Then, 3000 years ago. A fragment of the past.

A soon-to-be battlefield presented itself in front of the army's eyes.

The land was barren, yet filled with a sense of impending doom.. a lot of young men and women were going to lose their lives there.

The enemy, a foreign country that was known for its love of war and bloodshed, had set their sights on conquering their neighboring nations. 

Their might was known across the entire world, the many nations under their rule stood as proof of their skill and strength.

The defending army gripped their steel weapons, their fingers turning white from the intensity of it. Their armor had suddenly turned into shackles, their lives were about to be put on the scales of judgment.

This would be the last day for most of them, maybe it would be better if it was the last day for most of them. Who knows what came after this?

Slavery? Submission? They had too much pride to bow down to them like that.

However, not all of them were as tense and as nervous. A certain group of soldiers wore smiles on their faces, casually chatting with each other.

These men were not dressed in the usual attire of the infantry soldiers, they wore robes with rather intricate designs, it almost looked like.. the patterns were trying to speak to them. A jumbled mess of words.

It was odd, however the individuals did not mind it. After all, they were used to seeing the oddball mages of the army. They had it better, being the ranged artillery of the group, along with the archers.

Amongst them stood a man with rather boring dark brown hair. Everyone seemed to look at him at least once in a while, however. A mystical power drawing their gaze to him.

His skin was rather pale, and he had a smile that almost looked like it was fake, as if it was polished to look real. Behind that smile hid a plethora of emotions and thoughts, both calculative and.. deceptive.

Such was the way of the Night. Deception was a part of their culture.

He was known as one of the strongest Sorcerers of the Night. He was well versed in most elements, but the ones affiliated with darkness were on a different level.

That is why, today, this army had a small candle of hope lit deep within their hearts. They knew that even if they died, they would die buying time, for those in the back to obliterate the enemy.

The man was of no noble origin, yet the way he carried himself showed just that. Perhaps it was pride, confidence.. or simple cockiness.

The soldiers didn't have much time to think about it, however. Because mighty warhorns were soon heard from across the field..

"Looks like it's time, isn't it?" the man said, swiftly hopping down from the wall he was sitting on.

It was time to shed blood.

It was time for battle.

***

Blood immediately spilled on the grassy fields, tainting its once pure state. Now becoming a mere shadow of what it once was.

Both armies moved forward, one eager to protect, and one eager to destroy. 

This fight would last for many, many hours, days.. maybe months.. years, even.

Its future was still undecided, it would take much effort and many, many casualties for it to conclude.

Somewhere, a soldier smiled at the chaos being unleashed all around them. It seems fighting, and murdering was fun for him. He licked the blood of the poor fallen soldiers that wandered onto his blade and instantaneously almost, he would look rejuvenated.

In another part of the field, a ginormous warrior covered with blood was surrounded by the lifeless bodies of his enemies, it seemed that he stood as a protest against death itself; he effortlessly bashed the heads of multiple enemies, immediately cutting off their lifeline.

Amongst the elite battalions, a figure wreaked havoc, its elusive form was almost unpredictable, and it killed with frightening efficiency. Distorting reality, or at least the illusion of that.. was a simple feat for this combatant.

In the middle, where the battle was the most intense. A sorcerer of the night walked through, the scene would have been peaceful, if not for the wrathful shadows that would come to life from his surroundings and form into chains, weapons, and tentacles, slicing and squeezing the life out of his opponents.

Sometimes, the shadows of the fallen soldiers would rise to fight their own.. a gruesome scene it was.

The sorcerer held an eerie smile, throughout the entirety of the battle.

***

Now, 3000 years later. In the present.

Men and women alike stood in front of a facility, carrying complicated expressions on their faces. 

Some tremble at the size of it, while some gulp down their anxieties.

They know not of what awaits them in this academy, multiple possibilities and doors have opened for them.

The gates open, and a specific boy feels a piercing gaze focused at his nape, for a split second.

It seemed familiar. 

A second later, it was gone with the wind.

The group enters the academy and the sight of what lies within this gigantic building unveils itself in front of their unprepared and untrained eyes.

However to their surprise, what they saw was.. surprising to say the least. Unlike the outside, within this facility.. there was way more greenery. 

Healthy grass covered the floors of the academy. This was a rare sight in the outside world after the world was filled with countless new technologies not leaving any room for Mother Nature to grace the land with her offspring.

After all nowadays, grass isn't even needed for our survival. It was mostly used for architectural aesthetics. 

Humans had evolved beyond the point of relying on trees and other plants for oxygen.

As the group observed, they noticed that this place resembled a university more than anything else. Everywhere they looked, they saw buildings with different numbers on them, all of them ranging from 01 to 20.

It was fascinating. If you compared the outside to this here, it would look like a learning facility from eons ago.

A man dressed in military attire approached them. His face had scars that spoke of his days of service to the nation.

He spoke in a neutral tone.. "Welcome, participants." His voice sounded stern, carrying experience and authority behind it.

The teens in the group flinched and swayed when they heard his voice, unsure why they did so, they didn't ponder much on it.

"Follow me, I will.. show you around the place." The man did not wait for anyone to answer and turned around.

He did not need to tell them to follow him again, as they all trailed closely behind.

As they walked, they approached a building with around 4 floors, which was connected to another. A lot of men and women entered and exited its premises.

If one looked closely, however, one could tell the appearance of the individuals entering and exiting the building was slightly.. altered.

A boy looked at them with confusion. He was unaware of the physical changes that happened on one's body once they awakened their Enigma.

Their "guide" plainly spoke about the dorms, not giving them much importance. 

After all, there were many more interesting facilities to go through and it would take time for the group to learn of all the key locations.