In William's reasoning, only murder could cleanse Will's rotten soul and bring him salvation by turning him into the innocent slain.
William voluntarily destroys his own soul by committing a grievous sin: he kills Will, granting him atonement through a painful death and all the suffering that precedes it. Then, after death, Will's soul โ renewed and fire-cleansed โ would stand before God and receive forgiveness, while William would descend into hell.
Therefore, he sees the murder of Will as an act of self-sacrifice born of love.
There is also a belief that a murderer inherits their victim's sins. In that case, living under Willโs name and identity becomes deeply symbolic ๐ง
Also, this obsession with Will can be easily explained if you place the characters in a soulmate AU. Imagine how disappointed William would be to find out that his soulmate is the epitome of everything he hates in people. Imagine how he would freak out when this soulmate started humiliating him and denying their bond, saying that William's kindred soul is now lying under a fence and that William would be joining them soon ๐
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