Rae van Daleon – The Roots of the Storm
by Lea von Löwenstein
Chapter 36: The Root of Corruption
As Rae and her team ascended to the upper levels of the Scola, the weight of the battle still pressed on their shoulders. Dust and blood coated their armor and clothes, the echoes of the chaos-filled chamber below still ringing in their ears.
Kael walked at the head of the group, her posture stiff but deliberate. Her stormtroopers followed in tense silence, their once-imposing numbers now reduced by the horrors of the labyrinth. Though they had sealed the demon and destroyed the ritual, the air in the Scola was heavy, as though the shadows still held secrets waiting to be uncovered.
Rae couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Even with the demon destroyed, there was a sense of unfinished business, a lingering unease that clawed at the edges of her mind. When Kael suddenly stopped, her sharp eyes scanning the corridor ahead, Rae knew the Inquisitor felt it too.
The Suspicion
Kael turned to Rae and her team, her voice calm but steely. “The corruption here runs deep. A single cult cannot orchestrate a ritual of that magnitude without influence—without help.”
Rae frowned, stepping forward. “What are you saying? That someone in the Scola let this happen?”
“Not someone,” Kael replied, her gaze narrowing. “Many. A corruption like this requires roots—roots that have grown for years, perhaps decades.”
The words hit Rae like a blow. The instructors, the system, the place they had trusted to mold them into servants of the Emperor—it could all be a lie.
Celestine’s voice cut through the silence, her tone sharp. “If that’s true, then who? And why?”
Kael’s lips pressed into a thin line. “That is what we will uncover.”
An Unlikely Revelation
The group reached the main hall of the Scola, where a handful of instructors stood waiting. Their faces were pale, their postures rigid with fear and defiance. At their center stood Instructor Parval, his sharp eyes scanning the group as they entered.
“Inquisitor Kael,” Parval said, his voice steady but edged with unease. “We were told the threat has been neutralized. The Scola is safe, is it not?”
Kael stepped forward, her power sword still faintly glowing at her side. “The demon is destroyed. The ritual is stopped. But the corruption that allowed it to grow remains.”
Parval’s jaw tightened, but his expression didn’t falter. “The Scola has endured for centuries. Any corruption you claim to find is an aberration, not a systemic failure.”
Kael’s gaze hardened. “Your words ring hollow, Instructor. The scale of what we found below suggests otherwise.”
Rae watched Parval carefully, her instincts sharpening. His confidence seemed forced, his composure too practiced. Something about his presence set her on edge.
“You knew,” Rae said, stepping forward. Her voice was quiet, but her words carried the weight of accusation. “You knew about the cult, about the rituals. You let it happen.”
The room fell silent. Parval turned his gaze to Rae, his expression unreadable. “You don’t understand what you’re saying, novice.”
“I understand enough,” Rae said, her fists clenching. “You let them take Talia. You let them take all of them.”
The Truth Unveiled
Kael raised her hand, signaling her stormtroopers to surround the instructors. Parval’s composure began to crack, beads of sweat forming on his brow as the Inquisitor’s cold gaze bore into him.
“Speak,” Kael commanded. “Now.”
Parval’s mask of control shattered. “You don’t understand,” he said, his voice trembling. “The Scola is more than a training ground. It is a testing ground. The Warp… it weeds out the weak. Only the strong can serve the Emperor.”
“By feeding the weak to Chaos?” Kael’s voice was sharp enough to cut stone. “You’ve betrayed your oaths.”
Parval shook his head frantically. “No! The sacrifices—the rituals—they strengthened the barriers. They kept the Warp at bay. Without them, the entire Scola would have fallen long ago!”
Rae’s stomach turned, the words twisting like a knife in her gut. “You let people die. You let them suffer. All to protect your lies.”
Kael stepped closer, her power sword raised. “You have no right to claim loyalty to the Emperor. You have allowed His children to be consumed by the darkness.”
Parval’s eyes darted around the room, desperate. “It was necessary! You must see that! Without those sacrifices, the Warp would have swallowed us all!”
Kael’s voice was ice. “The Emperor does not accept sacrifices born of heresy.”
Judgment
Kael raised her rosarius, her voice ringing out with the force of her authority. “Instructor Parval, by the will of the Emperor, you are found guilty of heresy, corruption, and treason. Your life is forfeit.”
Parval’s protests turned to screams as Kael’s power sword struck, the blade cutting through him with holy precision. His body crumpled to the ground, lifeless. The other instructors fell to their knees, their faces pale with terror.
Kael turned to the stormtroopers. “Take them into custody. We will interrogate them and uncover every root of this corruption.”
As the instructors were dragged away, Rae stood in stunned silence. The foundation of the Scola had been built on lies, and now those lies were crumbling. Her faith in the institution was shaken, but her resolve remained.
The Emperor’s Light
Kael turned to Rae and her team, her expression unreadable. “You have seen the truth of this place. You understand now what it means to fight not just the enemies without, but the corruption within.”
Rae nodded, her voice steady. “We’ll fight. Wherever we’re needed.”
Kael placed a hand on Rae’s shoulder, her gaze piercing. “Good. The Emperor’s work is never done.”
As the stormtroopers escorted the prisoners away and the Scola fell into a tense quiet, Rae looked to her team. They were battered, scarred, and forever changed, but they stood together.
For Talia. For those lost. For the Emperor.
They would carry the fight forward—into the shadows, into the light, and into whatever lay ahead.
