Neo was even more confused now as he looked around, trying to figure out where he was. He touched the air where Jason had grabbed, but felt nothing but emptiness. Matthew and Aisha laughed, with Matthew grabbing Neo by the back of his shirt as he looked at him in confusion.
"Hey, where did he go?" Neo asked, but was ignored as Matthew put his leg on seemingly thin air and charged forward, disappearing with Aisha right after, giggling. Neo stumbled and fell flat on his face, groaning in pain as he tried to figure out where he was.
"What the... where am I? No, where are we? No, how are we here?!?" He spoke in confusion and shock, looking around even more confused about where they had taken him. Aisha then spoke.
"Geez, you could've at least explained it to him. He looks so confused and traumatized."
Neo got up, dusted himself off, and looked around.
"What the hell are we doing in a library? Your room is a library?"
The room was filled with books. He looked up, then fell on his back.
"H-h-hey! Wh-wh-where are we exactly? What is that!" he said, scared. Matthew picked him up, dusted him off, and patted his back.
"Don't be afraid, dear prince. You're here to study, and we're safe here. It's just that we have to be in the middle of the universe to keep our magic contained. We're not as strong as your father, your mother, or the head mage. We have to keep our magic in check every moment, so it doesn't leak and destroy everything on the planet if we're out for too long."
Matthew smiled and kept patting his back as Neo just grew more confused about what had just happened. He looked at Jason, who was pulling books from the shelves. Aisha walked to the center of the room and tapped the air twice with her finger. A set of tables and chairs appeared out of thin air. She smiled and patted the table.
Neo nodded and walked to the table, pulled out the chair, and sat down. Jason approached him and slammed ten giant books onto the table. Neo stared at them in confusion.
"So, what should I start reading?" he asked.
Jason didn't answer, and Aisha and Matthew sighed in annoyance. Matthew approached Neo, pulled out a book about their history, and handed it to him. Neo nodded and opened it to start reading aloud.
"A long time ago, there was nothing. It was only a blank, empty void, until there was light in the middle of the void. A crystal appeared and broke into many pieces, creating the gods: Odin, the King of the Norse pantheon; Zeus, the King of the Greek pantheon; Amon Ra, the god of the Egyptian pantheon; Shiva, the god of the Hindu pantheon; Yahweh, the god of the Christian pantheon; and Amaterasu, the goddess of the Japanese pantheon. These gods came together and created everything, and Yahweh took charge of naming the creations. But he wasn't satisfied, and the gods weren't either. They then agreed to create an infinite number of parallel universes, each containing an infinite number of solar systems and galaxies. The Universe transcends the concept of dimensions."
He stopped and looked up at Jason.
"Does this mean that there are infinite possibilities and realities that we exist in, and there are some where we don't exist or never have this moment?"
Jason nodded, prompting Neo to continue reading aloud.
"The gods also made it so the universal language is mathematical equations and structures."
Neo stopped again, his mind racing.
"Does this mean everything is made of mathematical equations, theories, and structures?"
Jason nodded again, saying, "Call it a Type 4 multiverse. It's supported by a theory we call set theory, since everything is made up of mathematical equations that are consistent. Our world has different sets of laws. For example, the universe expands rapidly at a faster-than-light pace, but the laws of our world make it so the stars also expand that rapidly, creating many galaxies within universes. We don't have a total count, but it's safe to say there are far too many to count—or simply put, infinite. Any questions?"
Neo nodded. "What's set theory, actually?"
Jason sighed and walked to the front, tapping the air to make a blackboard appear. He began writing equations while explaining set theory.
"Set theory is the mathematical theory of well-defined collections, called sets, of objects that are the members, or elements, of the set. Pure set theory deals only with sets, so the only sets under consideration are those whose members are also sets. Is that understandable?"
Neo nodded. Jason stepped aside and pointed to the equations on the board.
"This is just an example."
Neo stared at the board and swallowed his saliva as he read:
"Complement Law: A ∪ A' = U, A ⋂ A' = Ø, and A' = U - A
De Morgan's Laws: (A ∪ B)' = A' ⋂ B' and (A ⋂ B)' = A' ∪ B'
Law of Double Complementation: (A')' = A
Laws of Empty Set and Universal Set: Ø' = ∪ and ∪' = Ø"
He sighed, looking at Jason.
"So what is this for, Jason? It seems kind of useless to me since I probably won't be reaching the universe in a million years."
He giggled nervously, but Jason just sighed.
"Don't lower your expectations, sir. I see a bright future for you. But anyway, that was just the math. Now keep reading. I'll give you a quiz after you're done, and you can take a break."
Neo nodded and continued reading:
"There are many solar systems that make up a galaxy, and there are more than an infinite number of galaxies. Our universe, which is infinite in size, is not bound by any dimension and transcends all dimensions. There are infinite universes in our multiverse, which transcends the Platonic concept of time and space. Wait, doesn't that mean the same thing?"
He asked in confusion, only to be met with a chuckle. He then resumed reading:
"The multiverse contains an infinite number of universes, and the multiverse transcends the universes on a scale beyond infinity. The multiverse is then transcended by the cosmic cube, a structure that transcends the universe, like how the universe transcends the galaxy. The cosmic cube is transcended by the god cube, a structure that transcends the cosmic cube on an infinite scale and is so far beyond that it's almost illogical to even compare them."
Neo paused. "Huh? This doesn't make any sense, Jason. Explain it."
Jason groaned and left the room. Aisha entered and smiled at Neo.
"Let me explain it to you!"
She walked to the blackboard, writing out 1, 2, and 3.
"Imagine 1 is the universe and 2 is the multiverse. 2 transcends 1 beyond the scale of infinity. 3 is the cosmic cube, which is higher than 2 and transcends the universe like the universe does to the galaxy. The list continues until we reach infinity, and that's where the God cube is. Do you understand now? The God cube transcends everything below it on a scale beyond infinity."
Neo nodded as he kept reading:
"The God cube is then transcended by the God ring, which is where all the gods reside, taking a break from watching their respective universes. I thought they'd always be present to watch their universes, but I guess this is fine. The God ring transcends the God cube beyond the scale of infinity, so this applies to everything else that follows."
He turned the page, only to find it blank.
"Huh? Where are the writings? Is this all there is to this?"
Matthew giggled and said, "I'll show you a cool trick I can do."
He disappeared, and with it, all light sources vanished. Neo heard a strange sound coming from the book as it started glowing. As he looked down, the writings began again, visible only in darkness.
"Then transcending... okay, what the heck? Why are there so many things transcending this much? What's the use?"
Neo yelled.
Matthew's voice echoed,
"Don't ask me. Ask God if you can contact Him through magic or something."
Neo continued reading:
"Then comes the black void, where the creatures of the void remain, so powerful that they feed off strong demons. No soul can stay there for even a millisecond without being crushed, eaten, or erased by the void creatures. The creatures of the void are said to rival the fallen angel Lucifer. The black void is hell, with nine layers. The first layer is the weakest, where Lucifer resides with his army. Each layer transcends the previous one, becoming more powerful."
He sighed.
"Then comes heaven, which is above hell but doesn't transcend it. It's where all souls who lived a sin-free life remain for eternity, and where angels reside."
He took a deep breath and yelled,
"Good God, there's still more?!"
He kept reading:
"The white void transcends everything. It's said to transcend all that we've mentioned, on a scale beyond infinity. Then comes the kingdom of the gods, where everything first began, and where all the gods remain when the time comes to end the world. And that's it! Finally! Good lord, that took a long time."
He sighed in relief as Matthew closed the book, sliding another one toward him. This one was about math. Neo grabbed it angrily before sighing and calming down. He started writing the equations and solving them, finishing the book after ten hours.
"WOOO, FINALLY!!"
he exclaimed, only to pass out from exhaustion. Jason woke him with a bucket of water, then handed him another book on the power system. Neo's exhaustion vanished as he began reading aloud:
"Our body may be flesh and blood, but we can channel our spiritual energy to create a power system known as mana. If we burn through all of it, we pass out from exhaustion. You can increase your mana capacity by training, using a lot of mana on big attacks. Every time we run out of mana, our mana pool increases. That's why hybrid knights are harder to become than regular mages and knights. It takes a lot of mana for heavier and faster attacks, and requires a lot of skill. It's said to be impossible to master every single element in a lifetime, even if you start at birth. You can master at most three. The older you get, the less mana you can absorb. You can absorb others' mana if you have the special skill unlocked."
Neo closed the book and nodded. He passed his second test, which covered everything he had learned. He was now ready to learn magic. But before he could, exhaustion overcame him, and he passed out. Aisha and Matthew entered the room after going to grab breakfast. They watched Neo sleep, and Jason patted his head while smiling.