William

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	William Charles (威廉)
Alias(es)	William Xia Ya 1044
Species/Race	Human; later an Information Life-form known as a Knowledge Demon 1041
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Hunter Bar; later associated with the Invisible Cult and used by Life Bank as its trump card 254 1041
Occupation/Role	Hunter Bar waiter and Beyonder-facing manager; Tower-path Beyonder; infiltrator and information manipulator 254 269 482
Status	Active; pledged to rebuild a mortal kingdom devoted to Aaron and await his return 1044
First Appearance	Chapter 242

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
First Primordial — Scholar / Servant of Wisdom	269	The Scholar stage grants heightened mental agility and concentration rather than physical enhancement; William uses practical spells and rituals learned from Aaron. 269
Second Primordial	367	William identifies himself as only a Second Primordial while preparing to seek knowledge for his next advancement. 367
Sage	482	By this point, William can wield knowledge as a tangible force, turn himself into information, and use knowledge-based effects for infiltration and combat. 481 482
Ninth Primordial — Knowledge Demon / Imprint Bearer	1041	Revealed as an Information Life-form and Life Bank's trump card; his control of information and data surpasses the comprehension of Life Bank's thirteen princes. 1041

Background

William was the final surviving member of a declining family descended from the ancient Sothos bloodline through Xia Ya. After his parents died, he sold the family property in Lane County, moved to Plymouth, enrolled in grammar school, and pursued ancient languages to decipher the Secret Lore inherited by his family. 242 251 253

His family’s decline was not natural. The organization known as Blood of Decay hunted Sothos’s direct descendants, eventually tracking William to Plymouth through the Blood Robe Club. 253 262

Appearance

William is initially described as a pale young man with a faint purple tinge in his pupils, a trait connected to his Sothos bloodline. 253 254

• His Sage transformation covers him in crawling symbols of knowledge and allows his body to distort into a stream of information. 481
• While infiltrating the Knowledge Temple, he conceals black runes beneath his skin and restores his eyes to normal. 482
• Aaron’s Light of Redemption later purges his corruption, changing his monstrous information-state appearance back into that of an ordinary young man. 1041

Personality

William begins as anxious, exhausted, and acutely aware of his own weakness in the mysterious world. Aaron’s interrogation shatters his confidence in his supposed resilience, while his first encounters with the Blood Robe Club teach him to value survival above bravado. 252 264

Despite this fearfulness, he chooses to remain in Plymouth and confront the force behind his parents’ deaths rather than flee. He grows into a cautious and capable operator, repeatedly relying on preparation, divination, stolen intelligence, disguises, and Bran’s assistance rather than direct confrontation. 253 367 479 481

William remains susceptible to manipulation by stronger powers. Aaron openly treats him as bait and a useful subordinate, yet William ultimately accepts Aaron’s protection, knowledge, and authority as necessary for his survival and revenge. 253 318 367

Abilities & Skills

Tower Pathway

William’s initial Scholar stage sharpens his mind and capacity for study, enabling him to learn rituals and practical spells despite lacking combat-oriented physical abilities. 269

• Performs rituals and minor mystical tricks learned from Aaron. 269
• Uses knowledge-based illusions, including projecting the experiences contained within Knight Don's Road to Conquest. 366
• His early Scholar abilities do not grant exceptional physique or direct combat power. 269

Sage Abilities

As a Sage, William can treat knowledge as a manipulable and weaponized substance. 479 482

• Copies knowledge of patrol routes and a building’s internal structure from targets’ minds with Book Thief talismans. 479
• Produces tiny dream-inducing insects by reciting research on sleep and dreams, incapacitating Knowledge Temple guards without killing them. 482
• Transforms himself into a stream of information and knowledge for infiltration. 481
• Resists a bewitching book by recognizing its attempt to alter his judgment. 482

Divination and Interpretation

William learns coffee divination under Aaron’s instruction and becomes capable of interpreting layered symbolic meanings. 267

• Interprets a snake-shaped coffee pattern as a sign of death and healing. 267
• Uses divination-related precautions to reduce the risk of being traced. 378
• Remains dependent on stronger protection when facing high-level diviners or prophecy. 378 379

Information Life-form

After reaching the Ninth Primordial, William becomes a Knowledge Demon capable of manipulating information and data on a vast scale. 1041

• Moves through Life Bank’s systems and retrieves information directly from its database. 1041
• Leaves Imprints on Life Bank’s princes and can threaten them through those marks. 1041
• Suffers from madness and pollution when severed from Raven’s protection. 1041

Equipment / Items

• As the Wise Freud Said — William’s inherited Secret Lore and the reason he originally came to Plymouth. 242 252
• Book Thief Talismans — Two talismans crafted with Bran to steal targets’ knowledge of patrol routes and the Knowledge Temple’s layout. 479
• Roberts’s Magic Insect Box — Entrusted to William by Aaron to protect Aaron’s body during a Spirit Realm operation. 277
• Rational Amulet — A protective talisman William uses up to avoid divination and purge contamination. 378 379

Relationships

• Aaron Sothoth / Aaron Potter — Employer, protector, interrogator, and patron. Aaron uses William as bait against Blood of Decay, trains him in divination, shields him from divination, and later redeems him from madness. 253 267 379 1041
• Bran — White Tower Raven companion. Bran provides intelligence, Spirit Realm knowledge, and infiltration support, while William is frequently exasperated by Bran’s thefts and chatter. 333 367 474 481
• Balkin — Hunter Bar manager who drugs William on Aaron’s orders, setting up Aaron’s interrogation of him. 252 254
• Isabet — Hunter Bar colleague for whom William develops concern; her death drives him to investigate the Church of the Holy Spirit on Mary Street. 254 267 269
• Blood of Decay — William’s family’s hereditary enemy and the force pursuing Sothos bloodline descendants. 253 262
• Life Bank Princes — Later imprison and exploit William while ostensibly helping him resist madness; William resents their greed. 1041

Story Role / Major Arcs

Plymouth and Hunter Bar

William arrives in Plymouth to decipher his inherited Secret Lore, only to discover that Hunter Bar—where he works—is an entrance to the Black Queen District. Aaron interrogates him with the Crying Blade, confirms his Sothos heritage, and offers him a choice between fleeing or becoming bait for the force hunting him. William chooses to stay. 242 252 253

Aaron subsequently assigns him to manage the bar’s Beyonder-facing business and deliver potions, effectively making William the establishment’s public “signboard.” 254

Blood of Decay Investigation

William survives an ambush by Quentin, a Blood of Decay hunter interested in consuming Sothos blood. Aaron secretly rescues him, confirming that his employer’s protection is real but far from unconditional. 261 264

After Isabet’s death, William uses his Scholar abilities to interrogate a witness, uncovering the Church of the Holy Spirit’s connection to a sacrificial conspiracy. 267 269

Raven Companion and Tower Advancement

After the Desire Spirit Sect’s collapse, William gains Bran as a Spirit Realm companion. The two investigate threats in Plymouth, though William repeatedly insists that he lacks the power to confront major enemies directly. 333 367

Aaron later offers William protection and the Secret Lore needed for further advancement in exchange for allegiance. William accepts, recognizing himself as a piece in Aaron’s larger plans. 367 318

Knowledge Temple Infiltration

With Bran’s help and stolen patrol intelligence, William infiltrates the Knowledge Temple disguised as a night watchman. He bypasses the temple’s defenses, puts guards to sleep through manifested knowledge, answers the sphinx gate’s riddle, and resists a bewitching book in the underground prison. 479 481 482

Knowledge Demon and Life Bank

By the time of Life Bank’s conflict with Aaron, William has become a Ninth Primordial Knowledge Demon and its most dangerous asset. Pollution leaves him unstable, but Aaron’s Light of Redemption cures his madness and restores his loyalty. 1041

After learning that a greater existence manipulated him as a key in a plot against Aaron, William receives Aaron’s final message and resolves to rebuild a kingdom in the Mortal World that awaits his lord’s return. 1044

Notable Quotes

“I choose... to stay!” 253

“My lord... I will rebuild on earth a kingdom that believes in You, and devoutly await Your return!” 1044

Trivia

• William originally considers himself “made of iron,” but Aaron’s use of the Crying Blade convinces him that his apparent toughness was an illusion. 252
• He often wears a brown round-topped hat that Bran uses as a hiding place. 333
• William’s first response to becoming involved in the mysterious world is not excitement but the conclusion: “cherish life, stay away from the mysterious.” 264