The stench was the first thing that struck Caesar.
It wasn't just filth.
It was neglect.
The cell was carved deep into the cave, far from the areas where the male goblins lived. There were no torches. Only a faint light filtered through natural cracks in the rock, illuminating the damp walls and the floor blackened by time.
Caesar moved forward in silence.
At his side walked Lina, one of the few goblin females of a new generation.
Goblin women were rare, but not nonexistent.
Perhaps in the past no females had been born into the tribe.
Perhaps they had… but had died.
In this generation, at least, one existed.
And Caesar had named her Lina.
Like Sasha, she was under his control—devoted to him without reservation, without doubt, without fear.
At a glance, she could pass for an elf… if one ignored her green skin, her yellow eyes with goat-like pupils, the sharp fangs, and the curved claws instead of nails.
Lina accompanied him because she was the only reason they could be there.
Male goblins did not allow others near the cells. They feared someone stealing their turn to mate or trying to keep the captives for themselves.
But females were an exception.
They were not considered a threat.
As he walked a few steps behind Lina, hidden in the shadows, Caesar could not help thinking about the situation of goblin females.
One would think that, being capable of producing offspring without the need for abductions, they would be protected.
But that was not the case.
They were ignored, considered weak.
Only when they reached adulthood did they receive attention… and that was the worst part.
The only difference between them and captives was that they were not locked away.
In a tribe where the strong killed the weak, a pregnant female—slower, more fragile—was given no priority. Many died during the process.
That was why, between the low birth rate and constant deaths, females were almost never seen in a goblin clan.
Caesar passed through several improvised "rooms" within the cave.
'The worst possibility…'
His mother could have died.
Not by suicide. Those under the Goblin King's ability would never think of ending their own lives. They only wished to serve him, belong to him, be used by him.
But the males did not care for prisoners.
By some miracle, they fed them just enough to keep them alive… and nothing more.
Lina moved ahead.
If she saw a goblin, she distracted him with words or gestures. Caesar followed behind her, knocking them unconscious with precise blows.
Brainwashing took time.
They could not afford it.
So they advanced, leaving sleeping bodies behind.
At last, they reached the chamber reserved exclusively for females.
Lina pushed open the heavy wooden door reinforced with bones and rusted nails. The creak echoed like a prolonged lament.
Inside…
There was silence.
Too much silence.
Caesar frowned.
'This isn't right.'
The cell was large—larger than he expected. Designed to imprison many.
But the floor was covered with bodies.
Rat women.
A race with orange skin and grotesque features.
Other races Caesar could not identify.
Most importantly, they were no longer breathing.
Some had lain motionless for days.
Others showed clear signs of suicide.
Empty eyes.
Marked necks.
Dried blood.
Lina brought a hand to her mouth.
"They're… dead."
Caesar did not answer.
His eyes scanned the corpses with forced coldness. He knew this was normal for goblins. They did not care for captives. They did not heal wounds. They did not prevent infections.
Food.
Water.
Nothing more.
If they survived, good.
If they died, so be it.
Then he saw her.
At the back.
Chained to the wall, separated from the others.
Luna.
His mother.
She was breathing.
Her eyes were not empty. They had an unnatural pinkish hue. Thick saliva dripped from her mouth, and her body rocked back and forth, as if yearning for something nonexistent.
Caesar moved immediately.
"Only she is alive," he said quietly.
He did not think about rescuing the others. It would have been inconvenient. It would have increased the chances of being caught.
Lina nodded. Her face was tense.
Normally, the lives of other females would not matter to her. But knowing that this woman was the mother of the man she loved, a strange concern took root.
Her… mother-in-law.
Caesar knelt in front of Luna.
Her body trembled. Her pupils were dilated. Her breathing was rapid, laden with artificial desire.
The residual effects of the Goblin King's ability.
Addiction.
Uncontrolled desire to mate.
A curse more cruel than any physical wound.
"Mother," he whispered.
Caesar felt strange.
Perhaps, if she were not under that ability, she would look at him with disgust. With hatred.
He would not be surprised if that were the case.
But it did not matter.
Soon, everything would change.
He would erase the painful memories. The addiction.
Replace them with false memories and feelings.
"Family."
Caesar knew what he was about to do was twisted.
But he was determined to fix and unite this strange family.
Not only because of his morbid desire.
But also because of what was to come.
To withstand his future enemies, any help would be necessary… even the strange ability of his dear "father."
Caesar broke the chains without difficulty.
"Lina, cover her."
The goblin removed her cloak and placed it over Luna's bare shoulders.
"We can't stay," she warned.
Caesar knew that.
They left through secondary routes, tunnels known only to him and his brothers. Passages carved for escape… now used for rescue.
The hideout was far from the main lair: a natural chamber protected by roots and living rock.
There, at last, Caesar could examine her calmly.
The damage was not physical.
It was worse.
The Goblin King's ability did not only alter the body.
It corrupted the mind.
It created dependency.
'If I don't treat her carefully… she will never be the same.'
Caesar placed both hands on Luna's chest.
He closed his eyes and activated his mind control ability.
He began to erase memories.
To insert new ones.
Luna whimpered softly, as if resisting.
Lina watched in silence.
"Will she… live well?"
Caesar nodded.
He looked at his mother.
She slept peacefully, as if nothing had ever happened.
'Now all that's left is to bring my dear father.'
Caesar thought, with a ferocious smile.
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