Rebirth Of the Phantom Web

Peter sat on the edge of the rooftop, his legs dangling over the side as he watched the city below. The faint glow of streetlights painted the streets of Queens in a soft, amber hue. Cars honked, people shouted, and the occasional siren wailed in the distance. To everyone down there, it was just another ordinary night.

But to Peter, this was anything but ordinary.

His hands trembled slightly as he stared at them. Golden streaks of energy sparked and crackled across his fingertips, fading as quickly as they appeared. The Speedforce. It was the name that came to him from memories of a world that wasn't supposed to exist here—a world he knew only from comics. How was it possible? Why did he, of all people, end up in Peter Parker's body, with powers that didn't belong in this universe?

Peter clenched his fists, the sparks vanishing as he focused. He didn't have answers, but one thing was clear: the Speedforce wasn't going away. If anything, it was growing stronger. And with it came questions he couldn't ignore.

He took a deep breath, his gaze shifting to the city skyline. "Alright," he muttered to himself. "If I've got these powers, I might as well learn how to use them."

TESTING THE SPEED FORCE

Artur spent the next few nights testing the limits of his new abilities. He returned to the abandoned warehouse, where he had first discovered the sparks of electricity. The space was perfect—secluded, spacious, and the right place for Peter to begin his training in a secure place.

The first thing he noticed was how naturally the Speedforce flowed through him. It wasn't like the spider-powers, which felt instinctual and reactive. The Speedforce was… alive. It buzzed beneath his skin, responding to his emotions and his will. When he focused, time seemed to slow around him, his movements becoming a blur of speed.

He started small, sprinting across the warehouse. The world around him blurred as he pushed himself faster and faster, his feet barely touching the ground. A trail of golden light followed him, illuminating the dark space.

Then he tried something riskier. He climbed onto a stack of crates, leaped off, and used his speed to propel himself forward before he hit the ground. The air whipped past his face, and for a moment, he felt weightless, like he was flying.

But the more he pushed himself, the more unstable the Speedforce became. Sparks of lightning danced across the floor, burning scorch marks into the concrete. One particularly strong surge sent a crate flying across the room, shattering it into splinters.

Peter froze, his heart racing. The destruction reminded him of how dangerous these powers could be. "I need to control this," he muttered, staring at the damage he'd caused. "If I lose control out there… someone could get hurt."

A Warning from the Shadows

The next day, Peter walked into Midtown High with a plan. He would keep his head down, avoid any unnecessary attention, and focus on figuring out the Speedforce in his free time. But life as Peter Parker was never that simple.

As he walked to his locker, he noticed Gwen Stacy standing nearby, talking animatedly with a group of friends. She glanced in his direction, her eyes lighting up with recognition. "Hey, Peter!" she called, waving him over.

Artur hesitated, his heart skipping a beat. Gwen was… different. She wasn't just the beautiful, confident girl he remembered from the comics. There was an intelligence in her eyes, a sharpness that made him feel like she could see right through him.

"Uh, hey," he said awkwardly, walking over. "What's up?"

"We're working on the science fair project after school today," she said. "You didn't forget, did you?"

Peter blinked. "Science fair project?"

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "You volunteered to help last week, remember? Something about extra credit?"

"Oh, right," Peter said quickly, mentally kicking himself. "Of course. I'll be there."

She smiled, and for a moment, Peter felt a flicker of hope. Maybe this was a chance to rewrite Peter's story—to change the outcome that had always haunted him.

But the moment was interrupted by the faint tingle of his spider-sense. It wasn't strong, just a subtle buzz at the back of his neck, but it was enough to make him look around. The hallway seemed normal—students chatting, lockers slamming shut—but something felt… off.

"Peter?" Gwen asked, her smile fading. "You okay?"

Peter forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just… tired."

But as he walked to his next class, he couldn't shake the feeling that something—or someone—was watching him.

THE CHASE

That night, Artur patrolled the city as Spider-Man. The streets were unusually quiet, and the faint tingle of his spider-sense lingered like an itch he couldn't scratch. He swung from rooftop to rooftop, his mind racing with thoughts of the Speedforce and the strange sense of unease that had followed him all day.

As he landed on a building overlooking a dark alley, his spider-sense flared sharply. He turned just in time to see a Masked figure dart into the shadows below. It was quick—too quick for a normal person.

"Alright," Peter muttered, crouching on the edge of the rooftop. "Let's see who's following me."

He leaped into the alley, landing silently on the ground. The figure was gone, but faint scorch marks on the pavement caught his eye—marks that looked eerily similar to the ones his Speedforce had left in the warehouse.

Before he could investigate further, a blur of motion shot past him, and his spider-sense screamed in warning. He spun around, his reflexes kicking in just in time to dodge a streak of golden lightning that crashed into the wall behind him.

"Who the hell are you?" Peter demanded, his voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through him.

The figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing a tall, lean man in a black suit crackling with electricity. His face was obscured by a mask, but his eyes glowed with an intense golden light.

"You're playing with forces you don't understand," the masked man said, his voice low and threatening. "The Speedforce doesn't belong here. And neither do you."

Peter tensed, his mind racing. "You know about the Speedforce?"

The man didn't answer. Instead, he raised a hand, and a surge of lightning shot toward Peter. He dodged it with a burst of speed, his movements a blur as he fired a web at the man's chest.

The man dodged effortlessly, his movements just as fast. "You're not ready for this," he said, his tone cold. "If you don't stop, you'll destroy everything."

Before Peter could respond, the man disappeared in a flash of golden light, leaving only the scorch marks behind.

A NEW MISSION

Artur stood in the alley, his breath coming in short gasps. The encounter had shaken him, but it also gave him a sense of clarity. Whoever that man was, he wasn't just a random stranger. He knew about the Speedforce—and he thought Artur was a threat.

Artur clenched his fists, the sparks of golden lightning crackling faintly around them. "If I'm going to figure this out," he said to himself, "I need to get stronger. Faster. Better."

The road ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear: his life as Peter Parker—and as Spider-Man—was about to get a whole lot more complicated.

(End of Chapter 2)