So, you want to hear a story?
One about mystery, adventure and horror, that will make you question yourself and your virtues as a human being?
If not, too bad, I'll tell it anyway. And it starts like this...
There was a large house, a happy place where a huge family lives, known by themselves and those around them as the Loud family. It was set neatly in a quaint little town called Royal Woods. Most of them took that name to their lifestyle, but a few preferred to stay quiet.
One of them, however, uncovered an ancient mystery that would make them ask what they truly wanted in their hearts, and what someone was capable of doing to reach their desires. She was a petite, mousey little gothic girl of about 8 years old, a fan of anything dark, gloomy, or otherwise spooky. She made a deal, putting her entire family and the town close to its demise.
There were fights, and love between people was put into test. Our story begins with this family, specifically this petite, mousy goth. And her name was Lucy Loud.
Lucy was in one of her favorite places in Royal Woods - the antique shop. It contained a wide variety of different items; some had a particularly interesting history behind them, while others were simply collectibles bought out by people with their own little hobbies. Sometimes she just liked to come in to look around and see whatever was new in stock, or continue to study the objects she had already seen.
In this case, she wasn't sure what she had in mind for herself. She brought a generous amount of her allowance with her just in case something caught her eye enough.
"Looking for something, my dear?" A voice came from behind her, almost making Lucy jump like her siblings often did when she popped up behind them. She had to admit, being on the other side of the coin isn't exactly that funny. Not that she would stop doing it, though.
She whipped around to see the shopkeeper. He was a tall and lean fellow with a soft tone of voice. He wearer glasses, wearing a black shirt and trousers, followed by a dark red scarf, and a lot of rings on his fingers. "Oh, I'm not quite sure yet, Ripley. I suppose I'll just have to see if anything… piques my interest." she casually responded.
"Well, if you do, let me know. I always enjoy your visits, Lucy. They make the day not quite as annoying. Those fricks that keep making fun of me and my store... no, you understand it. I appreciate your company."
"I know that feeling all too well. My family almost never takes me seriously, always saying that I'm "too dramatic" and that "it's just a phase." she sighed. "It's sad that they don't understand these sorts of things…"
"I'm sure your family will understand as time goes on, my dear." Ripley assured. "Even if they don't enjoy the mystery and darkness, their hearts are bright, and will support you if needed."
"I sure hope so." Lucy made her way to the shelves. Said shelves were lined with an array of things like gem-encrusted goblets, dusty books said to contain spells and recipes, and intricate statues of dragons and lions and skulls, among other things. She stopped to take a look at some of them, inspecting them closely for every little detail.
"If I can make a suggestion, there's a series of new items I've acquired, that I've not exposed on the shelves. They're too precious, it's not for any customer. I may show them to you, if you wish so."
The goth turned her attention away from the dragon statue she was looking at. "That would be nice."
"Follow me." He guided Lucy to a door behind the counter, after leaving a letter outdoors telling he'd be back in a few minutes. They walked through a small corridor until they reached the second door to the left. Inside, a few items were displayed in their own individual cases.
"These items are those I found with the most… meaning and mystery behind their stories. The value of such knowledge is priceless, yet the physical object is… not something to be simply ignored." He walked around the room and beckoned her inside. "I keep them here instead, so that they may not be disturbed by those who are not worthy of acquiring them… or their power. Which, unfortunately, is most of the people that come in. They think this is just a souvenir shop. Bunch of ignorants, without appreciation to the dark arts."
"Tell me about it. The very thought of some of the people I've seen in here being allowed access to this is just... " She pinched the bridge of her nose and let out another sigh.
"Don't worry about it, my dear. Have a look around, see if there's something that you like!" he insisted. "There are some really interesting stories resting in this room."
Lucy nodded. "I'm sure that there are. Thank you for showing me this, I didn't even know of half of these even existed until now."
"It's my pleasure. Now, if you don't mind, I must go back to the main floor in case someone else comes in." With that, the shopkeeper walked out of the room and left Lucy to her own devices. "Oh, in case you find anything you like, be free to bring it to me back in the counter." he explained, as he returned to his post.
"Will do." she responded. Each of the antiques in the room were unique in their own way. She could tell even if some of their physical appearances did not give off that sort of vibe. After all, one of the biggest lessons in life, is to know not to judge a book by its cover.
As she got closer to some of the objects in their individual cases, she couldn't help but feel that one of them was pulling at her. It was an odd feeling, compelling her to go to it. The closer she got to it, the stronger the feeling was. The object in question was a mask.
It was a wolf mask, deep onyx in color with ice blue and crimson red markings. The eye holes were lined with blue and each one had three red dots underneath. The blue also outlined its protruding snout lined with glistening white teeth. The inner ears were colored red and the grooves inside of them white. There was no bottom half of it.
She found it to be somewhat more attractive that most other pieces she have found before. Following the shopkeeper's orders, she carefully took the mask out of its stand, and slowly took it to him. She wouldn't want to risk damaging something that wasn't hers to begin with, and especially not something so precious in itself.
"AND THE NEXT TIME YOU THINK A BOOK ON THE DARK ARTS OF CRYPTIDS OF KIEVAN RUS IS SOME KIND OF JOKE, I'LL DO MUCH MORE THAN JUST KICK YOU OUT!" Lucy heard a scream which almost made her drop the item in her hands. Luckily, though, she managed to catch it midway. She decided it would be best to go a bit quicker and assure the mask would reach the place safely.
She arrived and placed the mask on the counter, the noise making Ripley turn around. His face was red, but soon regain its slightly pale tone. "Oh, I suppose you found something you appreciated?"
"Mhm. How much would this mask cost?" she asked, taking out the money she had brought with her.
"Oh, the Mask of Aksum." He adjusted his glasses. "Such artifact comes from a small group of people from the same name. It's said that the Egyptians were invading their village, but a group of five warriors, each with one mask like this, managed to fight them back. It's told to make humans grow strength and abilities not possible otherwise." Even he seemed to be impressed by its story. "This one is the only one of those masks that have been recovered intact; the other four are either missing or heavily damaged." He explained. "Oh sorry, what were you asking?"
"How much would it cost?" she repeated. "It is very interesting, though, I must say."
"Hmm, let me see," he took all of Lucy's money and began counting, before returning it all back. "You know, I can definitely see a connection between you and this mask. It'd be a shame to charge you for it." he mused.
Lucy hesitated for a second, before taking it back. "Are you sure? I mean, it must be high in value and all."
Ripley gave a small smile. "It surely has, little girl, but I'm positive that you'll take care of it even better than I ever could. Consider it a gift. I couldn't keep my favorite customer away from something so special."
Lucy gave a small smile in return. "If you insist. Thank you." He took the mask , packet it up, she took it of the counter and waved goodbye as she exited the shop.
"I look forward to your next visit."
"As do I, perhaps I'll visit soon."
Night fell on the not-quite humble Loud abode, with everyone having just finished dinner and going back to their usual rowdiness. Lola was chasing Lana around with a handful of glitter, the former trying to get back at her for trekking mud into the house yet again. Luna was playing her electric guitar, Luan was making puns, Lynn and Lincoln were sparring in a bout of Lucha Libre, with Lynn in the middle of elbow-dropping in the white-haired boy. Leni was painting Lori's nails as she talked to her beloved Boo-Boo Bear on the phone, and Lisa was inspecting the mud Lana had tracked in. Also know as a quiet night.
Meanwhile, Lucy was up in her and Lynn's shared bedroom, sitting in her coffin bed writing a poem. The room was just barely illuminated enough for her to be able to see what she was writing, Lynn's football lamp glowing faintly. She was having a hard time to focus, like some sort of energy was stealing all of her attention. She glanced toward the source. She saw the mask she had gotten earlier, sitting next to her Edwin bust that she kept on a little table. Something about it was just… attractive.
She approached the object, taking a closer look in the weak light. Once again, the pull got stronger and stronger with each step closer. When she held it in her hands, the feeling shook her body. It felt ice cold, and at the same time warm, somehow. She could have sworn she heard quiet whispering coming from the mask. She couldn't make out what the words were, if there were any.
Soon enough, she couldn't bear the feeling anymore, and slid the mask onto her face. The feeling lessened somewhat, but other than that, nothing else seemed to change. She had to admit, though, it had a good feeling, like she had just received a new boost of energy on her whole body. Suddenly, she heard a door open behind her.
"Hey there, Luce, how's it go-" Lynn's eyes went wide open, before she covered her mouth, so she wouldn't laugh.
"What, what's so funny?" Lucy demanded, turning around but not taking off the mask.
"Oh, nothing," Lynn held her laugh, but couldn't stop smiling. "It-it's n-nothing, it's just that I though Lana was the one who'd dress like an animal." Lynn suddenly broke out in laughter, no longer being able to hold it in.
A faint blush dusted Lucy's otherwise pale cheeks. She let out a low doglike growl.
"Whoa there, I was just teasing, no need to get mad at me!" Lynn pushed her hands in front of her but didn't back away. She kept her smile though. She was sure Lucy wouldn't hurt her in a one on one fight. One, they were sisters, two, Lucy had better options that wouldn't lead to immediate defeat. And three, Lynn was pretty sure that even if Lucy tried, she wouldn't even be able to inflict anything more than a light slap.
Lynn headed towards her bed and jumped in. "I see you went to that weirdo's goth shop? Nice mask, but I've seen better. Lana's werewolf costume from last year's Halloween, for one thing."
Lucy sighed and walked back to the coffin.
"What, so you're just gonna ignore me 'cause I poked some fun at ya?"
Lucy simply turned around and gave Lynn a death glare, which made her freeze at the sight of her eyes between the eyeholes. Her bangs no longer covered them, instead revealing piercing yellow eyes, like those of a wolf.
"Wow, actually, I take it back. You're doing even better than Lana." Lynn had to give credit where it was due. Part of it was that she was a bit afraid, but she wouldn't confess. She knew she didn't harm people, but she easily frightened them. Everyone else in the Loud House could certainly testify to that. "Well, I know I don't usually go to bed this early, but I had a pretty full day of practice and two games, so… I'm nodding off. Night, Luce." She turned off the light, plunging the room into total darkness as Lucy continued to stare.
Although she didn't have perfect night vision, contrary to popular belief around the house, she could still see okay in the dark. She got up, placed the mask back where it was before, and went back to her bed, ready to call it a night. The second she shut her eyes, though, she heard a lonesome howl.
Lucy sat upright, making her way towards the window. She didn't see any figures outside, but she could still hear the howling. She noticed the full moon outside; it was gorgeous it all of its glory. After a few seconds, the howling stopped. For some strange reason that Lucy didn't know, she felt a sense of longing for the moon, and the howling, and the night. But even so, Lucy convinced herself to go to bed.
(A/N): This was originally supposed to be posted on Halloween, but well, things happened. Including motivational block, and working on other stuff. But, finally it's here! Let Taka and I know your thoughts on this chapter in the reviews, and hopefully chapter 2 will be out soon! Along with the next chapter of Glittery Secret... who knows?