So this next story-arc with Doctor Strange is going to include some elements from Multiverse of Madness, but not too many so the story isn't as needlessly complicated and convoluted as the actual movie was. Hope you enjoy!

Episode 126: Separated by a Storm!

MJ was speechless as she took the Gwespin from Madame Web and stared into its shimmering white eyes. The little Gwespin blinked and tickled MJ's face with its mouth, which made her laugh. Ben laughed too, who was leaning against Madame Web's chair with his head bandaged.

"You still got my communicator, Peter?" Ben asked.

"Sure do," Peter said as he showed the spider-shaped device Ben gave him back in La Vie City.

"Don't hesitate to call me if you need help," Ben said. "Although considering you've saved me twice now, I guess I'm the one who needs saving."

"I wouldn't be too hard on yourself, Ben," Peter said encouragingly. "Without your training, I would never have been able to face Kraven the way I did."

"So what is going to happen to Kraven and his Marémon?" MJ asked Madame Web.

"My Gwespins are going to use a combined Dimensional Jump to take them back to Ryker's Island Prison where they belong," Madame Web stated. "Though I sense whoever broke him out the first time will try to do it again."

"Can you tell us who it was?" Ben asked. "Cuz maybe I can stop them."

"All I can see is the future, not the past," replied Madame Web. "But what I can tell you is that a woman in green will visit Kraven soon."

"'Woman in green' ?" Ben's brow furrowed. "That doesn't give me a lot to go on, but it's something anyway."

"Promise me you'll take care of yourselves in Kamar-Taj," Madame Web said to Peter and MJ. "This threat I see still lurks there, growing stronger with each passing day."

"We will stop this threat, Madame Web," Peter stated. "You can count on that!"

So following the Gwespins, Peter, MJ, and Ben found themselves standing outside the cave looking over a sloped hill in the mountains. Ben then said his final goodbyes to Peter and MJ before heading in the direction of Sokovia City. As for MJ and Peter, they found the dirt path they had taken up to the plateau and continued along it for two days until they reached Kamar-Taj Village.

Unlike New Asgard Town, Kamar-Taj was much smaller with all the buildings clustered around a giant temple structure that stood at the summit of a high mountain. A dark storm was gathering overhead, which forced Peter and MJ to quicken their pace through a market square. But at the bottom footsteps of the temple, the two found Quill and Gwen, who looked surprised to see them.

"Did you just get here?" Gwen asked.

"Yep," Peter said.

"Aw!" Quill groaned. "I guess neither of us won a free trip to the hot springs since we just arrived too."

"You look a little worse for wear, Peter," Gwen said. "Did you run into any trouble on the way?"

"Oh, nothing but the usual Team HYDRA guys tried to bother us is all," Peter said in a sarcastic tone of voice.

"Was it Kraven?" Quill guessed.

"It was, but Peter managed to beat him," MJ bragged.

Gwen snorted. "You expect me to believe your scrawny little boyfriend took down a professional mercenary?"

"For the last time, he's not my boyfriend!" MJ insisted. "Why can't you get that through your dumb blonde brain?"

"Dumb blonde?" Gwen was insulted. "For your information, I scored very high on the Marémon Academy Finals and was even offered an internship at Oscorp!"

"Oscorp? You mean that company accused of experimenting on Marémon?" MJ remembered. "You seriously considered working for those guys?"

"Well, I didn't!" Gwen snapped.

"Guys, will you please stop fighting?" Quill interrupted. "I'm really tired and I don't want to deal with this."

"Same here," Peter said before pointing at the looming clouds. "Besides, we should seek shelter before that storm hits."

"All right, then MJ and I will head to the Marémon Theater to get checked in," Gwen said as she dragged MJ away despite her reluctance.

"Should we wait for them?" Quill asked Peter.

"No, let's go to the Kamar-Taj Realm," Peter suggested. "I can always call MJ on my smartphone to stay in touch with her."

"You know smartphones don't work once you're inside a Realm, right?" Quill pointed out.

"Then I'll call her after we get done in the Realm."

At the top of the temple stairs, the two boys found the swirling rainbow-colored portal that was identical to the ones at the New Asgard and Sokovia Realms. They stepped through without hesitation and found themselves in an Asian-style courtyard with a bunch of men and women in brown robes who were practicing a series of moves with glowing circles over their hands. Among these people was a young woman with curly brunette hair and brown eyes, who immediately noticed Peter and Quill.

"Hello!" the curly haired girl said. "Are you here to see Strange?"

"Is he back?" Peter asked.

"We heard he had been away for a while," Quill added.

"Yeah, he's back," the curly haired girl said. "But he's in no condition to have a Marémon Match with anyone right now."

Peter didn't like the sound of this. "Did someone else come back with him?"

"Like who?" asked the curly haired girl.

"An Asgardian named Thor. Has blond hair and has a Thunderthor with him."

"Oh, him! I don't think he's well enough to see visitors either."

"How do you know this?"

"Because I was the one who rescued them."

Suddenly, a cloud of red smoke appeared causing Quill and Peter to step back. From this smoke emerged Wanda Maximoff, who was wearing a similar brown robe to the curly haired girl. Her wavy hair was longer than before, with bags under her eyes and her hands were covered by red velvet gloves.

To be continued…