MCU Spider-Woman: The Wandering Way Home

Chapter 1: Mysterious Captivity

"I just... wanted to be special... like you, Gwen," Peter muttered in his dying state.

"Gwen?--" Gwen replied, panicking.

"Don't worry..." Peter interrupted.

"--Who's Gwen?" Gwen asked, even more panicked, though her fear and guilt were greater.

"--Everything is be okay," Peter assured.

"Don't!--" Fear filled her heart.

"Everything..." Peter interrupted again.

"--Don't go!" Gwen pleaded desperately.

"--is be okay," Peter repeated. Closing his eyes as his hand fell down.

"Oh, Peter..." Gwen wept, seeing her friend fall. She held Peter tightly, so much so that it seemed as though by doing so... Peter's soul and body would remain together.

Gwen cried, and cried in her embrace. She mourned everything that had happened and regretted what would never happen. Gwen regretted not knowing Peter more deeply. She wished if only she had known, everything would have been different.

Just then, Captain George Stacy entered the room. Seeing Spider-Woman, he pointed his gun at her.

"Hey hey!" he shouted, his face showing shock.

Gwen saw her father and quickly ran away.

"--Hey!" George shouted again. But he stopped and saw Peter in a terrible state.

"Peter?" the officer called out, but got no response.

The tragic fate faced by the Spider Totem spread across the multiverse. Someone in their lives would teach them the burden of the path they chose. Uncle Ben, Aunt May, Uncle Aaron, Captain Stacy, Inspector Singh, Peter, Gwen, and so many others would be lost for the greater good.

---

"Oh, Peter..."

It was the last thing Peter remembered. It was the thing Peter remembered the most.

Peter opened his eyes, only to see himself floating among a giant web. It was as if the entire world consisted of it. The webs glowed dimly, dominated by blue hues, with hints of green and pink.

His body slowly changed from pencil outlines shaded in white and pink to black outlines gradually fading and losing color. The first parts to disappear were the tips of his fingers and toes. The legs continued to fade up to his diaphragm, while his arms faded only to the elbows.

Half-conscious, he saw a comet or a star, or something of the sort. It appeared out of nowhere and sped through the webs, bouncing around. Until the comet hit him, making his body glow, dominated by white light with flashes of seven colors. His body continued to shine, and the light restored Peter's form.

Orange sparks appeared, forming a perfect circle. A portal formed, and Peter's glowing body floated into the portal. On the other side was the caster of the portal, Supreme Strange, a person who had lost his heart for the good of his universe.

"Such pure energy... I've never seen energy like this anywhere," Strange began his monologue.

At that moment, the light vanished, revealing the body of a 14-year-old boy. Unlike his previous dying state, he looked healthy and well. He was still the same scrawny Peter, with brown hair and a simple t-shirt and baggy pants.

"Peter? Spider-Man? What happened to him?" Strange cast a spell on Peter's body. The spell showed brief moments of Peter's life, from his birth to his final moments. Instead of getting answers, Strange became more confused. Peter was someone who had died, but here he was, healthy and stable.

"That energy must have done something to this kid. I need to find out what that energy really is."

Strange then cast a spell to trap Peter in an irregular prism ball. The ball shrank to the size of his fist, and he placed it in a room inside Sanctum Infinatum.

"I don't know what happened to you, kid. But the mystery of that energy has piqued my curiosity. Don't worry, I won't sacrifice you for my plans. But you'll be my prisoner while I study that energy."

---

It's hard not to love her when your other self is her simp. I spent half my life with her, so of course, she means a lot to me. But to fall in love that deeply? I don't know... I never thought of it that way.

She's perfect, and I'm just me. A skinny kid and a bookworm. Not trying to offend or anything, but I've never considered myself as special as she is.

I even had to mess around with that serum. Honestly, no matter how much I wanted to be special, I should've never created or drunk that stupid serum. I guess the perspective of my 'other' self influenced me more than I thought.

"How long have I been here? Even though I don't know anything about it, I'm sure this place isn't the afterlife."

I'm trapped in some weird ball with irregular angles. There's no door, no window, no way out whatsoever.

I'm surprised I haven't died from lack of air in this enclosed space after so long. I don't know exactly how long, my rough estimate is about a month since I opened my eyes.

"Seriously, what is this place?"

Every 12 or 36 hours, something gets drawn out of my body. I don't know what it is. Whether it's my life energy, mana, or chakra, I have no clue.

But I think something inside me must've caught the attention of the creature or whatever trapped me here.

For a long time, I've thought about everything. I understood from my 'other' self that I was destined for this. To be the catalyst for a hero's awakening.

Earth Universe-65, that's what they call it. Peter Parker will die in the arms of Spider-Woman, and in doing so, she'll become the hero she's meant to be.

Or at least, that's what happens in the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse movie. 'Cause in another film, it's Gwen who dies in Spider-Man's arms.

How tragic our fate is—no, my fate with Gwen.

It's sad to know that, 'cause even though I'm somehow happy to be a pivotal part of Gwen's growth, I also wanted a chance, at least to see each other grow old.

Unlike me, Peter Parker. My 'other' self really likes, correction... loves Gwen. Whether from The Amazing Spider-Man or Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

But seriously, dude. You're her simp and you say that you love Gwen, but you don't know much about her?

At least I know Gwen's information sources aren't just from the movies. There are many comics and animations that feature Gwen.

And why didn't you learn more? This half-baked information isn't just useless, it's frustrating.

I also wanna know her stories in other series. What she does, and the struggles she faces. One or two films ain't gonna help, bro!

Whatever, there's nothing I can do. My destiny is fulfilled, and I've ended up as someone's research subject. Maybe?

I just hope Gwen can forget about me and live her life. Heh, if only I had abilities like The Spot. At least, I could see how she's doing.

Am I thinking of going back to her? No, not really. My other self would probably jump at the chance, but I'm Peter Parker, and I'm content just knowing she's okay.

She's Spider-Woman, you know? She's amazing. I hope Miles can make Gwen happy.

"But seriously, what am I doing here? Can I even get out?"

---

Outside Peter's prison, in the hall of the Sanctum Infinatum. An extraordinarily grand and futuristic room. Tall, glowing pillars stand upright, illuminating the room with golden light emanating from the background, creating a dramatic and ethereal atmosphere. The intricate and detailed architectural design enhances the beauty and elegance of this space.

Strange was trying to imprison Kahhori in that place, right in front of Captain Carter.

"Kahhori!" shouted Carter.

"Good job, Carter. Nice work finding her for me," Strange called out as he floated down, continuing to emit energy from his hands to trap Kahhori.

"Strange, what's going on?" Carter asked, panicking.

"Just tying up the lose hands," Strange replied with a grin.

"Did he tell you about The Forge?" Kahhori shouted, resisting Strange's energy to avoid being imprisoned.

"What Forge?" Carter turned to Kahhori.

"Don't listen to her! She's trying to trick you," Strange quickly responded, panicking.

"He isn't just targeting the Universe Killers! He's gathering the righteous heroes too!" Kahhori argued to Carter.

"What!? Strange, what's she meant?" asked Captain Carter.

"Ignore her!" Strange snapped angrily.

"He's feeding everyone into The Forge," Kahhori said, glaring at Strange with hatred.

"Enough!" Strange shouted, increasing his effort to imprison Kahhori.

"Aaargh!" Kahhori screamed, struggling to withstand the additional energy.

"Strange," Captain Carter looked at Strange with confused eyes. She couldn't believe Strange would use her like that.

Prisms began to form beneath Kahhori's feet, surrounding the ground and creating a circle. The shields slowly rose, trying to form a massive prism ball prison.

"He's driving himself mad!" Kahhori shouted, struggling to resist the forming prison.

"Strange isn't trying to save the universes. He's trying to resurrect his universe! The one he destroyed!" Kahhori said, looking at Captain Carter.

"I will not let you stop me!" Strange said, increasing his power.

Kahhori became more desperate and seemed to struggle even more.

"You're trying to bring back Christine, aren't you?" Carter asked, looking into her friend's eyes.

"Yes, I am." Strange admitted. "If anyone can understand, it's you." Strange looked at her friend again.

"Strange, comes to your senses," Carter pleaded.

"I have to do this," Strange replied stubbornly.

"But this is madness!"

"Oh Come on, Peggy. You know you'd do the same thing for Steve!" Strange said, looking at his friend with conviction.

Peggy furrowed her brows, then turned to look at Kahhori.

"Peggy!" Kahhori called out, struggling.

Carter looked back and forth between Strange and Kahhori. She was momentarily confused about who to side with.

"Peggy please!" And just as Kahhori was about to give up, Captain Carter stepped in front of Strange's energy attack, deflecting it as she said,

"I would never do the same for Steve!"

Strange was shocked; he slowly descended, his feet touching the ground.

"Steve Rogers wouldn't want me too. The cost is too high," Carter said in a softer tone, trying to convince her friend.

Strange's expression softened, *"Well..."*

He looked at Carter, "...in the grand scheme of things, it's a small price to pay."

Strange raised his hand, chanting a spell and trying once again to imprison Kahhori. His energy circled around Carter and attacked Kahhori from two directions.

"Strange, stop!" Carter shouted.

"Not now! We're so close!"

"Please don't do this!" Peggy pleaded.

Strange ignored her and focused on trapping Kahhori.

Carter stepped forward, passing through one branch of energy and punching Strange, only to be stopped by an energy shield.

Carter was startled but kept trying to land a punch on him.

"Trust me, Peggy. It's better this way."

Carter didn't give up. Knowing Kahhori was in trouble, she looked around.

The entire walls of the Sanctum Infinatum were filled with prison balls. They were arranged to form specific patterns.

Peggy had an idea; she swung her shield at the wall, hitting parts of the pattern that housed the prisons Strange had collected.

"No! What have you done!?" Ask Strange with fury

The prison balls fell and shattered, freeing the prisoners inside.

A dragon flew to the ceiling, crashing into the upper walls, causing more prisoners to fall from the upper walls. Adding to the number of escaped prisoners filling the hall of the Sanctum Infinatum.

Strange flew up, targeting the dragon, giving Peggy time to help Kahhori.

"You're as just crazy as he is!" Kahhori joked.

"We need to destroyed that Forge, before he feed the prisoners to it."

"Understood, hang on tight!"

Kahhori used her power to run quickly, grabbing Carter's hand, and together they headed towards the place where The Forge was built.

---

"Saint Seiya! Shounen wa minna~~

Saint Seiya! Ashita no Yuusha~ Oow yea~––"

Peter was singing when,

Grrr!

"––Whoa!! What's that!"

The ground, correction, his prison shook violently. He was tossed around inside it.

And when the shaking stopped,

Krassh!

"Waah!" The ball hit the ground, and he was freed. He looked around and found himself in someone's room.

The room was simple with minimal furniture, but the furnishings looked quite luxurious. The room had a Medieval Castle vibe, at least that's what he thought.

The room shook again, but not as intensely as before. He looked around and saw no one. Peter went to the only door and opened it.

The Sanctum Infinatum's hallway came into view, with crystal-like balls on the walls that looked similar to his prison. When he looked closer, there was indeed something or someone inside them.

After examining the walls, he realized this place was some sort of prison. Many of them he didn't recognize. Peter saw some villains he knew like Loki, Thanos, Ronan, and others.

But strangely, he also saw some heroes like Thor, Star-Lord, and Rocket. So he didn't quite understand the concept of this prison.

Were they imprisoning bad guys or good guys? Whatever it was, he knew he had to find a way out of this place.

He looked right and left, then stepped forward to explore. As Peter walked, he felt a strange sensation in his chest.

It felt like something was pulling him to a certain place. Not knowing what it was, Peter decided to follow it. He ran as fast as he could.

Peter turned in the direction the sensation guided him. From there, he kept moving, following the path his instinct pointed. He kept walking until he reached a place that his heart desired.

Looking ahead, he saw a large hole with some kind of altar in the center. Peter approached and saw a large glowing purple orb. It was surrounded by rings on the outside, moving around it, as if protecting it from something.

Peter was so mesmerized by the sight that he didn't realize he was about to fall. He stepped back only to find himself slowly being pulled back toward it.

As he resisted, the pull got stronger. Peter resisted again, and the more he resisted, the stronger the pull became.

Peter panicked and tried to move away from the edge. He ran away only to trip and fall, his body being forcefully dragged into The Forge.

Peter kept being pulled until he fell into the hole. He managed to grab onto the edge before the pull intensified again.

Just as his grip started to slip, Strange caught Peter and saved him. He chanted a spell, and the pull on Peter lessened.

Peter looked at him and saw Strange with a deep frown on his face.

"Thank you," Peter said.

"..." Strange didn't respond and simply tied Peter up, tossing him to the door behind Strange.

"The mystery within you remains unsolved. I don't know why The Forge wants to consume you. But I'm not willing to gamble with something I don't fully understand. Who knows what side effects might occur if I let you fall into it."

Strange's monologue was interrupted as Peggy and Kahhori arrived.

---

*Peter's Perspective During the Fight*

Strange floated high in the air, leaving me at the entrance of the room, as if preparing to face someone.

The sorcerer's statement answered a few of Peter's questions. It was confirmed that the one siphoning my energy in the prison was him.

It seemed Strange had not yet found the answers he sought, given he said my energy was something he didn't understand. I wanted to ask Strange more, but then two women entered the room through another door.

A woman with black hair, glowing tattoos on her face, and eyes, dressed in traditional blue clothing with intricate patterns over a white outfit. She had just run fast, leaving a trail of blue energy behind her.

Another was a woman with shoulder-length brown hair, clad in what looked like armor, with the Union Jack emblem on her suit. When I looked closer, I noticed six Infinity Stones on her chest. She held a red, white, and blue shield with the same theme.

"You're change your outfit. Pretty cool. It's a look good on you. But you might remember I defeated that armour once before?" Strange said, eyeing them both as they walked towards The Forge platform.

Strange hovered above The Forge, facing them.

"Once before, I wasn't in it!" replied the woman in armor with a grin. They both readied themselves for battle as the shield-bearing woman stopped and threw a question at Strange.

"What is he doing there, Strange? Why have you tied him there? I thought you wanted to sacrifice everyone into The Forge?"

Strange glanced back at me, then turned to the woman with the shield.

"He's not part of the sacrifice. He's an anomaly that caught my interest a month ago. I can't let him fall into The Forge, but I can't leave you to destroy The Forge either. So, just ignore him and sacrifice yourselves for me."

The women furrowed their brows at Strange's strange response.

"You know I can take him far from here," the glowing woman said.

"I'm not sure I can face Strange alone, and Strange certainly won't let you do that. Let's just stick to the original plan." replied the shield-bearing woman.

"Uh, hello? Could someone explain what's really going on here?" I asked, frustrated.

"Stay quiet, kid, I'll––" Strange's words were cut off when the woman's shield hit him. The shield glowed with a purple hue and returned to its owner. I guessed that was from the Power Stone.

"Alright, that's not good," Strange said, annoyed.

Which was met with energy blasts from both women. The shield-bearing woman fired a blast from the Power Stone on her chest, while the tribal woman threw blue energy from her hands.

They hit Strange, sending him flying backward as he said, "Oh come on. I thought we were just warming up? You wanna really play? Get a load of this."

And a purple portal opened behind Strange, out came 3 eel-like monsters with transparent purplish bodies. Their bones were more pronounced, and their heads looked scarier with skeletal shapes.

"What the heck is that!" I exclaimed in disbelief seeing the bony eel monsters.

The blue girl ran fast, shooting her energy into The Forge.

"No! Stop!" Strange shouted.

The shield-bearing woman smashed the bony monsters and used the Infinity Stones to defeat them. Surrounding Strange with those creatures forced him to destroy his own monsters.

"Yeah, I guess you figured that armor out!" Strange complained, firing a beam at both of them.

The blue girl dodged and ran in circles along the walls, distracting Strange. Meanwhile, the shield-bearing woman absorbed Strange's beam and fired it at The Forge device again.

"No, leave it alone! You're making it unstable!" Strange attacked the woman as she fired the beam, forcing her back.

She threw her weapon at Strange. With the Space Stone, her attacks were unpredictable as it would move to impossible angles and hit Strange.

In addition, the blue girl's attacks were unpredictable as she ran along the walls. Until Strange created a wall in front of her, causing the girl to hit it and fall. As she was about to fall into the device, she created a portal in front of her, transporting her to safety.

I just stood there, watching them fight intensely. Watching the shield-bearing woman reminded me of Captain America. But she was a woman, and her uniform was different.

Was that his sweetheart? Peggy Carter? If I'm not mistaken? Maybe, in her universe, she got the serum.

The tribal woman, I didn't quite recognize. She was a new face even to my 'other' self. From what I saw, her powers centered around the blue energy she emitted. She could use it to run fast, shoot energy projectiles, telekinesis, and surprisingly, create portals when about to fall.

I adjusted myself, taking a sitting position on the floor with my hands tied. This fight was getting dangerous, and I had to move back and find a safe place.

It's sad when you're treated like air by powerful people like them. But what can I do, even though I was somehow reborn, I'm still the same skinny kid as I was before. I scooted along the hallway using my bound feet, slowly inching away from the room where Strange was fighting.

.

.

.

.

Chapter 2: The Wandering Way Home*

Their battle grew more intense. Strange multiplied himself with magic, followed by Peggy using the Reality Stone. Kahhori and Carter worked together to take down Strange and destroy The Forge.

"Captain Carter. Always the soldier out of time. Peggy, this doesn't have to end this way."

Strange tried to persuade his friend to side with him, only to be opposed by Peggy.

Carter clones attacked Strange, leaping towards him, but they turned into a swarm of butterflies, obscuring the women's view.

Peggy opened her eyes to find herself back in the past, the day it all began, the day she replaced Steve and became Captain Carter. The illusion of Steve tried to convince her, persuading her to stay with him in that illusion. Peggy was momentarily shaken but steeled her resolve. Peggy punched Steve's face, revealing it was actually Strange, and freed herself from the illusion trap.

"Cheap trick, Strange!" Kahhori exclaimed.

"Then, so be it, Captain." Strange floated in the air, activating a spell.

"See what you've chosen."

Strange opened a portal in The Forge's ceiling, bringing the prisoners into the room to be fed to The Forge. They fell freely straight into the pit, ready to be sacrificed.

"Oh no, it's begun. He's feeding them to the Forge!" Kahhori shouted.

"No!" Carter cried out in panic.

The prisoners kept falling, getting closer to the bottom of The Forge.

"The protection around The Forge is weakening. I can portal them home!" Kahhori chanted a spell, moving the prisoners back up, turning Strange's portal into her own to send them home.

"What!?" Strange was shocked in disbelief.

Strange then fired an energy beam from his hand at both of them. Peggy blocked it with her shield while Kahhori tried to run, buying time for the prisoners to be sent home. However, she failed as Strange reshaped the walls into hands, capturing her, breaking her concentration, and causing the prisoners to fall again.

This time it was Captain Carter's turn. She used the Time Stone, freezing time around her. Then she rewound time, sending the prisoners back up.

"Peak trick! But, you see, I mastered that one a long time ago!" Strange shouted, revealing his Eye of Agamotto. He displayed his own Time Stone and broke Carter's control with his spell, holding the prisoners in place.

Kahhori freed herself from the giant hands. Strange attacked again with an energy blast, which the women blocked with their respective powers.

"My world must be reborn, or countless others will die!"

"Stop! Don't do this!"

"Once it was worth it, I really thought you would've understood." Strange snapped his fingers, causing the prisoners to fall again.

"I give you a choice, Peggy Carter."

The prisoners continued to fall rapidly towards the bottom, very close to their end, to be sacrificed for Strange's selfishness.

"I must resurrect my world. You, my friend, are finished!"

"Not entirely!" Hela interrupted and threw her crown towards Peggy. The item landed near her.

"Give him hell!" Hela shouted, encouraging Carter. Other prisoners followed Hela, throwing their weapons as well.

"What?" Strange was stunned in disbelief.

Seeing this, Peggy was grateful. She and Kahhori exchanged glances and nodded. They both leaped, avoiding Strange's attack. Peggy grabbed Hulk's weapon, a sword with green energy surging from it.

Captain Carter lifted the sword, sending a blast of energy towards Strange. He was thrown back, crashing into the wall, held there by the force of the attack.

Taking this opportunity, Kahhori created a portal and sent the prisoners home.

"Kahhori, you did it! You sent them home!"

Both of them prepared, picking up the abandoned weapons. Kahhori readied herself with the Ten Rings and Mjolnir, which she lifted with her telekinetic power. Meanwhile, Captain Carter donned Hela's crown, lifted Hulk's sword, and controlled other weapons with the crown's ability.

"You'll never stop me. I'll just get more, and mo–– Aaargh!" Strange couldn't finish his sentence as Kahhori attacked him with the Ten Rings.

Kahhori didn't stop; she ran and threw Mjolnir, hitting Strange and pinning him to the wall. Peggy used the Space Stone to teleport Strange only to have him hit again by Kahhori controlling Mjolnir. It didn't stop there; Peggy swung her sword to slash Strange, but he managed to block it with a mystical shield. Carter moved past him, stood behind him, and kicked Strange as he was casting a spell. Strange managed to deflect her before Kahhori arrived and punched him with the Ten Rings, followed by kicks and punches launched at the sorcerer's back.

The front and back attacks from their combo successfully cornered Strange. They always managed to strike from angles impossible for Strange to counter.

Strange's physical appearance slowly changed; his nails sharpened, his skin turned blue, his facial contours gradually altered, and horns grew from his head. Both women attacked Strange with energy blasts from their weapons, including weapons floating behind Peggy, resulting in a massive explosion from the sorcerer's body.

"It's over, Strange. Stay down!" Carter switched her weapon from Hulk's sword to Gungnir's spear.

"Nothing is ever over!" Strange emerged in his monster form. His body grew, covered in sharp spikes. Two horns jutted out from his head. Bat wings sprouted from his back. He glared at Peggy with his three glowing red eyes. His mouth had distorted with sharp teeth.

"Strange, if you're in there, listen to me!" shouted Peggy.

"No, you will listen! Waaargh!" Strange fired a blast from his mouth, knocking Kahhori down after being hit by the beam.

"I'll kill you!" Strange leaped and attacked Peggy with sharp claws. Peggy blocked them with her shield. Strange attacked again, and Peggy blocked him. Strange fired a close-range beam from his eyes, forcing Peggy into a defensive stance.

"Strange, this isn't you!"

"It is me!"

"Aaargh!" Kahhori rose and swung her hand, throwing the Ten Rings at Strange.

The rings bound Strange's hands briefly before he fired a beam at Peggy again, which was blocked by Carter's shield.

Peggy threw Gungnir only for it to be absorbed by Strange's hand.

Kahhori threw Mjolnir, and Strange caught it with his mouth, effortlessly shattering the hammer into pieces.

"I will bring her back. You cannot stop me!"

Carter advanced and attacked with her shield but was thrown back by a headbutt from Monster Strange, sending her and the shield flying backward.

The headbutt also caused an energy explosion that destroyed the central platform, leaving only the edge of the platform in the middle of the pit.

Peggy fell and was separated from the Infinity Stones. The situation heated up as Strange leapt towards them both aggressively.

"Peggy!" shouted Kahhori.

Carter stood up, then ran and leapt towards Monster Strange. Kahhori moved the stones along with Peggy's momentum. The stones reached her hand, and with all six stones, she punched Monster Strange's face with immense force. The attack separated Strange from the monster within him.

"No, Peggy. It's gonna explode!" said Kahhori, seeing The Forge becoming unstable.

"You built this. Come on, Strange. There has to be a way to stop it!"

"No, I can't. My grief is too strong. It's grown beyond my control."

"Christine wouldn't want this!"

"No."

"But, we do!"

"Aaargh!" Monster Strange re-entered Strange's body and leapt towards Peggy.

"Die!" shouted Monster Strange and dragged them both down.

"No, Peggy!" Kahhori shouted in panic.

Peggy didn't give up and, while falling, reversed the situation. Peggy pummeled Monster Strange, hitting him repeatedly, and leapt to reach the wall and grab hold.

"Grrraagh! Aaargh!" Monster Strange tried to attack Peggy, but Strange appeared from within the monster's body and held him back.

"Strange!" shouted Carter, shocked, seeing a part of her friend she knew struggling one last time.

They both fought for control, two heads in one body. Strange regained consciousness briefly and closed his eyes, sacrificing himself into The Forge along with the monster part of him.

The Forge emitted a blinding light, obscuring Peggy's vision. She prepared to face any impact or explosion, but nothing happened.

She opened her eyes and met another friend, The Watcher.

"I take it this means I'm not dead?" asked Peggy.

"No, and neither is Kahhori. I sent her back to her home universe. Although... there is something different from what I know," said The Watcher.

"What? What do you mean by that?"

The world glowed, and The Watcher showed Carter the city landscape. They were at Times Square Park, seeing Christine happily enjoying the atmosphere on a park bench.

"There's she is. That's Christine. Stranger's plan worked," said Carter.

"Yes, but at the cost of his life. He recreated this universe but was never born into it. And never will be," replied The Watcher.

"Huuhh... To think all of the suffering he caused, for a world he would never get to see. And I nearly helped him do it."

"You saw the good in our friend. And in the end, it was that part of him... even only for a brief moment, that conquered his demons and saved his world."

"You saw it, didn't you? The Forge, Kahhori, a monster in Strange. We nearly lost everything."

"But we didn't. The multiverse didn't need me to intervene, Peggy. It just needed you."

"But, just to make sure..." The Watcher moved his hand, shifting them to a teenager's room, showing a 15-year-old boy with a fit and healthy body with modest muscles.

The teenager had a confused face, looking around his room in bewilderment. He then turned and saw The Watcher and Peggy suddenly appear in his room.

"Whoa!!" he screamed in a feminine tone.

"It's you! You were there but why didn't you help me!? I was screaming for your help and why didn't you do anything!? And what really happened to me!?"

---

Back to when the fight had just started.

*Grrr*

The ground shook violently, reminding me of my current situation. Bound by magic and moving by wriggling like a worm. Showing my weakness and helplessness. Once again, I felt that 'other me' influenced me more than I had anticipated.

Strange kept talking about this mysterious energy and that mysterious energy. I just didn't know how to react.

Should I be happy about it? Because all this energy has done is attract useless attention. And don't forget, because of this energy, I nearly fell into whatever contraption Strange built.

I've tried it many times but still can't control it. I can't even feel it.

The only sensation it gives me is the feeling of being pulled that I felt when I was just freed. The urge to return and jump into 'The Forge' or something. Other than that, NAH, NADA, NEHI! Sorry, a bit frustrated there.

Besides that uncomfortable feeling, I don't experience or feel the presence of the energy that Strange mentioned. I only felt something leaving my body when I was in prison. The control of the energy and its output was entirely done by Strange.

I'm still close to The Forge room. I can still hear their battle clearly. There are moments when I'm so shocked by the powerful sound of clashes or explosions. But I keep moving.

I keep moving and after a few steps, I stop. Something piques my curiosity. I hear voices from in there. It sounds like people screaming as if they are falling. I know there are only three of them in there, so when I hear additional voices, I get curious.

My guess is Strange is cornered and he teleported his prisoners to plunge directly into that device. And from there, I become doubtful. Should I keep wriggling on the floor not knowing where to go? Or should I take a step and see how their fight ends?

"Alright, alright, you win. This mysterious urge seriously makes me sick."

And that's how I decided to go back. Following the urge within me to observe them. With the prisoners moved, it should be my chance to move without fear of encountering anyone.

But even so, I don't want to take risks. Hiding safely in a place I know is better than moving blindly. I could end up meeting a criminal and getting killed.

I returned to the entrance where Strange threw me. When I got there, what I saw was very surprising. Something like a cluster of monsters emerged from Strange's body. It happened when Peggy punched his face.

From what I saw, it seems the fight was indeed reaching its end. The monster appeared to return to Strange's body. He lunged at Peggy and they both fell into The Forge pit.

Because of my position, I didn't see what happened in there. But if I had to guess, Peggy would survive and somehow Strange would manage to stop his 'Monster Strange' and finally sacrifice himself.

'The other me' is slightly smarter when it comes to stories like this. He could already guess how stories like this would end. The light from the pit grew brighter. Even I, who was quite far, had to shield my eyes with my hand.

Incantation patterns emerged from Peter's body, flickering a few times before shattering like broken glass. At that moment, a repressed urge burst forth. A white light emerged from his chest, forming a tendril that quickly extended.

It moved rapidly towards The Forge. As the tip touched The Forge's light, Peter convulsed and his whole body trembled.

"Aaaargh!"

With Peter's scream, time around him stopped. Peter did not realize this and he struggled to endure the pain while resisting the pulling force he experienced.

He looked towards Kahhori and shouted, "Help! Please... Help me!"

But Kahhori did not respond, frozen in time.

Peter looked towards The Watcher, who was observing, also frozen in time. "PLEASE, please help me!"

Once again, no answer. The pulling continued and Peter kept struggling. However, gradually he felt he could no longer endure. His body weakened and he slid towards The Forge, guided by the tendril of light from his chest.

Peter lost consciousness as he entered The Forge's core, joining Strange as a sacrifice to recreate the universe that Strange had destroyed.

However, as Strange mentioned, Peter's merging with The Forge had mysterious side effects that Strange did not want to gamble with.

Indeed, Strange's universe was successfully revived. However, much history and reality had changed, especially the reality of Peter Parker.

If Strange's sacrifice demanded the price of his existence, conversely Peter received privilege and reward for joining The Forge.

Because it was not The Forge that was attracted to Peter's energy, but the opposite. It was the energy that demanded The Forge to create an ideal universe that could be a new home for Peter.

By entering The Forge, Peter built his own home from scratch, realizing his desire to start his life anew.

---

"I open my eyes only to find myself in a new body with full memories of my past. After going through this repeatedly, I no longer know which part is truly me, which part is someone else, and which part has invaded my body," I am lamented as I stared at The Watcher, or at least that's the name he gave me.

"My honest opinion is, I don't know. The future I saw only showed Strange's sacrifice and the recreation of his shattered universe. However, this universe, although not much different, has altered the history of Peter Parker that I know. I guess that history is your past, isn't it? That somehow merged with this universe," replied The Watcher.

"But I didn't see this kid falling into The Forge, Watcher. Did you see him?" asked Peggy Carter. Yes, I already asked her name, and she confirmed it.

"That's what I'm worried about. I didn't see him fall either. When did you fall into The Forge, Peter?"

"What do you mean you didn't see me? You were right next to me when I got pulled into it. I saw you just standing there while I called for you!" I'm complained again.

"What? But I really didn't see you fall. Yes, I did see you channeling that energy into The Forge. But after that, you suddenly disappeared. I thought you were controlling the energy to do something to The Forge. That's why I looked at this universe's history and checked on you," The Watcher answered, and for some reason, I felt he wasn't lying.

"But that's strange... you were really right next to me when it happened!"

"And you didn't see me? And about that energy, I wasn't controlling it. They moved on their own and I was just as surprised as you are now," I responded.

"But come to think of it, at that moment I didn't see your clothes moving like they are now. As if they––"

"––Were frozen in time," added The Watcher.

"Can the Time Stone affect you, Watcher?" asked Peggy.

"If I were outside that universe, it shouldn't," The Watcher replied.

The room fell silent again, the atmosphere somewhat unsettling.

"It seems your energy is more special than I thought, Peter. Do you know where you got it from?" asked The Watcher.

"Besides from a universe that looks like a spider web, no. I can't even command them intentionally," I answered.

The Watcher went back to pondering and left us in contemplation. I was still shocked by what had happened. Here I am, opening my eyes as Peter Benjamin Parker, a 15-year-old teenager from Queens. A year older than the death of Peter Parker from Chelsea.

Unlike my skinny body, this Peter Parker is quite tall and has an ideal body mass. Quite muscular even, almost like Peter Parker who had become Spider-Man.

"...Spider-Man," I muttered unconsciously, though quietly.

"What's the matter, Peter?" Peggy asked, noticing my worried expression.

"Tell me, friends, can... can I live?" I asked unconsciously, voicing my worry to them.

"Of course, kid, of course, you––" Peggy's answer was interrupted by The Watcher.

"Honestly, Peter... I don't know," The Watcher replied.

I knew it, I knew that I really––

"Unlike other universes, I can't see the future of this universe. Although I live outside of time, this is the first time I've experienced something similar. Watching you, Peter, might be the most valuable experience in the entire Multiverse for me," The Watcher added.

"But why? Why can't you know–– Is it because of that energy?" I asked after realizing the reason behind it.

"Yes, you're right. That energy somehow took a major role in the creation of this universe, making it difficult for a cosmic being like me to even see it. Sorry, Peter, I can't help you see your future. So I don't know what this universe will face and what it needs," The Watcher answered again.

"So, you understand my reason now. What should I do? Will I play the same role for the second time, Watcher?" I asked in a state of panic and depression.

"Will you do the same thing, Peter?" asked The Watcher.

"If that's a Canon––" I was about to answer.

"I don't know the future, Peter. So I don't know what Canon event will happen. Moreover, this world is no longer the same world that Strange destroyed. Something within you changed and reshaped this universe anew. And I doubt what it created will be exactly the same as the fate of Peter on Earth-65. So, my advice, Peter, instead of worrying about such things, you should try to enjoy your life again. You should know best, the second chance you have is not something many others get."

I pondered The Watcher's words, and indeed, he was right. It seemed my role in my past life had influenced me too deeply. I had forgotten that I should be grateful for my current situation.

When I ran from the battle, I didn't really know where to 'go home'. After being freed from the Sanctum, then what? Don't get me wrong, exploring the multiverse sounds pretty cool. But for me, it felt very lonely and sad. Especially since I was exploring because I had no place to call home.

Returning to Earth-65 did sound appealing. But I didn't want to go back there. It felt like any feelings or bonds I had were gone just like that. I didn't know if a dead Peter Parker could live again there. I didn't want to gamble with the risk of destroying Gwen's universe just because of my selfishness.

But everything is different now. Somehow, I have my own home. Whatever that energy did seems to have given me all of this.

I'm no longer Peter Parker who died on Earth-65. I'm also not a prisoner locked in Sanctum Infinatum. I am now Peter Benjamin Parker, a 15-year-old teenager from Queens.

"Thank you, Watcher." I hugged him tightly, expressing how grateful I was for his words.

"You're welcome, Peter. Remember, whatever you face, face it with the belief that everything will be alright," The Watcher replied, hugging me back.

I broke the hug and expressed my thanks to them.

"So, what will you do now?" I asked.

"Captain Carter wants to look around for a bit before going home. Do you want to come, Peter?" asked The Watcher.

"No, thank you. Too much has happened to me today. So I want to rest for a while,"

"Alright then, Captain. Do you know where you want to go next?" The Watcher asked Peggy.

"We can look around first. Alright, stay healthy, kid! See you later!" Carter replied.

"As you wish, Captain. Until we meet again, Peter," The Watcher said, and they disappeared from my room.

After they left, I lay on my bed, looking at my ceiling which felt familiar yet so foreign. Heh, I have to get used to my current state of mind. It's strange how everything feels both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

Well, maybe that can wait until I wake up later. For now...

"Hoooaamhp!"

I'm really sleepy. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.

---