This fanfiction draws inspiration from the creative ideas and original content of L3187, including the characters Alex Algird, Dave and Goron Algird, Driada, Crazdal, Xanad/Adam Watcher who are creations of L3187. You can show your support for them by following L3187 on TikTok. Thank you for your support!

The city sang with its grand opulence as the sun faded over the skyline. The moon began to show its otherworldly glow as it began to shine.

Upon the highest point of New Oros, sat upon Osgood Tower, was the city's protector. There sat the Ghost Spider, whose name is Alex Algird.

Tonight and for every night since they received their powers. They were weighed down with the voices of the dead. They didn't hate it, but they had not known a pleasant night's rest ever since.

Alex sat upon the tower and was a bit downtrodden. He had had a heart to heart with their former captain and the leader of The Spider Society, one Miguel O'Hara.

Their last encounter with each other had not ended well. Alex had stopped Miguel from chasing after another Spider-Person named Miles Morales. After he had dared to defy Miguel by attempting to save his father.

Alex sympathized with Miles, and helped him escape. Miguel was hot on Miles' tail, and to help Miles. Alex had shown Miguel an illusion of his daughter, Gabriella, who herself was deceased.

Upon the illusion ending, Miguel was enraged. He attacked Alex, nearly choking them to death.

Yet, Miguel had stopped, just before Alex was truly hurt. The damage though, was already done. Afterwards, Alex returned back to his own dimension. He returned to his normal beat, and to his dual identity.

Now that time had passed, they finally had a discussion of what had happened.

It went as well as one would expect. Miguel, more or less, demanded for Alex to return to the Spider Society. Alex refused the opportunity, because he knew that he would be nothing more than a servant. Miguel was disappointed. Due to the fact that he would not have Alex on hand to communicate with his daughter.

They did not part ways amicably. Miguel attempted to assault Alex once more, but Alex bested him soundly. Miguel swore that Alex would regret their decision, but they knew better. Alex vowed that they would never let someone use them like that ever again.

Alex had their mask lifted up as they gazed upon the city. The city shone with lights as night took hold upon New Oros.

They grunted as they stood upright. Alex brushed off their spider suit as they looked down upon the city they loved.

The wind carried a breeze that blew through their hair. It gave them a chilling sensation that shook them awake. Their open eyesocket was not a fan of the wind, but they managed.

It had been only two years since the accident that turned their life upside down. Being decayed was one thing, but being bitten by an ethereal spider. Which granting them powers upon powers, was a whole other thing entirely.

Their robotic arm was creaking a bit, in the morning they would have to look at it, and see if it needed any repairs.

With a few stretches, Alex prepared themselves for the night ahead. "Carpe noctem," They spoke to themselves. Alex pulled their mask down hiding their identity from the people below. Innocents and villains alike.

The night waited for nobody, especially not them.

With a leap, Alex fell from the top of Osgood Tower, towards the streets below.

They shot their web at the top of the towering buildings above. They swung through the city that they protected. Ready to defend their people from danger and other things that would cause harm.

Their powers, a gift and a burden, were now a part of who they were. With each swing, they embraced their role. Ready to face the night's challenges and defend the innocent. The moonlit skyline provided a backdrop for their vigilance, and the city sang with a mix of its grand opulence and hidden dangers.

For they were the Ghost Spider, and this was their life.

Alex spent the first few hours of their patrol breaking up a few muggings, and leaving the crooks for the constables to round them up.

All in all, it was a bit quiet for a night in New Oros.

They swung up to the center east side neighborhood of Treasury Way.

Alex swung over by the Sovereign's Manor. It had been a while since he last been around this neck of the woods. As they swung through the night, they saw their best friend, Gwenella Silver out upon the rooftop. They didn't know if she was leaving the manor again, or simply hanging out.

So, Alex decided to stop by and take a break. They swung over to the Sovereign's Manor and gingerly landed across from her. "It's pretty late for you to be heading out tonight."

Gwenella Silver perked up when she saw Alex, "Alex hey!" She walked over to them and gave Alex a hug. "I haven't seen you in a while. Is everything okay?"

Alex broke the hug and took off their mask, "That's a loaded question Gwen." Alex groaned as they walked over to the chimney and leaned against it.

Gwenella walked over to a table used for outdoor seating. They took out an apple from the fruit basket on top of the table. She offered it to them. Alex smiled, thanked her, and began eating the crisp apple.

"Last time I saw you, you mentioned you were heading to some other dimension. To join some secret society of other spider people?" Gwen recalled their last meeting with each other. "I was a bit afraid that I was never going to see you again."

Alex was a bit more hungry than he thought, and devoured the apple, save for the stem. They swallowed before speaking, "Oh don't be, I couldn't leave New Oros to its own devices." They joked before sighing, "Plus it didn't work out and I left."

Gwen looked at Alex. "What do you mean it didn't work out?"

Alex then explained everything to Gwenella. From basically being Miguel's personal medium to communicate with his dead daughter. To Miguel nearly choking them to death after helping Miles escape.

Gwenella looked infuriated, "You still have that watch?"

Alex rubbed the bridge of their eyes, "You are not traveling through the multiverse to beat the crap out of him."

"Why not?!"

"Cause I just don't want you to, all right? It's over, and I want to move past it."

Gwenella raised her hands. "Okay Alex if you say so, but if I ever come across that piece of work, I'm decking him right in the jaw!"

Alex chuckled, "Deal."

The two shared a laugh with each other as they looked out into the city.

"It's rather quiet tonight, then again it was probably always this quiet, and I just never noticed." Alex stated. They looked out and saw a few figures walking in the street below. They were wearing simple gray robes, and they had bald heads.

Alex stood upright and walked over to the edge of the roof. Gwenella looked confused, "What is it?"

"Those people down there, in the gray robes. Who are they?" They asked Gwenella as he observed them.

She joined Alex near the edge of the roof. "Oh that's right, you weren't here when they started showing up. They are a bunch of street preachers that came to the city about the time you left."

Alex relaxed a bit, "What do they preach?"

"Oh the same ol' stuff, as all the others. Peace, love, tranquility. All the normal stuff. However, these guys seem much more organized. You can't go two blocks without seeing one preach about their message."

Alex watched the group of preachers walk out of his field of view. "They aren't… aggressive in any way?"

Gwenella shook her head. "No, well they kind of hound people for any sort of donations, but they aren't too aggressive about it."

"What are they called," They asked her.

"Let me think, it was something star related… Oh, I remember. They call themselves 'The Children of the Cosmos.'"

Alex nodded their head, "Sounds a bit ominous, but I'm not going to hold that against them. Have you ever heard any of their street sermons?"

"They preach something along the lines of how they have a message to spread all among the stars. How it is more important than all the Gods in the world."

Alex raised their eyebrows, "Must be an important message. I wonder what it could be."

On the outskirts of New Oros, there was a small secluded forest near a small village called Rix.

Away from prying eyes, and the uninitiated, was the compound of The Children of the Cosmos.

Every few days followers would make the trek from their compound to the bordering villages, towns, and the city close to them, New Oros.

The Children would bring with them the offerings that the public would give them.

It was appreciated, but unnecessary for what The Way had planned.

Everyone was called to the large fire pit located outside of the sleeping quarters. It was where The Way would speak to them all.

The Way was the leader of the Children of the Cosmos, or that's how the people who were part of the Children would see them.

They were a person of short and scrawny stature. They wore simple rags and foot wraps. They had no need for materialistic fashions. The Way was not one for worldly possessions.

When everyone was settled around the fire pit, that was when The Way made their way in front of The Children.

The Children of the Cosmos fawned over their leader. They dove on the ground as if they wanted to bless and sanctify the dirt that The Way walked on.

The Way had long brown hair that was unkempt and matted. Their facial hair was that of a scraggly beard that had dandruff that came off in flakes. The Way had looked and smelled as if they had not bathed or slept in weeks. Their teeth were yellowed, their gums inflamed and bloody, and their breath was rancid.

The Way smiled and waved to his followers who's numbers had risen to hundreds of people.

The Way was flooded by three masked individuals. Each one's mask had a different sigil. One was of the sun, one was of the moon, and the last was of the stars. These were The Way's private council and trusted bodyguards.

The Way was smiling as he stood before the crowd of people waiting for him to speak. "Brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers. Take a seat, and lend me your ear."

They all did as he asked, and sat where they once stood. They all grew quiet as they wished to hear what The Way had wanted to say.

"Fear nothing, the darkness deep in the cosmos envelops you like a warm embrace. This race is almost at its end and finite conclusion. There's no confusion in this matter tonight. I declare a divine right. More important than Xanad and his 'All Sight'. More important than the air we breathe in. More important than righting wrongs and getting even."

The Way looked upon his followers and smiled, he scratched his beard and felt a piece of beard druff flake off. He picked it and looked at it, "Our message is almost ready to be shared amongst the stars, going far through the air, our visage of truth and power."

"The final hour draws near." The Way looked at the closest follower in his reach. "What news comes from the Sovereign's seat, New Oros?"

The Follower looked starstruck, they stammered over themselves as they spoke. "The G-Ghost Spider has appeared again after some time away."

"Verily?" The Way asked them.

"I speak the truth."

The Way looked up at their other followers, "Speak up if they speak the truth. Don't lie and risk me pulling a tooth from your lying mouth!"

Other people began to back up the words of the first follower.

The Way smiled, "Without waste nor haste, take this blessing upon blessings." The Way put his piece of flaked skin into the hands of the follower. Who proceeded to scarf it down as if it was the first thing they'd have to eat in days

The Way sat upon a stump and crossed his legs. "It's refreshing, but at the same time this news can be distressing. Will this Ghost Spider be a friend or enemy? It's hard to see. However, there's no need for worry. I am a friendly entity."

The Way spread their arms, "We must be welcoming to The Ghost Spider, though they may not be one of us. They do not outnumber us."

The Way smiled, "This spider is a specimen, swinging from web to web, ebb to ebb, hyped up on adrenaline. The eminent New Orosian denizen!" The Way then grew colder, and his eyes grew a darker shade of black. "Should this spider of a skeleton refuse a genuine invitation, what then?

The Children waited with baited breath for their answer.

"Simple, we kill them."

The Children of the Cosmos nodded. They were too close to their endgame to risk interference.

"We must prepare for the Universe to hear our message. I want a majority of us to stay and prepare. If anyone dares to interfere, then my three children will take care of it." The Way made mention to his three bodyguards.

The Children were assigned to their duties and dismissed.

The Way smiled as he took a guitar that was sitting outside and began to play a tune as the fire was getting started by another Child.

The Way just had to sit and wait, nothing would stop the message. They wouldn't allow anything to stop his message from being shared with the universe.

Alex swung through the city skyline after his last patrol. The night sky has begun to give way to the morning, and Alex decided that they had done their due diligence for the night and decided to head home.

New Oros is a vast city separated into several different districts. The further one travels into the center of the city, the more one will see more affluent houses powered by basic electric lights. Better maintained cobblestone roads and sidewalks, and storefronts that provide almost anything if you have the coin to purchase it.

The further one goes from the center of the city to the outskirts. The more one will find that people strive to survive day by day. Most people in the outer boroughs don't pay for goods, they enact a barter system. The outskirts of the city was also where the Decayed populace made their residence.

Alex's heart went out to their fellow Decayed. The discrimination against them was all too common. Sure there were non-decayed people who treated them well enough, but that was few and far between.

After a few minutes, Alex was on top of their home, a small bungalow a stone's throw away from his dad's tavern. They were fortunate to rent this place from one of his father's old war buddies. Granted it was a fixer upper, but that's why the rent was so cheap.

Alex snuck into his place before anybody could see him, through their window which they left open.

Alex's place was a bit small, it was a one bedroom with an attached bathroom. Their living room was a hodgepodge of several different spaces. Including a lounge area, an attached kitchenette, and a workbench. So that he could work on their webshooters and robotic arm.

As Alex relaxed he drew the blackout curtains back. That way the coming light of morning wouldn't shine through.

Alex took their spidersuit off as they approached their one true love, the one that got them through all the ups and many, many lows of this life…

Their bed

They changed into a nightshirt and plopped face down into their bed. Alex breathed a sigh of relief as they relaxed and just as they were about to fall asleep, a knocking rapped upon his door.

"Uuuugggggghhhhhhh!" Alex groaned as he got up from his bed and strode over to answer the door.

There at the door was Alex's dad, Dave Algrid. He came bearing gifts, a bag of raspberry danishes.

"Good morning Alex, I…are you alright? You look severely tired," Dave looked concerned over his kid's appearance.

"...Yeah Dad I'm fine, I just…didn't get much sleep last night " Alex shook his head, "But what's up?"

Dave nodded his head softly before explaining why he was there, "I am receiving a large shipment of alcohol in a few hours, and I wanted to see if you could help me with inventory, but if you're not feeling up to it..."

Alex shook his head, "No Dad, I can come in. Just give me an hour or so, and I'll be in."

Dave relented, "All right Alex, thank you I sincerely appreciate it." He gave Alex the danishes, a quick hug, and a peck on their forehead before leaving.

Alex smiled as he waved at his Dad before going back into his house. Alex knew if they went back to bed they'd probably be conked out for half the day. They sighed in exhaustion, before heading to the kitchen to brew some coffee to have with the danishes. It was going to be another long day, but that was their chosen life as the Ghost Spider.