To be a Human (Xianxia/ Custodes SI): Chapter 4

Deep within the Himalazian mountains, “I” watched alongside my emperor as twenty Gestation pods worked on giving birth to his ‘Sons’

The Primarchs, as they would come to known later on.

“They will be my sons. My greatest of generals. And within them will live the hopes of a unified Humanity. However, before they are ready, we will guide them on the proper path.”

“I” simply stood silent, as was my duty alongside my brothers as the target of the Emperor’s words, Malcador, hummed in affirmation.

The light of the Emperor gave me a sense of serenity rarely found within my kind as the Emperor and his friend talked.

However, he suddenly turned to us with an amused glint in his eyes.

“And what do you two think about this? Valdor? &%$#@?”

“I” did not react as the Emperor called for mine and my battle brother’s attention.

“I” contemplated my emperor’s words, thinking deeply as my superhuman mind ran faster than even a supercomputer could ever hope to.

However, “I” chose not to speak before allowing my brother, the unofficial leader of our legions, to do so.

And speak he did.

“I do not trust them, My Emperor. I believe that incorporating the powers of the Immaterium into their creations is a weakness.”

“What you need is loyalty, controller, and incorruptible tools. Instead, I foresee the inclusion of traits such as Charisma, individualism, and the touch of the Immaterium to be a detriment to your ambition and dream.”

Just like always, the emperor simply chuckled at our words. For he saw us not as mere tools to use but as his companions and his advisors. We who are seen by him as worthy of being confided with his greatest secrets, such is his trust in us, a trust that we shall never break till the day we breathe our last.

“And what about you? &%$#@? Do you share the same view?”

“I” nodded at his words.

“Yes, my emperor. I share the same belief as Valdor. I think they are too dangerous. The potential for betrayal and manipulations of the Immaterium are too high with them. I think you should have used a pure gene-stock as you did with us for them, instead of editing them to be lesser and adding in the power of the Warp.”

“Hmm, your opinions are noted. But I think this idea will work. I think the Imperium will have need of generals that can use the same powers as the enemy and can carry out my vision while I am tied up on Terra.”

His radiant smile and confidence put my mind at ease, knowing that if he was so sure of this plan, then our worries are for nought.

How foolish “I” was. If only Valdor and “I” had pushed back harder, if only we had stubbornly clung to our paranoia and begged the Emperor to stop.

How different would things have been if only we had stopped the birth of those cursed beings?

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I took a deep breath and forcefully pulled my mind back from those memories, waking up from my deep hibernation and pushing aside those painful memories.

Ten days. Ten long days. That is how long I have spent in this accursed forest, trying to find a way out or solve my current issue, only to come up empty-handed.

Ten days that I spent battling the two other personalities within my mind that fought for dominance of this body.

I hate this. I hate all of this. Why am I stuck in such a situation? What did I do to deserve such a punishment?

I was never a bad person, as far as I can tell. I never harmed anyone in my life, directly or indirectly. I have tried to be a good person as I was taught growing up.

So, what sin did I commit to place me in such a situation?

What sin warrants such a cruel punishment where I battle for my sanity within my own mind every single waking minute of my life? A battle that I am steadily losing by the day?

Sighing heavily, I got up from the ground and started my daily routine was walking aimlessly, heading West while using the magnetic field of the planet to determine the direction I am going in.

How can I detect the magnetic field of the planet? It is thanks to my current body. The body of a Custodes warrior.

Handcrafted by the Emperor of Mankind to be the theoretical peak of the human genome, created based on his own DNA. The very same DNA that gave my body some real bullshit, such as limited precognition, immunity to Warp fuckery, strength, speed and intelligence beyond anything that can be imagined, and a whole host of other powers.

While there are many, many upsides to having such a powerful body in this fucked up world I found myself in, there are also just as many downsides.

The biggest being that such strength also extends to the mental strength of a Custodes, which is proving to be a detriment to my continued well-being since the Custodes within me is relentlessly fighting my personality to take back control of this body.

Bloody fucker has already consumed the personality of the sect brat completely and is now fighting me constantly, trying to swallow me whole like he did with that brat.

But, the weapon of war seems not to understand the difference between me and him.

Unlike him, who was bred to be a warrior and a loyal tool, I was born as a pure human, not a machine of war. And the one thing that differentiates a human from any other being in the universe is our spite.

I will never surrender to a mere tool like him. I will never allow my mind to be swallowed by a weapon.

And if the day ever comes where something like that seems inevitable, then I would rather destroy this body completely by throwing myself into a lava pool or something equally crazy than surrender to him!

He may be a Custodes, the theoretical limit of the human genome, but he is not human. And he does not understand the sheer spite that a human is naturally born with.

Shaking my head to get rid of those thoughts, I started running west, using the power of this body to my advantage and shooting forward so fast that the world turned into a blur. A blur that I could perfectly see and identify even the tiniest of details despite my speed.

I chuckled wryly as I felt amazed at what I saw.

‘How hypocritical of me. I condemn him as a mere tool, a weapon of his master. Yet, I use his abilities for my own gain while spitting on his circumstances.’

Once again, I suppressed those thoughts and continued concentrating on my goals.

First things first. Find civilization. Second, find clothes for my new stature. Third, find information about my current circumstances and, hopefully, a way back home.

With a set goal, I continued moving forward through the forest.