Interlude #1: The Itsy Bitsy Spider

The winds are howling, and the full moon casts magical light over the valley below. The sound of the wind echoes through the area, from the sky above to the ground below, causing the blades of grass to dance in the breeze. It's a beautiful reminder of the power and wonder of nature.

As a tiny spider leaves the grassy forest, it faces the towering appearance of a mighty oak tree. The moon's ethereal light reflects perfectly off the spider's gleaming ebony-black cephalothorax, highlighting intricate red, yellow, and white patterns on its abdomen as if an expert artist crafted them. However, the spider seems oblivious to its beauty, as its gaze is fixed on the majestic tree, which looms above like a colossal mountain.

As the spider stared up at the towering tree, a whirlwind of emotions twisted its tiny body. Fear, like a vice, gripped its heart while determination, a flickering flame, burned in its eyes. It grappled with the unknown, consumed by worry. Could it summon the courage and strength to face the challenge ahead? Many of its kin had tried to scale the tree before, but only a few had succeeded. The spider was haunted by the memories of its siblings' struggles and failures. Should it stay safe in the comfort of its grassy home or venture out to conquer the unknown? The temptation of reaching the summit was irresistible, but the fear of potential danger held it back. The spider wanted to escape the constant threat of death, but it was too late. Its body was already moving, and it had no choice but to face the climb.

The vast expanse of the night sky had already witnessed it all, and there was no longer escaping the truth. It had to do this climb not just for its fallen brothers and sisters or those struggling alone within the leaves but, most importantly, for itself. This climb was the ultimate test to prove that it truly belongs, and it was more than ready to rise to the challenge.

With newfound determination, the spider scurried towards the oak tree as fast as possible. As it moved closer to the tree, its senses heightened. However, it was not a warning of danger as it usually would be, but rather a feeling of encouragement, urging the spider to keep going. Its legs lightly tapped on the soil until, finally, one of its limbs touched the base of the oak tree.

The black spider began its climb, eager to reach the top. Memories of watching its siblings climb flooded its mind, making it feel like they were all scaling the tree together. Some climbed side by side, others leaped from branch to branch, and a few used their webbing to travel. However, as the spider climbed, a thick fog rolled in rapidly, signaling danger. The spider's senses were on high alert, and it knew without looking back that the threat was approaching. It was the same danger that had taken away many of its siblings, never to be seen again. But this spider was determined to survive. It refused to die like the others.

As the fog rose, it absorbed many of its siblings' images into its misty veil. As the seconds passed, the fog absorbed more of its siblings' echoes through its echoes and powers. Four-finger tendrils attacked some, while others were assaulted by the echo of a vulture, a loin, or a scorpion; the mist even made copies of its siblings to attack them. The spider was no exception, as it endorsed its obstacles and attacks set upon by the fog. The tendrils tried to crash the spider, along with bolts of lightning and a rhinoceros. The spider's progress quickened with each step, a testament to its unwavering will and endurance. The fog thickened, the challenges intensified, but the spider was undeterred. Adrenaline surged through its tiny black body, fueling its every move. It deftly dodged lightning strikes, withstood waves of sand and water, and braved the might of a rhino's echo. The spider was a living testament to resilience, a sight to inspire.

With each passing moment, the mist hurled more challenges at the spider, each more intense than the last. The echoes of its siblings grew louder, and it felt as if the spider was now completely alone, just as it had started. Yet, it persisted. The spider overcame obstacle after obstacle, fueled by adrenaline and the need to prove its survival. Fire blazed within its eight black eyes as the mist tried to snuff it out. Unbeknownst to the arachnid, its black exoskeleton was beginning to crack under the strain of the climb.

"Go... little... spider," whispered a gentle yet familiar voice, cutting through the noise with unexpected clarity and encouraging it. The spider couldn't see the speaker, nor could it pinpoint the source of the voice. Yet, its senses reassured it that there was no danger, unlike the fog, so the spider continued to push onward as intended. The voice continued to call to the spider, much like a mother to her child.

As the tiny spider kept climbing the gigantic oak tree, it could see its home in its canopy. The black spider knew it was getting closer, and it could make out several webs connected to the different openings in the oak. The spider could tell that its siblings were still alive in the canopy. Each spider had its web, but they were all connected. To other animals, it would seem like just a group of spiders living in the same area, but to the black spider, it was something else. It was family, it was home, it was life, and it was calling out to the spider, drawing it closer and closer and giving it the strength to keep climbing.

The spider felt a warmth in its heart at the sound of the voice and the thought of home. It had been so long since it had heard its family's call, and it had almost given up hope of ever seeing them again. But now, as it climbed closer and closer to the canopy, it could feel their presence more and more intensely.

However, as the tiny arachnid focused on its home, it failed to notice the changes in the fog. Six giant individuals' echoes float among the clouds, some with various characteristics, such as a similarly golden hand and another with wings similar to a wisp. They all gaze down at the spider, watching it pass through trail after trail with a mix of crimson red, pricing white, and cold blue. One of them seems to have seen enough as they casually hold out their hand and form a jack-o-lantern made of hellfire before tossing it down towards the oak tree.

"Spider... Jump!" called the voice. The spider noticed a bright light above, initially thinking it might be the sun. However, it soon realized it was a fire flying towards it. Its instincts screamed at it, urging the spider to move out of the way. Despite this, the spider knew it was too late.

BOOOOOOOMMMMM

The jack-o-lantern crashed violently into the oak tree, resembling a meteor, right in front of the spider, causing a massive explosion and knocking it off. The spider's body was utterly shocked, and time seemed to slow down as gravity took hold and brought it down to the ground below. The spider could only watch as its home and family drifted further away. Instead of feeling pain or fear, the spider was sad, knowing it had failed and would never live up to its promises. As the fog surrounded it, the arachnid examined its already cracked body. It began to shed its skin, revealing a shining golden light before darkness overtook the valley and the spider.

"Alex...sw-"

---

"Ugh, that had to be the weirdest dream yet," Alex said, rubbing his groggy eyes. Accustomed to having more nightmares than normal dreams after waking up from his coma, tonight's dream was particularly odd. "Did any other spider-person or Pete have to deal with this in the first week? It must have been something I ate. Maybe I need to cut back on the bacon, egg, and cheese burritos before bed now that I'm eating 11. Stupid spider hunger."

The young man slowly sat up, stretching out the knots in his back as he knew it might be another long day. It didn't help Alex's case to sleep on a hard bed like his. "Wait, my bed wasn't this hard." Soon enough, the future Spider-Man quickly noticed that he had replaced his bed with the ceiling instead. 

"Why the fuck am I up thereeeee-Agh?!" As if the universe wanted to wake him up with a prank, it was at that moment that Alex's wall-crawling abilities canceled itself, making him kiss the ground, literally.

Universe- 3

Alex- 1

---

A/N: And there you have it, a little warm-up before returning to the grove of things. Sorry again, everyone, for the long wait, but life takes first place on my to-do list. With that said, I'm back now and wanted to write this to get back into it again. I'll try my best to get the next chapter up as quickly as possible; until then, let me know if you like this type of chapter and if you would like more in the future. The more you all comment and review, the more it motivates me.

Till then

~ Mr.Stan