Disclaimer: The Loud House and associated characters belong to Nickelodeon and Chris Savino

Query: As stated at the top of chapter 9, the repost only included the first eight chapters. Everything from chapter 9 onward is new content.

Megumi no Jotai

(State of Grace)

By Lola Presents

Episode 4 - Forge of Souls - Part 1

Last time on Megumi no Jotai...

The Lady of Light confronts M'Kael, warning him not to interfere. Lincoln introduces Megumi to his family before discovering his friend Flip was also a host. After a hasty battle with two demonic canines, Flip introduces Lincoln to the Circle of Light. What adventures lay ahead?


As everyone else stood beside their residents, Agnes felt obligated and asked her own to present itself. As a teacher, she learned to keep her secrets close a long time ago, lest her students find out and mock them. However, in this case, it seemed that disclosure presided over privacy. After a steady stream of black smoke erupted from her nostrils and condensed into her resident, Lincoln and Clyde had to do a double take.

"Miss DiMartino?!" they exclaimed, jaws agape in astonishment.

"No wonder all the boys like you," muttered Lincoln after closing his mouth.

"Hi, boys," replied their substitute teacher. "Do you still find me attractive?"

"Well, uh," stammered Clyde, "yeah. I mean, why wouldn't we?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Dimartino," added Lincoln, speaking for himself. "But not really."

"Oh?" cooed the sexy succubus. "Is that because you know what I am now?"

"No, no. Not at all," murmured Lincoln, waving his hands. "It's only that I..." he mumbled, thinking about Megumi.

Winking, Miss DiMartino informed the boys that she was only kidding with them, then introduced herself properly. "It's alright, kids," she cooed. "I was only playing around. My name is M'Tino. It's nice to meet you again."

"Wait..." muttered Clyde with one finger upon his cheek, thinking about his parents. "Miss Johnson? Does this mean that you're, you know..."

Agnes rolled her eyes as she folded her arms defensively. "Fine," she groaned, relenting her privacy to the two boys. "I'm bi if you must know," she told them, "and if this gets out at school, I'll know where it came from."

"Isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen when she'd embarrassed?" cooed miss DiMartino as she swooned over her host.

"That's quite enough bantering," interrupted a soft, soothing, and melodic voice as the room filled with light, gaining everyone's attention. "While I realize that your attractions for each other is what has, or will, set you free, I must remind you of the dangers you face. The darkness could use such intimacy against you. Miss Johnson has the right idea. Keep your investments close."

"So, uh, Lady of Light?" began Flip, mussing his hair. "It seems we have two new members for the circle. Let me introduce you to my best customer, Lincoln Loud, and his resident, Megumi," he announced, stepping out the way to reveal the children.

"Thank you, Flip," replied the glowing woman, "but I am already well aware of both and have been presiding over them for some time now."

Hovering about two feet above the warehouse floor, the Lady of Light loomed impressively over them. Had she been standing on the floor, she would still be a foot taller than any of them. She wore a long, white gown, ornate with golden stitching, and the hem floated about as if in water. Likewise, the woman's long, white hair did the same, and two immaculate, outstretched wings fluttered silently behind her.

"Please, step forward, children," beckoned Divinity.

Lincoln and Megumi could both feel her insanely intense spiritual pressure, and now that Lincoln had some context, he was sure that he'd recognize it again.

"Yes?" Lincoln offered, unsure of the proper etiquette in the presence of such a being.

"Ma'am?" questioned Megumi curtly. "To what do we owe the honor?"

"I am pleased that you have found comfort among fellow hosts and residents," Divinity announced. "Together, you will grow stronger than you would alone. However," she said, pausing to let the gravity of her following statement resound. "It also puts you in much greater danger. The darkness wants you back, M'Gum, and will stop at nothing to acquire you. Alone, your spiritual pressure was negligible. However, in the company of the circle, you will stand out. Surely, they will send more powerful allies in search of you and greater numbers."

"So, listen, Chief..." stammered Flip. "What do you think about us trainin' them?"

"That would be advisable," replied Divinity. "However, there is something more we must consider. Lincoln and Megumi are still young and have not yet bonded. Once they do, their power will grow. But until then, they must not face the enemy alone. They must get protected at all costs."

"Why am I so important, if I may ask?" questioned Megumi, taking a tentative step forward.

"I am sorry, child," apologized D'Vin, "but that is something I cannot say presently."

Joining her side, Lincoln looked up at the Lady's eyes. "Ma'am," he said, gaining her focus. "I am not afraid. I'll do anything to protect Megumi. She's become a part of me, and I couldn't bear to lose her."

"Is that true?" replied Megumi, turning away from the Lady and staring into Lincoln's eyes expectantly.

"Of course, it is," Lincoln informed her. "But..."

"You aren't sure you love me," Megumi muttered sadly, diverting her gaze toward the concrete floor.

"What? No..." Lincoln gasped, reaching for Megumi's hands. "It's not that. I do love you. Only, I care more about your safety than anything. You heard what the Lady said about intimacy."

Megumi blushed and returned her gaze. "Lincoln," she muttered. "There's a difference between loving someone and being in love with them. What I need is that latter. And, I was hoping that would be you."

For the moment, nobody else existed by Megumi. Furrowing his brows, Lincoln considered her words and his thoughts carefully. "Megumi..." he nearly whispered. "Are you in love with me?"

Slowly, Megumi nodded silently. "Yes, Lincoln," she finally admitted. "I am."

After closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Lincoln conceded to his matured feelings. "This is going to sound crazy, but despite only having known you for a few days, I feel like I have known you for much longer. I can't explain why, but Megumi..." he said, pausing before continuing. "I'm in love with you."

Tiny tears of joy began leaking from Megumi's ducts as she embraced her host and passionately kissed him. And to Lincoln's surprise, as he returned the kiss, Megumi's lips filled with a warmth that slowly spread across her body. Finally, as they parted, Lincoln looked upon Megumi anew.

"What just happened?" gasped Megumi, feeling the warmth as it consumed her. "I feel different."

"What a wonderous gift Lincoln has given you, my child," cooed the Lady. "Your bond is now complete. Lincoln's love for you is true and has given you that which is his, a human body."

"Wait!" gasped Megumi in a near panic. "Am I still a succubus? I mean, can I still fight and protect Lincoln?"

"You are succubus and human alike," replied Divinity, smiling at the pair. "You no longer need to reside inside your host to maintain your form, and you will find that your abilities are enhanced, stronger, and more efficient than before."

Then turning her attention toward Lincoln, "And you, my child," she explained, clasping her hands. "You can now talk mentally with Megumi, even if she is in her material form, able to call her to your side from any distance."

Continuing her explanation, she now addressed them both. "The two of you are now inextricably bound. Nothing can sunder your oneness."

"I'm sorry, but the way you are talking, it almost sounds like we just got married," Lincoln observed.

"Indeed, my children," Divinity admitted. "Such binding of two souls together is what your human marriage tries to approximate. You are, indeed, one."

"But that isn't legal, is it?" exclaimed Clyde, curious and confused, not to mention slightly jealous.

"Clyde," the Lady said, despite never having been told his name. "When dealing with matters of the spirit, human law is irrelevant. Now, I must attend to other matters," Divinity announced, shifting her attention to the circle as a whole. "Please see that my children are delivered safely to their residence for ample rest. Training begins tomorrow."

"As you wish, my Lady-ness," Flip cited. "Congratulations, Loud. You just got hitched. Welcome to the club."

Nothing could have prepared Lincoln for what happened that night. And as he held Megumi's warm hand, they walked beside their new teammates as they escorted them home. Life was going to become much more interesting for him, he was sure. Going from being single to married, without the benefit of a long-standing relationship building up to it, was going to be difficult to wrap his head around.

Everything felt surreal to the young boy, and he found it reassuring that Megumi also had difficulty processing what had happened. She was free. But would that mean an end to the harassment the darkness threw their way? Only time would tell. But, for the moment, she had what she wanted and planned to make it worth Lincoln's investment. Smiling coyly, she had something planned for him later that night.


"I..." stammered M'Kael, making the darkness tremble. "I have failed you," he said mournfully. "The circle was too quick in assembling and calling for the Lady of Light. I had no choice but to withdraw! She even warned me herself not to stand in her way!"

"Fool!" shouted M'Ster, filled with rage and anger. "You have no idea what you've done! You have allowed her to sever herself from the void! Finding her and bringing her back now will prove most challenging, with the circle guarding them."

"What?" exclaimed M'Kael. "You still plan on bringing her back? One little succubus? Now that she's bonded, can we even do that? Her connection with him will bar her from returning."

"Kill the boy," M'Ster replied calmly. "Begin with his family if needed."


Flip and Agnes took point while Norman brought up the rear, forming a triangle around Lincoln and Megumi as they headed for the former's house. Neither Lincoln nor Megumi said much as they trudged along, instead trading blushing glances at each other as they held hands.

Though Megumi no longer needed his touch to maintain herself, she felt compelled to do so. With her newfound humanity and physical form, she could feel Lincoln's love emanating through his touch. While she had approximated human senses before, they had become more acute.

Arriving at 1216 Franklin Street, the posse stopped on the sidewalk between there and Mr. Grouse's home. Flip explained that they'd be in contact when the time was right and that, in the meantime, they needed to rest and gather their strength for the training ahead before parting.

Lincoln couldn't very well bring Megumi home so close to dinner without raising further suspicion from his sisters. However, Megumi also needed to eat, and taking an entire second helping of everything to his room afterward also seemed suspicious, and Lincoln was conflicted.

"It's alright," cooed Megumi, fluttering her eyes at him, reveling in her new love. "I can hide inside you and feed off whatever you eat."

"No..." murmured Lincoln, wanting only the best for her. "You deserve to taste it, too. Come on inside and have dinner with us. It's not like they don't suspect anyway. Only, here in our world, certain things aren't permitted for children, so we'll need to watch ourselves."

"Like what?" cooed Megumi.

"Uh, you know..." stammered Lincoln, mildly embarrassed at talking about it, "the more intimate stuff."

Megumi giggled. "Don't worry," she assured him. "I'm quite aware. However, I can't promise I won't do anything that will embarrass you in front of your family, especially now that we're bound. But I'll try."

"That'll have to do," sighed Lincoln, bracing himself for the onslaught he knew was about to begin, heading for the front door.

"Well, hey there!" cooed Rita as Lincoln strolled in with Megumi by his side. "And who might this be?"

Lucy looked up from her book, adding her two cents. "That's Megumi," stated the young goth, "Lincoln's girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" chirped their mother, her eyes lighting up. "Well, now..." she murmured happily. "Please, won't you stay for dinner?"

"I'd like that very much. Thank you," Megumi returned pleasantly.

"Yeah..." mumbled Lincoln at the over-simplification. "I introduced her to everyone yesterday, but you and Dad weren't home from work yet and missed the opportunity."

"Wait..." moaned Lucy. "You didn't object to my terminology. Are you admitting that she's your girlfriend?"

Lincoln sighed. "I guess there's no point in denying it. Is there?"

Within seconds, the stairwell got lined with peering eyes. It seemed that Lincoln's sisters had a sixth sense when it came to matters of the heart, and they were all trained on their brother and his girlfriend.

Lucy literally eeped, something she never does, and dropped her book long enough to stand and hug Megumi, fully understanding what that meant for the wayward succubus.

"I'm so happy for you!" she squealed uncharacteristically. "Does this mean..." she inquired, leaving off the details.

"It does," smiled Megumi.

"Awe!" cooed the remaining sisters as they rose and descended the stairs, abandoning their inefficient hiding place.

"She's totes perfect for you, Lincy!" chirped Leni.

"Oh, Leni..." interjected Lincoln before anyone else could say a word, leading his sister away from the growing crowd. "Listen, I was wondering if you could do us a favor?"

"Sure, Lincy!" beamed Leni. "What do you have in mind?"

"Tomorrow, do you think you could make some custom outfits for Megumi?" asked Lincoln quietly.

"Oh, em, gosh! Of course!" barked the teenager. "I'd totes love to do that!"

"Dinner's ready!" called their father from the kitchen, breaking the boisterous gossip session that had broken out by Lincoln's confession.

Lynn had the table set when everyone finished seating themselves, and he began with the introduction, noticing the little dark-haired girl smirking goofily at his son.

"Tonight, we have Cajun fried chicken, corn, green beans, mashed potatoes, and cornbread," he announced. "Dig in!" he ordered as hands and arms moved like lightning. "Now," he said as he took his seat. "Who is this lovely young lady?"

"Dad, this is Megumi," replied Lincoln while his sisters stuffed their faces. And so his father heard it from him, he added, "she's my girlfriend."

"I see," replied the man, thinking back to when he first began dating. "Where are you from, Megumi? I don't recall seeing you around the neighborhood before. Are you new in town?"

"Honey," sighed Rita, not wanting to seem rude. "Don't pry."

"No, it's alright, I..." began Megumi, realizing that she couldn't explain and had little real-world knowledge on which to draw.

"She's from Japan," he told everyone. "She just moved here, and I've been helping her out."

The rest of the evening got spent grilling Lincoln and his new girlfriend about everything under the sky. While every attempt got made to reveal anything suspicious, the two answered with unity and were adamant in their answers. Lucy and L.J. were both relieved once dinner ended.

If the young couple could make it through another day or two without the family messing things up, they'd do fine.

Afterward, Megumi hung back for a few minutes, chatting with Lucy, while Lincoln helped clear the table. But eventually, it was time to say goodnight and send the girl on her way home. Only Lynn and, most recently, Lucy knew about her residential status. Unfortunately, Megumi had no recourse other than to continue pretending to live elsewhere.


Megumi left their home and stood outside Lincoln's room until he opened the window, signaling her that it was clear to enter. Then, turning into mist, she wafted upward and through the opening before reforming herself.

Megumi watched with interest as Lincoln prepared for bed, pleased with herself at retaining her abilities.

"Lincoln?" Megumi whispered, standing there, her arms folded and all her weight on one hip. "Remember when I said that I wanted to talk?"

"Mmhm," he hummed, slipping into bed, paying little attention to Megumi's admiring stares.

"Well..." sighed the young succubus. "The thing is, I considered that maybe one reason you hadn't fallen in love with me yet was that you didn't know how I felt about you, and I wanted to confess. Of course, that was before, you know, what happened earlier. But, there's something else that I never got a chance to tell you."

"Oh?" yawned Lincoln, patting the bed and inviting her in. "What's that?"

"Do you remember when you said you felt like you'd known me longer?" questioned Megumi.

"Yeah," acknowledged the young man. "I do. It's strange, too. I feel like I've always known you. Not only for some time, but always."

"Well, you have," sighed Megumi, averting her gaze in fear of upsetting her love. "When a new, compatible soul is born, we succubi imprint with it. We watch over it until it matures, waiting for the day they hit puberty and can harvest their energy for the Master."

"What are you saying?" asked Lincoln, propping himself up with interest.

"Lincoln," sighed Megumi. "I've been visiting you since you were born. You've seen me in my dreams. Perhaps that's why you drew that picture. I don't know if you chose this form for me or if you saw something in me I never did. But, I wanted to thank you regardless."

"Don't worry about it," offered Lincoln quietly. "Now, come on. We should get some rest. Do you want to sleep like that or inside me?"

"Actually..." said Megumi as she looked back at her spiritual husband with something else in mind. "Isn't it customary to consummate a marriage?"

"What?" gasped Lincoln, stunned that he hadn't even considered it. "You want to..."

Silently, Megumi nodded, smiling at him with her hands gingerly clasped in front of her.

"I've been waiting for this moment for thirteen years," she admitted. "And, while human food is totally delicious, nothing satisfies me more than making love."

Lincoln nodded in understanding and watched as Megumi's clothes disappeared in a puff of blank smoke, which she quickly absorbed before seductively climbing on top of him.


M'Kael stood inside the tree line, observing the Loud residence under cover of night. His hands fidgeted nervously inside his pants pockets as two hell hounds stood patiently on either side of him.

M'Ster had finally ordered him to take more drastic measures. Yet, the Lady of Light had warned him not to do so. Now, he had a problem. Obey and risk getting killed by D'Vin, or disobey, only to get devoured.

Either way, M'Kael's existence was in danger. Perhaps, there was a third option.