Alador walked up the grassy hill and sat down. Taking a deep breath, he fidgeted with his hands and began to speak.
"Darius? Can we talk? I know you won't want to speak with me. I've been cold and bitter to you for the past 30 years, but I want you to know that I am truly sorry for all the pain I caused you." Alador breathed, trying to stop himself from breaking down.
"Odalia manipulated me into breaking off our friendship after we had started dating. Although that doesn't excuse the fact that I went through with it. I could've told her no, I could've done something!" Looking down at their hands, Alador noticed they were shaking. He tried to calm himself, with no luck.
He looked up at the sky trying to clear his mind, everything was different now. Odalia had disappeared, taking Edric and Emira with her against their will. Amity and her friends had also disappeared after going to save Luz. They were all thought to be dead.
Alador remembered when he had received the news. The broadcast had to be cut after his old friend Perry Porter had broken down in tears after realising that his own son was one of the five kids who were assumed dead.
He had heard that Eda had isolated herself from everyone after hearing about Luz and King. Even from her own family. She had lost so many people she cared about. He had passed her home a few days earlier and could hear her sobs through the hole in the door where that annoying, but intriguing owl tube once was.
He hadn't spoken to Gilbert or Harvey much, only seeing them at school meet-ups. But his heart ached for them. He wanted to talk to them now, but he doubted that they would like to speak with the man who played a part in forcing his daughter to cut ties with theirs. Causing poor Willow to feel like she was worthless for most of her life.
"I'm sorry for abandoning you, I'm sorry for hurting you. I never got that chance to tell you this, but I was the one who let Belos know about The Golden Guard mentoring you. I didn't think it would get him killed, if that was the reason he got killed. I shouldn't have opened my mouth, I never should have told him anything. I know you can't forgive me, I don't expect it. But I am sorry, Darius."
This was the moment that he couldn't hold back his tears any longer. He held his head in his hands and began to sob uncontrollably, continuing to do so for the next fifteen minutes. He had never in his life, felt so alone. It terrified him. The entire world was being destroyed around him and he had no one to face it with.
"I know we can never be friends again. I wish we could, I really do. I learned from someone very special to me that it's best to apologise to someone you hurt. Now... she's gone and so are her friends and girlfriend. And, and it's all my fault. I flew them right to Belos. I got my daughter and all her friends killed!"
Alador breathed, trying to think of Amity. His daughter, who he had promised to be better for. Who he wanted to get to know more. Who he would never get to speak to again. And Luz, the one person who made Amity happy. Alador wondered if they were able to see each other again before the inevitable happened.
No one had returned to the head of the Titan since The Day Of Unity, not like there was one to return to anyway. It had been destroyed. No one knows who had done it, but Alador heard some witches talking about seeing some sort of flying child? He was confused, but if that kid did exist, and they were the one who destroyed the head. Alador was sure he was staying as far away from them as he can.
Alador looked down at his wrist. The sigil on his arm still stung and burned like crazy. No witch had a decent amount of magic anymore, they were all weakened, so no one could be healed. Everything was going wrong, the only good thing that The Day Of Unity gave them was a world without Belos. His was the only disappearance that The Boiling Isles celebrated.
Belos. Even the name made Alador shiver. He was hurt, inside and out. He was guilt-ridden about having helped Belos hurt so many witches, by building him his own army of Ambomatons to aid him in achieving his goal of genocide. And they almost did just that.
He saw them trap everyone inside. He saw them attack Raine and capture Lilith, the bird tube and two witches Alador didn't know. He tried to stop them. But his own creations turned on him. Forcibly restraining him from stopping the others. One even destroyed the remote to shut them down. Alador was defeated, being forced to just stand and watch as the whole island was being slaughtered.
"I didn't know what I was doing. Why was I such a fool? I was an idiot! I... I was a hack. Just like you said I was. I hated you for it, but I guess you were right." Alador sighed. Years ago, he would never have dreamed of admitting Darius was right. Now it didn't seem to matter.
"I wish I'd never cut you off, Darius. Maybe we could still have a good friendship. We could have done everything we wanted to and more." Alador sighed, thinking of all the promises the two had made with each other. He remembered the day when Darius told him his dream of becoming head witch...
***
"Think about it, Al. Me, head witch of the Abomination coven! It would be so cool. I would get to work with Chase all the time! I'd get to see him everyday! We wouldn't need to hide from Belos anymore!" Darius smiled, clearly very excited, throwing a ball of Abomination matter over to Alador.
"Yes, I know you know The Golden Guard. You're so lucky." He sighed, catching the ball, using his magic to through it back.
"You should try out too! Imagine, we're both so good at abomination magic, Belos wouldn't know which one of us to choose, so he'd make both of us Head Witches!"
"That would be amazing, but I don't think that's how it works."
"I know, I know. I just wanna work alongside you forever, you know? I really like you." Darius smiled.
"Well, if you wanna work together, we've got to get our class project done. Come on!" Alador called, using his magic to make the ball of abomination matter disappear and ran off, Darius following.
***
"Darius... I promised you so much, and yet never gave you anything. I'm sorry Dari. I promised you I'd never change. Look at me now. I'm a mess. I'm sorry, Darius. I really am."
Alador watched the clouds moving through the sky, watched as the time passed before him, seconds into minutes, minutes into hours. He never knew what time of day, or night it was. Since the day of unity, both the sun and the moon had made the sky their home. For all hours of the day and night.
"Darius, I was always jealous of all of your successes. I always thought that you didn't deserve them. I always believed it should have been me who got everything you did. It should have been me who was top student. It should have been me who was mentored by The Golden Guard. It should have been me who became head witch of the Abomination Coven. Even now, at this moment..." Alador hesitated, looking over to face what he couldn't bear to look at this whole time.
In front of him stood a beautifully carved stone monument, adorned with the most marvellous of flowers. On the front, was a message engraved on the shiniest golden plate.
Here lies,
Darius Deamonne
Who courageously fought to stop The Day Of Unity, and save The Boiling Isles.
Rest In Peace
1978-2022
He placed down a bouquet of flowers made from Lilies Of The Valley and White Orchids, before walking away and whispering.
"It should have been me."
