After the implantation of the Sus-an Membrane, Daedren felt like he had crossed an invisible boundary, not just physically but mentally. The world around him had changed, sharpened, but he himself felt more distant from it. Everything was clearer, his senses heightened, yet his mind seemed to float in a place that was just out of reach. The membrane had been implanted, and now, his task was to learn to control it, to master the strange, dormant power that lay within his brain.

What followed was not the swift recovery that Daedren had experienced with his other implants, but a long, grueling period of hypnotherapy and mental conditioning. The Apothecarion no longer worked just on his body, but on his mind, training him to understand, harness, and control the unique abilities the Sus-an Membrane offered.

It started the morning after the implantation, as he awoke in the stark, sterile room of the Apothecarion. His body felt strong, healed from the surgery, but there was a strange fogginess in his mind. The room was bathed in soft light, and as he sat up on the cot, Daedren found himself blinking against the strangeness of it all. He had recovered from surgeries before, but this time, it was different.

There was a knock at the door before it slid open with a soft hiss. Apothecary Seranon entered, his expression as unreadable as always.

"Daedren, how are you feeling?" Seranon asked, his voice low and calm, but with an edge of expectation.

Daedren hesitated. “I… I feel fine, but strange. Like I’m not fully here.”

“That is to be expected. The Sus-an Membrane is unlike any of the other implants you've received. It will take time for your mind to adapt,” Seranon replied. He gestured for Daedren to stand. “Follow me. Your therapy begins now.”

They walked through the sterile corridors of the Apothecarion, the walls humming with the faint energy of the machinery embedded within them. The atmosphere was quiet, but there was a weight in the air, an anticipation of the challenges to come. They passed rooms filled with bio-medical equipment, some occupied by neophytes undergoing their own recoveries. Daedren kept his eyes forward, his mind still foggy but focused on what lay ahead.

Seranon led him into a chamber that was stark and empty, save for a single reclining chair at the center and a small console beside it. The room was dim, the walls dark and smooth, designed for focus and concentration. The only sound was the faint hum of machinery embedded in the walls.

“Sit” Seranon instructed.

Daedren obeyed, lowering himself into the chair. The moment he did, restraints clicked into place around his wrists and ankles, securing him, though not uncomfortably. His heartbeat quickened as he settled in.

“This,” Seranon began, stepping over to the console, “is hypnotherapy. Your body may have accepted the Sus-an Membrane, but your mind must learn to use it. The membrane allows you to enter suspended animation, but this is not an automatic process. You must be trained to trigger this state, to understand when to use it, and more importantly, to return from it. This therapy will help condition your brain for the eventual control of that ability.”

Daedren swallowed hard, his muscles tensing. He had heard about hypnotherapy but had never experienced it. It wasn’t just about lying in a trance, it was about reshaping his very thoughts, programming his brain to respond in ways that it hadn’t before. The idea of it was unsettling, but Daedren knew there was no other way.

Seranon activated the console, and a soft hum filled the room. “Relax,” he said, his voice low and calm, like a distant whisper in Daedren’s mind. “Let your thoughts drift. Do not fight the sensations that come.”

The lights in the room dimmed further, and Daedren felt a warmth spreading through his body, starting from the base of his skull and radiating outward. His muscles relaxed involuntarily, and his breathing slowed. His eyes fluttered shut, though he could still hear Seranon’s voice, distant now, almost like an echo.

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“You will begin to feel disconnected, Daedren. This is the membrane’s influence. Do not resist. Let your mind float.”

Daedren’s thoughts began to slow, becoming hazy, drifting like clouds across an empty sky. He felt weightless, his body sinking into the chair as if it no longer belonged to him. His mind floated somewhere between consciousness and nothingness, a strange, eerie calm settling over him.

Then the first images came.

They weren’t clear, more like fragmented memories, blurry and undefined. He saw flashes of his past: the heat of the forge, the smell of molten metal, the sound of hammers striking steel. But these images were fleeting, vanishing as quickly as they appeared, leaving only a hollow silence behind.

"Focus on your breath," Seranon’s voice came again, soft and steady. "Let the membrane guide you."

Daedren did as instructed, focusing on the slow, rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. His mind was drifting deeper now, sinking into a place where time didn’t seem to exist. There was no pain, no fear, only stillness.

"Now, imagine stillness," Seranon continued. "Imagine your heartbeat slowing… slower… until it stops."

The sensation was unlike anything Daedren had experienced. His heart, which had been beating steadily, began to slow. He could feel it—his pulse growing weaker, his breath shallower. His body was still, completely still, yet his mind remained awake, aware of the fading sensations. His vision blurred, the colors of the world fading into a monochrome haze.

He wasn’t afraid. The calm that had settled over him was profound, an all-encompassing peace that stretched through every corner of his being. It was as if time itself had stopped.

"You are close to be in suspended animation," Seranon's voice seemed to echo from a great distance. "Your body is in a state of hibernation, but your mind remains alert."

It was strange, like being trapped between life and death, aware but motionless. Daedren’s thoughts were no longer scattered, they were focused, clear. He could feel the Sus-an Membrane pulsing faintly in his brain, a gentle hum that resonated with his thoughts.

"Now, return," Seranon commanded softly. "Slowly. Let your heartbeat resume."

Daedren concentrated, and gradually, the sensations returned. His heart began to beat again, slow at first, then stronger. His breath deepened, his muscles flexed, and his senses returned to the world around him. He blinked, his vision clearing as the dim lights of the room came back into focus.

He was back.

"You did well," Seranon said, his tone approving. "But this is just the beginning. We will repeat this process many times over the coming weeks. You must be able to enter and exit suspended animation at will, without hesitation, without error."

Daedren nodded slowly, still feeling the residual effects of the procedure. The membrane was more than just an implant, it was a part of him now, something he would have to master if he wanted to survive the trials ahead.

The days that followed blurred into a routine of hypnotherapy sessions. Each time, Daedren was guided into the depths of suspended animation, his body slipping into a state of stillness while his mind remained awake. At first, the process was jarring, disorienting, but with each session, Daedren found it easier to control. He learned to trigger the membrane’s effects with a thought, slowing his heartbeat and stilling his breath until he hovered on the edge of unconsciousness.

It was a strange sensation, this power over his own mortality. Daedren understood now why the Sus-an Membrane was such a revered implant. It wasn’t just about survival, it was about control, mastery over life and death. And with that mastery came responsibility.

The hypnotherapy sessions continued for weeks, each one bringing Daedren closer to full control over the Sus-an Membrane. He learned to fall into suspended animation faster, to remain in that state for longer periods, and, most importantly, to return with precision. It was not just a tool, it was a weapon, one that could be used in the most desperate of situations.

But it wasn’t without its challenges. The sessions were mentally exhausting, pushing Daedren to the limits of his endurance. Each time he returned from suspended animation, he felt drained, as if he had traveled to the edge of existence and back. But he knew that this was just part of the process, another step on the long road to becoming a true Astartes.

By the end of the therapy, Daedren felt changed, not just in body but in mind. The Sus-an Membrane had become a part of him, a quiet, pulsing presence that hummed in the background of his thoughts. It was a strange comfort, knowing that he could enter that state of stillness whenever he needed to, that he could control his own survival in ways no ordinary human could.

But with that power came the weight of responsibility, the understanding that this was just one more step in a journey that had no end.