It was seven o'clock in the morning in Forest Hills, New York. Specifically, at 20 Ingram Street, the day was starting just like any other.
A gentle, familiar voice echoed through the halls of the house. "Peter! Come down for breakfast! You're going to be late for school!"
From upstairs, the sound of footsteps followed. A series of creaks came from the old, slightly worn wooden staircase as a young man with short brown hair made his way down. He was yawning, still shaking off the remains of sleep.
"Don't worry, Aunt May! The timing is perfect!" he called back.
In the kitchen, a kind-faced woman with white hair poked her head out. She was Aunt May. Even though she wore simple clothes, she always looked very clean and tidy. She continued to urge him on. "You always cut it so close, Peter. Rushing into class at the very last minute isn't a good habit to have."
The kitchen itself was a reflection of May's personality. Even though she had just finished cooking, everything was in its place. The utensils and seasonings were neatly arranged in rows. There wasn't a hint of mess or disarray anywhere. It was clear to anyone watching that Aunt May was a very careful, meticulous, and patient person.
"May is right, you really need to fix that little bad habit!" another voice added.
Uncle Ben, who also had a head of white hair, pulled out the chair next to him. He gestured for Peter to sit down. Although Uncle Ben was almost seventy years old, he still looked very healthy and full of energy. He was the type of man who still insisted on going to work every single day.
He wore black-rimmed glasses, and his hair and beard were neatly trimmed, giving him the look of a wise scholar.
As soon as Peter sat down, Aunt May placed a plate of steaming hot syrup pancakes in front of him. She reminded him again to eat quickly so he wouldn't miss his bus. While Peter began to eat the soft, delicious pancakes, Uncle Ben sat back, drinking his coffee and leisurely reading the morning newspaper.
Watching this warm, peaceful scene, the young man named Peter Parker felt a little dazed.
The truth was, the "Crossing" had happened a month ago. Peter was a transmigrator—a soul from another world who had ended up in the body of the Peter Parker destined to become Spider-Man.
However, at this moment, he wasn't Spider-Man yet. He hadn't been bitten by the radioactive spider. But that life-changing moment was right around the corner. Today, Midtown High School was organizing a field trip to a Technology Expo. If everything went according to the original story, Peter would be bitten today.
But Peter was more worried about something else. In the upper left corner of his vision, a line of tiny text hovered on his retina:
"Time remaining until system loading successful — 2:58:17!"
This was his "Golden Finger," the special power he had received when he first arrived in this world. For the past month, while the system was loading, Peter had used his time to adapt to this new world and his new identity.
Now, he just had to wait for the clock to hit zero. Based on his math, the countdown would finish around ten o'clock this morning.
That's exactly when the Technology Expo begins, Peter thought. I still have a choice. I'll make my final decision then. Whether I let that spider bite me or not depends on what this system actually does!
Once he finished his breakfast, Peter grabbed his backpack. He said his goodbyes to Aunt May and Uncle Ben and headed out the door.
As the door closed with a bang, Aunt May and Uncle Ben looked at each other and smiled.
"Have you noticed, Ben? Peter seems to have gotten a lot stronger lately," May said. "He's not as thin as he used to be."
Uncle Ben swallowed his last bite of pancake and nodded. "He's definitely been working out. I saw that he bought dumbbells and an arm exerciser to train with in his room."
Aunt May lowered her voice a little. "Even his consumption of tissues has increased a lot lately. I think he must be training very, very hard!"
Uncle Ben laughed, happy about his nephew's growth. "It seems Peter is finally growing up. New York hasn't been very safe lately. Getting stronger will help him protect himself."
As Peter walked out of his yard, someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder from behind. A bright, youthful girl's voice called out, "Peter, good morning!"
Peter turned around. Standing there was a girl with a warm, beautiful smile. Her golden, shoulder-length hair seemed to glow under the morning sun. Her skin was as white as cream, so perfect that Peter felt a bit breathless just looking at her.
Usually, people with very fair skin deal with freckles or rough patches, but the girl in front of him had none of those flaws. Her features were perfectly balanced. No matter how many times he saw her, Peter couldn't help but think: She's truly beautiful.
This was Gwen Stacy.
She lived next door, and they had grown up together. They were the definition of childhood sweethearts.
Looking at Gwen, Peter couldn't help but think about the different versions of the universe. In a world known as Earth-65, Gwen was the one who became Spider-Woman, and Peter Parker became a monster called the Lizard and died in her arms.
However, in the month Peter had been here, he had seen news reports of Iron Man and Daredevil. The Tony Stark in this world was a famous billionaire, much like the one in the movies.
Peter realized that this wasn't just one specific comic book world. It was a "Fusion Universe"—a world where many different hero stories were mixed together.
This was a good thing because it meant more opportunities, but it was also bad because the "plot" he knew might change at any moment. He couldn't rely 100% on his memories of the movies or comics.
But as the system countdown on his retina continued to tick down, Peter didn't feel any panic. He was ready for whatever came next.