Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 218 Never Left
The Night Guard turned and left, never expecting to receive an answer.

For some, lineage is a symbol of nobility, and they take superficial pride in it.

Such an understanding is superficial and fails to see where "bloodline" is based.

Bloodline itself is not noble; it is built upon merit and honor, which is why bloodline appears noble.

A beggar established immortal achievements and accomplished the great cause of an emperor. His bloodline remained unchanged, but he became noble because of his merits.

So, was it his bloodline that initially changed the beggar?

No, he still had the "filthy" blood of a beggar flowing in his veins. What drove him to make changes was his indomitable spirit of not being content with the status quo.

The soul is greater than blood. Old King Norwick shaped Doom's soul; he was Doom's "soul father," a recognition that far surpasses that of "blood father."

The bond between Doom and the Emperor is not based on blood ties, but on a grand expedition uniting humanity!

Driven by the Emperor's grand ambition to save humanity, Doom, a member of humanity, leads the Nur Stars in the fight for humankind.

In the eyes of the Night Watchers, Doom's participation in the expedition was not a fight for the Empire, but a fight for the unification of all mankind.

Watching the Night Guardian's departing figure, Alpharis remained silent for a long time, realizing that he had underestimated the Night Guardian.

The warriors from Nur possess free spirits and profound insights into all things.

The Astartes follow the Primarch, and they are unable to resist the Father of Gene, being born to obey the Primarch.

This obedience stems from bloodline, but even more so from a soul reshaped by genetic seeds.

Natural obedience is a sharp sword; following the will of the Primarch, it destroys any enemy that stands in its way.

But a sword is double-edged; it can injure others while potentially injuring the user.

If the Primarch is wise and powerful, the innate obedience is a powerful weapon. However, if the Primarch has a problem, the entire legion will be in serious trouble.

Watching the figure recede into the distance, Alpharis suddenly smiled, pleased with his own probing.

As the Primarch who had never left Terra, he had discovered this problem long ago.

The Alpha Legion obeys itself, the Shadowmoon Wolves obey Horus, and the Space Wolves obey Horus.

Astartes obeys the Father of Genes and is willing to go through fire and water for the Father's orders.

It comes entirely out of heartfelt respect, a gift from the seeds of our genes.

But what will Astartes choose if, one day in the future, the brothers turn against each other?

This is by no means an exaggeration; human history repeats itself time and time again, with the same mistakes always happening.

It was out of this concern that Alphareth transformed the Legion into a "shadow" Legion, infiltrating its brother Legions to monitor their movements in real time and take the most direct preventative measures.

He encouraged the Alpha Legion to think independently, to think from their own perspective, and not to blindly follow the Primarch.

Although the Primogen possesses extraordinary divine power, it also has human thinking, and humans are prone to making mistakes.

Ordinary people can make amends when they make mistakes, and the consequences are relatively minor.

If the original genome makes a mistake, it will be a huge mistake. How can we make up for the losses caused by the mistake?
After some probing, Alpharis felt reassured and abandoned his plan to infiltrate Nur.

The eldest son of the Doom Legion, Li Tang, is a man of discernment. Having spent ten years with him, I know his character and personality well.

The Night Guards are even better; if Doom were to do anything crazy, they would be the first to object.

As for Doom...

Alpharis strode toward the secret chamber; now was the perfect opportunity to get to know him.

He walked to the door and saw an old acquaintance—Obelisk, though the man didn't recognize him.

Obelisk examined the person in front of him, and after confirming that he posed no threat, he and a Night Guard opened the door and let him in.

"Do you know him?" the night guard asked his colleague after the gate closed.

“The Primarch of the Twentieth Legion,” Obelisk, towering as a city wall, replied, his deep voice offering his assessment: “A man who enjoys stealth games.”

“He’s not tall.” Night Guard was somewhat surprised; in his mind, Primarchs were all very tall.

“He can change his appearance,” Obelisk replied briefly, stating his guess.

In the Doom Legion, this Primarch was as tall as his brothers, and now stands as tall as a typical Space Marine.

Aside from certain special talents, there is no explanation.

"Imitators are such a nuisance," the Night Guard muttered, shaking his head as he continued his duties by the door.

Alpharis stepped inside, the door closing behind him. The room was bright and simply furnished, and his brother sat in a chair waiting for him. "Please sit, my brother," Doom said, rising to warmly invite his Primarch brother to sit down.

“Doom Norwick.” Alpharis called out his brother’s name softly, sitting down opposite him and looking up at his tall brother.

"How did you recognize me?" After settling down, he slowly asked the question that had been puzzling him.

His disguise was flawless; Horus, Feralas, Forgrim, and Solas all failed to notice. So why was Doom able to recognize him?

“I didn’t mean to,” Doom said, slowly sitting down and pouring his brother a drink. “It was just an instinct.”

Doom wasn't lying; it was truly intuition that led him to repeatedly spot his brothers hiding in the crowd.

“Your intuition leaves me helpless.” Alpharis shrugged helplessly; he believed Doom’s words.

Ordinary mortals possess intuition to avoid deadly dangers, while Space Marines have keen intuition to detect hidden threats.

The Primarch, the greatest life form created by the Emperor, possessed keen and accurate intuition and discovered that he indeed had the potential to discover himself.

"Alpharis." He uttered his name with a sigh, his face flashing with blue psionic energy before disappearing like a curtain.

Doom watched in astonishment as Alphareth's face gradually transformed into the appearance of another person amidst the psionic glow.

"Wait a minute." He quickly stood up and backed away from his brother who was transforming.

"Wh...what?" Alpharis didn't understand his brother's actions. When he asked, his mouth started twitching, and his whole face looked a little chaotic.

He immediately stood up, covered his face, and backed away.

Inside the simple room, the two Primarchs retreated to a corner, keeping their distance from each other.

Alpharis covered his face; he knew why his brother had gotten up and left.

While you are around him, you can use psionic energy normally, but the effect will be greatly reduced.

I just used my shapeshifting ability and felt there was no problem, but the actual effect was off, causing my facial features to be misaligned.

He rubbed his face, and the smooth wall reflected his cheeks, successfully restoring his original appearance.

“You’re really a bit strange.” Alpharis turned around, looking at his brother with a complicated expression, and sighed helplessly: “Since mastering this talent, I have never made a mistake.”

As he spoke, he returned to his chair, raised his glass, and took a dejected sip.

Doom gave an awkward smile, sat down opposite Alpharis, and observed his brother.

He wasn't as heroic as himself, as wild as Ruth, or as serious as Solas. He looked ordinary, but he had a unique charm that made him seem extraordinary the more you looked at him.

“I’m this tall,” Alpharis said, placing his hand on his chest, “up to where you are.”

Doom exclaimed in a deep voice, "What a perfect disguise! It can not only distort one's appearance but also change one's body shape."

“I’m very satisfied with the talent my father gave me,” Alpharis said with a smile, adding proudly, “You’re the only brother who sees through me.”

Apart from Doom, none of the Primarch Brothers were discovered, which is indeed something to be proud of.

If Alpharis harbors murderous intent, he will be the most dangerous assassin.

Doom raised his glass, clinked it with his brother's, and asked curiously, "When did you return to the Empire?"

He learned of his brother's existence from the Doom Soldier, but did not know exactly when he would return to the Empire.

"Return?" Alpharis smiled, slowly shaking his head as he looked at his imposing brother, a hint of pride in his voice: "I have never left Terra!"

"That warp storm scattered you across the galaxy, while I fell into the Terra wasteland."

"When I opened my eyes, my father, the Emperor, lifted me up from the sand, and my memories began from that moment."

As Alpharis spoke, he kept observing Doom's expression, enjoying the surprise that came from his blood brother.

He felt a surge of pleasure, a thrill of uncovering a secret.

Doom was indeed surprised.

They were even more surprised than when they learned from the offspring that Horus was not the first to return to the Primarch.

Judging from the timeline, the brother did not lie, nor did he have any reason to lie.

The news that Alpharis never left Terra is indeed an explosive secret.

The emperor concealed his existence from the vast majority of people, publicly acknowledging Horus as the "son of the first," thus attracting public attention.

"You must keep this a secret." After saying this, Alpharis immediately demanded that Doom keep it a secret: "It must not be told to a third party."

(End of this chapter)