Marvel: Rise of the Cosmic Beast

The first sign was the silence.

Birdsong, wind, even the rhythm of the rain—all gone. Replaced by a deep, suffocating quiet. The kind that presses into the skin and whispers of something ancient and wrong.

Rogue stiffened. "Garou."

He was already up, golden eyes narrowing toward the tree line.

A black pulse rippled through the forest—like the world had blinked. Trees warped, bark turning slick and unnatural, and the ground cracked with slow, spreading corruption.

From the gloom stepped a creature that didn't belong to this plane.

Eight feet tall, cloaked in writhing shadows. Its limbs shifted between beast and blade, a mass of teeth, smoke, and glowing sigils that burned with Dormammu's influence.

Garou's fists clenched. "It's not from here."

Rogue swallowed. "Neither are you."

"I don't look like that."

It screeched—high, echoing, unnatural. The sound fractured branches and sent a psychic pressure slamming into both of them. Rogue dropped to one knee, hands clutching her head. Garou didn't flinch.

The creature lunged.

Garou moved first, a blur of silver and red. His punch collided with the monster's chest, sending it flying through three trees before it skidded to a stop and hissed—its wounds already healing.

"I hit it," he muttered, "and it liked it."

Energy erupted above them. A streak of red and gold crashed down between them and the monster—Iron Man, repulsors blazing. Captain Marvel followed, her eyes glowing.

"Stand down!" Tony barked. "We've got this!"

"Define we," Garou growled.

A streak of black and red landed beside Rogue—Nightcrawler. Behind him came Storm, Wolverine, and Cyclops, all armed and wary.

"Why is he here?" Cyclops snapped, glaring at Garou.

"Later," Storm said, stepping forward. "Focus on the creature."

The monster roared again, wings of fire now stretching from its back. Flame dripped from its jaws as more sigils formed across its chest—markings of Dormammu's brand.

Rogue helped herself up. "That thing isn't going to wait for us to finish arguing."

"No," Garou said, eyes narrowing. "It wants a fight."

Then it got one.

The clearing erupted into chaos.

Garou launched forward, slamming into the creature with a roundhouse that cracked the earth beneath. Storm summoned a bolt of lightning that scorched its shadowy wings. Rogue flew in, dodging its retaliatory swipe and grabbing it by the throat with gloved hands—its form spasming under her draining touch before it flung her away.

Iron Man circled from above, firing plasma blasts into its back. "It's regenerating faster than I can track!"

"It's feeding off the dimension," Doctor Strange said, appearing through a portal mid-air, cloak fluttering behind him. "Dormammu's influence is anchored here."

"Then we cut the anchor," Garou snarled, leaping past Carol and driving his elbow into the creature's chest, sending out a shockwave.

But it was still standing.

Rogue landed beside him, blood on her lip but fury in her eyes. "Tag team?"

He smirked. "Don't get in my way."

They moved as one.

Rogue launched the creature into the air with a full-body slam, and Garou shot upward like a missile, his spinning kick shattering the beast's jaw. It crashed into the ground, and Wolverine pounced with claws flashing.

"Stay down!" Logan growled as he carved deep into its chest.

The monster shrieked, and a surge of corrupt magic sent everyone flying backward. Energy burst outward, tainted with the smell of brimstone.

"Dormammu is watching," Strange hissed. "This is just a scout."

"Then let's send him a message," Captain Marvel said, charging with a photon blast.

Garou stood up slowly, dust falling from his shoulders. His arms were smoking, the edges of his coat torn. Rogue touched his arm lightly.

"You okay?"

"I'm tired of holding back."

Before she could stop him, Garou walked forward—directly into the storm of energy. The creature snarled, recognizing him now not as prey—but a threat.

Garou's aura ignited.

Red lightning crackled around him, his eyes glowing with cosmic fury. "You're just a shadow. Let me show you what a monster looks like."

With a roar, he punched through the creature's barrier and into its chest—grabbing its core, the burning sigil within. His hand seared, but he didn't flinch. He ripped it out.

The beast screeched once more before erupting in a pillar of black fire.

Silence returned.

Everyone stood frozen as the smoke cleared—Garou alone at the center, covered in soot, still holding the burning sigil, now fading into ash.

He dropped it.

"I told you," he muttered, "I don't kneel to anything."

The X-Men stared. Even Cyclops was speechless.

Tony finally spoke. "...Well. That wasn't terrifying at all."

Doctor Strange stepped forward, inspecting the remains. "Dormammu will retaliate. This was only the beginning."

Garou didn't respond. His attention was on Rogue, who approached slowly.

"You alright?" she asked, glancing at the burns on his arm.

"I've had worse."

She smirked. "You say that every time."

He looked at her. "You still think I'm worth saving?"

Rogue's expression softened. "I think you're already saving yourself."

The others began to regroup, murmuring plans, tensions still high. But Garou and Rogue stood slightly apart, the rain finally beginning to ease.

Whatever storm was coming—it would be worse.

But in that moment, amid the fractured trust and uneasy alliance, they'd fought together. As something more than enemies. More than strangers.

Maybe even something close to partners.

And Dormammu had felt it.