Is every ending a new beginning?

May 12, 2025

Hey! What happens after the seals broke? Sovvan paused the apocalypse but how long will it stay paused?

Chaos Rises tells that story. New threats target her friends, old bargains complicate things, and the baddest Rider of the Apocalypse, Death herself, shows up with and she’s got an ax to grind. Get the illustrated edition here.

The cover of Chaos Rises, the illustrated edition.

That’s all great but what is the book really about?

Sovvan never asked to become the Angel of Death. She didn’t want the title, and she definitely doesn’t want to stop the Apocalypse. But the former Angel of Death will stop at nothing to reclaim the powers she lost, and she’s set her sights on Sovvan’s closest friend: Fay, the immortal goddess of fate and the future, who thwarted her for thousands of years.

Fay and her demigod children can still die, even if Sovvan can’t. With the clock ticking, Sovvan must master her new powers to save her friend and protect the fragile future that keeps their world alive.

Without Fay, there’s no timeline, no future, and no tomorrow. Time itself will grind to a halt, unraveling the world in an explosive, final collapse.

Death is coming. Time is running out, and the Apocalypse waits for no one.

Can Sovvan stop the end of everything, or will her hesitation doom them all?

Inside the illustrated edition of Chaos Rises:

422 pages of non-stop adventure
70 original, full-color images
Footnotes, snark, and more Sovvan than ever before

Chaos Rises is a brand-new book launching in this Kickstarter. There are both illustrated and non-illustrated versions available.

Ready to follow Sovvan into her next life-or-death adventure? Get the illustrated edition of Chaos Rises now.

How about a preview? Let’s go!

Instead of starting the preview with chapter 1, we’ll dive into chapter 2 instead since chapter 1 is full of spoilers for the His Angelic Keeper series because that’s how Fay rolls. She spills all the tea in the pot as she figures out her next move.

Chaos Rises

By Melinda Kucsera

Chapter 2: No Rest For Angels

Sovvan hugged her little nephew tighter, savoring the warmth of his soft hair against her cheek. Not so long ago, she couldn’t have done this because she hadn’t been solid enough to hold anything, let alone someone she loved. Becoming an angel had fixed that, but it meant carrying a title and a power she never asked for.

Don’t think about that right now, just enjoy this time. Sovvan squeezed Ran again and focused on the steady rise and fall of his little chest. She didn’t get to hold him often, so she made up for lost time by hugging him while he slept since she didn’t need to sleep.

Ran murmured something in his sleep, but she couldn’t make out what he said since he curled tighter into her embrace. Her dress must not smell too bad from her visit to Hell or enough time had passed for the sulfurous smell of that place to dissipate because he didn’t wrinkle his nose at the smell. Time meant little to her anymore, but she tried to keep some track of it so she didn’t miss Ran growing up and becoming more curious every day.

I hope he stays this sweet. The world has enough monsters. Sovvan squeezed him again.

When heavy boots clicked against the stone floor behind her, Sovvan didn’t need to look to know who it was. Only one angel would dare to disturb her while she snuggled with her nephew. But that person rarely made any noise at all, so the thud of her boots was deliberate. Misriah probably wanted to talk to her.

Well, she can wait until Ran wakes up. Sovvan pretended not to notice the armored greaves in her peripheral vision, but she was too much like her nephew so she couldn’t stay silent for more than another moment if that.

“What are you doing here? Please tell me my brother isn’t in trouble again.” Sovvan wrapped her arms more tightly around Ran’s little body. Whatever Misriah wanted would probably tear her away from him, and she wasn’t ready to let go just yet. But if his father was in trouble, then she might have to let go. Bro, you’d better be working and not getting into trouble.

Unfortunately, her twin brother, a powerful stone mage named Sarn, attracted trouble like some people attracted lovers. “Is Sarn okay?”

Misriah didn’t do silence. She was too forthright for that. So why doesn’t she answer me? Sovvan laid Ran down next to her teenage brother, and the little boy curled into his uncle’s side. It was such a cute scene, but it couldn’t soothe the worry eating at her heart as she struggled to sit up despite yards of fabric, courtesy of her ball gown-like angel robes wrapped around her legs.

“He’s not in any spiritual danger,” Misriah said in that clipped tone that drove Sovvan crazy as she crouched to help free her legs.

What kind of answer was that, anyway? It told her nothing about what he was doing. Neither did their bond provide any information either, probably because Misriah blocked it. As Sarn’s guardian angel, she could do that, and it was so unfair.

“So you’d let him die if he wasn’t in spiritual danger?” Sovvan forced herself to whisper when she really wanted to shout at the warrior angel tugging at her tangled skirt. This was an old argument, and she was being unfair because Misriah had stepped in to save Sarn, Ran, and a whole lot of people who mattered to them from a tentacular monster.

“You know I can’t interfere. It’s against the rules.” Misriah gave her skirt one last tug, and Sovvan could move her legs again.

“What about if a demon attacks him? That’s a spiritual attack, right? Then you could help him.” Sovvan sat up and scooted around on her butt until she faced the scowling angel.

Misriah nodded, though, because that wasn’t against the rules. “I could protect him from that. Relax. He’s not in any spiritual danger right now from demons or anything else.” Misriah rose from her crouch and rested her hands on her sword belt. But her sword was invisible right now.

“So he could be in physical danger, and you wouldn’t do anything to save him?” Sovvan glared up at the warrior angel.

***

The preview continues on Thursday. But you don’t have to wait to back the campaign to bring the illustrated edition of Chaos Rises to life. Get the illustrated edition of Chaos Rises now!