Chapter 213: Champions of the Gods
Purgatory, The Land Where Life and Death Intersect
POV of Domeric Bolton
"Death, perhaps it would be better if you told the events from the beginning. Domeric seems quite perplexed, and I am completely unaware of what has happened," Lady Terra said.
Domeric nodded in agreement after Lady Terra's proposal. As Lady Terra had said, Domeric was currently distracted from the topic and perplexed by the accusations against him.
"You're right, Terra. I'd better start from the beginning," Lady Death said, and after taking another sip of her tea, she began to speak.
"You know the story of the Potters, Terra. And like the other Harry J. Potters, this Harry here was also chosen to be a White Knight."
"Yes, I know. The Potters are truly unfortunate to have to become White Knights. Please continue," Lady Terra said.
But before Lady Death could continue, Domeric interjected, "Wait a minute. What's a White Knight? Who are the other Harry J. Potters? Why are you talking as if there are multiple of me?"
"Oh... I guess I'll have to start over pretty much from the beginning, then," said Lady Death, then asked, "Harry, have you ever heard of the concept of the multiverse?"
"You mentioned it in your earlier conversations, but I hadn't heard it before that," said Domeric.
"I won't go into too much detail, but to briefly explain, everyone has multiple choices they can make in the events they face. When someone makes a decision, the other options cannot go further than being possibilities, but this only applies to their own world. Each possible choice, if it resonates strongly, can lead to the creation of a world where a different decision is made in another universe. Therefore, the set of parallel universes with multiple versions is called the multiverse." Lady Death explained.
"So different versions of me live in different universes and different worlds?" Domeric asked in surprise.
"Not just you, but many people's different versions, but yes, it's true." Lady Death confirmed.
"Okaaay... what about the White Knight?" Domeric asked. He honestly didn't know what to say after the fact that multiple versions of himself were living in different worlds.
"Terra just said that the Young Gods' duty in the world they inhabit is to protect the destiny line of that world, right?" Lady Death said.
Domeric said nothing, just nodded, and Lady Death continued.
"Sometimes the Young Gods fail in their duties, or sometimes some Young Gods rebel and try to disrupt the world's destiny line. If the world's destiny line is disrupted in a way that the Young Gods cannot fix, the more powerful gods have to take on this responsibility. Are you with me this far?" Lady Death asked Domeric.
"Yes, please continue," Domeric said.
"That's what happened in your world, or rather, in all Harry Potter universes. A Young God abandoned its duties and began researching a field it shouldn't have tampered with: Soul. And worse, some of that research ended up in mortal hands. Knowledge that allowed mortals to split their souls and place them in other objects." Before Lady Death could continue, Domeric intervened.
"Horcruxes!" he said.
"Yes, later this information would fall into the hands of someone who would misuse it and, if not stopped, would completely disrupt the course of the world's destiny." She said, and Domeric intervened again.
"Tom Marvolo Riddle!"
"Correct. You must understand, Harry, that the soul is a very sacred entity. That is why experimenting on souls is forbidden even to us. Creating souls is a very complex matter, and even Primordials lack the power to do that. Only one being in the universe can create souls and bestow them upon living beings."
Lady Death paused to take a sip of her tea, and Domeric then voiced his guess. "One Above All?"
"Yes, One Above All. Since the corruption in Harry Potter universes is soul-borne and Riddle uses it to escape death, the task of fixing it was given to me, a Primordial, rather than being given to Special Gods, Elder Gods, or others."
Lady Death said, and Domeric asked after her. "Okay, but where does the White Knight fit into this?"
"I was just about to get to that point. As Terra mentioned earlier, many Primordials can't go directly to worlds. This is especially true for a Primordial like me whose domain is death. Otherwise, my arrival in a world and immediate use of my power there could cause more harm than the current problem. Therefore, instead of carrying out the task ourselves, we find or choose people to complete it on our behalf."
At this point, Lady Death saw Domeric's thoughtful expression, and instead of continuing her words, she chose to sip her tea and give Domeric some time.
After a while, Domeric looked at Lady Death and asked, "These people you chose... Do you address them as champions?"
"That is true. But your situation as the Champion of Death is a bit different. Please allow me to explain." Lady Death said, and Domeric nodded.
"Normally, when we choose our champions, we usually do so by selecting a soul from a different world than the one where the problem lies. These selections can sometimes be made with the consent of the other side, and sometimes by force. But either way, those souls who arrive in the new world receive our blessings and acquire certain powers that will solve the problems of the world's destiny."
"But I was not from another world... I was not, am I?" Domeric interjected and asked.
"No, you were not from another world. That's why I used the word 'usually' earlier. You'll understand in a moment. The powers we grant to our chosen champions aren't always the same, and they receive a title based on the power we grant. The titles for my champions are Dark Knight, Dark Noble, Dark Prince, and so on."
This time, it was Lady Terra who interrupted Lady Death. "As always, you prefer the simple route, Death. You need to think of some fancier names."
"Hey, my champions, my titles. Now, where was I?" Lady Death said, then turned to Domeric and continued.
"Ah, I remember. I usually give the Dark Knight title to those who are being sent on their first world and first task. I give the other higher-level titles to those whose performance I'm satisfied with and who agree to solve problems in other worlds for me."
This time, Domeric intervened and asked, "But didn't you address me as the White Knight? I assume this is a champion title like the others, but why is it different from the others?"
"Because…"
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.214: White Knight
Ch.215: Be My Champion Again
Ch.216: Multiple Champions?