[ Location: The Chamber of Secrets ][ Date: December 19th, 1992 - Early Morning ]
The floor cracked under the immense pressure of the Gravity Well.
The Basilisk hissed, pinned flat against the stone, its massive tail thrashing uselessly against the pillars.
I floated up to it, sweat stinging my eyes. My head felt like it was in a vice, but I didn't let up.
'Submit or Die.'
"You are strong," the Basilisk hissed, its voice vibrating in my skull. "But you are not my master."
"I may not be your master!" I roared in Parseltongue, my voice amplified by the acoustics of the damp chamber. "But I am more powerful ! I am the one holding you down with my mind! Tom Riddle is a ghost in a book! I am real and power! SUBMIT!"
I poured every ounce of my willpower into the pressure. My nose bled freely now, dripping onto the wet stones.
Tom Riddle, frozen stiff by Shikamaru's Petrificus Totalus spell, screamed through his gritted teeth. His spectral form flickered.
"Kill him!" Tom shrieked. "Obey me, serpent! I am the Heir!"
The snake ignored him. It looked at me (I felt its gaze through my Remote Viewing thermal vision). It respected strength and right now, I was the heaviest thing in the room.
"Food?" the snake asked, its tone shifting from hostile to bargaining.
"Lots of food," I promised, panting. "Meat, Sheep and freedom. But first... you serve me."
The snake tasted the air.
It felt the crushing weight of my mind.
"I accept."
[ System Alert: Contract Established! ][ Pet Acquired: Basilisk (Name Pending). ]
[ Rewards: +2000 Points, Venom Resistance]
I dropped the gravity hold and the pressure vanished.
The snake coiled up, lowering its massive head until it was level with mine.
"Command me, Master."
"Good girl," I whispered, wiping the blood from my face.
I turned to Shikamaru. He was sweating (From seeing me command such big snake probably reminding him of orochimaru).
"Hurry up, Vivan!" Shikamaru gritted out. "I can't hold him forever!"
"I'm on it," I said.
I reached into my Inventory.
I pulled out my Glock 19.
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Is that... a gun? Primitive."
"Effective," I corrected.
I ejected the magazine. I held out a single 9mm bullets.
"Spit," I ordered the snake. "Just a drop. Right here."
The Basilisk opened its mouth. A single drop of emerald venom, potent enough to kill a Horcrux, dripped onto the bullet tip. It sizzled, eating slightly into the metal casing.
'Poison damage +1000.'
I carefully loaded the bullet back into the magazine, slammed it into the gun, and racked the slide. Click-clack.
I walked toward Tom Riddle.
He stared at the weapon. "What... what is that muggle toy?"
"This," I aimed the gun at the black diary lying on the floor beneath his spectral feet, "is problem-solving, American style."
BANG.
The gunshot was deafening in the enclosed chamber.
The venom-coated bullet tore through the leather cover of the diary.
"AAAAHHH!"
Tom Riddle screamed.
It wasn't a human scream; it was the sound of a soul being torn apart. Ink spurted from the book like arterial blood, splashing onto the wet floor. Tom's spectral form fractured, light pouring from the cracks in his face.
"You... filthy..." Tom gasped, and then exploded into nothingness.
Silence fell.
Shikamaru collapsed to his knees, panting. "Finally. That was a drag."
I lowered the gun and put it back in my Inventory.
"It's over," I said.
I turned back to the Basilisk and opened the System Shop.
[ Purchase: High-Grade Meat (1000 lbs). Cost: 100 Points. ]
A massive pile of raw steaks appeared on the floor.
"Eat," I told the snake. "I will come back for you next year. For now, sleep. Guard this place. Let no one in but me."
"Sleep..." The Basilisk hissed contentedly, tearing into the meat. "Master is generous."
I quickly walked over to the shed skin lying in the corners.
'Loot time.'
I shoved huge sections of Basilisk skin into my Inventory. Then I carefully filled three vials with venom from a puddle on the floor.
'Lloyd is going to lose his mind.'
"Okay," I said, walking back to Shikamaru. "Let's go."
"Go?" Shikamaru looked at the ceiling pipe, which was miles high. "Climb that? No way."
"No climbing," I grinned. "We fly."
I closed my eyes.
'Animagus Form: Release.'
[ Ability Active: Animagus (Phoenix). ]
Fire consumed me. My bones shifted, my skin turned to feathers. I shrank and expanded at the same time.
SCREEEE!
I let out a trill of pure fire that lit up the Chamber.
Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head. "You just had to pick the flashiest bird possible."
I swooped down and grabbed Shikamaru's shoulders with my talons. He was heavy, but Phoenix strength was no joke.
"This airline has terrible service," Shikamaru muttered as I lifted him into the air.
We flew up the pipe, spiraling through the darkness, until we burst out of the bathroom sink and into the cool night air of the castle.
I transformed back, landing on my feet and Shikamaru landed in a crouch.
"Mission complete," I said, picking up the ruined Diary. "Let's drop this off near Dumbledore's office and pretend we were asleep in the dorms the whole time."
"Sounds like a plan," Shikamaru yawned.
[ Time Skip: January 1993 - May 1993 ]
The rest of the year was... surprisingly normal.
Dumbledore eventually found the ruined diary (I left it on a gargoyle).
there was no big ceremony, no House Cup victory based on "Services to the School."
But I didn't care about House Points.
I had 2000 System Points.
I went back to the grind.
I actually attended classes and learned the theory.
It turns out, Magic isn't just waving a stick; it's math with feelings. I got good at Transfiguration (turning beetles into buttons was weirdly satisfying) and Charms (cheering charms were great for business).
But my real work was in the skills.
I leveled up a lot.
Astral Projection: Level 2. (I could now leave my body for an hour without getting a migraine).
Illusion & Mental Manipulation: Level 2. (I could make Malfoy see spiders on his pillow. I did this. Often. For the XP, obviously).
Memory Reading: Level 2. (Useful for cheating on History of Magic exams).
Telepathy: Level 2. (I could hold a mental chat with Shikamaru without shouting).
[ Magic Mastery: Level 3 ]
But one skill refused to budge.
[ Portal Manipulation: Level 1 (0%). ]
[ Error: Cannot upgrade. User must be in Home World (Stranger Things) to calibrate inter-dimensional frequencies. ]
'Makes sense. I can't learn to open a door to the Upside Down from otherworld.'
Then, a lore update flashed.
[ System Lore Update: Portal Manipulation ]
[ Note: If Portal Manipulation reaches Level 10 (MAX), the User can bridge the Upside Down to ANY world. ]
[ Requirement: To claim the Upside Down as a Personal Domain, the User must defeat the current Ruler (Henry Creel / Vecna) in single combat. ]
[ Reward: Control over the Hive Mind & Time Dilation Control. ]
I stared at the text floating in the library air.
'Control the Hive Mind? Me? The God of the Upside Down?'
And the Time Control...
'Since the Upside Down is a realm that connects to other worlds, time can be adjusted there. Once I become the Ruler, I will have full control over the time flow of any connected world.'
I grinned, my reflection visible in the library window.
'That's the endgame. That's how I win.'
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