Tangen planted a fist on his hip, smirking like a man who held all the cards. "You probably don't know anything about me. Well, that's to be expected, I don't really want anyone to know anything about me, so the fact you don't know means I am doing a pretty good job."
Maxi tried to steady his breathing, but his body still trembled. The presence of those five gods… it was suffocating.
Tangen glanced down at the shooting star pendant fastened to his cloak and sighed. "Can you guys calm it down a little bit? He's just a kid."
The weight in the room lifted. The oppressive air faded, replaced by an almost unnatural stillness. Maxi let out a slow breath, realizing only now how tightly his fists had been clenched.
His voice came out shakier than he'd hoped as he nodded. "Yeah, I haven't heard anything about you before, and yes, I believe I am your student. My name is Maxi."
He patted the dust off his brown waistcoat, trying to regain some composure.
Tangen chuckled, stepping forward and extending a hand. His left arm was wrapped in red bandages, covering his forearm all the way to his elbow.
Maxi hesitated slightly before he took his hand and shook it.
It was like iron.
The contrast between Maxi's own fragile fingers and Tangen's strong, iron-like grip was almost laughable.
Then Tengen gave a firm shake, squeezing slightly—just enough for Maxi to wince.
"Not that strong, are you, Maxi?"
Maxi shook his head.
"Nope, not in the slightest."
Tangen's grin widened, then he turned toward the chair he had been lounging in earlier. With a casual push, the chair slid across the room, stopping perfectly in front of Maxi. Then, with one hand, he grabbed a wooden table from the side of the room and effortlessly moved it into place.
Maxi blinked, trying not to let his awe show. The man had a ridiculous amount of strength.
Tangen sat down on the table, leaning forward slightly. "Take a seat, and let's begin our lesson, my dear student."
Maxi quickly sat down, clearing his throat.
"So, what's our curriculum?"
Tengen raised an eyebrow. "Curriculum? You chanting magic, boy?"
Maxi sighed. "No, I don't even know the first thing about magic. I meant, like, what are the subjects you're going to be teaching me for the amount of time I have you?"
Realization passed through Tengen's eyes as he made an "O" with his mouth.
"Oh, okay, why didn't you say that instead of that calacilam nonsense you were saying earlier?"
Maxi sighed as he thought, "Oh my gosh, I bet that father of mine bought the cheapest tutor he could find."
Maxi then looked at Tengen's desk, seeing no books or anything teaching-related, as he sighed again.
Maxi even heard Tengen mumble, "Calacilm—" Tengen tisked. "These main families and their fancy language."
Maxi sighed even more heavily as he thought, "I bet he doesn't even have a proper plan. Whatever, let's just get this started."
Maxi, having lost all hope for his future, asked dejectedly,
"So… what are we going to learn about first, human book— I mean, teacher?"
Tangen raised an eyebrow at the comment but ultimately shrugged.
"Let's start with the foundation. The beginning of everything."
Maxi listened carefully as Tangen began to weave a tale—not like a man reciting history, but like someone who had seen it firsthand.
"Before anything existed, there was only one being—The King of Kings. The oldest of old, the greatest of greats. The First God."
Tangen leaned back, tapping his fingers against the table.
"He floated in the void for eternity, alone. Bored. So one day, he decided to create company. But he didn't shape them from dust or whisper them into existence. No... he bit his tongue, and with his own blood, he birthed his first three children—the Three Oldest Gods."
Maxi's grip tightened on his pants. Three… just like the symbol on his hand.
"His children were curious, creative, full of wonder. For ages, they played, learned, and entertained their father. But eventually, they grew restless. They didn't just want to exist—they wanted to create."
Tangen's smirk deepened.
"So, with their father's blessing, they did."
He lifted a hand and extended three fingers.
"From them, three kinds of gods were born. The Outer Gods. The Eldritch Gods. The Earthly Gods."
Maxi felt a chill crawl up his spine as he thought, "Three again."
"The Outer Gods and Eldritch Gods were content. They lived among their kind, satisfied with their divine family. But the Earthly Gods? They were different. Restless. Too curious, just like their fathers and mother, but more curious and creative."
Tangen tilted his head, watching Maxi's reaction carefully.
"They wanted more. So, they went to the Three Oldest Gods and asked for a domain of their own—a world where they could rule and create freely and express their creativity."
Maxi held his chin as he looked back at Tengen. "And… did they get it?"
Tangen's grin returned. "Of course. The King of Kings allowed it under one condition. Every god got their own domains to rule over, not just the Earthly gods but the Outer gods and the Eldritch Gods too, and when they agreed, thus, the Three Realms, or Dimensions, as some like to call it, were born."
He held up a finger. "First—the Outer Gods' Domain."
"A world of endless sky, floating clouds, and a pink, bubbly atmosphere. There is no land there—only an infinite, shifting expanse where distance feels strange and reality bends at the edges. The Outer Gods don't need solid ground. Their domain is pure freedom, a thing only some of us have the luxury of dreaming of."
A second finger. "Then, the Eldritch Gods' Domain."
"A twisted, unstable reality. The sky flickers between green and black, colors exist only in perception, and the very laws of physics shift without warning. Up is down, left is right, and a punch can be a hug if the rules change that day. Planets exist, but they're cracked, broken—shattered from the Eldritch Gods' endless curiosity of their durability due to their new surroundings."
Finally, a third finger. "And last—the Earthly Gods' Domain."
Tangen's voice softened slightly.
"Unlike the others, this realm is familiar. It has universes, planets, and life. It is solid, structured, and ruled by logic and natural law. Among these worlds, there is one that stands above the rest—Pelady."
Maxi's breath hitched.
"Pelady… that's this world—I mean, our world, isn't it?"
Tangen nodded. "Yes. But don't mistake it for something ordinary. Pelady is our home planet, home to different species and races. Want to learn more, kid?"
Maxi breathed in, trying to comprehend and process the knowledge he was just given.
Maxi thought, "There seemed to be a lot of threes mentioned in my human book's story. It seems like the number three holds somewhat of great significance in this world, maybe like the number 9 in Chinese history. Maybe it represents divine importance or great power, which would mean..."
Maxi then looked at his three-eyed symbol more deeply.
"Either I am very significant and important somehow, or my gods are. But first, I have to learn more."
Maxi nodded to himself as he then put on the most childishly curious voice he could muster and asked,
"Wait, is more crazy stuff like this going to happen?"
Tangen smirked.
"Oh boy, you have no idea."