Peter Parker’s POV

“Peter, has there been any news of Gwen? It has already been more than a week.” Captain Stacy asked worriedly.

Ever since he had learnt that all we could do was wait, he came to my home everyday to ask me if there had been any update.

“Unfortunately, not. You need to be a little patient, Captain Stacy. Spider Supreme has already said that it would take one to two weeks.” I replied since the allocated time given by Spider Supreme had not passed yet.

“How can I be patient, Peter? Gwen is the only family I have left! She is out there in an unknown world completely alone. Who knows how she is surviving there? Knowing all of this, how can I be patient?” Captain Stacy said, revealing his worries.

I knew how much worried Captain Stacy was regarding Gwen but even I, with all of my powers could do nothing in this case and this was what hurt the most.

All we could do was trust Spider Supreme. That Gwen would return soon just like he had said.

So far, Spider Supreme had given a no reason to doubt him. After all, he was the one who had given me my powers when I was dying. Moreover, it was because of the card he had given me that I could save New York during the alien invasion.

However, Gwen was still my best friend. As such, I couldn't help but worry that something could go wrong despite Spider Supreme's assurance.

Ping!

Suddenly, Ancient One sent me a message through the communication spell.

“Gwen has returned and is currently at the New York Sanctum.”

“Captain Stacy, Gwen has returned. She is at the New York Sanctum.” I immediately reported to Captain Stacy, my voice full of joy.

“Really! Then what are we waiting for?” Captain Stacy said, asking me to take him to her immediately.

************************************

“My precious Gwen!” Captain Stacy said in a joyous tone as he hugged Gwen, his eyes full of tears.

“When I had heard from Ancient One that you had fallen into another dimension I had thought that I would never see you again. Who knows how much you have suffered in that foreign world?”

“But I am here now. Looking exactly like before and as healthy as ever.” Gwen said, assuring her father that she was alright.

Indeed, Gwen looked just as good as ever. Even her suit only had a few scratches here and there.

“But why did you change your hairstyle?” Captain Stacy asked about Gwen's haircut with a frown.

“I didn't do it voluntarily!” Gwen said, defending herself.

“It was an accident. Miles, the new Spider-Man of that world couldn't control his powers properly. His hand had been accidentally stuck to my hair and he couldn't remove it unfortunately. In the end, I had to cut my hair.” Gwen explained the reason for her haircut.

However, her voice had turned melancholic as she talked about Miles. They must have become quite close in the previous week.

“Did you become friends with this Miles?” Captain Stacy asked, sensing her daughter’s emotions.

“Yes, I had. At first, I had thought that he was just an idiot. But gradually, I felt his good nature and desire to be a good Spider-Man. And now, I would never see him again.” Gwen said in a sad tone.

“You know what, Peter? I had met even more Spider People who had the same power as me.” Gwen said, putting on a smile. She clearly didn't want to talk about the fact that she would never meet the people she had become friends with ever again.

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“We had taken a picture to commemorate our meeting. Let me show you.”

Gwen took out a picture which showed a group of people, each one wearing a Spider-Man suit.

“Is that a pig?” I asked in a surprised tone as I saw the humanoid pig wearing a Spider-Man suit.

“That is Spider-Ham. He comes from a world which seems to be rather cartoonish. Shockingly, his name is Peter Porker.” Gwen explained who this Spider Pig was.

“Spider Supreme had told me that nearly 80% of the Multiverse's Spider Totems are Peter Parker or a variant of him but I suddenly feel an existential crisis upon seeing that a version of me is a freaking pig.” I said jokingly, so as to lighten her mood.

“By the way, who is Miles among them?” I asked.

“He is the one.” Gwen pointed to a dark skinned boy who was clearly the youngest. I hadn't expected that this Miles would be even younger than Gwen.

“Why is his suit so cheap looking?” I said as I noticed the quality of his suit.

“Oh! That was before Miles had made his own suit. The suit he had created was quite different from the spider suit worn by that world’s Peter Parker. It was actually black coloured with red highlights rather than a red and blue coloured one. He had created the suit at the last minute that is why I don't have the picture of that suit.” Gwen explained.

“This is Peter Benjamin Parker who is rather similar to that world's Peter Parker who had died. Noir is a vyictorian Era Spider-Man from world which is colourless for some reason. And this is Peni Parker who runs a futuristic Spider-Bot.” Gwen introduced the remaining Spider Totem.

“Indeed, there are quite a lot of Peter Parker among the Spiders.” Captain Stacy commented as he looked at the picture.

“You know what, Gwen? I had almost lost hope when Ancient One had said that she couldn't find you. But then Spider Supreme contacted us and told us about your situation. He had even promised us that he would send one of his men to keep an eye on you.”

“Speaking of Spider Supreme I have to thank him if I ever meet him. If it was not for the man sent by him, I would probably be dead.” Gwen suddenly said, shocking all of us.

“What had happened, Gwen?” I asked, worried about her.

“We had already won at that time and the only thing that was left to do was to use the portal to return to our worlds when a monstrously powerful Spider-Man called Pestilence appeared from the other side of the portal.

He had four arms and four legs looking more like a Man Spider than a Spider-Man. Moreover, he had black slimy monsters called symbiotes with him who could possess people and turn them into monsters. He wanted to use these symbiotes to control us and then use us to control our worlds!”

I was shocked as I heard Gwen's words. A monstrous Spider-Man who controlled monsters with the ability to control people. Moreover, he was part of an organisation which could fucking conquer worlds. It suddenly felt as if my worldview had expanded once again.

“Pestilence had at first controlled others to fight us but when we somehow managed to win, he himself fought us. He was so powerful that it felt like I was fighting not against a Spider-Man but a Hulk.

Moreover, our Spider Sense was not even working against him for some reason while his own Spider Sense worked perfectly. We would have lost if the mage Spider Supreme had sent had not arrived. And what a mage Kirschtaria Wodime was?”

Gwen's voice was full of awe as she talked about this Kirschtaria Wodime. He must have been a truly powerful mage to have made such an impression on her.

“Is this Kirschtaria a Britisher? His name is like it can only belong to a British noble.” Captain Stacy asked curiously, noticing Kirschtaria’s unique name.

“Well, he actually dressed like a British noble so it could be true. But honestly, it felt like Kirschtaria could control the very stars as he fought against Pestilence. His light rays were so powerful that Pestilence could do nothing against them even with his Spider Sense.” Gwen said as she described the battle with literal stars in her eyes.

As I heard about Kirschtaria from Gwen, it was clear to me that he was a monstrously powerful mage. Perhaps Spider Supreme wanted me to be one of his subordinates in the future when he believed me to be as powerful as Kirschtaria.

“Oh! You have suffered so much, my dear Gwen. But I am glad that you managed to return even after so many ordeals.” Captain Stacy said as he hugged Gwen once again.

“Well, I believe that your return clearly deserves a party especially after everything you have went through.” I said in a joking tone as I created a portal for us to return.

********************************

“Gwen, are you really alright?” I asked Gwen after we returned to her home and Captain Stacy had to go to the police office for some urgent work, leaing us alone.

“I am not alright right now. But I think I will be in some time.” Gwen answered frankly.

“By the way, did you have a crush on Miles?” I asked since I had felt with my Dragon Sense that she had rather sincere feelings regarding Miles.

“Maybe I had? But it doesn't matter now.” Gwen said sadly.

“Oh, Gwen!” I said as I wrapped her in my arms, realising what she must be feeling now.

“You don't need to worry too much, Peter. I think I will learn how to live with it.” Gwen said with a sad smile, realising the painful reality before her.

Only at this moment did I realise why Spider Supreme was so insistent on never forming any personal relations with anyone in his journey throughout the multiverse. It was just too easy to be emotionally attached.