Across the galaxy, every disaster is engineered. Wars, plagues, miracles, tragedies—all staged by SHEPHERD, a secret order devoted to the Benefactors. To the faithful, the Benefactors are gods. In truth, they are predators. These ancient beings crave the one thing they will never a soul—humanity itself. Fear, love, hatred, desire—the more you feel, the richer your soul becomes. And when it’s full, the Benefactors devour it. Deny them, and they will consume the Earth… and everything beyond it. One man is forced into their service. To protect his son, he manufactures the very events that fuel the harvest. But the deeper he goes, the clearer the truth to survive under SHEPHERD is to live inside a cage. And a caged soul is no soul at all. Dark, unflinching, and relentless, SHEPHERD is a story of coercion, survival, and the brutal cost of reclaiming what makes us human.