A Dog Needs an Owner Chapter 17 has been released. In the ravaged pages of a bestselling novel, time itself seems to unravel – nine years stretch into oblivion as Erable Vermillion clings to life. Transplanted from reality to a fictional realm, our protagonist had vowed to remain detached, insulated from the tragic narrative unfolding before her. But fate, it seems, holds no regard for mortal resolve – caught in the unyielding grip of Dezeb Avganis, the infamous architect of chaos and desolation. His apathy knows no bounds, crushing the dreams of countless heroes like so many insignificant insects beneath his heel. Confronted with annihilation at every turn, Erable must recalibrate her priorities on the fly – submission versus extinction. So instead of waiting passively for her inevitable demise, she resolves to negotiate a different kind of arrangement altogether. What if she were to 'hire' herself out, offering her services to the cold-hearted mastermind orchestrating her mortality? After all, self-preservation can come disguised as employment – thus begins Erable's surreptitious courtship of her new employer, initiating a precarious tango with a man driven solely by his own, ruinous desires. As the moment teeters precariously between servitude and surrender, Erable discovers something unexpected – perhaps within this treacherously turbulent landscape lies an opportunity for growth, hidden amidst the swirling wreckage. Will she be able to walk the razor-thin line separating consent from coercion, marshaling whatever strength remains in order to evade becoming merely another pawn in Dezeb Avganis' game of cat-and-mouse desperation? Or will their fatal attraction crush everything in its path, threatening to dash what little sanity Erable still holds onto?