A male Murloc awoke with the first light of dawn. The first thing he did was not look for food or get dressed; instead, he sat cross-legged in the center of his room. Closing his eyes, he began to meditate, forcing the mana from his core to flow in a constant torrent, driving it through every inch of his skin to temper it against the world.
After some time, he stopped, panting, drenched in sweat from the effort. He rushed to an adjacent room where a tub filled with water awaited him; he submerged himself quickly, letting his amphibian skin absorb the moisture needed to recover.
After eating a generous portion of meat for breakfast, the Murloc, named Pag, stepped out of his house. The first thing he noticed was his Adaro companion, Jit, who wore a playful smile as he spoke with a gnome. The gnome, visibly furious, stormed off muttering under his breath.
Nearby, a group of goblins were frantically trimming vegetation. In the Central Zone, right above the mana vein, the air was so pure that plants grew with unnatural aggressiveness. These workers were those who, although they had opened their veins, had not managed to form a core; César allowed them to live there as maintenance helpers in exchange for breathing that enriched air.
"Sir, the news," said a Pigman, approaching Pag.
Pag took the sheet of paper while handing over a low-level Var coin to the delivery worker, who nodded in thanks and continued on his way.
'News sheets... Lord César truly has brilliant ideas. He is worthy of being the Chosen,' Pag thought in amazement. It felt incredible that information could now be read on paper.
He opened the newspaper and read the first headline:
"ATTENTION: Due to Sunday overcrowding, Lord César has ordered the construction of more temples. One will be located in the River Zone, and additional locations are under consideration."
Pag nodded. He knew Sundays were chaotic; all inhabitants from the poorer zones traveled to the center to pray and, at the same time, try to absorb some of the ambient mana to change their lives.
Turning the page, another announcement caught his attention:
"OPPORTUNITY FOR ADVANCEMENT: Lord César is preparing a new settlement in the area of the former Pagan Village. The site contains its own mana vein. Take advantage and move closer to the source!"
Pag recalled the rumors about how César had annihilated the followers of the evil god in that place. 'An abandoned mana vein... that will be worth a fortune in Vars,' he reasoned.
"Hey, what happened with that gnome?" Pag asked as he approached Jit.
"Hehehe! That gnome is furious," Jit replied mischievously. "Apparently, his daughter married a goblin."
Pag clicked his tongue, surprised. "Brother, even though goblins are small, compared to a gnome..." He inhaled and laughed. "That gnome girl is definitely ambitious."
"Aside from the size difference, I don't see the problem," Pag added.
Jit stated the obvious. "It's a goblin, Pag."
Pag rolled his eyes. "Lord César is also a goblin... I don't see the problem."
"Lord César isn't a normal goblin," Jit sighed. "But I get your point. Besides, it was a great deal for her. The girl hasn't even opened her veins yet, but the goblin already has a core and lives here in the central zone. By marrying him, she moved into this luxury air. She hit the jackpot."
"Heh, yeah, that's true."
The two continued talking until a massive transport Green Pig stopped in front of them.
'The transport,' Pag thought before climbing aboard with Jit, heading toward their elite duties.
After a bumpy ride, Pag and Jit got off at their stop. The transport Green Pig grunted before continuing along its route, while both of them handed over the required coins to the fare collector.
They walked toward the Central Training Zone, an area where the stone ground had been reinforced to withstand the impact of magic and aura.
"Tsk... look who's here," Jit said, nudging Pag with his elbow and pointing with his chin toward an open section.
A group of female goblins surrounded an individual who stood out among all the others. Unlike the common male goblins, with their crude features and short stature, this one was tall and athletic.
His vivid green hair fell over a face with refined, attractive features; his skin carried an emerald tone, and his yellow eyes, with goat-like pupils, shone with a cold intelligence. His ears were long and pointed, and although he had sharp teeth and claws, he didn't look like a monster, but rather like an elite warrior.
Anyone could have mistaken him for a male version of the beautiful goblin females of the village, but his presence radiated a much denser mana pressure.
'One of Lord César's children with Lady Asia,' Pag thought, a mix of respect and awe in his mind. 'The Dark Elf lineage shows in every one of his movements.'
"You know, those guys are prodigies," Jit whispered, unable to hide the envy in his voice. "I heard they're all born with incredible talent for combat and magic."
"They're Lord César's children. What did you expect?" Pag replied, trying to sound indifferent, though he felt the same inside.
"You're right. Let's train... it's all we can do, us 'normal' ones."
"Yeah, let's go," Pag nodded.
Before heading into their respective areas of weights and training dummies, Pag gave one last glance at the Sovereign's son. The young hybrid didn't even notice them; he was completely focused, moving with a grace that made the rest of the soldiers look slow and clumsy.
"I heard all his children are incredible," Jit whispered as he adjusted the bandages around his hands. "Normally, if you have a child, it's born as the father's race. Rarely, it takes after the mother... but with Lord César..."
"Well... it suits him," Pag nodded, though his words were drowned out by the sudden commotion that erupted in the eastern wing of the training field.
Both Pag and Jit stopped. The crowd of soldiers and workers parted with a mix of reverence and curiosity.
"Hey, look at that!" Jit exclaimed, pointing with almost childlike excitement. "They say Elirio was born blessed."
Pag narrowed his eyes to get a better look. Moving through the crowd was an imposing young figure. He was not a goblin. His skin was a vibrant green, dense and resilient, and his physique was massive, with tusks protruding from a powerful jaw. He was a Pigman hybrid, the son of César and one of the women of that race.
"Blessed? Why?" Pag asked, confused.
"Because he's green like a Pigjade!" Jit replied enthusiastically. "Look at him—he has the same tone as the pigs we use for transport and hauling. You know all the creatures in this area are aggressive and impossible to tame, but the Pigjade were the exception thanks to the Sovereign. For his own son to share that color... it's a sign of dominion over beasts."
Pag frowned slightly as he looked at Elirio. The young Pigman radiated a physical strength that seemed to make the air tremble, moving with a heavy, commanding presence.
"He's Lord César's son..." Pag murmured, shaking his head. "Comparing him to a pack animal sounds disrespectful, Jit. He's a warrior, not a mount."
Jit shrugged, still staring at the hybrid's physique with envy.
"Tell that to the common pigmen. For them, the fact that the Sovereign's son shares the color of the creature that changed our lives is almost a religious miracle."
Soon, the commotion began to fade as instructors shouted orders for everyone to return to work. Pag and Jit ignored the remaining murmurs and focused on their training.
In this settlement, admiring the "royalty" was a pastime.
But if you didn't train hard...
You were left behind—
Condemned to remain nothing more than a spectator of the empire César was building.