"I refuse, I don't want to listen to you!"
[What?! You insolent fool, you dare defy me even though I've given you knowledge and information?! Ungrateful wretch!]
"First, I never said I needed it. Second, you're an evil entity, and I don't want to help the wicked. And third, you invaded my body without my permission, so nope!"
[Even if it means Uncle Ben will die?]
"…I'll deal with that later."
[Deal with it later? Until when? You should know that Uncle Ben's fate is always to die. Even in the universe where your uncle was Spider-Man, he still died.]
"…"
[I've told you, your arguments are useless. The future is inevitable. So you should be grateful that you've become a part of me, because you'll be able to use a fraction of my power as long as I allow it!]
"How does that change anything?"
[Of course it does! I exist outside timelines, universes, or any clear origin. That means my interference is unpredictable. I can alter the fate of anyone I choose, and in this case, that's you, Peter.]
"…So you're saying I can save Uncle Ben?"
[Exactly! I may lie a lot, but I promise I'm not lying to you! Trust me bro!]
That doesn't sound trustworthy at all… Especially coming from an Outer God who loves watching humans drown in chaos at the end.
Even the information he's given me might be fake…
…But Uncle Ben's death feels too real, even if it's a fabricated memory… I can't bear to watch him die…
…There's no other choice. This thing is already inside my body, so I'll just have to deal with it.
"Fine, I agree."
[EXCELLENT! NOW CAUSE SOME CHAOS—]
"But with one condition!" Peter emphasized.
[Ughhh, speak.]
"No harming innocent people, my family, or those I know."
"No killing. I don't want blood on my hands."
"And no seeking chaos or fear in extreme ways—prioritize gentler methods."
[Don't act like you're Mephisto! I won't accept those terms!]
"Stop talking. If you don't agree, I'd rather die than be your puppet."
[What?! Wait, don't die! Anything but that! I'll be furious, absolutely furious! You don't want me angry, do you?! Do you?!]
"You sound like a child. So, do you agree or not?"
[Grr… Fine, I agree. You'd better find the purest fear and chaos in your peaceful way, or I'll turn this entire Earth into my Wonderland!]
Hmm… For a purely evil Outer God like Nyarlathotep, he's ridiculously easy to negotiate with. Is there a reason for this?
"You'd better keep your promise, Mr. Nya."
[A promise is a promise! What's the big deal!]
"Alright… I'm going to bed."
[Huh?]
I lay down on the bed, took off my glasses, pulled up the blanket, and closed my eyes.
Of course, this Outer God wasn't pleased.
[You jerk! Why are you going to sleep?!]
"What? Did I say I'd start right away?"
[Kiiiii!!!! You're the worst! Don't even think about talking to me again!!!]
"Yeah, yeah, goodnight."
And so, I went to sleep, ignoring the chatter of this loudmouthed, tsundere Outer God in my head.
***
The sunlight streamed through the window.
My eyes slowly opened, and a yawn escaped my mouth.
I sat up, stretched, and looked at the door…
"…Huh?"
I rubbed my eyes and stared straight at the door.
Why… does the door look so clear today?
I grabbed my glasses and put them on, but everything became blurry.
"???"
I took the glasses off, and everything was clear again.
"…That guy definitely did something to my body!" I said, getting out of bed and putting the glasses back in their place.
But something pulled me back.
I turned around and saw a sight that was both unfamiliar and familiar.
Webs… coming from my hand?
"What?? Huh?!"
This felt incredibly familiar! Just like the memories Nyarlathotep planted in my head!
But I thought I was supposed to get bitten by a radioactive spider first?!
[Why are you surprised? It's your power, isn't it?]
"I didn't ask you to give me spider powers!"
[It's just a minor detail for later. I gave you powers early, and you're still complaining?]
"…Ugh, fine."
But I remembered that in all those memories, information, and knowledge, I was supposed to build web-shooters, not have natural web-spinning powers like this…
Wait, no, there was a Spider-Man who had organic webbing without web-shooters.
[You're overthinking it! Hurry up and create chaos and fear for me! I'm bored to death!!]
Ignoring him, I tried to clean up the webs and put my glasses back on.
[Why are you still wearing glasses? You've got perfect vision now.]
"No nearsighted person suddenly gets perfect vision overnight. People will ask questions, and that'd be a hassle."
[I doubt anyone would care enough to question a loner like you.]
"Shut up."
Heading downstairs, I saw Aunt May and Uncle Ben doing their own things.
"Oh, Peter, you're up?"
"Yeah, I'm heading out for a bit."
"Don't rush off! You haven't had breakfast yet!"
"I'm not hungry!"
I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and headed out.
As soon as I closed the door, Aunt May and Uncle Ben exchanged looks.
"Why's he in such a hurry?"
"Maybe… he's got a girlfriend?!" Aunt May guessed.
"Oh, if that's the case, that's great. I'm hoping for grandkids to hold, even if Peter's not my son," Uncle Ben smiled, turning back to the TV.
Meanwhile…
"I'm running and not even tired," I said, looking at my body, which hadn't broken a single sweat despite running for a while.
[That's my power at work. Fun, right?]
I looked at a tall brick building, then at my hands.
Touching the wall, I climbed it effortlessly, as if I'd done it dozens of times before!
Reaching the rooftop, I looked down at the bustling city, cars passing by.
[It's beautiful, isn't it? It'd be even better if this place descended into total chaos with humans slaughtering each other.]
"Oh, shut up!"
I glanced at a billboard across the street, then at my hands.
I positioned two fingers in my palm, and webbing shot out forcefully.
And just like that, I swung across to another rooftop.
"Wow… Wait, no, no, no, no, no!!"
And then I faceplanted into the billboard.
[GAHAHAHA!!]
"Ughhh… My nose."
Thanks to the information about my other selves, I got the hang of this faster than I expected… or maybe it's because I'm currently the vessel of an Outer God.
[Having fun? How's it feel to try out your spider powers?]
"…More fun than I expected."
[Great, now go cause chaos in people's lives!]
"No means no!"
I then tried clinging to the wall to climb down the building.
Luckily, I'm not afraid of heights, so it was pretty easy.
"Phew… I might do this more often."
[Don't worry, because it's about to become an essential part of you.]
I walked out onto the street, taking in my surroundings.
How do I put it? Ever since I got these memories and information, I feel like New York is missing something…
Oh, right—villains. But since Spider-Man hasn't appeared yet, it's been peaceful…
So maybe it's better if Spider-Man doesn't exist? Sounds like a cool idea!
[Keep dreaming.]
"Huh? Why?"
[You're Peter Parker. As long as you exist, trouble will follow you, especially now that you have powers.]
"…So you deliberately sped up the process of New York facing disaster?"
[Absolutely, teehee!]
"…"
Sighing, I continued walking in frustration.
Then something made me stop.
A TV store.
I looked inside, where rows of TVs were broadcasting a program.
Suddenly, they flickered and switched to something else.
A game advertisement.
"…Wait a minute."
I stepped closer, carefully looking at the game being advertised on the TVs.
"I CAN WORK WITH THIS!"
[Huh? What's that?] Nyarlathotep asked, confused.
"I've got an idea! A way to create fear!"
[Huh? What way?! Tell me!]
"I'll explain later, let's head back first~"
[What?! You jerk! Stop hiding things!!]
Just as I was about to head home, a voice suddenly rang out from the middle of the street.
"I AM ICE DUDE! I HAVE THE POWER TO FREEZE PEOPLE! HAHAHAHA!!"
The guy touched a car, and it instantly froze over.
People saw it and started running, while I stared at the self-proclaimed Ice Dude laughing in the street.
"Uh… So that's a villain?"
[You can tell just by looking, and you're still asking?]
"Well… Okay? I'm still not ready to take on the responsibility of being a hero."
[Then leave him be. I want to see what kind of chaos he causes!]
"…No choice, I guess I need to find a mask first."
Just as I was about to officially become Spider-Man, a figure swung out from the buildings.
Webs shot out, wrapping around Ice Dude's legs.
"What?! Who's that!"
The figure landed on a lamppost, looking down at the criminal.
"Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Gwen is here!"
"Huh?" [Huh?]
Both Nyarlathotep and I said the same thing at the same time.