1 Chapter 1: Angel, Feather and Serum

As the red sun rose, radiating its golden, warm sunlight across the dazzling buildings of New York City,. It travelled at an unprecedented speed, and as it passed by a seemingly ordinary park, one could see an inconspicuous brownish feather, which obviously belonged to an owl.

Eventually, the sunlight and the feather reached a small room, dispelling the darkness.

Through the half-opened window, the feather landed quietly upon a lustrous green vial; beside it was a peacefully sleeping Peter B. Parker.

Slightly messy brown hair cascaded down his forehead, though it did not cover the scholarly look of the high schooler genius. His thin build was hidden under his baggy blue denim hoodie.

Peter was having quite a blissful dream. Well, it was none other than being side by side with his idol, Spider-woman, saving the city. At the end of the day, Spider-woman revealed herself to be his lifelong crush. Gwendolyn Stacy. As they were about to confess their eternal love for each other, this beautiful scenery shattered.

Endless darkness swallowed his surroundings. Peter's mind was dulled with utter fear, like a small, helpless animal crumbling before the most primitive fear.

Fear of the Unknown.

However, in a blink of an eye, Peter found himself standing before a rather familiar park, except that this park bore an atmosphere of antiquity.

Lush trees and grass were replaced by leafless and yellowish ones. The pavement was still the same, though mottles could be seen scattered. The whole place was forever stuck in twilight.

There, laid in front of Peter, was the image of a petite figure.

A girl? about 5 feet, 2 inches. She wore a dark brown robe made up of thousands of owl's feathers. Her face was veiled in the shade of her hood. Her whitish pink feet were bare; she didn't even put on any footwear.

The mysterious girl was sitting comfortably on a bench right under the largest leafless tree in the entire area. Her demeanour just oozed a mysterious vibe mixed with some quirkyness and unspeakable imposition.

Even with poor eyesight, Peter could catch a glimpse of her eyes. Those dark amber irises shone brightly under the hood, yet they bore an inexplicable and indescribable depth.

As Peter seemingly stared into those eternal, mesmerising eyes, he was taken aback, as if he had just witnessed a horrid scene that one's mind could not comprehend at the moment.

It was his death...

Ring Ring...

With a jolt, Peter woke up to the sound of the familiar, annoying alarm clock. Peter was temporarily dumbfounded as the memories of a blissful dream turned nightmare quickly faded away, leaving only a fleeting impression of a mysterious girl in a dark brown robe.

Peter steadied his mind as he wiped away those hot sweats.

'Phew, right, now where are my glasses?' With a long stretch to greet the early morning sun, Peter's hazel eyes shone with brilliance, reflecting the dazzling yet not blinding sunlight. Toning his delicate contours.

Sadly, those mesmerising eyes were hidden behind the exaggeratedly thick, round-rimmed glasses.

No sooner than Peter put on his glasses did he spot the lustrous green vile standing perfectly on his table, but strangely, a dark brown feather was laying upon it.

His mind jolted with fright for a moment, resulting from the vague nightmare. Peter instinctively scanned his room for any abnormalities. To his relief, it was still the same.

The same old bed tucked in a corner, various gadgets, intricate machines, various high-quality chemical kits, and stacks of documents for various purposes lay across the room.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

Shaking his head helplessly, Peter turned to the green vial, the lizard serum he stole from Dr. Connor, whom he adorned greatly. A wonderous scientist devoted his life to creating a treatment that could change the world and that could help so many people, including himself.

Yet, now that his countless efforts were here on Peter's table as a result of this emotional act, heaving a long sign, Peter tried to dispel the sin crawling behind his back as he thought about all those things that led to that emotional act.

Suddenly, his mind jolted with numerous realisations, as if he had just woken up from a deep slumber. His mind was cleansed and then filled with vigour. Peter swore he could actually feel his mental state and body being refreshed quickly. All those lingering drowsiness and negative thoughts gradually vanish, replaced by the utmost determination and inspiration.

It was at this moment that Peter realised that this very Lizard Serum was incomplete. Should he take another 'emotional act', his life could turn very, very bad.

With the blessing of the sudden vigour. Peter's mind swivelled with ideals and calculations as he grabbed respective documents stolen from the lab, chemical kits, experiments, etc. With the lustrous green vial in one hand, Peter sprang into action, completing and upgrading the Lizard Serum whislt minimising its negative effects.

Others may find Peter's attempt rather comical or, to be honest, completely incredible. How could a high schooler have hoped to achieve such feats within one to two hours?

However, Peter was no mere high schooler. Hidden beneath his not-so-neat looks, timidity, and mistreatment was a brilliant young mind that belonged to a true genius.

It was no coincidence that Peter was favoured by Dr. Curt Connors and many other capable, older scientists, receiving a trainee card to work at Oscorp, The Oscorp! For a seemingly ordinary seventeen-year-old, that was no small feat.

Alas, Peter's IQ was vaguely estimated to be 187 when he was twelve years old.

...

The clock signified that it was 9:00 a.m. when Peter finished concocting the perfect serum.

Joy was drawn on the teenager's face as he held the precious vial in one hand and the feather in the other—the very things that could change his life forever... Change the 'Pathetic Parker' forever.

Though this moment was short-lived, Peter recognised that he was dead late for school. Being good at school was one of the few things that Peter was proud of; therefore, with all his might, Peter rushed to grab what was needed for school and secure the serum and the feather steadily.

He then rushed downstairs onto his trusty bike and marched forward to the 'prestigious' Midtown High School.

Thank God that Aunt May was at the charity early in the morning and Uncle Ben had been out of state for work lately.

Peter's mind was still overwhelmed with excitement and anticipation as ever, looking forward to the time he could down this serum, unaware of a peculiar white figure swinging graciously among the skyscrapers towards the billowing smoke on the other side of the city.

...

Amid the bustling streets of New York, hiding among the rooftops, an Eurasian Eagle-Owl with a dark brown feather had been watching Peter's every movement with a rather curious look.