A Life With Chaos

It all happened fairly quick, it wasn't a lie that all it takes to die is less than a second. The meaning of death is somewhat complex. What does it mean to die? Where do we go when we die? Is death even avoidable? No matter who you ask, no mortal knows for certain any of these questions. Some have theories, assumptions, or religious views of death; some even prefer to live in ignorance with fear of the unknown. Nevertheless, it is not their place to understand what they aren't capable of controlling.

Humans have always been flawed for this reason, always trying to learn for the sole purpose of expanding their level of comprehension of the universe. At some point, they must learn their place. Unfortunately, for those greedy and ambitious enough to think they can conquer what is out of their hands' reach, death is a certain destiny. Death is not to blame for this, if you have any complaints be sure to talk to the entity of Fate on your way out; Death is just here to claim what is his. 

Today, Death has come to claim the life of Tom Marvolo Riddle.

Claim isn't the right word so to say, after the emaciation of his soul, there is barely or not even a speck of it to save. This situation in front of him is deplorable, embarrassing, and sick; even Death can agree. Not even the dazzling sun that came through the window is able to make this scene any more bearable. What makes it worse is not the reptilian appearance of whom Death is here to take, but the persistence of the sinner to not feel remorse for his doings. Death does not feel any attachment to mortals, for him, they are just a responsibility he has to take care of, just like a gardener ripping out the weeds so that the garden can flourish. Mortals can have this same dissociation from life and it wouldn't make Death care any less, but in this case, he needs the mortal to be ashamed of his actions so that his soul can heal. If the Dark Lord cannot let go of his unreasonable ego, he won't be able to enter the gates of The Afterlife. He will be stuck nowhere, there where no one desires to be, The Limbo. 

Everyone present already knows what decision the dark wizard will take, even he knew what was about to happen. Fate didn't have to spoil him about it, he has always known of the unfair treatment that the entity has casted upon the mortal. We all know about the daddy issues, fear of abandonment, and shame of oneself that the Dark Lord has. If someone needs urgent therapy, he can bet his existence on the red-eyed bald senior citizen in the middle of the room. Yeah that one, the one that is attempting murder on a seventeen year old with glasses. 

Why is it so hard for everyone else to notice that? Nobody cares about the elderly nowadays, just look at Dumbledore, they literally made him work until the day of his death. In a highschool of all places, can you imagine? Fate surely likes to screw some people's lives, huh. He may have been a master manipulator and a sherbet lemon addict, but we can all agree that the old man deserved some paid vacations. Don't come here saying “He liked working as a headmaster mimimimi” I call bullshit on that!  

Anyways I'll pretend I didn't have any role in this for my own safety, Death is already extremely petty with me and we don't want to anger him more than necessary. Sorry, let's go back to the mentally ill fighting in front of children and more elderly people. You can tell I tried to be serious at the very beginning but whatever, who do you think I am? Let me give you a hint, I am Death's favorite brother. In fact, I am everyone's favorite, not lying just so you know. Death might never admit it but you can tell I'm right, just wait and you will see.

Oh shit right, where were we? 

Sympathy is difficult for those who can't empathize since they lack the understanding of what the other went through. It is also hard to justify other's actions just by the unfair experiences they had in life. Should they be forgiven? Can they be forgiven? Is their life worth more than the hundreds they killed? In this case certainly not, if the so-called “Boy Who Lived” is able to defeat the Dark Lord without killing him, we all know that a random motherfucker will come through with a spicy Avada Kedavra and blast his slimy ass to the Limbo. That's just how the world works, why take a risk in the first place?

You know what? This should be taken seriously, enjoy Death's point of view for now. But don't forget about me! You hear me!? Hey!

Red and green rays of light met in the middle, one belonged to my master and the other to the one that tried to surpass me. Lord Voldemort, the most powerful dark wizard was nearing his unavoidable death. The Elder Wand is eager to fall onto its rightful owner and soon enough, its wishes will become a reality. The flickering green curse changed curses and instead of commiting the murder that its caster desired, it betrayed him. With all of the horcruxes gone, the life of Tom Marvolo Riddle had come to an end. All he will know for eternity is nothingness, pain and suffering as he had failed to cure his withered soul. 

Death couldn't help but feel displeasure, not because the last descendant of the second Peverell brother had died, but because one soul managed to escape his realm. He wished that Voldemort would give in, that there was an ounce of regret in him, but it was all for nothing. In the end, Fate had won the game and her will was stronger than his own. Of all the ways Fate could have taken revenge on him, this was the worst scenario.

Not all is doomed since his true master has regained power of the Elder Wand after catching it midair. When the boy with glasses caught the wand he personally made centuries ago, a shock of energy ran through his body. Now the boy only had to go back and grab the Resurrection Stone he had left back at the Forbidden Forest to gain the title as his master.

Before the Dark Lord fell to the dusty floor, he looked into the wizard's eyes and saw nothing but a diminishing pulsation of life. Right when Voldemort realized what he was witnessing, he was long gone. No words, no gestures, nothing. All that remains of him, is a disfigured corpse that can barely be described as human. He remembers the days when Tom Marvolo Riddle was not his current self. No scarlet eyes, no slit pupils, no snake features, no Voldemort. Such a shame it is, he had the potential to be great, the best, but the path he took led him somewhere worse than death.

What could have been of Riddle if he hadn't succumbed to fear, to hate, to greed, to the malicious love potion which still remains in his corpse? Voldemort considered it was better to blame and punish than to surpass the limitations others put on him. That's where he went wrong, all his potential was used to prove others wrong instead of proving himself right. While he had the Resurrection Stone in his power for most of his life, he had never used it. After severing his soul multiple times, he wasn't able to see what was in front of him. In fear of acknowledging me and those I've taken, he negated himself to countless possibilities. If he had gathered all of my relics and had asked me to save him from myself, I would have done so. None of that matters now, Tom Marvolo Riddle has been defeated not by a child, but by his own ignorance.

The Dark Lord will remain as a legend, for some he will be just a scary tale parents will tell their children so that they behave, and with time he will become lesser than a myth. Not many knew him by his real name, that which he himself hated. With the death of the last descendant of the second Peverell brother, now only remains the one who managed to escape death and who will greet the deity as an old friend. 

Not a second has passed since the stale corpse of Voldemort hit the ground and there are shouts of celebration all around the Great Hall. The Dark Lord's followers are nowhere to be seen, only the heroes and their family members remain in the room where their fallen comrades lay. The souls of the fallen are watching beside their loved ones the cruel but long awaited victory they risked their lives for. Now their deaths won't be in vain for those who managed to escape Death's claws today. With one last look at the reptile corpse that is being taken to another chamber, I turn to leave with hopes of welcoming my master. After centuries of waiting, Harry James Potter has earned the title of Master of Death. 

My brief joyful moment didn't last long as the most unnerving being in the history of existence appeared in front of me.

“I always forget how dramatic you are Death. I know you had high hopes for today but come on, we know how Fate is. You messed with her favorite and she did the same to you”

“What are you doing here Khaos?”

“Come on, did you really think that I was going to miss out on this event? Did you not see the explosions and the colors that were going off five minutes ago? Even Bellatrix blew up” 

“I knew there was too much destruction, even for a war of this caliber. I thought WWII and Grindelwald were enough carnage for at least a whole century. Please remind me why all of this had to happen”

“You mean as in Molly wiping the floor with Bellatrix or …” 

“Khaos, you better start being serious about this. A soul has evaded me and it is all because of you”

“Me? Tell me how I am responsible for this sequence of events?”

“Just by touching a wall you can make the sun explode. You are the cause of everything that happens in the universe and also the effect it has upon it. Now start talking and don't dare to mention our sister in any of this, I am not in the mood to even listen to her name”

“I think you are confusing me with the butterfly effect but whatever, close enough. As to why all of this … I don't know. I didn't mean to start another war just by going shopping in Diagon Alley years ago. WWII and Grindelwald were necessary for the world to progress, but who would have thought that Merope Gaunt would become a criminal after I bought her that potions book”

“Merope Gaunt? Is that how she learned to brew the love potion? Because you bought her a book?”

“Yeah … and some ingredients too, but to be honest she seemed completely inoffensive back then. She was going to steal the book and everything else anyways, I just helped her do it the legal way you know”

“What part of stealing and using a love potion on an innocent mortal seems inoffensive to you?”

“Her actions weren't what made her seem innocent Death. She intended to make a less potent version of the potion to make her family like her. She tried to brew it many times; after nothing but failures she said fuck it and did her thing with Riddle”

“Is that so … what were you doing there in the first place?”

“Oh you know, supporting local businesses and what not. I found some great clothes and shoes in Knockturn Alley, you should really go check that store out some time”

“You have the utmost power in the universe and you spend your free time shopping in Knockturn Alley? You do know you can create better things for yourself right?”

“Well yeah, I just don't want to. It defeats the purpose of supporting local businesses if I create competition for them. Please be a little more sensitive Death, not everyone is as rich as you. Do you even tip when you go to a restaurant?”

“I am done with this conversation”

“Death, you can't be serious. Virtue will be so disappointed when he hears about this”

To no one's surprise, Death decided to ignore me for the next couple of hours. So instead of following after him, I chose to go have some fun around the castle. Don't worry about him, if everything goes as it is, he will be the one trying to talk to me later. Oh, hey, you are with me now. Good for you, now we can continue our talk without worrying about that sack of bones at all. Something tells me I should go see Voldemort one last time, where did they put him?

Khaos looked around the Great Hall for the body of Voldemort but just as he had thought, it was no longer there. Just before he left the room, he caught sight of the immobile body of Fred Weasley. It pained him to see one of his most liked mortals in this state. He could still visit him in Death's realm but now his potential in the physical world is nule. It will be up to George to make pranks for the two of them from now on. He is feeling bitter all of a sudden, whose idea was it to kill Fred? Was it Death or Fate's? Whatever the case, he will need to talk to one of them about it. He couldn't help but say goodbye to the rest of the family even if they couldn't see or hear him.

The chants of the joyful mortals became almost inaudible as he went across the hallways looking for Voldemort. After a couple of meters, he found what he had been searching for. Right at the foot of a pile of rocks, there was the pale corpse of Voldemort, just as creepy and ugly as always. However, there was someone else, the one and only Myrtle Warren. Surprising isn't it? After years of crying in a bathroom thanks to her trauma, here she is confronting the body of her killer. This will certainly be a fun memory to have.

“You filth! Look at you slimy git! You look worse than your sewage pet!”

It's so sad that there is no one here to witness this apart from him. The girl's face assimilates to one of a goblin giving birth and some strands of her hair appear to have been struck by lighting since they are standing from how furious she is. It is a rare occasion to see Myrtle outside of the bathroom and even more to see her in such a profound rage. Who needs Harry Potter when you have Myrtle to put Voldemort in his place? This outrage of hers lasted at least ten minutes but after that, she went back to her usual self and started moaning non stop all while attempting to hit Voldemort in the face.

Now that the fun was dying out, Khaos went upstairs since he didn't want to deal with the pitiful and high cries of the ghost. Even if Myrtle had no unresolved businesses in the physical world, she could no longer move on to the Afterlife so this will be an eternal cycle of moans and painful shrieking; he was certain that he didn't want to deal with that.

On his way up, he saw the ghost of Helena Ravenclaw hiding behind a pillar. Her expression was complicated, one couldn't tell if she was sad or furious. It didn't really matter since she didn't confront Voldemort as Myrtle had. Maybe she thought Myrtle had done enough payback for both of them. Whatever the case, she probably must be embarrassed of herself. If it wasn't because she had told Voldemort where she had hidden the Diadem there is a slight possibility that he might have never found it. Don't get me wrong, Voldemort would have still made a horcrux just as he intended from the beginning, but he probably would have made one without using the most famous family heirloom of hers. 

As he continued on his way across the castle he couldn't help but admire every single particle of dust that was suspended in the air. Now it was impossible to know from which structure each came from. Were they part of a statue that a giant destroyed? Maybe the Death Eater that Ginny threw against the wall hit it hard enough to break it. Damn, women in the Weasley family are scary, remind me to not bother them too much later. 

Khaos was thrilled to see the castle in ruins, all this happened because of him. He is the order in disorder, the cycle of creation and destruction, the balance of everything in the universe is all thanks to him. Hogwarts and the magical community are in shambles today, but from the havoc something new will arise. Change is necessary for there to be a difference between the past, present and future. Fortunately for the mortals, there won't be anymore maniac sociopaths in the upcoming years. He could of course do his thing and even throw a meteorite on top of the school if he desired, but he has to control himself. Probably only Vice would be happy if he did so, and that's not something others would like him to be proud of.

See, just as I said before, all of my siblings love me. In anything I do, there is always someone I will end up pleasing in the end. It helps that I am extremely likeable by nature, if I may say so myself.

Well, there is not much to see now that we have covered most of the interesting things around the castle. Maybe we could go play with Fang if Hagrid lets us, or maybe we could convince McGonagall to turn into a cat and play with a ball of yarn. What if I revived the basilisk for a short amount of time? I remember that it liked playing tag with the mice down at the Chamber of Secrets. I think Hermione and Ron left the chamber open, it would definitely be a shame if it by chance escaped and played tag with the people here. Hmm, I am slightly down for that option.

“What are you scheming Khaos?”

“Me? Nothing at all brother! What are you scheming by thinking I am scheming something?”

“If I were to guess, you were probably thinking of setting loose the basilisk on these mortals. Am I on the right here?”

“Don't be ridiculous Death, I would not be the one to do it. It would technically be-”

“Ron Weasely and Hermione Granger's fault for leaving the chamber open?”

“Oh so you agree! See Death, you are not as close-minded as everyone else says. Do you think we can pull it off? Please, please”

“No, I have better things to take care of”

“Right … How did your master react to your existence? Let me guess, he doesn't have the slightest interest in meeting you”

“He will one day, he is just in denial. There must be a lot happening in his mortal life, he can't even think straight”

“I hate to say it brother, but it might be you who is in denial. Harry Potter won't ever go back to grab the Resurrection Stone, it is probably on some unicorn's stomach as of right now. Did you make it nutritional at all? Poor thing might get internal bleeding if it damages its digestive system”

“Do you have any role in this? Are you sabotaging me just as sister did? Are you betraying my trust Khaos?”

“Ok, you are definitely delusional. You know I don't mingle with sibling drama, whatever problems you both have with each other has nothing to do with me. Let's be serious Death, Harry Potter is probably the most suicidal hero there is in this decade. He doesn't fear you, nor has a reason to meet you. I think he likes Life more than you”

“That cannot be, I could give him everything. What is there not to wish for?”

“He literally fixed his first wand with yours because he liked that one better. I can guarantee you that there is nothing else he wishes. You did your part and he did his, unfortunately it didn't work in the end. Haven't you seen Divorce Court? I think I watched a case similar to this one”

“He will change his mind, I am sure of it. Mortals are greedy, it is part of their nature”

“Generalizing much? That is not an pretty trait to have Death, I know mortals are all the same to you but I think you are going over the line”

“Weren't you having a monologue about humans knowing their place and characterizing them as lesser than us some time ago?”

“Well yeah but that was me making an interpretation of you. It must have been very convincing if you believed it. I am such a good actor, where is my Oscar? Golden Globe at least? People's Choice Awards? Nothing?”

“You are talking nonsense yet again”

“It isn't nonsense. Look, I know that you know that Potter won't become your master so why don't you start thinking of doing something else? I have this trip to Alaska next week. Are you interested in coming? We could have such a good time”

“What of my hallows? Some of my powers will be lost forever, I'll never get them back”

“What were you thinking when you gifted your powers to three magical mortals? You are supposed to be one of the smartest of all of us. Wisdom won't stop making fun of you for at least half a millenium if you don't get them back”

“I'm ruined”

“Yeah kind of, why did you want a master at all? It seems extremely bothersome, you would be a slave of them forever. Don't get me started on the mess it could cause if such human decided to follow the Death Note path and commited mass murder as he pleased. Damn Death, you are in such a messy situation”

“You are at fault for this! I should have never listened to you! Now I'll regret my doings for eternity”

“Rewind for a second, I think I misheard. My fault? Again? Why am I always at fault for everything in the world … ignoring everything related to my nature and stuff”

“Remember seven hundred years ago when you told me to have a hobby other than claiming mortal souls? You said that I was overworking myself back then and that I needed to take a break”

“Oh yeah, I remember. Death, please tell me this is a joke. Don't tell me you came up with this great idea of having a master to tell you what to do since you weren't creative enough to make your own plans”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time”

“You should have just listened to me and done something normal like knitting or fishing. Now I really do think that you should go on this trip with me. We have to start arranging our schedule as soon as we are out of here”

“I have to convince him in some way of going back for the Resurrection Stone. If he doesn't want to be my master then so be it. All I need is for him to return what is mine”

“Hmm if we are lucky enough we might be able to see some whales. That reminds me, we have to bring warm clothes and probably hot cocoa. It will be great Death, you won't regret coming with me I promise”

“What if I take his dear Ginny from him? Will that be enough for him to want to see her again? His friends are also a good option”

“If we go a bit North we could also see the aurora borealis. It has been a while since I've last seen it, I hope the sky is clear that night”

“Khaos, are you listening to me? I might need your cooperation in this. You said you wanted to let loose the basilisk right? Let's do it, I approve of it. Let's go, we have a basilisk to resuscitate”

“The real question is, have you been listening to me? I'm practically planning this whole trip all by myself. I hope you at least pay for the entire thing since I am in charge of the schedule”

“Khaos!”

“Death … Potter won't go back for the stone, it is a lost cause. Believe me, he could have used it to say his goodbyes to everyone who passed away or even given it to the Weaseleys so that they could talk to Fred one last time but he didn't. He won't change his mind and I'm sure Fate won't force him either. The best thing we can do is hope that he changes his mind just like you said, even though it is highly improbable”

“I've been waiting for centuries for this. I can wait a couple more mortal years if it comes down to it”

“So uhh, now that you got your life together and everything … I don't know how to ask this properly, but are you still down to resurrect the basilisk?”

“Khaos!”

“Fine, fine, I'll shut up now”

At the end of the day, I made Death company until the last person left the castle. Death, even though he can be grumpy ninety percent of the time and has some slight anger issues, is extremely easy to read. He was deep in his thoughts the whole time but I still remained by his side because I am a great, no, that's not it, I am the best brother there is. He wouldn't say, but he was glad that I was there for him. How do I know? I am Khaos, I know everything that is going on in the world. All the time, everywhere, always; those are some perks of being an entity. That right there is what people call being omnipresent, and I am that. 

All of us, meaning my family and I of course; not you human I for some reason decided to bring on this journey with me. Which now somewhat makes you omnipresent since I'll make sure you know everything there is to know. Hmm, I'm starting to like you even more. Tell me do you like Key Lime Pie? This is a very serious question, you better answer correctly. What am I doing? Of course you like it, anyways I'll fill you in with some of my family members.

First, you already know him, he is my favorite emo bastard, Death! You may know him from The Tale of the Three Brothers, yeah that story Hermione had to read since Dumbledore was lazy enough to tell her the truth. What was his problem? They weren't playing telephone old man, that was a life or death situation. Was Dumbledore suffering from dementia and nobody knew about it? Now everything makes a bit more sense, doesn't it?

“Are you going to introduce me or are you going to keep talking about that rusty man?”

“Death! Sure! I was getting to it. Can't you be a bit more patient? I'm trying to bad talk Dumbles so when I talk about you it will seem as if you are not so bad”

“Should I be grateful for that?”

“Very, now shush!”

Just from that interaction you can already tell how bad his temper is. Just so you know, you aren't allowed to speak this way of Death. Only I can, we are like that, best sibling dynamic. Like SpongeBob and Patric, ice cream and a warm brownie, Lilo and Stitch, fire and dynamite, dinosaurs and meteorite, anxiety and depression; you name it and that's us.

“You realize that your concept of talking about me is not talking about me”

“I give up, I did my best. This mortal will get the chance to see a lot of you later so I'll just let them make their own assumptions about you”

“Why do you think that's how it is going to be? If it doesn't turn out like you say, this mortal will only know me as a warm brownie and depression”

“Wow, I really am the best at everything I do. Those are incredible descriptions of yourself Death!  You are fuzzy and soft at times but everything goes wrong when that daily dose of depression hits. Don't worry Death, it happens to all of us. The first step is accepting that you need help. I am here for you, no matter what”

“I am not going to waste my time in this conversation anymore. Move on to someone else”

He is cute, isn't he? He barely shows this side of him so you better remember this. I'll try my best to show you his best qualities with time. I thought it was better this way since just a couple of words can't describe how great he is. Just wait a bit more, you will get to like him more than you do now. At least I hope so, or else I'll be making a fool of myself. Just promise me you'll try and I'll convince him not to make your death as dramatic as he is currently planning.

“Khaos! I swear, if you-!”

“I was kidding! Ok, ok, let me see who I can talk about”

Hmm, I could talk about Life if you want. There is nothing much to say if I am being honest. I am not trying to put Life in bad lighting, she is amazing; it is just that she is the opposite of Death. She is charismatic, friendly, peaceful, has no personality issues, great listener, incredible sense of humor, party animal, energetic, very funny, she is also the best at-

“Khaos”

“Hey Death, do you need something? I am busy talking about Life to them, I think I am doing a great job. Now that you are here, help me make a list of good things about our sister so that everything is easier to explain. I was about to tell them that she is- AAAH! WHY ARE YOU HITTING ME!? STOP! NOT IN FRONT OF PEOPLE! YOU ARE MAKING A SCENE! DEATH! SOMEBODY HELP ME!”

After a while …

As I said, I think it is better that you make your own assumptions about Death. That may probably be the best way for the both of us to get out of this alive. I don't even want to talk anymore, I am afraid of what he will do if I say something that he doesn't like. Have I ever told you about the time that I accidentally mentioned in a family reunion of the time he crashed into a tree when he and I went skiing? He almost killed every single living being in the universe just because I told everyone that he preferred to face plant a tree instead of hitting a squirrel. Very out of character of him if I may say so. Who would have thought that Death himself values the life of a squirrel more than his own? To be honest, good for him and that squirrel. See! He is just like a warm brownie!

“KHAOS! I WILL END YOU!”

Well, you know how he is. I hope that you at least liked the little you met of me. If I do survive Death's upcoming thousand fists, just know there are many stories I still have to tell you and many we will get to experience together.

Bye! See you next time! Maybe …