the chilling adventures of sabrina: The Rise of Levi Morningstar

Levi had spent weeks inside Hawkins National Laboratory, carefully maintaining his cover as an apprentice scientist. His fabricated credentials, forged using magic, held up well under scrutiny. Dr. Brenner and the other leading researchers saw potential in him, impressed by his keen mind and quick adaptability. Though the work fascinated him, Levi struggled with the scientific process—its rigidity, its demand for patience. He had spent lifetimes mastering magic, where willpower and knowledge could bend reality. Science, however, demanded proof, repetition, and data.

He had been assigned to Dr. Amelia Hartman, a seasoned researcher specializing in energy manipulation and psychokinetic phenomena. She was one of the few scientists at Hawkins Lab who wasn't entirely loyal to Brenner's methods. Levi found her both intelligent and oddly warm for someone in this cold, sterile facility. Over time, they formed a quiet but genuine partnership.

"I see you always taking notes," Amelia mused one evening, glancing at his open notebook. "Your insights are... unconventional, to say the least. It's like you think beyond what we consider possible."

Levi smirked slightly. "Maybe I do."

"And yet, your experiments don't always match your theories," she pointed out, nodding toward the latest failed trial. Levi had attempted to infuse a controlled electromagnetic field with an energy signature of his own making—an attempt to mimic magic through science. The result had been a short-circuited array and a near explosion.

"Science," he muttered, rubbing his temples. "It's limiting."

"It's precise," Amelia corrected. "And frustrating. But once you understand the rules, you can bend them. Maybe even break them."

Levi liked that answer.

Despite his struggles, he continued experimenting. Late at night, when most of the scientists had gone home, he would slip into the restricted areas under the cover of his invisibility cloak. He scoured research files on interdimensional energy, seeking connections between their studies on the Upside Down and his own knowledge of mystical forces. He found records of failed subjects, those who had perished in the pursuit of power. The government had tried to unlock something beyond human comprehension, just as he had tried to force magic into scientific constraints.

It wasn't working.

One night, Levi stood in an isolated testing chamber, staring at a small metallic sphere suspended between two electromagnetic coils. He raised his wand, whispered an incantation, and willed his magic into the sphere. For a brief moment, the energy inside pulsed in response. His magic flickered, struggling against the laws of physics—then the sphere cracked, releasing an uncontrolled surge of raw power that shattered the surrounding equipment.

Alarms blared.

Levi cursed under his breath, vanishing beneath the Invisibility Cloak just as security personnel rushed in. He watched from the shadows as they tried to determine the cause of the malfunction, blaming unstable power sources rather than something—or someone—deliberate.

"This isn't going to work," he admitted to himself later that night, pacing in his quarters. He had spent lifetimes honing magic, mastering spells that defied logic. Science demanded structure, something magic inherently rejected. The two forces could not be merged—at least, not yet.

Still, he wouldn't give up. He just needed another approach.

Meanwhile, his status at the lab continued to improve. He had gained the trust of several key scientists, Amelia most of all. She often invited him to work on classified projects, asking for his unique insight into the anomalies they studied. Brenner himself had taken an interest in him, though Levi remained wary of the man's intentions.

The deeper he dug, the clearer it became—something sinister lurked beneath Hawkins Lab. And if he was going to understand it, he needed to be patient.

For now, he played the role of the obedient scientist.

But soon, he would need to act.