New York, the pinnacle of the Empire State Building.
Pay attention, this red-and-blue Spider-Man is called Charlie.
Under the cover of night, Charlie silently climbs the antenna tower at the top of the building.
Overlooking the neon-lit city, his fingertips twitch slightly, and the gears of fate begin to turn slowly.
Before the power of fate can spread, the Dark Queen behind him crosses her arms and smirks.
"Why are you back again?" Future Jade asks.
Charlie turns his head, somewhat surprised.
"You still remember?"
"Of course, I've got this."
Future Jade displays the Chronicles of Time in her hand, making Charlie inwardly curse his carelessness.
"Heh heh."
Seeing Charlie's expression, Future Jade giggles playfully. "You successfully altered everyone's fate, but the Chronicles of Time is more complicated than you think."
Charlie rolls his eyes. "I could still take care of it now."
"Would it matter?" Future Jade pouts. "You made them forget they're comic book characters because they could hardly accept the truth.
But I'm different. I've long accepted it."
Charlie shakes his head. "Fine, I'll let you off."
"Thanks, Uncle Charlie."
"Don't call me uncle. I'm not old at all."
"Got it, Uncle Charlie."
Future Jade sits beside Charlie, and the two gaze out over the city.
"So, did you go home?" Future Jade suddenly asks.
Charlie thinks for a moment. "I did."
"Then why'd you come back?" Future Jade asks, already knowing the answer.
Charlie smiles. "Home's nice, but it's better where my friends are."
He glances at Future Jade. "Besides, I never said I couldn't go back."
At this, Future Jade claps her hands excitedly and laughs. "I knew you had something fun up your sleeve. Take me to see it!" She grabs Charlie's hand, her eyes brimming with curiosity for the unknown.
Charlie shakes her off. "You're too old to act cute, and there's nothing that fun at my place."
Future Jade refuses to give up.
She stares at him pleadingly. "Saving the world at your place must be super fun, right?"
Charlie is speechless.
Saving the world?
What kind of joke is that? "Ever heard of the stories of cultivators?" he suddenly asks.
Future Jade ponders. "I heard Pops mention them. It's a mysterious power from the East. The Eight Immortals who sealed the eight demons came from the Eastern pantheon."
Charlie laughs. "Exactly. If you, the Dark Queen, came back with me, you'd be taken down as a demon and turned into a pill."
"A pill?"
Future Jade shudders. "They wouldn't be that unreasonable, would they? I'm such a cute girl—could they really do that?"
"There are demons cuter than you, but as long as you don't fall in love, you're probably fine."
"Wow, that's terrifying!!"
Future Jade makes a fuss for a bit, then stares at Charlie again with puppy eyes.
"But I still want to see it."
Charlie glares at her, exasperated. "Taking you there is probably a no-go, but I can take you somewhere else that's pretty interesting."
As he speaks, the gears of fate tremble slightly, and Charlie's expression shifts.
"They're here."
"Who's here?" Future Jade asks, confused.
Charlie smiles. "They're here."
With a grin, he activates the gears of fate to open a dimensional portal.
"Come with me. I'll show you some interesting folks."
"Sweet!!"
As they step into the dimensional portal, the sight before Future Jade leaves her in awe.
It's a fairy-tale garden.
"Hey, Spider-Man Prince, is this your knight?"
A princess in a snow-white gown waves with a smile.
Future Jade looks over and sees a woman with skin as fair as a delicate porcelain doll, more beautiful and kind than any woman she's ever seen. Wait, kind? Can you even see kindness?
Future Jade snaps out of it.
She leans close to Charlie and whispers, "This one's weird. It's like she has some kind of magic that makes everyone think she's kind and harmless, even…"
"Even makes you like her, love her, right?" Charlie chuckles.
Future Jade nods quickly. "Yeah, super weird."
As they speak, the snow-white princess approaches, lifting her skirt slightly to curtsy.
"Everyone calls me Snow White."
"Snow White?" Future Jade blinks, utterly confused.
Charlie steps forward, exchanging a cheek-to-cheek greeting with her, then introduces, "This is Jade, my friend."
"Oh, a friend of the Spider-Man Prince must also be a righteous knight."
Snow White gasps, covering her mouth. "A woman becoming a knight? That's incredible."
Future Jade: "…"
She didn't say she was a knight!!
"This princess seems kinda clueless," she mutters.
"Don't be rude."
Charlie pats the back of Jade's head, then says, "She's the first friend I made here. Yup, friend."
He says it with a straight face, but Snow White's cheeks flush slightly, her eyes darting away.
Future Jade instantly knows something's up.
"No way, you're even hitting on princesses?" She glares at Charlie with utter disdain.
Charlie glances at her sideways. "Here, I'm the super righteous Spider-Man Prince, very popular with princesses."
"You? A prince?" Future Jade's disdain intensifies.
Charlie shrugs. "Of course."
With that, he leaps into the air, radiating brilliance.
The young women around them scream in excitement.
"Ah!! It's the Spider-Man Prince!!"
"I can't handle it! He's too handsome, too perfect—I'm gonna faint!"
Some girls actually faint from his charm, and Future Jade can't take it anymore.
Argh!!! This is unbearable!!
She clutches her head and roars, "Have these women lost their minds? What's so handsome about him?"
"He's just so exceptional, so dashing!" Snow White gazes at Charlie with starry eyes.
"The first time he showed up, he defeated the evil witch, conquered the dragon of the Demon Mountains, saved countless kingdoms, and rescued hundreds of princesses."
"What? Hundreds?" Future Jade's forehead is covered in black lines.
Are princesses mass-produced here or what?!
She rants internally.
Then gives up ranting.
"Fine! He's exceptional, he's dashing," she starts hypnotizing herself.
Charlie, done showing off, returns to Jade's side.
"See? Told you I'm popular here." He raises an eyebrow and smirks.
Future Jade covers her face. "Great, dashing Spider-Man Prince, did you bring me here just to watch you flex your charm?"
"Of course not."
Charlie begins adjusting the gears of fate. "I got the coordinates wrong earlier. Let me try again."
After mastering the power of fate, Charlie can not only alter the destinies of Marvel characters but also open portals to other dimensions.
With so many overpowered weirdos back home itching to defy fate, he had no choice but to dive into the multiverse.
Otherwise, he'd be tamed as a spider-monster and reduced to a mount.
So, he's been hopping around dimensions, finally breaking into the core of the multiverse.
Buzz~
As the dimensional portal opens, Charlie prepares to lead Jade through.
"Wait, Spider-Man Prince, I want to come too," Snow White calls out softly.
Charlie waves. "Sure, let's go."
The three step into the portal together.
In an instant, they arrive on a vast grassland.
"Uh, seems I got it wrong again."
Charlie starts to tweak the gears of fate again when a majestic lion charges down from a hill.
Roar!!
"Watch out!"
Future Jade is about to act, but Charlie stops her.
"Don't. That's Simba. He's one of us."
Future Jade: "…"
Watching the lion roll around and nuzzle Charlie, she facepalms. "This is your friend too?"
"Of course."
Charlie rubs Simba's head and laughs. "His dad died, so I raised him for a while."
Future Jade shakes her head. "Next time, you better not get lost."
"Probably won't."
Charlie opens another dimensional portal.
This time, Simba the Lion King joins the trio.
Buzz~
In a flash, they arrive in a vast starry expanse.
On a cosmic battleship, warriors wielding lightsabers are locked in fierce combat.
Buzz~
A lightsaber sweeps through the air, and Snow White gasps.
"No~"
The next moment, she's in a warm embrace.
With dazzling lightsabers and the battleship's laser weapons as a backdrop, Snow White's world fills with pink bubbles.
"Enough, you two!!"
Future Jade forcefully interrupts the melodramatic scene, yelling at Charlie. "Keep this up, and I'm telling Gwen!"
Charlie lets go of Snow White, pouting. "Blame me? That special effect is all her."
Snow White lowers her head, apologizing. "I'm so sorry, Spider-Man Prince."
"Enough! He's not even a prince!"
Fed up, Jade glares at Charlie. "Don't get lost next time!"
Charlie waves it off. "Got it. Must be the Force from these guys messing with me."
He opens another dimensional portal.
Buzz~
Under the night sky, a massive cruise ship cuts through the waves.
At the bow, a handsome man and a beautiful woman embrace, shouting passionately.
"Jack~"
"Rose~~"
Behind them, Charlie and his group fall silent.
"Wrong again. One more try."
Buzz~
An alien forest. A group of blue-skinned beings with tails, wielding primitive weapons, surround the suddenly appeared Charlie and company.
Future Jade facepalms. "Where are we now?"
Charlie thinks. "This should be Pandora."
As the Na'vi prepare to attack, Charlie hurriedly opens another portal.
Buzz~
Next, Charlie is completely lost.
They ride Tyrannosaurs in Jurassic Park, win the title of Drift King on Mount Akina.
They leave their names on Minions' foreheads and witness the siege in The Lord of the Rings.
They help Optimus Prime battle Megatron and search for legendary treasure in the Caribbean.
They find Aladdin's lamp in the desert and witness the birth of dragons in Game of Thrones.
Finally, after the despair of being lost, Charlie finds their destination.
The end of dimensions—a towering tree envelops a crystalline palace.
Here, Future Jade sees statue after statue of familiar figures.
Along the steps, they see knights, witches, princesses, beasts, spirits, and even the Avengers. At the highest throne, three Na'vi figures overlook everything.
Future Jade frowns at the sight.
"What are these?"
Charlie slowly ascends the steps. "This is the end of dimensions. Every character remembered by people appears here."
As Charlie climbs, Future Jade tries to follow.
But after a few steps, she can't go any further.
"What's happening?" she asks, puzzled.
Charlie looks back. "Simply put, your popularity's too low."
Future Jade: "???"
"My popularity's low? Are you blind?!" she snaps.
Charlie shrugs. "You were cuter when you were younger."
As he speaks, Snow White and Simba easily pass Future Jade, leaving her far behind.
This drives Jade into a frenzy.
"Damn it!! This isn't fair!"
"I know you're mad, but hold off on that."
Charlie reaches the steps just below the throne but can go no further.
Clearly, this is his limit.
Nearby are two empty spots.
Step~ Step~
As footsteps echo, Charlie's lips curl into a smile.
"They're here."
"Who's here?"
Future Jade turns to see two strange figures arrive at the end of dimensions, slowly ascending the steps.
One is a short kid with dark circles under his eyes, nostrils flaring, riding wind-fire wheels, a spear slung over his shoulder, hands stuffed in his pockets, a blade of grass in his mouth. His lifeless eyes scan the statues around, occasionally flashing a look of disdain.
Beside him is a handsome young man wielding twin hammers, with dragon horns on his head and flowing ocean-blue hair, emanating a faint chill.
The two climb the steps, passing Jade, until they stand before Charlie.
In the moment their eyes meet, Charlie smiles.
"Welcome to the end of dimensions. From now on, you'll become legends too."
"Tch!" The short kid sneers. "Who cares!"
Then he leans toward his companion, unable to hide a goofy grin.
"Hahaha~~ Ao Bing, we're famous!"
Ao Bing keeps his eyes forward. "Nezha, mind your expression. You'll be seen as a bad kid."
Nezha quickly switches to a serious face.
"Hahaha, now's the time for a poem!"
He waves a hand and strides in place.
"Lalala~ Life and death, I take lightly, always fighting the heavens—"
"You've used that one," Ao Bing whispers.
Nezha scratches his head awkwardly. "When thunder roars, I'm so scared…"
"Used that too."
"I'm a little demon, free and easy…"
"Also used."
"Argh!! Damn it! This is too hard! I can't think of anything else. I'm done!"
Furious, Nezha slings his fire-tipped spear over his shoulder and storms off. Ao Bing gives Charlie an apologetic look before hurrying after him.
"Don't be mad. It's normal you can't come up with anything—you never studied."
"I did study! Dad taught me for a whole two and a half hours!!"
"But you fell asleep."
"You spied on me!!"
"No, I just heard about it. Come on, let's go. Master Jiang's waiting."
"How'd we even get here?"
"No idea. These guys are weirder than us, like they're the real demons. We must be dreaming."
"No way! Two grown men having the same dream? That's embarrassing!"
"Uh, wetting the bed is more embarrassing."
"You did spy on me!!"
"Don't get mad. I just heard—"
"Who told you?! Tell me so I can beat them up!!"
"See, you're getting mad again. It's bad for your health."
—
The End.