Shadow of the Ghost

Harry left after dinner.

Bren had originally planned to help Aunt May with the dishes, but Peter dragged him into his room instead.

"What's up?"

"I didn't expect to see Harry again today. I haven't seen him in so long," Peter said cheerfully, stretching. He had thoroughly enjoyed himself playing games all afternoon.

"I've almost finished my suit. I was wondering, do you want to make one too?" Peter asked. "Maybe you're not planning to be a superhero like me, but I think you'd love the feeling of swinging between the skyscrapers of New York. It would be awesome!"

Bren had initially planned to refuse, but hearing Peter's suggestion, trying it out didn't seem like such a bad idea after all.

Who could resist swinging through the city like Spider-Man?

"Alright, I'll take one," Bren said, grabbing a piece of paper and pulling it out. "This one will do, but make sure you change the colors. I need to add some personal flair."

Bren chose a high-end suit. In addition to the classic red and blue color scheme, the suit looked as if it was covered with a layer of bones.

"Alright, give me your watch," Peter nodded, reaching for Bren's old, worn-out watch.

Bren immediately jerked his hand back, startled. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to turn it into a web-shooter. I don't have any extra watches left to modify," Peter said matter-of-factly.

The web-shooter Peter was holding had been made from an old watch and looked a bit cheap.

"No need," Bren said, shaking his hand. "I'll take care of the web-shooter myself." He turned to leave for his room. "By the way—"

"What?"

"I don't think Liz is right for you," Bren pointed to the blonde girl on Peter's computer screen.

Bren didn't even know where to begin with his younger brother's taste in women.

Liz was pretty enough, but she was too arrogant and snobbish. She would never look twice at "inconspicuous Peter."

But from another angle, at least Peter's taste wasn't completely off. He didn't seem to be interested in "Black Pig Leia," at least.

Peter scowled and shut off his computer, pushing Bren out of his room.

"Anyway, I'm heading out for a walk tonight. I was going to invite you, but unfortunately, your suit isn't ready yet, so don't blame me."

Click.

Peter slammed the door shut.

Bren didn't expect Peter to be so smooth with words even without the suit, but it seemed Spider-Man's powers had given him a lot of confidence.

That wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Peter used to be so insecure, but now, seeing this change, Bren couldn't help but feel happy for him.

Nighttime.

Lying in bed pretending to sleep, Bren heard a faint sound coming from the next room.

Then, a shadow crept along the wall.

Peter, filled with excitement and anticipation, glanced into Bren's room. Seeing that Bren seemed to be already lying in bed and asleep, he let out a slight sigh of disappointment.

He had been planning to show off his suit to Bren!

"Well, there'll be another time," he muttered.

"The first day of being Spider-Man, I guarantee tonight will be exciting!" Peter clenched his fist, motivating himself. Then, with a swift leap, he pressed the button on his web-shooter, sending himself flying into the night.

Not long after he left, Bren, who had been pretending to sleep, opened his eyes. He walked to the window and looked out at Peter swinging away. Then, he glanced down at his watch.

He planned to secretly follow Peter.

Part of it was out of concern for Peter's safety, but another part of him wanted to verify something.

"After I became Heatblast last time, my strength seemed to improve a little, but I didn't inherit the spider-sense."

He recalled the last battle with Tony, specifically the time Tony had ambushed him. The spider-sense hadn't activated, but his spider powers had enhanced his strength, allowing him to pierce the shell of the Ark Reactor.

"Spider-sense is always hit or miss. That coincidence doesn't prove much."

If he really wanted to test it, he'd have to transform and walk around in front of Peter to see if they could sense each other.

He already had an idea:

"For tracking, Heatblast or Glide Kong would be best."

He pressed the button on the old, worn-out watch, and the face popped up, revealing a twisted, elongated pattern within a triangle.

"Ghost Shadow?"

Bren froze. His hand, hovering above the watch, was uncertain whether to press it or not.

The Ghost Shadow was a species of Ik'terian, a creature that resembled a ghost. Though classified as a lifeform with DNA, the Ghost Shadow lacked biological instincts, making it more like a deceased entity than a living one.

What was even more frightening was that the DNA inside the watch came from Jiska, who had willingly given her DNA to Azmuth, hiding her consciousness within it.

In the original story, she later broke free of the Omnitrix's control and became a fierce villain.

This was why Bren was somewhat reluctant to transform into Ghost Shadow.

"But even if I leave it alone, Ghost Shadow might disrupt the Omnitrix and cause trouble," Bren thought, recalling how Ghost Shadow in the animation had even partially controlled the watch. He began to worry. "I might as well take this opportunity to see what state it's in."

With that thought, Bren pressed the watch's core.

In the next moment, his hands transformed into sharp, scythe-like claws, and his entire body shifted into a new form.

He became a floating, ghostly figure wrapped in white cloth, with no legs and a body covered in cracks, his lone, terrifying eye roamed in the torn gaps.

"This is Ghost Shadow…"

His voice now sounded eerie and sinister.

"This feels pretty good. I'm still myself," Bren said, looking down at his hands. He could feel complete control over this new body, meaning for now, he didn't have to worry about Jiska's consciousness causing chaos.

Not only that, he felt like he was connected to an endless core of energy, drawing power from the night itself, never tiring.

The darker it was, the stronger the Ik'terian became!

"I could probably lift a truck weighing several tons!"

The immense power flowing through his body felt incredible!

So much so that he almost wanted to tear off the annoying layer of skin covering his body and reveal his true Ghost Shadow form!

But he knew that wasn't wise.

And he wasn't fully at ease yet, because the Ghost Shadow's body didn't seem to have any chains restraining it. No one could guarantee that it was entirely safe.

"I'll go find Peter first."

He became intangible, passing through the wall effortlessly, and then floated in the direction Peter had gone. It didn't take long for him to catch up.

At times, he was barely three meters behind Peter.

Yet neither of them seemed to sense each other as they had before.

"Looks like transforming into an alien has diluted my spider genes."

Once he understood this, Bren didn't feel like staying near Peter anymore.

All night long, Peter had been picking fights with street thugs, babbling on endlessly, his words making Bren's head spin. He'd never seen anyone talk so much in his life.

"I didn't know this guy could talk so much."

Bren clutched his head and fled into the night.

Let Peter have his fun. It was time for Bren to enjoy his own night.