The Emperor gazed nostalgically at the massive laboratory before him. It was here, alongside Malcador and Erda, that he had once cultivated the Primarchs.
Erda, in particular, had treated those Primarchs as her own children. But in the end, it was that woman, who had been with him for tens of thousands of years, who ultimately betrayed him.
The Warp was the most corrosive force imaginable, able to corrupt even the purest of hearts, no matter how important the person, or how close the friend.
Your son, your wife, your father, your mother, any of them could fall prey to the temptations of Chaos lurking in the Warp.
That was the true nature of the Warp.
Even the Primarchs themselves had no knowledge of the Chaos Gods' existence. But when it came to Axis, the Emperor had decided to reveal some truths about the Warp to him.
This child's ki could effectively resist the corrupting influence of the Warp's energies.
Axis was to be the ultimate weapon against the forces of Chaos, a countermeasure against all daemons and the Warp itself.
Once Axis finished his transformation, the Emperor planned to send him to train under Russ for a time.
After experiencing the true horror of the Warp and its daemonic influences, the Emperor believed Axis would return of his own accord.
Axis carefully surveyed the room and realized it had been recently cleaned and prepared.
Some dust remained in a few corners, suggesting that it had only just been put back into use after years of neglect.
In the distance, he could see where twenty-one giant gestation pods had once stood, but they were now completely gone.
In their place were two new, massive incubation pods.
This was clearly the place where the Primarchs had been created.
'Wait a minute, wasn't I supposed to undergo the Custodes augmentation? What's the Emperor up to?
'And why were there two pods? If this was just his own transformation, one pod should have sufficed. Who was the other one for?'
"Come on, Axis. Take off your clothes and lie down in the pod. You don't need to worry about anything else. Just relax," the Emperor said.
"Emperor, what's the other pod for?" Axis asked, pointing at the second incubation pod.
"That's not your concern! Just do as I say," the Emperor replied, not answering the question.
Axis didn't ask further.
Following the Emperor's instructions, he walked up to the enormous pod, undressed, and lay down inside.
"We'll see you soon, Axis," Malcador said, giving him a gentle smile.
It would be Malcador who accompanied Axis through this long process. The Emperor was extremely busy and would only handle the initial stages himself.
After a breathing mask was placed over his face, countless streams of nutrient fluid began to envelop Axis's body.
Gradually, he lost consciousness.
"Let's begin. We'll use these special nutrient solutions to strengthen his cells, then extract his blood to begin cultivating the superhuman organs," the Emperor declared.
Malcador nodded and began assisting with the various genetic enhancements.
Then Malcador took a seat, put on a helmet, and linked his consciousness to the system.
As soon as Axis slipped into unconsciousness, he found himself in a digital world.
Humanity had long since mastered this kind of virtual technology.
After only a moment, a virtual image of Malcador appeared before Axis.
"Hello, young one! For the next long while, I will be your teacher.
"I'll teach you everything about the Imperium. Be it astronomy, geography, mathematics, physics, even music and art, I'll be teaching you all of it," Malcador said with a smile.
As a perpetual just like the Emperor, Malcador's long life had allowed him to master all manner of human knowledge.
He could truly be called the greatest teacher in all of human society, without exception.
"Do I really need to learn all this?" Axis asked.
"Of course you do. If you only excel at fighting, you'll always be just a brute!
"By learning, you'll gain the ultimate wealth of the universe, spiritual wealth that will make your mind far more resilient," Malcador replied.
"It'll help you better resist Chaos."
'Alright, then.'
It was said that the Custodes, aside from their overwhelming martial prowess, were also experts in every other field, tactics, art, and more.
Malcador smiled at Axis, then snapped his fingers.
Instantly, countless streams of knowledge surged into Axis's mind, making even his brain throb with pain.
His body outside the pod even convulsed twice, as if his head was about to explode.
"Our teaching method is a bit unusual. I'll transmit the knowledge directly into your brain, and then I'll help you summarize and explain it.
"We'll progress very quickly. You'll be studying tens of thousands of years of human knowledge, but you only have a few decades," Malcador explained.
"These priceless treasures of knowledge will be the most useful things for you, Axis. When you finally understand that, you'll appreciate my efforts."
In the first year, Axis needed to learn all the major languages in human history, and master writing the scripts of every major civilization.
In the second year, he studied all of human history, from the First Millennium to the Thirtieth Millennium.
In the third year, Axis began learning about all the major events in human history, the famous wars, whether ancient, modern, or contemporary. He saw humanity enter the Age of Stellar Exploration, the Age of Dark Technology, and the Age of Strife.
Through virtual scenarios, he experienced and observed these great events, understanding every famous battle.
Meanwhile, three years passed in the outside world.
Axis's cells had been completely strengthened, and the special superhuman organs cultivated from his genes had fully developed.
The Emperor then began the surgical augmentations: implanting the Belisarian Furnace, a magnificat, the ultimate heart, enhanced super-skeletal structure, specially cultivated bio-skin, and a host of other unique organs, each was integrated one by one.
In the fourth year, Axis began studying all manner of tactics, consolidating the military history and strategy he had learned the previous year.
In the outside world, during the fourth year, the Emperor left for more than half a year, having found the Second Primarch and having them take charge of the Second Legion.
The fifth, sixth, and seventh years passed much the same, with Axis continuing to review and deepen his tactical training.
In 824.M30, the Emperor departed once again, traveling to Medusa to find the Tenth Legion's Primarch, Ferrus Manus. The Iron Hands Legion was formally established.
In the eighth year, Axis began to develop his artistic side, studying painting, and learning to perform on all kinds of instruments.
In the ninth year, he started studying the poetry and classical texts of every culture and civilization.
By the tenth year, 830.M30, Malcador began to teach Axis biology, physics, chemistry, and other sciences.
The Emperor once more set off, this time to recover the Third Legion's Primarch, Fulgrim.