The city felt different that night.
Whispers had turned into certainty.
There was someone new in New York.
Someone stronger than expected.
Someone who wasn't registered.
Spider-Woman stood at the edge of the street that shouldn't exist.
Her spider-sense tingled—not in warning, but in recognition.
"I know you're here," she said softly.
Inside the hidden manor, Hunter stood in the greenhouse sanctuary.
Eli and the other children were asleep among glowing plants and softly breathing animals.
He felt her presence through the barrier.
Not hostile.
Not invasive.
Just determined.
He exhaled slowly.
Then allowed the illusion to part.
The street shimmered.
The manor revealed itself.
Spider-Woman blinked.
"…No way."
Tall gates. Marble steps. Lush gardens illuminated by warm golden light.
She approached slowly.
The barrier tested her.
Then allowed her through.
The moment she stepped inside, her spider-sense calmed entirely.
Like entering a sanctuary.
Hunter waited near the entrance.
No hoodie.
No mask.
Just him.
She removed her own mask slowly.
Red hair fell across her shoulders.
Green eyes studied him openly.
"You live here," she said quietly.
"Yes."
"And you've been hiding mutants."
"Yes."
Her gaze shifted as Eli ran past them laughing softly, followed by the crystalline-skinned girl and the twin boys.
Animals moved gently around them.
Peace.
Real peace.
She looked back at Hunter.
"You're protecting them."
"Yes."
"Do you know what would happen if certain agencies found this place?"
"Yes."
"You're risking a lot."
"They're children."
She went silent for a moment.
Then walked further inside, looking up at the ceiling window revealing the night sky.
"It feels… safe here."
"It is."
Her eyes softened slightly.
"You don't want fame."
"No."
"You don't want control."
"No."
"You don't even want recognition."
"No."
She stepped closer.
"Then what do you want, Hunter?"
He looked at the children playing quietly near glowing vines.
"…A quiet life."
She laughed softly.
"You picked the wrong universe."
"I didn't pick."
She tilted her head.
"Fair."
For a moment, neither spoke.
The air felt different inside the manor.
Calmer.
Warmer.
"You know I can't ignore you," she said eventually.
"I know."
"If something bigger comes—"
"It will."
"And you'll fight."
"If I must."
She stepped close enough that only inches separated them.
Her voice softened.
"You're going to complicate everything."
"I apologize."
"Don't."
Silence lingered between them.
Not awkward.
Not tense.
Just heavy with something unspoken.
Outside the manor's hidden boundaries—
High above Earth—
A cosmic awareness shifted.
Something ancient had noticed the closing of a dimensional rift.
Noticed the golden flare of angelic energy.
Noticed him.
Curiosity from beings far beyond Magnetra or alien warlords began drifting toward the planet.
Hunter felt it faintly.
Like distant thunder.
Peace was becoming thinner.
More fragile.
Spider-Woman looked at him again.
"You're not alone anymore."
He didn't answer.
But for the first time since reincarnating—
He didn't entirely mind that.