"How long was I asleep?" Zayne muttered as he shook his head.
His mind felt unbelievably clear.
His vision—
It was sharper than ever.
Even without glasses, he could clearly see a tiny fly clinging to the windowpane across the room.
"It worked…" Zayne whispered, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.
He stepped toward the wall and slowly pressed his right palm against it.
"Phew…"
Then his left hand followed.
Carefully, he lifted one foot.
His body stuck to the wall effortlessly.
"That's insane…"
He climbed upward, his entire body adhering to the surface like a spider.
After a few seconds, he dropped lightly back to the floor.
Adhesion confirmed.
Next—strength.
He reached for the doorknob and gave it a light twist.
Crack.
The handle came off in his hand.
"...Damn it."
Just like Peter in the early days—zero strength control.
"I need practice."
Two Shadowkhan emerged silently from the darkness, crimson eyes glowing faintly.
"Fix it," Zayne ordered calmly, pointing toward the toolbox under his bed.
The Shadowkhan retrieved the tools and began repairing the door without a sound.
Just as Zayne stepped into the hallway, Ben Parker's voice echoed from the bathroom.
"Peter! What did you do?!"
Zayne immediately headed toward the noise.
Inside, Peter stood awkwardly beside a broken faucet spraying water everywhere.
"I—I don't know. I barely twisted it," Peter stammered.
Ben was already crouched down with tools. "You two go wash up downstairs. I'll handle this."
"Got it, Uncle Ben," Zayne replied, giving Peter a meaningful look.
Downstairs, both of them were extremely cautious while washing up.
Neither wanted to destroy another faucet.
After breakfast, they prepared to leave.
"Peter, you forgot your glasses!" Aunt May called, handing them over.
"Thanks, Aunt May."
Peter accepted them—but didn't wear them.
Earlier that morning, when he tried putting them on, everything became blurry. When he took them off, his vision was perfect.
Street—
"The bus is here!" Peter suddenly shouted.
Without thinking, he sprinted.
"Hey! Wait!" Zayne blinked.
That speed—
Peter was fast.
Very fast.
To avoid drawing attention, Zayne deliberately restrained himself while chasing after him.
Still quick. Just not ridiculous.
The bus driver glanced in the mirror—and nearly choked.
Before he could react, Peter was already running alongside the moving bus.
The driver slammed the brakes.
The entire bus lurched violently.
"What the hell?!"
"Are you insane?!"
The driver opened the door slowly, staring at Peter. "How did you do that?"
Peter forced a smile. "Thanks… My brother's still behind."
A few seconds later, Zayne jogged up, panting theatrically.
"Hah… made it…" he said, pretending exhaustion.
The moment they boarded, the entire bus fell silent.
Every passenger was staring.
Zayne quietly positioned himself behind Peter.
After an awkward nod to the passengers, they took seats.
Peter noticed Liz Allan nearby—but she only glanced at him before looking out the window.
"Why did you run that fast?" Zayne asked in a low voice.
"I don't know…" Peter replied, equally confused.
School—
"You're not late? I'm shocked. Must be a sunny day miracle," Ms. Barron teased from behind Zayne in class.
He shrugged. "Or maybe clouds are coming."
She glanced out the window at the clear sky. "Not today."
Meanwhile—
Peter hadn't focused all morning.
He kept staring at his hands, flexing his fingers subtly.
At lunch, Ned nudged him. "Dude, you zoned out the entire class. What's wrong?"
Peter blinked. "Huh?"
"Never mind. Let's eat."
Cafeteria—
Peter carried his tray carefully.
Suddenly—
A flash.
An instinctive warning in his head.
He sidestepped without thinking.
Bang!
Flash Thompson crashed to the floor, his food flying everywhere.
The entire cafeteria froze.
Flash had been trying to shoulder-check Peter—but missed completely and humiliated himself instead.
"What the hell!" Flash roared, covered in food.
Ned stared wide-eyed. "Ohhh…"
Flash jumped up and pointed at Peter. "You wanna die?!"
"Maybe clean yourself first?" Ned suggested innocently.
Flash glared murderously before storming out.
"That move was insane!" Ned whispered excitedly.
Peter looked just as stunned as everyone else. "I… don't know how I did that."
Hallway—
Peter placed the camera Zayne gave him gently into his locker. He treasured it.
"Peter Parker!"
Flash stormed down the hallway, fury burning in his eyes.
Peter slammed his locker shut nervously. "W-what?"
Flash threw a punch.
And time—
Slowed.
Peter could see it clearly. The fist coming toward him.
He leaned back casually.
The punch smashed into the metal locker instead.
Clang.
"Ahhh!" Flash howled in pain.
Students gathered instantly.
"Punch him!"
"Do it!"
Flash swung again.
Peter dodged.
Again.
And again.
Every punch missed.
Then, without even thinking—
Peter flipped backward and kicked Flash square in the chin.
Flash hit the ground hard.
Silence.
Then—
"No way…"
"He beat Flash?"
"That's Peter Parker?"
From the edge of the crowd, Ms. Barron looked at Zayne. "That's your brother?"
Zayne nodded calmly. "He's always been hiding his strength."
She raised an eyebrow.
Before anything escalated further, a teacher's voice cut through the hallway noise.
And just like that—
The legend of Spider-Man had quietly begun.
And Zayne?
He could feel it too.
The mutation inside him was complete.