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Jasper was leaning against the classroom window, staring at Gwen Stacy. Even though things had gotten pretty intimate between them before, Gwen still treated him like she always did. And Jasper did the same back.
Still… he couldn't help but feel a little flutter when he looked at her now. Was it because they'd already done that? "He found himself noticing her more than usual."
"What's up?" Michelle Jones asked as she tapped Jasper's shoulder. She'd noticed him watching Gwen—did something happen between them?
Jasper snapped out of it, turned his gaze to a random corner, and said, "Turns out Gwen's actually a total knockout."
Gwen might seem average at first glance, but once you looked closer… that girl was stacked. A total bombshell.
Michelle sat on the edge of Jasper's desk, smirking. "So, you've got a thing for her now?"
She glanced over at Gwen. To be fair, Gwen was really pretty—half the class had a crush on her.
Michelle was teasing Jasper, sure, but deep down she knew he didn't actually like Gwen like that. Still… it was obvious he had some kind of special feeling toward her.
"Nope," Jasper said firmly, then added, "Class is starting."
"Bye byee~!" Michelle waved and walked off.
Afternoon.
Class ended early, as usual. Jasper turned to Spider-Man and said, "You know I'm not dangerous, right?"
Spider-Man looked him over. Lately, Jasper had been acting totally normal, nothing weird at all. After thinking for a second, Spider-Man just said, "Whatever you do, don't use dark magic."
Jasper nodded.
And with that, Spider-Man left—after all, Jasper wasn't the only one who needed him.
Once he was gone, Jasper headed to a nearby smoothie shop and grabbed a cold drink, sipping it slowly.
"A few minutes later, Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane, and Michelle Jones arrived, the three of them having grown incredibly close lately, practically inseparable."
"Hey? What a coincidence! Where are Peter and Ned?" Michelle asked as she casually plopped down next to Jasper.
"They had stuff to do today," Jasper replied, then quietly sipped his juice. The girls ordered something too.
Gwen took a sip of her drink and immediately pulled out her homework to start writing. Out of everyone here, Jasper was the only one with so-so grades—the rest of them were straight-A students. Jasper wasn't exactly bottom of the class, more like middle of the pack. If he actually tried a little, he could do pretty well. But honestly, paying attention for even ten minutes in class was already a big deal for him.
In short—he just didn't feel like studying.
Somehow, Gwen managed to do her homework and still join their conversations. She was kind of amazing.
Once he finished his drink, Jasper stood up and said, "Gotta go. See you all tomorrow!"
"Bye~!" the three girls called out.
"Yeah, later!" Jasper left the shop.
He slung his backpack over his shoulder and started walking quietly. After a while, he reached a quiet, empty street.
He tossed his backpack into the shadows and got ready to climb a wall.
"Nice ability you've got there."A voice suddenly spoke.
Jasper turned around and saw a bald woman in yellow robes eyeing him carefully.
That had to be the Ancient One, right?He tilted his head. "Can I help you?"
Why was she here? Hopefully not to pick a fight…
"You have traces of dark magic on you," the Ancient One said calmly. "But dark magic comes with flaws. If you're willing, I can teach you real magic. Maybe you'll find a way to overcome those flaws."
She'd seen a lot of futures using the Time Stone. And in every single one, Jasper learned insanely powerful dark magic—and it always led to disaster. The world ending. The Earth ruled by Jasper's shadow army. Chaos.
Basically, if left unchecked, Jasper was way too dangerous.
That's why she came now—not to stop him, but to guide him. To teach him enough magic that he wouldn't fall into darkness. That way, he wouldn't lose himself.
"Wait—learn magic?" Jasper glanced at her, then slowly nodded. "Sounds good. I'm in."
The Ancient One nodded and opened a portal, motioning for him to step through.
Jasper followed her and found himself in Kamar-Taj.
"You can learn any kind of magic here," she said generously. "Even dark magic, if you want. But I hope you won't abuse it. Try to stay true to yourself no matter what you learn."
If she didn't intervene, Jasper would eventually discover powerful dark magic in some other dimension, get taken over by his darker self, and then turn the whole world—and the entire universe—into a kingdom of shadows.
That was literally the worst possible outcome. So this time, she stepped in. Not to restrict him—that never worked—but to make sure he found balance within magic.
"…Wait, seriously?" Jasper looked at her, suspicious. "I can learn any kind of magic?"
The Ancient One nodded again. "Yes. And if there's something you don't get, I can teach you myself."
Jasper couldn't help but smile.
And so, he began studying. Since learning dark magic had created a dangerous alternate personality inside him, Jasper decided to start with proper, structured magic. Once he mastered enough of it, maybe he could find a way to handle his darker self.
After that, the Ancient One left him to study on his own.
Jasper spent the rest of the day in a room piled high with spellbooks, quietly reading and learning.
By the time Jasper got home, it was already 8 p.m.
"He made some simple food and ate with Shadow Spider, his enigmatic companion."
Once they finished, Shadow Spider went back to her reading.
"Jasper pulled a magic book from the shadowy corner of the room and kept reading as he ate."
After a while, he closed the book and started cleaning up the dishes.
He spent a few minutes washing everything, then picked up the book again for some more reading.
A few minutes later—
Jasper finally shut the book and muttered, "Man, my eyes are killing me. Time to game a little."
He booted up his computer and started playing.
"About half an hour later, Spider-Man quietly slipped into Jasper's room."
Jasper glanced at him and said, "What is it?"
"Spider-Man rubbed his chest awkwardly. 'Just… checking in,' he mumbled, seemingly struggling to find a reason for his presence."
"....."