People were leaving the city in massive numbers.
Cars filled the roads.
Emergency sirens echoed in the distance.
News helicopters flew overhead.
The entire city was slowly evacuating.
Ayaan stood on a rooftop watching everything.
For the first time, he could feel how serious the situation had become.
Below them, families were leaving their homes.
The symbiote threat was spreading.
Anshuman walked beside him.
He looked at the emptying streets.
Then sighed.
"Looks like only we can save this city."
Ayaan smiled.
"No pressure."
"Just millions of people."
"Thanks for making it worse."
Suddenly the rooftop door opened.
Emma walked out.
Ayaan turned.
"Emma."
Anshuman waved.
"Hi."
But Emma didn't answer.
She simply stood there.
Silent.
Motionless.
Sara immediately noticed something strange.
"Wait."
Ayaan looked at her.
"What?"
Sara narrowed her eyes.
"Something's wrong."
Emma's head slowly tilted.
Too slowly.
Too unnaturally.
Anshuman stepped back.
"Okay."
"That's creepy."
Then black veins spread across Emma's neck.
Ayaan's eyes widened.
"Emma?"
The black substance rapidly crawled across her body.
Her arms transformed.
Sharp tendrils erupted from her back.
Her eyes became white.
A monstrous grin stretched across her face.
"SHE'S INFECTED!"
Sara shouted.
The symbiote instantly attacked.
A massive tendril shot toward Sara.
WHOOSH!
Sara barely reacted.
The tendril wrapped around her arm.
Then another.
Then another.
The symbiote had specifically targeted her.
Ayaan immediately moved.
BOOM!
He punched the tendrils apart.
The black substance splattered across the rooftop.
But it immediately reformed.
"Emma!"
Ayaan shouted.
"Fight it!"
For a moment Emma's eyes flickered.
As if she could hear him.
Then the symbiote tightened its control.
A monstrous voice came from her mouth.
"She belongs to us."
Sara froze.
The symbiote was staring directly at her.
Not Ayaan.
Not Anshuman.
Only Sara.
Anshuman noticed it too.
"Why is it targeting her?"
The symbiote smiled.
Because it knew something.
Something they didn't.
Suddenly dozens of black tendrils erupted from Emma's body.
The entire rooftop shook.
The creature lunged at Sara again.
But this time—
Ayaan stepped directly in front of her.
His eyes turned black.
Stage 3 activated instantly.
The air around him seemed to vibrate.
Anshuman's eyes turned black too.
"You're not touching our friend."
The symbiote paused.
For the first time since transforming, it looked cautious.
Then Emma's body pointed toward the meteor in the distance.
And the symbiote spoke.
"The King has awakened."
Far away...
Inside the meteor...
A massive roar echoed across the sky.
The ground trembled.
And every symbiote in the city suddenly turned toward the crater.
Ayaan immediately grabbed Sara's hand.
"Move!"
The rooftop was no longer safe.
Emma was still struggling against the symbiote controlling her body.
Ayaan, Sara, and Anshuman quickly jumped away from the building.
They landed on a nearby rooftop and turned back.
The entire city had become eerily quiet.
Every symbiote in sight was looking in the same direction.
The meteor.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The meteor exploded.
A pillar of black energy shot into the sky.
The shockwave spread for kilometers.
Windows shattered.
Buildings shook.
Cars were pushed sideways.
Even Ayaan and Anshuman had to brace themselves.
Cracks spread through the crater.
Then thousands of symbiotes began emerging.
Not hundreds.
Thousands.
The black tide covered the ground like an ocean.
Every creature knelt.
As if they were welcoming someone.
Ayaan narrowed his eyes.
"What's happening?"
Sara felt a chill run through her body.
The symbiotes weren't attacking.
They were bowing.
Something slowly rose from the center of the crater.
A giant throne made of black symbiote matter emerged.
And sitting upon it was a figure.
The figure was enormous.
Nearly twelve feet tall.
Long black hair flowed behind him.
Dark armor covered his body.
A massive black sword rested beside him.
The blade alone was larger than a person.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Even the symbiotes remained silent.
The figure slowly opened his eyes.
Glowing crimson light appeared within them.
The pressure that followed was overwhelming.
Ayaan felt it.
Anshuman felt it.
Sara felt it.
Even from kilometers away.
The giant figure slowly stood.
The throne shattered beneath him.
The moment his feet touched the ground—
BOOOOOOM!
The entire crater trembled.
Buildings throughout the city shook.
The clouds above split apart.
The figure grabbed the giant sword.
Then planted it into the ground.
The impact echoed like thunder.
His voice spread across the city.
Deep.
Ancient.
Terrifying.
"I am the King of Darkness."
The symbiotes roared.
"I am the end of all things."
More symbiotes emerged from the earth itself.
The giant raised his head.
His crimson eyes looked toward the city.
Toward humanity.
Toward Ayaan and the others.
"My name..."
The wind stopped.
The city became silent.
Even the symbiotes waited.
"...is Skar."
The moment he finished speaking, an enormous wave of dark energy erupted from his body.
The ground cracked for miles.
The sky darkened.
The very air felt heavier.
Ayaan stared at him.
For the first time since becoming an agent, he felt completely outmatched.
Anshuman's usual confidence disappeared.
Even Sara looked nervous.
Far below, thousands of symbiotes stood behind their king.
An army waiting for a command.
A force capable of destroying entire nations.
And standing at the front of it all was Skar.
Silent.
Fearless.
As if the world already belonged to him.
And everyone watching could feel one thing.
This wasn't another monster.
This was something far worse.
Ayaan, Anshuman, and Sara landed at the edge of the crater.
Thousands of symbiotes surrounded them.
In the center stood Skar.
Twelve feet tall.
Completely motionless.
His massive sword rested on his shoulder.
Yet the pressure coming from him felt heavier than the entire army behind him.
Sara stepped forward.
"I'll try reading his mind."
Ayaan nodded.
"Be careful."
Sara closed her eyes.
Her telepathy surged.
A moment later, she entered Skar's consciousness.
Darkness.
Nothing but darkness.
An endless black void stretched in every direction.
Then she saw flashes.
Destroyed worlds.
Dead civilizations.
Countless symbiotes kneeling.
Ancient battles.
Ancient death.
The sheer amount of darkness inside Skar's mind was overwhelming.
Sara suddenly screamed.
Her connection broke instantly.
She fell to one knee.
Ayaan caught her.
"Sara!"
She held her head.
"I couldn't..."
Her voice shook.
"There was nothing."
"What do you mean?"
"Only darkness."
"And death."
For the first time, Sara looked genuinely frightened.
Skar slowly looked down at them.
"I warned you."
His voice echoed across the crater.
"Your minds are fragile."
Ayaan's eyes turned black.
Stage 3 activated.
Anshuman's eyes turned black as well.
Both launched forward simultaneously.
BOOOOOOM!
The crater exploded beneath their feet.
Ayaan reached Skar first.
His fist slammed into Skar's chest.
At the same moment Anshuman attacked from the side.
The combined impact created a massive shockwave.
Dust filled the battlefield.
The symbiotes were pushed backward.
When the dust cleared...
Skar hadn't moved.
Not even an inch.
Anshuman blinked.
"That's not normal."
Skar looked down.
Then casually swung his arm.
BOOM!
Ayaan and Anshuman were launched hundreds of meters away.
They smashed through rocks before stopping.
"Okay."
Anshuman stood up.
"Now I'm annoyed."
Ayaan wiped dust from his face.
"Same."
Meanwhile Sara was fighting the symbiote army.
Dozens rushed her at once.
She raised both hands.
A telepathic wave erupted outward.
Hundreds of symbiotes were lifted into the air.
Then slammed together.
The battlefield shook.
But more kept coming.
And more.
And more.
The army seemed endless.
Back at the center of the crater, Ayaan and Anshuman attacked again.
This time at full speed.
They moved so quickly that normal people wouldn't even be able to see them.
Punches.
Kicks.
Web attacks.
Everything hit Skar simultaneously.
The battle looked like a storm.
For the first time, Skar raised his sword.
A single swing.
SHHHHOOOOOM!
A black energy wave tore across the battlefield.
Ayaan barely dodged.
Anshuman jumped over it.
Mountains of rock behind them were split apart.
The two exchanged a glance.
Neither said anything.
Both understood.
One direct hit from that sword would be disastrous.
Ayaan fired dozens of organic webs.
They wrapped around Skar's arms.
Anshuman wrapped his legs.
Together they pulled with all their strength.
The ground beneath Skar cracked.
For a moment it looked like it was working.
Then Skar pulled once.
The webs snapped instantly.
"What are these two trying to accomplish?"
Skar asked.
The symbiote king sounded genuinely curious.
Anshuman grinned.
"Keeping you busy."
Above them, Sara's eyes began glowing brighter than ever before.
She floated into the air.
Her telepathy expanded across the entire battlefield.
Thousands of symbiotes suddenly stopped moving.
The army froze.
Skar looked upward.
For the first time...
His expression changed slightly.
Sara had managed to affect the symbiote hive mind.
Only for a moment.
But it was enough.
Ayaan smiled.
"There."
Anshuman cracked his knuckles.
"We finally got his attention."
The three stood together.
Facing Skar and an army of thousands.
And the battle was only beginning.
The battle had pushed everyone to their limits.
The crater was destroyed.
The surrounding area looked like a war zone.
Ayaan and Anshuman were exhausted.
Even with Stage 3 active, Skar was overwhelming them.
Skar grabbed Ayaan by the neck.
Then Anshuman.
With one arm each.
The two struggled.
But Skar's strength was unbelievable.
He lifted them high into the air.
Then slammed them into the ground.
BOOOOOOM!
The crater shook violently.
The impact created a massive shockwave.
Both agents crashed deep into the earth.
Their vision blurred.
Their bodies barely responded.
Skar slowly raised his sword.
The giant black blade reflected the dark sky.
He pointed it toward them.
"This ends now."
The sword began descending.
Then—
A strange light appeared.
A circular portal opened in the sky.
Blue energy crackled around its edges.
Everyone looked up.
Even Skar stopped.
A figure stepped through.
Wearing a Spider suit unlike anything Ayaan or Anshuman had ever seen.
The suit looked battle-worn.
Ancient.
Powerful.
The figure landed between Skar and the two agents.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
Ayaan stared.
"Who is that?"
Anshuman was equally shocked.
"I have no idea."
The mysterious Spider-Man slowly stood.
His posture was calm.
As if facing Skar meant nothing to him.
Skar narrowed his eyes.
For the first time, he looked serious.
"You."
The newcomer said nothing.
Skar pointed his sword.
"You are going to die."
The Spider-Man slowly lifted his head.
Then his eyes turned completely black.
Not like Stage 3.
Darker.
More controlled.
More powerful.
The air around him distorted.
Even Ayaan felt it.
The mysterious Spider-Man finally spoke.
"Let's see."
The next second—
Both vanished.
BOOOOOOM!
A shockwave exploded across the battlefield.
Neither Ayaan nor Anshuman could even see their movements.
Only flashes.
Impacts.
Explosions.
The sky itself seemed to shake.
Skar's sword collided with the newcomer.
CRAAAAASH!
The sound echoed for miles.
The force split the clouds above.
The mysterious Spider-Man punched Skar.
For the first time in the battle—
Skar moved backward.
The symbiote army looked stunned.
Their king had actually been pushed back.
Meanwhile, Sara was struggling.
Although she had frozen many symbiotes earlier, the mental strain was becoming too much.
Hundreds of creatures were still surrounding her.
Ayaan stood up.
"We need to help Sara."
Anshuman nodded.
The mysterious Spider-Man had given them an opportunity.
And they weren't going to waste it.
The two agents rushed toward Sara.
They landed beside her.
"A little busy over here!" Sara shouted while throwing several symbiotes away with telepathy.
"We noticed," Anshuman replied.
Ayaan immediately jumped into the swarm.
Anshuman followed.
Together the three began fighting back-to-back.
Above them, the battle between Skar and the mysterious Spider-Man continued.
Every collision shook the battlefield.
Every impact sounded like thunder.
And for the first time since Skar arrived...
There was someone who could stand against him.
The battle raged across the ruined battlefield.
Skar and the mysterious Spider-Man collided again and again.
Every impact shook the sky.
Every punch created shockwaves.
Ayaan, Anshuman, and Sara continued fighting the endless symbiote army below.
The entire world seemed on the verge of collapse.
Then, during a brief moment in the fight, the mysterious Spider-Man looked toward Ayaan and the others.
His expression became serious.
He looked almost sad.
"The timeline has changed."
Nobody understood what he meant.
Ayaan shouted,
"What are you talking about?!"
The Spider-Man looked around at the destruction.
At Skar.
At the symbiotes.
At the burning city.
Then back at them.
"Sorry for all of this."
Before anyone could ask another question, he pressed a button on his wrist.
A strange light appeared.
The entire battlefield froze.
Time itself seemed to stop.
Everything became white.
Ayaan slowly opened his eyes.
The battlefield was gone.
The meteor was gone.
The symbiotes were gone.
The destruction was gone.
He blinked several times.
Sara was sitting beside him.
Looking equally confused.
A few meters away, Anshuman was sitting on a couch.
Emma was beside him.
Both looked completely normal.
The four stared at each other.
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
Then Anshuman finally broke the silence.
"What happened just now?"
Sara looked at her hands.
"My powers..."
She concentrated.
Nothing happened.
Her telepathy was gone.
Completely gone.
Ayaan stood up.
Then tried activating his Spider abilities.
Nothing.
No webs.
No enhanced senses.
No Stage 3.
Nothing.
Anshuman immediately checked as well.
"Our powers are gone too."
Emma looked around.
"The symbiotes..."
"The meteor..."
"Everything."
It was as if none of it had ever happened.
Suddenly all four watches vibrated.
A call was coming in.
From The Man.
The screen activated.
The Man appeared.
He looked unusually calm.
"Good."
"You're all here."
Ayaan folded his arms.
"What happened?"
The Man smiled slightly.
"That's a very long story."
"One you'll hear another day."
The four exchanged confused looks.
Then The Man continued.
"I didn't call you for that."
"I have an announcement."
The room became silent.
The Man stood up from his chair.
"For years I have led this agency."
"But my time is over."
Anshuman blinked.
"What?"
The Man smiled.
"I'm retiring."
Everyone froze.
Even Emma looked surprised.
The Man continued.
"From today onward, Mark will lead this agency."
A new screen appeared.
Mark was standing in the agency headquarters.
He looked just as shocked as everyone else.
Ayaan laughed.
"You didn't tell him?"
"No."
Mark sighed.
"I should have expected this."
The Man looked back at the four agents.
Then his expression became serious.
"You four are now my special agents."
"You will operate directly under agency command."
"You will receive missions that normal agents cannot handle."
Sara pointed at herself.
"Even me?"
The Man nodded.
"Especially you."
The call ended.
Silence filled the room.
Ayaan looked at Anshuman.
Anshuman looked at Emma.
Emma looked at Sara.
Sara looked back at them.
Then smiled.
"So..."
"We're a team now?"
Ayaan smiled.
"Looks like it."
Anshuman stood up.
"Then let's see what kind of trouble we can get into next."
Emma immediately replied,
"Please don't."
And for the first time in a while, all four laughed together, unaware of what their first mission as the agency's special team would bring.
The four agents decided to take a break from everything and headed to a small café near the city center.
For once, there were no missions.
No villains.
No explosions.
Just the four of them.
They sat down at a table near the window.
A waiter approached.
Ayaan looked at the menu for barely two seconds.
"Four cappuccinos."
The waiter nodded and walked away.
Sara looked around the café.
People were chatting.
Some were reading books.
Others were working on laptops.
The atmosphere felt peaceful.
Very different from the life she was used to.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"You know..."
"What?" Emma asked.
Sara looked at all three of them.
"I've never been to a café with friends before."
The table became quiet.
Then Anshuman smiled.
"Friends?"
"We're family now."
Sara looked down for a moment.
Then smiled.
"I'm happy to have all of you."
Emma smiled back.
"We're happy to have you too."
Ayaan was listening quietly.
But he was exhausted.
His eyes kept closing.
His head felt heavy.
The events of the last few days had finally caught up to him.
Anshuman noticed.
"You look half asleep."
"I'm fine."
"You said that ten minutes ago."
Ayaan tried to stay awake.
Failed.
A few moments later he leaned sideways.
His head rested against Anshuman's shoulder.
Sara blinked.
Then looked at the two.
"You both are really close."
Anshuman laughed.
"Yeah."
"We practically grew up together."
Emma nodded.
"They argue every day."
"And somehow they're still inseparable."
Sara looked at the sleeping Ayaan.
"Do you both really know everything about each other?"
"Pretty much."
"That's impressive."
Anshuman smiled.
"We've been through too much not to."
Sara hesitated.
Then asked,
"Doesn't he like someone?"
Anshuman thought for a second.
"I honestly don't think so."
Sara looked curious.
"Really?"
"Yep."
Then Anshuman laughed.
"For now, he only loves me because I'm his brother."
Sara laughed softly.
"That's not what I meant."
"I know."
She looked toward Ayaan again.
He was completely asleep.
Not a care in the world.
For someone who had spent so much time fighting villains, he looked surprisingly peaceful.
A few minutes later the waiter arrived.
"Four cappuccinos."
The cups were placed on the table.
The smell immediately filled the air.
Anshuman gently nudged Ayaan.
"Bro."
No response.
"Bro."
Still nothing.
Finally Anshuman shook him slightly.
"Wake up."
Ayaan slowly opened one eye.
"Huh?"
"Coffee."
"Oh."
Immediately he sat up.
Everyone laughed.
Ayaan took a sip.
Then smiled.
"I feel a little better."
"Coffee fixes everything," Anshuman declared.
Emma rolled her eyes.
"That's not how medicine works."
For the next hour the four simply talked.
About embarrassing moments.
About old missions.
About childhood memories.
About what they wanted to do in the future.
The conversation jumped from serious topics to ridiculous ones and back again.
And for the first time since they had become a team, they weren't agents, heroes, or people with powers.
They were just four friends sitting in a café, enjoying a peaceful afternoon together.