After defeating the octopus monster, Cindy and Mayday returned and received praise from Lorien.
Especially Cindy. Her judgment had been quick, accurate, and decisive. After deducing the monster's weakness was its eyes, she immediately went for a weapon to strike that spot. With Stephen's weapon in hand, Cindy took the creature down in an instant.
Lorien nodded in satisfaction. But at the same time, he noticed a problem. The Spider-Women had almost no weapons—without them, they were nearly powerless offensively. Conventional weapons like swords, spears, or staffs were impractical. Spider-Man relied on webs to swing through skyscrapers, which meant weapons couldn't be held in hand or carried in a way that got in the way. Any weapon they used had to be as portable as Gwen's.
For a moment, Lorien considered several options: a flexible sword, a snake-bone blade, arm blades, and so on. But in the end, he dismissed them. Tony's Spider-Spear design for the young Spider-Man seemed far better.
So Lorien said,
"Once we're back, I'll integrate a weapon system into your nanotech suits. You can train with it yourselves."
Cindy and Mayday: !!!
Hearing this, their eyes went wide. Then they cheered together.
"Woo~! That's awesome!"
Truth be told, Spider-Man really did lack a practical weapon. Fighting barehanded put them at too much of a disadvantage. If Cindy had had a good weapon earlier, her first encounter with Rhino wouldn't have been so tough.
...
Afterward, Stephen and Wong walked toward Lorien. Seeing them, Gwen waved with Cindy and Mayday at her side.
"We're heading out. Got something to do tonight."
Lorien waved back. Wanda, however, looked surprised. She gave Gwen a questioning glance. Didn't you say you'd be home tonight?
Gwen shrugged, her eyes saying: Depends on how it goes. Maybe I'll be back early.
Wanda glared at her. Then Gwen fired a webline and left with Cindy and Mayday.
...
Lorien, Wanda, Stephen, Wong, and the little girl Stephen had just rescued returned to the café. By then, evening had already fallen.
After introducing himself, Stephen looked at the girl.
"You should introduce yourself too, girl."
The girl looked around at everyone. After glancing at Stephen, her gaze rested on Lorien and Wanda. Only then did she speak.
"My name is America Chavez. I'm from... another world."
Stephen and Wong exchanged knowing looks. America caught their expressions and blinked in surprise.
"You know me?"
Stephen looked at her.
"I've met you many times in my dreams. We never succeeded, did we?"
America finally nodded.
"Yes. But do you know why?"
"I think I do."
Stephen glanced at Lorien. Seeing Lorien had nothing to add, he confirmed his thought.
"You know?"
Now America was the one confused.
"You've already seen the Multiverse?"
"I haven't seen it," Stephen said, sipping his coffee. "But I understand it."
"I guess what you mean is... there are countless nearly identical universes, with lots of people who are the same—same names, same abilities..."
America nodded.
"Right. But how do you know? You were invaded before... Wait, I get it!"
At first, she was still puzzled. Then she suddenly recalled the Spider-Women who had just killed that octopus monster. It all clicked.
"In other universes, I've only ever seen one Spider-Man! But here, there are two! So you've already encountered the Multiverse?"
Strictly speaking, there were three Spider-Women. But that wasn't important.
What mattered was Stephen, who cut straight to the point.
"What I want to know is, why are we constantly being hunted? Who is the enemy? Why have we never succeeded?"
"I don't know who the enemy is either."
America shook her head.
"I've seen many versions of you. Most of the time you're good, but sometimes you're bad. At your worst, you even tried to kill me to steal my powers."
"Cough, cough."
Hearing about that villainous version of himself, Stephen immediately cleared his throat to cover the awkwardness.
When he looked at Lorien, Lorien was sipping his coffee, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Alright."
Stephen decided to throw caution to the wind. He looked straight at America and asked,
"If none of us know who the enemy is, then what were all those missions in my dreams about? What were we chasing? And what exactly are you after?"
In his dreams, it was always the girl dragging him along as they ran. He had almost never taken the initiative. That was what confused him. What were the two of them really trying to do?
Hearing the question, America lowered her head, then glanced at Lorien, Wanda, and Wong.
Seeing this, Stephen quickly added,
"You can trust everyone here. Lorien and Mrs. Wanda are far stronger than us."
Wanda turned to America as well.
"Say what's troubling you. That's the only way to solve it."
America was silent for a moment. Then she nodded.
"Alright."
But first, she picked up a small cookie and took a bite before beginning.
"Even though we don't know who the enemy is, one thing is certain: there's a magical book that can help us defeat them."
"If we can use that tome to destroy the enemy, not only will my problem be solved, but everyone else's troubles will be too."
Stephen frowned.
"What magical book?"
America hesitated briefly, then looked at him.
"The Book of the Vishanti."
Hmm...
Lorien recalled. That was what the whole chase between them had been about. They wanted the Book of the Vishanti. But in the end, Stephen hadn't managed to get it. He'd been forced to turn to the Darkhold instead. Still, the Book of the Vishanti was always the best option.
Ah, this...
As Lorien drank his coffee, Wanda reached over and gently squeezed his hand, her touch affectionate but carrying meaning.
Do we need to show it?
Lorien didn't respond, silently conveying that there was no need.
If it were just Stephen, the Book of the Vishanti could be revealed to him and Wong—there'd be no problem. But the issue was America. If she were to see the Book, and the Multiverse Portal within her lost control, chaos would break loose. The universe Lorien lived in might never know peace again. All sorts of monsters and horrors could pour in.
At the mention of the Book of the Vishanti, both Stephen and Wong fell silent.
Stephen looked at America.
"That's a divine tome. Whoever possesses it will gain immense power."
"Yes," America nodded. "That's why I need it—to fight the enemy, and to help myself."
"It's nearly impossible to obtain."
"But in my reality, I've been close many times. It's just... you always ended up dead. And I need it to help me too."
"Help you?"
"Um..." America looked a little embarrassed. "Because I still can't control my dimensional powers. Most of the time, they only activate when I'm too emotional."
She lowered her head.
"It's usually when I get excited that I cross over."
"Sigh..."
Stephen could only let out a long sigh. The situation was bad. The more unstable things were, the greater the danger—and America was as unstable as it got.
Now this was a real headache.
Stephen pinched the bridge of his nose, then turned to Lorien.
"What should I do?"
"What can you do? What choice do you have?" Lorien took a sip of coffee and laughed. "Congratulations, you've got yourself a little sister now. Take good care of her. You don't get a say in this."
Stephen's face froze instantly.
He really… didn't have a choice.
If he wanted to resolve this, he had to protect the girl. And to protect her, he had to keep her by his side.
"Alright, I understand."
Stephen let out a weary sigh.
Lorien checked his watch—it was already 8 PM.
"I should be heading back. Stephen, the rest is up to you. Do your best. If you run into something you can't handle, come find me."
Stephen nodded seriously. He knew that in the end, he had to rely on himself. The only reason he had come to Lorien today was because he and Wong had puzzled over this issue for so long, searching the library from top to bottom without finding an answer. That was why he sought Lorien's help.
"...Let's go. We should head back too."
Stephen took the initiative to settle the bill. Then, as Wanda linked her arm through Lorien's and they prepared to leave, both Stephen and Wong silently paid their respects in their hearts. Stephen's cloak even flicked out a corner to perform a gentleman's bow.
The next moment, Lorien's thoughts stirred, and he and Wanda vanished instantly. Only then did Stephen and Wong snap back to themselves.
America, watching all this, couldn't hold back her curiosity.
"Who is he? Why are you two so respectful? I've never seen you act like that in other worlds."
"?"
The question left Stephen briefly confused.
"In other universes, there's never been…" He stopped. "Oh, right."
He suddenly remembered—Lorien had mentioned before that he, Wanda, and Gwen were unique.
But America still didn't get it.
"Not just him. I've never seen the woman beside him either. So why do you treat him with such respect?"
Wong straightened his clothes, then patted America's shoulder.
"You don't need to know too much."
"Just remember this: if that man ever says there's something he can't handle, that's when the end of this world begins."
America's eyes went wide. She turned to Stephen.
"You didn't object!?"
Stephen, who had just gotten to his feet, looked puzzled.
"Why would I object?"
"Because in other worlds, you're always so arrogant, with such a strong sense of pride."
America gestured toward Wong.
"If the Stephen from another universe heard him say that, he'd definitely make a snide remark."
"Something like, 'Is it as dangerous as Dormammu?' Or, 'Oh, that's really impressive.'"
Stephen's mouth twitched at that.
Wong glanced over at him and chuckled.
"I never thought you'd be that kind of person in other worlds."
Stephen immediately crossed his arms.
"I'm not! I didn't! Don't make things up."
This world's Stephen had already been shaped—well, adjusted—by Lorien. He hadn't gone through the crushing disappointments or terrible mistakes of the others. Instead, he had gained a clearer understanding of his responsibilities and purpose much earlier.
Take Christine, for example.
In the original path, Stephen had regretted that relationship deeply, blaming himself for never holding onto it. But the Stephen of now…
Christine? Whoa, hold on. I'm not even at the point of talking about marriage yet.
To put it simply, the original Stephen had been scarred, turning serious and withdrawn. The Stephen here had his share of wear and tear, but he'd gained clarity. Marriage wasn't something that had to happen right away. Responsibility mattered more.
...
The three of them left the café and stepped outside.
Stephen looked at the sun sinking on the horizon, then suddenly remembered something.
"So your ability triggers when you get emotional?"
"Yes." America nodded.
"Then in my last dream, I died and teleported away with you. So he…"
America nodded again.
"He really did die."
Stephen and Wong exchanged glances at that. Stephen then asked, an odd pressure settling in his chest.
"Where did he die?"
America looked at him.
"Hope you don't break down when you see it."
"I won't." Stephen shook his head firmly.
"Then I'll take you. It's on a rooftop."
"?"
Stephen froze.
"It hasn't… rotted, has it?"
"Oh yeah, maggots and all."
"!"
"Don't joke like that! That's disgusting!"