Goblin birthing cell
Although it was still a cell, this one did not entirely resemble the others. It had been refurbished with almost ironic care: less damp walls, clean straw, an improvised cot. Just enough so that a pregnant woman would not die before fulfilling her function.
Luna lay there, breathing with effort, sweat clinging to her skin. As a lycanthrope, her body was more resilient than that of an ordinary woman; thanks to that, the birth proceeded without complications. There were no prolonged screams nor useless pleas. Only restrained panting… and, shortly after, the sharp crying of a litter of newborns.
Goblins.
The goblin leader had witnessed everything in silence, motionless like a statue carved from hatred and habit. His small eyes reflected no emotion whatsoever. When the last baby came into the world, he raised a bony hand and gave a curt order.
Other goblins approached immediately.
The newborns were picked up one by one.
Despite being their progenitor, the leader did not give them even a second glance. For him, family bonds did not exist. Only subordinates. Only resources.
…
POV: ???
The green-skinned baby tried to open his eyes for the first time.
The light was blurry, diffuse, but among the shadows he made out a face leaning over him. A feminine face. Silver hair. Soft features, exhausted… and still beautiful.
Where am I? he thought.
Ah… this is my mother.
A strange warmth filled his chest. How beautiful my mom is in this life.
An invisible smile formed in his infant mind. With a mother like that, I'll surely be handsome when I grow up. He imagined himself surrounded by beautiful women, a bright future awaiting him.
I've been given a second chance… and I'm not going to waste it.
He raised his fist to the sky, even if only within his consciousness.
But fatigue reached him quickly. His eyelids grew heavy, his vision dissolved into dark blotches.
Then he felt hands.
Rough.
Cold.
As several goblins drew closer and began to collect the newborns, the baby gathered his scant strength and managed to open his eyes once more.
What he saw left him frozen.
Several green creatures surrounded him.
What the hell is this? he thought in terror. How can beings so horrifically terrifying exist?
Short. Deformed. Green.
A second later, the idea struck like lightning.
Wait…
They're goblins.
With his heart pounding wildly, he tried to turn his head to see his supposed siblings.
The result was devastating.
Their faces were grotesque, twisted, small reflections of a ugliness that seemed innate.
Then a horrible suspicion sprouted in his mind.
Despite the weakness of his newborn body, he struggled with all his strength to raise a hand in front of his eyes.
Green.
His skin was green.
The baby's mind went blank.
No…
Could it be… that I also…?
In that instant, the truth pierced him without mercy.
He had reincarnated as a goblin.
The light in his eyes went out.
He remembered the words of the goddess who had granted him this second life. This world was the setting of the last novel he had read: "Reincarnate as a Villain in the Novel of the Powerful Extra."
And in that world…
Goblins were one of the weakest creatures.
So insignificant that they only continued to exist because they served as practice targets for novice adventurers. Later on, when their martial usefulness ran out, they were bred as fertilizer for a special crop.
Nothing more.
With those thoughts, the goblin baby's heart shattered.
No…
I don't want to end like this.
His scream did not come from his throat, but from the deepest part of his mind:
"Shit! I don't want to die at the hands of idiot students or end up turned into fertilizer!"