Pantheo High: Enrollment

Gardens and Garden Variety Conversations

As Loki and Psyche run even farther from the school, Loki slows down as they approached an open field that stretched as far as the eye can see. 

Loki: We're here.

Psyche looks around, seeing nothing but grass.

Psyche: I don't see anything, what am I looking at?

Loki stretches out his arms and takes a deep breath as his eyes glowed green. Suddenly, the grassland in front of them, as well as anything that was around them, melted down like cheap paint being power washed. Behind the melting background in front of them was the garden, which is kind of an understatement:

The entrance was a wide metal arc, with grapevines snaking around it. Beyond the arc was nothing short, of paradise:

A forest filled with different types of trees that were separated by stone paths that stretched around like the veins of a human body. Around their trunks are beautiful, blooming flowers of every variety, connected by vines that grew around them. Every tree had a bed of flowers that circled around them, blooming with vibrant colors, their aroma filling the air with a tinge of natural sweetness. The entire garden was teeming with life: sugar gliders, squirrels, and other small critters could be found. It was either the trees either had fruit that was ripe for the taking, animals that inhabited it, or both. On one pine tree, was a nest of little cuckoo birds, waiting for their mother.

Behind the two of them is a thick, dark forest, where no light could seep through the leaves of its trees. The forest had an eerie vibe to it as if it wanted people out. Glowing yellow and red dots danced around the forest's shadows, like lanterns in the night. Psyche looked from the garden to the forest, confused.

Psyche: Wait-How-Why-WHAT?!

Loki looked at her, surprised.

Loki: Take it easy. I'm guessing this is your first time seeing a reality-warping illusion defense?

Psyche takes a few deep breaths.

Psyche: Well, yeah. I'm from the suburbs. We don't have a lot of magic there.

Loki: Understandable.

Psyche: So, did we stumble into a painting, cuz I saw the whole place melt. Like, is it an illusion, or...

She then looks at Loki, who had a confused expression on his face, as if she was talking in a language he couldn't understand. Psyche scratched her head a bit and smiled.

Psyche: I should probably stop. I'm just rambling right now.

Loki: No, you're quite right. Come.

He and Psyche walk around the garden, continuing in a generally straight direction, what with all the curls and turns on the stone path. He notices Psyche's admiration of the overall structure of the garden and gains a worried look himself, knowing what their plan might do to the place. He quickly takes a pebble laying on the side of the stone path and whispered.

Loki: Algiz.

He then casually tosses it to the side. As the two walked, the path behind them started to create a smoking green tunnel. As they walked, the smoke tunnel followed and lengthened, shifting and swirling like the eye of a storm, making no sound as it did. Psyche still looked around in awe of the scenery as they walked.

Psyche: I only read about these things. About sacred forests and gardens being somewhat... Alive.

Loki: They are. You remember the four ingredients for magic, right?

Psyche: Will, Action, a Conductor, and Energy.

Loki: Yup! Good ol' WACE method. Every form of nature: water, wood, fire, wind, or otherwise, is a form of energy that can be harnessed by the use of will, the right action, and the right conductor. Since you're like Rose, I'm guessing you don't have an active spell. Do you have an item to conduct your own magic?

Psyche shrugs.

Psyche: I don't really have a conductor for magic. I can't use my body like everyone else, and, well, none of the conductors I found in shops actually worked for me.

Loki placed his right hand under his left elbow, then bit on his left index finger as his eyebrows scrunched up. He then points to the camera hanging from her waist. 

Loki: Then what's that?

Psyche looks at both sides of her waist before she grabbed her camera.

Psyche: Oh, right. It's my camera. Photography's a hobby of mine.

Loki gives her the 'oh well' expression: stretching his lips a bit while briefly raising both eyebrows.

Loki: Well, I guess it could be used. But I'm not sure what you could do with a camera. Throw bolts of lightning from the flash? 

Psyche: Maybe. By the way, where exactly are we going?

Loki points to a clearing right in front of them as he looked at the camera. There's just something about it that he couldn't put his finger on. As well as Psyche. To him, she was an enigma. Most who are given the chance to run would be smart enough to. But here she is, with full knowledge that her life is in danger, helping out three troublemakers clean up the mess they made. He decided to brush off these thoughts and just be grateful that he's getting more help on making the circle. Drawing on the ground is a real pain. As they walked through the clearing, Loki pulled out two of his throwing knives and throws one in front of Psyche, making her flinch.

Loki: I, uh, don't really have a spade, or a fork.

Psyche: That's fine. I'll start from the left, yeah?

Loki nods as they started carving the soil, drawing the summoning circle.

Psyche: How did you guys meet?

Loki: Hmm?

Psyche: You, Rose, and Bragi. How did you guys meet?

Loki stops carving.

Loki: That's an incredibly long and complicated story in itself. Are you sure you want to go down that rabbit hole?

Psyche: Fine! Okay. How about the abridged version?

Loki looks at the ground, then looks at the garden, gazing far.

Loki: Pantheo High has another school connected to it called Erebos Middle School. That's where we all met. But I was fairly new to them. Rose and Bragi met long before. Something about a shared hatred for someone. I'm not sure. But, we all became friends at our time in Nergal Prep School. We escaped-

Psyche: Escaped?

Loki shrugged.

Loki: Prep school, military school: same dif. Anyway, ever since our escape, we decided to do some jobs: steal this, make that, deliver this, guard that. We've been a pretty good team.

Psyche: Until now?

Loki chuckles.

Loki: I guess so.

As Psyche started to carve the serpentine dragon into the ground, she thought of Bragi and Rose.

Psyche: So, do you think they'll be alright? Rose and Bragi?

Loki scoffs.

Loki: Rose is a master martial artist and Bragi has trained with the einherji and Frigg. I'm sure they're fine.

Meanwhile, screaming could be heard from the halls of the school, as the roar of the Foo Dog drowned them out.