Day in the story: 11th December (Thursday)

I met Peter in the morning. He'd just returned from his own training and took a moment to sit down. Somehow, he looked weirdly fresh after all that swimming and running.

"How are you?" he asked. His blue eyes showed genuine concern.

"Not so good. I ended two relationships."

"Two?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Penrose."

"I didn't know that could be ended." He always was the smart one.

"I had leverage I thought would be enough... but it only bought me time. Phillip will come after me sooner or later."

He leaned in closer.

"How can I help?"

"That's the thing, Peter. You can't. What I did... it put you, Soph, everyone else in his crosshairs. I'm sorry."

"I never felt safe around you anyway."

A brutal truth. I loved him for it, but it still stung.

"That doesn't mean I'm thrilled," he continued, "but at least you took the first good step. And I don't take it as some personal betrayal, Alexa. I want that to be clear, I know you didn't choose to be in a relationship with that man. And by extension, I was as caught in it as you were."

"I... don't know what to say. You know that's not true. You always could've walked away."

"No. We're family. I never would. You know that."

I knew it.

I hated myself for it.

"I bet you already have some plan in motion, don't you?"

"Just a delay tactic. I don't really know the extent of his manipulations. I'm afraid to hit him directly. With access to magic, he could have layers of contingencies, even in death. And I won't risk your life."

Of course, that's when she decided to join the conversation.

"Risking life?" Sophie asked as she emerged from her room. "What's going on?"

I gave her a rundown of everything that happened yesterday. She listened without a word, even after I finished. She was scared, of course she was. Anyone in her place would be.

Peter, jumped in.

"Lex... can't you trap him somehow? You can teleport people. Maybe you don't have to kill him."

That question had played in my mind a hundred times.

"I've thought about it," I admitted. "But it always feels worse than ending it outright. If he escaped, through some manipulation, some trick, I'd be left with a bigger problem."

Sophie finally spoke, her voice trembling, eyes downcast.

"Then why don't you just kill him?"

I hesitated. "Because I'm afraid he'd get back at you. Or Peter. Somehow."

"But he could've dropped dead from a heart attack any time. What then?"

I paused.

"That's... a good point."

She looked up, finally meeting my eyes.

"You still think he's more powerful than he is. But the truth is, you are. He scared you into inaction and now he's the one buying time. He's stalling because you're the threat."

She was right. Reality, she was probably right.

And yet, even as her words landed with brutal clarity, my mind scrambled to reject them. Penrose was my own personal Reality, one that twisted thoughts on a molecular level, warping even logic to suit his agenda.

"He's got a whole network now," I said, trying to justify the fear still gripping my ribs like a vice. "Magically empowered agents. A powerful seer. Beatrice. She can see across locations, even here."

A realization hit me mid-sentence. That's how he found out about the necklace. Damn it.

Sophie didn't flinch. "Still sounds like another excuse."

She wasn't being cruel, just scared. She wanted him gone. To feel safe again. And I was the only one who could give her that.

I looked her in the eyes.

"Okay, Soph. You're right."

A pause. A breath. A promise.

"I'll get rid of him." If Alicia doesn't do it first.

**********

I met with Zoe during lunch at uni. I handed her the laptop I'd taken from her boss, explained I wanted her to look through it, if she thought it was safe. She didn't look thrilled, but she didn't say no either. One more person dragged into my mess.

I was on my way to art critique when Anansi suddenly unveiled the eye I'd hidden in Jason's backpack.

Something was wrong.

The feed showed the wall of a bathroom stall. Jason wasn't moving. The image didn't shift for several long, unsettling seconds. Then Peter entered the frame, he tried to shake Jason awake, but only managed to knock the backpack loose. It hit the floor with a thud.

Then it appeared.

Unreflected's hideous, eyeless grin emerged from the mirror, its form oozing through the glass. It slashed at Peter, who blocked with his arms and was flung aside like a ragdoll.

Fuck.

I bolted. No hesitation, just raw instinct and dread. I ran toward the building, toward the card's signature. Toward them.

I passed people who stared like I was a ghost, my body laced in shadowlight, bright arcs of shimmering, colorful lightning trailing in my wake. I didn't care. Nothing mattered but getting there in time.

Up the first flight of stairs. Then the second. A security guard tried to stop me, I didn't even register him as more than a blur.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The creature was fully emerged now. I saw it place a hand on the mirror, the surface spiderwebbing with cracks as it siphoned shadowlight, opening a portal to Ideworld.

I took the last flight in four bounding strides. I could feel the card now, close, inside my aura. I reached the door to the bathroom.

Peter was lying on the floor, bleeding but breathing.

Jason was gone.

Only his backpack remained.

I was too late.

**********

I took Peter into my Domain first. Once there, I geared up, no hesitation, no room for doubt, then teleported straight to Lebens'.

The training hall was empty. I laid Peter gently on the floor and sprinted upstairs. The smell of herbs and vegetables hit me before I even saw her.

Ariana stood at the stove, stirring a pot of stew.

"Alexa?" she asked, instantly alert. "Dear, what's going on?"

"Ariana, I'm glad you're here. My friend's been hurt, badly. Please tell me you can heal him."

She winced. "I'm out of ingredients that accept my healing intent right now, but let me take a look at him."

"Okay." My voice cracked. I hated sounding defeated.

Then she turned and screamed, loud enough to shake the floor. "DAM!"

He came running, Nick and unfortunately, Malik in tow.

"What's wrong? Alexa?" Nick called, breathless.

"Come downstairs. All of you."

We rushed down together. Ariana knelt beside Peter, already examining his injuries. She undid his shirt, working quickly.

While she worked, I spoke.

"My ex, Jason, he was taken by the Unreflected through a mirror. Peter tried to stop it. He fought like hell, but he got hurt. I ran, but I wasn't fast enough." I turned to Dam, pleading. "Please. Heal him while I go after Jason."

Dam stiffened. "You want to go into the Ideworld? Into Manhattan's Mirrored City? Alexa, that's a death sentence."

"I don't have a choice."

"Even if you wanted to, how would you get there?"

"Jason was taken from Long Island but the Unreflected, they nest in the Mirrored City, right?"

Dam nodded grimly. "They're spawned there. That's where they drag their prey."

"Then I can reach it. My Domain is basically there, on Water Street. I'll walk out the door. I might even get ahead of the thing."

Dam didn't argue further. He just frowned, his silence heavy.

"He's okay," Ariana said suddenly.

I turned, Peter was stirring, his face scraped and bruised, but alive. Just surface cuts now. His eyes blinked open.

Relief hit me like a wave. He was going to be okay.

"Where are we, Alexa? Who are these people? Nick?" Peter's voice was groggy, but alert. So they'd already met.

"Hey, Pete. This is my family and Malik." Nick gave a nod toward each of them. Malik grinned like the dopey kid he was.

"I'm sorry, Lex," Peter said, sitting up slowly. "I couldn't stop that thing. Jason just froze, completely. I couldn't move him."

"It's not your fault," I said. "None of this is. I'm going after him, Pete. I'll bring him back, I swear."

"Alexa, again, how the hell are you going to find him in a place twice the size of Manhattan?" Dam asked, arms crossed.

"I don't know, Dam!" I snapped. "But I sure as hell am not going to sit on my ass and wait!"

Peter turned to me, eyes still cloudy from pain but sharp with focus. "Alexa, can you still feel a connection to the items you've infused?"

"Yes. Why?"

"The night you broke up with Jason… he called me. He said you'd broken him, but he still loved you. Said he needed to talk but had nothing to remember the good times. I… I did something dumb. I know it was a gift meant for me, but I didn't need it anymore and it was made by you, so…"

I stared at him, the realization already forming.

"You gave him the reminder necklace?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. I felt bad. I'm sorry."

"You stupid, wonderful boy," I whispered. "You might have just saved his life."

I closed my eyes, focusing, searching for the identity I had woven into that piece. There. A faint pull, distant and dim, but there.

"I can feel it," I breathed. "I have a way to find him."

"I'm going with you," Nick said suddenly.

Dam and Ariana exchanged looks, unhappy ones.

"Son, this isn't…" Dam started, but Nick cut him off.

"Dad, you'd do the same. Honestly, I'm surprised you're not volunteering."

"I would, but you left people here to protect," Dam said. "I can't abandon them, not now."

"I get that," Nick said. "That's why I'll go. Alexa shouldn't go in alone and we make a good team."

I smiled despite the tension. I was glad to have him.

"I'm going too," Malik blurted out.

"Me as well," Peter added, cutting in before I could object to Malik.

"I appreciate it, truly. Nick, you're in. You've got the skills. But Peter, you're just human. And Malik, you're a kid."

"I might be just a human," Peter said, standing now, "but Jason was my responsibility. I failed him. If you leave me behind, I'll never forgive myself, or you."

Malik just looked at me with those damn pleading eyes.

The truth was, I needed all the help I could get and time was running out.

"Fine," I said. "Malik, Nick, gear up. Peter, you're coming with me first. I'll be back in twenty minutes tops."

Then I reached out, touched Peter's arm and teleported.

"Shiroi!" I shouted as the world moved us into his workroom. The place smelled faintly of glue, he must have been working on something recently. I hoped he was still here.

"Told you to call me Akira," he said, stepping out from behind a curtain. "Also asked you nicely to give me a heads-up before just showing up."

We had reconnected after the riverfront incident. He'd still taught me about clothing work and we were collaborating on another project whenever time allowed.

"I didn't have time, I'm sorry. Every second counts. My boyfriend's been taken into the Ideworld by a creature called the Unreflected. He'll be ritually killed there if I don't reach him."

"You want me to come with you?" Akira asked, his tone softer now. "I can't, Alexa. Robert needs me for something urgent, today's not possible."

"Thank you for even considering it, but no, that's not why I'm here. I need the other suit."

"Well, it's ready. Been ready for two weeks. I called you to tell you."

"I know," I muttered. "Didn't have much use for it then."

"Come on, I'll get it," Akira said, turning away.

"I don't need it for me. It's for Peter here."

Akira paused, then turned back and gave Peter a long once-over. "I was starting to wonder if you'd ever introduce the bare-chested, clearly wounded man standing in my workroom. But I've learned not to ask questions I'm not ready to hear the answers to. Especially from you." He extended a hand. "Nice to meet you, Peter."

Peter shook it, clearly unsure. Oh, Reality, if he only knew Akira could shred him into threads with that same hand. Probably best not to mention it.

"Also," Akira added, eyes narrowing, "the suit was made for you, not for a guy who's a foot taller. I can't promise it'll fit, let alone function properly."

"Please change it. I know you can do it now," I said.

Akira sighed but motioned for us to follow. "What is this suit you two are talking about?" Peter asked as we walked toward the wardrobe.

Akira opened it and carefully pulled out the suit, hanging on a pristine black hanger. It looked somewhat like the Usagear, but darker, sleeker. Its base was a deep matte black, with pale white undertones accenting the joints and edges. It looked like a cross between a cybernetic armor and something designed by a spider's mind, deliberately arachnid in both aesthetic and function.

A hood and mask were attached seamlessly, shaped with subtle contours and additional eyelets circling the sides, infusion points I could use to expand my vision in all directions. The gloves were sculpted so each finger resembled a slender mechanical spider leg, while the boots and leg segments mimicked curved spider limbs. The overall design was unmistakable: wall-crawling agility, enhanced vision, aerial movement. A true hunter's skin.

"This is…" Peter began, hesitant. "A Spider-Man suit?"

"Man? I'm a woman, Peter. It was made for me."

I turned to Akira. "Please, can you adjust it to fit him?"

Akira smirked, placing the suit on a stand. "Of course I can." He touched it gently and the entire piece unraveled into glowing strands of purple shadowlight. But instead of falling limp, the threads danced in the air, shifting, reweaving themselves under Akira's guidance.

Akira said that the events during our fight with Eveline and his struggle to unravel the necklace's soulbind, helped him better understand his soulmark. Now, he could use it not just for unraveling, but also for reconstruction. Which, in my opinion, should've been his starting point. It would've made everything a lot less bloody.

As he worked, Akira pulled extra black and silver fabric from a nearby drawer and unspooled them with a flick of his wrist. The added material dissolved into more strands, merging into the hovering weave. After a few concentrated minutes, the upgraded, larger version of the suit materialized, ready for Peter.

"There's a bathroom that way," Akira said, pointing. Peter took the suit without a word and went to change.

"You should've let me alter your old suit," Akira said to me. "This one would've suited you better by now."

"Truth is… I've grown fond of the old one. Guess I wasn't ready to let go just yet."

He laughed. "Fair enough."

"When I'm done with this chase… I might need you after all."

"You know where to find me," he said simply.

Peter reappeared then, fully suited up. He'd left the hood down. The black fabric clung to him perfectly, accentuating his tall, powerful build. With those sharp blue eyes, a square jaw dusted in stubble and messy blond hair, he looked… imposing. Like someone you'd see standing on a rooftop just before dawn.

A real superhero.

I walked up to him and placed my hand over his chest.

Closing my eyes, I channeled my intent into the weave. I envisioned the armor as it was meant to be: a true spider-power armor. From within me, shadowlight pulsed through my palm and into the suit, locking its final form into place.

Peter blinked. "I feel… stronger," he said, flexing his arms as if testing a new body.

"Thank you, Akira," I said and then turned to Peter. I touched him and we teleported.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.