Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

Chapter 115: Fractured Realities

Peter's fingers trembled as he closed his phone, the headline still flashing in his mind. Multiversal Rifts Spotted in New York City. The weight of those words pressed down on him, and for the first time in a long time, Spider-Man didn't know what to do next.

His usual tactics—swinging through the city, fighting crime, stopping villains—didn't seem to apply here. What could he do against something like this? A multiversal rift? A force so powerful, so beyond his understanding?

Peter exhaled sharply, his breath coming out in a visible cloud in the cold night air. The chill was a reminder that New York City still lived in its constant buzz of activity, even if Peter was too consumed with worry to notice. He swung across the rooftops, barely feeling the wind against his skin, his mind constantly churning. He had to get to the bottom of this, and fast. There was no time to waste.

Suddenly, his Spider-sense flared, and Peter instantly dropped into a crouch, his body coiling with the familiar tension of a pending threat. He scanned his surroundings, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as he tried to pinpoint the danger. Something was coming.

A loud, resonating hum filled the air, and Peter's heart raced. This wasn't just a typical criminal or random attack—it was something far more dangerous. He followed the sound, swinging towards the source, and found himself over a darkened alleyway, the night lit only by distant streetlights and the occasional flicker of a neon sign.

Then, the air in front of him shimmered.

Peter's eyes widened. In the blink of an eye, a figure materialized from the distortion, stepping out of thin air as if the very fabric of space had torn open to allow it through.

The figure was massive, its form a strange fusion of shadow and light. Dark tendrils twisted and writhed around its silhouette, and its eyes gleamed with an unnatural red glow. The figure's movements were fluid, as though it was made of liquid darkness, constantly shifting in and out of focus.

Peter didn't wait for the creature to make a move. His instincts screamed at him to strike first, to take down whatever this thing was before it could hurt anyone. But as he swung forward with a punch, the figure reached out and stopped him midair with ease.

"Not so fast, Spider-Man," the figure's voice echoed in his mind, cold and emotionless, like a whisper in a storm.

Peter gasped as his body locked in place, his muscles frozen in mid-motion, unable to move despite his frantic efforts. The figure's grip on him wasn't physical—it was something deeper, something more unsettling. A force that gripped at his very essence.

"Who are you?" Peter gritted through clenched teeth, trying to break free, but it was no use.

The figure stepped closer, its form pulsing with an eerie light. "I am a herald of what is to come. A being from the rift, a herald of the multiverse's collapse. You will understand soon enough, Spider-Man. But by then, it may be too late for you."

Peter's mind raced. A herald? Of the rift? He had only heard vague references to things like this, but nothing had prepared him for an encounter like this. The figure's voice continued, growing more chilling with each word.

"You and the others… you are mere pawns in a game much larger than you could ever imagine. You will play your part, but you will fail. The multiverse is beyond saving, and I… I am here to ensure that its collapse happens."

Peter's heart sank. The multiverse wasn't just an abstract concept. It was real. And now it was falling apart. He had always thought the threats he faced were isolated, manageable, but now this… This was different.

"I won't let you destroy everything," Peter snarled, focusing all his remaining willpower on breaking free.

The figure let out a low laugh. "You have no choice, Spider-Man. The threads have already been cut. Your universe, along with countless others, will fall. There is no stopping it."

Peter felt his mind cloud with confusion. He had no idea who this being was, but he knew one thing—he couldn't let it win. Not when so much was at stake.

His Spider-sense flared again, and this time, Peter didn't hesitate. Using every ounce of his strength, he broke free from the figure's mental hold, landing on the ground in a crouch. His breathing was heavy, his mind racing with options.

The figure didn't seem surprised by Peter's escape. Instead, it simply stood there, observing, as if it was waiting for something.

"You cannot defeat what you cannot see," the figure spoke again, the words carrying an ominous weight. "But you will try… and you will fail."

The air around the figure crackled with dark energy, and Peter felt the pressure building. He knew it was only a matter of time before the figure attacked, and he needed to act fast.

"Let's test that theory," Peter muttered under his breath, his mind working quickly to come up with a plan.

He lunged forward, launching himself at the figure with the speed and agility that only Spider-Man could muster. But this time, he didn't rely solely on his physical prowess. Instead, he used his intellect, his ability to think under pressure, and his deep understanding of his enemies.

Peter threw a series of quick, calculated punches, not just to attack the figure, but to disorient it, to force it into a pattern. The figure responded by blocking and countering each move with terrifying speed, but Peter could tell something was off. It wasn't entirely in control.

The figure's movements were beginning to slow, its form flickering slightly, as if the strain of holding its shape was starting to take its toll. Peter pressed on, pushing the creature to the brink, using everything he had learned over the years to exploit every opening.

In a sudden burst of force, the figure staggered back, its form warping and flickering even more. For a moment, Peter thought he had succeeded in weakening it. But then, with a growl of frustration, the figure vanished, disappearing into the air with a violent gust of wind.

Peter dropped to one knee, exhausted but relieved. He didn't know what that thing was or what it wanted, but for now, he had stopped it.

But he knew this was just the beginning. The threat to the multiverse was real, and it wasn't over. Peter had to be ready for whatever came next.

As he stood up, catching his breath, he glanced at the city below him. The lights flickered, as if the very pulse of New York had been disturbed. And in the back of his mind, a voice whispered—a voice from the future, telling him that nothing would ever be the same.

End of Chapter 115