Death Knight stepped slowly out of the shadows. Beneath his black cloak, a pale jaw and a pair of eyes forever shrouded in darkness came into view.
He said nothing. He merely raised a hand and pointed toward the Throne.
Deep within the underground palace stood a massive Throne carved from obsidian.
A golden mummy's sarcophagus rested upon it, its surface covered in dense hieroglyphs.
The inscriptions recorded Apocalypse's glory when he ruled humanity as the "Sun God," along with his prophecies for the future of Mutants.
The Four Horsemen rose as one and walked toward the Throne.
They knelt before the sarcophagus, pressing their foreheads to the ground. Their voices rang out in unison, as fervent and devout as they had been a thousand years ago:
"Lord Apocalypse, you are the Sun God."
"You are the true Savior of Mutants."
"Om Messiah? A fraud stealing their faith. Lord Apocalypse, you are the one true god."
Their voices echoed through the underground palace, striking the ancient stone walls and stirring a low hum.
Plague Knight lifted his head, the green glow in his eyes intensifying. "This age is too chaotic. Humans hunt Mutants, Mutants hate one another, and now someone calling himself a god has appeared to harvest their faith...
"Lord Apocalypse, we need you to return and guide the fate of Mutants once more."
As soon as he finished speaking, a crack appeared on the sarcophagus.
It began at the center of the lid and spread outward like lightning, accompanied by a string of crisp cracks.
Golden fragments peeled away, revealing black-brown skin beneath, dry and hard as stone.
The underground palace began to tremble. At first, it was only a slight shudder, like the idle movement of a giant beast turning over.
But in the next instant, the