Chapter 22.3
"Oh holy God-Emperor. Hear me pray, your faithful servant and bride of your very own throne." I heard a women's voice, but stomach still screamed in pain, but was dull. Opening my eyes I found myself at the front of a church... a church of the Imperial Cult, despite my guts kinda spilling out of my body, I was fine.
The people walking to and from said church didn't even seem to notice me, but all were Sisters of Battle, most not even being full sisters, the Novitiates or Hospitallers with many of those being actual combat sisters showing signs of battle or just wounded, what I could see is that out of them all was an Inquisitor with what looked like a Psyker.
While the Inquisitor was busy taking to the Sister Palatine if my understanding of sister ranks was right, both were in a heated argument about how to deal with what seemed like a ongoing heresy and it seemed that the Inquisitor was trying to explain that the slight difference in doctrine wasn't wrong or considered heretical within the wider Imperium. But the sister had already had her mind made up. With the dead and wounded Sisters around myself were from the local PDF and Guard fighting back when they tried to instigate a purge of the local believers. That just proves that just because you think your in the right doesn't mean jack shit. Both sides are fighting for what they believe is right so both are going to wipe each other out.
I snarled in disgust, just another reason why the Imperium won't survive, stupid in fighting like this is one of the many reasons why the Imperium could never follow through against their enemy and finish them off. Looking a the Psyker I merely gave the man a wave before following the praying within the church.
Walking through the doors, the church turned hospital as many of the pews were ether gone or used as makeshift beds, the worst off were closer to the alter with a member of the Ecclesiarchy praying to the God-Emperor for deliverance and salvation to the wounded souls, but it wasn't his pray or the prays of the many around him, but a Sister's Hospitallers a junior member a best based on her age and skill though said skill was on pair with a nurse, she was praying while trying to save a wounded Superior's life. She was the one that called me here even while I lay possibly dying elsewhere. Said Hospitaller I was heading for wore nothing outside a tight white clothing and any sanitary equipment she could get, but her face was exposed.
(Pov Change)
To those that notice that the light coming through the many windows both intact and destroyed followed the path Joseph walked, unlike the orange light of the evening, it was golden and the wounded he walked over or even past the wounds that the light touched were healed, not completely but enough to were even the most fatal of wound was now stable, critical but stable.
The Sisters watching over the wounded were transfixed on the light, a miracle they thought. The priest didn't seem to notice though. Those it touch felt their wounds knit themselves slowly, and painfully and the ones treating them felt their body rejuvenated and refreshed as if they'd just awoken from a good nights rest.
"Oh, God-Emperor may your hands guide me so that I may heal this Sister so that she may be able to continue serving you. May she be able to live a fruit full life and keep figh-!" Her pray was interrupted by a new voice, it was male odd she thought. The only males nearby were the Inquisitor and the Psyker Freak he has with him.
"If all she will do is to fight for a God that didn't want the role then let her die." Joseph said as he put his hands on the Hospitaller's hands stopping her.
She looked up and say a Guardsmen with a massive if not fatal wound on his lower abdomen, she thinks that he's a Major. But the details that stopped her from calling for help was the Golden Wings and his eyes burned the same Golden Light the scriptures describe.
"Why?" She asked, a clear desperation in her voice as... an Angel sent by the Emperor himself told her to let the Sister Superior die, she couldn't.
"Why what? The very words spoke from that priest was written by a Traitor!" He harshly spoke to her, "When the Emperor when he found out about about his own son created a religion based on him, he burned his own son's world killing everyone, while he forced him to watch! The very reason the Imperial Creed exists are based enterally on everything the Emperor hatted."
"I-I re-refuse... you may look like an Angel but you spout words of Daemons and Heresy!" She spate back but found the Guardsman before her laughed.
"Like the Daemon that tore my body open?" He asked gesturing at his stomach with a light tone, as if he found her statement amusing. "Don't make me laugh, I've fought Traitor Guard, Angels and even Daemons. Less not forget Sister of Battle that went back on their vows." He hissed, which confused her when did sister turn against on the Emperor?
"Oh I see your confusion... let me tell you this, everyone is tempted my evil. It's human nature, even that priest over there has some secrets that he don't want known." He giggled playfully, "Maybe being in this form makes me more playful... reminds me of the fun I had on Cadia." He said off handedly.
Though with a sigh he waved his hand over the Sister Superior who she had nearly forgotten about and the light healed her, "While I may hate the religion that came following the Emperor I can't lie and say it it's useful. I maybe hypercritical in some regards, this will be true. Now young one follow me."
She just stared in shock... the sister had a anti-tank round hit her flank, her holy armor and the glancing hit had sent fragments into her and shattered her hip... but her equipment said that the Superior was fine the various pieces of ceremite were just gone and her pelvis that would have need to be replaced was repaired as if it never was damaged.
She looked up and found the Guardsman was gone... she was going to let out a sigh, but heard a commanding whistle. Shooting her head towards the noise she saw the guardsman waving her over.
(POV Joseph)
After giving my whistle I waited for the young Hospitaller by the front door, she was maybe sixteen years old by Terra time. Her hair was interesting as I could see that it was turning white and I noticed that the other sisters here also had white hair... this maybe a sect of Our Martyred Lady. But her hair didn't seem to be changing due to dyes... almost natural. Maybe a vessel for a Saint? Or a new one waiting to happen.
Watching the young one walking towards me I realized I never asked her for a name, and I never gave mine... hmm Looking around, the Battle-Sisters those few present watched her, as to them she was following the healing light, and some reported it with one interrupting the priest, whos eyes now looked at her like a lamp in front of a wolf.
Once she reached me I asked for her name, "My name is Mirieal. I was never told my last name..." She turned slightly sadden. I've heard of that name. Mirieal Sabathiel the only Sister of Battle who willingly join Chaos. Who would name their child that... and for the child to not be killed within the very Order who she was apart of. But I'm assuming.
"May I ask who named you?" I inquired.
"From what the Priests told me my Mother did... but I never understood that."
"Why?"
"They merely said that my Mother was a killer and evil. And was one of the reasons why the Battle-Sister are needed to protect the Imperium." She answered me. Oh fuck!
Opening the door to find the Sister Palatine was waiting along with two other Superiors, great...
"Why are you leaving your duties?" She asked, just behind her the Inquisitor had a frantic Psyker explaining everything... now really thinking about it why are they here... unless for her.
"Tell her everything I say." I commanded Mirieal. All she could do was nod, but her looking at me gave them pause after all they couldn't see me.
"Sister Palatine I am following a Soul of the Damned Legion, he wishes for me to see what the Emperor wants me to see." She repeated what I spoke to her. The Damned Legion caught the attention of the two in the back.
Before the Sister could speak, Mirieal spoke again. "While the Emperor watches over us all. Many innocents are sentenced to death for nothing at all like right now."
The Palatine and the two Sister just raised their Bolters and fired, all of which stopped just before her.
"He says that if you try that again my will be more then willing to carry out the Emperor's commandments during the Great Crusade." She said to the stunned crowd though stunned it didn't mean they didn't reload and fire a second volley, all the bolt rounds landing on the ground disabled.
Mirieal kept looking at me wearily unsure if I was digging her grave anymore deeper. The Damned Legion is a good excuse as while most have been seen as Astartes many more are just Guardsmen or women given a second chance to fight as what are effectively Imperial lesser Daemons, while the Saints stand as Greater Daemons.
I look down at Mirieal, I now know what this world is. It was from a Novel, the idea behind it was Slaanesh helped his, her, It's? Servant Mirieal Sabathiel with a new body for her later ascension into Greater Daemon-hood... in the end the daughter they created was stolen by the Emperor with a similar middle finger tactic when his sons were stolen.
The Sisters of Battle and the Ecclesiarchy got her from a Custodies who gave a brief idea who her mother was, which led to then naming her after her own mother, as it would be easier to track her, and even shoved her into Our Martyred Lady so they could keep an eye on her. Unfortunately for them both. The sisters saw her as a soon to be daemon but couldn't kill her because the Emperor said not to.
With their infinite wisdom though, found a loophole they couldn't kill her. But a pissed of populous was a different story. Bad luck for them, the populous killed them as took her in as a "lost one" but it ended a sad note at Slaanesh came down on the world hard sending Noise Marines, Corrupted Guard and her very own mother... with the world becoming Mirieal's own pleasure world and her mother teaching the glories of Slaanesh... leading to her own Greater Daemon-hood while Sabathiel became a Prince.
But like the Changer of Ways, shit never goes to plan... unless it was stupidly convoluted.