Eddie's mind raced, grappling with the revelation. Magic? Actual magic? It felt surreal, yet the evidence lay before him- Isabella's wand, the glowing lights, the sensations he had felt coursing through his body.
"Yes, dear," Isabella said, her voice still soothing, as if sensing his inner turmoil. "Magic exists in many forms one can imagine, and has done so for as long as we humans can remember. The way you speak- are your parents Yankees? Oh, I'm sorry, are they Americans?"
"Yeah, they were. No worries- they were Yankees, for all I care," Eddie replied.
"Oh, you must be hungry. Wait a moment, I will fix something right up," Isabella said, springing back onto her feet.
What followed was something Eddie Brock had never seen in his life before- perhaps never would again, he thought. With a wave of her wand, ingredients came out of the pantry- beef, onions, garlic, and more. They began to peel and slice themselves as they traveled through the air, wrapping around the meat before dropping neatly into a large pot. Within moments, the pot began to boil, and a tantalizing aroma drifted through the house.
She scooped up some soup from the pot and brought it to Eddie, feeding him gently as she said, "You cannot eat heavy things yet, but this will help you regain some energy."
Although Eddie felt he could manage on his own, refusing her kindness seemed inappropriate. So, he accepted it, helping himself to the hearty soup prepared for him.
"Rest well, Eddie. We will talk later. I need to step out for a moment- I will be right back," Isabella said, slinging a bag over her shoulder as she walked outside.
Eddie heard the door close.
Then came a sharp crack- like a firecracker.
Eddie was left alone again.
Wait- he wasn't alone.
"You there?" Eddie asked.
...…
"You dead yet?" he asked again.
"…not… yet…" came the reply.
Eddie let out a slow breath. "We're alive. But damn, I have no idea where this is. Magic or whatever it is- it brought us back."
He spoke aloud, but even without words, he felt Venom agreed.
One by one, Eddie began recalling his earlier conversation with Isabella. Pieces started falling back into place.
What the hell had happened? Why was he young?
Eddie raised his hand, touching his face.
Smoother. No stubble. No scars. No weight of years.
He swallowed.
"Okay… yeah, that's not normal," he muttered.
A faint ripple moved under his skin, like something stretching after a long sleep.
"Not… right," came the voice again- clearer now, but strained.
Eddie froze. "Hey. There you are. Took you long enough."
Silence for a moment.
Then-
"Weak. Hungry."
Eddie exhaled slowly. "Yeah… I figured. Same here, buddy."
He tried pushing himself up from the bed. His body protested- badly. It still felt hollow, like something was missing. Like he hadn't fully grown into himself yet. He barely managed to lift himself enough to lean against the bedrest.
The room spun slightly. He steadied himself against the wooden rail.
"Alright… let's see," he whispered.
No suit. No black tendrils crawling over his arms. No mirror nearby- but he didn't need one to know something was off.
"You feel it too, right?" Eddie asked quietly.
A pause.
Then, faint but certain-
"Smaller."
Eddie huffed a dry laugh. "Yeah. That's one way to put it."
He looked out through the small window. Outside, the world looked… wrong. Or maybe just older. There was no heavy traffic noise- or if there was, it felt distant. Muted. Different.
Different time, maybe. Definitely a different place.
"Magic," Eddie said under his breath. "Great. Because that's exactly what I needed today."
The symbiote stirred slightly, as if it didn't entirely disagree.
Eddie's gaze drifted to the door Isabella had exited through.
"That 'crack'…" he murmured. "You heard that?"
"Gone," Venom replied.
"Yeah. Not just walked out. Just- gone."
Eddie frowned.
"Alright. So we've got a witch, magic soup, flying groceries… and we're younger." He ticked the points off on his fingers. "Anything else we're missing?"
A long pause.
Then, once again,
"Weaker."
That one hit harder.
Eddie clenched his jaw. "Yeah. I got that part."
He rolled his shoulders, testing his strength. It wasn't gone- but it wasn't what it used to be. And Venom… Venom was barely there. A whisper instead of a roar.
"Okay," Eddie said, voice low, focused now. "Rule one- we don't panic."
"We never panic."
"Yeah, we absolutely do. We just pretend we don't."
A faint flicker of amusement passed between them.
Good. Still there.
Still them.
Eddie looked around the room, noticing details now- the old wood, the faint scent of herbs, strange symbols carved into the beams.
"Think she knows anything about us?" he asked.
"Yes."
No hesitation.
Eddie stopped.
"…Yeah. Thought so."
Because Isabella hadn't acted surprised. Not by him. Not by anything.
If anything- she'd been pitying him.
A sudden chill ran down his spine.
"Then the real question is…" Eddie muttered, eyes narrowing slightly, "what will she do to us- and how do we deal with that?"
Silence.
Even Venom didn't answer that one.
Eddie leaned against the wall, thinking hard now. Pieces weren't just missing—they'd been rearranged.
Younger body. Weak symbiote. Magic involved.
That wasn't an accident.
That was deliberate.
Someone- or something- had set this up.
It had to be.
Outside, the wind picked up.
And for a brief moment- just a flicker- Eddie thought he saw something move beyond the window.
Someone waiting.
Watching.
Venom reacted instantly.
"Not alone."
Eddie's expression hardened.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "I'm starting to get that feeling too."
He turned back toward the door.
"Looks like when the nice witch gets back…" he muttered, "…we're gonna have a lot of questions."
And somewhere deep inside-
Venom stirred.
Not with hunger this time.
But with warning.