Paxton and Goddard made quick ammends, sharing more details with each other before returning to training. With the impending doom now more ambiguous, they would need every advantage they could get. This time, they shared techniques with each other, giving tips and tricks.

  Goddard, having never seen Paxton's black magic before, was only able to advise him on his white magic. However, Paxton was able to gleam one very important peice of information about his black magic.

  "Never use it in front of people," Goddard ordered with an adult's conviction. "Black magic is seen as a bane on this world, the magic of death and destruction. Nobody that has ever weilded black magic used it for good, because there is no good that comes from such dark magic."

  'It's not actually that bad,' Crystal advised them both. 'It's the magic of death and decay, exactly how white magic is the magic of life and growth. If not for one, we would not have the other.'

  "That's not how humans see it," Goddard said. "We have lives much shorter than a dragon's, so we fear death much more greatly than you. If anybody knew that you could use black magic, you would be put up for execution."

  With that cheery thought, the two brothers took a break for dinner. They cleaned themselves up, dressed properly, and then joined their parents for dinner. The last meal of the day was always a family event, but the dinners had been post-poned until Paxton was feeling better.

  Entering with a soft smile, Paxton was overly aware that he was being watched by his mother. She had seen his black magic, but her demeanor hadn't changed. Her attitude towards Paxton had shifted, as if there was a fracture in a once perfect mirror.

  The two boys sat down in their usual spots next to each other, and they waited for their father to say something. It was considered good manners in this world for the master of the house to start the feast. Lord Byron was normally the person to start every meal, even when he was visiting houses outside of his own. As the silence began to pile up, Lord Byron stood up, etching his chair backwards with a loud screech on the wooden floors.

  Walking to the doors behind him, Lord Byron opened the doors to reveal a trio that were waiting patiently.

  "I'm sorry for the wait," Lord Byron told these strangers. "Please, join us for dinner."

  "That's very kind of you," thanked the leading lady, who stepped into the dining room. She made small talk with Lord Byron as the trio of strangers took their seats. "We don't usually impose like this, but our journey has been tiring and this food looks too delicious to refuse."

  "Nonsense, you're not imposing at all," Lord Byron graciously admitted. "After all, I'm the one who invited you. What sort of host doesn't treat his guests? Eat your fill and make merry, because food tastes better for the conversation."

  Lord Byron grabbed a biscuit from his plate and lifted it to his lips, taking a bite. And just like that, the food was being eaten. The three strangers all ate with great enthusiasm, as though they had been starving. The woman kept up the conversation with Lord Byron and his wife, answering questions that revealed who she was and what she was doing here.

  "I'm glad that you offered to shelter us for this region, Lord Byron," the woman thanked him while taking a bite from a pear-like fruit. "Usually the academy would sponsor these trips, but your land is so far away, we usually reserve it for our bi-annual recruiting. Magic is such a rare commodity. Excuse me for saying this, but we usually have better luck in cities where the population is denser."

  "It makes sense," cut in Lady Byron, "for something to appear one in a hundred people, you would have better luck with harbor towns where lots of people pass through."

  "Lady Byron," the woman cordially added, "it's a pleasure for such a wise wife to recognize our struggle."

  "Not at all," Lady Byron responded, "I always respect anyone working for education. I used to wish I had magic, just so I could see Wiseman Academy in the summer. I've heard it's quite a sight!"

  "Oh yes, to see the Ganga trees in full bloom is something to behold!" one of the men added dreamily.

  "Maybe we could arrange a visit," the female stranger suggested. "We don't offer just magic classes, Wiseman offers an array of advanced curriculum lessons for the non-magical. If your boys are interested in partaking, they might be able to get you in during summer classes."

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  The woman looked at the two young sprouts, only to real back in suprise when she sees both Goddard and Paxton eyeing her suspisciously. Their gazes were like chisels, chipping away at her until she would crack and reveal her secrets. Not only were they staring her down, all of their food was gone, eaten to the bone. It was like she had just ruined their plans and they resented her for it.

  "Yes, and I'm sorry if this distastes your meal, but that's what I've invited you out here for," Lord Byron stated with a bit of dryness. "My sons have been hiding things from me, prefering to speak amongst themselves in order to figure things out. It happened one day that my wife witnessed them sparring, and what she saw would best be described by her."

  "I say! Goddard and Paxton fighting like the wind," she said as though it was scandalous. "I could barely see their swords, it was so fast. I noticed that Goddard had a red haze around his body, like a deep red, almost brick. I thought he was being taken over by a demon, but Paxton was actually fighting him off! After watching for a short minute, their training swords broke and Paxton teleported in order to shield me from one of the broken ends!"

  "Really?" the woman cried out at the scandal of it all. The brothers glanced at each other, a little worried about how this was going to play out.

  They had discussed at length what should happen when the recruiters showed up, but that required demonstrations to be made and a very carefully staged act to take place. The recruiters showing up out of the blue was beyond their understanding.

  "Yes, but then he fell onto his head and I was scared to death! There was so much blood, I didn't know if he could even heal from such a wound."

  "Sorry," Paxton apologized profesionally to his mother.

  "Oh, honey bear, it's all right," mother cooed warmly.

  "Would you care to display this magic?" the recruiting woman asked curiously.

  "Okay," Paxton said, nearly giving Goddard an aneurism. Goddard wouldn't be able to do anything if Paxton revealed his black magic in front of someone from Wiseman Academy.

  Instead of actually doing anything, Paxton unbuttoned his collar down to his chest, revealing the wrapped bandages around his chest. Grabbing a knife, Paxton cut the bandages and pulled them out of his clothes. His chest was on display, perfectly smooth and slightly tan. There wasn't a single hair out of place, even at the deepest level.

  "I was stabbed right here," Paxton circled a little off center of his divide. "It was easy enough to heal, but getting the tiny bits out was hard!"

  "Gracious protector," the female magician whispered in shock, "a white mage!"

  "White mage?" Paxton fiegned stupidity.

  "It means you are capable of great things. Healing mostly, but there are a few practical uses for white magic. I'm interested in this teleportation that your mother mentioned. Could you do it again?"

  "Maybe," Paxton said, looking down at his feet. Closing his eyes, Paxton seemed lost in concentration for a while.

  Suddenly, a blinding flash consumed the entire dining hall, leaving everyone who had witnessed it seeing stars. The woman recruiter blinked, trying to get the fuzzy stars from her eyes. She felt a small hand on her shoulder, then her eyes immediately cleared. A warm sensation flooded through her, giving her some energy like a sugar rush.

  "Sorry about that," Paxton apologized from behind, "I guess I can't control the brightness yet."

  The recruiter turned to see Paxton behind her, concerned for her well-being. He put a hand on the other two recruiters and they blinked away the stars as well. Paxton touched everyone around the table, healing them of their blindness.

  "Astounding," Lord Byron mentioned, suprised himself that his son was such a noble magician.

  "Hey, what about me?" Goddard called them out. Grabbing the knife that Paxton had used to cut his bandages, Goddard stabbed himself in the shoulder. The metal bent when it came into contact with his skin, which he showed to the recruiters to show off.

  "That's a defense barrier," one of the men recognized. "He has warrior magic! Amazing!"

  Paxton and Goddard looked at each other, holding their smiles back. This revelation of their power was nothing compared to what they could actually do, but it was good enough to be called 'Amazing!'

  "Well, it seems as though your boys are quite exceptional magicians!" the female recruiter admired. "I believe they've already earned their way into a first-class position! I'll get the paperwork, we'll trade signatures, and then your sons will be set for Wiseman!"

  Meeting later in Paxton's room, Goddard was having a coniption.

  "This wasn't supposed to happen!" he shouted as quietly as possible. "It was supposed to take another YEAR for the recruiter's to acknowledge us! Damnit, we messed things up!"

  "Calm down," Paxton tried to discharge his brother's fury. "We're going to the school a year early, won't that make everything better? We'll have more time to learn and prepare ourselves."

  "That's not what I'm talking about," Goddard argued angrily. "We have good friends in our classes, comrades for life, people that our future depends on!"

  "I thought you wanted to change the future," Paxton responded. "With this, the future will be completely unguessable."

  "There's something more. The princess, she's in the class below us. In order for you to establish yourself as a confident in her guard, you need to be in contact with her for a few years. She graduates the same time we did, and that's how we earned those spots! If we don't meet the princess, we don't save the world!"

  "Okay, then we need to delay entering the school," Paxton summed up. "We could ask for a leave of absence."

  "How do we justify that?"

  "Maybe, we don't have to," Paxton remarked with an odd smile.

  "What is that supposed to mean?"

  "There have got to be ways outside of school that could make us stronger. Maybe we could go on a road trip?"

  'I think I can help with that,' Crystal announced to the both of them. 'There are things in this world that you humans do not know. If the demons truly do wish to war with you, perhaps there's a way to get an army of your own.'