Kindred: Fate is Ever Weaving

Charlotte Bedgood KINDRED Fate is Ever Weaving First published by Bedgood Publications 2023 Copyright © 2023 by Charlotte Bedgood All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. Charlotte Bedgood asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. Charlotte Bedgood has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. First edition ISBN: 978-1-44-786862-0 Editing by Emily Yau This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy Find out more at reedsy.com TO MY THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD SELF You did it. PROLOGUE Fate. A divine thing that to most beings can only be explained when miracles and mysteries occur but, for some, fate is more than that. It is an intricately crafted web of events that binds the very fabric of the universe together and affects every living thing across it. Fate is untouchable, it is profoundly ingrained into the souls of our beings and the lives that we live, developed by something very much unknown but so much greater than us. It is what keeps our souls experiencing different lifetimes repeatedly, interacting with other beings in a constant and never-ending cycle. It explains why every so often when the universe seeks to shift and change some, to expand or contract, a fracture in the seams of its very structure begins to arise and two conjoined ethereal souls split from each other, floating away through time and space, longing to merge back together as one. These two souls call for each other, lost in the depths of the universe, and long to be together - whole once again. As the universe erupts and the two beings split from one another, catastrophic events begin to take place, rippling as the serenity is shaken and all is thrown out of balance causing mayhem and chaos. This chaos is felt as the web of fate designs a new journey, the journey of two lost souls who must find each other again to end the hostility that the universe feels. Like a mother seeking her children, the universe screams to have the souls back in its arms once again in order to restore its peaceful state. These two souls, as one, are the embodiment of true and undeniable love; love that is represented within the mind mentally and the body physically but apart they are destructive and dangerous. Continuing their journey to find one another, they scour for a web of destiny to entangle themselves into in hope, and almost knowing that the fates will bring them together someday somewhere in the universe. Finding a home in a new life, as a living being, the two of them begin a new adventure, unaware of who they were and who they are fated to become. One empty beating heart, longing for the other. These are known as The Kindred Spirits. ONE Thunder rocketed and flaxen streaks of lightning rumbled across dark ashen skies, syncing with screams of human voices crying for help; eaten by waves of distressing rumbles as they blurred into one. Below, desolate streets were decorated with rotten leaves pushed by flurried winds, whilst wilted bodies were laid heavily upon them. The stench of death lingered in the air. My body stumbled, bringing me towards my knees, but the hard concrete didn’t rocket against the skin of them. Instead, two hands held me, and I shakily looked up at a cloaked man, whose face couldn’t be seen in the blur. He shouted something but the words never made it to my ear as the sounds around crescendoed and died within an instant. A clatter above and my head jolted passed him, as I looked up towards the skies once more, seeing as they began to fracture at its core. The fissure grew larger and, inside, I saw nothing except pure, mind-consuming darkness. Chills caused hairs on my body to rise, and a cold shiver tingled down the back of my spine until it wrapped around into the pit of my stomach. My anxiety and fear bubbled like never before as the sky rumbled once more. The reptilian arm of a winged black demon appeared, before the creature crawled its way out of the sky, bigger than anything to have ever existed before, looking around for its prey. Its heavy yellow eyes stopped, landing in my direction, before it stretched its three long necks as it dropped out, landing perfectly with a waft of its wings in the air. It was ready to eat, and I was the feast. With a loud whoosh, my perception of the creature pulled back and I was suddenly miles away, watching it at a distance as it began to soar in my direction. I tumbled backward, breath catching in my mouth, panting in fear of it. Pushing back on my hands, I had just enough strength to lift myself up but, as I turned to run, I was halted. There, in front of me, I stared at a version of a frail woman so familiar to me. Myself. Except my naturally blue eyes were mystified in darkness and black blood was pouring down cheeks that were unnaturally pale, a contrast to my normal golden skin. As though staring in a mirror, I lifted my hands to my own cheeks to feel for the blood, but I quickly understood that this figure wasn’t a reflection of myself.