Levi could feel their stares.
Steve had barely taken his eyes off him since they had escaped the woods. Dustin, on the other hand, was practically vibrating with excitement, his brain clearly working a mile a minute.
Levi sighed.
He knew this moment would come eventually, but he hadn't expected it to be tonight.
"Alright," Steve finally spoke, gripping the steering wheel tighter. "Someone explain. Right now. Before I lose my mind."
Dustin whipped around in his seat, grinning like a madman. "Dude. Steve. He's a wizard."
Steve blinked. Then he blinked again.
"…A what now?"
"A wizard! A real-life, spell-casting, lightning-summoning wizard!" Dustin practically yelled, his voice cracking. "Did you see that?! He called down a freaking thunderbolt like he's Zeus or something!"
Steve's grip on the wheel tightened. "Oh, great. So Hawkins wasn't weird enough. Now we have magic. That's fantastic."
Levi ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I didn't want you guys to know, alright? It's safer this way."
Steve scoffed. "Safer? Levi, you just nuked a giant shadow monster with lightning. You don't think maybe that's something we should've known about earlier?"
Dustin leaned in eagerly. "Okay, but how does it work? Are you born with it? Did you train? Is it like Dungeons & Dragons? Do you have spell slots? Do you have a magic staff? Where's your magic book? Can you turn people into frogs?"
Levi groaned. "Dustin, breathe."
Dustin inhaled sharply, nodding. "Right. Right. Sorry. But still, this is insane! You could be our secret weapon! You could totally obliterate the Mind Flayer!"
Levi's expression darkened.
"I wish it were that simple."
The excitement in the car dimmed slightly.
Steve glanced at him through the rearview mirror. "You're saying you can't stop it?"
Levi hesitated. "It's…complicated. Magic has rules. Limitations. The thing we fought tonight? That was just another piece of the Mind Flayer. The real thing is way worse."
Dustin frowned. "Okay, but still. You have to have something that can help us, right?"
Levi exhaled slowly. "There's something. But it's dangerous."
Steve scoffed. "Oh yeah? Dangerous like fighting Demogorgons? Or dangerous like fighting Starcourt Mall's murder lab full of Russian goons? Because we've done both."
Levi smirked slightly at that.
"Alright," he said. "I'll tell you. But we need to get somewhere safe first."
Steve pressed down on the gas, the car speeding toward Hawkins.
Tonight wasn't over yet.
The Basement Revelation
By the time they made it to the Wheeler's basement, the rest of the group was already there. Mike, Lucas, Max, and Eleven were sitting around the table, looking up expectantly as Levi, Steve, and Dustin walked in.
Mike raised an eyebrow. "You guys look like you just survived an explosion."
"Close enough," Steve muttered.
Dustin practically burst into the room. "Alright, everyone, listen up! Levi's been keeping the biggest secret from us, and it's gonna blow your minds."
Lucas crossed his arms. "Okay…what kind of secret?"
Dustin turned dramatically to Levi. "Go on. Show them."
Levi sighed. Might as well get this over with.
He raised his hand. The air around his palm hummed, a faint golden glow flickering into existence. Sparks of energy crackled between his fingers, forming glowing runes that hovered in midair.
Max's eyes widened. "Whoa."
Mike shot up from his chair. "Holy shit."
Eleven tilted her head, her expression unreadable. But Levi could feel it—she knew.
"Magic," she whispered.
Levi closed his hand, making the energy vanish.
Silence filled the room.
Then Lucas sighed, rubbing his temples. "You know what? Sure. Yeah. Magic. That tracks."
Max pointed at Levi. "Okay, so you're magic. What else have you been hiding?"
Levi hesitated. Then he took a deep breath.
"I've been tracking the Mind Flayer," he admitted. "And it's getting stronger. It's adapting to our world, and if we don't stop it soon, we won't get another chance."
Mike leaned forward. "So what do we do?"
Levi's expression hardened.
"I have a plan," he said. "But it's going to be dangerous."
Steve groaned. "Of course it is."