It was a calm morning at 1216 Franklin Avenue, or The Loud House. 18-year-old Lincoln Loud had just awakened from a vivid dream. He sat in a cold sweat as he looked around his room, which initially belonged to his sisters Lori and Leni. Lincoln shook his head, his mind filled with broken images of his dream, which felt real.
"What a dream,"
Lincoln didn't get a chance to mull over his dream more when someone knocked on his door.
"Lincoln, get up; breakfast is ready," said a 13-year-old Lola.
"I'm coming, Lola," he replied. "Man, what a crazy dream! That's what I get for reading manga after an exciting birthday,"
Yesterday was Lincoln's 18th birthday. After celebrating with his friends and family, he went to bed and read a new isekai manga he had received as a present. Lincoln didn't get the chance to finish it because halfway through, he felt tired and decided to finish it later.
"Hey, where is that book?"
Lincoln briefly looked for it but couldn't find it, brushing it off for now. Lincoln figured he had put the book up while he was tired and had forgotten where he had put it.
"I'll look for it later,"
Heading downstairs, Lincoln saw his younger sisters were already enjoying breakfast made by their dad, Lynn Sr.
"Hey bro, what took you so long?" Asked Lana.
"Sorry, I'm just getting my head right after that crazy dream,"
"What kind of dream, Linky?" Asked Lily.
"Nothing too special just woke up in another world kind of dream, but it felt so real,"
"If you ask me, you're reading too much of that isekai garbage," snarked Lola.
"Really? This is coming from the 13-year-old with a huge collection of Yaoi mangas in her room; you're lucky mom and dad don't know about it,"
"Well, at least they're compelling," Lola defended.
"It's basically softcore porn, we keep telling you," Lucy added.
"What is what? Asked Rita Loud, walking into the dining room with Lynn Sr.
"Oh, nothing, Mom," she said, faking an innocent smile. "Lincoln was telling us about his dream, right?!" she said, gritting her teeth.
Lincoln rolled his eyes and was about to sit down, but his mother stopped him.
"Not so fast, mister; you know better than to come to the breakfast table with no shirt on,"
Lincoln realized he forgot to put on the shirt before coming to breakfast and quickly apologized.
"It's okay, sweetie, but I have to admit your uncle Lance's workout regimen is really working for you,"
Shortly after Shane Loud moved to attend college, Lincoln's uncle Lance Loud wanted to be closer to family, so he moved his family to Huntington Oaks, the next town over from Royal Woods, and reopened his gym a few blocks down from Lynn's Table. The two businesses help each other out; since Lance's gym is trendy, gym members typically work up a sweat and an appetite and head to Lynn's Table for a meal or vice versa.
"Huh?"
Lincoln rushed to a nearby mirror, and to his shock, his physique differed from yesterday. His 6 ft lanky physique was replaced with a lean, muscular one; on a scale, he was somewhere between his uncle Lance and his sister Lynn Jr.
"What the heck happened to me? Lisa, did you experiment on me with gamma radiation?" called Lincoln.
"One accident with my gamma rays, and everyone assumes it's my fault you're jacked,"
"You turned Lynn into a monster," said Lana.
"It's not my fault she can't control her temper when she gets competitive,"
Lincoln rolled his eyes, figuring these results were just months of working out at the gym and not noticing, before heading upstairs to get a shirt and returning to the dining room. As he sat down to eat, Lily wanted to hear more about Lincoln's dream.
"Linky, tell us more about your dream,"
"Not much to say, Lily; I woke up in another world, where I was chosen as the hero to save the world from the demon Lord. I had a bunch of cool powers and magic, but I think the coolest power I had was this skill called Skill Master," he explained.
"Skill Master?"
"I had the power to learn and/or create special skills for myself, master them up, edit them, share them with others, or delete them,"
"Did you have a bunch of skills?"
"A lot, and I used them to fight monsters and demons,"
"What else?"
"Well, I do remember there was a king and a princess,"
"Do you remember the names?" Asked Lana.
"I think the king's name was Gideon, and the princess's name was Verna, and the kingdom was called Cierra, but everything else seems really foggy,"
Lynn Sr. choked on his coffee, causing Rita to pat his back until he stopped coughing.
"Dad, are you okay?" asked Lincoln.
"Sure, just swallowed my coffee wrong,"
"Is there anything else?"
"Nope, like I said, the rest of my dream is pretty foggy, but it felt so real,"
"Best not to dwell on the vivid dream," Lisa advised.
"Yeah, well, I better get ready for tonight,"
"Tonight?" Asked Rita.
"The Action News Team got free movie tickets to watch the next Harvester movie, Harvester 5: The First Harvest, and since I've already seen 1 through 4 and the others can't stomach it, I'm volunteered to watch the movie tonight and give a full movie review on our blog Monday,"
"I hear that movie is so gory and violent that the movie theater sells popcorn buckets and barf buckets; Lincoln, you got to take me with you," begged Lana.
"Sorry Lana, I already invited Ronnie Anne,"
"Even if he didn't, there's no way your father and I will let you watch that movie," said Rita.
"Aww c'mon, I'm not a baby,"
"You're way too young for that kind of movie, young lady," said Lynn Sr.
Lana pouted before grunting in frustration at being denied a movie she wanted to see.
"Don't feel bad, Lana; my ticket allows up to eight people, so how about you guys come with us and pick out your own movies? Then, later on, I'll treat everyone to The Burp N' Burger,"
Everyone smiled at the thought of a movie night, and Lynn Sr. and Rita encouraged the idea.
Later.
By noon, everyone was ready as they took off in Vanzilla, and their parents told them to have fun. However, when they were out of sight, both parents' expressions immediately turned to worry.
"Lynn, did you call Lori and the others?"
"They'll be here in another hour,"
"I always prayed this day wouldn't come," said Rita.
"We'll get through this like last time,"
Later.
After a three-hour drive to pick up Ronnie Anne, the years had been great to her, thanks to the Casagrande genes. Dressed in her usual date attire, a purple hoodie and a jean skirt, she was happy to see her boyfriend and equally surprised to see his sisters with him. As the group headed back to Royal Woods, Lincoln noticed Lana still sulking a little along the way.
"Lana? You okay?"
"It's just not fair, Lincoln; Mom and Dad trust me to keep Vanzilla running but not to watch a horror movie,"
"They just don't want you getting freaked out; remember how messed up I was after I went behind their backs and saw the first Harvester movie, even after I confessed,"
"But I love these kinds of movies,"
"Hey Lana, I'll let you watch it at my house when it hits streaming by April," offered Ronnie Anne.
"Really!?" Asked Lana, excited.
"Only if you promise to have a good time tonight,"
"Deal,"
"You're a bad influence on my sisters, you know that,"
"C'mon Lame-O, sometimes you gotta watch a scary movie,''
Lincoln sighed as they returned to Royal Woods and headed straight to the movie theater. Luckily, the movies they chose were showing at the same time. Lana reluctantly decided to watch the same film as the rest of her sisters. Although an hour in, she regretted watching a paranormal romance movie.
"This is so lame; who cares if a vampire is dating a werewolf,"
"Shhh!" Said Lola.
Lana rolled her eyes and decided to get more snacks, hoping they would ease the pain of watching the rest of the movie.
Elsewhere.
Back at the Loud House, the Loud parents were deep in a conversation with their five elder daughters.
"We literally should have told him years ago,"
"Do you think he'll be mad?" asked Leni.
"Dude, if we kept a secret like this from you for years, wouldn't you be a little pissed,"
"We were only trying to protect him; besides, we didn't tell Lucy and the others, too," Luan pointed out.
"They're gonna be pissed too," Lynn Jr. said.
"I think it's best we just wait for them to come home and have a family discussion," suggested Lynn Sr.
"Good idea, honey, let's just hope nothing else happens till then,"
Unknown to them, someone or something was outside listening. It was a bird with black feathers, orange beaks, legs, and blue eyes. The bird was staring at everyone through the window as if it were listening to their conversation when suddenly its head turned in the direction as if it sensed something. Flying off, the bird-headed in that direction until it landed on a tree branch and Tall Timbers Park. Staring out into the open area, the bird watched as a spark appeared in the center before it started growing; the spark turned into a ball of energy that kept growing until it burst in a flash. When the light faded, the bird saw only a scorch and claw marks before flying off again.
Movie Theater.
Lana was returning to the movie when she passed the theater playing the movie she wanted to see and heard screaming.
"Aww, man, it sounds like it's getting good. Well, at least I have you," Lana said, looking at her favorite box of gummy worms.
"Yoink," said a voice before snatching Lana's gummy worms.
"Hey! Give that back, oh, it's you!!" Lana replied annoyed
The person who took Lana's candy with none other than Chandler McCann, Lincoln's long-time rival.
"Thanks for the candy squirt,"
"You're rich; buy your own, jerk!!"
"But candy always tastes better when I take it from one of Lame's baby sisters," he mocked.
Chandler's dad won the lottery at the start of high school, making them millionaires overnight. Chandler wasted no time rubbing his new fortune and everyone's faces, especially Lincoln's. He used his money to bully Lincoln, his friends, and even his younger sisters. However, despite the numerous times he's received instant karma, Chandler continues to be an asshole.
"I'm not a baby; now give me back my gummy worms
"Sorry, I just ate it,"
Chandler opened the box, dumping all its contents in his mouth before eating it right in front of Lana, much to her anger.
"You creep!!"
"Sue me, I can afford it," Chandler brushed off. "By the way, I saw your brother and Ronnie Anne in the theater watching the movie; I think I'll go give her some real company,"
"Looking to get another black eye to match the one Stella gave you the other day?"
Another toxic aspect of Chandler's personality is that he began openly making passes at girls like Stella and Ronnie Anne. Sometimes, he went after Cristina, too, making others think he was specifically targeting girls connected to Lincoln. Despite the numerous times they knocked him out, he continued, acting as if they were just playing hard to get. He was like Johnny Bravo but with even less charm.
"Whatever, time to land me some Latin booty," he said, walking back into the theater.
Lana was determined to get Chandler back and ensure he didn't ruin Lincoln and Ronnie Anne's date. Walking to a lone wall, Lana knocked on it three times before getting two Knocks back. She whispered something to the wall before knocking on it three more times and getting one knockback. Smiling, she waited outside the theater, and in a few seconds, she heard a shrill scream that didn't come from the movie.
Suddenly, Chandler burst through the door with a rat on his head, hanging on to his red hair.
"Get it off! Get it off!!" He screamed.
Lana laughed at her revenge but quickly noticed Chandler dropped his 3D glasses. Picking them up, Lana realized she could sneak into the theater and catch the last 30 minutes of the movie. At first, Lana wanted to resist, but it finally got to her because she was constantly called a baby, and Lana went in. Not wanting to get caught by Lincoln and Ronnie Anne, Lana sat where she could see the movie and keep an eye on them.
"Man, this movie is messed up," commented Ronnie Anne.
"Yeah, Lana would love it,"
"Say, Linc, how about after The Burp N' Burger, we drop your sisters off and then go somewhere private?"
"Really, Ronnie Anne? I'm surprised you still want to do it after what happened last week,"
"Okay, we almost got caught by my Abuelo; a little danger never killed anyone,"
"Are you sure about that?"
"C'mon, Linc, I'm horny, and I didn't even wear underwear. Can't we just have a little fun in the back of Vanzilla when you take me home?" Ronnie Anne pouted as she pulled on the front of her zipper, showing off more cleavage and revealing she really wasn't wearing anything under her hoodie. Giving Lincoln a quick peek at her nipples before zipping her hoodie back up.
"Fine, but you're gonna help me clean Vanzilla later. I don't need my dad asking why it smells like sex," Lincoln replied sternly, while trying to hide the fact he was blushing.
"Oh, like your parents didn't conceive one of their kids in that very van?"
Lincoln grimaced. "Well, now you're making me less horny."
"Fine, I'll help you clean it. And trust me; I'll have your Lincoln log practically saluting me in seconds," she said, kissing Lincoln.
The two resumed watching the movie just as it reached its climax. The character faced off against the harvester, and the battle was grueling. However, Lincoln started seeing a shadow on the screen and feeling a strange sensation in his left arm. The sensation kept getting stronger as the shadow became larger.
"Lincoln, you feel okay?"
"My arm feels weird, and what's up with that shadow?"
Lincoln and Ronnie Anne both question the shadow since there was nothing casting anything, suddenly, just as the harvester was about to finish off his final victim. Something smashed through the screen. The creature looked like a combination of a dinosaur, a goblin, and a human as it stood 10 feet with a row of horns from its head to its lizard-like tail, the largest of which resembled an elephant's tusk, on its forehead. It had eyes on the sides of his head, and his mouth opened sideways and was filled with sharp teeth. It had enormous webbed hands, feet, and fins on its arms and legs. Most bizarrely, his throat appeared to be open, displaying various organs and innards. The crowd cheered, thinking this was part of the movie, while Lincoln couldn't help but feel something terrifying and familiar about the monster. The cheering stopped when the movie stopped, and the lights came on, making everyone realize the creature was real. Everyone began screaming as the beast roared, causing everyone to run for their lives. Lincoln and Ronnie Anne managed to escape the theater, but Lana wasn't lucky as the beast blocked her exit, baring down at her with its fangs. Consumed by fear, the only thing she could think to do was scream for Lincoln as the monster grabbed her. Somehow, Lincoln heard her as he rushed with Ronnie Anne following.
"Lana!!!"
Seeing his sister in danger sparked something in Lincoln, and he charged the beast without a second thought. As he leaped for the monster, the strange sensation from before spread throughout his body, and he rewound his fist. Throwing his punch, Ronnie Anne was surprised to see not only did Lincoln hit the monster, but it was strong enough to knock it through a wall and drop Lana, who Lincoln caught midair, landing on the ground.
"You are in so much trouble!!" scolded Lincoln.
"Lincoln, how did you do that?"
Taking a moment to not focus on being upset with Lana, Lincoln quickly realized what he had done, as he had no idea how he had just done that. Suddenly, they heard the beast roar in anger; realizing it was getting back up, Lincoln told Lana to leave with Ronnie Anne and find the others.
"What are you gonna do!?" Asked Lana.
"Hold it off while you guys get out,"
Lana ran to Ronnie Anne before they ran out of the movie cinema, meeting up with Lucy and the others who were looking for them.
"Where have you been? Where's Lincoln?"
"Still inside,"
Back in the theater, Lincoln stood his ground, praying that whatever he had just done, he could do it again. The creature climbed out of the hole and stormed to Lincoln, who towered over him. The creature's expression changed a little as if it were trying to smile, and it simply growled.
"Found you!"
"Huh!?!"
Back outside, the girls were joined by their parents and the rest of their sisters, who were called by Lucy.
"We gotta get in there!!" Said Lynn Jr.
Unfortunately, no one could go back inside since the police and animal control had quickly blocked off the area. Suddenly, something came flying through the doors into a patrol car. That something was a battered and beaten Lincoln. Everyone was horrified by his condition, but before anyone could help, the monster smashed through, storming to Lincoln.
"You're what I was sent to bring back? Pathetic!" it growled before throwing Lincoln through the window of another store.
"Lincoln!!" Screamed Rita.
The police and animal control began firing bullets and tranquilizer darts at the creature, which did nothing but get his attention. The monster started approaching the police and animal control as they yelled for everyone to get back from the area. Back in the store, Lincoln was struggling to get back on his feet; however, the beating and the blood loss made him moments away from passing out, but he still kept working as if there was something inside him telling him to get up.
"Have to get back up! Damn it!!"
Suddenly, Lincoln watched a bird with black feathers fly in and land beside him. Lincoln was confused before the bird pecked his left arm.
"Ow, what the hell?!"
To his continued shock, a symbol appeared on his arm, followed by a series of images running through his head. The fog in his mind he felt all day cleared up as his eyes glowed finally. In an instant, his mind was finally cleared with a realization.
"I remember everything," he said, looking at the bird.
Lifting his hand, Lincoln places it in his chest before saying, "Heal," followed by "Change." Outside, the creature towered over the police and animal control, which ran out of ammunition. Rewinding, the monster slammed his fists to kill as many as possible in one shot. However, both fists were caught, surprising the creature before it was kicked in the stomach and knocked back several feet. To everyone's surprise, someone was standing there dressed in an orange, dark gray, and black superhero-esque outfit; the most prominent feature was the person's white hair. Everyone was surprised, especially the Louds and Ronnie Anne, who all said simultaneously.
"Lincoln?"
Lincoln looked back while lowering his shades so everyone could see his blue eyes before telling everyone.
"Don't worry, I got this now," he said while returning to the monster. "Okay, asshole, let's try this dance from the top, and this time I'll lead,"
As Lincoln walked towards the monster, he summoned two balls of energy in his hands, and as he closed his face, the energy transformed into identical large swords. By then, almost everyone there had pulled up their phones and begun filming. The monster quickly recovered and charged Lincoln, bringing his claws down, but Lincoln blocked them with his swords.
"So this is the power of the hero, I'm not impressed,"
"This will impress you,"
Lincoln quickly parried before dashing past the beast, slashing it with his swords in half.
Skill: Flash-Step.
Lincoln moved so fast that no one saw him move; as he turned around, he noticed the wounds healing on the monster. Lincoln had a theory, so he dashed in, inflicting more damage, but the wounds would heal instantly. Changing things up, Lincoln began unleashing magic attacks.
Skill: Fire Slash
The blades on Lincoln's swords ignited, turning into flames, shocking everyone watching.
"Mother, Father, how is Lincoln doing all this?" she asked.
The parents and the older sister looked like they knew much more about what was happening, which the younger sister and Ronnie Anne noticed. But before they could question them, Lincoln attacked, slashing and burning the monster. Unfortunately, the beast healed again, confirming what Lincoln was theorizing about.
"I see, you're an ethereal; no physical or magical attack can harm you!"
"Correct, I'm invincible,"
"No, it just means you have an anchor tethering you here; all I need to do is separate you from it and destroy it to send you back to Cierra,"
The beast growled, realizing the hero knew its weakness and prepared to attack.
"Now, where's your anchor?" asked Lincoln as he put his sword away, ready to fight with his bare hands.
"Go for the horn on its forehead," yelled a voice seemingly from nowhere, confusing everyone except Lincoln.
"Was that Gilbert Gottfried?" Asked Luan.
"Right!"
The monster charged while Lincoln did the same. The beast tried clawing Lincoln when they were close, but Lincoln jumped over it. While flipping over the beast, Lincoln grabbed the horn, pulled it along as he landed, and threw the monster a few feet.
"Did he just literally flip that thing?" asked a shocked Lori, getting a shocked nod from everyone else.
The monster got up even more angry but quickly realized something was wrong. He touched his forehead and realized his horn was missing.
"Looking for this!?" Mocked Lincoln, showing he has the horn.
"No! That's mine!!"
The monster panicked as it ran for Lincoln; however, he dropped the horn and started crushing it with his feet. The horn began to crack, causing the beast to collapse before Lincoln.
"Please, they'll kill me if I don't return with you!!" Begged the monster.
"Not my problem, demon, oh and when you get back to Cierra, tell that asshole Gideon this is his first only warning, stay off my world and tell whore Verna, not now, not ever!!" pressing down harder.
"Please!!" cried the monster.
"Oh, and one more message for you and your friends: you come at me and my world, don't forget!!" Threatened Lincoln as he crushed the horn.
"Noooo!!"
"YOU'RE IN MY HOUSE BITCH!!" roared Lincoln as the monster burst into flames and disappeared.
There was a deafening silence before the crowd cheered, realizing they were safe. The Louds and Ronnie Anne ran to Lincoln, who had just made his swords disappear and changed back into his clothes. Suddenly, Lincoln collapsed, much to everyone's horror.
"Oh no, Lincoln, wake up!" cried Lily.
"Don't worry, kid, he's not dead; he's just exhausted,"
Everyone looked around for the voice until a little black bird landed on Lincoln's head and started talking.
"A few hours of sleep, and he should be good as new," said the bird as Lincoln started snoring.
"Who or what are you?" Asked Ronnie Anne.
"Hey, I remember you," said Leni.
"The name is Knight; I'm sleepyhead's familiar and magical guide; good to see you and your daughters again, Mr. and Mrs. Loud,"
"Again?" Replied Ronnie Anne and the younger Loud sisters.
The older Loud sisters and the parents all looked at each other, knowing they were in for a very long discussion.
End of Ch. 1