Pantheo High: Enrollment

Bright Lights and Band-Aids

1 hour later...

Psyche woke up to a bright white light that flashes on her face, making her squint and hold up her hands. As she got up, she looked around:

A pristine white room, with smooth, beige tiled floors that shined from the floating orbs of light that stay ever so still on the ceiling. She was on a white gurney, with thick green curtains. She then looks at her right arm and sees an IV injected into it. Psyche slowly tries to pull the needle off, until the curtain in front of her slides open, and she is greeted by two figures: Rose, in his dirt-smeared suit, and someone who appears to be the doctor of the clinic. He was taller than Rose by a few inches, had bright, curly blonde hair, a fair complexion, a slightly skinny build, and a neatly trimmed stubble. He wore his white doctor's coat over his white long sleeves with black suspenders, paired with navy blue trousers and shiny brown leather shoes. around his neck was a stethoscope, and on his right hand was a wooden walking stick with a green snake slithering around it. The doctor holds up his hand in peace as Psyche backed away. Rose gives her a solemn expression.

Rose: You're in the ER. You just had very serious surgery.

Psyche's eyes widen.

Psyche: What?!

Rose nods.

Rose: You've been... Duped.

He starts giggling, clearly having a hard time keeping his composure. Psyche stops looking around her body and blushes. She then throws a pillow at Rose.

Psyche: Dammit Rose!

While Rose's face got red from laughing and hugging his stomach, the doctor looked at him with a wary look and took a step away, clearing his throat in the process.

Doctor: I'm Doctor Asclepius and no, you didn't have surgery. That IV was mostly for replenishing your energy. You almost drained your entire inner reservoir by casting that purification spell. 

Psyche stops herself as she was about to say something and looks at her hands.

Psyche: Wait, but, so that was real?

The doctor nods in confirmation.

Doctor Asclepius: What did you think it was?

She scratches her head.

Psyche: A bad dream... Hold on, Loki?? Bragi?? 

Rose chuckles.

Rose: They're fine. A bit banged-up, but nothing a little of that magic rod he's got here.  

He lightly kicks Doctor Asclepius' rod, earning an angry hiss from the snake, baring its fangs. Rose veers away from the snake and smiles at Psyche.

Rose: Can you stand?

She swings her legs to the side and stands up, a little wobbly, but she leans on the gurney for stability.

Psyche: I think I'm fine. 

She slowly walks towards them, and Rose holds her arm as she walked. On the left of the clinic are five other closed curtain rooms, with a door on the far end. Rose leads her to the right, where there are two other curtain rooms open: On the first one near her's was Bragi: sitting on the edge of the gurney, his abdomen, left shoulder, and right shoulder was wrapped in gauze. He nods at Psyche as he stretched his back, well, backward. In between his legs was his ax, laying there.

Bragi: You took your time.

He winces as audible cracks are heard from his back. Bragi lets out a satisfied sigh as he hunches over. 

Next to Bragi was Loki, laying down on his gurney, reading his bestiary. He looks to the side and gets up with a smile on his face.

Loki: You're up! Awesome!

Psyche looks at the three of them with a confused look.

Psyche: So, I can use magic?

Loki nods with glee.

Loki: Apparently, it's a condition that you have.

Doctor Asclepius walked in and patted Psyche's back as he faced Psyche.

Doctor Asclepius: Psyche, you're what most people would generalize as a late bloomer. But really...

He waves his rod and a large green hologram of a brain appears in the middle of the room, rotating. Doctor Asclepius points to the small part at the back of the brain, right below the grid-looking part.

Doctor Asclepius: This is the cerebellum, the part of all our brains that control our movement. Now, most gods who perform magic have more active cerebellums, as magic requires the efforts of this particular part of the brain to use our own energy as a catalyst to create a spell. At least, for most spells. Your cerebellum has the rare problem of filtering out the command to manipulate magic. But then...

He touches the holographic cerebellum with the rod, and it lights up with golden webs of neurons inside it.

Doctor Asclepius: You concentrated on a spell with so much intensity, the cerebellum was forced to act through your will and then, magic.

Doctor Asclepius waves his hand and the brain disappears. He clasps his hands together as he slightly bows with a kind smile on his face.

Doctor Asclepius: So congratulations. You have magic. In a small amount, I would say, but it's magic nonetheless. 

Psyche looks at her hands and then looks at the three. Bragi gives her an approving nod as he hefts his ax. Rose gives her a pat on the back.

Rose: Good work out there.

All of this gave Psyche some mixed feelings. Sure, it feels great to finally use magic, but at the same time, it gave her a feeling of uncertainty. The fear of the unknown is something that most people have, and Psyche's no exception. What if the power consumes her? Or worse, changes her? Sol couldn't stop her body from burning like a walking bonfire, Hel has her entire left side zombified, and well, Psyche's odds of getting a condition like that are quite high, given the day she just had. Rose notices her uncertainty and smirks. She gives him a nervous smile as she looks at her hands. They were thin, dainty, but normal, nonetheless. 

The door opens behind them and all four of them look to see Albedo holding a large binder on her arm.  She wore a forced, stretched-out smile on her face, showing her boiling anger as veins popped along her hairline.

Albedo: Principal Hades wants you in his office.