Spider-Man stood atop a building, gazing over New York, once again realizing he was utterly alone against a threat he was certain he couldn't overcome.
Spider-Man's thoughts about how to defeat Solus raced through his mind over and over during the last six days, failing to devise a plan that didn't involve his immediate sacrifice.
He knew he truly couldn't defeat Solus—even with his sacrifice, there was a chance Solus might not be defeated and would only cause more destruction.
"There's only that one option left. No matter how hard I try to think of a plan to end Solus, it always leads to the worst outcome. Plus, I have to save May from his grasp and trick him into believing I've truly accepted the deal." Spider-Man's thoughts wandered, desperately trying to think of a plan where he wouldn't have to resort to that option—because it would mean the end of his journey.
Stopping his strategizing, Spider-Man leaped off the building, shooting a web to swing toward the warehouse. He knew this might very well be his end, but he didn't want to sadden Aunt May, nor did he want to reach out to the other heroes—he knew they'd reject him and likely try to capture him for questioning about the bank robbery.
As he swung through the city, Spider-Man began reminiscing about his life, taking in the sight of all of New York and passing through places he'd once frequented.
Midtown School of Science and Technology—the place where he studied, where he was bullied, and where he met his first and second loves.
Empire State University—where he began his college education before dropping out, unable to balance his life as Peter Parker.
And finally, the place where, because of him, Gwen Stacy—his girlfriend at the time—died at the hands of the Green Goblin. Only to later discover that she had deceived him and even had children with the Green Goblin… which turned out to be a lie fabricated by the Goblin to break his psychological defenses.
In the end, the children were his, but like everything else that came into his hands, he couldn't protect them.
The sadness weighing on Spider-Man was palpable as he swung through the city. He felt guilty—guilty for Gwen Stacy's death, for his children's fate, for his separation from Mary Jane, for Mayday. The guilt gnawed at him so deeply that he wanted to die the moment he freed Mayday from Solus's clutches.
Spider-Man finally arrived at the place where Solus was waiting.
The moment he stepped inside, he saw Solus's imposing figure—and beside him, his beloved daughter Mayday, sleeping peacefully on the ground.
"Spider. I didn't think you'd come alone. But since you're here, it means you accept the deal." Solus spoke with terrifying calm as Spider-Man arrived.
"Yes, Solus. I accept the deal. Now hand over Mayday… and Mephisto." Steeling his mind as best he could, Spider-Man agreed.
"A wise choice, Spider." Using one of his abilities, Solus sent Mayday and Mephisto behind Spider-Man.
"Now that I've fulfilled my part, it's time for you to fulfill yours." Solus began calmly approaching Spider-Man, who instantly went on guard.
"It seems, as I suspected, you wouldn't surrender… insect." The moment those words left Solus's mouth, his figure appeared right in front of Spider-Man—and before he could react, Solus's arm plunged into his chest.
The instant Solus's arm pierced his heart to steal his totemic essence, Spider-Man knew his last resort would work.
"You know, insect… when I first came to this world intending to strike a deal with you, I didn't expect the most important totem of the Web of Life and Destiny to already be dead—nor that someone else would be occupying his body. It was truly a horrible surprise. At that moment, I considered leaving." As he drained Spider-Man's life, Solus spoke while a slow smile formed on his face.
"Then… why… didn't you… leave… Ock…?" Spider-Man managed to speak through unbearable pain.
"Ah, I was just getting to that, insect. You see, the moment I thought of leaving, I detected your essence in multiple places. Apparently… you had descendants." Solus explained with a mix of annoyance and glee.
The shock on Spider-Man's face would have been immense if not for the agony tormenting him every second, clouding his thoughts.
Solus didn't care about Spider-Man's state. He continued absorbing his essence while relishing his tale.
"It was quite interesting to learn you had offspring. So I tried to see if I could drain their essence… but it seems the Web of Life and Destiny protects them especially well." Solus knew absorbing this Spider-Man's essence would take time, but he was still impressed—five minutes in, and there was still so much left.
"Lea…ve… them… alone…!" Suddenly, Spider-Man tried to move, but Solus swiftly suppressed him.
"An even more fascinating discovery during my investigation was learning their names. Would you like to know? Don't worry, I won't leave you in suspense. There were Valeria and Franklin from the Baxter Tower. Then Rachel, Phoebe, Sophie, Esme, Celeste, and Irma from Krakoa. And last but not least… dun dun—guess who? Bet you didn't expect this—the Scarlet Witch's children, manifested by their mother's desire. You know what I would've done if the Web hadn't shielded them? Killed them… slowly. And you know who would've been to blame for their deaths? You. Only you. Because you couldn't protect your children." Solus's tone shifted mid-story, growing harsher as he blamed the wounded Spider-Man for what he would've done if the Web hadn't interfered.
Spider-Man just stared into Solus's eyes. He knew his chance to end Solus once and for all was coming—at a great cost to himself.
Solus grew increasingly irritated by Spider-Man's defiance and accelerated the absorption of his totemic essence, smirking when Spider-Man let out a sharp cry of pain.
Spider-Man quickly clenched his jaw, refusing to wake Mayday and risk facing a problem like Mephisto in his current state.
"But then, just as I was about to leave this world for good, I discovered something very interesting. You were still alive—just a sliver of your consciousness, fighting to awaken. That gave me hope. So I decided to wait a year. If you didn't appear by then, I'd do everything in my power to kill your descendants as payment for my wasted time." Those were Solus's last words before he sensed something wrong with the essence he was absorbing—and tried to pull his arm free from Spider-Man's chest.
"GOT YOU." Spider-Man suddenly seized Solus's arm, preventing him from moving.
Unbeknownst to either of them, a broken camera was recording everything—broadcasting live to who-knows-where the events between Spider-Man and Solus.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Some might think these events are connected, but they're not. I need them in this order to give my story meaning.