AlienWarlord
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C603 Spider-Man
🕑 Added 2024-01-21 13:43:11 +0000 UTCIn the realm of dreams, Peter found himself standing once again in the presence of the mysterious Grim Reaper. Annoyance etched across his face, Peter sighed, realizing that peaceful slumber was not on the agenda tonight.
"Yo, I told you we'd meet again," the Reaper greeted, a hint of amusement in its skeletal voice. “Though, I’m sure you didn’t think it would be this soon, did you?”
Peter, unable to resist his sassy nature, retorted, "Can't a guy catch a break and dream about something nice for once?" His irritation was palpable. “You could have just visited during the day, you know?”
The Reaper, sensing Peter's annoyance, chuckled in response. "You really are something else. Most beings fear me on instinct alone, but here you are, annoyed like I'm an unwelcome guest at your pity party."
"Yeah, well, you're not exactly bringing the party vibes," Peter grumbled, crossing his arms. The Reaper's laughter echoed, filling the void around them.
However, beneath Peter's nonchalant exterior, a sense of unease lingered. He remembered the Reaper's overwhelming power from their earlier encounter in the living world, and he couldn't shake the feeling that this being was not to be taken lightly.
Glancing at the necklace around his neck, Peter reached for it instinctively. The familiar feeling of his rings embedded with each Infinity stone reassured him. It was a source of power that even the Reaper might find formidable.
The Reaper, observing Peter's actions, scoffed as it extended its bony hand. In an instant, six rings emerged from the necklace, each housing an Infinity stone. Peter's eyes widened as he attempted to grab them, but an unseen force rooted him in place as the runs floated toward the skeletal figure, hovering above its hand.
The Reaper eyed the rings with an almost casual interest, commenting, "Nice rocks you got here. Could use a bit more color and clarity, though. The Soul Stone, in particular, seems a tad cloudy."
Peter, frozen under the Reaper's gaze, could only watch as the powerful being assessed the Infinity stones as if they were mere trinkets. The critique hit him like a revelation, the Reaper didn’t see the stones as a threat.
Soon enough, the Reaper's amusement faded as it grew bored with the Infinity rings. “Here, you can have these paper weights back…” With a dismissive wave of its skeletal hand, the rings floated back to Peter, seamlessly returning to their storage in the necklace. The pressure that had frozen Peter in place dissipated, allowing him to move and breathe freely once again.
Staring at the Reaper before him, Peter contemplated the power dynamics at play. The Infinity stones, once symbols of unparalleled might, seemed inconsequential in the face of this enigmatic being. His mind buzzed with the urge to test their strength against the Reaper's, but a dismissive wave of the Reaper's hand urged him to move on.
"Hurry up. I don't have all day," the Reaper remarked, its voice carrying an air of impatience. Surprisingly, it didn't seem offended by Peter's thoughts.
Deciding to bite the bullet and just do it, Peter pulled out the rings once more, slipping them onto his fingers. Eager to see if the Reaper truly surpassed the stones in power, Peter snapped his fingers but… Silence echoed through the dreamscape as nothing happened.
Caught off guard, Peter's dumbfounded expression prompted a chuckle from the Reaper. The skeletal figure found amusement in Peter's futile attempts to use the stones against him.
Peter, realizing the futility of his actions, sighed and stowed the rings away. The Reaper's immunity to the Infinity stones left an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach, a reminder that this encounter held far more complexity than he initially perceived.
Although fear lingered in Peter's mind, he also sensed that the Reaper harbored no malicious intent towards him. The fact that the Reaper was not here to kill him brought a strange comfort, albeit mixed with an unsettling uncertainty.
As the Reaper's laughter subsided, Peter decided to cut to the chase. "Alright, what do you want?" he asked, his tone a mix of curiosity and wariness.
The Reaper's hollow eyes regarded him with an intensity that seemed to pierce through the very fabric of his being. In response, its form shifted, shadows dancing around its skeletal frame as it spoke. “I've come to offer you a chance to become my successor…”
"What do you mean by successor?" Peter asked, curiosity shining in his eyes. "And who are you exactly? Are you like, the Death of my universe? Because If I recall correctly, my death is supposed to be a sexy woman…”
Realizing he hadn't properly introduced himself, the Reaper decided to clarify. "I am Death, but not bound to a single universe. I preside over the entirety of the multiverse. Just call me John… Death isn't much of a name, you know."
The absurdity of being addressed by a cosmic being as ‘John,’ the most overused name in existence, was both amusing and curious. "Sure thing, John," he replied, still wrapping his head around the idea that the being in front of him could be just as strong or even more powerful than the One Above All. “So… what’s this about being your successor? Are you dying or something?”
John shook his head, an amused aura surrounding him. "No, after all, how could death die? I've simply grown bored, so I started searching for a successor to take my place, and you, Peter, are a candidate."
“A candidate?” Peter asked, his brow raised. “So, there are other people who you’re considering?”
John nodded, “Yes, I’ve placed trials across the Multiverse, similar to the Deathly Hallows. When someone completes my trials, they get a visit from me and the opportunity to become a candidate.” He explained, his skeletal form leaning forward, obviously proud with his whole plan to find his successor. “Exciting, isn’t it?”
“Meh, sounds alright, I guess…” Peter didn’t seem that interested, or impressed.
“Aww, don’t ruin the fun like that…” John whined at his grand plan being looked down upon. “Maybe you’ll find it more interesting when you see the missions?”
Peter, with a raised eyebrow, asked, "Missions? What kind of missions are we talking about here?"
John nodded, acknowledging Peter's question before asking, "Would you like to see them?"
With curiosity getting the better of him, Peter agreed. In an instant, John snapped his bony fingers, conjuring a holographic-like screen before Peter, listing three main missions.
[Mission One: Destroy the Council of Kang’s
• The Council of Kang’s unwillingness to regulate themselves is leading the multiverse towards an inevitable death. Eradicate them to restore order]
[Sub-mission: Kang Genocide
• Kill all Kang’s to eliminate future threats]
Seeing the first mission, Peter didn’t really have a problem with it. He was already planning to take down the council anyway, so having a mission for it wouldn’t really change anything.
The only portion that worried him was the Kang Genocide Sub-mission. After all, not all versions of Kang are going to be evil pieces of trash who deserve to die.
[Mission Two: Destroy the Spider-Society
• The Spider-Society has taken up the challenge of preserving what they call 'canon events,' believing this saves both entire universes and their inhabitants. In reality, these actions are damaging the fabric of the multiverse. Eradicate them to restore order]
[Sub-mission: Spider-Genocide
• Kill all Spider-Society members]
‘What the f*ck…’ Peter stared at the writing before him in shock. ‘I knew I’d have to deal with Across the Spider-Verse soon enough, but… why do I have to kill them all?’
Although Peter was a bit shocked by yet another genocidal order, he was not surprised by the fact that ‘canon events’ weren’t actually a real thing. After all, he’s traveled the multiverse and changed all sorts of events, which should have been ‘canon,’ yet there was never any blowback from his action.
‘If canon events aren’t real, then why is the Spider-Society still a thing?’ Peter wondered as he moved on to the last mission.
[Mission Three: Destroy the competition
• Kill, defeat, or win over other successors to be the last one standing]
[Sub-mission: Competitive Genocide
• Kill them all]
Peter stared at the holographic screen, absorbing the weight of the tasks before him. The gravity of the missions struck him, especially the genocidal submissions.
"Why genocide for all of them? That's a bit extreme, isn't it?" Peter questioned, reluctantly eying the submissions. Although he didn’t mind killing, not all Kang’s are going to be evil. Not to mention the fact that he would never want to kill the entire Spider-Society. And he didn’t even know who the other successors were, so he can’t just kill them either.
John shrugged uncaringly. “Those are just sub-missions. You don’t have to do them if you don’t want to, but I can say for sure that many of my successors are planning to complete them. After all, each mission gives a different reward… even the submissions…” He revealed, sounding like a devil with a sweet deal to offer.
Alarmed, as he was just told that an unknown number of people were planning to slaughter his fellow Spider-People, Peter began to realize that John wasn’t exactly a good person. Though he didn’t see bad either. It was more like he just didn’t care.
His mind racing, Peter came to the reluctant decision that he may have to actually accept to become John’s successor. ‘I just got home… why can’t I just be lazy for a few weeks?’
But sadly, Peter can’t just let the other candidates kill countless Spider-People. “And what happens if I don’t become your successor and decide to stop these candidates from killing everyone?” He asked, already guessing what the answer will be.
"Then you die, right here, right now…" Death spoke, a chill to his voice that Peter hasn't heard up until now.
But suddenly, just as Peter was getting worried, John smirked, a teasing laugh escaping his lips. "Hahaha! Just kidding. I won't kill you. You can do whatever you want, but that doesn't mean your friends will be safe. After all, as I said earlier, my successors are planning to complete all of the sub-missions…" He paused for a moment before asking. "Are you willing to let them all die like that?"
Peter let out a tired sigh, "No, no I'm not…" He muttered, looking up at John, a greedy smirk appearing on his face. "So, what were those rewards you were talking about?"
If Peter was going to involve himself in all of this, then he might as well get some rewards out of it. Besides, he was already planning on destroying the Council of Kang's.
As for the Spider-Society, if their actions are truly damaging the multiverse, then they need to be disbanded or at the very least course corrected.
And lastly, the other successors of Death. If they were willing to kill off innocent Spider-People, then they didn't deserve his mercy…
Seeing this, Death couldn't help but laugh. "HehehahaHAHA!" His newest successor was interesting!
A/N: 1871 words :)
Comments
Nazarickk
Thanks for the chapter
