Professor Burbank placed his hand on the sphere and injected his mana into it. A large projection of two sheets — one white and one black — about 5ft in length and 3 ft in height was displayed at the front of the class. Everybody focused on the hologram, wondering where this was headed, with many wondering whether the class would still be about Mana Directives.
"Today's class is about history and Astro-cosmology," Professor Burbank began. "The first thing you need to know is that the history of the Astral Cosmos is divided into 8 epochs. We are currently in the 8th epoch, and the first epoch began after the birth of the universe — the birth of the Astral Cosmos. I won't mention anything about creations. As of now, there are too many debates about how the world came to be. Some believe in the Creation Myth, the idea that a powerful entity created the universe; others believe it arose naturally from primordial forces. However, even among these theories, there are different ideologies or explanations. For example, some believe a God created the world while others believe a powerful Mage did it."
"Humans — no, sentient life — cannot escape debating the origin of life and the universe," Zane thought. Civilizations are different in many ways, but they also share many similarities. And as long as a creature is capable of complex thought, they will start asking questions such as "Who am I?" "Where did I come from?" "Where will I go after death?"
"After creation, the universe was divided into two parts: the Material Plane and the Astral Plane," Professor Burbank continued. With a flick of his hand, the letters [MP] appeared on the white sheet and [AP] on the black sheet.
"The development of these two dimensions is quite interesting. As far as I know, there is no conclusive evidence of life on the Material Plane, but mages have proven that there was no magic. The Laws of Physics governed the material plane, and they were strict, rigid, and unbendable to anything or anyone.
"Meanwhile, the Astral Plane was home to this unique Pure Energy Race that we called the Primogenitors. Not much is known about how they were born, but we do know they had an extremely pure soul and a high affinity with high-dimensional energy."
"Sir, can you show us a picture?"
"Sorry, I can't since I haven't seen them myself."
"Why not?"
"Above my level."
The students nodded. After a week of class, most of them have realized how strictly Mage Society controls information and knowledge. Unlike Earth, which believes and advocates for transparency, mages have a strict hierarchical system on who can access what knowledge. Zane hasn't figured out why: his current theory is that this is a system designed to control weaker mages, but he also keeps his mind open in case there is a valid reason.
"Historians have classified this time in history as the Creation Epoch," Professor Burbank continued. He waved his hand, and the two sheets multiplied, becoming two groups of two. Then, one group lay on top of the other, while the other twisted itself into a black-and-white double string.
"The second Epoch is called [Primordial], and it occurred after an event called [Primordial Unification]. As you can see, the Astral and Material Planes have become one. Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I'm representing this unification in two states. And that's because there are currently two theories explaining the state of the Astral Cosmos.
"The Parallel Resonance Theory and the Entangle String Theory. The former states that the two planes share a deep bond formed through resonance, but at their core, they are separate universes. Meanwhile, the latter states that these two planes of existence are now intertwined like two strings twisted together; they are now one, with each maintaining certain physical aspects from when they were separated."
"These two theories sound interesting. I wonder if there are some books in the library about that?" Zane thought. The topics discussed in today's class sound like information that the tower would not grant free access to, hence his hesitation. While Zane was asking himself this question, a few students asked questions, and the professor answered them before continuing.
"The unification brought many changes to both of those two planes. For the material planes, the Laws of Physics were no longer absolute; they could be manipulated, stretched, bent, and even created. Objective truths were no longer absolute. Now, Subjective Minds could coexist with objective truths, and even replace them."
Professor Burbank noticed the confusion on his students' faces and reined in the philosophy jargon: "In simple terms, magic was now available. Life became capable of performing miracles — of doing extraordinary things."
Those words were indeed easier to digest for most students. Meanwhile, Zane — who felt the professor's words had hidden meaning — frowned because he couldn't decipher what the latter meant. However, he did not ask; he decided to wait after class.
"The changes of the Astral Plane were even more intense," Professor Burbank continued. "At its original state, it was pure, raw, high-dimensional energy. But then, it began to divide into layers. First, there was the [Aether], where all that raw energy was stored. Then came the [Quintessence Tapestry]. Hmm, how do I explain this to you?
"Mages called it the [World of Runes], the source of knowledge, life, and everything in the universe. When people mention the [Arcane Truth], they are more often than not referring to the [Quintessence Tapestry]. It is the fundamental source or code of reality; it's the origin of all Laws or Concepts that govern reality —it is the Truth."
Zane frowned, "Why do I sense a bit of zealotry from this man?"
Professor Burbank realized he had lost his composure and coughed slightly to regain his bearing. "Why are Archmages so powerful? It's because they have gained access to the [Tapestry], allowing them to modify reality directly at its source. It's the same for Gods and a few other top extraordinary paths."
The professor paused to allow for questions, and as expected, a few hands were raised. "Yes, Mr. Williams."
"Sir, to be honest, I don't quite understand your description of this tapestry."
"Think of it like this," Professor Burbank added. "Gaining access to the [Quintessence Tapestry] is similar to having control of quantum particles such as bosons, fermions, quarks, etc. Or, imagine if reality were a game, and you could change the code to do as you please — that's what the tapestry does."
"I see. Thanks."
Professor Burbank answered a few more questions before continuing, "The Astral Plane has many other layers, but those two are the oldest ones." He controlled the hologram projection to enlarge the sheet. Then, countless spheres appear on top, each at a random distance from the others, with intense folding of the sheet beneath each sphere, just like maps that show the curvature of space-time due to a planet's gravity.
"This is a general rendering of the structure of the Astral Cosmos. The spheres are the dimensions, and the distance between them is called the [Void]." The hologram zoomed into the membrane of one of the spheres. "All dimensions are unique, but they also have two to three things in common.
"First, there is the Crystal Wall. It is the barrier that separates your world from the [Void]. It is the ultimate spatial restraint or spatial limiter of your dimension. This barrier is both a protector — as it keeps most foreign invaders away — and a cage, as it blocks most civilizations from achieving Inter-Planar Travel.
"All dimensions have a [Core], which is the energy provider of your plane. It is usually connected to the [Aether] to receive the energy needed to operate things. Finally, there is the Dimension Will. However, as I mentioned in a prior class, only dimensions with life will give rise to their own will."
"Sir, what's the purpose of this will?"
"I was getting there," Professor Burbank replied. "It's rare for a dimension to be suitable for life. And more often than not, a dimension might be suitable for life for a brief period, but before civilization can grow, a sudden environmental change will destroy everything. However, once a [Will] is born, its purpose will be to ensure the growth and development of its civilization.
"The Plane Consciousness will preserve whatever environment was suited for life to be born, and in some cases, will actively create a better environment for its inhabitants." Many students raised their hands, but Professor Burbank did not immediately call upon them.
"Now, before I continue, I would like to state that this is the most simplified and superficial explanation of these concepts. You could spend your entire life studying just one of these things. Alright, for questions. You, first, Mr. Ericson."
"Sir, what is the relationship between the Dimension Core and the Dimension Will?"
"Before the birth of a dimension, its fundamental laws or rules are random. Well, I shouldn't say 'random,' since there are compelling theories that the rules of a dimension result from interference from the [Quintessence Tapestry], but we will not get into that. However, after the consciousness is born, it will be responsible for controlling these rules, removing the randomness aspect to ensure stability."
"I see."
"Yes, Mr. Skylar."
"I noticed some similarity between [Void] and Earth's vacuum of space. Am I thinking too much, or is there really a correlation?"
"Good observation. Yes, they do share some similarities, and also many differences, primarily on how mana is affected," Professor Burbank nodded. "Typically, a small quantity of mana does not change much in a vacuum. However, it's different in the [Void]. No matter the quantity, mana will be heavily influenced."
"How?" Zane asked.
"That's information only privy to Space Mages," Professor Burbank said. He did not add the part that most of them would not share this knowledge because it involved key technological barriers required to become an Inter-Planar Civilization.
Zane nodded, and the professor answered a few more questions before moving on. The holograms changed, displaying countless images of these strange buildings with two or more pikes at the top, forming a circle with a massive energy orb at the center. The unique architecture intrigued many students.