Ch.137 Vini's Past

Under the cover of night, Peter Parker weaved through the streets and alleys of New York City.

Following the instructions Vini had given him, he had buried all four boxes at the designated spots.

These four locations were due East, West, South, and North.

For an entire day, he had been rushing across the city, guided by the markers on the boxes.

Finally, by nightfall, he had successfully buried all four boxes.

Though he didn't understand why these particular spots were chosen, Peter Parker didn't ask questions.

Everyone has their own secrets.

Moreover, Vini had explained that burying the boxes was necessary to prevent Ronan from escaping.

For Peter Parker, bringing Aunt May back to life was his greatest wish at that moment.

After completing these tasks, Peter Parker snuck into the morgue and secretly stole May Parker's body.

This action scared off a man working the night shift at the funeral home.

Another family lost their breadwinner.

After all, what could be more terrifying than a corpse mysteriously vanishing at midnight?

Having done all this, Peter Parker found Vini's hideout.

No, it couldn't really be called a hideout.

Because Vini openly lived right across from Avengers Tower.

When she saw Peter Parker again, a bright smile spread across her face.

"I've finished the task you gave me."

"This is May's body. I trust you'll keep your promise?"

Peter Parker placed May Parker's body on a bed and quietly watched Vini.

May Parker's body had been carefully prepared, with even the wounds stitched up.

However, necrotic spots had already appeared on her body.

"Don't worry, I can feel the power gathering around us."

"Bring out May Parker's soul."

Vini was quite satisfied with Peter Parker.

All the groundwork had been laid; now they just had to wait for Ronan to surface.

Peter Parker took out the crystal ball Vini had given him earlier. Inside, he could faintly see May Parker's soul, eyes tightly closed.

"Aunt May..."

"I'm here to save you."

Looking at May Parker, sleeping inside the crystal ball, Peter Parker pressed his lips together.

He handed the crystal ball to Vini, watching her nervously.

Vini ignored Peter Parker's anxious gaze, turning instead to the bed, where May Parker lay lifeless.

She raised her hands slightly, then let them go.

The crystal ball, containing May Parker's soul, floated mid-air.

As Vini swiftly formed hand seals, one by one, black runes appeared in the air.

Suddenly, the lights in the room flickered.

Seeing the sudden change, Peter Parker tensed up.

His eyes scanned the room, fearing an unseen enemy might appear.

The scene reminded him of when Electro left, causing the building's power to fluctuate.

"Relax, this is normal."

"After all, reviving someone—"

Vini's hands danced in the air.

The black runes shifted with her movements, repositioning themselves.

A power Peter Parker had never felt before gathered at Vini's fingertips.

Inside the crystal ball, May Parker's soul slowly floated out.

May Parker's soul hovered above her body, gently descending.

As the soul merged with the body, Vini acted.

"It's not that simple!"

As she finished speaking, Vini pressed her hands down forcefully.

The black runes poured into May Parker's body like rivets, anchoring her soul firmly within.

As light erupted, the wounds on May Parker's body visibly began to heal.

The entire process lasted ten minutes.

When the runes vanished, Vini lowered her hands.

The room's lights returned to normal.

"Is it done?"

Peter Parker swallowed nervously, looking at Vini.

Vini took a deep breath and nodded at Peter Parker.

"Yes, but there are a few things you should know."

"First, she'll wake up in ten minutes. When she does, she won't remember dying, only that she was seriously injured."

"How you explain the process is up to you."

"After she wakes, her body and soul won't be fully aligned, so she'll feel weak."

"This is normal."

"In three days, she'll regain full mobility."

Vini, like a caring doctor, explained the situation to Peter Parker.

He nodded repeatedly.

All his hopes rested on Vini now.

Temporary weakness didn't matter. Even if Aunt May ended up paralyzed, Peter Parker would take care of her.

As long as she was alive.

"Oh, if she experiences memory confusion, that's normal too."

"People often have new memories after coming back to life."

Vini casually added this as she left.

Peter Parker, absorbed in May Parker's condition, simply nodded along.

Seeing his fixation, Vini narrowed her eyes and walked out.

The next ten minutes felt like an eternity for Peter Parker.

He stood by May Parker's bedside, anxiously waiting.

Exactly ten minutes later, May Parker began to open her eyes, just as Vini had said.

"Where... am I?"

May Parker instinctively raised her arm to block the light overhead.

But she quickly realized she lacked the strength.

"Aunt May, it's me, Peter."

"You're somewhere safe."

Hearing May Parker's voice again, Peter Parker nearly lost his composure.

But he restrained himself. He couldn't let May Parker know the truth.

"Peter? Is that you?"

May Parker turned toward the voice, gazing at Peter Parker's face.

Memories slowly resurfaced in her mind.

"Wasn't I..."

May Parker furrowed her brow, trying to recall what had happened.

Peter Parker grabbed her hand, noticing the necrosis had faded.

May Parker was truly alive!

Realizing this, Peter Parker's hands trembled.

He was so overwhelmed he couldn't speak.

"It's okay, Aunt May. Everything's fine now."

"I found a great doctor. He healed you."

Peter Parker almost said "brought you back to life."

He had to keep the truth hidden.

If May Parker learned she had died, it might scare her.

Better to keep it a secret.

"Healed? But I feel so weak."

May Parker's voice sounded faint.

"That's normal. The doctor said it's a side effect of the new treatment."

"The therapy prioritizes wound healing over strength."

Peter Parker explained hastily.

All of this was just his fabrication, to keep May Parker from becoming suspicious.

As long as he successfully deceived May Parker this time, no one would mention this matter to her in the future.

Because Vini had promised Peter Parker that after everything was over, she would help him cast the forgetting spell.

Those who knew Peter Parker was Spider-Man, and those who experienced last night's events, would forget all related memories.

So, after Ronan was killed, everything would return to how it was at the beginning.

"Look at you, all anxious."

"Did I ask too many questions?"

May Parker looked at Peter Parker with motherly love in her eyes, especially when she saw the sweat on his forehead.

Hearing this, Peter Parker shook his head repeatedly.

For some reason, his eyes were already filled with tears.

This wasn't a dream. This was all real!

Aunt May had truly escaped the grip of death and returned to his side.

Only after confirming that May Parker was really fine did Peter Parker slightly forgive himself for the mistakes he had made before.

In the past twenty hours or so, he had spent almost every moment in regret.

Now, he had finally made up for his regret.

"Silly child, am I not fine? Why are you crying?"

"Don't cry. You're already a man, don't shed tears so easily."

May Parker wanted to reach out to wipe the tears from Peter Parker's face, but she couldn't lift her hand.

Peter Parker quickly wiped away his tears, trying to stabilize his emotions.

"You're right, Aunt May."

"I'm already an adult. I need to learn to be strong."

"But I still need you to tell me more about my uncle and my father."

Peter Parker revealed a bright smile.

When May Parker heard him mention his uncle and father, she also smiled.

Unknowingly, she had raised Peter Parker to adulthood.

In some ways, she had truly lived up to her husband's expectations.

"By the way, Peter, the doctor you found must be very expensive, right?"

"If you need money, go home and take it out. The password is…"

At this moment, May Parker finally thought about the money.

She had always known that medical costs in America were very expensive. Many people were afraid to even call an ambulance when they were sick.

Because just one call could cost several hundred dollars.

Not to mention, the person who treated her severe injuries.

The money required must be considerable.

She only worried now that there wasn't enough money at home.

Peter Parker still needed to go to college, and they needed to set aside tuition fees.

Given Peter Parker's current situation, even if a university accepted him, he probably wouldn't receive any scholarships.

So, going to college would require a lot of money.

"It's okay, Aunt May. You don't need to worry about that."

"Your treatment this time was free."

Peter Parker quickly reassured May Parker.

He also knew that the family's financial situation wasn't great and there weren't many savings.

"Free?"

"Did you promise someone something?"

May Parker immediately became wary.

She knew that "free" often came at the highest cost.

Given Peter Parker's personality, he might have really made a deal to "sell himself" in order to save her.

Such a deal could mean letting himself be taken to some lab to be studied and have his blood drawn.

This was something May Parker couldn't accept.

"Don't worry, Aunt May. It's not what you're thinking."

"They want to eliminate a murderous monster who harms innocent lives."

"And they need my power, so we made this exchange."

Peter Parker knew what May Parker was thinking because she had told him many times to never let himself get caught.

Otherwise, he would face endless experiments.

"A murderous monster?"

May Parker questioned.

"Yes, someone named Ronan."

"He has done countless evil deeds and killed many lives."

"So, I also have a responsibility to take him down."

Peter Parker nodded and said Ronan's name.

When May Parker heard the name "Ronan," she frowned slightly.

Because the name sounded very familiar.

As if…

She had heard it somewhere before.

"Ronan. Ronan…"

"Wasn't Ronan one of the people who fought against Thanos with you?"

"I think you told me about it."

Suddenly, May Parker remembered where she had heard it.

It was from her nephew Peter Parker.

"Him?"

"Fought with us against Thanos?"

Peter Parker froze for a moment but quickly shook his head.

"Aunt May, you might be mistaken. I don't recall ever knowing someone named Ronan."

"There's no way he fought with us against Thanos."

"He's a bad guy, a master of deception. He even tricked Mr. Strange."

Peter Parker searched his memory but found nothing about Ronan.

On the contrary, because of Vini's hint, he thought May Parker might have experienced "memory confusion."

However, he didn't know that May Parker's memory was the real one.

Even Mr. Fantastic couldn't have anticipated that his forgetting spell would one day fail.

Of course, this was not his fault.

Most of Kamar-Taj's spells work only on the living and have no effect on the dead.

May Parker was an exception among exceptions.

She had died but come back to life.

Thus, the Kamar-Taj forgetting spell had failed.

"Really?"

"Why do I remember it differently?"

May Parker shook her head. She felt like something was off.

But she was too weak now, and even if she wanted to think, she had no strength to argue with Peter Parker.

"All right, Aunt May, don't think about these things anymore."

"What you need now is to rest."

Peter Parker patted May Parker's arm and stood up from his chair.

Seeing him about to leave, May Parker seemed to remember something.

"You're going to…"

Peter Parker smiled and nodded, saying, "I need to make up for my mistakes first, Aunt May."

"Rest well, I'll be back soon."

After speaking, he picked up the mask on the table and put it on again.

Seeing Peter Parker transform into Spider-Man, May Parker smiled.

"Go on, do what you need to do."

As she finished speaking, the two nodded at each other. Peter Parker pulled open the nearby window and jumped out.

Feeling the cold wind blowing in from the window, May Parker couldn't help but shiver slightly.

She gradually calmed down from the initial excitement.

"Ronan."

"Why do I feel like I don't remem—"

However, before she could finish saying "ber," a wave of exhaustion washed over her.

May Parker involuntarily fell asleep.

At that moment, Vini slowly walked in from the doorway.

As she walked further into the room, the entire space gradually darkened, as if swallowed by darkness.

She looked at the unconscious May Parker and gently tapped her right hand.

On May Parker's body, the corpse spots that had disappeared reappeared once again.

"Seven days."

"Peter, I've given you seven more days to reunite with your loved one."

"Thinking about it, your situation is much better than mine was back then."

As she spoke, Vini's gaze grew distant.

She seemed to return to that time.

In her universe, there was also an alien invasion of New York.

Like this universe, the superheroes defeated the invading aliens and restored peace to Earth.

Just when everyone thought life would settle down, something even more terrifying appeared the next day.

A dark creature far scarier than the aliens suddenly emerged on Earth, plunging the planet into boundless darkness.

During that incident, Vini lost her parents.

After losing them, she was saved by a sorcerer from Kamar-Taj, who took her to Kamar-Taj.

At that time, the Sorcerer Supreme of Kamar-Taj sacrificed his life to drive the dark creature from Earth.

Even so, one-third of humanity perished.

What was more terrifying was that the creature's arrival caused many to become dark followers, pledging allegiance to the Dark Dimension.

Another civil war erupted within Earth.

It was during that time that Vini, once an ordinary person, gradually grew into a sorcerer of Kamar-Taj.

As she battled dark creatures, she grew stronger and, after a few years, became Kamar-Taj's most talented sorcerer.

Through constant battle, she not only improved her strength but ultimately became the Sorcerer Supreme.

When she became the Sorcerer Supreme, she finally understood everything.

The terrifying dark creature was called Dormammu, the lord of the Dark Dimension, an unbeatable existence.

Although she didn't know how the previous Sorcerer Supreme drove Dormammu away, Vini knew she couldn't do it.

Moreover, Vini learned the origin of everything.

In their world, the Time Stone suddenly disappeared, causing the defensive spell set by Kamar-Taj to fail.

The spell's failure led to a breach in Earth's defenses against the Dark Dimension, allowing Dormammu to invade through that breach.

No one knew why the Time Stone disappeared.

Thus, Vini, understanding the truth, continued to fight the darkness as the Sorcerer Supreme.

This situation persisted for over twenty years.

Until, after twenty years, the forces of darkness on Earth were gradually eradicated, and humanity was on the verge of victory.

But just as they stormed the last dark stronghold, they fell into a trap.

In the end, all the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj, except Vini, became sacrifices to the dark followers.

The one summoned by the sacrifice was none other than Dormammu!

The nightmare of humanity from twenty years ago returned once more.

This time, humanity had no defenses left. Even the superheroes who gave their lives could not stop Dormammu's invasion.

Dormammu swept through Earth, devouring it into the Dark Dimension.

Humanity became slaves of the Dark Dimension.

At that time, Vini was captured by Dormammu and learned the full truth from him.

Their universe was a branch of another parallel universe.

The reason for the branching was because someone took the Time Stone two days later than originally intended.

For those two days, Earth had no Time Stone, creating a new timeline.

This new timeline gave birth to Vini's universe.

That was why Vini's universe ultimately fell to darkness.

From Dormammu's words, Vini learned who took the Time Stone.

Ronan!

At that moment, Dormammu offered Vini a deal.

If she could bring Ronan to Dormammu, even if it was just his corpse, Dormammu would spare Vini's Earth.

He would let them return to their previous lives.

He even promised to resurrect Vini's parents and restore her peaceful life.

A cold wind blew.

Vini's distant gaze gradually returned to normal.

She looked down at the sleeping May Parker and gently tapped her right hand. A black rune merged once again into May Parker's body.

"You have to taste sweetness to doubt your choices."

"Ronan."

"Knowing your personality, you probably despise self-righteous people like this."

"The irony is, so do I."

"But being killed by someone you despise must be quite the experience, right?"