We are all intertwined by Fate. The friends we’ve lost and the new encounters we make. With no limit, the cosmic red string connects us all.

  At one end, the current ruler of demons, Rose L. Kumos, is fleeing from her pursuers, who once served her. Her hair, already red, is stained with blood—despair gleams in her crimson eyes beneath the two glowing moons of Friasha.

  Fatally wounded by those who seek her power, Rose casts multiple teleportation spells to leave her territory and enter the central city of the Igris Kingdom, Amber.

  At the other end, a young mother gives birth to her son. The doctors do their best to help her, but when the baby is born, he is not breathing.

  The mother, heartbroken, cries as her husband comforts her in his arms, holding back his own sorrow.

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  Rose stumbles into an alley, unable to run any longer; she slumps against the wall. She is too weak to heal herself. Bleeding out on the cold, dark path, she senses the baby fighting to live. With her last remaining strength, Rose opens a connection with him.

  Projecting a fragment of herself into the room, time freezes during the link.

  “The world was cruel to both of us, little one, but there’s no reason for both of us to die here.” Rose holds out her hand and squeezes her fingers into her palm, causing it to bleed. She then begins pouring her blood into the baby's mouth, filling him with power.

  As life returns to the baby's face, Rose ends the connection and disappears from the room.

  The baby cries and gasps for air, and his color returns to his face. His parents, stunned, are now overwhelmed and shedding tears of joy. The father looks up and offers his thanks.

  Back outside in the alleys, Rose takes her last breath. She dissolves into red orbs that vanish into the sky.