I do not have to explain myself

Arrival :

Every action in the universe has a consequence, a counter reaction if you will. The creation of the Primarchs lead to a devastating reaction, their scattering on random worlds that would forge them or break them.

For better or worse, Sanguinius landed on a world ravaged by a strange plague, specifically, he landed in a city that High Gothic speakers now call Yharnam. A sprawling, Gothic metropolis home to a special type of treatment that, while far from hemomancy was still considered close, it was using what the Healing Church called “Old Blood” to treat any and all injuries.

His pod landed in a cathedral belonging to the Healing Church in the middle of a sermon, this explosive entrance should’ve been a sign of things to come but evidently, the story of Sanguinius was just beginning, despite being wary, the Church decided to take care of the infant and handing him to the Hunter’s workshop for him to grow up in.

You were designated as his father, a younger than average hunter, entrusted to take care of this otherworldly child.

The road would be long and difficult but nothing in Yharnam was ever simple.

Childhood :

Sanguinius’s childhood was balanced to the rhythm of the various hunts he could only hear about, the teaching of the Hunters and the Church as well as his first instances of training. While he didn’t fully understand the threat at hand, he knew instinctively that people were in danger of something.

Raising him was also quite the challenge, he was naturally curious and kept evading your sight, trying to run to the lower districts of the town or worse, the forbidden forest. You often caught him before anyone important saw him first, leading to many small arguments.

Hiding the truth from him was hurting you but well worth the price, better having him hate you for being “strict” rather than seeing a Beast for the first time, it’s not like you both had a choice after all, you knew how bad the situation was and he didn’t.

To make up for it you decided to help train him, he picked up combat surprisingly easily to the point his hand-to-hand combat training was done quicker than most, something worrying however was how easy it was for him to cause injuries to other, voluntary or not.

///

Sanguinius stood over another trainee, he didn’t mean to break their arm, honest ! It was just so easy for him, is it his fault if they are so fragile ?

“Ge-get away from me you freak !” the trainee shouted, holding his broken arm as well as he could, his look was one of fear and hatred.

“Sanguinius ! What in the Church’s name do you think you are doing ? You were supposed to train your blocking today, not breaking your opponent’s-” He cut you off, defending himself.

“But Father ! All I did was slap his arm away ! How is that my fault ?”

“You are supposed to control your strength, not unleash it on others, what if it was you instead ? Would you enjoy having your arm snapped like a twig ?”

He looked guilty and ashamed, you sighed. “Look my son, being a Hunter it’s… it is really difficult and require a level of self-control you do not possess now but I trust you to do one day, apologize to this boy and we will correct this, together.” you held his face in you hands, he took a deep breath and helped the boy up, helping him walk to the infirmary.

“Sanguinius…” you sighed “What will I do with you ?”

///

His behavior worried most other Hunters but the Healing Church praised it instead, saying he was a saint sent from above to cleanse the hordes of beasts slowly but surely infesting the city, to make matters worse, his first injection of blood was first approaching.

Sanguinius relished the taste of the vial, even when the needle pierced his skin and should’ve hurt, it didn’t, instead he could only feel the delicious liquid being injected into him, akin to fire. A slow but sweet inferno spreading from every nerve, cell and tissue available.

The sweet, sweet ichor...

This wasn’t just a treatment, it was a revelation. Blood sung to him and he would eagerly answer…

Sanguinius changed after this and everyone was left feeling eager or confused, the curious child was replaced by a cryptic, creepy kid who stole vials of blood and claimed to feel remnants of life within it. There was talk of exile or execution but the Church and a high ranking Hunter, lady Integra decided otherwise.

For now, he was safe or so he thought.

“Sanguinius is special, his claims will be investigated but the Church has spoken, the Vicars are absolute in their conviction and so should we be. We have our salvation here, a savior in the flesh ! The blood alters everyone in a way but who are we to say he has been affected badly or not ?” were her words, Sanguinius once told a remembrancer years later.

You were worried about Lady Integra’s sudden interest in your son but who were you to object ? A low ranking hunter should be honored instead of complaining but still, Sanguinius changed and you weren’t sure if it was for the best. His sudden shift wasn’t normal and so were the two bumps on his back, you hoped for the best and thought he was safe.

Still, you kept quiet and training resumed, sanguinius was now more methodical in fighting whenever Lady Integra was watching, no longer breaking limbs on “accident”, it’s as if he wanted to impress her. Whether or not she was remains a mystery, her face never indicated anything that could support or refute this theory.

Sanguinius rarely attended the Church’s masses but something he caught on quickly was the superiority of Hunters and their moral mission to cleanse the city. His arrival being a sign, a good one at that so shouldn’t he feel pride at helping those under him ?

A belief further encouraged by Lady Integra, much to your growing chagrin. Sanguinius often waved your worries with a simple “She’s simply a teacher father, you teach me the physical side of things, let her handle the intellectual side”

You had a feeling things wouldn’t improve, no matter what you did. “May the Blood save us.” you whispered.

Teenage years :

Sanguinius grew at an alarming rate in all departments, he was a tall as a grown adult despite being in his teen years, he learned subjects that took most years to understand and he mastered weapons, combat moves and strategy in a short amount of time.

This drew no small amount of attention and praise on him, you felt your control over him slip no matter what you did or said. It’s clear he was already being venerated by those around him and it didn’t help that Lady Integra or Vicar Amelia also propagated these rumors.

No matter, you had a job as a Hunter and now it was time for sanguinius to earn his title as well in his first ever Hunt, an event you tried to prepare him for his whole life.

No amount of preparation is ever enough for a Hunt, you know that, the Church knows that, everybody knows it. It was time for Sanguinius’s first hunt, why now ? His abnormal growth did, many took it as another sign of his supposed role against the beasts. Another event that solidified this decision was the removal of his wings.

Since he started being injected with the Old Blood two bumps were developing on his back and over time turned into two beautiful appendages, too small for flight but an extension of the young primarch.

It seemed he also developed a rudimentary foresight, one fueled by the intake of Old Blood, he confided in you that he knew people would look at his wings as an omen of some kind and decided to take action first.

///

Most of the Hunters were here, Vicar Amelia and a few doctors held the two wings aloft after cutting them off, Sanguinius didn’t make a sound the whole time ! Even when they were cut and unceremoniously ripped off, he didn’t complain. For him it was natural, he wasn’t a freak of nature, he was human and needed to show it, no mutations would be allowed in him.

Vicar Amelia’s voice carried by her convictions and the sheer display of loyalty from Sanguinius washed over all the attendance.

“Many came to us worried that this young man was no different than a beast, an animal or worse ! I say he proved himself in more ways than one, shedding his own blood and a part of himself for a cause he didn’t even fight for yet !”

The cathedral erupted in applause, Sanguinius was briefly taken away to be injected with Old Blood to help him heal. He seemed content when he saw you again.

“Hello Father, today… has been one of sacrifice for a good cause and-”

“Does it hurt, my boy ? I- I am not sure it was the correct path, even lady Integra seemed worried for your well-being.”

He smiled, he seemed genuine for once and it terrified you, a wide grin… “Yes father, I have no regrets, besides… I’d rather be without my wings than without purpose. Shall we go now father ? The town is in need of help and we answer the call.” was all he said before leaving you behind.

To say he was in his element would be an understatement, his years of training and proficiency with his dual pistol made quick work of any beast unfortunate enough to be in his vicinity, it was clean, quick and efficient thanks to his weapons being more akin to hand cannons than true handguns.

Few matched his pace save for you and Lady Integra who slaughtered beast after beast with her whip-cane while you butchered them using your axe, fewer missed it but Sanguinius smirked at each death for even the slightest drop of blood reaching his mouth gave him small insight about his victim.

One drop, a woman he saw once at a market when he was younger, her transformation was particularly painful.

Another drop, a shop owner who turned and killed his own son, he couldn’t quite make out his transformation.

More than a drop, he heard a few words, a previous Vicar, horrible transformation.

He grinned and fought harder at each deaths, it didn’t matter that others couldn’t keep up or died, this was an extermination mission, not a humanitarian one. On and on he went, on and on they fell until he ran out of bullets. Many beasts recognized the opportunity and pounced. Few dared to help him, not for fear of the beasts but of the man caught in the storm of blood and meat at the center.

Sanguinius was everywhere at the same time, a werewolf jumping on his back ? Caught the next instant and used a makeshift mace swung at his fellow beast, breaking every bone in it’s body in the process before meeting the business end of a wall.

One minute he was punching holes in his enemies, the next he was tearing limbs off a fleeing beast. The carnage went on for what felt like hours, no one dared to shoot or intervene in any way. This boy that most still called a teenager despite being as tall as an adult was killing what most Hunters would take hours if not day to kill.

Finally he stopped, blood all over him, visions cascading one after the other in an unending, infinite, incomprehensible kaleidoscopic slideshow he saw entire families turning into monsters and being let loose upon the populace, in another he saw fellow Hunters losing themselves to the Blood and becoming far worse than the things they were sent out to kill.

His final vision, the one he could make out the least showed a bright pale moon, a field of white flowers and an old man, sat on a chair inside an old looking house, eternally weeping at a mistake made ages ago, he never saw him yet he appeared to know him. What caught his attention was the being in front of the moon, an eldritch abomination, something unworthy of being called a face with holes as deep and cold as a crater on an asteroid, limbs as long and dark as the cursed trees of the Forbidden forest and finally, the very brief and distorted cries of an infant.

They all disappeared as soon as they came, coming down from his blood high he sighed and lit up a cigarette, a habit he picked up from less serious Hunters and Church workers.

You approached cautiously, such carnage was rare to see, especially on someone’s first hunt no matter how special they are. “Son ? Are you-”

“Excellent work Sanguinius, these wretched beasts now know there’s a bigger predator in town, you have done a great deed for the city today.” Lady Integra interrupted you without a care in the world “Vicar Amelia will be pleased, the Healing Church’s officials will be too, the Scourge has been dealt a great blow.”

“Thank you my Lady, all the training under your wing paid off” despite being covered in blood, guts and other despicable materials he still looked as regal and important as ever. His tinted glasses hid the dangerous glint in his eyes.

More blood is all he truly desired in that moment, he was going to be a great Hunter.

“I suppose a celebration is in order for our newest and arguably greatest of us yet. Clearly your father taught you well” Lady Integra gestured toward you, you couldn’t tell if it was genuine or mocking.

“Ho but my Lady, you deserve thanks too, your tutelage helped me survive this ordeal, one I will be proud to be committed to.” Sanguinius didn’t even bother thanking you, is that all you are to him ? An afterthought ?

You left quietly, you had doubts before but now ? You were simply useless to him, a pretty little thing to call “father” while doing what he wants whenever it pleased him.

///

Safe to say Sanguinius became a legend overnight, his brutal carnage was overshadowed by his kill-count that day, few matched his tally and fewer still could dare say they were as efficient as the bloody angel of Yharnam.

His hunts however ? They became longer, darker and fewer Hunters wanted to come with him, soon civilians reported seeing Sanguinius roam the streets alone wearing his now legendary red attire with his two custom made guns, courtesy of Vicar Amelia and Lady Integra, twin machines of death to match the brutal reaper some saw him as.

Time will tell if he was as noble as the tales say.

Adulthood :

By now Sanguinius was probably the greatest Hunter in recorded history, Yharnam was still somewhat plagued by the occasionnal onslaught of Beasts but nothing quite reaching the size of previous Scourges thanks to his vigilance and violent repression of any large gathering of Beasts.

What few knew however is that the beasts originated from what the Imperium calls “Deamons” belonging to [ENTRY MISSING, AUTHORIZATION LEVEL OMEGA REQUIRED], it is still unknown how the first beasts formed but archives kept by Vicar Amelia tells us that Deamons were somehow forced to merge with civilians captured in town and then the Old blood was distilled from the corpses of these people.

It is also unknown if Sanguinius was made aware of this shocking truth but if he was then he never tried to stop it, quite the contrary as he made sure that batches of defective blood was still being given to the populace to ensure a never-ending supply of beasts to hunt and consume. It was another guarded secret, Sanguinius was indeed addicted to the Old Blood, specifically the visions gained from drinking it.

This is why Yharnam was never freed from the influence of the Beasts, he wanted Hunters to be forever relevant and vital to the city, why ? Many still debate the issue to this day, maybe it was for his ego, maybe he needed to be the hero or simply to fuel his addiction although his heinous act during the Great Crusade proves this theory wrong.

The adulthood of Sanguinius was marked by two events, the death of his father and ironically, his meeting with his true father, the Emperor of Mankind.

Accounts of his father’s death are scarce but most point to a heroic death to save civilians from Beasts but other sources point to a far worse end to what most thought to be his beloved father.

///

‘Another day, another Hunt’ is what you thought, it’s not as bad as it used to be but it seems the Healing Church isn’t too motivated to fully eradicate the threat no matter the deaths or consequences.

Still you had an oath and a weapon, you fought alongside Sanguinius to clear a portion of the town leading to Cathedral Ward, loud howls were heard from there and reports indicated the presence of a Cleric Beast, a huge threat that made you wondered how it was allowed to be.

Still, you had orders to hold the area while Sanguinius fought the Beast and from the sound of it, he was winning.

“Such a magnificent specimen you are” Sanguinius exclaimed as he blew holes after holes in the Cleric Beast with his twin pistols, the massive being still stood a few heads above him still creating an intense fight as two titans opposed one another.

Sanguinius was a primarch and this ‘animal’ was just a pest on his way to success and victory, “no matter it will die soon” he thought as he chuckled to himself darkly.

The Beast was panicking, if it could still feel such an emotion that is, it swiped and tried to crush him at every opportunity but for once it’s size was working against it as Sanguinius broke it’s bigger arm with a mighty punch, the ‘CRACK’ resonated throughout the city and the Beast howled, a haunting sound to most but a beautiful melody to Sanguinius.

He walked closer to his enemy, it was clearly acting like a cornered animal now, backing away, screeching and swiping the air to save it’s pathetic life but Sanguinius smiled. A gesture that promised pain and suffering in great amount.

He broke the smaller arm as soon as it was in reach, the Beast screamed again, this time more in panic than pain, it knew it’s doom had arrived, it wore red clothes, two machines of death and a sadistic grin that unsettled it’s very bones.

Sanguinius grabs its throat, this time not hard enough to break - but enough to crush the voicebox. The Beast's voice is instantly muffled. There is a snout, two holes the size of a shotgun shell, the bone covered in dark skin. He sticks her fingers into its nostrils, deep, causing the Beast to thrash in protest. He then squeezes his fingers together and snaps off the bridge, instantly wetting his fingers in warm blood. The screams are now replaced by choked, dry huffs. Sanguinius smiles. This was a temporary amusement, just an entrée.

He flattens his hand and pushes his fingers between the rotting teeth, clutched tightly in agony. Wedging them apart, he carefully maneuvers his arm deeper and deeper into the throat. It hits something hard, likely the spine. He huffs and shifts the angle of its head upward to let him reach deeper. When the teeth are at his shoulder Sanguinius uses his nails to rip open the tubular, soft walls of the esophagus. His hand is soon free to feel around the soft, wet, warm organs. It doesn't take long to sense the one he is looking for - the weekly pulsating heart of the Cleric Beast. He grabs it tenderly and tugs, ripping out the arteries and letting his back out with the prize. Soon it is free of the long-dead monster, all for him to admire.

A soft and squishy organ it is, still weakly throbbing in his grip. Blood pours out of the ripped tubes, dripping onto his hand. A squish pours out more. It's like a ripe orange to the touch, dripping with sweet nectar like the fruit itself. It must taste sweet. Sanguinius sinks his teeth into it, ripping the ventricles open and flooding his mouth with warm, delicious blood. He drinks all of it, excess squirting down, drowning his clothes in crimson. Arteries and veins, the aorta and the auricle are grinded between his molars, feeling like the skin on those chicken drums you made him yesterday.

His tongue laps up the disgusting mess and drags it into his throat, Visions cascading one after another, the fear of a commoner, a fisherman being eaten alive as his last moments are immortalized in the Blood, an old man being devoured by his own family as he tried to shoot them, all of them and more rushed through his mind in an exhilarating tsunami of twisted pleasure.

“Sanguinius… Wh-what are you doing ?” to say you were horrified is an understatement, you just watched your son this traitor eat the heart of a beast with no remorse !

“Ha Father” he spat the words “I thought I told you to keep watch and not interrupt me, didn’t I ?”

His tone surprised you, are you the villain for being horrified at what he just did ? “Sanguinius i-”

“Shut it, I endured your sermons long enough, the city is free thanks to me ! It is only natural I get a little reward don’t you think ?” his grin unsettled you, is this what prey feel when an apex predator is nearby ? “Don’t you think I deserve to do what I want for on-”

“Enough ! You are my son Sanguinius and I raised you better than this ! Better than ripping your own wings off for these lunatics in Upper Cathedral Ward and whatever twisted ideals Lady Integra pushed in your head !” You shouted at him, Sanguinius’s eyes grew dark after that.

“…”

“Son ?”

“You believe you raised me ? Yes you fed and clothed me but Lady Integra taught me to fight fire with fire ! After all, Hunters use the Old Blood, we are the problem and the solution. A status-quo I decided to pursue, the blood sings to me and I want to hear more, feel more of it and you will not stop me.”

You shook your head “Not all is lost Sanguinius, please… cease this madness and be the son I know you are, the kind hearted soul I saw once before and not the blood drunk monster I see now ! There is hope for you, stop this and we will go through this together.”

Somewhere deep in his soul, he truly wanted to accept your offer of redemption, to fight his addiction and desires but the other part of him ? The one screaming for blood, for more…

It asked for your blood next and a sweet voice muttered to him in a far corner of his mind.

“He hates you and what you have accomplished… What is a human to a baseline ? A king to a god ? Kill him and all you desires shall be granted, just one little inconvenience to deal with and you will be free of doubts and his disapproval…”

After a few seconds that stretched for an eternity, Sanguinius smiled, a toothy grin reflecting the pale moonlight, giving him an otherworldly presence.

“Father” he began sweetly “I believe I don’t need you anymore, you have been… interesting I’d say ? Your morals, ideals and attempts to steer me in a direction you feel desirable have been good-natured but foolish. I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this.”

“Sanguinius ? What are you-” You drew your axe, suddenly aware of the way he looked at you.

A fresh bucket of blood delivered to him.

What hope could a baseline human ever has of facing a primarch and living to tell the tale ? None and it thrilled Sanguinius as he finished drinking your blood, the last sight you ever had of him was his bloodied and insane face inching closer to your neck as he roughly grabbed you, crushing a few ribs in the process.

Your pathetic attempt to resist him has been amusing to him, you nicked his shoulder before he drove his knee into your face, breaking your nose and probably giving you a severe concussion, not to worry as you wouldn’t be feeling pain for long.

Your blood was intoxicating to him, he committed every vision to memory, from your perspective of his childhood, pride of whatever accomplishment he did that particular day to the worst of arguments, all of it would be remembered forever.

Your weak voice reached his ears, a soft pleading tone blessing him as your final moments approached “Sanguinius… you could’ve been… a be- beacon of hope…” you didn’t even try to push him away, instead using your finals reserve of strength in one last hail-mary to turn him away from the path he chose.

“Father… such a shame it had to end this way.” he gently laid you down on the ground, a final mercy he suppose. He was still coming down from the high provided by your exquisite blood, a few happy visions still flashed in his mind but he made his choice now.

“Mankind needs a predator, father. A hidden beast to protect them, a shame you never understood that.” even to him it felt like an excuse instead of facing the horrible truth.

To Yharnam and it’s citizens, good Hunter Y/N died facing dozens of beasts to save civilians but to a chosen few, you died to History and Mankind’s greatest butcher.

A man wearing the face of an angel.

The Great Crusade :

So far all meetings between primarchs and their true father, the Emperor of Mankind, are fairly well documented but almost nothing is known about the one between Sanguinius and his maker. Many speculates to this day about this very topic, some say nothing was said for the 9th primarch could’ve very well received visions while other propose the theory of a longer meeting to discuss the purpose of the now infamous Blood Angel legion.

///

The Emperor was led to the Cathedral that Sanguinius was visiting, thankfully he didn’t take Fulgrim with him for he would’ve burned the place down, there was no need for that yet. The architecture was gothic to a point it was difficult to properly discern which architectural style was used underneath all the black and grey stones.

He spotted his Son from afar, talking with two women, one wearing white and holding a pendant of some sort while the other… the other he hadn’t seen since M1 and wished he got rid off earlier, the one currently known as Lady Integra.

The three figures noticed the man in golden armor quite easily and Sanguinius eagerly made his way to him, the Emperor was deceived by his visions yet again, he expected an angelic warrior surrounded by mutants, only one of those visions was false and he didn’t know which was scarier.

“Father” began Sanguinius “It is an honor, I had scarce visions of this meeting but I have been awaiting this day for so long, what do you make of our wonderful city ?” He gestured around, his guns clicking against his belt.

It took forever or a second for the Emperor to register his words, the sight of Lady Integra stunned him briefly “It is… interesting, minus the Beasts I have heard about I can say I like the setting of this place” this was worrying, he was right than Ne-Zhandra’s influence was at work here.

“So you are Sanguinius’s father ? You are just as impressive as he is, I can see it runs in the family, I could go on and on about his accomplishments here but he is a fine man and an even better warrior, quite the sight on the battlefield if I can say.” Lady Integra began but Sanguinius stopped her.

“I am sure there are more pressing matters at hand, isn’t it ? If the giant ship I see in the sky is any indication, I believe… it is time for me to leave ?”

“Indeed my Son but I am curious… Do you have any parents ? Such skills are rarely self taught although from what I heard you are the reason this city is so safe.” The Emperor poked, most of his brothers had parents to follow and learn from, he doubted Integra was one of them, she was better at ruining his projects than actually helping Mankind.

Sanguinius’s smile faded a little “Ha… Y/N was such a dedicated figure, you see he was a Hunter. He and Lady Integra both taught me a lot, if not, all I know today but sadly he died against many beasts, a shame really but he died doing what he loved, protecting others.”

The Emperor hummed “Very well, I am sorry for inquiring but to go back to what you said earlier, Mankind needs our help, will you be part of this journey ? You will be reunited with me and your brothers to complete an endeavor we call the ‘Great Crusade’ in order to protect mankind against all the threats that have made themselves known during the Old Night.”

Sanguinius smiled, the smile of a predator being offered a larger hunting ground and an infinite supply of food.

“Ho I will be more than happy to join you Father.”

///

Sanguinius’s time on Terra was incredibly short, almost as short as Guilliman or Lorgar, once again few reasons are listed apart from “unusual excitement to join the Great Crusade” and “Recommended for less-than-usual peaceful compliance campaigns”

What we do know mostly concerns his interactions with his legion who was once called the Revenant Legion but soon turned it into the Blood Angels.

His meeting with them was interesting to say the least, it is said many were unnerved by their own Father, as if he looked at them like toys to break and repair over and over again.

“I have heard many things about the Revenant Legion, most say you are nothing but savages, mutants or defects ! I think differently, I see potential where they see flaws. I see strength where they see weakness and finally ? I see the sons beneath the monsters, fear not, we will prove them wrong, Astartes are noble beings doing the grim work of cleansing a hostile Galaxy, you are now the Blood Angel Legion ! A symbol of fear for the enemy and one of hope for the innocents, let us show them we can be kind just as we can be cruel when needs be.”

The alleged speech of Lord Primarch Sanguinius to his sons, shortly after his rediscovery by the Emperor of Mankind.

This speech proved to be quite divisive among his sons, did he hate them ? Love them ? What was that about flaws and weaknesses ?

He soon made it all clear to them, Sanguinius received all the necessary information about the geneseed used to make his sons, new batches were produced using his blood and immediately, strange side effects appeared.

An unnatural thirst for blood began manifesting in nearly all his sons, only being amplified by it’s lack of consumption or ironically, abuse of it. A cruel measure was put in place instantly, Blood was to be earned in missions rather than handed out as needed. This created a brutal meritocracy where any son of Sanguinius loosing himself to the Blood was publicly executed by the Primarch under the guise of “showing them what savagery looked like”.

The Emperor provided numerous solutions to the problem but Sanguinius always refused them, we do not know why but it pushed the Emperor to action, he sent spies all over the 9nt legion to monitor them.

Let it be known that no deviancy in his sons would be tolerated.

It is unknown if a cure was ordered to be searched for at any point during the Great Crusade but that soon proved to be a small issue for the Legion, next came the new goals of the Legion. The Great Crusade had many goals, reuniting all of Mankind under one banner was arguably the biggest of them all, there were a couple of lesser known ones such as fixing Mankind’s genome having been altered in countless ways to adaptation, desperation or worse.

Unfortunately, Sanguinius chose this goal for his legion, in another famous speech he coined the now infamous phrase “Suffer not the mutant to live, tolerate no deviancy from Mankind’s original body.”while quite ironic as he was addressing a legion of genetically enhanced humans while being the product of both the Warp and Materium alike.

Almost immediately many complaints were made by higher-ups of the Legion, specifically from Azkaellon, Sanguinius’s right hand and first captain of the Blood Angel Legion who told his father that pure, mindless extermination was a waste of time and bullets.

Sanguinius ignored his first captain and instead made course for an unremarkable planet for what would become the Legion’s rise to infamy in Imperial History, Azkaellon pleaded and begged for his gene-sire to pick another target but Sanguinius didn’t budge.

“I am simply doing the will of the Emperor, Azkaellon. You may be from this planet but these savages are not humans, we are doing them a service by putting them out of their misery” is what the Primarch said if this testimony is to be believed.

What followed was a carnage of untold proportion, the Blood Angels made use of jump-packs, terror and shock tactics as they descended upon the mutant population in an event known as The Devastation of Baal.

The carnage lasted for months, the mutants barely had the time to defend themselves before being sent to burn on funeral pyres, open burial or even mass graves, no methods were too grim or forbidden for the Primarch.

They all had to die, they were unworthy of living or breathing the same air as him.

It is said in some redacted documents that Sanguinius gorged himself on blood before grinning and ordering his sons to round up the “lucky few that escaped the purges”, what happened to them is still a mystery but some say they were handed over to the Vitae Makers.

-------------------------------------------

The Vitae Makers, a brief overview.

-A class of apothecary obsessed with the Blood who discovered that different lives and background made for more desirable blood and memories to drink from.

-A man who lived an angry life will fulfill the bloodlust for several days while a woman who lived in luxury her whole life knowing nothing but joy will cause a deep feeling of happiness and beatitude in whoever drinks the blood.

-Hidden from most Blood Angels, their job is to take care of various sources of blood, ensuring only the best reaches the Primarch depending on his whims, be it a blood charged from heavy memories or the dull lifestyle of a commoner.

-------------------------------------------

This event officially turned the Blood Angels into a legion of exterminators but unlike the Luna Wolves who were sent to the harshest battlefields, they were instead sent to purge troublesome mutants that other legions (namely the Dark Angels, Ultramarines or even the Death Guard) refused to kill.

Trivia :

-Sanguinius was extremely unpopular with most primarchs for obvious reasons, many advocated for mutants civil rights and Sanguinius being an exterminator of said race made him few friends but the mysterious Corvus Corax, prideful Omegon and even the cold Fulgrim were said to be somewhat friendly to him.

-We know for sure that Lion’El Jonson threatened Sanguinius with death multiple times when he learned of the Devastation of Baal, going so far as to call Sanguinius “no better than the people he was killing” while Roboute Guilliman outright refused to work alongside him after the murder of his two adoptive brothers. He did however lead several compliance campaign with Fulgrim and Omegon, making a devastating and unstoppable force on the battlefied, only rivaled by Horus Lupercal.

-It is said however that Sanguinius made great efforts to be on friendly terms with Lorgar Aurelian, his cooking was one of the few things that made him forget his addiction to blood.

-Corvus Corax offered treatment numerous times to Sanguinius and his sons for the emerging “Red Thirst” but for unknown reasons the treatment, whatever it was, was turned away every time.

-Interestingly we know little of the armor Sanguinius used in battle as he was often seen in his red suit wielding his twin guns with terrifying efficiency. , shooting targets faster than they hoped to reach him.

-Out of all relationship between Primarchs and First captain he had the worst out of them all, The Devastation of Baal proved to be too much for Azkaellon who criticized his Father for the needless violence, unfortunately for him however, Sanguinius only kept the massacres coming, deaf to the pleas of his Captain.

-For a time, Lady Integra wasn’t seen often at the side of Sanguinius, it is speculated the Emperor imprisoned her before allowing her to go back to Sanguinius and his legion.

-A portrait of Lord Primarch Sanguinius made by an unknown remembrancer.

Loyal citizens of the Imperium, this conclude our exploration of the life of the 9th primarch, Lord Sanguinius, we wish you good health and fortune as we await more documents on another primarch to be unveiled.

May the Primarchs light shine upon you, loyal citizen !

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Word count (barely proofread) : 6353 (longest so far)

***

He stood side by side with the entire Second Company in the cavernous Strategium. Around him, every one of his Ultramarines remained in perfect parade formation, like an army of blue-clad monoliths. Unmoving. Barely seeming to breathe.

Titus’s own lungs struggled for air as the messenger read the Primarch’s decree aloud.

“... in conclusion, the Lord Guilliman hereby lifts the restrictions preventing the Ultramarines from forming intimate interpersonal relationships with mortals. Company Chaplains will formally evaluate and approve sanctioned marital bonds. The production of legitimate progeny should be seen as the desired outcome and encouraged. 

The Primarch believes these new allowances will strengthen the mental and emotional health of the Ultramarines and bind them more closely to-”

Titus had stopped listening at that point. The blood rushing through his ears had drowned out every other sound.

Sanctioned.

Legitimate.

Encouraged.

No more hiding. No more suspicious glares. No more denying what burned within his chest.

She would be his. And he, hers. In the eyes of the Primarch and the Emperor Himself!

He had to find her. Now. He would present her to the Chaplain and begin filing the necessary forms. Free her from serfdom and uplift her to a station she deserved.

His Lady Wife.

***

The memory rolled over him with the crushing tonnage of a Predator tank. Titus forced his eyes open, staring down at the smiling figure pressed tight against his armored abdomen. Her fragrance had intensified, mingling with the heady perfume of the flowers scattered about this vast chamber.

He struggled to form words.

She beat him to it. 

“It was the most wonderful day of my life, when we were bound in marriage before the Company. Dear Sidonus stood at your side as witness.” She laughed, the sound ringing like bells in his ears. “I still swear the old man shed a tear, no matter how vehemently he denies it!”

“Sidonus.”

His closest brother. His loyal right hand. They’d fought side by side through innumerable battles until….

“He… on Graia….”

Sidonus had died on Graia… had he not?”

The figure nuzzled her face against him, seeming not to mind the harsh ceramite of his armor. “Yes, Graia. You’ve told me of that battle a thousand times, one of your greatest victories. Think back on it, my love.”

I remember… I remember….

***

“Courage and Honor!”

“For the Emperor!”

“Hail, Captain Titus!”

Titus strode through the hanger of the strike cruiser Righteous Fury, listening to the acclaim of his battle brothers. The foul traitor Nemeroth’s ichor still clung to his gauntlets. His body ached from the final, desperate battle. But he walked tall.

A hand came crashing down upon his pauldron.

“Well done, Captain.”

Titus pivoted, his eyebrows lifting. “You should still be with the Apothecaries, Sergeant.”

“And miss your triumph? I think not.” The gray veteran grinned. “Besides, it will take more than mere impalement to keep me down for long.”

“I can well believe it.”

Titus eyed the rents in his brother’s chestplate. A close thing. A very close thing, indeed. He remembered the anguish of seeing the traitor’s talons tearing through his oldest friend. It was not a wound Sidonus should have survived. 

Yet, here he stood.

“What has become of Leandros?”

Sidonus’s face darkened. “The boy still has much to learn. Thank the Emperor his foolish accusations were dismissed. I don’t like to think what might have happened if he’d managed to contact that Inquisitor.”

“Well,” Titus allowed himself a smile, “it matters not, now.”

***

“You’ve led the Second Company to victories uncountable since then, my love.” The figure released her grip on him and glided to the great viewport. “Look at the fleet the Primarch entrusted to you!”

He did.

Voidships hung in perfect formation as far as his eyes could see. Battle barges and strike cruisers, their hulls gleaming in the light of the nearest sun, engines glowing as if in eager anticipation of campaigns to come.

The figure turned and pressed her back to the viewport. The look in her eyes pinned him in place.

“To think, the man who will one day ascend to lead the Ultramarines is my husband.” She laid a hand on her belly. “The father of my child.”

She gasped softly and he found himself lurching forward a step. “Sera-”

“It’s all right, my love.” Her smile all but blinded him. “It seems our baby is as proud of you as I.” She stretched out a beckoning hand.

Titus marched toward her on stiff legs. He didn’t resist when she took him by the gauntlet, laying his hand over the taught swell of her abdomen.

“Can you feel them?”

Even through the armor, he could. A tiny pulse of pressure beneath his fingers. Both his hearts stuttered.

The figure’s voice dropped to a breathy whisper. “You never said anything. Made no demands. But I knew, I knew you longed for this.”

For a moment, something flickered in the depths of her eyes. Something dark and satisfied.

“Do you remember the day I told you?”

I remember… I remember….

***

He did not comprehend the words at first. He stared, unmoving, unthinking, at her little hand. A hand placed low on her torso. Directly over her womb.

A womb no longer empty.

Vaguely, he knew she’d been visiting the Apothecarion more often of late. He’d assumed to lend aid to the medicae. She was his Little Healer after all.

But… this….

“You are certain?” He barely recognized his own voice.

She beamed up at him, more radiant than he could ever remember seeing her before. More radiant than she’d been on the day she swore herself to him.

“I am. The Apothecaries confirmed it. The treatments worked, Demetrian!”

A loud click resonated as his armor’s knee joints locked, supporting the weakening limbs within.

“A child.”

She threw her arms as far as they could go around his waist. “Our child! A family of our own!” 

“My child.”

This… was impossible.

This… was illogical.

This… was… 

Everything he’d ever wanted.

***

“Everything you’ve ever wanted, Demetrian.” The figure repeated as she returned to him, palms laid flat against his stomach. “Every unspoken dream, every hidden longing, all before you.”

Those bottomless eyes stared into his soul.

“After all, there is no one more deserving.”

Titus pulled away. 

It hurt. Every step backward tore something from him, leaving raw wounds of bleeding WANT. But still he retreated.

He needed to think. To process. Everything he’d seen and remembered swirled within his mind in a miasma of bewilderment. Obscuring. Blurring. He could pierce the undulating veil. He must!

But… do I want to?

That word again. Want.

What do I want?

Had he ever asked himself that question before? Had anyone ever asked it of him? He couldn’t remember. He didn’t believe so.

Not Metaurus, when he chose a boy to become an Ultramarine. And that boy obeyed.

Not Calgar, when he promoted a Sergeant to Captain after Trajan’s death. And that Sergeant obeyed.

Not Thrax, when he stripped a Captain of his command and brought him into the claws of the Inquisition. And that Captain obeyed.

Imprisonment. Torture. The Death Watch. Demotion. 

He’d faced it all with bowed head and stoic obedience. Because that was what an Astartes did. 

It had been engrained into his innermost being during his ascendance, the indoctrination that wiped away the man he might have become. That buried every desire except duty and service and hate for the enemy so deeply it could never arise again.

Or so he’d been told.

Then you came.

A small woman with gentle eyes and gentler hands. You resurrected the man in him, made him feel things he’d long ago forgotten. You fanned the spark of compassion life’s cruelty had never quite been able to extinguish until it burned bright once more. You opened his eyes to the good in this dark universe.

You loved him.

And you suffered for it. Dragged into a life of servitude. Witnessing pain on a scale most mortals never did. Preyed upon by those against whom you had no possibility of defense. 

Because he was not allowed to love you. Not in the way others could. Not in the way that would give you a future. Not in the way that would shield you from horror. 

What he could give was not nearly enough.

Titus gritted his teeth.

This was a lie. He knew it now. Perhaps he’d always known.

The memories? False.

This ship? False.

His resurrected friends? False.

This woman…..

He looked at the figure again. She was beautiful. The image of you. Happy, hopeful, full of life. She looked toward a future and saw nothing but honor and love and family. She lived in a world where that was possible.

Unlike him.

His gaze lingered on her belly, on the child that could have been if things were different. If he were different. If life was less grim.

For the first time in his long life, Demetrian Titus felt moisture well in his eyes. “Everything I ever wanted.”

The figure smiled. Soft. Beguiling. Understanding.

“Haven’t you earned this, Demetrian? Something of your own? Something no Chaplain, no Codex, no duty can take from you?”

She stepped close again.

“Nothing can touch you here. No one can hurt you. No one can hurt the ones you love. Don’t you want that?”

The moisture spilled over, running down his scarred cheeks. “This is not real.”

A wave of the figure’s hand, and Titus’s armor vanished like smoke. She caressed his bare, scarred torso, her touch so feather-light it sent shivers over his leathery skin. 

“What is reality, my love?”

He sank to his knees before her. Her eyes drew him in, promising comfort. Promising peace.

“You’re so very tired, Demetrian. Lay your burdens down. Let those memories become our truth, our reality. Nothing else matters.”

One impossibly soft palm cupped his cheek, the other drew his hand to rest upon her belly once again. He inhaled her fragrance like oxygen.

“Everything you desire is right here. All you need do is claim it. Claim it, and forget.”

He leaned into the caress, eyelids sliding to half mast. She was right. He was tired. Soul weary. He’d been tired for so long.

“Forget…,” he breathed.

“Claim it.” Her inhumanly beautiful face lifted toward him, painted lips parting. “Claim me. I am all the reality you will ever need.”

The unbreakable Ultramarine surrendered.

***

“NO!” 

Atius’s howl of anguish echoed through the chamber as Demetrius Titus slipped beyond the Librarian’s reach.

***

“YES!” 

The daemon threw its head back in writhing ecstasy as desire more intense than any it had feasted on before flooded its foul being.

***

Deep in the defiled bowels of the Resilient, in the company of a bleeding friend and a monstrous enemy, you, the real you, sobbed with a despair you could not explain.