The Gospel of Pinocchio: The Damned Puppet (Once Upon Evil) by Staraldo

Rain drips slowly over Collodi, wrapping the autumn night in a veil of darkness. On that evening, the carpenter Geppetto receives a mysterious log. From its wood he carves not a simple puppet, but a creature that pulses with an unnatural life. Pinocchio is born, and his wooden heart beats, driven by an ancient and unsettling force. His mischief grows ever darker, ever more uncontrollable. Only Friar Cricket seems to understand the true nature of the evil spreading through the village. Between them ignites a relentless struggle: faith against horror, reason against madness. In the midst of it all, Geppetto’s blind love for his creation becomes a fragile thread between salvation and ruin. Prepare to unlearn everything you thought you knew about the puppet’s tale. This is a journey into the darkest side of the myth, where the desire to become a “real” boy conceals a sinister transformation. A chilling story of lost innocence—and of the evil that can be born from a simple piece of wood.