After the Christmas dinner concluded relatively smoothly, Peter returned to his room. He had given Gwen a very useful and meaningful Christmas gift, with instructions that she must open it only after returning home.
It was his old web-shooter.
[Why did you give her that? She can't swing on webs, can she?]
"I don't know. Intuition? I feel like it might be useful."
Peter was silent for a moment. He just had a hunch. Perhaps Gwen did bring back a vial of Spider-Isotope serum after all, or maybe she didn't, but he had the thought, so he gave his old web-shooter to Gwen, hoping that one day it might be used.
Or perhaps not.
As for the gift Gwen gave him, it was a ticket stub to the Osborn Tech Exhibition—the exhibition that changed everything.
It was perhaps the least valuable gift, but it carried great sentimental meaning.
Peter sat on the bed, intending to tidy up the Christmas gifts from the evening. Just as he was about to start, he unexpectedly received a call from an unfamiliar number.
"Don't tell me Nick Fury is sending me Christmas greetings, too."
Peter answered the phone half-jokingly, but the person on the other end was truly unexpected: "Hello, Peter... Parker, right?"
"Illyana?"
Peter asked, surprised to hear the voice. "Is something wrong?"
"No. No, wait, yes. I'm sorry to bother you so late. I know it's Christmas Eve, and you must be busy, but do you have time?"
"No, it's... ten-thirty p.m. Everything's finished." Peter was puzzled as to why Illyana was looking for him. "Is there anything you need help with?"
"There's a convenience store near your apartment complex. Behind the store, I'll be waiting there. You don't have to come if you're busy."
Peter said, "I'll be right there," and then had Venom change him into his suit. Venom, meanwhile, expressed confusion and lament.
[If you could just say 'I refuse' once, I believe your emotional troubles would be halved.]
"I'm not going out on a date with her. Maybe she needs my help with something?"
[That's the problem. You help too many girls.]
Spider-Man didn't reply, simply climbing out the window and quickly heading to the convenience store. In the alley behind the store, Peter saw Illyana standing there. When she saw Peter, she said a surprised "Oh," and then scratched her head.
"I didn't expect you to actually show up, and in costume, too."
"So..." Peter was also confused. "Is there something going on?"
"Nothing much. Just wanted to talk," Illyana scratched her head, then opened a portal. "Follow me, let's talk somewhere else."
Illyana's portal was different from a Sling Ring portal; it unfolded from the ground up. She opened a portal beneath their feet, but didn't immediately step in, instead looking at Peter and asking.
"Um, you can still back out now."
"It's fine. I'm free anyway."
[See? I told you so.]
Amidst Venom's retort, the two vanished from the spot, arriving in a... bar? Peter looked around and realized it was a very small bar, looking somewhat like a Russian village pub.
"If I'm not mistaken, even now, you shouldn't be old enough to drink."
"Who cares? This is Limbo, not America."
As Illyana spoke, she snapped her fingers, summoning a demon who dutifully began mixing drinks. Peter seemed to grasp the situation. Ultimately, both Strange and Depressed Strange were persuaded, and Illyana took over Limbo, becoming the demonic ruler of the realm.
"The stranger (Strange) said that if I wanted to, I could completely integrate myself into Limbo, like Belasco. I refused. Maybe becoming some chaotic god lets you live a long time, but there's no need for that. So, I chose to become Limbo's Sorceress Supreme. That's what he called it."
"So, we spent a month or two—a month or two in Limbo—beating everyone into submission. I built a bar here. Want a drink?"
"Just a warning, I probably won't get drunk. If you get drunk here, I won't be able to take you home. My teleportation ability can't be used whenever I want." Peter reminded her before sitting down next to Illyana, still opting not to drink.
"No, I just, I just miss some people. But even if I told others about them, they wouldn't know who I was talking about or what they went through."
Illyana took the glass handed to her by the demon and gave a nonchalant laugh. "So, I was just looking for someone who knew them, to talk about them for a little while. Talking to a demon is pretty boring."
"Then you'd better not get drunk."
Illyana smiled.
"Don't worry," she said in a way that didn't reassure Peter at all. "The time flow in Limbo hasn't been completely adjusted to match our reality. Even if I get drunk here, Christmas Eve won't be over by the time I sober up."
It was just a peaceful Christmas Eve, nothing more.
—
Ned Leeds was a field reporter for the Daily Bugle. During the two weeks when Spider-Man was missing, since J. Jonah Jameson didn't like reporting on the Spider-Woman named Silk, Ned was sent to find new stories.
It just so happened that a kitchen explosion occurred at a restaurant in Manhattan, so Ned went to investigate. The entire explosion case seemed ordinary, except for some tiny plastic fragments that the police didn't even consider clues.
Ned took these fragments home and began attempting to piece and glue them together. After about half a month, on Christmas Day, he finally completed the object.
"It's a... pumpkin?"
Ned looked at the pumpkin-like object, then frowned in confusion. He seemed to have a faint memory of this thing, but couldn't quite recall it.
And seriously, why had he spent so long assembling just a pumpkin?
Ned gave a self-deprecating laugh, then went to wash his face and brush his teeth before going to bed. He looked at the pumpkin, planning to toss it into the trash, but he missed. Ned didn't bother and finished his washing, preparing to get into bed.
He opened his closet, looking for his pajamas.
But he saw a set of clothes: a gray exoskeleton armor, an orange hooded cloak draped over the exoskeleton, a glider board, and rows upon rows of pumpkin bombs.
What were these? How did these things end up here?
"Welcome, Ned Leeds."
A voice appeared behind Ned. He turned around and saw several men dressed like gray goblins, all smiling at him simultaneously.
"This is your predetermined destiny. You will become a goblin, just like us."
"Welcome to the Goblin Legion."
The content bottleneck is finally over. The timeline will now enter 2013.
A new year, a new start. The first villain is the Hobgoblin, or perhaps, the Hobgoblins...?
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