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"Come on, boys! You're gonna be late!"
An aging man with silver hair and a kind but ordinary face shouted from the kitchen.
"Got it, Uncle Ben!" Peter Parker called back, rushing down the stairs while slipping on his jacket. He dropped into his chair at the table, already half out of breath.
Ben Parker loosened Peter's collar with a fatherly touch. "Where's Sylas?"
"No idea… probably still asleep... *Cough*" Peter mumbled, only to choke on a bite of toast. He thumped his chest and chased it down with a gulp of milk.
"Still asleep? That kid~" Ben sighed and headed upstairs, gripping the railing. "Sylas!"
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Upstairs
"Hmm? Someone's calling me?" Sylas Parker sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes.
It had been sixteen years since he arrived in this world now living as the younger brother of Spider-Man-to-be, Peter Parker, under the roof of Uncle Ben and Aunt May.
As a transmigrant, Sylas knew the story all too well. Soon Peter would become the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man… and Ben Parker would die in a senseless tragedy, teaching Peter his most famous lesson: With great power comes great responsibility.
But this time, Sylas wasn't going to let that happen.
Uncle Ben had raised him for over a decade. Now it was Sylas's turn to repay that kindness and he had a way to do it: the Talisman System.
It had been activated a year ago, gifting him a "starter pack" and one primary mission:
[Main Quest: Steal the Reactor and awaken the System]
Without completing it, the system would remain locked, and in the Marvel Universe, living without a "golden finger" was a death sentence.
Especially with Purple-Grimace Thanos out there. Sylas wasn't about to leave his fate to luck.
He'd already opened his starter pack and gained the Shadow Dominion, the power once belonging to the legendary Shadow Khan from ancient chi magic. A dark tattoo coiled around his forearm the mark of control.
But for now, his strength was limited. He could only summon ten shadow ninjas at once, and inter-dimensional travel was still beyond him.
Click.
The door swung open, and Ben Parker stepped inside, flipping the blanket off him. "Rise and shine, kid. You'll be late."
"Oh! On it!" Sylas snapped awake, throwing on his jeans and T-shirt before dashing off to wash up.
Moments later, he hurried downstairs and found Peter wolfing down the last of his breakfast. "Hey, man, you couldn't even wake me?"
"I did," Peter said, adjusting his backpack. "You were still dreaming."
Aunt May handed them both their bags with a smile. "Eat something on the way, okay?"
"Thanks, Aunt May!" Sylas bit into a slice of toast, grabbed his bag, and sprinted after Peter.
"Wait—! At least take some milk—" Before May could finish, the door slammed shut behind them.
She shook her head with a helpless smile. Ben came down the stairs, newspaper in hand.
"They gone?" he asked.
"Yeah. Sylas didn't even drink his milk," May sighed.
Ben chuckled, kissed her forehead, and sat down. "He's done that before. I'll take the milk."
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On the Street
"Why the rush?" Sylas asked, jogging beside Peter.
"Because if we don't hurry, we're gonna be late," Peter replied, half-annoyed.
"Relax. Trust me, we've got plenty of time," Sylas grinned confidently.
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Midtown High
"Well, well. Peter Parker, late to class?"
Mr. Jedek adjusted his glasses, clearly surprised.
"Yes, sir. Sorry," Peter muttered, embarrassed.
Jedek sighed but waved him in. Peter was a model student; one slip wouldn't hurt. "Don't make it a habit."
As Peter took his seat, his best friend Ned Leeds leaned over, eyes wide. "Dude, you were late? No way."
"Blame Sylas," Peter grumbled. "Said we'd make it on time."
Ned snorted. "You actually trusted Sylas Parker, the king of tardy slips? Bro, that's on you."
"Mr. Leeds, something funny about my lecture?" Jedek's sharp tone cut through the laughter. Ned froze and quickly shook his head.
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Next Classroom
"Well, Sylas, only one minute late this time," said Ms. Cline, glancing at her watch with an approving smile.
Sylas scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, guess my timing's still off."
"Take your seat," she said by now, his lateness was practically routine.
As he sat down, a girl behind him poked him with her pen. "Not bad, Parker. One minute late new record."
Sylas turned with a smirk. "Guess I'm improving, Miss Bartalon."
Missy Bartalon, bright-eyed, blonde, and infamously gorgeous, gave a playful smile. Her dad owned half the real estate in Queens, and she wasn't shy about it.
"Still a step off, though," Sylas muttered, reclining in his chair.
....
When classes finally ended, Missy leaned closer, resting her chin in her hand. "Weekend's coming. Wanna hang out?"
Sylas raised an eyebrow. "What's the plan?"
"Amusement park, My treat."
He grinned. "You've got yourself a deal. What time?"
"10 a.m. — meet at Central Park."
"Got it." Sylas gave an OK sign. "I'll be there on time."
"Ha! You? On time? I'll believe it when I see it."
"Just watch," Sylas said, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "This time's different."
"I'll be waiting!" she called after him.
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Hallway
"Hey, sorry, bookworm!" Flash Thompson laughed after bumping into Peter. He and his friends didn't even pretend to apologize as they walked off.
"They're jerks," Ned muttered.
Peter just sighed, It wasn't the first time, and probably wouldn't be the last.
"Yo, Peter!" Sylas waved as he approached, weaving through the crowd.
"Hey, Sylas," Ned greeted. "No club practice today?"
"Nah, Clubs are a drag." Sylas shrugged.
"By the way, heard you were late this morning," Sylas teased, throwing an arm around Peter.
Peter brushed it off. "Because of you! You said we had time."
"Hey, honest mistake," Sylas grinned sheepishly. They'd stayed up gaming the night before, after all.
"So, weekend plans?" Ned asked.
"Same old staying home," Peter replied. He wasn't exactly the social type.
Ned perked up. "There's a tech expo tomorrow. You should come! New robotics stuff it's awesome."
"Maybe…" Peter turned to Sylas. "You in?"
"I'd love to, but I've got… another date," Sylas smirked.
As they crossed the field, a baseball came flying out of nowhere heading straight for Peter's head.
Sylas reacted instantly, hand shooting out to catch it mid-air.
The ball stopped inches from Peter's face.
Peter blinked. "Whoa… nice reflexes."
Sylas smiled faintly, the faint black mark on his wrist pulsing once before fading.
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Thanks for reading!