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The Gembound: The Price of Keeping

The Gembound: The Price of Keeping

by Taliorn

DramaFantasyHorrorTragedyProgressionPost ApocalypticAnti-Hero LeadWar and MilitaryGrimdark
Rising Stars:Horror #12Tragedy #12Drama #50

The city fell. I tried to save him. That's when he started laughing. Yara survived Runewick's destruction with an ancient power fused to her ribs. It whispers. It hungers. It promises she'll never be helpless again—if she feeds it. Her first attempt to save someone creates a monster. Her second creates three more. By the time she learns to bind people properly—to make them need her—she's already become something she doesn't recognize. Every choice is between horror and helplessness. Every servant she creates binds her tighter to the thing keeping her alive. Not a villain origin story. A survival story where survival has a price. Dark progression fantasy. Body horror transformations. Morally gray descent. Book 1/Volume 1 is complete.  The story shifts from survival to kingdom-building.Book 2/Volume 2 is complete. The story continues with the kingdom building.    ─────────────────────────────────────── What to expect: Morally gray protagonist making terrible choices for understandable reasons Body horror transformations - learning through trial and error creates monsters Servant binding mechanics - people transformed become dependent on purpose Dark progression - power has real psychological and moral costs Stats visible from Chapter 17 (LitRPG elements unlock mid-Book 1) Building a power base through bound servants NOT a power fantasy - every victory extracts a price What NOT to expect: Heroic protagonist or villain origin story Harem Easy answers or moral shortcuts Isekai protagonist with cheat skills Gratuitous gore for shock value ─────────────────────────────────────── CONTENT WARNINGS: Body horror, transformation, morally gray protagonist, graphic violence, psychological trauma. Not a power fantasy. UPDATE SCHEDULE: Daily Monday thru Friday at 8:00 AM EST ─────────────────────────────────────── If you enjoy the story, please consider following, rating, and leaving a review. Your support helps others discover the series.For full disclosure, I do use Grammarly for editing.

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Changes shown for: all time
24h7d30d90dAll
Current Rank
#12
Peak Rank
#3
Followers
338
+177
Story Timeline

Started

4mo ago

Entered Drama RS

2mo ago

#22 Drama

2mo ago

10

2mo ago

20

2mo ago

50

2mo ago

100

2mo ago

Entered Horror RS

2mo ago

#3 Horror

2mo ago

Entered Tragedy RS

2mo ago

#3 Tragedy

2mo ago

250

1mo ago

OverviewEngagementProseChapters
Favorites
83
+83
FVR
0.84%
Rating
4.66
Ratings
53
+53
Reviews
30
+30
Comments
N/A
0
RS Days
156
Follower Growth
Track audience growth over time
24h7d30d90dAll
Favorites & Comments
Engagement Metrics
Followers
338+177
Favorites
83+83
Comments
N/A
Reviews
30+30
Views
40,292
Pages
1,196