And that's a wrap! We cannot thank you all enough for the support you've given this project through it all—expect all remaining orders to be sent by Tuesday Oct 8th!
To think that in a matter of months his children would become so strong, not only using the magic tracks he and Odalia had assigned to them at birth, but also other types that he'd never even considered before.
He was proud of them. So very proud. He could only hope it wasn't too late for them to know that.
“Alador Blight basking in the sunlight? Never thought I'd see the day.”
This is a story I wrote for The Owl House Grimoire about a year ago, so forgive me if the writing is a bit rusty.
I wanted to focus on the relationship between Alador and his children—have him reflect on everything he did over the years because he followed Odalia's lead, and now he fears the ones he loves most won't accept his apologies. Thus enter Darius! With his own traumatized kinda-but-not-really adopted kid, Hunter!
Thank you to everyone for supporting this project!
“We leave at sunrise.”
Raine Whispers ended the briefing with that statement, removing their hands from the single wooden table in the room and encouraging everyone to disperse and prepare for the battle to come. And so, they did.
Everyone did, except for Alador Blight.
Alador wasn't really sure of where he should go, or what he should do, if he was being honest.
He'd already given all the information he thought would be useful regarding the Abomatons before the briefing—everything from their strengths to their weaknesses. He was also able to work alongside the Construction Coven Head a few days prior on their hideout's defense system, which was quite lacking at the time. He'd even helped in mundane tasks such as treating the injured and scouting for supplies.
The man had given everything he could for this cause. It was the least he could do after aiding the Emperor in his conquest to erase magic. Unknowingly, sure, but still assisted in some way.
Before he could think much of it, he let his feet guide him to wherever he should go next, as he left the safety of the hideout looking for some fresh air, and eventually found himself in a small field behind the abandoned building. Patches of grass that hadn't yet been affected by the Collector's magic surrounded him, and reminded the man of home.
Suddenly he heard voices which immediately put him on high alert, until he turned to see who they belonged to, and his heart couldn't help but squeeze somewhat painfully.
In the distance he could see his children, doing what could only be described as training, along with the human—Luz—and the Golden Guard—Hunter.
Edric and Emira were using their illusion magic to create multiple opponents for the others to fight, Hunter moving at high velocity as he evaded and went on the offensive when he saw an opening. Meanwhile, Luz was utilizing glyphs to amplify his daughter's attacks, which was a great strategy as multiple illusions were being erased in an instant thanks to the purple slime coming from Amity's pouch.
Alador smiled at the display.
To think that in a matter of months his children would become so strong, not only using the magic tracks he and Odalia had assigned to them at birth, but also other types that he'd never even considered before. Glyphs, Healing, Potions, Beast Keeping.
He was proud of them. So very proud. He wanted nothing more than to let them know that, and be sure that they knew it every day of their lives, and to apologize. Titan, he had so much apologizing to do.
He could only hope he wasn't too late for that.
“Alador Blight basking in the sunlight? Never thought I'd see the day.” A deep voice suddenly rang on his left side, which immediately sent the engineer into a fight or flight response as he summoned abomination slime from his pocket towards the stranger.
Before it could make contact however, another magical force interfered with a slime barrier of its own. The annoyed scowl behind the counterattack was one that Alador knew far too well. “Relax you buffoon, it's me.”
Alador must have been more tired than he initially thought. To not notice someone's presence so close to him would've been a mistake that could cost him his life, even if it was just an ally. That was probably the best word he could use to describe his and Darius' relationship: allies with a common goal. Still, that didn't mean he had to pretend to be friendly with him. “Leave me alone.”
Both men released their magic at the same time, with the brunet deciding to return to his previous task as if nothing had happened. He sat down on the patch of flora with his back turned away, yet he could already feel the indignant glare sent his way. “You know, most witches would at least have the decency to say hello. Although I suppose you've never been one for formalities.”
“I'm not in the mood, Deamonne. If something went haywire in the control room, I'll fix it once I'm back.” Alador let out a sigh as he combed a hand through his hair in annoyance. What other reason would Darius have to come and bother looking for him anyway? A moment of silence went by, and for a second he thought the other man might've actually left.
However, that option was quickly shot off the table as Alador dared to look to his side once more.
The Abomination Coven Head was still standing there, although if Alador didn't know any better, he seemed rather fidgety. His expression kept shifting from the ground the engineer was sitting on, to the view on the horizon. Seemingly making up his mind, Darius inserted a hand into his pocket and retrieved a lavender colored piece of cloth. He couldn't be serious.
“Really? A handkerchief?” Alador quipped with a hint of amusement in his voice as the other man placed the piece of fabric on the floor, and hesitantly, sat next to him.
Darius was not making eye contact, but the brunet could still see the blush tainting his cheeks. “I thought you weren't in the mood to talk. Make up your mind, hack.”
Taking that response as a small victory, Alador couldn't help but roll his eyes with a soft chuckle escaping his lips. Just like that, silence overtook the air once more as the sun began to set, leaving a beautiful glow in its wake for the duo to see.
Despite how much he hated to admit it, Darius was right. It had been far too long since Alador had taken the time to admire nature at its finest. The intricate designs in a flower's petals, the strength of a carnivorous plant while capturing its prey, the resistance of hard oak wood to the elements. It was all incredibly inspiring for an inventor such as himself.
It wasn't until Odalia convinced him to use his talents for machines instead, that he forgot how much he enjoyed experimenting with all kinds of materials in his youth.
There were plenty of things Odalia convinced him to do.
“So this is why you were so distracted during the meeting.” Darius broke the silence with a statement rather than a question, staring straight ahead and causing Alador to turn to where the other was looking.
His eyes landed once more on the young teens, who'd apparently decided to change their roleplay this time by having Luz, Amity and Hunter as the offenders, while Edric and Emira deflected. The twins were holding on surprisingly well considering they were outnumbered.
The engineer would have admired it more comfortably if he was alone. Yet alas.
“I wasn't distracted. I guess that nasty habit of sticking your nose into people's business is still going, then?” Alador replied with an unwavering gaze towards the training session.
Something similar to a snort escaped the other man's lips. “Please, an infant could tell that your mind was wandering. It also becomes my business when someone could potentially jeopardize the mission. We've spent too many resources on this for it to fail.”
“I am aware. I'm the one who was able to find the location of those resources.” Alador spared a side glance towards his companion just in time to see him roll his eyes. He carried on as if the engineer hadn't said anything at all.
“In any case, I should be grateful that my inkling was wrong. To think I thought the cause of your brain fart was something important, not your little ‘family drama.’” Darius vaguely gestured in the teen's direction with a dismissive hand.
The words he'd said, however, were anything but dismissive to Alador. A strange and impulsive feeling overtook him for a moment, causing him to turn around and face the other man with a scowl that could have terrified Emperor Belos himself. Anger caused his face to flare and his tone to rise. “My family is far more important to me than anything this rebellion stands for!”
Darius stared back at him with mouth agape, and it was only then that the brunet realized what he'd said. His own eyes widened as he turned to look at the ground beneath him instead, refusing to look anywhere else.
He shouldn't be dumping his problems on others. Especially on Darius of all people.
As for the Coven Head, he seemed to be fidgeting in that awkward way from earlier, playing with the hem of his gloves and tapping one foot quietly. His voice wavered for a moment. “I… I didn't mean to imply-”
“Don't. Just forget it. I don't need your pity.” Alador's voice mumbled firmly. If there was still any dignity left for him to defend, he didn't know. But he definitely wouldn't give the other man the satisfaction to see him like this.
Like the failure that he was.
“I… I know it's not exactly the same. But I can somewhat understand what you're feeling, Blight.” Darius didn't back off, because of course he wouldn't, and instead replied with that statement while trying to meet the engineer's gaze.
However, the words that were spoken served as more fuel to his rage, in which Alador scoffed and lifted his head to look at his old friend with furrowed eyebrows. He reached forward and took hold of Darius' collar with all the strength he had left. It wasn't much. “Understand? You're the last person who could understand what I'm feeling right now! I know I wasn't a good husband— Titan knows I wasn't a good father, either! But for you to be rubbing it in my face like that-!”
“Oh shut up and listen for once, you idiot!” Darius raised his voice in return and went to try and remove Alador's grip from his neck, eyes filled with anger of his own. “You really think I couldn't possibly understand?! The constant feeling of regret because you could've done more and yet you didn't?! Always wanting what's best for them, only to realize too late that what you thought was best wasn't enough!”
Alador's eyes widened at the sudden lashing of rage, but even more so at the words coming from Darius' lips. “How do you know that?”
Seeming to have realized what he'd said as well, the man pulled away from the brunet's grasp and turned elsewhere with an unreadable expression. Following his line of sight, Alador found himself even more confused.
They were staring at the kids in the distance once more, this time seemingly taking a break as they remained sitting down and exchanging drinks. Light banter and laughter could be heard, and the brunet had to admit that it was a lovely sight. But following Darius' gaze more closely, it almost seemed like he was looking at…
“The Golden Guard?” The question left his lips before he could stop it, but the way the other man's shoulders seemed to tense up in response was enough of an answer. It was perhaps against his better judgment, but he was intrigued. “Did you talk to him much when you were in the Emperor's Coven?”
Taking a deep breath, Darius proceeded to pinch the bridge of his nose as he let out a shaky sigh. “Only for official business. It wasn't just me— everyone just talked to him when needed or if they wanted to relay something to Belos. Completely unfazed by the fact that they were talking to a literal child.”
With a quick clench of his fists, Darius turned his attention to the sky above. The red and orange hues signaling the arrival of nightfall were breathtaking, but Alador could tell that the other man wasn't looking at that. His stare was long and far beyond anything the engineer could imagine, and if he was being honest, it almost looked as if there were tears in his eyes.
“After the previous Golden Guard disappeared, I grew curious.” Darius continued his tale, this time with a hint of what could only be described as melancholy in his voice. “By the time I found out the truth, Hunter had already been chosen as the next. I knew what that man was doing to him. I saw it every day, and I did nothing to stop it.”
A choked laugh went past the Coven Head's lips as he shook his head in disbelief. “I thought… as long as I was there, I could protect him if things got out of hand. And look how that turned out…”
Silence fell between them, and for the first time in his life, Alador didn't know how to fix it. The way the other man expressed himself and spoke about the blond boy was something the inventor never thought he'd see, and yet here he was, looking at a man who didn't seem like a Coven Head and instead resembled his old friend from many years ago.
A man who found something much more valuable than his pride.
A man very much like himself.
Before he could stop himself, the brunet reached into his left pocket and retrieved a folded piece of paper, which he wordlessly handed over to Darius sitting next to him.
He merely blinked as he stared at Alador's hand. “What is that?”
“Just take it.” He encouraged once more with his arm, and finally felt the other grab it after a few more moments of hesitation. After hearing the rustling from the paper being unfolded, Alador closed his eyes with a sigh.
Once he'd reunited with his children and learned of Amity's travels in the Human Realm, he was surprised with a gift from his youngest daughter in the form of that same piece of paper that Darius was holding.
It was a family portrait.
His dear Mittens wasn't the most artistically inclined, but he could tell that she'd done her best with what she had. Smiling versions of himself and the twins were staring back at him from the crinkly paper, and the way Amity excitedly talked about where she'd been and everything she'd seen just melted his heart on the spot.
Even now, thinking back on the purpose of the drawing was enough to get him choked up. “When the children were trapped in the Human Realm, they drew pictures of their families to give them the strength needed to not give up hope. Amity gave it to me once we found each other.”
Turning his attention to the sky, he carried on, finally allowing himself to let it all out. “My daughter spent months trying to find a way home to us. To me. Her poor excuse of a father who didn't dare stand up for her because he was too afraid of her mother, and left her to fend for herself. I could've stopped it— I could've stood up to Odalia sooner, but I didn't! And yet,” he raised his head to look at the smiling girl on the horizon, “she's still willing to forgive me. Titan knows why…”
These thoughts had plagued his mind for a while now, but he'd been dismissive of them and focused on his inventions instead, trying to avoid confrontation while convincing himself that it was all for a better cause. In reality, he was running away.
But he didn't want to run anymore. Not ever again.
“For what it's worth… they seem much happier. It doesn't make up for what you did, but I think it's a start.” Darius handed the family portrait back to its owner with the ghost of a smile. “All we can do is try harder.”
“And hope we get it right this time.” Alador found himself concurring with the statement, returning the friendly gesture as he held the poor picture of the people he loved the most in his hands. He couldn't help but chuckle. “Never in a million years did I think you'd be giving me parental advice.”
As quickly as it came, any hint of sympathy for the engineer was wiped off Darius' face as he turned to look ahead once more. “Well, don't get used to it. I just need you in top form if we're gonna pull this whole stunt off.”
“Oh of course, whatever you say…”
“Dad?”
Amity's voice resonated in Alador's ears, bringing an instant smile to his face as he turned to face the teens walking towards them. He quickly stood from the ground to receive them. “Kids! Nice training session! You're getting better every day!”
Emira sheepishly cocked her head to the side, the others only falling behind her by a few steps. “Wait, you saw all of that? Sheesh dad, how long have you been spying on us?”
“It's not like that, I-”
“We noticed you were missing from the rest of the group and came looking for you. It's getting late, so you shouldn't be wandering around by yourselves.” Darius quickly made himself known as he injected into the conversation, sparing Alador of any embarrassment. He'd have to thank him for that later.
“Please, we can handle ourselves just fine! We've been to the Human Realm, which for your information, is in fact very dangerous.” Hunter joined in as he glanced at Darius with skepticism.
“Oh I'm sure that you can, Little Prince! It was actually so nice of you to let the Blight kids overpower you like that! Give them the confidence they need by taking down an elite~” Ruffling the boy's hair affectionately, Hunter began squirming and swatting away with a blush decorating his features, complaining for the older man to cut it out.
As he looked around the laughing group, Alador couldn't help but sigh in content.
There was no telling what the battle to come would bring. But if there was one thing for certain, it was that no matter what, he wouldn't be going at it alone.
Not the same little witches as usual but little witches all the same!
Comic made for the amazing project @tohgrimoire! Everything turned out great and it was fun working with so many characters in such a small story. Hope you all enjoy it!
Plus, you can still catch some leftovers of this amazing zine! I got my bundle a few days ago and I'm ASTOUNDED at everything, it's all sooo beautiful. If you couldn't get a preorder in, now's your chance!
I can finally post my Grimoire Zine Art Wohoo!! I drew the C.A.T.S 🐈⬛ (And the Principal Bump tarot card)
I would like to highlight that this is one of the coolest projects I’ve ever had the privilege to be part of! Big thanks to the Mods ✨🦉
You can now get some leftover merch on their website: Grimoire Bundles
TOH has a special place in my heart and it was so fun to create something for it alongside many amazing artists & writers. 🤍🐍 I only started to apply for zines in 2022 because of the fandom. And it’s nice to have such a neat entryway into the whole concept behind it. I hope everyone who bought one of the bundles enjoys the book and/or merch as much as I do! :D
we can FINALLY post our pieces for the @tohgrimoire zine!!! i wrote a fic about luz and her family visiting her father's grave. it's a tragic but healing time for all of them.
thank you so much to @astrolavas for drawing the devastating spot art and the zine's writing mod @taruchinator for helping with beta reading!!! all the zine contributors and mods were so sweet and encouraging. i'm so grateful that i got to be a part of this project! thank you to everyone for all the support!!!!!! 🦉💕
“Everyone wants to believe that they are ‘chosen’. But if we all waited around for a prophecy to make us special, we'd die waiting. That's why you need to choose yourself...”
Just like YOU need to choose to set an alarm for leftovers opening on Sep. 12th 11:59 EST! Very limited quantities waiting for you! ^^
Got my full merch bundle for @tohgrimoire in the mail today, and it’s gorgeous. The book is an incredibly well-produced hardcover, the pins and charms and music boxes (!) are spectacular, and the standee (with multiple layers) is beautiful.
