Imperial Reckoning: Humanity Return

Chapter 30: Colchis

Colchis was a world forgotten by the stars. Its skies were perpetually darkened by the crimson and violet storms of the warp that tore across the atmosphere. To its people, every day was a struggle for survival, every breath a prayer for salvation. From the distant heavens, the planet appeared as a wasteland - its vast, ruined cities were little more than hollowed-out husks of former glory, slowly decaying under the relentless pressure of chaos.

Demons poured from the warp without warning, tearing through the fabric of reality to lay siege to the land. They came in every grotesque shape imaginable, creatures born from nightmare, with claws that could tear through armor and fangs that feasted on the souls of the fallen. The people of Colchis fought back as best they could, clinging desperately to their faith. Long before the Imperium's rise, the planet had been home to a devout following of an ancient religion known as Christianity. In the midst of their suffering, they prayed to the Messiah, the promised Savior, believing that He would return to deliver them from this unending torment.

For centuries, this belief persisted, woven into the fabric of their culture. The old churches still stood, albeit crumbling under the weight of time and war, their altars stained with the blood of the fallen. The Knights of Colchis, defenders of the faith, had stood against the forces of the warp since time immemorial. Clad in ancient armor and wielding swords blessed by their priests, they fought valiantly. But each passing year saw their numbers dwindle, and the demonic onslaught grow stronger. Despite their bravery, the Knights could only delay the inevitable.

It was into this dying world that Loranna was sent. Her arrival was not heralded by fanfare or prophecy but by fear and suspicion. She appeared out of the ruins one day, a child barely more than an infant, found wandering amidst the aftermath of a demonic raid. At first, the people feared her - for on Colchis, any child found alone was thought to be touched by the warp. They whispered that she might be a demon in disguise, a cursed being sent to lead them to further ruin.

Yet, amidst the fear, one nun took pity on the child. Sister Miriam, an old and devout woman of the church, took Loranna into her care, despite the murmurs of the townsfolk. The child grew up under her watchful eye, raised within the sanctuary of an ancient cathedral. The faith of Colchis, long buried under the weight of war, still survived within those walls. Every day, Sister Miriam spoke to Loranna of the Messiah, the one who would return to save them from the demonic tide.

Loranna listened, her heart kindled by the stories of salvation and hope. As she grew, so too did her faith. She believed with every fiber of her being that the Messiah would come for her people, and that He alone could end the torment that gripped her world. Though she was a stranger among them, the people of Colchis began to see something in Loranna that they could not explain. She was different, stronger in spirit, as if destiny itself rested upon her shoulders.

But the world around them was falling apart. Each year, the warp grew stronger. The demons came more frequently, tearing through the cities and leaving nothing but ruin in their wake. The Knights of Colchis fought with everything they had, but they were no match for the horrors they faced. Entire cities were wiped out overnight, and the people's prayers seemed to go unanswered.

Loranna, now a young woman, watched as the world she knew crumbled. She saw the fear in the eyes of the people, saw their faith falter as the days grew darker. And then, one fateful day, the cathedral itself came under siege. Demons swarmed from every direction, their numbers endless. The Knights, battle-weary and broken, mounted a desperate defense, but it was clear that this was the end. The church that had raised Loranna was surrounded, and the survivors within it knew they were living on borrowed time.

Days passed, and the once-holy sanctuary became a battleground. The faithful who had gathered within its walls clung to their belief in the Messiah, but hope was waning. Loranna, too, was on the brink of despair. Her body was weak from hunger and exhaustion, and the demons pressed closer with each passing hour. Sister Miriam had been killed on the second day of the siege, leaving Loranna alone with her prayers.

On the seventh day, as the demons closed in for the final assault, something happened. The skies above Colchis split open, not with the crimson taint of the warp, but with blinding light. Loranna, on her knees in prayer, looked up in awe as the very heavens seemed to tremble. From the breach in the clouds, they descended.

The Emperor of Mankind, clad in gold and wreathed in divine power, led the charge. His sword burned with the light of a thousand suns, and with every stroke, demons fell, their bodies disintegrating into nothingness. Beside him flew the Angel of the Imperium, the Primarch Sanguina, her wings spread wide as she unleashed her fury upon the warp-born abominations. Together, they brought wrath and salvation to the ruined world.

Loranna could scarcely believe what she was seeing. She had prayed for salvation, and here it was - the Messiah and His Angel, come to save her people. The demons fell before them, and as they fought, the forces of the Imperium descended in their wake, bolstered by Space Marines, their bolters roaring as they purged the remaining forces of chaos.

Loranna, barely clinging to life, was found amid the wreckage of the cathedral. The Emperor himself lifted her from the rubble, and as she looked into his eyes, she felt a truth that shook her to her core. This man, this godlike figure, was not just her savior. He was her creator.

The Emperor revealed to her what she had been born to forget. Loranna was not simply a child of Colchis. She was one of the Primarchs, one of His creations, lost to the warp and found again in humanity's hour of need. She was to lead a legion of Space Marines - the Word Bearers - and bring the Emperor's light to the darkest corners of the galaxy.

But when she called him the Messiah, as she had been taught to believe, the Emperor's response was cold and firm. "I am no god," he told her. "I am a man with power, nothing more." His words struck her like a blow. How could someone so powerful, so divine, not be the Messiah? How could he not see the truth?

Loranna kept her doubts to herself, for though the Emperor had rejected her faith, she could not. She knew, deep within, that he was more than he claimed to be. God, she believed, would not reveal Himself so easily. Perhaps this was His test, a trial of faith, to see if she could recognize the divine even when He denied it.

And so, Loranna followed the Emperor, taking her place among the Primarchs. Though her faith was shaken, her belief in the Messiah remained unbroken. In her heart, she believed that the Emperor would one day reveal His true nature, and when that day came, she would be there to bear witness.

For now, another daughter had returned to the Imperium, and the galaxy would tremble as Loranna, the lost Primarch, took her place among the stars.