Chapter 368: It's Actually Him?!
"How is it? Does it feel great this time?" Seeing Silas's gaze, Wanda stood up and gave a graceful spin.
To find the perfect look, she had spent quite some time browsing the internet before finally settling on a face she found particularly satisfying.
"Not bad at all," Silas complimented.
"Then this is the one." Wanda happily peeled off the Transformation Scroll. Since Silas approved, she decided this would be her public identity.
As Wanda reverted to her true form, Pietro returned to the sofa clutching several bags of snacks.
"That is so cool!" Pietro's eyes sparkled as he looked at Silas. "Can I try?"
"You?" Silas asked, skeptical. "What do you need it for?"
"I'm just curious! I want to know what it feels like to change shape," Pietro explained.
After staring him down for a moment, Silas pulled a box of Transformation Scrolls from the Shadow Kingdom. "These are for Wanda. You can take one for yourself."
"Thanks!" Overjoyed, Pietro snatched a scroll and zipped out of the room.
"That boy... gone again," Wanda sighed, hands on her hips as she glared at the now-empty spot on the sofa.
"That's just Pietro. He's always running around; he can't sit still," Silas chuckled. A guy with super speed was never going to be content staying cooped up in a villa all day.
"By the way, Silas... making these scrolls must be incredibly complicated, right?" Wanda felt a bit guilty. It was her problem, yet Silas was the one doing all the heavy lifting.
"Complicated?" Silas couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, it's not complicated at all."
"Really?" Wanda clearly didn't believe him. How could something so magical be easy to create? If it were simple, everyone would be doing it.
She didn't know that Silas used a formula from another world. Without the specific magical energy of that realm, any attempt to replicate them would just result in a piece of decorative paper.
"Thank you," Wanda said sincerely. She felt Silas had already done so much for her.
"No need to be so polite." Silas truly didn't think much of it; the scrolls only required ten common materials. He glanced at the wall clock. "It's getting late. I should head back."
"Okay," Wanda nodded. Silas turned and vanished, heading back to his room before Uncle Ben and Aunt May returned.
Pietro's Room
"This is the coolest thing ever..." Pietro felt like he'd discovered a new world. In the mirror, he currently looked exactly like Natasha Romanoff.
Click!
Wanda suddenly pushed the door open. "Pietro, do you want some night sna—?!"
"Sorry!" Pietro shrieked, frantically ripping the scroll off his back, his face flushing with pure embarrassment.
"Sorry! My bad!" Wanda did a sharp 180, slammed the door, and sprinted back to her own room, locking herself inside.
"I'm dead..." Pietro groaned. How was he ever supposed to look his sister in the eye again?
Queens
"Silas!" The moment Silas arrived home, Peter leaped in through the window.
"What's up?" Silas sat in his rocking chair, lazily taking a glass of juice from a Shadow Ninja.
"You really know how to live," Peter sighed, pulling off his Spider-Man suit.
"Man was born to enjoy life," Silas joked. He used to imagine what he'd do with a Shadow Army, and now that he had one... it was even better than he thought.
"I followed Uncle Ben and Aunt May out just now. Guess what I saw?" Peter said mysteriously.
"What?" Silas didn't want to ask Gaia for the answer; it would ruin the surprise.
"I saw a very strange man," Peter said, sitting on the edge of his bed. "He looked like a wizard. He was saying all these weird things, and—get this—he seemed to use magic, just like you."
"I see." Silas already knew who it was. Nine times out of ten, it was Doctor Strange. The New York Sanctum was nearby, after all.
"He was pretty cool, but he looked a bit... frail? Like he needed a nap," Peter noted. Apparently, the two had chatted for a bit, though neither really understood what the other was talking about.
As the brothers talked, Uncle Ben and Aunt May returned. Simultaneously, both Peter and Silas received a notification in their inboxes.
"What's this?" Silas opened the email. It was a birthday invitation from their new classmate, Liz Allan.
"Oh man, I almost forgot. Liz's birthday is tomorrow," Peter said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Me too." Silas had completely put it out of his mind. If not for the email, they would have definitely missed it.
"Lucky Mr. Stark gave me that money. I actually have enough for a gift now," Peter laughed. Even though he could ask Ben for money, he felt better using his own "earnings."
"Silas, want to go shopping for a gift?" Peter asked.
"You go ahead. I have things to handle," Silas shook his head. Peter pocketed some cash and headed out in his red hoodie.
Once Peter was gone, Silas commanded, "Blacklight, check if Liz has an account on Global Shop."
Global Shop was a commercial platform created by Parker Industries. It was incredibly popular because Parker Industries products were always discounted there.
"Found it, Master." Blacklight projected Liz's shopping cart. Silas scanned the items and picked something moderately priced—nice enough for a classmate, but not so expensive it would be weird.
A Shadow Ninja immediately placed a gift-wrapped box on Silas's desk. "Dismissed," Silas waved.
The Birthday Party
The next morning, Silas woke up and stretched.
"Master, the party starts at noon. You could have slept longer," Blacklight reminded him.
"I know, but I've slept enough." After being pampered through his morning routine by the ninjas, Silas spent a quiet morning with Aunt May. Peter, meanwhile, went out for one last swing as Spider-Man, hoping to find a lead on the Vulture, but only found an abandoned flight pack in a warehouse.
At noon, the brothers set off. They met Felicia and Gwen at the park and headed to Liz's house together.
"Where's Ned?" Gwen asked in the car.
"He's at the hospital looking after Felicia's friend, Frieda," Peter replied. It felt a bit quieter without Ned's constant chatter.
When they arrived at Liz's house, they were surprised to find she lived in a beautiful small villa. Her family was clearly well-off.
"Hi! You made it!" Liz greeted them warmly, hugging Gwen. "Please, come in!"
"Liz? Are your friends here?" a deep male voice called from the kitchen. A middle-aged man carrying a platter of food walked into the living room.
"Oh, right!" Liz grabbed the man's arm with a smile. "Everyone, this is my father."
"Hello, sir," Gwen and Felicia said politely.
But Peter stood frozen, staring at Liz's father in absolute disbelief.
It was him?!
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!