7:30 PM
Lorien helped the two women out slowly.
Gwen held the Power Stone, but her Symbiote armor could swallow it and treat it as part of her equipment. Wanda, on the other hand, had temporarily turned the Mind Stone into a necklace and hung it around her neck. This way, both Infinity Stones were effectively in an equipped state, ready for use at any time.
Once the two had changed into their pajamas, Lorien helped them to the recliners in the Little Universe. Of course, it wasn’t one chair per person. Lorien lay in the middle, with Wanda and Gwen half-leaning against him on either side, their heads resting on his shoulders.
Do you understand the feeling of having two soft, warm, and fragrant bodies lying in your arms? Why would anyone push that away?
Breathing in the faint fragrance from their hair, Lorien took a deep, blissful breath and exhaled in satisfaction. At the same time, his fingers traced along their waists and hips, feeling their smooth, delicate skin.
"Pervert."
Wanda’s face flushed red as she rested her head against Lorien’s chest, her eyes drifting to the moon hanging in the sky of the Little Universe.
"Bad guy."
Gwen reacted differently. She gave Lorien a playful bite.
"Ow~!"
"Hiss..."
Lorien drew in a sharp breath that didn’t hurt at all, then nudged Gwen’s head with his chin.
"If you don’t behave, I’ll punish you on the spot."
The moment she heard "punished on the spot," Gwen instantly panicked, covering the spot where she had just bitten him.
Wanda smiled at the sight, then decided to stir things up.
"Gwen, weren’t you always so proud? Keep going..."
Before she could finish, Lorien—hearing exactly what she was up to—reached out and grabbed her.
Wanda immediately surrendered.
"I’m sorry, Lorien!"
Hearing her apology, Lorien released her. Wanda finally relaxed and let out a long breath.
"Still daring to stir things up? Who taught you that?"
"I won’t dare anymore... I just learned it from a TV show..."
Gwen giggled at Wanda’s flustered expression.
"See? That’s what happens when you mess around, hehe~"
Although she said that, Gwen admitted Wanda wasn’t wrong. She was afraid too.
In the eyes of ordinary people, there are no ruined fields, only oxen that collapse from overwork. But in Lorien’s case, there are no oxen that collapse, only fields that are endlessly plowed. And this ox... was a beast among beasts.
Tell me, wouldn’t you be afraid?
...
After their playful bickering, the three of them held each other close, enjoying the evening breeze of the Little Universe and gazing at its moon.
The Little Universe belonged to Lorien, yet it still existed within this universe. Since he had anchored it on Earth, its projection and the Earth-Moon orbit simulated the surrounding cosmic environment.
If Lorien were to place the Little Universe beside the sun, one side would be in eternal daylight, while the other would remain in perpetual darkness—because the Little Universe did not rotate.
With that thought, Lorien turned his gaze to the garden and orchard before him. Thanks to Wanda and Gwen’s efforts, the garden had expanded to several hundred square meters, now blooming with flowers. For some reason, perhaps due to the soil and environment, the flowers here hardly withered at all, as if they never faded.
Meanwhile, the fruit trees Gwen had planted had sprouted tender buds and new branches, meaning nearly all of them had taken root successfully. Judging by the growth rate of the Little Universe, it would only take a few cycles—maybe just one or two months—before the trees matured and bore fruit. Then, they could enjoy fresh, juicy harvests.
Ah~~~ how comfortable.
Watching the flowers bloom and fall in the courtyard, gazing at the clouds gather and scatter across the horizon, Lorien hugged the two women close and closed his eyes for a short rest.
But just then, Gwen spoke.
"Lorien, you’re off work tomorrow, right?"
Lorien nodded with his eyes still closed.
"Yeah, why?"
"Then I’ll go home tonight and tell Mom and George. Tomorrow at noon, you can come over for lunch."
Lorien thought about it.
"Alright, tomorrow at noon then."
"Hehe, you’re the best~"
Overjoyed, Gwen snuggled closer into his arms. Wanda, half-leaning against him as well, happened to meet her gaze.
But there was no rivalry in their eyes—only shared happiness, warmth, and contentment.
...
But then.
The mischievous Gwen suddenly remembered something. She looked up to check if Lorien still had his eyes closed.
After confirming he did, she glanced at Wanda and signaled with her eyes to look down.
Wanda lowered her gaze—and saw Gwen’s little hands moving sneakily, like a thief at work.
Hiss~~~
Lorien felt his heart jolt. How could he not react? His head instantly spun!
But just as he tried to sit up, Gwen pressed him back down.
"This time you can’t move. You have to act like a patient who’s paralyzed everywhere... except here."
"...."
Fine! If I can’t move, then I won’t move!
Lorien leaned back comfortably into the chair, eyes still closed. But even without looking, he could still use his psychic power as his eyes.
Ha, same thing!
Through his mental perception, he saw Gwen maintaining the sniper rifle.
Weapon maintenance was a meticulous and tedious task that required patience. The first step was applying gun oil—the most important and time-consuming part.
Gwen couldn’t manage it alone. A sniper rifle was so long, with countless parts that needed attention. So she looked at Wanda, signaling her to help.
Wanda hesitated for a moment. She glanced at Lorien, who was still resting with his eyes closed. Then, curiosity getting the better of her, she stepped forward to join in.
The two divided the work, each handling part of the rifle.
As everyone knows, maintenance is a technical job. Keeping a sword in shape means wiping, grinding, and even polishing. For motorcycles or cars, it’s changing the oil, washing, buffing, and so on.
Haven’t you heard the saying, "Sharpening a blade at the last minute makes it neither sharp nor bright"? Careful upkeep always pays off.
...
No one knew how much time had passed.
Gurgle~~~
Once the weapon maintenance was finished, Gwen acted as if nothing unusual had happened. She bounced a few steps away, waving her hand.
"I’ll head back first, Lorien. I’ll come pick you up tomorrow at noon to take you to my place. See you."
Lorien let out a long breath.
"See you."
Huuu~~~
After Gwen left, Lorien was just about to get up—
"Wait."
He was suddenly stopped by Wanda.
"Hm?"
Lorien turned to look at her.
"What’s wrong?"
Wanda glanced at Gwen’s lively retreating figure, then at the cheerful expression on Lorien’s face. She pursed her lips, then began tying up her hair as she spoke.
"Clean yourself up with a snap first."
Lorien froze for a second. But seeing her tie her hair—who wouldn’t understand what she meant?
He immediately snapped his fingers.
Snap~
In an instant, the area became the cleanest place in the universe.
And right after that, the substitute stepped in.
Lorien reached out, gently touched her head, and gave her a bit of encouragement.
Then he turned into a—
"Hiss..."
Today was one of the happiest days ever.
Well, one of them.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
After changing her clothes, Gwen went downstairs and skipped along the road like any ordinary girl heading home. She wore black fitted pants, a jacket that was white on the outside and pink inside, and a pair of teal Sony Bluetooth headphones over her head, listening to music. She walked happily, humming as she went.
To save time, she cut through a few backstreets where almost no one ever walked. The streetlights there were old, and the city couldn’t be bothered to replace them. After all, swapping out hundreds of lights would cost millions—who could bear that? Over time, these streets had become deserted.
Gwen passed through several of them without incident. She was still humming with her headphones on, bouncing lightly with each step. But the next moment, a prickle of unease made her glance toward an alley ahead.
Bang! Bang bang!
Sure enough. First came the muffled shots of a silenced pistol.
Clack clack clack~
Then came the sound of footsteps—one person running in front, several chasing behind.
"Die, Walters! The boss knew you’d come to that bitch’s house! We’ve been waiting here just to catch you on the way out!"
"Don’t run, big-shot lawyer! I’ll send you to hell to practice law there! Hahahaha!"
The shouts, curses, and gunfire drew closer, the group charging right toward Gwen.
She smiled, slipped off her headphones, and pulled down her hood.
"Overtime, huh~"
"Seriously, I just ate, and now I have to exercise."
Just then, voices rang out again from the alley.
"You scum! I’ll make sure every last one of you rots in prison!"
"What? Prison? Isn’t that just a retirement home?"
"Hahaha, counselor, we only go to private prisons! Life in there’s better than outside!"
In the next instant, the black-and-white Symbiote suit spread across Gwen’s body. She strode forward toward the commotion.
The moment she stepped out, she collided with Jennifer Walters, who had nearly collapsed from exhaustion while fleeing. Jen was already on the verge of passing out.
She didn’t even look up, but upon realizing she had bumped into a woman, she gasped out urgently,
"Run! They’re gangsters! Go to the police station and call the cops!"
But the next second—
Screeching footsteps skidded to a halt behind her. One man couldn’t stop in time and crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Then came the panicked voices.
"Sp... Spider-Woman, what do we do?"
"Shoot! Fire at Spider-Woman!"
Clearly, this gang wasn’t the type to back down. They trusted the guns in their hands.
Gwen, determined to protect Jen, made the first move.
With a flick of her hand, several pink-and-white darts shot out.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Each one struck the gunmen in their arms.
"Ahhhh!!!"
The alley erupted with screams.
Gwen had been enjoying her music earlier, and now these cries grated on her nerves. Irritated, she considered using the gem Lorien had given her.
Thinking this, she stepped into the center of the fallen gang members. The Power Stone floated into her palm. She clenched her fist.
Boom!
A pulse of violet energy burst outward, dropping every gangster instantly into unconsciousness.
It was over in a flash. Her thrown darts returned to her body, reabsorbed by the Symbiote suit.
Jen, still catching her breath, had seen everything.
Realizing it was Spider-Woman, she said gratefully,
"Thank you, Spider-Woman. Otherwise, I’d be finished."
Gwen just waved it off casually. She grabbed a fallen gangster’s phone, dialed 911, and handed it to Jen.
"Huh?"
Still dazed, Jen accepted the phone—already connected to emergency services.
By the time she looked up, Gwen had leapt away to the rooftops.
"Hello, this is 911 emergency—"
"Ah, I’m on XX Street in New York. There’s a gang here, with guns, and—"
"Understood. Officers are on their way to your location. Please wait somewhere safe."
"Wait—I’m fine. But all the gang members are unconscious. I don’t know if they’re dead or not."
"...Alright. Officers will be there shortly."
"Okay, I’ll wait nearby."
...
Meanwhile, Gwen had already put her headphones back on, strolling down the street as if nothing had happened. With the music playing in her ears, she pulled out her phone and sent a message to Lorien.
[Gwen: Just took down another gang. These guys never end, like flies.]
Inside the northern skyscraper, Lorien glanced at the message on his phone. Then he looked toward Wanda, who was still practicing diligently below. He guided her rhythm with his hands, pushing her to challenge the limits of "Deep."
So he could only reply using his mind.
[Lorien: Hmm... not bad. But that’s the way it is. Even if this gang is gone, new ones will always take their place. We can suppress them, but never wipe them out completely.]
[Gwen: Alright, I get it. I was just sighing over how dark this world still is. If only there was a little less of it.]
[Lorien: Darkness won’t disappear. Even if it lessened in this universe, it would still exist in others. It’s the inevitable byproduct of human society.]
[Gwen: Other universes?! Are they like ours? Would there be another me?]
[Lorien: Not exactly. At the very least, you, me, and Wanda are unique. There are also the Twin Dancers and Fridge Nora. You’ll meet them one day—believe me.]
[Gwen: Alright, I get it. But something feels off with you. Don’t tell me you’re bullying Wanda?] ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NovєlFіre.net
Cough cough.
Reading that message, Lorien’s hand unconsciously tightened.
Wuuu~!
Wanda’s throat immediately tensed, and she quickly slapped at his hand. Lorien let go right away. Wanda glared at him through watery eyes.
"Cough, cough... sorry."
He apologized first. After Wanda resumed practice, he replied.
[Lorien: Yeah, I was just bullying Wanda, almost made her cry.]
[Gwen: Crying? That weak? Heh, I can control every muscle in my body. She can’t compete with me.]
Lorien couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.
[Lorien: You can’t put it that way. You’re strong, Gwen, but Wanda’s working hard to catch up.]
[Gwen: Hmph. She’ll never catch up to me no matter how much she studies. Wanda only looks tough—deep down she’s fragile. Anyway, I’m home. I’ll tell you more tomorrow. Bye.]
[Lorien: Sigh... bye.]
Gwen read his final "bye," then shut off her phone and stepped into her family’s small townhouse.
"Mom, I’m back~. Where’s George? I have something to tell you both."
...
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