Time: One Hour After the Kitchen Incident (May 1951)
Location: The Marsh Nursery
The adrenaline crash was brutal.
Being a baby meant his adrenal glands were the size of peas. After the psychic shout-down in the kitchen, Adrian felt like he had run a marathon. His limbs were heavy, his eyelids drooped, and his body screamed for a nap.
But his mind was buzzing like a broken neon sign.
Thomas had put him in the crib, winding up the mobile. "Rest now, champ. You had a big adventure getting into the kitchen."
As soon as the door clicked shut, Adrian fought off the sleep. He pulled himself up, gripping the wooden bars of the crib.
'No,' Adrian thought, his mental voice sharp and demanding. 'No way I'm sleeping. Not after that.'
He glared at the blue interface floating in his peripheral vision.
'System. Wake up.'
[ SYSTEM READY ]
[ Current Status: Exhausted (Stamina: 15/100) ]
'Ignore the stamina,' Adrian commanded. 'Status Report. Confirm point balance.'
He needed to be sure. He had earned a massive point boost for repelling whatever that was in the kitchen, pushing his total to 110 Points. He had immediately spent 50 on Linguistic Prodigy to ensure he could speak if necessary, which leaves him with:
[ CURRENT BALANCE: 60 POINTS ]
'Okay. Good. Now, I have a question regarding the timeline.'
He visualized the timeline he knew from the books and movies. It was etched into his memory.
'The math is wrong,' Adrian projected furiously. 'The Lore states that It sleeps for approximately twenty-seven years. The last major event was the Black Spot fire in 1930. That means the next cycle shouldn't start until 1957. We are currently in 1951.'
He looked at the floor, thinking about the yellow eyes in the drain.
'So why was there a monster in my sink? Why is the threat level rising if the Monster is supposed to be in a deep sleep?'
The System paused.
A loading circle spun in the air a tiny, pixelated hourglass.
[ ANALYZING TIMELINE INTEGRITY... ]
[ CROSS-REFERENCING "LORE" WITH "REALITY"... ]
A new window popped up. This one wasn't the usual bright blue. It was a darker shade, almost grey.
[ REPORT: THE DORMANT STATE ]
Query Answer: The Entity (Pennywise) is currently ASLEEP. The Primary Avatar is not physically manifest in the macro-world.
Adrian frowned. 'Then what was in the sink?'
[ EXPLANATION: THE "IMMUNE RESPONSE" ]
[The Town of Derry is not just a hunting ground. It is an extension of the Entity's body.
1. The Nightmare Bleed: Even in hibernation, the Entity dreams. Powerful negative emotions or "Shining" individuals (Like You) can attract these dreams. The manifestations you see are involuntary muscle spasms of a sleeping god.
2. The Antibody Effect: You are an Anomaly. You possess a System. You do not belong in this timeline. The Town senses a "foreign object" and is trying to reject you. The bad luck, the hostility, the manifestations, this is the Town's immune system trying to flush you out before the IT wakes up.]
Adrian stared at the text. The realization hit him colder than the drain pipe.
'So It's not hunting me,' he thought. 'It's twitching in its sleep. And because I'm here, I'm giving the town a fever.'
[ CORRECT ]
Current Threat Level: PASSIVE.]
[Projected Awakening: ~1957 (Cycle Begin).]
[Warning: As the Awakening date approaches, the "Nightmares" will become more frequent and more physical.]
Adrian let go of the crib bars, sinking back onto the mattress.
He had six years.
Six years until 1957.
Six years until the real horror show started.
Six years to turn himself from a crawling infant into a soldier.
'Okay,' Adrian thought, the panic subsiding into cold resolve. 'It's a Cold War. We don't fire the nukes yet. We build the bunkers.'
He looked at his points. 60 Points (after the kitchen mission reward).
He needed to survive the accidents. He needed to survive the "immune system." If the Town was going to try to hurt him while he was too young to fight back, he needed durability.
'System,' he asked. 'Do I have enough points to upgrade my physical durability? If the Town is going to try to drop a bookshelf on me, I need to be able to take a hit.'
[ SKILL AVAILABLE: Tough Skin (Level 1) ]
Cost: 55 Points.
Effect: Increases physical resistance to blunt force and lacerations by 10%. Reduces chance of bone fractures.
'Buy it.'
[ PURCHASE COMPLETE ]
Points Remaining: 5.
Adrian felt a strange density settle into his skin. He didn't look different—still soft, pink, and pinchable—but he felt... denser. Like a rubber ball instead of a water balloon.
'Good,' he thought. 'Let the town throw its tantrums. I can take it.'
He closed his eyes. The fatigue finally won.
'Sleep tight, Pennywise,' Adrian thought, drifting off. 'Enjoy your dreams. Because when you wake up in 1957, I'm going to be the nightmare waiting for you.'