I stood in class, practicing magic with the other students. I didn't have to shout out my spells anymore, I could do so nonverbally. Our teacher was having each student try to copy the spells he cast.

“Alright class,” he began, “This next spell will be trickier than the others. It's about maintaining the magic.” he held up his hand and focused. A ball of light appeared over his palm and hovered there. The class oooh-ed and aaaaah-ed as he slowly moved the ball of light around. “Now,” he began, “Try to replicate this spell.”

We all started doing attempts at the spell we'd just seen. I noticed when the people around me tried it, they just shot beams of light at the ceiling rather than forming light orbs. I thought of the teacher's demonstration, remembering how his hand was positioned and how much energy he seemed to put into it. I held up my hand, mimicking his movements, and focused. For a second, a ball of light appeared in my hand, but an instant later, it vanished. I tried again, forming the light ball and focused my energy to maintain it.

“Very good Nano.” The teacher smiled as I managed to keep the orb maintained, “You're a fast learner.”

“Thanks sir.” I nodded as I stopped casting the spell and the orb vanished. The other students groaned as they could only make beams of light and couldn't form the orbs. All except Alia of course, who had a light orb in each hand. “Show off.” I muttered.

It had been a couple weeks since I started attending Pantheon High. I still wasn't the best with my sword, but I seemed to have a talent for learning spells fast. It felt awesome being able to do this type of stuff, like I was a hero in an RPG.

I later had lunch with Alia, John, Brian, and Lex.

“So I hear you're a little bit of a prodigy with magic.” John said as we ate.

“You heard right.” Alia smiled, “Nano has a gift for it.”

“Thath awthumb.” Lex said with her mouth full of food.

“Please don't talk with your mouth full…” Alia sighed. Lex finished chewing and swallowing her food.

“I said that's awesome.” Lex repeated.

“I'm not too good with magic myself.” John shrugged, “I prefer to focus on my swordsmanship.”

“Well you're both doing really well,” Alia began, “In fact I have news for you two. Tomorrow, the two of you will go on your first mission.” 

“Huh?” I asked.

“Really?” John gasped.

“Yep.” Alia smiled, “There's a small nest of demons causing trouble near a human town not far from here. You guys are gonna have to exterminate them before they actually hurt someone. And I'll be tagging along to make sure you guys do well.”

“You will?” I asked.

“Yeah.” she nodded, “Whenever a student goes on their first mission, they must be accompanied by a more experienced god to help if things get too rough.”

“Huh. Okay.” I shrugged.

“Guess that makes us partners for now.” John said, “I look forward to fighting alongside you.”

“Same to you.” I smiled.

“You guys better do good.” Lex said as she stuffed her mouth with food.

“We will.” John and I said at the same time.

The rest of the day passed quickly and before I knew it, I was abruptly woken up the next morning by Alia jumping on my bed.

“Morning!” she smiled as I death glared at her, “Time to get up and get ready for your mission!”

“No…” I moaned, rolling over and burying my face in my pillow, “Five more minutes…!”

“No,” Alia sighed, getting off my bed, “Now.” she grabbed my ankles and started trying to pull me off the bed.

“No!” I whined, grabbing the bed frame and holding on tight. Alia continued to pull, making my whole bed creak as we struggled for a moment. My grip eventually slipped and the two of us flew backward into a wall. I groaned as I found myself on top of Alia. “Fine…” I grumbled as we got up.

“Alright!” Alia smiled, “Now get ready. You'll have to go wearing your school uniform.”

“School uniform to hunt monsters?” I rose an eyebrow.

“Our uniforms aren't just clothes,” Alia explained, “The threads are entwined with magic, making the outfit incredibly durable and self-repairing. On top of that, it can adjust itself to allow you to fight without any loss of movement. Our uniforms are a specially designed combat armor.”

“Wow,” I looked at my uniform sprawled on the ground, “Handy.”

“Yeah,” Alia nodded, “So get dressed and meet me at the school entrance.”

“Alright,” I said, “I'll see you soon then.”

“See you.” She nodded and left. I picked my uniform off the ground and dusted it off. I got dressed and looked at myself in the mirror. The black school uniform made me look like some kind of anime protagonist. I smiled a bit, straightening the uniform's jacket, and left my room to make my way to the entrance. 

As I made it to the entrance, I saw Alia and John waiting for me.

“Hey Nano.” John waved.

“Yo.” I said as I joined them.

“You guys ready?” Alia asked.

“Yeah!” Me and John nodded.

“Good.” Alia smiled, “Follow me.”

She led us away from the school and suddenly formed a magic circle beneath us. 

“Hmm? What's this?” I asked.

“Teleportation magic.” John explained, “I read a little about it. If you can remember every last detail about a specific place, you can teleport there in an instant.”

“Wow really?” I asked, “Sounds convenient.”

“Not really.” John began, “You have to be EXTREMELY specific with your spell. For example, let's say you wanted to teleport to your room. If when casting the spell you're only thinking 'my room’ then the spell won't be able to tell exactly what room you're thinking of and could randomly send you to any of the countless rooms you walked through your entire life.”

“Wow… sounds tricky…” I scratched my head.

“Yeah, a lot of the more complex magic spells are like that.” John nodded, “That's why really the only ones who can master the teleportation spell are gods of knowledge like Alia.”

“Yep, now you boys hold on to something.” Alia smiled, then slammed her hand down on the magic circle. Suddenly we were in a forest.

“Whoa!” I gasped.

“Hmm…” Alia began, “We're a little off course, but close enough. We can walk the rest of the way.” 

“Okay.” John and I nodded and the three of us started walking.

“So, I have a question.” John said.

“Hmm?” Alia looked at him.

“If we're gods,” he began, “Does that mean there are people that… you know, worship us?”

“Good question,” Alia said, “You see, in ancient times, gods like us were worshipped by humans, and our kind ruled over mankind. But over time it became apparent that power corrupts us. After some time as kings, gods like the Olympians and the Aesir became selfish, petty, and cruel. They'd fight one another, and humans would die in the crossfire. Sometime later our kind realized that we weren't acting like gods should. Miss Eden's grandfather was the god that established Pantheon High and the other schools for gods. It was his belief that gods should be humanity's guides and protectors. And soon most other gods came to agree with him.”

“... So that's a no…?” John sweat dropped.

“In short, no, most humans don't worship us.” Alia nodded.

“Ah, I see.” John nodded.

“Anyway, we're here.” Alia suddenly stopped us. Just ahead was an area of the forest covered in black. Dark humanoid figures with twisted bodies wandered that part of the forest aimlessly.

“Those are demons?” I asked.

“Yes.” Alia nodded, “Incredibly weak demons, but demons nonetheless. Now, get to work.”

“Just like that?” John asked.

“Just like that.” she said.

“I dunno if I can…” I began, “Fighting people is one thing, but… killing people…”

“They aren't people.” Alia interrupted, “They're soulless embodiments of evil. If you don't believe me, just cut them and you'll see, they don't bleed.”

“Well… Alright.” I nodded.

“Well let's get to it.” John said as his dual swords appeared sheathed at his sides.

“Yeah.” I agreed, summoning my katana to my hand.

John and I snuck up on the horde of demons, then attacked. John sped at them, drawing his blades and quickly slashing several of them apart. Alia was right, no blood came out. A demon ran at me and swung a rusty blade. I quickly drew my sword and slashed at its waist. My sword cut through its flesh with ease, splitting the demon in two. As I saw it fall, I felt a rush of adrenaline surge through my body at the sight of my fallen foe. I smirked, liking the feeling of killing a demon. I twirled my sword and slashed another, severing its head. I then turned and shot a bolt of lightning from my hand, blasting a hole in another's chest, making it fall dead too.

“Hey not bad.” John said, twirling his swords, “Check this out.” he then seemed to disappear. I could only see flashes of black, John's uniform as he ran around the forest slashing. After a second he appeared in front of me, slowly sheathing his blades. As his swords entered their sheathes, all the demons around us split in two, dying.

“Showoff...” I said, trying to hide how amazed I was by his speed.

“Good job guys.” Alia said as she joined us, “You did a lot better than I expected.

“Thanks.” John smiled. I frowned a little, feeling like I barely did anything.

Suddenly the ground started shaking, catching the three of us off our balance. “Whoa!” I gasped, “What the…?!” The ground shook more as a creature stepped up to us. It was a gargantuan three headed dog the size of a house.

“A cerberus…?!” Alia gasped, “How'd it get all the way out here…?!”

“Judging by your tone I'm guessing this thing isn't part of the mission.” John sighed.

“No.” Alia shook her head, “Cerberus are guard dogs to the gates of other dimensions, they're supposed to help the gods. This one must be possessed by a demon.”

“Well what do we do?” I asked.

“We incapacitate it.” Alia began, “If we can restrain it for a moment then I can exorcise the demon. It won't be easy though. A Cerberus is extremely deadly to new gods like you guys.”

“We can do this!” John grinned, pulling out his swords and running at the Cerberus. The giant beast swiped its claws, sending John flying into me and Alia, knocking us all back.

“Smooth…” Alia groaned as we got up.

“Man that hurt…” John clasped his chest as blood came out of three fresh scratches.

“You're lucky to still be in one piece,” Alia remarked as the cuts quickly healed, “A Cerberus’ claws can cut almost anything. We won't beat it in a head on approach, so listen to my plan.” 

“Alright.” John and I nodded.

“John,” Alia began, “You’re gonna use your speed and agility to sneak around the Cerberus and hit it from the back while I prepare a trap in the clearing in the forest just ahead. Nano, while we're doing that you'll distract the Cerberus by fighting it head on.”

“Didn't you just say to avoid fighting it head on?” I sweat dropped.

“I just need a couple minutes.” She added, “I'm 90% sure you'll survive.”

“Great…” I groaned as Alia and John ran off in different directions. I gripped my fist, forming a fireball and throwing it at the Cerberus. The beast was hit and its three heads turned to growl at me. Electricity sparked in my hand as it bared its teeth. I fired off a bolt of lightning, but that barely did anything as the beast pounced. I jumped up high to avoid being crushed under its paws, but it leapt at me with its middle head's mouth wide open. “Gh…?!” I frowned as its giant teeth surrounded me and closed down. I managed to not get bit in half as I stood on its tongue and held up the top half of its mouth with my hands. I felt fear and disgust as the slobbery razor sharp fangs lightly grazed my skin. The beast added more pressure to its bite and I was barely able to hold its mouth open. Suddenly all three heads yelped as John slashed its back leg. The Cerberus turned around and was kind enough to spit me out. I landed on the ground a few feet away, covered in dog drool. “Gross…!” I groaned, wiping off some of the saliva. I saw John fighting the beast as I got up. I sent another blast of lightning at it, making it look at me again. Two of its heads looked at me while the third faced John. John sent a cutting wind slash from his sword as I used enhancement magic to cover my blade in lightning. I jumped up and slashed the side of one of the heads as it swiped at me. I dodged its claw and slashed again as John sent a few more wind slashes at the beast.

“Okay it's ready!”Alia called for us, “Bring it here!” 

“On it!” We shouted back.

“Hey ugly!” John yelled at the beast, running a few feet away, “Follow me!” the beast growled and charged after him while I was holding on to a tuft of fur to keep from being left behind. The beast and John ran fast, stopping at a clearing as I jumped off and landed beside Alia and John. A large magical barrier appeared around the beast, trapping it.

“Phew…” I sighed with relief.

“That should hold it while I prepare the exorcism.” Alia said, preparing a spell.

Suddenly, the Cerberus slashed the barrier, breaking it.

“What?!” Alia gasped as the Cerberus smacked us all back.

“Why didn't that work?” John asked.

“I-I don't know…” Alia began, wide-eyed, “Even possessed by a demon, a Cerberus’ power shouldn't be stronger than a god's…!”

“Well it is,” I said, “What now?”

“I-I don't know…” Alia breathed. I looked around and saw just ahead a town. In that town, I could see a construction site working on a large building.

“Hey John,” I began, “Do you think if you had to you could carry a town's worth of people a few miles away in just a few seconds?”

“I'd have to push myself…” John replied, “But I could probably do it in two to five seconds.”

“Good.” I nodded, “I have a plan. We need to take this fight to that town, specifically that construction site.”

“No way!” Alia yelled, “Are you insane?!”

“It's the best plan I've got.” I said. Alia paused, thinking, then groaned.

“Fine…” She gave up, “Just try not to get us killed.”

“Deal.” I nodded, “John, you go ahead and clear out that town, Alia, let's lead it there.” John nodded and ran off as Alia and I sent a few spells at the beast. The Cerberus growled and chased us, all three heads barking madly. We ran and led the beast for a minute or two before reaching the construction site. John did well, no one was in town as the beast ran up to the construction site. I held up my hands, using my Specialty to control the machines. A bulldozer drove up, slamming into the Cerberus. It growled and one head bit the dozer. I then took control of a crane and had it slam its claw into the Cerberus' face. The beast roared and slashed the crane in half. I frowned, then held out my hands, taking control of every machine in town. Every last car, construction machine, and tv was now under my control. I then had all the machines rapidly approach and crash into the Cerberus, burying it under a large pile of metal with only its heads sticking out. As it struggled, I then slammed my hand on the ground, summoning a large magic barrier around the beast like Alia had. "Now!" I yelled. 

"Right!" Alia nodded, holding her hand out to the Cerberus. It roared as black mist came out of its mouths. As I released the barrier, the mist took a solid form, revealing itself as a demon. "Kill it quickly!" Alia ordered as the demon began to run.

"Shall I?" John asked, gripping his swords.

"I got this." I smirked, forming a fireball. I threw it, hitting the demon and forming a small explosion. "Direct hit!" I fist-pumped. As the demon died, something seemed to change with the Cerberus. It shrank, diminishing to about the size of a basketball.

"It's a puppy…?" Alia gasped as the three headed puppy whined, its back paw stuck under some of the machines I'd summoned. I quickly removed the machines, freeing the puppy. It climbed onto my lap and instantly fell asleep.

"Huh?" I asked, surprised.

"Seems the little one likes you." Aria giggled a bit.

"Didn't this little guy just try to kill us?" I asked.

"It was possessed remember?" Alia answered, "Now that the demon's dead, this cute little fella's free. Cerberus are well regarded as partners to the gods. You should keep the puppy as a sort of pet."

"A monster pet?" I inquired.

"It's hardly a monster now." Alia said, "Cerberus can be fiercely loyal companions. Besides, I don't think this little one has any family." The puppy nuzzled one of his heads against my hand, begging me to be pet. I couldn't help but pet the little guy as his tail wagged.

"Oh alright." I gave in to the puppy's cuteness, "I'll keep the little guy."

"Girl." Alia corrected.

"You're a girl?" I looked at the pup. She wagged her tail.

A few hours later we were back at school. My body felt sore from all the fighting.

"Man I'm sore…" John groaned as we walked.

"Me too…" I agreed, carrying my new puppy.

"Well that's to be expected." Alia said, "You were only supposed to fight low level demons, but you wound up taking down a possessed Cerberus. Besides, now you have a new friend."

"Arf!" The puppy agreed.

"By the way, Nano." Alia looked at me, "How did you manage that barrier spell? It's pretty complicated for newcomers."

"Would you believe I don't really know how?" I shrugged.

"Huh…" Alia pondered, "Guess that's a mystery for another day. Go rest for now."

"Way ahead of you." I nodded and walked to my dorm. As I entered, I set my puppy down, letting her run around my room as I stumbled over to my bed. Without hesitation I plopped down on my bed, burying my face in my pillow as I felt the relief of a nice soft bed. My Cerberus puppy then climbed up with me and laid down on my head.