[ Location: Frostwell Residence - Home Gym ][ Date: February 1984 - One Month Post-Hogwarts ]
Thwack. Thwack. WHOOSH. Thwack.
The heavy bag swung violently on its chain. Sweat dripped down my nose, stinging my eyes, but I didn't stop.
"Left jab. Right hook. Telekinetic shove. Upper cut."
I threw a punch. At the moment of impact, I flared my mind.
[ Ability Active: Telekinesis (Kinetic Boost). ]
BOOM.
The heavy bag didn't just swing; it folded. The leather groaned, and the chain rattled against the ceiling joists like it was begging for mercy.
I stepped back, panting, wiping my face with a towel.
I walked over to the mirror wall to check my form.
The reflection staring back wasn't the scrawny, terrified kid who got nearly squashed by a Demogorgon a few months ago.
I had grown. A lot. Maybe it was the Magic stimulating my cells, or maybe it was just puberty hitting me like a freight train, but I looked... different.
My hair was a messy mop of dark curls that refused to be tamed—very Timothée Chalamet if he hadn't slept for a week. My jawline had sharpened enough to cut glass. And thanks to the relentless physical grind I forced myself into, my shoulders had broadened, filling out the tank top with lean, corded muscle.
'I look like a teen heartthrob who moonlights as a vigilante. Not bad, Frostwell. Not bad at all.'
I flexed my arm. The magic hummed in my veins, warm and fluid, sitting right next to the sharp, electric buzz of my Psionics.
'System. Status.'
[ User: Vivan Frostwell ]
[ Physique: Athlete (Enhanced by Magic). ]
[ Telekinesis Mastery: Level 5 (92%). ] [ Remote Viewing Mastery: Level 5 (88%). ]
"92 percent," I muttered, taking a swig of water. "I need to hit Level 6 before the Mind Flayer shows up. Or before Will coughs up another slug."
Ding!
The Chat Group interface popped up, floating right in front of the squat rack.
Lloyd Frontera (Admin): @Vivan Frostwell I reviewed the inventory list you uploaded. It's trash. Garbage. Where is the good stuff? Where are the Phoenix Tears?
Vivan Frostwell: I listed one vials of Phoenix Tears for you Lloyd.
Lloyd Frontera (Admin): ONE?! You were in a castle full of magic! You should have drained the bird! And where is the Stone? The shiny red one? Don't think I didn't see you staring at it in the video feed!
Vivan Frostwell: Dumbledore took it. Old man is fast. I barely got out with the potions.
Sosuke Aizen: A convenient lie. But a necessary one. Keeping power for oneself is the first rule of godhood.
Shikamaru Nara: Can you guys keep it down? I'm trying to enjoy my nap. The clouds in this world are... different. Less fluffy.
Vivan Frostwell: You're still asleep? It's been a month!
Shikamaru Nara: I'm catching up on the year I missed. Wake me up when there's a crisis.
I chuckled, turning off the interface.
'Crisis is coming, Shika. Just you wait.'
I walked over to the corner of the gym where I had set up a small "Wizarding Station." A cauldron (stolen), some jars of ingredients (stolen), and my wand (legally obtained... sort of).
"Okay. Magic practice."
I picked up the wand. It felt warm, like shaking hands with an old friend.
"Apparition," I whispered, looking at the Apparition book I got as a reward. "The Three D's. Destination, Determination, Deliberation."
I focused on the other side of the room.
'Destination is The treadmill.'
'Determination is to Get there without losing a leg.'
'Deliberation NOW.'
I spun on my heel.
CRACK.
The world squeezed. It felt like being pushed through a rubber tube that was too small.
POP.
I stumbled, falling onto the treadmill belt.
"Oof!"
I checked my limbs. Two arms. Two legs. Ten fingers.
"Yes!" I cheered. "I didn't splinch myself!"
[ System Notice: New Skill Unlocked: Apparition (Level 1). ][ Warning: Range limited to 10 meters. High Mana Cost. ]
"10 meters is better than 0 meters," I grinned.
Ding!
A new icon appeared on my HUD. It looked like a holographic phone.
[ Incoming Call: Dimensional Comm-Link ][ Caller: Hermione Granger (Harry Potter World) ]
My heart did a little flip.
'It actually works.'
I tapped [ Accept ].
A holographic screen expanded in the air. The image was slightly grainy, like an old TV, but I could see her clearly.
Hermione was sitting at a desk, surrounded by books. Her hair was bushier than ever, and she was wearing a muggle sweater. Sunlight streamed through a window behind her—it was summer in her timeline.
"Vivan?" she whispered, leaning closer to the screen (or whatever she was looking at). "Is that you? Can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear, Granger," I smiled, leaning against the squat rack. "You look... startled. Did the book I gave you explode?"
"Vivan!" She beamed. "It worked! The slate you gave me in end ... it just started glowing! This is incredible! Is this your unique magic? Or is it technology? It feels like a Protean Charm but connected to a visual illusion!"
"It's a bit of both," I lied. "How's your summer?"
"Boring," she sighed dramatically. "My parents took me to France, which was lovely, but I can't use magic. I've been reading the Theory of Charm Work you gave me. It's fascinating! Did you know that intent can override somatic components if your will is strong enough?"
"I might have heard that somewhere," I winked.
She paused, looking at me. She squinted.
"You look different," she noted. "Taller. And... did you get muscles?"
I flexed casually (totally not showing off). "Just a little workout routine. Gotta stay in shape for the next Troll attack."
She laughed, turning pink. "Well... it suits you. You look... older."
"Time works differently for me I think," I said softly. "But I'm still the same Vivan."
"I miss you," she blurted out, then covered her mouth. "I mean... Harry and Ron are terrible at writing letters. Ron just writes about food. It's nice to have an intelligent conversation."
"I miss you too, Hermione," I said honestly. "Keep studying. You're going to be the brightest witch of your age, remember?"
"I will," she nodded determinedly. "Oh! Mum's calling. I have to hide the slate!"
"Go. Talk later."
The screen vanished.
I stood there in the silence of my gym, feeling a strange mix of happiness and loneliness.
'She's safe. In 1992. I'm here. In 1984. Different worlds. Different wars.'
I looked out the window. The sky over Hawkins was grey. The clouds looked bruised.
I touched my nose. No blood.
But I felt it. A prickle on the back of my neck. The Shadow Monster wasn't dead. It was just waiting.
'Season 2,' I thought, picking up a towel. 'Mad Max. The Mind Flayer. Dart.'
I looked at my inventory.
[ Philosopher's Stone ][ 3*Phoenix Tears ][ Wand ][ Shovel ] [Mirror of ...]
"Come and get me," I whispered to the empty room.
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