The Third Prince Of Darkness

(Third person POV)

The Great Southern Clans: Territorie of the Four-Headed Lion Clan

A young boy with red hair was sitting in an armchair behind a thick desk, reading a book. Nearby, a dead man lay on the floor, a small hole in his throat revealing the cause of death. The murder weapon, a dagger, lay on the desk, and the bloodstains on the boy's clothes made it clear who the killer was. The red-haired boy appeared to be around 12-13 years old, with long hair and black eyes that made him quite a handsome child.

"And it must not be forgotten that those born in darkness and living in darkness will inevitably see light as an enemy..." These were the last words of the book he held, and the boy looked a bit sad because he had finally finished the book. It was the autobiography of the great emperor and Conqueror Ogedion, written with his own hands, who lived about five hundred years ago.

Emperor Ogedion was one of the greatest human leaders of all time. He was a great southern emperor who had conquered the entire continent except for the Tiamat Empire and had also subdued the northern coasts of the Drakoria continent. He was killed while planning a campaign against his fierce enemy, the Tiamat Empire in the north.

The red-haired boy admired Emperor Ogedion and had wanted to be like him since childhood. Reading books about not only Ogedion but also many great kings and men who changed the course of history was his favorite activity. Also, he was the son of a woman descended from Emperor Ogedion, which he was always proud of. But unfortunately, the descendants of Ogedion no longer possessed the old splendor and power.

His father had defeated a clan in a battle and taken his mother as a war booty. His mother was a slave, and his father was a man who constantly abused her. He hadn't seen his mother for about three years because he was currently on a mission. One day, when his father was beating his mother again, the boy bravely stepped forward, but he wasn't foolish. He knew how strong his father was, and indeed, his father was quite strong.

So he asked for a deal with him and demanded that he set his mother free. When his father heard this, after a very long laugh, he gave him a task. If he could kill about 350 enemies of the Clan, he would free his mother. The boy accepted this and immediately got to work, since he had received some training in the clan. Unfortunately, he failed on his first mission, sustaining a severe wound on his right leg that became permanent because his body couldn't handle Kaizer properly at the time. But despite all this, he never despaired and never gave up.

The only person he loved and cared about in this world was his mother. She was the only one who smiled at him, patted his head, always tried to help him, and called him "my son." This was why he never gave up, and today, he had finally killed his last target. He learned many things during this process, and the most important lesson was that intelligence always prevailed over strength.

His targets were always quite powerful people, and the last man he killed was a 5. Kaizer strength man, but he managed to defeat him. After his initial failure, he defeated all his enemies with a specific strategy. He always mocked his enemies with his intelligence, as if he were playing a chess game.

The boy's name was Alpshar, and now his job was done. It was time to go home to his mother. With a certain smile on his face, he stood up and headed towards the library in the room. He took a few books he was interested in from the shelf, put them in his backpack, and climbed out the window onto the roof. Then, he activated the setup he had prepared and quickly left the area. Leaving behind a burning house, he slowly ran towards the forest. The man he had just killed was the son of a clan leader, and killing him was one of his most challenging tasks, but he had completed his job successfully.

To lose his trail in the forest, he wore the shoes he had made himself. These shoes left tracks resembling those of like a bear, so people wouldn't follow them. Alpshar then walked for half an hour along a specific path and reached his tent. He quickly packed up the tent and left. Since the trade route wasn't far from there, he walked towards it calmly.

°°°°°°°

**(6 days later)**

Alpshar was looking at an enormous palace built between two vast mountains from a distance. This was the palace of Nazunmar, the first son of the Mountain Tiger Clan leader and father of Alpshar. Because his mother was a slave, Alpshar could never be an heir, but he had no desire to be an heir, anyway. He hated this clan with all his being, and now, looking at it, he remembered all the terrible memories he had lived through.

Putting aside the terrible memories, Alpshar walked towards the main palace of the clan. It was time to be happy now, no time for bad thoughts! Alpshar excitedly reached the outer gate of the palace, and since it was midnight, the guards immediately drew their weapons.

"Who are you? Identify yourself immediately!" shouted one guard.

Alpshar raised his hands and replied, "I am Alpshar, the illegitimate child of the great Nazunmar."

"Alpshar?"

"Isn't that carrothead?" The guards, who once saw him as a scrawny boy due to malnutrition, now looked at Alpshar, who had a fairly muscular body despite his young age, in astonishment.

"Come inside!" shouted a burly guard.

Alpshar entered, and the guards checked his bag. He glared at the guards who were rummaging through his bag, but he shouldn't do anything now, so he gritted his teeth hard. The guards released him after they finished checking his bag and were convinced he was indeed Alpshar.

As the Alpshar walked quickly towards the main gate of the palace, he heard the guards commenting behind him. 'Most likely, they're talking about my limping gait because of my injured leg'he thought.

"Poor boy, I hope he doesn't faint from what he'll see tonight" said the burly guard.

Alpshar entered through the main gates of the palace and oriental music reached his ears. He hated this music because his father loved it so much. He followed the direction of the music and heard some mischievous women's voices from inside, but he no longer wanted to wait, so he opened the door.

However, he could never have predicted that he would be faced with a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life. Alpshar stood there, shocked and frozen. Nazunmar looked at his son with a satisfied grin when Alpshar finally let the tears finally fall from his long-dried eyes. 

A woman, still beautiful despite the dirt on her face and torn old clothes, stood in a corner of room. Bruises covered her entire body, and one of her legs was badly broken. There was blood on his stomach and head, and her broken leg was badly broken, as if someone had ripped it off and put it back upside down. 

This woman was Alpshar's beloved mother, and now, when he looked into her eyes, the ever-smiling expression was gone, replaced by a soulless gaze. The woman who always smiled when she saw her son now looked at him as if her soul had already left her body.

"Mom?!..." was all that came from Alpshar's mouth in a sorrowful whisper.

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