"Uh, excuse me… thanks for the help, but who are you?" Max said in an interrogative tone, tilting her head slightly while alternating her gaze between Liam and Carrie, still breathing a little heavily.
That pulled Liam out of his thoughts, making him blink a couple of times before turning his attention back to the people gathered in the mall. His posture relaxed slightly, but he remained alert.
"Max, what are you doing? This could be dangerous," Billy said, immediately stepping in front of Max and pulling her slightly back with a protective arm. The movement was so fast and decisive that Max went silent for a moment, surprised by the sudden change in Billy's attitude.
After snapping out of her surprise, Max rolled her eyes and replied with annoyance. "They're not enemies. Didn't you see how he saved you and how the other one saved Mike and Lucas with her telekinesis?"
Billy glanced at her with a furrowed brow but didn't respond. Even so, he stayed firmly in front of his younger sister, not lowering his guard.
"Nothing will happen, they're good. And besides, if I were wrong, I can still fight," Eleven said as she walked in from behind, positioning herself to the side, her expression serious but calm, as if carefully evaluating the situation.
At that moment, from the other side, Mike, Lucas, Steve, Robin, and Erica—Lucas's younger sister—came running over, all of them breathing heavily from the sprint.
"Incredible… a warrior and a very powerful fire mage arrive at the most critical moment of the final battle. Thank you for saving my friends," Mike said excitedly and happily as he reached Eleven, gesturing enthusiastically while looking at Liam and Carrie as if they were heroes straight out of a story.
Lucas and Max hugged each other tightly, finally letting out the breath they had been holding, while Billy watched them with an intense, vigilant gaze. Nearby, Erica crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, clearly less impressed.
"Are you guys hurt?" Steve asked as he arrived, leaning forward and breathing hard, with several visible marks from the previous confrontation with the Russians.
"We're fine," Max and Eleven replied almost at the same time.
"There's no need to thank us. Helping you was only part of our objective here." After watching the group reunion for a moment, Liam spoke calmly, slipping one hand into his pocket and keeping the other relaxed at his side.
"Mmm, it wasn't difficult," Carrie nodded beside him and added casually, shrugging slightly.
"You're amazing," Mike said upon hearing that. To him, they seemed like legendary heroes who arrived at the last moment and defeated the enemy as if it had only been a minor inconvenience.
"Guys, what's going on?" Dustin's voice was heard through the radio Lucas was carrying, with background interference.
Lucas picked up the radio and replied while keeping his eyes fixed on Liam and Carrie. "Two strangers showed up and took down the monster easily. We're about to learn their objectives." His tone was cautious; he wasn't someone who trusted strangers easily.
Hearing that last part, everyone turned their attention back to Liam and Carrie. Noticing this, Liam couldn't help but slowly shake his head, exhaling patiently. He knew not everyone would look favorably on what he planned to do.
"We want to enter the other dimension. We're going to kill all the monsters there," Liam said after thinking for a moment, speaking firmly but without aggression.
"What?! You can't do that. We just closed that portal to prevent more situations like this from happening," Steve said, somewhat agitated, slightly raising his hands as he spoke. The others seemed to share the same concern.
"Relax. I won't let any more of those monsters get into the town," Liam said confidently, looking at them one by one.
"No, how can we trust you to do something like that after all the trouble it took to close that portal?" Lucas said, frowning.
"He's right. We don't know how many demogorgons there could be in that place. Even if your fire mage is strong, if there are thousands—or even worse, tens of thousands—you'll get tired. Demogorgons aren't weak," Mike said, doubting their strength.
"Don't worry, she's not alone. I don't just have this weapon," Liam said as he made the dagger appear and moved toward a nearby broken pillar. He looked at it for a moment, bent down, wrapped his arms around it, and began to strain. Everyone watched in silence, and a moment later he lifted it off the ground. "See? I'm very strong too," Liam said with a proud smile.
Carrie watched him happily as he lifted something so heavy using only physical strength. She seemed like she wanted to say something, but then she heard Liam's voice in her mind. "Don't say it, Carrie. They don't need to know I just got this strength."
Hearing this, Carrie closed her mouth and replied telepathically. "Alright." Even so, she couldn't erase the happy smile on her face as she looked at Liam's new strength.
After finishing the telepathic exchange, Liam let go of the pillar. It fell with a loud crash, causing a small tremor in the ground. All the kids instinctively took a step back, startled.
"Alright, he really does seem strong," Mike said, and the others nodded in agreement.
"Trust us. We won't cause you any more problems. We'll help you by killing all those monsters you call demogorgons on the other side," Liam said, noticing there was still some doubt.
There was still some hesitation, but they looked at each other for a few seconds before making a decision.
"Alright, we trust you. Wipe out all those monsters on the other side," Steve said, speaking for everyone.
Liam nodded. "Show me the way to the underground so we can reach the portal," Liam said with determination.
"This way," Robin said, turning and starting to guide them toward the Russian underground base.
With that, everyone entered the elevator. The atmosphere felt tense and heavy; no one spoke as the doors slowly closed. Everyone wanted to see how those two strangers would enter the other dimension and end this nightmare once and for all. Some looked at the floor, others clenched their fists, and a few couldn't stop watching Liam and Carrie with a mix of hope and fear.
When the elevator reached the bottom and the doors opened, a heavy, metallic smell hit them immediately. The floor was stained, and several dead Russian soldiers could be seen scattered through the corridors, some slumped against the walls, others lying face down. As they walked cautiously, the sound of their footsteps echoed through the empty place.
Suddenly, Carrie stopped short. Her body tensed and her eyes lost focus slightly, causing everyone else to stop as well. She slowly raised a hand and frowned."I sense ten living people down here—two in that direction and eight on the other side."With that, Carrie pointed with one hand toward the path leading to where the portal was supposed to be, and with the other toward the opposite side, clearly indicating where she sensed the other eight.
Steve, Robin, and Erica frowned almost simultaneously. Steve swallowed and clenched his jaw."They're probably more Russian soldiers. We thought they were all dead," Steve said in a worried tone, clearly remembering what they had done to him when they captured him.
Liam heard this and didn't hesitate for a second. He straightened his back and spoke decisively."We'll take care of those soldiers first. We can't allow them to be a problem later."Then he looked at Carrie and nodded, signaling her to guide them toward where she had sensed them.
As they walked through the corridors, Liam lowered his gaze slightly and checked his rewards for completing the mission and killing the monster upstairs.
[ENTITY DEVOURING SYSTEM]
Host: Liam
Age: 15
[SKILLS]
OBSERVATION [LVL 1]
MEMORY PROTECTION [LVL MAX]
PSYCHIC SENSITIVITY [LVL 1]
TELEPATHY [LVL 1]
DREAM DOMINION [LVL 1]
[ABNORMAL RESISTANCE] [LVL 1]
[MINOR IMMORTALITY] [LVL 1]
[FAITH] [LVL 1]
[SUPERNATURAL PHYSICAL STRENGTH] [LVL 1]
[SYSTEM SYNCHRONIZATION 34%]
[MISSIONS]
[GUIDE]
[SKILL FRAGMENTS] [5]
Liam noticed the new skill—he had already felt it earlier when his strength increased—and mentally nodded in satisfaction before shifting his attention to the mission.
[CLAIM YOUR REWARD]
Liam selected it, and his eyes quickly scanned the new information that appeared before him.
[ENTITY DEVOURING SYSTEM]
Host: Liam
Age: 15
[SKILLS]
OBSERVATION [LVL 1]
MEMORY PROTECTION [LVL MAX]
PSYCHIC SENSITIVITY [LVL 1]
TELEPATHY [LVL 1]
DREAM DOMINION [LVL 1]
[ABNORMAL RESISTANCE] [LVL 1]
[MINOR IMMORTALITY] [LVL 1]
[FAITH] [LVL 1]
[SUPERNATURAL PHYSICAL STRENGTH] [LVL 1]
[SUPERNATURAL RESISTANT BODY] [LVL 1]
[SYSTEM SYNCHRONIZATION 34%]
[MISSIONS]
[GUIDE]
[SKILL FRAGMENTS] [5]
Liam couldn't help but regret not getting regeneration, but he quickly accepted that what he gained was still very good. Now, seriously injuring him would be difficult unless fire was involved. He didn't think it came with a special weakness to fire, but it didn't give resistance either; he would take the same damage any normal person would from flames.
When he finished reviewing everything, they had already reached their destination. The group stopped in front of a massive metal wall, smooth and cold, with no visible doors nearby. Some exchanged confused looks. Liam turned his head toward Carrie and nodded with complete trust. She returned the gesture and, without hesitation, began using her molecular telekinesis on the wall.
"Huh? Do you really think there are more soldiers? We're literally standing in front of a metal wall with no doors nearby," Lucas said doubtfully, crossing his arms as he looked at the others.
"Just watch," Liam said calmly. Seeing Carrie nod, he stepped back slightly and kicked the wall with brutal force. The metal shattered as if it were thin and fragile, falling to the ground in heavy pieces and revealing its true thickness.
"One of my powers," Carrie said confidently. She had used molecular telekinesis to make the metal brittle—one of the abilities she developed during years of training in Derry—and this was the first time they had found a real reason to use it.
Everyone stared at her with wide eyes.
"Eleven can't do that," Mike said in shock, and the others immediately nodded.
"I'm different," Carrie said without arrogance, but firmly.
At that moment, everyone turned their attention to the inside of the room. Several soldiers were pointing their weapons at them, fear evident on their faces, and without hesitation they opened fire.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The shots echoed loudly through the area.
The kids panicked, some trying to take cover or retreat, but Carrie didn't even move. With just a look, the bullets stopped midair and then fell to the ground, while the weapons twisted and broke in the soldiers' hands.
"Kill everyone except the leader," Liam said coldly.
"Right away," Carrie replied. With a small movement of her hand, the necks of all the soldiers snapped at once, their bodies dropping lifelessly to the floor, leaving only one who had been hiding behind the others, trembling in fear.
Liam then took a closer look at the room, and something completely shocked him. At the back of the room, engraved into the wall, was a large stylized human skull with tentacles emerging from beneath it, painted in red and black.
Liam couldn't help but associate that image with Hydra, one of the worst threats in the Marvel universe.