In the deepest stretch of the cosmos—just as the Phoenix revealed itself—a pulse rippled across a forgotten, pitch-black starfield. The space trembled faintly, like the slow, deliberate beat of a titanic heart.
"So this is where you've been hiding, Phoenix…"
A chilling voice echoed from the void, filled with dominance and certainty. The command that followed felt like law itself.
"Spread out. Search this region. I want the Phoenix found—immediately."
The order resonated across the fleet, and not one dared hesitate.
—
On a cold, barren world elsewhere in the galaxy, a massive figure sat brooding on a stone throne. Muscular, purple-skinned, with a ridged jaw and dark, thoughtful eyes—Thanos, the Mad Titan.
His elite Black Order stood silently at his side.
It had been years since he began his pursuit of the Phoenix Force, yet it continued to elude him. Doubt began to stir in his mind—until, suddenly, a ripple of cosmic energy reached him. A deathly decree followed.
Thanos immediately understood.
"Withdraw all fleets," he commanded sharply, rising to his feet. "Set course for the Southern Cross Arm. The Phoenix is there."
The gears of war turned at once.
Hundreds of massive ships surged through space, tearing open wormholes in every direction. This fleet dwarfed the Kree armada—disciplined, vast, ruthless.
Any who understood galactic power would recognize it.
This was Thanos's war force.
Each soldier, each ship, each motion served one purpose: to capture the Phoenix and offer it to the Goddess of Death—as proof of Thanos's devotion.
And just as Kurogai predicted, every one of them had taken the bait.
—
As the colossal Phoenix burned across the void, releasing its blinding cerulean fire, it began to slowly fade. The pale flames recoiled, retreating back toward their source.
One by one, the tendrils of energy returned to Kurogai's form.
His divine avatar—the godlike bird of rebirth—shrank with each breath. By the time he stepped back into his ship, the last flicker of flame had vanished, leaving him once again in his mortal form.
"That should do it," Kurogai murmured, eyes fixed on the horizon of stars. "Thanos will spend years scouring this sector. And by the time he realizes, it'll be too late."
A smile played at the corner of his lips as he keyed in the nav-command.
With everything now complete, it was time.
Kurogai was going home.
—
"It's been so long… I'm finally going back."
The ship surged forward, vanishing into hyperspace.
Sometime later, Kurogai's vessel emerged from a wormhole at the edge of the Solar System. Earth appeared in the distance—a glimmering sapphire orb amidst the void.
"Still beautiful," Kurogai said quietly. "I wonder if they've missed me."
The view filled him with nostalgia. Unlike most of the harsh or lifeless planets he'd seen during his years away, Earth remained vibrant and alive. A place of conflict, yes—but also of memory.
Of friends.
Of Skye, of Director Mary… the ones who truly mattered.
He knew others—like Nick Fury, Professor Xavier, or certain members of the Avengers—might not welcome his return. But he didn't care about politics or fear. He cared about those who had stood by him.
With a light chuckle, he adjusted course and initiated atmospheric descent.
—
Kurogai's ship broke through the clouds, finally touching down in a snowy forest somewhere in Earth's northern region. Snow fell in thick sheets, cloaking trees in a pristine white. Not the ideal landing zone, but Kurogai had waited long enough.
He opened the hatch and stepped out into the crisp mountain air.
It hit his lungs like a memory.
"Fresh," he breathed in. "Colder than I remembered… but cleaner too."
Despite wearing only light gear, the cold didn't bother him. After everything he'd endured in deep space, this was practically paradise.
"I'll go to New York first… and then to Kamar-Taj."
Skye was safe—still under the watchful protection of the Ancient One—so he wasn't worried about her for now. But he needed to catch up. He'd been gone too long not to understand the changes Earth had gone through in his absence.
And then, just as he was about to head out, Kurogai paused.
Something tugged at his senses.
His eyes turned bright white, scanning the forest. Through the thick snowfall, a presence caught his attention.
"Wait… what's this?"
Far beyond the trees, down a snowy road, a rugged man drove an old pickup truck with a young girl beside him.
Kurogai blinked. He recognized the scene immediately.
Logan. And that girl…
"That's Rogue," he muttered. "But that doesn't make sense. I told Logan to go to New York six years ago. This shouldn't be happening."
He remembered it clearly. He had nudged Logan off his original path long ago. The original timeline of the X-Men films should've already shifted. So why was this scene unfolding again?
"Something must have changed," he said under his breath, eyes narrowing.
Without wasting a moment, he raised his hand, using the Kamui space. His ship vanished into a pocket dimension, and with a sharp turn, he headed straight toward Logan's location.
Something wasn't right.
And Kurogai intended to find out exactly what.
---
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