So, after several days without posting any omakes, important to the story or otherwise, here I am with another omake, this time related to the fateful day of Walpurgisnacht, or as I like to call it: the day Haiku's world was turned completely upside down.
Anyway, the main purpose of this omake is to explain a couple things about the background of Haiku and Calliope and the Gashadokuro, important pieces in the Proto-Lucy arc.
Because clearly people want backstory more than actual story nowadays. XD
Anyhow, without further ado, let's get this show on the road!
The day had come: Walpurgisnacht, the night where Haiku was going to prove not only the morticians club members that she was, and always had been, one of Lucy's greatest followers.
Now if only she knew where to find the one who would guide her to the event...
"Ugh, it's times like this I wish I had thought a bit more before I accepted to do the rite of passage. It's so dark everywhere!"
That's kind of expected during nighttime, you know?
Haiku turned around and summoned a scythe made from her soul power, only to calm down and undo the scythe once she saw the one who "said" that was just a pitch black cat.
A familiar pitch black cat.
You're the Morticians Club's latest potential member, right?
Haiku flinched and turned around to see the person that had talked to her telepathically.
It was Cliff, the Loud Household's pet cat.
"You're the pet cat of the Loud House, right?" Haiku asked, raising an eyebrow.
I'm a cat? Yes. Am I owned by the Loud family? Yes. Do I know where the Walpurgisnacht ceremony will be held at? Follow me and you'll find out.
Cliff jumped off the fence he rested on and walked into the woods, with Haiku following him shortly afterwards.
"So, you're going to take me to the site where the Walpurgisnacht event is going to happen, right?"
Cliff rolled his eyes.
If you shut up for a second and just followed me without questions, you'd get the answer you're looking for.
"I'm following a telepathic cat into some unknown location during Walpurgisnacht, the perfect, if not only, time I have to prove to not only the Morticians Club, but also everybody, that there's nobody who's more loyal to Lucy than me!"
And, if you excuse me asking this, why is this such an important thing for you to do? What does Walpurgisnacht have that makes you think it's the perfect time to prove your loyalty to the one named Lucy?
Haiku narrowed her eyes.
"My friends and I used to be the champions of Lucy, Lynn, Luna, and Luan back in the original reality. Now, I'm not the same Haiku as the one back then, but I do want to try and continue her legacy however I can, and besides, the current champion working for Lucy isn't halfway as good as I could be anyway."
Unimpressed by the girl's boast, Cliff rolled his eyes.
I'm going to be blunt with you: This is your first, and final, chance to turn back, quit the Morticians Club, and forever forget that you were ever involved with these people.
Haiku's eyes widened.
"What... are you talking about all of a sudden?! And why tell me about this just now!?"
If you were half as smart as you think you are, you would know better than to follow some random cat with telepathic abilities. But, you do possess enough intelligence to not only question why you followed me in the first place, but also ask me to take you to the site of the event right away.
Haiku gritted her teeth.
So, you're only partially a disappointment. And you can quit being a disappointment altogether, if you turn back right now.
"Not until you tell me what'll happen if I go through with this: I want to make it clear that nobody's more of a follower of Lucy than me, and I'm not going away until you explain yourself!"
The cat chuckled.
I'm not allowed to say anything, you have to find out by yourself. And by the time you do find out, it'll be too late.
"Ugh, first the Morticians Club members, and now her pet cat!?" Haiku rubbed her forehead. "Why does Lucy make friends with people who are far too vague for everyone's own good!?"
You realize you're adding yourself to that description, right? And besides, you're not thinking of the bigger picture: if you go through here, your only options will be to choose either "Lucy"... or Lincoln.
Haiku gasped and took a step back as the cat explained.
Lincoln is one of my owners, and after many attempts at getting him to get angry at me, by slashing at him, pooping out of my litter box and so on, I have deduced that though his patience and kindness are certainly higher than most people's.
Cliff' eyes glew black.
They have their limits.
Haiku started to shake.
And this Walpurgisnacht's event, dear Haiku, will involve one of the very few things that Lincoln can never forgive. So let me be even more blunt.
A pair of wings emerged from the cat's back, which he spread wide afterwards to reveal their bat-like shape.
Turn back from this demonic event, before you turn your back against God himself, and become one of his sworn enemies.
With that said, Cliff flew away, leaving Haiku alone to decide what she was to do right now... or at least, that was his intention.
"Haiku!"
The girl flinched and turned around, only to calm down when she saw the one who said that was the leader of the Morticians Club.
"We were looking all over for you!" the female member of the club said as she walked to Haiku's side. "Are you ready to prove your loyalty to Lucy?"
"O-Of course I am!" Haiku chirped, quickly calming herself down afterward. "Although, I would like to ask a couple
"Don't worry, it's nothing that complex," the leader spoke. "We just need you to help us take out a troublesome target."
Haiku raised an eyebrow and her smile slowly turned into a frown at the mention of this "troublesome target."
A little bit later, Haiku and the Morticians Club members looked through the bushes at a certain house.
The Johnson Household.
"What is that place?" Haiku asked.
"It's the house of a certain Mrs. Johnson, one of the many women who are said to have been "blessed" with a child by the eye pucker," the leader of the club answered. "And this also happens to be the hiding place for a certain little freak of nature."
Haiku raised an eyebrow. "Freak of nature? What are you talking about?"
"A child born without Lincoln as a parent, and without his approval, not to mention being born as an action to spite the divine beings who rule our world," the female club member explained. "Basically, a bastard in every sense of the word."
Haiku rolled her eyes.
"I don't know, calling them that without seeing it for myself first makes me doubt your word-"
"It's a child created from the union between Clyde McBride and the teacher's daughter," the girl member said with a hint of disgust. "Not only that, but she's not even from this dimension: she ran here in order to escape from her family situation instead of facing it head-on."
"Or praying to Lincoln for help," the leader casually added. "I hear that usually works."
Haiku flinched at the mention of Clyde, and her face contorted into one of hatred before she calmed down, took a deep breath, and responded.
"While the fact Clyde's the father upsets me, I don't see how her being from another dimension is a problem."
"So you're perfectly okay with a bunch of lovechildren from another dimension go up here, and take the place of children that would've been born in their place," the tall member spoke. "Is that what you're saying?"
"No, that's what you're putting in my mouth."
"Just go to that house and get rid of the person."
Before Haiku could say anything in response, the members pushed Haiku out of hiding and into the street. Haiku promptly stood up, threw a glare at the members, and dusted herself.
"It's what Lucy wants, Haiku," the leader stated. "Don't disappoint her."
That somehow was enough to convince Haiku to head towards the house.
Suddenly, Haiku felt someone, or something, grabbing her hand as she took another step, causing her to snap at whoever grabbed it.
But once she turned, she saw not an animal, person, or even something she could identify as being natural in this world.
What she saw, was more akin to a giant nurse.
A giant monster nurse.
One that spoke with a pleading tone.
"Don't... go... please..."
Haiku's eyes widened, understanding what the nurse was saying as she dissipated into light, returning Haiku to reality to witness the Morticians Club looking sternly and impatiently at her.
Haiku shook her head, summoned her scythe, and used it as a flying object as she flew towards the house, entering through the chimney.
Once Haiku Santa Claus'd her way out of the chimney, ending up covered in dust and coal, a tired voice spoke.
"So, you finally came."
Haiku flinched, and turned to see the tired voice belonged to a certain redhead, who was reading some letters.
"Oh, you must be Penelope, right? One of Clyde's classmates?" Haiku asked, causing the figure to wince as she walked towards her. "I'm Haiku, one of his friends-"
"So..." the redhead stood up and turned around, revealing herself to look like a mix between Clyde and Penelope. "You know my mother?"
Haiku flinched and took a step forward. "Okay, I didn't expect to see a fusion between Clyde and Penelope here!"
The redhead raised an eyebrow.
"You're a fusion between Clyde and Penelope, right?"
The redhead shook her head, slowly at first, then with anger as she added:
"Stop screwing with me! I know exactly what you're doing here!"
Haiku tiltedh er head. "You do? Then please tell me, 'cause I'm totally lost."
"Lost?! How could you be lost?!" the girl snapped, walking back and forth as she continued. "The letters, the threats, those guys stalking me everywhere, your intention is as clear as day!"
She stopped and glared at Haiku.
"You want to kill me just for being an interdimensional lovechild!"
Haiku's eyes widened and she took a step back.
"W-Wha-Kill you? Why would I want to kill you?!"
The girl rolled her eyes.
"Alright, let's assume you don't want to kill me. Those stalkers from outside probably do, and they gave you the job to do it."
"That's... actually a decent possibility," Haiku gripped her scythe hesitantly. "But still, why would they want to kill an interdimensional lovechild? In fact, whose lovechild are you supposed to be?"
"Really? You called me a fusion between Clyde and Penelope, and you can't even connect the dots?"
Haiku thought about the statement, and it wasn't long before she connected the dots.
"Oh..."
And then she thought about it some more, and realized what this meant.
"Wait, what?!"
The redhead narrowed her eyes and aimed her hand at Haiku, who flinched as the hand turned into an arm cannon.
"H-H-Hold it! Even if you're a lovechild, one of Clyde's lovechildren in fact, that doesn't give me an excuse to kill you!"
"The letters were pretty clear, lady: as soon as you arrive, we're not going anywhere until one of us drop dead!" she charged a pink energy blast. "And if I have to fight for my very life, so be it!"
The redhead shot a pink blast, which Haiku split in half with her scythe before she used the scythe to fly out the chimney again, dodging a couple more blasts as she did.
As soon as she came out the chimney, a pink pillar of energy burst through, nearly burning Haiku to oblivion: luckily, though, it only destroyed the blade part of the scythe, causing it to shatter and make Haiku fall from the roof into the ground, face-first.
Just in time for Calliope to come out of the chimney, with jet shoes that let out pink flames.
Haiku flinched and rolled away from the incoming energy blasts from Calliope, that also caused crystals to sprout from the spots that were shot, a fact Haiku only noticed once she finally stood up and generated another soul scythe, a slight bit of blood running down her mouth.
"Energy blasts that generates spikes?!" Haiku exclaimed, slashing the crystals apart. "Since when is that possible!?"
"Mixing powers can have some unexpected results," the redhead stated as she flew down, landed, and put a hand on one of the crystals. "I guess you can add that to the list of legitimate reasons your friends would want me dead!"
The crystal surged electricity through the redhead's body, going through her body until it reached and charged her arm cannon, which now had a mixed green-pink glow to it.
Okay, I need to do something, or she's going to kill me!
Haiku looked everywhere for a potential solution, until she looked at her scythe. A scythe that, while not strong enough to survive an energy beam, could travel fast enough to hit someone who could shoot an energy beam.
A lightbulb went off in Haiku's head.
The goth gripped her scythe, and immediately threw it at the redhead, who aimed at her forehead to try and kill her quickly.
Unfortunately, the soul scythe hit first, and as she lost consciousness and stopped grippling the crystal, the redhead shot a thin, ordinary energy beam... right through Haiku's eye, sending the goth flying in agony to a tree.
Of course, Haiku's eyes regenerated, but not before the goth cried in pain and the soul energy used to create the scythe returned to her, accelerating the healing and helping Haiku calm down...
...Only for her to start to freak out as the crystals dissipated into nothing, and the Morticians Club members gathered around the dead lovechild, and carried her. Well, most of them carried her: the leader walked up to Haiku,
"Good work, Haiku. You really are as devoted to Lucy as you said you were."
Pink electricity surged through Haiku's left eye as the girl stuttered. "I-I-I didn't mean to, I didn't need to kill her."
"Oh no, you most certainly had to," the leader stated as he helped Haiku follow him and the group. "Her very existence was a living middle finger to the order of the new reality."
"It-It... it was?"
"You'll learn more when we get to the ritual."
Haiku, twitching and with electricity still surging through her body, sat on a log as the Morticians Club members, still holding the redhead's lifeless body, stood near a campfire.
"Dear members of the Morticians Club, we're here to celebrate two miracles brought to us!" The leader exclaimed, before he pointed at Haiku. "The first one, is a new member joining us: Haiku!"
The members clapped as Haiku looked at them, still too disturbed to do anything in response.
"And the second miracle!" the leader pointed at the redhead's dead body. "The thing Mother Lucy told us to do a long time ago: get rid of the troublesome lovechild known as Calliope, and have her body be used to bring forth the gashadokuro!"
Haiku turned to look at Calliope's body as the members cheered and threw it into the campfire, destroying it and causing minor burns to the body. A body that Haiku stared at for a while as the members did some strange chants, until the ground began shaking.
"It's happening!" the leader chirped. "It's finally happening!"
Haiku, finally lucid enough, spoke. "W-W-What's happening?"
Suddenly, a large ribcage burst from the ground and "swallowed" Calliope, followed by a pair of arms bursting next, Haiku screaming as black matter came out of the bones, and helped the disembodied parts connect and further come out of the ground.
Haiku looked up, and saw the matter slid up the skeleton's back, forming a skull to complete the upper half of the gashadokuro, who looked back at her with unblinking, dead eyes.
"What... what... what...wha-"
"Thanks for your help, Haiku."
Haiku darted everywhere, trying to find the source of the voice as the electricity got more volatile, until it outright shocked her into sitting back on the log.
"Oh sorry, forgive my lack of manners."
One of the lights in the gashadokuro's eyes escaped the skeleton's skull, and flew down to Haiku as it morphed into a familiar shape: that of Lucy, Haiku's dearest friend.
Only instead of it being the Lucy she knew and loved, it was different: A Lucy with hips that should not be as pronounced, a skin that should not feel so close to rotting away, and most importantly, a Lucy without anything she could identify as eyes.
"Who... who are you?"
"My name is Lucy," the lookalike curtsied. "And since you've proven your loyalty to me, I'm going to be your goddess from now on."
"But... that can't be right..." Haiku stood up and put a hand on her head. "Y-Y-Y-You're not the Lucy I know-!"
"That Lucy is a fake, an imitator, an impostor, a copycat, a doppleganger, give or take a dozen words meaning the same thing," the other Lucy stated with a smug smile. "The Lucy you've known all along is not real. I'm real, however, and you've proven your loyalty to me."
Haiku shook her head, slowly at first, then rapidly and violently before she tried to run away, only for the other Lucy to grab her arm and keep her in place.
"You have made your choice, Haiku."
The other Lucy forced Haiku to look at her, and flashed a grin.
"You are an enemy of Lincoln now."
Haiku woke up and took several deep breaths as she looked around her surroundings, quickly recognizing the place as her bedroom... in the poetry club.
"Oh... t-that was only... a dream..."
Haiku "smiled" in the most distressed sense possible as she put a hand over her forehead, ignoring the electricity surging through her.
"No... what am I saying? That... that... wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare!"
Haiku slowly stood up, initially having some trouble doing so, and walked up to her schedule to try and resume her normal day.
"It was just a nightmare, now that I'm back in reality, I can-"
Haiku found herself repeating "I can" over and over as she saw her schedule had been tempered with, with it now having "graverobbing", "pray to Mother Lucy", as well as several other disturbing, death-related things, including a little note at the lower corner reading:
Welcome to the Morticians Club.