[ Location: Frostwell Residence - Home Gym ][ Date: March 28th, 1985 - Thursday Afternoon ]
One blink. That was all it took.
The scent of london station vanished, replaced instantly by the smell of rubber mats and stale sweat.
I stood frozen in my home gym. My arm was still raised, wand gripped tight in my fist. In my other hand, the empty potion vial was still warm.
"Back," I whispered. My voice sounded too loud in the quiet room.
It was jarring. A brain-scramble. I had just spent an entire school year fighting snakes, learning spells, and flying on brooms. I had lived months of life. But here? The dust motes dancing in the shaft of sunlight hadn't even moved an inch. Not a single second had passed.
'Okay, that is seriously trippy. One second I'm facing down a basilisk, the next I'm staring at my weight bench? Talk about jet lag.'
I turned to the mirror. The reflection staring back wasn't the same scrawny kid who left.
I looked little older.
Sharper.
The Power Potion I chugged right before the jump was kicking in hard, well it already did in hogwarts. My skin felt tight, like my muscles were trying to break out of it. My shoulders were broader, my chest solid. I didn't just feel strong; I felt heavy. Like I was made of lead and steel.
'I left as a kid. I came back as... well, a dangerous kid.'
I tossed the empty glass vial into the metal trash can.
Clink.
"I'm loaded," I grinned, flexing a hand. The tendons shifted under my skin like cables.
I walked to the window and looked out. Hawkins sat there, bathed in afternoon sunlight. Birds were chirping. A lawnmower buzzed in the distance. The sky was a perfect, innocent blue.
It looked so safe.
'It's all a lie. A pretty, painted lie. Right now, a few miles under my feet, Russians are drilling holes in reality. The Key is turning. And the Mind Flayer is scratching at the door, waiting to get in.'
A drop of sweat rolled down my temple. I wiped it away, my eyes narrowing.
"Time to do some pest control."
[ Location: Vivan's Bedroom - Astral Plane ][ Time: Midnight ]
The house was silent. I lay flat on my bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to slow my breathing.
'Okay. Astral Projection. Don't barf. Just go.'
[ Ability Active: Astral Projection (Level 2). ]
The sensation was like being pulled out of warm water into cold air. My soul peeled away from my body, weightless and free. I drifted upward, passing right through the plaster ceiling like it was smoke.
I hovered above my house, looking down at the sleeping town.
'Go deep. Find the rot.'
I dove.
I phased through the grass, through the dirt, sinking past tree roots and sewer pipes. The earth swallowed me. Deeper. Darker.
Then—light. Harsh, artificial light.
I stopped. Below me was a massive underground base. Concrete walls, cold steel, and men in green uniforms marching around like ants moving crumbs. In the center of the room sat the beast.
The Key.
A giant, ugly machine, shooting a beam of pure energy into the living rock. They were trying to crack the gate to the Upside Down.
'Not on my watch, comrades.'
I floated toward the massive drill. Even as a ghost, my Telekinesis still worked if I focused hard enough. I zeroed in on a small, high-pressure pipe near the engine.
'Just a little squeeze...'
SNAP.
HISSS.
Black oil sprayed out like a severed artery. The drill let out a horrible, grinding screech and shuddered to a halt. Red lights started flashing. Alarms screamed. The scientists below panicked, running around and shouting in Russian, waving their clipboards uselessly.
I smirked, floating unseen above the chaos. 'That bought us a few days. Maybe a week.'
I turned to leave, feeling satisfied.
Then, the temperature dropped.
It wasn't a physical cold. It was a cold that touched my soul. The air inside the sealed room grew heavy, thick with a sudden, suffocating pressure.
'What the...?'
It wasn't wind. It was fear.
I spun around. The wall the Russians had been drilling... it looked thin. Like stretched skin. And behind it, something was looking back.
The world twisted. The concrete base vanished.
Suddenly, I wasn't in the lab anymore. I was standing in a red, nightmare version of the world. Vines slithered over everything like snakes. Lightning flashed in a dark sky, silent and violent.
A creepy, broken house stood in front of me.
And floating in the attic window... was Him.
The Ruler of upside down.
Vecna.
He looked like a corpse that had been left in the swamp for a year—raw skin, tangled in wet vines. He didn't have eyes, just dark, empty pits. But I could feel his gaze. He was looking right at me.
[ System Alert: High-Level Enemy Detected. ]
[ Skill Triggered: OBSERVE (Level 1). ]
'Observe? Oh god, System, don't tell me...'
Text floated above the monster's head, glowing red.
[ Entity: Henry Creel / Vecna ][ Strength: 50 ][ Spirit: 520 ][ Threat Level: GOD LEVEL. (This Universe)#F^R N*W# ]
My ghostly heart missed a beat.
'Spirit 520? Are you kidding me? I'm what than??. He isn't a boss. He is a nuclear bomb.'
Vecna tilted his head slowly, like a predator spotting a new type of prey. His voice didn't come from his mouth; it drilled directly into my skull.
"You... are not the Girl."
Pain exploded in my head. It felt like a hot nail being driven into my brain.
"A boy with powers."
He raised a clawed hand.
CRACK.
My mental shields—the ones I trained so hard on—shattered like glass. He didn't even try. He just brushed them aside.
"I see you," Vecna hissed.
He pushed. A wave of pure psychic force slammed into me.
I screamed. I turned and scrambled back to my body, flying faster than I had ever flown in my life.
'Run run run run run!'
[ Location: Bedroom ]
"GAH!"
I woke up gasping, my body jerking violently on the mattress.
Warm liquid dripped onto my lip. I touched my nose—blood. My head throbbed like someone was playing drums inside it.
[ System Notice: Mental Defense Failed. ][ Occlumency Level Up! Level 1 -> Level 3. ]
I clutched my head, groaning. "Okay. Message received. Do not mess with the lich yet."
I wiped the blood away with the back of my hand. My fingers were trembling.
'I can't beat him. Not even close. My Telekinesis can crush cars, but my mind? My mind is soft. He can crush my brain like a grape.'
Fear curled in my stomach. Real fear. I needed to train my mind. I needed stronger walls. Because now, he knew I existed, may be he already knew.
'First I need to know where I stand , what my stats is now that I have observe skill'
[ Active Ability : OBSERVE ]
[ Strength: 28 ][ Intelligence: 55 ][ Spirit: 120 ]
'Heh 120'
"Regicide," I whispered, my voice shaky but hard. "Fine. If he wants a war... I'll bring him a war."
[ Location: The Palace Arcade ][ Date: March 29th, 1985 - Friday Afternoon ]
I needed to hit something. Badly.
I was slamming the buttons on the Dragon's Lair machine, taking out my frustration on the digital dragon.
"You're going to break it, princess," a voice sneered.
I stiffened. I knew that smell anywhere—stale cigarettes, sweat, and cheap cologne that burned the nose.
Billy Hargrove.
"Beat it, Billy," I said, eyes glued to the screen.
"This is my game, rich boy," Billy said, stepping into my personal space. He loomed over me, trying to cast a shadow.
In the past, I would have used a Confundus Charm. I would have used magic to make him trip or forget his name. But today? After feeling so weak against Vecna?
I wanted to use my hands. I wanted to feel something break.
'Observe.'
[ Target: Billy Hargrove ][ Strength: 18 ][ Spirit: 8 ][ Threat Level:....: ]
'18 strength? Against my 28? This isn't a fight. It's barely a workout.'
"I'm playing," I said calmly.
Billy's hand clamped onto my shoulder. His grip was tight. "I said, move."
He shoved me. Hard.
I didn't budge. I stood there like I was bolted to the floor.
Billy frowned, confusion flickering in his eyes. He shoved again, harder this time. Nothing.
I didn't even sway.
I paused the game. Slowly, I turned to face him.
"Touch me again," I said softly, "and you'll regret it."
Billy laughed, a harsh bark of sound, but he looked nervous. His eyes darted around to see who was watching. "You think you're tough now, huh kid?"
He threw a punch. A fast sucker punch aimed right at my gut.
I didn't use magic. I didn't need to.
My hand snapped out.
Smack.
The sound was like a gunshot in the arcade. Every kid froze. The beeping of games seemed to stop. Max, who was over by the Dig Dug machine, spun around, her eyes wide.
I had caught Billy's fist in my palm.
Billy's eyes bulged. He tugged, trying to pull his hand back. He couldn't. It was stuck in a vice.
I squeezed.
"You're strong, Billy," I said, staring dead into his eyes. I increased the pressure. His knuckles ground together with a sickening crunch. "For a human."
Billy winced, his knees buckling. He dropped to one knee, face twisting in pain.
"But you're just a bully," I whispered, leaning down so only he could hear. "And I eat bullies for breakfast."
I released him.
Billy stumbled back, clutching his crushed hand to his chest. He looked at me with pure shock.
The predator had just become the prey.
"Freak," Billy spat, his voice cracking.
"Ghostbuster," I winked.
Billy scrambled out the door, kicking a trash can on his way out to save face. It didn't work.
I looked over at Max. She was staring at me, mouth hanging open.
"What?" I asked, smoothing my shirt.
"You..." Max walked over, looking at the door and then back at me. "You just beat Billy. Without powers. Without tricks."
"I work out," I shrugged.
"You're weird," she said, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"Hey, Max," I said, leaning against the game machine. "You busy tomorrow?"
"Why?" She crossed her arms, suspicious.
"El is bored. She needs to get out of that cabin. She needs... girl stuff. Clothes. Fun. She needs to stop acting like a weirdo in the woods."
Max raised an eyebrow. "You want me to hang out with your superhero girlfriend?"
"I want you to be her friend," I corrected. "She needs one. And honestly? You look like you need one too."
Max scoffed, looking away. "I have friends."
"You have nerds," I said flatly. "You need a partner in crime."
Max chewed her lip. She looked at the door where Billy had run out, then back at me. I could see the gears turning.
"Fine," she said. "But I'm driving."
"Deal."
I turned back to Dragon's Lair, gripping the joystick.
'Step one: Scare the bully. Done. Step two: Get the girls together. Done.'
My eyes narrowed as I looked at the pixelated dragon on the screen.
'Now... I just have to figure out how to kill a God before he turns my brain into soup.'
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