Seeing the situation as it was, Alex didn't know how to react very well. He didn't want to fight his best friend, so without thinking too much, he released more cursed energy, making the cuts stronger and faster.
Gwen immediately noticed the change. The cuts were speeding up—Alex was clearly trying to break into the vault faster.
"ALEX! STOP!"
With his friend trying to stop him, Alex almost backed down. But remembering why he was doing this, he pushed forward—and within seconds, the vault gave in.
Seeing what he had done, Gwen froze. She had never seen anything like that in her life, and she didn't know how to react. Her spider-sense was screaming danger nonstop.
Even so, she forced herself to stay composed and slowly started approaching him.
"Alex, stop this. The police have the whole place surrounded. Let's go—you can still get out of this. You haven't hurt anyone."
Hearing that, Alex froze for a moment, just as he was about to ignore her and step into the vault.
Then… memories surfaced.
All the people he had already killed on his way here.
"Gwen… that's where you're wrong. There's no going back. I'm already being hunted—it just hasn't been announced yet. Just go to the security room and erase the footage of us talking before this ends up in the news and ruins your life as a hero."
Realizing he wouldn't back down, Gwen—still unsure what to do—shot a web at his back and pulled with all her strength.
But to her surprise… Alex didn't move an inch.
Her eyes widened. When had he gotten this strong?
Then, suddenly, she recognized that feeling.
It was the same as that day—when she went to rescue a kidnapped child and found that masked figure who had already taken down the criminal… someone she had mistaken for a villain.
"…Was that you?"
Alex frowned, confused by everything happening. He glanced at the web stuck to his back, and afraid of hurting her if he used his cuts, he simply tore off his shirt and threw it toward her at extreme speed.
It hit her face, completely blocking her vision.
Taking the opportunity, Alex rushed into the vault.
Seeing even more inner vaults, he clicked his tongue in annoyance and unleashed dozens of cuts in every direction, slicing through everything while Gwen struggled to free herself from the unexpected trap.
Once several vaults were open, Alex moved quickly, grabbing as many lockboxes as he could—stacking them in his arms. Around twenty-two, maybe. He had no idea what was inside, but there had to be money.
There were also bundles of cash scattered around the room.
The problem was, his backpack was already full of boxes.
Even so, he managed to grab what he estimated to be around twenty thousand dollars in loose bills.
By the time Gwen finally pulled the shirt off her face, she saw Alex already at the vault entrance, arms full of lockboxes and cash.
Realizing she wouldn't stop him with words, Gwen prepared to fire multiple webs to restrain him—maybe even close the distance for hand-to-hand combat.
But the moment she raised her hand… she remembered something.
That day.
Alex in that Japanese outfit… that same aura.
And more importantly—
Those words.
'Don't abandon him.'
Gwen hesitated.
The memory of that voice made her freeze.
Taking advantage of her hesitation, Alex ran, quickly searching for the security room.
Gwen, realizing too late just how fast he was, could only stand there, unsure of what to do.
When Alex found the security room and saw it was empty, he didn't hesitate.
He released hundreds of cuts, destroying every computer and electronic device in the room.
Nothing was left.
Without wasting another second, he dashed out of the bank at full speed—
Only to stop.
The police had already surrounded the entire area. Everyone who had been inside was now outside. Reporters were everywhere.
It had happened much faster than he expected.
As soon as he stepped out, all eyes turned to him. People started shouting and pointing.
"Oh my God—a mutant! A mutant is robbing the bank!"
"Wait—I know that mutant!"
"Wait… ALEX!?"
Reactions exploded in every direction—even among the police. Some of them recognized him, especially those who had worked with George.
Cameras turned toward him.
But unlike before… Alex didn't feel embarrassed or uncomfortable under all that attention.
Instead—
He felt excited.
For some reason, he felt like saying something he normally never would.
"COME AFTER ME IF YOU CAN, YOU BASTARDS!"
The crowd was stunned. To them, it sounded like he was provoking the police.
But in truth… Alex was speaking to the mutant research institute.
And they understood.
He was staring directly at one of the news cameras.
The officers, however, took it personally. Fury spread among them as they prepared to act—
But Alex moved first.
He crouched slightly, then launched himself into the air with a massive jump, disappearing far beyond their reach.
For a few seconds, everyone stood frozen, trying to process what had just happened.
Then chaos resumed.
The police began shouting orders—the suspect had escaped, he was still nearby, and he was carrying a large amount of money.
Meanwhile, Alex was already on top of a building, sprinting and leaping from rooftop to rooftop.
Of course, he wasn't stupid enough to go straight to his base.
Instead, he circled the city at high speed, deliberately confusing any potential pursuers.
Only when he was sure no one was following him did he finally head back.
As he entered the ruined district, he slowed down, walking calmly—as if he hadn't just robbed a bank, his hands still full of money.
The entire robbery had taken less than four hours, most of that time spent waiting in line… and hesitating before going in.
Even so, realizing how vulnerable he was, Alex slightly increased his pace—but his mind wouldn't stop racing.
'Gwen… was Spider-Woman this whole time? That actually makes some sense… if I think about it, Spider-Woman always knew where the police would show up. And her build was really similar to Gwen's… plus, she was always asking me what I thought about Spider-Woman… yeah, it was kind of obvious.'
Alex also reflected on what he had done in the bank—and how much he had been holding back.
Since gaining his powers, he had never used more than 25% of his full strength.
And that was starting to bother him.
If he could cause this much destruction with just 25%… what would happen if he used everything?
He still didn't have that answer.
He had never had the chance to test it.
At least now, he had learned something.
If cursed energy leaked into the air, it was because of his lack of control.
So if he improved his control… he could go all out without creating more curses.
Finally, Alex reached his base.
But the moment he arrived, something shocked him to his core.
A human.
Standing right in front of the base, staring at it as if searching for an entrance.
Then the man turned.
And when he saw Alex, his face lit up with a wide smile.
He walked closer—faster and faster—until he reached him and suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace.
"Finally found you… dad."
__________________
Long before, when Alex awakened his cursed energy and unleashed the slash that could cut the world, he hadn't paid attention. He released so much cursed energy that it could have covered almost the entire city—but without realizing it, all of that energy was drawn into the sewers.
And in that moment, a cocoon formed.
Large—about the size of a car.
It was completely purple, with a deeply repulsive appearance, pulsing every few hours.
Inside it, at first, there was a strange insect-like creature, something resembling a spider.
But then… Alex released even more cursed energy.
The being inside the cocoon had been ready to hatch. Yet when it felt that energy, it decided—instinctively—that it would be better to wait.
To grow.
To absorb more.
Inside the cocoon, the creature cherished every second. Each time it absorbed the energy being released, it grew stronger… and felt better than before.
It didn't know who had created it.
Only that it existed because of a being that gave it life—and continued feeding it this power.
But something confused it.
It could feel other beings.
Weaker ones.
And from them, it received something beyond energy.
Emotions.
Countless emotions.
The strongest among them… pain.
And fear.
It felt every living being experiencing them—and it began to irritate it deeply, almost pushing it to break free from the cocoon and kill everything that transmitted those feelings.
But then… something changed.
One day, it felt a different emotion.
Sadness.
Something unfamiliar—yet strangely understandable, as if it were part of itself.
As if it and that emotion were one.
It understood.
This overwhelming sadness… this weight…
Depression.
And little by little, the being began to understand what it was.
It was the pure and perfect embodiment of sadness.
It was depression itself.
Something that could drown everything and everyone in a sea of pain and regret.
And yet… there was something else.
Something deeper.
If it was born from that energy—and it was depression…
Then what was it supposed to do?
Its instincts told it to destroy. To devastate.
But for some reason… it didn't want that.
It wanted something more.
Until one day—
The being that fed it energy released an overwhelming amount.
An almost endless ocean of it.
Seeing that, the spider-like creature realized its moment had come.
It began absorbing everything.
More… and more… and more.
Even when its body could no longer handle it, it kept forcing itself.
Pushing beyond its limits.
Past its limits.
Past the limit of its limits.
Until—
Something broke.
Its original form shattered.
And it transformed.
Now, it had a different shape.
A humanoid body.
Long hair of a pale blue tone.
Two eyes of different colors—one deep purple, the other a bright green.
Its body was slender, with pale skin marked by strange, tribal-like blue patterns.
When it finally absorbed all the energy given by its creator, it felt something.
Deep within.
Its creator…
Was in anguish.
Filled with rage.
And fear.
It didn't understand.
But then—
Information flooded its mind.
Languages.
Concepts.
Understanding.
Things it had never known… now felt natural.
And there, in the depths of the sewer, the being stepped out of its cocoon.
Completely naked.
Yet without any genitalia.
Only thoughts forming in its mind.
'So… he is my father? From what I know, those who create others are either a mother… or a father… or both.'
After thinking for a moment, it realized something else.
It had always known.
Its father's gender.
His strength.
Overwhelming strength.
But nothing more than that.
Not knowing what to do, the being began walking through the sewers, searching for a way out.
Hours passed.
It found only two things.
Filth… and countless cockroaches.
And something else.
It was strong.
Very strong.
At one point, it stumbled.
When it tried to get up, it used too much force—and shattered the ground with ease.
Confused and lost, it kept wandering until it found something unusual on a wall.
A ladder.
Without hesitation, it began climbing, struggling slightly—it had never used one before.
At the top, it found a manhole cover.
It pushed.
It was surprisingly light.
When it emerged—
It was hit by overwhelming light.
And noise.
It froze.
People.
Everywhere.
Different ages. Different bodies. Different forms.
Alive.
So alive.
So different from the silence below.
Excitement filled it.
It began running toward them, trying to speak—
But no matter what it did…
No one could see it.
No one could hear it.
Sadness crept in.
But then it remembered.
Its father.
Looking around, it realized he wasn't there.
Without hesitation, it began searching.
Little by little, it traced faint remnants of energy—and found something unexpected.
Other cocoons.
Just like its own.
It wasn't alone.
It had siblings.
But it wasn't interested in them.
It only wanted one thing.
Its father.
It didn't take long.
Soon, it found the place where that overwhelming surge of energy had been released.
A building.
Warped.
Twisted.
Marked by an absurd concentration of cursed energy.
Even so, there was no sign of his father. That alone was enough to frustrate him, because finding him felt like chasing a ghost.
As the darkness of the place deepened, his hope slowly began to fade. Maybe… he wouldn't find him after all.
But then—he felt it. A surge of cursed energy.
His father… releasing power, as if he were fighting.
Without hesitation, he rushed in that direction, trying to help. But he wasn't very fast, and when he finally arrived… it was already over.
Only bodies remained—completely cut apart, broken, some even melted.
Seeing so many corpses brought his hope back, but something else caught his attention. Everyone there was wearing clothes. Except him.
Even without genitalia, he still felt uncomfortable in a way he couldn't fully understand.
So, without hesitation, he approached the bodies and took their clothes, trying them on one by one until he found something that fit him perfectly.
Now dressed, he began searching the area again, trying to find his father. But even after an entire night—and part of the next day—he still couldn't find anything.
Until… he felt something. A presence coming from an abandoned warehouse.
He moved toward it immediately, but when he arrived, he realized something strange. It wasn't his father's energy. It was… one of his siblings.
And with him—a human.
Confusion filled his mind as he tried to think of a way to enter and understand what was happening.
But before he could act, a massive wave of cursed energy appeared behind him. It was overwhelming.
For a brief moment, he froze, thinking it might be an attack. But then… he noticed something. That energy felt familiar.
Slowly, he turned around.
And there he saw him. A giant—over two meters tall—with four arms, four eyes, and tribal markings spread across his body, slightly different from his own.
A wide smile formed on his face as he began to approach, step by step, until he finally reached him—and wrapped him in a tight embrace.
"Finally… I found you, dad."
____________________
Guys, I really liked this chapter because I introduced the first curse that has already been born, and honestly, it's actually very innocent. And yes, it's not aggressive—but don't worry, I didn't change how curses work, I just made a few adjustments. So I hope you enjoyed it.
Oh, and another cool thing is that I've finally decided who Alex's love interest will be… so now we can just move forward.
As always, if you enjoyed it, feel free to send power stones or rate the story, it really helps a lot.
And if you have any constructive criticism or anything that could help me improve, don't hesitate to say it, I always read everything.
Also, just so you know, I really enjoy reading your messages, it genuinely makes me happy to see people enjoying the story.
Good night.
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