In an instant, Peter's brain flared with a sharp, electric pain. Clutching his head, he stumbled back a few steps and took a deep breath as fragmented, chaotic memories surged through his mind.
Gwen happened to return at that exact moment. Seeing Peter holding his head in apparent agony, she rushed forward to stand protectively in front of him. "What did you do to him?"
"It's okay, Gwen. They're S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. They just had some work-related matters to discuss with me."
Peter interrupted her, shaking his head before looking at Cindy, who was watching him with immense anticipation. "I'm sorry. Whoever you're looking for, it's probably not me. I have things to attend to..."
Logan watched the two walk away, asking half-testingly, "Could he be a version from a parallel universe...?"
"No, impossible," Cindy dismissed the idea. "I can sense it. It's him, not some multiversal counterpart. But..."
But had she been too presumptuous? Had she failed to wake him, or had Peter actually awakened and chosen not to reveal it just yet? Cindy wasn't entirely sure.
"Well, it looks like our Sleeping Beauty isn't that easy to wake up," Logan muttered. "You head back first. I'll check around and see what else can be done."
On the other side, Peter finally let out a long sigh of relief. Gwen asked with concern, "Are you alright, Peter?"
"Yeah, I think I'm okay."
In truth, he was far from okay. Cindy's kiss had been effective. Or rather, between the "world forgets Spider-Man" spell Peter had hastily cast using the Cosmic Cube and Kang's "creation of the Kang Dynasty," there existed a natural paradox—similar to the bug where Professor X had technically never met the White Queen. For many characters involved, exploiting this bug was the key to waking them up.
The problem was, how many people could they actually wake?
Peter looked at Gwen, and suddenly, both of them felt a sharp ringing in their heads simultaneously.
"Ow!"
Gwen clutched her head, looking at Peter in confusion. "Did you feel that?"
"No."
Peter lied instantly, but he knew exactly what it was. After his memories had returned, he and Gwen had actually triggered the Spider-Sense that usually only occurs when two Spider-Totems first meet. But this made no sense—Gwen didn't have spider-powers, so how did she trigger the sense?
Oh right, Peter realized. When Kang modified the world, Gwen had likely been in the middle of using the spider-isotope serum...
"If you're not feeling well, let's go home and rest," Peter said, taking a deep breath. "We have a lot to deal with anyway."
Late at night, Cindy sensed something unusual. In her perception, Peter Parker's presence was becoming increasingly distinct, and he was moving rapidly. She sat bolt upright in bed, scanning her surroundings warily.
Peter was using a very crude method to send her a message. By constantly changing his flight path over Manhattan, he was "writing." Because he was invisible, these "traces" could only be felt by Cindy.
In other words, this was an encrypted conversation that only the two of them could participate in.
Peter Parker was strategizing.
If Kang had simply created a world like House of M, where almost everyone's wishes were fulfilled, perhaps Peter wouldn't have chosen to interfere. But Kang had clearly chosen a different path: dividing the world among several political entities, including warlords, fascists, and tyrants. Moreover, Kang intended to conquer all timelines. Though his ultimate motive remained unclear, Peter didn't believe Kang was doing the world any favors.
Fortunately, Peter had kept an ace up his sleeve. While he hadn't expected Kang to be waiting for him right in front of the Cosmic Cube, he had, after much agonizing thought, figured out how to counter Kang's attempt to erase him.
As Anansi had said: as long as Spider-Man ceases to exist, Spider-Man will exist forever, unerasable.
Therefore, as long as the world forgot that Spider-Man ever existed, Kang would naturally have no reason to erase him—after all, you cannot target something you don't know exists. Cindy was the only variable; because of the unique connection between them, she was bound to find him even if both she and Peter himself forgot his identity.
However, the fact that he was awakened by a single kiss from Cindy was something Peter never could have imagined in his wildest dreams. It was also incredibly awkward—in this "Kang Dynasty," Peter, living as an ordinary man (as he believed), had no contact with other women and had naturally progressed quite quickly with Gwen. That kiss had been beyond embarrassing.
Furthermore, Peter had to consider another issue: Gwen had been present. It wasn't just about the awkwardness; the most important factor was that Gwen didn't know his current identity. Not just Gwen—the vast majority of heroes had forgotten that Kang was their enemy. Because of this, they needed to find a way to restore everyone's memories.
WE NEED TO FIND ALLIES.
This was Peter's message to Cindy.
WE NEED TO FIND STRANGE.
If anyone could help restore the memories of the normal timeline, it was undoubtedly Doctor Strange.
And a final message:
WE NEED TO WAKE KORVAC.
Kang possessed the power to rewrite timelines, but Peter and the others had once seen a future where the Avengers defeated the Kang Dynasty. In that future, the Cosmic Cube in Kang's hand became Korvac and traveled back more than six months. If they could find a way to reach that future, they could surely dismantle the Kang Dynasty once and for all.
Having finished his message, Peter did what he usually did: he perched on the very tip of the Empire State Building.
"Alright, after a few days off and a few dates with Gwen, it's time to get busy again. Let's see what's on the list," Peter sighed, checking off his priorities. "First, find Strange. Then, find the Fantastic Four and the X-Men—if they're still alive. Then, find a way to stop Kang and his reality-warping powers. Phew, doesn't sound too hard, right?"
After a few seconds of silence, Peter let out a helpless sigh. He didn't even know how to execute the first step. He had no idea where Strange was. For that matter, not even Kang knew.
"Wait... since time travel is legal in this timeline..."
Peter had a bold idea.
"Can't I just go to the past to find Strange?"