My name is Marcus Elian, and I was born in the broken bones of what was once called Rome.
Now, they call it Terra's Heart.
I have never seen the Emperor in person. Most of us haven't. But His presence is everywhere. Not in the way of kings or tyrants who demand statues or coins etched with their faces,but in the air we breathe, the food on our tables, and the light that now glows in our once-dead streets.
Before His coming, we were shadows. Rome was a graveyard of rust and rubble. My mother worked three jobs just to keep water in our kettle. My father died in a riot over bread. My dreams were small, maybe a roof that didn't leak. Maybe one day, shoes without holes.
Then, everything changed.
It wasn't loud. There was no war here, no tanks, no parades of banners. One day, the sky trembled. The next, the machines came, silent, sleek, efficient. Towers rose, roads were rebuilt, homes were repaired. Power lines hummed again. Food distribution centers opened in every district. Jobs appeared like miracles.
I work now in one of the terraforming districts. We help reshape old ruins into functioning zones. I don't fully understand the machines, they're unlike anything we had, but they obey the will of His engineers. We place the seeds, the machines build around them, and greenery follows.
We have food. Not scraps, not rationed cans, but real meals. Fresh vegetables. Meat. Clean water flows from every pipe, and the air doesn't burn our lungs anymore.
Children laugh in schools now. Not huddled behind broken walls, but in gleaming halls lined with strange lights and lessons broadcast from unseen instructors. They speak of stars, of honor, of serving humanity, not through war, but through strength, unity, and knowledge.
There are soldiers, of course. Giants in gold and black patrol the outer walls. People call them Custodians, but I've never spoken to one. They do not speak to us unless needed. They are protectors, silent, watchful, unwavering. Their presence alone makes crime nearly nonexistent.
People have changed too. We walk taller. No one goes hungry. If your home is damaged, it's repaired by drones within the day. If you're sick, the medical halls treat you, no questions, no fees.
There's work for everyone. Dignified work. Purposeful. Whether it's maintaining the city, aiding the rebuilding, or educating the young, every citizen contributes—and is valued.
The Emperor is not a figure we worship with chants or incense. We don't build temples. We don't kneel.
We live.
And that… that is the greatest tribute of all.
I do not know where He sleeps or how He came to be. I do not know if He is man or god or something in between. But I know that ever since His rise, the world no longer trembles in fear, it breathes in hope.
I am Marcus Elian, son of a forgotten Rome.
And for the first time in my life,
I am proud to say I am a citizen of Terra.