Alexis barely escaped with his life when he was found by nearby fishermen. By the time he woke up, Xenos was already in turmoil.
With the death of Emperor Eliope, the land of Xenos was devastated in the blink of an eye. The crops and all the plants in the mountains and fields had dried up.
The people of Xenos were in turmoil. They understood that problems with the land were directly related to the safety of the emperor.
The Imperial family of Xenos had no heirs powerful enough to match his magic.
Public sentiment was greatly shaken by the anxiety that Xenos might be destroyed. It was at this time that an allied army arrived at Xenos.
Asha and Delua were at the center of it. As if waiting in the wings, the Allies set fire to the main grain warehouse on Xenos.
At first, the Xenos people held out, but as time went on, their ferocity wore down. Many died in vain.
The Empress, reading the situation, abandoned the palace and fled. The army’s morale plummeted, and people from all walks of life began fleeing the country.
“They say the allied army has entered the capital. You must flee!”
Despite the commotion, Alexis remained in his room, staring blankly at the ceiling.
His mother had already left the house, taking only Aiden with her.
He had no intention of doing anything. He ignored the pleas of the servants to run away.
His beloved father had died because of him, and he couldn’t forget his father’s last moments. He saw his father’s hesitation, unable to take a single step as he watched him bleed to death.
And then, as if waiting for it, the woman’s knife plunged into his throat.
He couldn’t do anything because the scene kept replaying in his mind.
If he hadn’t been there, he wondered if his father could have saved the emperor and prevented the war, a meaningless question that haunted him.
His swordsmanship, so good that he was told daily that he would one day succeed his father as the sword of the empire, was useless in the face of black magic.
In addition, he had one leg paralyzed anyway.
The impact of his fall from the cliff had crippled him. Finding them and taking revenge had become an impossible task.
His nanny, who loved him dearly and cared for him, left in the end, unable to break his stubbornness.
It was impossible to take a crippled child with her to escape anyway. Alexis knew that if he followed her, she would be in danger.
Now he was truly alone. He had given up on everything and was waiting for his fate to come. Strangers came to his bedroom.
He stared blankly at the entrance, wondering if the Allied army had already broken into the mansion. For a moment, a sharp glint flashed in his pupils.
They were black mages with devil’s markings on their necks. However, unlike the group he saw on the cliff, they had ordinary eyes.
“Alexis Fabian.”
The man in front of him smirked and spoke first. He seemed to know who he was.
However, when Alexis did not let down his guard, they created a black fog.
“I’m sorry, sir, but the situation is urgent and I have no choice.”
Alexis lost consciousness once again in the black fog.
××××××××××××××××××××××
The Apomenon, the Shadow of Xenos, was a secret society under the Emperor himself. They were a group of black mages who operated in secrecy on Xenos.
Leaders who enjoyed strong support from the empire’s citizens needed an organization like Apomenon, akin to the contrast between light and shadow, to maintain the appearance of being righteous and moral in front of the people.
They moved only at the Emperor’s command and could reveal their identity to no one.
While they were abroad at the behest of Emperor Eliope, their master was killed, and the unprepared Xenos crumbled into nothingness.
Without the magic of water, the Xenos people had no chance. But their resolve to give everything for their country remained strong.
Their leader, Eron, was an old friend of Nathan’s, and in this desperate hour he thought of his son.
He knew Alexis’ biological father.
The irresponsible Marquis Claflin of Asha, who had seduced Olivia and left for his homeland without telling her.
He looked at the child lying there and thought. It was a sin that he could not repay Nathan even with death, but it was all for the good of Xenos.
He smiled an inscrutable smile at the child who had just regained consciousness.
“Your legs should be fine now.”
At those words, Alexis moved his leg. His legs, which really didn’t move no matter what he did, were now completely fine.
Is this some kind of strange magic? Alexis glared at him with wary eyes.
“I know you have a lot against black mages, but we’re not like them. I’ve been doing the same thing as Nathan.”
“How did my father…….”
“Eron Wolfe, this name must be unfamiliar to you.”
Eron revealed his real name, the one he had forgotten when he became part of the Apomenon.
Alexis had heard of it in passing.
A family that had rebelled against the former Emperor, and had been exterminated. Under Alexis’ questioning eyes, he was forced to tell him a little about his painful past.
With the help of then-Prince Eliope, Eron Wolfe was able to survive the chaos with his young sister.
He later abandoned his identity and became a Shadow of Xenos to help Eliope.
Those who became Shadows of Xenos were all favored by the Emperor and forced to hide their true identities. They were mostly descendants of fallen noble families who had been reduced to outcasts and carried a sense of nobility and unwavering principles.
No one was forced to be a black mage.
Rather than live as a cowardly fugitive and die an ignominious death, they wished to remain a meaningful existence to Xenos, even in the darkness.
The moment one becomes Apomenon, they have erased all past deeds from memory.
However, Eron told Nathan, who was his best friend, the whole truth.
“Nathan and I had a bit of a falling out, and when he said he would raise you, I gave him a good scolding, telling him to stop such foolishness.”
“…….”
“But Nathan really cared about you, though you probably know better. He was always bragging about how you were so good with a sword, just like him, that in a few years you’d be the sword of the empire, untouchable.”
At the mention of his father, the corners of Alexis’ eyes slowly turned wet.
“I know why you didn’t run away from the capital and just lay there quietly. But it’s a very disrespectful decision by the man who sacrificed himself for you.”
“…….”
“We can help you, and we know very well what you want.”
Alexis’ eyes sharpened sharply. He looked directly at Eron, who continued with a significant question.
“Do you want to seek revenge against those who killed your father?”
The moment he heard those words, deep anger boiled within Alexis. Eron was pleased with the fiery determination in Alexis’ eyes.
He had already decided what he wanted him for. Alexis would go to Asha later, and there were things he must do.
××××××××××××××××××××××
Alexis watched the woman in front of him with calm eyes. Her eyes were still filled with darkness, but they didn’t inspire the same terror as before.
Like himself back then, the woman, bound by the black mist, could not move a finger.
But she huffed and puffed, as if she didn’t care that she was about to die.
Drawing on what little magic she had left, she spoke up.
“You’re lucky you didn’t end up dying on that cliff, my dear.”
“I was afraid every day that you were already dead, but…… I’m so glad to see you again.”
Alexis’ serene eyes burned with unquenchable fury.
“How touching that you wanted to see me so badly.”
Her unpleasant, crooked smile reminded him of that nightmarish day.
Black mages who sold their souls to demons didn’t live long.
Alexis felt an unbearable rush of anger at the realization that this woman’s life was already numbered.
He planned to torment her until she begged for death.
Still, the fact that they were alive and meeting again under these circumstances made it seem like the worst-case scenario had been avoided.
The woman without human eyes whispered in a seductive voice.
“How foolish of him to abandon the emperor he dedicated his life to protecting just to save a child who isn’t even his own blood.”
“…….”
“You might not know this, but your father clung to life for quite some time. It was a shame to let him die so easily. It’s been a while since I’ve met a usable toy.”
The woman smiled wickedly as she told Nathan’s story. Alexis barely held on to the threads of reason that seemed to snap at any moment.
The fire burning in his heart threatened to consume everything.
“Do you want me to tell you how your father’s life ended? First I severed his tendons and cut off every finger. Then I gouged out his eyeballs, cut off his ears, and sliced off his nose, I tore off his limbs and threw him off a cliff, so it must have been a bit of a challenge to find his body, because his face was mangled and his body was in pieces.”
The woman looked at him, giggling with amusement. He held a dagger, similar to the one that had taken his father’s life, to her throat.
It was brutally lodged in a woman’s neck. Fortunately, she was still breathing. Alexis did as the woman said, slicing her body, gouging out her eyes, nose, and mouth, then tore off her limbs. The woman’s bloodied flesh lay in rags. Soon, a black mark appeared on his heart.
And so Alexis Fabian became Apomenon.
