History TearJerker / HorusHeresy

* The second message that Guilliman sends ''moments'' after the doomed Anabasis Gambit is enacted in ''The End and The Death Vol. I'' only makes the first message even more heartbreaking.

** Another TearJerker tied into this comes from a short story in the anthology ''The Silent War'' where Malcador tells one of his agents that if he could save just one of the Traitor Primarchs from their fall to Chaos, he would've saved Lorgar despite his intense hatred of the Sigilite (to the point that Lorgar struck Malcador in the face after Monarchia and threatened to kill him if he ever crossed Lorgar again). Malcador also admits that [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone they dealt with Lorgar in far too harsh a manner on Monarchia]], as well as noting that had they dealt with some of the Primarchs of the Traitor Legions and their respective past issues and trauma in a better way, citing the Council of Nikaea as an obvious example, they might have avoided all this tragedy.

*** When Horus slithers out of the shadows to confront his father one last time, The Emperor glares at the Warmaster and seemingly asks Horus why he killed His son. After Horus gleefully mocks the Emperor and His failings as a father and ruler, the Emperor only repeats one word in response: '''+Why?+'''. After Horus tries to explain that he offered Sanguinius a place by his side and that he refused, once again the Emperor asks: '''+Why?+'''. Horus then realizes that even though the Emperor is facing his way, He is not talking to him. The Emperor is directly talking to Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle and Slaanesh, who have come to witness the end of the Imperium and are looming behind the Warmaster. A crestfallen Horus realizes that his father already considers him dead.

*** Finally, the Space Marine is Garviel Loken, but this sacrifice ends up being subverted. Appealing to his pride, Garviel tells Horus that he has triumphed over the Emperor, and that he no longer needs the Chaos Gods' blessings. The Emperor deliberately chose not to drink from the Immaterium and ascend to godhood; If Horus truly wanted to prove himself the Emperor's superior, he should give up his power and kill Him as a primarch, or else he'd be no better than his father. Horus proceeds to rescind the foul blessings of the Chaos Gods before crushing the Emperor's head with Worldbreaker. However, it turns out that Horus merely destroyed an apparition of his father; and it was not the only one. 'Loken' is revealed to be a psychic illusion created by the Emperor, and the Emperor declares that his son truly is lost before proceeding to drain Horus of his warp power.

*** As Dorn, Leetu, Raldoron, and the surviving Loyalist forces recover Sanguinius' and the Emperor's bodies and prepare to teleport back to Terra, Loken decides to [[IChooseToStay remain in Lupercal's Court so he can watch over his gene-father's body.]] Dorn yells at Loken to hurry up and join them, but Loken simply makes the sign of the aquila as they fade away. Left all alone on the ''Vengeful Spirit'', Loken kneels beside Horus, puts his hand on the Warmaster's shoulder, and [[ManlyTears breaks down sobbing.]]

*** While the wreckage of the ''Vengeful Spirit'' breaks up and burns around them, Loken recites one last soliloquy to his father's corpse, mourning the man he used to be before Chaos took hold of him. When the ship starts to get dragged down into Terra's atmosphere, Loken resolves to die alongside his Primarch. It's easily one of the most moving passages in the novel.

[[TogetherInDeath I do not think it will be long now. Not long at all. We can go together.]] [[DeathSeeker I have nothing left to fight for, and you shouldn’t go alone.]]

--->[[ForeverWar It is the end of a war, yet the death of peace. From here, the long slide begins, the terminal plunge into a grim darkness where the only constant will be war, and the only truth will be pain, and the only living will be suffering, and the only end of suffering will be death itself.]]
[[HopelessWar War is now only ever the sequel to war. War will beget war, and so down through time, generation after generation, and so on thereafter, into a far future where war becomes its own definition, and an end unto itself, where death becomes the reason for war, and war becomes the reason for death, worlds without end.]] \
[[TheBadGuyWins And in that future, the Old Four will come to delight, for the quick death and sudden end they strove for here, and were denied, will be drawn out forever instead across the infinite architecture of the galaxy in one eternal act of worship to the powers they represent.]]

*** As Dorn, Leetu, Raldoron, and the surviving Loyalist forces recover Sanguinius' and the Emperor's bodies and prepare to teleport back to Terra, Loken decides to [[IChooseToStay remain on the ''Vengeful Spirit'' so he can mourn his gene-father.]] Despite Dorn yelling at Loken to hurry up and join them, Loken simply makes the sign of the aquila as they fade away. Left all alone in Lupercal's Court, Loken kneels beside Horus, puts his hand on the Warmaster's shoulder, and [[ManlyTears breaks down sobbing.]]

*** While the wreckage of the ''Vengeful Spirit'' breaks up and burns around them, Loken recites one last soliloquy to his father's corpse. Loken . It's easily one of the most moving passages in the novel.

[[UndyingLoyalty It’s true. I fought for you. Am I not a Luna Wolf? I fought for you, for the you that used to be.]] The father I loved, not the thing you became. I fought to get you back. I don’t know if you became what you became willingly, or if it was forced upon you. A little of both, I fear. I mean no recrimination. I have seen the other side of this world now. Like you, I have looked into eternity. I know that Chaos merely takes what we already are and uses us.\\

[[TogetherInDeath I do not think it will be long now. Not long at all. We can go together. I have nothing left to fight for, and you shouldn’t go alone.]]