Chapter One: The Rise of Akenzua

The air in Benin was heavy with grief. Smoke from funeral pyres lingered in the sky, a stark reminder of the slaughter that had shattered the royal family. In the shadowed halls of the palace, Prince Akenzua prepared to take the throne, his steps weighed by the ghosts of his brothers and the sorrow of a kingdom.

King Akhigbe had retreated from the world, his once-commanding presence reduced to a whisper behind locked doors. The man who had conquered so many now lived as a recluse, broken by the loss of his sons. Akenzua had no choice but to take his place.

Unlike his father, Akenzua did not crave domination. He sought stability. The scars of his father’s conquests were visible in the eyes of his people—fear and exhaustion, not pride, filled the streets of Benin. Akenzua extended olive branches to the neighboring kingdoms, mending wounds with diplomacy rather than swords. Peace, fragile as it was, began to take root.

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But even as the kingdom healed, the seeds of vengeance lingered. In the quiet hours of the night, Prince Nehikhare would sit at his grandfather’s feet, listening to tales of Benin’s former glory. The boy, barely a teenager, was captivated by Akhigbe’s stories of war and conquest. The old king’s voice, though weak, carried the fire of unfulfilled ambition.

“They slaughtered my sons,” Akhigbe whispered one night, his voice trembling with anger. “Your uncles, princes of this land, butchered like cattle. And yet... they walk free.” He grasped Nehikhare’s hand, his eyes burning with intensity. “You are my legacy now. One day, you will make them pay.”

Nehikhare, with his striking birthmark and fierce spirit, absorbed his grandfather’s words like a sponge. His mother, Adesuwa, called him Nehizena—a name only she used, filled with pride at the boy’s commanding presence even at a young age. To the rest of the court, he was simply Nehikhare, a prince destined for greatness or ruin.

Akenzua, though aware of his father’s influence on the boy, dismissed it as harmless nostalgia. He focused on building a new era for Benin, one of reconciliation and prosperity. He taught Nehikhare the art of governance, hoping to shape him into a ruler who could continue his vision of peace.

But the shadows of the past were not so easily silenced.