"Ah, you're finally back. Do you realize you were gone for a full two weeks in the alternate world?"
Strange was sitting in a wicker chair next to the hole in the Sanctum Sanctorum's roof, which Grendel had torn open. It had been over a month since the Symbiote Crisis, and the Sanctum's roof still hadn't been repaired, which was surprising.
Even more surprising, however, was Strange's statement that they had been gone for two full weeks.
"How is that possible? I never—"
"Time is relative in the Multiverse, child. Naturally, you can't guarantee that the flow of time will always be faster on the other side."
In reality, Peter and Gwen had only spent three days on Earth-65, while two weeks had passed on Earth-616.
"Alright, uh, Gwen? You take Dr. Connors to the Avengers first. Dr. Strange probably has something to discuss with me..."
"Okay, we'll go first." Gwen left with Connors, who was still curious about their sudden arrival. Once they were gone, Peter, feeling uncertain and slightly guilty, asked Strange, "So, the reason we landed directly at the Sanctum is because of... the Reality Barrier?"
"You traveled the Multiverse too late this time. You nearly entered after the Sorcerer Supreme of that other universe had already sealed it off. Consequently, the Web of Destiny gave you an overly potent surge of power, and you tore countless holes in the Reality Barrier, Spider-Man."
"I know, but that was an emergency! I was dealing with the Lizard!"
Strange put down his book and stood up. "But, you cannot deny that with every subsequent use of your ability, your influence on the Reality Barrier increases. And I cannot guarantee that I will always have enough time to repair the Reality Barrier. The Sorcerer Supreme has many things to manage, Spider-Man."
"Uh, so..."
"You need to learn magic. At least, you need to learn the magic required to repair the fabric of reality. You'll be doing that job yourself from now on."
Peter looked at Strange, astonished. Truthfully, Strange sounded a bit like he was shirking his duties, as protecting reality was the Sorcerer Supreme's job. However, Peter didn't plan to refuse. After all, it was his problem, and learning magic would be a way to strengthen and improve himself!
There was only one question.
"Uh, do I have enough time to learn magic?"
"You were gone for two weeks, Spider-Man, and the world didn't end. So, my answer is, yes, you do." Strange said, reaching out to summon a book. "If you want to study without wasting any time, I suggest you first learn Astral Projection. That way, when your body is resting and sleeping, your mind can leave and continue to study magic."
Strange handed an English grimoire to Spider-Man. "But you must remember, mental fatigue does not dissipate with physical rest. You still need to pay attention to your downtime."
"Okay, thank you, Strange."
"Furthermore, as part of your magical study, you can consciously enhance your existing abilities. For example, what you call your Spider-Sense is actually a form of precognition—a glimpse into the future—but because you don't know magic, you can only utilize this power superficially. Learning magic will help you master it better."
Peter's interest was piqued. He couldn't help but ask, "If I master the Spider-Sense, will I be able to see the future?"
"Still only fragments, but yes, you will."
"Can I expand my Spider-Sense to a fifty-kilometer radius and sense what every person who bears ill will toward me is doing?"
Strange, having listened to Peter's long and complex question, found it odd why Peter wanted to expand his Spider-Sense to fifty kilometers. After a moment of thought, he didn't give a definitive answer: "I don't know the specifics of how it will develop, but perhaps you can."
"Good, I'm in."
"Excellent." Strange, entirely unfazed about gaining an apprentice (since he never teaches students; that's always Wong's job), nodded and continued: "However, I must first clarify a point. You are different from most of the sorcerers at Kamar-Taj. They study White Magic, drawing their power from the Vishanti, the three-in-one gods of White Magic. There are also many other demonic entities and gods who control different dimensions and energies, and they lend their power to their followers for spellcasting."
"Take you, for instance, Spider-Man. The power for a Spider Totem to cast magic can be derived from two deities. One, a lesser entity, is Anansi, the West African god of lies and weaving. Here, I'm referring to his conceptual symbol in the Multiverse..."
"I don't get along with Anansi. I once beat him up with a different universe's Mjolnir."
Strange: ...
Although a specific individual from a different Multiverse doesn't perfectly align with the conceptual symbol, Strange didn't bother to elaborate. He simply continued with Peter: "The other is far more powerful. The ancient goddess Gaea wished to create a celestial map model for the souls of all life in the entire Multiverse. The Web of Life and Destiny, woven by Neith, the Goddess of Weaving, and the daughter of Gaea and Oshtur (one of the Vishanti), is this map. It records the soul information of the entire Multiverse."
As for how Oshtur and Gaea managed to have a daughter, it's best not to dwell on that.
"And the Spider Totems are the messengers Neith created to maintain the Web of Destiny. She divided her power to evolve the Totems, so every Spider Totem has a connection with her. And now, I will strengthen the link between you and her. From now on, most of the spells you cast can directly draw upon her power."
In short: you have your own boss, so don't borrow from the Vishanti.
Strange made a gesture and began to strengthen the power of the Spider Totem within Peter. Countless illusions appeared before Peter's eyes. He saw countless universes merging, including his own 616 Universe. All the Multiverses began to rewind, continuously reverting to the time before any universe had separated. In the age of the Elder Gods, before the birth of the New Gods like Thor and Hercules, there was only one universe, one Earth.
A single web was being woven.
"What do you see?" Strange asked Peter.
"I see a pair of hands weaving a web. I see... a young woman weaving."
Strange smiled. "That is the true Goddess of the Great Web, far more deserving of the title than those who call themselves the Spider-Gods. That is Neith."
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