DGW: so turns out that I have to clarify that this isn't an isekai— I got the idea for this story from the fact that the Emperor of Mankind is Alexander the Great... a guy thought to be the son of Zeus... carry on
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
I woke up to a cold breeze brushing against my face. My body ached—not the sharp pain of fresh wounds, but the deep, lingering exhaustion that came from something else. Something worse. The kind of pain that settled in the bones, in the soul. My breath misted in the cool air as I pushed myself up, blinking against the brightness of the sun filtering through the canopy above. The ground was soft beneath my hands. Too soft. Too alive.
This wasn't Cadia. This wasn't the warp.
Where was I?
The sound of running water reached my ears. Birds chirped, leaves rustled, the air smelled of damp soil and greenery. Life. A stark contrast to the shattered rock and smoke-choked skies I knew. It was... wrong. Not in the way of the Warp, not twisted or maddening. Just unfamiliar. Too quiet. Too peaceful.
The last thing I remembered was—
I stopped.
Dying.
I was certain of it. The details were hazy, like trying to grasp mist, but the sensation was unmistakable. Pain, then darkness, then... nothing. An absence of everything. No sensation of time, no memory of how I got here. Just an empty space where something should have been.
Then came the voices.
Three of them. Two female, one male. Young, but with an edge of authority—like warriors who had seen too much too soon. Close, but still hidden beyond the thick underbrush.
"Thalia, look, I found a kid," the boy said. His tone held curiosity, maybe concern.
A cold knot formed in my stomach. My instincts screamed at me to move, to disappear into the trees. But my body was sluggish, my thoughts disoriented. The dissonance between what I remembered and where I was sent a sharp pulse of pain through my skull.
Footsteps approached. I forced myself to stay still, my heartbeat loud in my ears. Running was pointless. If they had already seen me, fleeing would only make things worse.
The brush parted, and I felt their eyes on me before I even turned my head.
"Who—who are you?" a girl demanded. Her voice was sharp, commanding. A leader.
I turned my head slowly and met her gaze. She was tall, with piercing blue eyes and a stance that spoke of confidence earned through experience. She wasn't unkind, but she was assessing me, like a soldier sizing up an unknown factor.
"I..." My voice cracked, hoarse from disuse. I swallowed, trying again. "I don't know."
Two more figures stepped into view behind her. One was a younger girl, maybe seven, with dark skin and intelligent brown eyes that held far more weight than they should have. The last was a boy, older than her but softer than the blue-eyed girl—thoughtful, but wary.
The leader's frown deepened. "You don't know?"
I shook my head. I looked down at my hands. Scarred, calloused, a testament to a life spent surviving. A life I couldn't remember in detail, but one I felt in my bones. "I don't remember anything," I admitted. "I woke up here. I don't know where. I don't know how. And... I don't know why."
Silence. The three exchanged glances, a silent conversation passing between them.
"Do you remember anything before waking up?" the younger girl asked, her voice unnervingly steady.
I hesitated. The words stuck in my throat. I didn't want to say it. But I couldn't lie either.
"I think I died."
Their reactions were immediate. The leader—Thalia, if I'd heard right—stiffened, her authoritative air faltering for a fraction of a second. The younger girl tilted her head, watching me with an unsettling level of scrutiny. The boy's expression flickered between startled and calculating, like he was deciding whether to believe me.
"Died?" Thalia echoed, cautious.
I nodded. "I don't remember how. Just... everything went dark. And then I woke up here."
Another pause. Another silent exchange. Then the boy muttered, "We already took in one. An undead one might be less trouble."
Thalia exhaled through her nose before turning back to me. "We don't know who you are either," she said, her voice steady but softer now. "But you're here. And we'll help you figure this out."
Help?
The word caught me off guard.
I had been raised by my mother, yes, and Tyberos had taught me many things. But help? Help was given with purpose, with expectation. My mother had helped me because it kept her sane. Tyberos had helped me because he saw potential—a tool to sharpen for the Imperium. But these strangers?
And yet... there was something in her tone. Something firm, unyielding.
I had no idea where I was. And if the Warp had taught me anything, it was this—you don't stay in one place if you want to live.
"You're not alone anymore," Thalia said.
I nodded, though the weight in my chest didn't ease. I didn't know who I was, where I was, or how I had gotten here. But for now, I wasn't entirely on my own. And that would have to be enough.
Two of them helped me up. My limbs ached, like I hadn't moved in days. Maybe longer. My balance wavered for a second before I steadied myself. The boy studied me carefully, eyes sharp with scrutiny.
Then I noticed how they were looking at me. Not just wary. Not just curious.
Something else.
Thalia was the first to speak.
"...What's up with your ears?"
I blinked. My ears?
Right.
Reaching up, I brushed my fingers against them. The familiar sensation of fur, the slight twitch at my own touch—it was normal to me. But to them?
The youngest girl was staring, gaze locked onto them like she was solving a puzzle. The boy, though calmer, was definitely paying attention now. And Thalia? She was the least subtle, her confusion evident.
"...What?" I said, my voice coming out rougher than I intended.
The boy was the first to recover. "You're not, uh, human, are you?"
Human.
The word settled heavy in my chest.
"I am," I said automatically. It wasn't entirely a lie.
Thalia narrowed her eyes. "You sure about that?"
I exhaled, ears flicking. Their reactions weren't surprising. I'd been through this before—humans who weren't used to seeing someone like me. But these three weren't just surprised. They were analyzing me.
The younger girl tilted her head. "They move," she said simply.
I frowned. "Yeah. They do that."
"...Huh."
The boy ran a hand through his hair, muttering, "Okay. Okay. We've seen a lot of weird things, but this is new."
I crossed my arms. "You've seen a lot of weird things?"
Thalia scoffed. "You have no idea."
For some reason, the younger one smiled. Just a little.
The boy let out a breath. "Alright. None of us know what's going on with you, and you don't either. But we don't leave kids behind." His gaze was steady. "If you don't have anywhere to go, you can come with us."
Thalia gave him a sharp look but didn't argue. She just crossed her arms, watching me closely.
I hesitated.
Strangers. Three of them. I didn't know their names, didn't know where they were going. I didn't even know what world I was on.
But I knew one thing.
I was alone. And I didn't want to be.
"...Okay," I said finally. "But I wanna know your names first."
Thalia regarded me, then nodded. "Fair. I'm Thalia."
The boy hesitated before offering a lopsided smile. "Luke."
The youngest girl, still studying me with quiet intensity, finally spoke. "Annabeth."
I nodded, repeating their names in my head. They were wary, but not cruel.
"Your turn," Thalia said.
I hesitated. My name felt foreign. But it was all I had.
"...Khaine," I said.
Luke nodded, seeming satisfied. Annabeth tilted her head slightly, like she was tucking the name away for later. Thalia just studied me, her electric blue eyes unreadable.
"Alright, Khaine," she said finally. "We're heading out soon. You good to walk?"
I rolled my shoulders, testing the stiffness in my limbs. "I'll manage."
"Good." She glanced at Luke. "We should keep moving."
Luke nodded in agreement, shifting his backpack. "Yeah. We don't want to be out here when it gets dark."
Annabeth didn't say anything, but she kept staring at me with those sharp, intelligent eyes. I met her gaze, my ears twitching slightly in response.
"They really move," she murmured.
I sighed. "Yeah. They do."
Luke chuckled, shaking his head. "C'mon. Let's go."
Thalia took the lead, moving through the trees with practiced ease. Luke walked beside her, occasionally glancing back to check on me. Annabeth, surprisingly, stayed close to my side, still watching me with a calculating expression.
I followed, my steps light, my ears flicking as I took in the sounds around me. The forest was alive in a way I wasn't used to—so much life, so little death. It felt unnatural.
But for the first time in a long time, I wasn't walking alone.
We moved through the woods in relative silence, the only sounds being the crunch of leaves beneath our feet and the distant calls of birds in the canopy above. I kept my senses open, listening for anything unusual, but all I heard was nature—pure, untouched, unlike the battlefields and war zones I had once known.
Luke and Thalia led the way, their movements quick but controlled, like they were used to navigating terrain like this. Annabeth stayed close to my side, her sharp eyes constantly flicking to me as if she was still trying to figure something out.
I didn't blame her. I was trying to figure myself out, too.
"So," Luke said after a while, glancing over his shoulder. "You got any idea where you're from? Any landmarks or places that sound familiar?"
I hesitated, my mind reaching for something—anything—that might help. But the memories were a haze, distant and out of reach, like trying to grasp water in my hands.
"...Cadia," I said finally. The word left my mouth before I even thought about it.
Thalia and Luke slowed slightly, exchanging glances. Annabeth frowned.
"Never heard of it," she said.
"Yeah, same," Luke added. "What's it near?"
I frowned, my tail twitching. "It... was a fortress world. The last line of defense against the Eye of Terror."
That made them all stop.
"Fortress world?" Thalia repeated, turning fully to face me. "Like... a military base?"
I nodded. "More than that. It was a planet built for war." I could hear the words coming out of my mouth, but they didn't feel real, like I was reciting someone else's story. "Everyone fought. Every man, woman, and child trained to defend it. Because if we fell... everything else would, too."
Thalia's expression turned serious, her brows furrowing. "You're telling me you grew up on a literal battlefield?"
"...Yeah."
Luke let out a slow breath. "That's... intense."
I just shrugged. "It was all I knew."
Annabeth was still staring at me. "And you said you died."
"...Yeah."
She tilted her head. "How?"
That... was harder to answer. I could still feel it, the phantom pain of something ripping through me, the blinding light, the overwhelming sense of failure. But the details were scattered, broken pieces of a puzzle I couldn't put together.
"I don't remember," I admitted. "Just... there was fire. Screaming. I was holding something—someone—and then... nothing."
Silence fell over the group. Luke ran a hand through his hair, looking thoughtful. Thalia crossed her arms, studying me. Annabeth, as usual, was unreadable.
"Well," Thalia said eventually. "You're here now. And we've got bigger things to worry about."
Luke nodded in agreement. "Yeah. First priority is finding food, then a place to crash for the night. Khaine, you up for that?"
I rolled my shoulders, stretching out the stiffness in my limbs. "I'll be fine."
"Good." Thalia turned, picking up the pace again. "Let's move."
As we walked, I couldn't help but watch them, studying the way they moved and interacted. They were a unit, a well-oiled machine despite their differences. Thalia was the leader, decisive and commanding, with an edge of protectiveness she didn't try to hide. Luke was the strategist, the one who kept morale up, always thinking a few steps ahead. And Annabeth... she was the observer, the one who saw things others didn't.
I had a feeling she was still trying to figure out whether I was a threat or not.
Eventually, we came across an old gas station, long abandoned, with vines creeping up the cracked walls. The sign was barely legible, the windows shattered, but the structure itself still stood.
Thalia nodded toward it. "We check inside, grab what we can, then move."
Luke tested the door. It was locked, but that didn't stop him—he pulled a pin from his pocket and worked the lock with practiced ease. Within seconds, it clicked open.
I raised a brow. "You do that a lot?"
Luke grinned. "Let's just say it's a useful skill."
We slipped inside, moving cautiously. The air was stale, filled with dust and the faint scent of rust. The shelves were mostly empty, looted long ago, but there were a few forgotten items—cans of food, old energy bars, a couple of water bottles.
Annabeth went straight for the shelves, scanning labels with sharp efficiency. "Some of this is still good."
Thalia tested a flashlight, frowning when it flickered weakly. "Better than nothing."
Luke rifled through a drawer, pulling out a half-empty first aid kit. "Jackpot."
I lingered near the entrance, keeping watch. My ears twitched at every creak of the building, every shift of the wind outside. This was too easy. No one left supplies untouched unless something had scared them away.
Something was wrong.
"Hey," I said, my voice low. "We should hurry."
Thalia glanced at me. "Why?"
"Because," I muttered, ears flicking toward the darkened back of the store. "We're not alone."
Annabeth, crouched by a bottom shelf, glanced up at me. "What do you hear?"
I hesitated, sorting through the layers of sound around us. The faint hum of wind seeping through cracks in the building, the distant chirp of insects outside, the slow, rhythmic drip... drip... drip of water somewhere deeper in the store. But beneath it all, something else—something breathing. Low, steady, just barely audible.
"Breathing," I murmured. "Something strange."
Annabeth's fingers tightened around the can she was holding. "Where?"
I turned my head slightly, my ears swiveling toward the sound. It was coming from the back of the store, where the shadows were thickest.
"There," I whispered, pointing toward the storage room door that hung slightly ajar. The air around it felt wrong—not quite like the Warp, but there was an unnatural weight to it. Something was watching us.
Thalia immediately reached for her spear, her grip tightening. Luke exchanged a glance with her before inching toward the storage room, grabbing a pipe from the floor and held it at the ready. Annabeth stayed close to me, her eyes darting between the others as she slowly pulled a dagger from her pocket.
Then, before any of us could make a move, the door creaked open further.
And a woman stepped out.
She was tall and elegant, with sharp features and dark hair pulled into a neat bun. Her clothes were simple—too simple, considering the state of the world around us. A long, gray coat draped over her shoulders, and her piercing black eyes swept over us with an unsettling familiarity.
Thalia stiffened. Luke took half a step back.
I didn't move.
The woman smiled. It was a little too wide, a little too forced.
"Oh, dear," she said smoothly. "You children look exhausted. Are you lost?"
Her voice dripped with false concern, and I felt my stomach twist. There was something about her—something that set my nerves on edge. She felt wrong. Not quite like a daemon, but close.
Thalia didn't lower her spear. "Who are you?" she demanded.
The woman blinked, feigning innocence. "Oh, my apologies. My name is Mrs. August. I was just passing through when I saw this old store and thought I might find something useful. I never expected to run into anyone else out here."
She clasped her hands together, tilting her head slightly as her gaze settled on Thalia.
Too focused on her, I thought.
She hadn't given me more than a passing glance, nor had she really acknowledged Luke or Annabeth. But Thalia? Her attention lingered, like a predator sizing up prey.
I inhaled deeply, trying to catch something—anything—off about her scent. It was subtle, but there was a faint trace of sulfur beneath the more mundane smells of dust and decay.
Warp-tainted, my mind supplied. No—not the Warp. Something else, something older, but just as unnatural.
Thalia didn't budge. "You're alone?"
Mrs. August smiled again. "Yes, dear. All alone. The world isn't safe for a woman by herself, but I manage."
Lie.
I didn't know how I knew, but I did. Maybe it was instinct, maybe it was something left over from my time surviving with the Carcharodons, but I could feel the deception woven into her words.
Thalia must have felt it too, because she didn't lower her weapon. Luke, however, shifted uncomfortably. "If you're alone," he said cautiously, "you shouldn't stay here. It's not safe."
Mrs. August's eyes flicked to him for a moment before returning to Thalia. "Oh, I appreciate your concern, young man, but I know how to take care of myself."
Thalia's grip on her spear tightened.
Annabeth nudged me slightly. "You're tense," she whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear.
I didn't look at her. "Something's wrong with her."
Annabeth frowned. "You sure?"
"Yes."
Mrs. August took a step closer.
Thalia didn't back down.
Luke cleared his throat. "Uh, we were just about to leave, actually. We won't bother you if—"
"Oh, but you must be starving," Mrs. August interrupted. "Children like you, all alone out here? It's dangerous. I have food. Water. Perhaps you should rest, just for a little while?"
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
I took a half-step forward, my instincts screaming. As I stepped back, I accidentally knocked something off a shelf.
Mrs. August's gaze snapped to me for the first time, truly looking at me now. She blinked, as if just realizing I was there.
And for the first time, something flickered in her expression.
Confusion.
She didn't recognize me.
Good.
I met her eyes, my stance shifting.
Luke stepped forward, "I'm sorry but; we should be leaving."
A beat of silence.
Then—
Her smile faltered. Just for a second.
"You're a strange one," she murmured, her voice lower now as she stared at me. "Not like the others."
Luke tensed. Annabeth's grip on her dagger tightened.
Thalia didn't move her spear, but I could see the tension in her stance. She was ready for a fight. Luke was on edge too, shifting slightly in a way that told me he was calculating distances, escape routes. Annabeth pressed a little closer to me, though whether it was for her protection or mine, I couldn't tell.
Mrs. August studied me with a curiosity that made my skin crawl. That wrongness I felt from her, the scent of sulfur just beneath the surface, it wasn't going away.
And I wasn't the only one who noticed.
"You don't belong here," she said, her voice soft but weighted. Her gaze flickered—just for an instant—to my ears, then back to my eyes.
I bared my teeth slightly, a half-growl in the back of my throat. "Neither do you."
Luke let out a slow breath. "Okay," he said carefully, stepping between us. "I think this conversation is over. Thanks for the offer, Mrs. August, but we're leaving."
Alecto's expression barely shifted, but something about her presence changed. There was a weight to the air, a pressure that I didn't like.
"Leaving?" she repeated, as if tasting the word. Then she smiled—too wide, too smooth. "Oh, but where will you go? The world isn't kind to lost little children."
Thalia's knuckles whitened around her spear. "We're not lost."
Mrs. August tsked softly. "Aren't you?" Her gaze returned to Thalia, something almost... hungry in her eyes. "You've been running for so long, haven't you? Always looking over your shoulder, waiting for the next betrayal, the next failure. It's exhausting, isn't it?"
Thalia went rigid.
Annabeth let out a sharp breath. "We should go. Now."
I didn't wait. My instincts screamed at me, every hair on my body standing on end. I grabbed Thalia's arm and pulled. Move, my mind urged. Now.
Thalia snapped out of whatever had frozen her and yanked her arm back, but she didn't fight me. She moved.
Luke was already backing toward the door, Annabeth right behind him. I kept myself between them and Mrs. August, who watched us with amusement, her dark eyes gleaming with something unreadable.
"You won't get far," she called after us, her voice still honey-sweet. "Not from me."
I didn't answer.
We were out the door in seconds, moving fast. Luke was breathing hard, his grip on the bat tight. Annabeth kept glancing back, her jaw clenched.
Thalia was the first to speak. "She's a Fury."
I blinked. "A what?"
"Alecto, Megara, Tisiphone," she spat, looking back over her shoulder. "All of them are Hades' hound dogs. She's one of them and she's after me."
I turned the name over in my head. It meant nothing to me. But Fury—that was something I recognized. A term from my time in the Carcharodons, from whispered stories of the Imperium's darkest monsters. And yet, I had the sense this was something different.
"She wanted you," I said. It wasn't a question.
Thalia nodded. "Yeah."
Annabeth shot me a look. "How did you know something was off? Before we did?"
I exhaled sharply, ears flicking. "She smelled wrong."
Luke stared. "She what?"
I didn't bother explaining. "Where are we going?"
Thalia set her jaw. "Anywhere but here."
We ran.
And behind us, from the direction of the gas station, I could've sworn I heard laughter.
*
*
*
*
*
DGW: Hello everyone, I'm sorry for the delay, I was trying to figure out how the story should go since I haven't played 40k and only read three of the books. If you have any complaints or suggestions, feel free to tell me. With that said, I'm signing off.
Tools used: FANDOMS app, Google Docs, Spotify,
Suggest Love Interest Here: anyone is allowed, except anyone two or more years younger than the MC
Word Count: 3843