Chapter 21: The March

The march through the dense forest was silent, but not the peaceful kind where rustling leaves, distant bird calls, and the steady rhythm of footsteps filled the air.

This silence was heavy, suffocating, clinging to everything around us until it felt as though the forest itself was holding its breath.

I could feel it pressing against my back like a predator lurking just beyond my sight, patiently waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

The goblins weren’t just watching me.

They were glaring, whispering to one another under their breath as though I were something unnatural, a stain that didn’t belong in their world.

But none of them compared to Gunthar, the hulking bastard who had nearly taken my head off earlier.

His stare never wavered for a single second.

It burned into me with such naked hostility that it felt less like a glare and more like an attempt to carve me open through sheer hatred alone.

Well... screw you, Gunthar. You lost to a younger troll. You don’t get to be mad.

I had no idea what their problem was, but I wasn’t stupid.

Something about me eating humans had clearly unsettled them.

What I couldn’t understand was why.

Wasn’t I a monster? Wasn’t that exactly what monsters were supposed to do?

Yet the way they looked at me, as though I had committed some unforgivable sin, didn’t add up.

Then again, maybe the flaw was in my own thinking.

I couldn’t keep looking at them as just monsters, because these goblins weren’t mindless beasts.

They had rules and laws, and although that sounded incredibly boring, those rules were what held the tribe together.

Apparently, as a goblin, I was expected to follow them too.

Like hell.

How was I supposed to get stronger if I couldn’t consume?

Talia must have noticed the confusion and irritation creeping onto my face because she quietly drifted closer, effortlessly matching my pace.

As she did, my attention was drawn to the tribal pendant hanging around her neck. It was a crude, tribal looking charm that clinked softly against her chest, swaying with each slow, measured step she took. Somehow, it suited her.

She wasn’t like the others. There were no snarls, no looks of open disgust. If anything, there was a faint hint of amusement dancing in her eyes, as though she had been waiting for me to notice it.

"You’ve noticed you’re not well liked, haven’t you?" she asked, her voice smooth, carrying an almost teasing edge.

"Yeah," I muttered, unable to keep the irritation from creeping into my voice. "Kind of hard to miss."

I turned to her, brow furrowed.

"I’m not sure I completely understand the reason, though?"

Talia didn’t answer right away.

Her gaze slid toward Gunthar—who still looked like he wanted to strangle me—before shifting back to me, her lips curling into something that wasn’t quite a smile.

"You ate humans."

"I ate their brains," I corrected.

"The distinction doesn’t help."

She paused for a second before she continued speaking.

"Killing humans is taboo among goblins," she said. "And most tribes avoid it unless they have no other choice. Starting a fight with humans rarely ends well for us."

She paused before adding, "And then there’s the other part."

"Eating brains?" I asked, and she nodded.

"Eating the raw brains of any creature is considered revolting. It doesn’t matter if it’s a wolf, a boar, or another monster. Goblins cook meat when they can, just like anyone else. Seeing someone crack open a skull and eat the brain while it’s still warm..." She let out a quiet breath. "It’s enough to make most goblins call you an abomination."

Her eyes settled on me.

"But you didn’t just eat a brain. You ate a human’s brain."

The weight behind those words finally clicked.

To them, it wasn’t just taboo.

It was like watching a person split open an animal’s skull and greedily eat its brain raw, except worse. Much worse. Humans were forbidden prey, and I’d casually crossed that line without a shred of hesitation.

No wonder they’d been staring at me like I was a nightmare creature.

Talia continued. "Our laws forbid killing humans unless there is no other choice, and what you did violated more than one taboo at once."

That answered what. It didn’t answer why.

I looked at her expectantly.

"So why is killing humans forbidden?"

Talia’s expression grew more serious.

"We avoid unnecessary conflict with them. It’s an old law, one deeply rooted in our history."

"Really?" I said in a taunting tone. "I thought it was because you guys were afraid of them."

She didn’t flinch or even blink at the jab.

"We are," she admitted without the slightest hint of shame. "Afraid of what they could do."

Her answer caught me off guard, and I found myself frowning.

"But why?" I asked, genuine curiosity creeping into my voice. "I’m pretty sure we could put up a fight if we worked together."

This time, Talia was the one who scoffed. She slowly shook her head, looking at me the way an adult might look at a child who had no idea how the world really worked.

"You really must have lost your memories."

No. I was just ignorant.

She then began to spout some lore.

"Long ago, we goblins were not as we are now," she began, her voice taking on the weight of an ancient memory. "We were powerful. Not because of our physical strength, but because of our mastery over magic."

I almost stopped walking.

Magic?! Goblins in this world could use magic?

That single thought sent my imagination racing.

For as long as I could remember, I’d dreamed of wielding magic, of hurling fireballs across battlefields, summoning raging storms with a gesture, or carving the air apart with nothing more than a flick of my hand.

It was one of those childhood fantasies I’d never expected to come true, let alone hear associated with goblins.

And now, maybe... just maybe, I’d get to live out that dream in this new world.

But...the excitement didn’t last.

There was something about the way she’d spoken about magic, and it wasn’t with pride or excitement.

It sounded distant, almost mournful, as though magic belonged to a past that could never return.

That subtle sadness in her voice dulled my enthusiasm, replacing it with an uneasy curiosity.

What the hell had happened?

Talia continued. Her voice remained calm and steady, but beneath it lingered a bitterness that years clearly hadn’t erased.

"But humans feared us," she said. "And that fear turned to hatred. They saw us as monsters, as threats to their dominion. Eventually, war became inevitable."

I gave a slow nod.

Yeah... that sounded exactly like something my former race would do.

Fear what they didn’t understand. Hate what they couldn’t control. Destroy whatever made them feel small.

Talia’s voice dipped, taking on a darker edge as her fingers curled ever so slightly, as though they were clutching at memories she would rather leave buried.

"But then... the demons came."

"Demons?" I echoed, my interest immediately piqued.

Talia’s gaze grew distant, her expression impossible to read. "They were a far greater threat, one neither race could stand against alone. So the goblins did something no one expected. We offered peace. We shared our knowledge of magic, believing that if we fought side by side, it would become the foundation of a lasting truce."

I let out a slow breath, already knowing where the story was headed.

"And then they betrayed you," I said flatly.

Talia nodded, her jaw tightening.

"Once the war was won, the humans turned on us. They took everything. Our spells. Our knowledge. Our very source of magic. They sealed it away, ensuring that we would never again be their equals."

Her voice grew quieter, tinged with a sadness I almost mistook for regret.

"Now, only shamans or those with magic-infused artifacts retain any of our former strength. The rest of us..." She paused briefly before letting out a bitter smile. "We’re just remnants of what we once were."

For the first time since I’d met her, the smug amusement that always seemed to linger on her face was gone, replaced by a quiet grief that made her seem strangely vulnerable.

I said nothing, letting the weight of her words settle between us as everything I’d just learned slowly sank in.

Humans had stolen our power.

They had crippled an entire race simply to keep themselves at the top.

Without magic, the goblins hadn’t just lost their power.

They had lost their place in the world, their ability to stand as equals against the other races.

And despite everything that had happened, despite being pushed to the brink of extinction, they still clung to this...