Page 1 of Soul Hate
A t the dawn of humanity there was a couple in love.
Aldo and Chiara. Young, beautiful, and utterly enamoured with each other. Their love was known across the land. Their devotion unmatched and unparalleled, a marvel for many to witness.
In fact, they loved each other so much, they proclaimed that no feeling nor command in the world or heavens could compare to this. They boasted proudly how Fate could do nothing to tear them apart and they forswore the emotion of Hate entirely, for how could any power or emotion ever equal the love they had for one another.
Father Fate heard their boastful words, and was angered by their rudeness and rebellion. So he sent his daughter, Sister Hate, to teach them a lesson.
On the first night, Sister Hate came to them, and set them a challenge. She whispered to Aldo, that he must show his devotion to Fate and earn her father’s forgiveness. He must kill Chiara’s beloved brother. To aid him, Sister Hate filled Aldo with such burning rage, he was blinded to almost everything. Except his love for Chiara. Aldo resisted the hatred, and by the next day he still had not done as Fate had asked.
The following night, Sister Hate returned, instructing Chiara that to earn Fate’s forgiveness she must prove her dedication to him. She must kill Aldo’s mother. Chiara was filled with a fire that pained her every muscle, that tore her insides apart. But with Aldo by her side and his love as her armour, she made it to the next day and did not do as Fate asked.
On the third night, Sister Hate returned for a final time. Her father was so enraged by the couple’s defiance, she laid bare the most devastating command of all. Kill their son , or else every person in the world will feel the torment that consumes them. Kill their one and only child , or Father Fate will bring his burning rage upon the whole of humanity and ensure his commands are never disobeyed again. Once more, Sister Hate filled them both with a fire so untenable and agonising, with urges so violent and brutal to help them in their task.
But Aldo and Chiara were selfish with their love. Their pride was so wilful, their defiance so strong, they refused again to complete the task Fate had set for them. As the clock struck midnight, their infant child remained alive.
Father Fate was enraged that anyone dare defy his will, and sent out his daughter to do his bidding once more. He bound the most extreme, violent loathing to each living human soul, and every soul that would come after them. He bound the people to each other in a blanket of hatred. To punish Aldo and Chiara, they were the first pairing to be consumed by Sister Hate’s dark, violent loathing. They beat each other to death in the home they had made. Soon people turned against those they had once loved, violence and darkness consuming humanity for a whole day.
Sister Love watched her father’s command, and wept for the loathing that was enveloping the world. Horrified to see a world so out of balance, she petitioned her father to bring her will down upon the earth to match her sister’s, to provide hope and light as an antidote to the violence and darkness. Father Fate agreed, and for the final time, brought down a blanket of love to match her sister’s. He bound every human soul to two others. The first, an ideal, perfect romantic partner to travel with through life. A love so pure and a joy so rich, a gift sent from Fate to be thankful for. A Soulmate. The second, a vile archnemesis to fill their world with blistering fire and immeasurable agony, a person Fate demanded be killed to show duty and devotion. A Soulhate.
Father Fate has used these bonds ever since to convey his will, to remind his people of their duty towards him and his great work. Defying him comes with great consequences, not just for us but for the world as a whole. That hasn’t stopped people trying.
But Fate always has the last laugh.