Chapter Text
Darius Deamonne’s first impression of Alador Blight was not very different from the one everyone else had. Clumsy, distracted, inept, strange even. With the difference that he was outstanding.
After Alador obtained a higher grade than him in class, for the first time in a long while, Darius saw a potential rival. That small detail sparked a faint curiosity toward the young witch.
That was how his approach began. He tried sitting beside him, trying to get to know him. Alador was always very closed off in every sense, so he was completely oblivious to his social intentions. Darius took it as a challenge. The more he was rejected, the more a voracious flame in his pride pushed him to insist.
One day they were assigned a team project. It was a research assignment meant to encourage students to exploit the capabilities of Abomination magic.
A line of students formed in front of Darius. All of them wanted to be his partner. Being one of the most talented students in class, it would be easy to get a good grade by his side. Not only that, Darius was pleasant and got along wonderfully with everyone in the classroom.
He rejected them all. Instead, he approached Alador when he noticed that, up to that point, no one had asked him to be their partner.
Alador accepted with a strange look. Almost as if he were waiting for it to be some kind of cruel joke. That day they met in one of the practice rooms.
It began tense and uncomfortable at first. They did not know what to say or how to begin whatever it was Darius was seeking in that moment. Why did he keep insisting on getting inside this witch’s head? It almost seemed as though Alador’s orbit had trapped him, refusing to let him go.
It took a simple brainstorming session for Alador to open up once he realized that, in some ways, Darius was not so different from him.
Most students were not truly passionate about their coven. They just chose what they liked without stopping to think whether they wanted to do that for the rest of their lives.
Darius, who had always been picky about order and cleanliness, held a genuine and curious fascination with his coven, one that not many understood or cared about. Alador understood it.
They both shared a great fascination with Abomination magic. They even created a spell together, experimenting with the substance. They managed to solidify it, creating rigid Abomination material as hard as rock that could become sticky again like any other. Something already seen before, but incredible to witness in witches their age.
At last, they began an uncommon friendship built on shared interests.
One thing Darius would probably never say was one of the reasons he connected so deeply with Alador. They were both nerds. He would never admit it, but Alador was the only person with whom he could be that nerdy about his fascinations without feeling judged.
On one occasion he told Alador about his fondness for sewing, a hobby he had picked up from one of his mothers. Something he did not often talk about. He even showed him a cloak he had made himself. Alador was fascinated, asked him thousands of questions, leaving Darius quite nervous.
As time passed, Darius found himself looking at Alador more than he would ever say out loud. He liked listening to him talk about demons or his new invention ideas or whatever it was he had to say. Alador had many things to say, no matter how quiet he was. He also liked looking into his eyes, or resisting the urge to touch his fluffy hair, or maybe...
Alador was not like the others. He did not care about them. He was clumsy but curious, attentive when necessary and extremely intelligent despite being underestimated. He was frank, real, unfiltered. To Darius’s eyes, he was adorable. Always lost in his own world. As their friendship grew, Darius also came to understand that Alador’s tired eyes were not only the result of his bad habits.
The day came when Alador had a panic attack at school. That day he was acting strange, more energetic, more distracted. Darius just thought he had eaten too much sugar that morning.
Finding out that his parents gave him medication to keep him under control, among other things, ignited a deep anger in the witch. It became a necessity to want to be there for Alador.
Not long after, he had no choice but to accept his feelings for the witch.
It was not easy. He wanted to deny it, to mock himself just thinking about it. But seeing Alador every morning waiting for him at the entrance only reminded him of how his chest ached. It was ridiculous and understandable at the same time. They were like two puzzle pieces.
"Darius, do you like me?" Alador asked bluntly.
After maybe almost a year, Alador, the foolish witch he was in love with, finally understood. Darius had done everything for him to understand much earlier. Words, gifts, actions. He had to learn the hard way that he needed to leave his cowardice behind if he wanted to confess his feelings. And Darius was not a coward.
The way Alador said it, so suddenly, was unexpected. He always threw him off balance.
"A-and I..."
That night he planned everything to be more than perfect. Everything went according to plan. He picked Alador up, even received an adorable gift from him. They danced together, and now he had to crown it all with his confession.
He took a deep breath, clenched his hands into fists, even smiled to hide his own panic "Yes, Alador. I like you"
The witch in front of him did not respond, to his dismay. Was it really that he did not have even a single chance with him? Would Alador never be able to return his feelings? He was about to apologize when he felt a knot in his throat and lowered his gaze, before Alador took his hand.
"I think I like you too, Darius. I don’t really know what that feels like yet, I’m still quite confused. I only know that it feels good to be with you"
What?
Was he really being reciprocated? It was far more than he had ever hoped for.
When he was about to respond, an explosion behind them shook them. Lilith began her battle against the beast Grom.
"Do you want to go see Lilith fight?" Alador agreed.
Lilith put up a fierce battle. Eda tried to help her more than once, but Raine stopped her. This was her sister’s fight. She had to do it alone.
"If she shows up again today, I swear I’ll explode"
"Dari..."
"I hate her presence so much. It’s like she has a gift for appearing exactly when I want us to be alone"
Alador fidgeted with his hands, uncomfortable. He wanted to tell him something he did not fully understand himself.
"For some reason I don’t understand, Odalia seems to be liked by my parents. I don’t know what she has, they’re always talking about her. Her family visits far too often. I know their relationship is close. I just think it’s strange"
Speaking of her, Odalia appeared at the end of the hallway. She seemed to be looking for them. Or for Alador specifically.
Every time his eyes met Odalia’s, a boiling rage rose from Darius’s chest. It was a feeling beyond annoyance. If it were up to him, he would not even allow Odalia to look at Alador.
Seeing her approach, he took the witch beside him by the hand, earning a reproachful look from Odalia.
"Hello, Alador. I’ve been looking for you everywhere. I wanted to know what time your mother’s party will start. The one only our inner circle is invited to" she said, looking directly at Darius.
Once again, he felt like he was about to explode.
"I think at eight," Alador murmured.
"And what will you wear? Maybe we can match"
"We’re running late" Darius interrupted. "And so are you. You wouldn’t want to end up in detention, Odalia"
If someone had to describe Odalia and Darius’s interactions, the first image that would come to mind would surely be a boiling sea. Neither of them could stand the other’s presence in the slightest.
On one hand, Darius detested her pedantic, narcissistic, manipulative behavior and her obsession with Alador’s attention.
Odalia, on the other hand, could not stand that someone of Darius’s class carried himself with airs of grandeur and did not understand his place. Not to mention that he had something she wanted.
The girl merely snorted and turned around, returning the way she came. The dark-haired witch tugged his partner along toward class. This day could not get any worse for Darius.
Deamonne was known for his somewhat arrogant attitude, always wanting to be the center of attention. He was charismatic, protective, proud and even a bit reserved. With all that, he also harbored, like any other boy his age, his own insecurities. Darius did not like having what he valued taken away from him. And maybe, just maybe, deep down, Odalia intimidated him.
He knew Alador’s parents would never approve of their relationship. Being a witch without a notable name, he was not looked upon kindly by the Blights. He knew that beforehand. He did not care what they thought of him, nor was he interested in proving anything. He just did not want to lose what made him happy.
Darius did not like being vulnerable. He had not always been a witch full of confidence, much less had what he had now.
Thanks to Alador, he knew what they were capable of. It did not take long for Darius to connect the dots. It was clear that Odalia was approved by the Blights to be with Alador. But why Odalia? Being of the same status, why would she want Alador over any other possible candidate? Surely she had a list of families offering their sons. Why Alador?
Was it that she needed someone she could trample over? Because he could not believe she was truly interested in Alador.
"Darius, you’ve been frowning since we saw Odalia at midday"
Alador suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts as they left school. Darius barely registered what was said.
"I’m sorry..." he sighed, letting his arm fall over the shorter witch’s shoulders to pull him close.
Alador blushed at the surprise. He still struggled to accept physical affection beyond holding hands.
"Do you want to go to the street market tomorrow?"
Odalia watched the scene from afar. It seemed ridiculous to her. She did not understand why Alador enjoyed himself with a boy like that, knowing it would not last. He should not be getting attached.
The attic walls were icy. The room, so silent. The ceiling so high it made you feel small.
Alador was used to it. He could lie on the floor and stare at the ceiling for hours.
Before that, he took advantage of his punishments to use whatever he found in the basement. That was how he discovered his passion for inventions and technology.
His parents discovered that he enjoyed his punishments in the basement, so they sent him to the attic, where he would find nothing but furniture and dust filled boxes. Nothing interesting he could use.
Those were the moments when Alador questioned whether he wanted to keep living this life. Without freedom, without choices, without agency, without meaning anything to his family. His existence was reduced to this. To being a failure at everything.
He believed he was a terrible boyfriend as well. Darius kept telling him that it did not matter what his parents thought of him or what his own mind told him. Because the voice in his head, the one that constantly pointed out everything he did wrong, was only his parents’ voice implanted in him.
Sometimes he believed it. When he proved his worth to others or created something impressive. Darius praised him, even shared his enthusiasm. Even so, nothing was ever enough for his parents.
Every time he achieved something, they said it was the bare minimum they expected of him.
Just for one second, he wanted to feel enough. Enough for his parents, for himself, or for Darius.
That was why he hated the attic. There was nothing in that pile of dust that interested him. When he did not have something to occupy his mind, negative thoughts reached him.
He told himself he should have been more careful with his inventions. If not for his carelessness, he would not have ended up there again. He had been on a bad streak that kept him away from punishments until that day.
When his parents learned of his new hobby, they told him it was a waste of time. His father wanted him to focus on business, maybe learn about investments. Alador promised he would study whatever his father wanted, with the request that they not take away what he loved.
His parents agreed, as long as he did not cause disasters. Well, Alador caused a disaster.
His mother had already had enough of enduring him constantly covered in Abomination substance, and now one of his inventions had exploded.
He was in his room testing his new tiny Abomination robot. He thought he was finally making progress in his attempt to fuse Abomination substance with machinery.
The small creature walked around his room from side to side. Alador did not notice the open door. The little robot escaped at great speed. He chased after it without intending to stop it. He was too happy to think about any potential danger.
It was not until, while trying to go down the stairs, that the small prototype fell, overheated, and caused a mess.
His mother was furious. She dragged him to the attic stairs, forcing him to climb while yelling nonstop about how miserable she was for having such a disgusting son.
The words did not have enough impact to break him in any way.
"Alador, come down"
It was not a good sign that his father was calling him. Almost always it was a servant who came to get him and take him to his room.
Knowing his father was waiting downstairs put him on edge. He even wanted to refuse.
"Alador, come down right now!"
Dragged by his own feet, Alador hurried to obey. He stood in front of his father with his gaze lowered, waiting for the yelling, the lecture, or a slap. Not what his father was about to do.
"We’ve had a lot of patience with you, Alador. I even came to think you had potential to create something that could contribute to the factory. But everything you do, everything that comes from you, is nothing but pathetic"
He grabbed the boy by the shoulder, forcing him to follow. Alador did not understand why he took him to his room until he entered and his eyes widened.
All his inventions, all his tools were gone.
"This nonsense is over... Almost forgot this"
He yanked Alador’s protective goggles, the ones he always wore because they were a gift from Darius.
"No!"
He pulled on the goggles at the same time as his father. That was when he realized what he was doing.
Alador rarely reacted to his parents’ abuse. His father could not even remember a time when he had. His father looked at him almost in disbelief. Anger was what quelled that disbelief.
The young witch held the goggles with trembling hands. He was aware of what this would bring. But his father had already taken something he loved. This was all he had left.
"You dare defy me! Who in Titan’s name do you think you are to go against my word? I don’t even know where you got this trash!"
No matter how hard he tried to pull, Alador did not let go of the goggles.
"It was a gift! An important gift to me! Please, let me keep them, father!"
His father grabbed him, shoving him hard backward. Alador let go of the goggles. As he tried to get up, he saw his father throw them to the floor and crush them in front of him with his heavy boot.
"As I said... trash"
His father left once a servant approached to collect the remains of the goggles, making sure Alador did not take even a shard of glass.
The small witch stayed lying on the floor of the hallway outside his room, sobbing. He curled into himself, gasping as he tried to breathe, the air refusing to reach his lungs. He even grabbed his own hair, pulling at it without knowing why, wishing he could be anyone but himself.
Something in Darius told him things were not right that night. Something felt wrong. He tried to go to sleep without much success, tossing from side to side. Just when he thought he was finally drifting off, a small noise at his window almost made him fall out of bed.
When he turned, he found Alador on his balcony. He did not look well at all.
The dark-haired witch ran to open for him, letting him into the room to shield him from the cold night air.
"Holy Titan, Alador, it’s midnight. What are you doing here?"
Alador did not answer, nor did he look at him. Without a word, he collapsed into him. Darius, without thinking, caught him, hugged him, and guided him to the bed. Alador sobbed quietly for several minutes until he managed to calm down.
Once he had composed himself, he told him what had happened. How his father took everything from him and forbade him from making inventions again.
"I really thought that… that I would do something that would make him see I’m not a failure, but I ruined everything, Darius"
"No, that’s not true. No one becomes an expert at something without failing. You’ve helped so many people with your inventions. Your parents are idiots if they don’t see how incredible you are"
Darius held him, wiping away the damp traces left on his cheeks, letting Alador calm down.
"One day everyone will see what I see in you. An incredible warlock. And you’ll understand that you don’t have to prove anything to anyone, only to yourself"
Darius offered Alador to stay the night, just to make sure he was better. The witch accepted. He snuggled up beside Darius, a little embarrassed. He slept like he had not slept in a long time. The mansion, no matter where he went, was cold. No matter how bundled up he was, he would still feel it. His boyfriend’s house was not like that. It was filled with a warmth that wrapped around his heart.
He returned the next morning before the sun rose.
Darius suggested that he could use his own room as an improvised workshop the following Monday when they met at school. He also gave him another pair of goggles, which nearly made Alador cry in the middle of the cafeteria.
Things between them continued splendidly. They became outstanding witches, always competing for the best grade or helping each other with their respective spells.
They both gave a demonstration at the last coven convention, being praised by the then leader of the Abomination coven, encouraging them to apply to the main coven when they took the trials. They also shared their first awkward kiss on a date. Darius thought Alador would short-circuit at any moment.
Days were like the wind. Some were torrents full of chaos for one or the other. Some days were a simple refreshing breeze that pushed them toward tomorrow.
"When will you finally understand the inevitable, Deamonne?" Odalia called to him from the other side of the hallway.
Darius had just put a couple of books in his locker. He did not notice Odalia entering the corridor until it was too late to avoid her.
"You know the Blights don’t accept you being close to their son. Why do you insist? Eventually they’ll separate him from you, or maybe Alador will realize he deserves something better."
Darius turned toward her, clearly unhappy. Lately he had learned that to get under Odalia’s skin, he only had to ignore her. It was easy, until she threw out that possible future he refused to think about, which made him lose his composure.
"Whatever happens between us is none of your business, Odalia"
"Oh, but it is. The day your fairy tale comes crashing down, I’ll be in the front row"
"And what? What do you want to gain from all this? I don’t understand, Odalia. What is your goal in all this?"
"I don’t explain my interests to low class people, you know? It’s in very poor taste" He walked in his direction, wearing that arrogant smile "Listen to me very carefully, Deamonne. Leave while you still can and stop getting in the way"
If it hadn’t been for the principal walking down the hallway on one of his usual rounds, he would not have stopped