A Psyker's reincarnation

It was just as he was about to enter puberty that everything changed.

He had felt suspicious, as everyone did, when one day they were told that they would rest instead of going about their daily routine. 

Their first day of rest in six years.

It was obvious that something was about to happen. Everyone present felt nervous and tense rather than happy and relaxed.

Small groups soon began to gather, trying to guess what was going on. Not long after, they came to the conclusion that it was all a test.

The lack of orders was intended to test their mental strength and discipline, and the correct response was to carry on as normal.

He half agreed with that idea as it was impossible to guess the intentions of those responsible for them. 

They all proceeded to their usual training ground. As no one stopped them on the way, they took it upon themselves to carry out their morning physical training in a disciplined manner.

As the afternoon approached, some began to doubt. They questioned whether it was a test or simply a rest. Perhaps it was a reward for all their years of effort and obedience.

Thus some continued on with training while others did not. 

After six years of dedicated practice, he decided to take a moment on this day to evaluate the outcome of his psychic abilities.

He was disappointed with the outcome of his introspection after conducting a series of tests.

The scope of his powers seemed underwhelming given the efforts and dedication he had put into them.

It concerned him that he might be reduced to a life of mediocrity. Sometimes, effort meant little; what you needed was innate talent.

His reveries ended with the reappearance of their chaperone, as it was time for their daily visit to the laboratory.

At least that hasn't changed. 

Or has it?

 Perhaps the catalyst for these changes was the one consistent event of the day. 

What if what they are about to experience may demand so much from their bodies that it is absolutely essential that they are well rested.

And no sooner had these thoughts ended than a pain like he had never felt before shot through his body.

The pain was too intense to bear. He wanted nothing more than for it to stop or for him to lose consciousness, as he normally did, rather than experience it first-hand.

However, he could sense rapid changes happening inside him and felt instinctively that it was important to stay awake.

It was as if remaining conscious, however faintly, kept the rampaging energy in his body in check in some unknown way.

It felt as if his entire body was being deconstructed and reconstructed, as if each part were being taken apart and put back together in a different order.

The fundamental essence of what made him, was undergoing a profound transformation.

 It wasn't his limbs or organs that had been displaced, but the very essence of his being, the deepest layers of his identity, that were undergoing change.

It was at that moment that he felt it for the first time. It was among the things that were transforming him.

Something that felt insidious and invasive. It was barely detectable, but it had already spread across his entire body. Once it did, its true, terrifying nature was revealed.

It was trying to invade and reshape his soul! 

He remembered the sensation his soul had experienced during his reincarnation, when a similar invasive force had attempted to take control of it.

This time, however, it was even worse.

Rather than dark and negative emotions that evoked an instinctive feeling of repulsion, he felt something else entirely.

The force trying to enter his soul was filled with light.

This force felt strong and protective.

It was cosy and comforting, evoking feelings of calmness and righteousness.

It invited him to open up to it, embrace it, and let it reshape him into a force of good.

All you had to do was embrace it, and it would shield you from the darkness of the world and the darkness of human nature forever.

You wouldn't feel any more pain; you just had to let it guide you towards a better future.

You would be enlightened.

His mind and psyche were filled with positive visions and compulsions, urging him to embrace them.

They were so compelling that he almost gave in to them.

Just as he was about to do so, he felt it: the ever-present darkness lurking in a corner of his soul. It was ever so familiar; he had felt it in the Warp ever since his soul entered this world.

 It was no more than a tiny, unnoticeable dot, obscured by the light of the Force invading his psyche, but still there, unextinguishable.

Everything was just as it had been when his soul first entered the universe.

 He was surrounded by darkness, trying to invade him and tempt him to surrender his soul.

 A dot of light that had saved and guided him on Terra.

This time, the reverse happened and it saved him.

He felt that if he accepted this change, he would lose his identity and be reshaped and remodelled by the psychic force of light into something else entirely. Something inhuman.

If he did not resist, he knew that he would lose all free will and become the mere subject of this force.

He now realised that he would never be able to become a Custodes and that he would rather die than allow it to happen.

They were merely slaves to the Emperor.

The Emperor's psychic might had reshaped and enslaved their souls, binding them to him forever while they lived under the illusion of free will.

Determined not to let that be his fate, he summoned all his psychic and willpower to resist.

He tried to push it out of his body, but to his dismay, he realised that he could not do so. 

He did not know whether this was possible or if he was simply too weak. 

Since this was no longer an option, he decided to contain it instead.

He succeeded by gathering all of the Emperor's psychic energy that had seeped into his body and concentrating it in one place, enveloping it in his own psychic power.

Although it no longer had any effect on his body or soul, it was still there — just a tiny, almost imperceptible dot of light.

What consequences it would bring in the future still unknown.