PREQUEL TO PUPPET Tobias Florian had no place in the society of the old world, his life truly began when the world itself ended. Finally, with a purpose, a reason, he takes what he's learned through the years and builds up a military of surprising power. One of the only blockades to hold back the new government, he needs to be stopped, and the one they send is none other than Carter Abbott. Carter is a part of the "new government" that seeks to gain ultimate supremacy against those few left from the wars. He's tied up and chained to a world he wants no part of, his very identity at stake; all he knows is darkness in a world that used to shower in so much light. Carter is meant to infiltrate and return with information necessary to taking down Tobias and the military he had created, but what he finds there in Austria isn't at all what he expected, and he finds himself in a free fall he never thought could be possible. "When it starts it's all fire and sand, and when it's over it's all glass, and it's breakable and dangerous, and exactly what I have always wanted." ((rated M, will contain explicit content, sexual themes, self-harm, talk of suicide, blood, violence, & mature language.)) **cover art by crystalizedraine on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/crystalizedraine/**

**TOY MASTER SERIES: BOOK TWO**SEQUEL TO PUPPET//READ PUPPET FIRST PLEASE** Dakota Bailey has been forced to conform to the belief of other's since he was young; remaining in the closet because of fear, forced to praise a God he hated because his mother's extreme views ruled his life. When his family died in the bombs, he was freed from their beliefs, but at the same time watched the love of his life die, and for years he let the pain of his loss overwhelm him and govern his life. He believed himself to be nothing but a toy soldier, broken and gathering dust, waiting to be melted down for someone else's purposes, paint chipping away and pieces missing. The one constant in his life had always been the stars above, he cared about nothing else, but when those stars collide in front of his very eyes, he's reminded that loving is not a crime, and that he deserves to live as much as those around him, because broken soldier or not, he still had a right to fight. "Either way I'm still broken, my paint chipping, pieces missing, still pushing forward, still struggling, still just a toy fighting for my right to survive. What a cruel world we live in..." ((rated M, will contain explicit content, sexual themes, rape, blood, violence, polygamous relationship, & mature language)) **cover art by Ramzy Kamen on DA: https://ramzykamen.deviantart.com/**

BOOK ONE Demitri Inou is an assassin of the new government, molded and manicured into the perfect pet. Obedient and submissive, he'll do anything the Con Rồng tells him to because he knows the consequences of disobeying them, but even through years of torture and instilled fear, he remains somewhat defiant towards his handlers. Though he's lost all humanity, virtue, and hope of being free, he refuses to completely succumb to them, and uses his hatred towards them to fuel each assassination. Being the skilled killer he is, it isn't at all surprising when the leader of the Con Rồng sends him on a mission that could either end the new government or boost their following and power. A mission to eliminate the leader of the Phoenix Rebellion, Phoniks Vidroh. At first it seems like just another mission, another simple assassination, but things go terribly wrong, and Demitri finds himself smack in the middle of the rebellion, fighting against the strings that tie him to the Con Rồng, and the hope of freedom and safety with a childhood friend he'd always assumed to be dead. "... and even as the world is consumed in the flames of evil, the strong will continue to rise from the ashes." ((rated M, will contain explicit content, sexual themes, rape, blood, violence, & mature language.)) **cover art by ChiyoPurr on DA: https://www.deviantart.com/chiyopurr**

For the Monarchy of Sweden, Coronation Day is approaching faster than their prince had hoped. Being the only heir to the throne, Prince Seth feels immense pressure to fit the mold of the crown. With his mother ruling with an iron fist, he hopes to measure up somewhat to her expectations. On a day that is meant to be celebrated by the Prince, his birthday, he is met with dreadful nightmares that leave him feeling unnerved. Nightmares of a tall man who resembles himself with unsettling green eyes. Nightmares of himself wielding an unfathomably powerful magic, something that would put the strongest warlocks outside of the kingdom to shame. Nightmares of him standing over thousands of his subjects' bodies, without a hint of remorse in his black, dead eyes. The fear of becoming mad overtook him as these nightmares became visions, and these visions became hallucinations. As he descends deeper into insanity, he turns to the Queen, his mother for help, which only drives him further into aberration. Finding himself deep in the woods where no human is permitted to be, he begs God to stop punishing him, apologizing for whatever Sins he has committed against him. Instead, he finds himself face-to-face with a warlock with eyes similar to the man's from his nightmares. 10/2/24: Editing in progress

What are we without flesh and blood? Are we nothing but a beating heart in a ribcage, a marching soul inevitably leading to our demise? Or are we here as a test of loyalty to our God, a God we do not know but must trust? And without this trust, we will be punished indefinitely for questioning his divinity. And what is a sheep without his shepherd? Without God, are we nothing but sheep led astray? How will we be guided to the light without a shepherd on earth? Should we trust our shepherd to tell us the truth? Or will we be covered in the blood of the lamb? A shepherd with blood on his hands could infect his flock with poison. And with this poison, he has control. And to Luke, this poison is all he knows. His seventeen years of life have been devoted to nothing else but God. He wakes up, goes to school or church, and sleeps; rinse and repeat. There is no place or time for anything else in his life, such as television, going out with friends, or discovering new hobbies. His father, Pastor Ivy, ensures this. His life purpose will be to serve the Lord and nothing else. A purpose that Luke believes is the right way. What else would there be to life? He hadn't questioned this until he met Gabriel, a man who was the complete opposite of him. A man who was strong in his sense of self. A man who didn't bow to anyone or anything and stood firm in his beliefs in The Church of Satan. A man who Luke feared. But also a man who felt like home to him.