The black smoke rose into the night sky, and the sound of firetruck sirens began to echo in the distance.
Several people were already outside the building—some of them crying.
[NEW MISSION!: SAVE AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN!]
There are people trapped inside this burning building—from children to the elderly. Save them all!
[REWARD: 100 XP AND 100 POINTS FOR EACH PERSON RESCUED]
I broke the door down with a shoulder hit, and the heat hit me immediately.
My eyes scanned for any sign of life. Luckily, the first three floors were empty.
Just as I was heading up the stairs to the fourth floor, I heard hurried footsteps behind me.
"Pajama Boy! I'll take the fourth floor, you take the third!" I ordered through my helmet.
"Got it!" Pajama Boy shouted from below, his voice barely audible through the roar of the flames.
The smoke was so thick it was hard to breathe. I covered my mouth with my forearm and ran up the stairs two at a time.
When I reached the fourth floor, a door fell in front of me, engulfed in flames. I jumped to the side to avoid it.
I heard crying inside an apartment. I entered and saw a boy curled up under a table.
"Easy, easy… you're safe now," I said to calm him down.
I picked him up in my arms and headed for the hallway. Just then, a scream made me stop.
"HELP!"
I went to the window and looked down.
Fuck! I screamed internally. I had only tested my power on small objects before, but now I'd have to use it to lower this kid down.
"Listen to me, kid. You have to be brave, okay?" The boy looked at me with tear-red eyes.
"I'm going to help you get down, you hear? Just close your eyes and trust me."
The boy shook his head, trembling. "I don't want to fall!"
"You're not going to fall, I promise." I placed one hand on his shoulder and stretched the other toward the open air.
I tried to concentrate.
I remembered the times I practiced with leaves, pencils, and cups in my room.
With the wind, I lifted the boy into the air. He kept crying, so I spoke again. "Look at me. Breathe. You're going to go down slowly, okay?"
He nodded fearfully and shut his eyes tight.
The wind began to lower him gently. I clenched my teeth, as if I were carrying twice his weight.
"That's it… that's it…" I muttered.
The boy slowly descended, the air keeping him aloft in shaky bursts, until a group of people below saw him and ran to catch him.
When his feet touched the ground, the air current dispersed, and I almost collapsed.
I leaned against the wall, gasping.
It had worked. But there was no time to celebrate.
"One down… more to go," I murmured before heading back inside.
The fire kept growing, and I could still hear screams.
I clenched my fists, took a deep breath, and ran back down the hallway.
I heard a bang behind a door. I approached and pushed it with my shoulder, but it wouldn't budge.
I took a step back and kicked it. This time, it gave way.
Inside, a woman was trapped under a fallen beam. The fire was spreading across the ceiling.
"Hold on!" I shouted as I ran toward her.
I crouched and tried to move the beam. The metal was red-hot, and the heat burned my hands even through the gloves.
I focused, letting the wind gather beneath the structure, pushing upward.
It trembled, screeched, and lifted just enough for the woman to crawl out.
"Go! Now!"
She struggled to stand, coughing.
I used the same method to lower her with the wind. This time, I collapsed to the floor, exhausted.
"System, objects to recover my energy."
[1. Mother Box – DC (1,000,000 pts)]
"System, give me options according to my available points," I growled, trying to stand.
[FILTERING DATA...][1. NUKA COLA – FALLOUT (20 PTS)][2. RAMEN – NARUTO (50 PTS)][3. GREEN HERB – RESIDENT EVIL (100 PTS)]
"Buy and consume Green Herb."
[PURCHASE SUCCESSFUL]
Instantly, I felt lighter, and my breathing steadied.
Without wasting more time, I ran to another door and found an unconscious man. I dragged him to the window and pushed him out with a gentle gust—this time, firefighters caught him below.
I rescued three more people: an old man and a couple.
I bought and used another Green Herb, then moved to the third floor, where Peter was helping two children—twins, apparently.
"I'll help. No one else left upstairs."
"Thanks. These kids are the last ones," Peter said, handing me one of them. We ran down the stairs.
I was the first to get outside—but as I crossed the door, I was met with a scene I had feared would come.
A group of cops surrounded the entrance, weapons raised.
"Hands up! Now!" one of them shouted.
Pajama Boy came out behind me, coughing. "Relax," he said. "We were just helping."
"On the ground! Now!" I set the child down gently on the sidewalk.
"He saved my son!" a woman shouted, hugging her little boy.
Immediately, more voices rose:
"Leave them alone!""Without them, several people would've died!""They're heroes!"
The cops exchanged uncertain looks as the crowd kept shouting—and news vans began filming.
"Listen, Pajama Boy," I whispered. "On my signal, we run."
[PURCHASE SUCCESSFUL]
I threw a smoke grenade to the ground, and it went off instantly. It had cost me 150 points—but it was worth it to get out of this.
"Now!" We dashed toward an alley and climbed up to the rooftops.
"Find them! Don't hesitate to open fire! They're fugitives!" we heard one officer yell.
We ran across rooftops until the sirens faded away.
The birth of Spider-Man was complete.
I got to my room, took off the suit, and collapsed on my bed. The blue screen appeared in front of me:
[NEW MISSION!: SAVE AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN!]
There are people trapped inside this burning building—from children to the elderly. Save them all!
[COMPLETED][REWARD: 100 XP AND 100 POINTS PER PERSON RESCUED]
[CALCULATING REWARDS...][PEOPLE RESCUED: 6][REWARD = 600 EXP][TOTAL XP AND POINTS EARNED: 600]
The next morning at school, Peter stopped me in the hallway.
"Damon, I'm sorry for acting like a jerk these past few days. My head wasn't in the right place. I really am sorry."
"It's fine, Pete," I said, patting his shoulder. "I know you were frustrated. But don't forget—you're still my friend."
Then Peter found Harry and apologized. The tension between them dissolved with a simple hug.
It was clear Harry was immensely relieved to have his friend back.
Later, Peter also approached Flash.
"Hey," Peter said. "I'm sorry about how I talked to you the other day. You had nothing to do with my frustration. Thanks for caring about my uncle."
Flash looked a bit surprised, then smiled. "Don't worry, Parker. I should apologize too—I haven't exactly treated you great over the years."
Peter's apology to Flash shocked everyone at school.
But the hardest part was Gwen. Peter had ignored her all this time, and she was furious.
"Gwen, I wanted to apologize for—" Peter couldn't finish before Gwen slammed her locker and walked away.
The reconciliation was stuck—but Harry and I knew they just needed a little push.
That night, Harry had a master plan. He'd arranged a small get-together at his apartment for the usual group: Peter, Gwen, MJ, Felicia, and me.
Peter was calmer than in the past days. He had made peace with almost everyone… except Gwen.
Harry finally decided to make his move. "How about we play something?" he suggested with a grin.
MJ caught on instantly. "The bottle game?"
Felicia laughed. "I'm in."
We formed a circle. The bottle spun until it stopped pointing at Peter.
The second spin landed directly on Gwen.
"Rules are rules," said Harry.
Peter and Gwen exchanged awkward glances.
"Seven minutes," I said, checking the clock on the wall
They both went into the room, and the door closed
Meanwhile, Harry and MJ high-fived in satisfaction
"Perfect plan," MJ whispered
"Told you," Harry replied with a smirk
Seven minutes later, the door opened
Peter and Gwen came out holding hands, smiling shyly
Harry raised his glass "For the reconciliation of Peter and Gwen!"
Laughter filled the room again, and everything felt like it used to
At the end of the night, Felicia and I walked home together under the city lights
"Not bad at all," Felicia said, hands in her jacket pockets
"The party or Peter and Gwen's reconciliation?" I asked
"Both," she said, looking up at the night sky
I looked at her—she looked stunning under the moonlight
"What?" she asked playfully, catching my gaze
"Want to go on a date tomorrow?" I asked without hesitation
"Tomorrow? What time?"
"Six okay?"
"Hmm… fine. But if you're late, I'll give my dad your address. I'm sure he'd love to visit—with his shotgun." She grinned
I couldn't help laughing at her joke… it was a joke, right?
We reached her house. She pulled out her keys and opened the door, then grabbed me by the collar and kissed me
This girl was definitely going to be my downfall
"See you tomorrow," she said, pulling away
"See you tomorrow…" She closed the door, and I stood there, smiling like an idiot
As I walked away, I felt someone watching. I turned—and saw him
Felicia's dad, staring at me from the window. He raised a hand and made a death sign with his finger
I chuckled nervously and picked up my pace toward home
Saturday started earlier than I wanted
The alarm rang at 7:30 a.m
'Why did I agree to film so early on a Saturday'
The Treasure music video was scheduled for this morning. I got dressed sluggishly and took a taxi to the studio
Between takes, I couldn't stop checking the clock. I wanted to leave—I'd only eaten a piece of bread with coffee. Not the best fuel
We finished around two. By then, I was drenched in sweat, throat dry, and my legs sore from doing the choreography over and over
I went home, jumped straight into the shower, and let the water relax my whole body
After a quick lunch, I watched TV until five in the afternoon
When the clock hit 5:30, I looked at myself in the mirror—light blue denim jacket and jeans, white T-shirt, black belt and sneakers
We met near an ice cream shop downtown. She was already there, leaning against the wall in a black top and light jeans
"You're on time. I'm impressed," she said, crossing her arms
"Told you I would," I replied with a grin
We went in and ordered. I got vanilla with sprinkles, and she got mint
"Mint?" I said, eyeing her cone. "Weird choice"
"And yours is the most boring flavor on Earth," she shot back, taking a graceful lick of her ice cream
I laughed as I tasted mine. We strolled through downtown streets—it still felt surreal to be in the year 2000. In my past life, I hadn't seen stores with boxy TVs or people still using DVDs
A while later, we went into an arcade. It was packed—people laughing, arguing, cheering
Felicia looked around curiously. "It's been a while since I've been in one of these"
"Then it's time you see a master in action," I said, pointing at a Street Fighter III machine
She raised an eyebrow. "A master, huh?"
"Prepare for public humiliation," I warned
"Just promise not to cry when you lose"
We started playing—and to my surprise (and humiliation), Felicia was good. Too good
After two crushing rounds, I stared at the screen, questioning my life choices
"Looks like the master wasn't strong enough to beat me," she said proudly, tilting her chin up
"You're too good at this. Where'd you learn? Your dad?"
"No. I used to sneak out of ballet class to come here"
"That explains a lot"
We played other machines—competed in Pac-Man, then Dance Dance Revolution, where Felicia nearly fell laughing as she watched me struggle to keep up
"You move like a rusty robot," she said between laughs
"Like a robot? I'm inventing a new dance style," I panted. I'd gotten Bruno Mars's musical talent, but apparently not his dance moves
We left the arcade with flushed faces from laughing so much. The sun was setting, painting the sky orange. We walked to the nearest park, holding hands
"I like that this date's so peaceful," she said
"Peaceful? I almost died on that dance machine"
"That was your fault for challenging me"
"Maybe I just wanted to impress you"
"Do you think you did?" she asked, raising an eyebrow
"I don't know—did I?"
Felicia thought for a few seconds. "Let's say… not bad for a first attempt"
We stopped by a bench and sat down. The evening was getting colder, and she rested her head on my shoulder
"It's been a while since I had this much fun," she whispered
"Same here"
"We should do this more often"
"I'd love that"
We stayed silent, watching the city lights come alive as night fell
When it got completely dark, I walked her home
At the door stood a blonde woman in her forties—a mature version of Felicia
"Mom," said Felicia, "this is Damon, my boyfriend"
Lydia Hardy looked me up and down. "So you're the famous Damon my daughter won't stop talking about"
"Mom," Felicia muttered, blushing
"I guess that's me?" I said, glancing at Felicia, who was clearly embarrassed
Lydia chuckled softly. "Relax, I just wanted to meet him"
I laughed too, trying to stay calm. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Hardy"
"The pleasure's mine. You don't have plans next week, do you? I'd love to have you over for dinner—to get to know the boy who makes my stubborn daughter smile"
Felicia rolled her eyes but stayed quiet
"It'd be an honor," I replied with a smile
Lydia nodded, satisfied, and went inside, leaving me and Felicia at the door
"Sorry, she's just… very direct," Felicia murmured
"It's fine. I like her"
"Really? Wait till she starts showing you baby photos"
"That'd be adorable"
"This will be torture," Felicia groaned, rubbing her forehead
We laughed again. Felicia leaned in and gave me a goodbye kiss
"Thanks for today. And for letting me win at Soul Calibur"
"You noticed?"
She just laughed and kissed me again. Then she gave me one last smile before closing the door
I stood there for a moment, still tasting her lips, then walked home
When I reached my room, I fell on my bed, still wearing my shoes and jacket. I looked at the ceiling and chuckled softly
This day had been more productive than most