When Little Black saw Peter sitting in front of him, his eyes became sharp. Since the one playing chess now wasn't his Master, he felt he had a duty to display his true ability.
Peter felt somewhat uneasy under Little Black's piercing gaze.
"Begin," Silas said. He also wanted to see how good Peter's skills were.
Five Minutes Later
"What the heck!" Peter shouted, covering his head with his hands.
He was feeling a little numb. He admitted he wasn't very strong, but that was too fast!
"Again!" Peter said, unwilling to admit defeat.
Little Black glanced at Silas, and seeing Silas nod, he continued the game with Peter.
Three Minutes Later
"..." Peter began to doubt himself. Before, he could last about five minutes, so why was it only about three minutes now? Peter thought he would get better with each battle, but instead, the battles ended faster.
"Silas, this Little Black is really strong," Peter turned and said.
Silas patted Peter's shoulder. "Not good enough, Peter. Watch mine."
With that, Silas took Peter's place and started a new round.
Ten Minutes Later
"Thank you for the game," Silas said, cupping his hands.
He had won, and he won quite easily. Little Black had managed to hold on for only ten minutes, even while struggling in the final moments.
"That's so fake," Peter thought. This was clearly not the same level of play he was facing. As the saying goes, the spectators see more clearly than the players. As an observer, Peter saw several instances where Little Black had the chance to destroy Silas but deliberately dragged it out, acting as if he hadn't seen the available move.
Little Black smiled behind his mask. Part two of pleasing his Master: giving his Master plenty of face.
"No, Silas, I want to play a round with you," Peter said. He seriously suspected Little Black was throwing the game, and to know the truth, he needed to play against Silas.
"Sure," Silas said, full of confidence.
Little Black, standing nearby, felt his heart skip a beat. If his Master lost, wouldn't he lose face? If his Master lost face, wouldn't he be unhappy? Hmm... this was a question worth serious thought. What method could he use to ensure Silas won this match for sure?
While Little Black was still trying to figure out how to help Silas, Silas and Peter had already started their game.
Click! The door opened!
The moment the door opened, Little Black instantly retreated into the Shadow Realm. He no longer had time to worry about whether Silas would win, as they couldn't expose themselves to Ben Parker and Aunt May.
"Oh?! Playing chess, are we?" Ben Parker walked over, holding a plate of fresh fruit.
Silas nodded. "Yes, Uncle Ben. Let me show you how good I am."
"No, no, no, Uncle Ben. Watch me instead," Peter said, also certain of his chances. He was sure Little Black had been throwing the game.
Ben Parker placed the fruit platter on the table, pulled up a chair, and sat beside them. "When one of you wins, let me have a go. I was a chess master back in the day."
"Don't worry, Uncle Ben, it'll be quick. You won't wait long," Silas said, starting the game.
After a few back-and-forth moves between Silas and Peter, Silas narrowly won. He was, after all, someone who played chess frequently, making him much better than the amateur Peter. This time, Silas and Peter played for about forty minutes, which made Ben Parker impatient.
"Not bad, Peter, you exceeded expectations." Silas felt that Peter's performance in this round was clearly much better than when he played against Little Black.
Peter's lips twitched slightly. He now fully understood: that Little Black was definitely throwing the game. While he couldn't beat Silas, he wasn't far behind.
"Haha, Silas, now let me show you my skills." Ben Parker took Silas's seat and began a new round of attack.
Ben Parker, the proclaimed chess master, KO'd Silas in just five minutes.
"Amazing, Uncle Ben," Silas said, surprised to find a master in his own home.
Ben Parker spoke with the air of an experienced veteran. "Young man, you're still too young."
The family happily spent the rest of the weekend this way. Tomorrow was the first day of school, and Silas and Peter officially entered their senior year of high school.
School Morning
"Silas! Peter! Today is the first day of school. Don't be late!" Aunt May shouted from the stairwell.
Thump-thump-thump!
The sound of footsteps came from downstairs. Peter and Silas arrived and began eating breakfast.
After a while, Silas stood up, put on his backpack, and called out from the doorway, "Aunt May, we're done eating. We're heading out now."
"Be careful," Aunt May replied from the back.
Click! The door closed.
Even though they had the Shadow Realm and web-swinging abilities, Silas and Peter chose not to use them to get to school. Instead, they obediently boarded the public bus to the school.
As soon as they got on the bus, Peter encountered the person he disliked: Flash Thompson. Flash was sitting next to Liz, showing off his latest comic book, making Liz look awkward.
Liz regretted becoming Flash's girlfriend. She hadn't known initially, but after getting to know him better, she realized how childish Flash was.
"That's enough, Flash. Can you be a little more mature, like Spider-Man, and stop being so childish?" Liz said, holding out her hand. Throughout the entire summer vacation, Liz's heart had been filled with a red figure: Spider-Man. Compared to Flash's childishness, she admired Spider-Man's bravery, maturity, and willingness to help others. Spider-Man was her idol.
"Hey! Peter, Silas, you two haven't changed a bit this summer." Flash's implied meaning was to mock Silas and Peter for being short and scrawny. Silas and Peter were not short; they were at least above average height. But compared to Flash, who was over six feet tall, they obviously didn't measure up.
"I think even like this, I could still kick you flying," Silas's tone was full of menace.
Flash was left speechless by Silas's words. Silas's aura was simply too overwhelming, making it hard for Flash to breathe. Especially Peter beside him; that kick still left a strong impression on Flash.
"Coward," Liz said, then turned her head away, ignoring Flash.
Flash wanted to retort but didn't know what to say, because he truly was scared. Peter, whom he usually bullied, had suddenly kicked him unconscious. And Silas! Back when he first started bullying Peter, Silas had confronted him and fought him hard. Silas hadn't had the power of the Shadowkhan then, but he was a reincarnated person. Why would he fear a little kid like Flash Thompson? With his ruthless attitude, Silas had left a deep impression on Flash. Afterward, Flash only dared to verbally insult and mock Peter.
But later, after losing too much face, he couldn't take it anymore and sought out Peter to beat him up. To his surprise, he was the one who got beaten by Peter. Who could he complain to about that?
"Ignore him," Peter said, pulling Silas to find an empty seat.
The bus to the campus slowly pulled away.
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