Marvel: Death Knight

Logan had returned, and the Sentinels had been temporarily repelled, but it was only a momentary respite.

Charles led the group back to the temple, now half-destroyed from the recent battle.

Garus spotted something familiar on the ground. Picking it up, he realized it was a Judgement Helm—one unmistakably marked as his. How it ended up here was beyond his understanding.

Charles addressed the group: "We're safe here for now. It will take some time for the Sentinels from other sectors to regroup. We need to act quickly. Logan, you must return to the past and stop Raven's assassination attempt. This future shouldn't exist."

Logan nodded solemnly. The previous attempt had been disrupted, leading to the current chaos, but the mission had to go on.

Despite his exhaustion from the battle, Logan lay on the stone slab, ready to project his consciousness into the past.

Kitty Pryde activated her powers, her hands emitting arcs of energy that pierced Logan's temples.

Once again, Logan endured the excruciating sensation of his soul being torn apart, his consciousness hurtling through time to inhabit his younger self in 1973.

"Young man."

Garus turned to see Charles addressing him. "What is it?"

Charles looked at him gravely. "Your power is both dangerous and immense. Those souls you use… each of them was once a living being."

Garus understood the implication. Charles, having once died and returned by inhabiting another body, was uniquely qualified to speak on this matter. He clearly disapproved of Garus drawing strength from the departed.

Unwilling to dwell on the topic, Garus diverted the conversation. "Professor, why are there so many Sentinels? Is someone manufacturing them?"

"No," Charles replied, shaking his head. "The Sentinels were programmed to autonomously replicate and target mutants. They've already established factories worldwide, draining Earth's resources. The thick smog in the sky? That's from their production facilities."

It seemed humanity had doomed itself. Garus considered whether to intervene now, even knowing that, according to the timeline, this crisis would eventually be resolved. With the Sentinel threat temporarily neutralized, the area was relatively secure.

After a pause, Charles continued, "Young man, you must be cautious with your—"

Before he could finish, Charles froze mid-sentence, his expression vacant. Garus noticed the sudden presence of a psychic projection. It was the younger Charles, arriving in this timeline through Logan's consciousness.

A sinking feeling crept over Garus. The timeline was changing. This future might soon cease to exist entirely. What would happen to those from other dimensions, like himself?

"Garus, where did everyone go?" Pietro's startled voice broke the silence.

Garus looked around. The once-crowded room was now empty, leaving only himself, Pietro, Kingpin, and Abomination. The X-Men were gone.

It seemed the mission had succeeded—the timeline was altered, erasing this version of the future.

"Let's go outside."

Stepping out, Garus saw that all traces of the previous battle had vanished.

"The timeline has shifted," a voice echoed in his mind. "The host universe is rejecting foreign entities. Activating system protection protocol."

A purple shield of light surrounded Garus and his companions, safeguarding them from harm. When it dissipated, the environment around them had transformed. The oppressive clouds were gone, replaced by bright, blinding sunlight.

A gentle breeze swept past, and Garus, with his heightened senses, caught a fleeting glimpse of Pietro darting through the area, surveying their surroundings at breakneck speed.

"Garus, what's going on?" Pietro asked, clearly puzzled by the strange events.

Before Garus could respond, a group of monks appeared, staring in astonishment at the newcomers.

"Let's move," Garus said decisively. "Logan must have changed the past, altering this timeline. We'll explore first." He patted Pietro on the back and began searching for transportation. The mission was far from over, and Garus had no intention of returning just yet.

The monks spoke in Tibetan, but with the help of the system, Garus understood them perfectly. He soon learned they were in the Tibetan Plateau—but the year was no longer 2023.

"This is China," Garus explained to Pietro. "We're still in the same place, but the timeline has shifted. We're in 1986."

Pietro's expression betrayed his unease. "Can we go back to our original time and world?"

Garus nodded reassuringly. "Don't worry. We'll find a way back."

"And what about Logan? The others?"

Garus hesitated. The altered timeline had thrown their mission into disarray.

Meanwhile, in an Egyptian city, CIA operative Moira MacTaggert burst into a modest home. She had uncovered an ancient legend in her research: the first mutant to ever walk the Earth—Apocalypse—was said to be buried here.

"Do you sell carpets?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Who are you? Get out of my house!" the homeowner shouted angrily.

Taking advantage of his distraction, Moira swiftly incapacitated him. She tore away the rug and wooden planks beneath, then cautiously descended with her flashlight.

Below, she stumbled upon a group conducting a ritual.

"Oh great god, grant us your strength…"

None of them noticed the beam of sunlight piercing through the cave, striking the shattered tip of a buried pyramid. A golden glow emanated from the relic as an incomplete resurrection ceremony resumed.

The first mutant, Apocalypse, stirred in the darkness and awakened.

As his immense power radiated outward, even the magnetic field of the Earth trembled. Apocalypse rose through the layers of earth and stone, emerging onto the surface. Bathed in sunlight, his strength grew exponentially.

Back in the Tibetan Plateau, Garus felt the surge of energy emanating from afar.

1986… This was the year Apocalypse first emerged, coinciding with the altered timeline after Logan's mission.

A smirk crossed Garus's face. The thought of Apocalypse's Four Horsemen standing against his own Death Knights intrigued him. Though his forces were incomplete, perhaps the battle would prove entertaining—assuming Magneto wouldn't be counted among his adversaries.

"Let's head to Poland," Garus declared. "We need to find Erik Lehnsherr."

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