[Third Person's PoV]
The Watcher took the stones and tucked them into his robes. With a wave of his hand, the scene around them began to shift.
In an instant, everyone found themselves back inside the bar, far away from the desolate battlefield.
"The entire Multiverse owes you all a debt of gratitude," the Watcher said.
Faint smiles curled on everyone's lips.
"But your world will never know this victory," he continued, as the bar doors behind him began to slowly unravel, revealing a blinding radiance of light. "Once you walk through that door, you'll return to the exact moment you left."
The Guardians of the Multiverse exchanged glances before beginning to make their way toward the light.
Thor gave Peter a firm pat on the shoulder. "Although our meeting was brief, I'm going to miss you, my thunder brother."
Peter opened his mouth, but before he could respond, Thor stepped into the light and vanished.
Spider-Man's team looked at one another. Peter gestured toward the doorway.
"Go on ahead, guys. I'll catch up. I just need to make sure this perv doesn't keep spying on us in the future."
The Watcher let out a heavy, exasperated sigh. "I thought we already resolved that matter."
The others chuckled, recognizing Peter's antics, but they understood he wanted a private word with the Watcher. Their curiosity piqued, but they respected his wishes.
Meanwhile, the Hulk began to shrink, his monstrous form receding. With the battle officially over, Bruce collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
"Ow… being burned alive is not a feeling I want to experience again."
"What?" most of them asked in unison, their confusion obvious at the ominous statement.
Firestar looked guilty and, with Nightwing's help, helped Bruce back to his feet.
Gwen gently picked up Aria in her arms. "Make sure he knows where to keep his gaze at all times," she muttered with a smirk.
Leading the way, she stepped into the light with Aria in her arms.
One by one, the others followed. Just before walking through, Felicia paused.
"Is this what they meant by 'the light at the end of the tunnel'?" she mused, arms stretched out and eyes closed. "It seems my time has come."
MJ chuckled, watching Felicia vanish in the white glow. She lingered briefly, turning to glance back at Peter. Sensing the anxious energy radiating off him, she silently wished him luck and walked through.
Now, only four people remained in the bar: Natasha, Stephen, Peter, and the Watcher.
Peter looked up solemnly at the Watcher. "Can I have a serious word with you?"
He glanced at Natasha and Stephen apologetically. "Alone?"
Before either of them could respond, the scenery shifted once again. Peter barely had time to blink before they were standing in a room bathed in starlight, a structure suspended in what felt like the fabric of the galaxy itself—outside space and time.
"Is this really about me observing you?" the Watcher asked cautiously.
"Huh? Oh—no, I don't care if you keep watching us be heroes. That's not what I wanted to talk about."
Peter paused, contemplative. "I have a couple of questions. And I hope you'll answer them honestly."
"Of course. The savior of the Multiverse deserves at least that much," the Watcher said with a nod.
Peter hesitated, then took off his mask. Looking into the Watcher's eyes, he asked, "Just a yes or no… Do you know?"
"Do I know?" the Watcher echoed. "Are you referring to the fact that you possess knowledge of your past life?"
"Fuck," Peter muttered under his breath.
"There's no need to curse," the Watcher said with a slight smile.
"Sorry. That's just how I cope," Peter replied, ruffling his brown hair.
He rubbed his face and continued, "Alright, next question. If I was never meant to be the Spider-Totem, who was? Who was supposed to be Spider-Man in my world? Was it… Miles?"
The Watcher shook his head. "There was never supposed to be one."
"What?" Peter asked, stunned. "What do you mean?"
"Your world was always destined to exist without a Spider-Totem. It was a world fated for ruin. Spider-Man was never meant to exist there. In fact… Peter Parker was never meant to exist."
Peter's pupils shrank. The world around him seemed to freeze. A strange, crawling sensation—unlike his usual Spidey-sense—traveled up his spine and lingered at the back of his head.
"Huh? W-What do you mean Peter Parker was never meant to exist?! Was my world really supposed to be a world without Peter Parker?!"
The Watcher slowly nodded.
"Yes. In fact, Peter Parker was supposed to be… nothing more than a stillborn. A child never meant to live."
Peter stared into space, the color draining from his face. His chest rose and fell rapidly, his breathing growing more labored until he clutched his chest—specifically, the Spider-Man symbol.
He slowly crouched down, still gripping his chest, his vision blurring.
The Watcher stepped forward, worry etched into his features. "Peter?" he called, his voice laced with concern.
"Hold on…" Peter wheezed, raising a trembling hand. His breathing was rough and wheezy. "Give me a second. I think I'm having a panic attack."
One hand braced against the ground, Peter's thoughts spiraled.
'Peter Parker was never meant to be born… and yet here I am. But why? By who? Was there a reason I was never meant to exist? Or was that just the natural order of things?'
As his mind raced, one question rose above all others and repeated over and over like a drumbeat: 'Why me?'
Oddly, that single question calmed the chaos. He focused on it—'Why me?'—until his breathing began to steady. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, calming himself completely.
When he opened his eyes again, they burned with focused curiosity. He looked at the Watcher.
"Why was I reincarnated into the stillborn body of Peter Parker? And by who?"
The Watcher closed his eyes for a moment before responding, "I'm sorry… but I'm afraid even I don't know the answer. That information is obstructed from me—meaning, I'm not allowed to know. As for who did it… I'm not aware. However…" He paused. "I do have an inference, if you're curious enough to hear it."
Peter sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Of course the answer wouldn't be simple."
He sat down cross-legged on the floor, looking up at the Watcher. "Alright. It's better than nothing. Hit me. Why do you think I was chosen? I don't care who did it. If I can understand why, maybe the who will follow."
The Watcher gave a faint smile. "Well, I believe the reason is rather simple—haven't you noticed?"
"Noticed what?"
"You and the original Peter Parker… haven't you noticed how eerily similar the two of you are?"
"HUH?!" Peter blurted out in disbelief.
The Watcher chuckled softly. "I'll take that as a no. Maybe it's because of how you were raised… but you and the original Peter Parker are remarkably alike in many ways. Sometimes, it's easy to forget you're a reincarnator."
He raised a hand. "Don't misunderstand—I'm not saying the two of you are identical. You have differences, some of them quite stark. But at the core of your personality… you and he are very much the same."
The words lingered in the air before the Watcher continued, "So I believe you were brought into this world to become Peter Parker—to become Spider-Man."
Peter's eyes narrowed in confusion.
The Watcher raised a hand. "I know, I said earlier that you weren't meant to be Spider-Man. That's still true. But you were given a choice. The option was placed before you. Whether you took up the mantle or not was entirely your decision. You are… the Chosen Unofficial Spider-Man. Strange, I know."
He smiled faintly.
"But because Peter Parker was never meant to exist… he was never meant to be Spider-Man. Then you came along. A fateless Peter Parker. And you wove your own destiny. You chose to become the Spider Totem of your world… and in doing so, you saved it from destruction."
Peter flopped onto his back and covered his eyes with both hands. "Man… I'm getting a headache. This is all just… so confusing."
The Watcher chuckled. "Well, that's just my speculation. For all we know, you might've simply gotten lost in the reincarnation cycle and ended up where you weren't supposed to."
Peter shot back up. "But wait! Didn't you ask me earlier how I escaped the grasp of Fate? Didn't you say you didn't know? But you knew I was a reincarnator, right?"
"I did," the Watcher said with a thoughtful nod. "But it seems you underestimate the power of Fate. Do you truly believe your fate ends at death? No… most don't realize this, but your fate stretches across lifetimes. All of it is already predetermined."
He tilted his head slightly. "So even as a reincarnator, you should've remained under Fate's control. But you're not. And that... is where my confusion lies."
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