In the distance of a forest illuminated by the sunset...a bright blue light filled the area.
A portal.
And what came out of it? Not a person or even an animal, but a strange splotch of black ooze that crawled around almost as if it were a bug.
The portal closed behind it and the ooze was left to fend for itself...searching for something...
But what?
"And then he just called me second rate and flew off!!!" Luz cried. "GAH! He was just so...so...rude!!! I tried to help him!"
"To be fair, you needed the help against that thing." Vee said, looking over videos taken of her sister's fight with the monster. "What I'm more concerned about is where the monster came fro-"
"'Clearly your best was not enough'! I've been saving the day for weeks and this guy just flies in and tells me I'm not enough!?" Luz groaned. "I don't even care if he gets more popular than me! This isn't about popularity! It's about saving lives! And he can't even respect that I'm trying to-"
"LUZ." Vee said. "Breathe."
Luz blinked before she closed her eyes and inhaled, then exhaled. "Sorry."
"The guy's a jerk, sure, but that shouldn't matter. What should matter is that he did save people and hopefully will continue to do that." Vee said. "Besides! This could mean you could have a break from saving the day..."
Luz took a seat. "I...I guess you're not wrong. It will be kinda nice if he takes out bank robbers too. And I did need help with the monster." She sighed. "Where did that thing come from anyway? My Spider-Sense wasn't even working."
Vee turned. "Spider-Sense?"
"That's what I'm calling my nifty little sixth sense! Y'know, warns me whenever something dangerous is gonna happen!" Luz said. "But with the monster and everything it was doing...it didn't ring. But when I suddenly got hit in the stomach with air, it did ring!"
Vee hummed. "Maybe it's just not working...? You were kinda stressed. Your ice power wasn't working either according to you."
Luz sighed. "Yeah, I don't even remember how I froze Hunter's sword thing...something tells me I can do a whole lot more than just spider-things."
"Mystery after mystery...on the bright side, the communication devices are working!" Vee smiled.
Luz high fived her sister. "Like a charm! How'd you make them anyway?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out." Vee said with a grin. "For right now, just enjoy the possibility of an actual...break."
Another week passed, and it was the end of the month. Willow hadn't gotten much better, but Gus was usually by her side and could at least smile with the others.
Amity was still giving Luz more reasons to fall for her. The two could definitely consider each other friends now and hopefully...more one day.
But there was no news on Hunter. Luz tried calling Caleb Wittebane one day, but he never answered. In fact, he answered only to hang up.
What also wasn't looking good was Maestro. Another giant monster attacked, and Spider-Witch tried to stop it, only to fail and watch Maestro once again get victory.
And what did he say once he once again saw Spider-Witch trying to help?
Second rate.
The following day, Luz saw something even more unsatisfying.
"No friggin' way." Gus said as he stared at his phone. "You've...you've got to be kidding me."
Vee turned. "Gus? You okay?"
Gus then held his phone over to her. "Read this aloud."
Vee hummed before her eyes widened. "Interview with Maestro!? What!?"
Luz nearly crushed her locker door as she turned her head. "Say what now?"
Gus then played the interview, skipping the introduction surprisingly enough.
"Hey, why'd you skip it?" Vee asked.
Gus sighed. "My dad's a reporter, remember? Introductions are all the same. Let's just get to the juicy parts."
"So, Maestro, right?"
"That's correct, good sir."
"Intriguing name. So, what exactly made you come to our city? Does it just attract superheroes now?"
"Well, after hearing about Wittebane Enterprises creating that Golden Goblin fellow, I knew I had to step in. This world has just as much evil as where I come from."
"You...say you come from another world?"
"How else do you think I have these powers? I'm from a place that's unlike any other and after hearing about this Golden Goblin, I stepped in! A few beasts from my world followed me, but you can all rest knowing they'll be put in the dirt where they belong."
"So...you believe Wittebane Enterprises created The Golden Goblin? How do you even know what Wittebane Enterprises is?"
"Ummm, there's a giant building with their name on it."
There was laughter from the video, but Luz, Gus, and Vee were just silent after the comment about their friend.
"It wasn't hard to figure out both. Wittebane Enterprises created the glider and the boy who stole it. My only regret is letting that Spider-Witch deal with it. A bridge exploded!!! And I don't see her paying for the property damage."
"Something tells me you aren't fond of Spider-Witch even though arguably enough, she's been here longer than you? Do you two have a history?"
"A history? No. Never met her earlier and I feel ashamed to have-"
Luz then reached over and shut the video off, growling to herself. "Let's just get to class..."
But much to her horror that night, there was a report of a successful robbery. Someone had even gotten shot.
And Maestro wasn't there. And neither was Spider-Witch.
Luz stared desperately at her phone, clutching it tightly before she let go of it once she felt her super strength kicking in. She then stepped over to the window, a look of shame upon her face.
She closed her eyes before opening the window and then hopping out of it, transforming into Spider-Witch and then pulling the window shut with a golden web.
Spider-Witch swung high into the air and then landed on a bus, taking a moment to just sit there and process what had happened.
Someone had gotten shot. And she wasn't there.
She looked down at her own hands, starting to remember words that she would never make herself forget. The words of her father.
'When you have great power, there comes great responsibility.'
Spider-Witch shut her eyes tightly as she clenched her fists. "...and I didn't use that power...s-someone could be d...dea..."
She then hopped off the bus and onto a nearby building, latching onto it and letting herself breathe as she climbed onto the roof.
Spider-Witch then just sat there, curling up as the sounds of a gunshot echoed in her mind.
That horrible sound...and then her father laying there, barely clinging onto life...
Spider-Witch couldn't forget the rage she felt. The absolute anger and hatred she felt for the man who killed her father. She didn't even know his name, but she wouldn't forget the terrified look on his face.
She wanted to kill him that day, but she didn't.
Spider-Witch felt tears under her mask as the sounds and sights of the city she desperately wanted to protect started to disappear. All she could feel or hear was her soft sobs.
But as she cried, something crawled closer to her. It was drawn to her for some reason.
The black ooze kept crawling closer and closer to Spider-Witch, with tiny little hands even reaching out from the puddle that was the ooze.
It then latched onto her cloak, enveloping the navy blue fabric and turning it into a sickening black.
Spider-Witch then stood up and hopped right off the roof, swinging into the night once again, completely unaware that she now had an unexpected guest...