Going back to school the next day was surreal to say the least. I had just spent the weekend in Nepal, surrounded by spell slinging sorcerers, and now I was sitting in History class with a bored teacher and equally as bored students as he droned on about the Second World War, Hydra, and its supposed destruction by the hands of one — Captain America.
Despite the mundanity of it all I was in a surprisingly good mood. I had made significant progress in just three days, absorbing the required theory like a sponge via abusing the hell outta Force-Trance.
The ability alone began to open doors I previously thought closed. I decided to make an effort reading & re-reading my academic text-books. With a heavy focus on Programming due to its anecdotes to spell casting, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Chem, Bio — you name it… I was kinda losing it.
Learning had never felt so… easy.
To offset my inevitable burn-out I made an effort to Force mediate at least two hours a day before and after sleep.
I even waved at Jean in the hallway, making the incredibly out of character small talk.
My fears about Xavier's Mind-probing tendencies was drowned out by the simple fact that I was -- The Ancient One's disciple.
I'd like to see Xavier try.
By the time Wednesday rolled around I was honestly kinda excited for the school trip to Oscorp. Getting to see the birth of Spider-Man wasn't an everyday occurrence y'know?
The Oscorp building itself was a sight to see, more akin to something out of Cyberpunk than Marvel. A skyscraper with a tangibly looming presence.
The trip was really just a guide along with a short lecture about the on-going public projects. Limb Regeneration, Advanced materials, Energy Generation.
As interesting as it all was I spent most of the time watching Peter Parker walk around with his friend Ned.
*GAH~!
I saw him suddenly grimace right after he snapped a photo of MJ. Suddenly smacking his arm in retaliation. Ned freaked a little asking him if he was ok and the kid shook his head as he scratched his arm.
"I think something bit me!" He whispered over.
Ned far too concerned over his only friends well-being or just trying to skip whispered back to him, "duude? Are you gonna be okay? Do you wanna go home?"
Peter just shook his head, "Nah man, I-i'll be fine, probably."
After he walked away I walked over to where he got bit, seeing a half-crushed, dying spider. Without hesitation I pretended to tie my shoes and stored the spider into my Storage. Thankfully it worked, my Storage could store living things, but only if they were unconscious.
Spider Super Serum acquired… now I just gotta check to see if it's a Peter Parker genetic exclusive.
The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful, but made entertaining as I watched Peter slowly begin to loose his shit, a cold sweat building over his skin. At some point a teacher told him to go home and rest cause something was clearly off with the boy.
After he and Ned left there wasn't much else for me to do, except loiter. The X-gang wasn't even here to bother me, having skipped the trip like a bunch of cool kids.
—
The next two weeks flew by in a flurry. Peter had grown incredibly reclusive, to the extent of avoiding his only friend and even his crush. It was only a matter of time before he'd don the onesie and Spider-Man was born.
…wait, is Uncle Ben still alive?
At the thought an odd feeling fluttered through my stomach. He was a man destined to die, the catalyst for Spider-Man's eventual rise to Hero-dom.
I knew that… yet could I let an innocent man die like that? As much as Peter Parker was destined to be a superhero at the moment, he was just a kid like me.
Fuck...
It was going to happen soon, but when? It was never explained in detail how Ben died in the MCU, was it the same as the older movies? Shot and killed in a mugging.
I needed more information, and what better way than to take it from the source.
Taking a page out of Jean's book I began trying to read Peters mind through the Force, nothing serious, as my abilities didn't extend that far, at least not with more in-depth training. Just surface thoughts, a word here and there, coupled with his surface emotions that rippled through the Force.
Which was mostly anxiety, nervousness, fear, and excitement all mixed into a mess of a budding superhero.
I kept doing this every time we shared a class, his Spider-sense none the wiser as I wasn't at all trying to harm him.
Then, after nearly a week of Force-probing I finally heard the words I was looking for.
'$3000!', 'Cage-fight', 'Bonesaw!'
—
I called Mike to let him know I was busy, using upcoming exams as an excuse. Though the man couldn't care less, 'Your money kid.'
Then, I stalked Peter Parker.
From a distance of course, and primarily through the Force. I didn't want to get too close and set-off his Spider-tingle.
I sat in a cafe near his house, catching glimpses of older looking Aunt May and a similarly older looking Ben.
As the sun set I spied a terribly dressed Spider-Man sneak out of Peter's house. Climbing along the walls somewhat awkwardly.
Still not fully used to his powers I see.
I watched as he leapt and parkour'd his way through the city, flipping and climbing from rooftop to rooftop.
Still no webslingers either.
I didn't follow him.
Why?
Because I wasn't trying to save Spider-Man.
After what felt like an eternity I finally saw Uncle Ben leave the house and get into his car. I let out a sigh of relief, seeing fate begin to play out before my very eyes.
It was pretty easy to follow the man as he slowly cruised through Queens. I kept to the rooftops, making liberal use of Force enhanced Dashes and leaps as I tracked Ben's dark-green Cadillac.
I watched as he stopped outside an empty convenience store before leaving his car and entering.
There.
I saw another man, sketchy, in every sense of the word. Ragged hair, dirty clothes, and if that wasn't enough the Force practically screamed out his nefarious intentions.
Within the blink of an eye my outfit changed. My T-shirt and jeans replaced with a black ski-mask, turtle neck, cargo pants and boots.
With a deep breath I casually stepped off the three-story residential building, the air whistling pass my ears as I fell. Mere meters before I hit the ground I pulled on the Force, using it to arrest my momentum before touching down with a barely audible thump.
I watched as the would-be murderer entered the convenience store, right as Ben began to pay for a couple beers. His voice boomed in the tiny store, his hand wrapped around a Glock-17.
"GIVE ME ALL YOU GOT OR I'LL PUT A FUCKIN BULLET IN YOUR HEADS!"
Ben and the poor small asian lady manning the cashier froze in shock. The barrel of the gun bearing down on them like the sword of Damocles.
For a moment, there was a flicker of determination in Ben's eyes, some dumb sense of responsibility and duty. He steeled himself, his old muscles tensing, the will to fight blossoming in his veins until he —
*WHAM!
Out of nowhere I appeared, shooting through the door of the convenience store faster than any of them could process. The Force coursed through me, empowering a devastating right hook as I simultaneously Force grabbed the gun, yanking it upwards as it fired off wildly.
The asian lady and Ben screamed as a bullet tore into the ceiling, the robber in a state of confusion as he felt his hand moving against his will, until his face suddenly exploded with pain.
My Force empowered fist sunk into his temple, sending him careening into a nearby shelf.
He was out like a light.
For a moment everyone was too stunned to speak. I used their confusion to move swiftly, grabbing the robbers gun and wallet before turning to Ben and growling out a command.
"Call 911."
Before he could respond I ran out of the store and back into the night, storing the gun and wallet into my Storage.
Mission accomplished.
The consequences of my actions weighed on me heavily the next day. How badly was this going to mess with the timeline? Will Spider-man cease? Will Peter not learn that with great power comes great responsibility?
It wasn't until I saw Peter the next day that I was able to relax. I didn't read his mind or anything, as there was no longer a reason to, but through the Force I could feel his overwhelming sense relief, thankfulness and hope.
Was this why superheroes did what they did? It was addicting to say the least — not that I planned to be a Hero mind you.
With Ben still alive and kicking, and Peter slowing embracing his identity as Spider-man, I was able to fully focus on my training again.
—
Another week went by and I have finally finished my foundational readings. I sought out Tao, finding her laid back reading a book sipping on some honey'd tea.
"Oh, Thorne, what can I do for you?" She said still reclined on a comfy conjure couch.
"I'm done with my readings and feel ready to move onto the next step." Tao's brow quirked, surprised at my claims.
"Impressive, I estimated at least a couple months, yet here you are, only two weeks later. Does TheForce help you learn?"
I nodded, smiling at how easily she was able to figure out my capabilities. "Yeah, I can enter a sort of Trance that helps me read and retain significantly."
"How lovely, well — I guess there's no reason to wait." With the snap of her fingers the room changed, the couches vanished and the floor extended, rippling into a larger dojo as if passed by some transmutation demon.
With another snap a pile of books appeared by her feet and I couldn't help but groan.
Tao chuckled, "Don't worry Thorne, these are spell books, it won't just be theory this time. Your focus will be split between three things, Eldritch Conjuration, Portal Creation, as well as joining the rest of you fellow students to learn a number of basic spells. You can also use this time to explore others spells, I've told Wong that you're free to access the library — just don't fall behind."
The first ever spell I was to learn was a simple Eldritch Construct, a barrier or shield, depending on how you used it. It took the form of a mandala, fizzling with golden-orange energy that gave off both light and warmth. All the magic using home dimensional energies (Universal energies) manifested in similar fiery displays.
It was surprisingly easy. All you had to do was couple intent with will, and surrender yourself to allow the magical energies to flow through you.
The feeling was eerily similar to channeling the Force, though a whole lot less… natural. As if the energy was more reluctant to answer my whims, requiring more focus and mental effort to work.
It took me a single day to create a dinner-plate sized mandala, two days to dual-cast.
I began joining the morning trainings with a number of other students, most older than me by a couple years. We went through kata-like forms, drawing Eldritch lines in space over and over, forming then collapsing our conjurations.
I had to choose three weapon constructs to focus and master, and obviously I chose a sword as my first, as well as a bow and spear.
Creating solid constructs was a step-up in difficulty compared to simple barriers, as I had to not only form the complex shape, but also imbue enough energy to solidify and maintain the construct.
It took an entire week just to get a sword that didn't shatter immediately, another week for it to gain the strength of brittle wood, and a third week for it to reach iron-like durability.
Despite the hiccups and reduction in learning speed, I was thoroughly enamored every step of the way. The fiery golden long-sword weighed next to nothing, and left awesome after-images in its wake when coupled with my Force Amplified swings.
It still took me over five seconds to cast my Eldritch Sword, but that would reduce with both time and practice.
My portal creation practice was in contrast a grueling endeavor. Trying to open a hole in and through space was far easier said than done. Yet I was still thankful that Tao didn't throw me onto Everest like she did for Strange. Even three weeks later I still struggled to form a proper portal, the revolving snake of Eldritch energy dissipating right at the cusp of formation each time.
GAH!! If only manipulating Eldritch Energies was a easy as using the goddamn Force…
Wait a minute.
I suddenly paused in the midst of my sling ring practice, receiving a stern look from Master Mordo.
"Something wrong Disciple Thorne?"
My eyes were wide open, as if I'd seen a ghost.
"I—I need to talk to The Ancient One!" I said a little too excitedly.
Mordo gave me a confused look. "You can surely wait until after practice. Now continue! See past the world before you~"
Right after practice I went straight to Tao, finding her reading a newspaper, which was a funny sight since Tao could literally peer into the future.
"Thorne, back so soon? Have you hit a wall already?"
I shook my head. "No master, I… I honestly have a dumb idea." I admitted.
Tao tilted her head, placing the newspaper down beside her cup of tea. "A dumb idea you say? Well, now you have my attention."
"Do you think it's possible for me to use the Force as an energy source to fuel my magic?"
Tao went silent for a moment, before shrugging. "I don't see why not, though I'm happy you consulted me beforehand, shall we give it a try?"
Within seconds the room transformed into a dojo. Tao commanded me to start with a simple barrier.
With closed eyes I felt the Force flowing through me. I purposely ignored the presence of our home dimension and its warm and fiery Eldritch energy.
With focus I willed the Force to take its place, feeling it move along my arms in ways I had never felt before.
For some reason I expected it to be hard. That my dumb idea had no merit, that the Force was just incompatible with the mystic arts…
But it just worked, and it was stupidly easy.
Both me and Tao stared dumbly at the barrier I had created.
It manifested as molten-glass, a shimmering compressed force that hummed instead of burned.
"T-that was easy?" I said aloud. Tao slowly nodded as even she was surprised.
"It seems like my previous thoughts were correct, your Force acts very much like its own unique energy, likely channeled from your Spatial Storage. How fascinating, try and conjure a weapon."
I nodded, dismissing the mandala into nigh-invisible ripples of force.
I slapped a fist to my palm and channeled the form into my hands. With little resistance I began to pull my fist away, pulling an intangible long-sword out from my palm. The sword pulled free with ease, its form already more solid than its Eldritch counterpart.
Tao snapped her fingers, a wooden practice dummy appearing before me. I didn't need to ask to know what to do next.
*VHMM!
I slashed my Force blade through the dummy, feeling a smidgen of resistance as the blade carved through the transmuted wood like a hot knife through butter.
The noise alone sent shivers down my spine. A low basal hum following in the swords wake.
"Wow…" I muttered.
"Wow indeed, this… is unlike anything I've ever seen. Tell me, do you feel any sort of discomfort or exhaustion?"
I thought for a moment, inwardly feeling my body. "Maybe a little mental fatigue, but nothing too crazy, it's a lot better than the exhaustion I'd feel if I used our home dimension's energy."
"As to be expected… do you have your sling ring on you?" She asked from behind a veil of anticipation.
I nodded, pulling my sling ring from my pocket. I slipped the ring onto my fingers while trying to steady my excited heart.
Holy fuck please work!
With careful, deliberate gestures I began to circle the sling ring in space, the mental image of my apartment at the forefront of my mind.
There was no sound, no fiery sparks of energy — for a moment I didn't think it was working.
Then I heard a soft hum, a faint whisper like the purring of a space cat.
The air before me began to twist, the fabric of space splitting open to reveal a dirty and cramped studio. The edges of the portal were similar to shimmering molten-glass, the same texture as the Force Sword.
I turned to Tao, meeting her silvery eyes, my mouth twitched and I let out a chuckle, my head tilting back into a full-on villain laugh — Tao smirked, laughing softly to herself, shaking her head in disbelief.
"You should really clean more often." She said looking into my bedroom/kitchen/living room.
I scoffed, wiling the portal to close."Yeah, well, I've been busy Master, y'know with all this~" I said waving my hand as the portal silently vanished.
She clicked her tongue at me like a disappointed mother. "tsk tsk tsk, magic is not an excuse to live like a blind hermit. Come, I'll teach you my favorite house-keeping spells!"