Epilogues

The return of the God-Emperor was an event that no force in the galaxy could ignore. 

Millions of psykers across the Imperium and beyond were driven to the brink of madness, straining to relay the news as quickly and accurately as possible. 

Though, in truth, everyone already understood that something monumental had happened, for the guiding star of all humanity, the Astronomican, had changed its essence. 

No, it still shone, but its light had subtly shifted in tone, becoming less… withering. 

The reason for this change was the no longer overwhelming need for the massive sacrifices of psykers to sustain the Golden Throne. As in the old days, the Emperor could now manage this task on His own. 

And He had more than enough power to do so. The Custodians standing near the Golden Throne had to evacuate as a wave of pure energy destroyed a significant portion of the palace and erupted upward in a massive golden beam of unprecedented power. 

Ten thousand years of prayers and faith from the entire Imperium had not been in vain. The Emperor had to exert considerable effort to ensure that anything living could exist in His presence. And even then, there was no talk of Him changing His form as He had in ancient times. 

Even through special filters, it was painful to look at the Emperor. Light poured from His eyes, the cracks in His body, and His mouth. 

Fortunately, with each passing day, it became clear that the Anathema was gradually mastering His newfound power. 

If the Imperium once had the strongest and most ancient psyker, now it had a true god—albeit a relatively young one. Why relatively young? Despite His unique "anti-daemonic nature" and ten thousand years of support, the Emperor was still a young god compared to the likes of the Chaos Gods. 

The latter had grown over millions of years, even if one of them had only fully emerged relatively recently. 

**Author's Note:** Complaints about the new edition. In the old lore, the Chaos Gods were supposedly not younger than the Emperor. 

However, though the Emperor was young, He had one significant advantage over all other gods—He had a fully legitimate and native body in reality. 

In other words, unlike the other gods, the Emperor had an incomparably more reliable anchor in reality than anything the other gods could devise. It was as if a fight between opponents had to take place underwater, and only the Emperor had gills. 

Such a trump card was hard to underestimate, and the Emperor intended to use it to its fullest. 

As soon as the Master of Mankind regained some composure and more or less mastered His power, He began to restore order to the Imperium. 

The Lords of Terra, who had taken too much power, the Mechanicus who had forgotten their obligations, the Ultramarines who freely manipulated treaties, and, of course, the Ecclesiarchy—all of them suddenly realized they were no longer the biggest kids in the sandbox. 

Perhaps some of them had harbored plans to "seat the Emperor back on the throne," but it was quite difficult to compete with a deity walking freely on Terra, who didn't even need to exert effort to extract and analyze knowledge from the minds of tens of thousands of followers. 

The Space Marine Legions, who had once again pledged their loyalty, were overjoyed at the return of their creator. The Emperor's Angels cherished memories of the good old days and, as it turned out, had been absolutely right. 

After a lengthy conversation with Belisarius Cawl, who had requested an audience, the Emperor expressed His desire to begin creating separate Primaris Legions—stronger and improved versions of the Space Marines. 

And yes, His second decree was the partial restoration of the Space Marine Legions. Despite the newfound respite, the Imperium of Man was not in the best shape, so it could not yet support the same number of Legions as during its zenith. However, the Emperor was determined to change that. 

An important change was also made to the structure of the Legions. The Emperor had learned from past mistakes and added several fail-safes in case of betrayal. There would no longer be weak points like the Primarchs. 

Though He had not forgotten about them either. Each of them, as before, was given special, complex tasks to expand and strengthen the Imperium, but now their actions were closely monitored—a condition they accepted without complaint. 

The fate of the Primarchs deserves special mention. 

Roboute Guilliman, who had briefly taken the reins of the Imperium, gladly handed control back to his father. Despite his love for politics, Roboute was well aware of his limitations and understood the Imperium's precarious position. 

The returned Emperor wasted no time in reintegrating the worlds of Ultramar into the Imperium, abolishing numerous exemptions and the lack of Imperial tithes. From that day on, Ultramar would live like the rest of the Imperium, with no special treatment. 

Jaghatai Khan faced few questions and happily left Terra to return to his element—riding his flying bikes and conquering new worlds for the Imperium. 

Fulgrim's fate was far more unusual. The Emperor appointed him, of all things, an inspector with special authority over the aristocracy and all related matters. Apparently, the Emperor was not pleased with the theory that the Imperium's worst enemies were its own planetary governors. 

Of course, Fulgrim was still met with suspicion, but the Emperor's personal forgiveness was worth its weight in gold. Moreover, Fulgrim possessed an almost animalistic instinct for heresy and Chaos, sometimes even surpassing the Inquisitors. 

As the Emperor had once hinted, He had indeed resurrected Ferrus Manus. Like Jaghatai, he was sent to the borders of the Imperium to restore order. 

He also had a meeting with Fulgrim, which ended with one bloodied face and a lot of harsh words. Nevertheless, the conflict did not escalate further, and the Primarchs went their separate ways. They had very different tasks. 

The fate of the three remaining "loyal" Primarchs was even more interesting. 

The Emperor personally found Lion El'Jonson and brought him to Terra for final treatment. Thus, the Imperium gained another skilled and experienced military leader. 

Meanwhile, two other Primarchs returned: Leman Russ and Corvus Corax. Notably, both of them, like Jaghatai, had abandoned the Imperium during its darkest hours and had not returned for ten thousand years. 

Both justified their disappearance by claiming they would be more useful hunting traitor Primarchs in the Warp. And this might have made sense—if they had actually killed anyone! 

But after ten thousand years, they had not achieved even that goal. 

And now, with the death of all the traitors in the Thirteenth Black Crusade, they were forced to return. 

Needless to say, the Emperor was not impressed by their excuses. 

Their fates were not widely known, but there was no talk of them returning to command. Leman Russ became an instructor for the young Wolves on Fenris. Though he was still consulted, he was stripped of real power. 

Corvus fared slightly better. He was put in charge of a special unit tasked with hunting the Imperium's most dangerous enemies. And, miraculously, he no longer had to spend ten thousand years trying to kill them. 

The Eldar's participation in the assault on Commorragh and the (though ultimately avoided) battle with the forces of Chaos was duly noted. 

Moreover, it was difficult to interfere with an alliance backed by actual gods. The Emperor and Isha excelled at controlling their followers, so the Eldar and humans gradually began to learn how to coexist in the same galaxy without trying to kill each other at every opportunity.

Of course, not everyone agreed with this strange approach, but progress was slowly being made. 

Eldrad Ulthran, the oldest and most powerful Farseer of Craftworld Ulthwé, was not only not opposed to peace with humanity but even resumed his friendly conversations with the Emperor. 

However, the best relationship was undoubtedly with Isha. Cegorach and especially Ynnead kept their distance and were not particularly eager to engage in dialogue. Though, to be fair, they were not seeking conflict either. 

The awakened Necrons, thanks to their temporal and predictive technologies, assessed what had happened in their galaxy over the past few years. Obviously, they quickly realized who was the main culprit behind these events. The lamentations of Trazyn, who was deeply upset by the reduction of his collection, did not improve the situation. 

After analyzing and assessing the risks of further confrontation with the Imperium and the Living Saint Stanislav, the Necrons wisely decided to resume their interrupted slumber for another couple of million years, thereby confirming their status as the second wisest race in the galaxy, after the Orks. 

Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka, along with the most experienced and skilled Orks, finally completed his intergalactic fleet and, taking advantage of a gap in the Tyranid swarms, disappeared into the depths of space, once again proving the Orks' status as the galaxy's smartest race. 

Where their unstable intergalactic engines would take them was known only to Gork and Mork… 

But let us return to Warhammer. Or rather, to the remaining Chaos Gods. The arrival of the Outsider in the Immaterium was a catastrophe unlike anything the galaxy had ever seen. 

Accustomed to complete impunity over millions of years, the Dark Gods were utterly unprepared for an opponent who was not only their equal but even surpassed them. 

Khorne, who attempted to fight Tsara'noga alone, was beaten, humiliated, and forced to flee to avoid being completely annihilated. 

After this, the three Dark Gods were forced to work together, but the only thing they achieved was holding the Outsider at bay. 

The presence of stars and similar energy in the Warp became an excellent substitute for the Outsider, so it had no intention of leaving the Immaterium anytime soon. 

It is also worth noting the strange friendship between the mad Outsider and the black-and-white "daemon," whose existence infuriated the other gods to no end. 

The absence of the Eye of Terror as the main breach into the Warp, the Chaos Gods' preoccupation, and the death of the traitor Primarchs led to a significant reduction in the endless attacks on the Imperium. 

Add to this the decreased assaults from the Orks, Tau, and Tyranids, and it became clear that the Imperium was, for the first time in a long while, beginning to reclaim and restore what it had lost during its decline. 

But it would be a mistake to think the threat had passed. The Emperor knew full well that the Warp storms raging at the borders of the Imperium were not eternal, and once they subsided, the Tyranids would be there in full force. 

Worse yet, even fragmented data was enough to understand that the Tyranid fleets they had seen so far were merely the vanguard of the true swarm. This meant that humanity would one day have to face an enemy for whom devouring galaxies was routine. 

But by that time, the Emperor was determined to elevate humanity to such heights that any invader would think twice before risking an attack. 

Ahriman, due to Tzeentch's death, finally managed to access the knowledge needed to restore his Legion, which he did. After all, not all sorcerers had chosen to join the Crusade. 

However, the newly flesh-bound Rubric Marines did not appreciate Ahriman's efforts, as they vividly remembered ten thousand years of enslavement by their "older brothers." They promptly staged a good old-fashioned massacre of their "masters." 

Even in death, Tzeentch had once again outplayed his follower/enemy. 

Nevertheless, Ahriman survived this "charity" once more and hastily fled. 

It is unknown what he planned to do next, but it is possible he intended to "help" someone else again. 

The coffin containing the unknown ancient ruler of Terra from before the Age of Strife was sent to Mars. There, the Tech-Priests accomplished the impossible, using complex implants to restore Lenin's body and revive him. 

Yes, now Vladimir Ilyich had a mechanical, blood-red augmentation in place of one eye, and his body was 83% steel, but he was far from disheartened. 

Awakening in a completely new world, he eagerly absorbed the knowledge of the Mechanicus, passionately sharing the ideas of the distant past with the attentive Tech-Priests. 

Rumors suggest that, after a couple of decades, strange political changes began on Mars. And, as they say, the Mechanicus' robes were not the only things turning red. 

History also remembered the fate of a certain red-haired Imperial Guardsman who, by some miracle, ended up in the galleries of Solemnace. 

After arriving in Commorragh, the Guardsman suddenly disappeared, and if anyone had been interested in tracking his path, they would have been surprised to find him on the planet Karst-6, in the Silvanus Sector, Sub-sector Silvanus, in the company of the beautiful Colonel Calypso Duchoff. 

Both of them were happily sipping high-quality amasec and clearly enjoying each other's company. 

We must also mention the fate of the closest comrades of the galaxy's most famous Saint. 

Each of his closest friends was showered with rewards and entered the history textbooks on countless planets. 

Thanks to this, many young hive workers dreamed of following in the footsteps of Walter Fischer, once a common hive scum, now one of the Imperium's most successful generals. 

Decius Numenorius took a different path. He had not forgotten how his superior had treated him. So, when the time came, he knew exactly what to ask the Emperor during his audience as the Saint's closest ally. 

Thus, just a few years later, François Verdun was removed from his position as Planetary Governor and appointed to a lifetime of cleaning Grox dung, as he had once promised in a letter to Decius. 

After the former governor's resignation, Decius himself took the position, much to his delight. 

Rumors say he finds time to visit his former boss once a month, watching him toil away. 

Konstantin also left his mark on history. Though the Emperor did not immediately abolish the Ecclesiarchy upon His return, it soon became clear that the church's followers would not only lose the power they once had but would continue to lose it. 

This would be a gradual and unhurried process, but it was inevitable. 

Realizing this, Konstantin decided to become… a Chronicler! After spending some time with a cogitator, Konstantin produced a fascinating book about his adventures with the Living Saint. 

Using his reputation as Ordyntsev's close companion, he managed to make it one of the Imperium's bestsellers. Later, he even founded the Saint Stanislav School, where he began teaching a branch of literature known as publicism. 

Considering all of the above, one can only marvel at the rain of rewards that fell upon the main culprit behind these events. The one whose mere existence completely rewrote history, forcing the Warhammer universe to take a completely different path. 

The return of Saint Stanislav to Terra deserves another book entirely. The strength of his personality, if it fell short of the Emperor's, did so only slightly. 

And after the Emperor declared Stas His best and closest friend in front of everyone, the elites of the Imperium were thrown into a frenzy. 

However, if those in power thought they could exploit the influence of such a powerful figure, they were sorely mistaken. 

Unable to cope with the final blow of fate, Stas was consumed by sorrow. Ordyntsev had to accept that he would never leave Warhammer. 

This was why he was forced to live in his own developed star system, not far from Terra, gifted to him personally by his friend, the Emperor. 

He also had to rise each day in his gigantic, opulent palace on the capital planet and force himself to pay attention to his vast and diverse harem of the most beautiful women. 

Life did not always give you everything you wanted. Sometimes, you just had to accept it and live on despite everything. 

**The End.** 

**Epilogues that may or may not exist.** 

**Epilogue #1:** 

Formerly Sarah Kerrigan, now the Queen of Blades, un-queenly gaped as an endless stream of asteroids fell upon the planets conquered by the Swarm. Hidden within them was a new, previously unknown race! 

The Queen of Blades did not know why, but she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. 

The sight of the wide-grinning, brutally fighting green-skinned aliens shouting incomprehensible phrases like, "No more bald golden humies! Waaagh!" hinted that things were about to get messy. 

Soon, the StarCraft universe would become a very lively place for all involved. 

**Epilogue #2:** 

Sitting at a wide, gold-adorned table, Stas Ordyntsev couldn't help but think that life wasn't so bad after all. 

After all, all the major threats to humanity had been somehow eliminated. The Tyranids were still far away, Chaos was preoccupied, and the Dark Eldar were nearly wiped out. 

Stas himself had his own personal star system, a battle fleet for defense, and everything he could ever dream of! 

What more could he ask for? His closest friend was the Emperor of the Imperium of Man. 

So maybe living in Warhammer wasn't so bad? Maybe he had been wrong? 

After a moment of hesitation, Stas smiled timidly, admitting that it was indeed so. 

Life was beautiful. 

At that very moment, an olive he had swallowed got stuck in his throat. Stas tried to spit it out, but the sinister olive completely blocked his airway. 

Servants and guards trying to burst into the room couldn't get in due to a malfunctioning door lock. 

When they finally broke in, the Saint's body had been irrevocably destroyed in a fire caused by faulty wiring and a failed fire suppression system. 

It was a sad day for the entire Imperium. 

**Epilogue #3:** 

Stas felt good. He was floating in zero gravity, wrapped in a warm blanket, blissfully asleep. 

But something was bothering him. An annoying beeping refused to go away, no matter how hard Stas tried to ignore it. 

Gradually, the beeping, along with a heaviness in his chest, grew until the sound transformed into clear female words. 

"...Commander Shepard, I simply don't understand how this creature is built. Its biology makes no sense! Take the wings, for example…" 

Intrigued by their unexpected discovery, which they found directly on Eden Prime, Jane Shepard, nodding to Chakwas' words, made a fatal mistake by leaning over the body of a beautiful, though bald, winged man.That's why, when the corpse suddenly came to life and spat an olive right in her face, she had no way to dodge the brutal projectile."NOOO!" – the mighty shout of Saint Stanislav made the Normandy tremble, and the golden light blinded everyone in Chakwas' med bay. – "Go to hell, Mass Effect!"Now it's really the end.)

Translator's note:

Guys, this is my first completed translation, and I'm happy that you read and supported it. I also want to let you know that I'm currently raising $60 for laptop repairs. Additionally, I want to inform you that I will continue searching for good fanfics to translate!!

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