在她微笑的那一瞬間，令我心碎的悲痛沒(méi)有得到回應(yīng)。那微笑來(lái)自將死的不朽……無(wú)限疲憊，又無(wú)比明亮，只因她已墜入愛(ài)河。伊莎萊的嘴唇十分單薄，并已經(jīng)開(kāi)裂，因缺乏血流而蒼白，而她已經(jīng)虛弱到幾乎無(wú)法彎下嘴唇做出那個(gè)表情，可它依舊存在于在那里。

“我很幸?！瓉啔v莎，”伊莎萊輕聲說(shuō)道?！澳阕屛摇瓱o(wú)比幸?！乙呀?jīng)記不起來(lái)……上一次這樣……是什么時(shí)候了。”

“你也讓我無(wú)比幸福，”我哭泣道?！拔也弧也恢罌](méi)有你在的話，我還能不能再幸福下去?！?/p>

伊莎萊在我的臂彎里顫抖著，我能感到她在我的身上愈發(fā)地?zé)o力下去。在一個(gè)可怖的瞬間，我以為她已經(jīng)在此逝去了，可隨后她的心跳聲又響了起來(lái)，呼吸聲咯咯作響。令我無(wú)比欣慰的是，她只是經(jīng)歷了又一陣虛脫。她仍然與我同在，仍然用她僅有的力氣攀在生死邊緣。

“你一定會(huì)的……”伊莎萊對(duì)我保證道。

“怎么會(huì)？”我把臉埋在了她的發(fā)絲間，淚水打濕了火紅的長(zhǎng)發(fā)?！澳阍趺磿?huì)知道？”

她輕笑起來(lái)，聲音微弱又柔和。

“是因?yàn)榈刍时佑影?？”她幾乎是玩笑般地說(shuō)，我微弱地苦笑起來(lái)。

帝皇庇佑？

長(zhǎng)久以來(lái)，這個(gè)短句一直是我人生的基石。那是我在大多數(shù)的早晨聽(tīng)到的第一句話，也是我在夜間禱告時(shí)口中的最后一句話。它既是一種奉獻(xiàn)，也是一句問(wèn)候，一句祝福，一種告別，而現(xiàn)在呢？

令人作嘔。

只是單純的惡心罷了。

帝皇庇佑？

祂庇佑了誰(shuí)？肯定不是我的姐妹們，她們?cè)趧偺ぷ氵@個(gè)世界時(shí)就被屠戮殆盡。不會(huì)是已經(jīng)忠誠(chéng)地侍奉了祂半個(gè)多世紀(jì)的高階修女卡利昂，也不是橫死前還尚未贏得第一場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)斗的榮耀的余姐妹。

祂沒(méi)有保佑阿提卡，哪怕她曾親自將黑暗諸神的冠軍的丑惡靈魂送回了他們亞空間主子的惡毒懷抱。

祂沒(méi)有保佑三笠，哪怕她曾手抄了幾百份本會(huì)在坦博爾叛亂期間遺失的圣典。

祂哪怕保佑過(guò)我嗎？那保護(hù)了我的究竟是神皇，還是伊莎萊？

“為什么？”我更緊地抱住了伊莎萊?！八麨槭裁淳筒荒鼙佑幽悖?/p>

“你知道的……”她的話音幾乎連低語(yǔ)都算不上了。“我是個(gè)……黑暗靈族。”

“可你是好人?。　蔽覔崦碾p臂，親吻著她的額頭，試圖讓她的溫暖在我身邊留存得哪怕再久一點(diǎn)，淚水不受抑制地落在她身上?！澳阒档帽徽?，那祂為什么——？”

一個(gè)靈光乍現(xiàn)讓我的話語(yǔ)凝滯在了舌面上，這個(gè)想法恐怕比我曾有過(guò)的所有的想法加起來(lái)都要褻瀆。僅僅只要我在帝國(guó)信條的信徒面前提及它就足以讓我鋃鐺入獄。

神皇為什么會(huì)保佑我？

國(guó)教的紅衣主教們會(huì)給我最簡(jiǎn)單的回復(fù)：因?yàn)榈刍蕫?ài)著所有的殉道者們，而正因?yàn)槲蚁蛩矶\過(guò)，援引了祂的名號(hào)，祈求了祂的指引和保佑。

簡(jiǎn)而言之：因?yàn)槲?strong>請(qǐng)求過(guò)。

可誰(shuí)又敢請(qǐng)求帝皇保佑一個(gè)異種女戰(zhàn)士的靈魂。

除了我。好幾個(gè)晝夜前，當(dāng)我在現(xiàn)在的這間房間里絕望地向帝皇祈禱時(shí)，我就曾斗膽懇求帝皇的仁慈和恩典以保護(hù)伊莎萊，即便我知道這并不可能。

可經(jīng)神皇之手，這一切還會(huì)是不可能的嗎？

“堅(jiān)持住，稍等一下！”

我挪動(dòng)身體，掙扎地從被單里爬出來(lái)，抱起伊莎萊并拽過(guò)來(lái)一條毯子。同時(shí)拿起這兩樣并不困難，她實(shí)在是輕得要命……我不愿見(jiàn)到伊莎萊在我的懷抱中脆弱的樣子，也知道每過(guò)去的一秒都在把她帶離我一分，向著她所說(shuō)的“巨蛇”的血盆大口更近一步。

“亞歷莎，你在做什么……？”隨著我走出我們共享的臥房，伊莎萊戰(zhàn)栗不已，她一定是凍壞了。

“一切都會(huì)好的，吾愛(ài)，”我向她保證道，把她帶到了大雨傾盆的陽(yáng)臺(tái)上。

盡管隔得很遠(yuǎn)，我還是看到了它。

帝國(guó)的鷹徽。

偉岸的雙頭天鷹在遠(yuǎn)處從巢都的毒霧中拔地而起，我知道那標(biāo)志著神圣的花園隱修院所在的高度。

我小心翼翼地跪下，把伊莎萊放到地上，用毯子包裹著她，隨后爬到了我從小教堂里帶走的受?？椎钠吡惆怂樯?。我在犯下罪孽后把它們從身上剝了下來(lái)，現(xiàn)在它們正散落在陽(yáng)臺(tái)上，可現(xiàn)在……現(xiàn)在我需要它們。

或者至少，我需要其中一部分。

“神圣泰拉上的神皇呵，請(qǐng)寬恕禰回頭的浪女吧，”我低語(yǔ)著拾起了胸甲。

它在我的手上沉甸甸的，胸鎧上拋光過(guò)的鷹徽在雨夜的微光下閃閃發(fā)亮。我對(duì)這閃光稍感欣慰，似乎無(wú)論我做了什么……我都無(wú)法玷污它的光澤，沒(méi)人能，因神皇光輝之純凈勝于世間萬(wàn)物。

我把它緊緊貼在胸口上，無(wú)視了金屬刺骨的寒冷和硬質(zhì)邊角刺進(jìn)我的皮膚都的觸感。

“神皇呵，垂聽(tīng)我禱，”我輕聲說(shuō)道?！氨M管我已犯下罪孽，盡管我已不再純潔，但現(xiàn)在我攜卑下的悔恨懇求禰……憐憫禰的自私的女兒吧?！?/p>

我轉(zhuǎn)向伊莎萊，我把胸甲放在她蓋著被單的胸前，讓天鷹面朝天空，隨后動(dòng)身讓她枕在我的大腿上。

“什——你在……做什么？”伊莎萊沙啞地問(wèn)道。

“我正在求助，”我低聲回答?！叭缒闼浴刍时佑??！?/p>

在她能向我提問(wèn)前，我朝著天空仰起頭，讓雨水落在我的臉上，同時(shí)向天穹伸出雙手。

“滿懷恩典的神皇呵，我懇求禰，以慈愛(ài)對(duì)禰的女兒垂下目光，聽(tīng)聞她的呼喊吧，”我吟誦道，隨著自己在信仰和禱言中振奮精神，我感覺(jué)內(nèi)心充滿激情。“禰的慈愛(ài)長(zhǎng)存，禰的恩典無(wú)窮，禰的意志不屈，我贊頌禰的圣名，并懇求禰的目光在這不忠的孩童身上逗留些許，準(zhǔn)許她謁見(jiàn)禰的黃金王座吧。”

“亞歷莎……不——不要——”

我無(wú)視了伊莎萊的抗議，清晰地吟唱出一個(gè)單音，抬高音量贊頌地球之主，隨后垂下雙手放到伊莎萊的臉側(cè)，輕輕抱著她冰冷的臉頰。

“神皇呵，”我哭著低下頭，淚水浸透了我的嗓音。“我知曉自己已然墮落，我的信念已然更改，可即便我不值得禰的注視，我懇求禰，轉(zhuǎn)向我，憐憫我，因我仍是禰的女兒，而我對(duì)禰的愛(ài)——人類之父呵——從未改變過(guò)?！?/p>

我又一次抬頭望天，說(shuō)出了我真正的請(qǐng)求。

“我已經(jīng)犯了罪！”我對(duì)著黑暗大喊道?！拔乙讶粔櫬?，我已然改志，可我懇求禰！父親啊！垂憐禰的女兒，準(zhǔn)許她這一私愿吧……泰拉的父上呵，垂下禰的目光于這群星之子，這邊國(guó)之女，并知曉她艾達(dá)靈族的伊莎萊之名吧！”

我的淚水與這悲慘世界的雨水混在了一起，我能感受到水滴滑過(guò)我的臉頰時(shí)那淡淡的化學(xué)燒傷，但我無(wú)視了它。這個(gè)世界上已經(jīng)沒(méi)有什么能拯救伊莎萊了，但有神皇的恩典在，一切皆有可能……死者可以復(fù)生，弱者可以變強(qiáng)，而在祂的光輝下，甚至異形的靈魂也可以被拯救。

“她的內(nèi)心懂得愛(ài)意！她的靈魂知曉崇高！”我對(duì)虛空的黑暗祈求道?！凹幢闼碾p手已被污穢沾染，但禰的女兒也因這雙手而得救，禰的贈(zèng)禮因而保全，禰的世界因而被捍衛(wèi)！而當(dāng)下黑暗正在侵蝕！混沌的陰霾降臨，我懇求禰，父親??！莫要讓她落入巨蛇的咽喉！以禰那暴烈的恩典，我懇求禰！”

我的話語(yǔ)在悲傷中支離破碎，但我沒(méi)有低下頭去。我緊盯著烏云密布的天空，全身心地投向祂那里，這一次我不會(huì)允許自己的信念有所動(dòng)搖。

“求求禰，父親啊……求求禰，”我抽泣著?！拔覑?ài)她，父親，請(qǐng)不要讓她被吞噬，不要讓大敵從禰的手中贏下這高貴的靈魂……求求禰！”

我的話消失在只被雨聲打破的寂靜中，過(guò)了一會(huì)兒，我感覺(jué)到伊莎萊的手撫上了我的臉頰，不知為何它比雨水還要寒冷。

“他不會(huì)……回答的……”伊莎萊柔聲說(shuō)道?！八麗?ài)著你……可我……是黑暗靈族。”

“我不在乎，”我喊道，依舊拒絕低下頭去。“我是神皇之女，他是我的父親，他愛(ài)著我?！?/p>

“可他對(duì)……我……沒(méi)有愛(ài)，”她虛弱地說(shuō)道?！拔乙呀?jīng)在罪孽中沉淪了……數(shù)個(gè)千年……而毫無(wú)悔意。”

“我不在乎，”我重復(fù)道，“你是我的，我絕不會(huì)放開(kāi)你?！?/p>

雨水燒灼著我的面龐，沒(méi)過(guò)多久，我聽(tīng)到伊莎萊又一次輕笑起來(lái)，她的氣息在胸腔中咯咯作響。

“真是奇怪啊……”她喘息道。“我從來(lái)沒(méi)有……對(duì)我的所作所為……感到后悔，”她的話變成了一陣劇烈的咳嗽，她的每一次喘息都在我身上激起共情的疼痛，可幸好，她控制住了自己并說(shuō)了下去。“可現(xiàn)在……我的確很抱歉……”

我對(duì)這句話驚訝地眨了眨眼，主要是因?yàn)檫@聽(tīng)起來(lái)好像她是認(rèn)真的，我大睜著眼睛低頭看向她。

伊莎萊在對(duì)我微笑，她幾乎失去了意識(shí)，正在迅速地凋零。盡管很虛弱，她仍在對(duì)著我微笑，用手指纏繞著我緊握著的手。

“我很抱歉……我從你那里……搶走了我們……”伊莎萊喘著粗氣，我看到淚水從她的臉頰上滑落?！霸徫摇瓉啔v莎……原——原諒……我……”

我吸了吸鼻子，擦了擦臉，深情地?fù)崦哪橆a。

“不要問(wèn)我這個(gè)，”我回答道，試著對(duì)她微笑但不太成功?！拔乙恢倍紩?huì)原諒你，’萊?！蔽矣忠淮翁ь^看向天空，然后閉上雙眼?！皢?wèn)問(wèn)祂吧?！?/p>

我能感受到她的懷疑，但片刻之后，她虛弱地嘆了口氣，輕聲笑著。

“那么……我想……我也可以，”伊莎萊輕柔地捏緊了我的手?！霸趺础撛趺醋觯俊?/p>

“說(shuō)你很抱歉就可以了，”我柔聲說(shuō)道。

我聽(tīng)到，也感覺(jué)到她正用力地吞咽著，然后深呼吸了一次，好像讓她的肋骨在這張力下折斷了似的。在我的手指下，我感到伊莎萊放松了下來(lái)，同時(shí)她張開(kāi)雙唇，說(shuō)出了我想可能是她這輩子第一次說(shuō)的祈愿。

“人類的神皇啊……”伊莎萊帶著微弱的嗓音開(kāi)口道?！霸徫摇蛭摇瓊α恕[的女兒……而我愛(ài)她……勝過(guò)一切?！彼v的聲線開(kāi)始破碎，并非因?yàn)樘撊?，而是因?yàn)楸瘋??！叭祟愔赴　液鼙浮徫摇幢阄抑馈銓?duì)我們這個(gè)種族……沒(méi)有愛(ài)……我還是愛(ài)著……你的女兒?！?/p>

另一次呼吸，嘶啞而痛苦。

“原諒我……如果需要的話……也原諒她吧。”

隨著伊莎萊置祈求我的救贖于她的之上，一聲抽泣從我的唇間溢了出來(lái)。

“父親，你聽(tīng)到她了嗎？”我又一次睜開(kāi)雙眼。“父親！”

寂靜，依然是寂靜，支離破碎的虛弱啜泣從我的身體中流出，同時(shí)我低下頭去，懷抱著伊莎萊，感受著她更進(jìn)一步的消逝，在嘴邊念著祈求的話語(yǔ)。

“父親……”我咬住嘴唇，隨著怒火和沖動(dòng)涌入胸中而抬起頭。如果祂現(xiàn)在聽(tīng)不到我，那么我就喊得更加響亮，直到祂在黃金王座上都能聽(tīng)到我為止。

“父親！”我大聲吼道。“父親！”

//雷鳴電閃//

金色的閃電劈開(kāi)了天穹，而我們周圍的世界則在雷鳴中炸裂。雷聲擊碎了尖塔的裝甲玻璃，震得高聳的大廈百骨打戰(zhàn)。整個(gè)巢都都屈服于迸發(fā)的靈能偉力和難以置信的轟動(dòng)，其重量猛砸在我的雙肩上并壓下了我的脖頸。

那東西并不是實(shí)體，卻不可撼動(dòng)，好像我背上背負(fù)的是帝國(guó)皇宮一樣……那重量來(lái)自某種古老又強(qiáng)大得難以言說(shuō)的存在對(duì)我降下的注視，將我的靈魂深埋在了它的偉力之下。

低垂著頭，我能看到它，覆在伊莎萊胸前的胸甲正閃耀著電火的光芒，如同只溫暖卻不噬人的金色火焰。這是我知曉了一輩子的光芒，無(wú)論它有多短暫，哪怕我從未見(jiàn)過(guò)，也從未想過(guò)能親眼目睹。

畢竟，能看到神皇本尊的光芒，已經(jīng)屬于奇跡的范疇了。

?

原文：

Those words, so softly spoken, deafened me.

…I am dying.

It was obscene.

Utterly obscene.

Finally, I had accepted my heart. Finally, I had accepted that what I felt for Isarae was not something I could deny, and I had in turn given myself to her only to find that I had done so far too late.

“You can’t…” I choked on the words before I could get them out. “Can’t you do anything? C-Can’t I?”

“Were there a way… to spend a lifetime with you… my Alessa,” Isarae said fondly as she reached a hand up weakly to stroke my cheek, “I would do so… in an instant.”

Her skin, normally a rich, pale alabaster, was now pallid with sickness. There was no strength in her grip or in any of her limbs, and for someone who had once been able to challenge a horde of Greenskin barbarians alone and slaughter them untouched, it was almost inconceivable.

Isarae’s sunrise hair was pooled limply across my legs and around her, and her chest rose and fell more weakly with every breath.

“Why now?” I ran my fingers along her face, desperate to feel the life within her while it was still there. “Why…? You were fine moments ago.”

“I burned… too bright,” Isarae said with a wan smile. “Loved too fiercely… too deeply… I told you… Aeldari souls burn… in the warp.”

“Y-You mean I-?!”

“No,” Isarae shook her head, inasmuch as she could, frowning as she took my hand and squeezed it with what little strength remained to her. “I was dying… all this time… I?chose?this,?Cre’yth.”

“Why?”

“Because… I love you…” Isarae replied, and it seemed to me that she barely had the strength to smile. “I was dying… and I wanted… to love you… before the end.”

Every word came with labor and pain, and I was crying in earnest as she spoke. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I rocked back and forth, weeping as I held pulled her up until she was resting against me. Her head lolled against my shoulder, and for a moment the only way I knew Isarae was still alive was the faint susurration of her breathing as I cradled her still form in my arms.

“You can’t,” I pressed my lips to her cooling forehead. “You cannot die, ‘Rae… not now that I’ve finally found you.”

“I am… grateful,” Isarae whispered, and I hated that it was probably as loud as she was capable of. “You made… my last days… so very bright.”

“Stop it!” I clutched her close as I sobbed the words out. “Stop talking like that! You saved me! There must be a way to save you, too!”

She shook her head, raising her arm with what must have been a colossal effort to lay her hand over mine, and smiled.

I had no words for this pain.

There was no reply to this unassailable grief that cut my heart in the moment of that smile. It was the smile of a dying immortal… a smile that was both infinitely weary and infinitely bright because she was in love. Isarae’s lips were thin, chapped, and pale from lack of bloodflow, and she was so weak she could barely curve her lips to make the expression, but it was there all the same.

“I am happy… Alessa,” Isarae said softly. “You have made me… happy… and I do not recall… the last time… that was so.”

“You make me happy, too,” I cried. “I don’t… I don’t know if I can?be?happy without you anymore.”

Isarae shivered in my arms, and I felt her go limp against me. For a single, horrifying moment, I thought she had gone right there, but then her heartbeat thudded, and her breath rattled, and to my immense relief I realised she had just suffered a bout of weakness. She was still with me, still gripping on to life with what little strength she had.

“You will be…” Isarae promised me.

“How?” I buried my face in her hair, dampening the red locks with tears. “How can you know?”

She chuckled, and it was a faint and delicate noise.

“Because the Emperor protects?” She offered, almost in jest, and I let out a weak, brittle laugh.

The Emperor protects?

For so long that simple phrase had been a keystone of my life. It was the first thing I heard most mornings and the last words on my lips during prayers in the evening. It was an offering and a greeting, a benediction, and a farewell, and now?

Obscene.

It simply felt obscene.

The Emperor Protects?

Whom does He protect? Certainly not my sisters, who were slain before they could do more than set foot upon this world. Not Sister Superior Kalion who devoted better than half a century of loyal service to him, nor Sister Yu who had not yet earned her first battle honor before she was callously cut down.

He did not protect Attica, who personally sent the blighted soul of a Dark Champion screaming back into the unkind arms of their warped master.

He did not protect Mikasa, who hand-copied hundreds of holy works that otherwise would have been lost during the Tambol Rebellions

Did He even protect me? Was it the God-Emperor, or was it Isarae?

“Why?” I hugged Isarae tighter. “Why could he not protect you?”

“You know why…” her voice was barely a whisper. “I am… Druchi.”

“But you are good!” My tears fell freely across her as I stroked her arms and kissed her forehead, trying to keep her warmth with me for just a little bit longer. “You are worthy of being saved so why does He not-!”

My words died on my tongue as a notion occurred to me, one that was perhaps even more heretical than all of my previous thoughts combined. It was a thought that would have had me in chains at the mere mention of it to another of the Imperial Creed.

Why does the God-Emperor protect me?

The Cardinals of the Ecclesiarchy would have given me the simplest answer; it is because the God-Emperor loves all martyrs, and because I have prayed to him, and invoked His name, and begged His guidance and protection.

In short: because I?asked.

But who would dare to ask the Emperor to protect the soul of a xenobreed warrioress.

Except I already had. Cycles ago when I had prayed to the Emperor in desperation in this very room I had dared to beg the Emperor for his mercy and grace to protect Isarae, in spite of knowing it was impossible.

But through the God-Emperor, are all things not possible?

“Hold on!”

I shifted and struggled out of the sheets, hefting Isarae into my arms and dragging one of the blankets with me as I did. It wasn’t hard to carry both, she was so damnably light… I hated how frail Isarae felt in my grip, and I knew that every second took more of her away from me and brought her closer to the maw of the one she called the ‘Great Serpent’.

“Alessa, what are you…?” Isarae trembled as I brought her into the den of the quarters we shared. It was cold, and she must have been freezing.

“Everything will be alright, my love,” I promised her as I brought her outside onto the balcony where the rain was falling in torrential waves.

In the distance, though, I could see it.

The Imperial Eagle.?

The great Twin-Headed Aquila that rose above the poison smog of the hive in the distance, and where I knew marked the heights of the holy Priory of Gardens.

Carefully, I knelt and laid her down, wrapped her in the blanket, and then crawled over to the disparate pieces of sanctified armour I had taken from the chapel. They laid scattered across the balcony where I had peeled them off of my body in the aftermath of my sins, but now… now I needed them.

Or at least, I needed part of them.

“God-Emperor on Holy Terra, forgive your prodigal daughter,” I whispered as I picked up the cuirass.

It was heavy in my hands, and the polished eagle on the breastplate gleamed in the dim light of the rainsoaked night. I took some comfort from that shine, it seemed to me that no matter what I did… I could not tarnish its light, no one could, for the light of the God-Emperor was purer than anything else.

I clutched it to my chest, ignoring the freezing chill of the metal and the way the hard edges bit into my bare skin.

“God-Emperor, hear my plea,” I began softly. “Though I have sinned, though I am unclean, I come to you in humble contrition now to beg of thee… take pity on your selfish daughter.”

Turning to Isarae, I laid the cuirass over her covered chest, the Aquila facing up towards the sky, then moved around to cradle her head in my lap.

“W-What… are you… doing?” Isarae croaked.

“I am asking for help,” I replied quietly. “As you said… the Emperor Protects.”

Before she could question me, I raised my head to the sky, letting the water fall across my face as I raised my hands to the sky.

“God-Emperor full of grace, I beseech thee, look upon thy daughter with love and hear her cry,” I intoned, and I felt my heart swell as I raised my spirit in faith and prayer. “Thy love is eternal, thy grace unending, thy will indomitable, and as I praise thy worthy name, I beg thee let thy gaze linger upon this faithless child a moment, and grant her audience before thy Golden Throne.”

“Alessa… d-dont-”?

I ignored Isarae’s protests and sang a clear, clarion note, raising my voice in hymnal praise to Him on Earth before lowering my hands to either side of Isarae’s face, cradling her cooling cheeks.

“Oh God-Emperor,” I wept as I spoke, my voice wet with tears as I bowed my head. “I know I have fallen, and my faith has faltered, and though I be not worthy of thy gaze I beg of thee, look upon me with fondness, for I am still thy daughter, and my love for thee, oh Father of Mankind, has never shifted.”

Again I raised my head to the skies and began my true plea.

“I have sinned!” I cried out into the darkness. “I have fallen, I have faltered, but I beg thee! FATHER! Pity thy daughter and grant her this single wish… oh Father on Terra, lay thy holy gaze upon this child of the stars, this daughter of distant worlds, and know her name as Isarae of the Aeldari!”

My tears mixed with the rain of this wretched world, and I could feel the faint chemical burn of the water as it crossed my cheeks, but I ignored it. There was nothing in this world that could save Isarae now, but by the grace of the God-Emperor anything was possible… the dead could be returned to life, the weak could be made strong, and by His light perhaps even the soul of a xeno could be saved.

“Her heart knows love! And her soul knows nobility!” I pleaded into the darkness of the void. “Though her hands be stained, by those same hands your daughter was saved, your gifts protected, and your world defended! And now the dark encroaches! The shadow of Chaos descends, and I beg of thee, Father! Do not let her pass into the maw of the Great Serpent! By thy ravening grace I?beg of you!”

My words were cracking under the strain of my grief, but I did not lower my head. I stared up into the clouded skies and poured myself out to Him, and this time I refused to allow my faith to falter.

“Please, Father… please,” I sobbed. “I love her, Father, do not let her be consumed, do not let the Enemy win this noble soul from your hands…?please!”

My words faded into a silence that was broken only by the rainfall, and after a moment, I felt Isarae’s hand on my cheek, and somehow it was colder than the rain.

“He will not… answer…” Isarae said softly. “He loves you… but I… am Druchi.”

“I don’t care,” I cried, still refusing to lower my head. “I am a daughter of the God-Emperor and he is my Father, and he?loves me.”

“But he has… no love… for me,” she said wanly. “I have sinned… for millennia… without grief.”

“I don’t care,” I repeated. “You’re mine, and I will not release you.”

The rain burned against my skin, and after a moment I heard Isarae start to chuckle weakly again, her breath rattling in her chest.

“How odd…” she breathed. “I have never… been sorry… for my actions,” her words devolved into wracking coughs and every heave of her lungs sent sympathetic pain through me but, thankfully, she mastered herself and continued. “Yet now… I?am?sorry…”

I blinked in surprise at those words, mostly because it sounded as if she truly meant them, and I looked down at her with wide eyes.

Isarae was smiling up at me, barely conscious and quickly fading, she was still smiling as she twined her fingers with my grasping my hand despite her weakness.

“I am sorry… that I robbed you… of us…” Isarae breathed, and I saw tears slip down her cheeks. “Forgive me… Alessa… f-forgive… me…”

I sniffled, wiping my face as I caressed her cheek lovingly.

“Don’t ask me,” I replied, trying to smile for her but not quite managing it. “I’ll always forgive you, ‘Rae.” I raised my head to the skies again and closed my eyes. “Ask?Him.”

I could feel disbelief coming off of her in waves, but after a moment she let out a weak, crackling sigh, and chuckled quietly.

“Well… I suppose… I may as well,” Isarae squeezed my hand gently. “How… how does it go?”

“Just say you’re sorry,” I said softly.

I heard and felt her swallow hard, then take a deep breath that seemed to make her ribs creak under the strain and, beneath my fingers, I felt her relax as Isarae parted her lips to pray for what I imagined would be the first time in her life.

“God-Emperor of Mankind…” Isarae began in a frail voice. “Forgive me… for I… have harmed… thy daughter… whom I love… above all.” Her weary voice began to crack, not with weakness this time but with grief. “Father of Man… I am sorry… f-forgive me… and though I know… you have no love… for my breed… I love… your daughter.”

Another breath, raspy and pained.

“Forgive me… and if need be… forgive?her.”

A sob escaped my lips as Isarae pleaded for my own redemption on the heels of her own.

“Father, do you hear her?” I opened my eyes again. “Father!”

Silence… yet more silence, and weak wracking sobs began to leave me as I lowered my head, pleading words on my lips as I cradled Isarae and felt her fading further.

“Father…” I bit my lip, feeling anger and passion surge into my chest as I raised my head. If He could not hear me now, then I would shout all the louder until He could hear me from the Golden Throne itself.

“FATHER!” I bellowed. “FATHER!”

CRACK-THOOM

The skies split with golden lightning and all around us the world exploded in thunder that shattered the armourglass of the spires, shook the towering edifices to their bones. Whole sections of the hive caved beneath the sudden detonation of psychic might and the impossible sensation that was hammering down upon my shoulders and bending my neck with its weight.

It was nothing physical, yet it was as unyielding as if the Imperial Palace had been set upon my back… it was the weight of something ancient and unspeakably powerful turning its gaze upon me and burying my soul under the sheer might of its regard.

With my head bowed, I could see it, the cuirass resting over Isarae’s chest was burning with corpusant light, like golden flames that only warmed and did not consume. It was a light I have known all my life, short though it may be, even if I had never seen it, and never expected to see it in truth.

To see the light of the God-Emperor Himself, after all, was the remit of miracles.