The Weight of Immortality - CH - 30 (Patreon)

The stillness of the Dark Dimension, which had once been a place of endless discovery and peace, was beginning to take its toll on Harry. He never imagined that he could grow bored, not with the limitless magic to explore and the companionship of Hela at his side. But after thousands of years, the repetition, the isolation, and the constant presence of destructive forces in the Dark Dimension began to weigh on him.

Harry found himself wandering their grand mansion more often, lost in thought. He tried creating new spells, crafting new artifacts, and even summoning creatures from the depths of the Dark Dimension, but it wasn’t the same. The thrill of learning, of discovery, had dulled. Despite all their knowledge and power, there was an emptiness creeping into Harry’s heart that he couldn’t shake.

Hela, too, had changed. The insatiable hunger for power that once drove her had waned. She had become the strongest being she could ever imagine, but with that power came a sense of detachment from the world they had once been part of. The isolation had made her realize something that would have been unthinkable to her centuries ago—she longed for normalcy.

One evening, as they sat in their mansion, Hela broke the silence. "Harry," she began softly, her voice uncharacteristically contemplative, "have you ever wondered if there’s more to life than this? More than power, more than immortality, more than all we’ve built here?"

Harry turned to her, surprised by the vulnerability in her words. "You? Thinking there's more than power?" He gave a small, incredulous smile, though he understood exactly what she meant.

Hela looked away, her eyes distant. "I’ve had centuries to think about it, and… I thought this was all I ever wanted. But now, I wonder if we’ve gone too far. If maybe… living a normal life, even without our powers, might have been the true freedom we were searching for."

Harry was silent, her words echoing the feelings that had been stirring inside him. He had never thought of living without his magic or stepping away from the incredible power they both wielded. But now, after so long, the idea of simplicity—of a life without the burden of immortality or the weight of endless power—seemed almost… appealing.

"I don’t know if I can even imagine a normal life," Harry said, his voice quiet. "But I know what you mean. Power isn’t everything. And after all we’ve done, all we’ve seen… maybe we’ve lost something by becoming too powerful."

Hela nodded, her gaze meeting his. "I think I’d give it all up, Harry. All of it, just to live like a normal person for once. To feel what it’s like to be vulnerable, to face challenges that aren’t cosmic in scale. I never thought I’d say this, but… I’m tired of being a goddess."

Harry chuckled softly, though there was no humor in it. "And I never thought I’d be tired of being a master of magic. But here we are."

They sat in silence for a while longer, the weight of their thoughts pressing down on them. They had achieved everything they had ever dreamed of—power, knowledge, immortality—and yet, they found themselves longing for the very things they had left behind.

"What do we do now?" Hela asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Harry leaned back, staring at the infinite void outside their mansion. "I don’t know. But maybe it’s time to stop running. Stop seeking more power. Maybe… we need to find a way to live. Really live."

Hela nodded slowly, her mind already drifting to possibilities. "A new beginning… without the chains of power."

The weight of immortality, which had once been a blessing, now felt like an inescapable prison. Knowing that they could never truly end their lives—bound by their unique immortality—had made the idea of living a normal life seem even more unreachable. But Harry, always the brilliant mind and problem solver, had come up with a radical idea.

Without telling Hela, Harry embarked on a secret project, hiding away in a concealed chamber deep within their mansion in the Dark Dimension. The chamber was protected by layers of magic so intricate and powerful that even Hela, with all her newfound abilities, would not be able to sense it. Every day, Harry disappeared for hours, sometimes days, delving into forbidden magics, cosmic energies, and sciences he hadn’t touched in millennia. It became his obsession, the one thing that kept his mind from slipping into the endless monotony that threatened to consume him.

For centuries, he worked tirelessly, without rest or pause, driven by a single goal: to create something that could allow them to live the lives they longed for—a way to experience mortality again without losing their essence. It wasn’t easy. The forces he was dealing with were beyond complex, even for him. But Harry’s intellect, honed through endless years of learning, eventually overcame every obstacle.

As Harry led Hela to the lab, he could feel the tension in the air. Hela had no idea what he had been working on for centuries, and now it was time to reveal the results. The lab was filled with glowing vats and strange devices, all powered by intricate magic and technology. Hela’s eyes scanned the room, and she froze when she saw them—rows of lifelike clones of Harry and herself, floating in various cloning pods. It was eerie, seeing herself like that, stripped of power and reduced to an ordinary human being.

She turned to Harry, confused, her brow furrowed. “What… what is all this?” she asked, her voice unsure for the first time in a long while.

Harry walked her over to the two massive coffin-like structures, inscribed with magical runes that shimmered with energy. He could see her growing curiosity, but also a hint of unease. He knew she wouldn’t fully understand until he explained. Taking a deep breath, Harry began, his voice steady.

“This,” Harry said, gesturing to the coffins, “is my solution. They’re called Reincarnation Coffins. Inside, they hold the key to living the life we’ve both longed for.”

Hela’s gaze flickered back to the clones. “Clones of us?”

Harry nodded. “Yes, they’re identical to us in appearance but without our powers. Just regular human bodies, devoid of the strength or magic we wield. In these clones, we can experience life as mortals, in any dimension we choose. We’ll control them, our consciousness transferred completely into these bodies through the Reincarnation Coffins. When we enter, we lose all sense of our immortality, all our power, and become one with these new bodies. It will feel real, Hela, as though we are truly living those lives.”

Hela’s eyes widened in surprise, her lips curling into a curious smile. “But… won’t we be altering timelines? Creating more paradoxes like before?”

Harry shook his head, a glint of pride in his eyes. “No, that’s the beauty of it. Because our true bodies remain here, within the Dark Dimension, we don’t interfere with the natural flow of time. The clones are powerless. They can live and die like normal people, and when they die, we regain consciousness here. We won’t disrupt the universes or cause any rifts. We’ll simply… live.”

For a long moment, Hela stood silent, her mind processing Harry’s words. Then, slowly, a grin spread across her face—one of genuine excitement. “So, we could walk among people? Mingle with them, live their lives, feel their struggles, without any of the burdens of our power?”

Harry nodded. “Exactly.”

Hela took a step forward, inspecting the Reincarnation Coffins more closely, running her fingers along the runes. Her grin grew wider, her emerald eyes gleaming with excitement. “Harry, this… this is brilliant. It’s exactly what I’ve wanted. A way to escape this endless cycle of power and destruction. To live like a mortal, if only for a little while.”

Harry smiled, relieved to see her so excited. He had been unsure of how she would react, but this was the response he had hoped for. “I knew you’d love it,” he said softly. “We can send these clones to any dimension we want. You can experience anything—new lives, new people, everything you’ve missed. And we won’t be bound by the rules of immortality.”

Hela’s mind raced with the possibilities. A normal life—something she had never truly known. To walk among people, not as a goddess or a conqueror, but as someone ordinary, someone free from the burdens of power. It was exhilarating. She turned to Harry, her expression filled with joy and something else, something softer.

“You’ve done it, Harry,” she said, her voice full of admiration. “You’ve found a way for us to live again.”

Hela raised her brow, staring at Harry, curious about the final detail. "But if we lose consciousness the moment we enter these coffins, how exactly are we going to send the clones into the multiverse? How will they know where to go?"

Harry, who had initially been caught off guard by the question, paused. He had spent centuries perfecting this project but hadn’t considered the logistics of sending their powerless clones to different dimensions. Yet, inspiration struck quickly, drawn from something deeply familiar to him.

"I know how to handle that," Harry said with a confident smile. "It’s something from my past... the Veil of Death."

Hela narrowed her eyes in intrigue. “The what?”

Harry led her to another corner of the lab, where a new project was forming—a swirling, shimmering portal that looked almost like a mirror, but with a transparent cloak of light constantly shifting across it. This was the Veil he had crafted, modeled after the one from the wizarding world.

“This portal," Harry explained, "will act as a gateway, a random dimension-hopping mechanism. I’ve inscribed it with countless runes, charms, and magical algorithms. It’s linked to the infinite multiverse. Every three minutes, its destination changes to a completely different dimension. It’s constantly in flux—an ever-changing portal that leads to countless different worlds.”

Hela moved closer, fascinated by the shimmering portal. “So... when the clones step through, they’ll be transported randomly to a different universe?”

Harry nodded. “Exactly. Once we lose consciousness in the Reincarnation Coffins, the clones can pass through this portal, and from there, they’re sent to a random dimension. It’s a one-way ticket—no coming back here, no interfering with this planet or the Dark Dimension. We’ll just live out our lives in those dimensions, as ordinary people. And the clones, without powers, will blend right in. No timeline disruptions, no paradoxes. It’s all set.”

Hela’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “That’s... genius, Harry. We can experience infinite lives, infinite realities, without the weight of our power.”

Harry smiled at her excitement. “I’ve made sure that it’s foolproof. Once we enter the Reincarnation Coffins, the clones can sent themselves to random worlds, living those lives, and we’ll only regain consciousness once the clones die.”

Harry and Hela stood before the platform where their teenage clones rested, the air thick with anticipation. The clones were younger versions of themselves—fifteen years old, carefully crafted to blend seamlessly into whatever world awaited them. Harry had painstakingly inscribed runes around the platform to ensure their consciousness would transfer seamlessly, and it was time to test it out.

Both of them had already placed the small, enchanted stones inside the clones’ brains. These stones would synchronize their thoughts, feelings, and perceptions between their original bodies and the clones, creating a full immersion. As Harry and Hela stepped into their respective Reincarnation Coffins, it was like flipping a switch.

In an instant, they were awake—only this time, they found themselves in new, teenage bodies. Harry blinked, looking down at his hands, now smaller, less powerful, but still familiar. Across from him, Hela stood in shock, staring at her hands with wide eyes.

“How do you feel?” Harry asked, his voice steady but filled with curiosity.

Hela looked up, flexing her fingers. "Weak," she admitted, the power she had been so accustomed to was gone, and with it, the invulnerability she had lived with for millennia. Her voice, though lacking in its usual strength, carried something else: excitement. “It feels... different.”

Harry gave her a wry smile. “Excited to go on our own adventure now?”

But Hela had other thoughts. "We should prepare first. We don’t know what kind of world we’ll be entering. We need provisions—food, weapons, something to keep us going in case things aren’t easy out there."

Harry nodded. It was a good point, and though they wanted to live like ordinary people, they still needed basic survival tools. Heading to the treasury room they had built over the years, Harry retrieved a magical pouch—a bottomless bag that even non-magical beings could use without difficulty. Together, they started filling it with the essentials: enough food and water to last them through initial uncertainty, clothes that fit their new teenage forms, a few simple weapons for protection, and some gold in case they landed in a world where money was needed.

Hela eyed the shelves filled with more powerful items—serums that could give them their abilities back, artifacts that would grant them immense power—but she turned away. “No,” she said quietly. “We’re doing this the right way. No powers.”

Harry smiled, admiring her resolve. “Just two regular teenagers then, starting from scratch.”

They packed lightly but efficiently, ensuring they had just enough to survive without relying on their former might. As they stood before the portal, shimmering and ever-changing, they took one last look at the life they were leaving behind—the isolated world they had built in the Dark Dimension, filled with memories, power, and history. But it was a life they had outgrown.

Hand in hand, Harry and Hela stepped forward, their hearts pounding with the thrill of the unknown. As they passed through the shimmering gateway, the random dimension generator sent them hurtling into an adventure beyond their imagination—an adventure where they were no longer gods or rulers but just two teenagers, ready to explore new worlds, live new lives, and rediscover what it meant to be human.