"The current framework of the Astral Cosmos was established during the Primordial Epoch, and it hasn't changed since then," Professor Burbank continued. "Due to how long ago the epoch was and the chaotic state due to the constant change, there isn't much known from the period, so you only need to know very basic information.
"What came next is the Third Epoch, the Primogenitor Epoch. This era marks the beginning of civilization as the Primogenitor Race — for an unknown reason — began living in the Material Plane. As the oldest recorded civilization, they are considered the ancestors of all extraordinary paths. The earliest form of magic, or I should say, the earliest record or mention of mana, is from that period."
Professor Burbank pointed at the architecture. "The Primogenitor race's body was unique. In its natural form, it would generate immense energy, attract ambient energy in the environment, or even directly absorb it from other dimensions. So, their house was designed to gather the excess energy and condense it through these spike-like towers. The more spikes a house had, the more powerful an entity lived in it. Now, why am I telling you this?"
Professor Burbank looked at the class, "Well, that's because there are many relics or ruins from that epoch. Although most of them are located in the Astral Plane, they can randomly descend into a dimension. If you encounter one, you can judge the relative level of danger by the number of pikes."
"Something is wrong," Zane immediately thought. "The way he's conveying the information is as if he knows one of those relics will appear on Earth, and he's preparing us. Or maybe it has already appeared? Am I reading too much into this?"
"Despite all the relics that have appeared, knowledge about this epoch is rare, kept close by a few individuals. As such, I can't tell you much. But, if you are interested, you can consider being an archeologist and studying this epoch; it's a very lucrative field if you are good at it," Professor Burbank concluded.
The hologram changed to pictures of two different architectural styles: one showed towering structures that reached as far as the clouds, and the other showed structures built directly into mountains, rivers, and lava, with gold, silver, and shining jewels lavishly decorating every aspect.
"The next era is known as the Titan & Dragon Epoch. Despite rumors and theories that the Primogenitors created all modern races, the earliest records of 99% of races go back to that epoch. And unfortunately, these records painted a grim picture.
"As the name suggests, this was an era ruled by two races: Titans and Dragons. All other races were either slaves or, worse, food. This epoch is characterized by a strict hierarchical society, with these two at the top and many other races filling the bottom and the in-between. Humans considered this period our [Dark Age], and you can guess why."
"We were food," a student commented.
"That's right: generation after generation, we were bred as snacks or delicacies for either the Titans or the Dragons," Professor Burbank nodded before showing them a picture of different types of dragons and these colossal humanoid creatures with parts of their bodies composed purely of elements.
"You can see how large both these races are, so you can imagine how many lives one meal would cost," Professor Burbank sighed. "According to some records, some titans and dragons raised dozens of dimensions of humans as their food reserve."
"Where were the only ones used as food?" a student asked with gritted teeth.
"To be honest, every race that wasn't any of those two was used as food. It's just that some — like the elves — had a low reproduction rate, and their affinity for plants meant they could provide other services. Meanwhile, creatures such as humans and goblins, who were naturally weak and the only value they had was their fast reproductive abilities, were classified as food."
"Did no one revolt?"
"There are many records of revolting, but none were successful," Professor Burbank shook his head. "In that epoch, humans had just begun developing Shamanism. Our magic was considered pitifully weak, and there are debates that most of it was built on the foundation of other races, primarily the elves.
"Meanwhile, although no Sages were born in that epoch, there were many Titans and Dragons who were 9th-tier lifeforms, which are on par with 9-ring Supreme Archmages."
"Sir, I know the human race eventually rose up. How did they do it?"
"The human race didn't begin its rise until the next epoch, and only achieved true supremacy in the Sixth Epoch," Professor Burbank replied. "To understand how that happened, you must first understand how this epoch ended. I'll give two points to anyone who can guess. Mr. Ericson."
"A revolution led by a coalition of all races?"
"Nice guess, but no. Mrs. Daisy."
"Internal trouble?"
"Hmm, I need more than that. Yes. Mr. Johnson."
"War between the Titans and Dragons?"
"Exactly," Professor Burbank nodded. "There cannot be two kings of the jungle, and these two races had always been at odds. One day, their conflict escalated to a full-blown war that spread throughout the entire Astral Cosmos. The result was the defeat of the Titans. Still, the Dragons were severely weakened, which they knew would cause problems — especially because of all the atrocities they had committed against other races."
Professor Burbank manipulated the hologram to once again display the black-and-white sheet representing the Material and Astral Planes.
"To protect their civilization, the dragon race learned from the Primogenitors and created their own residence or layer in the Astral Plane called the [Dragon Nest]. These damn reptiles plan to recuperate and return to the world to reclaim their former glory. Unfortunately for them, their plan was futile since new and formidable powers had risen up and replaced them."
"Sir, what about the Titans? Were they all wiped out?"
"Yes and no. Their race was nearly wiped out, but it was later revived. You'll understand when we get there," Professor Burbank replied before displaying another type of architecture. And this time, it was something familiar to Earthlings: lavish cathedrals with painted murals, white or golden statues of worship, and angel and demonic imagery everywhere.
"Yes, the Fifth Epoch was the Divine Epoch; to be precise, the God and Demon Epoch," Professor Burbank stated. "After the disappearance of the dragon race, a new race suddenly appeared in countless dimensions across the cosmos. This race was unique because they were created by the Plane Will, born directly from the rules or laws of the Dimension; they were born with an [Authority]."
Professor Burbank paused, thinking how he could better word things. "I'm sure all of you have heard or read about mythology. In those tales, there are Gods of Flame, Gods of Lightning, and Gods of Death. In the Astral Cosmos, a God of Flame holds the [Flame Authority], meaning they have domination over all flames. The God of the Sun holds the [Sun Authority] and controls the sun's rise and fall. I think you get the gist, right?"
The students nodded, and Professor Burbank continued.
"You must understand how unique the Divine Race was. [Authority] is actually a lesser connection to the [Quintessence Tapestry], which many races had learned from the titans and dragons was the key to ascending to the 7th tier. So, you can imagine everyone's shock upon finding a race born with it?
"Even the titans and dragons did not have this ability until later in their civilization. But that was due to the artificial modification of their bloodline. What's more, not every dragon or titan had an innate connection to the [Tapestry] — only the purest of bloodlines did. Yet, every member of the Divine Race had such a connection.
"The chaos that ensued could be imagined. All the surviving races competing to replace the dragons and titans rushed to capture and study these gods to uncover their mystery. And they did. These gods were not only connected to the tapestry but also to the Aether through the Dimension Core. Their bodies gave birth to a truly powerful, pure, and extraordinary power called divine energy. And, believe it or not, they were born as 4th-level lifeforms."
"Sir, are you saying these 'gods' were born with the same power as a Grand Mage?"
"I am," Professor Burbank nodded.
"The starting point of someone is the end for many," a student muttered, and his words perfectly encapsulated how everyone felt.
"A sad truth, but a truth nonetheless," Professor Burbank nodded.
"What happened next?" someone asked. "How did these gods escape their fate and come to rule an epoch?"
"They didn't," the professor replied. "The study of these creatures contributed immensely to many extraordinary paths for other races. And races such as elves, orcs, dwarves, trolls, and mermaids perfected their systems, creating a clear path from Tier 1 to Tier 6. However, they knew this was not enough. What everybody truly desired was the path to Tier 7. And eventually, they discovered it."