Fifty years after the cataclysmic Second Jewel War, the Land of Spade has flourished under the legacy of Kaipo Kasumi, its once-fractured realms now united in an era of peace. But peace is a double-edged sword, for in the shadows of tranquility, a new and insidious evil stirs—one that threatens to unravel everything the heroes of old fought for. As dark forces emerge from the cracks of a fragile peace, the next generation of mages must rise to confront an adversary unlike any before. Will they uphold the legacy of their predecessors, or will the weight of history crush them? The fate of five universes rests in their hands, and their journey will test not only their power but the very essence of who they are.PS: If you haven't read previous series of The Land of Spade, it's totally fine! You don't have to be caught up and can read this as a totally new story, because that's what it is!Edit (01.30.2025) - Here are the current STORY ARCS!!!Chapters 1-24 -The Gathering Shadows ArcChapters 33-47 -The Shattered Council ArcChapters 55-72 -The War of Fort Vigilance ArcChapters 73-Current -The Sentient Arc

About Author:

Oskar Holtz, author of Letalis,is a student at the University of Reading studying War, Peace, and International Relations. He is a member of The Society of Authors and the Westminster Strategic Studies Group and was a former Lance Corporal in the British Army Cadet Force.

About the novel:

The warring states of the world are warming around the new fires of a calamitous war, freed from half a decade in shackles of so-called peace. The seven great lands and seas of humanity are all but controlled by one element. Eifer. They give birth to the wrath of our species and is a breeder of sin. With the ever growing threat of the prosperous Confederacy looming over the continent, the ailing alliance of Aelon lies on an endless path of futile resistance in the face of the vastest invasion since the Second Calamity. Of the billions who would suffer for it, Arminius Reichner, a seemingly commoner schoolboy, is trapped in the outbreak of war. There is but one exit. Into the fields where no man would dare tread if they knew the horrors that would befall them. Every sane person had dreamt of the praise and fame that they could earn from the people of their kingdoms through war, but none truly understood how such a childish dream has shattered even the most resolute of minds. Victory has become a forgotten word in a cruel world once called paradise. Hell sits not so far.

The setting for this fantasy is an Earth governed by machines, with humans relegated to a slave race. The story assumes that, as there are degrees of intelligence, there are degrees of consciousness. The only true and complete consciousness is of the type generated within the unique human mind.  Smart does not mean conscious; the most advanced artificial intelligence is not conscious and can only replicate a flawed facsimile. We can contemplate the meaning of life and the nature of reality and illusion. Speculation about an ethereal realm where physical laws do not apply is illogical to a machine programmed on rational terms. Our unique ability to speculate on the meaning of reality and illusion is beautifully illustrated by the famous ‘butterfly dream’ of the Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi and is the inspiration for the title of this novella

“Once upon a time, I dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly.

“I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was myself. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again.

“Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.”

A work inspired by the song "Army Dreamers" by Kate Bush.

This is an original story with some Star Wars elements. Set on Earth in the year 2016, it has been 18 years since the U.S. declared a war on drugs in response to the invasion of El Paso conducted by the Grand Cartel Syndicate led by narco-terrorist, Alejandro DeSantos. A military task force called The Counter-Terrorism Task Force was created and are now locked in a war with them. On the frontlines, Counter-Terrorism Task Force 105, leads the fight against the DeSantos cartel. They're considered the best of the best in military efficiency and training, the fate of the world as we see it lies in their hands.

Kumiko and Alena are two orphans living through a gruelling war. There is grinding poverty, constant bombings, and looming soldiers. Kumiko wants to keep his younger sister safe from the war around them. But will he sacrifice his sister's heart in order to do so?

Synopsis: "

You undo me, completely, utterly, and maddeningly." ​​​​​​​

17-year-old  Nazira nearly escaped the attack on the mortal villages she was sworn to be shielded from, losing her mother and sister in the wreckage; she vows to find the people who killed her family. Driven by revenge she finds herself training with the fae as a mortal, determined to avenge her people and kill anyone in her way But as her world crumbles to ash beneath the weight of war she never was supposed to see she finds herself only drawn closer to a world of lies and even closer to the people she's sworn to kill

The Second Coalition War (80-98 EH) was fought 265 years after the conclusion of the First Coalition War.

Due to the the unification of Upper Empyrea into the Umbracresti-Estrinite-Glacian-Narcissian Archregion (UEGNA) under Archcountess-Khatun Vega Calliope Ego by marriage, inheritance and alliances, the other regions dissolved UEGNA seats on CEDA and formed the Cerulean-Vorantine-Aqulio-Pheasantine Union (CVAPU) in response.

After Vega abdicated in 78 EH, her twenty year son is crowned Archcount-Khagan Urlic IV & I Ego-Estrin-Romanakov of Umbracrest, Estrin, Glacier and Narciss. Urlic is more aggressive than his mother and the other regions declare war on the Archregion....

The Grand Army requires some understanding for this book to make any sense to you (the Grand Fleet is simply 308 Airships / Aeronautical Craft divided into 7 Fleets of 44.)

■ Combatant Command = 10 Million troops under the Marshal of the Grand Army.□ Army Group = 2.5 Million troops under a Grand-General.● Field Army = 625,000 troops under a Lieutenant General.○ Corps = 156,250 troops under a Grand Warlord.▪︎ Division = 31,250 troops under a Warlord.• Brigade = 6,250 troops under a War Brigadier.° Company = 1,250 troops under a Captain.Platoon = 125 troops under an Ego Lieutenant.Troop = 25 troops under a Lord Sergeant-Major or Colour Sergeant.Squad = 5 Troops under a Lance Corporal.

■ Combatant Command (Marshal Blücher):□ Western Army Group (Grand- General Augereau):● 1st Western Field Army (Lt. Gen Ridge):○ I Corps ○ II Corps○ III Corps○ IV Corps● 2nd Western Field Army (Lt. Gen Kirova):○ V Corps○ VI Corps○ VII Corps○ VIII Corps● 3rd Western Field Army (Lt. Gen Hossian):○ IX Corps○ X Corps○ XI Corps○ XII Corps● 4th Western Field Army (Lt. Gen Zhao):○ XIII Corps○ XIV Corps○ XV Corps○ XVI Corps□ Northwestern Army Group (Grand-General Massaena):● 1st Northwestern Field Army (Lt. Gen Tatè):○ I Corps○ II Corps○ III Corps○ IV Corps● 2nd Northwestern Field Army (Lt. Gen Montgo):○ V Corps○ VI Corps○ VII Corps○ VIII Corps● 3rd Northwestern Field Army (Lt. Gen Duvè):○ IX Corps○ X Corps○ XI Corps○ XII Corps● 4th Northwestern Field Army (Lt. Gen Redd):○ XIII Corps○ XIV Corps○ XV Corps○ XVI Corps□ Northern Army Group (Grand-General Carrier):● 1st Northern Field Army (Lt. Gen Tanknori):○ I Corps○ II Corps○ III Corps○ IV Corps● 2nd Northern Field Army (Lt. Gen Ghost):○ V Corps○ VI Corps○ VII Corps○ VIII Corps● 3rd Northern Field Army (Lt. Gen Fenic):○ IX Corps○ X Corps○ XI Corps○ XII Corps● 4th Northern Field Army (Lt. Gen Devo):○ XlII Corps○ XIV Corps○ XV Corps○ XVI Corps□ Northeastern Army Group (Grand-General Grosso):● 1st Northeastern Field Army (Lt. Gen Navarro):○ I Corps○ II Corps○ III Corps○ IV Corps● 2nd Northeastern Field Army (Lt. Gen Harrison):○ V Corps○ VI Corps○ VII Corps○ VIII Corps● 3rd Northeastern Field Army (Lt. Gen Hawk):○ IX Corps○ X Corps○ XI Corps○ XII Corps● 4th Northeastern Field Army (Lt. Gen Petrov):○ XIII Corps○ XIV Corps○ XV Corps○ XVI Corps

With that out of the way, you can expect: politics, battles, strategy, death, marriage, destruction and many other things.

A little bit of Geography now:

UEGNA Regions:

The West - Umbracresti Commisarate

The Northwest (Archipelago) - Estrin Dominion

The North - Glacier Electorate

The Northeast - Earldom of Narciss (Capital region)

CVAPU:

The East - Second Pheasantine Republic

The Southeast - Meritocracy of Aquiloria

The South - Technocracy of Vorantis

The Southwest - Theocratic Confederacy of Cerulea

The first two chapters are set slightly before the Second Coalition War started.

Enjoy!

- Doc

“Life is the essence of existence, while Xhu is the essence of creation itself.”

In a world where Xhu is believed to be very core of all matter and the force that governs the universe, this is the story of a sinner who named Pegwalsge escapes from depths of hell, striving to rise as a divine being.

When the plague hits San Francisco's LGBTQ community, it is up to Lt Col Oliver Talbot to stop it. Unbeknown to him, his brother--formerly known as Ivan Talbot--has already succumbed to the rapidly spreading disease. With his team of experts, Oliver must penetrate into the Middle Eastern hideout of a fanatic who is on path to destroy not only the LGBTQ community but the entire Western Civilization.

This is a series in the Counter-Terrorism universe set shortly before the events of Task Force 105.

The city of Deacon, once a peaceful city, now corrupted and terrorized by crime. In the city's time of need, one man is willing to step up to end the terror plaguing the city.

The beginning of the XVI century. The warrior in the Astrakhan Khanate (his father's fame urged him to become a warrior) is gathering a troop to engage with the Moscow tsar in the war against Lithuania. There are views of the Volga river. There is a lot of authentic national music (Astrakhan, Kazan, Moscow). There are many kinds of authentic weapons and clothes.