"I don't know where we are. Do you?" There were no signs of the monster dogs but Billy suspected that they still needed to be alert.

Megan shook her head. "Well, I know that that's the building that used to be the Daily Bugle but other than that, no."

Billy looked at his phone, "GPS says we're… way too far from where we started."

They were in another alley, also conveniently situated between the backs of two buildings. It was as if the city underground was depended on such entrances. Billy also suspected that's how a community of mutants underneath New York City managed to keep their presence unknown to the residents above.

"Do you know how to get back?"

"Uber?"

"Broke as fuck. You?"

"Same. Well, I have cash on hand but I don't think it'll be enough."

"Public transit then?"

Megan and Billy stared at each other, "We have no choice I guess."

"New need to be on the meowve." Jenifur said, tail wagging in agitation.

"We know." Megan said as the group started to move.

Turns out, public transit is indeed a cheaper alternative (at the expense of moving around all the time). Almost an hour since they rode their first bus, they're almost half-way to their destination.

"We're lucky that– " Seated beside each other, Billy placed a hand over Megan's mouth.

"What. Are. You. Saying?" Murphy's Law applied so well to Shonen-tropes. That's basically a free ticket to getting fucked twelve times over. Billy wasn't usually superstitious but one cannot be too careful, right?

"I just said we're luck–" this time Megan was cut by the bus shaking. Followed by the breaks screeching and a loud bang.

A few dazed moments later, Billy opened his eyes.

We crashed. He tried to move his body but found that his body hurt. I hope it's not whiplash. Other than that, his was fine and was relatively uninjured.

"Megan?" turning to the side, Billy saw Megan. Unconscious but also relatively uninjured, aside from a few abrasions. The cats–

"Oh shit." It was surprising to find that the bus was still relatively intact. There were a few broken windows and most of the passengers were also groaning in pain but Billy imagined worse.

"Your majesty, are you well?" He recognized the voice of the tabby cat.

"A cat has nine lives, so they say." Billy saw that Jenifur was also surprisingly uninjured.

Trying to sit up, Billy felt that the bus was angled. There was also the sneaking feeling that they were hanging, swaying in a back-and-forth motion. Looking outside, Billy realized that–

"Webs? Are those spider webs?"

"Look! Look! It's Spider-man!" There was a thud on the ceiling, followed by the sound of the doors being pried open.

"Everyone okay?" The voice coming from Spider-man was definitely male but it sounded just like every other guy at school, like Spider-man was just a teenager but–

"You? Are you okay?" A hand that was placed over Billy's shoulder, and if this were any other day he would have been fanboying, but… "My friend."

"You're in shock…?" Spider-man masked head tilted inquisitively at Billy, like he was not sure whether Billy was okay or not.

"Billy?"

The boy in question looked at Megan. Her pointed ears and dragonfly-like wings twitched, the wings furling first before unfurling. "The cats?"

"They're okay." Billy said, helping the girl stand up.

Since they were most likely dangling in mid-air, Megan wobbled a bit before staring at their savior. "Spider-man?"

"Yo!"

Before anyone could reply, the bus shook, as if it was hit by something. Billy unflatteringly crashed into Megan who was more balanced now. Must be that training of hers from The Academy.

"We need to get out of here." Megan said, grabbing Jenifur and the tabby cat. Billy followed suit but not before looking at Spider-man one last time, thanking him, and secretly wishing they could take a selfie together.

"What's going on?" Spider-man asked, running after the two. He had a few hiccups with people surrounding the crash site and fans eager to talk to him but with his webs and his reflexes, and a quick empty promise of chatting with the people later, he was back with the two running teens.

"We're being chased." Billy said, grabbing the tabby cat from Megan. He tried to keep pace with Megan's fast walking but it was a futile effort.

Ever since Spider-man started following them, there were more and more people watching and pointing at them.

"I am gonna be in so much trouble." Megan said when the people around them started to take pictures. It won't be a surprise if the two of them ended up in an online article or in those Spider-man reddit threads.

Besides, the X-Men had their own reddit threads and that community was as speculative as they are toxic – depended on who it's about. For example, Prof. Munroe had fans due to her sheer charisma while someone like Prof. Wagner only had baseless fear and hate due to his devil-like appearance.

"What do you mean you're being chased? Who's chasing you?" Spider-man, probably used to all the staring, acted like people weren't slowly surrounding them.

-bang-boom-crack!-

Looking up, the trio saw an explosion happen above a nearby building. People around panicked and a stampede started..

Spider-man had no choice but to let the two kids go because he had to take care of the debris that threated to fall to the ground.

A few minutes later, slipping away from well-wishers again after DIY-ing a makeshift net made of his webs to catch the bigger debris, Spider-man tailed the two kids.

"C'mon, I can help you." Spider-man's [Senses] tingled like crazy when he was around the two kids. Despite his [Spider Sense] telling him that trouble was brewing, he knew that while these two kids were part of the trouble, they weren't the cause of it.

"You sure we shouldn't ask for his help?" Billy and Megan wondered why Jenifur didn't want the help of the Spider-man.

"Because he isn't part of all this, meow."

"All of what?"

"Our world. The [Kaleidoscope]."

"But he's got powers."

"Let's put it this way, would you like to put innocent people in danger?" Jenifur asked.

"No." Megan shook her head.

"But we're technically innocent, you know.."

"Says that guy who accepted our King's [Quest]."

"Touché. "

"That explosion right now, it was those demons again, right?"

"Most likely."

"Why are they even after you cats?"

The cat Billy held in his hands yawned. "Beats me. All I know is that we're being picked off one by one."

There was a thud behind them. "You're going to tell me everything." Spider-man stood in front of them, arms crossed to his chest.

The tabby cat launched to the costumed hero.

"Any updates?" With the Sorceress Supreme occupied with the great task of preventing an [Old One] from ever manifesting in this dimension, Karl Mordo, the (self-described) right-hand man of the Ancient One, took the mantle of overseeing the work that his master needed to do but couldn't.

"They're trying to lose their trail by appearing throughout the city." An attendant told him.

"And their source?"

"We need a little bit more time."

Karl Mordo wanted to lash out but doing so wouldn't be productive: everyone was well-aware that a considerable threat was trying to encroach upon their city. He needn't need to push those beneath him further because they were not as good as him.

Someone, a fellow student, who was just as tenured as him as one of the disciples of the Ancient One, commented that Karl Mordo be the one to scry for the threat's location since he knew better, but Karl Mordo wouldn't. The shoe-in for the next Sorcerer Supreme, shouldn't debase himself with a simple scrying.

Leave that to the underlings who needed their experience. Coincidentally, that same fellow student, was given the task of scrying for the threat's location as an example for trying to question Karl Mordo's logic.

That aside, he needed to prepare the warding charm. It's a spell that imprisoned the threat, once it's been located. Scrying was beneath him, he should be doing the bigger, more important tasks.

In a secured area in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier, Maria Hill accompanied Nick Fury as the now introduced Agent Crimson appeared once again.

Days ago, when he appeared for the first time, Nick Fury immediately left with Agent Crimson. Only to appear a few minutes later, without the agent.

Maria was curious, but Nick Fury's answers were not definitive and too vague. He only opened up that Agent Crimson was his name and he was a liaison between a division of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Snooping around, even with Maria Hill's level of clearance, she was only able to get two word. [W.A.N.D.] and [Mag-Ops]. Part of Maria was proud that with her level of competency, she was unable to find much leads about this supposed division (because that meant that the agency was definitely not weak), but at the same time, she was also irritated because she was only able to get two leads.

"I'm sure you're curious as to where we're going." Nick Fury said, walking with a strong stride.

Maria, who could keep up with his pace, nodded. "Sir."

They entered a room where Agent Crimson and another agent.

"Director Peters."

"Director Fury."

Maria Hill studied the woman. Wavy hair tied in a functional bun, full lips, and a strong build; this woman looked like a warrior. She had deep, cool-toned skin and her arms were full of mysterious tattoos.

"W.A.N.D. and S.H.I.E.L.D." Director Peters asked with a sigh. "Interesting combination."

"Better that S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D., in my opinion."

"True. But you shouldn't say that in front of Abigail. She'll get pissed."

"What's this about wolves?" Director Nick Fury's voice was like a hot knife slicing through butter.

"Immolating Wolves," a acolyte said behind Karl Mordo. Said acolyte was given the responsibility of discovering who they were dealing with. In the acolyte's hand was a grimoire about demonology. "once theorized to be the thralls of a great demon, these lesser demons are known to breathe out fire."

"We know that already," Karl Mordo harrumphed and glared at the acolyte. "How do we beat them?"

"Well-"

"…we do not have the resources as something like the Sanctorum," Director Peters said.

"The what?" Director Fury asked.

"Think Library of Alexandria in the ancient world but modernized."

The man nodded.

"As I was saying, while we do not have the resources like the Sanctorum, we do know one thing: it's sowing chaos through the-

"So you're telling me that you're being chased by some wolf-like demon, after getting out of an underground city, right in the middle of New York City?"

"Now that you you're saying it; that does sound awfully absurd." Billy said.

He wouldn't have been forthcoming with information if Spider-man hadn't stuck him, Megan and the cats into the wall of an alley when they tried to run.

Spider-man, was on the wall, looking at them with avid curiosity. Odd considering that he was wearing a mask, but Spider-man's an existence that was able to convey feelings even with a mask on.

"But it's not like you're lying, right?"

"When you're ten-storeys high, of course we'll tell you the truth." Megan tried to struggle. Friendly neighborhood my ass, this is just overkill. She was the one who could afford to struggle because should she fall, her wings could aid her in her descent. Not that she could fly, but landing safely is an entirely different issue.

"But see here's the problem," Spider-man pointed at the scene below. "We've got so much damage property downstairs that I can't just go downstairs and say, 'Hey! These kids tell me that the reason's the city's in so much chaos is because some demon things are after some cats.' They'll think I'm crazy."

"But magic–" Billy started but Spider-man interrupted him.

"Isn't science. I'm a man of science." He touched the web that made them stick to the wall and tugged on it. Despite the web stretching like rubber, Billy and Megan didn't budge, "This web right here? I created it. Using science. People only say that these are webs because of my superhero aesthetic, but this is really just a synthetic alloy I whipped up after careful research. This is believable because it's explainable, and everyone likes it when it's explainable. People don't fear my webs because it's explainable."

"I go down there and tell your side of the story, best case scenario, they call me crazy. If an open-minded guy like me is already looking at your story as weird, then what more the people down below? Like the police for example."

"But it's the truth! What more can I say that will make you believe us?" asked Billy.

"I need some assurance that what you're telling me is the truth."

"If you need some assurance," Megan chimed in, "look down."

Down below… the dogs?!

The people down below doesn't seem to notice them, especially since there were a good 6-8 of them.

"What am I looking at?" Spider-man too couldn't see them. Spider-man was just about to dismiss it when he felt it. Spider-Sense. It tingled. Like crazy.

Sure he couldn't see anything, but his Spider-Sense told him something dangerous was down there. And it wasn't alone. Sure, there was the off-chance that his Spider-Sense wasn't working properly, but when your superpowered gut-feeling had the statistical probably of 100%, you don't question it.

"Okay I believe you, somewhat." Spider-man made a leap and detangled the two teens and their cats. "But I can't see them so I'm a bit apprehensive."

"They're onto us," Megan said.

"Quick, you have to get us on the other side of town." Billy said, starting to struggle.

The cats too made meowing sounds but to Spider-man, it was just that.

"Why? What's in the other side of town?"

One of the wolves looked up before getting the attention of the others. "We've been seen."

"We're going to meet the [King of New York]."

"Wilson Fisk?" Spider-man looked at the body like he grew an extra head, "but he's in jail. And I doubt that Daredevil guy's not gonna like me snooping around in his territory."

"No," Billy said, "That's the king of the criminal underworld. I'm talking about the king of the magical residents of New York."