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"From now on, everything will be handed over to Wanda. Her orders carry the same weight as mine."
Alex Ray glanced around the room, his voice firm. "Dismissed."
He had just given orders to a group of rough, dangerous-looking menâgangsters under Wilson Fisk's command. Each bore a ruthless expression, scars and scowls painting their hardened lives. Without question, they began filing out of the Good Luck Restaurant, leaving only Wanda behind.
Alex walked over to her and softened his tone. "Wanda, your job now is to take over Uncle Fisk's operations. Don't let the pressure get to you."
"This is a brand new challenge," he continued, "but I believe in your ability to handle it."
"We need to clean things up, drop all the illegal operations, and get the company back on the right trackâsomething that aligns with our original intentions."
"And don't worry about money," he added with a half-smile. "Our family's not exactly short on it."
"I'm fine," Wanda replied confidently, determination flaring in her eyes. Without another word, she turned and headed toward Fisk Tower.
Inside, Wanda steeled herself. She had to manage this wellânot just to prove herself, but to earn Alex's trust, and to continue standing by his side.
"Thank you for taking this on," Alex whispered as she left, his gaze filled with unspoken worry.
After all, she was only twentyâstill just a girl in many waysâand now she was expected to shoulder the legacy of one of New York's most powerful criminal empires.
But Alex had no one else. His inner circle included aging killers and eccentric tenants like Deadpool. Winston had already been sent off to run the Continental. The thought of putting Deadpool in charge made Alex visibly wince. That lunatic would probably spend the entire company's funds chasing women and blowing things up for fun.
As Alex brooded, a sudden golden ring of light appeared in the restaurant. The glowing circle spun, etched with arcane runes that shimmered like fire.
Alex instantly recognized it.
The space around him fractured like shattered glassâbriefly flickering with an otherworldly distortionâbefore snapping back into place.
He knew only one person could manipulate space like this.
The Ancient One stepped through the portal with quiet authority, dressed in an elegant robe, her bald head shining under the ambient light.
Her gaze was calm, but held the depth of eonsâas though she saw all of time unfold in an instant.
"You don't seem surprised at all," she said, her tone measured. "As if you already knew I'd come, Mr. Ray."
Alex met her eyes without flinching. "I've heard a lot about you, Master Ancient One."
His calm demeanor intrigued her. Was it arrogance? Foresight? Or something deeper?
She had peered into countless futures, studied every possible pathâyet with Alex Ray, she saw nothing. A void in the tapestry of destiny.
And yet, she was certain: Alex was native to this universe.
"I've been watching you," she admitted. "Your actions lately don't align with what I once foresaw."
"But you've done better than expected. Hell's Kitchen has a brighter future because of you."
"Thank you," Alex replied. "So, why are you here?"
He hadn't done anything recently that could be considered a multiversal threatâor so he thought.
"I came to warn you," the Ancient One said plainly. "A knight from another universe tried to come to Earth. I stopped himâfor now. But he was targeting you."
Alex frowned. "Do you know what color his armor was?"
The Ancient One thought for a moment. "Pink."
Alex felt his headache coming on. "Pink Knight⊠great. That's Tsukasa Kadoyaâthe World Destroyer."
Thankfully, she'd intercepted him. If that guy had made it through, there'd be hell to pay.
"And the second reason I came," she added, "is to send someone back to their original universe. He's your guest."
Alex nodded. "You mean Miles?"
He had expected this visit sooner or later. "Should I call him now?"
"Not yet. There's something you need to understand first."
"Do you know where your guest truly comes from?" Her tone shifted, weightier now.
Alex's brow furrowed. He considered the implications. Miles MoralesâSpider-Man. But in his world, things had gone very wrong.
"You mean... Miles wasn't supposed to become Spider-Man?" Alex ventured.
The Ancient One nodded gravely. "Correct. In his original timeline, Miles was meant to become the Prowler."
"But he was bitten by a spider from Earth-42. That spider didn't belong in his universe."
"As a result, Peter Parker in Earth-42 died without passing on his legacy, which led to the collapse of that universe's stability."
"There's a ripple effect. Every Spider-Man is unique to their universe. There can only be one. And every Spider-Man must endure the pain of losing someone dear. It's fate."
Alex exhaled, absorbing the gravity of it. "So⊠because Miles became Spider-Man, it triggered anomalies across parallel universes."
"Exactly. Universes adjacent to ours are unraveling. And while I'm anchored here, you can act where I cannot."
Alex wasn't thrilled. "But if other universes fall apart, how does that affect us?"
The Ancient One's gaze turned colder. "When a neighboring universe collapses, it tears open rifts in space-time. Just like how Miles ended up here."
"These incursions will increase. And not all of them will be friendly."
She paused, then added silently to herself: In the worst case, even our universe might not survive.
Alex crossed his arms. "Isn't this your job? I'm not exactly a multiverse repairman."
"I can't leave Earth," she said evenly. "Too many variables. I must ensure the next Sorcerer Supreme is born without interference."
"Then why me?"
"Because you carry infinite potential," she said, eyes locked onto his. "You exist outside of the threads I can see."
Alex let out a low groan. "Even if the sky is falling, I still figured you'd be the one catching it."
"And I don't have a way to travel through parallel universes anyway."
The Ancient One smiled faintly, as if she'd been waiting for that line.
With a flick of her wrist, she tossed a shimmering ring toward him.
A Sling ringâjust like the ones used by the Masters of the Mystic Arts.
"Consider this your reward," she said. "And your first lesson: teleportation."
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones
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đ Enjoying the Story? Get Ahead Now!
Can't wait for the next twist or epic moment?
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Your support means the world to meâthank you so much! đ
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