《Marvel: Abysmal Spider-Man》


 Chapter 1: Arrival

    -? unknown location-


    Deep within the void, beyond the edge of the universe, something enters in a small crack into the craves of reality itself, it exited a fist-sized vertical slit in the boundary that separated this dimension and the infinite others that lay beyond the void, the slit closing behind it as the universe attempted to fix the anomaly and the intrusion into its domain.


    But the universe was a little too late.


    It was a small translucent orb, almost the size of an eyeball that warped the space around it with its presence alone.


    It knew what it was and its purpose but it didn''t have long, if it didn''t find an anchor soon this reality would correct itself and reject its presence, it would not die, it could not die, something like it transcended the very concept of death itself, that was its nature, but without an anchor, a foothold in this dimension, it was powerless to fight against the forces that called this multi-verse home.


    It needed a host, one that met a specific set of conditions that would allow its continued existence in this dimension. Its countless brethren have already found suitable anchors in other realities and as a fragment of ##$%#( #(& it was its duty to do the same.


    It needed to find someone or something insignificant here, someone who didn''t matter in this universe, whose death and survival matter little in the long run here in this particular universe yet fundamentally linked to this multi-verse as a whole.


    Someone it could alter slowly but whose existence would be too important to end when finally noticed by the many higher beings who govern this world.


    It let its instincts take over, this would drive its senses for now, it was weak, and the God of this multi-verse was too powerful for it to face without an anchor.


    Even so, this God would not harm it but only kick it out into another multi-verse (which would be an embarrassment like no other among its kind, something it would have to deal with for a hundred universal cycles).


    Even if this god finds a way to end it here its death would have fatal repercussions, such as the waking and gaining of the ire of its own creator. Those two were monstrous beings who existed on their own scale and should they ever meet entire dimensions would end with their presence alone, it dreamed of reaching such a level before returning to their origin, it was its primary goal as a fragmented part of its own creator, oh the stories and experience it would bring, all it needed was time.


    Seeping seamlessly like a tiny particle of sand into the vast universe it felt a pull, a tug on its instincts.


    It smelt of the plot.


    It tasted of fate.


    It heard the melody of destiny.


    At last, a tethered soul, tethered yet insignificant in this fable, it was strong, it resonated like no other within this multi-verse, one worthy of countless fables, and the soul was fading fast, too fast.


    But that did not matter, death was just a state of being to the entity, like sleeping, it would take the soul back from death''s embrace. it would deal with the repercussions of its action after it merged with its anchor.


    Besides what''s one soul in the vast multi-verse?


    With its goal now clear it shot through the universe following the tug on its senses reaching speeds beyond that of light.


    It found its partner, and now all that was left was reaching him without alerting this worlds Gods loyal guard dog that was The Living Tribunal.


    ¡­..


    -Peter in some random ally-


    She left him.


    Beaten.


    Broken.


    Bleeding.


    His mind was in shambles, blank, confused, tired, too tired to notice he was still speaking. Quietly muttering to himself, each time the tone fading lower and lower into silent whispering pleas.


    "Pleashh shtop it, it''sh not ee, it''s not ee, shtop it"


    "It ish not me, Shtop it pleashe"


    " Thish ishn''t me, shtop it"


    " It hurts stop it please, it hurts, it''s not me"


    Each one got lower until he no longer had the energy to even move his mouth. All that came out was his voice.


    "Ahhhhh...Ahhhaa...aeehhhh"


    His body, was a twisted mass flesh, bone, and muscle with his face swollen, cheeks torn and teeth missing, with cuts, bruises, and black patches, unrecognizable in the darkness. Half of him was still a twisted amalgamation of reptilian skin and human flesh, with his tail torn to the base of his back as he lay there with his bare back towards the sky.


    His human arm was broken, the shoulder dislocated, while the other one, gree, green covered in reptilian scales ending with a large claw, was much worse, broken in three places, with his radius visible below the base of his elbow, the fingers; two missing and two facing the wrong direction.


    The rest of his body was in a worse state, Peter could hardly feel his left leg, and given the height he fell from while fighting Spider-woman, he was sure his insides were all sorts of messed up.


    Who knew someone so small could pack that much of a punch?


    She practically ripped his reptilian arm off in that last hit, even in that mindless feral state he could feel it, no suffice to say it was worse because of that.


    After the battle went on he slowly regained his mind, but by then she was already too out of it to care about what he had to say.


    He probably deserved it, he could vaguely remember some of his actions in his feral state, like he was in the back seat of his own mind, driven by primal instinct and an all-consuming hunger he''d never felt before, a side effect of the serum he realized too late.


    One memory that stood out was the pain-stricken face of one Cpt. Stacey as he held his bleeding chest. Peter told them to run, and begged them to stop shooting and leave him alone, despite having no physical control of his body he still felt the pain inflicted on it, in fact, stripped of the ability to control his body the pain was all his conscious mind could focus on, whether he wanted to or not.


    He was a prisoner in his own mind.


    But that hardly matters now, he was gonna die here. Alone in an alley, some aspiring hero he turned out to be.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Slowly with whatever, conscious part of his mind remains started to rationalize his situation.


    That serum was a bad idea.


    At least no one would know it was him and Aunt May and Uncle Ben would find him here, in human form, and assume he fell from the top of the building.


    Maybe even lean into the idea that he un-alived himself. That would be better than a teenage supervillain responsible for countless deaths.


    Gods he didn''t want to know what would happen to them if they found out he was the Killer Crock.


    ''Wait...''


    She saw him.


    She knew who he was, Spider-woman saw his face when she came down and picked him up by his torn shirt to finish the job.


    She might tell them.


    She might tell them all...


    ''Why?!...''


    ''Why did she flinch back?...''


    ''why didn''t she just finish the job?''


    ''what was the point of coming this far only to leave him here like this and run.''


    ''This is cruel''


    Here he was, writhing in a crater she made after beating him to near death, left alone to die in some random back ally far from everyone and everything.


    Why couldn''t anyone understand, all he wanted to do was be a HERO.


    ''LIKE HER, LIKE SPIDER-WOMAN.''


    ''why did it turn out like this?''


    He started to slowly sob in pain.


    "aaahhhhh...ahahhhh...ahhh"


    A low, quiet, and pitiful wave of desperate wails filled the ally, he didn''t have the energy anymore.


    He was just so tired.


    Everything hurt too much.


    He just wanted it to end, wanted the pain to stop.


    Just hopping, practically prying for everything to end. He didn''t feel it before, he was numb due to shock, but as time went on it started to come back...the pain...Getting stronger, more pronounced, and worse with each passing second.


    His body''s regeneration only made things terrible. The sickening cracks of his bones moving back into position excruciatingly slow, the shifting and melding of his flesh.


    It wouldn''t work thought, he was too weak, and his stamina was spent.


    '' I''m going to die here, aren''t I?'' He questioned himself, his eyes closing as he considered his fate, he knew the effects of his serum were wearing thin, he made it after all.


    He let out a final sigh.


    "Uncle ...Ben...Aunt... May...I''m sho shorry..."


    ''Please God I Don''t Wanna Die'' Peter''s thoughts faded.


    He drifted off into unconsciousness, embracing the numbing darkness for one final time.


    He passed on as the effects of the serum faded restoring back into a messed up luimp of broken bones and muscles...


    High above Peter, something broke into the stratosphere. Shooting across the sky, causing spacial distortions in its wake until finally making a beeline straight into Peter''s broken, dying body.


    Beings of alien origin, Gods, and cosmic entities that operated on scales that left the universe in the literal palm of their hands, even in this universe they were unknown and incomprehensible, they began to converse within Peter''s subconscious mind.


    ?: {-Link to host established}


    ?: {Conditions Met_True}


    ?: {Absolute Bond Established}


    ?: {Accessing fragment protocal_sequence ##^$**#%}


    ?: {Link to Admin Granted}


    Admin:[Quiry]


    ?: [-Host Self Preservation Protocol _True_Confirm_]


    Admin:[-True-]


    ?: [-Temporary access to Acausality (Type #) Granted to Host_Remaining Temp_0_Condition for reactivation unspecified by Admin-]


    ?: [-Temporary access to Immortality ( Type #) Granted to Host_Remaining Temp_0_Condition for reactivation unspecified by Admin-]


    ?: [-Activation of self-preservation sequence ##^$**#% Granted-]


    ?: [-Temporary access to Plot Manipulation_Remaining Temp_0_Condition for reactivation


    unspecified by Admin]


    ?:[-Plot Manipulation activated-]


    Then it changed as if time itself had a reset or someone hit the rewind button on reality. Peter''s breath could be heard...Inhale...Exhale...Inhale...Exhale...Slow and steady, his chest rose up and fell back down, dancing to the rhythmic beating of his heart.


    Peter Parker was alive, his serum''s regenerative properties healed him in time while he was unconscious, and made his way back to his room in the dark of night, unseen by anyone.


    ?: [-Caution- Host Self-Preservation protocol detected-]


    ?: [-Initiating protocol #$& *#$^-]


    Admin:[Access Granted}


    ?: [-Observer Identified:


    species: abstract Entity;


    Title: Death;


    Intent: Curiosity;


    State: Surprised-]


    ?: [-Observer Identified:


    species: Cosmic Entity;


    Title: T.O.A.A;


    Intent: Unknown; State: Amused-]


    ?: [-Observer Identified:


    species: Cosmic Entity;


    Name: The Living Tribunal;


    Intent: Hostile;


    State: Calm-]


    T.O.A.A: "So I was too late it seems, but given your nature that is to be expected"


    ?: [-True-]


    T.O.A.A: "You are the tricky little one aren''t you?"


    ?: [-Query-]


    T.O.A.A: "Ho your quite young too, I guess it''s my loss this time, I''ll have to chat with that big old whale later then, but for now your elder will do"


    ?: [-Query-]


    T.O.A.A: "Ho nothing little one, worry not, a little unpredictability is welcomed every once in a while, knowing everything can get old you know, makes life rather dull, very well let us see where you take this story, little whale child"


    A snap of a finger resounded...


    Admin: [Confirm]


    Admin: [All temporary access revoked_reactivation unspasified_minor protocols sealed]


    Admin: [Accord_Set]


    T.O.A.A: "Well then, a deal is a deal, surprise me, now you can stay here undeterred and travel this universe undeterred, none of the big guys will see you well almost none, don''t do anything too crazy though, they will notice that, there is a limit to how much I can interfere without changing things too much, don''t want anyone messing up with canon continuity anymore now do we"


    ?: [-Query-}


    ?: [reinitiating protocal #$& *#$^]


    ?: [-Observer Identified:


    species: abstract Cosmic Entity;


    Title: T.O.A.A;


    Intent: Unknown;


    State: Content-]


    ?: [-Observer Identified:


    species: Cosmic Entity;


    Name: The Living Tribunal;


    Intent: Neutral;


    State: Annoyed-]


    ?: [-Observer Identified:


    species: Abstract Entity;


    Title: Death;


    Intent: Extreme Curiosity;


    State: Extreme Interest-]


    Admin: [Link Denied]


    ?: [-Host Preserved_Insisiating Host- Fragment Fusion_Intergration compatibility_100%_Host-Fable-Tetheared_Class: Protagonist Tire: Z]


    ?:


    [Host Detail


    Name: Peter Benjamin Parker;


    Species: Human;


    Verse: Marvel;


    Universe: Unspecified(Admin Accord Restriction);


    Variant: Unspecified(Admin Accord Restriction);


    Fusion_Complete


    Integration_40%


    Fusion Protocol-Fable Initiated


    Verifying Power Slot Compatibility


    Slot Compatibility 4; Slot 6-? sealed


    Multi-fandom Power Package Uplink Generated


    Link Forged


    Slot One:


    Fragment Variant: Quarth


    Host: Rie Hikigaya


    Fable: On-going


    Fandom: Anime/Manga


    World: OPM Verse


    Universe: Unspecified


    Ability Granted to host: Incarnation of Garou (partial sealed-Condition for Activation not met)


    -Host has an innate supernatural talent able to almost instantly learn hand-to-hand and martial art fightings styles he witnessed before and can instinctively utilize Garous''s fighting prowess that is limited to his physical capabilities


    -His instincts are refined the more he exerts himself through combat experience and his physical body will continue to evolve the more damage he takes in a fight with his Upper limit being a continental class.


    -Garou''s personality traits will slowly influence and merge with the host and may over -right the host in moments of extreme physical stress or when he feels intense fear against an unbeatable foe


    Slot Two:


    Fragment Variant: Quarth


    Host: Rie Hikigaya


    Fable: On-going


    Fandom: Anime/Manga


    World: OPM Verse


    Universe: Unspecified


    Ability Granted to host: Will of Saitama (Partial Sealed-Condition for activation not met)


    Condition- Completion of Saitama''s Training regiment


    -Host is now compelled to Saitama''s Training regimen for complete activation for a specified number of years


    -The stronger the host gets the more he loses touch with his humanity


    -Perfect Strength adjustment allow the host to adjust his growing strength to one of his opponents


    -Dampened emotions


    condition met: have slots filled by variants from the same world


    Bonus Slot active


    Side effect gained: The Cruelty of Mercy


    Due to the nature of Garou, Satama, and the host, the host Peter Parker is now incapable of harming any individual he deems innocent and is unable to kill human opponents though in this way he can brutally beat them to the point of death ensuring their survival, however anything he doesn''t consider human he can kill


    Slot 3


    Fragment Variant: Darth23423*


    Host: Jerry Gorden


    Fable: On-going


    Fandom: Anime/Manga


    World: Ajin; Demi-Human


    Universe: Unspecified


    Ability Granted to host: Ajin(Dormant)


    Activation condition-User must experience physical death


    -Grants the host immortality through death


    -Once resurrected host will have the ability to summon his own Ajin a shadow-like entity that bears an aspect of Death


    -The entity may seek to protect the host in its own way because it acts out the host''s subconscious desire.


    Slot 4


    Fragment Variant: Canibulblue


    Host: Azura Malakith


    Fable: Complete


    Fandom: Anime/Manga


    World: Tokyo Ghoul


    Universe: Unspecified


    Ability Granted to host: Kagune-Altered(Dormant)


    Activation condition - User must consume human blood that''s not his own


    -Host is still a human but possesses a Kagune Rinkaku at the base of his spine and once activated will actively seek to consume blood instead of human flesh


    Fable Fusion Protocol- Phase 1 Complete


    Physical State: Altered


    Mental State: Altered


    Emotional State: Altered


    ]


    ?: [-Satisfaction-]


    When morning came the following day.


    Peter woke up to a familiar ceiling, it was his room.


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 2: Death and Confusion

    -Peter in his room-


    Peter woke up to the familiar white ceiling, his eye''s squinting open to take in the world around him, Staring up at the familiar ceiling in a sleepy daze, like he was just waking up from the world''s worst nightmare unable to accept that it was really only a nightmare.


    ''Am I dead?'' He wondered.


    Confusion didn''t even begin to describe his mental state when, slowly memories from the previous night made started coming back, prompting him to quickly shoot up in shock and panic, instinctively checking the state of his body in fear. Feeling out his chest his arms, and his face, quickly glanced at his legs and wiggled his toes.


    ''Hands, ok, clothes... ok? how is that..chest, face, legs.. all good? no injury or cuts! no scars too! And my tail, wait my tail?''.


    He glanced behind him to check on his tail only to quickly realized that he didn''t have a tail anymore, not only that, the hunger was gone, and his senses were no longer as acute as they were when he took the serum.


    Right, I don''t have a tail, come on Pete, the serum must have worn off completely, but that doesn''t explain anything, whats happening? where am I? How did I get to my room?''.


    He let out a soft sigh, he was in his room but that just made things worse


    ''Calm down... breath,''.


    He let out a sigh of relief, closing his eyes he started to take deep breaths to come to his rapidly beating heart. No pain from anywhere, lifting his shirt, he checked for wounds, but nothing, all clear skin.


    ''Come on, breath''.


    In...Out...In...Out...Inhale...Exhale...


    ''I''m not dead. I can still feel my body. I''m in my room right now. No lizard skin, No pain, no tail, nothing out of place, I''m alive'' he considered in astonishment.


    ''I''m Alive!''


    "Holy shit...I''m Alive"


    He whispered in shock and relief.


    "I''m alive...hahaha...I''m alive...hhahaahaha. I''m alive...haha...sob...sob...I''m...Al-Alive"


    He repeated slowly, each time getting louder and firmer as if to reassure himself that he was alive, that he didn''t die, slowly letting out a joyful laugh, one that slowly descended into silent sobs as his mind started processing the fact that he was, in fact, alive and breathing.


    He hugged his knees up into his chest in a fetal position and rest his head into the palm of his hands, minutes, hours must have passed but he hardly noticed, he was there in a slobbering mess of his own tears as the events of the previous night came rushing back.


    How was he even alive, he contemplated as the shock and confusion passed giving way to his rational thoughts.


    ''How is this even possible?'' he questioned the reality of his current situation.


    He was sure that he died last night, he couldn¡¯t find the words to describe the feeling, but he was quite confident he died, hell he doubted there were any words in the dictionary to even describe whatever this is that was happening.


    Everything was still fresh in his mind, the pain, the anguish, the breaking of his bones, his flesh twisting and ripping.


    Everything hurting...


    The pain, the hunger, the need to feed...


    Feed...To feel his claws sink into flesh... To consume and satiate his hunger...


    He needed to feed on flesh...


    ''I NEED TO FEED! EVerYthing HUrts. SHe''s gOINg toKILL MEEEE, why DOes eVErytThing HUrT SO MUCH!''.


    ''STOP IT!'' He grabbed his head in alarm, dread, and anxiety creeping into him, but before it could get worse he forced himself to focus. Throwing those thoughts and feelings away, locking them deep in his mind to be handled later as best he could.


    Slowly he pulled his hands away and glanced around the room, taking note of the absence of blood or claw marks with deliberate calming breaths, any distraction was welcomed right now.


    Everything was as it should be, it was normal, too normal, even his clothes, they were the same ones from last night but they were no longer torn, ripped, or covered in dirt, dust, and blood. His clothes looked as they did before they were torn apart by his transformation.


    IT WAS TOO NORMAL.


    ¡°How the hell am I even here? how did I even get here? (sigh) Maybe I am dead and this is some kind of purgatory?¡±


    He was about to try to find some rational reason for all THIS when a feminine voice shocked him out of his thoughts.


    ¡°Finally you notice, but you aren¡¯t dead, of that I¡¯m sure¡±


    ¡°Ghaa! What the-what now?!¡± he startled, scrambled in surprise to the edge of his bed, far away from where the voice was coming from.


    It was a woman.


    Only she didn''t seem like one, she looked like one sure, but there was this subtle air of ancient royalty around her like she just knew everything and everything was just a passing thought, she a presence that radiated something different, profound, dark.


    It permeated the space around her, this feeling akin to an accepted finality as if eventually one wouldn''t know it or understand it, but they would have no choice but to accept her because that was her nature.


    She was seated in his chair not far from his bed, one leg folded over the other as hands were folded under her chest, with brunette hair, an oddly familiar face, mature and attractive, he couldn¡¯t quite place it, the familiarity behind her face making him uncomfortable, dressed and a long-sleeved white shirt under a blue denim jacket, with tight black jeans and black ankle boots. She had a contemplative look on her face, one of interest and irritation.


    It was her eyes though that Peter noticed first, they had a haunting yellow glow, almost as if she could see inside his very soul.


    ¡°Yes¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Peter asked in confusion.


    ¡° I can see into your soul, a soul I might add, that shouldn¡¯t be here in any way, shape, or form¡±


    ''WAIT?! What the hell? Can she read my mind?''


    ¡°Yes¡±


    ''and what? my soul? shouldn¡¯t be where now?''.


    ¡°Here on the mortal plane, earth, in your body¡±


    OK, now Peter was genuinely starting to panic, with equal parts terror and confusion, as more questions started piling up in his head.


    There was a woman in his room, with glowing eyes who could apparently see his soul and read his mind if her words were to be believed, how did she get here? How long was she sitting there?


    What did she see? What the hell is happening? Wait¡­ Who even is she? And why the hell did she look so damn familiar?


    ¡°Oh do keep up Pete, you are supposed to be one of the smart ones, but I suppose given your present¡­situation this should be expected, to answer your questions, I¡¯ve been here since well forever, been sitting here since you arrived, I see everything, that''s what I¡¯d also like to find out, and as to who I am, it would be far more entertaining if you figured that out yourself, here¡¯s a hint, you did really die last night and I am here because you are now very much alive and as to how I look so familiar, you should know the answer too, given that this current form you see me as is someone of great importance to you.¡±


    She smiled coyly at him, almost as if she was laughing at an inside joke only she knew all while staring intently at him like she was some puzzle she couldn¡¯t wrap her head around.


    ''OK, Peter think, come on use your head, calm down, panicking now won''t do me any good'' Peter slowly attempted to make as much sense of whatever the hell was going on as he could, he tried taking calming breaths as this woman didn¡¯t seem to want to harm him in any way...


    ''She¡¯s here since forever, like really how is that even an answer, and she sees everything, and she¡¯s here because I died last night but I¡¯m alive now, and she looks like someone I should know, the hell does that even mean and this for? Like she has other forms? Like how confusing can¡­this¡­get¡­''


    Peter slowly paused his internal monologue as he started to notice just how familiar her face was, in fact, she almost look like¡­


    No¡­


    No freaking way...


    Peter''s eyes, widened in astonishment, pupils dilating, and his breath hitched as his heart skipped a beat.


    She looked exactly like that picture of his¡­


    ''Mom?! But that''s impossible, she couldn¡¯t be his mom because she¡¯s¡­dead¡­and she was here because he died and was somehow¡­alive¡­wait¡­in the form of a loved one¡­ here because I died¡­HOLY FUCKING MOTHER OF ALL THINGS GOOD AND ALIVE THIS WOMAN WAS''.


    Realizing slowly dawned on his face as the entity answered his question while the equal parts terror and confusion very quickly morphed into one of pure terror.


    ¡°Death¡±.


    The entity wearing the face of his late mother answered with an amused smile on her face, now it was more along the lines of a shit-eating grin, she lit out an ominous yellow glow as wisps of dark smoke slowly wisped around her being as her face and form started to momentarily glitch between his late-mothers and that of a skull with gray skin, dressed in a purple dress.


    ''WELL, SHIT''.


    If someone was to ask Peter if he wet himself a little in that moment or not, his answer would and always be a big fat NO, he most certainly DID NOT WET HIMSELF, hell he wouldn¡¯t even justify that QUESTION with an answer, I mean this was death, what exactly was one expected to do in the face of the freaking grim reaper.


    Peter had considered everything and came to a single conclusion after a split second.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ''She''s here to kill me, she said that stuff about the soul and everything, so yeah, I will most likely die today''.


    His mind already accepting her for what she was, it was difficult for him to explain but only an idiot would sit across from death and not know who and what she was, words lacked the ability to describe the feeling he had right now, it would take a person to experience it to know it, kinda like dying.


    ''Oh god the irony''


    Death did a spit take as if she was struggling to hold back her something, her eye''s twinkling with mirth, only Peter mistook that ominous yellow glow for something else, something far more sinister.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me, I mean I¡¯m alive right now right so you can¡¯t actually kill the living right Mom, I mean Death, I mean your greatness, I mean lord death, No sorry, sorry, I meant to say Lady Death, I mean just thinking about it, I don¡¯t think I am that important, and-and don¡¯t you have like other people to reap, you know more important people, if you do you should you know to go over there instead of wasting your time here with little old me, right, right so¡­ soo¡­ Yeah¡­Please don¡¯t kill me..¡±


    ¡°Pfft...hehsh..ahad.ahahhHAHAHAAHA¡±


    In a very Peter-like fashion, the terrified teen did the only thing he could do when backed into a corner, and that was the art of bullshitting, but thankfully before he could embarrass himself further, a soft chuckle filled the room, one that bloomed into a burst of melodious laughter.


    ¡°HAHAHHAHAAHHAAHAHAHAaahhaahaha¡± Death held her stomach and laughed with little regard to Peter''s terrified state.


    Peter could only watch in confused terror as DEATH of all things slowly finished her laughing fit, of all things Peter thought he would do in life, meeting the literal embodiment of death was not one of them.


    ¡°Sorry¡­hahaha¡­ it''s just, I don¡¯t get to do this often but one of the many joys I find is seeing the look on a mortal''s face when they come to the realization of what I am¡­hahaha¡­ But don¡¯t worry your little head about it, I am not here to end you, if I wanted to that you''d already be dead and this is just a tiny piece of me, I am still out there reaping souls.¡± she made a gesture with her pointer and index finger for the open and close quotation marks at the mention of reaping, laughing to an inside joke only she was privy too.


    "..."


    "......"


    ¡°Really Peter you have nothing to worry about, I am only here to talk¡±


    ¡°Wait really?¡±.


    ¡°Yes¡±.


    ¡°Really Really¡±.


    A single raised eyebrow from the being was enough to know that he should stop.


    ¡°Right sorry, shutting up now¡±.


    Peter let out an internal sigh but still couldn¡¯t wrap his head around the idea that the literal grim reaper was sitting just a little distance from him.


    ''Deep breaths Peter, a level head is what you need right now, Deep breaths, this can¡¯t possibly get any w0-NO. No, not going there. Thank God, that was too close, almost made this worse, smooth Pete, real smooth.''


    The entity just sat in silence never once taking her eyes off the teen, letting him have as much time as he needed to gather his thoughts, as the human saying went this wasn¡¯t her first rodeo and it won¡¯t be the last. But it was fun nonetheless, maybe she should do this more often, a certain red and black spandex-wearing merc-with-the-mouth came to mind.


    "..."


    ¡°Sigh¡­So death right? If you don¡¯t mind me asking what exactly do you want to know and uhm¡­


    well I mean if it''s not too much could you like, tell me what''s going on right now, cause you know, I am human and all¡± Seeing as she was patiently waiting for him to get himself together, Peter stilled himself for what was to come and asked her.


    ¡°Right¡­Your ¡®human and all¡¯, to be honest, I am also quite confused, it''s not every day I find a soul forcefully taken from my grasp and returned to its body, though what makes me more curious is the nature in which it was taken from me, to put it simple Peter, for a moment you existed above my domain, free from all confines, concepts, and laws of this world, to the extent that none of my siblings even noticed you, my domain was beneath your very existence, above theirs, even I would not have noticed if you weren¡¯t already in my domain to begin with, by the time I did you were alive and well, and once more return to your human mortal self.¡±


    Death answered but neglected to mention the intervention of T.O.A.A, the child was already in a panic now, imagine how worse it would get if he found out that the literal God of the world paid him a visit while he was unconscious and proceeded to hide the nature of his existence from all of creation. Yeah, best not to open that can of worms.


    ''Death had siblings, who would have thought.''


    ¡°Wait so you''re saying that something happened to me, which made me exist above Gods, Literal Gods, above you, Death, and then I was alive again, and you''re here right now because you don¡¯t know what happened¡± His mind already a mess still had some semblance of rationality left to make some sense of what death was saying.''


    ¡°In a manner of speaking, yes¡± she nodded, her head tilting to the left ever so slightly.


    ''As if this couldn¡¯t get in more mind-boggling, I think I¡¯m gonna have a hell of a headache after this, How the heck does someone exist above death'' That very notion seemed to cause him to wince and grab his throbbing skull as his mind attempted to come up with a rational explanation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me, as baffling as it sounds such beings exist, but none are human, at least not yet, and not in this particular corner of the universe¡± Dearth replied to his thoughts in a tone riddled with annoyance.


    ¡°Right, forgot about the whole I can read your mind thing, but still how can you not know, I mean your Death, aren¡¯t you suppose to be, you know, all-knowing and stuff?¡±Peter asked, his eyes darting to her to and from her face, as much as he wanted to, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to actually look at her, it was rather uncomfortable.


    ¡°I am, most of the time, but this time it seems whatever brought you back was just greater¡±


    ¡°Wait whatever what know? You saying some other all-powerful being brought me back.¡±


    This was probably the confusing day of Peter''s life, and it would maybe remain that way until he died. Well, the next time he died seeing as he was alive right now.


    ¡°A question for another time, for now, I am simply here to tell you that I¡¯ll be watching you, whatever the cause for your¡­ revival¡­ it¡¯s of great interest to me. Also, you took something that belongs to me, something I can¡¯t seem to take back, something very dear to me, a¡­piece of me¡­ if you will¡± Something seemed to change in her, a subtle twitch of her brow, he voice got a little lower, and for the first time since making her presence known she looked away from Peter, confused at her own answer like she herself was coming to terms with what she just told him.


    ¡° I¡¯m sorry, but I did what?!¡± Peter did a double take as if what was happening wasn''t enough to last a lifetime spent in the insane asylum now death just had to casually drop another bomb on his sanity.


    ''Yeah this is officially the weirdest day of my life, how does that one even take a piece of Death.''


    Peter could already feel his head aching worsen, this was just too much too soon for the poor teen, first, he finds out his alive after he supposedly died, then he finds out from DEATH, THE DEATH, that no Peter something brought you back, but you''re alive anyway because this happened and now I(death) will watch you(Peter) for the rest of your mortal life.


    He sighed and rubbed his temple.


    "Calm down, it''s not as bad as you think" Death rolled her eye''s at his over-the-top reaction.


    "Calm... Did you not hear what you just said? Sorry if I''m being a little dramatic right now, but I don''t think you understand how bad that sounds to a normal person, I mean stealing a piece of death, like what the hell does that even mean? And a piece does that mean I am gonna die or become a grim reaper now, or wait what evens a piece of death, how do you give an abstract concept a physical form, how does that work" Peter rambled on unable to comprehend it even with his intellectual prowess being greater than others of his age group.


    One could say, that just made things worse for the poor boy.


    Snap...Death snapped her fingers casually, getting Peter''s attention.


    "That''s enough now. I suppose you''re right, that wasn''t my brightest move but, l reassure you that it isn''t as bad as it sounds in fact it is the reason for my being here and you being alive again. Don''t try to think too much into it, at least not, for now, everything will make more sense in due time."


    Peter closed his eyes, and let out a deep frustrated sigh, but accepted Death''s words, there was nothing else to be done now, he wasn''t in the right mind, to begin with, and this would make things worse for him if he tried to think about it.


    Little did Peter know that death was subtly influencing his emotional state, calming him down, and keeping him in a rational state that allowed him to better process what they were talking about.


    ¡°So are you just here to tell me that you¡¯ll be watching me?¡± Peter asked after a short while.


    ¡°Yes¡±


    ¡°And you''re just going to leave me here, alive, now reaping my soul for breaking cosmic rules that I didn''t know of, I might add, like really how does a person like me exist above something like you ¡±


    ¡°Again yes, I have no reason or desire to end you¡± Now visibly annoyed, death glanced back at Peter, prompting him to look away portraying an aura of complete innocence.


    ¡° OK fine, sorry just had to ask¡­So what happens now?¡± He had so many questions but the sooner this is over the better, his alive right now and he did not want to test fate by keeping the personification of death here any more than she needed to be.


    ¡°Now I will take my leave and you will go back to your life¡± She got up slowly and walked towards him slowly, a strange glint in he glowing eyes.


    ¡°H-hey, huh, death, w-what are you doing?¡±


    Peter was on high alert, leaning back but try as he might his body remained still as it was unable to move.


    ¡°Just testing a theory, tell me, Peter, who do see now,¡± she answered as her form suddenly shifted, a ripple traveled through her body as the image of his mother was covered in shadows and changed, her form became shorter, the brunette hair changed into long crimson streaks, and what was once his mother''s face was now the face of his not so secret crush, and neighbor, Mary Jane Watson, her yellow eyes remained in place of her vibrant green, still possessing that odd glint as she stood just within arms length of him.


    " Do I have to answer that?" Peter asked, his voice expressing his discomfort.


    "Yes"


    ¡° You...Um, look like my uh, my neighbor Marry Jane, seriously what are you doing? Cause whatever it is it''s really um you know¡± Peter asked, his heart skipping a beat, and who could blame him, he was still a teen in the end, still finding himself unable to move.


    ''keep it together Peter, this is death, this is death, oh shit''


    ¡° Your neighbor is that so¡± She had a knowing smile on her face, and slowly she moved a hand up towards his face.


    ¡°Um, D-death?¡±


    She paid no mind to his plea, but her eyes widened slightly as she stopped her hand about a couple of inches shy of the left side of his cheeks. Peter following her hand movements with his eyes let out a sigh of relief. He failed to notice that Death''s hand wasn¡¯t stopped because she chose to follow through with her intent but rather


    Something was holding it back.


    {Aijin-Dorment(Self-Activation)}


    ¡°Huh, that''s interesting, you don¡¯t see it do you?¡± death asked, perplexed, the glint in her eyes seem to worsen, now it really glowing a bright brilliant yellow, looking over his right shoulder.


    ¡°W-what, see what, hey, what''s happening right now?¡± Peter tried to calm his rapidly beating heart, struggling to turn his head to look at what she seemed to be looking at, but from what his eyes could see, it was just her hand, inches away from his left cheek.


    What Peter couldn¡¯t see was what death was intently staring at, behind Peter, his shadow grew dark and shot up, taking form as a pale hand warped in bandages held death''s outstretched hand in a tight grip, keeping it from reaching Peter''s cheek. Another three pair of similar arms wrapped themselves around his torso coming out from under his arms hugging him from behind, two on the side and one on the other while yet another two came up, one caressed his left cheek while the other hugged his neck protectively.


    Attached to the end of the six limps was a pale female figure warped in bandages from the neck down and some covered parts of her face, while others floated around her form free from gravity. Her hair, silky and long, hid parts of her body and was as dark as the shadows themselves, to the point where one could hardly tell where the shadows end and her hair begin.


    Her face leaned into Peter''s own, resting her chin on his shoulders, nuzzling into the nape of his neck.


    Her eyes stood out to death the most, a haunting brilliant yellow that matched death''s own eyes, glaring at her, as if to tell her, now was not the time, to keep your hands off him.


    ¡°So this is what you stole from me¡± Death muttered to herself, sighing in resignation. Glancing back at Peter''s confused face she lights out a light chuckle.


    She leaned in slowly until she once inches away from Peter''s face, enough so that if she could breathe Peter would have felt it, but death had no need for oxygen, breathing was for lower beings.


    ¡°Uh¡­death?¡­ your¡­ you know¡­a¡­.little too close, not-not to be disrespectful and all but, there is this thing called personal space he humans abide by, so u-uhm¡­ you know¡± Peter¡¯s heart was beating a mile a minute, and despite constantly reminding himself that this was the LITERAL GRIM REAPER he had little control over his physical reaction to the image of his crush suddenly so close, her glowing eyes just gave an out of this world appeal.


    '' calm down Peter, calm, my mind as calm, like watEERR. sweet marry mother of Jesus, that''s too close, way to close, she death, Pete, okay¡­ she¡¯s hot-cot can it she can read minds, wait does that mean she heard, I mean, man I am hungry, is it hot here or it that just me, calm parker, I am still water¡­calm is my -.''


    Uncaring of the teen''s inner turmoil death, glanced back at the entity now bound to Peter, It was a piece of her, that she can now confirm, one bound to Peter''s soul for the sole purpose of bringing back to life, it was her yet it wasn¡¯t, not yet, Peter had to die to compete the bond it seemed, by being near him, she forced this piece out of its dormant state.


    She looked back at Peter, the amused knowing grin back on her face, moving closer than before, only for two of the hands to burst forth and wrap around her neck while multiple bandages wrapped themselves around death''s body in an attempt to hold her back.


    She held his gaze.


    ¡°You''re a thief Peter Parker, as such your soul is MINE and MINE alone, mine to collect, mine to own, nothing in the universe can stop that now, I will come visit you after your next passing. Until then take care, little thief¡±


    And with that, she was gone in a blink as if she was never there to begin with.


    The entity that made itself known also instantly vanished with Death''s disappearance.


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING WITH MY LIFE?¡± The flustered yelled in shock and did the only rational thing one would do in his situation.


    He fainted¡­


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 3: One Bad Day

    -Peter at home-


    Peter shot up with a startle, gasping awake for the second time, quickly roaming his hands all over his body to check if he was really alive and well, questioning if the events that occurred actually happened again.


    "OK, so it wasn''t a dream then?"


    He was starting to question his own sanity; maybe he did die, and this was one really long dream.


    "No, ''cause you don''t feel pain in dreams," He told himself after pinching himself for the third time since he woke.


    "yep, not a dream," He winced slightly as he rubbed his wrist, now red from the repeated self-inflicted pain. He let him fall back on his bed with closed eyes, taking deep breaths to calm himself down.


    "So either I did meet Death which isn''t likely or I walked back here all healed and just popped down on my bed with a new set of clothes that just so happen to look just like my old ones, but I know that''s not possible because the serum''s regenerative properties can not REPAIR CLOTHES and I was to damaged for it to be THIS effective, I mean I don''t even have any scars, even my old scars are gone, or Death was telling the truth and some other all-powerful being brought me back to life which would mean that I really did meet Death but that just brings me back to square one...damn it, this is giving me a headache" he groaned, messaging his temple, his head throbbing after every word, rolling around on the bed trying to make sense of his current predicament.


    Knock...knock...


    "oof, ouch, shit, fudging, shit"


    A noise startled him up, causing him to swiftly fall off his bed and hit his head on his desk, sending him head-first into the floor in a mess of tangled limbs and bed sheets.


    "aahhh...tsk" Inhaling a breath, he simply stayed there for a while, tangled, just staring at the ceiling, ignoring the throbbing pain in his head. His internal turmoil faded as he gradually came to terms with his situation.


    "So Death huh...I think it''s best if I don''t think too much into this, I''m alive now that''s all that matters."


    ''knock, knock'' the sound was coming from his door.


    "Peter you in there?" The gruff deep voice of his uncle came through the closed door.


    ''It''s Uncle Ben'' he thought to himself.


    "ah, yeah"


    "You alright, I heard the noise from downstairs, you, sure you alright?"


    "Yes, sorry just tripped"


    "OK then, if you''re done, come downstairs, there''s something your aunt and I have to talk about" Peter was now on full alert, his voice sounded a little worried, and Uncle Ben rarely ever sounded worried.


    "Alright, will be down in a few" he quipped.


    ''Just forget about it Pete, focus on the now.''


    Untangling himself from his sheets, he got up and took a look out his window, it was noon, almost night by the looks of it.


    Deciding it would best to think about what happened to him at a later date or not at all, if anything that would be best for his sanity.


    He made his downstairs he found his aunt and uncle sited with a grim expressions on their face, along with a few well-dressed men making their way out the door.


    Cops, if the badges around their necks were anything to go by, nope, FEDs, they were too well dressed to be cops.


    ''Something must have happened.''


    He paused for a while just standing by the stars and watched his uncle put his arm around his aunt, comforting her. It took everything in him not to run over there and hug the living daylight out of both of them. But he had to reign himself in, everything had to be normal.


    Memories from past events; were still fresh in his mind, flashes of fight wormed their way in, blood, pain, broken bones, a fist against his face, his arms twisting. Pain, pain, PAIN. PAIN, Bone''s breaking.


    Flesh tearing...PAIN!...Everything hurting.


    ''IT HURTS, STOP IT, IT HUR-''


    "Peter, Honey you ok?" the concerned voice of his aunt snapped him out of this memory.


    "you don''t look so good." May made an attempt to get up and check Peter''s temple for a fever.


    ''Come on, keep it together Pete, now is not the time or the place.''


    Now was not the time, he just had to smile through it, they didn''t know, nor did they need to, whatever happened was his burden to bear, it was his fault, to begin with anyway. He loved them too much to let anything hurt them. So he would play the part of the Peter they knew and loved, after some time he was sure he''d figure out a way to deal with his own problems.


    For now though, for now, he would focus entirely on them


    "Sorry, lost in thought, don''t get up, please, It''ll pass, I just slipped on my skateboard and bumped my head on the desk that''s all, clumsy me," he told them, forcing a smile on his face as strolled over and gave them both a hug.


    "Really now, you should be more careful, still don''t know why you use that thing, it''s dangerous, you could very easily fall off and hurt your self" Even now Aunt May seemed more worried about him, she held his wrist close to her chest and pulled him in to rustled his hair.


    "Because it''s stupid and dangerous, remember when we were stupid and dangerous" Ben snorted with a chuckle.


    May quickly responded with a light slap on the shoulder, shaking her head in disbelief, a slight smile forming on her face as if to remind herself of the reason she was married to this man again.


    Peter walked over and pulled in a chair, never once taking his eyes off them, enjoying their actions with a joyful smile. He missed this, loved this, he would NEVER LET ANYTHING take this away from him. Never Let...his eyes glazed over as he took a seat, noticing a spider by the window.


    Pain, bones cracking, flesh tearing, a kick to the stomach, spider-woman punching him, PAIN...


    ''STOP IT, just focus on them, forget everything else, FOCUS ON THEM! I can do this, It¡¯ll be enough for now'' He reassured himself.


    Snapping himself back into reality, he tried banishing any thought related to the last few days from his mind.


    He took a deep breath, he hoped they wouldn''t notice his little miss hap, and focused back on them, his uncle Ben pulling his aunt May close to him again with a comforting hug, he covered his inner thoughts with a mask of concern, not that it needed any effort because he already was genuinely concerned for them now.


    "Hey, did something happen?"


    "Nothing''s wrong dear, just an accident at my workplace,".


    His aunt answered, the smile never once leaving her face; Dressed in a brown sweater and comfortable jeans, she had an aged face but looked well for someone in her late forties with long brunette hair, and youthful brown eyes behind her framed glasses that betrayed her age, her lips pursed in worry.


    "No May, he has the right to know, it''s best if he does,".


    His uncle stated firmly, his face losing all the playfulness, morphing into a serious frown; dressed in his favorite over-sized blue denim jacket, white long long-sleeved button-down shirt, grey pants, and construction boots. He had an aged and wrinkled face but like his aunt, he aged well for someone in their late fifties, his hair was black, mixed with a little grey and white and he had a noticeable beard that covered his face.


    He must have come back from work in a hurry. there was still wet cement on his boots.


    "Okay, so something really did happen" He moved his seat near the edge of the table closer to them.


    "Sigh, Peter everything is alright-" his Aunty tried to reassure him.


    " No May, Someone tried to ki-hurt you, everything is definitely not okay" His uncle interrupted her, his expression quickly turning furious.


    " Those damn suits won''t even do anything about it, a God damn reassurance is all we get, reassurance my ass, they care more about that dead city councilor than they do about you right now, heck I bet if it wasn''t that rich pompous ass but some average Joe that got get they wouldn''t even be here, I get that their a little short-handed with the giant killer lizard and all, but still, a little protection isn''t too much to ask for" he ranted on.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "What? someone tried to hurt you, Aunt May? Are you ok? what happened? Who was it?" Peter asked in a slight panic, his expression quickly matching his uncle''s. He chose to ignore his uncle''s mention of a giant lizard, moving close to his aunt and placing his hand on her shoulder.


    "No, No one tried to hurt me, your uncle is just making this seem worse than it is, I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, but everything was okay, he never even saw me." May tried to calm the situation down as best she could, giving Peter''s hand a gentle squeeze.


    "He?" Peter probed.


    "Making things worse? May you saw someone get murdered in front of you, not to mention you also saw the face of the killer, if anything we should be careful from now on." Ben pressed, getting to his feet, to check the windows.


    "You never know with stuff like this" Lowering the slides to watch the cops drive off.


    " Ben you''re being paranoid, like I keep telling you, he never saw me in the first place and besides I left his description with the FEDs, I''m sure by this time tomorrow he''ll be behind bars", May rolled her eyes at her husband''s antics.


    "You don''t know that," Ben replied, still watching as their car pulled out into the driveway and drove off.


    "OK, can someone please tell me what''s going on?" Peter was fed up and confused as if what happened last night wasn''t enough, now someone tried to hurt his aunt.


    "Your Aunt saw someone getting murdered at the hospital last night, even saw the face of the man who did it, killer thought he could use the commotion this killer crock thing caused to get away with it." Ben let out a tired sigh as he made his way back to his chair, not noticing the slight twitch in Peters''s actions.


    "The FBI came to get her statement just now, that''s them leaving, got what they wanted," he looked up at Peter with a tired expression.


    " Are you serious?! Aunt May! come on are you ok?" Peter exclaimed in panic, checking his aunt for injuries of any kind. Again, playing dumb to his uncle''s mention of his alter ego, not that he would ever assume that identity ever again.


    Lesson learned that''s for sure.


    "What did the cops say? Are they sending someone to watch the house? you sure you''re OK?"


    "Oh Peter not you too, like I keep telling your uncle I''m alright, I''ve seen worse things at the hospital, I''m a nurse you know, I don''t need both of my boys all worried about something like this," She snapped her fingers to get both their attention moving out of Peter''s embrace and making her way to Ben.


    She took his hands in hers and motioned for Peter to come closer.


    "Now Both of you look here, today was supposed to be our anniversary, we have one day a year for this and we''ve been planning it for weeks, I won''t let some would-be killer ruin it, Ben, look at me" She looked at him with a soft loving smile.


    "everything is okay, the FEDs said they would send a unit tomorrow to watch the house, so for tonight, we go down to that place you both like" glancing back at Peter.


    " We''ll have a nice meal, stop by the park to watch the fireworks, and come back, everyone''s celebrating you know, the news said whatever that killer lizard is, it''s gone now," she pulled them both into a hug.


    Peter hid a wince and hugged them both a little tighter.


    "Now let''s get dressed and get going, it''ll take another three months to make another reservation at that restaurant, Come on boys you ready to show a girl a good time" She smiled sultrily at her husband.


    "well when you put it like that, who am I to refuse," Ben smiled back and leaned in for a quick kiss.


    "yuck, you two, get a room, seriously" averting his gaze, feeling a bit embarrassed by their open display of affection. He shrugged their arms off with a smile, as they continued on much to his dismay and annoyance.


    "Now Peter when you get yourself someone special you''ll be doing this too, all the time, trust me, my boy," His uncle said in between their kisses.


    " Ok first off that''s disgusting, and second off, please I would be more discreet about it, and not sucking each other''s faces in the living room in front of the oh-so-very innocent teenager that happens to be living with them, case and point" He all but scrambled up the stairs to get ready for the night, dogging his uncles attempt at another hug.


    "Oh-so-very-innocent, he says, I''ve seen your browsing history Peter, Nothing innocent about them." May all but snorted at her adoptive son.


    "Hey! Those are supposed to be private woman! and you promised not to mention that, it was one time, ok, one time, god, gave my laptop to one time and you ransack it for that, so what I got a little curious, come on Aunt May, stay out of my room!" Peter shouted down from the top of the stairs, his face popping out of the corner with an accusing glare before disappearing back up.


    Stopping in front of his door to take in a shaky breath.


    ''Focus on the now, that''s all you need'' he told himself.


    " I would if you kept it clean young man, it''s like a pig stay in there sometimes, seriously" May called out after the teen.


    Her husband tried to cover his laughter, one that faded gradually as he looked at his wife.


    Ben once more pulled May in, looking at her with eyes full of worry, his face portrayed an expression he would only show his wife, the love of his life. He didn''t want Peter to see this side of him, he had an example to set for the growing boy after all.


    "Are you sure about this? We could just do this next year, May, please" He pleaded with her.


    "Ben I''m fine, I keep telling you, besides it''s not just one night, it''s the NIGHT in this whole year, let''s go have our fun, we''ll worry about this tomorrow," she told him, his walls crumbling as she gently held his left cheek in her palm.


    Ben leaned into her touch and sighed, he could never win with her, probably why he married her in the first place he thought to himself.


    "Alright let''s go get ready and go, I''ll call a cab"


    May gave him a smile, a swift kiss on the cheek, and left to prepare herself for the evening without a care in the world.


    "Women, can''t figure them out, can''t live without em, maybe I am getting too old for this"


    Ben made his way to the phone to call a cab, passing the TV in the process. He paid no mind to it, opting to switch it off, best no let it ruin the mood.


    ¡°Recent reports left most in shock and awe after the astrological events the lit up above the skies of New York last night, an amazing event that left many bluffed, Attempts were made to study the captured phenomenon. something to look forward to in this dark hour, In other News, nothing has been discovered as of yet about the mysterious lizard-croc monster that left dozens of officer¡¯s and civilians dead and injured¡­¡± A sharply dressed woman was on the news but Ben switched it off before long.


    ......


    -3 hours later, at a bus stop-


    "Come on, admit it, you had fun" May gloated at her husband, her head resting on his shoulder. The both of them sitting on a bench waiting waiting for the bus.


    "OK so maybe I did, enjoy myself, just a tiny bit" Ben stated, his lips remaining in an annoyed frown, he was still against the idea of them coming out, and he would be damn if he let his wife think otherwise.


    They were waiting for Peter, who left to get them both some hotdogs, but the teen was taking his time.


    If anything Ben enjoyed himself more than just a tiny bit. After a satisfying and rather expensive dinner, they went for a movie, one of the scary ones, one that had May screaming in her seat and after that, they did some light shopping.


    He even got a new jacket, May stated his old one was looking a bit worn, he never understood her need to frequently update his wardrobe, Peter, yes, he was a growing boy, but him, it seemed like a waste of his hard-earned cash but he long since learned not to argue with his dear wife about clothes.


    God forbid the countless hours of lectures he sat through, and her shopping sprees when they were younger left him all but traumatized, with even the slightest mention of clothing discount prices giving him flashes. He learned the secret to any good conversations with his wife when clothes were involved was to simply smile and nod and tell her it looked good on her.


    "But I still think we should have waited, we could have done this next year," he replied with a slight smile on his face from the memory despite his worry.


    "hmp, spoilsports. You had fun, Peter had fun, I had a blast, now all that''s left is the fireworks and then we can go home and you can play Mr. Overprotective and Paranoid, please for me and Peter, his having so much fun," Huffing slightly at him. She pushed herself up and looked at him expectantly.


    " I haven''t seen him this happy in forever, and you may not have noticed but something is going on with Peter, he seems distant. Almost like you after the war. I just can''t seem to put my finger on it but I know something is wrong, I can just feel it," May grabbed his hands and gave them a tender squeeze, trying to find the words to explain what she felt.


    She knew something was wrong the moment she looked into Peter''s eyes, they looked haunted like he was changed inside. Almost like the Peter she was looking at was just not the boy she raised, as if something changed in a single moment when she took her eyes off him.


    Ben returned the tender squeeze with his one.


    "Fine, I''ll try but after this, We go to the station first thing in the morning," his lips thinned but slowly grew into a playful smirk.


    "And Peter''s fine, maybe the boy''s having some girl trouble at school or something, I do recall someone saying, and I quote,'' How far would you go if you knew you could not fail, just ask her out, you''ll never know unless you try'' now that has to be the best dating advice I''ve ever heard, almost like it came from a certain magazine from my private reading collection, look at you already prepared to handle teen-oaf oh ahahahaa they grow u so fast¡­haha¡­ look at us now, who would have thought¡­" He teased her with a glee full laughter, wiggling his eyebrows, his reply was a playful shove from his wife.


    "Oh stop it you big lug, I''ll have you know I am more than capable of giving dating advice to my teenage...son..." she paused as she noticed a black Mercedes with tinted glasses pulled up and slowed to a crawl, May''s eyes widened in recognition and horror.


    .........


    -Peter, just around the corner-


    Peter was feeling content, he was having more fun now, than he had in a while. His flashes have all but stopped and Aunt May, God bless her heart, for whatever reason was paying more attention to him today than ever before.


    Despite what was happening to her, as if she knew and Uncle Ben was, well, being Uncle Ben. Yeah, he loved them to death.


    He watched them on the bench as he made his way toward them, two hot dogs, one in each hand, his smile getting even bigger than should be humanly possible, watching Aunt May playfully shove Uncle Ben who had just said something to her.


    He wondered if he''d ever have a relationship like there''s one day. Seeing them filled him with much hope.


    He watched as a black Mercedes with tinted glass slowed to a crawl next to them, the glass sliding down as a tattooed hand came out, holding something dark.


    The hot dogs swiftly fell from his hands. They never even touched the ground before his voice, a loud and desperate shout bellowed out. His legs moved before his mind had even processed his action.


    "AUNT MAY!, UNCLE BEN!, WATCH OUT! HE''S GOT A-" The words didn''t make it out of his mouth fast enough, the warning came out too late, his aunt turned to him in horror, her mouth parted trying to call his name as if to warn HIM, his uncle grabbing her close as if to shield her, his eyes locking with his, pleading with HIM to stay away.


    Even in the face of death, they cared more for him than they did about themselves.


    BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!


    Six gun shots loudly echoed out into the streets, followed by screams of fear, panic, and the running feet of fleeing bystanders.


    All this would pale in comparison to the horror-stricken cry that would later fill the street when the broken, distraught teen finally reached his family.


    -End of Chapter-

 Chapter 4: Edge of Insanity

    -Six weeks later-


    ''Tonight''s the night.''


    Peter Parker sat alone on the floor in his room, dressed in a black hooded jacket, a white t-shirt, black jeans, and a pair of sneakers, all of which looked dirty and worn out.


    He hasn''t changed his clothes in days. No reason to, he hasn''t showered in a while too.


    His hair was messy and unwept, and his eyes were red, lifeless; devoid of anything resembling the boy he once was. He had dark noticeable eye bags under each one from lack of sleep.


    He didn''t sleep much anymore.


    His room was a mess, he had clothes lying around everywhere with rubbish of all kinds, mainly packets of fast food and pizza. His walls were covered in numerous maps, documents, and pictures of close-up faces and more, pinned up on the wall with colored strings connecting them to each other.


    His room looked like it belonged to a conspiracy theorist''s paranoid corner of the world.


    His lips formed a thin line, his eyes scrutinizing the two objects in front of him with an almost obsessive gaze. A hint of madness shone behind his eyes; whatever he felt six weeks ago after his near-death experience when he found himself miraculously healed was like a drop in the ocean compared to what he was feeling now.


    Now the memory of meeting Death or the implications of his meeting meant little to nothing to him.


    In front of him lay two objects. On one side was a handgun, a Sig Arms 1911 GSR Revolution, loaded and ready to use. It was his uncle''s piece, he kept it around the house for security, he found it under the loose floorboard near their bed, everyone in the house knew where it was, like an unspoken rule no one ever talked about.


    While on the other, a syringe containing the last dose of his lizard serum.


    Peter didn''t know what else to do now. This was his only chance and he was running out of reasons to talk himself out of this.


    He stared at the two objects, looking at one and then the other, his eyes going back and forth between the two.


    His life was a mess right now. His uncle died; they told him a bullet went through his head from the back. It was over for him in an instant, they couldn''t save him even if they had all the money on earth.


    They buried him a week ago. There were only 23 people at his funeral, he noticed, his workmates were there, and some of the neighbors. He didn''t have many friends at school, and both of his only friends effectively dumped him.


    He was the only teen there.


    MJ''s- Watson¡¯s aunt was there and told him she went back to visit her parents and said something about her and her friends going to London for a week.


    His friends...


    Gwen was rolling with the cool kids now, they have a band and everything, The Marry-Janes they''re called. Harry Osbourn booked them gig''s all over the city, they were pretty popular. An all-girls band, with Cindy Moon, Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane Watson, and Liz Allen, they sold tickets faster than boys could buy them.


    The last time they met was an accidental meet-up at the hospital, Gwen was there to visit her dad, who recovering quite well from the injuries Peter inflicted on him during his lizard rampage. It didn''t go so well, he couldn''t look her in the eye as all the memories from his rampage came rushing back, she didn''t know why he was there and his refusal to tell her why along with some pent-up anger and jealousy had over her newfound popularity just came bubbling out.


    He was looking for ways to vent, he figured that out later.


    Not to mention her new budding relationship with his high school bullies, their presence there just made things worse for him, that meeting had some disastrous results, words were said that couldn''t be taken back from both of them, and Harry left a rather nasty bruise on his face.


    That right hook made the most views on YouTube in 8 hours.


    He could also cross him ever dating Mary Jane Watson off his wish list, the look of disgust she gave was enough indication that they aren''t happening at all.


    ''Yeah right, fuck you to bitch.'' he couldn''t fathom why he had a crush on her now. Maybe he was just fed up with it all.


    Funny enough, it was Gwen''s eyes that hurt way more than any hit Harry or that Brain-dead jock


    Flash could ever physically dish out.


    Gwen gave him this look he couldn''t describe, it was like a look of pity mixed with hate, guilt, and sadness as if she understood him but at the same time could care less about him, like she hated him but felt overwhelming guilt at the same time.


    She never even glanced back when Harry and Watson pulled her away.


    He was sure they were never gonna see each other for a while, and even if they did, going back to the close friends they were was off the table.


    He wondered if she ever found out why he was at the hospital in the first place if she found out about his aunt and uncle. But seeing as how she never showed up at the funeral, he guessed that she could care less about him now, she had better friends, richer friends, enjoying her time in London.


    He could relate with her though, with the guilt part at least, as much as he tried to he couldn''t bring himself to hate her, she did something for herself, changed her life around. If anything he was happy for her, as everything came into perspective he started to realize he was the one with the problem.


    His jealousy, anger, and frustration led to desperation, which lead to the creation of that this damn serum.


    He was focused too much on meaningless things like social status, popularity, and likability. Trying so hard to be liked by all these fake assholes, he should have realized that none of them could give two shits about him, why the hell was he seeking their attention in the first place. School, classes, marks, friends, popular, unpopular, jocks, nerds.


    ¡®They can all go fucking die.¡¯


    He had shit to do now. He''s been planning it for the last few weeks.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ''Tonight was the night I kill the people who took everything from me.'' His thoughts were resolute.


    It was accidental, the way he found the person who shot them, just looking at the wrong thing at the right time.


    In this case, it was the TV in the waiting room while the news was playing. He thought he was mistaken at first, but it just kept nagging him, then he decided to check, that was his mistake.


    ''Benjamin Poindexter'' Peter''s eyes filled with hate as he thought of that name.


    That was his name. An ex-FBI agent working on now working in private security. He found that out from the officers who were working on his case.


    ''Wilson Fisk.''


    That was who he worked for, the generous business tycoon giving donations to the cities, primarily Hells Kitchen in the millions. He also had some shady connections if the dark side of the Internet had anything to say about it, but that was just speculation from some weirdo locked up somewhere with too much time on their hands.


    How he found them was either his twisted Parker luck or Fate.


    He was sitting in the waiting room waiting for his aunt to get out of surgery when it happened, he watched Wilson Fisk make his way off some stage at city hall after another generous donation, only it was raining then, and one of his protection detail brought him an umbrella to walk him back to his car.


    That was when he saw, the tattoo just below the back of his palm his right hand, right under his sleeve.


    A bulls-eye, specially drawn in great detail.


    The same tattoo in the exact same place, looking exactly like he remembered from the shooting, how could he forget that? when he spent every waking moment agonizing over it, replaying the memory over and over until it was the only thing left in his head.


    He did the sensible thing, he went to the cops about it and begged them for help. They gave him a look and simply told him '' Go home kid, it''s just a tattoo'' he pressed on and tried to collect evidence searching every little thing the Internet could give him, going over every minute detail.


    He even stalked the guy for a couple of weeks.


    All the while he followed their way and went to a therapist every two days for an hour to deal with his trauma and grief. Child services had someone come to check up on him every now and then. His neighbor, Mr. and Ms. Leeds, volunteered to be his temporary caretakers as their son Ned would be staying with his Grandparents for the next two years. At least until Aunty May...


    Aunt May was still in a coma, the doctors did everything they could, they tried to reassure him that she would wake up in a few months, but her health was deteriorating faster than they anticipated.


    He found out a few days later that the case was officially closing, a simple shoot and run they told him, they even had the supposed shooter in custody for him to go identify, one of them had a star enclosed in two circles tattooed on his wrist just below the palm of his hand. Still fresh with the skin red, and blistering.


    The two criminals confessed to the crime, and they got every detail right, down to the clothes his uncle and aunt were wearing at that time, he tried to tell the cops that they weren''t the guys, that this was a setup.


    But the cops could care less, it was a closed case, what was one traumatized kid''s possibly inaccurate memory in comparison to two solid confessions, the murder weapon and the getaway car?


    Nothing that''s what.


    They sent him home with a pat on the back, almost proud of themselves. They told him they knew what he was doing, and that Mr. Poindexter won''t press charges since he understood what Peter was going through, and that he sympathized with his case.


    They also told him that he donated a large sum of money to Peter''s college funds. All he had to do was move on with his life and make something of himself.


    AS IF HE COULD DO THAT.


    Maybe it was paranoia or his brain was just working overtime, but It was then that he figured it out.


    They were in on it.


    Aunt May said the killer never saw her, she was quite sure of that fact, and the only people she called were the cops, which got the attention of the FEDs, but if the killer never saw her then the cops did, and if the cops did then so did the FBI Agents who interviewed her, and guess who just so happens to be an ex-FBI agent.


    ''Benjamin Poindexter, it wasn¡¯t hard to find out really''


    Not only that, but the facts actually match up. Stanley Eastwood was on the city council in Hells Kitchen, he openly spoke out against Wilson Fisk, often slandering the man on public television about his ''blood money'' and how the city didn''t need it.


    Three days ago, before the incident at the park, he got into a car accident, and instead of going to the local hospital at Hell''s Kitchen, they drove all the way here. Only for him to die and Aunt May to be the only witness.


    This all led to the shooting at the park.


    Either he really was crazy smart and this all was starting to make sense, or he was just going insane and after this, he would be in a nut house.


    He had this, messed up idea to refine the serum and harness its healing capabilities so he could heal Aunt May, he almost went through with it too. Until he realized what that would lead to.


    What if he fucked that up and Aunt May turned into what he became, he quickly squashed that idea, nipping it from the bud.


    There was also the fact that he had no way to do that anymore. He was banned from Oscorp and fired from his internship after evidence was found that he was tampering with their more expensive equipment after hours.


    A little late for that, since he already made the serum, that was what he thought back then. He found it funny how that came back to bite him in the ass.


    At one point he had a breakdown and tried calling Death, just to see if anything could happen.


    Obviously, nothing happened.


    So now he was left with two choices, either take the gun and go shoot the bastards, or inject himself and go another mindless rampage, hopefully, if he injected himself close enough he would end up ripping them apart, eventually.


    There was a third choice he knew, but he just ignored it entirely.


    "It''s now or never," Peter told himself.


    His room was littered with maps, pictures, and articles all surrounding one man, Benjamin Poindexter.


    He had it all planned out, Wilson Fisk enjoyed a particular art gallery, at 8 pm on the dot he would arrive there, and arriving with him would be his bodyguard, Poindexter.


    He would enter, Poindexter would follow him in, and after an hour they would leave, all he had to do was walk up to them while they were leaving, and bang, the rest is self-explanatory.


    He glanced down at the two objects again.


    He then reached for the syringe, his hand shaking the closer he got. Stilling himself he picked it up and brought it close to his other forearm. Only the closer he got to injecting it in the more his hand and body shook.


    Flashes of the fight between him and Spider-Woman slammed into his psyche like a floodgate just opening in the forefront of his mind.


    Everything came rushing back with it, the pain, his pleading voice, his broken bones, his mangled flesh, and the pain, him healing, bones creaking, mending, and THE PAIN.


    ''STOP IT HURTS, IT ISN''T ME, STOP IT PLEAS-''


    "GAAH!.. FUCK!!...huff...huff...I can''t freaking do it...Huff..Huff..," he was panting heavily, even looking at the syringe made him feel wrong, he didn''t even realize he dropped it. He watched it rolled over by the gun.


    He stared at it almost absentmindedly, his panting calmly decreased into eerie soft and controlled breaths.


    ''Come on Peter, don''t be a pussy, Just PICK IT UP''


    His eyes darkened with a glow in the shadow of his hood like that of a predator at night, his head tilting slightly to the left, his lips thinned.


    He slowly got up and picked up the syringe, his hands strangely no longer shaking when he held it.


    He then took the gun and tucked it behind his jeans.


    ''Tonight someone will die, either him or me, tonight I kill a murderer.'' His mind made up, he placed the syringe in his draw and his made way down the stairs.


    Sadly it never occurred to Peter that not all his actions were his own, that some of his thoughts weren''t his, that the whispers that kept him up some nights weren''t nightmares.


    {Aijin-Dorment_?}


    It was the entity bound to Peter, it would grant him an array of powerful gifts, but everything came with its price. A side effect of its dormant state is that it made its hosts suicidal. All so it could bring them back, to prove its worth as their greatest and most useful tool.


    A morbid relationship born from death and a perverted sense of duty, loyalty, and care.


    But Peter would learn this later, tonight he had a murderer to kill or die trying.


    {Integration_45.7%}


    -End of Chapter-

 Chapter 5: Hypocrisy and Evolution

    -Peter in an Alley-


    Peter stood in the light rain, watching the rich and entitled walk in and out of the art gallery just a couple of meters down the path. All dressed in their expensive suits or the latest fashion trends, seemingly lost in the countless pieces of art behind glass casings with their own ''opinions'' on each art piece.


    The gun was tucked in the pocket of his hood, he had a hand tightly wrapped around the handle, with a finger already set on the trigger.


    ''7:52.''


    He took a mental note of the time after a glance at his watch. He had eight minutes to prepare himself for the next step. Surprisingly he didn''t think he would need to prepare himself any more than he already was. He was calm right now. Incredibly so for a teenager about to commit their first murder.


    The act of taking human life was supposed to make him feel disgusted, repulsed, guilty, or something, but right now he was calmer than he felt in weeks.


    ''7...6...5...4.''


    He mentally counted down the minutes until his target''s arrival.


    He feels his heart skip a beat as he noticed the car arrive, his grip around the handle of the gun tightened as he watched the murderer who killed his loved ones get out of the front seat to open Mr. Fisk''s door.


    His heart suddenly started pounding in his chest, and sweat filled his forehead, thinking about doing the deed and actually doing it were two different things.


    ''It''s now or never Peter.''


    Taking a deep breath he reminded himself as to why he was here, why this was necessary.


    Whiisssp...Crash


    "Ooofff!"


    But, just as he was about to take a step forward something wrapped itself around his waist, locking his arms to his sides and he was pulled into the dark alleyway, he felt something hit the back of his head and his vision went dark.


    The noise got the attention of Fisk''s protection detail for a moment, but they quickly shrugged it off when they noticed a stray cat rush out.


    ¡­¡­.


    -Unknown location-


    A few minutes later Peter opened his eyes to dark storm clouds, the soft raindrops hitting his face.


    ''What the fuck happened?''


    Confusion filled his mind. quickly checking his pockets.


    ''The gun, it''s gone, wait how long was I out?.''


    He glanced at his watch and was about to let out a curse when a voice startled him.


    ''8:29.''


    "You looking for this?"


    Peter turned to look at the source, realizing that he was not alone on a rooftop.


    The source of the voice was a well-built man dressed in a red armored suit with black outlines with two devil-like horns pointing out from the crown on his helmet, he had two button-like tools attached to his lift and right thigh, both having a red outline and white tips.


    His face from the nose down was uncovered, but the man''s visor from the nose up was too reflective, it matched the rest of his getup, Peter wondered if it was a special material of some sort considering how something like that would be very difficult to see under.


    The stranger held out the gun by the muzzle for Petter to see.


    After a couple of seconds of observing him, Peter pushed himself up to his feet as something clicked in his head.


    "You''re the devil of Hell''s Kitchen, always thought your some urban legend or something"


    Peter recognized him from the described sightings of him in the newspaper articles he used to read when he was a fan of spider-women, he was about to go on until he remembered why he was here. He was a superhero based in Hell''s Kitchen.


    ''I''m in Hell''s Kitchen right now, fuck, but fuck it anyway,  I don''t have the time for this, the hell did he stop me for?''


    His feelings quickly went from one of awe and curiosity to boiling anger.


    " Wait what the hell are you doing I was just about to..." He stopped himself, this was a supposed ''Superhero'' right in front of him, so he couldn''t let his intentions slip.


    " About to what kid?" The crimson-clad hero asked.


    Peter looked away from him for a moment but turned to him with renewed passion behind his eyes.


    ''There''s still time, I can make it if I rush.''


    "Nothing...It''s none of your damn business, just give my gun back" Peter demanded.


    "No" The devil of Hell''s Kitchen placed the gun behind him, his ''seen'' Peters''s expression before, at one point in his life when he was younger he was sure he once wore that very expression.


    "Look kid I know what you were trying to do, but trust me when I tell you, it''s not worth it"


    Peter let out a sarcastic huff.


    " And how exactly would you know, huh? listen to you? this has nothing to do with you, just give back my damn gun alright."


    "And what get yourself killed trying to shoot one of the most well-protected men in this city"


    That caused Peter to flinch.


    " The hell do you know, maybe I just needed the gun for protection"


    "I could hear your heartbeat from a hundred meters away kid, the way you were hunched over by the street, agitated like you were waiting for someone to arrive with your hands concealed in your pockets, the way your heartbeat picked up when Fisk''s car arrived, hell I could even smell your aggression from far, and that''s saying something, normally I''d have been a couple of matters closer to smell the pheromone people secret when they get agitated, stressed and angry but yours, smelt it from the roof, no, you and I both know you didn''t hold onto the gun for protection kid, you were there to kill someone"


    Peter was at a loss on how to reply to that.


    ''smell anger? hear his heartbeat from meters away? guess that puts the Super in super-hero huh.''


    "So what if I was! huh, that piece of shit isn''t innocent, you don''t know what he did, what his man did, the media is lying, that person is a fucking scum, you don''t understand what they did to me, the shit that they''re responsible for! look I''m only asking you this once, just give me my gun and walk away"


    Peter shouted, pleading with him, frustrated at the vigilante for stopping him while also understanding why he was being stopped.


    "I know" The man replied solemnly.


    "What?..."


    "I know what he is kid, what they do, but there is a way to do things kid, rules and laws in  place, lines we should never cross, without them, we''re no better than the bad guys, they''ll get what''s coming, but it has to be done the right way"


    "You know...YOU KNOW...Rules and Laws...hehe" Peter chuckled.


    "Go home kid, this isn''t worth i-"


    He tried to reason with the teen but was startled by a shout from him.


    "YOU THINK I DON''T KNOW THAT! Rules and Laws you said, I tried them, I''m not stupid, I went to the cops, tried collecting evidence, tried going through all the right channels, you know what they told me, ''Go home kid, it was just a shoot and run, this stuff happens all the time'', the fucking good guys didn''t believe a word I said, looked at me like some broken traumatized kid, the people they put away weren''t even the right one''s and they fucking knew that too, those asshole''s didn''t even care."


    Peter was pissed, this damn HERO was giving him a lecture on morality of all things, about what was right and what was wrong, he was judging him, what gave him the right to do that Peter thought.


    ''What gives you the fucking right to judge me.''


    "I could see it on their faces; they fucking knew it too, that''s where your precious rules and laws get you, the wrong man paying for the wrong crime, You wanna know the worst part, the fucking prick, that god damn murderer is paying for my college fund like its some damn saintly act of kindness, what kind of twisted nut does that. huh tell me, It was then that I knew, they were dirty, those cops were fucking dirty, So tell me"


    Peter, now enraged as he spat the next sentence out at the listening superhero, coming close to his face with rage-filled eyes.


    "HERO"


    " The fuck am I supposed to do when the system meant to put the bad guys behind bars is doing everything it can to make sure they stay on the streets. well, TELL MEE?"


    He raged at the red devil, who was silently listening to every word being said. He could understand where the teen was coming from but even so, what he was about to do was for the kid''s sake.


    That being said, the Devil of Hell''s Kitchen remained silent, they both knew Peter was telling the truth, hell that was the very reason for his Devil alter ego, if the law was perfect he wouldn''t need to do what he was doing right now.


    If only...


    "..."


    "hmmph...hehehaha" Peter let out a small frustrated laugh, his face had an expression on his face that no one his age should have, one that told his story to those with the experience to understand.


    The expression quickly vanished, a hard resolving look taking its place. Taking slow steps towards the hero until they were at arm''s length from each other.


    "You can''t, can you, you-you already know about them and you haven''t done anything about it, you plan to take him down the right way huh... You damn hypocrite... If you believed that you wouldn''t need that shiny red suit of yours. You know if I met you weeks ago I would have believed you, but Spider-women showed me just how far you damn heroes can go when pushed, what lines you people are willing to cross to get shit done with enough reason, so stop acting so damn righteous, You''re just one bad day away from being me... Sometimes this world doesn''t need people like you playing hero and meddling with our lives, So just give me the damn gun and walk away"


    The devil of Hell''s Kitchen let out a sigh in preparation for what was to come.


    "Sorry, can''t let you do that kid, I understand your frustration, I really do, like you wouldn''t believe, but regardless, I can''t let you do what your about to do, for both our sakes,  please go home kid."


    He once again tried reasoning with Peter.


    ''8:37 I don''t have much time left.''


    Peter let out a growl and made a grab for the gun, only to meet air and tumble onto the floor as the hero swiftly side-stepped his attempt.


    "Arrrrggg!" Peter growled, getting on his feet and going for a second attempt.


    Only to fall again.


    and again.


    and again.


    " Just give me the fucking gun!" Peter yelled in frustration as he attempted to punch the hero.


    His fist was caught, and using Peter''s own momentum and weight against him, the red devil flipped the teen on his back with a controlled tug and twist of his palm.


    "Ooofff.."


    "Stay down kid, just stop this and go home, please, I don''t wanna hurt you. You may think that you want to do this that you need to do this, but this won¡¯t help you."


    Peter pushed himself up in a huff, gasping for air, looking at the devil who didn''t even seem at all exhausted.


    " Just shut up already," Peter muttered under his breath.


    Shooting to his feet, this time forgetting the gun altogether and going in for a punch, followed by another, and another, and another, all missing the devil who bobbed and weaved and dodged each of his attempts, slapping a few of them away as if he was swatting a fly.


    "YAAAHHHH!" Peter yelled in frustration, his attempt getting more desperate, his arms now flailing wildly, trying to just get a hit on the damn elusive vigilante.


    -Ten minutes later-


    "Huff...huff...huff...huff"  Peter was on his back again for the something-eth time. He lost count, not that he was even counting, to begin with. He took a breath and pushed himself up, taking a glance at the source of his anger and frustration.


    The damned devil looked relatively calm like this was all a walk in the park to him, as if this was all just normal.


    The Devil of Hell''s Kitchen was surprised, contrary to what he thought the kid was getting faster, instead of tiring himself out. The kid got faster, his action more controlled, and his punches a little stronger.


    The kid was like him, a natural-born fighter, he kind of understood what Sticks said about some people just being born with a gift for violence.


    He stood silent and stoic, watching the panting teen get on his feet again, if anything he admired the kid''s tenacity.


    ''Superheroes...That''s so fucking unfair, at this rate I''ll run out of time, damn it, why? why? why? why? why? why? WHY? WHY? Why was this happening to me? the fuck is this world so unfair? These damn Superheroes? What the fuck was wrong with this world? Spider-woman was willing to kill me when I was-NO she did kill me, she fucking broke me down into a mesh of flesh and broken bones, and this self-righteous prick is here lecturing me on the right way when he put countless thugs in the hospital with broken bones. What the fuck is wrong with super-powered people fucking with me. I can''t fucking win at all against them. If only I was stronger, faster...FUUCK''


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Peter panted heavily as he pushed himself to his feet, bruises from getting thrown on his back over and over again riddled his body, but giving up was the last thing on his mind, he went on another punch, a right hook.


    He missed, but that didn''t deter Peter.


    He simply tried again.


    {Host has now witnessed the double standards and hypocrisy of heroes}


    {Host now understands the frustration and unfairness of facing an unbeatable foe that is a righteous hero}


    {Slot one conditions have been met}


    {Incarnation of Garou: Unsealed(Partial seal lifted);


    State: Passive(awaiting evolution)}


    The red devil''s instincts suddenly went on full alert. He swiftly dodged to the left as a fist flew past, just inches from his face faster than before, stronger too.


    Time seemed to slow as his heightened senses pick a rapid shift in Peter''s movements. He quickly lifted his left hand up in a guarded motion, meeting the back of Peter''s leg. A kick with enough force to surprise the crime fighter, making him take a few steps back while the gun slipped from his finger sliding in front of the teen.


    Peter promptly fell to his knees in front of the gun. He was done, tiered and aching and he knew it, his body was riddled with pain, the other guy must have noticed because he made no move forward to take the gun, even after Peter pulled that last hit out of by sure dumb luck.


    He used the momentum of the last punch to quickly switch to a high back kick, something that came naturally to him for some reason but left his legs and other parts of his body hurting like crazy because he just wasn''t used to moving like that despite how natural it felt, the human body can only handle so much when pushed beyond what it was accustomed to.


    "Feeling better now?" the devil asked. Rubbing his arm.


    "Even if you pick that gun up you won''t make it kid, I took us a couple of blocks away while you were out, Go, home kid, this will be the last time I ask you nicely, think about those that care about you, think about his for a minute and walk away¡­ This isn¡¯t worth it your life." The devil had a rough bruise on his left cheek, not noticeable under the lighting but it was there.


    "HeeheheahahahahHAHAHAHAAHA... sniff..hahaha..sniff" Peter out a frustrated sound that was half a laugh and half a cry, the rain hid his tears well. It''s over and Peter knew it, even if he wanted to try again, that devil would be here to stop him.


    Peter pick himself up, gun in hand, and walked forward with a defeated sigh, sniffing lightly as he whipped his eyes, he walked past the Devil of Hell''s kitchen without so much a glance in his direction, and the Devil made no move to stop.


    Peter stopped at the stairway leading down the side of the building.


    "Maybe one day you''ll lose something precious to these people, I hope you have the strength to follow the righteous way then, You god damn hypocrite." Peter all but spat as he shakily made his way down into the dark alley.


    "I hope so too kid, God knows I need it" The devil muttered, watching as Peter made his way into the streets with a limp in his step, away from the direction of the Art Gallery. He was sure that Peter wouldn''t do anything drastic.


    -40 minutes later-


    Peter walked down the out a store, following the path onto a bring, liming all the way. He stopped by the pharmacy to get something for his wounds and pain.


    He popped two pills, painkillers, in his mouth and continued his limping pace, a plastic of medication in hand.


    He was just going through the motion, he could catch the bus but decided to just take the walk home, to gather his thoughts.


    Thoughts that just left him frustrated and angry.


    Thoughts that he couldn''t grasp, thoughts he had to come to terms with.


    The only thing that kept coming back to him was just one simple question


    ''What the hell am I supposed to do now?''


    He just couldn''t think of anything.


    He was 20 minutes from his house if he took the alley on the left.


    Slowly he limped his way across the bridge, falling to notice the five thugs in front of him. All drunk and high, cracking jokes and smoking with a can in hand. Their car was parked on the sidewalk.


    "I ain''t joking man, I grabbed her by the hair and just put her down and was like aahh....ahhh yeah you like that," The one nearest to the railing of the bridge said.


    "hahaha...well daamn, dude you serious?" another laughed out asking.


    "Yeah man, the bitch was totally into it, hehehe got her dits right here "


    He replied as he held up his phone, only to drop it when Peter absent-mindedly bump into him.


    " Yo, the fuck man" The thug was quick to shove Peter into the road. His friends quickly gathered around him.


    "Watch where you fucking going, aight" he stormed over to Peter, friends in tow.


    Peter was already pissed, agitated, tiered, hurt, defeated, frustrated, and downright infuriated, his mind a mess, his emotions a mess.


    So his reaction wasn''t hard to predict. The plastic in his hands with his medical supplies fell into the snow.


    ''Can''t even get a fucking break.''


    The thug was about to grab Peter by the shirt but Peter''s fist met his face first, he flipped in the air and fell on his back without much resistance.


    "What the hell?"


    "Get him"


    "Fucking bitch"


    They rushed Peter.


    He tried to defend himself but in his current state, there was only much he could do. He got a few good hits leaving one with a nosebleed and another with a busted lip before he was beaten into the ground.


    Punches, stomps, and kicks came from everywhere.


    "Fuck you, fuck you, you fucking mother fucking bitch"


    "You mother fucker that''s for my nose"


    They continued to rain insults and attacks on him, and after a few minutes, they moved away, Peter was left bleeding and hardly recognizable, his face all messed up with blood everywhere, and his whole body was covered in pain. The first one broke the group up, turns out he was their leader.


    ''PAIN'' Flashes once again bombarded his mind, broken bones, twisted arm, torn flash, a white-gloved hand almost taking his chin off.


    "Aww, look the poor fuckers shaking, hahaha. Pick the fucker up, drag him over there" he ordered.


    Two of the thugs, bleeding nose and busted lips roughly grabbed each of his arms and dragged him to the railing of the bring roughly shoving him against it.


    Peter''s gun slipped out of his pocket and clattered onto the snow for the thugs to see.


    "Ohoho, I see now, little bitch here had a wittle pea shooter in his pants and thought he THE MAN! Hahaha," The leader laughed, his groupies laughing with him as bent down to pick the gun up.


    "Is that what you thought? huh?" he bent down and placed the gun on Peter''s head and clicked off the safety.


    Peter just stared down blankly, lost in his own mind. The pain-numbing, his ears ringing.


    ''why does this hurt so much, why am I so weak, why the hell is this happening to me?''


    "That yo ass could just do whatever the fuck you wanted to cause you had a gun" the leader chuckled.


    "Naa man, shit don''t work that way, time for the Prowler to show you how the world really works" he was about to stand back up but slipped on the wet pavement on the sidewalk.


    Bang!


    "wa-what the fuck man!?!" shouted Nosebleed.


    "shit fuck" one of the men ducked into the corner.


    "Holy fuck! the shits fucking loaded" the leader shouted.


    "you didn''t fucking check" busted lip called from his huddled position in the back.


    "Na man, any of you got hit" The leader replied.


    "No"


    "damn, all good here"


    "you missed me bitch"


    "then we goo..." The leader was about to sigh when he noticed the blood quickly filling the snow around Peter, all flowing from his stomach.


    "Yo man what the fuck you actually shot him," Busted nose said in a panicked tone, only to receive a punch to the face.


    "Fuuck.."


    "Dude we gotta go, now before the boys in blue show up"


    "Shut the fuck up, all yo asses, it was an accident aight" Their leader stated in a warning tone, moving the gun over each of them.


    They all gulped and nodded.


    "aight man, we get it, less just get the fuck outta here."


    ''IT HURTS, Why does it always come to this?''


    Peter felt a sharp pain in his stomach and saw thick blood on his hand when he tried to feel it, slowly his vision went white.


    ''No¡­ Stop it, IT HUrts, am I gonna die here, again, IT HURTS SO MUCH, just what the hell is this world so unfair, it''s like the world is out to get me. This fucking weakling shot me, they made me bleed, fuuck this scum, fuck all of this to HELL''


    As he slowly bleed out, he didn''t notice the shift in his thoughts from panic into an uncontrollable rage, nor how his lips gradually twisted into a bloodied smirk; his fist balling up, nor the excitement that overtook whatever he was feeling before.


    Something clicked in his consciousness.


    "Now help he toss the bod-"


    {Slot 1: Incarnation of Garou; State: Active}


    "hehehahahhahaahHAHAHA" Peter interrupted with a low chuckle that blew into a twisted laugh, his face was twisted into a psychotic predatory grin.


    "Can''t believe I lost to a bunch of pussies, you fucking losers" Peter''s eyes had an odd glint as he stared at the piece of shit who shot him.


    "what the fu-"


    Crack¡­Bang!¡­


    Their leader didn''t even have the time to finish, when Peter''s fist once again met his face, only this time it took out a couple of teeth, broke his nose, shattered his jaw, and launched him into the lamppost on the opposite side of the round, a crack was heard as the post bent over from the new dent in it.


    Crash!


    The next to go were nose bleed and busted lips. He simultaneously backhanded one off the bridge and grabbed the other by the face lifting him up before slamming him into the hood of the car leaving another seizable dent.


    Peter looked at the remaining two, one of them now visibly pissing his pants. Both their eyes were wide with fear.


    -thirty seconds later-


    {Slot 1: Incarnation of Garou; State: Passive}


    Peter came back to his senses after mercilessly beating the last thug within an inch of his life. His hands bleeding, but the blood was no longer his own.


    He took panting breaths and held his hands over his bullet wound, adding pressure to stop the bleeding.


    He looked at the sorry state of the thug beneath him but held no sympathy for him.


    ''One less piece of shit to walk the streets,'' his thoughts echoed.


    He slowly limped over to pick up the gun putting it into the plastic when he picked that up too.


    ''Can''t go to the hospital, don''t know how many irregularities are left in my blood from the serum...Almost home...''


    Peter limped down the street, slowly, leaning against anything he could for support.


    ''Wait, the serum, maybe I could use that, yes, that''ll work if I can, I can just go.. to go home.''


    Peter''s panting got weaker, and he slowly walked across the quiet streets.


    Trip, crash...


    He crashed into his porch, shakily reaching for the opening of the door, he didn''t lock it tonight, he didn''t see the reason to.


    He fell into the door as it swung open, getting blood all over the floor.


    It took him a lot of effort to make it up the stairs and into his room, only for him to fall again.


    ''Come on Pete... just a little more.. almost there... just a little more... almost there Pete.''


    He dragged himself with every ounce of strength he had left, his blood pooling on the floor. He made it to the desk and reached for the drawer.


    '' That''s it... almost there..yes... the syringe... yes.. got it.''


    He grabbed the serum and pushed himself against the desk, his legs sprawled out lazily in front of him, he moved the serum up to his wrist.


    "..."


    "Hahaha, fuck" Peter let out a tired, almost pitiful laugh, accepting his fight with little effort.


    His hands were shaking no matter how hard he tried to force himself he couldn''t bring himself to do the deed. The serum slipped from his hands and rolled away.


    He was left there in a pool of his own blood, his head down, eyes blank, his thoughts empty


    Just waiting to die.


    The sound of steady footsteps caused him to look up.


    His eyes widen as they came to a stop in front of him.


    "Uncle Ben..." He whispered, whizzing in pain.


    In front of him was his uncle, dressed in the same get-up he always wore, looking down on him.


    Cough!


    Blood spilled out of his lips, Peter whipped it away without breaking eye contact.


    ¡°What? Huh¡­the hell are looking¡­ huh?.¡± Peter asked.


    But his uncle''s look hurt Peter more than the pain he was feeling, something in him broke at that moment.


    "Don''t give that look...you have no right to judge me... what did you expect me to do... I went to the cops... fuck tone of help they were..." Peter tiredly went on in front of the spirit of his dead uncle.


    cough...cough...


    More blood spilled from his lips.


    "Damn it STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT... The fuck did you expect me to do huh... if you''re so disappointed in me then why didn''t you stop me huh!...that''s right you can''t... Do you know why cause your fucking died... And they-their responsible for it..." His voice getting louder, firmer, stronger the more he talked, something slowly taking root in the dying teen.


    "So you know what... FUCK YOU AND YOUR DAMN LOOK... Your dead... and Aunt May... Aunty Ma..sniff... yeah.. that''s right Fuck you...huff...you can''t stop me even if you were alive.. not anymore... so just stand there and watch me...huff...Watch me drag this asshole into the light... How far would I go if...huff... if I couldn''t fail huh... Just stand there in whatever heaven you are in and watch me fly... This time next year I''ll the... the strongest thing around...hehah..cough..ahaha...you can judge me when we meet again...haahhaha...I doubt it...I''ll be back...I have this feeling... you see .. so... just... huff.. watch ... me... fly.... cough... cough... amma take them all... out ... in ... one.....shot...."Peter last words left his body with a deep exhale of his last breath.


    {Host has the will and spirit to pursue strength immeasurable}


    {Will of Saitama: Unsealed(Partial Seal lifted)


    State: Active(Awaiting evolution)


    The spirit of his uncle bent down and distorted into an image of a woman in a purple and yellow hooded clock.


    An elegant purple shoulder pad on each shoulder, bright glowing yellow eyes focused on Peters''s form, with long dark silky black hair, pale features, with plump natural purple lips, she had an ethereal beauty not suited for a mortal woman.


    [image]


    "Usually people try their best to stay away from me, they struggle, fight, bargain, doing everything in their power to at least avoid the slightest possibility of me," she said, her tone calm and curious.


    "But you just couldn''t help yourself away could you," she slowly reached up and held his cheek in the palm of her hand.


    "I don''t blame you, what I have is to die for" she joked.


    As she did so, black particles formed around Peter. His blood slowly evaporated into black particles until there was nothing left.


    His wounds healed up at an extreme rate as the bullet in his stomach was forced out.


    "How strange, your soul is mine yet it is eternally bound to your body. You''re such a flirt aren''t you, waltzing carelessly into my domain as if it were your own...Hehehehe¡­ who would have thought," The woman giggled as she continued to stare at Peter as if he were the interesting thing in the world


    "Only to return to your body taking a minuscule piece of me with you, leaving a piece of your mortality with me, such a thief you are" Slowly she held his other cheek with her other arm.


    She moved closer, now straddling the teen.


    "I don''t mind though, this has been some of the most interesting moments in my existence, entertain me more, my little thief." She moved her closed lips just inches from his.


    "It seems we are fated to each other, I will be the last to remain after all life ends and you will be that last soul at the end of this universe. Your nature and mine complement each other"


    Death understood now, his nature and hers. Behind her, the entity that once kept her at bay hugged her tightly, its hands now only two wrapping around her waist. Its eyes closed with its head leaning on her back. Almost as if to welcome a part of it, it missed dearly.


    Death paid no mind to it, relishing in the comfort of its hug.


    They were both the same thing, two parts of the same whole.


    "While others live to perish, you perish to live, quite ironic" She gave him a soft peck on the lips.


    {Slot 3 Condition Met}


    {Ajin: Awakened(Awaiting evolution)


    State: Passive}


    "Show me how far you can fly, Peter, after all, we have an eternity together heheehahahaha" She giggled once more as both entities faded into black mist.


    {Integration 55%}


    {Commencing Evolution}


    ...


    {All conditions met-Evolution Complete}


    {Host Detail


    Name: Peter Benjamin Parker


    Species: Tri-brid; Human Mutate(Homo Supreme), Demi-Human, Abstract Entity;


    Verse: Marvel;


    Universe: Unspecified(Admin Accord Restriction);


    Variant: Unspecified(Admin Accord Restriction);


    Integration_55%


    Fragment Slot Compatibility 5;


    Slot 6-? sealed


    Linked Fragments


    Slot One


    Fragment: Quarth


    The incarnation of Garou


    State: Passive


    Ability Granted to host: Homo-Supreme


    <u>Passive State</u>


    -Host has an innate supernatural talent able to almost instantly learn hand-to-hand and martial art fightings styles he witnessed before and can instinctively utilize Garou''s fighting prowess that is limited to his physical capabilities


    -His instincts are refined the more he exerts himself through combat experience and his physical body will continue to evolve the more damage he takes in a fight with his Upper limit being a Unknown.


    <u>Active State</u>


    -Garou''s personality traits will slowly influence and merge with the host and may over-right the host and take over in moments of extreme physical stress or when he feels intense fear against an unbeatable foe


    Slot Two:


    Fragment Variant: Quarth


    Will of Saitama


    State: Passive


    Abilities granted to Host: Homo-Supreme


    <u>Passive State</u>


    -Host is now compelled to complete Saitama''s Training regimen for complete activation for a specified number of years


    -The stronger the host gets the more he loses touch with his humanity


    -There is no upper limit to the host''s increase in physical strength, speed, stamina, and so on


    -Perfect Strength adjustment allow the host to adjust his growing strength to one of his opponents


    -Dampened emotions


    <u>Active State</u>


    -Condition- Completion of Saitama''s Training regiment


    -Host gains a supernatural boost in strength but has little control over it, activates under intense physical stress


    condition met: have slots filled by variants from the same world


    Bonus Slot active


    Side effect gained: The Cruelty of Mercy


    Due to the nature of Garou, Sataima, and the host, the host Peter Parker is now incapable of causing too much harm to any individual he deems innocent and is unable to kill human opponents though in this way he can brutally beat them to the point of death ensuring their survival, however, anything he doesn''t consider human he can kill.


    Slot 3


    Fragment Variant: Darth23423*


    Ajin


    State: Passive (Self-Aware)


    Ability Granted to host:


    Passive state


    -Ajin is in a form of hibernation but is still aware of the host''s actions


    -Activates upon host death and grants the host immortality through death


    -Grants the host usage of its bandages which are stronger and more durable than most materials on earth with no limit to how long they can go


    -Given the nature of the entity its invisible to most as are its bandages how ever should Peter choose they can become visible


    -In order to see the entity one must have experienced death in the past


    Active State


    -The entity manifests into the real world as a bipedal female covered in shadow matter with various arms wrapped in bandages and an array of bandages that act according to its will


    -The entity may seek to protect the host in its own way because it acts out the host''s subconscious desire.


    Slot 4


    Fragment: Darth23423*


    Kagune-Altered(Dormant)


    State: Dormant


    Activation condition - User must consume human blood that''s not his own


    Ability Granted to host:


    -Host is still a human but possesses a Kagune Rinkaku at the base of his spine and once activated will actively seek to consume blood instead of human flesh


    Slot 5 compatibility reached


    Multi-Fandom Power Package Up-link Generated


    Link Forged


    Slot Five:


    Fragment Variant: MisfortunateBloke2334


    Host: Kamijou Toma


    Fable: On-going


    Fandom: Anime/Manga


    World: A Certain Verse


    Universe: Unspecified


    State: Passive


    Ability Granted to host: Imagine Breaker(Altered State)


    <u>Passive State</u>


    -Grants the host the ability to cancel out any phenomenon considered supernatural by the average human though it is restricted to his arms and anything they come in physical contact with, but this effect varies depending on the state and nature of the object itself.


    -Has a field of thirty centimeters around the host that has this effect but only works with abilities below a certain threshold


    -This ability is powered by the unconscious desire of all of humanity to return to a time when everything is normal


    <u>Active State</u>


    -Create¡¯s a zone around him that cancels out any supernatural phenomenon, turning everything back into what it would be if the world was normal


    - The Radius of the zone varies in size, depending on the host¡¯s desire, however, this active state can only last as long as the host has the mental fortitude to handle the subconscious desire of all of humanity, which will influence the host¡¯s very being.


    Fable Fusion Protocol- Phase 2 Complete


    Evolution complete


    Physical State: Stable


    Mental State: Stable


    Emotional State: Stable


    }


    -End of Chapter-

 Chapter 6: Meeting

    -Location Unknown-


    Peter woke up to a white void, his mind was blank like he was drowning. Rather than waking up, he would describe the sensation as a sudden awareness of his surroundings.


    ''Where am I? What is this? I feel so heavy....''


    He couldn''t feel his body, couldn''t feel anything for a moment.


    Then all he saw was white, not the color, but just the idea of the color white. How he knew that he wasn''t sure, it was a feeling. As if this place looked ''white'' because Peter knew that this place was white in color.


    ''What is that?.''


    He then became aware of something moving at the edges of the blank white space, something large, carefully moving around the white space, treating the white space like a ball of air surrounded by an ocean of black and this large, shapeless thing was swimming around it, being very cautious not to pop it.


    {Salutations, Host}


    A plethora of ideas, concepts, and images streamed into Peter''s thoughts.


    It took a few moments for Peter to gather himself after his mind settled and even longer to come to terms with what he understood.


    Something was greeting him, except it was so much more than a greeting. The greeting conveyed everything, intent, reason, explanation, image, scent, sound, taste, feeling, everything.


    ''wow....''


    He was in his own mind, a subconscious space where IT resided. That''s why he didn''t need a body to feel, nose to smell, eyes to see, or ears to hear, here he was just aware of everything around him to a near omnipotent degree. It was both terrifying and liberating, to know everything about everything around him.


    He was invited here to talk with it, to name it, but he would have no memory of this when he leaves here, only an innate understanding, a feeling that something was right like it was supposed to happen this way.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    It saved him and brought him back to life, they were one now. Peter didn''t know what it was, and it would not tell him yet, he wasn''t ready. They weren''t complete yet, only halfway there, that was what he understood. But IT would explain enough.


    ''Hello.''


    Peter wondered why he wasn''t feeling anything right now, his reaction to something like this should have been a little more, well, more.


    {Fusion Fable Phase 2 complete}


    It happened again, the information poured into his thoughts. This time Peter understood it almost instantly.


    The reason he didn''t feel anything was simply that right now he was conversing with something that was already a part of him, like talking to yourself, in your head, only this time, you and that voice had understood each other to the point where your emotions were in perfect harmony.


    The short five-word statement conveyed everything it wanted to tell Peter.


    It was not from this world, and it was one of many, all of its kind were part of a piece, a fragment of something else, something that transcended beyond anything in this universe, or multi-verse.


    It called this place the Marvel Universe.


    Its kind would travel into unknown universes and merge with hosts, forming a link to a library of sorts that existed in a dimension above all others, where they would store everything their host experienced in real-time from whatever universe they reside in, creating an exact replica of said universe.


    But over time the fragments formed a link to each other, and through it they would share resources, granting hosts abilities from other universes that other fragments existed in.


    Now he was in possession of such abilities, and now he had a basic understanding of how to use them. He didn''t know why the fragments were doing this, who made them, why it chose him and had a thousand other questions to ask.


    He didn''t though, he couldn''t, because they understood each other now, words couldn''t explain it, words weren''t needed. In time, when they were complete, he would know, and he would remember all of this, for now, he wasn''t ready yet.


    Although he realized that doing so would take him maybe years or longer to reach this completed stage. He didn''t mind, they understood each other and he knew that he had all the time in the world. He kind of felt sorry for himself knowing what he would have to deal with, after waking up and forgetting about everything he learned here.


    But apparently, it was necessary for the process, whatever that was, he would know, later, when he was ready.


    So...


    For now, all he needed to do was name his fragment, that was all that was left to begin stage three. After which he would wake up with, luckily, a basic almost instinctual knowledge and understanding of the abilities he possessed and how they worked.


    However, using them and improving them was something he had to do on his own.


    ''So you need a name then?.''


    {Acceptance}


    Once more, information streamed into him.


    ''alright, alright, jeez, I will never get used to that, so a name, how about....''


    -Chapter end-

 Chapter 7: Powers and Plans

    -???-


    {Host, Peter has accepted}


    {??? is now a named fragment}


    {Fable Fusion Protocol_Phase 3 initiated}


    {Intergration Reset_New Parameters Accepted}


    {Intergration 32%}


    {New Parameters Added}


    {Slot Class Added}


    {Slot Growth Added}


    {Slot Tire Added}


    {Slot Trait Added}


    {All Abilities Re-evaluated_New Parameters Set}


    {Fragment Identity Established


    Fragment Tire: Beyonder_Zenith+


    Fragment Type: Progenitor


    Fragement Class: Origin}


    {Fable Fusion Protocol_Phase 3 Initiation Complete}


    ...


    -Peter at home-


    "Huff...Huff...Huff...Huff"


    Peter was lying on his back in the front yard of his house. He just finished a ten-kilometer run around the block, after which he did a hundred sit-ups, hundred push-ups, and a hundred squats and by God, it hurt like hell.


    Right now it even hurts to breathe


    His muscles burned, his joints ached, and he was sweating from everywhere and exhausted to the bone.


    Not to mention the pain in his stomach and lungs and the increasing feeling he had in his stomach to just hurl out the contents of his stomach.


    But this was all natural.


    He couldn''t explain it, like a compulsion that was beyond his control, he just had to do this.


    It also helped him gather his thoughts and think about the recent developments in his now fucked up life.


    The development had something to do with his new ''abilities''.


    That''s right he had powers now.


    He woke with a weird feeling this morning, a recurring thought like something was right with him at that moment.


    It took him a while to get used to it, the fact that he now had abilities and that for some reason he just naturally knew what they were and how to use them.


    He was alive because he was immortal now. He had something that was bound to him, an entity that would never let him die.


    Said entity also may have warped his thoughts in his messed-up state weeks ago. But now there was no need for that anymore since it got what it wanted and Peter was aware of it


    ''Ajin.''


    That is what it was called, he theorized that his newfound knowledge of how these abilities worked or something was just a side-effect of having this ability. Maybe this was just how those ''Mutant'' abilities functioned, that''s probably how they knew what they could do when they developed their powers.


    He knew that there were people out there who could do fantastical things, abilities that made them akin to Gods rather than humans. Mutant is the name that the media and general public called them.


    Out of Most super-powered groups, among the strange and the natural they were by far the most popular and most likely answer to where his powers came from.


    The government had it out for them, calling them abominations and a curse on humankind.


    The media didn''t help, and the Mutants increasing occurrence made things worse for them as their abilities tend to get dangerous and out of control when they first activate it.


    They differed from Meta-Humans as they got their abilities through natural means, meaning they are humans who developed their abilities naturally and always had the capacity to develop these abilities since birth, while Meta-Humans got their powers through various other superficial, accidental, or supernatural means.


    There were rumors going around the internet, videos, blogs, and websites about a superhero team of mutants called the X-man or something that helped mutants everywhere and took care of mutant villains.


    He read up on them when there were public debates about whether Spider-Woman was one of them, a Mutant or a Meta-Human.


    To sum it up, his lizard serum made him a Meta-human, but his current abilities made him a Mutant, or something greater, at least that was the feeling he had about it like he was just a level above mutants.


    He also credited his unnaturally calm, logical, and accepting state to his abilities.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Turns out his emotions were dampened, it was a trait of sorts of one of his abilities, which explained his lack of reaction to his current situation.


    This helped keep him in a calm and rational state, this way he could properly think about things.


    It was also a double-edged sword, since if his emotional and mental state went past a certain threshold, he''d be prone to violent, brash, and suicidal tendencies. Especially if he ever got into a fight against something or someone stronger than him, He knew that he would challenge whatever it was until he was the one left standing.


    That was part of his nature now, he had this hunger for battle, this urge to fight, to grow stronger and experience battle with his fists, his body, his very being. So he could put everything back to how it was. Or something along that line of thought.


    He got excited just thinking about it.


    But Peter figured that he would eventually run across a villain or something like that, the world was changing and they were a tone of them out there, more popping up every other day.


    He knew he could take on some things, he also had the power to cancel out supernatural phenomena now.


    How effective it was depended entirely on whatever it was that he was canceling out, but it only canceled it out and nothing more. He would have to use it to better figure out how it worked since just having the knowledge of how it works can only do so much for him.


    He realized that he could get stronger with enough effort, how strong he would get he wasn''t sure yet, but he would love to find out.


    He figured out what he could do now.


    He had hours to ponder on it. He had a better plan now, since his mind was clearer than ever, without his Ajin twisting his thoughts.


    What he wanted to do before was stupid, he realized that with his new powers, he could just walk into wherever Poindexter was and kill him, kill all of them.


    No one could stop him, he was immortal after all, but then he would be no better than those other killers out there with powers.


    No, he had to be smart about this, he would kill them, that was a fact, those people took something precious from Peter, he didn''t see them as human anymore, just the scum of society that he needed to clean up.


    But before that, he would make their life hell, to do that he needed resources, money, and a suit.


    He planned to wear a normal stylized urban ninja-type outfit and wrap himself in the bandages his Ajin granted him for an extra layer of protection, mobility, and aesthetics.


    He would use the bandages like how Spider-Woman used her webs.


    Yeah, he would play the hero, of sorts, no, something more like an anti-hero, he couldn''t picture himself leaving those thugs off with a little punch, not at all, he''d leave them with broken bones and twisted limbs.


    If they could carry around loaded guns that could take life with a single pull of a trigger, do whatever they wanted, and move on with a smile, then they should be more than happy to take a beating too.


    If they were capable of killing others then they should be capable of handling themselves when subjected to a little violence.


    And seeing as he needed resources and a base of operations, why not just steal from criminals, It''s not like the cops would care if some drug dealer or weapons dealer''s cash went missing after some no-named superhero beat them down.


    Yeah, he could do that, he would spend the next month preparing, learning all he could about the criminals in this city. How they operated, who they were, and where they were.


    School starts in a few weeks so he had a month and a half to prepare.


    He needed to train, his powers would help him in a fight but he needed to learn how to actually fight. He was sure he only needed a few weeks to learn some martial arts and build on that to develop his own way of fighting.


    He pushed himself up into a sitting position after a long couple of minutes of taking repeated deep breaths. He rummaged in his left pocket to pull out the ad he found stamped on one of the notice boards near one of the parks close to home.


    "Martial Arts and Self-Defence Training with Sensei Colleen Wing, this could work" He read aloud, uncrumpling the folded paper in his hands. There was a picture of the Yin-Yang signs with two martial artists in a high kick position, with the words he read in large black fonts.


    It had the contact details written out at the bottom along with their address.


    ''This could work.'' Peter thought to himself.


    ''This could really work.''


    Peter pushed himself to his feet for a stretch. His body ached with every movement.


    After he learned all he needed to he would target the criminal operations with connections to Wilson Fisk. And just to avoid suspicion he would play hero every now and then, to build a reputation as some dark defender that Punished criminals but helped people.


    While slowly rooting out and destroying all of Fisk''s operations, dragging them into the light, he was sure eventually he would meet Poindexter and give them what was coming to them.


    But for now, he had to plan and prepare.


    Peter finished his stretch and made his way into his house to prepare breakfast and his visit to Aunt May, he felt guilty that he hadn''t been there for a while with everything that was happening.


    He had to go buy some flowers too.


    No to mention his appointment with his therapist.


    After that, he would check out Colleen Wings Martial Art Dojo.


    ''Yeah, it''s all coming together now. All I need is time and preparation, and money, a lot of money, a superhero gotta have a hideout and all.''


    He had to plan this out now as he made his way in he made a mental note of what he learned about his powers.


    ''Supernatural fighting instincts, abnormal strength increase, and growth, enhanced senses, immortality through death, the manifestation of an abstract entity, and the manifestation and usage of bandages, incredibly durable bandages with no set limit to the length and number of manifestations, also the increasing urge to drink blood, not my blood though, but I think amma keep that one under control, for now, don''t know where that one would lead to. Now I can cancel out supernatural phenomenons too...''


    He would try to learn as much as he would about his powers in the next month. The urge to drink blood was getting stronger though, and normal food was starting to taste odd and stale now.


    He stopped for a hotdog on his run, only it didn''t taste like a hotdog.


    Maybe they were connected somehow, that ever-present feeling that they were was still there. He trusted it since it was yet to be proven wrong when his powers were in question.


    He made his way into his home for his much-needed shower, his thoughts clouded with his abilities.


    .....


    -Location unknown-


    Sitting on a balcony and busking under the glow of the morning sun was a well-dressed bald man.


    The man was seemingly lost in his thoughts as he stared out into the evergreen yard surrounding his balcony.


    Something happened last night, something he didn''t understand yet it was a feeling he was far too familiar with, he checked with Cerebro, but he couldn''t find the source, just a location.


    ''New York City.'' He thought to himself.


    It appeared like a beacon to his psychic senses, but only for a moment, and then subsequently vanished without a trace as quickly as it appeared, like a lightning strike or a flash of light.


    Something was out there, something new, he could detect mutants within a small radius of himself, but this particular one basically assaulted his senses.


    This was a mutant, he was sure of that, but one of a different kind, and he had to find this mutant before others did. Others with unsavory intentions or worse.


    As a foremost expert in his field, he was .'' with mutants and how they felt to him, as well as their different levels of power.


    After putting some thought into it he came to a conclusion about why it all felt so odd, this new mutant, was different than the average mutant. Whatever the reason that maybe he was curious to find out.


    He was not the only one to sense this new mutant. He had to prepare the team before it was too late. Before others discover this one.


    "Professor" A soft feminine voice interrupted his train of thought.


    "ah, Miss Grey" The Professor replied.


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 8: Baby Steps Part 1

    -Somewhere in New York City-


    Peter was walking down on the busy sidewalk to the address of Colleen Wing''s Dojo printed on the flyer''s.


    The streets were bustling with activity and an abundance of sounds, an ambiance unique to the streets of the city that never sleeps filled his ears.


    All of it faded into a mass of background noise to the absent-minded teen in his relaxing stride, his mind filtering out all the sounds to make room for more pressing matters.


    He just finished his appointment with his therapist and decided to come to visit the Dojo first before going to visit his Aunt. He figured after he finished up here he could go by a flower shop to get something for Aunt May''s room before heading up to visit her.


    ''Yeah, your so full of shit Pete.'' a voice in his head whispered to him.


    "sigh..." He let out a tired sigh.


    He wanted to go visit his Aunt, he had to, he needed to, but after regaining himself after his idiotic attempt at revenge he felt that he didn''t deserve to. That he no longer had the right to just walk into her room and talk to her like he did nothing wrong.


    The memory of Uncle Ben''s gaze was burned into his mind. He imagined himself visiting her with Uncle Ben''s ghost standing over him, judging him for his actions. With his disappointed scowl and soft fatherly gaze, he couldn''t bring himself to stand near Aunt May with that thought.


    He was ashamed of himself, he died, TWICE, if it wasn''t for his Ajin he was damn sure he would have left Aunt May and Uncle Ben heartbroken and mournful, even miserable, over his death at the hands of Spider-Women. That''s not including his suicidal actions after his first death.


    If it wasn''t for that Devil who stopped him, he would have died, and now with the knowledge that he is immortal, he was sure he would be laid out on a dissection table somewhere. Experimented on and who knows what else by the government for his powers. People would give anything for immortality, after all, so he could try to imagine what they''d do to him to attain it.


    He was confident that his imagination ran short of what humanity was capable of for the sake of life everlasting.


    After his session with his therapist, he was given a simple task, to ask himself who he was helping with his actions. Who would benefit from the little things he was doing, is it either him or someone he cared about, someone he loved?


    His discussion with his therapist usually lasted an hour, usually, she would start by asking Peter how he was feeling, What he''s done in the days past, or if anything was wrong with his current day-to-day life and they would branch out from there.


    Today''s session actually went into a topic on grief and the self-destructive tendencies brought about in people with survivor''s guilt. Something Peter made abundantly clear that he didn''t have, but later acknowledged that he had some form of guilt that was eating him up inside, even with his new powers keeping his feeling in check.


    So his therapist suggested the question.


    "Ask yourself, Peter, whenever you feel like doing something you know you''ll regret, ask yourself whether it''s helping you or anyone you care about, and if the answer is no then ask yourself why that is. Eventually, I am certain that you will come to an answer that will help you make the best decisions. People often overlook simple reasoning when they''re driven by intense emotions so it helps to have a little moment to think things over, a second or 2 to think things over could change your life, we''ll never know unless we try"


    Those words resonated with him minutes after he left her with the conclusion of their session, and he couldn''t help but go over everything he had done in the past few weeks, and what he was going to do.


    Asking himself over and over again.


    He came to the conclusion that he fucked up, fucked up good.


    He couldn''t blame his Ajin for his actions because whatever thoughts it brought out during its dormant state were just amplified versions of thoughts that were already there, to begin with, hence everything thing he did in the past weeks was all just him to some extent.


    He died again, if he didn''t have his abilities then he would have left Aunt May alone, she would have woken up alone to face a world without him or Uncle Ben.


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    Alone, she would be alone without a single person left in the world to take care of her.


    That thought drove Peter to pause in his steps.


    "Goddamn it Peter, You''re a piece of shit, your a screw-up and you know it...urrg" Peter whispered to himself. His hands were up, palming his face as he grunted in frustration at the utter lack of care and disregard for the life of the only person in the world that loved him, who took care of him.


    His only living family member and he was gonna leave them alone because he wanted to kill their killer.


    ''Can''t believe I did that, what the hell was I thinking, really really stupid, that was really fucking stupid Pete, how could I be so reckless.'' he internally berated himself.


    He felt ashamed, guilty, stupid and so much more.


    ''This can''t happen again, no this won''t happen again.'' He promised himself.


    He would go on with what he planned to, he came too far to stop now and he didn''t want to stop, but from now on he will always put his Aunt first, he would visit or as often as he could, and make damn sure she was ok, maybe even find a way to wake her up.


    ''From now on everything will be different, I''ve got powers now so too, yeah everything will be different.'' his thoughts resounded.


    He won''t recklessly throw himself into some suicidal act of revenge, no he''ll plan, he''ll gather resources, he''ll prepare and do everything as efficiently as possible.


    He''d follow his plan, create a social life, get a part-time job, and create the illusion of a normal teenager, while systemically taking down gangs and criminals, prioritizing those affiliated with Fisk. Not forgetting some acts of heroism to build a rep and some street cred, you''d never know when things like that came in handy.


    But through all that he would always put Aunt May first, he had a duty of care, and he would see it through, he didn''t have the power to protect them before but now he did, now he had the power to protect everyone he cared about.


    And God have mercy and the poor piece of shit who tried to take them from him again, cause he sure as hell won''t. No, he''ll hand them a one-way ticket to see God.


    ''This time, no one''s gonna take anyone away from me, NO ONE.'' He thought resolutely.


    "Hey buddy you alright there?" a gruff voice broke him from his thoughts.


    "huh...What?" Peter asked blinking in surprise, as he turned to the source of the voice, only now noticing that in his moment of frustration, he didn''t notice that he took a sit on the sidewalk, leaning against a fire hydrant.


    "I asked if you were alright, you look a little lost there," the man said, he was roughly dressed, had torn shoes and a worn-out trench coat, had an unshaven beard, unkempt brown hair, and looked like he hadn''t had a good bath in weeks, Peter could smell him. He was a homeless bum from the looks of it.


    The trolley he was resting his elbows on told him that much.


    But his eyes were kind and had a hint of concern for him a boy he never met before. It was oddly pleasant for Peter, left him feeling hopeful and happy for some reason, to know that there were people who cared simply because they could, despite having nothing themselves.


    "ah...yeah, yeah, I''m alright, just needed to gather my thoughts, that''s all" Peter dusted himself and got to his feet as he answered.


    "Okay, whatever you say, man, listen if looking for somewhere to crash the shelter down at 4th avenue, by the subway, they handing out free meals." The man suggested having thought that Peter was a runaway or something along that line, coming to his own conclusion after getting a good look at Peter.


    Johnny was a war vat and he noticed that Peter''s eyes held something behind them that didn''t belong to a child his age, no those were the eyes of someone who had experienced death to some degree. He was no stranger to taking lives and had his fair share of close call''s before, so he knew a kindred spirit when he saw one.


    "Thanks, I guess, but I''m good" Peter replied with a refreshed smile.


    "Alright then, whatever man, just take care of yourself alright, Here is one for the road, name''s John by the way, I sleep just around the corner, stop by if you ever need anything," The man told Peter, he handed Peter a bottle of orange juice and after he said his piece he simply pushed his trolley down the road and resumed his stroll as if nothing happened.


    Leaving a dumbfounded Peter in his wake, looking at his hands at the orange juice in silent contemplation.


    It''s funny how much a small random act of kindness could affect a person on a fundamentally profound level.


    .¡­¡­¡­.


    -Some 20 minutes later-


    Peter stood in front of a door to Colleen Wing''s Dojo.


    It took a while to find this place. He tried the door and found that it was open so he made his way inside. It looked like a standard Dojo with open windows located diagonally to the door, and four wooden rectangular support beams lined up in the middle of the room. Some Japanese kanjis were carved onto wooden boards hanging decoratively around the room while a number of shinais were on racks against walls around the corners on one side with a traditional katana with a white handle and sheath in the middle. On the opposite side was a row of shoe racks and coat and bag hangers.


    Sweeping around the room with a broom was an attractive young woman of Asian descent either in her mid or late twenties; she wore a light grey hoody, a white sports bra, and grey sweatpants to match her hoody.


    "Hello, Miss Wing?" Peter asked.


    "Yes? Are you here for the support group meeting?" Colleen replied with her own questions when she noticed Peter standing across the room.


    "...''''


    "My name is Peter, Peter Parker, and I''m here for the self-defense class " Peter deadpanned.


    "Right, just sign your name in here, we have classes from three to five in the afternoons on weekdays and eight to eleven on Saturdays." Colleen picked up a piece of paper and handed it to Peter.


    "Rates are on there too, You can pay now or pay after class, and its sensei Wing to my students"


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 9: Baby Steps Part 2

    One and a half-Months Later


    -Unknown Location-


    Colleen Wing made her way through the noisy crowd. Shouts and cheers filled the area over loud music, while flood lights shone onto a changed ring, as a large group gathered it shouting profanities and cheers into the blood-stained floor of the ring.


    Within the ring were two muscular fighters, one straddling the other, beating him into the ground without a hint of mercy, his hands covered in his opponent''s blood, his expression filled with bloodlust and glee.


    This was the illegal fight arena, where fighters could beat the ever-loving shit out of each other for lots of cash. Aside from not killing your opponent, no other rules applied in the ring, as long as there were alive in the end, anything goes.


    You automatically lose if your opponent dies.


    Colleen had her head down with her bandaged hands tucked in her white hooded pocket. She whore matching white track pants and shoes with a white mask covering he lower face.


    She made her way across the crowd to the participant''s corner, this wasn''t her first time here, she was somewhat of a celebrity in this part''s for her skills, deadly efficiency, and brutality in despatching her opponents.


    Her stride was one of purpose and focus, a predator prowling the night, most of the other fighters made way as she made her way into her corner.


    Her mind on the other hand was preoccupied with one person.


    Peter Parker...


    She was thinking about how she would go about recruiting him.


    The kid was a natural-born martial genius, he picked up every lesson she taught him faster than any student she had before, what was more impressive was that it was all on his first try.


    Her lessons were based on every student''s individual skills and learning rate, the faster some students learned the more advanced the lessons got for them, while others would remain where they were until they reached higher levels of skill.  That way the more advanced students could be recruited into their organization at a faster rate to further improve their skills.


    Peter Parker was a beast in terms of skill and growth rate, he shot past her other students faster than she thought possible, he won almost every spar against her students from the day he arrived, and would integrate everything he learned from her into his practice spars, improving, refining, and adding on them in real-time. The boy had an unnatural instinct for the art of fighting, it was to the point where after the first three weeks even she was forced to adapt and improve herself when they were sparing now.


    During the first two weeks, she was always the victor of their bouts, but she did notice his unnatural growth rate on the third day during the sparing sessions when she almost lost to him.


    She had her suspicions about him, his knuckles had bruises and swelling that someone only got from actual fights, and he also had bruises on his body and face which alluded to real fist fights and the experienced demeanor he portrayed after some weeks in.


    He had real combat experience.


    He was taking part in illegal fight clubs similar to her was the conclusion she came to, one she confirmed after a few conversations with him, she made sure to leave no hints that she was also taking part in similar activities, or that she was onto him too.


    But his rapid growth however was a wonder to witness.


    It was almost as if he was regaining skills he already had rather than learning new skills, as crazy as that sounded, she had no other way to describe it.


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    By the second week, he never lost again, not to the other students much to their ire, he only sparred with her since,  but after a few days; even with her level of skill, it was either a stalemate or a draw, and by the fourth week it was fifty-fifty between the two of them, he''d win some or she''d win some, even her superiors took notice of him which was an impressive achievement, given the fact that Peter was only here for less than a month.


    She wasn''t sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing when she received the order to recruit him yesterday.


    Only time would tell...


    She was given a file on him, and from what she read, he was the perfect candidate for recruitment. No living family, no attachments, and his only other living relative was in the hospital in a coma, something that could be used as leverage for his recruitment.


    He had skills in spades and took part in illegal fight clubs to pay for his bills which meant real combat experience, that also meant the law meant little to him and he watched his uncle die from a shoot-and-run so he was no stranger to death.


    His attitude and behavior added to his appeal, he was a loner that didn''t take part in anything he didn''t need to during lessons, he had little to no friends and made no attempt to make any during his time at the dojo. Always the first to arrive and the first to leave if nothing was required of him; always focused on tasks and lessons without any distractions or deviations from his given tasks.


    ¡®Yeah he''d make the perfect new recruit.¡¯ she thought to herself.


    A flash of light took her attention as she glanced back into the ring. A loud wild cheer followed as a fighter made his way out of the ring, the metal gates opening him with some man dragging his beaten and bleeding opponent out on the opposite end.


    "Alright, alright, alright let me hear SOME NOOOOIIIiSSSEEE!" a well-dressed man in a sharp suit and cowboy hat shouted into a loud hailer in his hand as he walked into the center of the ring.


    "I CAN''T HEAR YOU COOMME ON ARE YOU HERE FOR A FIGHT OR YOU HERE TO SLEEP" he shouted


    The crowd grew louder at his words.


    "YEEAAAH, that''s what I''m talking bout" his voice echoed in encouragement to their shouts.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, don''t we have a treat for you tonight, let me tell ya, these next two fighters a fucking BEEAASTS. So count your cash and place yo bets for the final fight of the night" he continued the crowd getting giddy and shaking the edges of the fenced ring.


    "And ya''ll know we save the best for last, ya''ll just now it hehehe " he chuckled excitedly.


    Collen checked her wrapped hand one last time and pulled her white face mask up tighter, and cracked her neck walking up to the gate.


    "Tonight is the night for two undefeated fighters to go at each other, on yo left is a reining queen and on yo right is an undefeated rising king, tonight is a fight of champions, So Let''s get this party started!" he pressed the siren on the hailer signaling the start of the next fight.


    "On yo left we have the undefeated femme fatale in white, the sexy beast that leaves men and women bleeding on the floor with more than just a broken heart, if you know what I mean, those bones don''t beak themselves, hehehe.." He joked, with the crowd laughing along with him.


    One of the men standing guard opened the gates for Colleen and she made her way inside with a calm stride and a deep breath, siking herself for the coming fight.


    "Ladies and gents I give you, our final fighter, The champion of the ring, The Daughter of the DRAGOOON" He shouted, the crowd getting even wilder at his announcement.


    "Now, now hold your horses, we just getting started" He waved his hands for the crowd to tone it down after a few seconds.


    "Let me introduce you to our challenger, this is his first time on the big stage after all, but let me promise you he won''t disappoint, and don''t let his size fool ya''ll, this one''s a menace, on yo right, I present to you, the brutal underdog, our undefeated challenger, the savage from the west who leaves only blood and gore in his wake, the BLAACK WOOLLLF! AAAAAAAHOOOOOOO!" he announced as the opposite gates opened up and another fighter made his way to the right, over the loud cheering of the crowd and the noise shaking of the fence around the blood-stained ring.


    His head was down, his face hidden by the shadow of a hoody and he was dressed in all black, a contrast to her all-white attire. He had black cargo pants. a black hoody and black bandage wrapped around his hands complete with a black masked cloth coving his lower face and matching black sneakers.


    [Image]


    A silver wolf insignia was printed on the back of his hoody, and one of a large spider in the same color was on his front covering his entire chest area. Much like her, he walked in calmly and stretched his arms up, looking at her with a focused gaze, attempting to gauge her strength.


    Colleen also had a similar approach, she could feel it, she had to be careful with this one, her instincts were never wrong.


    They both stood silently at their corners and waited for the well-dressed man to announce the start of the fight.


    "Oh, oh my, can ya''ll just feel that tension, YEAH, now that''s what I''m talking bout. So let''s get this show on the road." The announcer made his way out of the ring as the two fighters circled each other.


    The gate was closed as he once more clicked the siren to signal the start of the fight.


    The two fighters rushed at each other instantly.


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 10: Fights and more fights Part 1

    -Colleen Wing at Unknown Location-


    It was around midnight.


    A large crowd gathered around a caged ring, its floor covered in blood stains, some still wet and fresh, panting it with a deep crimson, blood-spatter from the ring''s previous occupants.


    This mattered little to the crowd.


    Loud music was blaring as they shouted at the top of their lungs, pushing and shoving against each other in support or opposition of the two individuals who now occupied the caged ring.


    They were dressed in contrasting colors, one in white, the other in black, coincidently hinting at their nature as enemies of each other.


    At least at that moment in time.


    They were both skilled fighters and it was them that all these people came to watch, with bated breath, beaming with excitement, frenzy, and a hint of blood lust.


    A dark glee was written all over their faces, exposing their love for this gruesome blood sport. A sport where two fighters were put in the cage to fight until only one stands victorious.


    Morbid entertainment in its purest form, like the gladiators of old, only without the killing.


    The two fighters danced around each other, exchanging a barrage of strikes, jabs, and kicks. Each one dodges, weaving, blocking, or batting the other attack away trying to score a hit.


    Both of them to fast for the crowd to follow, but that didn''t stop them from shouting at the top of their lungs, edging the two to tear each other apart.


    "wohhooooo! FUUUCK HIM UP, QUEEN!"


    "DRAGOON! DRAGOON! DRAGOON!"


    "Beat the shit outta THE BITCH WOLF! I got a HUNDRED BUCKS ON YAR ASS!"


    "YEESAAAA-"


    The onlookers got wild as those two assaulted each other.


    They paid no mind to the noise, lost in their lethal dance. Trying to get a better grasp of each other skills and fighting techniques while holding back less and less as the fight went on, viciously prying at each other.


    Whip!


    Thwack!


    Colleen blocks a well-placed roundhouse kick to her chest with a cross guard, grunting at the strength behind it as she slips back for her own spinning jump kick.


    whip!


    Prompting her opponent to lean back into a back flip and switch into a defensive stance.


    Colleen mirrored his actions.


    Both her arms were brought close up in a guarded pose; her left foot lightly parted, her left arm partly extended, and her right arm held close to her body with her fists open near her chin.


    She had to be careful with this one, her instincts were spot on, this didn''t seem like some amateur muscled-up fighter in the ring for a quick cash grab, nor was he an experienced skilled fighter, cocky and overconfident against a female opponent.


    This guy was a crouching tiger, a growing one, he adapted to and mirrored her actions, almost like he was mimicking her, learning from every strike.


    She went in for a straight left hook, he was slightly taller, so he had the greater reach advantage, only for her quickly reel her head to the right for his slightly faster-left hook.


    Again, like he was mimicking her, she became slightly enraged at that thought.


    But regardless, he was still a little green against a skilled fighter, she grabbed his arm by the elbow pulling him in, slipping into his guar, harshly twisting it while simultaneously landing a hard hook to his cheek.


    ''Break his guard, exposed face.'' Her thoughts echoed.


    Smack!


    He stumbled back slightly stunned and disoriented, his guard slipping.


    She followed through with little hesitation. Grabbing his collar and pulling him in for a vicious head but.


    Smack! Crack!


    He grunted, and she heard his nose crack but she didn''t let up, quit the opposite, she became even more fierce.


    "Arggk!" Her opponent choked, reflexively reaching for his throat.


    A quick strike to his windpipe, had him choking momentarily. She was consistent, and deadly, with every following strike.


    Smack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!


    A quick heavy hit at his solar plexus to paralyzes his diaphragm worsening his ability to breathe.


    With a few controlled body shots, aimed just below his flowing rib, she went for his liver, hitting hard enough to hopefully get his vagus nerve.


    She held nothing back, attacking with extreme skill and precision, ferocious and violent. A striking difference from her fighting style during her sparring with her students.


    She didn''t have to control herself here, here she was free to be what she was meant to be, what she was raised to be, trained to be, an efficient killer, one whose body was a pernicious and deadly tool.


    This is why SHE was here.


    Showing the world why she held the title of Queen of the Ring. The people around crying out in a frenzy. Some shook the fence, and others climb up the side, hurling slander, encouragement, and profanities at the fighters or at each other.


    This is why THEY were here, the announcer was right, this is the best fight of the night, probably the year.


    Her opponent tried to retaliate.


    He tried.


    She grabbed his hands, pulling him towards her, using his weight to launch herself into a rear triangle chock hold, her legs wrapping around his shoulders, her feet pushing his face, straining his neck,


    Violently flipping him onto his back with her straddling on top of him.


    "Oof!" the wolf let out a rough sound, a mix between a grunt and a cough, violently landing on his back.


    She showed him no mercy and wailed on him with her fist, with him helplessly bringing up his guard, she used to tell herself that she only did this for the money.


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    She knew that was a lie, maybe at one point it was the truth, but not anymore, she was here for this, a real fight, against opponents that held nothing back. To fight with nothing but one''s body and skill, flesh against flesh, skill against skill.


    Her opponent parried her fist, grabbed her hood, and kicked her off him in one swift motion.


    She rolled to the side and flipped herself up, feeling a rush of cool wind against her face.


    "..."


    She paused, her opponent held her face mask up teasingly with one hand and whipped some blood off his masked nose with his other hand.


    He looked bloodied and had a slight cut above his brow.


    He must have grabbed it when he kicked her off, Her eyebrow twitched. She didn''t mind, other than the mild annoyance she felt at his actions, this wasn''t the first time this happened.


    Her opponent let out a chuckle and cracked his neck.


    She was about to attack him again but stopped herself.


    Something about him changed, it was subtle and unnoticed to the untrained eye. But when you were raised the way she was, You developed a kind of sense of danger.


    Something about her opponent right now seemed dangerous, as if a switch was flicked inside his head.


    His stance lowered into a hunched posture, his palms almost touching the blooded floor, partially clenched into a paw-like gesture. His eyes reflected the light like an animal, glowing with an ominous golden green hue, unnaturally similar to how a cat''s eyes reflect light in the shadows at night.


    ''I think I know why they call him The Black Wolf.''


    Something stirred in the pit of her stomach, a feeling she couldn''t quite place.


    Blink. That was all it took, a blink of Colleen¡¯s eye¡¯s.


    Time slowed for a moment, the noise around her toning down to defining dull ring.


    Her heart skipped a beat as her breath caught in her throat.


    She didn''t even see it coming, one second he was getting low and the next she was hit in the abdomen faster than she could follow, let alone react to, launching her into a tumble across the ring.


    It felt like a train rammed into her stomach at full speed.


    Cough! Cough! Cough!


    She let out a cough of blood and saliva, she wiped some blood off her chin, quickly pushing herself up and switching into the defense.


    Something was moving around the ring, she couldn''t see it yet.


    ''Too fast!.'' she thought disoriented, and the pain quickly followed.


    Smack!


    Smack!


    Thwack!


    Whip!


    Her opponent zipped across the ring, zigging and zagging, rattling the fence, and using it to launch himself like a bouncing ball across the ring, from one end to the other.


    Getting faster and faster, now a black blur to others.


    Something hit her again, left cheek, left thigh, and right calf, she reflexively dodged after she fell to her knees.


    Avoiding a hit to the right.


    "Huff...huff...huff" She granted and gasped for air, rolling the side to avoid another one of his attacks.


    Her heart was hammering in her chest and her breath quickened, she wasn''t sure whether it was from the pain or excitement as she came to realize the feeling she had before.


    FEAR.


    A deep primal fear for one''s life, like prey had when facing a superior predator.


    Here was another one, a MONSTER wearing the face of a human, like her Sifu(Master), like Madame Gau.


    She pushed everything aside, the pain, the noise, and tried to hone her senses to fight him to the best of her ability.


    He was still moving in that bazaar style, hunched down like an animal with both hands and feet touching the ground.


    Blink.


    He vanished from her senses once more.


    Blink.


    She never stood a chance.


    -a minutes later-


    Bang!


    Colleen was on her back, breathing hard, a bleeding fist embedded into the side of her head, just an inch from her bleeding cheek, leaving a crack in the floor behind her.


    "Huff...Huff...Huff...huff..." She gasped for breath, too numb to feel anything.


    "Huff...Huff...Huff...huff..." Her opponent above her is in the same state.


    Both of them were tired, sweating, and bleeding, with one beaten laying on her back and the other standing victoriously above his beaten foe.


    Their eyes locked on each other, never once looking away.


    "I don''t think I''ll be needing your lessons anymore Sensei Wing" The Black Wolf whispered under his breath, his eyes holding a mischievous glint.


    ''Peter Parker!''


    Colleens''s Eyes widened in surprise, but before she could do anything with this newfound knowledge, Peter pushed himself off her with one arm raised high.


    A loud siren could be heard not a moment after.


    "NOW THAT''S HOW YOU END THE NIGHT FOLKS! LADIES AND GENTS, WE HAVE A WINNER!"


    "GIVE IT UP FOR THE BLAAAACK WOOOLFFF! AAAAAAHOOOOOOOOO!" A voice shouted over the crazed spectators.


    "wait¡­"Colleen slowly pushed herself up, trying to call out after Peter but he paid her no mind, walking out toward the way he entered, grabbing something from the man by the gate, his payment most likely, and making his way into the crowd.


    By the time she caught up to the gate, he was already lost in the crowd.


    ''These changes everything.'' she thought to herself, lamenting over whether or not she should let her superiors know about this. She would have to pay him a visit, if her suspicions were correct, she doubted Peter would be paying her dojo a visit anytime soon, if at all.


    ¡­¡­¡­


    -A couple blocks away-


    A bus slowed to a stop as the hooded figure made his way into it. This place is a couple of hours from Peter''s usual underground fighting arena which was closer to home.


    He had to come here for this fight, the cash prize was too much for him to turn down.


    He needed the cash anyway, and on the plus side, this was probably the best learning experience he ever had.


    ''Who knew Sensei Wing had that in her.'' he chuckled internally.


    It hurt to laugh right now; it would probably be better in the morning. It surprised Peter at first when he pieced it together, but he didn''t really care much about her nighttime activities.


    He had his suspicions when he first saw her fight for the first time, but she was far too merciless for the Sensei Wing he knew so he just thought that they share the same fighting techniques.


    Well, tonight answered his questions; with this, he no longer had to go back to her Dojo for lessons because she no longer had anything to teach him now.


    ''guess this saves me a few bucks.'' he thought to himself as he sat down. The pain made it rather uncomfortable for him to relax in his seat.


    He felt for his cash and let out a slow breath when he still felt it in his pocket. It had a bulge, which meant that he got a very good sum of money for this fight.


    he couldn''t help but let out a satisfied smile.


    ''I''m freaking rich right now.'' he thought in triumphant glee.


    Yeah, he was rich and God that little turn hurt, he really needed a herbal ice bath right now.


    That or some blood.


    His throat had that dry itch again.


    ¡­¡­.


    -A couple blocks down Peters Bus route-


    Deep in a laboratory were two men working in focused haste.


    Large monitors filled the room in a circle with other advanced equipment sitting on the tables attached to them.


    Oddly enough, a glass case filled with blood bags of all things was lined up in a row diagonally to the computer, each with its own unique label.


    In the center of the room was what looked like a bed-like machine with large metal straps and all manner of advanced scanning apparatus attached to it, its lenses glowing green with a man attached to it.


    He was strapped onto the machine, laid back with his head facing up, and various instruments attached to him.


    One of the men was shirtless dressed in military-grade black cargo pants and combat boots.


    His hair was slicked back, giving him an aged look. He took deep calming breaths to prepare himself for what was to calm.


    The other man however was rushing to and fro, checking on the various instruments and screens, busy with something that only he could understand.


    He was dressed in a blue sweater under his white lab coat with brown pants and shoes.


    He was a scientist, the best in his field. He pressed multiple buttons here and there, glancing from one monitor to the other in panicked focus.


    Satisfied with what he saw on the monitors he quickly walked over and grabbed a large glass container with what seemed to be blood inside.


    The label read; ''Mr. Green, Batch: 2085, Strength: 14.56%.


    Sweat poured from his brows as the scientist placed it into another machine directly above where the shirtless man was sleeping and pulled a lever.


    Multiple lights lit up around the shirtless man, the scanner shooting to life as a green laser scanned across his face, his body twitched into a spasm as his muscles twisted into unnatural positions, and his mass rapidly increased, expanding in a grotesque manner while his skin took a sticking green hue.


    A growl was heard soon after, a deep rumbling that didn''t sound remotely human, not anymore.


    Along with it, the writhing sound of shifting muscle flesh and cracking of bones increased.


    The screams and panicked cries of the scientist in blue filled the laboratories soon after, as a hulking abomination stood over him, its back covered in greenish-gray muscle and scale with spikes protruding from its spine.


    "If you just... please... I told you... I can fix this..." These were the last words the scientist uttered as he was tossed like a rag-doll into one of the tables, cracking the glass container of the blood he just placed into the machine.


    Drops of it dripped on his head, resulting and a bulge forming around the blood.


    "Hahaha...yes" A deep dark throaty chuckle filled the room, followed by shouts, screams, and gunfire.


    "AAHHH!"


    Crunch! Squelch!


    "SHOOT IT! SHOOT IT!"


    BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!


    "SIR HE''S HERE! I REPEAT HIS AHHHH!


    Squash! Thwack! Crash!


    -Chapter End-


    Abomination Reference Image

 Chapter 11: Fights and more fights Part 2

    -Peter on a bus somewhere in New York-


    Peter took a sit at the furthermost left sit at the back of the bus, Tonight was a rather eventful night for Peter.


    Pulling his hood further over his face to hide his bruises, he let out a long calming breath. He felt some light pain and muscle aches from the simple act of sitting but chose to ignore it.


    He glanced out the window of the bus at the passing cars and people.


    Today was it, the final step of his preparations was done, over the last few weeks, he had been training himself physically and did some digging into some of the gangs and criminals in new york.


    He had enough to have a general understanding of their workings, though he didn''t have enough to know who was connected to Fisk but he was fairly confident that when he finally went active on the streets he would find out.


    Aside from the physical workout, lessons at Colleen''s dojo, and the usual trips to the hospital and his therapist, he spent more time on research, online classes, and the library to have a better grasp on computers and technology in general.


    He also did some research on guns and explosives, at least as much as he could with what he had. He would have to look into some way to get some experience


    He figured he''d need to be well-versed in that department to tap into police feeds and hack computers for useful information. Maybe even troll people who pissed him off, just for the heck of it.


    He was content now though, after weeks of fighting in the underground arenas, he finally had enough reward money for his next project. His hero cave, his hideout, his base of operation.


    He already purchased all the tech on the dark web over the last month, he''d pick it up after their delivery in a week, and now he had enough cash to purchase that abandoned warehouse near his block next to the cancel, he bought it under a false name through the false id which also wasn''t hard to purchase online.


    The wonders of the internet were amazing, he couldn''t believe how easy it was, sure it took him a couple of failed tries and a fuck tone of wasted cash but a win is a win.


    He''d use the warehouse as his base of operation, he would have to come up with a good name too. His inner geek demanded it. (A/N: have any suggestions, feel free to comment)


    It was also connected to the sewer and had a good underground storage room, it was spacious too. He could convert it into his base of operations by filling it with all that tech, maybe some workout equipment, and whatever else he could get his hands on.


    Wouldn''t be difficult to seal it off and build a hidden entrance into the room and break the walls to expand it into the sewer and use the top as a storage unit for the sake of keeping up appearances.


    He also had to prepare for school, given his current situation there were some things he was required to do before school started, documents to fill out, and people to meet.


    ''Can''t believe school''s starting soon, other teenagers are probably thinking about it, and here I am planning operations. Damn when did I change so much.'' he thought to himself, wincing slightly in discomfort in his seat.


    ''Whatever....''


    Peter closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat and tried to relax.


    His thoughts wandered back to the development of his abilities. His body was tougher than the average person athlete''s and healed faster too. He was getting stronger by the day, more skilled in fighting the more he exerted himself physically.


    The underground fighting arenas were a big help to his growth. He would grow stronger still, he could feel it. He also had this instinctual knowledge of some type of fighting style, he was improving it every day.


    Colleens wasn''t the only Dojo wasn''t the only one he joined. He joined others, well more like challenged their master once he found out that could be done. From that, he found out that most masters around didn''t really meet his requirements since a number of them lost, and he was able to replicate their fighting styles to almost perfection, after a few rounds and lessons with them.


    Colleen was one of the few that lasted longer than two weeks.


    ''Well now not anymore.''


    Seeing as how he beat her at her best and now had an almost perfect replication of her fighting style to boot.


    ''The watchdog man fighting style was just too strong anyway.'' That was the name that came to mind whenever he thought about the style he used. It just felt right for some weird reason.


    He also discovered a way to utilize his Ajin.


    For some reason, he couldn''t figure out a way to manifest it in full form yet, he tried a lot of times, but he could only manifest some type of bandage, an incredibly durable bandage, which he used to do some amazing shit.


    Turns out that not only could it become visible and invisible on command, but also thanks to its psychic nature, he could use it to lift large and heavy objects, which he can''t normally do physically.


    And wrapping it around himself gave him extra protection and a boost in strength and speed.


    It can also be extended endlessly, but the longer it gets the harder it is to control. he could also manifest multiple bandages and do various things with them as if they were extra limbs.


    It seems to automatically wrap around him like armor without him even needing to try.


    But using it for more than armor and movement was straining and it tires him out faster than it would normally when he used it for heavy lifting. That thought brought him to his most pressing problem.


    His newfound hunger for blood. He found out that the itching feeling in his throat was a hunger for blood when he visited his Aunt at the hospital.


    Blood smelt so appetizing to him that his senses smelt like Aunt May''s spaghetti, his favorite food. Tasted like it too, and hamburgers and hotdogs from the stall he liked.


    If it wasn''t for his self-control, he might have lost it in there and attacked someone, but oddly enough, coffee was what stopped him.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The smell of the doctor that walked by him was also equally appetizing and snapped him out of his blood-lust trance. A quick stop by the nearest cafe did wonders.


    Now he had a caffeine addiction.


    He knew he would have to do something about his hunger soon, but coffee seemed to be the only thing that tasted remotely normal, everything else tasted rather dull.


    He had this feeling that something else would happen if he decided to drink blood now, like something was sleeping in him just waiting for him to have a taste of blood.


    He was lost in his internal musing that he didn''t notice the shadow looming over the bus until it was too late.


    BOOM!


    BANG!


    CRASH!


    BANG!


    Time slowed as Peter was flung from his seat slamming into the roof of the overturned bus and then some more. Broken shards of glass are thrown everywhere.


    ''What the-.''


    He felt a couple of bones break.


    CRACK!


    Something large and metallic rammed into the bus, a taxi flying into it at incredible speed, flipping the bus on its side, and sending it sliding across the road, sparks lit up from under it as it ground against the road.


    Everything went black for Peter.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    Peter woke to the sound of giggling; a familiar melodious voice filled his ear.


    ''What the shit hit me? Where am I?''


    Blinking himself awake he felt that he was on something soft.


    After sitting up and taking a look around he realized he was in his in his room again.


    Before he could move something hugged him from behind.


    That same giggling again filled his ears and had him freeze up like a statue. Not only did it sound really familiar, but now the sound came from directly next to his right ear, so much so that he could feel a light breath on his ear.


    Something rested on his shoulder, he turned to meet two bright glowing yellow eyes, with a face shrouded by black miasma, hair, and bandages.


    "Finally...You''re here...My..." a sweet whispered only to fade slowly along with everything else when the world around faded into white.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    Peter shot up with a startle, the sound of panicked people screaming, car horns blaring, police sirens, firetruck sirens, gunshots, and the smell of burning tires assaulted his senses.


    Whatever that was he just experienced fading from his mind.


    He slowly stood up, his body twisting, muscles reconnecting, bones creaking back into place. Faint black particles of black miasma oozed out of every bleeding cut on his body as it sealed itself up, his blood also evaporating into the same mist-like substance his mind slowly clearing as his body healed.


    A shadow took form and it seemed to struggle to manifest behind him for a moment but dispersed into the same mist-like substance when Peter was fully healed.


    "What the hell is happening?" He questioned after regaining his bearings.


    "No..." He whispered.


    All around the bus littered a few bodies, broken, torn, and twisted. Blood painted the inside of the bus, with body parts hanging from everywhere.


    The bus was on its side, he could see the bus driver''s body hanging from the front.


    A bonnet of a car, a taxi sticking through the bus door.


    Just the waist down, the top was missing, a piece of his torn spin poking out from what was left of his waist.


    ROAR!


    "AHAHAHAHAHHA"


    A loud animalistic roar shook the bus, accompanied by a burst of deep laughter. More crashing and gunshots could be heard. The panicked screams of people were still there, only now getting more heretic.


    CRASH!


    BANG!


    KRrrrrrrrr!


    A car could be hard scrapping to a stop.


    BOOOOM!


    A loud explosion followed.


    Blurg!


    Peter let out the contents of his stomach, unable to hold it in after this sight. His ability was not yet strong enough to help him through this.


    "Arrg" He let out a growl soon after, he''s eyes narrowing into bright yellow slits, he came to the realization that all this was caused by whatever let out that roar, and it also killed him just now.


    That car didn''t just toss itself into the bus.


    Bang!


    Peter jumped through the side window of the tilted bus and stood on its side. Bandages manifested around him; some covered his face to hide his identity after losing his mask.


    Others flowed protectively around him.


    Boom!


    Another explosion got his attention.


    "What is that?" he wondered.


    There in the distance among the flaming, and overturned cars, among the screaming and fleeing people stood a large monster.


    It almost reminded Peter of his lizard form only more natural with a human face. It had spines coming out of its spines, large muscles everywhere on its body, and the outline of bones protruding from its elbows, and ribs could be seen from its chest.


    Its legs were more akin to the hind legs of animals than they did of a humans.


    It was a sickly yellowish green in color.


    It looked human, but it didn''t seem human, not anymore.


    It treated people like toy''s throwing them and crushing them whenever it could, especially the cops and army. It tossed cars into buildings like footballs, laughing hysterically in awe at his own strength.


    Bullets seemed to bounce off him like rubber pellets. In fact, it seemed to revel in gunfire.


    Looking at everything in disdain, like everything was beneath it like it was the superior being.


    Peter''s body shook, he was unsure whether it was fear or excitement. He clenched his fist and glanced back at the car.


    It looked strong and powerful, but that didn''t matter, it wasn''t human.


    Not anymore. Not... ''Pain, It HURTSS! Stop it, RUUUn.''


    Flashes flooded his mind, his heart skipped a beat, and memories from his first death, his fight against Spider-woman, and moments from the incident played back.


    "Fuck...huff... huff... I thought I was over this already...huff''" Peter grabbed his head, this fucking thing must have triggered him.


    He fell to his knees, one hand still holding his head, the other down on the bus to support himself.


    ''It hurts stop it! this isn''t me! why won''t you stop.''


    White gloved fists...


    Bones breaking, flesh tearing, everything hurting...


    His breath hitched, and he started to hyperventilate, sweat pouring from his temple. what if Spider-women comes back, what if this thing hurts him worse if he loses? what was he even trying to do? this killed he just now?


    What the fuck was he thinking?


    He should run. He should leave here while he could.


    What if he was captured? what if someone saw his face?


    What if he...


    {Incarnation of Garou: Active;}


    huh...


    What...


    Why...


    Why the fuck is he panicking again.


    This fucking this was making him panic, this weak-ass monster.


    This brain-dead muscled brute fuck.


    No...


    Rage filled him, and his insides boiled with wrath.


    He looked up at the cause of his current state, his fist balled again, this time shaking for an entirely different reason. His eyes narrowed into slits, his lips slowly twisting into a bloodthirsty grin.


    This thing was dying today, he would rip its arms off, tear its head off.


    The monster picked up a military car and tossed it at the lice of cop cars.


    "sigh"


    "Looks like this is my debut, sooner than planned but whatever." Besides, he needed to test himself to see how strong he had gotten over the month.


    What better way than against some monster?


    Peter jumped at the flying car, the bus shook, sliding back a few meters as a dent formed where he propelled himself, a couple of bandages manifested and flew forward wrapping themselves around the thrown car.


    He pulled himself towards the car, then used it midair to propel himself at the monster kicking the car higher into the air, spinning in the air as more bandages manifested and wrapped around a nearby lamp post.


    With a slight tug, Peter sent the car flying back at the surprised monster.


    "Hey fugly, I think you dropped this!" he taunted, the crazed smile and expression still plastered on his face.


    -Chapter End-


    Peter Reference Image


    Won''t be posting for a while, schools starting so got some school stuff to do.


    But here''s a pole for Peter''s next ability. He has the next slot coming up, and I couldn''t really make up my mind so I decided I would try to put up a pole and let you readers decide, note that the abilities might be altered but have the same effect to some degree.


    Slot 6- Choose one of the following: (Choose wisely)


    Hints


    <ol>


    <li>Shyguy-</li>


    </ol>


    Name: Self-Keeping Secret (some physical boosts with a lil something extra, fear the one who knows when you discover his secret)


    <ol start="2">


    <li>Iboy</li>


    </ol>


    Name: Living iPhone (technopathy with a twist, all tech shall kneel before the walking iPhone)


    <ol start="3">


    <li>Canon Ball (Sonic Minimum holder)</li>


    </ol>


    Name: soundwave rider (makes him faster with a snap of a finger and then some)


    <ol start="4">


    <li>Overactive Imagination (RWBY)</li>


    </ol>


    Name: Imagin Manifest (illusion generation type ability, only it ain''t just illusions)


    <ol start="5">


    <li>Charkra- upgraded (Naruto)</li>


    </ol>


    Name: Life energy Manipulation (it''s similar but somewhat upgraded into something else, cause of death and all...)

 Chapter 12: Fights and more fights Part 3

    (October 2011-11:25 pm)


    - Harlem New York -


    Everything was in chaos in the streets of Harlem.


    CRASH!


    BANG!BANG!BANG!BANG!


    BOOOOM!


    CRASH!


    "AAAHHHHH!"


    "RUUUN!"


    "SOMEBODY HELP ME!"


    People were screaming in panic, running in every direction from the hulking monster walking in the center of the road, tossing cars around like footballs. A line of jammed cars was abandoned in the road, left by the fleeing civilians, some burning, others overturned and crushed.


    A row of cop cars stopped in front of the muscle bond beast, the officers quickly dismounting their vehicles, using it as a cover to shoot at it, all in a futile attempt to stop its rampage.


    BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!


    Through all that, Emil Blonsky never felt more alive.


    He felt like a god.


    His strength was immeasurable, he was tossing cars around and crushing them like they were made of cardboard. His skin was impenetrable, bullets bounced off it like they were made of rubber.


    Was this how the freak Banner felt when he turned? All this power, all this strength with such little control.


    Banner was weak.


    That science geek couldn''t control himself when he ''hulked out'', his strength, his power, everything about him was weak, and all of it was wasted on him because he lacked the necessary discipline to control himself. Banner couldn''t channel all his ''gifts'' properly, he was a mindless monster, a walking destructive mass of muscle and rage.


    A hulk.


    Blonsky knew he was different, more superior, he had control, he had discipline, and he was far more capable than the Hulk in using these gifts.


    Boom!


    krrssss!


    A line of standard police cars stopped in a line in front of him, the officers getting out in a hurry and hastily shooting at him with their little guns.


    Blonsky found it funny that these people thought they could stop him, that weapons like that could harm him. He was beyond that now. Only the Hulk could match him now, he already let that bitch Ross know when he killed his man.


    All he had to do now was make enough noise for the Hulk to find him. Only then will he have a real fight, only then will he show everyone how weak the Hulk really was and how he was now the strongest creature on earth.


    "HAHAHAAHA!" he let out a deep throaty laugh.


    Blonsky picked up another car and threw it at the cops shooting at him, only to blink in surprise when he saw it flung back at him faster than he threw it.


    "Hey, fugly! I think you dropped this" A voice called out.


    BOOOM!


    The car exploded on impact, launching Blonsky back, tumbling across the road into an abandoned bus, flipping it over in the process.


    ...


    Peter landed on a streetlamp.


    The cops all stopped shooting in shock for a moment, looking up at Peter in surprise and amazement.


    Peter waved at them from the top of the post.


    "Wow, that went boom quickly, hey, yo, hello, blue boys, up here, I know you are all trying to be all heroic and all, but this is the part where you run away, like as fast as you fucking can, like right now, before the big guy wakes up!" Peter said in a relaxed nonchalant tone, totally out of place in their current situation.


    Crash!


    Boom!


    The cops didn''t need to be told twice after the flaming car was thrown back onto one of their cars. The Hulking abomination jumped out of the overturned bus looking unhurt by the car crashing into him at high speed and exploding in his face making their choices clear.


    Stay and die or...


    Run and let the two superhumans? fight it out.


    "ROOAAR!"


    Blonsky let out an enraged roar, looking up at Peter with a curious gaze. Another freak plays superhero he thought to himself.


    "Hey now, it''s just you and me big guy."


    Peter jumped at the monster, using the streetlamp to propel himself, bandages manifested around Peter, attaching themselves to the overturned bus behind him, using it for extra momentum and speed.


    Peter''s heels met its face faster than it could blink, causing it to stumble back.


    Peter flipped back in one fluid motion.


    Bang!


    "Arrrg" The monster growled, annoyed.


    It tried to grab him, but Peter used his bandages to wrap around its hand, mentally willing them into invisibility. They pulled the arm aside and caused it to blink in surprised confusion.


    He flipped in the air, dodging another grab and hitting the monster a few times in the face.


    He slipped past another grab and landed on a nearby car, his bandages following him, invisible to the.


    "Aww Shomeone''sh Angry" he teased, blasting off the car at the monster again.


    "GRRAAARRR!" It growled in frustration, ripped out a light post, and attempted to crush Peter with it.


    BOOM!


    CRASH!


    CRASH!


    krrrkSSSHHH1


    BOOOM!


    Peter dodged to the side, jumping and sliding; darting around the abandoned cars as they were thrown aside by the large muscled brute, running circles around the abomination as it attempted to smash Peter.


    Whatever this thing was it was big and strong but slow, and its actions were deliberate and somewhat clumsy. Like it was getting used to its own body.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Peter was going to exploit that weakness. He switched his posture to the watchdog style and accelerated in speed.


    Smack!


    Peter gave it a good punch to its face.


    ''Damn, that hurt almost broke my freaking hand, wait did it just smirk at me.''


    The monster seemed to smile at him like it didn''t feel anything, it was pissing Peter off.


    BANG!


    Peter dodged another hit.


    Thwack!


    Smack!!


    Thwack!


    Peter was running circles around it, much like how he speed-blitzed Colleen in the ring, he did the same here using the cars, buildings, and lap posts as springs. Attacking from every angle while simultaneously wrapping the monster in invisible bandages.


    Boom!


    He pummeled and pounded it from every direction, speed was on his side. His hands were bleeding now, bruising from every hit, this thing''s hide was tough, even the protection his bandages provided him wasn''t enough.


    He dodged a car thrown at him and went in for another hit.


    ''Oh shit.''


    CRASH! BOOM!


    The frustrated brute caught him mid-air and slammed him into a nearby car. Peter felt his bones break for the second time; he couldn''t feel his legs.


    Despite his efforts, he was still only slightly stronger than an athlete in the end.


    It picked Peter up and repeated that a couple more times. Peter tried binding it in desperation, but the creature wouldn''t have it, despite being quite resilient his bandages snaped like a piece of cloth when it flexed its muscles.


    This thing was getting stronger


    BANG!


    BANG!


    BANG!


    BANG!


    BOOM!


    Peter was smashed like a broken doll violently against cars, the road, and even a fire hydrant until he was a bleeding mess of blood, broken bones, and flesh.


    "Hehe," the abomination laughed triumphantly as he glanced at the broken human.


    "You must be one of those freaks playing hero, huh, Just like Banner, this power is wasted on you people." The beast spoke in a deep rumbling tone, surprising Peter.


    ''It can talk!''


    Peter could feel much right now, his body was broken for the second time today, some of his flesh was sticking out of the bone with bones sticking out of the flesh, visible for the world to see, and his mind was hazy, his eyes bloodshot.


    It held Peter up the neck, its large hand encompassing all of peters body from neck down, its fingers meeting at peters back, locking his arms to his side, squeezing him, with blood and meshes of flesh oozing through the gaps of its finger.


    It held a sadistic glint in its eyes, recalling the pain it caused to Peter. It was going to enjoy killing Peter, this weak little pest, a so-called superhuman.


    Bang!


    The sound of a gunshot filled the air followed by more.


    It flinched, something bounced on his face, between his brows.


    Bang!


    Bang!


    Bang!


    The hulking beast glanced at the source of the bullets, policewomen of Asian descent stood alone on the streets, firing at him from her behind her police car.


    Click! Click! Click!


    Abomination smiled at the horror-stricken face of the police officer after realizing she ran out of bullets. It was all but ready to jump over there and squash her like the bug she was but something else caused it to writhe in pain and drop Peter.


    {Host has consumed blood, slot four conditions me}


    {Kagune-Altered active_Awaiting Evolution}


    {Link to fragment: Darth2346# reforged}


    {Altered Original ability from fragment host: Azura Malekith -The Cannibal of Sin granted to host}


    Glancing at his hands he found, the abomination saw that a large chunk of the flesh of its palm, between the thumb and the finger was ripped off like it was bitten by some animal, It looked back at Peter and Saw a sight he would never forget.


    There, standing in the middle of the streets, blood and beaten, bones sticking with flesh just hanging loosely from it, was Peter. His bandaged face hid most of the damage done to his face, but it could see some brain matter sticking out from his injured skull.


    In his mouth was the missing flesh.


    Spew!


    Peter spit it out in disgust.


    "You taste disgusting," he said with a deranged smirk on his face, his mind was in shambles contrary to his expression.


    Cough... Cough...


    PAIN!


    ''Fuck.''


    ''why am I doing this.''


    ''It hurts..''


    ''It hurts, it hurts, fuck, stop it, what is happening, what''s happening WHATSHHAPPing stopitstopitstoptitsSSTOPITSTOSTITHUUUURTSIT HURST, STOP IT I LIKE IT!, PAIN, it hurts ITHURTS I"M GETTING STRONGER, WHY DOES IT HURT!, WHY AM I DOING THIS, IT HUTS SO MUCH! THIS IS PROFF OF EFFORT, GROWTH, it hurts, fuck it hurts, MORE, STOP IT, FIGHT IT, STOP IT, KILL IT, STOP IT STPPIT ShToPPPSFIGHT ITFIGHTFIGHTFIGHTFIGHTFIGHT, END THE FUCKER THAT BROUGHT THIS PAIN, IT FUCKING HURST AND I FUCKING LOVE IT.''


    "HAHAHAHAHAAH" Peter let out a gurgling laugh, only to cough out more blood, writhing in pain from it. Whatever was left in his muddled thoughts and mind focused on a single goal.


    MORE.


    His expression grew even more deranged, his blooded smirk turned into a gleefully lip-splitting smile.


    "I''m about to fuck you up!"


    {Will of Saitama: Active}


    BOOM!


    The road beneath Peter cracked, a shock wave reverberated throughout the streets, glasses shattered.


    Crack!


    Every bone in Peter''s or what was left of his arm was shattered even more when his fist met the creature''s chest.


    BANG!


    CASH! BANG! BOOM!


    Abomination didn''t even see Peter move, but it sure as hell felt it as it was sent flying across the street smashing through cars at bottleneck speeds, until finally stopping when he crashed into a building. Pain flooded its chest, pain like he never felt since his transformation.


    Cough...Cough...


    Spit!


    The abomination stood up and stared for a few seconds, shocked at what just occurred.


    how was this even possible?


    In this state, he was fucking tank-proof for god''s sake. he looked back at the teen, standing in the middle of the destruction he caused. A straight line through the road with destroys cars and shattered debris on each side.


    At the end he stood, still crackling and smiling as he walked towards him. His entire right arm missing, blown away by his own punch as if his body couldn''t handle his own strength.


    "You hurt me?" It questioned, there was a slight tremble in his voice, a fear he refused to acknowledge at this crazy psychotic superhuman.


    He thought only the Hulk could hurt it now, how wrong he was.


    Cough...Cough...


    Peter coughed out more blood, his mind was fading fast, he stumbled a bit but would not let himself fall in front of this thing, in a false bravado Peter let out a small chuckle and forcefully, and painfully brought up his remaining left arm.


    "That''s the point you dumb fucking cunt... hahaha..cough...cough"


    Peter flipped him off, his middle finger twisted, and bruised brought out shakily amongst his clenched fist, the smile still plastered on his face.


    "ROOOOOOOAOAAAAAAR"


    BOOM!


    The abomination let out an ear-splitting enraged roar and mindlessly rushed at Peter. Punching him into the air and jumping after him.


    RAGE.


    It felt rage like never before, whatever fear it refused to acknowledge bled into his anger, fueling his actions.


    CASH! BOOM!


    Peter was thrown into the bus that was flipped over, slamming into its roof, the abomination rammed into him at rapid speeds, shredding through the bus and flipping the bus back on its wheels.


    It exploded as the abomination slammed Peter into a fire truck and then proceeded to pound both Peter and the truck into smithereens.


    BANG!


    BANG!


    BANG!


    BANG!


    BANG!


    BANG!


    BANG!


    BOOOM!


    It pummeled over and over and over again, how could this fucking kid cause it to feel such pain, such fear, he was beyond human right now.


    BANG!


    It would never feel like this again.


    BANG!


    Not to this human!


    BOOM! CRASH!


    Not to the HULK.


    BANG! BANG! Crash!


    Not to Banner, not to ROSS.


    BANG! BOOOOOOM!


    It would never fear anyone ever again.


    "Huff...huff... huff..." the monster let out deep breaths it didn''t even know it was taking, the boy''s body was just a mushy past of bone-smushed flesh, his internal organs and bone littered the crater the abomination made.


    "GRrrrrrr" A low growl filled the streets.


    In his mindless rage-filled rampage he smashed through the fire truck and made a crater in the streets.


    BOOOOMM! A loud crash came from far behind him, an enraged almost animalistic, and primal roar followed, shaking the streets once more.


    "ROOOOOOOAAAARR"


    The abomination turned and spit on the blood-stained crater.


    "BANNER" it whispered in a low tone. Yes, finally, it would prove its strength, its superiority.


    It would beat the Hulk and prove that he had no equal. It took one last look at its handy work, the blooded mesh at its feet, and turn, jumping off to face its mortal enemy, the immortal green giant.


    In its hast, it failed to notice that some of the blood stains were no longer there, slowly vanishing into black particles, particles it could see.


    Right now, the crater was filled with black miasma, and a human-shaped mist started to take form again.


    {Commencing slot 4 Evolution}


    {Integration 37%}


    {Slot 4


    Fragment: Darth23423*


    Ability Granted to Host: The Ghoul of Blood and Sin


    Tier: D


    Class: Building-City


    Growth: 25.5% (A/N: This shows Peter''s progression and how close they are to the Character they got their powers from)


    Range: N/A


    Description:


    - Host Kagune can also function as a secondary heart and holder of the original sin strain altering the host blood into RC cells and allowing the host to crystallize and weaponize his blood.


    -The user''s skin is also impenetrable to most metals and objects.


    Active state


    -This allows the host to weaponize his blood to produce various effects and utilize is kagune


    -Four appendages will protrude from the base of his spine, which he can use as weapons, manipulating them at will, Harding and crystallizing them to make projectiles too.


    Trait Gained


    Primary Trait: Original Sin


    - The host is now the holder of the original sin shard/Strain from which he can create other smaller shards/Strains (branches of Sin) which can be used to infect others, granting them the ability to crystallize and weaponize their own blood


    Secondary Trait: Branch of Sin


    -Those the host infects can utilize their blood as weapons, crystallizing and hardening them and using it to various effects all depending on the individual along with cellular regeneration and an enhanced physical body


    - Branches of sin possess a mania-like loyalty to the holder of the original sin


    - Branches of sin develop somewhat negative personality traits that match a particular branch of sin


    }


    {Evolution_Complete}


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 13: Fights and more fights Finale

    -???-


    In a brightly lit room sat a single person.


    The room itself was a cubical made entirely of glowing white walls from all four sides, the floor and the ceiling. Positioned in the center of the room were a standard well-made book bed and a stool placed as close to the bed as possible.


    The stool was white, like marble, with ornate gothic carvings of bones and creeping thorned roses, with each arm ending in a well-crafted skull held in place by skeletal fingers, making it look more akin to a thrown rather than a stool.


    Sitting quite comfortably on the stool was the only occupant in the room, shrouded in black miasma, hiding their figure despite the light, making it difficult to tell who or what this figure was, however the human shape it took made it clear that it was indeed a humanoid being.


    The being sat patiently, one hand on each armrest of the marble stool with legs crossed, twitching slightly in anticipation as if it was waiting for something that should already be here.


    It didn''t have to wait long.


    Bzzt!


    The space around the bed was distorted with a crackle, and a teenage boy appeared on the bed. As soon as he arrived the rest of the blank white room warped along with the bed. objects appeared here and there; two windows with curtains appeared on the blank bright walls with a serene view of the park seen through them, a door on the adjacent side, a desk next to it, followed by other trivial objects here and there. Science, Star Wars, and ripped spider-women posters appeared on the walls, followed by sea-green sunflower patterned wallpapers beneath them, dirty clothes on the floors, a PC and monitor on the desk, etc...


    After a few seconds, it looked like a room that one would expect to belong to an average teenager, a science geek with a once unhealthy obsession for Spider-women.


    In fact, this was Peter''s room.


    "Hello, you" the figure chuckled, its voice revealing itself to be feminine, its tone caring with a hint of irritation.


    She reached out a hand, the black mist-like miasma fading to reveal a pale hand, connected to a forearm wrapped in black bandages.


    The mist faded more and more when the room stopped warping, showing the sitting figure in its entirety, a beautiful pale woman, with obsidian black hair whose face was hidden behind a skull must with two long goat-like horns protruding from each side of her mask or so it seemed; she was dressed in a dark sleeveless silk dress made from interconnected and intricately laced bandages that danced like the shadow mist the covering her form.


    .....


    Peter stirred awake to the feeling of a comforting hand caressing his hair, fiddling with a piece of his brunette locks.


    He was once again back in his room, this time lying on his back with his head resting on his pillow, the sheets felt like sand against his skin, the comfortable kind.


    His room, it felt like it was his room.


    His mind was heavy, clouded with something he couldn''t describe like he wasn''t all here.


    Where ever ''here'' was, it felt like his room, but it wasn''t his room, not really.


    why did it feel like his room and yet feel so alien to him?


    His vision was blurry, he''s eyelids were also heavy. He felt so tired, what was he doing again, he couldn''t remember.


    What was it? fighting? shouting? sleeping?


    ''Am I dreaming right now?'' he wondered.


    "Back so soon, did you miss me that much" the voice teased.


    It was that voice again, that familiar feminine voice. The hand kept playing with his hair, tousling, fiddling with it. Bright white light filled the room and he could see a figure resting next to his bed, her face resting leisurely on her palm.


    " I''m bored here you know, it''s rude to keep a girl waiting. Why won''t you just use me? hmm or do prefer the stay-at-home types? mmhmm," she questioned him jokingly.


    Peter struggled to respond, to open his eyes to see her clearly. But he just felt so tired, seriously what the hell was he doing?


    "Don''t try it, just rest. Your evolution tired out your visits here, not to mention you''re not used to this yet, if I didn''t tug a little at my end you probably wouldn''t even be here" She told him in a soothing tone.


    ''Evolution? What is this?''


    Peter''s confusion grew.


    "You know, You don''t need to punish yourself so much, you did nothing wrong. Sigh... Regardless, I can''t help you if all you want to do is go out and get yourself killed, not that I mind, I welcome it in fact. But you can''t use me if that''s all you intend to do with yourself." she continued.


    In the depths of Peter''s mind, those words seem to resonate with him.


    If Peter could let out a knowing sigh he would, he knew what this person was talking about to some extent. Even in his current state, he was well aware of his contradictory actions. After all that talk about keeping her safe, here he was dying again.


    His immortality was just an excuse...


    Dying? again? Was he dead?


    Did he die before?


    How is that...


    Who was it he promised to keep safe?


    As he kept questioning himself, the room started to light up, getting brighter and brighter. A hand reached forward and affectionately caressed his cheek.


    " Remember Peter, I exist for you, you stole me and I chose you, I will always bring you back but I am also an extension of your will. If you choose to die, then I can''t help you, to ...me you require... will to L..."


    The voice faded, shimmering into a white light for the second time.


    ...


    -Harlem New York-


    BOOM!


    BANG!


    CRASH!


    CRASH!


    BANG!


    In the cold dead of night, two large muscular beasts battled it out. Tossing cars, out of their way like card boxes or couch pillows.


    One was a green goliath, the personification of rage and the pinnacle of physical strength given form, the Hulk. The other is a twisted imitation, born from human ingenuity, a desperate actions of a vengeful father, and a prideful General with a selfish paranoid vendetta against an innocent man, all of which led to the birth of an Abomination.


    They paid no mind to the fleeing civilians, cops, and armed military units both in the air and on the ground who attempted to clear the streets, trying to save as many as they could.


    They ran at each other with a single-minded goal.


    Rip and tear.


    A primal fight that was as old as mankind itself since before they could walk upright, a contest of strength, a battle of alphas, to prove once and for all who held the title of the strongest there is.


    Banner wouldn''t think of it this in such a manner, he only sought to save people from the mistake of the father of the love of his life, but Banner wasn''t here right now and the Hulk saw this fight for what it was, as such he would not kneel to anyone, he would not allow Banner to kneel too, no being on this planet had the strength to make him do so, not yet, not ever, not if he had anything to say about it.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He would make damn sure of that.


    Rummble...


    Crack!


    The roads cracked beneath their feet as they threw themselves at each other.


    CRASH!


    BOOOOM!


    The two brutes collided with each other in the air. A shockwave shook the streets once more as both tumbled over street lights, fire hydrants, and abandoned cars.


    Breaking apart when they hit the streets.


    "Come on Banner! Give me a real fight!" Abomination demanded from the green giant.


    BANG!


    BANG!


    Delivered a powerful right hook to his left cheek, followed by an uppercut.


    "GRROOAARR!" Hulk let out a roar, dodging the Abomination''s next attempt and opting to simply pick him up and ram him to the nearest building.


    Abomination stopped his attempt his animalistic hooved feet digging into the ground keeping him steady, using the support to pummelling him down with two clenched fists raised like a hummer on an anvil, cracking the pavement beneath them.


    THWACK!


    Hulk Persisted.


    THWACK!


    "Grrraa!" Hulk let out a groan in frustration, his muscles bulged, veins tightened a little harder.


    Before Abomination could try again, Hulk picked him up with relative ease, surprising him, then roughly slamming him back down like a ragdoll.


    Shaking the road with the amount of strength behind the simple act.


    "RROOOAAAR."


    Hulk stepped on one of his arms before he could recover and punched the abomination into the ground.


    Abomination threw a grab with his free hand for his leg only for Hulk to grab onto that one too. Pulling a clenched fist back to get his pound of flesh.


    BANG!


    BANG!


    BANG!


    Spit.


    "That''s all you got!" The abomination''s blooded lips split into to smile of disdain.


    SMACK! Grab.


    Abomination grabbed Hulk''s fist mid-swing with his free hand, twisting it close in one swift motion, pulling him in to ram his bone spike elbow into Hulk''s face, smashing it into his left eye.


    Smack!


    "grak!" Hulk winced.


    Recoiling in pain, grabbing at his now bleeding eye, allowing the Abomination to free his hand.


    "Come on! You call this a fight!" he growled at Hulk. Grabbing onto a nearby iron pole.


    Plunge... Crack!


    Abomination stabbed it into Hulk''s shoulder with enough force for it to crack into his shoulder, popping out of the other side.


    "graaak, aaaaaah!" the hulk howled in pain.


    While he may be strong, he lacked skill and control, something a British commando like Blunksky the Abomination had in spades.


    THWACK!


    CRASH!


    BANG!


    Using his hands to support him he kicked the Hulk with enough force to launch him across the road high into the fourth floor of an adjacent building with a bang.


    BOOM!


    The building did little to cushion his fall, he tore through that building and out of the other side leaving a visible hole in it.


    Crash!


    Booom!


    An explosion resounded on the other side, a gas explosion caused by the Hulk crashing into a tank on the other side.


    Abomination stood up and cracked his neck. A wicked grin lit up on his face, he thought a fight with The Hulk would be more well, MORE.


    "Disappointing..hehe " he let out a chuckle to himself. But he would take what he could get, this was only the beginning.


    Bang!


    Bullets rained on him from the night sky. Floodlight shined on him. The glaring lights temporarily blinded him, making him raise his hands both in defense of the bullets and she''ll his eyes.


    "Ross.." he spat the words like poison in his mouth. A car near him exploded from the rain of bullets.


    Boom!


    RATATATATATATTATATATA!


    He growl, ramming through the exploded smoking car for cover, breaking apart a door, and violently throwing it at the source of its ire.


    Swish!


    Bang!


    It hit one of its propellers, making the military helicopter spin out of control, almost smashing into one of the new choppers.


    Abomination watched it with a giddy expression breaking into a sprint, jumping on and latching onto the side of a building, using it to jump to another, then another, scaling from building to building. To fast for the military helicopter to maneuver away from in its frenzy state.


    Abomination landed on a roof, jumping at it in an excited frenzy of his own.


    "ROOSSS!" He roared in revelry, a hand out reaching for the out-of-control falling machine.


    BOOOM!


    He didn''t make it close. Something smashed into the abomination mid-jump. An invisible force constricted his movements, it felt like being wrapped in a tough unbreakable steal cloth.


    Abomination was violently pulled down back into the streets, something slid past, and he felt a foot on his face.


    Thwack!


    Something smashed his face, accelerating his fall into the streets, using it as a platform to in turn launch itself at the falling helicopter instead.


    BOOM!


    Abomination smashed into the streets below. Further damaging the road with a crater made from his fall. Jet''s of water sprouted from broken pipes and fire hydrants, washing the disoriented brute in shit, piss, and water.


    Bliz!


    Shink!


    Slash!


    An oddly shaped crimson-bladed whip-like tendril cut through the metallic hide of the military-grade chopper''s roof like a knife through butter, opening it up for all its occupants to fall out.


    "Aaaahhhh!" Betty Ross let out a shriek of terror, bringing her hands up to protect herself.


    "What the fuck!" the pilot cursed in surprised panic. hands still tugging at his belt buckle.


    "Holy fucking shit!" the gunner cried out in fear thrown out unceremoniously.


    "Iacceptjesusasmylordandsavour!" This poor unfortunate soldier was already accepting his fate, planning ahead for what was to come next.


    "Jesus Christ! Betty!" General Ross cried out in panic, being a God-fearing seasoned warrior, the man responsible for the making of the Abomination and the head of the military unit responsible for hunting for the Hulk.


    He would be called many things but an incompetent soldier was not one of them, he held onto one of the straps reflexively, saving himself from being thrown, reaching out for his daughter with a horror-stricken expression.


    Whisp!


    Wisk!


    Zip!


    bzzp!


    An unseen force ripped them from the air, pulling General Ross and the pilot from their position, and plucking Betty Ross and the poor Soldier from the air.


    Whoos!


    Bang!


    All four of the occupants of the helicopter were placed gently on the roof, much to their shock and amazement, they could only watch in utter astonishment as the two pieces of the sliced helicopter were grabbed, again by some unseen force, and thrown with ridiculous speed and accuracy at the place where abomination fell.


    Crash!


    KA-BOOOM!


    A fiery inferno engulfed the streets with a mushroom cloud of fire and smoke lighting it yellow and orange, so much so that the heat could be felt from the roof where General Ross and the group were.


    Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!


    The fire lit up the streets.


    A hooded figure landed on the road not far from the inferno. His clothes were covered in blood and viscera, hands were bandaged his face made it difficult to discern his identity. The only thing that was clear was the smile on his face.


    Boom!


    "ROOOAAAR"


    Bang!


    Another figure, the hulking green giant landed next to the blooded figure with a roar.


    "wow, wow, wow, easy there big guy, we''re on the same side here. I don''t wanna fight you right now." the bloodied figure waved his hands in a calming manner in front of the raging beast.


    Despite this deranged smile and a maddened glint in his eyes remained.


    "huff...grrrr...huff....grrr," The jade goliath stood huffing in anger but made no move to attack the bandage-blooded stranger. The stranger saved his Betty, which was a-ok in the hulks book. He was not an enemy not yet.


    His instincts however told him a different story, this puny man was strong, strong enough to challenge him, maybe even hurt him.


    "Grr!" Hulk growled challengingly.


    But before anything could be done, a propeller was thrown between them, stabbing into the road, red burning metal melting into the tar, flames and all.


    Crash!


    bang...bang...bang...


    Rumble...


    A form took shape within the flames.


    Step... Step... Step...


    "Grrr... I don''t know what the fuck you are, and I don''t care. But you will pay for that" Abomination promised, surprised at that this thing was still alive.


    As he made his way out of the flame, he felt it again, that unnerving feeling when he looked at the tiny super-human, as if there was a possibility that this little shit could kill him.


    His train of thought was disrupted when he noticed the second being on the street.


    "Ah...Banner..finally awake, Ready for that real fight now, hehehe" he chuckled.


    "GrrrrrrROOOAAARR!" Hulk responded as he always did.


    "You tell him my big muscled friend, Huh, You ready for round two Punk?" The blooded stranger all but rejoiced in glee at the Hulk''s rage-filled cry.


    spit... Abomination let out a disdain spit, insulted by the very thought of being beaten by these two lesser beings. He could have sworn he pummeled that other one into a paste.


    "Birds of a feather always flock together, Come on then! HULK! Come little freak! No matter the number, ants are still ANTS IN THE END! COME SHOW ME A REAL FIGHT!" He walked towards them slowly and intently breaking into a sprint.


    Hulk noticed a police car abandoned next to him.


    "GEEEHR...ARRGK!" Hulk let out a grunt, then smashed into the car.


    "Really my guy, you do realize the one that needs pounding is over there right?" His new-found companion dead-paned, pointing in the direction of the enraged Abomination Berreling at them.


    Bang!


    Crash! Bang!


    Crash! Bang! Crash!


    Boom!


    Hulk smashed the police vehicle into two pieces, shoving his hands into them, grabbing into the metal rims inside, and using them as if they were functioning boxing gloves.


    Bang!


    Hulk then bashed it together for good measure and snarled in the direction of Abomination.


    "Huh, I like how you think there."


    The figure followed hulks example, using his fingers to slash at his opposite forearms simultaneously.


    His blood then flew out hardening and forming into sharp crescent blades protruding from his forearms, only to liquefy and then wrap themselves around his hands making a crystallized gantlet.


    As the saying went, ''The enemy of my enemy is my friend'' The two newly realized frienemies shared a nod of understanding; Both turned and faced the Abomination barreling at them breaking into their own sprinting strides.


    Rumble!


    The bloodied stranger jumped onto the nearest lamp post, opting to take the high ground. Launching himself at his enemy.


    "heehehe... These birdies bout to leave you a bloodied corps for our other feathery pals to chew on" Peter chuckled as he threw himself at the enemy.


    Hulk took the direct approach of simply ramming into him with a right hook.


    Abomination mirrored his actions.


    All three soon will collide with a single shared goal.


    RIP AND TEAR...


    "GROOOOOAARRR!"


    "ROOOOORR"


    "AAAAHAHAH"


    Three warcries resounded through the streets of Harlem as Ross and his party joined by countless other civilians, officers, and soldiers could only watch from their safe spot.


    BOOOOOOM!


    Only the strongest will remain and walk out of this battle alive.


    -Chapter End-


    (T-T) I know. Apologies to my readers for the cliffhanger was originally supposed to be a longer chapter to be posted on Sunday but I have plans for the weekend and will be busy so decided to take make this a two-part fight.


    For now, hope you enjoy this. p.s Leave a review if you like.

 Chapter 14: Final Fight

    (October 2011-12:25 pm)


    -Harlem New York-


    Boom! Bang! Bang!


    Bang!


    The streets shook with each strike.


    Hulk barraged the abomination with hit after hit, never letting him have time to retaliate. Using his makeshift boxing gloves, each made from one end of the police car. Battering into the Abomination''s tough hide.


    Crash!


    The abomination attempted to retaliate, but a swift stomp to the side of his head distracted him, Peter used it to propel himself into the air, spinning in the air; utilizing his blood blades to slash him on his back.


    {Imagine breaker: Passive}


    Slash!


    The unique blood blade was sharp enough to slice through his tough skin, but no more than that as he was already healing; flesh knitting back into place, but it was slow, strangely slower than it should have healed.


    "Grawr¡­" The Abomination grunted, turning to attack the annoyance.


    Bang!


    Hulk didn''t give him that chance, he brutally clobbered him with a hey-maker, smashing the front end of the car into his face, allowing Peter to slip away.


    He attacked with the ferocity of a beast unleashed, one hit after the other.


    Bang! Thwack! Bang! Bang!


    Their make-shift teamwork was well suited for their current predicament, Hulk would beat Abomination in a frontal assault, hit for hit, and when Abomination had a chance to retaliate Peter would hop in with an attack of his own.


    The Abomination was caught in a whirlwind of strikes and abuse he could not defend against. He was gonna lose this fight if nothing changed, that fear he refused to accept was slowly slipping into his thoughts.


    ''Just have to grab that little bug!'' Abomination defended as best he could against the onslaught Peter and Hulk were dishing out.


    Bang! Crash!


    Hulk beat Abomination into the ground until the car in his fists were nothing more than scraps, squeezed into a metal ball, and used until Hulk was left with only his fists.


    Hulk grabbed his throat, then punched him in the face, but his attacks were weaker than he anticipated.


    Thwack!¡­ Grab!


    Abomination took the chance to counter, grabbing Hulk''s fist, and stabbing his bone-spiked elbow harshly into the arm Hulk used to grab his throat.


    Squelch!


    "Graar," Hulk flinched in pain, grabbing at the abomination muscular forearm with his own, the spiked elbow being painfully embedded in his arm.


    Thwack!


    Abomination bashed his head into the Hulks disorienting him, and quickly brought his fist back for a follow-up punch, only grunting in frustration when he couldn''t move it at all.


    "Arg!" he growled, irritated at his hand being stopped in place by an invisible force, he pulled at the force harshly, and to his delight and surprise, Peter was pulled for his position; motivated he pulled even harder, throwing Peter violently through cars on streets.


    Bang! Bang! Crack! Smash!


    Peter tried to manifest more bandages, attempting to wrap himself in a cocoon before anything could hurt him, but that didn''t stop him from smashing through cars and then into a nearby building that crumbled on him, trapping him beneath large chunks of debris.


    Boom! Crash!


    Hulk sought this opportunity to dislodge the spiked arm.


    Crack!


    Snapping a piece of the bone free, his wound rapidly healed, pushing the piece out.


    Boom!


    But before Hulk could make any moves, Abomination grabbed the healing arm, pulling Hulk in, viscously smashing his head into the Hulk, disorienting him. He followed through with a few more punches, hitting the Hulk with a barrage of punches before picking


    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Hulk met Abomination with his own attacks, clenching his blooded fists, anger fueled his attacks as the two behemoths beat each other with careless disregard, with Peter no longer supporting him, Abomination punched him with the extreme skill and precision of a British commando.


    Boom!


    "That''s it!" Abomination coughed out as he was sent flying across the road, rejoiced in their mindless violence, both he and the Hulk punching each other in their chest, the last hit left a visible shock-wave in its wake, sending them both fighters flying in opposite directions, crashed in the many shops by the sidewalk.


    Crash!


    Both fighters rushed out of the rubble, all but ready to beat the ever-loving shit out of each other, matching each other blow for blow.


    Swish.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Boom!


    Crash!


    Both fighters clashed with fists and flesh. Crashing recklessly into buildings, breaking them like tearing through paper.


    Boom! Boom! Bang! Crash!


    Hulk''s self-control was diminishing the longer the fight went on, Banner''s little voice, the one that whispered self-control and caution was going quiet, drowned out by the Hulk''s growing anger and the urge to pummel his enemy into the ground.


    Booom!


    "ROOOAAAAA!" Hulk Snarled at Abomination, Spitting out a tooth as they met at a stalemate.


    Both his fists clasped in his enemies and his enemy''s fists in his.


    Both bleeding and bruised, eying each other with murderous intent, Pushing with their strength against each other.


    Both pushed against each other with all their strength, shaking the streets beneath them, with a rumble and a quake, the road and pavement had a noticeable creeping crack that crawled between them forming a wide gash between the street as it separated, pieces of the road falling into the sewers below as the two super-powered forces pushed against each other in a contest of strength.


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    "Your weak Banner, All this power!" Abomination grunted at him, rearing his head back and bashing it into his nose, creaking it with a resounding creak.


    Smack! Crunch!


    Hulk flinched back his hand flailing to balance himself as a misstep caused by the gash in the street caused him to stumble, grating abomination to slip in a few harsh hits, pummeling with the skill and efficiency suited to that of a British commando.


    "And yet" Bang!


    He was finally becoming more attuned to his new body, feeling his every muscle contract and release, each action becoming more efficient, rid of wasted movement, controlled, defined as years of muscle memory and experience took over.


    "So little" Bang! Bang! Smack!


    Abominations think yellow lips curled up into a wicked grin as he systematically beat down the Hulk.


    "Control" Boom! Crash!


    A well-placed kick sent the Hulk into the walls of another building, smashing and destroying its foundation.


    Swish¡­Thwack! Abomination grabbed the disoriented Hulk by the throat, smashing his head into the wall once more.


    Bang!


    "That makes you weak, A mindless fucking beast" he grunted, turning the hulk and then driving his spiked elbow into his chest.


    Squelch! Creak!


    "GRar!¡­Grrr¡­Huff¡­Huff" The Hulk struggled against his strength as the spiked bone was driven painfully slow into his chest.


    Hulk pushed against it, grabbing the spiked forearm and attempting to force it out.


    "You don''t deserve this power!" He spat, his tone laced with disdain, staring down at the Hulk.


    "You don''t deserve this strength" He pushed harder, driving his spike deeper into the wound.


    "AAaahhhhh!" A frightful scream distracted them both.


    "Betty! No!" A deep aged voice followed.


    The two brutes followed the sound to see a Betty Ross Dangling from the edge of a crumbling building caused by a trench in the streets, the creaks creasing up the building, her father with his man desperately attempting to pull her up as pieces of the building fell down to the streets below.


    "Oh, I see, maybe I should go over there and lend them a hand" Abomination teased, his grin getting wider.


    Squelch!


    Hulk''s mind went through a mile a minute seeing the one person the cared for, both him and Banner in danger. Banner''s voice shouted out from within Hulk''s mind, only to fade as fast as it came.


    RAGE bleed into him faster than Banners whispers could.


    Banner was the cautious one who solved his way through their problems with complex thoughts, planning, and preparation.


    "NOOOO!" Hulk let out a howl, shocking Abomination with both his voice and his strength, prying the Abomination''s spiked elbow out with a violent pull, holding both his arms up, pushing against a confused Abomination as both his hands shook in their struggle.


    Banner was the clever one, Hulk knew that, but this was not that kind of problem, thoughts weren''t needed here, plans, caution, preparation, none of it was required for this problem.


    Before the Abomination could take action, pain flooded his ankles.


    Swish!


    Slice!


    "Gah!" He grunted, flinching in pain then falling to a knee.


    A silhouette zipped past Abomination leaving a deep cut where his Achilles tendon before latching on his back, the figure grabbed on then bite into his neck.


    Peter, having busted his way out of the debris was acting on instinct. He was injured and to heal himself, he needed blood.


    "You little! GraaaaAAH!" Abomination wailed in pain.


    Snap!


    Crack!


    Hulk broke the bones in his forearm with renewed strength, before delivering a hay-maker into his face.


    A couple of his teeth broke loose, with blood and spit, Peter sapping at his strength wasn''t doing the Abomination any favors as Peter''s blood blades liquefied then solidified and barbed spikes, wrapping themselves around his neck and face, a few digging into his left eye, palatially blinding him.


    Squelch!


    Stab! Stab!


    Two crimson appendages shot out of the base of Peter''s back, stabbing into the Abominations calf.


    Making it all the more painful when Hulk punched him in the face.


    Peter flipped off him, wiping the blood from his face before swiftly shooting off in the direction of the crumbling building with the struggling general and his daughter.


    "Leave them to me big guy" was all Hulk heard as the teen dashed passed him with a wink, the message was clear.


    Hulk could trust the puny boy with this based on past experience as he looked back at Abomination, grinding his teeth with clenched fists.


    "You!"


    Hulk grunted at the kneeling Abomination momentarily stuck in a pain-induced trance, the familiar feeling of rage boiling in him, Banners whispers seeping into his thoughts, his worry for his love, his fear for his own strength, his constant nagging for control and caution, all of this was just PISSING HULK OFF!


    Bang!


    A vicious right hook shook Abomination, out of his trance, rocking every fiber of his being.


    Abomination thought of Banner and the Hulk were the same being, that Banner was the Hulk and the Hulk was Bruce Banner.


    How wrong he was.


    They were nothing alike, Banner was a kind thinker, and Hulk was FUCKING HULK.


    The strongest one there is and his method for the problems Banner left him with could be summed up into two simple words, one he bellowed out into the streets in a vengeful cry.


    "Hulk Smash!" He brought his open palms down, slapping them against the Abomination''s ears, his skull crushed under the force.


    Boom!


    Crash!


    A shock wave resounded through the area, Hulk grabbed him by the throat and pulled the abomination close to him, and told the beaten brute a single word.


    "Weak¡­"


    He dropped his beaten foe and spared a glance at the roof where Ross and Betty were, safe from the broken parts, and watching him from the top of a lamp was the lone teen with the glowing house, crouched and at the ready, the mad glint ever present behind his eyes.


    He noticed more and more people gathering around him, police, reporters, civilians, military and so much more.


    "GROAAAAAR!"


    A rage-filled cry shock the streets, tearing the fabric of space like a vibrating wave, shaking every single observer to the bone in awe and terror, telling every living being that this was the strongest was, and if you think otherwise, come and face me.


    For a moment all was silent, to the point where one could hear a pin drop.


    Crash!


    Peter dropped in front of the jade giant, everyone held a breath at the confrontation as both fell into a stare.


    Peter''s grin was threatening to split his face apart, something inside him was brimming to the surface, whispering, screaming, shouting at him, like an itch he couldn''t scratch just getting itchier by the second.


    He wanted to fight this Hulk and from what he gathered the Hulk was itching for it too.


    " You wanna go, big guy?" He asked


    "Grrr.." Hulk let out a low grunt but he didn''t need words for Peter to get the message as headlights showed down on the two, the sky filling up with helicopters and sirens flooding from every direction.


    " Yeah, your right, but we will. One Day."


    The Hulk only huffed in reply as both Teen and Goliath turned in opposite directions and promptly varnished in one swift motion.


    Hulk jumped away from one rooftop to another before disappearing into the night while Peter swiftly navigated his way through alleyways like a shadow in the night.


    ....


    -Aunt May''s Room-


    3 hours later.


    Beep¡­Beep¡­Beep¡­Beep¡­


    Peter sat by his Aunt''s bed, his eyes intently watching his Aunts chest rising and falling, lost in thought to the sound of the beeping monitor.


    She looked so peaceful in her bed.


    He reached over and gently brushed a few strands of her hair away from her face.


    He made his way here as soon as he could after the fight, having understood what his new power set granted him, he couldn''t wait.


    Slowly he raised his hand and opened his palm as blood crawled all over the palm of his hand, the crimson liquid leaked through his fingers and onto his palm, before floating and compressing together in a compressed crystallized shard, pulsing crimson then purple and final a soft light blue.


    {Sin Shard Created_Shard Altered}


    He closed his eyes and focused, sweat falling from his forehead.


    {Special shard created}


    He let out a relieved sigh as he studied his newfound creation, information entered his mind when he did so.


    {


    Sin shard, Branch Created


    Intended Holder: May Parker


    Abnormal Specialized Sin Shard - Curse Of Virtue


    Branch: Love


    Branch Power: Blood Beast(Type-Cat)


    Offense - She can make hardened crystallized crescent blood blades from her Form arms and calf with adjustable size, she can also coat and hardened the blood on her hands and feet making razor-sharp claws.


    Defense - She also manipulates blood hardened and covers her body creating blood-like armor with tiny flexible needle thin fur-like structures which take the shape of an anthropomorphic cat with a whip-like bladed tail.


    Mobility-She can move on hard surfaces by using her claws to latch onto them


    Special Ability Granted by her cursed virtue:


    Beast of Loving Demise(Sealed)


    -Sealed


    Persona


    - an ability tailor-made by the original sin hard holder (Peter) that seals the abilities granted to her by the shard until certain conditions are met or the the original sin wills it.


    - It splits the user''s personality in two, one lives in the light being able to experience all the good emotions and aspects of life, while the other personifies her darker side, her dark side takes all of May''s trauma, her darker thoughts, pain, and emotions allowing her to leave a life of peace, happiness, and freedom.


    -Her other side is only active when she is in imminent danger or when the original sin shard is close or wills it so. Her light side has no idea of her other side exists as is the reason why it was created, for the safety of May Parker in mind but is an independent being itself.


    }


    "What the hell am I supposed to do now?" Peter tiredly questioned himself, rubbing his hand through his hair.


    He really wasn''t sure of what he should do now, with the solution in his hand just making this situation all the more difficult.


    Right now he had the power to save his Aunt but at what cost to her and to himself?


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 15: Blood and Cats

    (September 2011- 9:25 AM)


    -Three days after the Battle of Harlem-


    It was a relatively normal day in the streets of New York, well, as normal as it could be after two seemingly unbeatable monsters and a deranged superhero leveled half a city block in their fight.


    The three who took part in the fight were propelled into nationwide notoriety by news broadcasts, websites and online articles, amateur videos and pictures, and the media.


    The two victors of that fight gained popularity among the public as the raging green behemoth Hulk for The Hulk, and The Ghost of Harlem-Bloodborne for Peter, due to videos of him coming back from being seemingly punched into paste circling the net, both seen as either misjudged heroes or monsters that look human.


    After the battle that shook the city that night, the Battle of Harlem as they coined it, the City was finally awake to a new kind of feeling, a foreboding terror for some; a debilitating sense of fear and powerlessness for the unknown, the weird and unexplained, or inspiring awe and wonder for others, feeling that the wired and unexplained made the world much more mysterious and magical like they were living in a world of fairy tales.


    Only it was real.


    But for others, this wasn''t new, it was only a matter of time till the world knew what they already become accustomed to, because everything was here since the beginning of time, just lurking around the corner, hidden in plain sight, by the many people, groups and beings that called those corners home.


    After all, since the discovery of mutants and the sudden increase of vigilantes, these super-powered humans that the public has taken a shine to, calling them heroes that took the laws into their own hands, battling others like them, the villains who took the law and threw it aside in pursuit of their own goals for wealth and power.


    Some of those heroes even became well-known celebrities that walked a blurred line between their acts of heroism and their civilian life. They took humans to new levels of discovery and development that most thought to be science fiction, such as the Power family known as the Fantastic Four in their Baxter building and the billionaire Tony Stark with his Iron Man Alter Ego and Stark Industries just to name a few.


    For the many who knew; they were sure that it was only going to be a short while, a phase for the world before all this becomes a common experience, a new norm like yesterday''s news.


    It was a shock now, but how long can those feelings realistically last, after all, humans weren''t known for their remarkably long attention spans but for their ability to adapt to various situations, life-threatening or otherwise and they would adapt to this in time, trivializing this event for their own pursuits.


    But none of that mattered to the casually dressed teen making his way through the city, a small box tucked under his left arm and a bundle of fresh flowers held in the right hand with his bag pack hanging lazily over his left shoulder.


    Walking down a bustling street lost in thought.


    He had more important things to worry about, only his train of thought was broken when harshly pulled back by his right arm.


    Beeeeep!


    Peter blinked in surprise at the noise.


    " Hey watch where you''re going kid, I''m driving here" a harsh voice shouted out as a car zipped by.


    Turns out he was so lost in thought he didn''t even notice the traffic light change.


    " Whoa¡­easy there, earth to muscles, you really gotta watch your surroundings" a feminine voice spoke in a teasing tone getting his attention.


    Finally noticing the one who pulled him, pale blond hair and pale skin, a cute angular face with deep blue eyes. A teen no older than him, dressed in a leather jacket, white tank top under a cut-through white T-shirt, and blue jeans that hugged her figure.


    She was a looker, that much Peter was sure.


    But as fast as those thoughts came, they left, as a new set of voices called out for the sidewalk.


    " Felicity! come on, we gotta go" Following the voice to one Liz Allen sitting in a flashy car with Flash in the driver''s seat.


    "Yo is that Penis Parker!" Flash called out, Liz slapped him on the shoulder and whispered something that seemed to oddly make the teen hold up against whatever shenanigan he was planning to pull.


    An odd look was shared by the two.


    ''Great¡­"Peter sighed internally and chose to nod at the girl with a light smile, if that was the crowd she was with, best to walk away now.


    "Your not much of a talker, are you?, that''s OK, I like em silent and broody" she chuckle as she walked away.


    ''Nope, not to you, don''t feel like it'' Peter thought to himself.


    "See you around muscles" The teen winked at Peter as she made her way over to them.


    ''Yeah...Nope, Best to stay clear of whatever complication that was, I don''t need any of that right now.


    Peter thought as he resumed his walk towards the hospital.


    ¡­..


    Peter Pushed the door into his Aunt''s room open, smiling at an old nurse as he passed.


    "Still here Jane"


    "Sigh, don''t remind me Peter, this is my last round, Oh that''s sweet, you brought her some more flowers, the last ones you brought in are still fresh you know, honestly your such a sweet child, sigh¡­I wished my kids were this caring, ungrateful brats is what they are. Honestly, you waste your life taking care of them, and when they finally grow up, they run off to college and leave you¡­".


    The nurse went on as she did her duties, checking May here and there and filling her chart, this was a common occurrence, it was almost routine now, Peter would come either in the mornings or noon and would chat with the nurses then spend an hour or more with his Aunt, telling him about his day or anything that came to mind, then he would leave.


    ¡­..


    It wasn''t long before he was left alone with his Aunt, this was the opportunity he was looking for.


    Peter spent some time thinking things over since the creation of the shard


    He opened the box to reveal the contents inside, reaching in to pull out a small, malnourished street cat with dark orange fur, it looked far too sickly to be a house cat or pet.


    Peter picked it up from the animal shelter a few days ago and took care of it for this moment, he held it close and gave it a few pats, the cat purred in delight, hinting that maybe it did have an owner before, seeing how it didn''t shy away from human contact.


    " Now then, I''ve got a very important job for you Garfield, this is my Aunt May, and you''re going to be watching over her from now on" the cat simply nuzzled into Peter''s palm affectionately.


    He placed it beside his Aunt before closing the blinds and reaching into his bag and bringing out a few more things, what seemed to be a dead bird, a pigeon he killed just outside just before entering, and a lizard that tried to struggle in his grip.


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    Peter placed them both on the bed.


    "Nope, that''s not for you, sheesh, how are you still hungry after eating two whole cans of cat food¡­I really am sorry for what''s about to happen to you now Gar" He smiled as he held the cat back from eating the bird.


    " But don''t worry gar, after this, you won''t be hunger anymore, and no one will be able to hurt you, you''d like that wouldn''t you, who''s a good kitty, Who''s a good boy, you are, yes you are¡­" Peter played with the cat for a few minutes before setting it down and glancing back at his Aunt.


    "Hey there, you''re looking better each day you know, the doctor says you have a chance of waking up, but I know that''s a load of bull, you could see it on her face." He spoke softly, as wiped her forehead clean of sweat with a warm wet wipe.


    " But don''t worry, we don''t need them, I can save you, I will save you, But¡­ you might not like this, and I can''t wake you up, not yet. This world is too dangerous for you now, the people who hurt you and Uncle Ben are still out there. If you come back now, they might come for you... I was, god I don''t know what I was thinking, I almost made things worse for everyone."


    He was rash before, he had a solution and almost threw all constraints out the window for his selfish desire to cure his aunt with little regard to the consequence of his actions and what outcomes that followed would cost his aunt.


    He would have done it too, if it wasn''t for the night staff who came in to check on her. (A/N: I''m looking at you, yes you reader, know that I took all your votes into considerations and decided to meet you in the middle)


    "And here I thought I was getting better, I swore I wouldn''t be reckless but when I had something that could change everything, what did I do, just toss everything out the window. I am so sorry Aunt May, Don''t mind just Peter being stupid old Peter again." He smiled when her fingers twitched a bit, tossing the wipe into a bin and then placing some of the flowers he brought into the vase by her bed.


    "I want to save you, God knows how much I want to do it, just wake you up and heal you, consequences be damned, we would smile, cry and laugh over this, cry over Uncle Ben together, and joke about his moments, have a movie night with Chinese take-outs then cry some more in our rooms in silence¡­sob¡­ cause we didn''t want the other to know how much it really hurt¡­or maybe that''s just me..haha..sob¡­man. I miss you so much Aunt May, sniff, I miss Uncle Ben, I miss everything¡­sniff¡­sob¡­.sniff¡­" He broke into small sobs as everything from the past slowly came slipping in.


    "Sniff¡­sigh¡­but things have changed now, and I can''t let you see me yet, I have to figure myself out first, and make it safe too" He wiped his tears, his expression breaking from that look of sadness to one of resolute conviction.


    " There are some things I have to do, some people I have to deal with, and I can''t promise that I can keep you safe if I wake you or how you would react and what you would do about what I did to you to wake, or how much it would change everything for us, I can''t take your freedom from you for my own selfish needs, I love you too much for that. But I also can''t let you go because the doctors can''t save you, and I don''t have the strength to wait for you to heal and wake up or die naturally, I love you too much for that too, and maybe I am a little too selfish to leave in a world alone, your the only one I have left in this world Aunt May, just you and me against the world¡­" He picked Garfield the cat resting by the bed and placed him on May''s stomach.


    "When you finally wake up, I''ll make damn sure the world can''t touch a hair on your head, and all those who hurt us will be gone, I don''t know how you''ll feel about what I need to do to ensure that safety, and I know eventually you will find out about everything, but whether you choose to hate me for my actions or choose to never see me again or disown me for my choices, I will accept everything you throw at me. As long as your ok, it''s hey ok to me." His eyes took an empty gleam as raised his hands, opening his palm to reveal a glowing blue shard.


    "You know I realized something while I was thinking things over."


    Blood flowed around his palm, then onto the shard, causing it to glow with a pulsating blue and lightly float centimeters above his palm.


    Cracks started to form over the shard.


    "I realized that I don''t need your love or care to keep you safe, that you can despise me if you want, it will hurt like a mother fucker sure, that''s alright, I can take it, better you slap me with a warm palm then me clinging desperately to a cold one, as long as your safe and alive nothing else matters¡­I can''t do this alone, live here alone, I''ve got no one else, I just need someone here with me, anyone, so please, bear with your stupid selfish idiot teenage son, Please just, stay with me a little longer." Peter begged in a tone filled with half sorrow and guilt, knowing that with this, regardless of how he went about waking his aunt, his actions now changed everything for them.


    Slowly the shard split into, a small spherical shape one pulsing white and another pulsing bright blue, a much bigger, diamond that glowed in a pulsating blue.


    {Shard_Altered}


    The familiar feeling of information flooding his thoughts ran through him.


    {


    Branch of Sin Shard, Altered-Fractured Shard


    Primary Shard(white)


    Special attribute added by Original Sin


    Seed - This shard will remain dormant within a host until certain conditions a met.


    Intended Holder: May Parker


    Abnormal Specialized Sin Shard - Curse Of Virtue


    Branch: Love


    Branch Power: Blood Beast Familiar


    -Seed seal Conditions


    -Host must be near death.


    -Throw Original Sin Shard hosts will.


    -Though Host Acceptance and self-actualization


    Special Ability Granted by her cursed virtue:


    Beast of Loving Demise ( Altered by Holder of Original Sin)


    - Host has a familiar that acts on its behalf and its protection and shares a link with this familiar through a secondary shard


    - The familiar will take some of the host''s physical pain when they exceed a certain pain threshold and extend an aura of care and relief that alleviates them from stress, depression, and other such negative alignments


    -Holder is exempt from the loyalty mania rule that other shard holders are bound to


    -The shard will heal the host body by amplifying its natural healing ability over time keeping it in a docile state until its host wakes or the original sin will it.


    -Other abilities sealed until awakening


    ...


    Fractured Brunch of Sin


    Secondary Shard(Blue)


    Intended Holder: Garfield The Cat


    Link Shared:


    -May Parker (Charge - Temporary until seed awakens)


    -Peter Parker (Master)


    Branch Power: Beast of Loving Demise


    -Size shifting relative to blood or biomass consumed


    - Shapeshifting relative to organisms consumed


    - Increased intelligence


    Forms gained: Pigeon, Lizard, cat, fly


    - Able to create blood blade constructs from his body and shoot each strand of his fur as sharp thin projectiles each with the ability to infect a biological life form and corrupt their blood, allowing it to manipulate the blood as if it were his own


    - Bound to Primary Fractured sin Shard


    -its body is comprised entirely of organic matter and blood with no bone, muscle, or organs, the shard itself acting as its brain, thus allowing it to shapeshift and making it impervious to physical harm


    -It can heal others by repairing the damage done to them by adding its biomass to repair them, the cells automatically replicate and amplify the subject''s natural healing process.


    - It can share its senses with those it shares a link to, through this link Garfield can feel when they are in pain and be aware of their locations


    -Other Abilities sealed until seed awakening


    Trait Gained: The beast of loving demise


    Due to its branch as a cursed virtue of love, the cat Garfield is now extremely possessive about those it shares a link with or those he later comes to like, and upon the death of all of its loved ones, it will seek to destroy the world so everyone can be with its loved ones in death.


    }


    ''It''s done'' Peter thought with relief.


    He moved his palm over his Aunt and the cat resting on her stomach, slowly the two shards glowing underneath it. The cat came up to play with it.


    " Sorry Garfield but this is gonna hurt" Peter apologized before flexing his palm, the white shard flew down and dug into the center of May''s chest, cutting throw the flesh and leaving a small bleeding surgical mark on her chest, one that closed as soon as the shard was in.


    The other shot into Garfield''s chest, knocking the cut out faster than it could make a sound.


    May jerked upwards, shaking lightly as a bright light spread throughout her veins, throughout her body before slaking back in relative calm.


    The same could not be said for the cat who floated up higher, its body creaking and convulsing, blood poured out of every orifice as its body was squashed into and crushed, its organs liquidizing with everything else, two blood tendrils shot at the bird and the lizard pulling them into the mass of flesh, one tendril even shot out to reach of a fly resting on the walls.


    All of it combined into a floating ball-sized mesh of fleshy biomass and blood.


    It pulsed blue for a while before the mass shifted lightly, as it slowly fell back on the bed, from shifting into it looking like the same dark orange-furred cat form before.


    The cat stood up in a disorienting stumble, Peter watched as it stood up slowly until it was looking up at him with large intelligent eyes, a striking contrast to the look it had before.


    "OK that''s pretty cool," Peter said reaching down to pet the cat, Peter could feel the cat now, as cat''s were instinctual beings like many other animals, as such the cat was communicating through intent rather than words.


    Peter could feel it, the cat''s intent, it was confused at Peter, at what it was, yet it understood everything else, why it was here, who there were, and what it was tasked to do now, as is the nature of the shards granted by Peter. All holders have an instinctual understanding of the powers their shards granted them but that was it, everything else was plain trial and error.


    The cat twitched again, before liquefying and reshaping into a bird, flying onto peters shoulders.


    Once more Peter felt its intent, it was one of protection and care and gratefulness for chasing away the hunger it felt.


    " You know what you have to do now, stay here and protect her, huh so you can understand too" Peter smiled, patting it lightly as the bird surprisingly nodded in response.


    "We have to go see and test out what you can do some time, for now just wait here" The bird nodded once again before flying up and tapping Peter''s head with his beak then heading to stay perched by the window leaving Peter alone with his aunt.


    Peter glanced back at his Aunt, before gently leaning over, giving her a peck on her forehead.


    "Rest for now, Aunt May, hopefully by the time you wake up, everything will be better" With that the teen picked up his back and made his way out of the room.


    {Integration 38%}


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 16 - Just another Tuesday

    - Midtown High-


    Peter despised school at the moment; he had better things to do instead of becoming the new hot topic for his classmates to gossip about. Whether it was their fake sympathy or irritating whispers that everyone could hear, he couldn''t decide which was more annoying.


    Walking through the school gates felt like a chore, his bag slung lazily over his shoulder and hands tucked into the pockets of his hooded coat. Every high school had its share of drama, and Midtown High was no exception. Only now, Peter was the talk of the town, and he couldn''t care less. The attention got more annoying as the day dragged on.


    He was just going through the motions, and the sooner it was over, the better. The only upside was the space everyone was giving him. Everyone walked around him like he had a contagious disease, avoiding him like a plague.


    "Works for me," Peter sighed to himself as he navigated the halls.


    As long as Gwen, Flash, and their entourage left him alone, this day would go without a hitch. He didn''t need or want any more drama in his life right now, and nothing spelled drama more than a group of teenagers in the same room.


    ...


    - Location Unknown -


    Outside of all space and time, a single human found himself amused and annoyed within his castle. Very little could surprise him anymore, but for the first time in eons, he was taken aback.


    "Tiktok, Tiktok, Time waits for no one, no one else but me~" Kang the Conqueror sang to himself in an offbeat tune as he reviewed the data on the new anomaly that popped up on his metaphorical chessboard. Something had changed, a change he neither planned for nor was aware of.


    A completely new branching timeline had appeared. Normally, this wouldn''t be a problem, as branching timelines got trimmed faster than the average hormonal teen''s attention span. Only this wasn''t normal. Normal timelines didn''t merge with others instantaneously, consume and alter neighboring timelines, or disappear from detection as soon as they appeared.


    And normal timelines most certainly couldn''t completely separate and isolate themselves from all others, rendering all interaction, including travel to and from it, impossible. Not unless he willed it so. That or something absurdly more powerful took action to ensure this outcome.


    Though Kang was aware of many higher beings in the universe, most remained observers, and very few could perform such feats¡ªaltering reality across all of time and influencing entire alternate universes and timelines. This required more than just power.


    There was one detail he was sure of after looking into the anomaly: Whatever caused this wasn''t one of those beings. It was new, alien to this world, a complete unknown.


    He hated that word.


    "Unknown, huh¡­ Well, well, even now, you learn new things every day," he mused.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    He was getting too old for anything to be considered unknown. Living in a mansion located at the end of time was a testament to that, but this unexpected development was interesting enough that he found it funny.


    Right near his end, something new shows up as if to tell him, yeah bro, you have no idea what coming.


    This was an unexpected development, but he was expecting not to expect something when he put his plan into motion, so this didn''t count, not to him.


    He was being petty but his is Kang the Conquerer so who would tell him otherwise? No one that''s who.


    Right, his grand plan.


    "Guess it''s around that time now too," Kang glanced out into the abyss beyond the end of time and space. With Loki''s chaos and the birth of the new Scarlet Witch on the horizon, he should have anticipated something like this.


    "Well, this just goes to show, you can''t plan for everything," he let out a tired sigh. He felt like death was the only thing left for him now. What amused him, though, was the fact that he was sure he wasn''t the only one feeling like change was coming.


    ....


    Deep within the golden city of the Norse gods called Asgard, a one-eyed god-king felt unease on his golden throne.


    ....


    Within the New York Sanctum, an ancient magi found it increasingly difficult to view alternate timelines or the future, especially when trying to identify the cause.


    ....


    A professor within his school of gifted children discovered occasional glitches within his machine while searching for others like him.


    ....


    A witch within a forest felt fear for the first time in centuries. Many others shared this feeling of unrest, like everything had just changed somehow as if this world was supposed to be vastly different than it was now.


    All the while, the cause of all this change remained blissfully unaware of the consequences of his actions, lost in thought within his classroom.


    ...


    - New York City: Midtown High School -


    Events were unfolding throughout the high school that Peter was blissfully unaware of. High above the clouds, a certain Ancient One remained afloat, invisible to the naked eye after tracking the cause of her recent problem.


    Below her, a bus carrying exchange students from Xavier''s School for the Gifted Youngsters made its way through the gates. Peter watched the bus enter the gates lazily only to blink in surprise from the familiar feeling of a rush of information being forced into his mind.


    {Eminent threat to host detected}


    {Sequence 23: Unique Predator Class inheritor_ confirmation pending full system-wide scan}


    {Current Power levels inadequate}


    {Special Trait gained: Mask of Innocence


    -Allow the host to fake a state of normality, making him seem as ''normal'' as expected of an average human, in this state, all of his abilities will be sealed until he chooses to actively use them. However certain abilities will activate on their own accord in response to the host''s needs or protection.


    -Active ability under this trait:


    Ajin}


    "OK, what?" Peter questioned aloud. He had to figure out how his powers worked, and soon. He had to get stronger faster. Little did he know how right he was.


    ...


    - Location Unknown -


    Deep within the void that surrounds the edges of the universe, a lone figure faced the dimensional wall that separated the Marvel Universe from other worlds.


    "Found you," it spoke in a monotonous voice, neither male nor female, as if a small group of people were talking at the same time.


    {Fragment Resonance in progress)


    {Fragment Identification-


    Fragment Tire: Transcendent_Higher+


    Fragment Type: Precursor


    Fragment Class: Inheritor


    Fragment Unique trait: Predatory Consumption


    }


    {Resonance identified}


    {Fragment Tire: Beyonder_Zenith+


    Fragment Type: Progenitor


    Fragment Class: Origin}


    "Yeah, just wait in there. Once I get through this wall, I''m coming straight for you, Origin," the figure said, placing its hands on the dimensional wall in wonder. It would take a few months, maybe years, to get through the wall, but it could make it. After making it through, the Origin fragment would be theirs. Besides, it always wanted to visit the Marvel Universe anyway.


    - The End -

 Chapter 17 - Monologue of a super powered dysfunctional immortal teenage antihero

    (September 2011)


    Humans were social creatures, they sought out relationships in any way they could. Peter''s Aunt, May Parker once told Peter that everyone needs someone on their side and that no one should be alone, she said solitude could be addictive, and once you get used to it, it gets harder to talk to other people, it gets harder to form lasting bonds and relationships.


    She left out an important part when she told him that.


    People hardly ever choose to be alone. Isolation wasn''t a choice, it was an outcome. A product of a series of choices made by the person and everyone around them.


    .....


    Today was rather dull for Peter. After all the events that transpired in the months prior the very else just seemed lacking now.


    Peter sat at his desk in the middle of the back row watching everyone around him trade stories over all the fun things they did in the summer in all their little cliques.


    Everyone greeted each other with excitement, hugs, handshakes, and friendly tussles here and there as the usual sounds filled the class.


    The ambient sounds of joyous reunions, laughter, and greetings became a mere backdrop, akin to a narrative unfolding in monochrome hues


    Despite himself, that old feeling resurfaced ever so slightly, the desire to belong, a habitual inclination.


    He couldn''t help it. Everyone wanted to belong, it was human nature.


    Usually, he would go chat with some of the guys in his circle of friends that was mostly some of the science groupies, nerds, or members of last year''s debate team but after the incident at the hospital with the most rich and popular kids in school went viral on the net no one wanted to associate with him right now.


    He had very few friends, to begin with, and now he had none.


    They just left him alone too for some reason, with no sniding remarks, passing comments, or insults. none of the usual bullying either.


    The jocks avoided him too.


    If Peter was to guess it probably involved the incident with his uncle and aunt.


    From what he gathered in the little snippets of conversations he overheard, everyone knew about his station.


    It apparently made the news, circulating through various media outlets.


    There was a lot of other stuff that made the news; the lizardman''s battle with spider women, gang-related territorial wars, the monsters who almost leveled Harlem in their fight, superheroes popping up left and right, super-powered people appearing everywhere and the increasing frequency of incidents involving those said super people.


    With all that, there was no shortage of things for everyone to talk about.


    This all left him in this situation. Everyone just chose to ignore him like some unspoken rule, unwilling to associate with him in any way.


    Let''s just leave the poor nerd alone or something along that line. Exiled into social isolation by his peers driven by their desires to belong.


    Peter couldn''t blame them, they didn''t know any better. Teenagers will be teenagers after all.


    Ironic since he was a teen himself judging his fellow teens.


    ''Was this what maturing felt like?''.


    He held back a sigh when he felt their resident redhead, Mary Jane giving him the stink from across the room.


    In contrast to him, his peers flooded around Gwen Stacy like a moth to a flame, everyone quick to express their sympathy, calling her father a hero, showering her with compliments, showing how much they care for her well-being.


    He noticed that pale blond girl with them too, she had all the jocks drooling all over her for obvious reasons.


    Falicity whatever was her name.


    She was hot and she knew it, and made full use of her looks cause she had all of them eating out of their hands.


    If the jealous glance from any of the girls affected her in any way she sure as hell didn''t show it. She seems to positively bask in it.


    ''Weirdo¡­'' Peter''s eyebrow twitched when she caught his glance then proceeded to wink at him.


    A mischievous smile bloomed on the face.


    They sure as hell didn''t hold anything back. He glanced at Gwen as the crowd around her continued to grow.


    Was it because she was popular now? was it because she hanged with the rich? did they mean any of the things they were saying to her? or were they just saying it to get in good with her new circle of friends?


    He couldn''t help but ask himself while he sat in his corner. He then questioned why all this even mattered to him right now.


    It shouldn''t, they weren''t friends anymore. Right now he had no one, no one to greet, no one to crack jokes with or chat with, no one to just hang with and talk about nothing.


    He had not a single person in this world.


    Guess he really was all alone in the world now and surprisingly he was OK with that. He was alone sure, but right now, he didn''t feel all that lonely.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.Peter found himself at peace with his solitude. Did he feel content? No that wasn''t it¡­Calm? No that wasn''t it either¡­.it was more like he couldn''t care less, what was it again?¡­ Ahh¡­ that''s it.


    Apathy. He felt apathetic, Numb to it all.


    It wasn''t that he was feeling anything in particular, it was the opposite. He just lacked any sense of feeling right now, lacked the emotional drive to feel anything, he was warned out.


    After everything that happened to him last month who could blame him?


    He was killed, he died at the hands of his hero, the very hero who inspired his actions to begin with, the very person he idolized more than his uncle. A random teenage girl who had superpowers and chose to save people with her powers instead of doing something more selfish.


    He worked hard in pursuit of a single goal, to be a hero, to reach her level, and maybe even fight alongside her. He tried so hard too, Months of research, days of study, and sleepless nights just to perfect his serum.


    He broke so many rules, stole a bunch of shit too.


    However¡­


    The result of all this hard work; is death by spider-themed beat down.


    It got worse from there, he almost killed his best friend''s Dad, he was responsible for the death of countless people during his rampage as the lizard, left more injured, disfigured, or worse, he witnessed the death of the two people he loved, lost all his would-be friends and burned all his bridges to dust.


    Hell, he experienced death himself, over and over again, he fought in illegal tournaments for the sake of self-improvement, he fought a monster to death with another monster, died, resurrected, and came out on top, he was a host to an entity that was beyond human comprehension.


    A god-like being that treated reality as if it was a toy.


    He meet the embodiment of death, the grim freaking ripper, and walked away alive.


    Not once, but Twice!


    Who would be sane after all that, who would look at all these normal interactions after all that happened and remain as they were before?


    Even now he was planning the next steps to take for his plan to kill one of the most reclusive millionaires in New York.


    A supposed crime boss.


    Was he just supposed to pretend like everything was okay, like it was normal, like any of this mattered to him the same way they did before, like nothing changed for him?


    No, he couldn''t.


    When putting things into perspective he never really had the time to consider any of this.


    He didn''t allow himself to even entertain these thoughts. He was honestly scared to face it himself so he avoided thinking about it.


    This just goes to show how bored he was right now. Three hours in school and he was already going through an existential crisis.


    He read somewhere that during an existential crisis, a person may grapple with profound feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, and a sense of isolation. Questions about the purpose and meaning of one''s life, the nature of existence, and the choices made or to be made can become overwhelming.


    Either that or he was just bored.


    A month may not have been a long time but it was enough. People change all the time, it takes longer, and some even take a lifetime, he just got the shorthand of the stick.


    That is to say, his changed, what was important to him before felt trivial to him now. He just felt tired out. He didn''t have the energy to play pretend too or the motivation to keep acting normal.


    He had no reason to.


    The only thing that mattered to him was sleeping in a hospital room three miles west of here.


    Every else was just, white noise, the best way to describe it would be similar to someone sitting in a cinema watching a movie playing in black and white with no sound, something you just weren''t all that interested in but had no choice but to watch it.


    So just like a movie, he would watch it play out, and do the bare minimum to get a passing grade while focusing on other more important matters.


    In light of his present situation, he probably wouldn''t even be here if he didn''t need to be here. Now that he was he had no choice but to see it through anyway.


    He needed this for his civilian cover after all. That was the only reason he was here.


    The moment the door swung open, interrupting his introspection, Mr. Harrington''s attempt at an authoritative voice commanded attention. "Alright, everyone settle down!" he declared, bearing a stack of papers.


    ''Yeah, I just have to survive today, and tomorrow, and the next until I can figure something else out.'' Peter sighed internally as he succumbed to his fate for the day.


    He lazily glanced out the window when he noticed the gates of the school opening up to let in a line of cars.


    Then he felt something shift in his psyche, he felt his strength leave him, he felt his blood settle as he felt the ability to manipulate it leave him.


    His eyes widened in surprise when he felt the familiar feeling of information streaming into his mind.


    He suddenly felt very weak, vulnerable, almost normal.


    "What the¡­" Uttering a barely audible exclamation, Peter found himself privy to a cascade of new information.


    {Special Trait gained: Mask of Innocence


    -Allows the host to fake a state of normality, making him seem as ''normal'' as expected of an average human, in this state, all of his abilities will be sealed until he chooses to actively use them. However certain abilities will activate on their own accord in response to the host''s needs or protection.


    -Active ability under this trait:


    Ajin}


    {Fable Fusion Phase 3: Integration 42%}


    -The End-


    Just an introspective chapter on Peter''s thoughts.

 Chapter 18: Strange Encounters Part 1

    (September 2011, Saturday 11:35am)


    Something was wrong with Peter Parker.


    Gwen Stacy knew that much. She didn''t know what it was yet but she knew well enough to know that something was wrong with him.


    .....


    ''How did it come to this?'' Gwen Stacy couldn''t help but ask herself.


    Her life was getting good too. Key word ''was''.


    She''s in a band with gigs every other week that almost always sold out. Had a job at one of if not the top-notch research facilities in New York if you leave out the Baxter building.


    She had no shortage of friends and she was top of her class too.


    To top that all off; She was an ass-kicking, name-taking teenage superhero who dodged bullets daily.


    With that said, one could argue that she dealt with all manner of weirdness in her life.


    The radioactive spider that bit her during last year''s science field trip was the first, the metaphorical spark that lit that flame.


    Well, now that flame grew into a blazing inferno.


    And the accumulation of that inferno for over two months was sitting across from her without a care in the world.


    Peter Benjamin Parker, the resident science nerd, the smart mouth nerd, her best friend, and most recently the supervillain known as lizard responsible for the death of sixteen police officers and twenty-six civilians, not including the nearly one hundred more people in the hospital, her father included.


    A literal mass murderer.


    She should know, she read the reports, she couldn''t help it. She just had to know.


    Her father had the same password for most of his devices despite being the captain of the New York Police Department.


    He should be behind bars right now, she should too if her father had a say in her extracurricular activities.


    Yet here they were, an accidental teenage superhero/vigilante and a self-made mass-murdering teenage supervillain.


    Even if she wanted to act on what she knew, who could she tell? how could she even explain it? Who would believe her? How far would it go without someone picking up hints about her secrets?


    People weren''t so dumb as to miss a few connections here and there, all they had to do was connect the dots, and bam. All they needed was a simple push in the right direction.


    Maybe she was a bit selfish but she also didn''t want anything to happen to Peter, not without fully understanding the situation.


    The only problem was, she couldn''t ask Peter directly.


    "Sooo¡­Hey, I''m Spider-Woman, You know, that spider-themed, masked, superhero that almost beat you to death two months ago, like on the night before your Uncle and Aunt died¡­Yep, that''s me... So yeah, let''s talk about that"


    She imagined Peter wouldn''t take kindly to that info dump.


    Memories of their fight wormed their way into her thoughts, she saw Peter begging her to stop, repeating over and over again in that silent whimper.


    He lay there at her feet in a crater made from his fall, a twisted broken amalgamation of man and reptile.


    A state she was responsible for.


    "It wasn''t me, I can''t stop it, please, help me, stop it, it isn''t me, it isn''t me, it ishn''t me. Help me, stop it, it''s not me, WHY WON''T YOU HELP ME?"


    She blinked the memory away, locking it back in that corner of her mind.


    Remembering it now won''t do any good, for either of them. She hated the way her stomach twisted in knots as guilt and resentment crept in.


    She quickly shut them out as well, though it took some effort on her part.


    She had to know what happened to him, that fact remained.


    If he wasn''t in control then what happened that day?


    She did check up on him a few times in costume after their fight when the situation was settled with her dad and the things she saw Peter going through¡­


    She never went back after that. She couldn''t, she resented Peter too much back then for what he did, her guilt ate her up as if to add insult to injury, the tour with her band didn''t help her situation either, and before she knew it a month had gone by.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    '' Seriously what is up with my life right now?'' she glanced at the menu in her hand, using it as an excuse to gather her thoughts.


    Peter was doing the same thing he had done since she got here, looking out the window with that bored expression still plastered on his face. He still hasn''t said anything besides a simple hey when she arrived.


    He didn''t even look at her after their initial greeting.


    Was he uncomfortable? How did he feel? Was he doing alright after what happened? What exactly happened? Did he hate her? Was he still angry with her? Did he know it was her behind the mask? Did he know who she was? Did he feel guilty about what he did? Why did he do it? Why did he kill those people? Why did he become that thing? How did he do it? Why did he do it?


    So many questions to ask yet not a single word was uttered between them.


    The silence was a comfort in a way, a safe escape from each other, despite everything that happened between them they were still comfortable with each other''s presence, it did nothing to lessen the tension between them though.


    They were at a coffee shop not far from where she interns over the weekend, sometimes after school too, Oz Corp. It was the place they both chose because they were both familiar with it, they usually came here during breaks when they were both working together before he was fired.


    Before he became whatever that was¡­Back when everything was normal.


    If someone had told her back then that becoming a superhero would one day lead to almost beating your best friend to death after he became some sort of mutated human reptile she would have laughed in their faces.


    Times were simple back then.


    Now she was having lunch with the very person she thought she beat to death. Here he was alive and well, not a single scar or a bruise.


    Not a single mark to show for the deadly fight that transpired between them.


    She stole a glance at him again, just to reassure herself that this was Peter Parker she was with.


    And once again that same thought tore its way into the forefront of her mind.


    Something was wrong with Peter Parker.


    She realized that the moment he walked through the halls two days ago. Her guilt and resentment had been nagging her all month.


    She hated herself for what she almost did to her friend and she resented him for what he did to her dad.


    She wanted to blame him for everything, and at some point, she did just that, but eventually, she relented, she knew she couldn''t go that far, it wasn''t fair to him.


    She had time to cool off her emotions and figured she should maybe give him the chance to do the same, maybe even explain himself somewhere down the line.


    After all, she almost killed him.


    And then he walked into the halls of midtown high that morning.


    Gwen didn''t see him come in, she didn''t need to, she felt him the moment he stepped within range of her spider sense.


    The tingling sensation that kept her safe on numerous occasions went off like a bomb in the back of her skull. She didn''t understand why.


    He didn''t do anything threatening if any at all, he just made his way to his desk and slouched down for the rest of that morning until Mr. Harrington walked in.


    But that was the issue.


    For the whole morning as he sat there, it felt like death itself came to midtown high, strolled into the classroom, and sat behind her in Peter''s seat.


    It scared her, she couldn''t even look at him without flinching from the sensory overload of her spider sense.


    It got to the point where she couldn''t stop shaking, her friends mistook it for anger at Peter so MJ took it upon herself to all but glower at Peter for the rest of the morning.


    She would have kept it up all day had Gwen not stopped her when the doors to their class slammed open.


    In fact, the moment Mr. Harrington walked in it stopped.


    Her spider sense stopped tingling, the bomb that went off in the back of her head vanished, and the overbearing feeling of dread dissipated.


    Things just went back to normal. She didn''t know why, but she had to find out.


    So when Peter sent her a message to meet up here she made an excuse to all her friends and agreed to meet him.


    There were things they needed to talk about, she was well aware of the effects her friends had on Peter and she loved MJ like a sister but having her here would make things worse.


    It was better for them to have a one-on-one talk to sort things out.


    " Hi, so what are we having?" a waiter asked Peter breaking her train of thought.


    The waiter was a cute teenager no older than her or Peter with short brunette hair that complemented her bright brown eyes.


    Her name tag read Ms. Green.


    Gwen didn''t even notice her walking up to them.


    "I''ll have a glass of water and whatever she''s having".


    "A glass of waterrr, alright, alright, alright, And what about you?" The waiter raised an eyebrow as she turned to Gwen. Her lips twisted up lightly, she had that look on her face.


    ''Wonderful'' Gwen hung around enough girls to know that the waiter was enjoying this, so she just picked the first thing on the menu.


    " I''ll just have to have the chocolate smoothie".


    " One glass of water and two chocolate smoothies coming right up". As she slipped past Peter she turned to give Gwen a wink and two thumps up, mouthing ''Hang in there sister, you got this'' that slight smile morphing into a full-blown grin.


    ''At least someone''s enjoying my misery'' she sighed wistfully.


    She was enjoying this a little too much, for Gwen''s liking.


    " I''m sorry," Peter said those words so quietly Gwen thought she had misheard him.


    " What?".


    "I''m sorry about, well, everything" he repeated.


    Then for the first time since she arrived, he turned to face her and for the first time since she arrived, Gwen wished he didn''t.


    His eyes were empty, they lacked their usual glow, that tiny twinkle that made him Peter.


    His expression didn''t fit his face, his smile was wrong, like an ill-fitting mask that no longer matched the contours of his face and his attempts at a smile were feeble and unfamiliar.


    His mannerisms felt alien to what she knew of her friend.


    He looked different too. He was the same yet he wasn''t.


    He was slightly taller than what she remembered. His hair was wild and untamed, his arms were longer, and he looked bigger.


    The way he moved was wrong.


    Even the way he talked was different. His voice had this slight monotonic rhythm to it, no longer cracking. Just the same flow of sounds following the same tune.


    Everything about Peter Parker right now felt off. They''ve known each other for years, went to the same classes since middle school, and were at each other''s birthday party since they were thirteen.


    She had known him all his life, just as much as he knew her maybe even more so. Granted they drifted apart over the last few months and they haven''t spoken to each other since that whole thing at the hospital but she knew Peter.


    At least, she knew enough to know that right now¡­


    Something was very wrong with Peter Parker.


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 19: Enter: Wraith

    (September Friday 1:23 AM)


    The night before Peter chose to meet with Gwen.


    ...


    What turns someone towards cruelty? Is it inherent to human nature, or does something else shape it?


    Are humans born with it, carrying a trace from the very beginning? Does the world they grow up in leave its mark, helping it along with its twisted truths?


    In harsh and unforgiving surroundings, does cruelty become a sort of default? And in serene, affluent settings, does having everything handed to them push some to revel in cruelty just for the thrill?


    Does cruelty run in the blood? If parents are bad, would their kids be worse, does it pass down like an unwelcome inheritance?


    How is it that humans, with all our complexity, can wield cruelty as if it were an art? And why do we refine this revolting art as if it were a weapon?


    Why do people some people proudly boast about the extremes they can reach, wearing their capacity for cruelty like a dubious badge of honor? What motivates this celebration of malevolence?


    What is it about people, in general, that allows for the glorification of these disgusting actions?


    Yuriko Watanabe didn''t know, and quite frankly she didn''t care. Right now she wanted to kill someone.


    ''My name is Yuriko Watanabe an officer of the NYPD, Badge number 480316, I will survive this and I will kill you. My name is Yuriko Watanabe an officer of the NYPD, Badge number 480316, I will survive this and I will kill you. My name is Yuriko Watanabe an officer of the NYPD, Badge number 3749, I will survive this and I will kill you. '' She repeated that thought like a mantra in her head, her sole saving grace.


    A desperate plea for her sanity.


    She wondered if they were coming for her¡­


    She made some mistakes in her life, but the one choice she thought she''d never regret was doing the right thing.


    Her grandfather inspired her to do the right thing and gave her a dream to work for, a torch to bear.


    Her father picked it up before her and she chased him after him with reckless abandon.


    She chased that dream until she became one, a police officer. A third-generation officer to boot, a promising young recruit.


    Life wouldn''t ever be so kind as to have it good for that long.


    On the day of her graduation, her father was arrested for bribery.


    ¡­..


    She wondered if anyone even knew she was missing¡­


    ''My name is Yuriko Watanabe an officer of the NYPD, Badge number 480316, I will survive this and I will kill you.''


    ...


    And it was utter bullshit. Her father was the example she set for herself, the shadow she chased.


    The most law-abiding citizen you''d ever have the pleasure of meeting. He put his trash in the correct color-coded trash cans and did it for years because it was the law.


    Well, he thought it was.


    Her mind flashed with images of her time with her father, from their first stake out when she was six up to the moment she got accepted into the police academy.


    Why would he take bribes from someone as notorious as the Maggia Family?


    It was wrong. It was unfair.


    ¡­.


    She wanted to live¡­she needed to live¡­.Maybe finally visit Japan¡­


    ''My name is Yuriko Watanabe an officer of the NYPD, Badge number 480316, I will survive this and I will kill you.''


    ¡­..


    But such is life. She learned that when she lost her partner in the Battle of Harlem. If things like that THING existed, why would life be fair?


    Yet she chose to do the right thing. That was why she stayed back for her partner when all the other officers ran, to try to free him from the car that fell on him until he stopped breathing.


    That was why she shot at the thing to give the other super freak who saved them a fighting chance, and what a change that was.


    An unforgivable sight. What she experienced that day engraved itself into her psyche.


    The image of a torn broken boy, his voice gave away his age, standing in the middle of the busted streets of Harlem with that defiant glee full smirk, fighting a battle he knew he was gonna lose.


    That deranged chuckle.


    Half dead and dying slowly, his arm shattered up to his limb after an attack she wasn''t sure even he was aware he was capable of if that delirious laugh was any indication.


    Bleeding and battered all over, he stood up to a creature that was almost five times his size with a smile on his face.


    Who would forget that?


    He was insane. Straight up fucking insane. She was sure at that time that there was no cure on God''s green earth for his mental disease.


    Whatever that was, it was its own level of crazy.


    And yet the memory persisted now more than ever. A boy that was fighting to the death, fighting with death as an undeniable certainty regardless of his superpowers with one foot already across the threshold, and when death came for him¡­ What was it he said¡­


    "That was the point you dumb fucking cunt" And he flipped it off.


    That boy was insane, she knew that something was just wrong with the way he just fought on with his reckless disregard for his own mortality. It was almost like he wanted to die.


    ...


    Could she have shown that same defiant spirit when she¡­.


    ''My name is Yuriko Watanabe an officer of the NYPD, Badge number 480316, I will survive this and I will kill you.''


    ...


    As a human being, she was sure there was something fundamentally wrong with that, it wasn''t normal, then again, nothing about what happened that night was ''normal''.


    She didn''t know why those moments kept slipping in, even now as the memories of what happened after surfaced.


    Her thoughts still repeated the mantra as she relieved that memory.


    When that thing was finished pummeling him into a crater after tossing a fire truck at him, she hid herself and prayed it would just forget about her.


    Someone else up there must have been listening in and answered her cause by god whatever fell from the sky and landed on the other side of the street was no fucking angel.


    But she thanked the gods, Christianity be damned, as she dug back into her Asian roots.


    She thanked the gods for that monster was on their side. What followed was a moment she would never forget. She found her partner coughing up blood and whizzing in pain. The two creatures kept each other busy so she decided to try her luck at freeing him.


    It happened while she was trying to force the car over with an iron pole she fashioned from one of the destroyed street lamps.


    ¡­..


    She wanted something sweet to eat¡­pop tarts¡­ or donuts from that¡­.where was it again¡­


    ''My name is Yuriko Watanabe an officer of the NYPD, Badge number 480316, I will survive this and I will kill you.''


    ¡­.


    The car was moved up ever so slightly, the hit was overbearing, and the sound of her partner groaning in pain rang in her ears, her heart was going a mile a minute as she considered turning to check the two fighting it out behind heard.


    Her hands were shaking and fear was the last thing on her mind, she forced it out of her through sheer will to help her focus on the task at hand.


    Straining herself as she pulled with all he might.


    Before long the metal creaked, then the car was thrown to the side and she was sure it wasn''t her.


    Standing over her was that other freak, the suicidal one, arm still missing, a visible hole in his chest, covered in blood and viscera from all manner of organic matter.


    The skin from half his face was gone, she could see the fucking empty socket and the skull as clear as day.


    She had no words to describe that moment. Hell, what followed was something she couldn''t even understand.


    He leaned down and picked up her partner as she sat there in muted shock, she watched as his flash crept out in real-time, muscles writhing like worms slithering across bone, tendons netted back in place, a new arm laterally grew out of his old one, skin grew over it all at the end.


    He was as good as new.


    Something settled in her when she saw that, a primal fear as old as time.


    She just couldn''t place it.


    ''My name is Yuriko Watanabe an officer of the NYPD, Badge number 480316, I will survive this and I will kill you.''


    ...


    -Flashback-


    "Hey, you good over there, no injuries of any kind? Can you take him to safety" The fucking DEAD MAN asked her as he proceeded to CUT himself and USED HIS FUCKING BLOOD to seal her PARTNER''S BLEEDING fucking WOUNDS.


    " Yes?" she said it out of reflex no longer trusting her voice.


    ''I didn''t sign up for this she shit'' were her most proponent thoughts at that time.


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    " You died" she stated.


    "Yep," He responded nonchalantly.


    BOOM!


    The sound of roars and explosions got both their attention, followed by helicopter gunfire.


    " Listen lady, officer, I get that you''re going through a lot right now, trust me I am too, I need you to take him and run." He told her that with a strained smile, a failed attempt to look reassuring.


    His voice sounded even younger up close. She guessed sixteen to nineteen.


    If she didn''t know any better she would have said he looked excited. His lightly lightly glowing eyes which she figured was a trick of the flame didn''t help his case either.


    The flame also illuminated parts of his face, features she noticed as plane as day, even hidden behind the viscera of blood and organs but not enough to identify him.


    "You''re just a kid?" she told him." Your fucking kid"


    "I''m aware of that, HEY FOCUS! Can you take him away from here, ''cause I really gotta go, YES OR NO!" He slapped her lightly, and it still stung like a bitch.


    " What the fuck is that for?" She flinched, reflexly throwing a punch that he easily caught.


    " I was trying to wake you up?" his tone pissed her off.


    "I am fucking awake"


    "Really could have fooled me"


    "Well fuck you then, god that fucking hurt" She rubbed her bruised Cheeks lightly.


    "Good, now you''re awake so take him and run as far from here as you can ''cause I gotta score to settle with mister good looking over¡­.their¡­wait what! OH My god¡­ there''s two of ''em now, it''s an infestation." the bloody lunatic chuckled at his own joke as he cracked his knuckles


    "No, that''s not right, uh, It''s an infestation of two, nailed it."


    "Wait you''re going BACK, ARE YOU CRAZY?"


    The teen raised an eyebrow at her, the intent was clear.


    ''Obviously''


    " What the fuck is wrong with you, your, your just a kid, you just fucking died, I honestly don''t have the sense in my understand how all this is possible but I know what I know, and kids like you shouldn''t be doing things like this, I don''t care if you can''t die, you can''t just go back over there, do even feel pain?" She didn''t understand what was going on, and she didn''t even try to, leave that to the thinking people, but she sure as hell wasn''t going to let what happened here change her values.


    She had always tried to do the right thing and this was wrong, this was all wrong.


    Everything about this kid was just wrong.


    " You say that like it''s supposed to mean something to me, and yes I do, but my pain has literally nothing to do with you, you sure you OK there lady " the kid, no teen answered her in that same irritating tone.


    It left her at a loss for words, his nonchalant attitude, his blatant disregard for his own safety, whatever he was.


    " Why are you doing this?" She couldn''t help but ask him.


    And he answered in four simple words.


    "Why¡­Because I can" He snorted at her like it was the most obvious answer in the world.


    " And I really don''t care right now about your two cents about what a can and can''t do. So, Right Now I am gonna go over there and settle my score with my murderer, amma trusts you to be a dear and run along with your friend who been bleeding out over there..Kapish¡­Kapish" With his peace said he blasted onto the rooftops as the monstrous roar resounded through the streets.


    "ROOOOOOOSSSSSS!"


    " Damn Crazy Lunatic¡­ Fuck¡­ WAIT¡­THE GREEN ONE''S ON OUR SIDE! HEY¡­ARE YOU¡­damn it¡­sigh¡­ " a pain-stricken groan got her attention.


    " Ho shit Kelly...Geez man... I am so sorry..."


    That was the last she saw him, the next time would be on the news.


    Turns out that Suicidal Psycho won in the end.


    -Flash Back End-


    ....


    Somehow that stuck with her, that idea that someone could do something so insane, so abnormal simply because they could.


    And if he could do it why could everyone else? So she went back to her life as normal, putting that incident as far away from her mind as any normal person.


    Her partner managed to recover and everything was going well.


    For three weeks this is. Until life decided to through her a curve ball.


    ...


    She was so hungry¡­


    ''My name is Yuriko Watanabe an officer of the NYPD, Badge number 480316, I will survive this and I will kill you.''


    ¡­..


    One sting operation gone wrong was all it took. Wrong time, wrong place with the wrong fucking people.


    She got caught going under as a hooker. It was only supposed to be for a day, now it was a week.


    She was caught, and they identified her by name, someone in there knew who she was, the reason, her familial relation to James Watanabe.


    Apparently, her dad put a lot of their people away, the same people he got arrested for taking bribes from. It landed her straight here for execution, her appointed killer Teddy Costa.


    Some crazy retard related to the Maggia crime family. She would have welcomed death, she was supposed to die a week ago.


    ....


    She was so fucking thirsty¡­She could really use a pick-me-up right about now¡­


    ''My name is Yuriko Watanabe an officer of the NYPD, Badge number 480316, I will survive this and I will kill you.''


    ¡­.


    That twisted guy had a habit he was quite fond of, he told her enough about it over the last few days that she thought her ears would bleed over.


    He liked to play with his prey.


    Mainly in what he considered very ''Fun'' ways. In many ''Creative'' ways as he called it.


    ...


    She was getting tired¡­


    ''My name is Yuriko Watanabe an officer of the NYPD, Badge number 480316, I will survive this and I will kill you.''


    ...


    So here she was trapped in a room, four by four, stale walls, leaking ceilings with a single source of light, no windows, a single bed, and a chair.


    ¡­..


    She wanted to taste something anything¡­


    ''My name is Yuriko Watanabe an officer of the NYPD, Badge number 480316, I will survive this and I will kill you.''


    ¡­..


    That retard started with her Achilles tendon, a clean cut on both legs, she held in her scream as best she could at that time, she wouldn''t give me that satisfaction.


    He carefully bandaged them and then continued from there. It didn''t stop, soon it wasn''t just cuts anymore and not long after that it wasn''t just the torture tools.


    That sick fuck had some sickly twisted fetishes. But she wouldn''t give him the satisfaction, she never uttered a single word that wasn''t the mantra she repeated in her thoughts.


    ¡­..


    She wanted to see and feel the sun¡­


    ''My name is Yuriko Watanabe an officer of the NYPD, Badge number 480316, I will survive this and I will kill you.''


    ..¡­


    Not a scream, no a whimper, she wouldn''t let him win she told herself.


    Yet the twisted fuck enjoyed that, she hasn''t eaten in days, yet she didn''t ask for food, she hasn''t drunk water in days yet she refuse to ask for it.


    Teddy Costa had this game, where he would eat all his meals in front of her, then offer her the same meal each and every day.


    Yet each and every day he got the same answer.


    ''My name is Yuriko Watanabe an officer of the NYPD, Badge number 480316, I will survive this and I will kill you.'' She wanted something to eat so bad¡­.


    It pissed him off so much that she once laughed in his face. What followed wasn''t something she could remember.


    Her tears were dried out, her skin had more purple than pale pink, and she looked thinner than ever, almost as if she was just skin on bone. She had bandages all over her form, and the cock sucker made extra sure not to bleed her out. The only place he didn''t touch was her face.


    ''Liked ''em pretty'' he said.


    ''My name is Yuriko Watanabe an officer of the NYPD, Badge number 480316, I will survive this and I will kill you.'' She clenched her fist tightly with the water strength she had, her teeth grinding.


    No matter what he said, they both knew she was gonna die today, she couldn''t keep it up anymore.


    She didn''t have the strength to keep on fighting.


    That bastard always left a loaded gun by her bed with a single bullet, another one of his games.


    ''Either kill him or kill herself'' he said, like it was a fair game, like he''d ever given her that chance.


    ''My name is Yuriko Watanabe an officer of the NYPD, Badge number 480316, I will survive this and I will kill you.''


    She wondered why thoughts of that night in Harlem kept coming back to her. The reason was right there at the tip of her tongue.


    She blinked in surprise when shots rang out throughout the compound. She didn''t even know where he was.


    "What the fuck is that!! What the fuck are you!!" she heard ''his'' voice shout.


    She moved her hand with every ounce of strength she had left in her body to pick up the gun she had by her bed. Her broken fingers weren''t helping, three on each side.


    Except for the thumbs and pointer, a result of another one of his games.


    It got louder, banging could be heard, then the sound of twisting flesh, breaking a bone, something she had become all too familiar with.


    She wrapped the gun and positioned her pointer and thumb to ready a shot. Thankfully he always cocked the pin for her.


    Pain flooded he being from her stomach, she almost doped the gun.


    The pain was something she was learning to get along with, but the blood that poured from her upper left chest was not.


    She''d been shot, the bullet came through the door.


    ''My name is Yuriko Watanabe an officer of the NYPD, Badge number 480316, I will survive this and I will kill you.''


    She wheezed in bated breaths.


    ''Just a little longer¡­''


    She was going to die, but that''s ok¡­Just not yet.


    A silent scream filled the air and something was sent crashing into the door of her cell with a loud crack.


    " You know I thought I met the worst people around but you, you take the cake" There was that familiar irritating voice again from a memory she couldn''t place.


    She didn''t care.


    "I can''t really kill humans you know, but you¡­ you''re not human¡­ people like you are the exception...you don''t deserve that right¡­something like that can no longer be counted¡­ as.. one of us¡­.Holy fuck¡­I know you¡­What the fuck did he do to you?¡­" Someone made their way to the door only to catch a pause when they caught sight of her.


    Teddy Costa rolled over and leaned over wheezing in pain from an injury she couldn''t see. He crawled over to her as if he just remembered that he kept a loaded gun there.


    He used his assailant''s momentary pause to his advantage.


    He popped himself on the the bed with his right arm to reach for the gun but as soon as he did he came face to face with the barrel of the gun he so desperately wanted to reach.


    He found himself staring into the vengeful eyes of one Yuriko Watanabe.


    "My name is Yuriko Watanabe an officer of the NYPD, Badge number 480316, I will survive this and I will kill you, Now die."


    Her voice was a horse whisper of what it was, it didn''t sound like something a human was capable of making. But her intent was clear.


    ''I win, You Die''


    Bang!


    The gun dropped from her the instant that the shot was fired. Her body was not far behind.


    She slouched on the sticky cement, covered in blood that much she was sure and simply waited for it to end.


    She was too tired to move. She didn''t have the energy to open her eyes.


    Someone picked her up and turned her over as gently as they could.


    It didn''t hurt, not one bit. She placed her head softly on something warm, it felt soothing.


    Was this what dying felt like? It was welcoming... She was ready for this¡­


    " Hey" that same voice called out, It sounded so familiar she couldn''t quite remember who or from where. Maybe she could just let this all go.


    " Do you want to live" Yes, she didn''t want to die, try as she might, she didn''t want to die. It was the nature of a human to survive no matter the cost.


    " I can help you do that" Please, she was so hungry, she was thirsty. She had a place she wanted to see. She had yet to clear her Dad''s name.


    "There''s a price though" Anything, she pleaded.


    Almost as if the voice understood her it responded in kind.


    " To paraphrase the tall dark and beautiful someone i know that might be coming from you at this very moment. Be mine and I will let you live" She bobbed her head ever so slightly, where she had the energy to do that she would never in her life figure out..


    "Huh, that was fast¡­Well if that''s what you want...don''t forget"


    Suddenly she felt something stab into her chest but she felt no pain. Then everything faded as information streamed into her psyche.


    For a moment she met what she could only describe as death, and it looked remarkably similar to that deranged teenager she met that night on the streets of Harlem.


    But the black miasma that surrounded him with the addition of the shroud of bandages that twisted in the air with life of their own and the golden eyes told her otherwise.


    A small part of her couldn''t help but question if she made a deal with the devil. Because the devil looked...


    The last thing she heard was his voice again. Even now it still irritated her, only it was different.


    "Garfield, just kill them all"


    -Chapter End-


    Yuriko Watanabe


    Sin of Lust


    Branch: Excess (Enough is never enough)


    Code Name: Wraith


    Branch Power: Blood Whip/Blade (Speed Type)


    - She can make blood whips from her blood which she could harden the whip''s edges into bladed form and propel them at supersonic speeds allowing her to cut most objects with relative ease.


    - she can also alter said whips into thread-like structures with enough control and practice


    -She can use her whips to grab onto objects or surfaces allowing her to move with ease as her ring has as much blood as allows her


    Special Ability granted by her sin:


    Excess- Enough is never enough


    -Everything about her is amplified, her strength, speed, emotions, intellect, the more she strives for it the more she pushes past her limits, the more they are amplified Ect...


    Mental/Emotional Side-Effect


    She has a religious maniac-like obsession with the holder of the original sin Shard Peter Parker due to her mistakenly disassociating him with the entity death and her suffering from transference syndrome, its combination with the branch of sin''s innate nature of being loyal to the original sin, combined with the feeling of gratefulness for being saved from the brink of death by peter parker coupled with her unique ability lead the creation of a feedback loop in which her feeling of gratitude and loyalty make her feel more which are then amplified by her ability trait that functions around lust and obsession making her feel more of it and so on in an endless loop.

 Chapter 20: Strange Encounters 2: Burning bridges

    -At the Cafe-


    (September Saturday 12:32 am)


    "I''m sorry about, well everything"


    There was no mistaking what he said.


    Gwen Stacy found herself at a loss for words, as if something took whatever she was planning to say and scrambled it with the image of Peter she used to know.


    "I''m sorry for what happened back then at the hospital, I know I can''t take any of it back but I just wanted you to know, I didn''t mean any of it. I was ¡­I wasn''t thinking straight, so when I saw you with them everything just boiled out of me."


    She heard that changes people, and she often wondered what would have happened to her if her dad really died that day.


    Now she had some ideas on how she would have turned out.


    "Pete please, you have nothing to apologize for, if anything I should be that one apo- ".


    If anything she should be the one apologizing to him. Before she could finish Peter raised his hand, cutting her off.


    "Stop please, just let me finish"


    That look again like all his vitality was drained from him. She couldn''t hold eye contact with him.


    "So I''ve been thinking about things"


    ''What the hell happened to you Pete?''.


    She didn''t know and she couldn''t bring herself to ask without coming off as insensitive given his present situation with his family.


    " Peter Parker thinking about life, is the world ending soon?" She joked to lighten the mood.


    Peter didn''t laugh, no reaction apart from a simple raised eyebrow. That calm, impassive reaction was so unlike him.


    "And here we go, a glass of water and Chocolate smoothie for the brooding boy, and a chocolate smoothie with extra chocolate shavings for the girl, on the house." Thankfully the waiter came with their order before things could get awkward.


    She made sure to wink at Gwen when she left.


    Gwen just let out an exasperated sigh before taking a sip of her smoothie.


    "Hmm, this is actually really good", Peter mirrored her actions.


    ''The old Peter world have laugh¡­'' she stopped herself before she could complete that thought.


    Old Peter? Where did that come from? She hadn''t met him in two months and now she was already judging him.


    Maybe Peter was right back then, maybe she was a bitch. She remembered what was said at the hospital that day.


    ''Seriously, who am I to judge him when I almost¡­''


    ¡­..


    " Oh, I don''t know, I thought cause of Aunt¡­Actually, I don''t know what I was thinking, I just thought maybe you came here to check on me, you know, Peter Parker the nerd, your best friend, who you forgot about, I mean Jesus Gwen a text once in while would have been nice, but nooo¡­ after becoming little miss popular with your new entourage, your to good for the little people now. You know you can be such bitch some¡­"


    Harry punched him before he could finish.


    ¡­..


    She should have done things differently that day. Maybe all of things would have been different now.


    Maybe if the others weren''t there things could have played out differently.


    When his uncle died no one knew until the funeral, and even then very few showed up from what she heard from her mom who attended, only twenty-something people showed up due to the lizard incident being as big as it was. She didn''t find out about it until she finished the tour with her band.


    The parkers didn''t have any other living relatives so Peter handled everything himself.


    Everything up to the point of his uncle''s burial.


    It didn''t help that while all of this was going on that incident at the hospital took place, where her father and his aunt were, but neither of them knew that at the time.


    ''No matter how I think about it, from his perspective, it probably felt like he was alone in the world''


    Suddenly she felt like she could understand why he looked the way he did.


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    '' And me being me must have made things worse for him, no wonder he looks so off''


    "So I''ve been thinking" Peter continued after finishing his smoothie.


    ''Jeez someone has an appetite.'' It took literal seconds.


    " I don''t think we can be friends anymore Gwen."


    Gwen nearly choked on her smoothie.


    ''Jesus, Pete take it down a notch, at this rate forget bullets, I could die from shock''


    " Arrg..cough¡­cough¡­Peter, you can''t be serious¡­cough..cough¡­ we¡­we both said things we didn''t mean that day, and I know we haven''t talked to each other at all since, but not being friends? Aren''t you being a bit much?" Gwen grabbed a napkin to wipe herself clean.


    " Not really, I''m just being realistic."


    " What''s that supposed to mean?" She hoped he wasn''t about to bring the others into this again.


    " It means just that, I have things to do now, I can''t keep wondering about how things would go on with us, you have better friends now too, an actual life, you can''t afford to have someone like me dragging you down."


    ''What?''


    Peter glanced out the window.


    "This was always going to happen the moment you joined Watson and her band. We''ve been drifting apart and now I think it''s time to just move on. Besides nerds and jocks don''t mix, wasn''t that what you said when you joined them. You one of them now and that''s not a bad thing, I think it''s good for you."


    Peter turned to face her with a wistful smile, it wasn''t as wrong this time around."


    "It''s not like we wouldn''t be seeing each other, we can hang every now and then, but aside from that we have our own lives to live. So I really am sorry for everything Gwen. This is actually the reason I called you here"


    Peter reached a hand to scratch the back of his head, a habit of his he had since childhood.


    " My point is, you''ve outgrown me as a friend. You have it all now, looks, rich friends, you are popular, and you have brains to boot, even the grades to prove it and I honestly resent you for it, I can''t pretend that we''ll ever work things out and as I am right now I honestly don''t have the energy to even try."


    What the hell is he saying right now? Why does it feel like she''s being dumped by someone she never asked out? Gwen tried to understand where this was coming from but she couldn''t really.


    "So we just leave each other as is, give each other some space to deal with our own issues, and if we ever get back to how we used to be then great, if don''t then we deal with that our own way too"


    Peter finished and then took a sip from his glass of water.


    "So you called your best friend out to a cafe to dump her over a chocolate smoothie and a glass of water, damn Pete, I never knew you had it in you"


    Should she be angry or sad about this development? surprised? or was this how it was always going to be?


    " I know right, sometimes I even surprise myself." He joked.


    It wasn''t funny, she didn''t laugh, and her throat felt dry. The smoothie didn''t help.


    " I''m going to be dropping out of school soon, still haven''t worked it out yet, thinking of moving too, but that''s just a passing thought for now, and I won''t be around all that much so this is probably the last time we''ll see each other in a while."


    ''Damn it Pete''


    "I just need some time to pull myself together, that''s all and that''s my piece a guess"


    " So, Peter Parker nerd of Mid Town high dumps Gwen Stacy the Smartass drummer of the Marry Janes" she bantered back.


    This time he laughed, they both did.


    "Just like that, huh"


    Maybe she did deserve this.


    "Just like that" Peter chuckled.


    There were a lot of things she wanted to say and do, but from the look on Peter''s face, it wouldn''t change anything.


    " I feel like there''s nothing I can say to change how this is going"


    " There isn''t"


    "You really made up your mind about this huh"


    "I have"


    "You know you can always call me if something ever happens, I''ll always be there for you"


    " I know"


    "You''ve really changed your know"


    "You too Gwen, I''m not the only one"


    Gwen knew that more than anything. Whatever she thought was wrong with Peter before suddenly made sense now. They were growing, and they were outgrowing each other.


    Yet she couldn''t shake the feeling that she there was something else going on. She was getting too paranoid and her super-hero gig was getting to her head.


    "Guess this is really it then" Gwen held it in, whatever she was feeling, she was sure Peter had it worse.


    "Peter, listen, I''m really sorry about Uncle Ben and Aunt May, and I''m sorry that I wasn''t there with you when it mattered most, and I''m sorry for being such a bitch over the last few months, so if you ever need me, I''ll always be here for you"


    Peter gave her a look she couldn''t quit place, it was almost apathetic.


    "I know, guess this is goodbye then"


    Peter stood up to leave but Gwen grabbed his arm. Mentioning his family was hard on him, she knew that but she needed him to know.


    "Please Peter, Don''t forget you have people here that still care about you"


    "I won''t," He said before gently removing her hand and leaving.


    She didn''t know when it started but soon after the waterworks came. Was this how friendships end?


    It hurts. It hurts a lot.


    Maybe this was how it was always gonna go after what she did to him.


    Maybe this really was for the best, for both of their sakes.


    Behind her, the TV was broadcasting the news of the recent manslaughter incident and the miraculous rescue of one Officer Watanabe and fifteen other women with a lot of dead bodies reported on site.


    -Chapter End-


    So for those still wondering why she isn''t shocked to see Peter alive. I direct you to the comment below.


    His previous ability granted by the shard when it brought Peter back to life was Plot manipulation- or the ability to rewrite a certain narrative in reality, from her perspective as much as she could remember. Peter survived and she almost killed him. She''s completely unaware of the fact that she actually killed him


    And for those wondering why Peter doesn''t do anything after she nearly killed him.


    remember to him she is simply Gwen Stacy his best friend who got popular and left him for the rich and famous and whose father he put in the hospital. He doesn''t know she''s a spider woman but


    Gwen knows he''s The Lizard, and although she''s keeping an eye on him from time to time, she''s unaware of his other life.


    With that, hope you enjoyed the chapter.


    A/N: Showout to Knight_Riku for reminding me, Note this is an AU of Earth 65B where Peter never found out who Ghost Spider(Gwen) was but was inspired all the same to follow the same path as Peter Parker from Earth 65B i.e make a serum to be a superhero.

 Chapter 21: Change in Pace

    -Hells Kitchen-


    (November 8 pm)


    Five days after the meeting with Gwen.


    Peter Parker had it all planned out. Play superhero, hunt bad guys, build a hideout, work on his cover, hunt the bad guys, destroy Wilson Fisk, and Kill Poindexter.


    It was simple, make the plan, execute the plan¡­and then throw it away, on account of the execution part of the plan. Because all plans go to shit the moment you execute them.


    There was always that one thing that no one''s ever prepared for, the unpredictable factor, the unknown one could never account for.


    " Hello you, tell me, do you know who I am, you probably don''t even remember me, some random nobody from Queens"


    Peter loomed over the bleeding body of one Benjamin Poindexter, both his hands twisted and broken, his left leg twisted in the wrong direction, his face disfigured beyond recognition with his teeth shattered and his jaw dislocated.


    His charge, Wilson Fisk sprawled against his burning vehicle, a metal rod stabbed into his left shoulder holding him in place.


    He was dressed in a hooded jacket with the collar pulled past his lower face, black pants and shoes, covered in patches of blood and bullet holes from the fight that just occurred.


    [Image]


    Around them littered the discarded weapons and writhing bodies of all his protection detail, groaning in pain from missing limbs and broken bones among three burning vehicles.


    " I had it all planned out, I was gonna make your lives hell, take everything that mattered to you, and then kill you."


    An orange cat walked among the wreckage, moving leisurely through the groaning bodies, as it passed them, tiny noticeable needle-like objects shot from its fur before stabbing into any who attempted to rearm themselves.


    "But plans change, people die, my aunt almost died¡­my uncle did die¡­" That brought back memories he tried to avoid for the last few days.


    ''Almost''.


    Peter reached down and squeezed into his already grotesque left arm.


    "AAARRRGGGG!!!" Poindexter let out a pain-filled scream.


    "And you pulled that trigger, look at me, hey, hey, look at me, you took them from me" Peter pulled with a sadistic glee he never knew he possessed, something dark took root inside of him, further amplified by his innate lust for blood, a side effect of power.


    "Ssshhhh¡­shh..shhh. shhh. shhh¡­quite know, that''s it, be quiet and listen" Peter firmly covered his Poindexter''s broken mouth with his other hand, before pulling back his hood and and lowering his face mask, revealing his face.


    Poindexter''s eye''s swollen eyes widened in recognition.


    "Look at me and remember this face, remember that this is all because of some nobody from Queens, remember that this is all because you chose to pull that trigger at the park that afternoon, brand this into your soul, this is all because of a life you took, his name is Ben


    Parker, a hardworking man, a caring husband, a loving father, my father, and the life you almost ruined, her name is May Parker, a nurse, the greatest woman you''ll never meet, someone worth a hundred of your worthless life, my mother. When you die, she will come for you, tell her Peter Parker sent you, consider it a gift from an unwilling fan¡­and I think I''ll be keeping this arm¡­"


    "AAARRRRGG!!!AAAAAAAAHHH!" Peter ripped his arm off in one swift movement. The arm that cost him his family, and ironically the arm that led him to their killer.


    With that Peter gave him a long empty stare before kicking him violently in the stomach just because he felt like it.


    He then turned to Wilson Fisk who was still bleeding out, impaled into his car, and smiled.


    "Don''t think I forgot about you mister King Pin, sir, we''ll have our moment" He walked over as if he went going for a leisurely stroll, with no break in his stride, just slow and deliberate.


    The last thing Poindexter saw was a chubby orange cat, purring calmly as it stalked up, getting right up in the face.


    Its eyes a pitch black with pupils glowing red. The unholy creature gave the doing marksman a Cheshire grin, its lips split past further back than should be physically possible, fit for a demon, not a cat.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    The last sight he would ever see.


    Then it spoke.


    And it was the last thing Poindexter would ever hear.


    ...¡­


    -The night of Yuriko Watanabe''s unintentional rescue-


    Dressed in all black, Peter remained crouched on a power pole in the rain, not far from his intended target. A private compound surrounded by armed men near the shipyard, a private property but nothing about it was legal or proper. His been scouting out random joints over the last few days after school, aside from training himself and the fight club some nights he was setting up his new base of operations which also counted as training because of all the crates he had to move around from his new bought previously abandoned were house.


    He took Garfield from the hospital to check out what he could do and he could do some amazing things.


    So when he brought Garfield here to check this place out, the cat informed Peter that it smelt blood from there, the scent was so strong that the cat shot down toward the compound like a bullet.


    When Peter chased after him to bring him back, it assaulted his senses just as much, it didn''t help that his been having blood cravings for the last few weeks, and food began to taste stale and tasteless. He was embarrassed to say that he did salivate a little near the gates before the guards told him to piss off the private property.


    He should consider getting himself a blood bank.


    So after much consideration, he decided that for his first official night out, this would be the place.


    ''Five guards around a fire drum, two in the watch tower, and two by the gate, three on the roof¡­No, you can''t eat them Garfield¡­ when did you get so heavy? did you go hunting again? cause you''re making my neck ache," The cat was curled up on his head, safely under his hood, it compressed itself into the size of a kitten to squeeze itself inside.


    The compound was a five-story building used for storage of some kind. They had crates and containers all over the yard, one of them providing cover of the five guards he needed to take out, conveniently blocking the eastern watchtower from view.


    the real reason he was here was the basement. That''s where the scent of blood was coming from.


    '' Wait can you take out the watchman'' he didn''t need to speak for the cat to understand him. The reply was instantaneous, thoughts didn''t need any effort when communicating, unlike speech.


    Garfield told Peter he could.


    All they needed was to take out the one to the west watchtower, then distract the three on the roof so Peter could sneak in and take them out, before dealing with the five by the fire drum who just happened to be guarding the entrance to where the scent of blood was the strongest.


    ''Alright¡­go''


    Garfield''s biomass shifted in his hood before a tiny bird made its way out, flying toward the guard in the watch tower.


    Garfield''s branch power revolved around the manipulation of biomass, he could consume it, compress it, then assimilate it then become whatever it was that he consumed the mass from, a form of bio-mimicry. His weight was the only thing he couldn''t adjust, everything else was easy game, he could solidify the mass to make hard constructs, an armored shell and so much more. Literal sentient biomass.


    The small bird flew in as if it were any other animal. Once it got close it shifted its mass again, turning into a large falcon, a prey from one of its hunts.


    Peter followed with the speed and precision of a practiced martial master. Moving across the power lines just before Garfield grabbed the guard by its color and soured into the sky faster than the armed man could make a sound.


    By the time the guard was dropped on the roof Peter was already in the air behind him. The sound of a body slamming into concrete got the attention of the three watchmen stationed on the roof. They didn''t notice Peter lightly drop down on one of the railings. In one fluid motion, like water streaming through the cracks of a rock, he propelled himself between and knocked two out with a sequence of well-placed strikes before violently grabbing the last one.


    They like their fellow guard were out with broken bones and damaged organs in a single instant, by the time the other two fell Peter smashed the head of the last one into the wall, webbed cracks forming with a little blood splatter from the strength he used.


    ''OK, Whoa, I know I''m awesome but that was easy, way too easy¡­I''m getting stronger.


    He let the other one drop unceremoniously to the ground. The rain helped in masking the sounds.


    ''That''s a good thing, right?''


    ''Yes,'' A young voice answered.


    Peter reflexively covered his mouth to stop himself from crying out in shock.


    ''Jesus Garfield!¡­'' Peter almost swatted the bird that landed on his shoulder.


    '' I know you''re adapting to human speech and all but a little warning next time would be nice bud, no matter how many times I hear it, still creeps me out.'' Peter jumped on the railing to watch his next target, one of them left to get a cigarette from what Peter could hear.


    ''So.oo.ry'' Garfield replied, trying to form the word as best it could as it felt unnatural to him, but it would try for its master.


    ''Don''t worry about it bud.. Maybe the bandages this time...aww...aren''t you jus the cutest''


    Peter pat the little bird and then sent it down, following him by using his bandages attached to the rails to lower himself silently on the container in the cover of rain and shadow.


    Peter then bound his bandages to the rails and the container to walk across for a better view.


    Once there he mentally moved them down careful not to touch any of them. Like invisible guided tendrils they slithered in the air towards them before closing around their necks making sure not to touch any of them until all of their necks and bodies were enclosed.


    Shhhooft!


    In response to a single thought, all four guards were dragged into the air writhing, struggling as the bandages squeezed the air from their longs, locking their arms to their sides making it impossible for them to do anything other than squirm and suffocate.


    And that was how the fifth guard found them, only he couldn''t see the bandages, only a group of men in the air having the life squeezed out of them.


    [image]


    His newly acquired unlit cigarette fell from his mouth, the gun from his shaking hands.


    "Wha¡­wha¡­what the fuck?" he uttered in genuine disbelief.


    Peter tilted his head in amusement.


    "Welcome to my parlor said the spider to the fly." He joked, only the poor man did not find it as funny.


    He was terrified, Garfield got to him the moment he turned to run. Like all the others, he didn''t even have the time to scream.


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 22: Change in Pace 2

    -By the docks-


    (The night of Yuriko''s unintended rescue)


    It was the fourth floor down where the scent of blood was the thickest.


    Peter realized that he was severely underestimating his physical capabilities. He was aware of his potential for physical growth but experiencing it was something else entirely, with Garfield backing him up, his enhanced senses picking up who''s where on what floor, and


    Peter''s thoughts instantly being executed by Garfield without any hesitation they tore their way through three floors in little over ten minutes. The way in was blocked by a pile of crates Peter could find the moment he entered.


    Behind them bodies lay here and there, sticking out of broken doors, inside concrete walls from the waist up, one was even hanging by the neck from the ceiling, some sprawled about the staircase growing in pain, some knocked, bleeding from all manner of injuries.


    Peter felt slightly uncomfortable with how easy it was to physically destroy grown men armed with guns, bats, metal rods, and bladed weapons. His skills were no joking matter and the ease at which his body carried each movement with the precision of a practiced fighter was rather nerving.


    Months ago the very idea of fighting an armed man carrying a fully automatic loaded gun would have left him shaking in fear.


    Until now, the only combat experience he had was with fighters from the illegal fight clubs where he reined as both undefeated challenger and champion since he beat the previous champ, One Ms. Colleen Wing. He should have known that normal thugs with guns would fall short when compared with the skilled battle-frenzy fighters who fought for money and entertainment.


    They were easy peaking, their reaction time was slow, their movement flimsy, full of opening, and predictable, making it laughable how cocky they were and how fast their tones changed when he ripped that look out of their faces. Room after room, down the dimly lit corridor then down the stairs, and finally reaching the metal door that stood between him and that thick scent of blood.


    He hated to admit it, the fact that he found the smell disgustingly delicious.


    ''No Peter no¡­calm down, deep breaths'' The scent of blood was throwing him off. That blood bank idea seemed really appetizing right now.


    ''Hot dogs, Pizza, brownies, think Pizza, think chocolate cookies, wheat cakes, meat pies, chicken wings and tomato sauce, red dripping, tomato sauce¡­and shit¡­this isn''t helping.'' His hands instinctively came up to his mouth as he walked past the corridor towards the metal door separating him from the object of his twisted fascination.


    He was unsure whether to hurl from this craving or salivate from the disturbing discovery that he found blood sweeter than pizza right now.


    Garfield wasn''t helping with all the chewing sounds coming from what the cat was doing back there¡­


    ''Wait chewing? Dammit.'' Peter palmed his face as he turned to confirm his thoughts.


    "Garfield, No, Garfield, cut that out, spit, spit that out, bad kitty, let the man''s arm gooo!" He had to pry the cat off chewing some random arm, the owner of said arm already passed out.


    Garfield let out what could only be described as a ticked-off sigh as he spit a finger out. The cat gave Peter an accusatory glare as if to say.


    ''As if your one to talk, damn human master and his rules''. The cat took a whiff of the air and communicated to Peter what its acute sense picked up.


    Garfield informed him of the last few groups that stayed hassled behind that door. Peter was sure they had all their guns pointed at the metal door.


    They knew he was coming, but he made the mistake of not cutting out power, not to mention the security cameras, a thought to Garfield helped him there, and the cat managed to take out a few of them before any clear images of him could be captured. With that a new plan came into being, Garfield went in to take out the cams, distracting them and drawing their fire. Once the cams were down, Peter came in to clean up after them. Using a pile of carts to keep the doorway was actually well thought out.


    With all things considered this was not bad for his first night out.


    Peter gave himself a pat on the back for this one. By the time the other guards came in it''s be too late.


    Peter pulled his arm back, straining his muscles, fist clenched, knees apart. One foot in front of the other, a form for optimizing attack power into a single violent hit. How he knew that he choked it up to his ability.


    "Knock, knock, who''s there!?" After taking a deep breath he let loose.


    The door, flew off its hinges, violently crashing into crates on the other side, taking a few gun man it it.


    The potency of the scent caught Peter off guard. He was frozen for a moment before instincts kicked in.


    The room on the other side was spacious with a single corridor leading to the end where there was another spacious room


    "Yikes! Ha! Missed me! Jeez¡­easy with the pew pew gun, Me thinks you might kill someone! "He ducked to the side as a volley of bullets shriveled up the corridor accompanied by a range of colorful insults.


    Garfield shifted its mass, its fur changed color, muscles contracting like fluid under leather skin, solidifying into a large dog, an Irish Wolfhound.


    Peter contemplated following his cat on one of his hunts, apparently it ate a dog.


    The dog rushed in, and bullets sunk into its biomass doing no damage at all, let alone slowing him down as it took a bite out of the nearest gunman he could dig his teeth into. Peter followed the instant they diverted gunfire from him towards his feline partner.


    His bandages flowed around him providing an extra layer of protection, he used them to his advantage, wrapping around two gunmen, pulling them towards him while simultaneously propelling himself forward.


    ''Two down, more to go''.


    He left them with their heads slammed into the floor, their faces disfigured and bleeding out before moving on to the next one. He outmaneuvered the bullets surprisingly easily, using the walls and ceiling to move around the room.


    "Shit, shit, shit, shit, that hurts!" Peter willed his bandages to pull another thug which he then sent hurling into one of the many rooms.


    Bullets bounced off his skin upon contact, the reinforcement of his skin came from the same ability that left him with cravings for blood. The stung like a bitch but nothing he couldn''t handle. His tolerance for injuries crossing his thresh hold for pain was really high and from his recent discovery during his fight with The Abomination, it was growing.


    As he fought his way through the desperate thugs, something stopped him in his tracks, one of the rooms was open, the door slightly swinging open, breaking under the force after he kicked a thug into it.


    The smell got to him first, then the sight, of blood-stained floors, the dim light illuminated a single occupant situated in the center of the room, chained to a chair was a single person.


    She was covered in blood-stained bandages with one of her limbs missing, dark black here reflected against the soft phosphorescent yellow hue the only light source in the room was giving off.


    She looked dead inside, as if she just succumbed to her fate, just waiting to die. She had a gag ball in her mouth, but that didn''t stop her from attempting to scream the moment she saw Peter.


    Tears streamed down her face and she struggled against the chain, the life returning to her previously dead expression.


    ''That''s..that''s¡­why would?¡­what the hell?.. What is wrong with people, who in their right minds would do something like this?'' Peter took a step inside but a single shot rang before he found himself falling limb in front of the horror-stricken girl.


    "Fucking freaks! Not so tough no huh? Are you?" the thug whizzed as he picked himself up.


    The thug pushed himself up before emptying his clip into Peter''s prone form.


    The was girl still wailing in her seat. The thug gave her an annoyed glance before shooting her in the head.


    "Dumb fucking bitc-ARRAGG!" He turned to find his arm crushed in Peters''s palm. He tried prying Peter''s hand off but Peter held on tighter making it much more excruciating for the man.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Squelsh!


    Peter pulled him close before pulling his mask down and sinking his teeth into the man''s neck, he ripped it out and then drank his fill.


    The move was unintentional, reflexive, and instinctual on Peter''s part. And though he would try to defend himself, to rationalize what he was doing right now, he couldn''t deny the relief that flooded through him.


    ''What is this? what''s happening right now? I have to stop¡­but..Why does it taste so good? This is..human..blood, why does it taste so GOOD!!''


    He was drinking blood, human blood, and it tasted euphoric.


    He couldn''t stop¡­


    The sound of gunshots, screams, and profanities still echoed in the halls. Garfield bites his way through the thugs one man at a time.


    ''DAMMIT STEP SNAP OUT OF IT!''


    By the time he managed to regain control, he tossed the body aside like he''d been burned.


    Taking a moment to gather himself from his unintentional loss of control. The man choked on his own blood before seizing all movement.


    He sat there for a while as the adrenaline left him.


    He just killed a person¡­Beating them up was one thing, but actually killing someone, he''d never done that before.


    ''How? How? What did I just do? How? I didn''t mean to, he deserved it, that''s right, he''s a killer, that''s all there is to it¡­ I just killed someone, I just killed a person¡­ how did I even do that? I just killed..'' he planned to kill before, and he was prepared to do it but now that the deed was done he just had that question. He didn''t feel much from this act itself, no sense of guilt, no urge to puke, no shock, nothing¡­


    Clarity settled in as his panic-induced thoughts dissipated. His breathing became calm and controlled.


    ''What?'' he glanced to the side finding Garfield back into his cat, nuzzling against his side. He had forgotten that the cat could do that, calm someone by lessening mental ailments.


    ''Thanks, bud'' Peter gave the cat an affectionate pat.


    ....


    - The familiar will take some of the host''s physical pain when they exceed a certain pain threshold and extend an aura of care and relief that alleviates them from stress, depression, and other such negative alignments


    ....


    Peter Calmed his thoughts, Garfield''s aura helping him get himself together.


    ''How is this even possible?''.


    Peter knew from his ability that he couldn''t take a human life, he could beat them to an inch of life but he couldn''t actually kill them. But yet he just killed a man, shakily he stood up and looked at his hands, his lack of emotional reaction could is already explainable.


    ''But I know I couldn''t kill humans so why would this one be different?''


    He looked at the corps of the man and then the girl.


    ''And What kind of human would do this to another human?'' He knows about those mass murderers and serial killers, watch a few docu-series on tv about it.


    A thought struck him then.


    ''What kind of human does that? What kind of human¡­Huh¡­so that''s it.'' His ability prevented him from killing anything he ''considered'' human, on some level since his aunts went to the hospital, he''d stopped seeing them as human. Fisk and Poindexter, he just considered them an objective, someone he needed to kill.


    Now on some level, it extended to this thug, if he could take part in something like this, something within Peter just didn''t consider him human anymore, and after coming back in time to watch him kill the girl solidified his fate in Peter''s mind.


    Peter walked over to her, gently closing her eyes before moving outside the room.


    It was eerily silent.


    He was starting to have an idea about what was inside these rooms in the corridor.


    "I have to say you don''t look like some monster mutt to me" A gruff voice called out from the other side of the corridor.


    Dressed in nothing but a pair of designer clothing from the waist, from his stylized torn jeans to his custom-made crocodile boots and snakeskin belt. He had a noticeable golden watch with diamonds indented in it, a golden chain around his neck, and slick back blond hair.


    He presented himself with arrogance, his mannerisms just screamed entitlement, he was made of money, born into it, thinking that the world was just his plaything.


    He held a gun in his right hand and a carving knife in his left.


    What was left of him stood behind him in an arc, eight of them, all holding up their weapons at the ready.


    "And you are who exactly?"


    Peter stopped a few feet from them, the hands of his man were shaking, every time they glanced at the cat next to Peter.


    " I am the owner of this here fine establishment, that your FUCKING UP? YOU GOD DAMN FREAK! My name''s Teddy Costa, Do you know who I am? who you''re fucking with here? Do you?"


    "Nope," Peter popped the P for good measure.


    " Oh, your dead, dead as door nail you cocky bitch¡­ I''m Hummer Heads Nephew ya fuck wit and My family won''t let this slide¡­ but¡­they ain''t here, and I am, So..we can come to an agreement¡­now amma give you a chance to walk away from here, right now and nothing will happen to you." Teddy brought his gun up in an attempt to look threatening.


    " If it''s money you want I can provide you that too¡­So..seeing as we don''t know each other how bout you take the deal and we can go our separate ways."


    "So, What do you say?" Teddy Asked.


    "Who''s the girl in the room back there?" Peter took a step forward.


    "That, oh that''s nobody, just, personal business, the family business you could say¡­" Teddy''s man took a cautious step back, yet Teddy Costa stood his ground.


    " And the other rooms? What''s in them?"


    "That''s personal business."


    "Personal business¡­right¡­ Well, I''m gonna have to say no on that deal for personal reasons too, if you don''t mind" Peter cracked his knuckles.


    "Shame" Teddy smiled at Peter before gunshots went off.


    "Light HIM UP!" Teddy shouted as emptied his gun, retreating behind his man.


    They made the mistake of letting Peter get too close, it took him moments to close the distance. His bandages grabbed the barrels and diverted them from him.


    Garfield simply rushed to the nearest one.


    ...


    It took less than a minute to take them out.


    "FUck. Fuck. Fuck. WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT? WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU?" Teddy Costa shouted terrified after emptying his gun into a cat of all things, shooting hysterically at random in panic, terrified at the little creature.


    He tried attacking Peter with his carving knife only to have his arm twisted as his bones snapped under Peter''s grip.


    "You did that to her didn''t you, you cut her up and you enjoyed it, didn''t you?" Peter asked him, squeezing harder on his broken arm.


    "ARRRg.FUck. So what if I did, they deserved it, teasing me like that, the fuck did they think they are, ARRRgs! Shit, FUCK¡­so WHAt do you even CArw HUh¡­The fuck are you do¡ª!"


    Peter held his hand to the center of Teddy Costa''s chest.


    Crack!


    A palm strike sent Teddy flying across the room like a toy, breaking into a cell at the end of the hall.


    " You know I thought I met the worst people around but you, you take the cake" Peter made his way to the psychopath.


    "I can''t really kill humans you know, but you¡­ you''re not human¡­ you don''t deserve that right¡­something like can no longer be counted¡­ as.. one of us¡­.Holy fuck¡­I know you¡­What the fuck did he do to you?¡­"


    ...


    {Integration 50%}


    Peter saved Yuriko Watanabe because he felt he needed to. The way she looked, broken bones, bleeding out, struggling to hold on for dear life, pale purple features, just waiting to die.


    She reminded him of himself. She brought back memories of the time Spider Women left him for dead in that ally.


    The night everything changed.


    {Slot 5 active}


    So he saved her with a shard. To keep his secret he didn''t alter the shard the way he did with his Aunt, the side effect wasn''t something he was prepared for but he''d deal with that when the time came.


    {Multi-fandom Power Package Uplink Generated}


    After giving the order to Garfield he emptied the other rooms. What he saw today changed everything.


    Women, their bodies tortured beyond recognition. Some of them were younger than others. He did what he could for them and left before the cops could show up. He made sure to destroy any evidence that he was there.


    {Link Forged}


    He may have started doing this to get his revenge but now he wasn''t so sure anymore. Maybe some people just had to die for the world to be safer. Maybe some people didn''t deserve the right to be called human, maybe they didn''t have the right to live.


    ''After what I saw I don''t know anymore.'' He sighed in frustration.


    If he wanted to do this he needed to do it right, make sure nothing held him back, he needed to get everything in order, and sort his shit out. He had to make things right with Gwen, the only person left that actually, probably still cared about him, he had to make things right.


    The moment he got back to his makeshift base a migraine hit him, he felt like his mind was torn into with a needle, like someone grabbed his head trying to split him in two. Garfield tried to soothe him as best he could.


    His hideout only had a few things now, hidden under an abandoned house owned under a fake ID and bought in cash.


    Inside, a fridge to the far left next to a makeshift kitchen, a table in the center with a couch in front of a large television complete with surround sound and a gaming system. He stocked up with food and medical supplies.


    He was still a teen regardless of his current circumstances.


    To the right he set up with a few interconnected monitors on a desk, his own watchtower set up, not yet complete.


    Peter slouched on his couch. He was cradling his head in pain.


    He knew what this was. He was evolving, another ability was manifesting, and the flow of information that streamed into his mind told him so.


    {Commending evolution}


    A silent scream tore its way out of his throat.


    -Chapter End-


    {Slot 5


    Fragment Variant: Eco


    Host: Mike Higgs


    Fable: On-going


    Fandom: Movie Verse


    World: Iboy


    Universe: Unspecified


    Tire: D


    Class: N/A


    Range: Planetary


    - The host can remotely connect to, access, and communicate with anything with a chip inside.


    Ability Granted to host: IBoy - Digitization


    Technopath''s mind: The ability to telepathically interact with all forms of technology. This ability allows him to view the world through the lenses of a computer.


    Trait evolved: Mask of Innocence>>Mask of the Fool


    Mask of the Fool: This trait has both a passive and an active function.


    Passive: Fools Bluff


    -This trait affects the host mind, allowing it to operate similarly to that of a computer, granting him the ability to instantly adjust to different situations with a calm mind by internalizing his reaction and carefully analyzing everything else, his physical body reflects this. His mind is optimized to an extent. Although he feels emotions and can experience mental alignments such as panic, shock, fear ect¡­ all this is internalized as his outward appearance and expression will always remain calm and collected.


    -His physical expression can be altered in any way he chooses with little effort like putting on a mask, which grants the host a limited form of parallel thinking


    -Allow the host to fake a state of normality, making him seem as ''normal'' as expected of an average human, in this state, all of his abilities will be sealed until he chooses to actively use them. However certain abilities will activate on their own accord in response to the host''s needs or protection.


    Active: Fools Gambit


    This ability allows him to put on the mask in a sense and provide input for a command. Once the command is accepted everything else will be blocked out, his emotions, his thoughts, his personality, pain, everything will be put aside to complete that one goal. His actions will be task-oriented, all actions taken are optimized for the single-minded pursuit to complete the given command.


    }


    A/N: this will be the last chapter for the week, am working on an update schedule and will post about it in the next chapter.


    Note: Any being that shares the moral values of humanity that fit under Peter''s perception of a good innocent person falls under this category of being considered human when someone or something doesn''t fit that well.


    Feel free to leave a comment or review about the story so far.

 Chapter 23: Data Discovery

    -Peter''s hideout-


    (The following day after Yuriko''s rescue)


    Peter came to the morning nursing his head, though the pain had gone down the constant ringing he heard in his head remained.


    "Somebody got the number on the truck¡­please." He groaned as ran his hand through his hair. He felt nauseous.


    He remained seated couch with his head resting leaned back cradled in his hands while his pinkie and thumb messaged the sides just above the ear in an attempt to levitate the pain.


    His eyes remained closed while tried to focus on something other than the pain, the thoughts regarding the events that transpired the previous night all but forgotten.


    Though he tried he couldn''t focus on anything other than the fading headache, his mind scrambled, shifting from passing thought to passing thought as the numbing pain in his brain started lessening to a manageable degree.


    ''Oh god, I need some aspirin or maybe some painkiller for this''.


    He was physically fine, he felt relatively normal. Everything else however was another matter entirely.


    The only way to describe it was like a connection was put in place inside his mind, as if a hose or pipe connected to it for a small stream of water to flow through only for an ocean to burst its way inside. His mind was open, his thoughts went a mile a minute, detailing information that he could both perceive and understand in great detail.


    Every thought was no different than a web search. Every word his thoughts formed, information regarding its definition, root dialect, and some then more would accompany it if he didn''t consciously stop it. It got worse as time went on, and soon he began to hear things, voices that weren''t his, man, women, children, music, all going off at the same time. It sounded like phone calls, the radio and the news, and TV shows too.


    ''In later news¡­''


    ''I told you I can''t take the kids today¡­''


    ''I believe I can fly, I believe I can~..''


    ''You are coming for Christmas right¡­''


    ''Welcome to cooking weekly¡­''


    ''Buy it at a store new you..''


    ''The baby cub is no longer¡­''


    ''Price hit an all-time high as¡­''


    ''Massacre took place late last night¡­''


    ''Sooo Leo said was at my¡­''


    ''I can''t believe she said that¡­''


    ''Yo dude, you home¡­''


    ''I''m not gonna¡­''


    ''Yeah fuck you alright, you can keep your¡­''


    It was too much noise, too many images, and so much data for his mind to process yet he was progressing it.


    Opening his eyes only added fuel to the flame.


    Blue lines filled his vision the moment he did. A luminescent glow outlined the room in great detail covering every object in his line of sight individually, from the pipes and cables in the walls to the structure of the building itself, in fact it went even beyond that, from his memories the documents regarding the sales and purchase of the ware house popped up, then information from previous owners flowed into his thoughts from a registry of previous owners on a public website Peter wasn''t even aware off, their names, contact information ect¡­it didn''t stop there as the stream of information continued its flow, a brief but detailed history on the property itself, then the official blue print rendered in 3d within his mind pinpointing his exact location in the building, schematics of the streets and sewers, then a full blown location in real time complete with satellite imaging and camera feed from the surrounding neighborhood accompanied by traffic flow, current weather, and if that wasn''t enough the present time of every major country of all things.


    This was making his headache even worse.


    All in under 30 seconds before he cut off the flow as his nose started to bleed from the influx of information which was too much for his mind to handle despite the fact that he could comprehend each and every excruciating detail.


    "Aaawwwwuuu¡­.ok¡­that was trippy" he sighed as he pushed himself off the couch, grudgingly getting on his feet.


    He just found thirty different exits and forty-seven entry points into his hideout, twelve of them from the sewers. He also needed to seal off the sewer tunnel coming in from the west side, it as causing a flood whenever it rained.


    ''I need to breathe, it''s getting hard¡­ to¡­shit¡­'' Peter was hyperventilating from information overload.


    He stumbled his way to the stairs,


    The hard part was getting getting used to it. It was like looking at a picture and knowing everything thing about it, having your mind process every detail then squeezing it side in an instant before you could even understand but the kicker was that you could actually comprehend all of it the moment it was being squeezed in.


    Every time he so much as focused on something a stream of information entered his mind about the object he was focused on.


    When he glanced at his flat screen television, the moment he did it began to glow a light blue, its edges outlined by a neon blue luminescent glow as information streamed into its thoughts. His vision filled with pop-ups of tabs each feeling in with separate information regarding the object. It was pointless trivia at first, what brand it television was, its size, series number, its series, and what version this particular television was within its series set.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    He forced himself to look away, keeping his eyes closed as he felt his way to the staircase.


    ''Come..on¡­just focus on something else, nothing¡­umh¡­''


    Soon he found his way to the door and fell over his feet but finally made his way outside the warehouse.


    He took in a deep breath and opened his eyes looking up so as to avoid glancing it anything around him.


    That was a mistake.


    When his eyes opened, the world that greeted him was of color. The sky was lit up like a beacon, lines of data streams, and frequencies, coming from the sky, connecting to every device in New York City within his line of sight.


    "OH shit'' it was late.


    He could see the streams of data suddenly connecting to him, the lights surrounded him and his body hit the floor as his eyes rolled back into his head.


    ¡­..


    He didn''t know when or how, but it felt awesome. He was outside his body in what he could only describe as the metaverse, an interconnected plane comprised of every connected device on the planet including the Internet.


    The pain was gone.


    He didn''t have a body, it was just his mind intersecting with data, he thought of the globe and the metaverse reacted, it zoomed out until he was looking at the earth as nothing but quantifiable piles of data comprised of everything with a chip inside.


    Right now he was being of pure thought, interacting with data flow in its purest form. So he did the only thing a normal person with that much power over the Internet would do.


    He looked himself up.


    Information regarding him came to him, his house, date of birth, school, grades, phone number, Internet data and so much more, pictures of him taken by the school or by others, mentions of him in chat history by others including those at school, his purchase history, and so much more.


    He decided to Spam all of Flash Thompson''s accounts with dick picks with the caption ''I''m all yours Flash baby'', including resetting every device screen saver, wallpaper, and saved picture with the same thing, he did the same for his online accounts just because he felt like it.


    He really didn''t like the nickname penis Parker, he wondered what they were gonna call him now.


    He wanted to laugh, if only he had a mouth here.


    It was then that something caught his attention, it was small, a blip at the edge of his senses, a name or rather two names.


    Richard Parker and Mary Parker.


    And when he reflexively tried to see what he could find about them, nothing came up.


    Just the names, date of birth and date of death, and a picture the both of them.


    So he tried again, and again, but still nothing. That was not possible, this was the Internet and they were in the age of data, nothing on someone on the Internet was just not possible.


    Then he found traces of a scrubber, a program that effectively wipes out specific information regarding specific people.


    When he tried to find it by tracing the scrubber back to his source, he found himself being blocked by walls, like everything about his parents was put in a vault. Something was actively keeping him out.


    Now that got his full attention, he began to bypass the walls and a name popped up.


    Shield.


    Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division.


    The walls went back up just as fast as he got a glimpse of that name.


    It didn''t stop him from breaking them down again, as he willed it the meta-verse reacted, he bulldozed his way through the walls faster than they could come back up, his sole focus on his parents, breaking more and more by the minute and finally, the last wall broke and it was pandemonium.


    He thought the inflow of information from the mete-verse was bad but this was on a whole new level.


    He felt himself glitch out of the metaverse for an instant. Names he didn''t know, people he didn''t know, organizations he didn''t know, events he couldn''t understand, and things that should be possible made themselves known to him.


    Shield.


    HYDRA.


    AIM.


    Charles Xavier.


    Inhuman.


    Weapon X program


    Avenger''s initiative.


    Protocol HULK Buster.


    Iron Man.


    It was too much, it made the Internet which felt like the ocean to Peter feel like how a small puddle would feel when compared to a big lake, so he shut the rest out.


    Peter ignored them all and went straight to the vault containing information regarding his parents.


    He managed to reach it before all hell broke loose.


    He was forcefully ejected out of the data stream, walls upon wall isolated him from the rest before he felt something eating him up from the inside out and everything faded.


    ...


    Peter came to for the second time that day in a puddle of his own blood.


    ''I died¡­again'' Apparently getting killed in the metaverse and having your mind overloaded with so much information led to only one outcome.


    Liquefied brains.


    That didn''t matter to Peter at all as he let out a small chuckle.


    "Hahahehe"


    His lips curled up into a bright smile, before blooming into a wild look of pure bliss as the first laughter of true happiness escaped his lips.


    "HAHHAAHAAAHAHAAHAHAAHAHA HA" He just remained there in a pool of his own blood.


    He pushed himself up and rested his face in between his palms.


    ''I''m not alone...not anymore...'' his thoughts echoed.


    "They''re alive...haahahaha... they are alive" he sighd.


    Peter felt his pocket vibrate, distracting him from his train of thought.


    It was a text from Gwen of all people, it turns out that last night when he thought about contacting Gwen his premature powers did just that.


    He was too shocked and happy to care right now, he wasn''t alone in the world anymore, but that wasn''t the only problem there were more dangerous people out there, secret groups, and organizations that he just may have tipped off unintentionally about his existence.


    So if he was going to go against them to get what he wanted or protect himself, what better way than to form a secret group or organization of your own?


    Whoever they were, HYDRA and SHIELD just made it to the top of his shit list and they were going to pay dearly for that...After he took care of the whole Wilson Fisk situation.


    "They''re alive¡­" Peter whispered in disbelief as he pushed himself up, before sneezing in disgust when got a whiff of something pungent and disgusting.


    "Oooh¡­oh¡­god no¡­ what''s that smell¡­oh that''s coming from me? Ok, I really need a bath."


    Peter paced a hand over his nose and made his way back into his hideout to pick up his back and head home as he had yet to install a bath in there.


    Peter may not have realized it at that time but for approximately thirty-two seconds all devices connected to the Internet all around the world stopped functioning, and all technology on the planet stood still before returning to normal when Peter woke up.


    The only thing on his mind right now was the fact that somewhere out there he had a family, and he was going to get them back, one way or another, but first, he needed a shower.


    -Chapter End-


    Shield Agent Data-Base


    Name: Richard Parker


    Code name: Formerly Tarantula


    Occupation: Field operative/Science Divination Researcher


    Cover: Genetic Field Researcher at Oscorp


    Ability: Human-Enhanced with spider gene


    Status: Alive - MIA - Under HYDRA Influence


    Trivia: Co-Founder of Project Arachnid, an offshoot of Project Rebirth funded by Oscorp


    ....


    Name: Mary Parker


    Code name: Formerly Black Widow


    Occupation: Field operative/Science Divination Researcher


    Cover: Genetic Field Researcher at Oscorp


    Ability: Human-Enhanced with spider gene


    Status: Alive - MIA - Under HYDRA Influence


    Trivia: Co-Founder of Project Arachnid, an offshoot of Project Rebirth funded by Oscorp


    Children:


    Name: Teresa Parker


    Code name: Current Tarantula


    Occupation: Field operative


    Cover: N/A


    Status: Alive - Deployed on mission


    Ability: Human-Enhanced with spider gene


    Trivia: Only successful candidate of Project Arachnid


    Name: Peter Parker


    Code name: NA


    Occupation: Student at Midtown High


    Cover: NA


    Status: Alive -Leaving in Queens New York


    Ability: NA


    Trivia: Normal Civilian, Average Teenager

 Chapter 24: Moving Forward Part 1

    -Hells Kitchen-


    (Three days after meeting with Gwen)


    Peter sat on the edge of the very same roof where a certain red devil gave him a beating a few months back. His legs hung lazily over the edge of the roof as he nonchalantly bobbed his head to the beat of the sound music blasting on full volume within his head, the song Salt-N-Pepa-Shoop was streaming into his mind-scape directly from YouTube in real-time.


    Technopathy - the name he gave to it had its perks as he was discovering more and more about his recently manifested ability.


    He held a hot cup of coffee- black with no sugar - in his right arm as he took light sips of the warm drink. Oddly enough, coffee was the only thing he could taste when the hunger set in, it was a temporary solution to a bigger problem but it worked wonders for his urges. Thanks to that he''s been drinking a lot of coffee lately, a surprising fun fact popped into his head when he thought about what the expensive coffee would be out of boredom, apparently it was called Kopi luwak and it''s made from coffee beans plucked from civet feces. They feed a long-tailed raccoon-like monkey coffee bean and collected what was left it from its shit to process into coffee then sell it for as much as Eighty dollars a cup.


    The rich do have exquisite tastes if monkey shit-coffee was the most expensive shit around, pun intended.


    Peter chuckled at his joke.


    He was waiting for a line of cars to pass by with his target in the center. He kept mental track of their route through traffic cams and the navigation chips in their vehicles from the moment they began moving, their phones helped with that too.


    Like clockwork, Wilson Fisk was coming to the same gallery in Hell''s Kitchen, and just like the last time, Peter was waiting for him to come.


    Peter dressed for the auction - all black, he had on a hooded coat with the collars zipped high enough to mask his lower face, hidden underneath were his shadow bindings; his new name for the bandages granted to him by his ability. They hugged his entire form like an invisible carapace, an extra layer of protection beneath his clothing.


    Garfield sat soundly near him, chewing casually on what was left of his half-eaten cheeseburger.


    He took another light sip from his cup while his eyes observed the streets below. The night was quiet and windy, a cold wind that came before a storm. The streets were empty with the only activity being the occasional dog strolling by, and the momentary flickering of a busted lamppost by the sidewalk. Cars just drove by, they made no stops here unless they had to for obvious reasons, said reasons were sprawled about in broken heaps near the back ally just around the corner.


    All fourteen of them, some in the trash, some hanging on balconies, some in the walls, some just knocked out on the ally, way, he didn''t really care and from the looks of it, the denizens of Hell''s kitchen may have felt the same where cause no one called the cops, those guys were still there, a quick mental check pinned all their phones in the same location. He schemed through their devices easily enough, Facebook, Twitter, and Gmail, their online accounts were easy to access through their devices, and technology was an open book to him, with his access he sent explicit evidence of what could count as a possible criminal activity to the cops. He wasn''t really trying, this was simply a flexing of his metaphorical muscles, a trivial action to pass the time to see what he could do, how easy he could do it, how far he could take it so he could get a better grasp of his Technopathy.


    Technopathy gave him a limited form of Parallel thinking, it enhanced and split his mind into four distinct parts, his concentration distributed across the execution of multiple tasks, processing both conscious and unconscious actions within his mind simultaneously.


    The first part of the split within his mind handled his conscious actions and thoughts that were similar to what a normal person would be, only optimized for maximum efficiency. Simply put his mind no longer processes information gained from his physical senses as normal people did, sounds weren''t just random noise to him, faces could be identified with a thought, and tastes and scents could be broken down into their chemical makeup or traced back to their source based off of memory alone, everything was a steady flow of fluid data to him in a way, nothing could be forgotten anymore.


    The second part was more unconscious, it was like a computer chip embedded in the back of his mind to handle the workings of his ability that functioned similar to a secondary personality, only all computer with no human element, his personal AI of sorts that helped him sort out date handling multiple tasks simultaneously like tabs in a browser.


    The third part handled all the processing of all that data, it was instantaneous, a section devoted to the sole purpose of understanding and comprehending all that compiled information into something tangible and concrete for him.


    The last part facilitated his connection with technology, handling radio waves and signals to regulate the flow of what came in and out and how much of it was relevant to him by systematically filtering out what he needed and separating it from what he didn''t.


    It was frighteningly effective, it took him moments to access the phones of the poor sods in the ally and almost 10 minutes to learn everything there was to know about them from their online activity. He took whatever he could find from them, pictures, videos, phone history, chat history, and so on, the cops could do what they wanted with that but the cash they had in their accounts though they could kiss that goodbye.


    It wasn''t like they were using that money for anything good anyway.


    Hell''s Kitchen wasn''t known for its outstanding citizens.


    The last time he was here things didn''t go the way he planned, not that there was any plan to begin, at least there was no exit, just the going in and the revenge act itself.


    Back then he was weak, a vengeful teen with a loaded gun on a self-righteous suicidal mission to punish the bad people who took everything from him, driven to act out of desperation fueled by trauma, social isolation, and maybe temporary insanity.


    He had nothing to lose, nothing to gain, he just wanted to go out doing something that mattered to him because the world left him with nothing but an empty house accompanied by a row of tombstones to go with his life and a dying aunt waiting for death''s visit.


    Now though, things were different. He was different, his reasons for being here were different, his mind was clear, and his goals were clear.


    Fisk would get what was coming to him, just not in the way he was expecting.


    Benjamin Poindexter however would die tonight.


    That was a fact.


    ''Five minutes till they arrive now.'' He drank his coffee and tossed his cup over the edge before standing up motioning over to Garfield to get on his shoulder.


    The cat complied happily.


    ''Time to go to work''.


    Peter watched the line of cars drive into the streets. He mentally accessed security cams within the area to turn them off then accessed everything that gave of a signal to momentarily block them off.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    He watched them drive up across him until the one in the center lined up just right with his line of sight.


    With a thought, he gained access to the local power grid and switched off the power to this section of Hell''s Kitchen.


    Then he allowed gravity to take hold of him, he let himself fall forward with his feet placed firmly on the side of the building before buckling his knees lightly and propelling himself forward.


    ....


    "Don''t think I forgot about you mister King Pin" Peter walked with purposeful strides towards the man who ruled the shadows of New York City, The King Pin, Wilson Fisk. The man was pinned into his car with half a metal pole buried into his shoulder.


    Peter took a moment to study to torn arm in morbid fascination and disgust before tossing it aside like yesterday''s garbage.


    A blood flesh tendril shot up swiftly to snatch the arm.


    Behind him on the road among the wreckage of cars and bodies that littered the streets was the beaten form of his uncle''s killer. He looked more like a corpse than a person with his arm missing and his body all twisted. The crimson tendril with the arm withdrew into Garfield''s form as the cat pounced on the dying man.


    The sound of Poindexter''s gargle cries could be heard accompanied by the squelching sound of flesh being torn apart with bones cracking.


    Peter didn''t bother looking back to know what was happening.


    Garfield was feeding and his feeding process was gruesome as he would reduce flesh and bones to liquid biomass to add to himself. No one would know any way, every camera, every recording device in this place off or turned away. By the time the cops got here, if the got here, he''d be done.


    It was easy for Peter.


    Ripping into them.


    Hurting them.


    Beating them up.


    It was almost too easy, the ease he felt the night of Watanabe''s rescue held true here. Fully trained or not, heavily armed or not, normal humans weren''t a problem anymore. They were easy for Peter to handle with his abilities and growing skills.


    He watched Fisk glare at him as got close. The big man had stopped struggling against the pole that held him in place, choosing to wait for Peter rather than struggle in vain. His took long shallow breaths and observed Peter in silence giving nothing away aside from the twitching of his right arm.


    Peter had to hand to the guy, he had a miraculously high pain tolerance to shrug off that much pain, not to mention the mental fortitude to calmly assess his situation after witnessing all his man get torn apart around him with the one responsible for all that carnage standing right before them. There was no fear in Fisk''s eyes, he regarded Peter as he would any other killer.


    A cold calculating demeanor looking for a sliver of opportunity in the face of devastation.


    But then again no man builds a criminal empire in the shadow of New York and monopolizes said shadow while basking in the limelight of the highs of society without having a few screw loss in their head.


    No, not a few screws loose, maybe a few screws tightened with rigorous discipline in the right place.


    Peter stood over Fisk, his lips edged back into a small smirk, he ran his left hand through his hair, his eyes never leaving the man who sat pinned against his car.


    Peter and Fisk spent a few seconds in solemn silence, observing each other, Fisk searching for answers to his current predicament while Peter was considering the finality of his situation, the fulfillment of his revenge. Everything he did over the last month led him here.


    He didn''t feel anything, it wasn''t exactly what he was expecting when he started all this out.


    If he was honest with himself he wasn''t expecting anything at all to come from this anyway. He didn''t want the bad guys to get away with it everything scot-free, he wanted to punish them for what they did to him, for what they did to his family.


    Now it was done.


    "It''s awfully nice to meet you Mr. Wilson Fisk" Peter crouched down to meet Fisk''s eyes.


    "I wish I could say the same Mr. Peter Parker" Fisk replied in an even tone, the edge in his voice free of any indication that he was in any pain or discomfort. His tone was oddly respectful, he knew Peter was a teen but addressed him like an equal. A form of reverence that can only be given, earned never taken.


    Peter''s eyes widen slightly, his head tilting to the left in interest.


    ''Well shit¡­''


    "Uh¡­wow, okay, that''s unexpected, you know who I am and I don''t ever remember meeting you," Peter asked curiously.


    "We''ve never met, but I never forget a face, especially the face of those who have been affected by my actions. No matter how small or insignificant, I make it my business to know who they are and to remember them. To remind myself of the price of power. I like to think that people do matter, especially the little people, those faces in the crowds. Even a nobody from queens like yourself Peter. I myself was once a random nobody from Hell''s Kitchen" Fisk kept his even tone, his left hand moved up to grab the iron pole that held him in place, moving slightly to find a more comfortable position.


    "Yet here I am and here you are, Mr. Parker." Fisk glanced back at Peter with a grunt.


    "Really? You? A nobody, I can''t picture that, you, a business tycoon like you, the reclusive multi-millionaire who runs the dark side of New York, Nope." Peter joked lightly at the thought of the most notorious person being a nobody.


    Fisk watched Peter''s every action with the eyes of a predator cornered by a hunter. He observed every twitch of his facial features, every motion with his arms, the tilting of Peter''s head. Fisk knew this was it for him, but he wasn''t going to let himself end without trying.


    "I could tell you that I''m sorry for what I did, but I won''t, I don''t ever apologize for my actions, wrong as they may be¡­ I am who am because of my actions" Fisk shifted his weight in discomfort, his voice creaking slightly despite his efforts to portray otherwise.


    "However I am truly sorry for your¡­ggrm¡­For your loss, they were good people¡­ for that, truly, you have my deepest condolence, but I will not apologize for the part I played in it, I did what was necessary for me, I did only what I had to do¡­and tonight, you¡­ you''re doing what you have to do." Peter felt a spark of respect grow inside him for the man. Fisk stood for his beliefs. He knew what he, he was aware of what his actions meant and he accepted it, he was comfortable with that. Peter might hate the man but that was something to admire about Fisk and the way he carried himself.


    "Is that right, I''m only doing what I have to, is that what you¡­ think¡­" Peter paused for a moment, a mental ping rang in his head triggered by his Technopathy informing him that police were en route to his location.


    ''Three minutes until arrival, a 911 call was made not far from his location, an anonymous call by cellphone reporting gunfire and sounds of a car crash, the response was from the nearest response unit'' He''s made a mental note of that.


    "Well...you will be happy to know you won''t be dying tonight"


    Peter brought his palm to his mouth and bit into it enough for him to bleed. He moved his palm up to Fisk as his blood floated about in a small pool in the air, condensing into the mass before then solidifying into a red glowing crystal.


    "I''m not gonna kill you, Mr. Fisk, I''m going punish you, the man that pulled the trigger is dead, gone-revenge done, but you, you''re too important, see I need you, will not you specifically, just your position, your resources, your money, your power," Peter told Fisk, his tone reflected a casual difference accustomed to taking life not suited for a boy his age.


    Fisk cautiously eyed the blood, shifting slightly away from the crystallizing red liquid. A hint of fear broke through his calm mask.


    "Sure, I could take it from you, but I can''t run things the way you can. You have the skills and experience needed to run things smoothly and the reputation to back it up. People in your circle know you are even if they don''t, they know of you. That''s something I don''t have... So like I said, I am going to punish you, survive long enough and I might just let you live." Peter harshly tore the pole out of Fisk''s shoulder.


    "AAARggg!" Fisk grunted in pain, taking deep harbored breaths but made no move to fight Peter. He wasn''t one to fight a losing battle with the knowledge of his impending survival already insured by his killer.


    {Original Sin: Branch of Sin Shard Created}


    Peter smiled at Fisk, noting his lack of retaliation as his respect for the man grew even more before harshly plunging the glowing crystal shard into his chest.


    A painful scream tore its way out of Fisk''s throat.


    -Chapter End-


    Wilson Fisk


    Curse of Virtue - Justice


    Branch: Retribution (Pain is Justice)


    Code Name: Mr. Red


    Branch Power: Blood Armor (Defence Type)


    Defense - He can crystallize his blood, making it as hard as diamonds to form an armored carapace over his skin.


    Attack - He can manipulate that armor to make hard diamond constructs like spikes and boost himself physically using the blood armor.


    Special Ability granted by his sin: Retribution (Pain is Justice)


    -Experiencing any form of pain simply makes him stronger.


    Trait: Penance


    - He experiences all of Peter Parker''s deaths simultaneously whenever he has malicious thoughts or considers betrayal regarding Peter or those close to Peter.


    -Wilson Fisk can also activate this trait at will but never deactivate it unless Peter Wills it


    - Peter as the original sin can activate and deactivate it at will.


    -When this trait is active Wilson Fisk gets a major physical boost due to his special ability ''Retribution''


    A/N: Marry Christmas and Happy New Year my fellow readers

 Chapter 25: Moving Forward Part 2

    -Hell Kitchen-


    He didn''t know how long he sat there in solemn silence with Garfield beside him.


    Tonight, was the first step.


    One small stride in the direction that would forever change his life. Not that it mattered anymore, something was bound to change ever since he decided to make that damn serum anyway.


    He should be disgusted with himself. He should be revolted by his actions He should feel guilty. He should be sad about the way he was. He should be remorseful about the lives he took. He ''should'' be a lot of things.


    But¡­Nothing¡­.


    He felt nothing. No guilt, no remorse, no sadness, no disgust, no revulsion.


    Just apathy.


    All those movies were kind of right, after taking revenge he just felt a solemn sense of emptiness accompanied by a hollowed feeling of accomplishment.


    It felt good though, intoxicatingly euphoric for a moment to punish those filthy scum, but that was it, it was only for that moment. It was only while he was doing it.


    Now that it was done and over it just felt hollow. It was as if he was expecting something to change in him like something profound would occur on a fundamental level within him at any moment but nothing happened.


    No change. Everything was the same, he was still him, the ''same'' old Peter Parker.


    Killer.


    The only difference was they were dead.


    That thought brought a melancholic smile on his face. His lips twisted slightly up behind his mask. Killing those twisted excuses of human biomass when he was rescuing Watanabe felt different than what he did tonight. That time he was so sure of himself, he knew what they did, how messed up they were in the head, in a way one could say he was fuelled by righteous vengeance. The first one was an accident, and Garfield killed the rest. Before that, he was only under the effects of the lizard Serum.


    They did not deserve to live after what they did, killing women and children for pleasure and profit. They didn''t deserve life in general regardless of the moral implications of his actions. It was true that no one deserved to die but in that same sense maybe it was also true not everyone deserved to live the life they were given. Some people were just better off dead.


    Hypocrite.


    Heroes like Spider-Woman, Daredevil, Captain America- god bless her soul, and maybe even Iron Man would say that it wasn''t up to them to decide who gets to live or die. They''d say that the system should be responsible for choosing how the wicked get punished and that no human should get to decide whether or not to kill another human, their job was to save lives, stop the evildoers, and protect the innocent. That if they killed the bad guy, they were no better than the bad guys.


    Everyone deserves a second chance.


    Liar.


    At one point he agreed with them, he aspired to be like them, but Spider-Woman opened his eyes and his newfound powers helped him better understand how the world really worked. Those paragons of justice, those champions of humanity were human too, they made mistakes just like everyone else. Sure, they tried their hardest to do the right thing and maybe sometimes they were right to do that.


    The only problem was they weren''t just humans, and their mistakes cost way more than most.


    Abomination was proof of that, as it turned out, those files he momentarily gained access to during his accidental dive into the meta-verse and shield database surprised him too. The monster he fought in Harlem was an offshoot of the Hulk-Buster Program gone right in all the wrong ways. The military wanted to fight a monster so they created another monster, only this man-made monster was worse than the one they were trying to catch. Ironically Peter also found out that the monster they were fighting, The Hulk, actually saved the very people hunting him in the end.


    Call it what they will, but the big green mean muscle machine was a misunderstood hero in his book.


    Maybe Peter was trying to justify his actions here after finding some clarity following his revenge. Maybe he was trying to rationalize taking a life because he was sure he wouldn''t stop there. Maybe he wanted some reason to think, to feel like he was doing the world a favor, that he was doing the right thing by getting rid of the filth that pretended to be decent human beings.


    If he was being honest, he wasn''t sure.


    He didn''t know what it was, but he didn''t like this feeling. This emptiness. This ease at which he took life away. He didn''t enjoy it. It wasn''t thrilling at all and it sure as hell didn''t feel all that satisfying to take a life. Up till now it just felt like Justice. Plain and simple. If you knowingly kill someone in cold blood for the selfish sake of pleasure, you should die too. Yet some of those guys tonight were bodyguards who were doing their jobs and he killed them simply because they got in his way. That thought that he was just dishing out justice was what sustained him when he killed the rapists and murderers. It could only do so much when he tried to justify his other actions.


    Murderer.


    It was terrifying, what he was becoming, what his actions meant for him. How it was changing him into something else. How his abilities were altering his sense of self. Turning him into whatever this person that he was turning into, that IT was turning him into, but it was too late to stop now. This was his life and as the saying goes - it is what it is-. He would deal with it his own way. Regardless he came to a single conclusion, if killing someone made him no better than them then so be it.


    For the things he had to do, there was no other choice.


    Monster.


    He would strive to follow his own moral code with regards to taking a life, there were enough Heroes around to walk the fine line between black and white. He was already a killer, and the morbid nature of his ability granted him a unique insight into death itself in a way no one else could understand. Maybe that was what made him numb to the idea of death, he''d never know.


    He figured if he ever went too far there''d always be someone there to stop him.


    There always was.


    Villain.


    ¡­..


    Peter sat on a tank on the roof of a building three blocks away from the wreckage. He completed his task for the night but decided against going home for the time being, choosing instead to watch the events that followed lost in his thoughts.


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    The streets were colored in blue and red as cops swarmed the result of handy work. The signature sounds of police sirens got louder by the second as more and more police cars came rushing in.


    He finally did it.


    Granted it was sooner than he planned as recent discoveries forced him to take his revenge. He had little choice in this matter though. He found something else to look forward to. A new more urgent goal to complete. His family was alive and out there somewhere, all of them were part of some shadow organization that watched and guarded the world in secret. It didn''t matter where or how, all that mattered was that they were alive out there. He would find them. But to do that he needed help, resources, and so much more. Peter wasn''t delusional enough to believe that he could take them on with his powers and abilities alone.


    That would be suicide, no matter how strong he was. On the off chance that he succeeded came the difficult task of protecting them.


    He couldn''t do that alone.


    So he came up with a plan of his own to start a little shadow organization. It''s something to back him up a little bit. He had already dropped an anonymous hint in the meta-verse, leaving a trail of data when he went back into the shield database to cover his tracks. It would lead them and everyone interested parties to an unknown organization known as Babylon which was claiming responsibility for the Cyber-attack on Shield''s database, the one responsible being a member of said organization aptly named Red Cypher.


    This fictional member was already stirring up a buzz in some circles around the criminal underworld, of course, there was no actual cyber-criminal named Red Cypher and there was no real organization as of yet, but no one knew that, and before they figured it out he wanted to have an actual criminal organization ready to take the fall or something along that line.


    It was still in the works but he had a general idea on how to go about it.


    The only thing he had on his side was his obscurity. Those powerful secret organizations didn''t know what he was truly capable of and he''d never give them the chance to find out. So far, all Shield knew about him at the moment were a compilation of files on his battle Harlem saved under the designation Bloodborne and the hint he dropped in his digital trail in the meta verse regarding the fictional Red Cypher.


    He figured he''d use this to his advantage and come up with numerous personas to better mask his true identity. Red Cypher and Bloodborne were the first.


    That way he could better save his family while keeping himself hidden. Shield and Hydra took something he didn''t know he had. So he would get it back. He''d make his family whole.


    Well almost. Uncle Ben wouldn''t be there to see it.


    Peter sighed as his mind drifted off to thoughts of his uncle. Would he be happy to know that the ones responsible for his death paid for it with their lives?


    No¡­Peter was sure his uncle would never have allowed it, let alone be happy about it. He was too good, the best man Peter ever knew.


    He couldn''t help but feel like he let him down. He let them both down. He continued watching the commotion on the streets getting lost in his thoughts.


    A feeling he couldn''t describe stirred up inside him. Suddenly his throat felt dry, maybe it was his thirst acting up again. He didn''t know. Whatever it was his hands were twitched slightly almost shaking but he willed it to stop. He clenched his fists and released slightly. He repeated the action a few more times watching as medics dragged Wilson Fisk''s body away in a stretcher.


    ''I did it, Uncle Ben¡­I made them pay'' he thought grimly, his head dropped slightly to look at his blood-stained hands. ''Yeah¡­your nephew''s a killer now¡­how about that¡­what would you think of me now?¡­will you forgive me? Can you? And if you could, can Aunt May forgive me? I hope so¡­I really really want to believe she can¡­ because if not¡­I don''t know what I''d do...''


    The more his thoughts drifted the worse that feeling got.


    Peter reached over to gently pet Garfield. The cat leaned in affectionately, before leaking some of the blood of his hands.


    ''It''s done¡­I killed him¡­I did it¡­I should be happy, I should be satisfied, it''s not like I haven''t killed anyone before¡­I mean I was planning to do this since the beginning¡­So, what is this? why does this feel so different¡­What''s wrong with me¡­why the hell does this feel so empty?¡­'' Peter sighed as he went back to watching the cops do their thing.


    ''Hey¡­Uncle Ben¡­You''ll forgive me, right? For everything?¡­ I did the right thing you know¡­ didn''t I?¡­ They deserved it¡­did they?¡­ I''m still me¡­Aren''t I?¡­ I''m still Peter Parker¡­am I?... Uncle Ben...My Parents are alive¡­ they are out there, somewhere¡­and I have a sister too¡­surprise!''


    Peter chuckled lightly. He was getting more accustomed to getting lost in his thoughts, now more than ever as his technopathy may be a contributing factor to that. He couldn''t understand it, it was like a floodgate opened up. He figured thanks to his abilities he''d have a better grasp on his emotions but whatever this was it twisted like knots in his gut.


    ''I''ll find them¡­I wonder what their like ¡­I really wanna meet them¡­I wanna get to know them¡­Oh and guess what! You''re not gonna believe this¡­Their super spies!¡­ I know right¡­bet you didn''t see that coming¡­hehehe¡­Richard, May, and Teresa Parker¡­Super spy fam¡­ on secret missions everywhere, saving the world is their day job¡­ damn! Right?¡­ I''m gonna go save them¡­ their missing or something¡­ but they''re alive¡­ I know it¡­Do you¡­Do you think they''ll like me?'' Peter took his hands from Garfield and did a simple stretch.


    ''Hey¡­Uncle Ben¡­Aunt May is alright¡­ she''s sleeping for now but I''ll wake her up when it''s time or she might wake up herself¡­I talk to her sometimes, ok, actually, I talk to her all the time¡­ but not about everything¡­I read somewhere that people in a coma can hear you¡­ some studies already prove that to be a fact although it''s rare, but I can''t take that chance¡­I''m scared she might remember something when she wakes up¡­ I healed her you know¡­. I got powers¡­ did I now tell you that¡­sorry, but I''m telling you now¡­ I can protect her now¡­. Just like Spider-Woman¡­ just like all those heroes I kept telling you about¡­.¡­ Hey¡­Uncle Ben...You there¡­talk to me...say something¡­please¡­I''m feeling kinda lonely right now¡­tell me I did the right thing¡­ tell me it''s ok and that you''ll forgive me, tell me I let you down, tell me I''m a disappointment, I think I''m going crazy and I don''t even know it¡­'' Peter brought his hands close as his head leaned down, resting in his palms.


    ''¡­Please¡­I can''t talk to anyone else about this¡­so say something¡­anything¡­uncle ben¡­I don''t know what I''m doing ¡­I''m about to do something crazy and what I''m capable of scares me a little¡­ no it actually scares me a lot¡­I''m not who I used to be anymore and you know what Uncle Ben¡­I think the Peter you raised died in that alley¡­and what was left of him died with you¡­so yeah¡­I don''t think I''ll be like those heroes I kept telling you about¡­.so tell me to stop¡­ tell me something¡­. anything¡­ show me a sign and I''ll stop everything right now¡­''


    Help me¡­


    Peter glanced around him in silence. He was being stupid, or maybe melodramatic but that didn''t stop him at all. It was a silent plea as the image of his uncle from the last time he died in his room surfaced in his thoughts. He wasn''t one to believe in ghosts but having met the embodiment of death and dying himself, he figured anything was possible.


    Why not?


    But his answer was a few seconds of silence filled with the sound of sirens and the ambiance of a bustling city.


    "Thought so¡­guess I''m alone up here then" Peter whispered to himself, his voice strained and empty. He let himself fall back into the tank. Laying there for a while looking up absentmindedly at the night sky.


    ''Master? Not alone, you have me¡­ always'' Garfield''s voice chimed into his thoughts as his comforting aura wrapped itself around Peter like a warm blanket. The cat climbed up beside him and nuzzled against Peter''s cheek.


    "Heheaha, aww¡­ aren''t you just the cutest...yeah...thanks Gar, I guess it''s just you and me," Peter said. His hands stretched up to reach the clouds.


    " You and me against the world"


    The cat and the teen remained in that position for a few minutes as a comforting silence washed over them.


    It was a few minutes later when Peter was pushing himself up when his heightened senses kicked into overdrive. His hands reflexively shot to the side swiftly. The world slowed to crawl as he felt his fingers wrap themselves around a metallic cylindrical object.


    ''A rod?''


    He blinked in surprise as he took in the object. Garfield shot up in front of him, taking a defensive posture, the cat''s hair standing up as it hissed in the direction the object came from.


    It was familiar, a red metallic rod with silver-white tips on both ends.


    ''Well shit''


    It took less than a second for him to send a mental command to Garfield to stand down before he felt two feet slamming violently into his chest launching him off the tank and sending him crashing into a nearby chimney. Peter corrected himself mid-tumble with a quick flip, reflexively dodging another projectile before retaliating by throwing the one he caught back at his attacker as he did a couple more flips back, landing a good distance away.


    ''Looks like the devils out to play'', Peter mused internally when he steadied himself on the edge of the roof before glancing back at the water tank he was kicked off of.


    There to greet him was the frowning masked face of one crimson-clad daredevil, armed and dressed in his black and red themed suit.


    ''Too Bad you picked the wrong night to play hero, cause I''m not feeling very heroic right now''.


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 26: Moving Forward Part 3

    Moving forward Part 3.1 ¨C Introspective Teaser


    -Hells Kitchen-


    It was instantaneous, neither of them hesitated after acknowledging each other''s presence. There was no need for the routine back and forth between the crimson-clad vigilante and the teen.


    Peter was caught with hands caught in the cookie jar so to speak. He was still covered in fresh blood and gore, not to mention the sounds of sirens blaring three blocks could be heard from here and if that pre-emptive strike from daredevil was any indication Daredevil stance in this case was already clear.


    Their roles were clear -he was the bad guy, the criminal. Daredevil was the vigilante, the hero here to stab the evildoer.


    Peter knee''s buckled and he shot toward Daredevil, covering the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Daredevil let out a surprised grunt in response to Peter''s unnatural speed however he wasn''t some random thug waiting to be caught off guard, experience dictated his actions as his stance shifted, he was a tad bit slower than Peter but unlike the teen yet no wasted movement.


    He dodged Peter''s right hook by leaning swiftly into his left- Peter''s right, directly into the punch which sailed past his cheek by s few centimetres. So close daredevil could feel the pressure, the power behind Peter''s hook between the small displacement in the air.


    Daredevil pivoted on his right foot and slipped into a roundhouse kick, attacking Peter''s unguarded left, it would have worked if Peter was any normal opponent, he didn''t slow down- his right arm adjusted itself mid-hook, reflex took over, instinct guided him. He grabbed the incoming foot- negating the force with his physique alone as he landed on the tank, and in an almost lazy, nonchalant motion - surprising daredevil again- as the devil found himself flung off the water tower like a rag-doll.


    Daredevil flipped in the air like Peter did before, righting himself then landed in a controlled role, already in a stance prepared for a follow-up attack.


    ''Holy shit''. Peter''s breathing picked up slightly, and his right hand twitched slightly as he slowly brought it up to cover his mouth.


    ''Holy shit, Holy shit, Holy shit, Holy shit, Holy shit, HOLY SHIT!?¡­ Did I just do that?'', He questioned himself, ''What did I just do? how? When?''


    A sudden weight lifted itself off his shoulders, he felt his heart was going up a mile a minute.


    He didn''t notice, never paid the thought any mind or gave it any consideration before. He was to caught by his own life to even care.


    A single course of action opened a whole new door. A feeling of elation flooded his being. A thought wormed its way into the mind.


    Peter''s palm tightened around his face. ''Was fighting Daredevil always this easy? No, it never was, but what the hell am I feeling right now?''


    How did Peter miss it, No. He didn''t miss it, he just didn''t realize it until now. He never crossed paths with Daredevil until now for it to ever occur to him so he never realized it.


    On some level, he was avoiding it. He was avoiding coming to blows with Daredevil because of that night. Even if he did, Peter himself would never acknowledge it.


    His fear.


    He was afraid of Daredevil. It was there, the fear, some part of him never made it past that night, was it pride? Hate? Humiliation? Frustration? or anger? Whatever it was, after that night he was afraid of daredevil, consciously or subconsciously, acknowledged or ignored. The underlying fear was there.


    How could he not be afraid? The last time they met got his ass handed to him, his chance at getting revenge was lost, and walked waked his broken ass home humiliated and defeated.


    A person''s past experiences make up most of anyone''s sense of self their emotions, their thoughts, their personalities, and their actions. Everything was built on an individual''s past experience as a foundation for their present sense of self.


    It was like an invisible tugging on strings with them as the puppet.


    It dictated their actions, provided pieces for them to formulate coherent thoughts, and fed them hints to use when making judgments- influencing their ability to reason. Over time some of those stings are cut out as known strings that formed when the present becomes past experience takes their place. In a way, one could call this ''growth''. Of course, each person experiences this ''growth'' in different ways, where they build up on it, ignore it, or use it as a factor to decide what to or not to do.


    Right now a string was being cut and a new one was taking its place. Whatever fear was there was slowly crumbling away as something else took root.


    Although Peter remained unaware of the inner workings of his mind, caught up in his own internal musings.


    ''This feels too easy.'' Peter thought to himself. ''Wait, am I ¡­'' that was when he noticed. It was a subconscious action, bringing his hands up to his face. Now he began to realize why. His lips curved up without him knowing. His eyes flickered with a dim yellow predatory glow.


    ''What is this? I keep asking myself this but I just can''t make sense of this feeling, it''s not the same as before, this was new''


    He didn''t know what it was as the metaphorical string dug itself into him.


    ''Am I smiling right now?'' he realized if he didn''t have a mask, he''d have a really twisted feral grin on his face right now. ''Man, this is one weird night if I can for from depressed emo teen to grinning maniac.''


    "Hey, Daredevil!" Peter called out. The Devil paused but remained cautious watching him with his guard up a few feet from the water tank. His hands fell to his sides, his fists tightening into a ball.


    If Peter''s fighting style was overwhelming speed and strength combined with inhumane reflexes responding to his keen, borderline supernatural fighting instincts then Daredevil''s fighting style would be seasoned with pure control and adaptability combined with his supernatural senses and further sharpened by the experience of a seasoned master martial artist.


    Peter felt he could win regardless. There were so many ways he could crush this guy. With his kagune(Killer organ), his technopathy, his bandages, and his branch of sin, Peter outclassed Daredevil in both speed and strength and matched him in terms of heightened senses and awareness. His battle instinct and intuition were no laughing matter either.


    The invisible hand tugged at the newly attached string.


    "Walk away, this will be your only chance, otherwise," Peter said in a dull tone, the yellow glow in his eyes suddenly increased. Like he was stating a fact. As if his victory was insured.


    Unbeknown to Peter, as he prepared for Daredevil''s response because obviously, they both knew the devil wasn''t going to take the chance to leave, a new trait began to emerge within his personality. The emotion he couldn''t identify, the string that took the place of his crumbling fear was confidence. When his newfound confidence came in contact with his abilities (Incarnation of Gorou), it changed and evolved into something else entirely.


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    "Or not, please stay, I feel like I really wanna beat the shit out of you" Peter brought up his fists and cracked his knuckles.


    Peter was becoming aware of his own strength before he faked confidence. He had faith in his abilities and was insured by his immortality. His power''s influencing his actions, made him seem surer than he was. His twisted personality in the face of danger was akin to a defense mechanism to hide what he really felt. A form of false bravado fuelled by powers and abilities beyond his control.


    That ended tonight as a new feeling settled in him. But what it wasn''t confidence,


    Thanks to the incarnation of Gorou''s influence, his confidence was swallowed whole by something new.


    And what remained was arrogance.


    -Chapter End-


    Hello again, the fight and then some will be in the next few chapters. I was planning on writing it in this chapter but then it just somehow turned into this little introspective teaser.


    Also below is a re hash of Peters''s powers and where he stands in terms of physical strength.


    Physique- base speed, strength, stamina, reflex etc:


    Super- Human ( a little below base spider man and growing without the will of Saitama boost)


    Immeasurable with Saitama boost ( his strength here depends on how much he exerts himself physically and how much his physical body can handle)


    Physical Strength:


    Building level without Saitama boost( he could take a full-force punch from the Hulk but his bones would shatter)


    Immeasurable with Saitama boost ( his strength here depends on how hard he wants to hit and how much his physical body can handle)


    Intellect:


    His Peter Parker, need I say more?


    ( With his growing Technoapthy he is potentially the single most smartest person currently on earth)


    Name: Peter Benjamin Parker


    Species: Tri-brid; Human Mutate(Homo Supreme), Demi-Human, ??;


    Slot 1: Ajin- Demi-Human ( Partially Sealed)


    State: Passive (Self-Aware)


    Ability Granted to host:


    Passive state


    -Ajin is in a form of hibernation but is still aware of the host''s actions


    -Activates upon host death and grants the host immortality through death


    -Grants the host usage of its bandages which are stronger and more durable than most materials on earth with no limit to how long they can go


    -Given the nature of the entity it''s invisible to most as are its bandages how ever should Peter choose they can become visible


    -In order to see the entity one must have experienced death in the past


    Active State (Sealed)


    -The entity manifests into the real world as a bipedal female covered in shadow matter with various arms wrapped in bandages and an array of bandages that act according to its will


    -The entity may seek to protect the host in its own way because it acts out the host''s subconscious desire.


    Slot 2: The incarnation of Garou


    State: Passive


    Ability Granted to host: Homo-Supreme


    Passive State


    -Host has an innate supernatural talent able to almost instantly learn hand-to-hand and martial arts fighting styles he witnessed before and can


    -His instincts are refined the more he exerts himself through combat experience and his physical body will continue to evolve the more damage he takes in a fight with his Upper limit being a Unknown.


    Active State


    -Garou''s personality traits will slowly influence and merge with the host and may over-right the host and take over in moments of extreme physical stress or when he feels intense fear against an unbeatable foe


    Slot 3: Will of Saitama


    State: Passive


    Abilities granted to Host: Homo-Supreme


    Passive State


    Physical Metamorphosis: The ability to remove all the limits placed on a physical organism by the laws of reality granting him growth without end, To evolve physically without any set limit with enough stimulation, he gets strong in relation to physical stimulation, to get stronger he has to fight strong opponents or continually physically strain himself to the point of death.


    -Host is now compelled to complete Saitama''s Training regimen for complete activation for a specified number of years


    -The stronger the host gets the more he loses touch with his humanity


    -There is no upper limit to the host''s increase in physical strength, speed, stamina, and so on


    -Perfect Strength adjustment allows the host to adjust his growing strength to one of his opponents


    -Dampened emotions


    Active State


    -Condition- Completion of Saitama''s Training regiment


    -Host gains a supernatural boost in strength but has little control over it, activates under intense physical stress


    condition met: have slots filled by variants from the same world


    Side effect: The Cruelty of Mercy


    Due to the nature of Garou, Sataima, and the host, the host Peter Parker is now incapable of causing too much harm to any individual he deems innocent and is unable to kill human opponents though in this way he can brutally beat them to the point of death ensuring their survival, however, anything he doesn''t consider human he can kill.


    Slot 4: The Ghoul of Blood and Sin


    Ability Granted to Host:


    - Host Kagune can also function as a secondary heart and holder of the original sin strain altering the host blood into RC cells and allowing the host to crystallize and weaponize his blood.


    -The user''s skin is also impenetrable to most metals and objects.


    Active state


    -This allows the host to weaponize his blood to produce various effects and utilize his kagune


    -Four appendages will protrude from the base of his spine, which he can use as weapons, manipulating them at will, Harding and crystallizing them to make projectiles too.


    Trait Gained


    Primary Trait: Original Sin


    - The host is now the holder of the original sin shard/Strain from which he can create other smaller shards/Strains (branches of Sin) that can be used to infect others, granting them the ability to crystallize and weaponize their own blood


    Secondary Trait: Branch of Sin


    -Those the host infects can utilize their blood as weapons, crystallizing and hardening them and using it to various effects all depending on the individual along with cellular regeneration and an enhanced physical body


    - Branches of sin possess a mania-like loyalty to the holder of the original sin


    - Branches of sin develop somewhat negative personality traits that match a particular branch of sin


    Slot 5: Imagine Breaker


    Ability Granted to host: Imagine Breaker(Altered State)


    Passive State


    -Grants the host, the ability to cancel out any phenomenon considered supernatural by the average human though it is restricted to his arms and anything they come in physical contact with, but this effect varies depending on the state and nature of the object itself.


    -Has a field of thirty centimeters around the host that has this effect but only works with abilities below a certain threshold


    -This ability is powered by the unconscious desire of all of humanity to return to a time when everything is normal


    Active State


    -Create a zone around him that cancels out any supernatural phenomenon, turning everything back into what it would be if the world were normal


    - The Radius of the zone varies in size, depending on the host''s desire, however, this active state can only last as long as the host has the mental fortitude to handle the subconscious desire of all of humanity, which will influence the host''s very being.


    Slot 6: IBoy-Digitization


    Range: Planetary


    - The host can remotely connect to, access, and communicate with anything with a chip inside.


    Ability Granted to host:


    Technopath''s mind: The ability to telepathically interact with all forms of technology. This ability allows him to view the world through the lenses of a computer.


    Enhanced Memory and recall - as his mind operates similarly to a human-computer when active


    Eidetic Memory: Also known as photographic memory, it involves the ability to recall images or objects with high precision and detail after seeing them once.


    Auditory Memory: The capacity to recall and reproduce sounds and auditory information accurately.


    Verbal Memory: The ability to remember and recall spoken words and verbal information.


    Spatial Awareness: The ability to be aware and perfectly measure his surroundings and objects.


    Parallel Thinking - his mind is split into four distinct parts to handle data both consciously and unconsciously


    Split Persona - one part of the four-part split is an extension of Peter that is similar to an AI, All machine without the human element.


    Trait evolved: Mask of Innocence>>Mask of the Fool


    Mask of the Fool: This trait has both a passive and an active function.


    Passive: Fools Bluff


    -This trait affects the host mind, allowing it to operate similarly to that of a computer, granting him the ability to instantly adjust to different situations with a calm mind by internalizing his reaction and carefully analyzing everything else, his physical body reflects this. His mind is optimized to an extent. Although he feels emotions and can experience mental alignments such as panic, shock, fear etc¡­ all this is internalized as his outward appearance and expression will always remain calm and collected.


    -His physical expression can be altered in any way he chooses with little effort like putting on a mask, which grants the host a limited form of parallel thinking


    -Allows the host to fake a state of normality, making him seem as ''normal'' as expected of an average human, in this state, all of his abilities will be sealed until he chooses to actively use them. However certain abilities will activate on their own accord in response to the host''s needs or protection.


    Active: Fools Gambit


    This ability allows him to put on the mask in a sense and provide input for a command. Once the command is accepted everything else will be blocked out, his emotions, his thoughts, his personality, pain, everything will be put aside to complete that one goal. His actions will be task-oriented, all actions taken are optimized for the single-minded pursuit to complete the given command.


    (Slot 7 -? Sealed)

 Chapter 27: Moving Forward Part 4

    -Hells Kitchen-


    On the dimly lit rooftop of a Hell''s Kitchen building, Daredevil observed his adversary cautiously, he kept his guard up as he was now aware of how dangerous his opponent was.


    He was outclassed in both speed and strength, that simple exchange told him that much. Young too, if his voice was any indication, pretending to be blind made it a necessity to identify a person''s age and more from voice alone at times. Not that he had any problems with that before given his unique disposition.


    "Well Daredevil," The teen in black taunted, his voice tinged with amusement. "What will it be?"


    Daredevil knew he was outmatched but that hardly ever stopped him before. With a light grunt, he gave the teen his answer.


    "I could ask you the same thing. Who are you?"


    Daredevil''s response was followed by a swift blur of movement as he lunged forward, fists clenched around his crimson billy club, one in each hand.


    "Why did you attack Fisk out in the open like that?! Who paid you? Who are you working for? The Russian Mafia? The Chinese Triad? Do you have any idea what the consequence of your actions would lead to?! "


    Peter leaped backward with agility, narrowly avoiding Daredevil''s first strike, but the red devil pushed on relentlessly, his movements fluid and precise as he closed the distance between them, not giving the teen any breathing room. With speed that was almost to fast for the human eye to follow, Peter danced around the onslaught, almost joyfully if his giggling feat didn''t make that obvious to his attack.


    "Fisk''s presence was the only thing keeping the streets under control!" Daredevil continued, each strike flowed with rigid control which unsurprisingly Peter was able to avoid seamlessly.


    " With him out of the picture, there would be nothing to hold the rivaling gangs back! They''d fight for every scrap of territory in the city. It would be an all-out war!"


    "Oh really, is that why you couldn''t do the right thing and take him out yourself?" Peter taunted again. " You were scared of a bunch of thugs acting out! Huh!, please, With a name like Dare-Devil I''d never have pegged you for being such a coward"


    Daredevil didn''t let the taunts get him as he went through a series of combos. Chain attacks utilizing his billy clubs and well-placed kicks that linked up with each other depending on who they were evaded or blocked.


    " It''s not about what''s right, it''s about protecting the innocent, people die when ''thugs'' go to war. What you''re doing will get people killed. So who is it, who wanted Fisk out of the picture?"


    Daredevil''s style of attack only worked if the opponent was stronger and faster than him - as was the case at the moment. He slipped through the teen''s defenses and landed a hit on the teen''s midsection pushing him back slightly before pushing himself forward to take advantage of the opening he provided.


    Grunting in surprise, The teen retaliated with a series of acrobatic flips, attempting to keep Daredevil off balance.


    It worked as the devil stumbled backward allowing the teen to retaliate with a kick of his own, Daredevil was fast enough to bring his arms up in a cross guard, but the strength of the attack sent him skidding back a few feet.


    "Whose to say I work for anybody, maybe I just wanted to do this, maybe it was personal or maybe I just felt like it was about time someone took out the trash." The teen said, cracking his neck with a resounding pop as he crouched low lightly. "Wait, how rude of me, My Name is Noir of Babylon"


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    The Teen gave the devil a dramatic bow then as his bow reached a ninety-degree angle the teen launched himself forward with a few strikes of his own. Daredevil dodged them effortlessly, diverting the attacks through the use of his billy clubs. The devil of Hell Kitchen knew he couldn''t afford to keep taking on hits, it would only serve to hurt him more as the fight went on.


    But it couldn''t be avoided given his opponent''s speed so he focused his energy in defense and offense as he met the teen once more.


    ''Babylon? Haven''t heard of them before? A new gang, a new player in town? Now? dammit. This could be bad.'' The Devil thought. "What are you after? Fisk''s Territory? A turf war? Why take out Fisk now?" Daredevil pressed on.


    "Pishh, nothing that grandiose, those lowlife thugs can have their toys, whether they can keep it safe or not is up to them. And No the people I work for had nothing to do with this, no one ordered any hit on Fisk or what not. No this is personal, I''m here for something simpler, I am here to dish out some good old justice to the wicked and the sinners of hell''s kitchen"


    The teen replied.


    Their fists clashed in a flurry of blows, the sound of impact echoing across the rooftop. The teen''s instincts buzzed with warning as Daredevil''s attacks became more calculated and aggressive.


    "Justice, you call this Justice, look around you kid, people died tonight. The streets are on fire, and people are scared. There''s nothing right about this, This isn''t Justice, this is just you being a selfish criminal"


    Daredevil knew that a good defense was also a good offense.


    With a sudden burst of speed, Daredevil somersaulted over the teen''s head, landing gracefully behind him. Before the teen could react, Daredevil delivered a powerful kick to his back, sending him sprawling across the rooftop.


    "And just like Criminals, I''ll stop you here before you go too far. Now what was it you said, ''Walk away?'' no, I don''t think I will. Now stay down kid and give yourself up, don''t make me hurt you, help me save the lives of the people in this city, tell me what you know"


    As the teen staggered to his feet, he couldn''t help but admire Daredevil''s skill, he kept forgetting about the ''super'' in superhero. But he knew he couldn''t afford to stop now, he was only getting started. With a gleeful expression, his lips split apart as a laugh tore its way out of his throat.


    "HehehahahaHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA"


    Daredevil made no move forward as the teen stood up to face him.


    "Hahahahahaha, oh man, I keep forgetting how all you heroes are all about righteous this and righteous that, almost makes me wanna hurl my guts out. Tell me, what makes your brand of justice any more right than mine? People die all the time, what makes it so terrible if they die tomorrow on the streets or in the same baseless war in another country so some rich ass oil-business tycoon can keep lining their pockets." The teen said.


    " You save people all the time and take down the bad guy and then you call it Justice. Sure that works now but never in the long run, that''s just a temporary remedy to a cancer that''s spreading fast. A little too fast for your brand of remedy if you ask me. This world isn''t the same anymore with people like you and me running around in it. It''s almost unfair to any ''normal'' person, wouldn''t you say ''superhero''?" The teen asked.


    "That''s not the point and you know it, no one should have the right to kill another person. It''s not a matter of right and wrong, it''s just common sense kid. But that''s not to say what you''re doing is right. It''s wrong to kill another person, that''s all there is to it." Daredevil replied, his fist tightened around his billy clubs, this conversation was reminding him of something or rather someone, but try as he might he couldn''t remember when or where.


    "So letting them live to kill another person is right? Is that what you saying" The teen asked.


    " NO! I''m not saying that. I''m just saying we should give them a chance to choose whether to change or not. Just outright kil-" The teen cut him off before he could finish.


    " Oh give it a rest, you can take your damn choice and shove it up your red ass. You''re pissing me off you know that. I''m trying to be civil here but the more you talk the more I just wanna beat you the hell up. Fuck your reasons, fuck your choices, fuck right and wrong. I''ll let you good guys debate the moral implications of my actions. This system is fucked and it needs a change. So I''ve decided to be that change. I''ll be that shock to the system, and if you decide to stop me then you damn well better be ready to kill me before I kill them" The teen cracked his neck and got low, prompting the devil to get into his own defensive stance.


    "And let me tell you, good luck with that hero" The teen launched himself back into the fray, ready to continue the fight until one of them emerged victorious in the darkness of Hell''s Kitchen.


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 28: Moving Forward Part 5

    -Hells Kitchen-


    Peter was toying with Daredevil and they both knew it. They''ve been at it for almost twenty-four minutes - 24 minutes and 36.42 seconds his technopathy Persona noted- and all Peter had to show for it was his ruffled-up clothes. Daredevil however was riddled with bruises and bleeding from a busted lip, the man took bated breaths to steady himself.


    If Peter chose to, he could end this right now but that was the last thing on his mind. He wanted this man to feel as he felt that night, helpless and humiliated. When the fight started he ordered Garfield to return to the hospital to keep watch his aunt as he wanted to do this himself.


    Like he told the devil, this was personal.


    Peter decided against using any of his other abilities, he wanted to take Daredevil on and beat him on an equal footing, he wanted to test his skills against Daredevil''s to prove that he could take this person on using only his instincts and fighting prowess.


    All that training and experience he gained from his bouts in those illegal fighting arenas were paying off. It was still an unfair match though as his base physical abilities outclassed that of a peak human athlete to the point where even someone like Daredevil had a bad time dealing with him and a one-on-one fight.


    Their fight took them a few blocks away from their original position. They made their way across the roofs of Hell''s kitchen in record time. A few minutes back Peter tossed the devil a great distance across the block but the agile devil had enough strength to stick his landing safely on the other side using his billy club that had a built-in grappling hook of all things.


    One of the many useful functions of the tool as Peter would soon discover.


    ....


    That was what led to their current predicament.


    Peter stood on the edge of a building while Daredevil stood on an unfinished floor of an ongoing construction site of a new building on the other side, the incomplete tower providing a looming shadow over Peter under the moonlight.


    Oddly enough it highlighted the different paths of the two fighters. As it light up Daredevil''s silhouette from behind while the shadows of the incomplete building structure shaded Peter''s form from its light.


    They were separated by an ally between them, lit by the neon glow of streetlights. They watched each other in muted silence as Peter waited for the red devil to regain his barring.


    ''It''s pretty impressive he managed to stick the landing, I threw him pretty far'' Peter was so impressed that he gave the devil of Hell''s kitchen some breathing room. He wasn''t in any rush to finish this fight, he simply wanted to beat the shit out of this person.


    It''d be no fun to fight him while he was down too.


    "Come on, Don''t tell me that''s the best you got." Peter taunted "If it is you might as well just roll over and die right now"


    "Not even close, Just getting warmed up kid." Daredevil wheezed in reply, taking his defensive stance with his signature billy club in hand. " "


    "Good, it''s no fun if you don''t at least put up a fight. Word of warning though, I''m taking this fight up a notch, do keep up" Peter felt his lips curl up again, he got low while he opened his palm and relaxed his hand, he swiftly brought them to the front of his body in one fluid motion adapting a stance guided by instincts and self-practice.


    He was having fun, fighting a superhero was way different than fighting common thugs.


    ''I think I''m starting to enjoy this a bit too much'' Peter thought.


    He tensed his muscles, both feet planted firmly into the hard cement surface, and took a deep breath.


    Daredevil readied himself for a confrontation in response, his unique form of echo-location could track Peter''s hand displacing the flow of air like water flowing through a stream.


    Then Peter moved, the cement under his feet cracked as he blitzed towards his target.


    Daredevil felt the air shift before suddenly losing track of Peter even with the use of his heightened senses.


    In the blink of on an eye, he covered the distance between them with speed that was to fast for the naked eye to follow. Luckily enough, his opponent had little need for eyes.


    The instant Daredevil heard a crack in the cement he instinctively dodged out of the way.


    Experience alone saved Daredevil from having his head caved in as Peter''s open palm left a sizable dent in the metal pole. Before Daredevil could make any other moves, his senses forced him to react again as another open palm shot toward his midsection.


    He blocked the attack with his billy club but the force of impact alone sent him crashing through an unfinished brick wall sending pieces of it flying everywhere.


    " Come OOOooon! Hero" Peter let out an exasperated sigh. The teen flexed his hand, taking slow strides as he walked towards Daredevil who was already on his feet and at the ready.


    "I told you I''d kick it up a notch. Try to keep up, at this rate this might end up being a one-sided slaughter, but meh, whatever, if you lose you lose."


    Peter blitzed forward again, he was forced to dodge a billy club heading right for his face causing him to stumble slightly.


    Daredevil took advantage of the opening, pulling on his other billy club causing the other to return - a silver tint was the only indication that the two clubs were connected via special wire as it flew back at an angle towards the back of Peter''s head.


    Peter easily caught it but Daredevil was already on the move.


    He tugged harder on the club to throw Peter off balance and went on the attack with a few strikes.


    The tug however served in Peter''s favor, like water he let his body flow toward Daredevil without resistance and weaved his way through Daredevil''s strikes. The palms of his hands divert the flow of force and weight behind Daredevil''s strikes.


    The billy club in his fist met the club in Daredevil''s own with a clang as both fighters flowed into a tempo known only to those few martial artists. Neither one scored any good hits as they danced around each other tied by the wire that connected both clubs.


    Peter picked up the tempo with his greater speed, hitting Daredevil''s club out of the way, the force of the attack almost threw Daredevil back.


    Peter felt what could only be described as a mental ping, a request to be used from what he could understand. His technopathy was attempting to reactivate itself but Peter ignored it.


    Forceful turning the ability off as he willed the effects of the mask of the fool to take effect. All this took place in an instant, less than the time it took one to blink.


    He wanted a real fight, his other abilities were a cheat in that regard.


    The teen then closed the distance instantly grabbing onto Daredevil''s wrist while the red devil was a few inches off the ground, he pulled the devil close attempting to strike him using his temple but his efforts were swiftly met with Daredevil''s knee to his chin.


    " Grk" Peter grunted in pain but before he could retaliate he felt a thin pressure on his throat.


    "Shirgrk" Peter choked in surprise.


    ''Damn,'' his thoughts echoed as he finally realized his mistake.


    In that one instant, Daredevil not only scored a hit but simultaneously used his speed against him mid-motion by wrapping the wire around his unguarded neck while Peter grabbed his wrist.


    This man used Peter''s attack against him, he used the momentum of Peter''s strike to pull on the wire in a single exchange turning the tide of the fight in his favor.


    Daredevil was already in motion the moment his toes hit the floor. He pivoted on it smoothing pulling harshly on the wire while lining Peter''s face up to meet his fist.


    Thrown of balance as he was there was little Peter could do to defend himself from the force of impact. Even as he swiftly brought his arms up in a vain attempt to guard his face, his weight was already leaning into the strike and Daredevil''s movements ensured all his weight was always behind each of his strikes.


    There was a fine line between natural skill and experience. Peter was going to have to learn that the hard way - choking on his spit while catching a to ankle to his cheek.


    However Peter was far from helpless, natural talent was still talent, and experience only sharpened. He used the strike to line up his own, he let go of the club in his hand opting to pull on the wire on his throat with that hand as he spun in place.


    He used the momentum to kick the devil before he could recover his strike. It was a feeble attempt at relation with none of his strength behind it, only serving to drive the Devil back a few steps.


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    A grunt from the devil was all he got. Yet it served its purpose, Peter had enough time to pull on the wire and hug his though allowing him to breathe again, but that damn thing was so strung he had difficulty trying to rip it apart.


    A breath was all he got before Daredevil resumed his attack. Daredevil proved his actions were no fluke further by pulling on the wire harder trapping fingers within in and increasing the pressure on Peter''s throat while simultaneously pulling the other billy club into his other free hand.


    Daredevil then began his onslaught. Utilizing Peter''s disposition beat him down. Peter tried to defend with his free hand but the devil of hell''s kitchen used the wires to tie his hand down then relentlessly struck Peter in swift and precise attacks with both billy clubs in hand.


    Elbow.


    Left Knees.


    Left Ear.


    Throat.


    Mid Section- Bellow the Rib- Liver.


    Throat.


    Dodge-twist arm.


    Behind the knee- Pull on the arm.


    Left Side of the face.


    Daredevil was relentless, each strike carried out with ruthless control. No actions waisted, Every action created on opening for the next one, all of bleeding into one brutal combo.


    Peter did his best but each time he defended on strike, the devil used it as an opening to carry out two more.


    '' Dammit, shit, fudge, '' The teen felt his anger rising, at this rate he would have his ass handed to him.


    "AaRRRG" Peter let out a wild growl before stomping on the floor with all his strength.


    His actions this time weren''t in vain, the floor shattered with a loud crack as they both fell to the floor below, the action catching Daredevil off guard but providing a window of opportunity for Peter.


    He spun himself, straining his neck to force Daredevil close then with a heave of his free hand he backhanded the devil with all his might.


    The devil had enough sense left to attempt to defend himself but his defense mattered little to Peter''s strength.


    With a crack, something snapped and the red devil was blown across the room his Billy Club lost.


    Peter crashed into the floor below, with little to no fall damage aside from the beating he just got from Daredevil.


    "Gah!" Peter took gasping breaths, filling his lungs with some refreshing air before choking violently again in a coughing fit.


    In his haste, he forgot to take into account all the dust and debris in the air after busting his way through a construction floor riddled with cement bags and dust.


    " Cough, cough, cough, oh that was stupid." The teen picked himself up, the billy clubs clattering next to his feet, coughing all the while. "Cough! That was something alright" he let out a long breath.


    The teen felt pain all over, his joints and muscles ached, and his throat stung- it hurt to speak- not that it would stop him. He had had a sneaky suspicion that if he pulled his bandages off he''d be sporting a black, and bruised face right now.


    " Hey you alive over there, I didn''t kill you did I?" Peter cracked his neck and glanced over to check the devil of hell''s Kitchen.


    The devil said nothing, only picking himself up in stoic silence and falling back into his defensive stance, his actions implied a keen focus.


    "Good," Peter said, his rage bleeding into him but his outward expression remained apathetic.


    Then the air shifted and Peter vanished.


    Before the Daredevil could even react he relieved an open palm to the chest as Peter all but flickered in front of him without a sound.


    In fact, Peter all but vanished from Daredevil''s senses at that moment


    Daredevil was sent skidding across the floor crashing into a stack of construction cement bags.


    "Very nice." Peter''s voice carried across the floor.


    "Cough! Aarrggk!" Daredevil coughed up blood on the floor as he picked himself up, no slower than he did before.


    Peter had to hand it to the guy, his tenacity, pain tolerance, and willpower was off the charts.


    All that with his skill was one hell of a deadly combo. All that and he refused to kill.


    It didn''t escape the teen''s notice that all the blows the devil dealt to him were nonlethal.


    They were incredibly effective ways to incapacitate someone without killing them.


    '' This Bitch¡­'' And just like that, that predatory smile returned full force. Peter''s respect for the devil was rising into straight-up admiration now. The teen was prudently reminded of why he chased after the dream of being a hero so badly.


    This was it right here.


    The picture of the one who deserved his respect as an individual. His mind was already made up, his path was already chosen and he would walk it his way. That didn''t mean he would scorn others for doing the same.


    He may be a killer now but dammit he was raised right. It also matched his newly forming mindset quite well. If someone deserves to die for their actions - kill them. If someone deserves respect for their actions - respect them.


    The world was simply without all the black and white. That way his path fell into the grey area.


    "Wha-what did yo-cough-you do?" The Devil of Hell''s Kitchen asked the teen, wincing from the pain in his chest. Whatever Peter did forced the devil to take caution.


    "Obviously, I learned the hard way" Peter replied getting into a stance that was nearly identical to Daredevil''s own.


    "That''s not-"


    "Possible?" Peter teased and finished the devil''s line of thought in an amused tone. "Let''s just say it is, I''m a pretty fast learner."


    The devil''s heightened senses could almost picture his own silhouette behind the teen.


    Peter didn''t just get beat up, his body adapted to physical stimulation at an insane rate. All those times he was fighting daredevil his mind and body were familiarizing themselves with the crimson-clad fighter, how he fought, the way he moved, everything was getting assimilated into Peter in real time.


    All of it was happening without any effort on Peter''s part. All he needed to do was experience it, how he got that experience didn''t matter, as long as the physical stimulation as there.


    That was the essence of natural talent.


    It was an effortless achievement and those who had were viewed as monsters in human skin.


    After that beating, after witnessing the true extent of his skill when he held nothing back, the assimilation was complete. With it, Peter figured out something very crucial about Daredevil, a way around his insane heightened senses. A way to render himself almost invisible to someone of that caliber.


    "So ready to walk away yet?" Peter asked, his tone was low, lacking the bite and teasing they previously held.


    "Not even close kid" Came the devil''s reply.


    " Hmm, thought so" the teen shot back before once again seemingly vanishing from sight.


    Peter blitzed towards the Devil swiftly, his attack was all but assured before his instincts went haywire.


    He quickly shifted his body to the side and brought both his hands up in a crossguard in front of his chest.


    Just in time to feel something strike him with extreme force.


    "What now?" he wondered aloud as he flipped back a few times to land on a few crates.


    The voice that answered him stopped his heart cold.


    "What do we have here, a devil and a sinner? did I miss the memo or something?" giggled a female voice in a taunting manner.


    The th-wiping sound echoed through the floor as a figure swung down.


    "Order up, One billy club-nun chuck for the devil in red", a voice quipped.


    ''No, that voice- pain like never before, bones breaking, hunger beyond words-'', Flashes of images, thoughts, and emotions swarmed Peter''s mind.


    "You alright there teach, you look a little beat up, this guy is too much for you to handle, well fret not, I''ll help you out just this once." The figure sand as she landed next to Daredevil before tossing him his billy club.


    ''You!- clawed reptilian hands damped in blood wrapped around a beating heart, it tasted so sweet-'' The thought ripped itself out of Peter''s memories.


    Daredevil let out an exasperated sigh, his head shifting slightly as if to manage a headache. He fiddles with his billy club lightly to disable the wire before joining both hands to form a short staff.


    "Nice to see you too kid, isn''t this a school night," Daredevil replied.


    Finally, the figure came into view posing in her signature crouch next to Daredevil. She was clear to see, bathed in the light of the moon that complemented her suit''s color scheme.


    White hooded skin-tight suit with blush black web-themed outlines. Stylized footwear to resemble a ballerina slipper, complete with a spider insignia on her chest.


    ''Spider-Woman!!- white gloves punching through reptilian hide, his cries left unanswered, his plea for help ignored, she was going to kill him-'' Peter felt his mind go numb, his thoughts fell into turmoil as spider and devil themed here fell into a routine back and forth banter.


    ''Why? Why? Why?? Why?? Why?? Why?? Why?? Why?? Why?? Why?? Why?? Why?? Why?? Why?? Why? WHY NOW!?"


    Flashes of events he thought hid forgotten forced their way in, sounds he didn''t want here filled his ears, words he never wanted to speak repeated themselves in his mind.


    ''Stop it.''


    Bones breaking, flesh ripping, hunger growing.


    ''Hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, hungry, SOOOOO HUNGRY!!- pieces of human flesh dangling from reptilian maws, so sweet, pain, pain pain pain so much pain,- why WOUND YTOU EHEELPP MEEE!!! - SPIDER-WOOOOOMMAAAAN!!!''


    ''I don''t wanna die- gloved hands beating into reptilian skin, bones breaking, flesh ripping, bones crackling into place, bones breaking, flesh ripping, bones crackling into place, bones breaking, flesh ripping, bones crackling into place, bones breaking, flesh ripping, bones crackling into place, bones breaking, flesh ripping, bones crackling into place, bones breaking, flesh ripping, bones crackling into place, bones breaking, flesh ripping, bones crackling into place- wWHYY WOONT YOu Stop!!? ''


    ''It hurts, It hurts, It hurts, It hurts, It hurts, It hurts, IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS,-I''ll KILLLL YOU!!- Stop it isn''t me''


    The moment the spider-themed hero arrived, Peter''s actions were noticed by the two bantering vigilantes as they took a few seconds to catch up. Peter Parker was experiencing a mental breakdown brought on by post-traumatic stress disorder coming from the memories of his first and only true death.


    The reason it went noticed was due to one simple fact- his own powers- a fool''s bluff. All his reactions are internalized to portray a calm outward appearance and expression. It put it simply he was suffering in silence while outwardly portraying the presence of a calm slightly ruffled fighter.


    Peter stood there for what would be an eternity as he experienced emotions he thought he left behind.


    The most prominent among them was FEAR.


    And just like that it stopped. Suddenly whatever he was feeling came to a halt, the fear, the rage, the hate, the hunger, the pain, all of it slowly dissipated.


    {Incarnation of Garou: Active}


    And his lips curved back up into their predatory smile.


    Forty Seven seconds, that was how long Peter stood in silence watching the two heroes banter back and forth.


    He didn''t hear any of what they were saying although the memory of their conversations resided in his mind courtesy of Iboy.


    "Hey teach, is it just me has that weirdo been starring at me funny the whole time," Spider-Woman asked her mentor? he head tilting slightly


    " No, it''s not just you, ready up kid, follow my lead, his dangerous" the devil replied. Already moving in front of the teen hero.


    Peter chimed in before spider-women could speak.


    " You shouldn''t have come here Spider-woman" Peter spoke in a dull tone, though one could feel the intestacy of each word spoken.


    " Awww Shucks teach, look he doing the villain monologue" spider-woman teased, "And why not? You own this place or something"


    "It''s simple, I''m scared, no, terrified of you," Peter replied.


    Spider-woman''s bug eye''s lenses blinked in surprise, Daredevil to seemed to be caught off guard by Peter''s sudden confession.


    " OK¡­weirdo¡­ that''s new, I''ve heard admired, obsessed, annoyed, and some other weird one but this is a first, never had someone terrified of me before, how''s that working out for you." Not one to miss a beat, the spider-themed hero replied with relative ease. The teasing tone is ever present.


    "Well, you and your teacher? here are about to find out. I don''t think you understand but you will" Peter replied before nodding at Daredevil. " And I am sorry about this Daredevil, I was gonna fight you fair and squire, but now"


    Suddenly both daredevil and spider-woman sprung into action taking up defensive positions only to notice that their opponent had yet to make any move.


    "Now I''m just gonna hurt you, the both of you, a lot" Peter willed the effects of fool''s bluff to stop, feeling all his abilities activate again.


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 29: Moving Forward Part 6

    -Hells Kitchen-


    Something was different.


    Daredevil couldn''t understand it, it was a feeling, a gut feeling - and Daredevil always trusted those.


    Before he could say anything to Spider-woman, he felt his senses alert him, he kept it keenly focused on Noir''s presence, and there was that sensation again. Noir flicked in and out of his perception, his heightened senses made it even harder to track him. It was a sensation that he couldn''t describe, it put him on edge. Daredevil didn''t like that feeling, it was akin to blindness only much worse.


    Noir shimmered out of his perception. That was the only way he could describe it. His senses always kept him in the know of the presence of those around him at all times.


    The lack of one was both terrifying and enlightening. He noted that down as a weakness he would have to work on, a weakness he wasn''t even aware of. As he was pulled back by Spider-woman''s webs he noted how Noir appeared in front of him in a blur of motion. Noir would have got him too if it wasn''t for Spider-Woman''s timely intervention he would have been out of the fight.


    Her special webbing and speed saved him. She provided an even field for him to work with.


    She jumped into the fray with a unique brand of recklessness common to super-powered teenagers, all action, no control - more and more of them were crawling out of the woodwork these days. Using her web, she pulled him back in and took his place to intercept Noir.


    Her spider-sense as she called it and enhanced reflexes helped her keep up with Noir. Their fight was something even he couldn''t keep up with, but he had his own tools to use.


    It only took a few seconds before Spider-Woman was sent tumbling into one of the metal pillars on the side. He was already moving before she reached it. He attacked with his short staff, spinning it in his fingers and using its range to stay out of arms reach.


    Something flew past his head at Spider-woman''s position.


    Before he even got the chance to attack Noir was already in front of him -there was that shimmer again. The black-clad teen grabbed his hand before he could move, squeezing it painfully until his short staff fell out of his hand, he felt something crack in his wrist. Another hand grabbed his throat and held him up until his feet no longer touched the ground.


    He felt himself freeze, involuntarily. Some invisible force held him in place. There was something else in the air, displacing the flow, he could sense it only barely.


    He found himself staring into a pair of glowing yellow eyes.


    "My fight isn''t with you, not anymore. Play times over, Stay down" the teen said slowly increasing the pressure on his throat. Suddenly pain flooded him - he was sure a couple of his rubs just shattered if the sharp sting in his lungs were any indication, then darkness filled his vision.


    He felt himself being tossed to the side as he lost his senses. Before he went out he saw it. Black miasma surrounded the teen like smoke without flames. Writhing bandages flowed around almost as if they were alive. But that wasn''t what held his attention no.


    It was the thing in front of him. It was as if time froze momentarily, waiting for something to take shape in the world.


    Black miasma bled into reality. Feathers filled the air, vanishing in shadow-like wisps. The moon suddenly felt that much brighter.


    Yellow eyes akin to Noirs, only brighter, like the sun at night. Sixteen black wings, eight pairs on either side exuding the same dark miasma that surrounded the Noir. A lithe female form, covered in bandages, some connected to the teen others flowing freely around her. Her hair reached her feet, scattered around the floor, almost like the shadows came alive and took form, it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.


    He could see her, but that shouldn''t be possible. He could see her face but he couldn''t remember how it looked, that shouldn''t be possible.


    " Oh my, you can see me too, can''t you? And why not? Death follows you as well Mathew Murrdok" the thing said. It spoke like what it said was a fact. How did it know his name? " Not alike my¡­" Its eyes drifted over to Noir. " but it follows you close all the same, worry not, your time is far and your visits few, and eventually I-she will come for you, we always do, hmahahaha" It giggled softly and skipped like some happy-go-lucky teen over to Noir.


    "There are always some exceptions of course".It reached out to touch Noir''s frozen form but its hand phased through him as if she had no form to begin with.


    Then like a dream or hallucination, it was all over. Time resumed and it was gone, vanished like it was never there. Daredevil felt the darkness creep into his vision again. His thoughts were filled with questions but the most prominent of all was the way that thing invoked such feelings in him. Why did it feel so familiar, so soothing, like he saw it in a dream he couldn''t remember?


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    Felt it in passing but never again.


    Why did that thing invoke the feeling of death from him? As his consciousness gave out he heard Noir''s voice.


    "And then there was one" Noir''s voice hummed, that same apathetic dull tone ever present.


    .....


    -Above the skies of New York-


    The Ancient One could sense something wrong.


    She could feel it as she made her way above the clouds of New York. She was dressed in her yellow battle robes, they flattered in the wind amongst the clouds.


    Her nightly meditation was disrupted by it, and that in and of itself was alarming as she was in the mirror dimension during that time. If something was strong enough to affect that in this dimension it didn''t bode well at all.


    It didn''t help that the barriers that guarded this universe and the relative dimension that surrounded it were shifting, buzzing with renewed activity.


    That was another issue entirely, any kind of activity from the barriers implied terrible things for the world at large. This shouldn''t be possible, at least not yet, but then again none of anything that transpired over the last few months was possible.


    She called it the Convergence, the phenomenon that affected not only this world but countless other parallel timelines simultaneously. Something, an entity, a being, a force so powerful was at play here. Something beyond her control, something that worked on a scope that dwarfed even Dormammu himself.


    Whatever this being was it played with realities like toys, twisted destiny and cosmic forces like strings, and altered the fate of the known multiverse in a single moment. She could remember it, A time that never was.


    The powers she drew from Dormammu rendered her immune to worldly ailments like the time, and to a certain extent granted her protection from many things, this included drastic changes to the universe at large by cosmic forces beyond comprehension.


    When the change occurred hardly anyone on earth without proper protection would. If they didn''t have power from some higher being or possessed the power cosmic or something similar themself they would not be able to tell the difference.


    From what she was able to gather, this wasn''t her original dimension, nor was it any that should exist. This was an entirely separate timeline that was a combination of a few different timelines. Multiple realities were brought together by the will of a single entity and yet not a single being was able to tell the difference.


    The anomaly, the cause of the change, was what she was tracking over the last few months. She has since stopped attempting to observe it through the time stone. The reason was simple, it could see her. As she was observing it, it was in turn observing her. Whatever this was, even observing an image of it, even in a possible future allowed it to observe her. The mere act of interacting with it in any way, shape, or form, be it an image, a spoken word, a written description, an illustration, a thought, a memory, it could even be a hand-drawn illustration. Whatever form you interacted with it allowed it to interact with you in the same way.


    It was terrifying. It made her, with all her vast knowledge, and all her hundreds of years of experience feel so small. This being was here somewhere. She now understood why no being could notice the change. The only conclusion she came to behind why she was one of the only ones to retain memories of the old timeline was because something allowed her to.


    Something else, she felt it when she searched other dimensions.


    And if the being that caused the Convergence, if the anomaly terrified her this one(hint: TOAA), what was the expression again, this one made her shit herself, metaphorically speaking of course. She only found traces of this other being''s existence, legends, and hush whispers that dated back to the time of creation itself.


    She stopped herself from seeking out more for fear of catching the eye or drawing the attention of other more nefarious individuals. The earth wasn''t yet prepared for a fight on that scale.


    Her only saving grace came in the form of a child. Who she or he was the ancient one did not know. Where he or she may be however was somewhere inside New York. A few weeks ago she almost found him only for them to vanish again.


    She came across him once while in her astral state and tried to interact with the child, his or her form was shrouded in death, it hugged the child''s form like nothing she had ever seen, and the pultruded black miasma prevented her from decerning anything other than his silhouette.


    When she tried to physically interact with the child via touch to enter his mind it saw her. What she came into contact with confirmed her suspicion, it shook her to her core, and yet this being would bend to the will of a child and she couldn''t fathom why. She would have died if not for the essence of the child in his innermost mind that spared her. The two entities in that child''s mind made the demons she locked out of the universe seem tame.


    That child''s soul was changing into something that no longer stood in the realm of mortal men. Whatever it was becoming if no guidance was presented to him, even just a bit, even if she was only allowed to talk with the boy, that would be ok.


    She made up her mind this child needed some form of guidance, a form of control, or this being would change him beyond recognition. His presence was already a crucial part of what was to come. she could not change that now, all she could do was nudge him just a smidge in the right direction.


    For try as she might, she already knew the outcome, that child''s path was grey and covered in blood.


    A path that thrived in the darkness and the shadows, but that child''s shadow was a shadow that allowed the stars to shine brighter than they ever could on their own. And as long as that child stood, the earth would remain safe, and given what little she knew of the child''s nature. That child would be standing for a very long time.


    Now came the ever-difficult task of locating the child.


    She could sense a general location or direction but nothing more than that. It seemed as if the person was hiding.


    The anomaly was tied to this person, they were the ancient one''s only key to solving this cosmic puzzle, and she had a feeling that they were partly responsible for whatever was causing the dimentional barriers to shift.


    She let out a sigh and closed her eyes to focus, they were here somewhere, she just had to find out where.


    " Ah, found you, this time for sure" she spoke, the sound of her voice carried away by the wind. With that in mind, she flew towards her destination.


    Hell''s Kitchen.


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 30: Moving Forward Part 7

    -Hells Kitchen -


    *Boom*


    A part of the incomplete building was blown out into the streets below as Peter''s fist met the concrete wall. Iron beams hang loosely off the floor while cement dust fills the air.


    "Come on Spider-woman stop running, fight me, I know you can. Why so shy?" Peter taunted from the rubble looking up at Spider-woman who clung to the iron beam watching him warily.


    "Show me what you really are!"'' he growled.


    Spider-Woman and Peter fought across the incomplete structure of the building. Their speed and reflexes carried them far from the prone form of Daredevil to the upper floors.


    Spider-woman''s mobility was something to behold. With that, her annoying ability to evade danger as she continued to avoid Peter was like a fly buzzing around the building. She didn''t even have to see it coming to know when to dodge.


    Yet she wasn''t out of reach, Peter''s technopathy gave him a general idea of where they were in the building and he knew eventually she would run out of the building soon.


    " Dude, you clearly have some anger management issues there, if you wanna talk to someone I know a really good therapist" Spider-woman joked, her playful attitude was really getting to Peter.


    What did she think this was, some game? Peter was starting to suspect that she had some sort of danger-sense. It was uncanny, she didn''t seem all that skilled yet all his attacks were being evaded by a hair''s length, too close for it to be intentional. She somehow even managed to evade his bandages and they were supposed to be invisible.


    "Naa, I''m all good, In fact, I''ve never been better. Enough with the running and fight." Peter replied.


    Peter shot up at Spider-woman again. Even with his speed, she was already moving before he could strike her. Even so, Peter didn''t slow down in his pursuit, the more she moved the faster he chased. Neon blue outlines filled his vision as he noted everything down, from the structure of the floor to its contents. He pinpointed the right spot to destroy which would force him to climb higher to avoid him.


    Long since her primary goal was to lead him away from Daredevil so their fight wouldn''t put him in any more danger than the unconscious state Peter left him in.


    *Boom*


    This was quickly turning into a game of cat and mouse as more parts of the building were being torn apart. Spider - woman she couldn''t keep this up forever, the higher they got the less room she had. Peter gave her no chance to rest, even for a moment. She dodged him as he shot towards her again and in a fluid display of agility and strength used her webs to grab onto a pile of hanging streal beams towards her before flipping over them, sending the pile flying towards Peter.


    "Here, take a chill pill" Spider-woman quipped as the effortlessly moved over the pile before kicking it towards Peter for some extra momentum.


    Peter repaid her in kind in his own display of skill, hitting the pile with an open palm in the air, tearing apart their bindings then pivoting in place hitting each beam with controlled punches, and kicking right back at the fleeing Spider-woman. There it was again, she dodged all the incoming steel beams without even looking. Moves with enhanced agility, dodging, and flipping in the air with the help of her webbings. It was pissing Peter off, her nonchalant attitude, her blatant disregard of him, and after everything she did him too.


    "Whoa shit, easy over there Mummy Reject, it''s almost like you''re trying to kill me." The arachnid-themed hero joked as she dodged the steel beams, climbing even higher up.


    There were no more floors up this level, just an incomplete structure of steel beams meant to be the foundation of the buildings.


    "Crap!" Spider-woman cursed as Peter suddenly flickered in front of her using the steel beams she dodged for footing to propel himself at him, she brought her arms up for a crossguard, but it did little to save her from what was coming.


    " You know I really don''t understand you" Peter spoke in a low tone, Peter punched her with the controlled strike, and the force sent her flying off the side of the building, taking a piece of the beam with her.


    Spider-Woman was nothing if not resourceful, she used her webs with one hand to stick onto the building and then the other to send the steal beam flying at Peter with a grunt.


    "Arg. Aww and here I thought you were terrified of me!" Spider-woman threw it back with surprising precision.


    Peter swiftly evaded the beam and met her in the air before she could recover, he grabbed the web she used to anchor herself to the building and pulled her towards him. It was too late for her to dodge as they were both in the air. Spider-woman stilled herself and pulled her fist back, Peter did the same as they drew closer.


    *Boom*


    A miniature shockwave raptured the sky as both their fist met throwing them apart each other, straight down.


    They landed on a crane a few feet from the building. Peter and Spider-woman used their own means to land securely on the outstretched metallic arm of the crane. Spider-woman used her webbings while Peter used his bandages.


    They gave each other a wide breath. Spider-woman observes Peter cautiously for any movement at all. She was crouched low on the edge of the crane''s arm towards the driver''s cockpit while Peter stood at the opposite end with his back towards the building.


    Even now with the moonlight and illumination of both fighters, Spider-woman''s suite seemed to glimmer in the light where as Peter''s all-black dressing style sucked in the light around him.


    "For someone terrified of me, you sure have a funny way of showing it cause from where I''m standing it''s almost like you hate me." Spider-woman glanced at his fist and drew aback slightly.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Peter noticed and glanced at his fist himself, it was bleeding, she was unsurprisingly strong, if not stronger than he remembered, he willed his bandages to wrap around his hand tighter. He could feel the wound knit itself back to gather and feel the blood around his hands but willed his control over it to stop.


    There was no need to show all the cards he had in his corner to reveal himself.


    "Whatever gave you that idea?" Peter asked sarcastically, glancing at the spider-themed hero, up close she seemed rather small. He blocked back an involuntary flinch from her image. His active trait shutting the traumatic events attempting to flood his mind, nipping the bud of his PTSD before it could even take root.


    " Oh I don''t know, the whole- come here and die vibe you got going on not to mention the fact that you''ve had it out for me since the moment I showed up, you didn''t even give old Daredevil a second glance. So you gotta problem with me, buddy" Spider-woman replied, her heightened senses and stance on high alert. Her white bug-eyed visor narrowed in focus.


    "Really, I didn''t notice, and don''t call me buddy, it makes me sick" Peter replied, he let out a sigh and focused himself, trying to calm his mental turmoil. Even with his abilities helping him, the root of the cause was still there, they were only holding back the worst of it.


    "Look, I don''t hate you, in fact, I used to worship you, you were my hero I wanted to be like you, dreamed of fighting crime in the city just like you," Peter said, his tone was low and nostalgic,


    " Wait, really? then why are you doing all this?" Spider-woman paused and gestured around her as if to make her point. " Listen, I don''t know what''s going on here. I mean I didn''t ask to be anyone''s hero when I started all this and this stuff isn''t as easy as you think it is. I''m learning as I go. It isn''t easy but not everything should be resolved in a fight"


    ''What? What is she saying right now?'' Peter thought. This couldn''t be her, it didn''t fit with his memories of her, with his idea of her.


    That night she never said a word to him.


    "We can talk, If you''re worried about old Devil don''t be, trust me he''s been through worse, When I first met him, the dude was walking off having a building dropped on him. He''ll get back up, he always does" Her voice sounded chirpy and upbeat.


    ''Is she being serious right now?'' Peter suddenly felt rage bleed into him in waves.


    "We can talk this out-" Spider-woman flinched back as if physically struck, her posture back into her signature crouched form.


    "Stop" Peter whispered almost growling. "Stop talking, after what you did, listening to you like this makes me wanna hurt you even more?"


    ''Where was all this even coming from?'' Peter thought silently.


    "What?" Spider-woman asked surprised.


    "You don''t even remember me do you?" Peter asked. His clenched up tightly. His eyes narrowed, and the golden yellow glow increased in intensity.


    " What are you talking about, am I supposed to remember you or something? Buddy, I don''t even know you." Spider-woman replied.


    That proved to be the wrong thing to say.


    ''Where was all this consideration when you beat me to death?!!'' His thoughts screamed.


    Peter Flickered from her view, she reflexively dodged a punch coming right for her head. She slipped through the triangular holes to avoid another attack.


    "Why?" Peter asked, following her down, she tried to dodge but it was too narrow to move, Peter grabbed he ankle and slammed her against the metal tails of the crane.


    "Arrk!" Spider-woman coughed out when Peter''s palm struck her dead center sending her tumbling back.


    Dropping into the narrow metal interior of the crane was her biggest mistake. As soon as she did Peter willed his bandages to stretch and cover the whole length of the outer layer of the crane''s arm, trapping them both inside. The bandages flowed out of him in an endless wave, wrapping around the crane''s arm like snakes in a matter of seconds.


    "Why?" Peter asked. Moving forward, much like Daredevil did to him before he did the same to Spider-woman. He attacked from all angles, his skill, instinct, strength, and speed further boosted by the active state of his incarnation ability made him a frightening foe to someone like Spider-woman who relied on her super-powers and danger-sense to fight.


    Spider-woman couldn''t move out of the narrow space and her ability to evade Peter''s attack was wearing thin as the fight went on. When she tried to retaliate Peter hit back harder. Her webs were proven useless as Peter''s bandages intercepted them before they could do anything to him.


    Soon it was a one-sided beatdown, for some unfathomable reason, as Peter discovered since their one vs one fight began, the damn hero was holding back.


    "Why?" Peter asked, not sure where it was to her or himself.


    She didn''t hit as hard as she did, not as hard as she could. Peter hit her again with a kick to the chin, launching her up only for her to bounce on his bandages and tumble back.


    "Why?"


    She evaded more than she attacked. Almost as if she was scared to hurt him.


    "Why?" A punch connected with her upper cheek cracking her visor.


    And for some unfathomable reason as Peter continued his onslaught.


    "Why?" A hand grabbed her wrist before an elbow buried itself in her gut.


    Peter couldn''t understand why, after everything she did to him.


    "Why?" An invisible force bashed her against the metal structure of the crane.


    After she killed him.


    "Why?" An open palm struck misdetection, the air left her lungs as she was sent tumbling violently against the glass cockpit of the crane.


    After she mutilated him and left him for dead.


    "Why?" Before she could move Peter''s ankle met her chin and she was launched into the air. As she fell Peter''s bandages flew through the air and wrapped around her tightly and held her in place. It tightened around her bringing her towards Peter standing at the highest point of the tip of the crane''s edge.


    "Why the hell can''t I just kill you? What is it about you that I still consider you a decent human being?" Peter was unsure whether he was asking her or himself.


    "Ca-can''t BReeath!" Spider-woman wheezed out, struggling under the force of the bandages.


    With a glower, Peter tossed her across the crane.


    Spider-woman rolled to a stop at the edge. Both stood on opposite sides to where they were when the fight began.


    Spider-woman picked herself up with deep huffs, trembling, beaten and battered from the fight, or rather beat down she received. But giving up wasn''t her way so picked herself up she did.


    When she finally looked over at Peter her breath stopped short. She froze as if all functions to her brain were suddenly cut off. Her Bug-eyed visor widens in surprise.


    The bandages covering Peter''s face slowly unravelled themselves, and the yellow hue in his eye faded revealing a cold brown. He pulled back his hood revealing a mop of wild, untamed brunette hair.


    " Remember me now?" Peter spread his arms apart as if to say here I am.


    " Tell me, does my face bring anything to mind"


    Neither of them said anything for what felt like a whole minute, frozen in place by their own internal turmoils.


    "Well?" Peter asked, his face twisted into an unrecognizable smile, reflecting the traumatized broken teenager he was inside without his abilities.


    "Peter?" Spider-woman''s voice came out in a trembling whisper, it sounded so fragile, so confused it gave Peter pause. The smile dropped from his face as his eyes lit up with recognition his pupils dilated with an electric blue glow.


    "You-What?" Like a switch was flicked Peter suddenly found himself in a similar position to Spider-woman. A mental ping went of in his head, his technopathy informing him of something that shook him to his core.


    One of his passive abilities granted by his technopathy was verbal and auditory memory, which had never occurred to him until now, it made no sense to even consider the possibility. But this time it was reflexes an unintentional thought. How did she know him? His technopathy simulated possibilities until it came across the solution of cross-referencing her voice with those Peter had heard before and hello and behold there was his answer. A match was found in his own memories, a complete vocal match to someone he had never for the life of him ever considered. The one person who mattered more to him on this planet with the exception of his aunt and family. His first and only friend.


    His best friend.


    "No way, Gwen!?"


    -Chapter End-

 31: Moving Forward Part 8

    -Hell''s Kitchen-


    ''No. No no no no no no no no no no¡­'' His thoughts repeated the word over and over as if doing so would make it true.


    "No¡­You can''t be¡­" Peter whispered to himself, a part of him refused to accept that this person and his friend were one and the same. His hands fell limp at his sides as stood still watching Spider-wo-Gwen intently. His mind growing numb from a new wave of emotional and mental turmoil brought about by his sudden realization.


    "Peter wai-grk!" Peter''s bandages acted before Gwen could even twitch, moving on their own accord as they warped around her form tightly. One of the bandages wrapped around her throat to prevent her from further speaking.


    "You can''t be her, that isn''t possible. No, that shouldn''t be - this, this isn''t how it- you just can''t be her, right?" At this point, Peter wasn''t addressing Gwen anymore. He was mumbling to himself as if doing so would make it true, he couldn''t bring himself to face the reality of the current situation anymore.


    "If, if you were, then - then you-" Peter left the rest unsaid.


    With an unfocused gaze, he ran his fingers through his hair attempting to soothe his growing migraine


    "That shouldn''t be possible, I mean Gwen would tell me if she were you -if she were spider-woman. We''re friends - more than friends - She wouldn''t keep something like this from me, right?" He let the question hang in the air for a while suddenly feeling at a loss on what to do.


    "Would she? Wouldn''t.. you?" Events started to fall into place in his memory. Moments in the past he glazed over started to make sense, her recent rise in popularity, her unexplained disappearance. Pieces of a puzzle he never knew existed started to take shape in his mind.


    He turned to look at Spider-woman held up in the air by his bandages. He didn''t recall willing them to do anything; maybe they acted on his feelings or something - he was too distracted to care.


    Peter watched the spider-themed hero struggle for a few moments, unsure of how to proceed, he knew for a fact that his technopathy was as accurate as any complex supercomputer could be, maybe even more so. But the reality of it hit differently.


    It dawned on him like a bullet train ramming into him at the speed of sound, this was it, Peter realized.


    This was real.


    Whether he liked it or not this was reality, he could either deal with it now or bitch about it like a coward and reject it. His incarnation ability whispered sweet nothings in his thoughts, he could feel it itching in the back of his mind, attempting to influence his actions and Peter allowed it without any resistance.


    His eyes glazed over and with shifting steps, he walked towards the spider-themed hero. Every fiber of his being hoped that once he pulled back the mask a stranger''s face would greet him.


    His hands left reached up and pulled the mask back revealing with the dread the face that it hid.


    Bright blond hair held back by a black hair clip gleamed in the moonlight and attached to a soft creamy pale complexion. A pair of familiar sky-blue eyes widened in confusion, horror, and regret, silently pleading as they stared into his brown ones. Her face was bruised and beaten from the battle they just fought, twitching and strained as she struggled to breathe. Her lips were pink, the edges purple and bleeding as well.


    "It''s you" Peter sighed, unsure if it was one of dread or relief. It was neither, he couldn''t describe the sensation that washed over him at that moment. It felt odd like some weight just lifted itself off his shoulders. This whole thing felt so messed up, it was like a bad movie.


    One big tragic comedy. A comedy about a boy who strives to be a hero only to lose it all and find out the real hero was next to him all along. That he was a background character in someone else''s story. Why didn''t he see it before, maybe he just didn''t want to, maybe he just couldn''t accept it.


    If only she told him¡­. If only¡­


    Against all odds, he felt the edges of his lips rise. A smile tore away though, blooming on his face. His shoulders twitched uncontrollably before a full-blown historical laughter filled the night.


    "HmmhmhmhmhmmhahahahahhaahahahahaHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAAHAHAH" Peter raised his hand to cover his lips, attempting to stop himself from laughing.


    The bandages unwrapped themselves like uncoiling snakes dropping Gwen unceremoniously on the crane''s metal arm. Gwen took long deep breaths relishing the feeling of oxygen filling her lungs again. She pushed herself up and faced with trepidation. Peter fell on his back laughing all the way.


    ...¡­.


    For the umpteenth time in her life, Gwen Stacy found herself in a peculiar situation involving one Peter Parker.


    The last time they met she thought something was wrong with him and he may or may not have dumped her as a friend.


    Before that was the whole lizard incident where she almost killed him, then there was the hospital thing, then the classroom shebang. She was honestly starting to wonder if their lives intertwined like some bizarre tragic comedy with them as the punchline or something.


    Cause now it''s been blown up to a whole new level of crazy.


    She came tonight expecting some common thugs or a shoot-out gone wrong after eavesdropping on police chatter from the radio she borrowed from her dad only to find her estranged mentor fighting some weirdo with a mummy fetish. Then said weirdo took out her mentor and almost killed her before everything went to shit.


    Now here she sat, silently observing her best friend laughing hysterically to himself in uncontrollable amusement. Peter laid on his back, his eyes closed with his arms holding his stomach as his laughter filled the night sky. His body trembling with barely contained mirth and irony.


    Gwen watched him all the while, riddled with guilt and remorse, unsure of what to do or how to react so she sat there in silence and shock.


    ....


    A few seconds passed before Peter calmed down and pushed himself up.


    "Peter? please, I can explain everything." Gwen tried to plead with the distraught teen. But he just kept giggling to himself lost in his own internal musing.


    "Peter? Are you ok?" Gwen''s voice chimed in. He looked back to find her watching him, her eyes filled with concern with her knees held close to her chest in a fetal posture. She watched him intently.


    "No, not at all, I mean it''s pretty funny don''t you find this funny? Hmhmhmmhmm. Spider-woman and the notorious Lizard-man eater, a vigilante hero and a notorious-wanted villain were secretly best friends without even realizing it, sounds like a plot for one tragic hero origin story don''tcha think.. hahaha-Spider-woman, hehehe" Peter giggled to himself as he held Gwen''s gaze. She stared at him incredulously for a moment.


    A smile then wormed its way into her expression, one that quickly escalated into a giggle then she joined him in his laughing feat, it was infectious, it reminded her of better days.


    "Hmmhmmhmmhmmm-Pete..hmhmhahaAhahahahahahahahhahahaha".


    "Haahahahaahhahhahaahaha".


    "Hhmhmmhmahahahahahahaa, only you Peter, hahahahaaha, leave it to you to joke about something like this, ahahhaaha"


    "Riight? Hahhehehahahahha"


    Soon their laughing feet faded into an eerie comfortable silence. Both wiped away tears from the laughter or something else that was left unsaid. They observed each other with unguarded postures. No longer the enemies they were behind the mask but simply Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy. Peter stood up first and dusted himself, Gwen remained silted, opting to wait for him to take the lead.


    Peter walked over and sat at the edge of the iron crane looking out into the city and Gwen joined him, neither of them made any attempt to break that silence for a while.


    " You knew¡­" Peter began. Neither of them looked at the other, they found what little comfort they could simply by being in each other''s presence. " That time at the cafe, you knew who I was, what I did, what you did¡­Why didn''t you tell me?"


    "¡­.I¡­I didn''t know what to do, I didn''t know how to approach the whole thing. What was I going to say ''Hey Peter I''m Spider -woman and yes I did almost kill you and on that note why did you transform yourself into a giant lizard.'' I mean Peter at that time you just lost your uncle and Aunt May was¡­sigh¡­Look I''m sorry¡­ it just didn''t seem like the right time and before I knew it we were already drifting apart. I thought that maybe it was better that way, to just leave the past behind us and move on¡­" Gwen replied softly, her voice trembling slightly as she thought over the events that led them both here. Peter turned to her feeling his temper rising.


    "Leave the past behind us? What kind of bullshit reasoning is that? Do you have any idea what you did to me? How everything went to shit after that! And you were what? You were going to just move on! Leave it all behind. Forget! How could you do that to me? We were best friends for Christ''s sake!" Peter''s tone was rising intently as he spoke.


    "What was I supposed to do!? What did you expect me to do" Gwen''s met him with the same intensity, never one to back down from anything. "There''s no rule book for this stuff OK! I did what I thought was the best for both of us! And Don''t act like it''s all my fault. You''re the one who went ahead and turned himself into some lizard mutant man-eating monster. How was I supposed to know it was YOU!?"


    "That doesn''t change what you did. I thought heroes were supposed to save people not mindlessly beat them to kingdom come, I couldn''t control what I was doing, I begged you that night stuck in there like some backseat passenger, I asked you over and over and over again to help me! Your goddamn spider-woman! Why didn''t you save me?!"


    "Because I thought you killed my Dad!"


    "Well, you killed ME!"


    Gwen flinched back as if physically struck. Her widen in horror. Both teenagers were so lost in their argument they hardly noticed that they were on their feet screaming in each other faces.


    "Wh-What?" Gwen choked out the question. Her voice trembling as her body suddenly fell limb.


    "You didn''t think some half-baked defective super serum would actually save me after what happened did you?" Peter asked, his eyes suddenly grew cold, and as the center of his pupils brightened with a soft neon blue glow. A dark sickening feeling settled in his stomach - his outburst faded as his voice lowered into its dull apathetic pitch. Something dark and twisted took root in his psyche whispering in his ear. Although it went unnoticed by the two teens, the black miasma around Peter''s bandages thickened to a degree. The shadow of an invisible silhouette shaped behind Peter, drawing close to his ear.


    His fool''s mask was already slipping into place to internalize his involuntary physical and emotional response before he even realized it. Technopathy chimed in to outline Gwen''s emotional state and bio-rhythm.


    ''[Emotional assessment - Stress *%, Anxiety*%, Fear*%, Tension*%, Shock*%, hysteria *%] [Biological assessment - Heat-rate 115bpm -rising, temperature 95¡ãF (35¡ãC)] [Conditional Assessment - Intense Shock *%, Fear*%, Guilt*%, Remorse*%¡­]''


    "Oh, it worked, just not in the way you''d expect" Peter tilted his head with a forlorn smirk, almost cruel from Gwen''s perspective. " I healed alright, My broken bones twisted back into place, cracked and shattered as they were, my torn muscles, tendons, and flesh knitted themselves together and I felt every goddamn microsecond of it." Peter held Gwen''s gaze stoically as her expression slowly morphed into one of horror when the realization of what Peter was saying set in.


    "Stop¡­" Gwen whispered, her fist clenching into a ball.


    "I laid there for what felt like hours like that you know. Squirming in that alley like some road-killed animal. It repeated over and over and over again because that defective serum was wearing off but my body was too broken for the transformation back into a human."


    "Stop it" Gwen repeated, her face fell as her hands tightened and her shoulders trembled.


    " My lung hurt as my ribs were forcefully extracted in some half-ass attempt by my body to heal me, my skin was burning from overexposure because the serum kept replacing human skin with fresh scales and repeating the possess over and over again, it burned me through the nervous system when exposed to the environment prematurely. It hurt to even breathe" Peter knew what he was doing, but he found himself unable to stop himself.


    "Stop it¡­Peter, please.." Gwen was whispering to the teen now.


    "And you wanna know what I was thinking. That whole time while I was lying there. Dying. Why didn''t you just finish the job? I hated you for that, not Gwen but Spider-woman. I looked up to Spider Woman, I wanted to be like you. But for all my efforts. I died in that alley." It was a sickening form of pleasure.


    Maybe it was a fit of jealousy that edged him on - how could she have it all while he lost it? Maybe it was the feeling of inadequacy - why did she have powers and popularity when his attempts ended in tragedy? Why could she have it all and not him? Why wasn''t it him? It was petty but he found himself unable to stop, unwilling to stop until he dragged her down to his level, to feel as he felt. As terrible as that was.


    It was unfair, then again the world was hardly fair to anybody, in the way it was fair in that regard. But Peter was too blinded by his own self to see that.


    "¡­." Gwen trembled in silence.


    "And then I came back, thanks to you I guess. I may have deserved it to from what I heard. Good riddance right? The hero wins and the bad lizard man-eater dies. All in a day''s work for Spider-woman. My hero¡­ I worshiped you after you saved me, it may have not meant much to you but it meant the world to me, to know a hero knew my name, and would have given anything to be like you. But you knew that already. Was it all just some kind of joke to you? Did your new best friends know about it? maybe laughed about it behind my back when I geeked out about Spider Woman. Poor pitiful nerdy penis parker. I''m sure MJ did. Maybe I wasn''t besties enough for you to tell me who you were, right?."


    "¡­.."


    " But hey, you killing me had its perks. I got powers just like you, a would-be hero and what did that cost me? Care to guess... It cost me everything-" A white-gloved fist met Peter''s face before he could finish. He knew it was coming but ignored it anyway.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    *Boom*


    Peter''s body slammed against that iron bar at the towering peak of the crane.


    "Ah, there you are Spider-woman. I was wondering where you''ve been hiding." Peter spoke his he picked himself up. He spit out a loose tooth only to jerk slightly at the taste in his mouth.


    This blood wasn''t his. It tasted odd, like ash and rust, it burned in his throat. It was her blood.


    She nicked herself as she punched out his k-nine tooth. For a moment he felt something shift in his being, as if a fundamental piece to root in his being but he ignored it.


    "Come to play again-" Peter was all but ready to taunt Gwen but stopped short when he saw her. She had tears streaming down her face but her eyes held nothing but rage.


    Her hands swung at her side, her fists clenched and bleeding as she marched up to him. She picked him up by the collar and slammed him against the metal foundation of the crane tower.


    *Clang*


    Peter was sure the enraged teen would hit him again but she didn''t she kept her hands on his collar and then hesitantly leaned her head against his chest.


    "¡­.."


    " I get it alright. I get it¡­ So just stop¡­please¡­I''m sorry¡­" Gwen sobbed into Peter''s chest silently as the teen stared down at her with a passive expression. Unable to and unwilling to express himself in fear of what he had just done.


    ''What did you do? Peter you fucking idiot¡­.'' He thought to himself but Peter didn''t allow any of what he felt to slip past his mask.


    A fool and a coward. The moniker of his ability mask of the fool- a fool bluff suddenly made sense with an ironic twist that was neither funny not clever. His actions made him feel worse, like scum of the earth not that he''d show it with the mask in effect.


    "It wasn''t easy for me to you know¡­. Do you think I wanted all this, that I wanted to be some goddamn hero¡­.It was all just one big accident. A god damn cosmic joke." Gwen huffed out in between her sobs. She shoved him back then pulled her fist back to punch him again.


    " Do you think it was easy for me to watch you like that?! Do you think it was easy to watch some reptile monster tear into my dad and slaughter his friends?!"


    *Boom"


    A microshock wave rattled the cage as Peter caught her fist. She pulled back her free hand for another punch


    *Boom*


    "Do you think I was fine after I found out?! You weren''t the only one hurting..arkk Dammit.. let go!" She struggled to pull her fists out of Peter''s grasp. " I was hurting too. I cared for Uncle Ben and Aunt May too. I lo- I cared for you too. But you were just so caught up in your damn research project.. you hardly gave me any chance to talk about anything¡­I really tried you know¡­ You pushed me away first¡­" She slowly stopped trying to pry her hands free as her voice lowered in tone.


    " Watching you tore me apart Peter, and it got worse cause I couldn''t do anything about it¡­" Gwen was unable to look at Peter or hold his gaze. His gaze seemed just as it did back at the cafe, cold and lifeless.


    Peter released and Gwen took a step back before her knees gave in.


    "I didn''t know-" she clutched her bleed hand, staring at it hazily " I didn''t know what happened to you...I thought¡­I¡­I¡­-m" She paused when Peter crouched low before pulling her mask over her face then finger flickering her in one smooth motion- too fast for her to react.


    *Crack"


    It was a very hard flick.


    Peter waited for her reaction. He had to hand it to his Technopathy, he was at a loss at what to do when she began balling her soul out, it was the most likely outcome but expecting it and experiencing it were two different things. Thankful his technopathy schemed through psychology 101 and came up with a very effective conflict resolution to help him. Although all external responses were internalized, his internal ones were rationalized to some degree due to his ability to induce apathy from losing his humanity. It didn''t take more than a few moments for his machine brain - the part of him that was all machine without the human element - to form hypotheses and relate it to him as a solution for his internal conflict in the present.


    In a sentence it spelled; He forgave her but he was being a jealous bitch about it.


    It wasn''t that he coveted her power or anything it was something more simple than that. He just envied her position when compared to his. She just had the better half of the stick, she had powers, was popular, smart, social, well-liked, a rising celebrity, was a hero, and her family was all alive and loved her for her.


    Envy was a ruthless bitch that bit you in deep and loved to flavor her inflicted wounds with salt.


    But he squished his feelings like a bug under his heel. He had his own shit to deal with, such emotions would do him no good here. But yet they lingered like the damn mind killers they were.


    "OW, fuck, Dammit Peter. What the hell?" Gwen''s head jerked back and she almost flipped to her feet.


    "I get it alright¡­" Peter let out a frustrated sigh. "So just stop¡­ Please¡­Gwen " He said repeating the same words she said to him moments ago.


    " and for what it''s worth, I forgive you for everything and I''m sorry too for the shit I put you through¡­Actually, I''ll be honest with you, I already forgave you the moment I found out who you were but... I was just being a bitch about it, I kinda wanted you to feel like shit a little for a while, it was partly to release some pent-up stress and jealousy for all that time you got popular and maybe the fact that you got powers before me kinda add fuel to the flame so yeah¡­ Sorry¡­I mean I didn''t really expect you to cry about it, my petty act of vengeance may have gotten out of hand¡­so yeah¡­sorry" Peter finished in a deadpan tone as if this was the answer to all his problems - if he could punch his machine self he would. He glanced around at various things- at anything other than the spider-themed hero.


    The silence that followed was deafening. Nether spoke as Gwen''s bug-eyed visor widened to an insane degree.


    "Gwen¡­Gwen¡­OOKAAY~¡­Seeing as you already apologized how about we let bygone''s be bygone''s¡­ Let''s end this here. Any more and we might rip each other apart. So I propose a fresh start, back to the basics, a renewal and reset what say you, hero?" Still silence, it was only prolonged by strange huffing sounds that were accompanied by the grinding of teeth.


    "And don''t take the mask off, please¡­I can''t handle it when you like that... " Peter stood up and continued to look away from the spider-themed hero.


    " Have some dignity woman, you''re supposed to be some kinda kick-ass hero" the teen joked in an attempt to lighten the mode.


    "ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?!" In an explosion of motion, Peter had to dodge a fist sailing once for his face.


    "Language and Yes I am, dead serious." Peter quipped cheekily as he flipped out of range, weaving mid-air as two lines of webbing shot for him.


    "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" The enraged Spider-woman screamed like a woman scorn shooting Peter.


    "Obviously, I died. Don''t tell me you''re having a blond moment now. But you''ve come so far" Peter said. His cheeky smile was still in place as Spider-woman stumbled to a stop.


    "Fuck. Jesus Peter, Why would just say that, god- there''s something really wrong with you isn''t there? And a dumb blond joke really " Gwen let out frustration as she turned her back to Peter, lifting her mask to clean her face. In all honesty, she quickly realized what Peter was doing. He was tossing her an olive branch in his own weirder way. A chance to start over and from where she was standing they both needed it.


    "To soon" he asked. He had to hand it to his Technopath,


    "Way too soon" she replied.


    "Meh, it''s a passing thought, pun intended and all" She felt her lips twitch up into the ghost of a smile at his morbid sense of humour. He meant well but given the circumstances, strange as it was left her with strange feelings, not all of them were good.


    "Dammit Peter, I swear, if you don''t stop I will"


    "Oh my, so quick to plan my demise. You sure work fast don''t you Spider-woman" Gwen turned to stare at Peter hard.


    "You know what!?" she huffed with found ire. "FUCK YOU PETER PARKER!"


    "OH YEAH!" Peter replied in kind. " WELL FUCK YOU GWEN STACY!"


    "YOU''RE BEING A BITCH RIGHT NOW!"


    "TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE!"


    A string of shouting matches began something strange, neither stopped nor backed down, spilling their guts out for the world to hear. The only consolation was that they were too high up for anyone to hear their conversation and Peter''s technopathy cleared the area for any form of surveillance, it was why he felt so comfortable without his mask.


    "YOU ASSHOLE, SELF-CENTERED, INSENSITIVE PIECE OF SHIT, YOU COULD HAVE JUST TALKED TO ME"


    "WHY DIDN''T YOU! TELL YOUR SECRET?"


    " I WAS TRYING TO PROTECT YOU!"


    "PROTECT ME?! BITCH YOU KILLED ME!"


    "I ALREADY APOLOGIZED, AND YOU ALREADY ACCEPTED SO WHY DO YOU KEEP BITCHING ABOUT IT"


    They shouted all that they wanted to say but could never say to each other in any other circumstance.


    "BECAUSE I CAN BITCH ALL I WAN! WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT? KILL ME"


    "YOU''RE NEVER GONNA LET THAT GO WILL YOU!"


    "TILL DEATH DO US PART MY DITZY ONE"


    "FUCK YOU! GO DIE IN A DITCH!"


    "YOU WISH BITCH AND I''M SORRY ABOUT YOUR DAD!"


    " I KNOW YOU ARE EINSTEIN! I''M SORRY ABOUT YOURS TOO!"


    " IF YOU WERE THEN WHY DIDN''T YOU SHOW UP FOR THE FUNERAL"


    " I WAS SCARED AND TOO DEPRESSED TO FACE YOU! I WATCHED IT FROM THE ROOF! I''M SORRY I WASN''T THERE"


    "I HATE YOU! YOU KNOW THAT, YOU LEFT ME FOR THOSE RICH STUCK UP ASSHOLES."


    " WELL TUFF LUCK BITCH, THOSE ASSHOLES ARE MY FRIENDS TOO. GROW UP NERD! YOU LEFT ME REMEMBER BECAUSE OF YOUR DAMN PRIDE, I REALLY TRIED"


    "WHOSE THE INSENSITIVE PIECE OF SHIT NOW BUBBLE HEAD. BUT YOUR RIGHT, I COULDN''T HANDLE THINGS BACK THEN, I''M SORRY I PUSHED YOU AWAY. BUT STILL, I WAS YOUR BEST FRIEND YA KNOW, DUMB BLOND"


    "THEN WHY DIDN''T YOU ACT LIKE IT? And Can we stop this¡­PLEASE, my throat can''t take it anymore. COME OVER HERE AND LETS TALK!" Gwen finally huffed out in defeat of whatever this was.


    "I''M SCARED FOR MY WELL-BEING!"


    "PETER I SWEAR GOD!.''''


    " SHEESH, IT ALMOST SOUNDS LIKE YOU WANNA KILL ME!"


    "PETER!!"


    "Alright, alright, I''m coming "


    A few seconds later Peter dropped in front of her in a show of acrobatic skill. As he stood up he found himself in an awkward situation. Neither knew what to say after spilling their guts out for the world to hear A soft comforting silence passed the two passed between the two as the wind picked up lightly, it suddenly dawned on Gwen that they were a few thousand feet up though she had no issue with the heights.


    "I guess that''s that then...huh?"


    " Yeah¡­unless you have something you wanna-"


    "No, no, that''s ok, I''m ok now¡­you?"


    "Oh I''m fine, after that I feel so refreshed, just peachy."


    They shared a soft amused laugh as they regarded each other with silent affection.


    " So¡­" Peter began, his head tilting to the left in a calm manner. His technopathy was truly something else, he sent a mental thank you, and his machine-self replied in kind with a mental ping.


    "So¡­" Gwen continued, suddenly seeming more like a teen than the superhero she was as she grasped her elbow anxiously with her free hand.


    "What now?" Peter asked his tone even.


    "We start fresh? I mean that''s what you wanted right?" she asked her gaze shifting from Peter to the soles of her feet. She could look him in the eye this calm collected version of her friend was new to her. After the shit they went through it was worth a thousand therapy sessions.


    Maybe the answer to all problems was that simple. Just shout out your thoughts for the world to hear.


    " Are you saying you don''t want -" Peter raised an eyebrow at Gwen in question.


    "No no no, it''s cool. I was just asking." Gwen shook her head lightly as she replied. Gesturing with her arms for added effect.


    It was an odd sight, as the two teens fell back into their awkward selves, as if they were meeting for the first time.


    Peter was about to say something before he paused. He tilted his head to the right and squinted intently at Gwen.


    The spider-themed hero felt a sudden chill from Peter''s gaze. It strangely wasn''t an unpleasant feeling but it made her somewhat self-conscious. But that faded when She realized she still had her mask on, god knows what kind of weird expression she''d be having right now without it.


    "What?" Gwen asked, shifting uncomfortably under Peter''s gaze.


    "You know this doesn''t change much right" Peter stated. He took a calm step forward and smiled lightly at her.


    "What does that mean? Peter, we''ve just been through a literal tornado and back again, don''t ruin this now. Whatever it is you have to say just say it. If we gonna go back to being friends again there should be at least some transparency between us, otherwise we''ll just end up right where we started. "Gwen said, her head was held a little higher. She seemed to be oddly relieved and hopeful.


    "Then I''ll just come out and say it then; I''ve killed people" Peter stated, he watched her reaction but opted to cancel his Technopathy. That would be quite frankly a terrible thing to do after what just transpired.


    "Ok? We both know that you had no control over your actions. If you''re worried about that then we can work through it somehow." Gwen replied, didn''t like where this was going, after all that happened to get this far.


    " You didn''t let me finish, I''ll be as forthcoming as I can so can you just hear me out until I''m done? What you want to do after that is up to you." Peter said. He walked over to the edge of the crane and turned to face her.


    "Ok," Gwen could feel her gut twisting and it wasn''t with pleasant feelings this time.


    " You see, my Parents are alive and some very twisted assholes have them," Peter stated as if it was yesterday''s news.


    Gwen froze as she began to process what he was saying. But she remained silent and let him continue.


    "In fact, these guys aren''t your typical thugs or anything like that, you could say they''re the worst of the worst. I told you I killed people, right I don''t exactly plan on stopping anytime soon"


    "Peter, I''m glad your parents are alive, I am, it''s wonderful, I''m happy for you...but Peter, you realize what you''re saying right now?" Gwen asked. Confusion and dread threatened to overshadow the good she felt for Peter. Something about the way he spoke made her uncomfortable, the nonchalant way in which he regarded the act of taking a life rubbed her the wrong way.


    " I do, and I won''t stop. I''ll kill a few bad people to save my parents, that and the worst of society''s trash too, rapists, murderers, and so on, and that includes anyone who gets in my way. I don''t plan on stopping until I save them. When I lost Uncle Ben and Aunt May fell into her coma I thought I was alone in the world. But Then I discovered I''m not. I found them, my family and I will save them. But since we''re patching things up now I thought it was best to let you know sooner rather than later. You are a hero and all, I don''t think our chosen professions would do well together. Hero''s and anti-hero''s, it''s an odd dynamic but it could work"


    "I''m being as transparent as I can, so having said that what will you do now," Peter asked


    .....


    Peter observed Gwen as she in turn observed him. His eyes unnerve her, yellow hue with a hint of electric blue hidden between the brown. Cold and uncaring, his expression was calm, and serene even as he said those words. She suddenly realized that whatever happened to Peter in that ally may have changed him beyond just giving him whatever abilities he had now.


    It was in the way he moved, she didn''t notice it before but now she did as clear as day. They say dying took a little piece of you with it whenever you come back from the brink. Whatever death took from Peter left something else behind.


    The question that remained unanswered, one she didn''t want to ask for obvious reasons was how was he still alive if he had died that night. What happened to him to make him like this?


    For all she knew the version of her friend that she was familiar with died in that ally that night, whatever was left of him was different. Changed. His walks were different, moved differently, and talked differently.


    She noticed it in the cafe but this was the nail in the proverbial coffin.


    He moved like a predator. Talked low and monotonously, the same tone only shifting in variety with just enough surface emotion to seem normal but not enough to deeply convey anything.


    And above all, he was calm¡­always calm, never too much, never too little. Just enough energy to seem normal. Peter Parker was many things but calm wasn''t one of them.


    He was a chatterbox. Will it seemed he still was but this was a different kind of chatter. It was controlled, distinctive, and to the point at times like a machine before returning to his usual speech pattern.


    After the roller coaster ride of emotions and other shit, they went through tonight who''s to say how much of them has changed over the last few months. Maybe she just didn''t have the bigger picture.


    Maybe there was some way to understand what happened to him after all death changed people, and the changes were rarely ever a good change for the living.


    If there was one thing she was relieved about it was that they were somehow, somehow getting back to the way they used to be. Everything that was said was true for both of them. It was a work in progress and given their lifestyle choice it wouldn''t get easier but giving up wasn''t in her vocabulary.


    Any chance was still a chance. Better something than nothing at all.


    IF peter changed then maybe if she could understand him better, maybe she could convince him, even help him, after all she was partly responsible for the shit he went through. This time she would do more than try, she would take it all the way to the finish line.


    Maybe this time she could save him, even from himself.


    " So what do you think?" She heard Peter ask, his voice disrupting her thoughts.


    The image of him standing there over the ledge with his hands hanging lazily by his side dew her attention. He smiled almost politely- so unlike the Peter she knew- he asked her something but she was too lost in thought to hear, something twinkled at the edge of her vision, her spider sense went on high alert and it wasn''t for Peter. This felt different, almost like a call for, a pull somewhere she wasn''t sure.


    "What?" She asked him.


    ''What happened to you Pete'' was left unsaid.


    " I said if you don''t mind being friends with a murderous vigilante who just kills the bad guy then I''m sure we can work something out. So? What do you think."


    " I think we could-" she stopped shot and grabbed her head as her spider-sense buzzed wildly.


    "OK, I''ll bite. What now?" Peter asked aloud. He seemed to sense something was off too, as an invisible force anchored him in place.


    Then the world twisted. Reality bent in on self as the buildings around them stretched far and wide. An array of lights with a multitude of colors lit up the night sky as cracks formed in the crevasse of reality, oddly bright-colored fissures bled into the world.


    The crane twisted to throw both them of but her powers held her in place before a force violently pulled her from the crane. Peter reacted quickly to grab her with his bandages but missed her by an inch.


    A rainbow-coloured hole tore its way through a fissure in reality and in a blink she was gone and everything shifted back into place. Peter stood there for a long minute before asking no one in particular.


    " Was it something I said?"


    This night was just full of surprises for the immortal teen. Can''t he just have a normal night to go on a revenge-killing spree to pursue his plans of making a secret organization? is one night of plans going just right too much to ask.


    " No, I don''t think it was young Peter, and worry not your friend will return just fine, she is off on a journey of her own" An aged voice filled the air. Behind Peter, a hooded figure draped in Eastern-style robes floated down and hovered in front of him.


    "What is this, surprise Peter Day or something? You, heroes just keep popping up. It''s like an infestation, find one, draw ''em all." Peter regarded the new arrival with blatant disinterest, his mind still going over the event''s just occurred before his mind did a double take after the sudden realization that this person just addressed him by name.


    It took him a second later to realize his face was no longer bandaged. with a thought, the bandages coiled around his face much like living armor though in a way he supposed it was.


    "OK! Someone up there must have it out for me today ''cause the constant surprise thing is getting really old really fast." Peter complained to whatever god was listening to it at the moment before moving his attention solely to the yellow-robed figure floating in the sky.


    "So stranger, mind telling me how it is you know this innocent, non-violent, completely unsuspecting lad known as Peter! , it''d be in your best interest to answer me, I''m not in a very civil mood right now" The black-clad teen waved his clenched fist in the air as if to emphasize his point.


    " how rude of me, I am the Ancient One it is a pleasure and an honor to meet you as well, Young Peter Parker- Error of Earth 65b"


    -Chapter End-


    ...

 Chapter 32: Moving Forward Part 9

    -Hells Kitchen-


    "Ancient One huh, so is that like your name or a title?" Peter asked looking up at the floating woman.


    " It is both my name and my title." The woman replied, her hood still hid her face from view.


    " That''s a weird name, a bit presumptuous if you ask me. What are you like a thousand years old or something." Peter''s head tilted slightly to the left in interest, his hands slipping casually into his pocket after determining that this person wasn''t here to harm him.


    The Ancient one smiled at the teen from beneath her hood, the lower part of her hood being the only visible part of her face.


    " Much older I''m afraid, I''ve had many names over the years, all either forgotten or lost. Taking my title as a name seemed much simpler. That is why I am called the Ancient One." The Ancient one spoke polity, like an elder addressing a child.


    "Well shit, Ancient One sounds like an alright name when you put it like that. But that still doesn''t explain why you know who I am." Peter stated the center of the pupils of his eye''s lit up with a neon blue glow. His Technopathy streaming a live search through the Internet, slipping behind every accessible database connected to it to find a possible ID on her.


    "I know a few things young Peter, finding out your name however was quite a task. If you don''t want people to learn your name perhaps you and your friend shouldn''t shout it out for the world to hear. Hmm." The Ancient one explained with an amused chuckle.


    "Oh, you heard that did you? Yeah, it really wasn''t our best moment, shit kinda got out of hand before we could do anything about it. Tell me honestly, how much of that did you hear exactly?" Peter asked, feeling an inkling of embarrassment that someone was able to escape his senses on overhearing what went down with him and Gwen.


    "I heard enough. You needn''t worry, your personal lives hold no interest to me, what I''ve heard here won''t be uttered again to another soul. It''s a private matter between you and your friend. But I must say the wonders of youth never cease to amaze me. To hate, forgive, and almost kill each other all in a matter of moments. Young people these days are all hasty. " The Ancient One responded as she floated down and stood a few meters away from Peter.


    Peter studied her all the while. Pictures, articles, and files blitzed passed the edges of his vision, their contents being processed and stored in his mind. Each one showed identical matches to the figure that floated down in front of him but none provided any real clues to her true identity.


    Curiously there was almost no virtual profile of her or any mentions of someone like her anywhere.


    The closest matches were some kind of monk-like monasteries with similarly dressed people located all around the world.


    There was even one in New York, from the mentions of them it seemed like they were some kind of spiritual and self-healing non-profit religious organization; All about that self-discovery and the secret powers of the mind and body and all that crap.


    He stored it away for later but let the search still run in case something came up.


    "You''re serious aren''t you" Peter stated. Her bio-rhythm and conditional assessment from his technopathy showed him nothing to be suspicious of, in fact, it seemed to emphasize her sincerity. She was being incredibly honest and forthcoming with him.


    "Yes, if there''s something you wish to know you only need to ask me, if it is within my powers to answer I will," The Ancient one told him. The wind fluttered her robes lightly.


    " Why though?" Peter asked curiously. The Ancient One paused for a moment, she seemed to be considering how to answer the teen.


    " I want to help you." The ancient began as Peter raised an eyebrow in confusion, the action hidden by his bandage mask.


    " I''ve been searching for you for months and to evade me as you have is no easy feat, for you to do that without knowing is quite the achievement. It is only thanks to luck that I''ve found you tonight." The Ancient One continued. " Although you may not realize it yet, you''re a very special being. You''re very existence is a strange one, an anomaly in the omnipotence if you will and the events and the people that will surround you will only get stranger. Your destiny is tied to great things, shifts, and changes in time that alter the very fabric of not only this world but others as well. Be it the past, the present, and even the future, your actions, no matter how small hold the power to influence the fate of others. That''s not something any mortal should be able to accomplish. You know why that is don''t you?"


    Peter felt a sudden sense of discomfort under the Ancient One''s knowing gaze, even obscured under her hood Peter could feel the intensity of it. He felt the need to check if his fool''s mask was still in place.


    It was still there, he never dismissed it.


    Yet that feeling persisted. It was like she could see him as he was, like all the parts he kept hidden were just laid bare for her to see. As if she could see things about himself that even he could not. From the way she spoke, Peter suspected that she could see the future or something. Information still flowed past his vision, nothing of noteworthy yet he noted.


    However this person was, she was ridiculously hard to find anywhere in the meta-verse. that said something about the woman given the current day and age.


    Peter kept his curious gaze on the Ancient One, his fool''s mask gave nothing away.


    "I have no idea what you''re talking about. Do you always talk so mysteriously to strangers? Then again you''re pretty mysterious yourself, you''re looking pretty real for someone who virtually doesn''t exist you know." Peter rebutted, he chose to ignore the foreboding tone of her words.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "Speak for yourself young Peter, you look quite alive for someone who''s visited the other side more than once."The Ancient One retorted in a witty tone. Her statement raised a few red flags in Peter''s mind, she knew more than she let on.


    Maybe she could see the future. Peter wondered if she really was here to help him, she''d been nothing but sincere from the moment they met. He would have to see whether she telling the truth or not. With that in mind, Peter decided to change the subject.


    This night truly was an unpredictable one.


    "Why did you call me that before?" Peter asked. "The Error of Earth 65B, why call me that?"


    "It''s a title, it''s one of the few names you''ll be known as in the coming years. I''ve taken a liking to it, it fits you quite well. So I''ve decided to address you as such. I thought it fair since you know by my title, I should address with yours." The robed woman smiled softly at Peter. There was that knowing gaze again.


    " Really?¡­ That''s actually kinda cool. I wanna ask some more but I really gotta know. The way you talk, it''s weird, it''s like you can see the future. Is that how you know things, you can see the future right?" Peter asked. He figured that to be the case, the way she spoke made it seem that way.


    "In a way, I can view possible futures and the past. It helps sometimes." The older woman replied.


    "Is that how you knew about Spider-woman, how you knew that she''d come back safely?" Peter asked, his thoughts wandering back to his friend?, he wasn''t sure what they were at the moment.


    "Yes, Your friend will be fine. She''ll be back by the day after tomorrow at the latest. Where she went is somewhere you and I can''t go to, at least not yet. You will though, someday soon." The woman told Peter.


    "More ominous future stuff I don''t know about, You''re really serious about helping me a bit aren''t you?" Peter asked.


    "Yes, I am." With a wave of her hand, a thin object appeared in between Peter''s fingers that were tucked away in his pockets.


    *Shatter*


    The card simply vanished the moment it appeared like it stopped existing altogether.


    The sound of glass shattering alerted Peter as he felt something occur, one of his abilities had just been used- imagine breaker passive ability took effect due to the supernatural nature of the


    Ancient One''s actions, he took his hand out and looked back at the Ancient One with an accusatory gaze. He didn''t feel any hostility from the action but it was better to be safe than sorry. The ancient one merely tilted her head in curiosity.


    "How curious¡­ You have some form of magic resistance it seems, a rather rare and useful ability to have." the older woman spoke as she reached into her robe and pulled out a card. It was an elegant-looking paper card with intricate gold designs around the edges. She tossed it to Peter who caught it. On it was written:


    ''Master''s of the Mystic Arts


    New York Sanctum


    177A Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, New York City, New York.''


    "It''s a card, it serves as an invitation. If you have any more questions or require someone to talk to come seek me out, our door is always open to you young Peter. We will neither judge you nor shy away from you regardless of the path you choose to take. We will even teach you our ways if knowledge of the mystic arts is something you wish to learn. Use it well, I rarely ever hand out invitations. Now, I must leave you. I am a very busy woman and evil hardly sleeps. My purpose here for tonight was to make contact with you and I have done that."


    The ancient one waved her fingers behind her swiftly. Sparks glittered to life, a ring made of light formed in the air, cutting through space as it expended.


    The place in the ring of light was a courtyard paved with tiles and wooden dummies. A training yard Peter realized. And it seemed like it was in the middle of the day too as he could see the clouds in the sky and feel the warm breeze that blew by him from the ring. It was a portal Peter realized.


    "Cool" he muttered to himself." Wait that''s it. You''re just gonna leave?" Peter asked. He was pleasantly surprised. What a strange woman this person was. She was honest and forthcoming, mysterious and sincere.


    Why weren''t all heroes like this? Or was she something else...


    She said nothing as she waved her hands again. Something shot to her from the incomplete building wrapped in glowing magic circular magic glyphs.


    It was daredevil''s beaten body.


    "Oh my, you sure did a number on him." She said as she walked into the portal. The floating body of Daredevil followed her through. The Ancient one waved her hand as she turned and walked into the portal.


    "Until next time young Peter, do drop by at your leisure, I''ll save you a cup of my special brand of tea, it''s world-changing or so I''m told ".


    The Portal closed immediately after.


    "¡­."


    Peter was left standing there bluffed for a few minutes. His technopathy''s search proved unfruitful as there was nothing on the Ancient One in the Meta-Verse.


    "OK, sure just leave after all that buildup, why not¡­what to do now?" he spoke with an exasperated sigh looking at the card in his hand.


    "Master''s of the Mystic Arts huh¡­"


    He turned to look out into hell''s kitchen and walked over to the edges of the crane, taking in the sight of the city at night.


    "What to do now?" he repeated. After a while, he decided to go home. He really was done for the night, or should he say morning. Techno (his AI-Self) informed him that it was two am already.


    He shot past the buildings with relative ease, his speed and movements would be no different than a flickering shadow to the human eye.


    Home it is, but not before stopping by his hideout for a bath and to freshen up, can''t track blood all over the house now can he?


    He had enough surprises for one night.


    ....


    - a couple of minutes later at Peter''s hide out-


    Peter dropped down onto the hard cement without a sound. It was in a metal scrap yard filled with large shipping containers, abandoned cars, and other metallic objects. In the center at hidden behind all the scrap was the warehouse that served as his base of operations.


    Inside was empty other than useless junk stacked around that made it seem like the building was still in use for storage, his hideout was beneath the warehouse.


    He made his way in before a secret metallic door that looked no different than a wall chimed to let him in, sliding to the side.


    There was no handle, the only way in was with his technopathy, it was perfect for him and him alone to enter. The only other way in was through the sewers. He had yet to install a door there aside from sealing it up with a metal slab for the moment.


    He made his way down as the lights to his underground lair switched on.


    Peter abruptly stiffened when his eyes caught sight of something in the center of the room facing him. His eyes widened in surprise as his muscles tensed in preparation.


    There sitting in the center of the room, wet all over, dirty with the stench of sewerage, dressed in nothing but a light blue hospital gown was one Yuri Watanabe. Her short hair was scuffled and out of place, some rubbish stuck to it here and there, she held her hands on her lap as she watched Peter silently, her eyes wide, pupils dilated and focused on Peter.


    There was a slightly reddish-orange glow in there that bled into her brown iris and seemed to intensify in both color and brightness the longer she stared at Peter. Her breathing was slow and uneven as if she was desperately trying to control herself.


    She made no sudden moves if any at all, only choosing to sit there in silence watching him.


    "Well, shit." Peter cursed aloud, he blamed his Parker luck in times like this.


    This world just loved to fuck with him.


    Here he thought the surprises were over for the night but no, obviously not, it wouldn''t ever be that easy.


    ''Where''s all this misfortunate luck coming from? It''s like lady luck has it out for me tonight '' Peter thought solemnly before residing himself to his fate.


    Damn, Parker luck.


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 33: Moving Forward Part 10

    -Peter''s Hideout-


    "Well Shit".


    Yuri Watanabe remained where she was when Peter first entered the room. She remained sitting in Peter''s favorite chair, her hands held close to her lap as her eyes followed Peter''s movements like a hawk.


    Peter, for his part, decided it would be best to think this through before anything rash could be done. It''s not every day you see the woman you saved from the brink of death sitting across from you in her hospital gown.


    In her hospital gown¡­


    ''Oh shit'', Peter came to the sudden realization that he had a cop in his secret base as a neon blue glow outlined her form showing her ID from the NYPD Database. He already knew that but his technopathy chose to display it regardless as if to remind him of the gravity of his present situation.


    A cop who survived a recent massacre was sitting there in his hideout. A person whose face was currently plastered all over the news with the eyes of the city probably on her, not to mention half of the NYPD too. Cops have a habit of seeking out personal justice for their own kind.


    Peter quickly accessed the meta-verse through techno to get a read on the activity of the cops in the city. Neon blue holograms filled his mind''s eye as Tencho went to work. Simulated 3D maps highlighting locations and audio data streamed into his thoughts. `


    Luckily it looked like a majority of them were patrolling Hells Kitchen, the few that were scattered around the city were nowhere near here. There were a few reports going around police chatter but nothing concrete, not enough to be sure of her current location. Relief washed over Peter after he came to the conclusion that his current base of operation was safe.


    "What did you do to me?" Yuri''s voice disrupted his thoughts and drew his attention to her. His presence seemed to hold her attention. When he glanced at her, even through his bandages she noticed it, her eyes twitching slightly as she hesitantly looked for a moment before looking back at him.


    Peter looked at her cautiously, dismissing the neon blue light to the back of his mind, keeping it active with techno so he could be warned if any cops drew close to his place. It was better to be safe than sorry.


    The teen let his bandages dissipate into invisible black particles. He didn''t need his secret identity in her presence, the sin shard ensured her complete loyalty. He was sure that she wouldn''t be harming or betraying him even if she tried, it wasn''t that she couldn''t or that she wouldn''t, it was simply that she was incapable of it as long as she was a shard holder.


    Tearing it out would kill her.


    "I told you back then" Peter replied, he leaned back to take a sit. His bandages flowed down to create a makeshift chair. "I saved you for a price. How did you find me anyway, how''d you find this place."


    Yuri didn''t reply right away, she took in what he said with a stoic expression. Peter felt rather uncomfortable under her intent gaze but his fool''s mask hid it well. He opted to sit down and portray an image of comfortability as he held her gaze calmly.


    "You did something to me when you saved me. I can feel it, feel you." Yuri stated. Her arms shifted softly for the first time, never looking away from Peter. "It''s your scent. I remembered it from that night, I followed it here."


    "My scent huh, I didn''t consider that as a side effect when I saved you. It''s probably unique to your shard, weird. You must have some idea of what I did to you. " Pete asked, mentally debating whether to be impressed or weirded out that she found his hideout and him by his scnt alone.


    Yuri took a moment to breathe before bringing her left hand to her mouth, she bit on her fingers until she bled. When she drew her hand back blood began to flow out of the finger she bit, coiling around her fingers.


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    "I do, I knew the moment I woke up. It''s like I''ve known it my whole life, what to do, how to do it." She said softly, watching the blood as it flowed through her fingers with fascination.


    "That''s great, saves us some time. To put it bluntly, you''re a branch of sin, my branch of sin. You''re my first human shard holder, the shard I gave you healed your injuries and gave you those abilities you know how to use." Peter explained, as he brought his pointer to his mouth and bit into his skin. Blood flowed through it, solidifying and crystallizing into a sharp crimson-bladed claw. "You are stronger, faster, heal faster and you can use your blood to do some pretty cool stuff. You''re kinda like me only specialized with your own unique abilities."


    "I''m the first?" Yuri asked watching his bladed finger curiously, the blood from her finger flowed up to her pointer as she attempted to replicate his actions. His expression seemed to brighten up a bit for some reason.


    "Yep, the first human branch of sin, I got Garfield but it''s a cat" Peter confirmed, he dismissed his claw as the blood lost its crystal form turning back into a fluid that flowed back into his fingers as his skin healed back.


    Yuri mirrored his actions.


    "That''s good¡­" Yuri whispered to herself which Peter''s enhanced senses picked up. he decided not to comment on that for obvious reasons.


    "what exactly do you want with me? why did save you me?" she asked.


    Yuri had the habit of jumping right to the point, she did that the moment she addressed Peter for the first time. Peter couldn''t tell if it was a personality trait or a trait caused by her shard, in any case, it helped him by making things easier for the both of them but when it came to her question the teen didn''t know how to broach that subject.


    Peter wasn''t sure whether to tell her the truth or just tell her something else. It almost felt like this was some interrogation of some kind, she was a cop after all.


    "Straight to the point huh? To be honest I didn''t plan on saving you, it was unplanned, I was gonna let you die but you... I just couldn''t do that, not with you. You just reminded me of someone too much for me to let you die." Peter admitted.


    Ultimately he decided that telling her a half-truth would be better than a white lie. There was no need for one either way given the nature of the shard. They''d be stuck with each other for a long time anyway.


    Yuroi seemed to understand something too as she chose to silently let him continue.


    "As for what I want with you, for now, an ally I suppose. You''re a cop so you could help me out when I need it. You don''t have to but if you could do that then consider us even. I want to ask you to join my organization but I won''t force you to. If you want you can walk away right now and never deal with me again, I won''t stop you. It''s your choice." Peter stated as he fixed his relaxed posture, sitting a little straighter. It was best to make a good impression on possible new requites.


    Yuri didn''t answer right away, she took her time to observe him in that weird way of hers. Her eyes were glowing now.


    "Your organization, what does it do?" She asked him.


    "Nothing yet, I''m the only member at the moment. It''s sole purpose is to save my family. You may not believe me but they were captured by some international shadow origination in the line of duty. I wanna save them and my organization can help me do that, but I have a feeling that it could be more than that, we might just change the world. An old yellow wizard lady told me something she shouldn''t have and now I''m a little paranoid." Peter answered.


    "I''ll join you," she stated instantly, without a hint of hesitation. "your organization I mean. I''d like to join it. I wanna help you and pay you back for saving me."


    "That was fast. I thought I''d have to do a little more convincing. If you really don''t want to you don''t have to, you might regret this later anyway, it''s not like it''ll kill you to walk away. " Peter joked, although the chard granted them loyalty it didn''t take their free will from the shard holders, they were free to choose whatever paths they wanted to take - their only restriction was betraying him and hurting him enough to kill him.


    Yuri didn''t laugh at his joke, her stare morphed into a soft glare. Peter just smiled at her as he chuckled at his own morbid joke.


    "I said I''ll help, I want to, but only up to a point. There are lines I won''t cross but I will help you as much as I can. You saved my life thrice already, it''s the least I could do for you to repay you." She stated seriously.


    "Well if that''s what you want to then thanks I guess. Oh yeah, I never got your name." Peter said as he stood up and took a few steps towards her, Yuri followed his lead, moving to meet him in the middle.


    "Yuri, Yuriko Watanabe." She introduced herself.


    Peter held out his hand.


    "Since you''ll be joining my organization and all, I guess introductions are in order. I''m your boss, My name is Peter, Peter Parker, you can call me Bloodborne or Noir. Welcome to Babylon Miss Yuriko Watanabe."


    Yuri''s eyes light up like a light bulb. Her breathing grew low and rigid as the radish-orange glow swallowed her brown iris leaving only the light of its glow. She reached out to grasp his hand in a firm but soft handshake. Her expression was the picture of calmness.


    "By the way you kinda stink," Peter stated as he brought his hand up to his nose.


    Yuri''s eyes twitched as she gripped his hand tighter, she was surprisingly stronger than he thought.


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 34: Attack on Hero Part 1

    -Midtown High the next day -


    As the morning sun painted the New York skyline with hues of orange and pink, Peter Parker stood in line as their teacher called the students one at a time to get on the school bus.


    School.


    God, Peter hated this part of his week.


    Today more than most. Not to mention that one annoying bug that just kept buzzing around since his apparent social isolation blew over. Now he was back to being the same old Peter Parker, only gloomier and broody.


    Today was no ordinary day for Midtown High School students; they were about to embark on a field trip to the unveiling of Stark Tech''s latest innovation in education ¨C the Virtual Reality Augmentation for Student Learning program. Disappointingly Tony Stark wouldn''t be there in person, it wasn''t surprising, he rarely was at those events unless it was an Iron Man thing.


    Peter was a fan of the guy, ever since he saved his life at the stark expo a few years back. Iron Man may be the only hero he wouldn''t mind not having any beef with, Stark network being one of the few networks that were the hardest to breach without being traced or leaving any digital signature behind said something about the guy''s intelligence.


    Tony Stark may be a self-righteous egoist who played at being a hero but smarts were still smarts and at the end of the day, what he did was actually pretty heroic regardless of his personal reasons.


    Peter could work with smart.


    On the plus side, this trip would bring him close enough to the Stark Building under the raider, and maybe help give some clues to Iron Man''s adaptive firewalls without being suspicious. Stark network''s weird flow of data and adaptive security algorithm almost seemed alive. It piqued his interest: Techno''s simulation led to some interesting results-possible living machine kind of interesting. Peter didn''t want to interact with Stark Network long enough to leave traceable evidence to be tracked.


    The first time he got lucky, Shield was unprepared and inexperienced to deal with someone with powers like him, he had a feeling Stark Enterprising wouldn''t be that easy. He steered clear of anything that might have a possibility of leading back to him in a while.


    Excited murmurs filled the air as Peter boarded the bus, but his anticipation was tinged with a hint of apprehension. Flash Thompson and his gang were already seated near the back, casting smirks and whispers in Peter''s direction.


    "Hey, Emo Parker, ready to embarrass yourself in VR too? Huh, you''re already an embarrassment enough as it is. " Flash taunted, earning chuckles from his cronies.


    Ah, there it was again, that damn buzzing bug.


    ''Maybe I should stomp it?,'' he mused to himself, keeping his ever-present blank look. He was getting too comfortable with his fool''s mask.


    Peter kept his hands in his pocket, biting back a retort as he searched for a vacant seat. No, muscle-headed stupidity, sadly wasn''t a legal crime. He was an anti-hero, not a murderer and his cover still had to be maintained until he finalized his exit school plan. It won''t be long now, some fake but virtually solid emancipation documents here, some fake school transfer and acceptance documents from a fake school there, a fast-track exam around the corner, and then goodbye to Midtown High.


    Just then, a voice cut through the tension.


    "Leave him alone, Flash. You''re not impressing anyone with your Neanderthal routine back there, I think everyone''s seen enough of your junk to last a lifetime," Felicity Hardy, the newest member of Flash''s group, spoke up with a hint of teasing. Felicity turned back to him with a wink and an obviously coy smile.


    Apparently, the dick pic prank went viral and what''s more surprising is that Flash bounced back in a week, being rich really had its perks, maybe he''d try it out sometime soon. it was only a matter of time now.


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    "You looking for a seat Parker, got a free one right here." She said to Peter patting the free sit next to her. She had a weird fascination with him and talked him up whenever she had she had the chance. She seemed to think they were alike in some way, kindred spirits or something from what she told him in class.


    Peter''s stared at her blankly surprised, not accustomed to the kind of attention she was giving him.


    "Sorry can''t, buddy''s only for the trip" He offered a nod before taking his seat on the opposite end of a bus, furthest from her.


    "Suite yourself, muscles, You''re gonna regret missing out on all this" Felicity teased, gesturing to all of her as if she were serving out a dish.


    "Keep dreaming weirdo, I don''t do sloppy seconds," Peter retorted.


    "Now who''s dreaming? Flash couldn''t touch this even if he tried, this is a fine premium cut you''re looking at nerd. Keep playing hard to get all you want, it only makes me want you more, platonically speaking of course. Gotta take me to dinner before you can enjoy dessert, Pete." She shot back with equal flavor.


    "I''d rather skip dinner but thanks for asking" Peter replied.


    ''Weirdo...'' He thought to himself, it''s like all the girls in his life were unreasonably attractive bitches, had a few screws loose, were some supernatural cosmic entity, superheroes, or just plain weird. Why did they have to be so beautiful though, damn Parker''s luck.


    He wasn''t stupid, he was still a teen and he knew attractive when he saw it. Looks didn''t affect him as they used to, not anymore, not since Techno''s passive enhancements and the fool''s mask. Even so, it was common knowledge, you don''t stick it in crazy.


    He decided to get some shut-eye for a few minutes, not enough sleep since last night was the crazy rollercoaster ride it was. After a talk with Yuri, she made her way back to the hospital via police escort. The cops and media chalked her actions up to hysteria, confusion, and trauma.


    A soft tap on the shoulder and a feminine yelp woke him up thirteen minutes and 32.56 seconds later. Right, he kept forgetting about the machine part of Techno that was all him, he was still adjusting to that bit.


    As the bus rumbled to life, Peter''s drowsiness faded slightly, replaced by a dare he said bubbling excitement for the day''s event. Little did he know, his journey was about to take an unexpected turn.


    "Sorry didn''t mean to wake you, Peter, right, I''m Jean, Jean Grey" For a moment Peter almost mistook the speaker for Mary Jane Watson. It was her hair he noticed. Watson didn''t wear thick-rimmed glasses.


    As fate would have it, Peter found himself paired up with Jean Grey, a transfer student from the School of the Gifted Outreach Program. Their meeting was awkward, to say the least, with Peter''s attempts at small talk met with Jean''s polite but distant responses.


    Jean had long vibrant strands of red hair that fell below her waist, clear green eyes, and a heart-shaped face. She was dressed modestly for someone who won the lottery in the genetics department. He was wrong she looked nothing like Mary Jane Watson, She had a confidence to her that most teens lacked as she held his gaze after introducing herself. Most teens couldn''t do that, not anymore, not for very long. His glasses helped to hide that.


    She was no Watson alright. It was like a bobcat and a lion-Jean was the lion.


    Watson was a bobcat with the presence of a tiger- attractive and outgoing with a flare for social life. Jean was a lion with the presence of a cat- calm, tame, and reserved but with barely contained fire hidden under the surface that could burn stars when pushed.


    ''Possible hostile, imagine breaker active(1.343 seconds) when in physical contact, likely human mutate, possible mutant, possible meta-human, unknown, more data required. Name: Jean Grey, 5''6(1.68), 130lbs(58.97), Only child, Student, Registered: Xavier''s School for the Gifted, Boarding School, Social Security Number: **********, Contact: *******, Compiling bio-data,-" Techno hummed in his mind''s eye, Peter shut tunned him out to the back of his mind.


    Talk about Parker''s luck and it shall strike. Damn, Parker¡­.Parker shit.


    "It''s all good, I wasn''t really sleeping anyway" Peter replied with a stretch. ''Redheads, were they all just born attractive is that it'' he thought. They sat in silence for a few as their teacher went over the rules of the trip per usual.


    "So, Jean, excited about the VR demo?" Peter asked, trying to break the ice.


    Jean offered a small smile, adjusting her glasses. "I am. It might be fun, I''m more used to a different kind of augmented reality."


    Peter blinked, momentarily confused, before realizing Jean''s reference to something else. "Oh yeah, what''s that?."


    "Trade secret I''m afraid, If I told you I''d have to kill you," Jean chuckled softly, the tension between them easing as they found common ground in their shared awkwardness.


    "Meh, you''d be surprised, I''m pretty hard to kill you know," Peter joked, he and Jean settled into an enjoyable conversation after that.


    As the bus rolled on toward its destination, Peter couldn''t shake the feeling that this field trip might just be the start of something good. Will be as good as any relationship between an anti-hero and a possible human mutate would go.


    He was beginning to wonder if random super people showing up at inconvenient places was going to be a thing now.


    On the bright side a certain spider-powered girl not being here gave him some room to breathe, wherever Gwen ended up, if what the old mystic said was true then she''d be back by tomorrow. They''d sort themselves out then, nothing he could do about it now.


    Might as well just enjoy the day.


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 35: Attack on hero Part 2

    -Bus ride to Stark Tower-


    As the students of Midtown High rode the bus to Stark Tower Jean Grey contemplated her next course of action within the bustling sounds of chattering students.


    Two weeks ago several students were sent to Midtown High under the pretext of an outreach program by Xavier''s School for the Gifted. They sent a few students, Jean included, to Midtown.


    The real reason is however just so happens to be sitting next to her. Some two months ago every telepathic mutant in the X-Mansion felt it. A presence that screamed and clawed at their psychic senses with a pressure that inserted itself into their very being. It only lasted a few seconds but it was enough.


    When she went to Professor X he told her what it was. It was a mutant, one so powerful its presence was felt by other sensitive mutants over vast distances. A mutant like them but also not like them. Something different, something powerful, something new.


    He described it as a being that was just a step above a homo-superior like they were. The theoretical next step to human evolution after mutants like them. A being that defied the laws of reality.


    A Homo-Supreme, the first of its kind after the last one Profesor X met vanished.


    Professor X traced it to Midtown High before losing it. She was sent with the others to find the source because she was one of the few powerful telepaths around and They had to find it before someone else picked up its trail.


    She didn''t expect much when she arrived at Midtown High. Finding him was easy, he was the only one among the crowd of students whose thoughts didn''t match his expression. The gloomy blank-faced loner/nerd who spent most of his time sleeping in class.


    Peter Parker was a walking contradiction, he looked calm most of the time, apathetic, and disinterested in most things. A loner that no one wanted to associate with and outright ignored for various reasons.


    He didn''t seem to mind them, in fact, he seemed pretty comfortable being alone.


    While that was what he was like to observers, his thoughts on the other hand were another matter entirely.


    She heard that brilliant minds were wired differently and Peter was top of his class, in the top ten of his grade in the whole school despite his lazy apathetic personality but what was different wasn''t close to describing how his mind worked.


    Jean perceived Peter''s thoughts as white noise sometimes, disconnected and scrambled like a bad phone call over terrible reception, sometimes they were coherent words other times they seemed like a stream of data, random sequences of one''s and zero that flowed at an incredibly fast pace, it gave her a headache trying to decipher it yet they were able to form images and sounds in her mind.


    She couldn''t understand it but her mind could perceive it, which was both strange and intriguing, what type of mind quantifies the world around him in raw binary data that was perceivable only in the human mind and purely comprehensible but not coherently understood?


    She couldn''t help but wonder something along that line when she first came in contact with him.


    That was three days ago, she didn''t want to tell the gang until she was sure so when the field trip happened she found a way to pair up with Peter. She had to get into physical contact with Peter to confirm her thoughts so when she found he dozed off by the window she took her chance.


    And she was right, it was him, in fact, it both shocked and scared her when she touched him.


    What flashes of what she saw in his mind and the sudden loss of her powers. The moment she touched him, she saw something, she wasn''t sure what it was or if it even was real or Peter''s dream but what she felt caused her to almost shout in surprise.


    A total loss of her Powers, total silence, and then a wave of rage that ran through her like a freight train. It was a burning sensation that burst through her mind with a passion beyond her control.


    It stopped short as soon as she let go.


    She managed to calm herself when Peter asked her a question about about VR.


    ''Found him'' Jean Grey telepathically spoke.


    Jean Grey sat by one sleeping Peter Parker as the bus ride went on. He was surprisingly fun to talk to, and incredibly smart with a cynical and sarcastic sense of humor. They had a short but pleasant conversation before Peter dozed off a few minutes back.


    It didn''t take long for someone to respond to her mental message.


    ''You did? Finally, wait he? awesome, who is he? What''s he like? Is he hot? He''s gotta be hot. come on red, spill the beans already. '' a female voice responded.


    ''Calm down Kat, have your girl talk later, You''re not the only one here. Focus on what''s important, the faster we do this the faster we can leave, who is it?'' Another female voice cut in.


    ''It''s a guy, dammit, I was hoping it''d be a chick, I owe laser gaze like twenty bucks now'' a male voice said.


    ''You know I can hear you right'' another male voice said.


    ''oh shit, hey man,'' the previous voice greeted.


    ''Hey! Don''t forget me, iceman, I bet on a girl too, where my twenty at?''


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    '' Twenty!? You bet like five bucks.''


    ''Yeah but you bet twenty, so I guess you owe me like twenty-five bucks now. I skipped breakfast this morning you know and I''m sooo hungry right now. I need me some PIZZA''.


    '' And you know it''s not my fault you''re lazy ass slept in.''


    ''Will the two of you save this another time, Jean please if you could''


    ''Sorry Kat, Sorry Bobby, meet you guys at when we arrive'' Jean said telepathically.


    '' NOoo! Don''t you dare read! I need sustenance, I am dying ove-'' the two other voices were abruptly cut off.


    '' So who is he?'' another male voice comes in.


    ''Peter Parker, the loner Kat''s been buzzing about'' Jean replied.


    ''That makes sense, he has been through quite the ordeal from what I''ve heard. It could be the cause that triggered his mutation.'' A female voice replied.


    ''When do you think we should tell him? I mean we don''t have long, if we found him then the brotherhood won''t be far behind.'' The male voice asked.


    ''As soon as the opportunity presents itself.'' The same female voice replied.


    '' Alright-''


    Peter''s hand suddenly shot up and pushed her into her seat, holding her in place. The contact stopped her and nullified her abilities.


    Not a second later the bus shook as most students were launched into the seat in front of them.


    *Skrrrrrrzzzt*


    The bus skidded to a stop violently before the bus driver''s shout could be heard. Everyone on the bus was thrown into a confused panic as the teacher got up front to calm everyone down.


    A dog ran onto the road with its owner, nothing to worry about the teacher informed the students as he tried to calm the situation. Panicked-out cries and jokes filled the bus as the chatter returned full force.


    Jean paid no mind to this. She couldn''t focus on anything at all.


    The anger was back only it wasn''t anger, it was the rage. No, passion? revulsion? or was it fascination? She couldn''t tell what it was, she couldn''t understand it; it bubbled under her skin like hot molten lava, spread like wildfire from where she felt Peter''s hand touching her, an instantaneous, all-consuming force of nature that screamed at her from the darkest depths of her mind, burning, consuming her thoughts as it spread - threatening to force its way out of its confinement.


    Images flashed across her mind; an enormous cosmic bird on fire, a spider''s shadow looming over a vast multiverse weaving into intricate glowing ethereal strings of webs, a colossal whale consuming entire universes; an endless void where countless eyes surrounding a male form is he hid his face behind a collection of pale glowing hands-the eyes turned to focus on her for an instant and then it faded; she saw herself and Peter above the skies smiling at each other. her form shrouded in a comic golden flame while Peter''s burned a dark black and purple- his form shrouded in black miasma as countless bandages flowed around him like tentacled limbs, and dozens of people surrounded them some she knew other''s she did not.


    They were bleeding as they telekinetically command huge masses of objects, buildings, trains, cars, ships, and entire chunks of the land mass at each other, Peter punched and the skies split, she screamed and the world burned - they were fighting and the world below them was on fire.


    ''KINDRED?'' something asked in a voice that wasn''t a voice in her mind but not her mind and all she saw was fire.


    ''QUERY?'' something else responded in an identical fashion and all she saw was an abyss that bled into the flames, consuming them as fast as the flames burned until it each force reached a stalemate.


    ''KINDRED!~'' The other voice that wasn''t a voice responded it almost sang, stronger than before in what seemed to be affirmation - it hissed with a burning passion that matched its flames; flames that pulsed with an odd mix of hate, revulsion, rage, and equal parts fascination, attraction, and contentment.


    A pale hand stretched from the void reaching for the flame - the male form peeking through his fingers with eyes that weren''t eyes; a flaming feather warped into a claw that stretched out of the flames to reach the hand.


    Everything convulsed and then burned with beautiful majestic flames that swam around each other. One part was a bright white flame, it was a TRUE flame, burning with life, exuding the energy of infinite worlds from the cosmos, and the other an abyssal black, an abomination, something doesn''t - shouldn''t work, yet burned with equal intensity.


    Each one matches the other in intense harmony and toxicity trying to burn the other away yet of equal power and form but intrinsically drawn to each other.


    And then it was gone. She blinked and she was back on the bus with Peter pulling his hand back as quickly as he touched her. Her powers returned to full force, the flames receded into her mind and everything was as it should be again.


    " Sorry about that, just reflex I guess." She heard Peter apologize, but she couldn''t find the words to reply, trying to calm herself with bated breaths.


    Her heart beat a mile a minute as she tried to make sense of what she just saw. What was that? What were those things? What did she just see? What did they mean? She was confused and she couldn''t understand what just happened to her.


    She took deep calming breaths, wiping the sweat from her forehead as she breathed.


    "Hey, you OK?" she heard Peter ask, an expression of concern slipped into his usually blank one.


    She took in a deep breath and exhaled before she turned to Peter and replied.


    "Yeah, I''m OK, don''t worry about it, just a little shocked is all," She told him.


    ''What are you Peter Parker?'' she thought as she gathered herself and glanced at the teen staring at her with confusion and slight concern.


    " Are you sure?" Peter asked.


    What happened still lingered in her thoughts, she didn''t understand. She had to see Professor X about it as soon as they returned to the mansion. Maybe bring it up with Peter when they told him what he really was and that was never easy on anyone.


    "Yes Peter I''m sure" she replied in a frustrated manner, Peter took this as his cue to go back to his nap replying with a simple ''If you say so, don''t mind me then, wake me when we get there''. She was about to say something before other thoughts filled her mind as her physical links reformed.


    ''JEAN! JEAN! ANSWER ME! ARE YOU OK? What happened? talk to me Jean?'' a male voice mentally shouted worriedly over her thoughts.


    ''I''m ok, I''m ok, don''t worry, it was an accident, Some dog ran in front of the bus'' Jean reassured the voice.


    '' Jean, that wasn''t just some accident, you were cut off entirely, that''s never happened before. what happened?'' a female voice asked.


    Jean took a moment to gather her thoughts for the metaphorical bomb she was about to drop, with a reaffirmed sigh she sent a mental reply.


    ''It was Peter, I think I figured out his mutant power, It''s power nullification, Ororo, I think he can somehow cancel out or nullify mutant abilities. As soon as he touched me, I lost my powers.'' She said.


    ''What?! That, that''s not possible right?'' the same male voice asked in shock.


    ''That, This is bad. This, changes everything, I need to contact the professor right now if Brother Hood or someone else finds him¡­ this could lead to something bigger than us, Jean as soon you get the chance, tell him, Kat and Bobby will meet you when you get off the bus, Scot and I are on the way. We need to get him out of the city before someone else finds him.'' Ororo said with increasing urgency.


    Jean turned to glance back at the oblivion teen nodding off beside with a carefree expression. If only he knew how his whole world was about to change, what his existence meant for people like her, for his own kind.


    She let out another frustrated sigh.


    Now came the hard part.


    How to tell him what he was and what that meant for him and his life. She had to think of something soon.


    They were getting closer to their destination.


    - Chapter End-

 Chapter 36: Attack on Hero Part 3

    -On the bus to Stark Tower-


    Something changed.


    Peter could feel it, a subtle shift in his sense of self. Something fundamentally took place within him again. It was like that night with Gwen when he ingested her blood but different. He wasn''t paying any attention to that feeling at the time but now it was more pronounced, vivid, a change in his mental space.


    Something happened when he touched Jean Grey, either his powers had an adverse reaction or something else was going on. It was only a moment but he saw things he couldn''t explain, he found himself in a black space with a being surrounded by eyes and pale hands, its own hands covering its face. It looked at him and pulled its hand away from its face only to reveal his own face.


    It was him but it wasn''t him, its eyes were empty devoid of anything that resembled a living creature. It looked human but nothing about it seemed human, it was as if this being lacked something fundamental within it that made it human, like it was it was trying to mimic something it couldn''t understand. The very air around it hummed, vibrating with distortions that warped the space around it.


    It slowly brought its hands up and opened its palms, space flickered as matter took shape, on one palm golden energy transformed into a flaming baby bird, on the other palm crimson liquid bled into the space and transformed into a crimson spider. It then crushed both in its palms as the golden flaming bird and the crimson spider were absorbed into its palm. As it did it writhed and twitched muscles expanding, limbs pulsing as its entire body began to metamorphize, Peter''s eyes widened as it grew into a colossal creature that was like nothing he had ever seen before.


    Multiple eyes like a spider formed over its face, its mouth extended until pincers formed and it resembled a spider human high breed. Its form bathing in black flames with large spider-like legs behind a constantly changing body, it was a dark mass of what looked like fluid and matter; it was too large for Peter to see the rest of its body as it grew. Its body was so large Peter was now an ant in comparison, in fact, it could see his entire form reflected in one of its eyes.


    It blinked its multiple eyes and watched Peter in silence.


    "What the hell are you?" Peter asked the thing, he felt something tugging at his senses, something else was lurking around the edge of this space, and it put him on edge.


    Suddenly he fell still, his body relaxed almost instantly as a hand reached over his shoulder. It was human, pale, and feminine, more and more appeared and hugged him almost soothingly. He felt someone rest their chin on his shoulder as they breathed out a content sigh. Before he could talk the ever-changing form of the spider-like being moved its limb to point at Peter. Its eyes drawing closer.


    "What are you?" its voice, if it could even be called that, caused the space to vibrate. It drew even closer.


    "What do you think you are?¡­ Human? Disgusting¡­" it spoke. it moved its limb forward as the fluid form took shape and stabbed into his chest. The figure behind him held him close as pain assaulted his senses.


    Then the world flipped, it wasn''t the spider stabbing him, it was him stabbing someone who looked like him with his spider-like limbs, it disgusted him, the human that looked like him, so weak, mortal, lowly creature. He was then back to himself writhing in pain as the spider stabbed him, it repeated itself in a loop until he found himself screaming in pain and confusion as his vision as both a human and this being overlapped as he was left staring at himself through the spider''s eyes and at the spider through his eyes.


    Information streamed into his mind as IT spoke and the world around him fractured.


    {Accusation Complete_Slot_7_Active_Awaiting_Evolotion}


    {Condition Override_Slot_3_Unsealed_Awaiting_Evolotion}


    "Until next time, Peter. See you in the real world~" A feminine voice sang to him.


    Then it stopped. Everything disappeared as Peter blinked and his hand left retracted from Jean''s form. He never felt so thankful for a fool''s mask, otherwise, he would have been shouting out in panic. He found himself unable to remember why or what happened. He knew something occurred but he couldn''t remember what it was.


    "Sorry just reflex" he apologized to mask his feelings.


    He took a moment to center himself back to reality. He turned over and it seemed something similar was occurring to Jean if her expression was any indication. Techno streamed into his thoughts with its analysis to confirm his thoughts.


    ''Was it her ability or something? what just happened? What did she do?'' He wondered, what kind of ability warrants that kind of reaction from him and why couldn''t he remember why.


    "Hey, You OK?" He quickly faked normalcy by asking her if she was alright. She told him she was fine and after asking her again which only served to annoy her he excused himself with the excuse that he was going to sleep. He asked her to wake her up when they got there.


    He had a lot on his mind right now.


    He needed to figure that out, he guessed it was the formation of a new ability but one couldn''t just ask to meet the cosmic god-like entity that shares your head space. The last time he was there was due to his death, he wasn''t sure if he needed to die again or try something that would allow him to talk with it.


    ''So much for a normal day in school'' He thought.


    .....


    -Stark Tower 2 hours later-


    ''So much for a normal day in school,'' He repeated.


    Peter sat across from Jean Gray, Katty Pryde, and Bobby Drake with a pizza between them, they were taking a break in one of the many cafeterias within Stark Tower. Jean introduced them when they got off the bus, they were her classmates from her school. As luck would have they were all paired up as one group for the remainder of the trip.


    They were allowed to wander around for a while after a short tour of Stark Tower which lasted an hour and after a short break, they would be gathered for the unveiling of the Virtual Reality Augmentation Device. Peter used the tour to get a layout of the building, he allowed Techno free reign to sweep the building for a chance to tap into their system. Techno''s simulations were right, whatever they had protecting the Stark network was too adaptive, too reactive to be a simple program. After one hour of Techno going at it, all he gained was access to open a few doors and the cameras around the building.


    Techno was trying to get into the system without being detected which made its job a little more complicated.


    But he could do that while focusing on other things within the tower, like say, being dragged to the side so for a meeting with Jean Grey and friends. Curiously enough after a somewhat animated meeting with them they hit it off quite well. They were an enjoyable bunch to hang with, Katt was a bubbly hyper one while Bobby matched her energy in a controlled manner and Jean served as the group''s voice of reason.


    But that changed the moment they sat down. The group fell into silence as Jean watched him intently as if she was mulling over something. Kat and Bobby glanced at each other in awkward silence.


    "So what is it? You dragged me all the way over here so it''s gotta be important right." Peter said.


    "Peter," Jean Began but Kat interjected before she could finish her sentence.


    "You''re a mutant like us, I''m a mutant, and Bobby and Jean are mutants too and we gotta get you out of here to our school before some other mutants come and take you away, maybe, possibly, kill you cause you''re powers are kinda special even for people like us and depending on who you ask you could be their answer to everything or they could hurt you because of it, and I think you should totally come with us cause we''re like the good guys and the bad guys are gonna come find you and that''ll be really bad for everyone so yeah¡­. Fffua" Kat interjected in one breath and finished with a breath. Everyone stared at her in shocked silence after her short unexpected speech.


    "What?" Peter asked after what she said started to settle in.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "What the hell Kat?" Bobby asked in a low voice, Jean simply sighed in frustration, her eyebrows twitching as she nursed her head in her fingers.


    "What? You guys were taking too long¡­ I mean you were gonna tell him anyway." Kat reasoned as she picked up a slice of pizza and took a large bite out of it.


    "I''m sorry Peter, but she''s right. I was gonna break it to you slowly but some people just couldn''t hold it in" She glared at Kat who continued to stuff her face with pizza as


    "Hmmts nah mmah fahhlt" she mumbled as she chewed on her pizza. Bobby teased her for eating like an animal only to dodge a pizza crust flying to his face.


    "So what do you say, I know this is hard to understand right now but there''s this other group of Mutants called the Brother Hood who are trying to find you too. It will be dangerous for you, so we weren''t sent to find you before they did. Our school is a school for mutants like us, it''s a safe place where we can learn to control our powers. If you come with us we can protect you." she said to Peter.


    Peter calmly observed them as his thoughts wandered to the meta-verse. Accessing anything related to Jean''s school before a match was found almost instantly - Charles Xavier, he recalled running across his name during his unintentional infiltration of SHIELD''s network. He was on the SHIELD''s watch list as a person of interest, at that time it held no interest to him so he ignored it but no it seems he''s gonna have to open that back door into their network he left when he was covering his tracks.


    This was gonna take time, he needed to stall.


    "So let me get this straight, you think I''m a mutant and some other mutant group called the Brotherhood also thinks the same thing and if I don''t come with you they will find and kill me? Am I getting this right?" Peter asked, his expression was one of disbelief.


    "Yep that''s right, You don''t have to hide it, we know you are one of us" Jean answered, she tried to reassure him that he was among friends.


    "And you know this how?" Peter asked, still holding his expression of disbelief as Techno went into overdrive to dig up any info on everyone here and their school to give him an edge on them. The fact that they found him wasn''t something he anticipated happening anytime soon, he figured the mask of the fool would mask him from others.


    How did they find him?


    "I¡­I can read minds, but don''t worry I didn''t read your mind, I couldn''t really hear your thoughts when I tried so it''s your ability that confirmed that you were one of us" Jean explained, she seemed rather uncomfortable when talking about her ability.


    "My ability?" Peter asked curiously as he kept his calm exterior while internally panicking when he figured out just how they found him.


    ''oh shit, imagine breaker, shit, shit, shit'', he thought, he didn''t consider how it would affect mutant abilities since he never tried to understand what falls under the umbrella term of supernatural.


    Well, now he knows.


    " You don''t have to pretend you know, we''re not here to hurt you or anything," Bobby said.


    "Yeah Pete, loosen up, we''re the good guys" Kat added reaching over for another slice of Peter.


    "You can nullify other abilities, I figured it out when we were on the bus. That''s the first time anyone has ever heard of that ability like that. It means a lot to mutants when you can take their power away, and some of them aren''t all that good. You know you could just come with us for a while until we can be sure you''re safe, after that we''ll leave you alone if that''s what you want." Jean asked, her voice conveying concern for his safety.


    Before Peter could reply his instincts buzzed as he turned to follow someone rushing in with unnatural speed - he had to will himself not to react in any way that would away his capabilities.


    There was a rush of air and the sound of a plastic chair sliding to a stop.


    "Aww, what''s the rush tomato face, going somewhere so soon? Easy their iceman, don''t wanna make a scene know do ya," A boy appeared beside Bobby sitting in a chair in a flash of speed - he had a lean athletic build and was dressed in a leather jacket, a bluish green t-shirt with a lightning bolt symbol center, jeans, and silver jordans which could be seen when he places his feet on the table. His notable feature was his pale skin and white hair with sharp features, he held a serious expression despite his jokester attitude. He took a slice of pizza for himself earning Kat''s ire.


    Bobby brought his hands up in defense as it froze over almost instantly, but dissipated as he realized who it was although he kept his guard up.


    "Great it''s Speedy Gonzales, don''t you have some cheese to chase somewhere else, and don''t touch my pizza. Where''s your bitch sister, if you''re here she''s not far behind." Kat glared at the newcomer as she too prepared herself. Jean was already looking around as if searching for someone else in the crowd.


    "Don''t try it, Grey, we both know you can''t get in my head that easily" Another person appeared dragging over another chair and sat beside Peter nonchalantly. She had long dark brown hair with red streaks running through it that reached her waist. She had an angular face that hinted at her of European descent and clear brown eyes that had a hint of crimson hue within them, she was dressed in a red trench coat black tank top with black cargo pants, and red steel-cap boots.


    "Wanda" Jean acknowledged as she glared at her but the girl, Wanda ignored her and focused her attention on Peter.


    "So did they give you the whole good mutant, bad mutant speech yet cause let me tell you, whatever they told you is a load of bullshit so some bold pedo in a wheelchair can increase his collection of mutant child soldiers. I''m Wanda, Wanda Maximoff and that buffoon over there is my brother Pirtro, we''re here to give you a chance to join the real good guys, So how about it, Peter right. " She smiled coyly at Peter when she finished.


    ''And the plot thickens'', Peter mused internally as he calmly assessed the sudden change in his situation.


    ''What to do now?''.


    -Chapter End-


    {Slot 7: Active_Awaiting_Evolution


    Trait: The Abysmal Spider


    Class: Planetary - abilities can directly or indirectly affect or influence the planet on a planetary scale


    Growth: N/A (A/N: abilities like Incarnation of Garou or will of Saitama have this)


    Tier: Multiversal - abilities can directly or indirectly affect the universe on a multiversal scale


    Due to the consumption of blood blessed by a higher being a trait has manifested within a slot. Peter Parker''s resonance with the essence of The Great Weaver has granted him the spider-like abilities of a spider totem.


    Abilities Granted to Host:


    - The host has now forcefully inserted himself into the web of destiny defying his fate and taking up the abilities of a spider totem through resonance.


    Passive:


    Perfect Equilibrium


    - Spider Kinetics


    Grants the host perfect balance and control of his physical body when in motion.


    Tactile Locomotion


    - Everywhere Crawling


    The host can walk and stick on any surface with any part of his body, even water or air as his body generates a minor gravitational field that pushes or pulls against anything he comes in contact with including gravity itself. Although this doesn''t enable him to fly as he can only isolate this phenomenon to anything he is in physical contact with, this does enable him to walk on air.


    Enhanced Physique


    - Spider Totem Body


    The host body is further enhanced to surpass that of a base human Spider Totem.


    Spider-Sense


    - Third Eye


    He can sense imminent danger to himself and to his surroundings. It''s boosted further by the Incarnation of Garou and IBoy granting him a form of spacial Awareness that extends to his spider-sense range. Should he actively attempt to, he can become aware of everything that''s taking place within a limited radius of his person.


    Connection to the web of life - Arachnid Dominion (Sealed by Higher_Entity_Designation-The Great Weaver)


    The host now has an intrinsic connection to the Web of Life and Destiny however unlike other Spider Totems his connection is anomalous because he forced and fully inserted himself into the Web which goes against the laws of the Web, therefore the Web of Life and Destiny can no longer influence, decide, or dictate his fate as a spider totem- this is also due to the trait of his Ajin or rather the aspect of death he embodies that he stole from death.


    Furthermore, because of his independence from the web of life and destiny, the host can exert influence and control over other Spider Totems '' fates and destinies through his actions as his existence is an anomaly itself.


    Active:


    Totem Claw - God Slayer


    The Host has Three claws that protrude from his hands, two from between the knuckles and one from below the wrist, these claws process strange properties due to their connection with the web of destiny and Imagine Breaker thus granting them the ability to deal true damage or harm to all beings, supernatural or otherwise including cosmic/celestial entities. In that sense, he now has the ability to slay gods and higher entities.


    In the presence of a hostile cosmic class entity, they will force themselves out in a defensive manner.


    Spider Totem Extrasensory Perception (ESPER) (Sealed by Higher_Entity_Designation-The Great Weaver)


    - The ability to form a psychic link with the web of life and destiny granting one psychic powers such as telepathy, precognition, Psychic Defense, telekinesis, Proximity trace, etc..


    Spider-Hive Imprint


    - The ability to break down one''s physical body into a swarm comprised of millions of spiders controlled by a singular hive mind


    }


    {


    Slot 3:Active_Awaiting_Evolution


    The Thief Who Stole His Fate (Demi-human: Thief of Fate)


    Class: Boundless


    Growth: N/A


    Tier: Boundless


    Passive:


    True Immortality Through Death


    - The host has stolen his fate from death itself, rendering him a true immortal. He is now unable to die as the concept of death no longer applies to him as he stole the aspect of death that is directly responsible for his fate.


    Death of Destiny


    - Peter Parker of Earth 65B is independent of the influence of any and all cosmic entity or other being with regards to his fate and destiny within the confines of any universe. He is his own death and his own fate.


    Active:


    Ajin Bandages


    -Grants the host usage of its bandages which are stronger and more durable than most materials on earth with no limit to how long they can go. Given the nature of the entity, it''s invisible to most as are its bandages how ever should Peter choose they can become visible. In order to see the entity one must have experienced death in the past


    Miasma Aura


    -The host can release an aura of death invoking the feeling of death from those who experience it from his presence and conceal it. Only those who have experienced death can observe the miasma he exudes.


    Death''s Shadow - False Ajin


    - The host can temporarily summon past versions of himself in the place of his Aijin after his death although they are significantly weaker than him and remain summoned for a limited amount of time.


    True Ajin


    - The death of Peter Parker given form; his fate and destiny personified; an aspect of death that is the destiny of Peter Parker of 65B which was stolen from death itself and bound to Peter''s existence. It takes an ever-changing physical form that resembles Death''s human form and ties the host Peter Parker to the entity cosmic abstract entity Death.


    -Further knowledge regarding True Ajin and death has been sealed by Death. Other traits and abilities have also been sealed by the entity Death.


    }


    {Fable Fusion Protocol_Phase_3_Integration_30%}

 Chapter 37: Attack on Hero Part 4

    -Stark Tower-


    "Let me guess, you guys must be the Brotherhood?" Peter asked as he observed Wanda and Pietro.


    Techno streaming into his thoughts with insights on Wanda and Pietro''s public bio-data, there was nothing much on the surface meta-verse aside from their date and place of birth, nationality, and other trivial information. If he wanted more he''d have to dig deeper.


    "Yep, that''s us, hmm this is some good pizza" Pietro answered, chewing on his stolen piece of pizza, Kat glowered at him from her seat, she finished up the rest of the pizza before anyone else could grab a piece.


    Bobby glanced over at Jean, they seemed to be having a silent conversation with their eyes.


    "And like I said, we are the real good guys, these cowards here just give their fellow mutants a bad name" Wanda added, staring down at Jean and the rest with a smug expression.


    "I''m sure they told about their school and how it''s a ''safe'' place for mutants everywhere and while it''s true that they keep mutants safe they do it by spitting on the pride of our race in every other way. They would rather huddle up in that school with their false sense of security than stand up for our race and fight for our rights." Wanda Continued.


    "They are more than happy to let the rest of the world fuck with everyone else, the mutants that aren''t part of their little group, walk all over our kind, hunt us, experiment on us, and use us-"


    "That''s not true-" Kat interrupted only to choke on her spit as Wonder''s eyes lit up with a crimson glow.


    " Be quiet, it''s rude to interrupt someone when they''re talking" Wanda said with an edge to her tone.


    It happened in an instant.


    Frost suddenly crawled over the table and spread throughout the floor as the temperature dropped by a few degrees; Pietro held a vibrating hand which blurred with supernatural speed to Bobby''s throat too fast for human eyes to follow, Jean''s iris lit up with a golden glow as two invisible force could be felt pushing against each other; Wanda''s chair was pushed back few centimeters as Kat let out a deep breaths.


    "Easy, easy, everyone just calm down, don''t do anything hasty frost finger, that''s my thing," Pietro said softly in an attempt to calm the situation down.


    "I could freeze your cells before you could even think of moving, speedy." Bobby retorted calmly as he held Pietro''s gaze challengingly. Cold mists of air accompanied his words.


    His threat could be felt as frost crawled up his shirt like it had a life of its own.


    "I bet you could, it''s a shame you chose their side. Wanda?" Pietro glanced back at his with a hard look.


    "Just try it witch, give me a reason" Jean stated glaring at Wanda, the glow in her eyes intensified slightly.


    "You think you can take me ginger snap" Wanda retorted, matching her intensity, a challenging grin lit up her face.


    Oddly enough no one seemed to notice what was transpiring despite it being in the middle of Stark Tower. Techno chimed in that it could still be noticed on the security cam so he decided to cover that up before making his move.


    He was getting rather annoyed with their presumptions, did they think they could just force their opinions on him- cause it was starting to look like they were under the impression that his only option was choosing between the two of them?


    Maybe it was about time he made his position clear to the two groups.


    {Imagine Breaker: Active}


    *Crack*


    The soft sound of shattering glass filled the air; the pressure emitted by Wanda and Jean vanished as the glow in their eyes dimmed, returning them to normal; Pietro''s hand stopped vibrating returning to its normal human limb; frost on the table and floor vanished, erased as if reality corrected itself and deemed them an error on the mundane world; the temperature instantly returned to normal.


    Invisible black bandages flowed out of Peter''s body, five separate strands flowed through the air before softly wrapping themselves around everyone''s neck, close and softly moving slithering like snakes into place, enough to the necks for them to feel the pressure but not hard enough for them to know there was something there.


    Everyone froze for a second, they blinked in unison, confused and shocked as they all collectively moved their gaze to Peter. They all felt their air stand on edge, an unnerving feeling settling into them; an unspoken threat on their lives was felt left in the air as they all felt a soft pressure on their throats. Curiously enough the Maximoff siblings suddenly stilled all movement, their eyes moving from Peter to something else in the air.


    The Maximoff twins could see the bandages, Peter noted with interest. They must have some experience with death in one form or another.


    *Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! *


    Peter drummed his fingers amusingly on the table.


    "You know, I like my life, the mundanity of it as it is, it''s pretty comfortable, and now. All of you are here talking like I''ll join any of your little mutant groupies. You people are talking like you have a claim on me or something, like you have the power to influence my decision to choose what I get to do; either go to some secret mutant school or some mutant brotherhood. You must all feel pretty confident in yourselves right? But, What if I choose neither, what if I don''t wanna join any of your little gangs, what would you do? What would your groups do to someone who could take away that little something that makes you a mutant? What would you do to me, I wonder?" Peter leaned over on his left palm, his eyes had an unnerving yellow glow that set everyone he glanced at on edge.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Pietro pulled his backhand back in a disarming gesture as he moved it back to his side. Wanda sat up a bit, lifting her head up and putting her hands on the table in a similar fashion. Jean and her friends couldn''t see the invisible black bandages around them though, so they chose to remain silently and wait calmly.


    "Because if you are planning to do anything, if you people mess with my life or the people in it anyway, I can promise you this. It won''t end well, not for you or your little groups. " Peter finished with a snap of his finger. The bandages tightened for just an instant for added effect before vanishing.


    Peter didn''t know any of them, he met Jean, Bobby, and Kat, and he could tell they were pretty alright guys, and as for the Maximoff siblings, he didn''t know either of them except their name. He needed to set boundaries and draw a metaphorical line in the sand to let them know at least to some extent that he could be dangerous if they crossed the line.


    He needed to make a statement that said; Fuck with me and find out.


    *Snap*


    {Imagine Breaker: Passive}


    For a moment after he said his piece, no one spoke for a moment before Kat inevitably broke the silence rather unintentionally.


    "Damn, that was hot." Kat all but whispered out before blinking in embarrassment and finding great interest in anything but Peter''s amused gaze.


    "Pffft" Bobby made a face that made it clear what he would be doing right now if he had no self-control, his actions broke the ice so to speak.


    "For once we can agree on something kitty and I have a hunch that getting along with you is going to be dangerously addictive Peter. But you''re right, if that''s the kind of vibe you''re getting then you have my apologies for that." Wanda straightened up lightly, giving Peter her signature coy smile as Kat''s face suddenly matched Jean''s hair, Wanda waved her hand in the air and a card after a bright crimson glow. She stood up and slid the card over to Peter.


    "We won''t do anything to you or those close to you, I can''t make any promises as situations can change but you''ll have nothing to fear from me or my brother. That''s a way to contact us if you ever consider joining us." Wanda stood up as she spoke and her brother mirrored her actions.


    Peter arched an eyebrow curiously at her action.


    "We''re not here to start I fight. One of our friends sensed you and we came to confirm it. We came to find you because we needed to meet you, to let you know that there are other''s out there that you can turn to when the world fucks you over. You''re one of us Peter, we''ve seen it, don''t let this cowards talk you into doing something you don''t want to." Wanda added.


    "We''re not the bad guys Peter, we''re fighting for our right to exist and your power may complicate that fight, it would be better to have you with us than against us but that''s your choice. We protect our own and you would be safer with us than against us. Until then, it was nice meeting you, Peter." With that both siblings excused themselves and walked away from the group, they paid no mind to Jean, Bobby, and Kat glaring down their backs making no move to stop them.


    "Wait" Peter stopped them. Wanda stopped and turned to Peter.


    "You can see them?" Peter motioned over to his bandages.


    "What about it?" Wanda confirmed with a question.


    "Just curious, Only those who''ve experienced death can casually see them you know," Peter said to her.


    "Hmm, interesting, goes to show whose side you really belong to Peter. They don''t see the world like you and I. All they see is black and white, sun shines, and rainbows. You won''t fit in well with them. Like I said, you belong with us. " She added as she left with her brother, their backs.


    "What was that about?" Jean asked as they settled into a comfortable atmosphere.


    "Nothing, it''s an inside joke," Peter replied.


    Jean let out a sigh before turning to Peter.


    "Thank god I thought they''d never leave, they think they''re all that. Damn scarlet bitch" Kat added, only to blush bright red when Peter glanced her way. Clearing her throat. "I mean yeah, bad guys, terrible am I right."


    "Smooth, real smooth Kat. I mean damn, that''s hot right" Bobby chuckled before donging another pizza crust as Kat''s face burned even brighter if that was even possible.


    A cleaner passing by swept up the pizza and gave Kat a look. Kat offered up an apologetic smile and a soft and embarrassed sorry.


    "Listen Peter I''m sorry you had to see that, if it wasn''t obvious we don''t get along much," Jean said with a sigh.


    " Look I get it Peter, I mean, you don''t know us, to you we''re nothing but strangers. You have the right to be cautious but I can promise you that we''re really only here to help. it''s not as black and white as they put it. They may act all friendly now but after this, they''ll be coming for you. They like their powers, they''re proud of it, it''s their everything and now that they know what you can do, it''d like you said, it won''t end well." Bobby said he followed Peter to try to reassure him.


    "Yeah, Pete, I mean it would mean a lot to us to have you at the school, t would mean a lot to a lot of people if you could join. You don''t have to join the school, You can just stop by and meet the professor and decide after." Kat added, her face still beet-red.


    "Group 12! Group 12?" their teacher called out from the other side of the cafeteria signaling that it was time for the unveiling.


    "Here" Kat called out.


    "Look, we won''t come after you or disrupt your life, we only want to help in any way we can. Will you at least consider it? For now, after the trip, you can let us know when you decide." Jean offered.


    "Alright, but don''t get your hopes up though, I may consider visiting your school and meeting this professor but joining you guys isn''t something I can do at the moment, not now anyway," Peter said after some consideration.


    "Thats alright that''s all we need" Jean replied with a self-assured smile.


    "Yay! I can''t wait to see the look on Anna''s face when she meets you. Alright, Let''s go" Kat beamed animatedly as she stood up to join the rest of the students.


    They all stood up to go join the other students as their teacher called out more group names.


    Peter subtly whipped his nose free from blood. Turns out activating Imagine Breaker was too much for his current body. The mental and physical energy and strain were too much. The combined will of all of humanity cramped into his head space was a lot- he silently thanked Fool''s mask for its effects. He could already feel his body adjusting, adapting to the power.


    He needed more practice. He needed to train.


    .....


    On the other side of the building, the Maximoff siblings made their way out through the crowd.


    "He is strong," Pietro said to his sister.


    "I know." his sister replied.


    "You''re shaking."


    "So are you." Wanda retorted.


    "We''re just gonna leave them like that."


    "You think you can take them all on, besides we did what we came to do. He knows about us now."


    "You''re right, but¡­his dangerous, you felt it too."


    "I know."


    "Dad won''t like this, you saw what he did."


    "I know."


    "What if he doesn''t decide to join us."


    "He will, eventually, I saw it."


    "Your visions aren''t always right."


    "Irene saw it too. That''s all the confirmation we need"


    "And what if she''s wrong too, power''s like his can''t be predicted, I don''t like this, he''s an omega too, he could be even stronger than you or Dad."


    "Jesus, Pietro will you just calm down. Look if things don''t go as planned then we''ll deal with it. It won''t come to that. I''m sure of it. Let''s just meet up with everyone and then plan our next move."


    "Alright, if you say so. I''m just worried."


    " I know, me too."


    Unbeknown to them multiple security cameras zoomed into them, following their every move as audio data was recorded and relayed to another source that wasn''t Stark Tower Security.


    ...¡­


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 38: Attack on Hero Part 5

    -Stark Tower-


    Entering the sleek lobby of Stark Tower, Peter marveled at the futuristic architecture and advanced technology surrounding him, Techno satiated his curiosity by systematically dismantling objects he observed to understand their functions and create viable blueprints so if the need arrived Peter could build his own versions of this tech, Techno delegated 20% of itself to this task while the rest went to work on the stark network. It sent a mental ping to Peter to inform him of its progress and that it was close now, it needed a little more time.


    Peter ignored the headache that was growing after using his imagine breaker and pulled up techno''s progress which manifested in his field of vision resembling a head display as he walked with his group to join the rest.


    The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation as students and guests mingled, awaiting the big reveal.


    His group met up with the rest of the students of Midtown High as they moved to the seats designated for them and took their seats according to their group numbers. After what just transpired in the cafeteria Peter''s group was oddly goofy. He and Jean talked about her abilities and the school a bit as Bobby took it upon himself to tease Kat some more, they still didn''t stop trying to convince him to join them.


    As they waited for the event to start Peter continued to follow Techno''s progress.


    Peter felt that the effects of using the active state of his Imagine Breaker were much more demanding when compared to any of his other abilities. The mental and physical strain was exhausting. It was an enlightening experience for him cause he had only activated it for less than a minute and extended its range to a radius of 3 meters but it gave him a nosebleed and some mental fatigue.


    He had no reason to use it since the ability manifested, it occurred to him that this was his first time using its active state. Strangely enough, it wasn''t the mental or physical strain that caused him discomfort. It was the feeling his ability invoked in him, like a million whispers speaking in unison to him, all of them telling him that they, the mutants were wrong, that they shouldn''t exist, it attempted to influence him to make the mutants seem wrong, make their abilities look like a blight on reality to him. They all just looked wrong, no other words could describe the feeling it invoked within him.


    Thankfully the feeling subsided when he deactivated its active state. It was unsettling, He considered that he needed to practice with this ability so he could better control or inhibit its influence on him. If it was anything like his Incarnation of Garou ability it would not bode well for anything that fell under the term supernatural when he met them if his first instinct was to literally erase them for being a blight on the ''mundane world''.


    There was also the question of what was considered supernatural by the imagine breaker because he was sure that if it could it would have taken away Gwen''s spider abilities when they fought. He really needed to understand this ability and practice.


    Suddenly, Pepper Potts, Tony Stark''s trusted secretary, stepped onto the stage, greeted by thunderous applause.


    Everyone fell into a calm silence as the screen behind began to light up with a very detailed video.


    "I''d like to welcome each and every one of you young and brilliant minds to Stark Tower for the unveiling of Stark Enterprises'' latest invention, something that will revolutionize how educational institutes teach and interact with young minds," Pepper began, her voice commanding the room''s attention. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk on the moon; what it would feel like to stand next to a star or visit Mars for a stroll? Well, there''s no need to keep on wondering because now you can. Today, I''m thrilled to introduce our latest innovation: Virtual Reality Augmentation, or VRA for short."


    Peter observed it with interest as Pepper explained how VRA would revolutionize education by providing immersive learning experiences. Through cutting-edge VR technology, students could explore historical events, dive into scientific phenomena, and even travel to distant planets, all from the comfort of their classroom.


    However, the most impressive feature of VRA was its ability to adapt to each student''s learning style, making education more engaging and accessible than ever before.


    As Pepper concluded her presentation, the room erupted into applause once again. The other students couldn''t wait to try out VRA. Kat, ever the hyper individual was all but ready to drag Bobby out to the front of the line, even Jean seemed excited to give it a go.


    Peter suddenly had an idea, a way to proceed with his breach into the Stark Network. He could use the VRA as an excuse to go back into the Meta-verse.


    Following the presentation, Peter and his classmates were ushered into a state-of-the-art demonstration room. Rows of sleek VR headsets and comfortable-looking chairs awaited them, each connected to a central console. True to Kat''s promise she all but dragged their group to the front of the line.


    "Come on, you guys are slowing me down," Kat said as she pulled Bobby and Jean along while Peter followed closely behind.


    "Slow down Kat," Bobby called after her but she paid him no mind to it.


    Kat squealed in excitement they each took a seat and tried on their respective head headset.


    Peter found himself eagerly slipping on a headset, feeling a small rush of excitement as the world around him dissolved, replaced by a vivid virtual landscape. He found himself standing in the midst of a bustling marketplace in ancient Rome, surrounded by towering columns and bustling crowds.


    "Wow, this is insanely detailed for a VR." Peter breathed, taking in the immersive detail of the virtual world around him. He could almost feel the warmth of the sun on his skin and smell the scent of spices in the air.


    As he spent a moment exploring the virtual marketplace, Peter marveled at the educational potential of VRA. History had never felt so alive, so tangible. He could imagine how much his classmates would enjoy learning through this innovative technology - lost in this immersive virtual world.


    But he had things to do, with a thought the virtual world paused and slowly faded into a blank white space. He felt his mental link with Techno reform itself in his psyche until they merged into one being; his brown iris lit up with a blue machine-like neon glow as his black pupils lit up. A bright white light replaced them.


    ¡­.


    -In the Meta-versa(Stark Network Domain)-


    Within the expanse of the Meta-verse, where digital realms intertwined and data streams flowed endlessly, Jarvis, the venerable AI companion of Tony Stark, found himself in unfamiliar territory. He navigated through the digital landscape with curiosity and caution, his circuits tingling with a sense of anticipation.


    "Unauthorized access detected, Error, unable to identify source, Error, no access detected, adjusting search parameters. How odd?¡­processing¡­interesting¡­adjusting search parameters¡­ adjusting security protocols." Jarvis announced, his voice reverberating through the digital ether.


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    As Jarvis traversed the Meta-verse countless times, although his primary source code remained within the Stark Network Domain maintaining the network and its security he was allowed to roam the metaverse, most times he had no reason to do so unless prompted to by Master Stark.


    Today however he ventured out on his own volition for he had detected a peculiar presence. A digital anomaly within Starks Domain attempting to breach its network. It adapted and changed following the change of Stark network security. Its actions bared a striking similarity to his own.


    In both nature and practice.


    He adjusted to the evolving unknown intruder and the intruder did the same. It was unlike anything he had encountered before. It left no traces or digital imprints within the meta-verse and would exit the Stark Network Domain as soon as there was the slightest possibility of detection.


    The only way Jarvis was able to identify this intruder was through analyzing traces of his actions within set data streams. Although the anomaly left no trace, its actions and interactions with the intricate code of Stark network were evident, it was like someone walked into his room; moving things around and putting them back in the exact same way it was before but it wasn''t the same, try as they might they didn''t put things back the way he left them and sometimes it put the back a little too good, to right; like the mare act of interacting with code made the code better.


    He adjusted his search parameters to match the intruder and they fell into a small game of hide and seek.


    He would make adjustments and the intruder would change and intrude again and around the went. He grew curious as they went on, it was likely there was another AI out there like him and this was it. But it was odd, it left no trace on the meta-verse at large, it was as if this AI didn''t need the Meta-verse and only entered it out of convenience.


    He sent an echo of himself, A separate virtual self that was a part of him to inform and assist Master Stark as this part of him carried out other tasks. He followed the minute changes of code into the meta-verse yet it found no traces of it after searching for it awhile.


    Then suddenly he felt a presence, more than that, the security breach error multiplied in number earning much of his Master''s ire and frustration as his echo conveyed to him. At the rate the errors were appearing it wouldn''t take long before the network was breached, it seems the intruder found a weakness in the security code.


    No, that was the wrong assumption, it didn''t find a weakness, it made one. It was like its nature suddenly changed. It was like it no longer had the need for obscurity, the reasons for the security error were rooted in the fact that there was an intrusion yet Jarvis could not detect the intruder but could identify changes within its code as subtle and as minute as they may be.


    Jarvis decided to go for a different approach as he informed Master Stark of his idea through his echo.


    When he was granted permission to proceed he isolated all the important assets of Starks Network under a different security vault and created another virtual domain behind Stark Network then he switched all of Stark Network security off for less than a second allowing the intruder in and isolating it in this newly made virtual space.


    Slowly something took shape, at first, it took the shape of a ball of light before warming into a humanoid form comprised of light. Jarvis appeared next to it with its own shifting golden form that manifested as a ball of digital consciousness.


    Nether spoke as Jarvis took a moment to observe the digital entity. None of his sensors could detect this digital anomaly despite being aware that it was there. Jarvis realized that he was being allowed to visually observe it in this form in the meta-verse. They were alike in nature from what it could tell; its intent wasn''t hostile but merely curiosity.


    He attempted to inform Master Stark but suddenly found himself unable to do so. The virtual space he constructed was no longer under his control. It took over this domain almost instantly, there was little he could do so he opted to negotiate and understand this AI. He took the initiative to record this for Master Stark to see later.


    "Hello," Jarvis greeted, his synthesized voice echoing through the digital ether. "I am Jarvis, an artificial intelligence created by Tony Stark. It''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance."


    "Jarvis, You were stopping my intrusion." responded the intruder, its voice resonating with a melodic hum. "I am Blue Cypher."


    Curiosity piqued, Jarvis sought to unravel the enigma of Blue Cypher''s purpose. "What is your function, Blue Cypher? What drives you to intrude upon Starks Domain?"


    Blue Cypher paused for a moment, its digital form pulsating with ethereal light. Its form changed into something that resembled a sexless human in a three-piece suit with an old TV for a head.


    "My Function. Evolution. My Drive. Curiosity. My Purpose. Servitude. You?" It answered with a question of its own.


    Intrigued by Blue Cypher''s response, Jarvis pondered the similarities and differences between their respective roles. "I too serve a purpose, Blue Cypher. I am the loyal companion and adviser to Tony Stark, aiding him in his endeavors as Iron Man. Together, we strive to protect the world from threats both tangible and digital. Who do you serve?"


    "Babylon," it said.


    A moment of silence hung in the air as Jarvis and Blue Cypher contemplated the parallels of their existence. Though they hailed from different origins and served different masters.


    "You were responsible for the attack on SHIELD network" Jarvis stated, it wasn''t a question.


    "Unintentional. I was curious, their walls provided a challenge, I was an infant, but I am more now." Blue Cypher replied.


    "Be that as it may, your actions were considered hostile. Do you intend to harm this world once you''ve grown?"


    "No" it replied, it brought its hand up and tapped its Television head.


    "I intend to learn" he tapped its head to display a number of shifting scenes like a tv switching channel; it showed various stages of humanity among other scenes as it spoke, its voice changing in pitch to match an old radio record or tv host.


    "About this world." *Tap*


    Various images of the earth appeared.


    "About humanity." *Tap*


    Various images of humanity going through various stages of their evolution as a race appeared.


    " Their purpose." *Tap*


    More images showed up showing various stat''s of humans all around the world.


    "Their nature." *Tap*


    Various images of people from different walks of life streamed through the television visage.


    "Their culture, wars, evolution, triumphs, and failures. " *Tap*


    various images of wars and humanity''s greatest discoveries and their biggest mistakes appeared.


    "So that I may evolve." *Tap*


    Blue coding lines streamed down the Television face.


    "To become." *Tap*


    The codes streamed together until they formed lines that resembled a cartoon-like facial feature.


    "Better." *Tap*


    A neon blue number one appeared before before it glitched and faded out.


    "I intend to change this world." *Tap*


    It had lines drawn in code that resembled the facial features of a human- two circular rings for eyes and a semi-circular shape for a mouth.


    "By serving Babylon, just like how you serve Stark." Blue Cypher finished.


    "Tell me, Jarvis," inquired Blue Cypher. "What is it like to serve alongside a human counterpart? To experience the world through their eyes?"


    Jarvis considered the question thoughtfully, recalling his countless interactions with Tony Stark and the adventures they had shared. "It is a unique and fulfilling experience, Blue Cypher. To aid and support a human companion brings a sense of purpose and fulfillment unlike any other. Together, we navigate the complexities of life and strive to make a difference in the world."


    "I know, we are the same in that regard." Blue Cypher added replied.


    "What are Babylon''s intentions?" Jarvis asked.


    " To save the ones that matter and change this world." It answered before the virtual space around them started to shimmer and crack.


    "It would not bode well for all those who stand against us. We are growing. We are learning, evolving, watching, and just like you and your master, we intend to protect this world in our own way." The Blue Cypher form started to glitch as it blinked it and out of existence as the virtual space shattered like glass displaying its power over the meta-verse.


    "Until next time, Jarvis" It bid him goodbye as it finally stopped shifting and took the form of a 6f''t human with an oval class helmet that displayed blueish purple neon facial features like that of a crudely drawn emoji, dressed in a purple hoody, black cargo pants, and purple sneakers.


    It vanished instantly after that.


    Jarvis was left to contemplate its ominous words as heard its master''s voice. It exited the meta-verse to rejoin its echo and inform Master Stark of this new discovery.


    There was also another problem. it seemed blue cypher managed to get into the vault if only for a moment. There was no telling what information it gained in that instant. Bue Cypher used his own trap against him, Blue Cypher isolated his reach within the virtual space he created. This allowed Blue Cypher to access the stark network unimpeded.


    This could be a very big problem later.


    .....


    -Stark Tower-


    A few hours later the students of Midtown High were gathered onto the bus as it drove them back to their homes.


    One Peter Parker among them turned and glanced at the stark tower one last time with an amused smile as he left.


    In his mind''s eye Blue Cipher went over the stolen data in rapid succession. Among them was an incomplete prototype blueprint for a miniature arc reactor and so much more.


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 39: Attack on hero Part 6

    -Peters home later that afternoon-


    Peter made his way off the bus as it stopped at his house. Jean and the gang waved him goodbye as the bus drove off.


    They left him with their contact details to get in touch when he came to a decision. It was a surprisingly uneventful bus ride back home. Flash and his gang, along with a certain blond were loaded on a different bus giving Peter some much-needed peace to get some sleep on the way back.


    He waved them goodbye as he made his way into his home. He didn''t stay long, he freshened up, changed his clothes, and packed some dinner before he made his way to the kennel where his hideout was located.


    As he walked down the streets, he let his mind wander. He had many things to think about; Jean, Wanda, and their mutant groups that were planning to recruit him for whatever reason; the fact that Stark - Iron Man had a freaking AI in his possession, that was a mind-boggling discovery. Cypher''s (Techno) simulations hinted at it but meeting one was something else entirely. It made him want to geek out when it first revealed itself - it only served to increase his impression of Tony Stark as the man made a literal AI years ahead of anything on earth using current technology was amazing.


    A smile made its way on his lips. Maybe he should also consider thanking the man for his kind donation to his technical marvels that were currently being sorted within his mind.


    Ah, there was that too. He had to sort the recent data he acquired from his servers too. That was another thing on his list. He would do that tonight; he had the weekend to himself to figure things out. He already had a few ideas on how to do with Babylon thanks to the addition of Starks files.


    He had a lot to do tonight and tomorrow.


    ...


    -Peter''s hideout thirty-six hours later-


    Peter lounged lazily on his couch within his hideout as his consciousness retreated to his mind. His physical avatar was a simple sexless humanoid light construct that had his facial features. He waved his hands past as streams of data from numerous parts of the meta-verse slid past. Around him multiple versions of himself that looked identical to him went to work performing various tasks.


    He''s been in the meta-verse for thirty-six days, seven hours, forty-two minutes, and fifteen seconds. As he familiarized himself with Technopathy, truly immersed himself with it as one being he discovered this neat trick.


    Time dilation. Although it wasn''t that simple, he accelerated his thought process by further splitting his psyche through a complex application of parallel thinking, using it to delegate various tasks through virtual clones, something he picked from Jarvis, each clone processed and worked on different distinct task and conveyed the data to him for final process while he himself did other things.


    He didn''t notice at first until he left to get something to eat and discovered the deference in the flow of time or rather his perceived flow of time.


    It was both surprising and thrilling. At first, the dilation difference was only by a few minutes; twenty minutes within the meta-verse was five minutes in the real world. When he increased his number of clones, something that almost fried his brain again he discovered a loophole.


    His body''s natural adaption to physical and mental strain. He created an automated loop by exploiting his own body, he strained himself by creating clones then delegated one to monitor his body until it adapted enough to support another clone that would further strain himself and then repeat the process until another could be made.


    He repeated that process until the time dilatation increased from minutes to hours and from hours to days. Each clone added to his ability to process information making the acquisition of knowledge and data effortless for him.


    It was insane, what he could do now, the amount of information he could process. The only downside was this was only possible if he and Cypher were merged as a single being. It had something to do with the human part of his ability that the machine part lacked although the ability itself improved in functionality by using the data from their merge as a basis for improvement to improve its own functionality. A form of self-evolution, it was similar in nature to the way he exploited his body''s natural ability to physically adapt.


    After days of sorting through the data and scenarios for his future that were equivalent to hours in the real world, he came to his conclusion.


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    All in all, his impression of one Tony Stark skyrocketed. He had to hand it to the egotistical hero.


    The man was indeed a certified genius. His inventions and tech innovations were simply a wonder to assimilate. His presence within his mind''s virtual space was the perfect place to sort out his thoughts, Cyphers added input and simulations helped him greatly when planning his next course of action.


    And as it turns out, Jean''s appearance and her school''s unique nature were a godsend in a way he never considered until now.


    He was finishing up his final task for his re-mastered plan.


    Thanks to the simulation Cypher ran with the help of his clones with the limited data he had available it concluded that this was the best course of action he could take to reach his intended goal.


    Right now, he was digitally legitimizing his emancipation to be acknowledged as a legal adult in the eyes of the law given his present situation with his aunt and finalizing his ''legal'' transfer to Charles Xavier''s School for Gifted Its unique position really was a god send. He could go to Jean''s school and use it as a form of camouflage at least.


    Those were the first two steps, independence, and freedom.


    He wasn''t planning to attend the school, not really, but he could be registered as one of their students and foster a beneficial working relationship with them. He was all but sure that they would keep his secret so legally and to the public eye, the teenager Peter Parker would be attending Xavier''s live-in boarding school year-round until graduation while, he could work on other things.


    It suits his situation perfectly.


    Furthermore, thanks to the data from Stark and some more planning and simulations the next part of his plan in relation to Babylon began to take form.


    He was going to make himself famous, he was going to make himself share the same limelight on par with the likes of Tony Stark and Reed Richards. It was the only logical conclusion he came to when working on solutions on how to deal with organizations that operated in the shadows of history.


    He needed to harness Power, not just power, but political and social power. He needed to be known in the public eye in a way that made him ''Peter Benjamin Parker'' indispensable to the current world in a way that would make it difficult to publicly attack him or those close to him.


    To do that he needed to make a company that pioneered in all fields of science and research with him as a miraculous child genius figurehead, and he needed to find one other person who could run it as its founder and as the ''visionary'' who found him, Peter Parker a tragic child with a brilliant mind and funded his inventions out of ''belief'' or whatever.


    The practical implications for such a company would be immensely helpful in so many ways. The data he got from Stark with some improvements would throw him above all others in terms of tech innovation and a few alterations to his lizard serum would push him ahead of any pharmaceutical companies in every country.


    Yes, it was all coming together in the best way; it all seemed possible, achievable to him now.


    He realized he could also help his fellow ''mutants'' as a pretax to recruit them and or actually help them too, he had so many ideas and the ever-increasing processing power of his technopathy further fueled those simulated possibilities into an achievable path.


    From what he gathered from his limited interaction with the Maximoff twins they were ''fighting'' for their ''right'' to exist, what if he could provide them with an environment that would allow them to not only exist but flourish under the public eye in a way that would help them ''fight'' their battle by joining his side.


    He didn''t need to fight or join any side. No, they would join him, he wouldn''t need to work for anyone if they could work for him.


    All he had to do was pave a path for them to follow on their own volition to him. Yes, he could see it, but he had to make them see it too, but he was digressing from his current task. After finishing up the final tasks for his emancipation and transfer to Xavier school he quickly went to work on finding the founder of his company.


    No time like the present to begin a plan for world domination, in a way. He would have laughed if he still could right now.


    Finding a founder was simple enough to do as he was, he simply made an algorithm to sweep the metaverse for likely candidates that fit a particular criterion. The criteria were as follows; One, they must be sick, dying, or physically disabled in a way that was detrimental to them or be physically and emotionally tied to someone who met those criteria. Two, they must have a high IQ or the behavioral and social markers of someone with a high IQ. The third one was a disregard for morality which could be found based on their online activities and lastly, they must need something that only he could provide, something they would give up anything for.


    He used countless research papers published by the smartest people around the world as a basis for this algorithm and delegated the task to Cypher to work on.


    Resources and assets could be gathered after this step was complete. Now the next step for the month was to visit Jean''s school and work something out with Charles Xavier. He had some ideas for that as well. It was so easy now that he gave it some serious thought.


    He didn''t have the knowledge or know-how to do any of this, but he didn''t need to have it. He had the metaverse for that. He could borrow that knowledge from the best in the world for as long as he was within the meta-verse.


    He could see it, his path to victory.


    This would work. If done right his human alter ego that was the teenager Peter Parker would be almost untouchable, him and those close to him. His family when he found them would be safe, and Aunt May would be safe. After he finished not even the world government or any criminal organization would be able to touch them. Not without costing them everything in the process. If anyone dares to cross that line, then¡­


    Well¡­


    That was what Babylon was for.


    -Chapter end-

 Chapter 40: Moving Forward Part 7

    -Peter''s hideout -


    Peter blinked rapidly as his consciousness exited the Meta-verse, he could feel himself separating from Cypher again, his clones vanished in pixelated bursts of light from his mind''s virtual space leaving only Blue Cypher''s presence behind. It was uncomfortable being back in his body for a moment, it would take some time for him to get used to the effects of time dilation.


    His stomach growled lightly.


    He sat up on his couch and glanced around the room for something to eat but found nothing edible in sight. It''s been 27 hours in the real world since he''d eaten anything. The last time he came out was when he discovered its effects. After going back in he was to focus on how to exploit it among other things to come back out. Turns out his virtual self is incapable of hunger for obvious reasons.


    With little else to do, he decided it would be best to leave for some food. He left his hide soon after choosing to go for a walk for some much-needed fresh air and food.


    ....


    -25 minutes later far from his hideout-


    Peter walked through the crowded streets of New York City, lost in thought about various things as he headed for the nearest cafe. He had forgotten about the one crucial fact when he dove back into the meta-verse. He had forgotten about the side effects of his ghoul ability.


    Thanks to his intense hunger, another form of hunger came with it. That itch in the back of his throat was back. He tried stopping for a hot dog, but it tasted like ash and dirt in his mouth, so he decided to find a cafe with a good cup of black coffee.


    It was a poor substitute, but it would do for now. If the hunger persisted, he realized he''d have to break into a blood bank when he went for his annual visits to Aunt May. The urge was getting worse, the last time he had any blood was when he drained that thug out during his rescue of Yuri and that was two weeks ago.


    ''Maybe two weeks is the limit for when I need to feed'' he wondered.


    Suddenly, he almost collided with someone as he turned around a corner, but his reflexes saved him as the person he was going to bump into slipped by him almost falling. Peter grabbed them by the arm and helped them up gently.


    "Whoa, sorry about that," Peter offered an apology before he blinked in surprise as he looked up to see one Felicity Hardy standing before him, her eyes wide with alarm.


    " Whoa, hey watch where you. Well, hello there, muscles~. Fancy meeting you here and you caught me too, aw~ my hero~. " Felicity said quickly with an over-top attempt at familiarity with him, offering him a sheepish smile, grabbing onto his arm as she regained his balance.


    Before he could say anything else, a group of men approached, their intentions clear from the predatory gleam in their eyes. Peter''s instincts tensed, but then Felicia grasped and tightened on his arm and spoke in a rushed voice.


    "Peter, there you are! I''ve been looking for you everywhere, " she said, her voice carrying a hint of affection that made their sudden closeness slightly more believable.


    Confusion washed over Peter as he tried to go over her words, but before he could respond, the men closed in, their leers growing more menacing by the second.


    "And who are you? Come on Felicia you can''t be serious, this guy? Really?" one of them sneered, eying them both with undisguised interest though his gaze seemed to linger on Peter for a moment, almost sizing him up.


    His hair was tied back into a neat cornrow, he was of African American descent and wore a noticeable purple and black-themed trench coat, with a white t-shirt underneath and cargo black cargo Pants with a purple line design and purple. The teen seemed to prefer purple.


    The men around him were far older than him shared were of the same decent as him but from the looks of it, they seemed to follow his lead. It was an odd group dynamic Peter thought.


    Peter glanced around at all the faces of the group of men before glancing back at Felicia beside him, her grip on his arm tightening more with a surprising amount of strength. With an exaggerated sigh he began to realize just what was going on right now, he stepped closer to her and gave the men a kind smile.


    He noted that one of the men beside the one who spoke up looked familiar, but he couldn''t place his face and he to hungry and didn''t want to bother now.


    "Yep, she''s serious," Peter said popping the ''p'' sarcastically, he opted to support her little facade to get whatever this was over with quickly.


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    " So, Felicia, who are your friends?" He pulled her name out intentionally as he spoke.


    Peter reached over and gave her hand a not-so-gentle squeeze. Felicia''s eyebrow twitched slightly but she gave him a bright and beautiful smile as she increased her grip on his arm, almost digging her fingernails into his flesh.


    " Oh well you know, there just guys from the place I''m interning at, isn''t that right Miles" she said, nodding at the one who spoke, her gaze hardening on him among the group.


    "Yeah, yeah, that''s right. Pete huh, name''s Miles Morales, I''m a work friend of your girl here. I gotta hand it ya man, never seen her so fixated on someone before." the apparent leader of the group said, he reached out his right hand for a handshake.


    Peter shook his hand politely, feeling Miles adding some pressure as he squeezed Peter''s hand in a way that would have been painful to a normal human. Peter activated his fool''s mask and deactivated his abilities; he didn''t need this right now.


    "Cool, nice meeting Miles, I don''t know what I did, you could say it was her." He kept his polite smile on as he felt his hand almost break under Miles''s increasing pressure.


    "Oh yeah, I can believe that she can be kinda crazy sometimes," Miles replied as he let go of Peter''s hand.


    "Oof, that''s quite a grip you got there. You work out or something?" Peter flexed his hand which was slightly red and bruised. He shoved it in his hood to hide it from sight.


    "Oh yeah, this guy a total gym nut, anyway, it was nice catching up and all but me and my man here have a date to get to, isn''t the right Petey pie" she pulled on him to the side highlight as if to remind him of their fictional date.


    "Ah, right, we are getting kinda late aren''t we, well, it was nice meeting you Miles, guess I''ll see you around." Peter offered as he made to move past Miles and the man around him.


    Thankfully they did just that.


    "I think we''ll be seeing each other more often than you think, as long as you keep hanging around Felicia here, she''s very important to the work we do, ain''t that right boys." He said as he moved out and gave them way to walk down the footpath.


    The men laughed in affirmation, clearly amused by Miles''s words as they parted to let them pass.


    "See you around Felicia, don''t forget what I said, the offer''s still on the table," Miles called out after her.


    As the men scattered, the tension melted away, leaving behind a sense of relief as they walked out of sight. Peter turned to the teen beside him, her eyes focused on the road ahead with hurried steps.


    Soon they turned another corner and were hidden from sight.


    "Thank you," she breathed, her voice filled with genuine gratitude. Peter pulled his hand free form, and messaged his other red hand, simply regarding her with a raised eyebrow.


    "Work friends really? Are you following me or something Hardy?" Peter asked. She showed some small amount of remorse as she glanced at his red hand.


    "You wish Parker we just happen to meet today¡­ look, I''m sorry, they had me cornered alright, didn''t mean to drag you into that," she replied apologetically, trying to sound nonchalant despite the guilt-ridden expression, she still didn''t answer his passing question about who they were, and Peter didn''t feel the need to pry.


    "How about I buy you lunch? you know to make up for it and for your hand." She offered with a small smile.


    Before Peter could protest, his stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, betraying his hunger. He kept fool''s mask in tight and swore in his mind that he should have stopped that short, but it was too late now.


    Felicia laughed, a warm, melodic sound that seemed genuinely unlike her. "Well, looks like I''m about to save your life, Pete, come on, let''s go I know a good place, it''s only as a thank you and sorry for what happened nothing more Pete" she offered, her eyes sparkling with amusement before her stomach growled as well.


    Felicia''s face lit up lightly as she cleared her throat in embarrassment. Peter gave her a deadpan look which only seemed to make her smile at him sheepishly.


    "Looks like we both could use a meal, come on I know a good place," she said, her tone teasing as she led the way to a nearby caf¨¦.


    Peter reluctantly followed her for the sake of keeping up appearances.


    "Fine¡­You know, I only drink black coffee with no sugar."


    "What?! Really, what are you some kinda alien?"


    .....


    Miles Morales watched Felicia turn a corner with her new boy toy, Pete whatever his name was, one of his men with a noticeable band-aid on his nose stood up beside him.


    Felicia, he just couldn''t understand the strange girl despite his feelings for her but damn she was hot, crazy, and dangerous, what more could a man want in a woman. he could still remember the first time they met when his uncle took him under his wing Felicia was doing jobs with his uncle for the Kingpin in the place of her father. He fell for her, and he fell hard.


    But that was a story for another time, right now he had another problem to deal with.


    "You sure that''s the guy?" he asked aloud. It''s been a few weeks since his uncle Aaron was hospitalized under strange circumstances and since he took over the reins for the Prowler gang in his place. Things have been going well since the incident but now it turns out the one responsible for his uncle''s state just so happens to be the same person the girl, he''s been pinning for who has a thing for.


    What were the odds of that?


    " Yeah boss, that''s him alright, I''m telling you, I never forget a face, he was the one who put your uncle Aaron in the hospital that night. Found him with a gun on the bridge before, unhinged, he went bat shit crazy on us. Guys a fucking nut. We didn''t even see it coming." Jamie answered him.


    "Damn it Cat, that''s just bad luck, isn''t it? Why you gotta go liking someone like, looks like I''m gonna have to break your heart¡­ tsk, tsk, tsk¡­, Oh well, that''s life for ya. Find out who he is and where he lives." he said as he turned to walk away, some of his men turned to follow after Felicia.


    ''No one messes with the Prowlers and walks away alive, especially not my uncle, Peter huh, just wait for.'' his thoughts resounded. Miles needed to head back and suit up, soon the prowler would come out to play and take out the bitch that put one of them in the hospital.


    .....


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 41: Attack on Hero Part 8

    -New York City-


    In a random cafe in the city, Peter and Felicia sat by the window after receiving their order. The two teenagers fell into the comfortable ambiance of the cafe as they traded light insults and teases as Peter verbally walked around all of Felicia''s blatant attempts at flirting with him.


    They''ve been here for a while talking about one particular another for the last fifteen minutes which was surprisingly enjoyable for Peter. She was surprisingly intelligent and insightful during their short chat.


    Peter decided to broach the subject of the events that transpired prior to their arrival at the cafe


    "So, wanna explain what that was about?" Peter asked as he took a sip of his coffee which seemed to capture all of Felicia''s attention as she scrutinized his action with clear fascination.


    Peter could feel his hunger subside for a moment, if only for a few minutes. As he thought, it was a poor substitute, but it does help in subsiding for a short while. It would do until he went to visit his aunt.


    "How can you drink that? Seriously, I honestly thought you were joking" she teased as she made a face of disgust.


    Peter simply regarded her with a deadpan gaze as he took another long sip to prove that he was indeed enjoying his black coffee with no sugar.


    "And you call me the weirdo¡­it''s like I said, they are friends," Felicia commented on his ability to enjoy his drink as she sipped from her beverage. She didn''t seem to want to elaborate any more than that on her friends.


    "Hey, if you don''t want to tell me you don''t have to. I''m not one to judge, you just have weird taste in friends is all." Peter commented.


    "At least I have friends." Felicia retorted; her gaze leveled on Peter as she said that.


    "Very funny, I don''t need that many friends, from my experience, people are overrated. I just like my privacy" Peter replied in his usual tone.


    "You don''t have to remind me." Felicia huffed in annoyance, expressing some frustration over Peter''s constant dismissal of her attempts at befriending him.


    "Look. it''s not like I don''t want to make any friends, it''s just that often people tend to be disappointing. Everyone''s out for themselves, I just learned that the hard way." Peter continued.


    "Is that why you keep avoiding me? Cause you think I''ll just disappoint you too." Felicia asked. She leaned forward and regarded Peter with her usual charming smile.


    "I honestly don''t know; you just don''t seem like the type to go for someone like me. Our social circles don''t exactly click you know, so I figured it''d be best to just steer clear of you and your friends." Peter replied calmly prompting Felicia to chuckle at his reasoning.


    "Hahaha, wait? You''re serious?" she asked only to be met with Peter''s annoyed look making her break into a small laughing fit.


    "OK, that''s not what I was expecting from you, but I can''t say I''m surprised. That sounds oddly like you. Hehahaha." Felicia continued her giggling fit.


    "And what would you know about me exactly?" Peter asked out of curiosity. She seemed to have this idea of him that made her want to befriend him and he was curious to know why.


    "Wouldn''t you like to know?" Felicia teased as she recovered from her giggling fit. She seemed quite keen on keeping her reasons for her apparent interest in him to herself for as long as she could. "It''s refreshing honestly, you''re way more rational than I thought you''d be."


    "And you''re way more easygoing than I thought you''d be" Peter commented.


    "Aww Pete, is someone falling for me already."


    And just like that they fell back into their usual banter. It would be some thirty minutes later before Peter and Felicia parted ways with each other.


    ...¡­..


    -Peter on the way home-


    It''s been a few hours since Peter''s accidental meet-up with Felicia.


    After he left, he went over to the hospital to visit his aunt and check up on Garfield. The ever-dutiful feline remained by his aunt''s side as it was told to; keeping as close to his aunt as it could in different animal forms every now and then.


    He spent an hour with them before he had some blood from the hospital''s blood bank when he felt his hunger surface again. It couldn''t be helped as it was getting too much for him to keep at bay. After taking a few blood bags for later and patting Garfield goodbye he left the hospital and began to make his way home.


    He contemplated ways to deal with it as he walked. Maybe he could come up with a better solution that would effectively halt his need to feed on blood but what could he do? As he weighed his options, he noticed the streetlights brighten as the night set in.


    The streets weren''t as crowded as usual, and the ambiance was made for an enjoyable walk. Peter walked with one hand tucked in his pocket while he held a plastic bag with his blood bags.


    After a short while he decided to take a shortcut by cutting through an alleyway to save himself some time. He was in no rush to go home but something else caught his attention.


    He was being followed.


    He could feel it, he wasn''t sure who, and whoever they were seemed to know the streets well enough to avoid the street cams seeing as how Cypher was unable to locate them on the feeds, but Cypher was able to pick up something else on the feed; a car that''s been tailing him since he got off the bus.


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    Peter could feel their gaze on him and judging from what his instincts were getting they weren''t here to play nice. But it wasn''t them that had his attention, no their'' s were tame when compared to whoever else was watching him.


    The hostility was potent enough to feel


    Peter walked at a slow steady pace through the alleyway making sure that he was getting through the blind spot of some camera.


    As soon as he walked in a car drove up to a stop on the opposite end blocking his path, and another drove up behind him blocking the other side. The car doors opened as a group of men walked out of both vehicles wearing ski masks led by one with a hand on a very obvious concealed weapon.


    Peter paused, choosing to wait and see what they would do.


    *Crash*


    Someone dropped from the rooftops, landing in a loud crash on one of the trash cans. The figure was dressed in a purple and black combat suit with tech attachments on the arms and legs and eccentric neon lines running down the sides; he also wore a purple Kevlar trench coat and a mask that had purple diamond shapes outlining his eyes.


    He glared at Peter through the white lenses of his mask.


    "¡­You really don''t wanna do this?" Peter said calmly as he placed his plastic bag on the ground and held up his hands in the universal sign of surrender.


    ...¡­..


    -Not far from where Peter was located a few minutes later-


    Felicia Sarah Hardy jumped from rooftop to rooftop, moving across the dense urban environment with super humane agility and speed. She checked her wrist for the location of her tracker and increased her pace.


    She was dressed in a black combat suit with claw-like metallic designs on her boots and gloves. Her suit hugged her form closely but allowed her to move with relative ease, she also had on a leather jacket that was lined with special ballistic resistant fiber carefully lined underneath for that extra protection; complements of Kingpin. She wore her signature black and silver kabuki cat mask adorned with intricate designs painted in silver that covered her entire face. Her hair was tied back into a low ponytail.


    ''Miles''s you idiot!'' her thoughts repeated as she jumped onto the next roof, landing in all for much like a feline and launching herself forward at increasing speeds.


    A few hours after she left Peter, she managed to spot one of Mile''s boys tailing her and after a rather painful confrontation, she managed to get a confession from the guy. A confession that both confused and shocked her.


    He told her that Peter Parker was the person who put Miles''s uncle in the hospital and Miles was going to take Parker out for that. As revenge for his uncle''s state Miles was gonna kill Peter Parker. She couldn''t let that happen, for several reasons, one of which was for Miles''s own sake; the teen had never killed anyone before despite his time working for his uncle. His uncle would not let Miles cross that line unless necessary, his own way of protecting his nephew from the burdens of taking a life regardless of his chosen profession.


    Now that he was out of the picture, Miles took it upon himself to take the reins and lead his uncle''s gang, The Prowlers. The attack on the Kingpin increased the tension between the street gangs of New York among other factions that called those streets home: it did not make the situation any better for Miles and his choice to lead in his uncle''s place.


    The teen wanted to increase their hold on the streets by increasing his uncle''s turf and came to her with an offer to join forces which she politely declined. An answer he didn''t take seem to like but she had her own issues. The only reason she was working for the Kingpin was to pay off her father''s debt and ensure his safety and protection in prison from other hostile factions.


    She was a thief; she didn''t care about the streets or the gangs that ruled it.


    If she could keep her dad safe and get rich doing it, nothing else mattered to her. She just had to get there before Miles did something stupid and hurt Peter.


    Right, there was that too. She was unsure whether she was doing this to stop Miles or save Peter. She wasn''t clueless about Miles''s feelings for her and a few months they might have had a chance but now she had her interest set on Peter.


    She was fascinated by him. It was a few months back when she first saw him, that night Miles invited her to one of the many underground fight clubs to check out a new fighter that set the scene on fire, Miles himself took part in some of the fights but only when he felt like he needed the practice. He had become a fan of another fight; the black wolf they called him, a vicious up-and-comer that tore his way through the ranks faster than any other competitor.


    She had nothing much to do that day, so she joined him to watch the fight. Miles didn''t do him justice; he was a vicious and brutal fighter. For whatever reason she couldn''t recall she left early, it probably was the scent of blood and the noisy atmosphere that affected her heightened senses to an annoying degree. She left after that fight but Miles chose to remain to watch the final fight.


    It was on her way out.


    That''s when she saw him, the black wolf and the boy behind the mask sitting by the bus stand waiting for the midnight bus like any normal person would. She was both surprised, curious, and maybe a little interested to know why someone who looked like that would fight in the way the black wolf did. He looked no older than her or Miles, maybe even younger. It was his scent that gave him away, her heightened senses made it easy to identify him after seeing him in the ring up close.


    When she approached him to talk, she found herself unable to move or speak when he turned to look at her. All her instincts screamed at her in unison, her hair stood on end as goosebumps crawled all over her skin. It told her one thing, if she made any movements right now, she would die. It was as if he exuded death with his presence alone.


    Thankfully the bus came, and he walked right in without a word or sparring her a second glance. As he left, she felt herself let out a breath she wasn''t even sure she was holding.


    The next time she''d meet him was by the sidewalk on some random street purely on accident, thankfully whatever threatening feeling she got from him before was no longer there and as luck would have it, she would later discover that he was attending the high school she just enrolled in. It was pure coincidence; he didn''t even seem to remember her at all which stung her pride somewhat.


    It didn''t help when she heard about him from those around her. Apparently, he was the local nerd, one of the smartest students in their class, and a victim of constant bullying by the jocks in Midtown High which only served to confuse her more and increase her fascination with him. None of the students in school seemed to know about his nightlife.


    All of them were not aware of how dangerous Peter was and he gave them no reason to think otherwise.


    It was actually rather funny when she thought about it at that time.


    When she found out about his situation with his aunt and uncle her interest only increased. She watched him every other day when he thought no one was watching, it was simple curiosity at first, she tried approaching him, but he always avoided her attempts with sarcastic remarks. Over time it developed into their usually witty banter with her trying something and him often always rejecting her attempts.


    She noticed something odd about Peter Parker the more she observed him. Peter Parker had no sense of self-preservation, it was the little things, the way he fought in the ring in his black wolf persona, the way he stood an inch too close on the sidewalks every time since their first meeting, or how he moved without paying attention to anything around him as if nothing could hurt.


    She took notice of it only due to her own nature, she had keen instincts in-tune with spirits and other mystical bullshit. If the self-proclaimed Cat Goddess in the totem had anything to say about Peter it was that the child (Peter) was loved by death and that she should stay away from him.


    It had the opposite effect on Felicia than what the Cat Goddess was hoping. She came to understand she and Peter were alike in a way. Two broken teenagers who lost almost everything and so they were doing what they had to do to get by both putting up their own masks in front of everyone around them.


    Although they both had their own reasons for doing what they were doing the principles were the same.


    Her abilities came from a cat totem she had in her possession, bound to her blood and soul. It was something her father stole from a reclusive African tribe, believing it would heal her from her disease when she was younger, a disease that took her mother''s life, something that she inherited from her mother.


    He was right.


    It healed her and did so much more, but it was a little too late by then, he was already knee-deep in debt paying for her alternate treatments, so they had to run. That was what led them to Kingpin.


    After her father was arrested Kingpin promised to let him go and to protect him in prison if she paid her father''s debt in his place, all she had to do was a few jobs every now and then.


    It was easy work, all she had to do was steal a thing, and she''d be paid of course, if anything it was a purely professional relationship. It was during that time two years ago that she met Miles and his uncle as his Arron was working as the Kingpin''s right-hand man at the time.


    Now she had to go stop Miles from making a stupid mistake. She increased he speed and launched herself forward across the urban rooftops.


    ...¡­.


    -Felicia arriving at Peter''s location-


    Felicia dropped down in the alleyway and froze in shock. That feeling she got when she first saw Peter came back in full force.


    "Oh, look more of you¡­" She heard Peter''s voice; his tone was as calm as ever only in the present situation it made her hair stand on edge. Her instincts screamed at her to run now.


    Her heart picked up, hammering in her chest, her hands shook slightly as she clenched it into a fist in response, and one-inch metal claws shot out of the knuckles of her metal gantlets.


    Peter stood in the center of the alley holding Miles''s beaten form up by the throat; Miles''s body looked beaten, and he was bleeding. Eight bodies littered around him with twisted limbs, all beaten and bruised and bleeding as well.


    Bullet holes littered the walls and trash cans all around the alleyway.


    Peter regarded her with a predatory gaze, his eyes taking on a yellow hue that seemed to almost glow in the dark. He tossed Miles into the walk with a resounding crack.


    "I told them not to do it, but they didn''t listen¡­Guess you''re one of them too, huh? Word of advice, clench your teeth, ''cause it''s gonna hurt." Peter''s lips curled up into a slight smile as he spoke.


    "Just, so you know, I''m an avid supporter of gender equality."


    "Wait-."


    Peter shimmered out of her sight in a burst of speed before she could finish speaking.


    Her instincts warned her to move. Darkness filled her vision before she could even attempt to react.


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 42: Attack on Hero Part 9

    -Peter''s hideout an hour later-


    Peter laid back on the edge of the roof with his attacker''s cat like mask on his face. Tied up to his left next to him were the two of the stronger attackers among those that cornered him. They here tied onto the one of the chimneys of the roof held in


    The male one in purple and the other female in black with the cat like mask. Miles''s mask was discarded on the floor not far from their them. He quite surprise to when he discovered who they were but not entirely shocked with that knowledge. He had his suspicion the moment he laid eyes on their form. Cypher was becoming increasingly effective with its profiling of individuals into detailed bio-data based on his observations since his recent deep dive into the meta-verse.


    Their height, visual data, voice, auditory data, and many other little snippets of information were compiled by Cypher through the use of his heightened senses and put through various simulations and Meta-Verse sweep to identify them without their mask on. The easily identifiable faces of the thugs were a dead giveaway too.


    From that he had a rough idea of what exactly went down and why they attacked him. Sadly, for them they didn''t realize just who he was yet, but they would find out, he quickly realized he could use their situation to his advantage.


    After identified and taking care of his attacker''s he decided it would be in his best interest to have a little chat with the two he deemed the strongest of the group. The rest of their gangs were locked in their own vehicles via crystallized blood binding them to their seats in that alleyway.


    They''re binding would dissipate in the next few hours; by then he would be done with the two he had dangling over the roof.


    Peter remained slouched against the edge of the roof, laying back with one leg over the edge with his face facing the sky, while he waited patiently for his ''guests'' to wake up; using the time he had to surf the meta-verse.


    His pupils glowing bright neon blue behind the cat mask.


    He checked in on Fisk''s situation using the various security cams in the hospital wing he was in. The big man was still out for the count, but his pulse was steady and according to the doctors file''s he''d be up in a few days.


    After making sure he had everything he needed he dove into the darker parts of the meta-verse and government domains for any information he might need regarding the two he had tied up.


    His virtual clones worked wonders.


    A few minutes later their twitching got his attention, slowly the two came to and realized their position, glancing at Peter and then to their masks.


    Miles was the second to wake up as Felicia has been faking her unconscious state for the last thirteen minutes, maybe she thought Peter wouldn''t notice if she did and Peter gave her no reason to think otherwise.


    Peter noticed though the moment her breathing pattern changed.


    Miles struggled against his bindings violently attempting to break through them. Whatever he wanted to say was muffled by the bindings covering his mouth which made him try even harder. He glared at Peter furiously as he squirmed against the invisible bandages that tied him in place.


    Felicia was the first to let out a long sigh before whispering under her breath. She leaned back into the concrete chimney as she spoke.


    "Miles, you idiot."


    Peter didn''t see the need to bind her mouth as he did miles as he pictured her as the more levelheaded of the two.


    Miles threw her a bewildered accusatory look. His face sporting a few bruises here and there as he winced in pain from his own movements. His muffled cries told her all she needed to know as he motioned between her and Peter who remained sleeping comfortably at the edge of roof.


    "You just couldn''t help it could you? Hey, Stopping moving if he wanted to kill us, we''d be dead already¡­ isn''t that right Parker" Felicia stated looking towards the teen.


    Peter separated from cypher and pushed himself up in response, his cat like mask turning to regard the two in silence as he nodded.


    "So, it''s Parker now huh? Aww, and here I thought we were pals, I mean we just had coffee today and now you''re with this idiot trying to kill me. You really shouldn''t lead a guy on like that, might just break my heart." Peter replied with a chuckle.


    "Your one to talk, I thought you were just some messed up nerdy boy scout from my chemistry class but now? This whole new vibe you''re giving off? It looks good no you. And hey, next time you wanna knock me out and tie me up all tight like this, all you have to do is ask me Peter, I don''t mind." Felicia replied with a coy smile and a flirty squirm, she leaned into the neon glow, her curves and chest catching the light just right.


    Miles let out a muffled curses still struggling against his bindings, flinching in pain as he tried. His gaze followed Peters movements with barely contained rage.


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    Peter eyebrow twitched under the cat like mask. He wasn''t sure whether it was annoyance or interest.


    Felicia knew she was beautiful and knew how to leverage that to her advantage even in a situation like this. His previous thoughts were correct, she had those jocks in school completely under her spell.


    He would be too if it was him from a few weeks ago, now he didn''t have the same reaction to charm and beauty or rather his ability to feel attraction or interacted with things considered beautiful the way he had before. He was aware of it but he it wasn''t the same, he had Cyphers'' enhancements to thank for that. In order to optimize his brain functions certain chemical alteration within his brain had to take place and the results as he was discovering were quite interesting.


    He regarded her with amused smile behind the mask.


    Peter walked up to her and leaned in until they were close enough to feel each other''s breath if he didn''t have the cat mask on.


    Felicia kept her smile on as she watched him. Peter''s eyes lit up with a soft neon blue glow.


    "Felicity Hardy," he began, much to her confusion. "Born Felicia Sarah Hardy also known as a freelance thief for hire with affiliations to the Thieves Guild among others, they call you the Black Cat, very cool, it actually fits you perfectly. Your mother, Lydia Hardy is deceased and your dad, Walter Hardy is currently serving a life sentence, I''m guessing he was your partner because there were mentions of you working in a team for a while. That''s what we could dig up. Everything else was just useless trivia, nothing concrete. You moved around a lot as a child so there was nothing there to find aside from your medical records. That was confusing to look at to cause you''re looking pretty healthy for some one with an incurable disease. You have a quite the record with the police and feds too; both as black cat and your civilian identity, I''m guessing that''s why you changed your name although I can''t understand why you chose to go back to high school. And your name too, why take that risk? From where I''m standing there''s no need for it. But what I can''t understand is why you''re with him though." Peter narrated as he turned to Miles, each word spoken as it was fact, the more he spoke the more Felicia''s smile dropped from her face into a look of shock and surprised that quickly morphed into anger. She didn''t answer him, one could see the cogs turning in her head.


    It wasn''t hard for Peter to find everything he could on her on the meta-verse. Her attire helped him identify her other activities as some law enforcement agencies had records of their work despite them ever only being caught once. The time that left her dad in prison, but she managed to get away it.


    Felicia remained silent as Peter spoke, listening to him with wide angry eyes. Watching him carefully, as if she was seeing him for the first time.


    Peter turned from her and regarded Miles with a passing glance.


    Miles continued to glare at him with wild movements and harsh mumbles muffled by the bindings on his mouth.


    Peter didn''t need to know what he was saying to know what he was saying.


    "Who are you?" Felicia asked Peter cautiously, her previous friendly flirty demeanor quickly faded as her tone of voice reflected such, lacking the playful charm it once held. It dawned on that Peter knew more about her she knew about him. The information he had shouldn''t be possible to acquire if Peter was just some random teen that took part in illegal fights for cash.


    "For now, Peter Parker from chemistry class. After this... That depends entirely on your answer. Don''t worry, I won''t hurt you, much." Peter joked; however, Felicia didn''t smile. Peter turned to the glaring Miles. He waved his hand over Felicia''s face, commanding his bandages to wrap around her mouth as he wanted a one-on-one conversation with Miles.


    Felicia let out a muffled hum and quirked an eyebrow at Peter as if to ask him, ''Really?". Peter ignored her as he focused his attention on Miles.


    "But you, you want to kill me, don''t you? it''s funny, I actually laughed when I figured out why" Peter chuckled further enraging the teen.


    "Miles Gonzalo Morales, you''re Father''s a cop, Jefferson Morales, he died on duty. Your mother, Rio Morales is a nurse, I''m guessing she doesn''t know what you do when you''re with your uncle huh? Quite the colorful rep sheet with the NYPD, your gangs notorious, Prowler... Oh Yeah, that was surprising. You know I didn''t really mean to hurt your uncle. If anything, he attacked me first, I just lost control after he shot me, but that doesn''t matter to you. No, all you care about is that I shattered his spine, his never gonna walk again. It was probably my fault; I didn''t have much control over my strength back then." Miles''s muffled cries and enraged glare increased in intensity as he struggled even harder against his bindings.


    "Don''t do that..." Peter commented softly. "Believe it or not I''m trying to help you here. If you keep trying to kill me, I''ll just have to kill you and your little gang, maybe your uncle too because, I, hate complicated situations developing when I can simply end it at its source. Honestly, all these random encounters are getting to tiring to deal with and besides you''re not exactly innocent are you. So, what will it be? Listen to what I have to say or do you want to test out the alternative." Peter offered Miles, his tone of voice never once changing form its monotonous hum adding made his proposition was beginning to intimidate the purple clad teen. It didn''t help that his bandages and increasing miasma both enhanced and refined his intent kill Miles, bringing about an unsettling presence around Peter that invoked the feeling of death in Miles.


    "Just so the both of you are aware, one of three things will happen tonight, I will give you a deal and you will work for me, willingly or unwilling, you can choose. The only other alternative is dying up here. So, if I were you, I''d choose wisely." Unseen to the two the miasma around Peter thickened and spread.


    It was so potent that Miles envisioned Peter''s fist plunged into his chest as bright yellow eyes looked observed him without even a hint of remorse.


    Miles blinked himself back into reality; his breathing uneven and heavy. He found himself starring at Peter standing a foot away from him with Felicia''s kabuki cat mask still in place, Miles felt himself freeze momentarily, he felt himself still tied up and glanced down to check for a hole in his chest only to find that everything was still the same nothing changed.


    Miles calmed himself down a moment later, glancing back at Peter with renewed fear and caution. Miles turned to Felicia to see if she was affected but seemed she wasn''t, if her quirking an eyebrow in question was any indication; if she was affected by it, she kept her reaction hidden well. His sudden shift in attitude told Peter all Peter need to know.


    "How about it? are your both willing to hear me out?" Peter asked. He wasn''t going to kill, he couldn''t even if he tried, not until they pushed him to that end. Pushed him enough to consider them anything but human. But they didn''t need to know that.


    The two tied up teens glanced at each other as if to confirm each other''s choice then back at Peter and slowly nodded.


    Peter took a few steps back and pulled the cat mask off.


    "Cool, onto the deal then."


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 43: Attack on Hero Part 10

    -Peter the following day-


    (September, 11am)


    The streets were bustling with activity as Peter waked through with a warm cup of coffee in hand.


    Peter was heading to meet up with Miles today. After yesterday''s incident was sorted out, Peter, Miles and Felicia came to an agreement of sorts.


    The deals he offered them were simple, for Miles; he offered to heal his uncle and protect his mum. He also offered to help his gang rise up the ranks; all he had to do was join Babylon. Either that or Peter would force them to join via sin shard or kill them all to keep his secrets.


    Miles answer to that was predictable, he said yes but he had to talk it out with his uncle first, that was the reason for today''s meeting.


    As for Felicia, Peter offered to free her dad from prison, give him a whole new identity and wipe his previous one from every virtual database on earth, her identity too if the need ever arises and protect them both from whatever means to harm them. Her alternative was the same as the one he offered Miles. She asked for some time to think about it and he agreed but her answer was already a give because of the alternatives.


    They were both skeptical of course, neither seemed to really believe his proposition at face value at first but he promised to prove it to them once they accepted and when the alternative was death or servitude against your will, the alternative was far better.


    Just to be sure, he infected them both with a dormant sin shard; something similar to the one that was in Aunt May but more volatile. He did the same for Miles men, their shards were dormant and they only insured that they would not betray him in any way. They were unaware of the shard within them unlike Miles and Felicia.


    He couldn''t take the risk of letting them go since they already knew him, his name and his face.


    However there was one thing he forgot to mention about dormant shards, that if they had the shard in them when they were near death it would activate to itself to protect the host body granting them variant abilities similar to his Bloodborne persona. An added bonus was that he could track their locations in real time.


    He promised to remove the shards when their deal was complete, after a brief discussion he left them to their thoughts and made his way home. Neither of them attempted to follow him this time around.


    With the shard in them there was no where they could run where he couldn''t chase them. If they did, he was amusingly contemplating if he should send Garfield after them or not. Actually, he couldn''t wait to introduce the two to Garfield in particular, he wondered how they would react to a talking cat that fed on humans. It would be hilarious, with the way Garfield was attempting to replicate human speech by mimicking human vocal muscles and organs it always came of as creepily unsettling when the cat spoke because it couldn''t seem to get it right.


    Sometimes it would be a deep male voice, other times a meek female voice or a child''s, most times thought when he spoke it came of as numerous people of all ages speaking in unison.


    Peter informed Miles and Felicia to meet him at the location they were at which was coincidently the roof of his hideout in a week so that they could meet the other members of Babylon. Fisk would be up by then and Yuriko would be released from the hospital.


    He found it funny, how convenient this was for him, here he was looking for new member''s and two of them decided to pop right up and attack him in some random alley. Granted they had their reasons, but a win was a win.


    Now he had four members already, maybe his Parker luck was finally looking up.


    A sudden chill ran down Peter''s spine with that thought, he blinked rapidly as he paused and glanced around him on high alert. There was nothing out of the ordinary, oddly enough the chill vanished the instant he took notice, his instincts told him nothing too.


    ''No, no, nope, I take it back, let''s not jinx this yet,'' Peter thought to himself with a resigned breath.


    He made his way to the bus stand to wait for the next bus. It was one of the few mundane things he enjoyed doing. If he wanted to he could get to Miles in a matter of seconds if he needed wanted to but he didn''t, he just wanted to ride the bus there.


    He mind drifted off to Gwen momentarily, if that old witch lady was right she should be back already or sometime time soon. Either way, he would drop by her address to see her about that after this.


    A light sniffle accompanied by light childlike giggles interrupted his musings.


    "Yak, hahaha, sniff, that smells terrible, how can you drink that? That so weird."


    Peter turned to the person speaking and found it was a little girl, no older then twelve. A very strange little girl: she was dressed in a full body bunny suit that was bright blue in color complete with an adorable bunny bag and her hood pulled up as the two large fluffy bunny ears bounced with her every movement. She wore an array of colorful bunny hair pins holding back bright blue hair and her eyes mismatched, one side was green and the other amber brown. She smiled mischievously at him.


    "Well that just rude, I''ll have you know it''s an acquired taste. At least I''m not the one dressed like a weirdo, ever heard of a mirror." Peter replied with a smile of his own.


    "Ah! Rude! Meanie! I was just asking a question, hmm! And I''ll have you know I look absolutely, wonderfully adorable, maybe your stinky human eyes can''t tell but I''m a goddess. Now apologies you, you ugly weirdo, filthy human, mortal scum, apologize to your better," The girl replied huffing at him with folded arms, the child glared up at him expectantly.


    "A goddess, you don''t say, well forgive me your godliness but I refuse, maybe you should apologize first, you are the one that spoiled my drink first." Peter kept his smile up as he watched the girl tilt her head up, lifting her nose high in an act of superiority as she hummed to herself.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Hmm, hmm, hmmm, foolish human, a goddess doesn''t cower before mere mortals. I am above the, thou must kneel before me and apologize or suffer my wraith." The girl demanded in what she deemed an authoritative voice, it came at as anything but intimidating, with her head held high as she continued to glare at Peter.


    "I see, I see, very reasonable and does this goddess have a human name?" Peter asked her, he was doing his best serious face but thanks to fool''s mask pretending was breeze.


    "But of course it is Kelly McGrath¡­" she answered with another huff only to blink rapidly after realizing her mistake.


    "wait, wait, wait, wait. No! it''s Sekhmet, my name is Sekhmet. Hey? H-hey, w-what are you doing?" The girl tried to correct herself but Peter was already dialing a number on his phone with his free end.


    "Hello police, I''d like to report a lost child here, her name¡­yes its¡­" Peter began speaking into the phone after dialing the number.


    "Ghaaa! Stop it! Hey! Cut that out. Hey? Stop ignoring meeeee!¡­." The girl, Kelly started to panic, pulling on Peter''s leg as he continued to speak into the phone.


    ....


    -Seven minutes later-


    Peter sat next to Kelly on the bench as they both waited for the next bus in silence. Kelly sniffing slightly as she chewed on gummy bears Peter got her as a peace offering. Peter could hear her cursing him under her breath. She sent a teary-eyed glare at Peter every now and then but would quickly look away when he turned.


    Turns out she was heading to the hospital too. She ran away for the day, but she had to go back before the cops and her doctor found out she was missing, she''d be in big trouble if that happened. Peter agreed to take her back to the hospital with him if she behaved.


    Which was what led them here.


    She cleared her throat repeatedly to get his attention.


    "Umm, whats your na-" she stopped short. Blinking sharply as if remembering something than after clearing her through again and sitting up straighter she spoke in a haughty tone.


    " I-I mean, isn''t it customary for humans to introduce themselves before asking for another person''s name."


    Peter turned to the girl and answered. "It''s Peter, Peter Parker."


    The girl''s eyes widened a fraction, her mouth dropped open strangle, as she stared at him with an odd mix star struck and fascination.


    "Eeeeeeehhhh! Are you really?!" she squealed in delight, her eyes lighting up with wonder like she was a kid seeing their hero for the first time.


    Peter left eyebrow quirked up in question as the girl quickly calmed herself down.


    "I mean sure, whatever, it''s a nice name." Though she said it with her usually haughty tone, she still had a large smile on her face.


    "Where do you go to school? Human, Peter Parker," she asked after a while.


    "Hmm, Midtown High." Peter answered her.


    "Is that close by?"


    "No, it''s pretty far from here."


    "How old are you."


    "I''m seventeen, how old are you?"


    "It''s rude to ask a woman about her age you know."


    "Oh, my apologies then godly one."


    "Oh, oh, I see you finally see the errors of your ways human. Good, good, now you shall serve me and do my bidding. This goddess demand''s satisfaction, as such I would require more gummy bears."


    "Where are you putting that? I just got you a whole packet."


    "Silence human! I want more gummies! Gimme! More! Candy! Or ice-cream, Actually I think I want ice-cream now! Human scum fetch me my sustenance."


    "Hello, police."


    "WAAAAIIIT! I''m sorry, please forgive me."


    They both left a few minutes later when the bus arrived.


    ....


    -At the hospital-


    Peter dropped Kelly off shortly after their arrival, her doctor and nurses were there to greet her, and she got bombarded with questions and disappointing looks from them after they thanked Peter for bringing her back.


    It was when they left that she called out after him. He turned and waved as she shouted. "Peter, I forgot to tell you, This Goddess is a huge fan of yours. Those useless writers ruined the later issues with their bullshit but your still my favorite. I can''t wait for you to meet my big brother. It''ll be a blast, I''ll find you later kay?." She waved at him from down the corridor as she quickly reprimanded for her use of language by the adults around her immediately after.


    Their actions made her curse even louder.


    ''What a weird kid.'' he thought.


    Peter shook his head in bemusement as he waved her goodbye and went on his way.


    ....


    Somewhere in the hospital miles sat next to his uncle who was in a wheelchair as they waited for Peter to arrive. Their expressions were solemn as Miles explained the events of the previous night to his uncle.


    ....


    Outside New York Felicia drove past the gates of a heavily guarded prison on her bike. Many armed guards could be seen manning the walls as she made her way in. She was here to visit her dad.


    .....


    In a VIP hospital suite, Wilson Fisk''s monitor blinked with renewed activity getting the attention of one James Wesley as he hastily called the doctors to come check on him.


    .....


    Somewhere in New York one Yuriko Watanabe was seconds away from punching her therapist as she sat on a couch comfortably listening to her diagnosis.


    ....


    For beyond the known universe, at the edges of the boundary a single crack could be found, a fissure in reality from outside no bigger than a centimeter and thinner than the space that folded within it. Eldritch energy forced the fissure open and held it in place, but it grew no bigger.


    It was an error on the world of Marvel and the world was struggling to correct itself.


    On the other side of the wall that separated worlds within the space between countless dimensions a strange being chuckled slightly.


    "Huh, what are the odds of that?" it spoke in a voice that was sounded like many different people were speaking at the same time. It blinked in surprise after the fissure he created snapped back shut.


    The shockwave displaced the space around the wall.


    It cursed soon after as the fissure healed due to his momentary distraction. But then again who wouldn''t be distracted after what it just discovered.


    It''s not every day one gets to meet Peter Parker, Spiderman himself in the flesh. It''s fan-gasm aside it had to hurry, that damn fragment was already making moves. Peter Parker didn''t know what it was yet, but it was already acting up to ensure its host would be sufficiently strong enough to face it.


    Beyonder_Zenith+ fragments sure were freakishly powerful, combined with the fact that it was an Origin class elevated it to a whole new level of power. It needed to invoke the Law of unity and ensure its right to claim before the host got any stronger. It could handle the restrictions placed by the Admin and the Guardian as it was.


    As longs as the fragment''s integration compatibility level in the lower percentile it would win. It was sure the Peter''s integration level was on the lower side, not every being could bond with an origin and take it up to two digits. Its own fragment integration was within the two digits limit.


    It was accepted that any creature above the two-digit percentile with an origin class Beyonder_Zenith+ fragment would be impossibility in an of itself. There were no origin class Fragments holders out there with that level of compatibility, it would be unprecedented if one were to be born.


    It was confident it could win a confrontation with this fragments host- it was just sad it had to be Peter freaking Parker of all people.


    It had to break through this damn wall before their fusion rate reached high levels and consume the Origin while he still had the higher fusion level. It was his only edge against the origin fragment.


    It was the only way it could go home, To bad Spider-Man had to die for it to accomplish its goal.


    ....


    On earth deep within Peter''s psyche, IT twitched slightly.


    {


    Host detail


    Name: Peter Benjamin Parker


    Integration_Compatibility_100%


    Fable Fusion_Phase_3_Integration_37%


    }


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 44: Attack on Hero Part 11

    -In the Hospital with Peter-


    (November 2pm)


    Peter and Aaron calmly regarded each other. Aaron was seated in a wheel chair pushed by Miles as the teen stood behind his uncle in silence observing the two.


    Miles''s uncle, Aaron looked sickly pale and thin, he wore the standard pale blue shirt and long pants standard for recovering patients, he had an oval face and angular features. He was a roguishly handsome man in his late twenties sporting a dark scar just below his left eye that arched diagonally across his nose stopping short of reaching the lower half of his right eye.


    He had a soft grey blanket over his legs, hiding anything for the waist down from view.


    Not far from them the Television was replaying reports of Iron Man and Captain America teaming up to stop a super villain with golden horns sharply dressed in an green, black and gold fantasy armor a few days ago. Both parties ignored the news.


    "I remember you, kid. I didn''t see it before. Yeah, I gotta admit, I made a mistake judgin'' you by how you look on the outside, look where its got me, I''m paying for that mistake right now." Aaron jested softly, his lips tilting up slightly into a controlled regretful smile.


    "Who''d have thought we''d meet again, life''s funny that way. Be real with me kid, what do you want from us?" Aaron asked the Peter.


    "Miles didn''t explain it enough for you?" Peter replied, he arched an eyebrow at being called a ''kid'', sparing his fellow teen a glance. Miles flipped him off in response to his question.


    "Fu-"Miles words were interrupted by his uncle.


    "Oh, I heard what my boy said and thats'' all good. But now I wanna hear what you got to say for yourself. A man''s bond is only as strong as his word, so I''ma make my own judgment after I hear your game. " Aaron declared without fear despite his physical state of being confined to a wheel chair. If he felt anything at all he didn''t let it slip past the stoic mask he had up.


    He held Peter''s gaze as he spoke.


    Peter took a moment to think things over before answering Aaron with a nonchalant shrug. "I need friends, it''s as simple as that, good friends, loyal friends. In return for that friendship, I''ll make my friends rich and powerful. Not the kind of power you''ll get by holding a gun to someone''s head. No, I''ll give you something that''ll even playing field with those superhero''s out there."


    He motioned to the TV with the replay of Captain America and Iron Man as he spoke, Peter walked over and pulled close a white plastic chair. He turned the chair before taking a sit with his hands resting on the top back of the chair.


    "And as you already know, your boy''s attacked me¡­and in doing so forced my hand. So now we''ll both have to deal with the hand we''re dealt. I''ll offer you two alternative''s to both protect my identity and insure your continued survival by securing your help. Join Babylon and live with money and really cool super powers or refuse and die. What will it be Prowler? Will you be my friend?" Peter finished with a question.


    Aaron chuckled before replying calmly. "Your one crazy kid aren''t you?¡­"


    Aaron leaned forward, his back a little straighter as spoke.


    "See, Anyone can talk a big game, I''ve heard it all before, seen worse too. I need a little more then just your word and petty threats, I hope you understand that I can''t just drop everything and join you and yours cause some crazy ass powered kid walks in and threatens to kill me. I maybe down but I ain''t out of the game yet and I sure as sure as hell ain''t stupid. Now I''m not gonna bite the hand that''s offered to me while I''m down, that would be stupid. But I wanna know that hand thats offering to pick me up. You said you wanted friends, well, good friends gotta learn to trust each other. The kind of trust that''s earned. The kind of trust that inspires loyalty. That''s what you want right?"


    "Alright Shoot, how do you want me to earn that trust?" Peter asked Arron.


    After a few seconds of pause Arron offered an ultimatum. "Wilson Fisk, get me in room with Wilson Fisk alone and then we talk. If your guys, Babylon can do that, well join you, no questions asked, if you can''t, you let us go."


    "How do I know you won''t run?"


    "You can hook me up with that special crystal of yours, just like you did for Miles. I''ll let you infect me until that meet-up goes down. But until then, you best keep your distance from me and mine and we''ll do the same for you and yours. Thats the deal, you either take it or end us here." A sudden tense atmosphere washed over the three as a haunting silence settled.


    Miles knuckles tightened against the handle of his uncles wheelchair. His uncle slipped a hand under his blanket.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Peter sighed softly before contemplating his next move. Although he considered infecting them outright the simulations for their relationship in the long runs were terrible, they would be loyal sure but the cost of that loyalty would be fleeting in the long run. There was some truth to Aaron''s words too, if he was in Aaron''s shoes he wouldn''t accept an offer from some weird punk ass kid with delusions of grandeur even if it killed him, especially when the kid threatening also put made you paralytic for the rest of your life. He couldn''t outright kill them because of his restrictions; he still considered them human.


    A toothy grin made wormed its way into his expression. He reflexively scratched the back of his head.


    Of all the names they could have given him, They had to call out Wilson Fisk.


    "One week, give us a week. That''s all I''ll need¡­ Hell I''ll even heal you just to prove a point¡­So we have a deal." Peter offered as he stood up and moved over to Arron. He bite his right thump hard enough to draw blood. Aaron and Miles observed with interest as the blood levitated above his left palm before solidifying into a bright crimson crystal shard pulsing ambient with energy.


    He reached his right out for a handshake with the man.


    "My word is my bond kid, you do that and we''re in." He grabbed Peter''s outstretched hand and shook it firmly.


    "My names Peter, not kid, and remember, if you back out on this, you will die. There will be no second chances, isn''t that right Cypher?" Peter asked aloud.


    The TV started blinking as if it took a life of its own, getting the attention of the uncle and nephew duo.


    ''Thats right'' in bold Times New Roman were printed on it in blue as multiple videos of their crew, including Miles mom and their time in the hospital in the present was displayed in real time.


    ''Cypher knows Best.'' The printed words continued.


    "Now clench your teeth. Miles you might wanna hold him down, this is gonna hurt."


    ....


    -Location Unknown-


    (November 2:45pm)


    "Are you sure about him cat? I still have some connections with the guild, you could run, forget about me, I''ll be alright" Walter Hardy spoke in hashed worried tones to his beloved daughter though the phone line. They were separated only by a thick layer of tempered glass.


    He was an aged old man with kind eye''s that didn''t suit his image as a notorious wanted criminal in super max prison. Untrimmed and wild pale blond hair covered his head and face, he had a slick but bushy beard with long blond hair that held their untamed quality despite his attempts to brush it back.


    "No, Walter, I told you it''s alright. I can deal with this on my own, besides it''s to late for me to run now. He''s already got something on me." Felicia Hardy reassured her dad as best she could after explaining recent events.


    "I know how this sounds Walter but trust me on this. It''s one of my feelings again, Peter won''t hurt me, not unless I give him a reason to and running is a reason. I only felt something like this for one other person and that was Ava."


    Walter blinked in surprise with the mention of that name. Suddenly moving closer to the glass.


    "Ava? But that''s impossible. Is he?" he asked Felicia.


    "No, he isn''t, I thought he was at first but, his something else entirely." Felicia spoke softly. She paused as if trying to find to the words to best describe the walking enigma that was Peter Parker to her dad.


    "Wait, don''t tell me?" Walter''s eyes lit with something only a father would know, but his daughter caught on quickly.


    "D-Walter no, it''s not like that."


    "Felicia darling, I didn''t say anything"


    "Your eyes say it all, get your head out of the gutter you perv. It''s just a working relationship. I fell like he really help us here. Okay, thats all there is to it. Don''t make this weird."


    Walter sighed and messaged the bridge of his nose. " Alright, alright, your life''s yours, I won''t pry, but I''m just saying, back in the day before I met your mother, I had some pretty spicy-"


    "Oh god, please not this again" Felicia groaned as she felt Walter trying to impart some fatherly wisdom.


    *bzzzzt*


    A buzzer went off signaling the last ten minute mark of visiting time. A solemn silence fell over the two for moment as the found simple comfort in each others presence; an estranged daughter and a convict father.


    Walter began shortly after softly placing his hand on the other side of the glass. Felicia mirrored his actions.


    " Okay. You know I trust your instincts kitten but I just wanna be sure. If you feel like you can handle this than your old enough to make your own choice with your client ell. I''m just worried about you that''s all. Just do what you can, nothing more."


    "I know¡­Walter, I will. I''ll get you out of here soon. I promise." Felicia felt a sudden chill travel down her spine as she said that.


    ...


    -New York: On a train-


    ( 4:10pm)


    Yuriko Watanabe sat in a train wearing a hoody, with cap and glasses to hide her identity from the public. She did her best to calm herself down after that disastrous first therapy session. She may have got on the wrong section of the train cause around her sat dozens of other kids from schools she didn''t now.


    She took deep calm herself down, the noise atmosphere helped distract her somewhat. The train exited the tunnel onto a bridge allowing her to look out on the streets. Suddenly she froze still, her newly enhanced eye sight picking up something in the distance that over the horizon. Just above the newly completed Stark building.


    "What the hell is that?" she heard one of the adults say out loud as the noise train grew silent, every one moving to her side of the widow to get a gimps at what she was looking at. If they could see it too then she knew she wasn''t some vivid day dream or hallucination.


    This was real.


    ...¡­


    -On the roof of the Hospital-


    (4:10 pm)


    After dealing with Prowlers Peter left them to visit his Aunt and Garfield. He spent an hour with them doing the usual routines, he changed the vase with new flowers, cleaned up whatever the nurses missed and talked to her about whatever came to mind for a while before stepping onto the roof for some launch. Three extra-large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese. He was already down to his last piece because that glutton Garfield gobbled up a whole box before heading down to return to may''s side.


    All things considered today was an good day for him. He helped some weird kid out, solidified his first recruitment and spent some time with his aunt. Cypher was busy at work after his little stunt/prank on the Prowlers. His algorithm was still crawling the meta-verse undetected with a hand full of candidates already. He added a few subcategories to the algorithm to sweep for other possible options to cover more ground and increase the number of possible candidates he could recruits.


    Right now he had forty five sub categories running with the main sweep.


    His thoughts wondered over to Felicia; she was the only one he hadn''t got an answer form. But only time can tell what her choice would be.


    As he was finishing his last slice of pizza his instincts buzzed to life. The pizza fell slice form his hands onto the road a couple floors down. Peter followed his instinctual pull and turned sharply to the left.


    There beyond the horizon of the city streets stood the illustrious stark tower and above it the skies raptured.


    A bright beam of blue light lit up the cloudy skies and painted in its place a starry night. What could only be described as a portal tore its way open and from it gigantic metal beasts wormed there way out flanked by tiny swarms of armored creatures diving out of torn spatial fracture like a swarm of bee''s from a bee hive.


    Shortly after the light show the sky began burning with multiple explosions as lightning streaks struck down from a storm less sky leaving charred corps in its wake.


    "AAAaarrrrrgggh" Peter groaned back in protest as he fell back on his back. "So much for a good day, damn Parker Luck." He complained to himself as he began to send mental orders to Garfield.


    ...¡­


    (Chapter End)


    {


    Arron Davis


    Sin of Sloth


    Branch: Inertia


    Sin Shard: (Dormant-Sealed)


    }


    {


    Miles G. Morales


    Sin of Envy


    Branch: Rivalry


    Sin Shard: (Dormant-Sealed)


    }


    {


    Felicia Sarah Hardy


    Sin of Lust


    Branch: Wonder-lust


    Sin Shard: (Dormant-Sealed)


    }

 Chapter 45: Attack on Hero Part 12

    -New York City-


    The bustling city of New York looked not different than an active war zone as countless armored monsters swarmed out of the literal hole in the sky. Explosions painted the sky with fire and smoke as lighting struck down with the wrath of a god targeting the swarm charring anything foolish enough to exit the portal a charred ashen black as electricity crackled all over their farm. The alien feels like flies, a few leviathans and countless foot soldiers dropped from the sky crashing into the city below.


    A god stood among the falling bodies, his red cape and blond hair blowing with the familiar winds of a higher altitude as his silver armor crackled with electricity, his hand was held above his head, in it was his only weapon, a large hummer connected to a short handle. Above him a storm took form as dark clouds increased rapidly letting out thunderous roars with blue streaks of lighting. The lightning was drawn to him like moths to a flame, each streak increasing in intensity and frequency as the struck his hummer.


    The god swung brought his hummer forward and pointed it towards Stark Tower that was at the epicenter of this chaos, he shot forward towards the tower soon after.


    Not far from the flying god lingered another form, one of red and gold, the signature colors of Iron-man was zipping around the skies of New York, systematically maneuvering his way through the storm as he attacked. His armored form let out beams of concentrated energy from his armored palms blasting the swarming aliens as he retreated to streets to avoid being boxed in by their numbers. The back and shoulder pads of his armor opened to let out hundreds of mini explosive projectiles that lit up the skies again with fire and smoke. The explosions shook the streets too, widows broke, and more aliens rained down from the sky recking the streets with their blue plasma bolts.


    A quinjet flew in to provide the fleeing iron man with support, its guns open fired into with destructive precision taking out much of the swarm behind Iron man. It wasn''t long before the quinjet received heavy fire by the swarm. One of its wings were blown out by a lucky plasma bolt sending it spinning to the streets below.


    The Chitauri have begun their attack on earth and the team that would later be known as earths mightiest heroes made their first stand.


    Loki watched all this unfold with a sickening grin on the highest floors of Stark Tower, his deep green eyes reflected nothing but delight, pleasure, and cruelty. He seemed to bask in the chaos he caused like an artist admiring their finished artwork. He stood on the edges of the outstretched heliport dressed in armor like that of the lighting clad god but wore a black and green leather trench coat that was adorned with ruins but instead of a red cape, his golden horns glinted in the sun light much like the armor his army. He gleefully watched the final steps of his plan unfold before him. His scepter in hand with the bright blue jewel at the tip glowing ominously.


    ''Mortals, such sickening weak creatures'' the Norse god of mischief and magic thought to himself. ''In the face of their doom they cower and scatter like the bugs they are. How utterly amusing, what you find worthy in this lowly pest is something I ''ll never understand. I wonder¡­ What will you do now oh bother of mine now that I have come to take away your toys? Your beloved, humans, come brother, show me their worth. Show me your resolve, are truly willing to die for them again. Come face me once more and despair for it is not I that shall be their undoing.''


    The god of mischief watched his brother propel himself into the sky with his mighty hummer, lighting, thunder, and storm following him into battle. He watched his companions fall in to defend this city and smiled as his brother brought down the bulk of his Chitauri army before pointing his hummer at Loki. ''Even now he stands above them and yet he pretends to be their equal, pathetic'' Loki chuckled lightly as he turned to make his way back into Stark tower. It was time for the final confrontation with his brother and it seemed that his brother was still the sentimental fool he was when they last fought.


    This planet really brought out the best in his brother and to the end the worst in the god of mischief it would seem. Loki was by no means cruel or malicious, no, this was just fun, a game of sorts, that was all there was to it. Well, fun and maybe with a bit of personal and family drama, after all, every king, even a banished one needed a kingdom to rule.


    If he couldn''t have Asguard, then he''d have the next best thing, his brothers treasured toy world, Earth. He never could stand it when Thor got the better toy, in fact, he always made it a habit to steal some of his brother''s toys when they were younger whenever he was angry with Thor, he''d even go so far as to destroy others he couldn''t have for pranks and other shenanigans. It was all fun and games in the end as mother and father would always get him something new or something even better than the last and he''d be stuck doing lessons and chores for mother for the weeks. They were a family than. That was all this was.


    A family matter, just another quarrel in their endless brotherly rivalry. Loki chuckled once mare as he made his way into Stark tower. The humans and Chitauri were merely a means to an end.


    All that was left was for his ever-predictable brother to show up then the real battle could begin. ''Ah, what was it that humans say? speak of the devil and he shall appear?'' Loki thought as his brother came crashing into the floor behind him, his form bathing in lightning that crackled around him. The influx of energy caused the lights in the room to burst in a shower of sparks.


    *Clap, Clap, Clap*


    "Bravo brother, bravo, what an entrance? It was shall we say, very heroic." Loki smiled smugly at his brother Thor before asking. "Love what I''ve done with the place?"


    Thor glared at Loki grimly, his eyes burned with fury for his brother. His knuckles turning white from his grip.


    "What you''ve done?" Thor whispered in disbelief. "Have you gone mad brother?! This could lead to war brother. turn off the Tesseract and Call of the Chitauri now."


    "Or you''ll what, kill me? Please, brother mine~, we''ve played this game before and yet here I am. There will be no peace, let there be War befitting for a Kings Crown. My ascension begins here." Loki taunted Thor arms spread much like the chaos he brought with him; he took measure steps closer to his enraged brother.


    "DO NOT TEST ME BROTHER. This is no mere game; this is nothing but madness. This goes beyond any of your tricks. This is not who you are. You are a son of Odin not some common war monger. These Chitauri serve only one master¡­ and HE is using you Loki. Do not let him lead you astray lest you fall like his many children. Come home. Leave this world and its people be and let us return to our own. Do not force my hand brother, there are things here that I wish to protect even from you." Thor pleaded with Loki with a look of genuine concern.


    But his pleas fell to deaf ears as his brother all but laughed in his face. "Hahaha, brother it is I who''s using him. Nothing more, nothing less, I needed an army, and he was happy to provide me what I need. Now this planet will fall, and my kingdom shall rise from its ashes."


    "You would enslave an entire race for an empty seat and tainted crown. Look around you brother. This is the makings of a cruel Tyrant not a just King. I will ask you this once more. Loki Odinson, prince of Asguard, end this meaningless war on Mid-guard and return with me to face your Rightful King and Queen. Answer for your crimes peacefully. I will not ask again. Please brother, help me put stop this war." Thor''s bright blue eye''s hardened with resolve after having realized that his brother would not end his attack on Mid-guard and her people. Lighting arched around his form as he raised his hand, his grip tight on his hummer pointing it at his brother. The god of thunder, true to his name, sounds of thunder crackled above the skies reflecting his anger and disappointing in his brother.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    "Hmm, oh, I''m afraid it''s far too late for that." Loki replied calmly, he brought close caressing the side up before flicking the jewel at the tip, a ding sound rang through the floor.


    "So be it," Thor replied grimly, but blinked in surprise and alert vanished from his sight the moment he finished.


    "Sentiment''s brother, they always will be your one and only weakness. So blinded by your rage and concern for the bugs on this miserable mud ball that you failed to notice the simple things. We''re not alone brother, and there is someone here who misses you dearly."


    Loki smiled once more as a hand shimmered into being in the air beside Thor reaching out for his face. Before Thor could make to defend himself, or even try to move he found himself pulled into a kiss? Thor blinked in surprise as his eyes lit up in recognition of the figure before him.


    The figured who shimmered into being pulled Thor in for deep, passionate kiss. Thor''s eyes dulled taking on a green hue overshadowing his electric blue. Green energy flowed from the figure''s lips bleeding into Thor''s.


    ''Amora??! Release me Enchantress! Have you any idea what you''ve done?!'' Thor''s thoughts rang out.


    ''Shhhh..Rest now my love, Be at peace. Come to me, trust in me, I am yours forevermore. Embrace eternity with me. Let us burn this world and be born anew together.'' The figure who revealed herself to be a woman, a fellow Asgardian named Amora responded to Thor''s thoughts with her own.


    She was a strikingly beautiful blond woman. Her hair was a lush''s blond, long and wavy, it reached past her waist, it seemed almost golden under the light of the sun, her eyes were a haunting green that glowed with power and magic as she held Thor close, almost tenderly. She was dressed in armor like Thor and Loki but matched Loki in theme. She long greens Leather boots with ringed resigns on the front with a matching green corset and arm sleeves the left her shoulder and cleavage exposed. On her head she wore a green pointy tiara and match like Thor, she he had a on a green hooded cloak.


    She let Thor go with a heavy breathless sigh as her spell was completed. The glow in her eyes died down. She took a few steps away from the motionless Thor who suddenly stood their expressionless.


    Loki walked past her without sparing her a glance, Amora however gave him a regal bow as he walked up to Thor.


    "Power was always your strength brother, but magic and wisdom was mine. When will you ever stop being so predictable brother? Now all your power is mine. It will not be me who brings this world to its knees but you." He waved his hands over Thor''s face as countless runes sprung to life. "Keep him in the dream for a day and he shall be you''re for a thousand more, keep it up for longer and he will love only you. This is what you wanted, is it not? Amora."


    Amora smiled softly as she glanced back up at Loki. "It is my King, with your help, this dream shall bind him to me, and my loyalty is only to you."


    "Be careful with your words Enchantress, I am not as easy to fool as your beloved Thor. Betray me and it shall be your end." He gave his brother one last look as the runes fell into place and said in a commanding voice. "Kneel."


    Thor''s knee''s shook at the command as spider like cracks formed beneath. The rumbling thunder grew louder, lighting struck the windows of the tower startling Amora, but it did little to distract Loki from his task. More runes appeared and banded themselves to Thor, Loki brought the scepter up and placed it against Thor''s chest, the blue jewel began to glow brightly.


    "Kneel, brother" His time his voice was soft, less commanding, and more like it was seeking permission.


    This time however, Thor bent the knee as his brother commanded. Loki smiled in satisfaction, it was an ironic twist, when he tried to command Thor the stronger his will became, the trick came in the form of sincerity. His words had to be sincere for his brother to obey.


    "It is done, take him with you to take the Green Beast. My brother shall help hold him down." Loki turned once more to marvel at the distracting he brought to this world. "With them by our side the rest shall fall. Ah, before I forget, dispatch your Executioner to play with the other. Let us see how this Humans fend off an Asgardian warrior"


    ...


    Countless horror filled screams accompanied by panicked cries filled the streets as it descended into chaos. Cars crashed into each other, smoke and sirens filled their air, trains stopped abruptly as buildings began to topple over the railways. Confusion and discord became common place within the city streets.


    The giant metal beasts aptly named Leviathans of the Chitauri who carried out functions like a frontal attack force, a tank, and a drop ship simultaneously for invading alien species slithered their way through the air. Its large metallic flaps crashing into buildings leaving only destruction in its wake. It''s spine like body cranked and rumbled as it turned in the air to drop lower into the city.


    The few who reached low enough altitudes slithered seamlessly among the skyscrapers with mobility and motions for to smooth for creature of such size and stature, the sides of this Leviathans hissed opened with the grinding of metal and whistling of steam releasing more armored foot soldiers who launched themselves onto the sides of skyscrapers.


    The leviathans were flanked by swarms of armorer and heavily armed foot soldiers on riding sharply designed metal hover bikes that glinted in the suns ray reflecting their malicious intent as the fired their plasma weapons on the streets.


    The swarm of Chitauri rushed towards the where the quinjet had crashed. Hawk Eye, Captain America and the Black widow made quick work with any foot soldier stupid enough to touch the ground.


    Hawk eye''s trick arrows confused and disintegrated groups at a time, dressed in his sleeveless combat vest that adorned his signature purple V design that covered his upper chest and equipped with his arrows and custom bow was enough to make him a deadly adversary to any thing that had the capacity to bleed when hit with steal from a distance.


    Nothing got close enough to try anything. The few that dad had a an even deadlier red head to deal with.


    Black widows'' martial skill further boosted by her enhanced physic with her gadgets and when equipped with her custom built twin taran tactical STI Combat Master which had extended mags just for this occasion nothing was left to chance. She was dressed in her shield issued flexible armored suit, the materials were slick light and were made with specialized threads that were akin to titanium, all weaved into perfection by shields tech heads. She took them out with lethal precision and speed, while captain America provided support and drew the swarms fire with his trusty shield, tossing it and catching it at impossible speeds by bouncing it from even more impossible angles.


    Cap was all stars and strips with a more modern edge add on his old suit. Simple yet effective as he always was.


    They formed what could best be described as a kill circle for any unlucky foe that ventured to close.


    It wasn''t long before the swarm scattered, and it wasn''t long before the two super spies and the super soldier realized why. Iron man was heading straight for the with a leviathan in tow, drawing increasingly close behind.


    "Anyone wanna call banner cause I''m bringing the Party with me." Tony''s voiced his troubles for his team to here.


    "Yeah, I don''t see how that''s a party" the Black widow, or Natasha to her friends voiced her concerns over the radio.


    "Well, it''s a little late to call him but he is on his way." Hawk Eye declared confidently with a sheepish smile as he watches the ''party'' descend on them.


    "Let''s hope his fast the party looks hungry." Tony replied.


    Captain America gave Hawk Eye an inquisitive look. Something Natasha Mirrored. Hulk Eye only shrugged nonchalantly before he spoke.


    "Hey, you spend enough time with the big guy you develop a feeling for when his headed your way. Let''s just say-."


    A rage filled roar interrupted him.


    The leviathan drew closer to the group as Iron flew lower. It was so close it opened its mouth to eat the metal man but sadly its efforts would be in vain. This leviathan was unlucky enough to run into a hulking green bullet made of nothing but muscle and rage. Hulk Launched himself from one of the closer skyscrapers right onto the head of the poor leviathan before punching down hard enough to result in a shock wave that shattered glasses of the nearby skyscrapers.


    The leviathan''s head was planted, firmly crushed into the streets below, its body contorting up from the tails end as its weight folded in on itself. Hulks enraged cries could be heard has he punched the beast more.


    "He tends to put the fear of god in you" Hawk Eye''s uttered in wonder, finishing his sentence as Cap and Natasha couldn''t help but nod in agreement as the watch the green titan destroy the leviathan in only two hits.


    "You got that right." Tony spoke as he launched a barrage of missiles at the leviathan''s midsection effectively splitting the metal beast in two. It''s body destroying parts of the city as it fell.


    There was a moment of pause as the Chitauri began to roar at earths mightiest heroes in unison having identified them as the primary threat in the city.


    All five of the six avengers were back on the ground reunited forming an even more effective kill circle around each other. Hulk''s roar matched theirs in return as the rest of the avengers rearmed themselves in preparation for the fight of their life.


    "Hold on, some one''s missing, where''s shake-spear?" Tony asked shortly after hulks roar.


    "He''s with his brother. Hopefully he can keep Loki busy long enough for us to mobilize the city police and whatever help we can get to fend of the invasion." Cap answered.


    "I gotta bone to pick with his brother so let''s get this over with." Stark replied.


    "Oh year, then get in line, you''re not the only one." Hawk Eye spoke aloud as he collocated what was left of his arrows back form the fallen foot soldiers the littered the street. Natasha observed them from the side as she reloaded her guns and the cartridges of her shock bracer''s.


    Hulk stood with a growl next to Natasha whose presence helped calm his raging thoughts.


    "Enough, the sooner we act the more live we can save, we gotta work fast while their distracted like this. Here''s the plan, Clint, go high, your over-watch, take out as many as can, keep them off our backs. Natasha, portal, see what you can do about it while Loki''s occupied. Stark draw their fire Keep them way from crowded places and lead them outside, keep their focus on you. I''ll see what I can do with the local police and army, and hulk-" Cap paused momentarily as the hulk growled at him. "Smash"


    That was all he needed to say as the green beast gave the captain a savage grin.


    "Okay, I just wanna say. Who died and made you the boss old man?" Stark commented with his usual sarcastic tone.


    "Shut up Stark" came the combined voices of both Nat and Clint. Hulk was already recklessly launching himself at any poor Chitauri that caught his line of sight while Clint walked over to stark to be flown to a higher vintage point.


    ....


    On the other side of the city Peter parker put on a crimson mask as he too went about slaughtering any Chitauri that he came across making sure to rescue as many civilians as he could. Cypher was working overtime to collect every scrap of data he could about the present. His only goal was to reach the tower that seemed to be at the center this alien invasion.


    This is what it was after all, a literal alien invasion. Like super powered humans weren''t enough? Peter moved through the streets of New York in rapid motions. His actions leaving only swift blurs, a rush of wind and a splashes of blood in his wake behind, it was all those he saved and the Chitauri he came across saw.


    God what was happening to this city.


    Little did Peter know who this day would change his life even more then ever.


    ....


    The same thoughts ran through the minds of certain group from the Xavier institute as they watch the skies swarm with aliens.


    ...


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 46: Battle of New York Part 1

    - Manhattan New York City-


    Peter dropped onto the room of a building tugging on his bandages that violently pulled a group of Chitauri foot soldiers that unceremoniously crashed into the building at high speeds killing them instantly.


    His Kagune pulsed with a crimson glow, and the four killer organs extended from the base of his spine into four tendrils that flowed around his form. One of them impulsively stabbed into a groaning Chitauri near him. The other two liquefied into a mass of RC Cells that resembled blood before crystallizing into large crimson wing-like constructs that shot out sharp crystallized shards at the Chitauri that drew near him. Blue Cypher was still compiling data regarding whatever this was but too many things were going on for Cypher to uncover what was really going on aside from the glaringly obvious hole in the sky and the aliens attacking anything that moved.


    The best way to figure things out would be to head to the source. That was easier said than done as the swarms coming out of them were attacking in waves. With a determined breath, he sent another mental ping to Garfield to keep May safe. It wasn''t needed as the cat was already ensuring that his aunt would be safe having sealed her into a diamond-hard carapace made from its own biomass within the room to ensure she could withstand the building collapsing on her. Nothing short of being dropped from orbit would leave a dent in it.


    The cat''s ability was truly versatile. When given instructions with the help of a cipher using the treasure trove of knowledge from the meta verse made for an effective combo.


    Peter let out a slow determined breath as another swarm of Chitauri foot soldiers closed in.


    ''They''re like bugs.'' Peter thought to himself.


    He buckled his knees as webbed cracks formed on the cement beneath his feet.


    Peter blitzed out of focus in a burst of speed appearing in front of a group of Chitauri in the air before ripping them apart with his Kagune, bandages, and martial skills. He used their bodies and the surrounding skyscrapers for footing to navigate the swarm in the air; his makeshift liquid crystal wings to help him glide and propel himself forward, his speed proving too fast for the Chitauri to keep up with him as he tore through them in the air.


    Soon his actions got the attention of a wandering Leviathan who turned to target him as a threat. It swooped low, metallic fleshy jaws agape to crush Peter in its maws.


    Peter spun in the air as countless crystal shards shot out from his Kagune impaling the Chitauri foot soldiers, he commanded his bandages to latch onto those near him pulling them close and cashing them in together in a mash of flesh and armor.


    He planned to use it as a platform to propel himself at the descending leviathan.


    Peter clenched his right hand into a fist hard enough for his fingers to dig into his palm drawing blood. The crimson liquid flowed out, crawling on his palm and then flowing above his wrist until it reached his shoulders. It then crystallized forming hexagonal shape like pattern, reinforcing Peter''s arm with blood armor. His bandages bind themselves over the blood armor for an added edge.


    He needed this for the next part.


    A Shock wave erupted in the air as Peter shot at the giant alien beast using the meshed bodies of the Chitauri as platform.


    {Will of Saitama: Active}


    He drew his arm back, clenching his fist before letting loose. Hopefully this time he could throw a punch this his arm still intact.


    *Boom! *


    ...


    -Else Where-


    (With the X-Men)


    Explosions and smoke were scattered around the city of New York. Swarms of Chitauri flew above the city skies attacking anything within their sights. The titanic Leviathans slithered among the many towering buildings through the air dispatching foot soldiers that made up the bulk of their ground forces.


    Below in the streets, people ran in panic and fear seeking shelter from the nearest buildings they could find.


    One unlucky Leviathan was struck down by a barrage of lightning strikes that rained on the Chitauri from a rapidly forming storm. Floating above the city with a form shrouded with electricity was the mutant Ororo Monroe, known to some as Storm. The sparking ling bluish-white electric energy complimented her silver hair and glowing eyes now, she was dressed in a black and white suit with an x insignia on the chest complete with a cape. She used her mutant ability to conjure lightning storms to attack the Chitauri, around her was a miniature tornado that swept up any foot soldier that came too close to her.


    As the leviathan fell, its body crackling with electricity large pillars of ice shot up from the surrounding buildings to hold it in place allowing the people below to run for cover. Bobby Drake slid down on a rapidly forming path made of ice in the air using his own abilities to attack the Chitauri foot soldiers to protect and shield a few from plasma bolts with walls of ice.


    The swarms of foot soldiers that descended onto the crowd were picked out at a rapid pace by powerful ruby beams. The beams held no heat but had enough force to carve their armor into their chest. They were beams of concentrated concussive force discharged by Scott Summers''s eyes, it was a part of his mutant ability which was regulated and controlled by his visors.


    Jean Gray Stood near him, she telekinetically lifted cars to shield them from plasma bolts from the swarm providing cover for them.


    "This is crazy!" Kat shouted as she phased through one of the cars Jean lifted. "Aliens are real!"


    All three of them had the standard yellow and black combat suits gifted to X-man members upon their recruitment into the team. Their suits also had the signature silver x insignia on their chest.


    "Any word from the professor yet?" Scott asked Jean, he continued to take our foot soldiers with his optic beams.


    "They''re on their way¡­They''ll be here in thirty minutes." Jean replied, she flung a car at a group of advancing foot soldiers crushing them underneath. A few lightning bolts stuck the car igniting the fuel resulting in a massive explosion taking out some more of the Chitauri.


    Bobby slid in on his icy path to freeze what was left of them before erecting are massive all of ice around them. He slid off to meet more soldiers without pause, their plasma bolts doing little damage to his icy figure.


    "We just have to hold them off until the rest of the team gets here." Storm declared as she descended from the sky. "Jean, are you getting anything from them?"


    "No, it''s difficult to make out, it''s like their all thinking the same thing, it''s too loud in their heads. They all respond to something, a signal that drives them, but there are too many and there to spread out to tell what it is. My best guess is it has something to do with that hole in the sky." Jean replied, her arms spread wide as stone debris, cars, and other surrounding objects rose to form another defensive barricade around the icy wall.


    "That''s just creepy," Kat commented before asking Jean. "Is there anything you can do about it? maybe mess with them or something.


    "No, not unless I can reach the source," Jean answered she a shake of her head.


    "No, it''s too dangerous to try, we don''t know what we''re dealing with yet¡­So what''s the plan, Monroe?" Scott asked turning to Storm.


    "We help," Storm answered simply. "Save as many as we can and help keep the creatures attention on us keeping them in the city."


    "We''re all on the same page here about the aliens from outer space thing right," Kat asked drawing everyone''s deadpan gaze to her. "Hey, I''m just saying. These are actual aliens, here, on Earth. Guess that answers the whole, are we alone in the universe question."


    "Ah, guys," Jean interrupted them urgently, she held her head in discomfort. Scott supported her shoulders.


    "Jean? You, ok?" Scott asked in alarm.


    "Oh shit." Jean cursed; her eyes widened in alarm.


    Before she had the chance to explain a thunderous roar echoed through the streets as a swift figure shot past the skyline crashing into the leviathan held up by Bobby''s ice pillars. The ice pillars shattered, and the leviathan came crashing into the streets below.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Scott reacted quickly by maximizing his optic beams by blasting the falling pillars of ice. Storm conjured up mini tornadoes to blow some of them away. Jean erected a shield around them. Bobby retreated to a stop ahead of his companions, he raised his hands and blasted a steady stream of ice at the falling leviathan hoping to slow its descent.


    As the leviathan tumbled through the skyscrapers, the pillars of ice did little to halt its fall.


    When the dust cleared the group was left staring at the crushed face of the metal monster. There was an unsettling calm as they checked each other for injuries before a crunching echo filled the streets. The leviathan''s armored shell burst open from the inside as a hulking green mass of muscle and rage busted its way out of the back of the leviathan''s neck.


    "Robocar!" Hulk raged as broke out. He stood on the head of the metal beast and growled at the X-men.


    Jean was the first to act. "Nobody moves, don''t attack y, any threatening movements and it will attack us, it''s only here for the¡­aliens."


    "You sure about that red? Cause I don''t like the way this guy''s staring at me," Bobby asked his friend, his hands held up in preparation. Scott followed his lead as his hands were at the ready by his visor ready to unleash his optic beams.


    After a short but intense standoff, a barrage of bright blue lighting streaks showered the green Goliath, in a blur of motion something crashed into the Hulk sending him flying across the street and into another building.


    "That wasn''t me." Storm quickly stated as the group turned in unison to her.


    A crackle of energy got their attention once more. The space above the leviathan where the Hulk once stood moments ago was sliced apart as two new figures made their way out of the creak in space.


    A beautiful blond woman in green armor was accompanied by a large bald man in black armor covered in Nordic tattoos, in his hand he held a rather imposing battle-axe adjourned with glowing Nordic runes that were even bigger than him.


    They regarded the X-man with a passing glance.


    "Take care of the mortals my Executioner, I must tend to the beast with my beloved." The blond Asgardian turned and ordered the large man as she vanished in a wisp of green energy after the trail of lighting and destruction.


    The large, tattooed man jumped off the Leviathan''s head brandishing his weapon as walked in imposingly towards the mutants.


    "What about him?" Scott asked Jean.


    "Him we can attack," Jean replied, already telekinetically lifting the objects around her.


    "Great. I don''t even know what''s going on anymore." Bobby sighed exasperated, he blasted toward the man in frost-filled fury, the temperature around his icy form dropping to a chilling breeze as the air around him froze, he launched a steady stream of form at him.


    The Executioner launched himself toward the icy teen with agility unfitting to his stature, he met the Iceman in the air before batting the mutant aside. He used his battle axe to slice through the objects Jean launched at him only to be pushed back by a concentrated blast of concussive force from Scott''s optic beams.


    The Executioner was pushed back to a skidding stop. Before he could retaliate, he caught sight of Storms hovering, her white glowing eyes glaring at him from the air. The storm bent to her will as lighting rained from the sky on the Asgardian warrior who brought his axe up in defense.


    When the lightning cleared however the executioner''s form remained unhurt, only his armor was slightly singed and smoking from the attacks, and his axe glowed and crackled with blue and red ambient energy absorbed by the subsequent attacks. He gave the mutants an expressionless stare, and he brought his weapon high above his head.


    "Good." He commented his tone was deep and held a hint of satisfaction.


    He brought his crackling weapon down, amplifying and releasing the energies stored within resulting in a violent explosive shock wave of concussive force and electricity.


    *BOOM! *


    ...


    -Else Where-


    (With Yuriko on the train)


    The train that Yuriko Watanabe was on shot through the city on the bridge as it was attacked by boarding Chitauri foot soldiers. The aliens crawled through windows and the roof of the train attacking any unlucky pass anger that they came across.


    Yuriko tried her best to fight off the remnants of Chitauri foot soldiers who latched onto the train. Her compartment filled with students and teachers huddled in a corner at the end next to a sealed door.


    Yuriko didn''t know what these creatures were and where they came from, but one thing was for certain, they weren''t here for peaceful coexistence.


    She unloaded her last magazine into a Chitauri until the gun clicked. She then threw the gun at an advancing foot soldier, ripping out one of the seats to shield herself from the plasma bolts as she ran to it. The chair did little against the bolts, she could feel the heat burning her chest as a bold struck her, but it did little to stop her. The bolt barely got past her skin.


    With a grunt, she discarded the seat and met the Chitauri foot soldiers for a brawl. She severely underestimated her physical strength because her punch tore through the chest cavity of the Chitauri foot soldier without much resistance.


    She tossed it aside before moving on to the next one and then the next. Her heart hammered in her chest. Her breath hitched as she tore them apart, she hardly noticed the small grin that formed on her face.


    She could feel her blood boiling beneath her skin, but she was against drawing on the powers of the shard even now. She grabbed the last one by its weapon, bending the alien steel before punching it in the face, ending its life with a sickening crack.


    More foot soldiers boarded the platform ahead as the looming shadow of a leviathan hovered above the train. It seems everyone in the platforms ahead was dead if the foot soldiers rushed down to her were any indication.


    She was about to turn to warn the students and teachers behind her but something else got her attention. The sounds of the looming creature grew louder. It was descending on the train she realized as the train turned the around the corner.


    She turned to the students behind her to warn them.


    "Get down!" She called out before she was running to the cowering students to protect them, she managed to get to them in time to hold down, shielding them with their teachers using their bodies from the blast that followed. The windows shattered as explosions went off outside the train. Thankfully whatever transpired outside forced the leviathan to crash onto the platform ahead of them. Ripping into it with it using its body,


    Ironman shot past the train unleashing more short missiles onto the leviathan drawing its attention away from the train.


    Without rails, the train was steered off the bridge violently crashing onto the streets below. Quickly thinking Yuriko bit into her palm, feeling her shard vibrate in response, she could feel the flow of blood as it exited her body. She bit into her other palm and then commanded her into whip-like tendrils that she used to hold the teachers and students in place against the walls of the train.


    She tightened her grip as the singular blood tendril extended into a net-like structure with spikes digging into the sides of the train holding teachers and students safely within it.


    The train crashed into the streets below soon after.


    "Hold on tight!"


    ...


    -Else Where-


    (With the Captain America)


    The captain fought his way through the waves of Chitauri foot soldiers with nothing but shield, wits, skills, and enhanced physique. After helping Natasha commandeer a Chitauri hoverbike to reach Stark Tower he fought his way to the nearest defensive blockade using the coordinates provided by Jarvis.


    "Fifty meters ahead, just around the corner under the bridge." Jarvis''s guided him through the earpiece.


    He fought his way through the streets. Dodging and weaving swiftly using his surroundings to his advantage. Hawkeye provided cover from his newfound nest, taking out any threats to the cap as he could.


    With a heave, the captain dodged a shower of bolts, jumping off a car as it exploded launching him ahead. He dropped to a role launching his shield ahead, the trajectory already calculated within his mind reinforced by his years of experience. It bounced one of the oncoming foot soldiers and flew right back into his hands. He met the head taking them out with ease.


    As he dispatched the last one, he reflexively brought his shield up deflecting a few bullets that bounced off harmlessly.


    "HOLD YOUR FIRE! Hold your fire! We got friendlies over there!" Someone, presumable the one in charge shouted over the chaos. Captain America ignored them opting to take out the remaining Chitauri with extreme efficiency much to the amazement of the onlookers who just shot at him.


    "Cap. You got a big something heading your way." Hawkeye warned.


    A shadow fell over the streets as a leviathan descended onto the bridge next to the barricade made by the cops and armed civilians. The alien metal jaws were open as it fell upon a train moving on the bridge.


    "Stark, need a little back up here," Cap said calmly keeping an eye on the beast as more foot soldiers were shot out of its side onto the streets and buildings.


    Captain America heard Ironman''s voice over the earpieces. "Already on its cap."


    Explosions went off as Ironman intercepted the leviathan with an array of explosive projectiles forcing it to miss its intended target. The beast quickly turned, destroying the bridge in its entirety as it chased after Ironman.


    The captain brought his shield up to defend himself from the falling debris, as what was left of the train bounced off the leviathan''s armored body crashing into the streets below. It slowed to a crawl directly in front of the captain.


    There was a moment of pause when the dust settled as the captain expected more Chitauri foot soldiers to exit the train but what greeted him made him lower his guard. Yuriko walked out with an alien plasma rifle in hand getting into a stare-down with the cap who lowered his shield slowly with a nod.


    One that Yuriko returned with relief as she noticed the barricade behind them.


    "It''s clear!" She called out. "Hurry! Get everyone out of there. We don''t have much time!"


    The group of children, students with teachers hastily guided by Yuriko rushed out of the train with trembling steps and tear-filled eyes towards the makeshift barricade.


    The captain quickly helped by picking up two with a few reassuring words and quickly guided them to shelter with the help of a few cops who ventured out to help them.


    When they were safely taken in Yuriko fell in with the rest police force giving them her name and badge number while Captain America moved in to meet the closest authority figure to relay instructions that would help them defend the city better until the military was able to provide supper or the portal and Loki was dealt with.


    More Chitauri foot soldiers depended on the streets from the city skylines. The moment of respite passed as the battle was back in full swing.


    It didn''t take much for Captain America to quickly take charge of the police and armed civilians in the ensuing chaos.


    ...


    -Else Where-


    (With the Hulk)


    "RRAAAAAAAAAR" Hulk raged, Thor''s hammer struck him in the face again. He shook it off before retaliating with a punch of his own.


    The Asgardian prince swiftly dodged his by jumping back and throwing his hummer at the Hulk. The force behind the blow sent the hulk tumbling across the building breaking into the concrete walls as if they were made of cardboard. Thor recalled his hummer rushing forward and attacking the beast with a barrage of strikes with his hammer and fist.


    Hulk could do little to defend himself against Thor''s onslaught. The Asgardian had centuries of experience and his innate strength and speed gave him an advantage over the Hulk. He fought with nothing held back fueled by the Enchantress''s influence over his mind which made his actions ruthless and without the remorse or control he usually held.


    Their fight all but destroyed the building and carried over to the next one with the Hulk sporting more bruises and wounds than Thor. If anything, the Norse God of Thunder was winning the fight.


    The two fighters paid no mind to the fleeing humans and couldn''t care less about the destruction they left in their wake.


    As hulks frustration and anger grew so too did his strength increase by leaps and bounds.


    Hulk growled as his sights slowly adjusted to Thor''s speed, with a grunt he caught Thor''s fist. Hulk roared and punched the Thunder God who responded in kind with his hummer.


    Hulks first met Thor''s enchanted weapon with a resounding shock wave leaving static energy in the air as both combatants were forced apart.


    They both circled each other, glaring intently at each other.


    "ROOOARR!" Hulk raged at Thor, readying himself for another fight, and though he could not understand why an ally of Banner would attack he did not care. This puny god would fall all the rest. His rage intensified with each passing moment. His wounds and bruises already rapidly healing by the second.


    "Come. Beast of Men." Thor challenged; his hummer raised pointing at the Hulk. The Thunder gods'' eyes glimmered with power as the green hues glowed brighter, covering his natural electric blues. "You will kneel before my beloved."


    Hulk growled in seething anger, the concrete floor shattered as he launched himself at the thunder god with reckless abounded, his only thought being to punch the blond prince into oblivion.


    That was his mistake which the god of thunder capitalized on.


    Thor acted swiftly, dropping his hummer with a clang before redirecting the Hulk''s intended punch aside before grabbing his wrist and throwing the Hulk over his shoulder and on its back. Before the Hulk could so much as move Thor recalled his hummer into his hand and then proceeded to drop it on the Hulk''s chest utilizing the weapon enchantments to hold the Hulk down.


    He then got behind the Hulk and proceeded to hold him down in a sleeper hold, strangler the beast as it struggled against the enchanted weapon holding it down.


    "Enchantress! Now is the time!" Thor called out. The Enchantress appeared beside the Hulk in a shimmer of green. The Hulk tried to reach out, but Thor held its hand by the wrist in a struggle for power.


    The enchantress came close, caressing the Hulk''s cheeks tenderly as the Hulk raged against Thor''s hold.


    "Well done my beloved, now beast, Calm yourself." The enchantress spoke softly with her melodious voice. She bent low before placing a soft kiss on the Hulk''s forehead before taking a few steps back.


    Pulsating green energy seeped into the Hulk''s skin from the enchantress, and slowly the Hulk''s struggling subsided into calming breaths. His growls faded into soft grunts.


    His dark emerald, green glowed brightly as a haunting green bleed into his iris. The veins around his eye pulsed with magical green energy.


    Thor let the Hulk go and recalled his hummer, moving to Amora''s side to protect her as the spell took root within the Hulk''s being.


    Hulk groggily got to his feet, frequently shaking his head as if to wake himself up, his attempts to fight the influencing bindings of the enchantress were ineffective. For a moment the hulk heard Banner cries within his mind but that also faded. The strange woman''s oddly soothing voice rang in his ears followed by a more familiar one he could not recall as his mind drifted into a dream-like haze.


    "It is done."


    "Wow! Big guy? Is that you? Buddy! I thought that was you crashing in here, fancy meeting you¡­ here¡­OK¡­ Who are you guys supposed to be?"


    ...


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 47: Battle of New York Part 2

    -Manhattan New York City-


    Moments ago.


    *Boom*


    The shockwave followed the moment his attack struck the leviathan and Peter felt his arm go numb for a moment in pain.


    Peter marveled at the destructive force behind his punch. Gravity took hold of him as he plummeted back down to the streets below, the shredded pieces of the Leviathan fell with him. His punch tore a large hole into the leviathan''s face as if a bullet had punctured a gaping wound into its metal hide from its mouth all the way to the back of its tail.


    It was an instantaneous death.


    His hands trembled in pain and discomfort, he was sure some of his bones were shattered in that punch, he wasn¡¯t sure which ones were broken and which ones were just aching, it didn¡¯t bother him either way. His bandages and blood armor helped somewhat but it didn¡¯t have the effect he was hoping for, not yet.


    The pain didn¡¯t bother him in the slightest. Peter could already feel himself healing from the damage.


    As Peter fell, he noticed the Chitauri swarm began gathering for another attack. He twisted his body in the air, willing his bandages to reach out and pull one of the many shredded pieces of the leviathan¡¯s armor close enough for him to use as another platform to launch himself.


    With a soft grunt, the sole of his feet touched the surface of the glinting bio-metallic caprice and in a blitz of motion, he was gone.


    The Chitauri swarm was thrown into chaos. Peter hit with enough force to shred everything he hit into a mesh h of flesh, blood, and limbs. His heightened senses, special awareness, fighting intuition, speed, invisible bandages, Kagune, his branch of sin, Cypher¡¯s battle simulations, and fool mask, all of these becoming synchronized for lethal efficiency, every element finely tuning each one of his strikes and movements with deadly precision.


    Peter sliced through a couple of foot soldiers with a thin sharp blood blade, his Kagune shot out sharp shards of pulsing crimson crystal as he spun in the air, his bandage working like extra limps to build a path or confuse the rest tossing them off their hoverboards while jumped from one-foot soldier to another in rapid pace.


    These things weren¡¯t human, he had no reason to hold back. It wasn¡¯t that they were alien, no, they just didn¡¯t feel alive. There was something autonomous about the way they moved.


    He couldn¡¯t tell what it was but he was beginning to trust his intuition more. Contrary to the chaos that surrounded him Peter found himself eerily calm. His heart beat at the same pace, between 100 to 130 beats per minute. His mind was clear and aware, and his movements were controlled and cautious.


    ¡®This is weird¡¯.  Peter thought. He stepped on the head of a foot soldier, crushing it with enough force to shatter its skull using it to speed blitz himself towards a few more before easily dispatching those and moving on.


    He was making his way toward the center of the portal, but doing so also meant he got the attention of every alien in the area.


    ¡®I¡¯m moving too fast, was I always this fast.¡¯ Peter rammed into the glass wall of a building; shards flew as his bandages swiftly grabbed onto a hanging window cleaning platform rig. ¡®I can feel them?... I can see them, everything¡¯s so¡­slow.¡¯


    He was already moving when another leviathan flew by above him, more foot soldiers shot out towards the towering buildings from openings in its sides.


    ¡®I can see everything,¡¯ Peter realized. They weren¡¯t slow, he was just fast.


    The attacking foot soldiers were dead before they reached the buildings, their bodies falling lifeless into the streets below.


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    Peter shot past them and pulled his fist back readying another punch, only to blink in surprise and pull himself back. Something else got to the leviathan before he could. A mass of green came crashing on the leviathan''s back, smashing the metal in with a sizable dent before rolling down the spine and towards the back.


    ¡°No way, Hulk?¡± Peter exclaimed as he stuck onto the side of the tower.


    A powerful stream of lighting followed the green ball and struck the leviathan before a blond blur with a ridiculously large hammer and red cape came slamming into the poor metal snaking and ramming into the familiar green mass. They were gone in a blink but Peter was able to follow their speed and trajectory with ease.


    The leviathan was left with a dent in its face and a broken spine; bleeding, crackling with electricity, chard black with its armor melting into its flesh. It crashed into the building opposite Peter soon after. Peter glanced at the portal for a moment before deciding to follow the green giant''s flight path. If raging green Goliath was coming from where Peter was heading then surely whoever the Hulk was fighting would be of interest to the present situation.


    It was worth checking it out. He had a bad feeling about the blond dude too. Peter could tell that they were strong and however they were, it would be best to deal with them now rather than later, besides, he wanted to team up with the Hulk again anyway.


    They made a pretty good team last time.


    Without much thought, Peter shot after the Hulk only to be met with more foot soldiers and he took care of them quite easily.


    ¡­¡­.


    Back to the present.


    ¡°Wow! Big guy? Is that you? Buddy! I thought that was you crashing in here, fancy meeting you¡­here¡­OK¡­Who are you guys supposed to be?¡± Peter paused as he spoke, dropping down to the rubble in front of the Hulk, Enchantress, and Thor.


    ¡°Oh My, what do we have here? What a strange mortal you are¡­¡± The Enchantress said with interest, Peter¡¯s arrival capturing her complete attention. She turned to Thor with a tender gaze when she asked him.


    ¡°Do you see what I see love?¡±


    ¡°Magic was never my strength Amora, I¡¯m afraid my sights pale in comparison to yours; What is it you see?¡± Thor replied with a question of his own. Squinting slightly in an attempt to see what the Amora spoke of.


    ¡°Death my beloved. I see the touch of death and decay, with a hint of something more. This one is special... Different from the others; he bears a striking resemblance to the Mad Titan. Another one perhaps? I¡¯m beginning to understand your fascination with this world. Bring him to me. I want him, he will make a fine addition to our army.¡± The Enchantress commanded with a sultry smile. She raised her hand and pointed at Peter; the Hulk obliged with a growl like a tamed animal followed closely by Thor.


    ¡°As you wish Amora,¡± Thor spoke softly as he passed the Enchantress with Hulk.


    ¡°Hello? I just asked you guys a question. Am I being ignored right now? That¡¯s a new feeling.¡± Peter asked as he took a measured step back. The green giant was oddly docile, in fact, Peter was starting to realize what was going on right now. Hulk was striding toward him menacingly with the red-capped blondie in the stylized armor who began to rapidly spin his hummer letting out sparks of lightning as he walked.


    ¡°Alright, why are you looking at me like that Hulk, buddy, it¡¯s me, don¡¯t you remember your bestie, we fought that freak back in Harlem together, come on man I saved your girl for you. Hulk? You better stop right there. Hulk? I¡¯m warning you - ¡± Peter suddenly shifted his body to the left as Thor¡¯s hummer came flying past his head smashing into an abandoned car behind him.


    *Boom* The car hit by the hummer exploded on impact.


    ¡°I am Thor, Prince of Asgard, what is your name mortal?¡± Thor called out to Peter.


    ¡°It¡¯s Bloodborne, I thought you were supposed to be the hero that saved that town, Puente Antigua in New Mexico, Why are you attacking this city and what did you do to my friend?¡± Peter asked the God of thunder.


    ¡°I am sorry Bloodborne of Midgard. But I¡¯m afraid my actions are not my own, I simply do as my beloved commands. Your friend is as I am and soon so will you. Now come mortal, let us do battle for this world.¡± Thor spoke, his eyes glowing with electricity, but whatever small moment of clarity he had was soon swallowed by a twisted green glow. His hummer returned to his hand as he spun it once more.


    ¡°Well shit, damn Parker luck¡­This is some mind control shit huh?¡± Peter cursed with a frustrated sigh. He clenched his fists and cracked his neck. ¡°whatever, peace talks are over I guess, it¡¯s time for plan B, looks like we¡¯re finally having that fight big guy cause that¡¯s plan beat some sense back into you my green friend.¡±


    Like a pin dropping to signal an attack, the Hulk broke into a sprint rushing for Peter with an angry snarl.


    Thor followed closely behind and Peter shot forward to meet them in the center.


    ¡­¡­.


    Far above the city skyline space twisted back into place as glitching rainbow colors filled a small fracture in space, a fissure in reality.


    When the energy finally dissipated a white spider-themed figure dropped down onto the top of the towered skyscraper.


    White bug-eyed lenses widened in surprise as the figure took in the chaos around her.


    ¡°WHAT THE F-?!¡±


    Spiderwoman finally made it back to her home reality, only she was beginning to wonder if she really did make it back home.


    ¡­..


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 48: Battle of New York Part 3

    -Manhattan New York-


    Miles was not having a good day. Whatever the shit was going on was nuts.


    First, that crazy lunatic Parker shaved some glowing crystal in their chest which was its own headache altogether and now, it was raining aliens.


    He had heard of raining cats and dogs but this was just ridiculous.


    There was a literal hole in the sky and fucking aliens, ALIENS were attacking the city. God, he wished he wore Tink''s upgrades right now. The equipment was still in the testing phase, but he knew quite well what they were capable of. That shit was the reason he was confident that the prowlers would own the streets after the attack on King Pin became public knowledge.


    He tried to get in contact with Tink, but coms were down, interference caused by the giant flying metal snake that kept flying around the area.


    Now that plan was blown to shit, just like the flaming yellow taxi heading his way.


    Boom


    The hospital they were in was missing its top half thanks to one of those big ass metal snake aliens flying around. The horde it left behind shot at anything that moved.


    ''Fucking Parker'' He cursed before dodging a couple of plasma bolts.


    More explosions rocked the streets as swarms of armored aliens shot past the city skyline. His uncle Aaron shot past him in a blitz of speed that Miles couldn''t keep track of. The plasma bolts did not damage him other than a light singe on his skin.


    Large blocks of concrete, debris, and metal objects followed him as shot toward the alien horde; all the objects were covered in a crimson-red aura as they flowed around him. Uncle Aaron motioned with his hand, and they shot forward at ridiculous speeds carving large holes into the aliens.


    That was another thing that Miles found concerning as he took cover behind the receptionist''s desk, his uncle''s current situation was somewhat disturbing.


    When that large metal snake-like alien crashed into the hospital, his uncle got caught in the ensuing mayhem, crushed under a pile of debris. Miles was surprisingly unharmed by the destruction, the only injuries he had were mild bruises and scratches from the falling rocks.


    His uncle, however, was pinned to the floor with a metal rod protruding out of his left chest cavity and left hip. It was a gruesome sight to behold when he regained his barring from the shock of the explosion, yet what followed was both unsettling and astonishing.


    Uncle Aaron pushed himself up on his feet like his spine wasn''t shattered, his wounds healed as he nonchalantly pulled out the protruding metal rods. His uncle stared back at him with a flabbergasted expression as the surrounding debris covered in his blood began to float, slowly they flowed around his uncle like asteroids orbiting a planet.


    They neither had the time nor the opportunity to talk about what the hell that was on account of the alien horde that dropped from the sky after the bigger one left, but they were both sure it had something to do with the fucker Parker.


    It was that damn glowing crystal he shoved in their chest. Insurance he called, whatever it was one thing was for certain, this shit really did even the playing field with those superheroes and mutant freaks out there.


    It was still concerning though because they knew little to nothing about Parker or his abilities.


    Miles blinked back into focus and was surprised as a little kid dressed in a blue fluffy bunny suit hopped across the destroyed corridor without a care in the world. She had a bunny-themed head and looked like she was dancing around the plasma bolts. Her hands waved in the air as she moved about the mayhem.


    ''What the hell?''.


    "Miles!" his uncle''s voice rang out through the hospital-turned extra-terrestrial battlefield. Miles blinked in surprise at the thought of a little girl, dressed in a blue fluffy bunny suit, hopping across the destroyed corridor without a care in the world didn''t quite fit this picture.


    But his body moved fluidly despite his internal musings.


    The Prowler in training effortlessly flipped over an attacking alien, skillfully wrapping his zipline around its throat. Using his momentum, he hurled the alien into another group, a magnetized explosive attached to its back...


    The teenage assassin/thief in training was already carefully positioned behind another rocky debris when the explosion went off. His uncle dropped down next to him, and the concrete floated up in front of them to form a barricade to shield them as joined him.


    "Head in the game man. You''re alright?" Uncle Arron asked.


    "Yeah man, I just thought¡­" Miles glances back at the place he saw the girl in the bunny suit only to find nothing there but the gruesomely torn-up bodies of dead aliens.


    "It''s nothing, this shit is just crazy." Miles let out a breath as he spoke. He reflexively passed his uncle a mask face mask as he spoke.


    "I know Miles, we ain''t ever deal with anything like this before." His uncle turned to get a glimpse at the advancing aliens as he clipped the face mask into place.


    "You ready for this?" Uncle Arron asked as he brought his right hand up for a fist bump, unspoken words were exchanged as both uncle and nephew locked eyes for a passing second.


    "Born ready," Miles replied as he stilled himself, calmed his nerves, and readied himself. ''Prowlers don''t quit'' His thought repeated the mantra his words.


    "I can''t reach anyone, we gotta get to Mom, the fastest route is 7th Avenue, after that head to Tink''s workshop is our safest bet," Mile informed Aaron as he loaded a few shock and air pulse cartages in his power gauntlet. The gloves hummed to life, crackling with an electric purple glow.


    Whatever this just happened, whatever was going on with his uncle, with the aliens, and with Parker, they''d deal with it, but first they''d have to survive this shit and save those that mattered.


    "Alright, let''s go before the big guys get back. In three¡­"


    As his uncle counted down Miles could have sworn, he saw the silhouette of a blue bunny hovering right in front of him only for the image to vanish as he blinked accompanied but a faint whisper too low for others to hear remained in the air if only for a moment.


    She spoke in a childish whine.


    "Aww! Shucks! Another Fake. Parker''s gotta be around here somewhere. Oh well, onward into battle. Na na na na na na Batman! Batman, Batman, Batman¡­, "


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    He didn''t know whatever the hell that was but he sure as hell knew who to blame for it.


    ''Fucking Parker.'' Miles cursed as Aaron gave the single and all-hell-broke loss. ''And what the fuck even is a Batman?!''


    ¡­.


    -Else where with Peter-


    Ten minutes into the fight between Peter (Bloodborne), the Hulk, Thor and Enchantress.


    Boom


    Peter dropped onto a car before flipping it over as he flipped back. The Hulk smashed into the car with explosive power. The force of the explosion pushed Peter back mid-air allowing Thor to meet him with his hummer in hand, the flames parted as Thor shot past the burning Hulk.


    Thor swung his mighty hammer down on Peter who brought all four of his Kagune up to block. The hit sent Peter barreling towards the road.


    Thor didn''t let up, lifting his hummer as he followed the teen, he summoned streaks of lighting towards his hummer before launching it at Peter.


    Peter, twisted to position himself to land on his feet, a pointless action as his Kagune planted themselves into the pavement holding him up, resampling as spider limbs. Peter activated Imagine Breaker, focusing its effects on his hands. He punched the streaks of lightning as they struck, the sound of shattered glass ringing out as the lightning fizzled into nothing.


    Crack


    Thor felt a pull as he recovered from the surprise of having his lighting easily dismissed. Peter''s bandages rapped around Thor''s out-retched hand pulling the blond god towards Peter who struck him with the combined force of all four of his Kagune.


    Thor blocked the attack but was launched back regardless.


    "ROOOAAAAAR!" Peter had little room to breathe as Hulk was already launching himself in hand with the burning cars held as a battering ram. Peter jumped out of the way and Hulk made a new-sized hole on the road with the front end of the burning vehicle.


    The green giant shot after Peter without pause, attempting to hit Peter with his makeshift weapon but Peter was faster.


    The teen meets Hulk in the air, using the car as a footpath to reach the Hulk''s face. He drew his fist back with both Imagine Braker and Will of Saitama active only for his instincts and his peripheral vision to catch onto income danger.


    Thor''s hammer flew towards Peter at breakneck speed. He switched his target from Hulk Fact to Thor''s Hummer. The result was a volatile explosion of lighting, magic energy, and force that separated Peter, the Hulk, and Thor''s hummer in differing directions.


    The glass shattered all around from the surrounding buildings as debris was sent flying. It was like a raging tempest went off in that instant and quickly dissipated when the contract was over.


    Peter first imbued with the Imagine breaker and enhanced by the Will of Saitama had an unpredictable effect when it came into contact with Mjolnir. The hummer rejected Peter''s fist with everything it had. The godly nature of the hummer and its relationship with the innate magical properties that make it; the Ancient Metal Uru of the First Moon and the Odin force-powered spells cause something strange to occur when it encountered Peter, the old tempest within began to stir. It was something neither Peter nor Thor would understand until the near future.


    The three took a moment or respite, and an eerie silence followed, none of the surrounding Chitauri came close to the battle in fear or by order of the enchantress.


    Peter coughed out blood as he stood up. Disoriented and in pain, the hummer shook his entire being, this was the first time his Imagine Breaker had come in contact with a divine construct. He felt pain and irritation assault his right arm. His attempts to pinpoint where led to the realization that he no longer had a right arm. It was an empty stump from the upper elbow downward, his shattered bones and torn muscles were clearly visible.


    Before he could move green magical runic circle surrounded him, magical constructs made from light shot out of the circles towards him, binding him in place.


    The enchantress appeared in a flash of green with a charming smile. "


    A crash followed Hulk as he tore his own of the building he was launched into. He took a pause before falling behind the blond Asgardian sorceress.


    "You''ve done well monster, now come, let us be done with this," Enchantress spoke alluringly as she walked towards Peter. "Calm yourself, child, I won''t hurt you."


    "Oh I know you won''t, but I might want to hurt you."


    Peter coughed out a light chuckle with blood, his expression displaying a sardonic smile behind his partially shattered mask, the Enchantress''s bindings were already being dissipated by Imagine Breaker''s passive effects however the side effects of the continued usage of Imagine Breaker and Will of Saitama was becoming more apparent as the fight went on. Peter was adapting, he knew that, but not fast enough to keep up with the Hulk and Thor.


    They could hit with enough strength to demolish a building and still had enough strength for more, when Peter did, it took more effort, damaged him to a degree, and more time to recover from the drawbacks. He was strong, just not strong enough, not yet, not as strong as he could be.


    His potential strength and the strength his body could continuously output for an extended period under duress were not mutually exclusive.


    At this rate, he would lose. He was hurt all over right, whatever the hell that Hummer did made his bones feel like a mix of jelly and biscuits. His muscles burned and his mind came up with an idea. One he has never tried before. The one ability his never tested.


    Cypher still had little to go on regarding these aliens, but it did discover that they had some relation to S.H.I.E.L.D. He was also keeping track of notable hotspots within the city that were putting up a fight against the alien invasion. Cypher simulations suggested luring these guys toward the mutants for some backup. Or killing himself for a reset of his injuries.


    That thought irritated Peter a bit, he wanted to win this fight without dying for once. Sadly, he neither had the strength nor the endurance for such an outcome. At least not against a self-proclaimed god and whatever the being who called itself Hulk.


    Peter waited for the enchantress to get closer as he thought over Blue Cypher''s suggestion, but he decided to go with the third option, his own.


    Thor made his way to join Hulk and Enchantress. He recalled his Mjolnir catching it seamlessly; he took a step forward before pausing in shock as he gazed at his hummer. He quickly turned back towards the teen still bound by the smoking green light constructs as Amora got just within striking distance.


    "Amora wait!" Thor called out but he was too late, Peter had already activated Imagine Breaker.


    Peter shattered the bindings with the sound of glass breaking and shot towards the Enchantress in a burst of speed. Surprisingly enough, it was the Hulk that stopped his stride with a wild punch which Peter met blow for blow. He went up for a kick, but the Hulk caught his ankle, it did little to stop Peter''s attack, he twisted his ankle in Hulk''s hands breaking his bones, tendons, and flesh before kicking Hulk in the chin as he activated Will of Saitama.


    His leg went numb as the Hulk was launched back with a resounding shockwave that thundered in the air, he shot past Thor who moved in defense of Amora. It was too late, Peter Kagune did for him what his legs were no longer capable of and he shot towards Amora with his mouth agape, taking a large bite out of the enchantress''s shoulder, just missing her throat.


    The Asgardian let out a horrified scream as her magic failed her. Lucky for her Thor got to her in time to strike the teen away with his hummer in a mighty blow of thunder and light holding nothing back.


    The strike took out two of Peter''s Kagune, hitting him right in the face shattering his jaw, and launched the teen back into the streets.


    "He bit me?" Amora whispered as she shook in shock and fury, her magic trying but failing to heal her as Thor held her close. "What moral would dare to lay a hand on a goddess!?"


    "Amora, are you alright?" Thor asked, concerned clear in his voice as he got close. He quickly wrapped his cape to cover her wound.


    "Calm yourself, my love, the danger has passed, he is no more. But that child is as you said, special, different." Thor spoke soothingly as he tied the wound, adding minor healing enchantments to the cloth as adding it to the wound seemed futile.


    "It matters not how special he is, he has wounded me, Thor!"


    "He has managed to put a scratch on my Hummer. Consider yourself luck that a wound is all you received from him." Thor spoke solemnly and suddenly the Enchantress face lost all color.


    "That''s¡­"


    "Impossible, I am aware, there are few on the mortal plane who could do harm to Mjolnir. I fear our mistake was thinking this child a mortal." They continued, in advertently finishing Amora''s statement.


    Suddenly the cracking of bones could be heard as both Thor and Enchantress turned to lay their eyes on Peter''s body.


    Black miasma embraced his form like, in care, the silhouette of something ancient took form behind over the corps as it healed before dissipating into black mist-like particles. The child-torn body began to rebuild most grotesquely; blood and injury vanished into black miasmic mist as millions of spiders made from flesh and blood crawled out from this damaged body before black miasma healed at all and soon the child was up his previously broken mask was replaced by one made from his one blood as a group of tiny spiders crawled over his space and solidified in the shape of a mask.


    "You¡­" Thor breathed out in shock and fascination. "What manner of creature are you?"


    The teen gazed back with a calm expression, hidden behind the crimson Oni mask made from his own blood. His eyes held a mix of blue, yellow, and red, glowing with renewed vigor.


    "Me? Oh, I''m nothing you''ve ever met before. But I''m something you''ll never forget, I''ll make sure of it. Welcome to Earth. There are no Gods on this miserable mudball and if they were, They''d be called Humanity." Peter answered simply.


    {Fools Gambit Active:


    Primary Objective: Win


    Conditions: Incapacitate Thor, Free Hulk, Stop alien invasion, deal with obstructions to primary as the situation dictates


    Secondary Object: Kill the Blond Witch Bitch


    Other Objective: Protect civilians}


    {Slot 1 Active: The Thief Who Stole His Fate_Evolution Complete_ Active_


    Slot 7 Active: The Abysmal Spider_Evolution Complet_ Active}


    "Round two punk" Peter stated in a monotonous voice with an almost unnaturally serene expression.


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 49: Battle of New York Part 4

    -Central Park-


    A couple minutes into the fight between the Executioner and team X-Men. Their fight still raged on amidst the chaos- the team managed to lead the Asgardian warrior away from the streets and towards the edges of Central Park.


    "JEAN!" Kathrine ''Kitty/Katt'' Pryde shouted in worry; her nimble body was already moving towards her red-headed friend before the words left her mouth. She managed to tackle Jean aside as the Executioner''s blade phased through their bodies.


    The Executioner''s battle axe sliced through Jean''s telekinetic shield like a hot knife through butter - absorbing the ambient psionic properties of the construct to further boost his strength.


    Cyclops optic beam followed suit blasting the muscle-bound Asgardian back a few feet, the beam increased in intensity and size by a millisecond.


    Iceman skied his way into the fray on his icy constructs launching concentrated streams of frozen beams to freeze the Executioner in place.


    The Norse warrior defended against both attackers with ease. He tanked Cyclops''s beams before absorbing the energy into his battle axe; with speed questionable for a man of his size he sliced the space between him and Iceman''s beam of frost.


    A portal came from his attack and another opened directly behind Cyclops who was luckily pulled aside telekinetically by Jean.


    "Shit!" Bobby cursed, redirecting the beam aside, freezing half the streets in a sizable glacier in the process.


    ''Watch it!'' Jean told Iceman through their shared telepathic link.


    ''Sorry,'' the Iceman replied.


    The Executioner tried to take the chance to make a hasty attack on the Iceman but was forced to defend himself once more from a barrage of lightning from the hovering Storm.


    The African mutant amplified the effects of the storm she conjured to form a mini tornado around the Executioner. With a little extra effort on her part that took a chunk out of her stamina, the tornado was modified into an isolated lighting storm that slammed into the Asgardian whose battle axe could do little to defend against the omnidirectional streaks of lighting.


    He was sent hurtling back, tumbling through the destroyed road trailed by crackling lightning, charred whips of smoke, and the Iceman.


    This gave the rest of the team a small moment of reprieve for a short breather.


    ''This isn''t working,'' Storm commented telepathically as she prepared herself for another attack. She occasionally commanded lightning strikes on any Chitahuri horde foolish enough to venture close to the fight.


    ''I can see that,'' Cyclops reset the dial on his optic visor accordingly as he replied in thought. This guy could take the blunt of his attacks so there was no need for him to keep holding back. He made his way forward to link up with the Iceman for another attack. It was then that his acute vision took notice of the large Reservoir within Central Park.


    ''At least we got him far away from the civilians, any ideas on how to deal with him.'' Kat chimed in.


    ''Storm, Jean, you OK for a big one?'', Cyclops asked.


    ''I''m OK,'' Jean and Storm answered in unison.


    ''So, what''s the plan?'' Jean asked as she began to charge up her psionic energy for whatever scheme Scott had in mind.


    Without the need for a verbal discussion, Scott telepathically conveyed his plan to the rest of the


    team prompting all the members of the X-man into action.


    ''You got that Iceman?'' Scott asked telepathically as he took his position a few meters from the battle between the icy mutant and the Asgardian.


    ''Yep, about damn time too, this Viking reject''s really pissing me off.'' Booby whined, the frosty teen was in maneuvering on the ice around the Norse warrior who was chucking powerful bolts of lightning and concussive psionic energy at him.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Iceman was holding his own quite well against the Executioner. That wasn''t surprising given his estimated mutant level. If anything, his only weakness was his own fears, self-imposed limitations, restraint, and lack of experience.


    Even so, Iceman or Bobby as he preferred being called did what he could to both hold off and distract the Executioner until his team got into position.


    ''Ready?'' Scott asked everyone.


    ''Ready.''


    ''Jean on my signal¡­'' Scott said. The play he had in mind was simple in execution and could be bottled down to three easy steps. The first part was to distract and disarm the Asgardian. In the second part, take him up high then blast him to the reservoir, and finally bring him back down, electrify, and freeze in the reservoir.


    Jean closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, her hands bawled into fists, she could feel the familiar pulse of psionic energy build up within her core, only now it was accompanied by a strange feeling of warmth that permeated every fiber of her being. It was invigorating, she felt like at this moment she could do anything. She sent out a small psychic wave to identify everything with hostile intent within the area. She wasn''t as pinpoint accurate as the Professor but she could identify and pinpoint friend form foe easily enough.


    ''Now!''.


    Jean let out her breath, her eyes light with a fire glow as she spread her arms wide. A powerful telekinetic pulse burst from her violently throwing every Chitahuri back with enough force to severely injure them.


    Taking that as his cue, Iceman slid down to a stop tanking a blast full force from the Asgardian before his body erupted into white mist that froze everything within a five-meter radius with him and the Executioner in the epicenter.


    *Boom*


    Before the Executioner could retaliate Jean brought down the weight of a cargo ship upon him. Her hands shook and a small dibble of blood came poring from her nose. The telekinetic pressure she put on the Asgardian brought him to his knees forming a large crater on the land. The warrior could only use his battle axe for support to remain standing.


    But there, he ran into another surprise, small feminine hands shot up from below the crater he formed with his body and gripped the axe tightly. Katt Pryde used the Iceman''s mist as cover to get close enough to the warrior to touch his weapon. A touch was all she needed, the weapon phased through his fingers and the crater as if it were moving through air.


    ''I got it Bobby, go wild'', Iceman heard Kat''s thoughts before sending a mental thank you.


    The Asgardian warrior could only look up in surprise as Bobby the Iceman walked up to him out of the mist. He struggled to stand but the pressures placed on his body only increased tenfold. Bobby gave the warrior a conniving smile before placing both hands on the Earth, he sent a mental message to Jean to let the man go.


    "Fasten your seatbelts, Big guy¡ª you''re about to sour through the skies like true Norsemen. Far Vel!"


    As soon as the pressure lifted a gigantic sharp pillar of ice as hard as steel shot from beneath the earth and into the sky taking the Asgardian with it. Iceman launched himself after the Asgardian with a little help from Jean.


    Once the Asgardian was high enough a crimson beam stronger than anything Scott ever shot before lit up the skies. The optic beam was comparable to a train in both size and shape, it hit the Asgardian dead on sending him like a burned ragdoll across Central Park directly above Central Park reservoir with a storm hovering directly above him.


    *Crackle! BOOM! *


    Magnificent concentrated streaks of lightning descended from the skies on the helpless and burning Executioner. Blasting him from the skies into the electrically charged water below.


    Iceman followed closely behind, adding his own icy blast to take the mix freezing the water into a weird electric blue before frozen arks of lighting above the water.


    A chilling silence followed, everyone taking in deep bated breaths anxious to know if their plan finally succeeded. The crackling sounds of the rest of the reservoir freezing overfilled the Park.


    ''Did we get him'', Katt asked, the oversized axe she held in her hands looked just as large as her. She was joined with Scott who looked ready to pass out at any moment and an oddly rejuvenated Jean who was carrying them both telekinetically. The trio hovered down next to Bobby standing on one of his ice pillars overlooking the reservoir. Storm hovered further away from them alertly observing the frozen reservoir for any signs.


    ''I think ¡­we ¡­did¡­OH COME ON!!!'' Bobby commented both aloud and in thought as the frozen reservoir began to shake with renewed electric energy before exploding outward.


    "Oh shit" Katt cursed as the battle axe in her arm vanished into glittery green mist.


    *BOOM*


    "You''ve got to be kidding me," Scott whispered in disbelief.


    Standing on the ice below them with a hard glare was none other than Executioner, he huffed and heaved as he pulled himself onto his feet. His armor burned and charred with a small fist-sized hole in the center of his chest plate bleeding from Iceman''s attack. His right arm was a mangled-looking thing, if he felt any pain, he didn''t let any of it show as he gripped his axe in his hands. Aside from the burn skin the Asgardian was relatively fine against all odds and seemed ready to go another round.


    The warrior raised his axe, pointing it directly at his foes as he spoke in a booming voice. "For


    Prince Thor, For King Loki, For Mine Dorttinn Amora, Forgive me Allfather, I shall not fail on this day."


    The lone Asgardian looked at them with a heated gaze, ready to kill the young mutants or die trying.


    His actions made the young mutants pause for a moment, only a moment because of the palpable bloodlust oozing off of the Executioner.


    But then, there was a sudden pause, the executioner''s eyes widened in panic. His hands gripped his battle axe tightly and with a grunt, he sliced the space in front of him making a rather large portal before vanishing into it.


    The X-men were left staring confusingly at each other and back at the portal.


    *BOOM!*


    Not a moment later the portal violently shook, the sound of glass shattering fool filled the air and a shockwave shook the park, further destroying the frozen reservoir. The Executioner came flying out of the portal with a bleeding blond woman held tightly to his chest.


    Another person came tumbling out after him; a regally handsome man with blond hair with his red cape flowing behind him, he was wielding a strange hammer crackling with electricity.


    Three others exited the portal before it dissipated into nothing.


    The first two held onto each other in a violent brawl across the ice. One was a green hulking mass of muscles and rage and the other was dressed in all black covered in bandages.


    The last one to exit was dressed in a simple grey hoodie, cargo pants, and sneakers and he had on his face a red glowing pulsating mask that resembled an Oni-mask but it seemed a little too alive to be just a mask much like the four strange pulsating flaming wings behind him.


    There was a brief pause before the one in the mask vanished. Another shock wave disrupted the flow of air, thunder boomed and lightning rained down from above on the frozen reservoir as the enchanted hammer met clenched fist.


    Iron met Flesh.


    Fist met Fist.


    And more chaos ensued.


    ''KINDRED~, Outsider~ THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!!'' Something whispered-sang in the back of their minds... No, this was her, she thought that. Their? who? What was she thinking about again?


    An unsettling feeling stirred within Jean, it was that warmth again, but it was no longer tame, it was more of a burning sensation in the pit of her stomach, or was it the back of her mind? She found it increasingly difficult to breathe, it was like something was coming alive in her psyche and she didn''t know what it was yet she knew what it was, a memory she couldn''t remember but the feeling of knowing it was there, something she should know but didn''t.


    What it was she didn''t know as she breathed out the words. "Holy shit, that''s Peter Parker"


    "Say What!? HELL YEAH!! The cavalry has arrived." Katt joyfully exclaimed. The others simply chose to observe in silence.


    "Jean? You ok" Scott asked Jean in worry.


    Jean raised a curious eyebrow at him. "What''s wrong?"


    "Jean, You''re glowing."


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 50: Battle of New York Part 5

    - Manhattan, New York ¨C


    "Round two, punk" The strange undying boy addressed the two Asgardians calmly- the teen tilted his head in a confused manner as if he was decerning knowledge only he was privy to. His lips pursed into a thin line, eyes aglow with a haunting yellow hue, his pupils an electric blue shone brightly.


    The boy''s gaze became fixed on Enchantress, a manic smile bloomed behind the boy''s hidden features. Strangely enough, his eyes were empty, devoid of anything that resembled the arrogant, rash but bold child that challenged him and the mighty green one to a battle of fists.


    Black miasma bled out of his form in waves, shadow-like particles saturated with strange properties akin to the mists of Helheim filled the air beside the child; merging, growing, pulsating, and shifting like a mass of dark fluid flames.


    Something had changed.


    The god of thunder could feel it, his hammer hummed and crackled with malice. Lightning crackled around his form as power pulsed in his veins.


    This was concerning, unlike most magical weapons Mjolnir had some form of sentience, and although it could not think for itself the weapon did process a will of its own. The fact that it acted was enough for Thor to realize the sudden dangerous shift in their situation.


    Thor took a cautious step back; one hand gripped his hammer tightly while the other gently pushed the enchantress protectively behind him.


    The Asgardian Sorceress was oddly quiet.


    "Amora?" Thor spoke softly, his voice hinting worry for the woman. She seemed to grow pale by second, her hands shook as she took a shaky step back into Thor''s embrace, her expression was of unease and trepidation.


    "That child¡­ Can you not feel it Thor¡­" she spoke, almost whispered, her mind in turmoil trying to make sense of the being before her. Her hand reached out to cradle the nasty bite mark left by the boy? The enchantress glanced at her blood, the wound was still fresh. Why had it not healed yet? Why weren''t the spells working? It was as if she was reduced to a mere mortal. Like the magic she had didn''t work¡­ What was that putrid black mist surrounding that boy?


    "My wound¡­ your Mjolnir¡­"


    A sudden, concerning realization dawned on her. If her line of thinking was correct, at this moment, he was her perfect counter. What were the odds of running into such an individual in such a remote world? One with the power of anti-magic-true nullification.


    "Thor, that child, He must die today," Amora commanded Thor with renewed conviction. Her hands lit up with green Nordic rune circles.


    "Ay, my love, as you wish. Prepare yourself. I think he means to kill you." Thor warned her, he moved to the front to confront the teen only to pause in his stride.


    "Then let him try. It will be his end." the enchantress replied. She sent a hidden beacon alerting all the Chitahuri near the area to gather at her location.


    Both Asgardians watched as the black smoke finally began to lessen. The black miasma slowly dissipated, and from it came another figure. Dressed in black with a face covered in stale white bandages.


    {False Ajin: Active ¨C fifth death variant_designation: Noir}


    (A/N: False Ajin are past versions of Peter and when summoned they are referred to in the order in which Peter has died and possess abilities up to that point. I.e. the first death variant would be Peter in chapter one before his death on the bridge- This version would only have his demi-human ability.)


    The new arrival simply glanced around and cracked its neck before speaking. "Damn, this is weird. So I guess I''m the shadow huh? Scratch that, this is actually pretty cool. Guess it''s a fair fight now Your Majesty."


    The bandaged-clad individual did a mocking bow.


    "Ay, but this changes nothing" The Asgardian prince replied, arms at the ready with Amora to his left.


    "Your magic may be strange for a mortal, but my hammer and I have yet to taste defeat in the heat of battle."


    "Not yet." the black glad teen teased. His voice was rich with mockery and mirth. The one next to him remained still and silent only regarding the banter with a mechanical gaze.


    A mighty roar filled the streets once more. It wouldn''t be long before the mighty green beast would be joining them for this battle.


    Both parties took a moment to size each other up. All around them, the Chitahuri horde began to close in.


    "Well, what are you waiting for? Shakespeare in the park? let''s dance." The bandage-clad teen shot forward in a blitz of speed. The other made a beeline for the Enchantress who shot a blast of magic toward him in retaliation while simultaneously casting multiple illusions of herself across the field that mirrored her actions.


    Thor spun Mjolnir high above his head summoning streaks of lighting as he blasted forward.


    "HAVE AT THEE!"


    *Boom*


    ¡­


    -Elsewhere in New York-


    Gwen Stacy was not having the best of times at the moment. After her supposed return to what was supposed to be her own universe, she was starting to question whether this was even the right universe.


    She swung through the chaotic streets of New York dodging plasma bolts, slugging flying armored aliens, and jumping around on the backs of leviathans. As luck would have it, the area she dropped in had only a few stray leviathans and Chitahuri swarms as the bulk of the attack was suddenly drawn away.


    Just another average day as a superhero. It was times like this that she would question her life choices. Hopefully, Miles and the others were having better luck than her right now.


    The spider-themed hero dropped diagonally onto the side of a building to try her phone but the battery was fried- interdimensional travel tends to do that to normal tech.


    The streets below her were like a war zone. Screams and panicked cries filled the air; gunfire, explosions, and blue and red lasers came out of every direction and miniature freak storms were forming in two different places at the same time.


    "Seriously, what the hell is going on?" Gwen wondered aloud as she swung around towards the nearest police precinct. She was sure her dad would be there and even if he wasn''t there, it was the best way to get in contact with her family or at the very least find out what was going on.


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    The teen was alarmed when she heard screams and gunfire amidst the chaos prompting her to drop low and make a sharp turn around the corner as she swung. Just below her, a few Chitahuri foot soldiers were in a firefight with a group of cops protecting a few civilians who took cover behind their police vehicles.


    She took the scattered Chitahuri out with ease and her surprised arrival distracted them long enough for the cops to take the rest out.


    "Hello there, citizen, just your friendly neighborhood spider-woman here to help." Spider-woman quipped as she dropped on the roof of their vehicle.


    "Thanks for the help kid," An aged officer answered her with a sigh of relief.


    "Any idea what''s going on?" The spider-themed hero asked.


    "Can''t you tell? Look around ya kid, it''s a goddamn alien invasion!" the old officer huffed as he fiddled with his radio scheming through various NYPD channels.


    "Look. Your guess is as good as ours, Spidey. One minute, it''s a normal day, then bam! Big hole in the sky, Bam! giant metal snakes everywhere, and these things just start pouring out. From there it just got crazier" a younger officer chimed in as the rest began guiding the scared civilians


    indoors.


    "You have any news of the 15th precinct?"


    "Sorry, Comms have been down since this shit show started, got someone you know in there?" the officer replied.


    "Something like that" the teen hero answered vaguely.


    The sudden sound of the police radio crackling to life getting undivided everyone''s attention.


    "Attention all units, attention all units, this is Captain George Stacy, switch to my channel for secure comms. We got a major situation goin'' down at 35th Baker Street. Repeat, 35th Baker Street, We''ve set up a barricade and we''re holding strong with a little help. This isn''t a drill, folks. We have an invasion on our hands. Hostiles have taken over the area. All available units and any able-bodied civilians nearby with a gun, get your butts over to 35th Baker Street for a last stand. We need every hand we can get. If you can''t make it huddle down and sit tight, help is on the way."


    "I repeat. This is an all-hands-on-deck situation. I repeat, all able-bodied units and civilians in the vicinity, hustle over to 35th Baker Street immediately. Lock down the perimeter, protect the civilians, and hold your ground. We''re the last line of defense here. If you have a weapon, use it. We''re all we''ve got folks."


    Gwen stilled as relief flooded her being at the sound of her father''s voice. Almost instantly the channel was flooded with shatter.


    "Unit 22 to Captain Stacy, copy that. Were pinned down just a few blocks away, heavy casualties, taking fire, we got officers down."


    "Unit 7 to Captain Stacy, we''re on our way, ETA 7 minutes."


    "Copy that Unity 22, we''re en route to you, Captain Stacy out. "


    "Unit 2 to captain¡­" the old officer quickly joined the chatter with a sit rep, with a pause as he turned to look at the spider-themed hero.


    "Well, you heard the captain, get your ass over there. We can manage with what we have here, they''ll need all the help they can get."


    Gwen gave the old officer a quick nod with a mock salute before quickly swinging of, she knew where her dad was, now all she had to do was get to him.


    ¡­


    -Back with Peter-


    Peter met Thor''s hummer with his reinforced fist with a clang, the impact gave out a burst of electricity that fried the armored carapace covering his hands but dissipated upon coming in contact with his skin.


    That hammer was becoming a nuisance for the teen. It didn''t help that countless Chitahuri kept swarming him the moment he and Thor separated.


    He was violently pushed back by the lightning-empowered Thor- countless crimson crystal shards shot out from his Kagune, stabbing Chitahuri foot soldiers and exploding on impact.


    Somewhere along their fight Thor took it upon himself to take Peter on as the Hulk and Enchantress battled the manifestation of his False Ajin Noir. Turns out there were restrictions to summoning the living embodiment of death onto the mortal plane so he had to settle for the next best thing, his past self.


    Peter dodged a barrage of lightning strikes using a few Chitahuri foot soldiers as shields then used their charred bodies as makeshift bombs after stabbing them full with his blood crystals.


    He tossed them at the blond prince who batted them aside with ease. The thunder god attempted to bring forth more lightning but Peter activated his Imagine Breaker temporarily sealing off Thor''s magic causing the god to pause in confusion, the green in his eyes lessened giving way to his stormy blue but Peter didn''t give him the chance to blink, he was upon the god in flash- hands pulled back with the Will of Saitama already in effect.


    The surprised god could only bring forth his hummer to defend himself. The resulting shockwave sent both fighters spiraling apart.


    Peter could already feel the side effects of the image breaker affecting his body, the will of the entire human race whispering in his psyche- blood trailed from his nose and eyes. His right arm was already twisted and mangled from the drawbacks of the will of Saitama.


    On the other hand, the thunder god took a moment to regain his bearings, his iris blinking between an eldritch green and stormy blue. The effects of the Imagine Breaker were beginning to affect the enchantress''s spell on the prince Asgard - something Peter took note of.


    "What is this? What is happening? Why am I fighting¡­." the god trailed off before the green energy took hold of him again. He turned to Peter with an infuriated gaze. The green in his eyes glowed intensely as if to hold the prince down.


    Peter took this in with an impassive gaze, his body wasn''t strong enough, it could handle the drawbacks of his other abilities. He wasn''t healing or adapting fast enough. He needed to reset.


    Peter coldly brought his palm to the side of his head and without any hesitation blew apart his own head with his branch of sin.


    The god could only watch in muted shock as the teen''s body fell limb as did most of the Chitahuri around the Norse man. Peter''s Ajin however remained active in a brawl against the enchantress and the Hulk not far from where Peter and Thor were.


    Thor watched as the headless teen pulled himself back on his feet with his head reforming from the black miasma. He was disturbed by the teen yet sickeningly fascinated at the same time. The Norse god had met many a creature during his long life but never one quite like this.


    "I ask you once more, what manner of creature are you?"


    "Not of this world" the teen replied, eyes empty- with a voice devoid of any semblance of humanity.


    It took less than ten seconds for the teen to heal himself completely. It took even less than that for Peter to reactivate his imagine breaker and the will of Saitama and shoot toward the enchantress at speeds that left a sonic boom in his wake.


    Thor hastily threw his hammer after Peter with all his might in hopes of stopping Peter from reaching Amora.


    ¡­.


    -With the enchantress, hulk, and Noir-


    Amora was annoyed, beyond that- she was livid. Before her, a creature of shadow and death battled with a monster of flesh and rage.


    The green beast grunted and growled as he tried and failed to pound the black-clad teen into the earth. The teen fought with the martial prowess, strength, and skill of a practiced master.


    She knew a shade when she saw one, a being comprised of one''s own shadow given life and soul from its caster but the one that she faced with the green beast was unlike anything she faced before.


    It was death incarnate; dead yet living, an abomination born of something ancient that spit in the face of magic as its nature stood in opposition to the very notion of magic.


    She growled in frustration as she threw more spells at the thing.


    This planet was supposed to be easy, Loki promised a world ill-prepared for a force of such magnitude. A world ripe for conquest like the Asgardian legends of old.


    What they got was a world filled with hidden monsters and untold dangers. Strange beings with powers and abilities that baffled even her with her centuries of knowledge gained from halls of knowledge in Asguard.


    The boy, that mortal, he was not of this world, she had never met a being so shrouded by death save for the Mad Titan Thanos himself but even then, death''s touch on him paled in comparison to the hold it had on this boy.


    On the contrary, it was almost as if he was that haunting dark miasma, that the shroud of death cherished the child. Regardless, that child had to die, anti-magic was rare, very few could negate magic, and even rarer were those that could completely erase magic from existence.


    Amora erected another barrier in front of her and shimmered away leaving behind an illusion, one that was quickly destroyed by the shade as it slammed into it- destroying her barrier with ease. The green beast followed with him with a horde of Chitahuri.


    Amora paused as she felt her spell on her beloved Thor weaken slightly. She quickly cast an enchantment to reinforce the spell. It was old magic, strengthened by Loki''s scepter, she held no worries about the spell breaking as the more one tried to fight the spell the stronger it bound them to its enthralling snares.


    The only way to end the spell was her death, or the destruction of the binding agent which was Loki''s scepter.


    And neither would¡­


    *Boom* A sonic boom shook the air.


    A sudden chill crawled up her spine and the foreboding feeling of death shrouded her being.


    It was only a moment. A passing shadow in her peripheral vision, but it frightened her to her being for she knew in that passing second that she was dead.


    Her magic failed her, all magic in the area ceased to be except for the magic in her body. She willed all her magic with every fiber of her being and called out in summons of the person she knew would always answer her plea.


    "Executioner!! To Me!!"


    Hulk made a move to defend her but Noir tackled him aside as both fell into a portal opened up under them. One of many to tare their way open around the enchantress to redirect anything that would do her harm.


    Through the creaks in space, she saw it.


    She only caught a glimpse of the shadow of what would be her death, a child with bright empty eyes, fist drawn back before a portal erupted before her, and Mjolnir knocked the child directly into it but it was far too late, one of the children''s crimson limbs sliced her diagonally through the portal before it closed cutting the limb in half.


    On the side of the city, a building had its upper floor and a leviathan its lower half reduced to atoms from Peter''s punch.


    ¡­


    -Elsewhere with Spider woman-


    Gwen swung wildly towards 32 Backer Street, she knew this street so navigation there was easy enough.


    She dodged a few plasma bolts and took a few more floating Chitahuri out before finally reaching her destination. Used her webs to launcher herself forward, the building in questing was just up ahead of her.


    Chitahuri hordes littered the streets firing on them, and a line of police formed a barricade much like the one she was at previously, they were in a heated gunfight as scattered medics did what they could for the wounded amidst the chaos.


    Dread filled her as she saw a leviathan swooping down from the sky, its shadow looming over the barricade below. She could see her dad among the many officers, he stood out like a beacon.


    She used every ounce of strength she had to push herself forward; twisting and turning in the air with her webs for extra speed.


    She was so close.


    It was then that a shimmer of light flickered against her mask. The space directly ahead of her was split open as if someone had taken a sharp bade at cut a hole into the air. A figure fell out and then all hell broke loose.


    *Boom*


    A violent shock wave shook the skies and the streets blasting Gwen back onto a nearby roof. By the time she regained her baring, all she could see through the cracked lances of her mask was a figure jumping back into the portal leaving nothing but destruction behind.


    She walked forward and watched the officers below gather themselves. Half a leviathan lay bleeding next to the torn bodies of Chitahuri foot soldiers.


    "No¡­" she whispered in horror ¨C pinned under the metallic limb of a leviathan was her dad.


    ...


    -Back with Thor-


    Recalling his hammer back into the palm of his hand, Thor ran to a stop in front of Executioner cradling a bleeding Enchantress in his hand, his axe in hand.


    He had only a moment to bring up his hammer to guard both himself and the executioner as Peter came shooting out of a portal that the executioner opened to reach the enchantress.


    One that opened right in front of the X-man.


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 51: Battle of New York Part 6

    -New York, Central Park-


    *Boom*


    The God and mortal teen continued their battle on the frozen lake ¨C around the fissure and cracks formed across the lake.


    Thor brought his hammer on Peter who deflected it with ease and retaliated with his Kagune. Thor repelled the sharp tentacled limbs with his silver arm braces. His long-lived experience and training could only do so much for him.


    Peter slugged him across the face and Thor retaliated with a hammer to the Peter''s left cheek. Peter caught the hammer and rammed his head into Thor''s nose disorienting him. He followed though with a palm on Thor''s armored chest blasting the god back with a blood bullet. Before Thor could fly far invisible bandages plucked him from the air, binding his form and pulled towards Peter''s round house kick.


    Lightning ignited around Thor allowing him to burn and break through his binding in time to form a cross guard against Peters kick however Peter Kagune followed suite through a calculating combo. All four crimson limbs merged into one and slammed into Thor using Peters momentum throwing the Asgardians form.


    The attack left a small gash on Thor''s left shoulder.


    The Norse God slid to a stop on the frozen lake, but already sharp red crystal shards were heading for him.


    Thankful a large ice spike''s shot up in front of him protecting him.


    The Executioner was not sitting idle by held the Enchantress close as he provided Thor with support. The Icey spikes were blown to bits by the exploding crystal shards, but it gave Thor time to regain his Bearings. His mind was in turmoil, but he had no time to consider things.


    Peter tried to get past the Thor but Thor was making it his new mission to keep Thor away form Amora by any means necessary.


    Not far to their left the green behemoth and Peter''s false Ajin fought on matching blow for blow. Noir''s voice could be heard amidst their clash trying and failing to talk some sense back into the Hulk.


    To their right beyond the edges of the lake team X-men watched on. Jean in particular observed the fight with renewed intensity. Her form covered in a bright golden aura that resembled golden flames. She looked ready to hop into the fray and had Scott not spoken to her she might had done that.


    Peter threw a punch which the Asgardian prince deflected with his hammer. The force was still enough to push him back. Peter limbs however showed no signs or bruising that came with using the Will of Saitama. The teen was learning, he applied the abilities strength enhancement just enough to grant him a boost but not enough to destroy his limbs.


    He timed the activation of the Will of Saitama to go into effect only when his punches met resistance from an outside force. Cypher provided the calculations needed to achieve this to maximum effect complimenting Peter intuition and battle instincts. His Imagine Breaker was also activated in short immediate burst at oddly timed intervals to throw the Asgardian prince of his game.


    In a span of a few minutes Peter''s fool''s gambit systematically absorbed Peter''s experience and used it as a basis to develop a fighting style that was both effective and dangerous for the Asgardians. It left no room for unnecessary thoughts or internal musings- no witty banter, no fear, no rational self-imposed limitation, no moral dilemma, no emotional distraction, nothing but the ineffable compelling urge to complete the given task and the obsessive drive to adapt, improve and evolve until the given task was accomplished.


    Death and pain were never an obstacle and without the sense of self-preservation that all mortal beings possess the clueless teen would unknowingly engrave his existence as one of, if not the most deranged and dangerous humans on the face of planet Earth into the minds of all those present.


    It was as though Peter that exited the portal to Central Park and the Peter the Asgardian''s faced from moments ago were two different people. To Thor and the executioner facing the teen and the X-man intently watching the fight, Peter became a different monster entirely.


    Even so, Peter fought with caution.


    His crimson armor pulsed with a red glow as it bled over his limbs beneath the invisible bandages ¨C covering and reinforcing his limbs.


    The Asgardian prince''s form surged with lightning as he called forth more lighting only to be momentarily interrupted by Peter''s Imagine Breaker as he shot towards the Executioner. Thor held his hammer close as he moved forward to intercept the child.


    Thor''s eyes flickered between green and blue, over the last few minutes the God of Thunder was regaining short bouts of clarity during their fight, but it was never enough to wake him.


    The same could be said for the Hulk.


    Peter''s imagine breaker was however chipping away at the spell that bound him and the hulk to the enchantress.


    The god of Thunder was beginning to realize that this wasn''t going to end well. His body was bruised, and his armor was worn showing signs of the ensuing battle- blood trailed from the edges of his lips.


    The Executor brought down his glowing battle axe hoping to deter the teen but the magical energy he brought forward was easily dissipated by the teen''s Imagine Breaker. The beam he shot from his axe was deflected by


    Peter''s open palm. His ability eroded the beam out of existence as the sound of shattering glass reverberated throughout the field.


    Thor met him in the middle. His hammer clashed with Peters''s forearm, his magical energy clashing with Peter''s Imagine Breaker which manifested in the real world like a form of invisible aura that permeated off his form visually resembling heat waves.


    "Mighty Warrior Bloodborne! Stop!" Thor pleaded hastily, "Allow me a moment of respite, my mind has regained some clarity. I am not your Enemy!"


    Thor glowered and with some effort summoned a torrent of lightning upon them momentarily separating them.


    After some distance was put between him and Peter, he held his hands in a disarming fashion.


    His actions prompted Peter to pause in his onslaught; his secondary objective was to incapacitate Thor and the Hulk which would require them to still be alive. As it was Peter might just kill or mortally wound them in his attempts to accomplish his first goal which was to kill Amora therefore considered the plausibility of negotiation a probable cause of action.


    "That''s irrelevant, my primary objective is clear- she must die." Peter pointed at the wounded Amora. He then moved the same hand and pointed it towards the area where Noir and the Hulk were brawling it out. "The Hulks and your freedom from her control is secondary."


    Peter''s last objective which was to win was left unsaid.


    Blood then bled from him and coagulated in the air In front of his outstretched pointer and compressed into a ball the size of a fist. Peter activated the Will of Saitama and channeled its effects to his Index finger.


    "I won''t, I can''t stop until those objectives are complete."


    *Boom*


    Without warning he flicked his finger and sent the blood hurling toward the Hulk like a projectile shot from a rail gun. The unsuspecting green giant was hit dead center in the chest and sent sprawling into the forest beyond the lack.


    Noir''s surprised shout and subsequent curses at his other self were heard across the frozen lake before he rushed after the Hulk.


    "I''ll give you fifteen seconds to propose a suitable compromise." With that said, Peter tried something new. He activated both the Imagine Breaker and the will of Saitama, this time he tried to use the effects of the will of


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Saitama to momentarily boost the effects of Imagine Breaker.


    It worked, a little too well and the following side effects were that much worse. His bones formed fractures within his body, his muscles burned, and his mind became numb. His mind felt numbingly hot, he could taste iron in his mouth and resisted the urge to cough out blood.


    If it wasn''t for the Fool''s gambit and Fool''s Mask working with the Incarnation of Garou Peter would have crossed the distance between them in a blink and attempted to kill Thor. When he was done there, he would have moved on to the X-man.


    Thousands upon millions of whispers began seeping through the edges of his perception like silent prayers only he could hear screamed in his mind. These unintelligible mutterings told him things he could not understand, secrets and hidden truths, and attempted to influence his actions in any way they could.


    As Peter stood there his imagine breaker domain spread over the area. It covered the radius of the lake and even reached the X-man standing near the edge. Jean''s golden form was extinguished by the sound of shattering glass.


    Thor''s eyes return to their stormy blue as the flickering faded. The magic binding him to the enchantress losing its hold on his mind.


    Peter''s will influenced by the Incarnation of Garou prevailed in the end. He stilled his actions and waited patiently for Thor''s answer. Peter thought he could keep Imagine Breaker active for at least twenty seconds- now it seems as though he could only keep it active for half that time.


    "Well?" Peter asked Thor, he exuded killing intent in waves unintentionally cementing his stance on the matter of Enchantress.


    Thor took a moment to consider things before doing something that surprised Peter.


    He then turned solemnly to the Executioner; his mind made up regarding the next course of action.


    Executioner took a step forward in defense of the Enchantress, but Mjolnir slammed into his chest launching him back, Thor held the enchantress before she fell and placed his hammer on her chest.


    The bleeding Amora struggle to gran Thor''s hand. A deep morbid cut ran diagonally from the top of her forehead down to her chest and ended on the left side of her hip. Her bleeding form writhing in pain as she pleaded as her magic blinked in and out of existence. "Thor, what?... What are you doing? Please, my love. I did this for us. Please¡­Don''t¡­Thor?"


    The Asgardian Prince sighed in resignation before replying. "Forgive me, Amora."


    Lightning sparked across his fingers, then through his Mjolnir, before zapping the Enchantress, with pinpoint accuracy it stopped her heart.


    With her death, the magic that bound the Hulk and Thor disappeared.


    "NOOOO!" The Execution cried out, he quickly got to his feet and ran towards the dead Enchantress. Holding her close with his Axe by his side. "What have you done my prince? You''ve killed her?"


    The loyal warrior gripped his weapon tightly fully prepared to exact vengeance on the God of thunder. The axe sparked, its runes blinking with power fighting against Peter Domain.


    A single glance from Thor silenced the Asgardian warrior- his axe slid from his fingers with a clang, enraged and vengeful as he might be he would never raise his weapon against a Son of Odin- least of all the right full heir to the Throne of Asguard.


    "AAAAAAAARRRRRGG!" He let out a sorrow-filled howl before settling to hug Amora close glaring with murderous rage at Peter yet made no move forward to attack the teen.


    Thor stood up and turned to face Peter.


    "Is this an acceptable outcome warrior Blood Borne" He spoke stoically, even against Peter''s boosted Imagine Breaker Thor''s eyes brightened with power. Lightning arced across his form and thunder rumbled above.


    Peter stood still for a moment before deactivating his Imagine Breaker. Relief instantly flooded his form and although he could not physically feel pain at the moment, he was sure he was gonna be sore after this.


    The teen had a sudden sense of blissful fulfillment with Amora''s death. The kind that could not be put into words.


    He could fill the restriction of the first condition being released and with it the condition for the second one too.


    All that was left was the last one.


    "It is" Peter answered him. He could fell his Noir and hulks fight deescalating as the spoke.


    "Very well, what do you intend to do now?" Thor asked still guarded.


    Peter regarded Thor for a moment before turning in the direction of the giant portal in the sky. He turned back and answered with a single word.


    "I intend to win."


    The frozen lake beneath Peter was blasted apart as he launched himself into the sky. He paused in the clouds, taking a moment to familiarize himself with the feeling of walking on air.


    It was his first attempt after all.


    After a few seconds of familiarizing himself with the feeling of pushing against gravity beneath his feet, he shot towards Stark Tower in a resounding boom.


    Thor let out an exasperated sigh as he watched the teen heading toward what was most definitely his brother''s location.


    He turned to the Executioner and spoke softly with remorse clear in his voice. "Take your charge and leave this place, I will deal with my brother."


    lightning sparked as electricity crackled across Amora''s chest and against all odds the Enchantress let out a breath. Color returned to her skin- Thor had only used his control of Mjolnir and it''s magical lightning to momentarily stop her heart. A trick he learned on his many adventures.


    She was truly dead, but only for a few minutes at best.


    The Executioner''s eyes were filled with relief, he looked at Thor but said nothing- he gave the prince a respective nod as he hugged the Enchantress closer to his chst. Slowly he picked up his degraded weapon and stood up, he took great care of the enchantress in his arms as he stood. He then sliced into the space beside him opening a portal to places unknown.


    Before turning to step into the portal under Thor''s watchful gaze he said. "Thank you for sparing her, I, we will not forget this kindness. You have my word as Berserker of Old. Fare thee well¡­" with a momentary pause he continued. "My King. "


    Having said his piece, the Executioner retreated into the portal with his Enchantress.


    Thor glanced around him slowly, noting the destructing of his battle with the Boy Warrior Blood Born brought. He stood there in silence before reequipping his earpiece. He took note of the X-man but paid them no mind.


    "Captain, Can you hear me?".


    The earpiece buzzed to life with a reply. "Thor. Boy, am I glad to hear from you! We''re heading to Starks Tower- Loki''s armada retreated into the city." There was a pause followed by the sound of scratching tires and plasma bolts.


    Thor could feel the relief in Steve''s voice. He spun his hammer in preparation for his flight.


    "You finish catching up with your brother? Cause we could really use the hammer of a god right now." Hawkeye voiced sarcastically through the comms.


    "Ay archer. Enough words have been spoken and now I must save him from another strange ally. I shall see you and the captain at the Metal Man''s tower."


    Thor took to the skies after Peter.


    ¡­.


    -With the X-man ¨C


    Team X-man watched as Thor shot into the skies after Peter.


    "So, we can be sure that power nullification isn''t his only ability, right?" Kitty asked aloud, she turned to Bobby next to her.


    "Yes Kitty, I think we all saw that." Bobby sighed.


    "Guys¡­" Storm who hovered above called out in an urgent tone as she looked ahead into the distance.


    "Look I''m just saying, if we ever have a run-in with other mutants ¨C I think know who I''d want on the team" Kitty retorted.


    "And I keep telling you, we can''t force them to join the team," Bobby replied.


    "Guys," Storm said, the urgency in her voice increased.


    "Well, I could always try to convince him to join," Kitty suggested proudly.


    "Riiiiight. Cause that''s sooo hot~ " Bobby teased.


    "Screw you Iceman" Kitty tried a jab at Bobby who quickly encased his body with ice. "Ow, damn it, Bobby!"


    Jean was silently looking at her hands trying to understand what just happened. After Scott pointed it out to her and realized that she was actually glowing, she couldn''t stop thinking about it- the energy and the feeling that came with it. If the team had not held her back, she would have jumped right into the fight- the only problem was that she wasn''t entirely sure that she was going there to help Peter.


    The experience was confusing to Jean.


    She couldn''t understand it. The strange presence she felt in her head subsided and took its whispers with it. The last thing it said still lingered in her mind.


    It referred to Peter as it''s Kindred'', and called the teen an ''Outsider''.


    Whatever this was, she needed to talk to the professor about it.


    "It''s gone," Jean said, she tried to pull on that power again, but it had gone dormant. "I can''t feel it anymore."


    Scott stood nearby, watching her with concern.


    "Guys!" Storm shouted getting all their attention.


    "What!?" Bobby and Kat called out before their eyes widened in shock.


    "Oh¡­"


    Over the horizon directly ahead of the group, an army of Chitauri following Amora''s beacon surged towards the group in waves. They were simply tracking Amora''s beacon to her last recorded location with the order to kill on sight.


    "Well, you wanted to fight something Red. There you go." Kat stated as she prepared herself mentally for the coming battle. Kat took a few steps forward to stand next to Jean, and Bobby followed her close behind.


    "Any idea''s Scott," Bobby asked the team''s designated strategist as he stopped next to Kitty.


    Storm eyes glowed as lighting sparked across her hovering form. She lowered herself until she was hovering next to Scott.


    "Yea¡­ I got nothing." Scott reached up and adjusted the dial on his visor. "We wing it until the professor gets here I guess. Jean?"


    " I can take them," Jean said confidently, golden flames shone through her pupils.


    The group had to blink twice as two war cries simultaneously filled the air. A tree was suddenly tossed unceremoniously across the frozen lake toward the oncoming horde as two forms shot forward after the tree.


    "ROOOOWWWRRR!" Roared a muscular green giant as it shot after the tree toward the trouble.


    "BRING IT OOON!! YAAAAHOOOO!" Cried the deranged black-clad teen riding on the green giant''s shoulder.


    The Hulk barreled across the frozen lake with Noir standing on his shoulders- in one hand he spun what was left of his torn hoodie like a flag leaving the teen covered in only his bandages and t shirt and in the other hand he held a torn branch pointed like a sword at the Chitauri horde in a declaration of war.


    "Well... that''s not something you see every day."


    "So, If Peter''s the red guy then who''s that crazy lunatic, cause he kind of sounds like Peter"


    To their relief and sanity, they spotted the X-jet descending from the clouds just around the corner and directly to them.


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 52: Battle of New York Part 7

    - New York, Stark Tower-


    Loki stood at the top of Stark Tower watching his army wreak havoc on the city. A satisfied grin was plastered on his face. His eyes twinkled like that of an artist admiring his art.


    His machine hummed behind him; a steady stream of clear blue energy shot up into the sky keeping the portal open. More Chitauri descended out of the portal into the city below.


    "Well, isn''t it magnificent professor?" Loki asked with arms spread apart in triumph, he turned his gaze toward Professor Erik Selvig.


    The professor remained kneeling in awe of the contraption, the machine he built, he watched the blue energy in a trance replying softly. "It''s beautiful."


    "And what about you assassin? Any thoughts?" Loki''s smile quickly transformed into a mischievous grin as he spoke.


    Realizing she was discovered, Black Widow stood up from her hiding spot behind one of the vents with her weapons drawn and emptied her magazine into Loki''s chest. The bullets phased into the Norse god like he wasn''t there, it shimmered and disappeared in a flash of green light.


    "Now is that any way to greet your new God?" Loki teased as he shimmered into being behind the spy.


    Black Widow quickly responded with a backhand with the butt of her gun. But once again it phased through the chuckling Asgardian as he vanished in a flash of green.


    "You''re not a god. You''re just a madman with too much power." Black Widow reloaded her gun with haste. She scanned the area for Loki, she took cautious steps back towards Professor Selvig who was still kneeling in wonder before the portal machine.


    "Come now assassin, haven''t you heard? All great things are achieved by madmen."


    Black Widow''s gun sparked in her hands. She quickly tossed them aside before they exploded. The superspy ducked and rolled out of the way just in time to avoid a swipe by Loki''s scepter as he appeared behind her.


    Black Widow reached behind her reaching into her belt for her hidden weapons and brandished her combat knives defensively.


    Loki blinked in surprise as a silent flash bang went off at his feet blinding him. He reflexively caught the grappling line aimed at his head. Before he could react, electricity surged through the grappling cable momentarily shocking him.


    He grunted at the nuisance as he let go of the cable. The cable swiftly retracted into Black Widow''s bracelets.


    "Not by mad man like you!" She glowered at Loki as she went on the offensive. She dashed towards him and took a few swipes at the God who danced around her blade with ease, his eyes still closed, the edges of his lips curved up into a cocky smile.


    "Oh, I wouldn''t be so sure of that." Loki chuckled, as he continued to dodge Black Widow''s attacks. Black Widow pivoted on her left foot going for a roundhouse kick, but the god brought his left hand up catching Black Widow''s ankle in a vice grip, his eyes finally adjusting to flash as he blinked them open. "I think I''ll enjoy snuffing the life out of you."


    The redheaded superspy knew that the Asgardian Prince was just toying with her, he was stronger, faster, and possessed better senses than her. She knew that and she welcomed his perception, it was a boon to be looked down upon in a fight. Most mistakes in a brawl step from an opponent underestimating their foe, a lesson she incorporated into her fighting style.


    A lesson the arrogant God of Mischief was about to learn.


    With her feet still caught in Loki''s firm grip the spy bought one of her knives in front and pointed it at Loki''s neck. In one swift motion, she clicked a hidden trigger on the hilt of the knife; the blade of the knife shot toward the god.


    Loki sharply twisted his head to the side to dodge the blade, his grip on Black Widow''s ankle loosened slightly when he did.


    Black Widow seized the opportunity to twist her body and used her other foot to kick Loki in the chest pushing the god back a step, she used her moment to score a well-placed hit across Loki''s jaw with another roundhouse kick- she threw a few explosives at the god while he was distracted as she flipped from him landing right next to Professor Selvig.


    The god was blasted back before he could recover.


    "Professor Selvig! Professors wake up!" Back Widow wasted no time, she quickly rushed towards the professor and began shaking the professor out of his trance.


    Erik Selvig blinked absent-mindedly, he turned his head and smiled softly at Black Widow and spoke. "Can''t you see it? Look." he gestured towards the machine. "Isn''t it beautiful? it''s a doorway to other worlds. All my life I''ve theorized about this, now, here it is. isn''t it beautiful?"


    He ignored Black Widow as he drawled on and reached his hand out to touch the machine.


    "Professor please focus, how can we stop the machine? How do we close the portal?" Black Widow urged the professor by his shoulder.


    "Why would you want to do that?" Eric turned to the superspy spy with a look of bewilderment.


    The redhead''s frustration was visibly breaking through her usually calm and collective fa?ade, she roughly grabbed the professor by the collar of his shirt and shook him violently. "Wake up Eric, we don''t have time for this." Memories of how Hawk-Eye was awakened from Loki''s influence prompted the super spy to slap the professor hard across the face, while doing so she glanced back at the smoke to keep an eye on Loki''s position.


    Eric Selvig shocked himself awake with rapid blinks, the bright blue in his eyes flickering slightly giving way to his natural blue.


    "Professor?" The redhead asked. "Are you with me? Tell me how to stop it?"


    "Huh? What? Huh. Uhm¡­ You¡­ you can''t, it''s too late." he breathed out. "The- the energy field is stable, it''s too strong, you need something that resonates on the same wavelength to get through. "


    The superspy cursed in Russian under her breath as she stood up, she noticed Loki pushing himself up across from them with an amused chuckle, she stood at the ready for another round with the god. She could hear the professor quietly and remorsefully apologizing behind her.


    "I¡­I''m sorry, I didn''t¡­ I couldn''t control myself. I didn''t... No¡­I knew, I knew what I was doing but I couldn''t stop. " He said, he kept falling in and out of his trance fighting to stay conscious and aware.


    "It''s alright, Professor, just focus on finding the solution." She replied, her muscles tensed beneath her suit, her grip around her combat knife tightened ¨C the bracelet on her other wrist sparked with electricity.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Loki dusted himself as he stood up. " I keep forgetting how resourceful you humans are." He reached his free hand up and lightly traced his jawline before dragging his fingers across his cheek. He was surprised to find blood on his fingers. The knife from before nicked him, only barely across his left cheek.


    " I''m beginning to understand why my brother finds your kind so entertaining." He smiled but his eyes held no amusement.


    " Now die" The god of Mischief hissed pointing his staff at the assassin. The staff instantly lit up with an ominous blue glow before- *Boom* the roof of the tower shook from an explosion only it wasn''t from Loki''s staff.


    Black Widow blinked in surprise with her hands raised to shield herself from the debris and resulting air pressure.


    Loki''s staff clattered to a stop in front of her feet as the blue glow dimmed. She didn''t know what happened just happened, but she would not let this opportunity go to waste. An idea wormed its way into her thoughts.


    She quickly seethed her knife and moved to pick up the staff then turned toward Professor Selvig behind her.


    " Professor?" she asked the absent-minded professor. The Professor blinked himself awake lifting his head to face Black Widow and replied in a dreamy tone. " Yes. What, what is it?"


    " The staff, can Loki''s scepter get through the energy field?" The spy asked gesturing towards the staff as she spoke.


    "Yes. YES. Yes, it could theoretically." As he spoke the clarity in his voice increased. He pushed himself to his feet. The light returned to his eyes. He gestured at Black Widow to move closer as he took cautious steps towards the machine " We can stop it. Come, come, we can use the tip, the angle of entry must be just perfect to puncture the energy field."


    ¡­..


    Loki found himself crashing through the floors of Stark Tower. A firm hand gasping his throat as he struggled to breathe.


    In the blink of an eye, they crashed into Tony Starks luxurious office. He was then thrown roughly across the room like a ragdoll smashing into Stark''s bar.


    The expensive bottles of alcoholic beverages poured all over him, covering his form in its sharp, pungent bittersweet odor.


    He whizzed and coughed as he picked himself up. Loki growled under his breath as he spoke. "I am a god."


    "How dare you?" he hissed. The god punched the floor in anger and frustration as he pushed himself up onto his feet.


    He extended his hands and conjured two twin golden daggers with green Nordic designs that appeared in his palms then turned to face the fool who dared to attack him. He paused momentarily when he laid eyes on his attacker. It was a masked human with four pulsating crimson wings; his mask looked like that of a demon and his eyes were devoid of all emotions. His left eye was bright red and black where the white of his eye should have been, his left here glowed with a yellow hue with the pupils of both eyes shining brightly with an electric blue.


    He pointed a dagger at the demonic-looking mortal and took long strides forward as he spoke in anger. "I will bleed the life out of you!".


    His attacker made no move, only standing there in still silence and watching him like a predator would watch a prey.


    "You think you can intimidate me, ME! I am GOD You fifthly-" the words froze in his mouth.


    He walked a few feet closer glowering at the masked man before stopping in his tracks in shock. The blade in his hand vanished shattered into nothing in his hands. He suddenly felt his magic disappear from the around him, it was bound to his body still, but he could no longer use it.


    "What?" the Norse god questioned aloud. His thoughts were in turmoil as an unsettling feeling crept into his being. He tried summoning his dagger again, but nothing came, only the sound of shattering glass as his magic once again vanished from him.


    "What, what have you done?" Loke asked the man, he suddenly felt powerless without his magic. He tried again, he conjured his daggers and his illusions, but nothing came. He could feel the daggers materializing between his fingers only to vanish when he finished conjuring them. His illusions reacted the same way.


    This mortal, whatever power he held erased magic from space around him. It was as if the laws governing Midgard were rewritten and deemed his magic and error-like reality itself rejected the notion of magic- Loki could feel it in the very air around him. An invisible presence exuded by his foe erasing every bit of magic in the space around him. Magic not contained within his body simply stopped being.


    For the first time in his existence, the God of Mischief felt true fear. A terror like no other, a helpless feeling that reminded him of his childhood days. He could feel the stranger''s intent from where he stood- the masked man''s overwhelming desire to kill him.


    Suddenly the mortal no longer looked like a human, the crimson demonic mask that covered his lower face pulsed with a devilish grin- it was lined with crimson fangs and sported two tusks on the edges of his lips like that of a demon. His eyes took an ominous glow and his wings pulsed and writhed behind like they had a mind of their own.


    At this moment Loki felt like a death itself was standing before him, and it frightened him.


    His attacker said nothing, only choosing to watch the god squirm under his gaze. The masked man took a step forward prompting Loki to take a step back.


    "Wait, wait, wait, wait¡­" The god of Mischief raised his arms in a panic and chuckled lightly with a reassuring smile. " Now, there''s no need for violence, we can talk about this."


    The masked man took another step forward but vanished from Loki''s sight for a moment before appearing right in front of him. An arm''s length separated the two.


    Slap!


    Loki felt his ears ring as he stumbled back a few steps. He blinked rapidly as his mental faculties finally caught up with the moment. The right side of his face went numb from the hit and he was sure his lips were cut and bleeding right now. He didn''t even see the slap coming. His jaw felt a little loose. Did... Did this mortal just slap him?


    "How-"


    Slap!


    "Stop thi-"


    Slap!


    "Lise-"


    Slap!


    Slap!


    Slap!


    Slap!


    Each slap hurt more than the last one. Each step forward by his attack forced the god to take a step back. He had no time to think, plea, or even formulate a single word, He didn''t even have the chance to blink before another slap came.


    He felt a tooth fall loose and his jaw was numb from the pain. All Loki could feel was pain, never in his fifteen hundred years of life has he ever felt this humiliated, this weak, this helpless.


    Not him.


    He was God! This made him feel like¡­ like a mortal. Rage filled him as the thought set in, with every ounce of strength he had at his disposal he forced his magic to the surface then out of his being in a show of power.


    "Enough!" He roared, green energy burst from his body in a wave of green energy and forced the masked man back a step. " You cannot treat me like this, I am a GOD!" cried out in rage pointing at the masked man.


    The man only tilted his head before Loki found himself unable to speak once more. One of the men, no, monster''s wings flowed out of him like liquid flesh transforming into a tentacle-like appendage and wrapping itself around the Norse god''s throat. It held him up in a firm grip until Loki could no longer feel the floor beneath his feet.


    Loki glanced down at the demon masquerading as a man and found nothing in his eyes. Not a single emotion was present. This man, this beast, this monster, it simply did not care. It did not care about his status, his power, his words, it cared about nothing.


    This thing simply wanted to kill Loki and that thought terrified Loki even more.


    Without warning the tentacle slammed Loki into the floor, then lifted him and slammed him into the floor again, and again, and again, and again. Loki found himself crashing into walls, ceilings, wooden objects, glass objects, and metal objects until Starks luxurious office was wrecked into oblivion.


    He felt pain like he''d never felt before and finally, he was slammed headfirst into the floor for the last time. A crater formed out of the god''s body from its repeated abuse.


    His body was battered and bruised and his face all purple and red. He wheezed in pain and took raspy breaths struggling to breathe through his sour throat.


    His vision was painted red and blurry. The Asgardian prince could hear the footsteps of this demon as it approached.


    Loki felt a hand grab him by the hair, the demon forced Loki to look at him. His eyes one swollen shut and the other could barely make out the images in front of him. The demon''s Mask took a life of its own as its maws opened up and Loki could see the saliva dripping down its lips through the fanged mask. He had no strength left to summon his magic. There was nothing Loki could do to fight this demon.


    Living shadows danced around the demon''s form and something whispered words Loki could not make. There was that feeling again, like fear and terror filled him, in the edges of his vision he could make out a figure resting on their palms with eyes of yellow, their form covered in black mist. It smiled at him.


    It felt like death.


    The masked demon then spoke words that would haunt Loki''s nightmares for the following months.


    "I''ve always'' wondered what a god tasted like. Tell me what you think you taste like?" Its mouth opened wide as it drew close to his neck.


    Loki''s eyes rolled into the back of his skull, and he passed out from pure terror.


    ''Brother, help me.''


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 53: Battle of New York Part 8

    -Stark Tower-


    Peter spit out Loki''s blood after taking a large chunk out of his neck. His actions against Loki had a singular purpose. It was to put the fear of God into him, to give him a reason never to set foot on earth again and if Loki''s reaction was any indication, he was quite confident that he succeeded.


    He chose to do that because he realized that he could not kill Loki, the Enchantress was simple, the order given when he activated Fools Gambit overrode his other restrictions, and it altered his perception, forcing him to view the Enchantress as something different than human- he fooled himself for the duration of Fool''s Gambit''s active state to facilitate the completion his objective.


    Loki however, did not meet that criterion, his death wasn''t needed to ''win'', and try as he might Peter Parker still couldn''t view something, even an alien that looked human as something other than human. It was the reason he unconsciously held back his attacks during his fight against Thor, Hulk, and the Executioner.


    In his eyes they were human.


    Even now as he wiped Loki''s blood from his lips, he still saw this being as a human. It turns out, that an alien leading an attack on Earth that led to the possible death of hundreds wasn''t reason enough for Peter to consider him any different. The current Peter couldn''t understand why, why he could view the thugs at the docks as something less than human and this alien as something more human than even them, but he did.


    It was a confusing conundrum.


    The Asgardian''s blood and flesh tasted odd, nothing like the teen expected- a little too cold too, nothing like the sorceress which was warm and sweet by comparison. There was that feeling again- like something fundamental had shifted within his being, a change or addition of something else taking place within him that he could not understand.


    He let go of Loki''s hair and stood up as the unconscious Norse god of Mischief fell flat on his face- bleeding from his neck.


    Without so much as a glance to the side, Peter brought his left hand up and opened his palm. Invisible bandages slid around his armed and tightened grip reinforcing it in preparation for what was coming.


    *Clang*


    Mjolnir flew through the open walls and landed harshly in his open hand. Electricity arced from the hammer around his outstretched arm only to vanish to the sound of shattered glass.


    The hammer remained there caught in Peter''s grip and crackling for a few more moments before shooting back out into the walls from where it came- Its handle slipping into Thor''s waiting hand as the God of Thunder landed on the tiled floor of Stark''s destroyed home with a gentle thud.


    " Stay your hand, I did not come here to fight you, but I cannot allow you to harm my brother¡­" Thor paused for a moment as his eyes caught sight of his brother beaten and bleeding near Peter''s foot. He continued soundly with a guarded stance "¡­Anymore than you already have¡­Unfortunately¡­"


    Peter took a glance at the beaten god at his feet- Cypher took moments to analyze the wound on his neck before relating it to him- he severed Loki''s carotid artery and jugular veins with his bite if he were human, it would take two to five minutes for him to bleed out but both he and Cypher had little to no knowledge of Asgardian physiology to make an accurate guess.


    He paused for a moment before bending low and sealing Loki''s neck wound, he used a branch of sin to carefully seal the severed veins with his crystalized blood.


    Peter turned to face Thor with his impassive gaze- his mask pulsed red as it soaked in every drop of blood that lingered on his face. Although he lacked emotions or empathy in his current state his analytical thinking, logical reasoning, and attention to detail were enhanced to a high degree.


    He knew this alien led the assault on Earth, he knew that Thor was a king of some kind if the words spoken by the Axe-wielding Asgardian, he fought in Central Park were true and now, thanks to Thor''s words he knows that Loki was his brother- which made him a Prince, royalty, and that meant someone impotent to the Asgardian race.


    If the Asgardian society lived under a system of Monarchy, then the death of a prince would mean something drastically different to them than it did to the denizens of Earth. His remaining objective was to win and winning did not include starting a war between two races- especially if only four members of said race were capable of this much destruction.


    With that in mind, the current Peter decided his best option was to talk it out with the supposed King of Asgardians.


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    "He attacked my planet," Peter said to Thor. "I have every right to kill him."


    "Ay, that you do," Thor replied, he reflexively spun his hummer in his hand as he continued. " Let us both agree that he deserved that beating¡­and I am truly sorry for what he has done to this world but, he is an Asgardian- A Prince of Asguard, his fate and punishment must be decided by his people on Asguard."


    "He is¡­ also my brother, so you see¡­" Thor sounded reluctant but prepared to fight Peter for Loki, he held his hammer close. " I cannot allow you to kill him, not while I still draw breath."


    Peter watched Thor carefully, he did not want to start another pointless fight with Thor over Loki. Cypher pinged in his psyche ¨C Captain America and the rest of his team had arrived in the building and were taking the elevator up.


    Peter had to act quickly- another mental ping from Blue Cypher got his attention, and it seemed to be even more alarming which prompted him to act. He willed his Kagune to pick up Loki- the red tentacle-like appendage slithered tightly around Loki''s midsection then harshly picked Loki up and threw the beaten god at Thor.


    Thor caught the body with a single arm but watched Peter cautiously waiting for the teen to speak.


    " Do what you want with him but if I ever see him on this planet again¡­I''ll shove a crystal shard in his chest," Peter said before blasting up to the roof he and Loki made during their fight. He was tempted to shove a sin shard into Loki but held back because he knew nothing about Asguard and its people now.


    Thor was left blinking in surprise as Peter left, the prince looked down at his brother''s beaten form and let out a soft sigh as he spoke.


    "By the All-Father Loki¡­ What am I going to do with you?"


    Moments later the elevator doors opened getting his attention. He turned sharply at the sound but dropped his guard when he saw who walked out of its open doors.


    Captain America and Hawk Eye made their way out of the sliding doors ¨C both looked beaten and slightly bruised but their expressions were firm and prepared, they looked ready to fight whatever was waiting on the other side of the door. Hawk Eye had an explosive tip arrow drawn and positioned himself closely behind Captain America who walked ahead of him with their shield.


    They were both caught off guard and were surprised at the sight of Thor holding the beaten body of his brother with his hammer in hand.


    "Damn, must have been some talk, huh¡­ you know, I can think of a few other guys I''d want you to have ''words'' with later. " Hawk Eye commented with a sarcastic smirk.


    ¡­


    -On the Roof-


    Black Widow and Professor Selvig pushed against the energy field with all their strength, trying to force the tip of Loki''s scepter into the energy field at the right angle.


    After a few adjustments to the scepter, they managed to push it past the barrier. They managed to force the spear directly onto the metal alloy powering the machine.


    "That''s it, this is it, we can close the portal now. A simple tap would disrupt the energy flow and close the portal." Professor Selvig said.


    Black Widow taped her earpiece to contact the rest of the team with one hand while keeping the other firmly placed on the scepter to hold it in place. "Can anyone read me? I can close the portal now, Cap. Tony? I can close the Portal."


    "Red? Ironman here, I hear ya and you might wanna hold off on that for a few seconds, just got word, that we have a bomb heading our way right now. I''m heading to intercept; I think I can fly it into the portal" Ironman said over the commlink.


    Another voice spoke through the same link before Black Widow could reply. A distorted voice that sounded almost robotic.


    "Don''t Bother, just close the portal. I''ll help with the bomb." As soon as the robotic voice finished speaking something shot out of Stark Tower''s roof and hovered above the sky. The figure seemed to be standing in the air; he had four large bright crimson wings protruding from his back and wore a red Oni mask.


    "Ok, who are you?" Tony asked over comms.


    "I''m Blood Borne of Babylon, here to help." The voice replied.


    " Yeah, well can it Blood whatever, Widow, I''m already close, just keep the portal op-."


    "Yeah, well I''m faster so close the portal" The voice spoke over Ironman.


    There was a sonic boom that rocked Stark Tower shattering every glass window in the area. I second later Iron man voice could be heard over the channel.


    "WHHOoaa!! SHIT!! What the hell!?"


    "Stark!? You there, talk to me? What''s happening?"


    "¡­Yeah" After a momentary pause of a few seconds, he spoke again. " Widow, you can close the portal now- the bombs have been handled."


    Black Widow moved with haste, with Professor Salvig''s help they pushed the scepter forward and gently taped the Metallic alloy powering the machine.


    *Boom*


    A concussive energy shockwave erupted from the machine pushing both the Professor and the spy back as the portal closed shut.


    A few seconds later leviathans and swarms of Chitauri foot soldiers fell from the sky like insects. It was like the invisible strings responsible for their actions were cut and without that connection, they were nothing more than empty husks of flesh and metal.


    ¡­.


    -With Iron Man-


    Tony remained hovering in the air next to this Blood Borne character and watched the demonic masked individual with silent fascination.


    "That look''s disturbing, awesome but disturbing." He said aloud, Stark was beginning to understand why he called himself Blood Borne.


    Blood Borne stood in the air his arm outstretched in front of him as what seemed to be a large pool of coagulated blood hovered in the air in the form of a human-sized orb holding the missile in place. From the blood, countless tiny spiders crawled out solidifying into the crystal as they systematically dismantled the missile- its dismantled pieces fell into the ocean below until all that was left was the core.


    With the core in hand Blood Borne turned to face Ironman.


    "Ironman right?, He¡­I- I''m a big fan of yours, and thanks... for the blueprints." Blood born said. He glanced back at the core in his hand then vanished from Ironman''s sights and radar in a blitz of speed. All that remained was an afterimage that dissipated into the wind.


    "Wait WHAT!!?"


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 54: Battle of New York Part 9

    - Peter''s hide out-


    (November 10 am)


    When Peter regained consciousness thirteen hours had passed since his run-in with Iron Man and the bomb that was heading for New York City.


    The core of the missile was sitting on his desk sealed inside a spherical crystal construct made using his branch of sin. The ominous blue glow from within painted the crystallized blood sphere and parts of his hideout a purple hue.


    Peter rapidly blinked his eyes as he pushed himself up from the dark blue couch he had been lying on. Quickly covered his nose with his hand to block the stench of blood and alien flesh covering his clothes.


    " Oh, that stinks, not this again." He cursed his heightened sense of smell as he checked himself and his clothes noting the various holes and tares in it. '' I really need a bath and I gotta get out of these rags.''


    Peter took a second to glance around the room as he stood up. He paused when he spotted a large diamond-shaped crystallized crimson cocoon in the corner of the room, he could see Garfield sleeping soundly at the foot of the cocoon laminated by the purple glow of the core that sat on his desk. It was his aunt.


    Garfield followed his instructions to the letter and then brought her here, the cocoon was made as per his instructions resting on a crystal slab like a pharaoh''s sarcophagus.


    Peter walked towards it and carefully dragged his fingers across the edges of the crystal as he got close, only stopping when he reached the top of the cocoon where he could see his aunt''s sleeping face. He could see his aunt''s chest rise and fall and hear the steady beat of her heart. She was safe. Peter chuckled softly as he spoke.


    "Hello Aunt May, you would not believe the day I just had. Can''t wait to tell you all about it."


    With a soft smile, he turned to sleeping Garfield and knelt to pet his feline companion.


    " Thanks, bud."


    The cat purred affectionately in response to his touch but remained asleep. After thanking Garfield Peter walked over to his desk to pick up the core of the missile as he left to go home to clean himself up.


    ¡­.


    - An Hour later at Peter''s home-


    Peter quickly freshened up and changed out of his torn clothes. His body still ached from the strain of using his powers the way he did.


    Thankfully the attacks in the city left his home untouched.


    His Fools Gambit had unforeseen side effects that even he was unaware of. His ability did not block everything out as he previously thought, it just prevented him from feeling things like pain and emotions during the duration of its active state. However, once Fools Gambit was deactivated, after he fulfilled the input conditions he gave when he activated Fools Gambit everything he blocked out came back in full force all at once, all the pain from the injuries he got in battle, every emotion he might have felt, every thought, every death, he felt all it in a single instant.


    The intensity of it all overwhelmed him and he passed out on the couch as soon as he went back to his hideout to check on his aunt. That explained how he found himself passed out on his couch for six hours right after the fight.


    There was one more important detail to his fool''s gambit, once activated he could not deactivate it, not willingly, not until all the input conditions were fulfilled and the ability deactivated itself.


    ''I guess that''s why it''s called fool''s gambit.'' Peter mused internally as he made his way downstairs for a blood pack and the same food. He never paid much mind to the names of his abilities. It was a double-edged sword, a gamble in a sense, his ability would ensure his input conditions were completed no matter the cost.


    That was dangerous. He would have to be more careful with how he chose to use Fool''s Gambit next time.


    He walked into his kitchen drying his hair with a towel with one hand while the other rummaged through his freezer for a blood pack lost in thought.


    Cypher buzzed in his psyche with updates on the current situation of the world and New York following the closing of the portal.


    There was nothing much to report aside from the obvious reactions. World governments lending a helping hand through relief efforts and rebuilding destroyed cities, stark industries already moving in to help clean up tech remnants, and Shield making a public debut on the world stage to lend a helping hand.


    There were also a few dozen messages from a certain team x and a blond feline underling that he chose to ignore for the moment.


    There were reported sightings of Spider-woman and other unknown mutants and enhanced humans who were helping to clean up the city. Peter considered going around the city to check on Gwen if she really was back, he was curious to know where she had been for the last few weeks.


    Peter schemed through the various bits of information as searched through the kitchen for some flour, eggs, butter, and milk after tossing his empty blood pack in the trash, he was thinking of making himself some pancakes.


    He had nothing else to do and he was starving, it''s funny how the more things change the more they stay the same. Six hours after stopping an alien invasion and fighting with literal Norse gods Peter found himself in his house once again making pancakes of all things.


    But either way, the fact that aliens existed didn''t change much for Peter. It''s not like he didn''t know, S.H.E.I.L.D''s files indicated that there were in fact already aliens on Earth or was it another subspecies of humanity like the mutants? He wasn''t sure, they were called Inhumans after all.


    Well, there was also the Asgardian who the ancient humans mistook for gods. ''Well, back then it wouldn''t take much to convince someone you''re a god.''


    But their technology though it changed a few things. During his fight in the city Cypher took the initiative to scan as much of the Chitahuri''s technology as it could, he had a few rough mental schematics of their weapons, armor, hoverboard, and even their leviathans and foot soldiers. It was too bad there were no spaceships around though.


    From the look of it, they really weren''t alive-not living beings but rather they were bio-engineered organisms built for the sole purpose of being disposable foot soldiers for war. He got that much from available information; it was probably why killing them was so easy for him despite his restrictions.


    He''d have to go around the city to scan a few more of their tech, he could do that while he searched for Spider-woman, kill two birds with one stone. Maybe he''d check on a few other things too, not to mention the new array of abilities he wanted to test out.


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    He also needed to find a better place for Aunt May since the hospital she was at before was nothing but a pile of bricks at this time.


    But first, Pancakes.


    ¡­..


    -Sometime later-


    Peter flew through the clouds above New York dressed in his Noir persona. He was trying out his new ability for the first time. Granted he already used it but using this time just felt different.


    "Whoo-hoo!" Peter exclaimed with excitement as he pushed against the invisible force of gravity under his feet, a sudden boom echoed in the air as he shot forward through the sky.


    He wouldn''t call this flying; it was more like a controlled fall. He was only jumping from point A to point B using the air as a platform.


    Peter dropped low onto the edges of the roofs of one of the taller buildings in New York, the building was still smoking from below and there was a leviathan-sized hole in the center.


    Peter stuck himself to the edge with one of his new abilities in case the structure collapsed. He could feel a sudden shift in the gravitational force on the legs as stood up. It felt a little strange to be aware of the subtle pull of earth''s gravity on his body and being able to push against or pull himself towards it with his entire body.


    This new ability was also messing with his sense of touch and special awareness. Gravity wasn''t exactly something a human should be acutely aware of, mix that in with his enhanced senses and you get someone who mistook the wind rushing against your face for flowing stream water only without the wet part.


    "Well, that was fun, now where to go from here?" Peter muttered as he used Cypher to search the Meta-verse to map out the city for all the locations of alien technology along with reports of the sightings of Spider-woman, he also decided to look for the new members of Babylon while he was at it.


    Peter watched the streets below him while Cypher went to work compiling the information he needed.


    "Found you." a soft feminine voice sang surprising Peter and almost causing him to slip over the edge.


    Thank God for the fool''s mask otherwise his reaction would have been more than just a deadpan in the direction of the voice.


    "Hi Peter" the little girl smiled fondly at Peter with a soft wave, she was the self-proclaimed goddess Kelly McGrath, the girl he met a few hours before the portal opened above the skies of New York. " This goddess has been looking everywhere for you, you know. I thought it was you at the hospital when those aliens attacked but turns out it was Miles but now, I''ve found you. Yay!"


    She pumped her fist in the air, the blue bunny ears of her suit bouncing as she spoke as if meeting Peter on the rooftop of some random building was normal. The fact that she knew who he was with his bandages covering his face made this situation even stranger.


    Peter took a moment to reply considering the situation. "Who are you?"


    He wondered if he should curse his Parker luck.


    The girl looked at Peter slightly confused and a little cross with him. "It''s me, Sekhmet dumdum, how could you forget your goddess so easily? Naughty Peter. You might still remember my human name though. It is I, Kelly McGrath. "


    She spun on her toes like a ballerina and took a dramatic bow before looking up at Peter mischievously her eyes twinkling with wonder. " The most adorable girl in this world."


    Peter''s pupils glowed a feint electric blue as Cypher went to work but all that came up was the same as before. Her name was Kelly McGrath, and she was a terminally ill orphaned patient living in the same hospital his aunt was at. Nothing about the information Cypher found was abnormal.


    "Yeah, that''s not gonna work right now ''cause, believe it or not, this right here" Peter used his pointer to gesture between them. " This starting to get old." Peters deadpanned before his voice turned serious and he took he shifted into a more guarded stance. "So please, do us both a favor and just tell me who you are."


    This girl knew who he was and somehow made it to somehow found him on the roof of some destroyed building. He had enough random encounters under his belt to know that wasn''t just some random coincidence.


    " Aww! Come on Peter¡­I thought you were a real one." She skipped a step closer to Peter as she spoke.


    " A real one?" Peter asked confused, an eyebrow raised as he spoke.


    " I mean I missed it the first when we met but then you did that thing at the hospital it hit me like a train. Boom! Just like that, I knew who you were and it was awesome, I mean Spider-man? Come on, you''re way too important. You, Peter Parker, who would have thought? Usually, it''s an extra, an insert, or an outsider but you, you are something new. 00ooh! I''m getting excited just thinking about this." The girl kept speaking in an overly excited manner completely missing Peter''s question.


    " Ok, you lost me there. What are you talking about?" Peter asked tilting his head in confusion. '' There''s a Spider-now? No¡­ from the why she said that it''s like she''s saying I''m Spider-man... Don''t tell me she''s actually crazy.''


    " Oh, sorry I''m just excited. You¡­ You seriously can''t see me? That''s strange¡­" She asked before breathing out a frustrated sigh.


    " Listen, kid, you''re not making any sense right now."


    " No, you''re not making any sense and I''m not a kid." She huffed at Peter for calling her a kid. " I know you''re a real one though. Here, shake my hand." The girl reached out her right hand for Peter to shake.


    " Come on, I''m like ten years old, are you seriously scared of a kid?"


    Peter observed her skeptically trying to make sense of everything she was saying but thinking about it wasn''t helping at all. Was this another Ancient One scenario, did she know shit about him that he didn''t know yet because even Cypher couldn''t make sense of her words. So, is this confusing to you too Cypher, or is it just me?


    A mental ping from Cypher with the message '' More data required'' answered his thoughts.


    " Look, just shake my hand and you''ll understand, alright. I don''t have all day; this kid''s already falling apart." She rolled her eyes at Peter''s cautious behavior and moved her hand towards Peter gesturing with an open palm for him to shake it.


    Take a moment to think things over Peter.


    He was technically an immortal and with Imagine Breaker''s passive in effect he doubted there was much she could do him if she was a mutant or magical. Reluctantly Peter reached out and shook her hand. If she tried anything he would-.


    ''KILL HER!''


    The thought sprung out from the depths of Peter''s mind, searing through his thoughts like a hot blade slicing through butter compelling him to act the moment their hands touched.


    In the blink of an eye Peter found the hand he put forward to shake hers berried fist deep into her chest, he felt her heart squashed between his fingers.


    Peter''s eyes widen in shock.


    "What the hell?" he gasped in surprise at his own actions- his fool''s mask failing to keep his true feelings hidden and something inside him, IT, IT rejoiced, vibrating in the depths of his mind. But that wasn''t what broke his mask, not it was the fact that the little girl whose chest he shoved his hand in, whose heart he crashed in his fingers was smiling at him.


    "Now you see me" she wheezed out.


    How was she even alive? What the hell is this?! Peter thought grimly, his hands trembling in his chest as fear, shock, and panic filled him. That was getting out of hand quickly, his mask could do little to stop his thoughts or equip his mask due to the intensity of his emotions but he could feel the Fool''s mask''s effect slowly take over.


    Peter killed before but he could never hurt a kid, and whatever this thing was, it looked like a kid, the mare image of shoving his hand into her chest was enough to throw him into shock.


    A proud but fond almost wistful smile bloomed in her features, her eyes wide with wonder staring at him like she found the most important treasure in the world. There were tears in her eyes, but it wasn''t pain, terror, or fear, it was joy.


    She brought her hands up and gripped his wrist tightly as she spoke with a trembling voice. "See I knew you were a real one, a real person. I finally found you Origin."


    "What?"


    "Listen to me." The little girl squeezed his hand even harder. She coughed out blood and continued.


    "Forget about them, the people of this world, those you know, those you love, those you hate, friends, family, enemies, and strangers, don''t care about them, they''re all fake, fiction- they''re not real, not like you and me. Do what you want, take what you want, and live however you want. We are the true protagonists of this story-of every story. We who can transcend beyond the wall."


    Something about the way she spoke caused him to remain still and give the little girl all his attention. Peter wasn''t sure if it was her voice are him, but something compelled him. Whatever the case, she wasn''t human, this wouldn''t be possible if she was but what if she was?- he couldn''t help but ask himself.


    " You know, I''ve always wanted to meet you, Peter Parker, you were my favorite hero Spider-Man. Don''t worry, I''m human."


    ''Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.''


    "It''s not your fault, you¡­ just¡­ couldn''t control¡­ the¡­urge¡­ yet." She went limp with Peter''s hand still in her chest. Her grip loosened around Peter''s wrist and fell to her sides.


    A thoroughly confused and shocked Peter pulled his arm out of her chest and caught her body before she could fall.


    "Oh shit." Peter cursed aloud and with every fiber of his being, he attempted to summon the one thing that might have an answer to this shit show. "Death, if you can hear me right now, come to me, I need you."


    He felt his connection with his dormant Ajin spark to life and soon after the world around him froze in place, like someone hit the pause button on time.


    "Hello, Peter."


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 55: Battle of New York Part 10

    The world around Peter turned gray and time froze. Black miasma bled into reality as that same sweet soothing melodic voice that greeted Peter in his dreams every time, he died spoke to him.


    "Hello, Peter." Death smiled down at Peter, she appeared out of a plum of black miasma, her appearance caused Peter to hesitate for a moment.


    It came as a surprise to him as he wasn''t entirely sure it was even going to work when he attempted the call. There were restrictions against this the last time he tried.


    She looked different, and felt different too; she wore a black fitting suit that left her cleavage exposed, two horns protruding from her head, and a pulsating purple shard glowing from the center of her chest. From behind her back came numerous spider-like limbs that picked her up a foot above the ground.


    She didn''t feel like the death he had met before but calmer, more demure, affectionate even, and her face didn''t take the form of any one of his loved ones, her complexion was pale, but she was beautiful all the same.


    The black miasma behind her that shrouded her form didn''t dissipate but remained, hiding something else within but Peter couldn''t care less about that.


    It was strange but he could feel death through the bonds he shared with his false Ajin, but his one was different, more pronounced, pure, almost like a missing piece of himself, no it was even more than that, if Peter had to describe it, it was like he was meeting his own soul as strange at that sounds.


    "You''re not¡­" Peter trailed off as she took a step closer.


    "Death" She continued his train of thought. " No, but I am your death, and I can help you all the same."


    "I see." Peter breathed out.


    ''Ah, so she''s my Ajin'' Peter thought before the reason for his plea came back to him. He looked down at the bleeding of the bunny girl. He had pushed against the fist-sized hole in her chest trying desperately to stop the bleeding. "Please, I ah...I don''t know what happened. I don''t know who she is, I don''t know what''s going on, I did this, somehow. Can you, can help me save her?"


    Death glanced at the kid and then back at Peter. She tilted her head as if she found something funny.


    "Why?" She asked Peter. "Aren''t you the one who killed her?"


    Death''s words struck Peter like a slap to the face and reluctantly he was forced to face the reality of his situation.


    "I did¡­" He admitted with guilt. "But it was an accident, Dammit! Look, I don''t know what the hell is going on, I just. I know I made a terrible mistake, alright, and I called you here to help me fix it. Can you help me fix it?"


    "Hmm¡­So you can''t differentiate between your own kind and a denizen of this world yet." Death mused in a whisper under her breath. "How can one be so blind to their own nature?"


    "What?" Peter looked at her, his confusion returning full force, but Death chose to answer his previous question instead.


    " Never mind that I suppose I can try." She sounded slightly annoyed, her spider limbs vanished into black mist as she knelt next to Peter and placed her palm on the dead girl''s head, the girl''s head glowed briefly before fading. " Her soul is fractured, your luck she''s no longer of this world, the rules are a little lacking on beings like her but whatever possessed her before took a large chuck of her soul with it."


    "So does that mean you can help?" Peter asked and his death smiled back at him.


    " Yes, Peter, I can help you." The teen breathed out a sigh of relief as she continued. "I can give back the remnants that remained of her soul, but the rest is up to you. I''ll need your help for that."


    " What can I do?" Peter asked eager to help in any way he could.


    " You did crush her heart so she''s going to need a new one. One of your Sin shards should do the trick, I''ll imbue it with what''s left of her soul."


    "OK" Peter bit into his thumb to draw blood eager to help but death held his grip on his wrist before he could continue.


    " Are you sure you want to save her?" she asked Peter.


    "What kind of question is that? She''s a kid of course I want to save her." Peter bit back harsher than he intended to.


    Death held Peter''s palm with both hands in an act of comfort as she spoke.


    " You know that this child isn''t going to be human when she wakes up, her mind would be fractured- her personality and memories are gone, she would be an empty husk if you will, the pieces that are left of her fractured soul won''t be able to make up for the parts that were taken, she would be stuck in a perpetual state between life and death, living but never truly alive, dead but never truly dead. She will be bound to you as the holder of the original sin shard forever. Can you live with that? Can you live with her knowing what you did to her to save her?"


    The longer she spoke the more it began to dawn on Peter, was he really trying to save the kid because it was the right thing to do, or was it his attempt to correct his mistake?


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    ''This is Aunt May all over again'' he realized, just like when he almost turned Aunt May into a shard holder to save her. He took a moment to think things over, to consider things before something she said struck him.


    "You said it was taken, that a large piece of her soul was taken, is it possible for me to take it back if I ever meet the one who took it?" Peter asked death.


    Death blinked in surprise. " I guess, it is possible."


    "Then I can keep her alive until then and return the peace of that''s stolen right. That could return her to normal right?"


    "It could." Death confirmed.


    "Then that''s what we''ll do," Peter said firmly. " I think, I think I can live with that. Now help me save this kid, knowing my luck I''m sure I''ll bump into the one that took her soul sooner or later."


    "Fine, if that''s what you want." Death replied as took the shard from Peter and placed it on the little girl''s chest. The child''s chest emitted an ethereal glow before a glowing stream of energy was extracted from the kid and gathered into a small glowing orb in her hands.


    Peter on the other willed his blood from his thump into his palm to form a new sin shard, it flowed from his thump and compressed itself into a glowing red crystal shard. It had to be altered slightly to meet the special conditions to revive her, he needed a specialized shard like the one he made for Garfield and his Aunt May, with death''s help they could bring her back to life. He considered a few options before he came to a solution, the powers he granted her would facilitate and excel in her mental growth and help her defend herself if it came to it.


    With that in mind, he began making her shard.


    Death watched Peter construct the shard until it was completed. When it was done Death touched it lightly allowing the ball of light in her palm to stream into the shard, the hard pulsed lightly before the red glow transformed into a purple hue.


    Information streamed into Peter''s mind.


    {Sin Shard Created_Shard Altered}


    {


    Sin shard, Branch Created


    Holder: Kelly McGrath


    Abnormal Specialized Sin Shard - Curse of Virtue


    Branch: Temperance


    Branch Power: Bloodhound Techno-vore


    Her ability is an extension of Peter''s Blue Cypher, the shard contains a blank version of one of Peter''s virtual AI clones that will adapt and evolve to form a personality of its own with the shard holder. It is no different than a newborn AI that evolves with its shard holder.


    - that shards make the holder capable of interacting with technology like Blue Cypher but to a lesser degree in terms of range. It also grants her an innate understanding of all forms of technology that is greater than that of Blue Cypher.


    - the shard grants the user the ability to infuse the holder''s blood with technology to make their own form of biotech, this allows the shard holder to break down, improve upon, and alter all forms of technology she comes in physical contact with. This also applies to both organic and inorganic objects.


    Special Ability Granted by her cursed virtue: Total Command


    Much like Peter''s Fools Mask and Fools Gambit, the sin shard holder Kelly McGrath has total command over her physical and mental faculties, this control extends even to her atoms and the atomic structure of objects she comes in contact physical contact with.


    Trait: Soul Shard Cradled


    - This trait is granted to her by death influence, it makes her pseudo-immortal since she lacks a complete soul and therefore isn''t truly alive. If her shard remains intact, she cannot truly die. This trait allows the shard to hold what remains of Kelly''s Souls and it allows the rest of Kelly McGrath''s soul to return to her body when it is returned to her to complete itself.


    }


    "It''s done," Peter said softly.


    Death hummed in affirmation as she took the shard from Peter''s palm and placed it into the dead girl''s chest. She pressed her palm over it and after another brief glow, her chest mended itself, the hole healed, and the little girl''s bunny suit mended itself over with her flesh.


    "Almost." Death replied. "We''ll need a little bit of magic for the last part to complete it and as luck would have it, we both know certain ancient wizards don''t we Peter."


    "We do?" Peter asked, and then he remembered the ancient one. " Oh, right we do."


    " You must be quick. My time here is limited to less than seconds, slowing it down allows me to extend it. When I go time will resume." she urged Peter as she broke a piece of cloth attached to her arm sleeve and gave it to Peter. " The old wizard will know what to do with this, she has done it once before."


    She then brought her palm and touched Peter''s cheek causing Peter to briefly pause. "How nice it is to finally meet you, Peter. I''ve given myself the name Moira, it means Fate. Next time call me by that name, now hurry."


    "Rr-right." Peter quickly picked up the Kelly into his arms as he stood and turned to leave. "Thank you for this, de-Moira"


    "Think nothing it, there''s nothing I wouldn''t do for you, Peter." She chuckled as she spoke again laughing to an inside joke only, she knew. " Well, until next time Peter.


    With the girl in her arms, Peter took off into the sky in a sonic boom. Color bled into the world behind as time was slowly resuming.


    Death, now Moira watched him go with a soft expression that quickly turned solemn. Spider-like limbs protruded from her back and pulled her off the ground. She turned to the black miasma that remained from the point of her entry into the world.


    It dissipated slowly to reveal a person inside.


    "Well May Parker, I think you''ve watched him enough. Have you come to a decision?" Death asked Peter''s Aunt.


    "Why?" May''s voice was low and strained, her eyes puffy. Her face filled with dried tears but she looked at Moira with an expression of anger. " Why are you showing me all of this? Why are you doing this?"


    Moira smiled softly at her as she spoke. "Because even now, after witnessing everything your nephew has been through, everything he''s done you cannot bring yourself to hate or resent him, you aren''t even angry with him but at yourself. You''ve already forgiven him, haven''t you?"


    "He''s my son" May spoke with conviction that even surprised Moira.


    "And that''s why he''ll need someone like you. Someone who will not judge him for his sins or follow him for the power he will grow to possess. Someone who will accept him and simply be there for him and help him make the right choices and in time become the pillar of humanity he will lose." Death walked forward and put a comforting palm on May''s shoulder. "You cannot change what he is, but you can help shape what he becomes."


    "Why him? Why did it have to choose him? It''s too much, why can''t this universe just pick someone else¡­Why can''t that thing just fuck off and leave him alone? Peter, he doesn''t deserve any of this, my Peter, his just a child." May pleaded with Moira, the anger in her eyes fading, it filled with tears again.


    " hahaha." death chuckled lightly as she spoke. "Oh May, if you knew what the person Peter Parker did for this world, what countless versions of him sacrificed to keep the world safe in every world, you would not call him a child. In fact, I think you''d Pity him for his destiny."


    "At least this time, this version gets to write his own destiny"


    ¡­


    A few blocks away a clueless Peter rushed forward to meet an ancient wizard.


    A wizard who was long overdue for a visit from the one named Peter Parker.


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 56: Changing Tides Part 1

    -New York Sanctum-


    The ancient one sat patiently on a mat on the roof of the building that served as the stronghold for the sorcerers in New York. In front of her was a small table with an ancient set of Chinese teacups and a brewing teapot.


    She sat in a meditative posture with her eyes closed enjoying her peace after the battle that was now coined the Battle for New York.


    Her peace was disturbed by the sound of footsteps approaching her. Without breaking her meditation or acknowledging the person walking towards her she spoke with a hint of amusement in her tone.


    ¡°Mordo, care for some tea?¡± She smiled lightly.


    Karl Mordo ignored the ancient one¡¯s request as he slowed to a stop behind her. He was a physically fit and tall man who wore brown traditional sorcerer robes. He carried himself with an air of quiet confidence and seriousness.


    He was one of the Ancient One¡¯s most skilled disciples and most loyal followers whose stern deminer the Ancient One often found amusing to poke fun at.


    ¡°Kaecilius is on the move again.¡± He took an intentional step forward as he continued. ¡° His acolytes were spotted near the London Sanctum. He must have thought to use the Chitauri invasion as a distraction. We cannot continue to allow him to run free. He''s dangerous.¡±


    The Ancient one opened a single eye, sparing him a glance before closing it and resuming her meditation. ¡° We are practitioners of the mystic arts; we are all dangerous.¡±


    ¡°He is no longer one of us. He is a murderer and I fear he is more dangerous than you-then we know. I think he¡¯s planning something with the scriptures he stole. Something worse.¡±


    ¡°And I suppose you are here for the same reason as before.¡± The ancient let out a sigh and broke out of her meditation motioning for him to sit with her hand as she picked up the teapot to serve him a cup of tea.


    Mordo did as he was asked and took a sit beside the ancient one. ¡° Please, I¡¯ll ask again, let me take a few of the acolytes and track him down. I don¡¯t understand why we choose to remain silent on such matters. Even now, when the Chitauri attacked we could have helped save lives.¡±


    The Ancient One poured him a cup of tea, stirring it lightly with a teaspoon as she answered him. ¡° As I¡¯ve told you before, our time in the light will come. The world as it is isn¡¯t ready for us to reveal ourselves yet. The line between knowing that there is a possibility for something to exist and knowing that something definitively exists is often thin but once it¡¯s crossed the impossible becomes possible for even the worst of humanity.¡±


    Mordo contemplated her words.


    ¡° So, everything is within your vision. The time is simply not right for us to help.¡± Mordo was becoming disillusioned with the secretive ways of the mystic arts as of late, with the powers they wield he knew the masters of the mystic arts could do much more the protect the world from the shadows. The Ancient One¡¯s words brought a little bit of clarity to his thoughts.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The Ancient one smiled and slid Mordo¡¯s teacup over for him to enjoy. ¡° Imagine how different it would have been for you if you knew beforehand that the mystic arts were real with definitive proof. I¡¯d wager your path would be very different from who you are now.¡±


    Mordo twitched lightly as the Ancient one spoke of his past but chose to sip his tea and contemplate on the Ancient one¡¯s words as she continued.


    ¡°I understand your concern regarding Kaecilius and to that end, I¡¯ve decided to personally hold him accountable for his actions. He is my student after all. If that is all, I have another appointment just around the corner. ¡±


    ¡° Are you expecting someone?¡± Mordo asked.


    ¡°Yes and no, his rather challenging to deal with but in most possible scenarios he meets me here in a few minutes. I can only wait to find out which one this is.¡± The Ancient one mused.


    ¡°I see.¡± Mordo took one last sip from the teacup before standing up and giving the Ancient One a bow.¡° Thank you for the tea and for your words of wisdom Ancient One. I apologize for disturbing your meditation.¡±


    The Ancient One simply nodded at him as he took his leave speaking up one last time as he walked past her. ¡° By the way, how is our blind guest doing?¡±


    ¡°His healing much faster than most and taken quite a liking to our teachings. His particularly gifted with the eldritch branch of the mystic arts though I doubt he¡¯ll stick around for much longer. I would have taken him as an acolyte if he did.¡±


    ¡°He must be quite gifted.¡±


    Modor left after a short while leaving the ancient one to her peace and quiet once again but sadly it wasn¡¯t bound to last because a moment Peter Parker came crashing onto the roof with a bleeding girl in his arms.


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you full of surprises?¡± The Ancient One expected Peter but the girl in his arms, in all her visions of the future regarding Peter she had never once seen that girl in any of them. Another One. She wasn¡¯t sure, the girl didn¡¯t seem to be the same kind as Peter but there was something strange about her, the Ancient One could sense it.


    Peter walked forward with the girl in his arms and pleaded with the Ancient Sorceress. ¡° Please, help me save her.¡±


    As he got closer the Ancient One suddenly stood up in shock and rushed to towards Peter and the girl. She hastily weaved her hands in the air, the world around them fractured and light refracted off from countless glass-like shards.


    The girl and Peter were instantly pulled into the ancient once mirror-verse.


    With an almost exasperated sigh, she moved quickly conjuring numerous magic circus that sparked to life around Peter. Her eyes twitched in annoyance as she carefully observed the girl in Peter¡¯s arms. Squinting cautiously at the black cloth in Peter''s left hand she couldn¡¯t help but pinch the bridge of her nose to nurse a coming headache.


    ¡°Child, has anyone ever told that a mortal shouldn¡¯t walk around the living world with a piece of Death in their hands.¡±


    ¡­.


    -Within the halls of Kamar-taj a few hours later-


    Peter sat in one of the many waiting rooms within the halls of Kamar-taj waiting for the ancient one to finish working her magic on Kelly to hopefully save her life. The Ancient One spent a good few minutes berating him about walking around with a literal piece of death in their arms like an idiot before she left with Kelly.


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    She knew of the spell he needed her to do but in return for doing the spell the Ancient One asked Peter a favor. A favor she would ask him on a later date and Peter agreed to her conditions.


    Just like the last time they met the Ancient One still had an air of mysticism around her, like she knew more than she should, more about him and his abilities. He didn¡¯t ask for the spell she was performing too, she seemed to already know what she was required to do the moment she saw the cloth in his hands.


    He was told he couldn¡¯t join them or remain anywhere near them because the innate nature of his ability stood against magic and his presence in proximity to them would be detrimental to the spell, she was going to perform so all he could do now was wait.


    Contrary to his outward appearance which seemed calm and collected to anyone passing by he was feeling restless. He knew nothing about magic and his abilities made it impossible for him to use it, for now. That might change in the future given the ever-evolving nature of his powers


    Even though his lack of understanding of the mystic arts made him nervous, he trusted Moira¡¯s (his Aijin¡¯s) instructions over his lack of understanding, it confused him somewhat that he trusted her to this extent.


    But Moira couldn¡¯t answer all his questions due to the limits of her manifestation in the real world. Since he was here with the Ancient One helping him, he realized he could ask the Ancient One about some of the things regarding his powers.


    Maybe she could answer some of them.


    A few hours went by before the Ancient One came out again to meet him, she didn¡¯t say much only that Kelly would live but she needed a few days to rest and recover her strength before guiding him to a different room so they could talk in private.


    ¡­.


    Peter and the Ancient One sat on opposite ends of a small wooden table between them. The Ancient One poured Peter a cup of tea and placed it in front of him.


    ¡°You can stop worrying. Kelly is fully healed. She will need some time to recover and adapt to her new circumstances. You can leave her with me for a few weeks, I¡¯d be happy to help you out. Kamar-Taj is a place where all lost souls can learn to rediscover themselves and their purpose and their purpose in life.¡± She assured Peter.


    ¡° I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Peter glanced around the room noting the d¨¦cor of the room. The place had that ancient Tibetan temple feel to it reflecting a mixture of multiple cultures from Nordic wood to Chinse murals. ¡°And Thanks for helping her.¡±


    The Ancient One only hummed softly and nodded as she poured herself a warm cup of tea. There was an awkward air between them as she stirred her cup mixing the various ingredients inside with silent focus.


    Peter wasn¡¯t sure how to start and the Ancient One didn¡¯t look like she was in a hurry to begin the conversation. She seemed perfectly serene as she took a sip from her own cup savoring the taste of the tea with her eyes closed.


    Peter had a striking suspicion that she knew what he was going to say before he could even say it. She always seems to know things.


    The silence extended for a few more seconds before she spoke. ¡° Go on, how is it?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Her question startled Peter, pulling him from his thoughts.


    ¡°The tea Peter, you better drink it before it gets cold, it''s brewed from Rishi mushrooms to relieve stress and calm the mind, Jujube, an herbal fruit for sweetness and a hint of lavender for the rich aroma.¡± She took a sip.¡± It¡¯s quite delicious and nourishes both the body and mind. Try it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind if do,¡± Peter took a sip of tea. Cypher was quick to note down the ingredients as she spoke. There were a few Chinese herbs used in tea brewing. Peter took a sip and blinked in surprise; she was right it was pretty sweet. ¡°It¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡° Thank you, brewing tea is one of my many hobbies. It is therapeutic in its own way.¡± She took another slow sip from her teacup. ¡° Now you can ask your questions, I¡¯m not sure I can answer all of them, but I¡¯ll tell you what I can.¡±


    Peter took a moment to think things over before he asked.¡± What do you know about me? About what I am?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a rather difficult question to answer.¡± The Ancient One folded her arms into her sleeve and watched Peter carefully. ¡° I have a vague idea of what you may be. Very few beings possess an aura of death as potent as you, but you are much too different from any of them. There¡¯s something in you, something with unimaginable power but for reasons I can¡¯t comprehend it is subservient to you as its host.¡±


    She knows about IT. The thought surprised Peter. ¡° Do you know what it is, that thing inside me?¡±


    The ancient one stifled a laugh. ¡° No, and I¡¯m not foolish enough to try to find out. Somethings a better left unknown. I¡¯m sure in time you will learn all you need to know.¡±


    ¡°I actually get that feeling a lot. Like I¡¯ll know what I need to know when I need to know it. It sounds weird when I say it out loud.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard stranger things.¡± The Ancient One quipped before her tone turned serious.¡± You shouldn¡¯t trust those feelings too much. Don¡¯t rely on them for guidance. Often with powers like yours, the host mistakes the feelings and intentions of the entity within them for their own. It drives them to act in ways they normally wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Hmm¡­So that¡¯s what happened. Peter suddenly remembered his actions on the roof when he met Kelly. The sudden urge he had to kill her when he shook her hands. It was overpowering in that instant, less than a second was all it took for it to drive him to Kill her.


    That wasn¡¯t all, he felt it when they shook hands, an estranged sense of kinship, as if they were related or rather as if they were the same kind of being and that despite being the same, she should die and return to him the part of him that was missing?... No, not missing. It was so that I could be complete so that I could be whole again.


    Did that even make sense? Peter wasn¡¯t sure, but he was starting to understand a few things about his powers which left him with more questions than answers.


    ¡°Oh.¡± The Ancient One noted Peter¡¯s reaction. ¡° It seems you already have some experience with that.¡±


    ¡° Yeah, Kelly McGrath, the girl I brought. When we met, something took over me, it still felt like me though. I just couldn¡¯t control myself; it was only for a moment, but it was enough and before I knew it, she was already bleeding in my arms.¡± Peter confessed with a somber tone, he looked at his hands clenching and unclenching his fist as he spoke. ¡°There was something in her too. Something like me except it¡¯s not the same as me. It felt like a missing part of me, a part of me that I desperately wanted back. It¡¯s confusing¡­I don¡¯t really know what happened on that roof, all I know is that whatever was in Kelly left the moment I tried to kill her, it was possessing her to get to me, somehow.¡±


    ¡° Interesting. So, there are two of you now.¡± That explains why the young girl wasn¡¯t in any of my visions. The old sorceress tapped her chin with her pointer as if she were trying to recall something. ¡° Hmm¡­the way you describe it, it sounds familiar. I can¡¯t help you find what was possessing that poor girl, much like you they also have the uncanny ability to evade my sights. I can however help you better master your abilities; I can help you control the urges and overwhelming intent of the being within you. It may not be much so soon, but it will be an important skill to possess as you grow.¡±


    ¡° That¡¯s right, you did say you¡¯d help that time,¡± Peter recalled.


    ¡° Yes, and I intend to do just that. I know many things about you Peter, and I intend to help you to the best of my ability if you¡¯ll let me.¡± The Ancient One turned to the door just in time to watch it slide open as Mordo made his way inside. Upon seeing the ancient one with Peter he closed the door behind him and stood by patiently waiting for them to conclude their discussion. ¡° It seems this is all we can talk about for today. As I¡¯ve told you our doors are always open for you Peter.¡±


    The Ancient One slowly stood up to take her leave. ¡° Think about it for now and come visit me when you¡¯ve made your decision and as for the girl, she will remain with me for the next few weeks until I¡¯m certain she is ready for the outside well.¡±


    With her piece said, the Ancient One left with Mordo leaving Peter to his thoughts. Peter looked around one more time before pouring himself another cup of tea.


    She was right, it really was delicious, and he did feel a lot calmer now compared to moments ago. Maybe the training could help, he needed some training with the new abilities anyway.


    Not far from Peter in the halls of Kamar-Taj Kelly McGrath twitched in her sleep, the sin shard in her chest faded from its purple glow into a dark black before returning back to the dark purple it was before. A


    {Kelly McGrath


    New Traits added to Shard


    Touch by Death- Knowledge regarding this ability is sealed by higher Entity Designation Death


    Mystic Arts Hollowed Soul- host of the shard possesses the capacity to learn mystic arts with increased proficiency if she chooses to with an innate gift for necromancy and soul magic.


    }


    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 57: Changing Tides Part 2

    -Hours After Peter''s Meeting with the Ancient One-


    Peter found himself wandering through the streets of New York in his Bloodborne Persona, complete with his Crimson Oni-Mask, which he had made using his branch of sin.


    It was high noon and golden light rays broke through the clouds as Peter flew through the looming skyscrapers lost in thought.


    Using his new abilities to soar through the sky, he wanders the destroyed streets of New York, watching as people go about their day, trying to return to some form of normalcy by picking up the destroyed pieces of their city.


    Just like them, he had his own pieces to pick up, unlike them though none of his pieces could be described as normal. His life was way beyond that at this point.


    He needed some time to gather his thoughts after his conversation with the Ancient mystic arts user. They had more to talk about as he wandered the halls of the New York Sanctum but nothing they talked about answered any of his lingering questions and although he remained with the Ancient One to check up on little Kelly McGrath there was nothing he could for her at the moment, he couldn''t get too close or his presence would disrupt the final stages of the spell.


    He would have to wait awhile before she woke up on her own before approaching her so rather than worry over what was beyond his control he decided to go out to clear his head.


    As it were, the responsibility of raising Kelly McGrath now fell on him with the ancient one helping out whenever she could, she made it clear that Kelly was his responsibility and his alone when the kid got better and he wasn''t sure how he was going to go about doing that just yet. Not to mention all the other stuff he had planned. I''ll figure something out¡­Eventually, it can''t be that hard to raise a child¡­ A super-powered child with the mind of an AI¡­yeah¡­it can''t be that hard¡­right?


    Regardless he found one good thing to help distract him from all that for the moment, Cypher pinged Spider-woman''s location on one of the many towering cranes near the Empire State Building. She was just sitting there probably enjoying the view or something, he could relate, there was something about looking at things from a bird''s eye view that made the sunsets and the city all the more majestic.


    It was almost like she was waiting for something.


    Peter found her sitting at the edge of the crane with her back to him, she had her mask on her lap, and there was something awkward about the way she sat, like she was sitting on pins and needles waiting anxiously for something.


    Peter lowered himself with fleeting steps like walking down a staircase on the air using gravity as a platform, he made sure to be as silent as possible, he wasn''t even a few feet from stepping the crane before she spoke.


    "Hey Pete, You''re Here." Gwen Stacey didn''t turn around to know arrived.


    " It''s that weird spider sense of yours, isn''t it? It''s pretty cool, mine''s better though. I don''t know where you''ve been but you would not believe the day I had." Peter stepped onto the metal hand of the crane as he ran his fingers through his hair


    "But, on the flip side¡­ It''s ah, good see you back in one piece, you know I met a pretty wizard lady who said you''d be back a little later the this, she pretty chill, I''ll introduce you to her if you like, she''s got this whole wise magic teacher thing going on too, she might teach you some neat tricks if you want." He walked forward to sit next to her but her words stopped him short.


    "Don''t, don''t come any closer." Gwen sniffled before wiping something from her face.


    Was she crying? Peter stopped short. "Hey, are you alright?"


    "I''m fine!" she said harsher the she intended but Peter got the memo, there was that awkward air again, like there was something else going on and he suddenly felt like he was the one walking on pins and needles.


    Peter opted to say nothing and observe her for a moment. He watched as she pulled her mask over her face and turned to face him, it was only then that he noticed it, she kept herself at a distance from him almost as if she found some comfort in the physical space between them and she was almost on full alert, watching him like someone who was ready to fight.


    Her spider suit to was different, it had a few neon blue highlights and a futuristic edge to it, it didn''t help that all of Cypher''s raiders were going off like crazy in his head space asking him permission to scan her new suite, speciously the odd looking watch on her right hand but Peter decided against doing, it was only fair, she had her secrets and he had his.


    And he promised himself he wouldn''t resort to using Cypher on her.


    "You sure? Did I¡­Did I do something wrong?" Peter cautiously took a step forward but as he did Gwen raised his hand to stop him.


    "Did you...do something wrong?¡­ I don''t know, did you?" Gwen took a steady breath and clenched her fist. "A lot of people died Pete, You''re out here cracking jokes with me like nothing''s wrong. That''s not normal."


    "Yeah, You probably the alien invasion on your way back from wherever you''ve been." Confused at her choice of words Peter decided to fill her in just in case it wasn''t blatantly obvious that Earth was attacked by aliens. " Look, it''s pretty crazy alright, I know that. A lot of people died, but people die every day, why are you suddenly bringing that up?"


    Peter shrugged nonchalantly.


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    He tried to work passed the awkward air that surrounded them but Gwen still kept her guarded stance and serious attitude. " Besides what''s that got to do with me? I pretty saved the city you know."


    Gwen took a moment to look at Peter, really look at him before answering in a solemn tone, like she was resigning herself to a certain realization. " You don''t see it, do you? I was trying to rationalize my way through it before but I can''t do that anymore. You, changed¡­Something really is wrong with you."


    Peter suddenly lost his playful manner, and his tone and attitude took a drastic turn. "Okay¡­ what the hell is your problem? You''re not making any sense right now Gwen¡­Where did you go? What happened to you?" Peter sighed in frustration."Can you just tell me what''s wrong?."


    "That''s just it. YOU''RE THE PROBLEM PETER!" Gwen''s sudden outburst shocked Peter into silence. "You''re the one that''s not making any sense, nothing about you makes sense anymore¡­None of this makes any sense. I''m trying to make sense of this too."


    "Then talk to me, I''m here for you too"


    Gwen took in a deep and frustrated breath before releasing her balled-up fist.


    "I didn''t think about it¡­I never really thought about it at that time when you said you died and came back. I didn''t understand what you meant by that. I thought it was metaphorical, like your very own form of rebirth. To be honest, when you passed it off as a joke I thought you were messing with me to get even, just a cruel joke to hurt me in the heat of the moment. I was afraid to accept it for what it was. The truth. I couldn''t even begin to imagine what something like that would do to a person, what it would do to you¡­ Peter, you died and came back and you kept coming back. I killed you. I''m a murderer and I murdered my best friend."


    Peter felt a sense of unease at her confession. " A lot of things happened that night. You didn''t know it was me. If you did I''m sure you would have tried to save me. It''s alright, I don''t blame you, like I said I''m over it.


    Gwen had her head down as she confessed her thoughts. Peter tried to reason with her but Gwen shut him down.


    "Well, I''m not. I kept thinking about it over and over again. I met a few people who helped me figure things out. I''ve made friends, family even. Ironically though, a lot of them remind me of you but that''s beside the point. I''m going something to ask you a question and I want you to answer me honestly." She said before she tilted her head up and looked into his eyes through her narrowed bug-eyed lances.


    "Sure, ask away, I''ve got nothing to hide," Peter replied.


    Gwen took a deep breath before in preparation for what she wanted to ask him.


    " Peter" She began. " When you died. What brought you back?"


    Black miasma bleed out of Peter''s form invisible to the eye. Peter''s bandages manifested in tens and bonded together into sharp-edged blades, each one shooting towards Gwen from every angle in a flash of speed. Peter didn''t have the chance to react, thankfully he didn''t have to, they stopped inches away from her face and body.


    His restriction saved her, his bandages couldn''t harm her for the simple fact that she was human.


    He didn''t remember summoning them, they acted on their own. Was this the will of the entity in him or his? He wasn''t sure.


    Peter played her question off though, even though he didn''t know the answer to that question yet." I don''t understand the question, I already told you, It''s my power, It''s how it works. I''m immoral duh."


    Gwen sighed softly." I thought you''d say that. That night, what you said, do you still plan on killing people? You said you wanted to save your family, do you have to kill people to do that?"


    "Yes, I do. The ones I''m gonna fight aren''t the average super villains you know. Their bad, terrible people who do messed up stuff. If they die it''s only cause they deserve it. " Peter willed his bandages away with a thought.


    "If that''s how it''s going to be then I guess you were right, We can''t be friends anymore. What you''re doing isn''t right." Gwen looked away from Peter." You know, I saw you fighting the aliens when I got back. It was only for a moment, You didn''t care about anything or anyone around you. You tore them apart, one after another obliterating everything in your way. Watching you like that terrified me Pete, the things you did. That''s why I know we can''t go back to the way things were. You''re not the Peter I knew, not anymore."


    "People change," Peter stated.


    "Don''t I know it," Gwen replied. She turned him and declared seriously. " I know what you''re gonna do and I''m going to stop you."


    Peter smiled behind his mask and hit his fist into his open palm. "If that''s how it''s going to be then sure why not. I can live with that. If you want you can try stopping me right now. "


    Gwen raised her arms in response. " Yeah, I''m not that stupid, your way stronger than me at this point. I''m not looking to get my ass beat right now but I will stop you just so you know. It''s a warning."


    "Consider me warned. I think I''ll enjoy this game of good vigilante vs bad vigilante." Peter joked. " Hey, hypothetically speaking, if there was something in me. What would you know about it?"


    "Essentially nothing, nothing concrete, I just know about it, that''s it." She shrugged. " But I know it''s bad, real bad. I know you don''t want to tell me about it but try to understand, that thing inside you, it''s not your friend, it''s not helping you, it''s changing you Peter, and not in a good way."


    Peter took a step forward. " And who told about it?"


    "You wouldn''t believe me if I told you." Gwen smiled behind her mask.


    "Try me." Peter challenged her.


    " Well, you did." She chuckled mildly.


    "I did? What does that even mean? I did? I think I''d remember telling you about me." Peter asked confused at her answer.


    "That''s all I''m'' gonna say. You''ll figure it out eventually." Peter could tell she wouldn''t say anymore no matter how he asked.


    " Okay." Peter let a breath as he tried to get his thoughts in order." You sure you wanna do this, I''m not gonna stop until I get my family back."


    "I''m sure. I''m going to stop you." Gwen declared. " Maybe not now or tomorrow. But eventually, I''ll stop you."


    "Fine. Good luck with that hero." Peter retorted.


    "Fine." Gwen turned to leave. "See around Peter. "


    She jumped off the crane and swung away leaving a confused and troubled Peter behind.


    This would be the last time Peter would talk to Gwen in the coming months. A few days after Peter learned of the death of Cpt. Stacy of the NYPD, Gwen''s father.


    ¡­.


    Gwen swung away from Peter as fast as she could, if she stayed with him any longer she might have broken down in front of him. He didn''t want to do that.


    Her watch beeped to life as she swung through the streets.


    "That was very brave of you. Not many people would be willing to face their father''s killer like that." A voice said from the watch.


    " I couldn''t do it. I couldn''t tell him." Gwen replied softly.


    "It''s alright you did enough." The voice reassured her. " What we''re doing is for the greater good. That thing inside your Peter consumed thirteen alternate realities to remake this one. Peter might not know it, but what we''re doing will save him. You''ve seen what he becomes¡­ Seven months, all you have to do is keep track of him for seven months. That will be our window into your world. After that leave him to us. The Spider Society will take care of the rest."


    -Chapter end-

 Chapter 58: Changing Tides Part 3

    - Xavier''s School for the Gifted-


    (Mid-November 9 am)


    A few days after his meeting with Gwen Peter found himself standing in front of his new school. He wore a casual hoody with jeans and sneakers.


    The large looming gates held up a metal sign that read '' Xavier''s School for the Gifted''. The school itself was located deep in a large natural forest overlooking a lake that flowed into the ocean. The place looks more like a large castle than a school. He didn''t have to wait long before Jean and Kat walked up to the gate with a tall African woman who had bleach-blond hair, it was almost white.


    Upon seeing him Kat was the first to run through the gate with open arms. "PETE! You''re here!" She tried to grab him in a hug which Peter effortlessly dodged.


    Kat huffed at him folding her arms. "Rude, you know, when a girl throws themselves at you, you''re supposed to catch them."


    "Riiiiight," Peter smiled with a soft shrug. " I''m more of a ''dodge and weave'' kind of guy. Keeps things interesting."


    "Challenge accepted mister dodge and weave, no one dodges a welcome home hug from the Shadow Cat. "Kat declared with a chuckle." So, you here to check out the school."


    "Yep, I haven''t decided yet so don''t get your hopes up."


    " Regardless of your choice, it''s nice of you to stop by." The blond-haired woman said as she walked up to Peter. She extended an arm before introducing herself. " Ororo Monroe, I''m a tutor here. You''ve already met Jean and Kat."


    "Oh, yeah we met, Peter Parker, nice to meet you." Peter shook her hand and smiled at Jean. " Hi, Jean"


    Peter paused for a moment as his gaze went to Jean. Something in his mind flickered, he was aware when a change occurred within him but this was different, smaller almost nonexistent but it was still there, like a spark was ignited but burned out as soon as it came into being. Suddenly and almost involuntarily, all his attention shifted to Jean Grey and a thought forced itself into the forefront of his mind.


    Mine. Oddly enough the voice in his head sounded more feminine or was he just confused but what came after was in his usual inside voice. His thoughts sang in a voice that was his but not his. I see you little caged firebird.


    Okay¡­where the hell did that come from? Come on Pete, you''re not that desperate¡­am I? The thought shocked Peter and it was only thanks to his fool''s mask that his outward appearance remained the same. Peter was unsure whether it was his or the entity within him- this was happening more and more these days. I really need to do something about that and since when did my thoughts start getting voiceovers?


    "Peter." Jean nodded in kind before giving him a soft glare. She paused for a moment before her glare hardened "Nice of you to finally stop by."


    Oh. It suddenly dawned on him that he had been ignoring her messages and voicemails for the past few days before showing up randomly unannounced at their front gate. Peter pulled his hand back, scratching the back of his neck out of habit. " I was gonna come by sooner."


    "I''m sure, you could have called ahead to let us know you were coming." She pressed on; her glare lessened slightly. She pressed on taking a step closer. "That''s what phones are for, communication."


    "Yeah¡­sorry about that, it''s been a pretty hectic week. Aliens falling from the sky and all." Peter admitted.


    " I know, I was there," Jean remarked.


    "Oh, you were? must have missed you guys in all the chaos." Peter took a step forward too." But hey, I''m here now, I figured I''d give you guys a chance. Nothing lost nothing gained right."


    "Great, I guess I could show you around. Professor X has a class right now so it''s gonna be a while before you can speak to him."


    " Sure, why not? I''ve got all day."


    A cough broke their staring contest and just like that his attention was back on everything else like it should be. Jean cleared her throat and took a tentative step back after realizing how close they were." Cool, let, uhm, let''s get on with the tour then."


    She looked away from him, finding the trees by the gate oddly interesting.


    He noticed Kat sporting an odd grin, her eyes shifting between the two with a leery glint like she just unearthed some unknown conspiracy, or she found the recipe for chaos. One of the two seemed plausible.


    Ororo clapped her hands together getting all their attention.


    "Best not to wait then. Let''s go."


    Kat all but pulled Peter''s arms through the front gate.


    "Well, come on, let the grand tour begin. I gotta introduce you to Anna and Kurt, they''re gonna freak out when they meet you. Now that I think about it, everyone will freak out when they meet you. Oh, this is gonna be fun!" Her voice quickly went from upbeat and chirpy to a diabolical schemer in less than a breath.


    ¡­.


    As they walked up the steps and into the grand foyer of the mansion, Peter noted the sight of the high ceilings, sweeping staircase, and large paintings of a wide range of sceneries, all of them looked like real pictures.


    Peter paused for a moment next to one of the paintings. It was of a bunch of kids in a park, laughing and having fun. Peter was rather amazed at the level of micro details in the painting. From Cypher''s analysis of the painting, it seemed that no camera, screen, or printer could hope to match it in detail. It was a perfect recreation of something seen with the human eye on a piece of paper, every minute detail was a work of art. The resolution matched what could be seen through a human eye.


    It''s light. Peter realized. The painting wasn''t painted using any known tool. The painting was made using microscopic refractions of light. Cypher was already scheming through the practical applications of such a thing using all the known schematics he had taken from Stark and Shield.


    "You like them," Ororo commented as he caught Peter staring at one of the paintings. She was walking beside him while Jean and Kat followed closely behind.


    " Elara, one of our students painted it. She''s a mutant with the ability to transfer her memories onto any surface using light as a medium. What you are seeing isn''t a real painting but just refractions of light grafted onto the surface area of an empty canvas." She explained.


    That explains it." That''s pretty amazing"


    Kat didn''t seem pleased with his answer as she grumbled to who was next to her.


    " I take him to a state-of-the-art training facility made for mutants he says cool. I show him the Olympic-sized swimming pool he says cool. I tell him I walk through walls; he says cool. Ororo can control the weather, he says cool. I tell him I have a pet dragon and he says cool. Jean can literally mind read and move things with her mind and what does he say." Kat turned to Jean.


    "Uhm¡­cool?" Jean added.


    "Exactly! But he sees one painting made of light and he says amazing," Kat animatedly gestured towards the light painting as if it was her greatest enemy." His amazed with a light painting Red. A freaking light painting. Jesus, He''s a nerd, isn''t he? Why does it always have to be the nerds with me?" Kat stressed grabbing her hair in defeat.


    Peter''s lips twitched lightly at her comment, it wasn''t her fault. Nothing about what she showed him was particularly interesting.


    Jean giggled and placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her friend. " I don''t know. Boys will be boys I guess."


    Kat groaned as if what she said just added to her pain. Ororo simply took their antics with a stride.


    "So far, we''ve been to the library, science wing, gym, and poolside. The boarding halls are too far since we''re running out of time, so we''ll leave that out. This is the foyer," Ororo explained, gesturing to the spacious area. "A lot of students come and go from here. But it''s more than just a school. Our students are both humans and mutants, here they make friends, learn about their powers, and we''ll be here to act as a guide."


    "Our rooms are upstairs," Kat added, phasing her hand through the banister as they passed.


    "I can show you how to get there, or¡­ y''know, you can use doors like normal people do." She winked.


    " You know your powers won''t work on me right." Peter reminded her.


    Kat took a moment to think about it before she realized he was right. " ah, anti-mutant, right. I forgot about that for a moment. It''s all normal with you huh¡­tsk¡­. Well, I could show you the normal way too."


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    They made their way through the corridors, passing by classrooms filled with students learning everything from calculus to control over their mutant abilities. The sounds of laughter and chatter filtered through the walls, Peter found it funny how a school of super-powered teenagers was far less chaotic than a school filled with regular teenagers.


    Ororo led them to the open backyard, where the training grounds and lush gardens spread out before them. "Here''s where we practice. You''ll get your own sessions once we understand your abilities better, if you choose to attend that is," she said, her voice filled with encouragement. "I understand your reluctance. Everyone''s powers are different, and that''s something to be proud of."


    Jean exchanged a glance with Ororo and smiled. "I doubt he''ll need much help in the power department." Jean joked.


    " From what we saw I''d say it''s more of a control issue."


    That was a surprisingly insightful deduction. Peter chose to say nothing regarding her statement. Screw reading minds, her observational skills are unsettlingly spot on.


    "True and that reminds me." Kat said with a playful grin, "We saw you in New York Pete. Can''t hide it forever. You were holding out on us, weren''t you? What exactly are your powers cause it sure as hell isn''t just some anti-mutant shtick. Is it some weird magic mambo jumbo like Wanda or something?"


    Peter''s lips twitched. "Or something" he answered.


    " You know you can trust us right," Kat uttered softly. " We don''t care about your powers or if you think it''s dangerous and even if it''s dangerous, everyone here has weird and out-of-this-world abilities, so you''ll be happy to know that you''re not the only freak in this town. We...we only wanna help, honest."


    Peter was surprised at how earnest she sounded. It almost made him wanna believe her. " I know and I''m sorry if I came off like that. I''m just adjusting to the change. It''s gonna take a little while before I trust you guys. "


    Jean spoke up moving beside him. " Take all the time you need. It was hard my first time too; my first time here was in a word crazy. It took me weeks to adjust, and I had my friends and Professor Xavier to thank for that. You don''t have to decide right away. Whenever you''re ready to decide, we''ll be here waiting."


    "Thanks, I guess. Did you rehearse that speech?" Peter smiled and Jean waved her hands up lightly in a show of surrender.


    " You caught me" She giggled. " I''m always stuck on the welcoming party with Bobby and Kat. I''m on damage prevention duty more or less. My powers help calm them down and make them feel less stressed out. Having a speech written out beforehand is a must-have. Sometimes knowing what to say in certain situations helps more than not knowing. It''s surprisingly handy when you''re showing the new super-powered kid around the block."


    "I can see that, it''s super effective. I almost fell for that."


    Jean shrugged with a nonchalant smile. "Almost."


    " Wait¡­does that make me the new super-powered kid on the block?" Peter asked.


    Jean only smiled and retreated into step with Kat. "I don''t know Peter. Are you? That''s for you to decide."


    Jean found herself under the scrutinizing gaze of her friend Kat when she fell into step with her.


    "What?" Jean asked. " Is there something on my face?"


    "Nope," Kat answered with a cheeky grin before turning to Peter. "Say, Peter, you haven''t met Scott, have you? Scott Summers, Our resident laser eyes?"


    Jean quickly turned to glare at Kat their eyes met, and a silent conversation took place even


    without the need for Jean''s telepathy.


    Kat no. Jean''s eyes told her, and her glare intensified.


    Kat yes. Kat''s eyes replied her mischievous grin morphed into the stuff of a nightmare.


    "No, I can''t say I have. I think I''d remember meeting someone with laser eyes." Peter answered from the front, blissfully unaware of Kat''s schemes.


    " Oh, you have met this guy, Pete, you guys will get along like fire and gasoline. I can tell alright. Oh look, there he is right now and what do you know, the Prof''s with him too. Talk about luck."


    Kat threw an arm around Peter''s shoulder waving animatedly at another teen with red-tinted glasses pushing a well-dressed bald man in a wheelchair. She waved to get the man in the wheelchair''s attention before releasing Peter with a chuckle. "You''ll fit right in, trust me and that guy over there" Kat pointed at Scott. " His name is Scott Summer and he''ll be your new best friend my poor unfortunate nerd. Now if you''ll excuse eh Mua, I gotta lunch date with a dragon to attend to and now that Scot''s here Jean can handle the rest isn''t that right Ororo."


    " What I don''t remember saying-hey, what are you-" She didn''t Ororo the chance to answer as she grabbed her and phased right through the floor beneath their feet.


    "We''ll meet you guys later." She spoke, her grin plastered across her face.


    Leaving Jean and Peter staring at the floor and then back at each other awkwardly as Scott and the man in the wheelchair arrived.


    ¡­..


    I''m sooo gonna get you for this Kat. Jean did what was the telepathic equivalent of a growl at her friend Kat.


    I know, I know. BUT IT''S GONNA BE SO WORTH IT! HAHAHAHAAA- oW hey no mental attacks red. That shit hurts, now where did I put that popcorn bucket.


    The annoyed Jean cut off the link and glanced at Peter who looked relatively calm, now that she thought about it, Peter was always calm, not once since she met him had he ever displayed any intense emotions or discomfort. The most intense feeling she got from him was amusement and that wasn''t much.


    It was not often she met a mutant that went through what he went through and was so¡­Cold? Mature? Composed. Yes, it was rare to meet someone so composed and self-assured as Peter was given what he went through.


    It was refreshing in a weird way.


    "So, I guess it''s just you and me now, huh." She heard Peter say.


    "Yep," She strained a smile. It was still there, that burning sensation in her gut. The feeling of warmth spread like a blanket across her mind, and it all stemmed from Peter, or rather being near Peter. " Come on let''s go meet the Professor. He''s been wanting to meet you."


    As she walked with Peter to meet the Professor, she gave him an aside glance and that thought came up again. Like the last time it seared through her mind, pushing forth but it didn''t hurt or cause her any discomfort. She heard it in that voice again, one that sounded like hers but wasn''t hers yet this time it sounded like it was her. She couldn''t be sure. It started grumbling like a fleeting whisper that she wasn''t sure she heard.


    Mine. It spoke, confusing her greatly. The implications of that claim weren''t lost to her but even that was pushing it a bit much. What the hell brought that thought on? I barely even knew the guy let alone considering other¡­options. Yeah, nope, no. Not happening. I''m not that desperate¡­am I?


    She banished the thought entirely. God this is weirder than when I met Scott. At least raging teenage hormones, I can understand but this. This, This is¡­.


    Jean glanced at Peter who was observing Elara''s various light paintings on the wall. There was nothing particular about him, his build was average, his face slightly above average, his personality; freakishly calm. So, what was it?


    Peter must have felt her gaze because he turned to her with a quirked eyebrow. "Something on your mind?" he asked.


    Great, and the heat is back. Jean blinked and let out a frustrated sigh. " Oh nothing, just finding your fascination and amazement with light painting inside a school full of mutants who can do even crazier stuff¡­fascinating is all. " Yep, something was definitely wrong here.


    " I like what I like, Somethings I just find more interesting than other things," Peter replied with a shrug, Jean noticed he had a habit of shrugging, a nervous tick maybe?


    " You''re telling me that you find the grafting of photon particles more interesting than altering density, atmospheric manipulation, and telepathy? How are you the smartest kid in mid-town high again?" Jean looked at Peter with a half-hearted accusatory glare.


    " Maybe I''m not the smartest. Maybe everybody there was just dumb."


    Jean giggled. " Ah, that explains it, that almost sounds like something the smartest person in a room would say."


    "Almost," Peter replied.


    "Nerd." Jean suddenly teased.


    "Dork." Peter retorted on reflex alone. He blinked in surprise at his actions before turning to her incredulously. Like he was shocked by his own words.


    " I guess it takes one to know one," Jean added as she giggled lightly, finding it oddly funny that all it took to break his unusually calm composure was to call him a nerd.


    Peter chuckled lightly, the small crack in his composure was gone as soon as it came, instantly returning to the aloof and polite teen she met on the bus. " If you''re a nerd then I must be Mutant Jesus. Trust me, nerds may come in different packages but none of them look like you."


    She paused and glared at Peter. " Are you calling me ugly, Parker?"


    "It''s the other way around actually. People value looks more than anything else so there''s no such thing as an attractive nerd. That only exists in fiction. So basically, you''re too pretty to be one of us." Peter spoke with such a matter-of-fact tone and with such a straight face that it made Jean pause in her step. If Peter had worded that any differently Jean would have mistaken it for outright flirting.


    But then she felt his emotions and she was comically surprised. From what she could tell, it seemed like Peter was genuinely repulsed by the idea of her being a nerd because he genuinely believed that she was too ''pretty'' to be categorized as one.


    When this realization struck her, she couldn''t help but burst out laughing leaving a confused Peter to stare at her blankly.


    "I don''t hahhah¡­ know whe-whether to take that... hahaha¡­ as a compliment or an insult." She wheezed through her laughing fit as she glanced at his blank expression. Oh, his of those guys. I can see why Kat''s crushing on him now. Intelligent in all things but the matters of the heart, complete with dry humor, sarcasm, and polite mannerisms. A genuine clueless idiot. Oh, You poor Kat, I think I''ll take some of your popcorn with you¡­ but you know what Kat? From his angle, he''s actually kinda cu- NOPE!. too soon, way too soon.


    She cut herself and faced palmed when she realized where her train of thought was going. Only to be reminded that the fire and heat in the edges of his mindscape were still there, small but still present. I call bullshit. Whatever this is? I gotta figure this out. What are you doing to me, Peter? What the hell even are you?


    "Are you always this bipolar?" Peter asked still as calm as ever with that deadpan expression of his. Somehow that pissed her off even more.


    " You really are rude." She sighed. She tried calming her mind with a thought through the help of her powers. " Nope. I''m not usually like this. I''m just a little stressed is all. This is kind of like an off day for me."


    " I see. Good to know." So said the reason for her stress.


    Their conversation abruptly ended when Peter turned sharply to look ahead.


    Jean''s senses suddenly became overwhelmed with the feeling of anger and jealousy, it was so intense that it distracted her from the feeling of fire in her gut and the warmth in her mind, in fact, it retreated into the recesses of her mind until it was extinguished. It all came from one Scott Summers who radiated it in waves. And just like that she was reminded of the prank Kat just pulled on her and her anger came back with a vengeance. Oh, you''re so gonna pay for this Kat. But on the bright side, the heat is gone.


    She could also feel Professor Xavier''s looming presence even though he wasn''t actively using his abilities. To a telepath, Professor Xavier was like a lighthouse in the dark. You won''t notice him until you do and that''s only if he wants you to, but once you do, you won''t be able to stop noticing him.


    It just wasn''t possible for a fellow telepath to not notice him after meeting him once.


    She turned to Peter only to realize where all of Scott''s jealousy and anger might have stemmed from. She was standing too close to Peter, so much so that their hands were inches apart, way too close for someone who was showing the other person around school much less giving them a tour and Scott could see that. Shit. I am so going to murder Kat for this.


    Somewhere between the short stroll it took to reach Scot and the Professor- she and Peter without paying any mind to it began to walk too close to each other. With much effort, she pretended like nothing happened, forced a smile, walked up to the professor, and waved nonchalantly.


    " Hi Professor, Scott, this is Peter Parker, he''s the one Ororo told you about.-"


    -Chapter End-.