The first thing they arrived at was the Spark's church, a magnificent building that gleamed with imperial majesty.
Its spire decorated with countless gargoyles and carols carved on every stone pierces the endless void like a sharp sword. Its huge shining metal door is etched with icons and confessional poems, inspiring everyone.
An Astartes who pass through it hates any evil that dares challenge the glory of the Emperor.
Inside the church, the huge vaulted ceiling creates a vast space, inspiring visitors to think deeply.
Surrounding the walls are murals showing the heroic battles of the Astral Knights against heretics, traitors and aliens.
The stained glass windows depict a golden throne surrounded by a choir of silver stars, with the rising sun shining above, spreading the emperor's gifts throughout every corner of the church.
In the chapel behind the altar, the Astropath Choir knelt quietly in prayer.
It was a silvery and pure voice that transcended all feelings and perceptions and entered directly into the soul.
Enough that every dark corner of the soul is filled with arias of purity and light.
Malakin walked all the way to admire this magnificent scene. Although the church on the Mother of Tears was no inferior to this one, the stories told inside were completely different.
After visiting the church, Soshyan took Malakin to an auditorium.
There are no complicated furnishings here, only dark walls and a miniature monument. There are some weapons that no longer have owners placed on the relic shelves.
What shocked Malakin were the numbers on the monument.
771——
They have been stuck in the quagmire of war and have not heard the story of the Astral Knights. When Soshyan recounted the battle in which their war group was destroyed, Malakin's ice-like face finally loosened.
Soshyan held his helmet under his left arm. His skin was almost the same color as the armor's paint, and his eyes were particularly bright.
"We grieve for our brothers the Weeper."
He said in a soft tone:
"Because we understand the pain of loss very well, but the Astral Knights will not give in. We firmly believe that even if there are only thirty-three of us left, the Chapter will always exist until the last person dies."
"Is this false hope, Chapter Master Soshyan?"
Malaka asked with a gloomy and sad tone.
But this is more like an interrogation of himself.
"This is hope."
"What is hope? We were once full of hope."
Malakin's mood suddenly became excited, as if all the injustice and misfortune he had encountered during his two hundred years of service were exploding at this moment.
He raised his hand to point to the eagle emblem above the monument.
"But we never got hope! Hope...is dead."
"Hope may not be a driving force, but it can be a weapon."
Soshyan replied calmly:
"I believe that hope is to accept the worst and move on. Although our hope is like a candle in the cold wind, it does not mean that we have to give up the fight... I changed the battle cry of the Chapter to 'The Chapter Lives Forever'
’, until no one can shout a war cry anymore.”
"The war group lasts forever..."
Malakin thought about these four words again and again.
Then, he glanced at the Magyar lord aside and whispered to Soshyan:
"I apologize for my previous attitude, Chapter Master Soshyan."
"No, no, I know very well the pain of physical and mental trauma. You have also lost a lot, not just materially."
"But I still don't see through your intentions."
"We are in a war, a war against the greenskins."
Malakin frowned. He was thinking and wondering whether the other party planned to use them as cannon fodder in the war.
But this possibility was quickly ruled out, and he still wanted to believe that Soshyan would not have such great malice.
"Our battle group is very tired now, and the soldiers are also full of doubts, and-"
He glanced again at the Magyar lord who was as motionless as a sculpture.
"We can't fight with people we don't trust."
"That's the second thing I want to do."
Soshyan smiled slightly.
He walked between Magyar and Malakin, then looked at the leader of the Ascetic Chapter, and asked:
"Lord Magyar, if the Lamenters are in danger right now, what will you do?"
Lord Magyar released his arms from his chest and changed his stance amidst the low hum of the server.
He looked at Malakin, was silent for a moment, and then replied:
"I don't trust them."
There was no expression on Malakin's face, as if he already knew this would be the case, but Mazhar then continued:
"But I will still save them."
The leader of the Lamenters Chapter raised his eyebrows and showed a surprised expression for the first time.
"I'm not a bad person, but since the Emperor has forgiven them, they are still Astartes and... battle brothers. There is no reason to abandon them. This is my character. Don't have other ideas."
Soshyan nodded to salute the other party, and then looked at Malakin.
"Chapter Master Malakin, if the Ascetics Chapter is in danger, what will you do?"
The other party hung his head in silence for a while, then raised his head and said seriously:
"Our battle cry is 'We die with honor for those we hold dear'. No matter what we encounter or how we are treated, our beliefs have never changed, so... I will do my best to save them.
"
Soshyan nodded, then raised his arms like a scale.
"So, what determines the fate and future of the Chapter? Is it tradition? Or is it the grudges of the deceased ancestors?"
The two Chapter Leaders looked at each other without saying a word.
"According to me, it's none of them, but our faith, which is the eternal flame and hope in the hearts of every generation of soldiers."
As he spoke, he lowered his arms.
"And the choice of the moment."
Soshyan took a step back, leaving a passage between the two Chapter Masters.
"Now, what is your choice?"
There was silence in the auditorium, except for the slight sound of breathing.
Two minutes later, Mazar took the lead, followed by Malakin.
They walked toward each other, their steps gradually becoming firmer.
When the two sides were only an arm's length apart, they stopped at the same time.
In the end, bright yellow and dark black, two armored hands were tightly held together.
Soshyan also took a step forward, stretched out his hand, and held the two's clasped hands.
On this day when the two war groups that had been hostile to each other for thousands of years reconciled, the Weeper also announced their formal participation in the crusade against the Greenskins in the Flon system as the first battle of the Atonement Crusade.
In response, the Ascetic Chapter, the initiator of the campaign, announced that the Lamenters Chapter would have unconditional access to any supplies in the war zone and established temporary strongholds for renovation purposes to help them regain combat effectiveness as quickly as possible.
In private, Soshyan promised that the Lamenters Chapter would receive a Lunar-class cruiser under construction as a reward for participating in the war after the war, and that all materials captured during the war would belong to them, whether it was equipment or ships.