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Peter and Ned stared at the baseball in Sylas's hand, wide-eyed and speechless.
"Holy crap, dude! That was awesome! How'd you do that? Can you teach me?!" Ned said, practically vibrating with excitement.
Peter looked equally stunned and grateful. That ball had been one inch away from cracking his skull.
Sylas turned the ball over in his hand, hiding a smirk. The Shadow Dominion wasn't just for summoning shadow ninjas it also enhanced his physical abilities. His strength, speed, and reflexes were well beyond human level now, though still far from superhuman.
He could move like a ninja run walls, leap rooftops, and catch fastballs midair.
"Hey, nice catch, Parker! Ever think about joining the baseball team?" Flash shouted from the field, pretending to be friendly.
Of course, Sylas could tell it wasn't a compliment. Flash had aimed for Peter and Sylas had ruined his little prank.
"Not interested!" Sylas called back, flicking the ball back at him with a lazy spin.
Ned leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Man, those guys are the worst."
Peter nodded quietly. Flash had been mocking him for years all because Peter liked Liz Allan.
The three walked away as Flash smirked behind them, already planning his next "accident."
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At the School Gate
"See you tomorrow!" Ned waved at Peter, then grinned at Sylas. "And hey, good luck on your date tomorrow!"
Sylas grinned back. "You too, man."
As Ned left, Sylas nudged Peter. "So… rumor says you've been crushing on Liz?"
Peter froze, face instantly red. "Wha—who told you that?"
"Ned," Sylas said flatly.
Peter groaned. "I knew he couldn't keep his mouth shut. Just… don't tell Aunt May, okay?"
"Relax," Sylas chuckled, patting his brother's back. "Your secret's safe."
Peter quickly changed the subject. "Hey, there's that science exhibition next weekend. You going?"
"Of course." Sylas smiled faintly. This was the turning point the event where Peter would get his spider powers. And if their DNA was the same... Sylas might just get bitten too.
Peter tilted his head, suspicious. "You? At a science expo? You never go to that kind of stuff."
"I'm going to keep you company," Sylas said casually, slinging an arm around his shoulder.
Peter rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure."
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When they got home, Peter went straight to his room to study. Sylas dropped onto Peter's bed and powered on the game console.
The electronic beeps filled the room. Peter turned from his desk. "Wait… when did you even buy that?"
Sylas smirked. "Why? You want one?"
Peter frowned. "Don't dodge the question. Where'd you get the money? Don't tell me you stole it Uncle Ben said—"
"Relax," Sylas cut in. "I won it, a Scratch-off ticket. Got lucky."
Peter blinked. "How much?"
Sylas held up one finger. "A thousand bucks."
Peter's jaw dropped only to have Sylas cover his mouth immediately. "Shh. Keep it down."
"One thousand…" Peter whispered, wide-eyed. They weren't exactly a rich family.
Sylas crouched down, pulling a small box from under the bed. Inside was a brand-new Yashica Electro 35 camera.
Peter gasped. "This model costs six hundred dollars! It's—this is for me?"
Sylas nodded. "Yeah. Consider it a gift."
Peter's face lit up like Christmas morning.
"You're the best, man!" He threw his arms around his brother.
Downstairs, Aunt May raised an eyebrow at the thumping noise from upstairs. "What on earth are they doing up there?"
Meanwhile, Peter was already fiddling with the camera's lens.
"Man, this is amazing! Thanks, Sylas!"
Sylas smiled faintly, 'If only you knew how I really got the money…'
He hadn't stolen it but he had sent five of his summoned ninjas to rob the robbers. The job was messy; four of his shadows had been gunned down before fading back into smoke.
But the mission taught him something useful when destroyed, his shadows would regenerate in the Shadow Realm after a cooldown.
Because he still couldn't travel between worlds himself, the ninjas could only appear within a five-meter radius. Limited but useful.
'Next time, I'll let them do the dirty work. I can't exactly tank bullets' he thought grimly.
"Perfect!" Peter exclaimed, snapping a few shots. "Now I can take great photos at the expo tomorrow!"
He aimed the camera toward Sylas. "Hey, look here!"
Sylas, lost in thought, turned instinctively—
Click.
Peter grinned. "Gotcha. You look hilarious."
Sylas's face darkened. "Delete it."
"Nope."
They ended up wrestling on the bed. Peter never stood a chance Sylas was too fast, too strong.
But the photo stayed. Peter kept it secret, labeling it "For the Memories."
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Saturday Morning
Beep-beep-beep!
Sylas groaned and smacked the alarm clock.
"Nine already?" He sat up, rubbing his eyes.
Downstairs, Aunt May froze mid-step when she saw him. "Well, bless my soul you're up before noon. It's a miracle."
Normally, Sylas would sleep until lunch on weekends.
"Morning, Aunt May. Got plans today meeting a friend," he said, adjusting his shirt.
"Out all afternoon?" She reached for her purse. "Do you need lunch money?"
"No need," Sylas waved. "She's buying."
Aunt May smiled and kissed his cheek. "Alright, have fun, sweetheart."
"Thanks. By the way, where's Peter?"
"He left early and went to that tech expo with Ned."
"Right," Sylas nodded, heading for the door.
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At the Park
It wasn't even 9:30 yet half an hour early. Sylas sat alone on a bench, determined not to be late this time.
Soon, a familiar voice came from behind him.
"Well, color me surprised you're actually early. How long've you been here?"
He turned, pretending to be startled. "Jeez, you snuck up on me."
Missy laughed, her honey-blonde hair catching the sunlight. She wore a white crop tee under a plaid overshirt and fitted jeans that showed off her athletic curves. Heads turned as she passed.
"Ready?" she asked.
Sylas grinned. "Lead the way."
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Thanks for reading!