Origin of Pietas

Traitors stripped immortal king Pietas of every single thing he'd fought for and exiled him on a deserted planet.

His only hope of finding his people lies with the human who imprisoned him.

That doesn't mean he'll humiliate himself by asking for help. Enough is enough. Pietas already died a thousand times to save them. How much more can he sacrifice?

But when the immortal's actual survival depends on the one thing he swears does not exist—the honor of a human—he's faced with the startling question: What if the enemy he hates is the salvation he needs?

Nominee in Hugh Howey's 2022 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition