"Are you ever going to show me what's in here?" Aiko rapped a knuckle against the hard steel door. Kalle gave her a glance, his brow cocked with a frown on his face. She gave him an innocent look, but he knew the curiosity had to be burning her up. He snorted,
She wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue, "Why not?"
He turned back to the project in his hands, "Because there's nothing in there you need to see, that's why."
He felt a weight on his shoulder, and he hid his laugh with a cough, "But Old Man...!"
"I said no, Aiko, and I mean it. Now don't you have a date with Lucius, or something?"
Aiko sighed, but still rested on his shoulder. Her head leaned into his, "Yeah, but that's not until later." She nudged him playfully, "So maybe you can show me what's behind the door?"
"Aiko, I try not to make it a habit to repeat myself." Kalle warned dryly, he felt his patience start to thin. If she noticed it certianly didn't bother her. Instead she made a face before kissing his cheek and sweeping out of the room. Kalle shook his head in amusement.
It was Aiko's nature to be so curious about everything, and Kalle could hardly blame her for it. Yet, there were things she didn't need to know or see. The secrets behind that door were among many; artifacts of great age and terrible power best kept out of sight. Roboute was the only one who knew what lie behind that door, for not even Cato was privy to the knowledge.
All the better to protect him, and Aiko as well.
A notification signal drew his attention to the data slate sitting on the table. He rose with a grunt, his joints popping as he investigated. He scrolled through several mundane messages until he found a summons from the Primarch Guilliman himself. Curious as to what could be so important, Kalle dressed and left within the half hour.
He greeted passing marines with a silent nod, a silent shadow in the halls all the way to the lower docks of the Maccrage's Honor. It was clear that the Victrix guard had just returned with their Primarch, several marines were already in the process of unpacking when he arrived. He spotted Cato overseeing the guard on the far end of the bay, and he exchanged a passing smile with him.
It was nice to have him home again.
Primarch Guilliman hovered in the threshold of an empty transport, a nervous energy about him as Kalle approached. The old Night Lord dipped his head in greeting,
"Primarch Guilliman, I take my presence here means you found something?"
"Yes." The large man turned on his heel with Kalle quick to follow. He hit the button next to the ramp so the pair could have privacy. The artificial lights of the docking bay gave way to near darkness save for the eerie glow of the artifact.
It was stored in a reinforced steel and glass container that sat square in the middle of the isle. The faceted sides of the decahedron were engraved in glowing runes that emitted a blue and green light.
"We don't know what it is. We found it in a subterranean ruin surrounded by Tzeentch iconography."
Kalle stooped to his haunches and carefully turned the container, "Did anything happen when you went to contain it?"
"The first two marines who approached were hit with a lightning arc and aged in moments. They were dead and dust before they hit the ground."
The old Night Lord hummed under his breath, but continued to observe,
"A few of my Librarians managed to create a containment field so we could properly transport it. I wish to destroy it, but wanted your opinion on the matter before I carried out my plan."
"A smart decision. It's aura is intricately tied to its surroundings and to the warp. Who knows what chaotic energies might have been unleashed should you have tried."
Guilliman shifted on his feet, "Permanent containment then?"
"I'll have to study it first before I can design a vault to effectively seal it. With your permission, of course."
Kalle stood with a grunt; Guilliman considered the artifact for a long moment before giving him a resolute nod. "You're sure the vault in your room will be strong enough to contain any accidents?"
"Then proceed, and report your findings to me. I will clear the halls to your stateroom so you may transport the artifact."
Kalle was left with the artifact, to which he paced around in curiosity. Already he was forming his theories just from the Primarch's report alone. He was careful to pick up the container when he was finally given permission to move it. Any sudden movement could set off a reaction, and the last thing he wanted was an accident.
The halls were quiet, not a marine or guardsman in sight. He studied this curious object in his hands as he walked, eager to get it into his vault so he could experiment. His stateroom was empty as far as he could tell; he sent a quick report to Guillman that he'd arrived and would start his studies. Another was sent to Cato stating he would be missing dinner.
Sure that everything was in order Kalle opened his vault door. He ran a talon down the full length of the hard steel. Intricate arcane lines hissed in esoteric patterns from the touch, dissolving right before his eyes. As the last of the sigils disappeared he pressed his palm into the door and pushed his mind through the steel to force it open. The steel barrier split and opened with a pop. A thin veil of mist swept out from within, thick swirls dissipating with each of his steps.
The room was far bigger than the outside implied. It took Kalle several months of work to complete his vault; a separate space not quite in real space but not quite in the warp. A tenuous dimension where the rules of neither plane really applied. Here he could contain the artifacts too dangerous to destroy.
Or experiment on them to his heart's content.
It was a wide, windowless expanse separated into three floors. The ground floor, which connected to the vault door, contained several glass cases meticulously displayed across the space. Each cases was organized with care, its contents as varied as the next. Several firearms sat in locked containers, interesting to look upon but deadly to wield. Another held Arcane Foci of various designs ranging from jewelry to glowing crystals of bright colors.
The second and third floor contained all manner of tomes and mural fragments. Forbidden collections that he had hoarded over the eons and best kept from mortal hands.
At the far end of the ground floor Kalle cleared off his work table with a flick of his wrist. Papers lined with runes and writing, along with several books, put themselves away as he set the decahedron on the table. He braced himself on the workbench and eyed the artifact. It seemed stable enough, yet he projected a barrier around himself just in case.
Carefully, he flipped the locks of the container and opened it. A static charge filled the air as he lifted the decahedron with a shadowy tendril, not at all eager to physically touch it. Thankfully, there were no adverse effects and he set the artifact on the table.
A thousand and one thoughts rushed through his head. Another flick of the wrist summoned empty parchment and quills that hovered midair, and wrote his theories as they came to mind. Runes and symbols crossed several pieces of paper in mere minutes while Kalle circled the table, his gaze trained on the artifact in fascination. He pushed at it with the warp and it hissed in reply, a thin arc of lightning sparking off the table.
He pushed again and another angry arc sparked, this time off the floor at his feet. It was like the artifact had a mind of it's own, as it exhibited signs of displeasure at being touched and harrassed. He pushed again and the static charge intensified enough that a glow filled the room and the sparks from the decahedron lifted it off the table for a moment. Kalle reached out and suspended the artifact, pulling the warp to keep the ambient energies at bay.
They fought, Kalle and this strange artifact, vying for power over one another. And he was winning, and he allowed himself to gloat over the idea of experimenting on this thing.
A shadow of movement just beyond artifact caught his eye. Kalle hesitated and broke eye contact with the decahedron, gaze widening as he spied Aiko among his collection.
His lapse in concentration was all that was needed.
A loud crack echoed through the room and nearly deafened him. Kalle wrapped the artifact in shadow and forced it back into its container as a large arc of lightning lit up the room. In the span of seconds he closed the lid and leapt over his work table. He called to the warp, begged it to make him weightless, fast enough to intercept the temporal arc heading straight towards his daughter.
Aiko's scream filled the air as it impacted, sending Kalle off his feet and onto his back from the blast. He grunted as he landed, rolling onto his knees with little thought about the pain.
He stumbled into a display case, disoriented from the noise and the impact. There was a loud ringing in his ears, even as his heart pounded away in his chest.
Your fault, your fault. You didn't lock the door behind you, and she followed you in. She's gone and it's your fault!
Tears spilled down his cheeks, as he found the black stain on the carpet. His heart clenched, every breath felt painful as he fell to his knees.
Kalle cradled his head, his shoulders wracking with his silent sobs. Guilt washed over him in relentless waves. How could he face Cato, and tell him that Aiko was gone because of his carelessness? How could he face all who had come to love her?
Your fault, your fault. The monster once again strikes, some things never change.
A small hand touched his shoulder. Kalle looked up to find bright, half pitched eyes gazing at him and full of tears. Long, thick black hair fell over the shoulders a tiny girl who looked no older four years old. His heart stopped and his blood froze, disbelief racing through him. His own hand reached out, almost hesitant as he traced her cheek.
His gaze flicked to the display case just behind her, a pile of Aiko's clothes and her boots haphazardly strewn underneath.
The little girl hiccuped in reply, the sleeves of her top comically large on her slender arms. It was Aiko's top, and this small little thing wore it like a dress.
The girl, no, his Aiko threw herself into his lap and clung to the fabric of his tunic. Kalle wrapped his arms around her and cradled her close, relief replacing the guilt with the silent shed of his tears.
Am I doing a regression fic? You bet your sweet bipbies I am. I have a need for small Aiko and dad Kalle and I will not be denied!
