RAGE: A BATTLEFIELD
Chapter 1
A terrifying night.
The sky was covered in darkness, and a cold wind howled through the trees. The silence of the night was broken only by the sound of hurried footsteps.
A seventeen-year-old boy was running as fast as he could. Fear was written all over his face. Something was chasing him from behind, moving at an unbelievable speed. He kept running without looking back.
Finally, he stopped.
Breathing heavily, he slowly turned around.
There was nothing there.
He let out a long sigh of relief.
Suddenly—
A dagger shot through the air with the speed of lightning.
In a single instant, it sliced through his neck.
His head fell to the ground, covered in blood.
As blood spread across the ground, a mysterious eye appeared before us.
It was a terrifying combination of red and black.
...
"Aryan! Aryan! Wait for me!"
Hearing the voice, Aryan turned around.
It was Anaya, his friend. She walked toward him with an angry expression on her face.
"Ugh! I've been calling your name for so long. Are you deaf?" she asked angrily.
Aryan smiled gently.
"I'm sorry. I really didn't hear you."
Just then, Ravi spoke.
"Come on! We're already late. You know that if we don't reach the academy soon, the master won't allow us to enroll."
The three of them hurried forward.
After a while, they arrived in front of a massive academy.
On the giant gate, golden letters proudly displayed its name—
Rangers Academy
Ravi looked at the enormous building in amazement.
"This academy is huge!"
Anaya smiled.
"This is the most powerful academy in our kingdom. It will help us complete our journey."
Ravi said,
"But so far, only five people have become Elite Rangers."
Aryan looked at him confidently.
"So what?"
Ravi replied,
"It means this path is filled with hardships."
Aryan smiled at both of his friends.
"No matter how difficult the journey becomes, we'll overcome it together... because we're a team."
The three friends hugged each other.
Anaya laughed.
"Alright, that's enough. Are you trying to make me cry? Let's go to the battle ground."
When they reached the battle ground, they saw countless students gathered there.
Ravi's eyes widened.
"There are so many students!"
Anaya nodded.
"This is only the beginning."
Aryan looked confused.
"What do you mean?"
Anaya explained,
"As time passes, their numbers will decrease. Not everyone here will make it to the end."
She continued,
"Some students become Rangers, while only a few become Elite Rangers.
Rangers are the lowest-ranked warriors.
Elite Rangers are the highest-ranked warriors.
However, among the Rangers, there are special warriors known as Beast Rangers.
According to the database, they are so powerful that they can even fight against Elite Rangers."
Ravi scratched his head and laughed.
"That was a little too much information."
At that moment—
A sword suddenly fell from the sky at incredible speed.
It pierced the ground perfectly, standing upright.
A man was standing on top of the sword.
He looked at everyone and spoke in a loud voice.
"Listen carefully, children!
I am Teacher Geera.
I'm happy to see all of you.
Now be quiet!"
The noisy crowd immediately fell silent.
Moments later, an elderly master, around sixty years old, stepped forward.
Looking at every student, he said,
"Today is your first day at Rangers Academy.
All of you worked very hard to reach this place.
But that was only the beginning.
The real challenge starts now.
This academy will test your strength, your courage, and your determination.
Only those who discover their true power will move forward.
Let me also tell you this—
More than one hundred thousand Elite Rangers have graduated from this academy.
Now...
Think carefully about where you stand.
Anaya looked at Ravi in confusion.
"But Ravi, you just said that only five people have become Elite Rangers."
Ravi scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.
"Oh... I forgot to explain."
"Elite Rangers also have ranks. There are C-Rank, B-Rank, and A-Rank. C-Rank is the lowest, B-Rank is the middle level, and A-Rank is the highest."
He continued,
"So far, only five people have reached A-Rank."
Just then, the Master spoke once again.
"Now, all of you, go to your assigned classes."
He paused for a moment before adding,
"And don't forget to check the Leaderboard before you go."
The moment he finished speaking...
The Master and all the teachers disappeared without a trace.
Aryan blinked in surprise.
"They... disappeared?"
Ravi smiled.
"Don't worry about that. Come on, let's check the Leaderboard."
The three of them walked toward the giant board standing in the middle of the academy.
Aryan looked at it curiously.
"What's this Leaderboard?"
Ravi explained,
"The Leaderboard is where every student is placed into a team. The academy divides everyone into different groups."
His eyes searched the list.
"Oh! There I am!"
Anaya quickly looked as well.
"I'm here too!"
Aryan searched for his name.
"And... yes! I'm here too."
Ravi continued reading.
"Who else is in our team...?"
"Hmm... Sam... Hina... Avinash..."
"There are many more."
He smiled.
"Our team is Group A."
...
The three of them entered the academy building.
The classroom was beautiful, with large windows, polished wooden floors, and neatly arranged desks.
Around thirty students, or perhaps even more, were already inside.
Ravi waved cheerfully.
"Hello, everyone!"
A boy immediately smiled and waved back.
"Hi! I'm Sam."
Ravi introduced himself.
"I'm Ravi, and these are my friends, Anaya and Aryan."
"It's nice to meet all of you," Sam replied.
Before anyone could continue talking—
"Hey! Hey! You all talk too much."
A familiar voice echoed through the classroom.
Everyone turned toward the door.
Teacher Geera had arrived.
He walked to the front of the class with a serious expression.
"You are all members of my group."
"And you should know one thing about me."
"I am a very strict teacher."
His sharp eyes swept across the classroom.
"So let me make this perfectly clear."
"No excuses will work in my class."
"If you're sick..."
"If you're tired..."
"Or if any one of you comes up with an excuse..."
"I won't accept it."
"In this group, excuses are not allowed."
The classroom instantly fell silent.
Teacher Geera folded his arms.
"Now, let's begin."
"The first task is to choose a Group Leader."
"Everyone, cast your votes."
The students immediately began voting.
After a few minutes, the votes were counted.
Most of the class had voted for Anaya and Mia.
However...
Anaya received the highest number of votes.
Teacher Geera looked at the class and announced,
"From today onward..."
"Anaya is the leader of Group A.
Teacher Geera looked around the classroom before speaking.
"Let me tell all of you something."
"The kingdom we live in is one of the most powerful kingdoms in the world. The kingdoms surrounding us are also extremely powerful. Every one of them exists to protect its own people."
A girl raised her hand.
It was Mia.
"I have a question."
Teacher Geera nodded.
"Go ahead."
Mia stood up.
"Why is our kingdom called the Kingdom of Black Flames?"
Teacher Geera smiled faintly.
"That's a good question."
"Long before us, there were warriors who protected this land. Most of them used ordinary powers."
"But a very small number of them possessed a legendary power known as Black Flames."
"Our ancestors named this land the Kingdom of Black Flames in honor of those warriors."
He paused for a moment.
"However, most people simply call it the Star Kingdom."
The classroom listened silently.
Teacher Geera continued,
"And one more thing..."
"Since those ancient warriors disappeared, no one has ever been able to use the power of Black Flames again."
"And no one ever will."
He looked at every student.
"That's enough for today."
"Oh, and one more thing."
"The Battle War is approaching."
"So train hard."
"Make your kingdom proud."
...
Far away...
Beyond a gigantic stone gate that looked like the entrance to another world...
A land covered in dark nature stretched endlessly.
At its center stood a massive tower wrapped in enormous chains, as if something terrifying had been sealed inside it.
A frightening voice echoed through the darkness.
"Where... are the Black Flames?"
A young man, around twenty-two years old, was kneeling before the tower.
He lowered his head respectfully.
"We still haven't found the Keys."
The terrifying voice answered,
"Then go."
"Bring me the Five Keys."
The young man bowed even lower.
"As you command... my King."
As he disappeared into the darkness...
Countless Black Shadows and terrifying Black Monsters surrounded the chained tower from every direction.
The mysterious ruler remained hidden.
Only one thing could be seen...
His eye.
A terrifying eye with a red and black combination.
...
Back at the academy...
Without any warning—
Anaya rushed forward at incredible speed.
"Sword of Water!"
A sharp water slash shot toward Aryan.
Aryan reacted instantly.
He drew his sword and blocked the attack with perfect timing.
Clang!
The impact echoed across the training ground.
Before anyone could blink...
Aryan disappeared from his position.
In the next instant...
His sword was resting against Anaya's neck.
The students of Group A stared at them in shock.
"So fast..."
At the same moment...
A boy, along with two other students, suddenly attacked Ravi.
"Flame Attack!"
A blazing stream of fire rushed toward him.
Just before it could hit—
Ravi raised his hand.
"Water!"
A powerful wave of water crashed into the flames, completely stopping the attack.
Steam rose into the air.
Aryan looked toward Ravi.
"Are you alright?"
Ravi smiled.
"Yeah... I'm fine."
The boy who had attacked him stared in disbelief.
"one of the students from Group A stared at the newcomer in shock.
"That's... Leon."
Another student gasped.
"Leon the Flame!"
"His family has mastered the power of flames for generations."
"But... he's not even from Group A."
"So what is he doing here?"
Leon smiled confidently.
Without saying another word, he raised his sword.
"Flame Sword!"
A burst of blazing fire covered the blade.
In the next instant, he dashed toward Aryan.
Before the flaming sword could reach him—
Aryan disappeared.
Clang!
He blocked the attack with incredible speed and instantly appeared behind Leon, placing his sword against his back.
But Leon reacted just as quickly.
In the blink of an eye, he slipped behind Aryan.
"Flames of Fire!"
Streams of fire burst from Leon's hand and rushed toward Aryan.
Aryan calmly raised one hand.
He stopped the flames with his bare palm.
Then he rotated his hand in a circular motion, redirecting the force and slamming Leon into the ground.
The entire battlefield fell silent.
Aryan slowly raised his hand.
"Flames..."
For a brief moment...
Something black was about to emerge from his hand.
Before it could happen—
A hand firmly grabbed his wrist.
It was Teacher Geera.
Aryan looked at him in surprise.
Teacher Geera stared silently at Aryan's hand.
Inside his mind, countless thoughts raced.
"How is this possible?"
"Black Flames...?"
"Only the descendants of the Eldos Clan were capable of using that power."
"No one inside this kingdom... or even outside it... has been able to use the Black Flames."
"Then... how did this boy do it?"
His expression immediately became serious.
He turned toward Leon.
"You."
"You don't belong to this group."
"What group are you from?"
Leon casually placed his sword on his shoulder.
"I'm from Group B."
"I was just curious to see what Group A was like."
He smiled before turning around.
"I'll be leaving now."
Leon walked away without another word.
Teacher Geera continued watching him until he disappeared.
"That sword..." he thought.
"It belongs to the Flame Bloodline."
At that moment—
An announcement echoed throughout the academy.
"Attention, all teachers and mentors."
"Please begin preparing your students for the Battle Field."
"The Battle of Beasts will begin next week."
The announcement ended.
Teacher Geera looked at every student in Group A.
"You all heard the announcement."
"If you lose your battles..."
"You will train here every single day—from night until morning."
"And for three days..."
"You will receive no food."
The students' expressions immediately turned serious.
Teacher Geera crossed his arms.
"So..."
"Let's begin your Battle Field training."
---
Far away...
At the top of the chained tower...
The mysterious voice spoke once again.
"Hmm..."
"That scent..."
"It was the scent of the Black Flames."
A deep laugh echoed through the darkness.
"So..."
"Who used them?"
The voice laughed even louder.
"Darkness will return..."
"And it will show this world..."
"...what true fear really is."
To be continued...
