Unbelievable
but this is a picture
of the same person.
Left: Nik Nitsvetov with a panda bear
Right: Nik as Lord Pietas
Click the picture to open a larger image
That cutie with the adorable smile on the left is Nik Nitsvetov holding a stuffed panda bear. He picked it up in China when he was there to judge cosplay at an international convention in January of this year.
On the right is Nik in September of 2018, cosplaying my immortal king Pietas, who is also known as the Bringer of Chaos.
Yes, that really is the same person.
Unbelievable, isn't it?
That, my friends, is what talent looks like. Panda bear and all.
In 2018, he cosplayed Pietas as the king, performing the Ritual of Strength. This year, he'll be cosplaying him as the soldier. Nik is creating the uniform and weapons he'll carry, designed by concept artist and digital weaponsmith Nano-Core.
If you click the links in the names above, you'll be taken to the tribute page for each person, right here on my site. No more panda bear pictures, but I'll see what I can do in the future.
Take a minute and watch the video below of Nik performing the Ritual. The voice actor is Zack Black, who sounds exactly -- exactly -- like I hear Pietas when I write him.
Want to see Nik cosplay as Pietas, live on Instagram? Pop your email into the box on the right and I'll let you know when the date is set. This email won't be used for other purposes.
Enter your email and I'll send you a note when the cosplay is scheduled.
Your reservation for the cosplay notification is verified.
To save his people, a genetically enhanced warrior must do the one thing he detests... trust a human.
Origin of Pietas
https://books2read.com/u/4DovO7
An exiled, immortal king and his not-quite human friend join a ginormous panther "kitty" and the most dysfunctional family since forever.
Forged in Fire
https://books2read.com/u/bpW7Kg
JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
In this scene NarrAy gets a very un-memorable note from an android.
Royal District, Royal Arms Hotel Suite 1221
NarrAy tipped the hotel android and tucked the note he'd delivered into the pocket of her robe. "Senth?" She walked back into the bedroom, heard water running, and poked her head inside the bathroom. Steam frosted the glass-enclosed shower. "Senth, honey, there's a--Whoa!"
Senth was pressed against the glass from his firm behind all the way up to his shoulders.
NarrAy gulped against a rush of pheromones. "Uh, there's a...a note."
"What?" Senth stepped away from the glass and came to the opening, both hands in his soapy hair. Shampoo bubbles trickled down his upraised arms, onto his shoulders, and down across his chest. Senth's nose wriggled. He'd done that several times during the night, inhaling her scent. It shot a tinge of warmth down her body. "I couldn't hear you, sweetie. There's a what?"
"Nothing." NarrAy cast off her robe and stepped into the shower, right into Senth's slippery, soapy, slick, sexy, and open arms.
JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
In this scene, Senth has just gotten a password-protected message from his father and is looking for a private place to hear it.
Folks in this town never referred to Luc Saint-Cyr by name. You heard the capital letters when they called him the Man, or they referred to him as the Harbinger. Senth's father was the daddy crime lord all the baby crime lords wanted to be.
"Ooh, big scary Man." He thumbed off the device. "Please let this be a job and not him finding out I hacked Planet Fun."
Senth crossed the street and entered the Miraj City Bakery Café. No crowd this early, though a group of professors shared drinks at one of the tables in the back. There were no undergraduate classes this week. Cloak distribution had overturned the beehive.
A clean smell of freshly brewed coffee pulled him deeper into the room.
The android on duty rolled up to him. "Welcome, Blue Shadow. How may I serve you today?"
"Like to use your storeroom a minute." He flashed his father's hand sign. "Private business."
"Of course, sir." The droid offered a keycard.
"Oh, please. I've broken into that room so many times, I prolly owe you guys rent."
On the droid's nametag, a bar of yellow lights indicated confusion. "Pardon, sir?"
"It was a joke. Owing rent for--" Senth held up both hands. "Never mind. No key needed."
He followed the maze of corridors to the back. At the door, he pulled out his lockpick and adjusted the settings. When he pointed it at the lock, the device signaled a lockout error and the tiny screen flashed nonsense letters at him.
What in the worlds did PROBATA mean?
He twisted the tip of the pick and floated the stats as a holovid. Probata Corporation. Wasn't that the system his prof in Premium Fingersmithing ranted about? Something about useless upgrades and pointless codes. What did she say about a bypass trick?
"Think, Senth. You sat there listening to the woman fume for two solid wasted hours."
Oh, no he hadn't.
No, that was the day Senth had flaked out of classes and spent a full day at Planet Fun with his mates. He'd recorded it instead. But had he transcribed it to his code book?
Of course not. And didn't that make this encounter so much more fun? He pinched the bridge of his nose, but his father always did that so Senth stopped it at once.
Why was a lock on a coffee shop's storeroom door harder than a security system at the planet's busiest amusement park? What were they storing in there? The Empress's private coffee stash?
Curiosity over the message from his far-from-patient father burned through his mental pockets. Wait. His father. Surely, he'd have the new codes.
Yes, and then he'd want to know why Senth didn't and no way was he explaining to dear old Dad how he hacked into Planet Fun for "a planetful of fun" instead of going to class.
That fortune Dad paid for Senth to attend classes at the guild academy? Yeah, wasted a full day of it to impress a few girls, which was why he was calling needing a bail out.
And no way was he going back to the droid, stand right in front of a table full of professors, and do the Hey can I borrow your key thing.
Riiight.
#SciFi #WriteLGBTQ #MMRomance
Download a printable book list or a list of trigger warnings for all books. Claim your immortality by signing up for my newsletter
Immortal Reviews Rock & Rule - Join the Review Team
~ Copyright ©2025 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!
My characters may be found in multiple books in my story universe. Pietas images Nik Nitsvetov as Pietas cosplay.
When I first saw Nik Nitsvetov, he was portraying Sephiroth from Final Fantasy. But the expression on his face close up was pure Pietas. It was months before I discovered he had an Instagram account. I signed up so I could follow him.
My mother was an artist who was admired by those who saw her work. She always longed to have more of her art seen and appreciated, so I understand how important it is to support artists. When I find artists I admire, I find ways to encourage them to create and do everything possible to enable their abilities. Most of the time, a simple note of appreciation does wonders.
When Nik began his Patreon account, I was the second person to support him. I'd have been first if I'd known about it sooner, but it took months for me to get up the courage to ask if he'd cosplay Pietas for me. When he wanted to know more, I was both shocked and excited. I couldn't wait to figure out how all this would work. He performed as the Bringer of Chaos cosplayer in September 2018.
Not only did I get amazing photographs of him (they are all over this site), I also got to see part of it live on Instagram.
If you're not sure whether I'm a fan of Nik's, you seriously have not been paying attention. I even created a tribute page for him on this site.
This year, Nik is creating another cosplay as Pietas, but this one will be the immortal king as soldier. Nik is hand-making the uniform and has been sharing snippets of it on Instagram. Follow Nik to see all the details.
Want an update and advance news when the cosplay will occur? You can make your Chaos Cosplayer Reservation now. Add your email and you'll get advance notice about the cosplay. I anticipate it sometime in August 2019. I'm not sure if there will be others in the future, so please do sign up so you'll know what to expect. (You can opt to receive other emails later. This will be used just for the Chaos Cosplayer Reservation.)
Download a printable book list or a list of trigger warnings for all books. Claim your immortality by signing up for my newsletter
Immortal Reviews Rock & Rule - Join the Review Team
~ Copyright ©2025 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!
My characters may be found in multiple books in my story universe. Pietas images Nik Nitsvetov as Pietas cosplay.
When I decided to write Science Fiction, I first did some serious, long-term worldbuilding. I created a future history, designed a language, set up a dating system to show how the various colonies interpreted time, and laid out a plan whereby mankind would inhabit and colonize the stars. I started doing this when I was 27, about 40 years ago.
My initial sketch was on sheets of paper taped together, because it kept getting bigger as I added details. If you're going to colonize the galaxy on paper, you need a lot of room!
Then about 14 years ago, when my son was taking graphic design in college, I asked him to create a galaxy for me to work with in Photoshop. He designed the background, and I then added the details.
To be honest, I always thought scientists and astronomers would have a giggle when they saw it. I'd populated the entire thing in huge sweeps, like an outreaching arm. I figured there were probably far too many worlds in my version, but it was my story, so I decided to go with it.
This year, a press release from the European Space Agency (ESA) announced they had entered the GTOC X competition, using data about reaching 100k star systems in an efficient way. The team provided a video online.
Imagine my surprise when I looked at it next to my own galaxy drawing.
In my story universe, in the upper right corner of the map, I have the Dark Star Realm. On the far right (unmapped on mine), it says Worlds of Wings. Humans aren't allowed there, so no one knows how many inhabited worlds exist in that area. The Tarthian Empire exists in a small area to the center left near the bottom. The ESA team closely matched my fictional conjectures.
Stop the video at the :57 mark to see the image captured at the top of the page.
To download my galaxy map in full resolution, visit the Tarthian Tour Company home page. The map is shown at the bottom and when you click it, it opens full size. You can then download or click again to zoom. Warning: large document -- you might have a wait time.
JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
In this scene from Bro, Khyff is about to bolt for freedom when his client says one word that stops him cold.
Ready to bolt
As usual, Khyff's master hadn't allowed him to eat until he'd met his quota. First up: shower, clean clothes, food. Not necessarily in that order. He kept a few stale crackers hidden in his room for emergencies. He'd satisfied his last client, and was unscheduled the rest of the day. Or at least the next six hours. Khyff made a bolt for freedom.
"So you're an Antonello."
The way the client said it drew Khyff's attention. This particular client was one of the less odious. He didn't grab or cling, he was--thankfully--clean, and he tipped well. Still, the guy was paying for sex and Khyff had no choice. Being a pleasure slave meant you serviced the clients sent to you, or you suffered for it. In Khyff's case, refusing meant risking prison.
He would never go back there, no matter what they made him do here.
Khyff clenched his teeth and pasted on a smile. "Pardon?"
"Your last name." The guy continued getting dressed, seemingly in no hurry. "It's Antonello, right?"
"Why?"
"I never noticed before. It's right here on my receipt." He picked up his mobile and turned the screen toward Khyff. "I mean I've been here what... five times now?" He poked at the screen. "Whoa! Seven. Huh. I should have a free visit after three more."
Khyff choked back a retort. His master was giving away free visits with him? It would take hundreds of client visits to earn enough in his Freedom Savings Account so Khyff could buy himself. If his master was giving him away, it would take forever.
Khyff jerked open the door, determined once more to bolt and run.
"You don't look like the other one."
Half a step into the hall, Khyff's heart stuttered. He made a slow pivot. "Other one?"
"The other Antonello. You look different."
The world went silent. Khyff came inside, shut the door and leaned against it. "So I'm sure I heard right. You know another Antonello."
"Yeah. I saw the name, and figured you had to be related. Antonello's not common. Not on Kelthia. I'm guessing you don't have much family here."
Good guess. More than three quarters of the world's population was black-skinned. Khyff had blond hair, blue eyes, fair skin.
Could this be a link to his missing mother? Did the client know her? Khyff fought the hope that rose within him. It had been how many years? No, he would not allow himself to hope. When you hoped, people could hurt you more.
JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
In this scene, Pietas performs a ritual with the help of his friend, Six.
A member of Ghost Corps, Six is a fearsome fighter with the strength to kill immortals like Pietas.
Ironically, the two have become intimate friends.
But that doesn't mean Six puts up with arguments, especially when he knows he's right.
"We should have cut your hair before we set out." Six rummaged through his kit, which held all his belongings when he'd been abandoned on this world. Little more than survival gear.
Pietas tossed back his hair. "I never cut it except in ritual."
"I know." Six withdrew a boning knife used for it. Before every battle, Pietas performed the solemn rite to affirm superior strength and prowess. Six had been the first human to see it carried out, albeit the first half from a distance while hiding. He stood. "Maybe you could perform it now."
"How like you to see the easy solution. But there are a few elements missing. No fire. No water. No mask." He gestured toward the oncoming storm. "No time."
"Haven't you ever heard of pretending?"
"One cannot 'pretend' a ritual."
"What a boring childhood you must've had. Why not?"
Pietas opened his mouth to answer. Shut it again.
Six lifted one eyebrow. "Do you want to go into that dark hole and meet up with your people without performing it?"
"No, but there's no time."
"Rain's coming." Six jerked a thumb toward the forest. "Like I said, you have to go in there or you won't reunite with your people. Are you going to stand out here making excuses, or do this?"
"Ghost, this ritual is important. It deserves respect."
"Blah, blah, blah. That storm is bearing down on us." A few drops of rain splattered them both. "See? Or maybe you'd rather have your sister help you with your hair every morning."
"Fine!" With a resigned sigh, Pietas capitulated. "How do you propose we 'pretend' my ritual?"
Six tucked the knife into his belt and held out his cupped hands. "This is fire."
Pietas hesitated.
"Come on, Pi." Six wagged his cupped hands. "This stuff is hot."
"Of course it is." A smile slipped onto his face and refused to leave. "It's pretend fire. That's the hottest kind."
(performer: Nik Nitsvetov, voice actor: Zack Black)
To save his people, a genetically enhanced warrior must do the one thing he detests... trust a human.
Origin of Pietas
https://books2read.com/u/4DovO7
An exiled, immortal king and his not-quite human friend join a ginormous panther "kitty" and the most dysfunctional family since forever.
Forged in Fire
https://books2read.com/u/bpW7Kg
JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
With his sister's help, Pietas uses his dragon dagger to perform the Ritual of Strength. The ritual affirms his own prowess, and is far from religious in nature, but he never declares war without undergoing it.
Dessy picked up the dragon dagger and twirled it. "You should let our people know you still do this ceremony. They'd be impressed by your devotion."
"I don't do it to impress anyone. I do it to ready myself for-- Stop!" His sister had been sliding one fingertip along the edge of the blade. He removed the dagger from her grasp, and examined the edge.
"Honestly, Pietas! I was just testing the sharpness."
"I didn't want you to cut yourself."
"I'm as adept with blades as you. More so, if you ask me."
So like Dessy to miss the point. "If you'd cut yourself, I'd have to consecrate it again. It can only have my blood or my enemy's."
"You think I'm witless? As if I haven't performed this ceremony with you a hundred times. And here I thought you were concerned for my well-being."
"Stop playing, Dess. I told you, I'm busy."
She let out a harsh sigh. "Fine. Let's complete the ritual."
Dagger in hand, Pietas unfastened the clip in his hair, and let it fall. The wet tail slapped the middle of his back. He tossed the clip aside, placed the dagger on his palms, and offered it.
She poised her hand above it. "Who offers this weapon?"
"First Conqueror, War Leader of the Ultras."
She took it from him. "For whom are you willing to suffer?"
"I suffer for my people." Pietas turned his cheek.
Dessy slid the dagger tip along his face, from cheekbone to chin, drawing a thin trail of blood. "For whom do you bleed?"
"I bleed for my people." By the time the first drop of blood had risen, the cut had healed, leaving no scar.
To save his people, a genetically enhanced warrior must do the one thing he detests... trust a human.
Origin of Pietas
https://books2read.com/u/4DovO7
An exiled, immortal king and his not-quite human friend join a ginormous panther "kitty" and the most dysfunctional family since forever.
Forged in Fire
https://books2read.com/u/bpW7Kg
JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
In this scene from Bringer of Chaos: the Origin of Pietas, the hero is trapped in darkness within a lifepod without one spark of light.
Rather than being put into stasis, his captors have left him to rot.
But there's one small problem: Pietas is immortal...
The infernal, cheerful whistling began again. Pietas tried in vain to escape the sound. Shackled at the ankles, hands bound behind him, he remained flat on his back. There were no comfort choices inside his pod.
No. Not his pod. He would never claim such a place.
The prison pod. The nightmare pod. A casket for the living.
Would that whistling never end?
Whoever guarded him whistled, night and day. He must have lips made of steel. How a human kept that up day after day was beyond him. Or perhaps... Did an Ultra guard him? Had one of his people come to free him?
Pietas opened his mouth to call out, and clamped it shut.
If it were one of his people, he needed to wait for them to act. They would do so when the time was right. For now, he suffered bouts of agony as feeling returned to his hands and then left in repeating cycles. His metabolism healed him, but brought pain. He focused on that, accepted the pain, welcomed it, and examined every step of its journey through his body. What one understood, one could bear.
An Ultra does not seek to escape pain. If one inflicts pain, one must bear it. Pain must be borne. Pain is a warrior's ally.
He hovered in a nightmare-filled, windowless, endless monotony of thirst and hunger.
Punctuated with unending lilts of bouncy, alert, happy, chipper whistling.
At first, he'd welcomed the sound. The rising and falling notes broke the tedium of everlasting darkness. It stopped for brief periods, but began again soon after.
He'd considered calling out and asking them to stop. He had gone so far as to open his mouth. But asking implied weakness. He acknowledged no tool of torture.
Beg mercy from humans? Never.
This was not stasis. Stasis meant cessation of thought. Of emotion. A dreamless kind of sleep. The end of awareness. A not-time.
They'd frozen his people in these pods, but they'd imprisoned him.
Or perhaps his blood ran so hot, no human force could freeze him.
The tune changed.
For the love of all that's holy, will you shut up!
Blessed silence fell. But then light blared in his face like a blast of horns.
What fresh perdition was this? They'd tortured him with darkness. Now they'd torture him with light?
Pietas tried to force his eyes open, to face the torture, but after so long in darkness, the light stabbed his eyes. He twisted his head to avoid it.
"You-- you're awake?" The startled voice hovered close, muffled by the pod. "Security! Security! Prisoner Six-Six-Six is out of stasis! I say again, Prisoner Six-Six-Six is out of stasis!"
The alarm in the male voice gave Pietas a measure of pride. Even imprisoned, he engendered fear. They had taken away his name, and given him a number that among humans meant a demonic beast.
Let the legend of Pietas--by name or by number--bring fear straight into the heart of man. No... let it bring terror.
The alarmed voice led him to another thought. Had they not known he was awake? No. These vile creatures had readouts of every type. How could one mistake his beating heart and steady breath for anything other than wakefulness and life? They meant to keep him aware and suffering. They knew.
But whoever was guarding him hadn't. Pietas might hate humans, but he knew the difference between genuine alarm and fake fear. He'd been instigating the real thing for centuries.
Interesting. He could use that.
His eyes adjusted to the light, and he focused on the face hovering over the small window above him.
Was that...Ghost Six?
The light cut off, taking with it the familiar comfort of sight. Pietas bit the inside of his cheek to keep silent.
First Conqueror, War Leader of the Ultras, did not beg.
He did not. He did not.
---
A captive of the people he loathes, the immortal Pietas is left for dead on the planet Sempervia. Six, a human soldier who is abandoned with him, offers food and water. A human, offering friendship? This must be another trap,
Pietas must do the one thing he detests. Trust a human...
Bringer of Chaos series
Amazon and Kindle Unlimited https://books2read.com/u/4DovO7
JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
In this scene NarrAy gets a note from an android and Senth sees what a real thief looks like.
Royal District, Royal Arms Hotel Suite 1221
NarrAy tipped the hotel android and tucked the note he'd delivered into the pocket of her robe. "Senth?" She walked back into the bedroom, heard water running, and poked her head inside the bathroom. Steam frosted the glass-enclosed shower. "Senth, honey, there's a--Whoa!"
Senth was pressed against the glass from his firm buttocks all the way up to his shoulders.
NarrAy gulped against a rush of pheromones. "Uh, there's a...a note."
"What?" Senth stepped away from the glass and came to the opening, both hands in his soapy hair. "I couldn't hear you, sweetie." Shampoo bubbles trickled down his upraised arms, onto his shoulders, and down across his chest. Senth's nose wriggled. He'd done that several times during the night, inhaling her scent.
It shot a tinge of warmth down her. NarrAy cast off her robe and stepped into the shower, right into Senth's slippery, soapy, slick, sexy, and open arms.
* * *
Senth initiated a prescheduled holophone link to Saint-Cyr from a conference room on the third floor of the hotel, far from NarrAy's presence. When a chime announced his Sen'dai was at last online, Senth stood.
Saint-Cyr's image sparkled into being before him.
Senth made a deep bow. "Good morning, Sen'dai."
"You're late." The Harbinger motioned with one hand. "Turn around, slowly. I want to look at you."
Senth obeyed.
"So this is what a thief looks like who thinks he's independent of his Sen'dai."
"Sir?"
"Don't play coy with me, Senthys." Saint-Cyr seated himself. The background of the room did not appear, nor the chair he used. His image floated. "Sit down. We need to talk."
"Yes, sir." He pulled a chair away from the table and plunked himself in it.
"And sit up straight."
Senth bristled, but he straightened in the chair.
"Now what is this about Ms. Jorlan not being satisfied?"
She had seemed satisfied when he'd left the room. Senth coughed to mask a grin. "We discovered that the item we recovered indicated there's a related item with more significance."
JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.
