Edric sighed as he gazed down at the town below. He and Amity were currently in one of the Blight family's flying machines. Personally Edric would have preferred to walk to Willow's house. He didn't think it was that far. Then again, he was used to having significantly longer legs than he currently did. And he couldn't say he disliked this view. It was nice to see a completely intact Bonesborough again. Well mostly intact. It only had the normal amount of property damage that you'd typically expect from any town in the Boiling Isles.
What bothered Edric was less the flying machine itself, and more the abomination piloting it. He still wasn't quite sure if he was a 17 year old in a child's body, a 7 year old with a decade of future knowledge, or something in between. That was an existential line of questioning that he might never have a definitive answer for. What he did know was that he absolutely did not need a babysitter. Especially not an abomination babysitter. He had survived for almost a year in what was essentially a post-apocalyptic world. He could handle taking his little sister to her friend's house without an abomination breathing over his shoulder.
Of course, he understood that there was no way for Alador to have known that. On some level it was probably a good sign that his parents didn't allow their six and seven year old children to walk through a town like Bonesborough on their own. That said it was definitely going to be one of the more irritating aspects of reliving his childhood. The silver lining of course, was that most of Alador's abominations were almost as distractible as their creator. So if Edric really needed some alone time it wouldn't be particularly hard to get away from them. He vaguely remembered Amity doing just that so she could attend the Bonesborough Brawl. That wasn't really the best example since the abomination in question had returned too soon, but that was probably because she hadn't given it a hard enough fetch quest.
Speaking of Amity, she was being oddly quiet. When they'd first left the dining room his sister had almost immediately started rapidly looping between thanking her brother for his help and bombarding him with questions about his sudden proficiency with Abomination magic. He simply told her that he'd been practicing Abomination magic on his own for a while (this morning) and was already thinking about switching into the Abomination Track. He'd managed to deflect most of her follow up questions with quips about magicians and secrets. At first Amity seemed intent on getting more details out of her brother, but as soon as they boarded the airship she'd gone silent with a nervous look on her face.
Edric knew for a fact that her nervousness had nothing to do with the flying machine itself. Amity had always loved riding these things. Normally she'd be enjoying this view far more than he was. Hell, she was only four years old when she first started begging their dad to teach her to pilot one of these things. The man had promised to do so when she was older but Edric didn't think he ever got around to it.
Amity was probably just nervous about how her apology to Willow would go. Personally Edric didn't think she had anything to worry about. He'd seen the two girls make up after years of bad blood. In comparison a week of hurt feelings was nothing. Of course he couldn't actually say anything like that out loud so he kept his silence. He decided to occupy his time by going over the confrontation he'd just had with their parents in his head.
Honestly, while the talk hadn't been entirely stress free, it had gone a lot better than he'd been expecting. His mother had still been difficult to say the least, but she wasn't nearly as unreasonable as he remembered her being. Then again, considering how badly his last encounter with her had gone, perhaps that was only natural.
His dad's interference was also a bit surprising. Not that Edric wasn't grateful for it. He was pretty sure he could have handled the situation without help, but it probably would've involved more concessions on his part. Instead he'd managed to get everything he'd wanted in exchange for almost nothing. He had already been considering switching out of the illusion track so that part wasn't a major issue. And while becoming the top student of his generation shortly after switching tracks would be a daunting task for a normal 7 year old, it should be childsplay for him. Even with his reduced capabilities he had no intention of being outpaced by normal children.
The only thing he'd really given up in exchange for his sisters' freedom was the option of joining the Beast Keeping Track instead of the Abomination one. He definitely planned on focusing a bit more on abomination magic since he had more practical experience with it, but he didn't think he'd be able to compete with Belos or even his stronger followers while restricting himself to just one branch of magic. He hadn't really had time to consider in detail which track would better suit his goals, but he didn't think it would make that much difference either way. He was already going to have to do most of his serious training independently anyway. Both tracks had pros and cons, and honestly the worst part of being locked into the Abomination Track was that he'd probably have to deal with Professor Hermonculus on a regular basis.
Edric didn't exactly hate the man, but it was well known that he was one of the most frustrating teachers at Hexside. He was certainly passionate about his job, which was nice, but he had a penchant for doing things like intentionally turning his students against each other in order to motivate them. It was a kind of teaching style that Edric couldn't really agree with on any level. But, on the plus side, Hermonculus was also known for being very biased in favor of his top students. Maybe Edric could use that to his advantage somehow. Plus it's not like he remembered much about the Beast Keeping teachers. He didn't have much time to experience life as a multitrack student before the school got attacked by the Illusion Coven Head. At least with Hermonculus he had a decent idea of what to expect.
He was definitely going to miss being under Miss Jenkinmeyer's authority though. She was largely considered the most lenient teacher at Hexside, and one of the main reasons the twins had managed to get away with as much as they did. She'd even turn a blind eye to students outright skipping class once in a while so long as they left a convincing enough clone behind. Though she did occasionally put her foot down if someone took advantage of her leniency too often. Sadly, he had first hand experience with that.
"Edric," Amity said softly, interrupting her brother's random train of thought. "Do you think Willow will forgive me?"
"Of course." Edric replied confidently and without hesitation. "You two are best friends. If you apologize sincerely and explain what happened then I'm sure she'll forgive you."
"But I told her that I didn't want to be friends anymore. I called her a weakling, made her cry, and then I spent my birthday with the girls who have been picking on her for months. And I know they've been picking on her even more since then. I need to think of some way to make it up to her. Do you think I could put off the apology until after that?"
"You don't need some grand gesture or anything like that Amity. You just need to have an honest conversation and apologize for hurting Willow's feelings. I'm sure Willow will understand."
"Mom says apologies are meaningless. Actions are the only thing that have actual substance."
"And how many friends does mom have, Amity? I'll give you a hint. It's not a multiple of one..."
For a moment Amity stared at him blankly and Edric thought he'd gotten his point across. "What's a multiple?" she asked, confused.
"It's weird knowing more math than you," Edric muttered under his breath. "Nevermind that. I'll admit, there is some truth to the phrase 'actions speak louder than words.' But what you need to understand is that sometimes talking to someone is an action too. Words can be empty sometimes, but other times they can carry a lot of weight."
As Edric tried to explain his point to Amity he found his mind wandering to a couple of conversations he'd had with his mentors. They hadn't just taught him about magic and survival after all. They had many conversations about life as well. And being survivors of the apocalypse it was only natural that their regrets would be an unfortunately common subject.
'I treated him just as badly as the other Coven Heads did, if not worse. But then I said one nice thing to the boy and suddenly he idolized me. Even more than before I mean. It was nice at first, until I realized how messed up it was. He never asked for an apology. I don't think he ever realized he deserved one. I knew he did but I kept putting it off. Didn't want to make things awkward. Now it's too late...'
'What I did to my sister was unforgivable. But I was so obsessed with fixing it that I ended up doing something even worse. I abandoned her. Left her to deal with the consequences of my pettiness and insecurity alone. There was nothing I could have done to undo my mistake, but I could've been there for her at least.'
Edric had shared his regrets with them too. He'd had a lot of them even before the world ended. And now he had a chance to fix them. In the end, he decided that the best way to explain his point to Amity was to lead by example. "I didn't get a chance to say this earlier but I want you to know that I'm sorry for picking on you so much."
"What?" Amity asked, surprised by the sudden change in topic.
"I like to joke around and I don't always think about the consequences of my words and actions. I don't think it's weird for siblings to mess with each other once in a while, but it's pretty obvious that me and Emira often went too far."
"You don't need to apologize!" Amity protested. "You were just messing around. It wasn't that big a deal. And you've already helped me so much today."
"The fact that my desire to help you was such a surprise means that it was a big deal, Amity. I never wanted you to feel like you don't have anyone on your side."
"It's not like I didn't think you cared about me at all. I just didn't think any of us could stand up to mom like that..."
"If someone hurts you then I want you to know that you can come to me for help no matter who it is. It doesn't matter if it's our parents, the Emperor, or even the Titan himself. I'll find a way to deal with them. And I'm not saying that because I feel guilty. This isn't me trying to make up for something or earn forgiveness. I just want to be there for you because you deserve to have someone there for you. And Willow deserves that too, doesn't she?"
"Yeah. You're right Ed." Amity said with a bit more confidence. "I'm sorry for trying to delay this after you worked so hard to even get me the chance to apologize."
"Don't be sorry," Edric replied. "There's nothing wrong with feeling nervous about this kind of thing. Just don't let it stop you from saying what needs to be said. When it comes down to it, people tend to regret what they didn't say, a lot more than what they did. Now, are you ready to talk to her?"
"Yes, I'm ready!" Amity declared with all the resolve a six year old could possibly muster.
"Good, cause we're here."
"What?" Amity looked around, just now realizing that their ship had landed and they were just outside the Park family's home. For a brief moment nervousness crept back into her expression, but then she steeled herself, jumped off the ship, and walked up to the door.
Amity didn't hesitate before ringing the doorbell. She couldn't pretend that she was as confident as Edric seemed to be that this would all turn out fine, but she didn't want to wait if it meant Willow would spend more time thinking her best friend hated her. Before the door opened Amity glanced back at her brother and received a reassuring smile in response. At least if things did go badly she wouldn't have to deal with it alone.
Despite coming along for moral support, Edric wasn't actually present for the apology itself. He ended up waiting with Willow's dads while she and Amity spoke privately upstairs. It was a little awkward to be honest. Edric wasn't really used to meeting people after spending almost a year with only his mentors for company. He also wasn't really sure whether seven year olds were even expected to make small talk.
That wasn't to say that Willow's parents weren't welcoming. The atmosphere was a little tense when they first arrived but it lightened considerably after Amity explained that she was there to apologize to Willow. Edric wasn't entirely sure how much Willow had told her dads about their falling out but they seemed happy that Amity had come to make amends.
They took longer than Edric had expected, but when Amity and Willow reappeared it seemed like they'd sorted things out. Edric wasn't surprised by this. He didn't blame Amity for feeling nervous, but he never really doubted that Willow would accept her apology. When it came down to it Amity had a pretty good excuse for how she'd acted, and Willow wasn't the type to hold a grudge anyway. Without the years of extra baggage they'd had in the original timeline, it was only natural that they would become friends again without much hassle.
Edric let the two play for a while before telling Amity it was time to head home. He'd love to let the girls play for longer. Seeing his little sister alive and happy was amazing. But he'd told his parents he was taking Amity to apologize, not for a playdate. He didn't really think they'd mind if the two of them stayed out a bit longer, but it was best not to test Odalia right after the deal they'd just made.
Since the girls were acting friendly with each other again, Edric had assumed things must have gone well during their time alone. But on the way home he noticed a concerned expression on Amity's face. When Edric asked if something was bothering her, Amity revealed that Willow had actually forgiven her almost immediately after she explained what happened. But then Willow got depressed over the fact that even though Amity never actually hated her for being bad at magic, their friendship still almost ended as a result of her reputation as a half witch. Amity had spent the rest of their time together trying to reassure Willow and she seemed to perk up eventually but Amity suspected that might've been for her benefit.
Edric didn't know Willow that well in the original timeline, but even he could tell that she had serious confidence issues until she switched into the Plant Track. He'd thought those issues would be fixed if she and Amity made up but now he wasn't quite sure. The easiest way to deal with them would be to get Willow to join the Plant Track early. If she realized just how much talent she had for plant magic she'd never feel like half a witch again. But Edric hesitated at the thought of making yet another change to the timeline. It hadn't even been a day yet and he'd already changed a lot. He wasn't going to disregard the idea completely, but he wanted to think it through more before deciding anything. He'd made enough impulsive decisions for one day. Amity and Willow hadn't even started at Hexside yet, so he should have plenty of time to consider his options.
In the meantime he needed to focus more on improving his strength. Giving his sister a better childhood was important to him, but it wasn't nearly as important as making sure she lived past it.
AN: I actually thought about skipping this chapter and just summarizing the events in hindsight, but I decided it was worth covering. For one thing it gave me a chance to illustrate how much of Edric's personality stems from the time he spent with Lilith, Darius, and Eberwolf. They were far more than just teachers to him. They were kind of like what Eda is to Luz. This chapter also gave me a chance to show a bit more bonding between Amity and Edric. I am going to start skipping forward more from now on though. Want to get to the actual plot sometime this century after all.
This is the first chapter I've written since the series ended. If you're curious about my thoughts from right after the finale here they are. If not feel free to skip that. Nothing really important to this story. Spoiler warning goes without saying...
It's always sad to see a great show like this end but it's nice that there wasn't really much bitter sweetness in the ending itself. I know that bitter sweet endings can be really meaningful and give a finale some extra impact, but once in a while I just want the main characters to genuinely live happily ever after without some asterisk or arbitrary goodbye. The Owl House gave us that. I mean there were traces of "The Magic Goes Away" trope with the former glyph magic no longer working but Luz can still do magic with her Palisman and even has a new glyph language to discover with King. More importantly it looks like the Collector made them a portal between worlds so there's no need for Luz or anyone else to choose between them or say any sad goodbyes. I think Flapjack was the only real casualty and I choose to believe he still exists in Hunter's mindscape and that he's having a great time exploring the happy memories his partner is making now. Also just going to assume that Hunter's new Palisman is either named Pancake or Waffles (I checked the wiki and it's Waffles).
It's amazing what the creators of this show managed to accomplish despite what happened to it. I wish we could've seen more of this world and these characters but I guess it's better to focus on what we did get. I'm not holding my breath for a continuation when we didn't even get a full final season. We'll just have to settle for fanfiction and moringmark comics. But at least all the important character arcs got fairly satisfying conclusions. Though there are some hanging plot threads that I wish the show had time to address.
I would've loved a more detailed flashback about what happened between Philip and Caleb for example. There's also the archivists. Were they ever defeated or are they still out there in the stars somewhere? I feel like the show was kind of vague about that. And for that matter are the Titans they kidnapped all dead or are some just imprisoned like the Owl Beast was.
After the second to last episode I actually theorized that the Collector's people were the ones who caused the seas and rain to start boiling in an attempt to wipe the life off this planet. Kind of a random idea but it was based on the crossed out part of the Collector's book said "But should they meddle in our affairs, we'll clean the planet and scorch the air…" I don't know if it's true or not but if the show had gotten more seasons instead of less, then helping the Collector defeat his siblings would've made a great new objective after Belos died.