A few days later, Gwen's Ghost-Spider identity started making waves, civilians calling us the Web-Duo or S-Squad, as in Spider Squad.
I even let Gwen handle solo missions, but only the safer ones, not the high-risk kind. No way I'm throwing her into something that could go sideways in seconds.
And because both of us got bitten by the same spider, we understood each other on a level no one else really could.
We had a lot of science stuff going on. Yes, you get me. Science stuff that will soon turn eighteen plus after this author finally ups our age.
Author: Hey, I'm getting there, dammit.
Peter: Sure you are. ^_^
Right now, I was alone, standing in front of the Sanctum. The building looked as ancient and intimidating as ever, its windows dark yet somehow watching. I was called in by Wong. He said the Ancient One wished to see me.
I adjusted my backpack strap and pushed the door open. The wooden doors creaked softly, the sound echoing through the quiet halls. The air inside felt different, heavier, like it carried secrets.
As I stepped in, I noticed a woman lying across a couch like she had too many drinks. One leg hung off the side, her head tilted back, mouth slightly open. Glitter shimmered faintly on her face under the dim light.
Wong entered from the hallway, wearing his usual straight expression, hands calmly folded behind his back.
I tilted my head toward the woman. "Who's that, Mr. Wong?"
"Just Wong, kid," he corrected without missing a beat. "And this lady here is Madisynn King. We hung out over serial."
"Right…" I blinked slowly.
Yeah. Not going to ask.
Wong gestured for me to follow him. His steps were steady and controlled, his robes swaying slightly with each movement. I followed closely, my footsteps softer against the polished floor.
We walked into the main chamber where the Ancient One stood by the window, sunlight pouring in around her silhouette. She turned gracefully, hands folded within her sleeves, posture straight yet relaxed.
"Ah, you're here, Peter."
Her voice was calm, almost melodic. It carried authority without needing to be loud.
"Hi, miss…" I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly. "Sorry. I don't really know how to address you properly."
For a moment, there was silence.
Then she chuckled.
It was soft, warm, and completely unexpected.
Her shoulders moved slightly with the sound, eyes narrowing with quiet amusement. The faint smile that followed made her seem far less untouchable than the legends described.
My eyes widened. I leaned slightly toward Wong and whispered, "Did she just…?"
Wong kept his eyes forward, but I noticed the tiniest twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"First time for me," he replied under his breath.
I looked back at the Ancient One, feeling a strange mix of nerves and curiosity twisting in my chest. Whatever she had called me here for, it definitely wasn't going to be ordinary.
"Back to why I called you here."
Finally.
"Just as you said during your past life, Stephen does indeed start his journey in 2016."
The Ancient One spoke calmly, her hands folded within her sleeves, but there was a subtle shift in her tone.
"We decided to do it early, as you suggested, Peter. But you should know, his journey begins with that crash."
Of course. That stupid car crash. I can handle earlier timing, sure. But the crash? Sheesh. This is going to be tougher than I expected.
"And I checked. The best option is…"
"Madam?" I asked when she paused.
Her gaze lifted to meet mine, steady and unreadable.
"Christine must die."
...
Oh hell no.
Please, God. No. No, no, no. NO!
Not her. Damn it.
"NO!"
My palms slammed hard against the wooden table, the sharp crack echoing through the chamber. The impact stung, but I barely felt it. I stepped forward, chest tight, heart pounding like it was trying to punch through my ribs.
"Are you insane?!" I snapped, staring straight at her. "Are you asking for the universe to die early?!"
The air shifted.
The room seemed to grow heavier, the sunlight dimming just slightly as if reacting to my outburst. Wong stiffened beside the doorway but did not interfere.
In my past life, Doctor Strange showed me someone he had trapped during one of his battles.
Supreme Strange.
A broken version of himself.
A man who lost Christine… and tried to break reality to get her back.
I could still remember the way Stephen's voice changed when he talked about him. Regret. Fear. A warning wrapped in pain.
"You don't understand," I said, my voice lowering but shaking with intensity. I took another step forward, jaw clenched. "If she dies, he won't accept it. He won't move on. He'll tear the fabric of reality apart trying to fix it."
My fingers curled into fists at my sides.
"I've seen what happens when Stephen loses her."
The Ancient One didn't flinch. She watched me with calm, ancient eyes, as if she had already calculated every possible reaction I could have.
"This is not done lightly, Peter," she replied softly.
But I was already pacing now, running a hand through my hair.
"We're supposed to guide him, not push him into becoming something worse! The crash is one thing. That's fate. But killing Christine? That's interference."
I stopped, turning back to her.
"That's playing god."
"Then what do you suggest, Peter?" the Ancient One asked, expecting an answer from me.
I didn't hesitate.
"Let the crash happen. But Christine is an absolute multiversal no. Literally."
My voice echoed sharply through the chamber. My chest rose and fell heavily, but my stance was firm.
"I have checked every possible way to defeat Knull. Only two paths revealed themselves," the Ancient One said. Her tone, however, felt different this time. Not cold. Not commanding. Almost… regretful.
"What's the other option?" I asked.
I shouldn't have.
"Gwen Stacy must become one with a symbiote."
The words had barely finished leaving her mouth.
My fist clenched.
The desk beside me exploded into millions of splinters, wood shards blasting outward like shrapnel. The impact thundered through the Sanctum, the walls trembling under the shockwave.
Wong reacted instantly.
Golden mandala sigils formed beneath my feet and around my arms. Bands of glowing energy snapped into place, wrapping around my torso and wrists, pinning me mid-motion.
"Peter!" Wong barked.
Little did he know.
I am reborn.
Strange taught me more than anyone realized in my past life.
I inhaled sharply, then flicked my fingers in a precise motion. A counter-sigil formed in crimson light, cutting cleanly through Wong's bindings. The golden restraints shattered into sparks that fizzled against the floor.
Before Wong could cast again, I was already moving.
In a blur, I crossed the distance.
My hand wrapped around the Ancient One's neck and I slammed her against the wall. The stone cracked behind her from the force. Dust fell from the ceiling in a soft rain.
Wong froze, eyes widening.
The Ancient One's gaze locked onto mine.
She noticed it immediately.
My eyes were glowing red, swirling with raw malice and something far darker. The air around us vibrated, the Sanctum's relics humming in response to the surge of unstable magic pouring out of me.
"I'll give you one second," I growled, my voice low and shaking with fury, "to take back what the hell you just said."
My grip tightened slightly, not enough to crush, but enough to make the threat very clear.
"You don't get to gamble with her life," I continued, every word laced with wrath. "You don't get to decide that Gwen becomes a host just because your visions say so."
The red glow in my eyes intensified.
"Say it again," I demanded, my tone deadly calm now, far more dangerous than shouting. "Say it again, and I won't care who you are."
I let go of her.
For a brief second, the chamber was silent except for the faint hum of unsettled magic. Dust drifted through the sunlight between us.
I stepped back, grabbed my bag from the floor, and slung it over my shoulder.
"Meeting adjourned," I said coldly as I headed toward the exit. "If this is how your vision works, then you're more blinded than anyone."
My footsteps echoed heavily across the stone floor.
Just before I pushed the door open, I stopped without turning around.
"One more thing," I said, my voice calm now, but carrying something far more dangerous than anger. "Touch my woman, and I will show you what holding back really means."
The warning hung in the air.
Then I slammed the door shut behind me and exited the Sanctum.
---
Narrative view
The chamber remained still for several long seconds after Peter left. The fractured wall slowly repaired itself with faint golden light. Splinters of wood rose from the ground and reassembled into a restored desk.
Wong lowered his hands, the lingering energy around his fingers fading.
"Why did you say that, Master?" he asked, confusion clear in his voice.
The Ancient One adjusted her sleeves calmly, her expression unreadable as always.
"Because I wanted to see if he truly meant what he said," she replied softly.
Wong frowned slightly. "Meant what?"
"That Stephen would become the next Sorcerer Supreme. That Dormammu would descend. That America Chavez would arrive. And let us not forget Strange's new lover, Clea… or whatever name he used."
Wong blinked. "Master… he is just a kid."
The Ancient One's gaze shifted toward the Sanctum doors, as if she could still sense Peter's fading presence beyond them.
"A kid," she repeated quietly.
Then her eyes narrowed slightly with thought.
"A kid with the mind of a reborn man."
"But is it true? That his girlfriend can end Knull?" Wong asked carefully.
The Ancient One remained silent for a moment.
"…" She exhaled slowly. "I am going to the church, the temple, and the mosque to pray."
Wong blinked. "Pray? I have never seen you pray."
She gave him a faint, distant look.
"…I pray it does not come to that. And when I return, I will use the Eye again. I will look deeper."
Her tone grew quieter.
"I am hoping there is another way to kill Knull."
---
Peter's POV
I swung across the city in my spider suit, the wind rushing past my ears. My mind was a complete mess thanks to that woman.
Gwen becoming a symbiote? Over my dead body.
Why is it always Gwen? As if this universe keeps trying to take her away from me.
I know she died at the hands of the Goblin in my past life.
But I already stopped that tragedy.
Even though Gwen was bitten by the same spider I kept in my room, there has to be another way. There has to be.
A notification flashed across my mask display.
"Arachn," my AI assistant—basically my version of Tony's J.A.R.V.I.S.—played the message.
It was Gwen.
She asked me to swing by her place. The rooftop.
Of course I accepted. I would never say no to her.
I swung toward her building but landed on the rooftop instead. No way I'm walking through the front door in a spider suit. Her dad would pull out his gun before I could say hi.
I landed lightly and looked around.
"Gwen?!" I called out.
The rooftop door opened.
And there she was.
She stepped out in a beautiful bright red dress. Thin straps rested on her shoulders, the fabric flowing down with a side cut that revealed her long, elegant leg.
For a second, I forgot how to breathe.
She looked like a model under the city lights, confident and radiant.
She walked up to me slowly and reached for my mask, pulling it off gently.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Petey," she said softly, handing me a small box.
I took it carefully and opened it.
Inside was a heart-shaped locket split into two pieces.
She took one half and placed it around my neck, then put the other around hers. The pendants clicked together magnetically when we leaned close.
"What do you think?" she asked, giving me those wide, hopeful puppy eyes. "I made it myself."
I didn't answer with words.
I stepped forward and kissed her.
She melted into it instantly. I felt her lips part, her breath warm against mine.
"French kiss?" I teased softly.
"Maybe," she smirked.
She handed me a black evening suit.
"Get dressed. I made dinner."
Dinner?
She can cook?
I followed her inside, changed quickly, and returned to see a neatly arranged table with candles and carefully plated food.
We sat together.
I took a bite.
My eyes widened.
"It's delicious," I said, smiling at her.
She chuckled happily, clearly proud.
Yet even as we laughed, the Ancient One's words echoed in the back of my mind.
For now, though… I pushed it aside.
Let me enjoy this peace with her.
Ah crap.
I forgot to get her a present.
Wait.
"Hey, Gwen," I said casually, trying not to look nervous. "Want to go out tomorrow? My treat for Valentine's Day."
She agreed instantly.
After dinner, things grew warmer between us. The night air on the rooftop wrapped around us as we held each other close, sharing kisses and quiet laughter beneath the city lights.
Later, we lay side by side, staring at the skyline.
"Since when were you this good?" Gwen asked playfully, catching her breath.
"Don't ask," I grinned. "Let's just say I learned a thing or two in another life."
She rolled her eyes but smiled.
"Well, right now, I took your first and you took mine," she said softly before kissing my cheek.
We stayed there for a while, just listening to the distant sounds of the city.
Eventually, I swung back home, making sure to use the entrance like a normal person this time.
I headed to my room and started planning tomorrow's date.
"I'm going to make her the happiest girl ever."
---
Chapter 27 — End.