First hour
CRASH!!! BOOM!!!
RAGGHHH!!!!
I went on a rampage against Morlun, swinging and whipping my webs as I tossed and turned through the ruined streets. My body moved on pure instinct.
Slip. Slide. Dash.
Every muscle in my body screamed, every vein felt like it was about to burst, but none of it mattered. None of it fucking mattered if this monster in front of me just would not die.
"FUCKING DIE!!!!!"
BOOM!!! CRASH!!! PSSH!!!
My throat burned as I screamed and slammed him to the ground in a spider stance. The concrete shattered beneath his body. Dust exploded around us.
Then I raised my fist.
And I started punching.
I punched again. And again. And again.
My knuckles split open. Skin tore. Blood splattered across his face. I could feel bone grinding beneath torn flesh but I did not stop. I could see the white of my own knuckle bone through the blood and torn skin and I still did not stop.
I kept punching like a fucking animal.
I would kill this fucking demon if it was the last thing I ever did.
I will not let him hurt Cindy.
NEVER EVER FUCKING AGAIN!!!!
"RAAAAGHH!!!!"
I grabbed his collar and hurled him forward.
CRASH!!!
His body blasted through a building wall like a cannonball.
I followed instantly.
Another swing.
Another crash.
Another building shattered as I smashed him straight through it.
Again.
And again.
And again and fucking again.
Glass rained from the sky like deadly snow.
I lunged forward and drove my fist straight up.
An uppercut smashed into his fucking chin and launched him flying high into the air.
Before he could escape, I fired webs.
THWIP!!!
The strands wrapped around his body and I yanked him down with everything I had.
"GET BACK HERE!!!"
I slammed him straight into a construction building standing tall with metal beams and unfinished floors.
CRASH!!!
His body tore through the first floor.
Then the second.
Then the third.
Each level exploded as his body smashed through concrete and steel like paper.
Floor after floor after floor.
Until finally he crashed into the ground level in a gigantic explosion of dust and rubble.
BOOOOM!!!
The shockwave blasted debris across the street.
I landed on a twisted metal beam nearby, breathing heavily. My chest rose and fell violently as I stared down through the dust cloud.
My fists trembled. Blood dripped from them steadily onto the metal beneath my feet.
Then the dust cleared.
Morlun stood up slowly.
He casually brushed dust from his shoulder.
No injuries.
No scratches.
Not even a bruise.
My eyes twitched in fury.
"Is that all, child?"
LIKE FUCKING HELL I STOP!!!
I launched forward again before he could finish talking.
Second hour
Everything hurt.
My lungs burned.
My bones screamed with every movement.
But I kept fighting.
Morlun suddenly grabbed me by the neck mid swing. His hand clamped down like a steel vice.
Before I could react he smashed his forehead into mine.
CRACK!!!
My vision exploded with stars as the headbutt sent me flying backward.
I crashed straight into a building wall.
The entire structure collapsed around me in a storm of concrete and steel.
"Peter!"
I forced myself up from the rubble, coughing blood.
Then I saw them.
Gwen stood there in her Ghost Spider suit.
Cindy was in her arms.
Fear filled Cindy's eyes.
My heart nearly stopped.
"I told you to FUCKING GET HER OUT!!!"
CRASH!!!
Morlun appeared behind me like a nightmare.
His fist slammed straight into my gut.
Pain exploded through my body as the air was blasted from my lungs.
Blood sprayed from my mouth as I vomited it onto the ground.
My knees nearly buckled.
"Found you."
His hand slowly reached out toward Cindy.
Before he could take another step, I lunged forward and grabbed him by the throat.
My fingers dug deep into his neck.
Morlun's eyes widened slightly as he looked into mine.
Blood was pouring from my eyes like tears.
My veins bulged violently across my body.
My heart pounded so hard it felt like it was trying to explode out of my chest.
Every ounce of strength I had built for this day surged through my body.
"You have potential," Morlun said calmly. "Yet you are reckless, boy."
"I may be reckless in your eyes..."
My grip tightened until my fingers trembled.
"But I will never let you get to HER!!!!!"
With a roar I yanked him off the ground and hurled him far across the street.
He smashed through the asphalt and rolled across the broken pavement.
I turned toward Gwen.
She was shaking.
Not from the destruction.
From me.
Two hours of fighting had turned me into something brutal. Something barely human.
My body was broken.
My suit was soaked with blood.
But I was still standing.
"Get. Her. Out."
My glare locked onto Gwen.
It was not a request.
It was a warning.
Gwen swallowed hard.
She nodded quickly and clutched Cindy tighter before dashing away across the rooftops.
CRASHH!!!!
I turned back.
Morlun floated in the air above the ruined street.
Dark magic swirled around his hands like smoke twisting in the wind.
His expression was calm. Almost disappointed.
"You should not have done that, boy."
"Hmph."
Then I laughed.
"Puhahaha..."
The laugh came out cracked and bloody but I did not care.
I raised both fists and slammed them together, cracking my own knuckles painfully.
"Heh."
"Please."
I spat blood onto the ground.
"Spare the shitty chat and bring it, fucker."
Morlun raised an eyebrow.
Then he chuckled softly.
"Hehehe..."
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
"This is going to be fun."
Morlun came straight at me with his fist, moving faster than a bullet.
I stood my ground.
For a split second, the world went silent.
Then his punch arrived.
CAUGHT!!! BOOM!!!!
The shockwave exploded through the street, shattering glass and blasting debris across the ruined buildings behind me. The ground cracked beneath my feet as the force spread out in every direction.
But I did not move.
Not even an inch.
My hand was raised.
Two fingers extended.
My index finger.
My middle finger.
They held his fist in place.
(Morlun's thoughts)
What the...
He caught it?
This human caught it?
Not just that. He caught my fist with his bare hand. With only two fingers.
"What's wrong, Morlun..."
My voice was low. Calm. Almost amused.
He tried to pull his fist back.
Uh!
But it would not move.
"Yes. I caught your fist with my index and middle finger. So what?"
I tilted my head slightly, staring straight into his eyes.
"Does it bother you?"
My gaze flicked briefly to his other hand.
"Looking at your left hand, I can see a little twitch."
The corner of my mouth curled faintly.
"Or is it because you destroyed a five hundred meter radius of debris behind me..."
The ruined city stretched behind my back where the shockwave had torn through buildings and streets.
"...yet I didn't flinch."
My fingers tightened slightly around his fist.
"...nor blink."
Dust slowly drifted through the air.
"...I just caught your punch."
My eyes narrowed.
"Does that scare you?"
"DON'T MOCK ME!!!!"
Morlun violently yanked his arm free and stepped back, fury burning across his face.
Dark magic erupted around his hands.
Black energy spiraled outward as ancient symbols formed in the air.
The ground trembled as the spell expanded across the battlefield.
Suddenly the space around me sealed shut.
A massive barrier of black energy slammed into existence, forming a towering coffin around my body.
The walls were thick and pulsing with dark magic.
Like a prison.
Like a grave.
I stood inside it without moving.
Morlun smirked outside the barrier, watching me through the dark surface.
"Heh. Try getting out of that."
CRACK!!!
CRASH!!!!
My arm moved once.
The moment my fist swung, the entire black coffin shattered apart like fragile glass.
The spell exploded into fragments of fading darkness.
The barrier disintegrated instantly.
Debris scattered across the air as the prison vanished.
Morlun stared in shock.
"H...how!"
A red scarf suddenly appeared around my neck.
The cloth formed from glowing magic, wrapping itself around my throat like living energy before flowing down my shoulders. It moved slightly in the air as if caught in a supernatural wind.
Arcane power pulsed through it.
I slowly lifted my hand.
Magic gathered around my fingers.
"You're not the only one with magic."
The air began to vibrate around my body.
Even the rubble on the ground started trembling.
"Even a puny little spider..."
My fingers moved as I cast the spell.
Runes ignited across my suit.
One by one.
Glowing symbols spread across the spider emblem, across my chest, down my arms and legs.
Arcane patterns burned like living circuits over the fabric.
My body slowly lifted off the ground.
Levitating.
Suspended in the air as magic wrapped around me like a storm.
"...can do destruction."
My eyes locked onto Morlun.
"And I mean big destruction."
The runes on my spider suit burned brighter.
Energy surged across every symbol carved into the suit.
The wind began swirling violently around us as the magic reached its peak.
Then I raised my hand slightly toward him.
"Morlun."
My voice echoed with power.
"Meet Spider Supreme."
Third hour
[Gwen's POV]
What the hell, what the hell, what the hell!!!!
I was running nonstop, carrying my best friend Cindy in my arms as we swung through the air. She clung to me tightly, scared and confused.
"Ms Spider, did you just call Spider Man Peter?"
Are you kidding me?
Ms?!
Jesus Christ.
"Cindy, it's me."
Mid swing, I quickly pulled my Ghost Spider mask off to show her my face.
"EHHHH!!!!!"
Yeah. That was exactly the reaction Cindy had right now.
Her eyes were wide like dinner plates.
I grabbed her tighter and pulled her close as we continued swinging far away from the battlefield. Wind rushed past us as the city blurred beneath our feet.
I glanced over my shoulder slightly and saw the destruction Morlun was leaving behind.
A five hundred meter radius of debris?
Buildings were broken like toys. Streets were cracked open like earthquakes had torn them apart.
My god.
How does Peter put up with him?
Not only that, kill?
I have known Peter for a long time. He would not even hurt a fly.
Well... before his rebirth thing.
But kill?
"Gwen! Tell me how I can get spider powers."
"Are you shitting me, Cindy?! I'm midair trying to get away from that thing while Peter is risking his life for you so you don't become a spider person and a sex crazed lunatic!"
"Sex crazed what now?"
Ah man.
Spilled the beans.
We landed on the rooftop of a nearby building so I could catch my breath. My legs felt shaky from the nonstop swinging.
While trying to calm my breathing, I quickly explained everything to Cindy. The rebirth. Peter telling me who she was. Why he was trying so hard, down to his bones, to make sure she could live a perfect and harmonious life far away from all this insanity.
Cindy stared at me in disbelief.
"So I'm about to get PTSD and anxiety if this Morlun or that Ezekiel guy ever catches me?"
"Sort of... less."
Suddenly my spider sense exploded in my head.
My entire body screamed danger.
I instantly turned toward the source of the voice behind us.
A gray haired man stood there calmly. He looked like he was in his forties or maybe fifties.
"Who are you?" I asked cautiously.
"Me? The name is Ezekiel Sims. And you are not supposed to be her."
That's him?
This gray haired guy?
The one Peter mentioned?
Friend or foe, Peter made one thing very clear.
He was not someone to mess with.
"Cindy, get behind me."
I pulled Cindy behind my back protectively.
"Calm yourself, child. I mean no harm. Even if my intentions were justified, it seems I have already placed a scar upon the Asian child."
Ummm... okay.
Peter never told me he was racist.
(Author: He's not.)
"I don't know what you're talking about or why you people want my best friend like some twisted fate wants her to suffer," I said as I lunged forward.
"But I won't let you!"
CAUGHT! PUNCH! CRASH!
"PUAHHH!!!"
Huh?
Is this blood?
My blood?
Ezekiel had caught my punch effortlessly.
Then his fist slammed into my stomach with terrifying force.
My body flew backward and smashed into the concrete floor.
Pain exploded through my entire body.
"Weak, yet filled with so much potential within the Spider Society."
Spider Society?
The one Peter mentioned?
"Wait... cough... cough..."
I tried to stand.
My legs trembled.
I felt so weak.
Is this what Peter meant when he said I wasn't ready yet?
How?
Why?
How could Peter stand his ground against monsters like this all by himself?
Just how many years has he lived since my death back then?
"Peter... I'm sorry."
I was wrong.
I could never stand by Peter's side.
He had years of experience.
Years of battles.
And me?
I'm just... just...
My vision blurred.
I lifted my hand weakly and saw Ezekiel reaching for Cindy.
Darkness slowly crept into my sight.
Someone.
Anyone.
Please!
Save Cindy!!!!
"Sorry if I was late, baby."
My eyes opened slightly.
I looked up weakly.
Peter?
And a scarf around his neck?
Wait.
Are those runes on his suit?
Is that... magic?
"So you finally came, Peter Parker. Or perhaps we have met before. In another timeline, I suppose?"
"She is no concern anymore, Sims."
"The girl is everything. But it is a pity. Her fate now lies in the hands of that blonde girl."
Is he pointing at me?
The two of them were talking like they were having a normal conversation.
"Morlun?"
"Down for now. You?"
"...She's here."
"Dammit. Just when I thought we had time."
Dammit?
What does Peter mean by dammit?
"I'm still figuring out how Morlun caught her."
"You're telling me, Sims. Shathra is child's play compared to Knull. But for us? Fuck!"
Shathra?
Who is she?
Another spider person?
"Ah shit. Hold on, Gwen."
Peter lifted the rubble off my body carefully.
Then his hands began glowing with magic.
Warm energy flowed into my wounds as he started healing me.
This feels warm and soothing, I never knew Peter have magic.
Fourth Hour
Peter's POV
Okay, recap after I became Spider Supreme.
Yes.
Spider Man Sorcerer Supreme, gentlemen.
Did not see that multiverse madness coming, huh?
Though it is not complete. Even if this form is enough to kill Morlun, I am still weak. Not fully stabilized yet.
Flop. Flop.
"Yeah, I know," I muttered.
My scarf floated beside my head, fluttering like it had a mind of its own. It moved slightly in the air, reacting to my thoughts.
It had the same senses as Doctor Strange's cape.
"Sorry I did not summon you when I woke up from my rebirth," I said quietly. "I was waiting for the right time."
The scarf flapped once, almost like it understood.
Then the fight resumed.
The two of us exploded toward each other again.
Me.
Against Morlun.
Morlun struck first, moving like a living missile.
Before his fist could connect, I snapped my fingers.
Time stopped.
Everything froze.
Dust hung motionless in the air.
Morlun stood frozen mid punch.
I casually stepped forward and flicked his forehead.
Time resumed.
BOOM!!!
The flick launched him backward like a cannonball.
He smashed through a pile of ruined buildings and disappeared into the rubble.
"RAAGGHHH!!!!"
Seconds later Morlun burst out of the debris in pure rage.
Yeah.
Same anger issues as before.
Even across timelines.
Oh great.
Now he is draining another life force.
Dark energy swirled around his hand as he pulled power from one of the totems he carried. The energy flowed into his body like liquid lightning.
In a flash he appeared right beside me.
His fist came down like a hammer.
I raised one hand.
My pinky finger caught the punch.
Then I flicked him again.
CRASH!!!
His body slammed into the ground hard enough to crack the street open.
"RAAGGHHH!!!!"
Jesus, this guy really does have anger issues.
Oh great.
He is draining another totem again.
Wait a minute.
Why does that life force look like that?
The energy flowing from the totem was not normal.
It surged like black ink mixed with dark blue energy.
That color.
That presence.
PUNCH!!!
"PUAGH!!!"
CRASH!!!
My body slammed through a concrete wall.
Dammit.
I lost focus.
That totem.
Could it be her?
Shathra?
No.
It cannot be.
Too early.
PLUNGE!!!
"PUAGH!"
Morlun appeared again and drove a heavy boot straight into my stomach.
The impact folded my body.
Before I could recover, he grabbed my head and hurled me like a ragdoll.
I smashed into another concrete building.
Walls cracked.
Steel beams bent.
"Good. Very good, boy."
Morlun stepped forward slowly.
"You made me waste a few life forces on two totems."
His grin widened.
"You forced me to use Shathra."
He lifted another totem slightly.
"And the other one."
"Kaine."
My eyes widened.
Kaine?!
The three main totems.
And Shathra too?!
How the hell did he get her?
The Wasp Goddess herself.
Before Morlun could move again, I snapped my hands together and cast a spell.
The world fractured like glass.
The mirror dimension opened.
Morlun lunged forward with another strike.
The air shattered around us.
Both of us dropped into the mirror dimension.
The entire world twisted into endless reflections.
Buildings bent sideways.
Gravity twisted in impossible angles.
"What the hell is this?!" Morlun growled.
I cracked my neck.
"Two words."
"My playground."
I fired a web downward.
The strand shot far below us into the city.
It looked like it missed Morlun completely.
"You missed."
"Did I?"
I yanked the web upward.
Morlun glanced down.
His eyes widened.
The entire city of New York twisted upward from below him like a massive wave of concrete and steel.
Buildings ripped upward from the ground and slammed straight into him.
BOOM!!!
The impact echoed through the dimension.
I dove after him.
My fist came down with a brutal strike.
The impact shattered the mirror dimension around us.
Reality cracked apart.
Then we burst out of the mirror dimension mid fall.
Back in the real world.
Falling through the sky.
I fired another web.
The strand wrapped around Morlun and I yanked him upward.
Then I started punching.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Each strike drove him farther back.
Then I web slung both of us toward the ocean.
The wind roared in my ears as we flew across the water.
Joke is on you.
Like you think I am getting wet.
I cast another spell.
Magic wrapped around Morlun's feet.
Tons of invisible weight slammed onto him like anchors.
His body dropped instantly.
Straight into the ocean.
He sank beneath the waves like a stone.
I levitated back into the air, scanning the city.
Searching.
Gwen.
Cindy.
I found them.
But they were not alone.
Ezekiel was there.
Dammit.
This guy really does not waste time.
Fifth Hour
Currently I was standing on the rooftop of a suburban building with Gwen, Ezekiel Sims, and Cindy.
If you understood the gist from the backstory, then you already knew how insane this situation was getting.
A vampire powered by spider totems was hunting us, and somehow Shathra herself was involved with Morlun.
"So what's the plan, Peter?" Gwen asked, looking at me with a mixture of worry and expectation.
She was seriously asking me for a strategy against a monster that could drain life forces and walk through dimensions like it was nothing.
Honestly, hearing that question made me realize just how ridiculous this entire situation had become.
"Ezekiel, can you distract him long enough so I can cast a spell to send Gwen and Cindy through a portal?" I asked quickly. Ezekiel did not hesitate for even a second before nodding in agreement.
"Enough said, just be quick," he replied before launching himself off the rooftop and swinging toward the ocean where Morlun had sunk earlier.
I began casting immediately, golden magic circles forming around my hands as a portal slowly opened in the air before us.
The swirling gateway revealed a familiar room on the other side, then a voice came from the other side, surprised and slightly confused.
"What the? Parker?"
"Hey Ms AO, (Ancient One Sorcerer Supreme), can't talk right now," I said quickly as I pushed Cindy and Gwen through the portal.
They stumbled into the Ancient One's office as I hurried to explain the most important part. "Keep them safe, especially Cindy Moon, the Korean girl. I'll explain everything once I deal with..."
BOOM!!!!
A massive explosion erupted from the ocean before I could finish. A gigantic tsunami burst upward and began crashing toward the port of New York, towering high enough to swallow entire buildings.
I immediately shut the portal before the Ancient One could question why I was standing there in my Spider suit with a floating magical scarf around my neck like some discount Doctor Strange.
"FORDIN!!!!" I chanted while coughing out the spell, forcing my magic to react quickly. The roaring wall of water suddenly transformed into thick clouds as the tsunami evaporated into massive waves of steam.
With another gesture I compressed the clouds together, forming a giant floating sphere of condensed vapor above the ocean.
Before I could even catch my breath, Morlun burst through the steam like a demon. In his hand he held Ezekiel by the neck, lifting him effortlessly as if the older man weighed nothing at all.
"Pathetic old baboon," Morlun sneered. "You think you can jump from dimension to dimension warning them all?"
Ezekiel coughed weakly but still managed to laugh under Morlun's grip. "Hehe... no," he said quietly while staring directly at him. "Because I can see it. Your death, so clear and so vivid."
"My death?" Morlun laughed loudly, the sound echoing across the ocean.
"PUHAHAHA!!!! Why don't you take a look at this one totem I got. It's just a small droplet from the source itself."
At first I thought he was showing Shathra's totem, the one thing powerful enough to shake even someone like Morlun.
But something about the reaction in front of me immediately told me I was wrong. Ezekiel was not responding with anger or strategy.
He was trembling.
"HOW!!! HOW DARE YOU GO TO HIM!!!" Ezekiel suddenly shouted in pure rage and disbelief.
His entire demeanor had changed completely, as if the mere sight of that totem had shattered whatever calm he once had.
"BOY!!! KILL HIM!!! KILL HIM BEFORE HE USES THE TOTEM IN HIS HAND!!!!"
The panic in his voice was real. Gone was the calm and calculating man Peter had once described to me.
Whatever Morlun was holding was something far worse than Shathra, and the fear in Ezekiel's eyes made that terrifyingly clear.
Sixth Hour
Narrative View
Back at the secret Sanctum, after a brief conversation with the Ancient One, Gwen explained everything she knew about Morlun and why he was hunting Cindy Moon. She described the destruction in New York, Peter fighting Morlun alone, and the strange totems involved in the battle. When she finally finished, the Ancient One stood quietly with her hands behind her back, her expression thoughtful.
"I see," the Ancient One said calmly. "So the Bride is what he is after."
"The bride?" Gwen and Cindy said together, their eyes widening in confusion.
"Woah wait, hold on," Cindy blurted out, waving her hands nervously. "Don't tell me he is after me because he wants to marry me. Like literally I am sixteen and that sounds kinda pedophile..."
UFF!
The Ancient One flicked Cindy on the head with a sharp knock.
"Watch your tongue, child," she said sternly. "This is not that kind of bride."
Cindy rubbed her head painfully while Gwen struggled not to laugh. The Ancient One sighed and rubbed her temple, clearly annoyed by the chaos of the situation.
"How on earth did you become the Bride Totem," she muttered quietly.
"So what do we do?" Gwen asked, her voice turning serious again.
The Ancient One slowly walked across the room toward a circular window overlooking the city. Golden runes faintly shimmered in the air as she began weaving a small spell, summoning ancient diagrams of webs and symbols that floated like glowing constellations.
"The Spider Totems are not merely powers," she explained. "They are cosmic roles woven into the Web of Life and Destiny itself."
A glowing image appeared in the air showing strands of an infinite web stretching across countless worlds.
"Each spider chosen by fate becomes a protector, a hunter, or a guardian of the web," the Ancient One continued. "But rarely, extremely rarely, the web creates something far more important."
The floating web shifted, and a bright golden thread appeared at its center.
"The Bride."
Cindy pointed nervously at the glowing thread.
"Okay... I am already not liking how that sounds."
"The Bride is not a lover or a partner," the Ancient One said calmly. "She is the living anchor that binds the spider lineage together."
Gwen frowned in confusion.
"You mean like a queen?"
"In a sense," the Ancient One replied. "Without the Bride, the spider totems cannot properly propagate across the multiverse."
More glowing images appeared, showing countless spider heroes across different worlds.
"The Bride ensures that the web continues," the Ancient One explained. "She carries the essence of creation for the spider lineage itself."
Cindy blinked several times.
"So... I am basically spider royalty?"
"You are a cosmic target," the Ancient One corrected.
Before the explanation could continue, Gwen suddenly stepped forward.
"Wait. That doesn't make sense."
The Ancient One turned toward her.
"What do you mean?"
"I was bitten by the same spider Peter was," Gwen said firmly. "The same one that gave him his powers."
She pointed at herself.
"If anyone was supposed to become the Bride, it should have been me."
The Ancient One's expression remained calm.
Gwen continued speaking, her voice becoming more serious.
"Peter told me what happened. About the rebirth. About how he came back from the future and changed things."
Cindy blinked in confusion.
"Wait wait wait... rebirth?"
Gwen rubbed her face.
"It's complicated. Peter basically regressed from the past into this timeline and changed the future."
The Ancient One gave a small, knowing smile.
"Yes. I know."
Both girls froze.
"You know?" Gwen asked.
"Peter Parker and I have had many conversations," the Ancient One said calmly. "Most of them while you were not present."
Gwen's eyes widened.
"You mean... behind my back?"
"He sought knowledge," the Ancient One replied. "About fate, timelines, and the consequences of altering the Web."
She waved her hand slightly, and the glowing web diagrams shifted again.
"The spider that bit both of you should have chosen you as the Bride," she admitted. "However, Peter's regression disrupted the original flow of destiny."
The web changed again, showing a thread that had been bent and twisted.
"His return created a divergence within the Web of Life."
Cindy slowly raised her hand.
"So... basically Peter broke reality?"
"In a simplified explanation," the Ancient One said calmly, "yes."
Gwen stared at the glowing web.
"So because Peter changed the timeline..."
"The role shifted," the Ancient One finished.
The golden thread moved across the web until it settled on Cindy.
"The Web chose the nearest compatible anchor."
Cindy pointed at herself.
"Which is... me?"
"Correct."
Cindy groaned and leaned back in the chair.
"Great. So now I'm cosmic spider bait."
The Ancient One studied her carefully.
"But there may still be a way to protect you."
Both girls immediately looked up.
"How?" Gwen asked.
The Ancient One's eyes narrowed slightly.
"By hiding you somewhere even the Web itself cannot easily see."
"NOO!!!" Gwen yelled in anger. "Peter told me everything about Cindy in his past life. About how she was kept in an underground web laboratory for like ten or twenty years."
Gwen's web shot forward and wrapped around her fist, glowing faintly as she clenched it tightly. "I may have died in my past without knowing my own best friend was trapped somewhere suffering from PTSD and anxiety. I won't let that happen to her."
"Wait... you died?" Cindy raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"You didn't tell her?" the Ancient One asked Gwen calmly.
Gwen looked between Cindy and the Ancient One before letting out a long sigh. It was clear she had been avoiding this conversation for a long time. Finally, she began explaining everything about her fate.
She talked about getting a scholarship to Oxford and how excited she had been for her future. Then she explained how everything went wrong when the Green Goblin appeared, the father of Peter's best friend, Norman Osborn.
Norman had kidnapped her.
Then he threw her off a high skyscraper building.
Silence filled the room as Gwen continued her story, her voice trembling slightly. After her death, Cindy had mysteriously gone missing until Peter eventually discovered a hidden laboratory.
Inside that underground facility, he found Cindy locked away and broken, suffering from years of PTSD and anxiety.
Gwen also mentioned the strange science and spider experiments involved with the two of them.
"Wow, awkward to imagine myself spreading my legs for Pet—!"
Gwen instantly fired a web into Cindy's mouth.
"Don't even say that last part!" Gwen snapped. "The point is Peter suffered too much."
"Well, I wouldn't say too much," the Ancient One said calmly.
Both girls turned toward her at the same time.
"Eh?"
The Ancient One sighed softly before raising her hand. Golden magic appeared in the air as she decided to show them something.
Images began forming around them like memories brought to life.
She showed them Peter's life before his rebirth.
Even the Ancient One herself remained calm and composed while watching it, but internally she could not ignore the truth. A sixteen year old boy had been forced to carry responsibilities meant for an adult.
The visions continued.
Then the two girls saw the moment that changed everything.
They saw Peter standing on the edge of a church rooftop in the rain, watching as Gwen's casket was lowered into the ground below.
Lightning flashed across the sky.
Peter's voice echoed in the memory.
"With great power comes great responsibility... so why..."
He stared at his gloved hands, his Spider suit covered in blood and mud.
"I'm sorry, Gwen... I'm sorry... I tried... I tried..."
His breathing broke into painful sobs.
"Keke... ke... ah... ah..."
Then he screamed.
"RAAGGHHH!!!!"
Thunder crashed loudly in the sky, hiding his scream from the people attending the funeral below.
"Peter..." Gwen covered her mouth as tears streamed down her face. "He really..."
"You were his chains, Ms Stacy," the Ancient One said softly. "You were the chain that held his demons inside."
She paused before continuing.
"But that chain was broken."
The visions changed again.
Peter stopped holding back.
He began hunting criminals across New York, one by one. The anger, grief, and guilt inside him turned into something darker.
"He stopped pulling his punches," the Ancient One explained. "He began killing every criminal he found."
The images showed brutal battles across rooftops and alleyways.
"Soon he went on a complete killing spree across the city."
Gwen's hands trembled as she watched.
"Eventually he calmed down," the Ancient One continued. "But by then the mask had already changed him."
The images shifted again.
Peter sitting alone in his apartment.
Listening to a recording.
Over and over again.
"He listened to your final speech every day," the Ancient One said gently.
"So he could hear your voice."
She looked at Gwen with understanding.
"That is how much love this boy carried inside his suffering."
The vision fast forwarded through more years of Peter's life.
His double life.
His struggles.
His relationship with Mary Jane.
The dating.
The breakups.
The marriage.
Gwen's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"This bitch...!!!!"
Cindy blinked in surprise.
"Whoa, I never knew you had this side of you."
Gwen crossed her arms stubbornly.
"Peter is literally what every woman wants in a man. Like... husband material."
"Oho..."
The Ancient One and Cindy both looked at Gwen with teasing smiles.
"Aigoo, just admit you want to carry his ba—MMMPH!!!"
Gwen instantly webbed Cindy's mouth shut again.
Cindy struggled helplessly while making muffled noises.
Meanwhile the Ancient One simply shook her head softly.
"Ah, youth..."
She smiled faintly.
"They grow up so fast."
Then the Ancient One raised her hand again, and the visions shifted forward in time. The glowing images began moving rapidly through years of battles, alliances, and losses until they stopped at a battlefield filled with smoke and chaos. A massive purple titan stood at the center of it all.
Thanos held the Infinity Gauntlet, the stones glowing ominously as he slowly lifted his hand.
"Ah, this moment," the Ancient One said quietly.
The girls watched as several figures struggled to restrain him. Tony Stark clung to one arm while Doctor Strange held another. Mantis tried to keep Thanos subdued with her powers while Nebula and Drax the Destroyer struggled to keep him pinned down.
Nearby, Peter Quill stared at the titan in rage.
The plan was working.
All they needed was to pull the gauntlet off.
Then everything changed.
Peter Quill suddenly learned the truth.
That Thanos had killed Gamora to obtain the Soul Stone.
Quill snapped.
He rushed forward and began punching Thanos in blind rage, shouting in fury while the others desperately tried to stop him.
The Ancient One froze the vision at that exact moment.
Before Quill could strike again, another figure moved.
Peter.
Peter shot forward and struck Quill first, knocking him away before he could ruin the plan.
"Get the gauntlet off him!" Peter shouted in the memory.
The vision continued, showing the others quickly trying to remove the gauntlet while Quill lay stunned on the ground.
Cindy blinked slowly.
"So he is an idiot, but with the worst possible timing?"
"Yes," the Ancient One replied calmly. "The body of a man with the brain of a moronic child."
The vision shifted again as time moved forward.
Now the battlefield was the final war.
Explosions filled the sky while heroes and monsters clashed everywhere.
Peter moved through the battlefield like a storm.
Criminals.
Aliens.
Invaders.
He showed no hesitation.
No mercy.
Every enemy that stood in his path fell.
"Don't blame him, girls," the Ancient One said quietly as they watched the brutal scenes unfold. "By this point he had already learned something very important."
She paused before finishing her thought.
"This war came with a warning."
The girls watched Peter tear through enemy lines without holding back.
"So killing was the only option."
The vision moved forward again.
Then it reached the final moment of the war.
Thanos stood victorious.
The Infinity Gauntlet was back in his hand.
Heroes lay injured across the battlefield.
Then Tony Stark made his decision.
The vision showed Tony rushing forward.
In a desperate move, he stole the stones from the gauntlet.
Energy surged violently around his body as he snapped his fingers.
The light from the Infinity Stones exploded across the battlefield, bringing back everyone who had vanished.
But the cost was immediate.
Tony collapsed to the ground.
His body was burning from the power of the stones.
Peter saw it happen.
The vision slowed as Peter rushed to Tony's side, panic filling his voice.
"Mr. Stark... Mr. Stark... we won. You did it."
But Tony was already fading.
Peter's hands trembled as he held his mentor.
To Peter, Tony Stark was never just a hero.
He was a teacher.
A guide.
A father figure.
And now he was dying.
The moment Tony finally stopped breathing, Peter broke completely.
The memory showed him kneeling beside Tony's body, silent tears running down his face.
The battlefield around him faded away.
The Ancient One gently closed her hand, and the visions slowly disappeared.
Silence filled the Sanctum.
Even Cindy looked shaken.
"Wow," she whispered quietly.
Gwen lowered her head, her fists clenched tightly.
Now she finally understood.
Just how much Peter Parker had endured before his rebirth.
The Ancient One raised her hand again and the vision shifted forward through time. The battlefield vanished and was replaced with the bright skyline of New York.
This time Peter was swinging freely through the air between skyscrapers, the wind rushing past him as the sun reflected across the glass towers.
But he wasn't alone.
"Wait… don't tell me it's her," Gwen said slowly, narrowing her eyes.
"Who?" Cindy asked excitedly.
Gwen crossed her arms and groaned.
"That milf of a cat."
The vision cleared and revealed Black Cat — also known as Felicia Hardy — flipping gracefully through the air beside Peter. The two swung across New York like acrobats dancing through the sky, sometimes racing each other between buildings and sometimes landing together on rooftops just to tease one another.
"Well… at least he looks happy, right?" Cindy said.
Gwen snorted.
"Try telling that when she puked on Peter's Spider suit… right at the groin area… when she realized she had been flirting with a sixteen-year-old when they first met."
"Puhahahaha!!!"
Cindy nearly collapsed laughing.
The visions continued shifting through different memories of the two of them. Their partnership had started during one of Felicia's heists, when Peter accidentally interrupted her while she was stealing from a criminal auction.
Instead of fighting each other the entire night, the two ended up working together to take down the smugglers running the operation.
Felicia used charm, deception, and acrobatics while Peter quietly disabled weapons and security systems. By the time the night ended, the criminals were tied up for the police and the stolen goods were recovered.
It was the first time Felicia realized that Spider-Man wasn't the naive hero everyone thought he was. And Peter quickly realized that Felicia wasn't just a selfish thief either.
Over time their missions together became more frequent. They chased criminals across rooftops, broke into underground hideouts, and saved each other's lives more times than either of them could count.
Somewhere between those dangerous nights and reckless adventures, their respect for each other slowly turned into affection.
Then one memory made Cindy choke with laughter.
During one mission, Felicia suddenly grabbed Peter and announced dramatically that she was pregnant.
Peter froze.
Completely.
For a full ten seconds he looked like his brain had stopped functioning.
Then Felicia burst into laughter and admitted it was a prank to distract the enemies chasing them.
Even the memory showed Peter staring at her like his soul had left his body.
"That was legendary," Cindy wheezed. "Did they fu—MMF!!!"
Gwen instantly webbed Cindy's mouth shut again.
The Ancient One raised an eyebrow slightly. "Does she always possess such a… colorful imagination?"
Gwen sighed.
"She's like a cupid… but with a dirty mind."
The final memories played out more quietly. Despite how much they cared about each other, Peter and Felicia eventually realized their lives were too chaotic for a normal relationship. Too many enemies. Too many secrets. Too many responsibilities pulling them in different directions.
So they made a decision together.
They ended their romantic relationship.
But they didn't end their partnership.
They continued fighting crime together whenever their paths crossed, trusting each other in ways few people could understand. They remained close friends who knew each other's scars, weaknesses, and strengths.
Cindy tilted her head thoughtfully.
"So… basically friends with benefits?"
Gwen groaned and buried her face in her hands.
"Why do you always summarize things in the worst way possible?"
The Ancient One simply smiled faintly.
"In her own crude way, Miss Stacy… she is not entirely wrong."
The vision shifted again, and this time Peter and Felicia were on a quiet, normal day, swinging between rooftops and laughing as if the world outside didn't exist.
They landed softly on a small café terrace, sharing coffee and teasing each other like ordinary friends, the tension of their past missions momentarily forgotten.
But their calm was broken when their eyes caught another pair walking down the street.
Mary Jane Watson, smiling alongside a man named Paul Rabin, moved with the ease of a couple despite insisting they were "just friends."
Both Felicia and Peter froze, their gazes locking on Mary Jane and Paul as if silently marking Peter Parker as their own. Cindy leaned closer to Gwen, grinning wickedly.
"Damn, a cutting board against a mommy tank?" she whispered, and Gwen shot her a glare that could melt steel.
Cindy only laughed harder, the fire in her teasing like an unstoppable flamethrower.
The Ancient One, as ever, remained calm, watching silently as the memory played out. The girls laughed and groaned in equal measure, but the moment of levity soon faded.
Then the Ancient One shifted the vision again, and the world became unrecognizable.
Smoke and ash choked the skies, cities lay in ruins, and the sounds of battle echoed like the cries of a dying universe. Every hero, every god, and every villain who had once stood against each other had fallen.
Only two figures remained: one was Peter Parker, battered and bloodied but refusing to fall, the other a towering, terrifying entity shrouded in black and shadow.
Gwen's eyes widened in horror. "Who is that? Who is Peter fighting against?! Answer me!"
The Ancient One's normally composed face was grim, her brows furrowed as the memory pressed down on them like a weight.
"That… that is Knull,"
she whispered, the name trembling on her tongue.
"The God of the Abyss. The primordial deity of darkness before the world as we know it existed. He predates the first stars, the first planets… the first gods. Knull wields the power to corrupt, to consume, to bend reality to his will. He created the symbiotes, yes—the living weapons that bond with hosts—but he himself is a force far beyond any mortal comprehension. Entire civilizations fell at his hand before the universe even learned to fear. He is the embodiment of nothingness, the void given form."
Gwen's hands trembled as she tried to process it. "All… all those monsters, villains… nothing compares to him?"
The Ancient One shook her head slowly. "Nothing. Not the combined might of all gods, heroes, or monsters can face him without catastrophe. Knull does not fight for conquest… he fights for annihilation. He seeks to unmake all life, and he has returned to claim everything Peter Parker stands for."
Cindy swallowed hard, her voice small. "Then… how… how does Peter even stand a chance?"
The Ancient One's eyes softened for a moment, looking at both Gwen and Cindy. "That is why you must understand the stakes. Knull is not just a threat to your world. He is a threat to the very concept of existence. And Peter… he fights not just for survival, but for every life that ever was and ever will be. You will see, but… be prepared. The darkness he brings is absolute."
They watched as Peter, bloodied and battered, stood tall against Knull. The godlike entity loomed over him, holding a shredded head — the skull of a Sentry ripped from existence. "For a mere mortal to stand against me… not even this pointless thing called Sentry," Knull growled, his voice echoing like the void itself.
"Stood against me, but I give him props for a warm-up," Knull continued, his grin widening with cruel amusement. "But the audacity… my children, to betray me."
Gwen and Cindy exchanged confused glances.
"Wait… Peter is Knull's son?" Cindy whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Just watch. The final outcome," the Ancient One said firmly, Gwen giving a glare at Cindy so hard, so sharp it seemed to web her in place if she interrupted.
Then, from Peter's body, a forms emerged. Black and white, writhing, yet unmistakably protective: anti-venom symbiotes.
"I betray you because I saw the way out of your control," they hissed in unison, their voices merging with Peter's. "This man gave me hope to live. Death or not… we will end you. Eh, Peter?"
Peter spat blood, gripping his magical scarf — a torn, tattered relic of Doctor Strange's cape — around his neck. The Ancient One muttered under her breath, "Not even Stephen could stop him…"
Knull raised a brow, a deadly smile spreading across his face. The raw malice emanating from him made Gwen and Cindy instinctively look down.
But when they dared to look back up, Peter's red eyes glared at Knull with sheer bloodied intensity, a burning hatred that made the air itself tremble.
"Jesus… Peter's got balls," Cindy muttered. "But still… did he win?"
Knull's grin widened further, cold and horrifying. "Knull… you?" he hissed, then bellowed, "Peter… Peter Parker!"
Peter's voice rang out in defiance. "The friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!"
TUCK! CLASH!
The two charged each other with such immense speed that even the Ancient One could barely track their movements.
Trillions of magical spells and curses blasted from Peter's fingers, tearing through reality, only for Knull to catch them and slam them to the ground with terrifying strength.
Anti-Venom surged from Peter's back, forming a living armor around him, stitching together broken bones and torn flesh in an instant.
"That's… 400 shattered bones, Peter," anti-venom reported from inside him.
"Are they… healed?" Peter asked, coughing.
"Heh. All done," the symbiote replied.
"Thanks, brother," Peter said.
"Anytime, brother."
Knull lunged again, swinging a massive blade, only for Peter to catch it mid-strike. An eerie silence blanketed the battlefield as life itself seemed to pause.
Then, with a brutal push, Knull was sent flying skyward. Peter appeared in front of him in a blur, summoning the sun to descend onto the Earth.
"Fool! You'll kill yourself… suicidal, hahaha! Give me that blood, boy!" Knull taunted.
Peter's reply was simple, cold. "You talk too much."
With a single slam of his fist, Peter struck—not just one sun, but 500 suns multiplied across eons—impacting reality itself. Knull had never seen it coming.
"Not bad… NOT BADD!!! AHAHAHAHA!!!!" Knull screamed, caught entirely off-guard.
Then the vision blurred. The last of Peter's memories faded from the Ancient One's spell.
"Wait?! What happened?!" Gwen yelled, tears streaming down her face. "What happened to my Petey?!"
"He's dead," the Ancient One said quietly, her voice heavy.
"And that thing?" Cindy asked, fear gripping her throat.
The Ancient One fell silent, her gaze distant. That silence spoke volumes.
"Your kidding me…" Gwen collapsed to her knees. "Peter… he went up against that and died… but it survived?"
"Mostly injured, in my assumption, Ms. Stacy," the Ancient One replied carefully.
Gwen's tear-streaked eyes looked up. "What do you mean?"
Seventh Hour — Peter's View
CLASH! SLASH!! SWING!!!
Shit. This guy is really holding nothing back, just like in my past life. And it's worse now—he's already consumed a few more totems.
One of them… looked like a 2099 variant of Spider-Man.
Shit.
"DIE!"
"I GET IT, GOD DAMMIT!!!!" I yelled back.
We had already been fighting for nearly an hour since Ezekiel went down, badly wounded. It was just me and Morlun now, trading blows across rooftops, streets, and skyscrapers.
I threw everything at him—every spell I knew combined with my spider powers.
Still not enough.
We crashed through buildings, tore up streets, then blasted into the sky before he ripped open reality itself. The next thing I knew, we were tumbling through dimension after dimension like two meteors smashing across the multiverse.
We crash-landed somewhere that looked like hell.
"What the—?" a red demon started to say.
"ZIP IT, Mephisto!" I yelled while Morlun punched me through another portal.
The next dimension was chaos. Storms, lightning, broken land floating in midair.
For a split second, I saw a white muscular figure battling an old bearded man.
"I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!!!"
"Insolent child! I will not tolerate your arrogance anymore!"
Damn.
Family drama.
Before I could even process it, Morlun slammed into me again and we fell into another dimensional rift.
"AAAHHHH!!!"
"Oh my!"
"I'm gettin' me mallet!"
Huh?
I blinked.
A purple dog, an old lady, and a grumpy bald husband stared at us from what looked like the middle of nowhere.
Typical Tuesday.
We smashed through their house and into another dimension.
This time we landed in the middle of a battlefield filled with men in black suits.
One guy with long hair and a pencil paused mid-reload.
"Yeah…" he muttered calmly.
"Baba Yaga," he said.
I stared.
"…Yeah, nope."
Before I could deal with whatever assassin hell that was, Morlun dragged me through another portal again.
Multiverse of madness, my ass.
We crashed again.
This time a man in a bat suit was holding a clown by the collar.
"Who are you?" the bat guy demanded.
The clown grinned.
Wait.
Why does that clown remind me of that one actor?
What was his name again… William… Defoe?
"Gotcha," Morlun hissed.
"Dammit."
He yanked me back into the dimensional rift again before I could even process it.
Finally—
CRASH!!!
We slammed back into New York.
Everything looked normal again. Buildings. Streets. People.
Morlun stepped out of the smoke, wiping blood from his mouth.
"Let's end this—"
THUD!!!
His sentence got cut off when someone dropped a brutal knee into his skull.
I blinked.
Wait.
That was a spider suit.
"What the—? Who are you too? You look like me but male and cool awesome looking kind."
I looked up.
…Wait a minute.
Is that a female version of me?
Screw it.
"Thanks for the knee drop, female version of me!" I said as I grabbed Morlun and forced him back through the dimensional tear.
We smashed back into my original world.
This time we crashed hard into Central Park near 2nd Street. Civilians screamed and ran in every direction, diving behind cars and buildings to escape.
Dust rose from the crater.
Then Morlun slowly emerged.
In his hand was the totem Ezekiel had warned me about.
"Pesky one," he growled. "You forced my hand. You made me use this against you!"
"No!"
CRACK.
He crushed the totem in his hand and absorbed the tiny droplet of energy within it.
"Peter… did you—" Ezekiel staggered toward us, badly injured.
"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I was too late."
Then—
"RRRAAAGGHHHHHH!!!!!!"
Morlun screamed.
A shockwave exploded outward as his body turned completely black. Something ancient and monstrous surged through his veins.
This wasn't just another totem.
"Ezekiel!" I shouted. "What totem was that?!"
His answer froze my blood.
"That tiny droplet…" he said weakly.
"…was from the symbiote god."
"…Knull."
"Correct."
STAB!
…Huh?
I looked down.
Something had pierced my chest.
My body lifted off the ground.
"Puh—!!" Blood spilled from my mouth.
Did he say… Knull?
That totem was Knull?
"Morlun… you bitch…" I coughed, my vision already starting to blur.
Then—
SWWISH!!!
A portal opened nearby.
Wait…
Is that Gwen?
Cindy?
And the Ancient One?
Why are they—
My vision darkened completely.
Am I…
going to die again?
Eighth Hour — Gwen's View
"Eh…? No—wait. Is that Peter?"
My voice trembled as I stared through the portal. For a moment my brain refused to understand what I was seeing. Peter's body hung limp in Morlun's grip, blood dripping slowly from his lips.
"No… no… that thing—what did he—did he kill Peter?"
I stumbled forward toward the portal, but a sudden force stopped me. Golden bands of magic wrapped around my arms and waist.
"Stop!" the Ancient One commanded.
"IT WHAT?! LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" I screamed, struggling desperately as I tried to break free.
The Ancient One held me firmly in place, her voice calm but urgent. "Foolish child. Morlun has consumed something far worse now… something close to the level of that being."
That being.
My stomach dropped.
She meant Knull.
The same terrifying entity we had just seen in the vision.
I looked down toward the battlefield and saw Ezekiel Sims crawling out from the rubble. His body was barely holding together, but he looked straight at us and made a weak hand signal.
Run.
Get out.
But it was already too late.
"Finally…"
A chilling voice echoed.
I turned.
There he was.
Morlun.
Before I could even react, he moved.
Too fast.
A blur.
Then suddenly—
His hand wrapped around my neck.
CRACK.
"KKKYYYAAAAHHHH!!!!!"
Pain exploded through my body as his grip crushed against my ribs. I couldn't breathe. My vision blurred instantly as my bones screamed under the pressure.
Then he tossed me like I weighed nothing.
My body flew out of the portal and slammed across the battlefield, bouncing across broken concrete like a skipping stone before finally crashing into a pile of rubble.
I lay there, barely conscious.
My eyes slowly opened.
And the first thing I saw…
Was Peter.
His body lay only a few feet away from me.
Blood slowly dripped from his mouth.
His eyes were still open.
But there was no life in them.
My heart shattered.
I forced my head up and saw the Ancient One standing between us and the vampire.
"Foolish sorcerer," Morlun sneered. "Where is my bride?"
"Like hell, demon," the Ancient One replied coldly.
They clashed instantly.
Magic exploded across the battlefield as the Ancient One unleashed spell after spell, golden energy colliding violently with Morlun's monstrous power. The ground cracked beneath them as buildings trembled from the shockwaves.
How much power had Morlun consumed?
For a brief second… it looked like she had him.
The Ancient One struck him with a massive spell that blasted him straight into the ground.
My heart lifted.
Did we win?
Then Morlun's hand shot up from the crater.
And grabbed her by the neck.
"Heh…" he chuckled darkly. "So this is the power of the almighty Knull."
He lifted her easily.
"Such a waste that I used it on a weakling spider."
Then his eyes shifted upward.
"Oh yes… almost forgot."
CRASH!
The sky itself shattered like glass.
A hidden dimension broke apart above us.
And inside it—
"Let me go!!!"
Cindy.
Cindy Moon struggled helplessly as Morlun dragged her down.
"Silence!" Morlun snarled.
He grabbed her by the throat.
"Once I have you… and the last piece…"
His eyes glowed with monstrous hunger.
"I will finally destroy the Web."
"Nothing will stand in my way."
I tried to stand.
My legs failed.
My body collapsed back onto my knees.
So this…
This is what defeat feels like.
Is this what Peter felt every time he thought he was going to lose?
"AAAHHH!!!"
Cindy screamed.
I looked up just in time to see Morlun begin draining her life force. Her body started shrinking, growing thinner as the energy was ripped out of her.
Her voice became weak.
"Please…"
My hands trembled.
My vision blurred with tears.
A whisper escaped my lips before I even realized it.
"Save us…"
I clenched my fists against the ground.
"Save us…"
Then my voice broke completely as I screamed into the ruined sky.
"SAVE US… PETERRRR!!!!!!!"
Ninth Hour
Peter's View
She's calling me.
Gwen is calling me.
Her voice echoes somewhere far away, like a sound traveling through deep water. I can't see anything. I can't feel anything either. Just darkness stretching endlessly around me.
Get up.
Get up.
GET UP!
GET UP YOU WORTHLESS NERDY ME!!!
A laugh suddenly echoes through the void.
"Hehehe… finally. We're awake."
Another voice cuts in immediately, louder and far more obnoxious.
"Hahaha! Damn Parker, you look like absolute garbage."
My head feels like it's splitting open.
Two voices.
Both inside my mind.
"Peter… I'm sorry," the quieter one says.
"Oh shut it," the other one interrupts. "We're not doing the sad apology thing right now."
Then both voices speak at the same time.
"Because…"
"We are one."
PULSE!!!
Reality slams back into place.
My body jerks violently as power explodes through every nerve. Air rushes into my lungs while broken bones snap and reform.
Torn muscles stitch themselves back together as black and white tendrils surge across my body like living lightning.
Wind erupts around me as my body slowly lifts off the ground.
Energy spirals outward in violent waves, dust and debris swirling in a cyclone around me as if something ancient is waking up.
"Puhahaha!" the loud voice laughs. "Hey AV, lemme take the wheel for a bit."
"WHAT?! Like hell—"
"Oh shut your hole. This is how a dramatic comeback is supposed to look."
Wait.
I know that personality.
No…
Don't tell me—
My eyes snap open as the tendrils explode outward.
"PUAAAHHH!!! Finally outta the shell!" the voice shouts excitedly.
The body stretches its arms like someone waking up from a long nap.
"Oh damn Parker," the voice whistles. "You got them big bombarded blondie watching."
Don't you dare touch her.
"Yeah yeah relax Parker," the voice replies lazily. "I'm just looking."
Across the battlefield, Gwen stares at me with wide eyes.
"Who… are you?" she asks slowly. "You're not Peter."
The figure controlling my body tilts its head slightly while the tendrils ripple across the suit.
"Oh no, delicious snack," the voice says playfully. "I'm way more than just your boyfriend."
At that moment, Morlun suddenly stops draining Cindy Moon and turns toward the massive energy radiating from my body.
The battlefield falls silent.
Dust settles.
Wind slows.
My body slowly descends from the air and lands on the cracked pavement.
Then the voice inside me suddenly throws its arms wide toward the New York skyline.
"WASSSSUPPPP NEW YORK!!!"
The tendrils flare outward dramatically.
"Ya OG gangsta is back, baby!!!"
Morlun narrows his eyes.
The voice laughs loudly.
"Beware you fools and N-words…"
Then it roars proudly.
"VENOM IS BACK, BITCHES!!!"
---
Chapter 29 — End