'Something's wrong,' Crystal declared, waking Paxton up from a tender nap.

'What?' he thought, glancing out of the window to see that the carriage was still travelling through a series of valleys.

'We're getting too close,' Crystal informed, 'I can feel it.'

Paxton focused for a moment, but he couldn't gather the same sensations that Crystal was recieving.

'Not an actual feeling, just a gut feeling.'

'But you don't have a gut...?'

'I have partial control over your body. Don't make me angry.'

'Fine; but what do you mean by 'too close'?'

'I was planning on approaching a stronghold of the angels, but we're getting within dangerous range. If we get any closer, they're going to know that we're coming.'

'So?'

'Angels are extremely private and DO NOT tolerate rule breaking. For a species as buerocratic as angels, they take personal space seriously.'

'But that was thousands, perhaps millions of years ago. Angels aren't even a myth in this world, I don't think we're in any danger. What are you hoping to find in their stronghold?'

'The one thing that angels had over every other race was technology. They had magical machines performing miracles that magic or machine couldn't do alone. If their stronghold still stands, it will be filled with weapons and armor that we may use in the war with the demons.'

'What kind of weapons?' Paxton asked, intruiged at the premise.

'Potentially world-ending artifacts,' Crystal said.

Paxton was reminded of the nukes that caused so much fear and horror in his previous world.

'Much worse,' the ice dragon declared.

A tingle went up Paxton's spine as he contemplated what to do with weapons of such power. Something worse than a nuke would need to be carefully monitored, especially if they were to be handled by humans.

"Everyone!" came the main recruiter's voice from the front carraige. "Watch closely! We're coming up on the Academy!"

Paxton looked out of the window with Samson and Liz. Goddard remained slumped back, already having a common knowledge of the Wizeman Academy's appearance.

From just around the side of a hill, a beautiful white marble building could be seen glinting from the midday sun like a diamond. It was like a decorated centerpiece, placed between two mountain ranges that cut off vision to the sky. The central spire was easily two hundred stories high, but there were building around it made from the same shimmering white stone that built into the sky in a spiral.

Paxton couldn't beleive his eyes. Nothing he had seen so far in this world gave the impression that structures of this magnitude were possible. Everything so far had been huts and brick houses without so much as a support beam to bridge two rooms. Even his family's mansion was only two stories and would only qualify as a townhouse in his previous world.

"It's amazing!" Samson exclaimed, eyes wide with wonder.

"Good food!" was all Liz had to say as she gaped openly at the mountainous building.

"Goddard, you did some research on Wizeman," Paxton excused, "do you know who built this?"

"It's an ancient building from a long time ago known as the Golden Age," Goddard explained without looking up. "It's beleived that early man had once ruled much farther and wider than before, but an unknown cataclysm killed almost everyone. Buildings like Wizeman Academy, the Grand Merchant's Bazaar, and the Giant's Arena are similar buildings with accutely different architecture related to the same time."

'That's not man made,' Crystal declared, 'that's an angel stronghold.'

"What?!" Paxton yelped aloud, not realizing that the voice was in his head.

"Yeah," Goddard continued awkwardly, "the whole place was almost abandoned before the faculty came along and started excavating. There are whole labyrinths underground that have no discernable purpose. Even-"

Goddard continued to explain some things while Paxton receded into his own mind to have a conversation with Crystal.

'What do you mean 'angel stronghold'?' demanded Paxton angrily. 'Are you telling me that the pseudo-nuclear technology we're trying to uncover is already in human hands?'

'Potentially,' Crystal surmised. 'Remember, I've been comatose for well over a thousand years. God knows how much has changed or whether anything I remember is being used. Although, last I remember this was demon territory.'

'But there are a ton of humans here,' Paxton though sharply. 'Human researchers, who have been studying this technology for who-know-how-long? We can't waltz in there and immediately turn on the weapons. Huge red flags, the researchers are gonna sense something.'

'We'll burn that bridge when we cross it.'

'Not how that saying goes,' Paxton thought bitterly.

Goddard ended his little explanation to let everyone stare out the window at the majestic, towering academy.

As they drew closer, the scale was given perspective. The entire structure was actually larger than first realized.

A small entrance assumed to only accomodate the carriages could have housed an entire marching band; and the hallway was so long, a parade with floats could have followed behind. The floor obviously changed as well, from a bumpy ride to a smooth slide. The stones that made up the floor were so cleanly cut and place, the entire stadium's worth of marble looked to be the same slab.

"Ladies and gentleman," the leading lady announced with an echo, "welcome to WIZEMAN!"

The grandiose halls were suddenly allowed some light as large sections overhead were cut out to allow the sun to shine through. Bridges built between platforms had people crossing back and forth, sometimes with carts that bowed the bridges.

"Wizeman is almost a city unto itself," explained the recruiter for the ninth time. "We have year-round maintainers and engineers that keep up with the cleaning and administration. There are even some special students that take classes all year round."

The carriage arrived at a central area that had several tunnels and staircases going elsewhere throughout the building.

Paxton noticed some kids around their age standing at the top of one of the staircases. Their eyes were looking down in eerie silence like children of the damned.

"What's with THEM?" Barrot asked with a sneer.

"Those are the Star students," Goddard said. "They're the one who are here year round. Their magic is on another level."

'Paxton I need to tell you something,' Crystal stated.

"They're creepy," said Liz.

Paxton had to wonder what these kids were doing staring at them, but he glanced back and noticed that more of them were coming from the various paths. He never saw any of them move, but more of them kept appearing like horror devices.

As if responding to his unease, three children walked from around the side of the carraige. How they had gotten so close without anyone knowing gave Paxton even more of a bad feeling. There was something unnatural about the way the kids moved in perfect unison.

Step by step, they approached the group of tuition students before the recruiter spoke up, "Good day, star students! How has the summer treated you?"

"It's been a good summer," answered the lead child, a blond kid with a bowl cut and white robes that bore a star emblem.

'Paxton, this is important!' Crystal urged.

'If it can wait AT ALL, let it rest!' Paxton urged in response.

He couldn't possibly allow any distration between him and any potential recruits. If these guys were supposed to be supermen, he needed to get them on his side without exception.

"Are these the new tuition students?" asked the star leader with innane innocence.

"Yes," the recruiter answered dutifully. "We have Paxton, Goddard, Samson, Liz, Barrot, and Christina! Everyone, this is Alciel, the star student president! The ride here was so eventful; I see a lot of promise in these students! They might just become star students themselves. You never know!"

"Quite," said Alciel with a stiff smile.

Like a robot establishing line of sight, the kid turned his head with agonizing slowness towards the carriage.

'Paxton, this can't wait!' Crystal screamed.

Through the window, Mini was peeking like a child hiding from monsters. She was watching the star students with fear, twitching with every second.

"Mini, what's wrong?" Paxton kindly asked, trying to ignore Crystal.

He stepped over to the carriage and noticed that the little girl had clenched through the wooden arm rests. These star students had Mini spooked like a haunted house, and Paxton couldn't think why.

'ANGELS!' Crystal screamed, pounding on Paxton's cranium to get his full attention.

'What?'

'THE STAR STUDENTS,' Crystal loudly ellicited, 'THEY'RE NOT HUMANS! THEY'RE ANGELS!'

'Oh,' Paxton thought, looking back at the semi-robotic star students with subtle hints of supernatural.

Paxton then looked at Mini, the demon disguised as a little girl.

'OOOOHHHH. Fuck.'