35. Chapter 35

Hey everyone! UnderratedHero here with an early Christmas present. Sorry for taking so long, I had college finals and a vacation to take and enjoy first. However, I can now bring you the final chapter of the Luan arc, which was surprisingly really fun for me to write. I didn't know what I was getting into when I started it, and I ended up loving the concepts and ideas Siege and I came up with for it.

I'm really happy to hear how much you guys seem to like the action. I like writing action, even if it's not my strongest suit. And I had waaaay too much fun doing crazy magic stuff and throwing in Diablo 2 references while I was at it.

And this final chapter was also incredibly fun to write, so I hope you guys like it!

Let's goooooo!

"Lincoln?"

"Yeah?"

"My eyes are over here," Luan mentioned, casually waving a hand in a circular motion in front of her face.

"I'm aware."

"Then why do you have your eyes looking at the sky like you're afraid a lightning bolt will strike you?"

Lincoln winced. "Well, I mean, I'm still not entirely sure a lightning bolt won't just strike down and kill me."

"Don't worry, he's gone for good."

"But also, I really, really don't want to give Sid any excuse to think I'm a pervert."

She smirked. It didn't take a genius to realize why he was so embarrassed. She just relished in her teasing and his adorable reactions.

They'd defeated Diablo mere seconds ago. They'd just been able to fall on their butts and take a second to breathe in without the looming danger of a killing-obsessed demon. Luan had lost the surge of power her brother had bestowed upon her and her body was screaming for a nap. Her muscles felt numb, her bones ached, her head was killing her, and the many, many wounds she'd suffer hurt once again. She didn't even have energies left to heal herself and Lincoln. She just wanted to lay down and wait for someone to rescue them.

Lincoln had to feel the same way she did, but with him being the ever-so-selfless one, he managed to push through his pain and crawl next to Sid. Luan sighed, but knowing her brother's nobility knew no bounds, she did her best to stand up and aid him in taking care of his friend.

She saw how he knelt next to Sid and moved her unconscious body until her head was resting on his lap. She saw, not without the smallest pang of jealousy, how he grabbed one of Sid's hands and used his other one to gently press touch her forehead, possibly checking for a fever.

He sighed in relief and exhaustion, closing his eyes for a second before opening them back to stare at his friend.

And only then did he and Luan realize that Sid's usually loose clothes were now completely torn up, leaving almost nothing to the imagination, and providing the Loud siblings with the knowledge that Sid did a pretty good job filling out her purple bra.

Luan's initial reaction was to get illogically angry at the unconscious girl for inadvertently exposing herself to Lincoln, but soon enough, her brother's red face moving at light speed to the sky, closing his eyes and gulping helped her lighten up and look at the positives. She could now tease him.

"Why would she think you're a pervert?" She asked, cocking her hips and tilting her head, letting her messed up ponytail fall on her shoulders.

"C-Cause… You know, she's… I mean, I'm…"

God, his stuttering was so cute.

"You're just taking care of her, Linc," she said, dragging out her words. "I'm sure she won't mind. You gotta check for wounds, right?"

"Nope! No! I'm sure someone will get here to help!" He said, not realizing he was now yelling as he adamantly shook his head.

Ooooh, she so wanted to keep it going. She didn't usually like to tease Lincoln like that. She'd done it before, sure, as it was incredibly easy to get a teenage boy flustered and anxious. However, he was her brother and there was only so much teasing she could do before it got awkward and weird. Especially when she inevitably reached the point where she suddenly remembered she was supposed to be joking, not actively trying to seduce him.

And right then, they were supposed to deal with the aftermath of a demonic invasion on Earth. Probably not the best time to get her brother's hormones going. So, naturally, she decided to take her robes off.

The sound of the fabric alerted Lincoln, who decided to look down just in time to see his sister undoing the strings that held tight the upper part of her robes, letting the bloodstained outfit reveal the skimpy, tight, white tank top that held on to her sweaty, bruised, pale skin. It hugged every curve of her torso, ending just over the beginning of her belly. She had no marked abs, but her body was toned and slim, and right then, Lincoln couldn't take his eyes off her.

"See?" Luan said, and only then did he realize that she had used her robes as a blanket to cover Sid's body. "Problem solved. Now no one will think you're a pervert."

She looked at her brother, and she realized he now had his mouth open, and his eyes fixed on her body. A chill went down her spine, and she stood completely frozen, half-embarrassed, half-delighted that her body had this reaction on him.

Their silent, tense moment was broken right away when Lynn landed next to them like a meteor. Lori followed shortly after, arriving at supersonic speed next to Lynn, and just a few seconds later, Leni elegantly hovered her way to them.

"Luan! Lincoln! Are you—?!"

Lori's worry died as soon as she and the other newly arrived Louds saw the state Lincoln and Luan were in. Their wounds, sure, but mostly the fact that Luan was wearing the tightest top they'd ever seen in front of him.

"What are you doing?!" Lynn asked right away, looking and sounding dismayed.

"We just defeated Diablo!" Luan said, suddenly self-conscious, pressing her arms against her sides to try to hide herself, but that only had the undesired effect of pushing her breasts together much to Lincoln and Lynn's shock. The latter took one small glance down at her torso before turning back again at Luan with boiling rage.

"By undressing?!" The martial artist exclaimed.

"I was just covering Sid!" Luan said, trying to defend herself. "She was, like, half-naked and I didn't want Lincoln to… oggle her!"

"You were OGGLING a half-naked girl?!"

"Huh?" Lincoln said, snapping out of his trance to find a fuming Lynn shooting daggers at him with her eyes.

The brunette began a very heated argument with Luan and especially Lincoln, sounding oddly betrayed, while Lori, all flustered, just tried to make sense of the situation.

"So, like, are we allowed to change in front of Linky then?" Leni asked, waving her wand like she was ready to transform back to her regular clothes.

"LENI, NO!"

A blue portal appeared with an ominous sound, stopping the Louds seconds before the misunderstandings turned into a dust cloud of sibling violence. Lori, Leni, and Lynn quickly stood right in front of Lincoln in a protective stance, but Luan knew what the portal was, and instead, she approached it with her whoopie cushion in hand.

From the portal, the figure of Akara stepped forward. She gave one look at the battlefield and then fixed her eyes on Luan.

"This space has been purged of evil," she solemnly declared. "The armies of Hell retreated from Sanctuary. Did you defeat Diablo, Luan?"

"I did. We did," she said, correcting herself right away. "My brother, he… he performed the exorcism. And he gave me the power to seal him in a new Soul Cage."

She offered the whoopie cushion to Akara, who took it in her hands. As soon as she did, the voices of the demon echoed in the air around them.

"AkAra! you foUL WiTch! yOuR dISciPLES MAY HAvE StoppEd ME onCE agaIN, BUT My brOTHerS shaLl rAisE from ThEIR PRisoNs. MePhIstO FoREsaw tHIs OuTCOme ANd ouR rEvENgE wiLl—"

BRRRRRAAAP!

"Lori!" Leni said, looking away and shielding her eyes from Lori like she was embarrassed.

"It wasn't me!" The blonde superhero said, pointing at the whoopie cushion Akara had closed her fist on.

"You did well, Luan," the High Priestess said, her deep eyes fixed on the Soul Cage, examining it with the tip of her fingers. "I believe, however, that it would be for the best if this time we kept this evil locked safely in the vaults of Sanctuary."

Luan visibly flinched, dropping her head and giving a mere, polite nod with her head to acknowledge her headmistress' instructions. Lincoln saw it and realized this was all his fault.

"Excuse me, ma'am!" He said, gently laying Sid down on the ground before sprinting to stand next to Luan, his ankle and the deep, untreated wound on his shoulder resenting the movement.

"You must be Luan's brother," Akara said, looking at the boy standing in front of her.

"Yes. I am. And… and it was my fault that Diablo was released," he confessed right away.

Lori, Leni, and Lynn exchanged worried glances, and Luan's head shot up so fast her ponytail bounced and almost hit her face.

"I lied to her," he continued. "My archetype, it… it can, uh… It can copy other people's archetypes, right? And so I tried to help my friend by copying Luan's archetype. But it didn't work, and instead of coming clean to her about it, I stole her Soul Cage to try to use it instead of my powers. But Diablo talked me into breaking one of the seals, and he got away. It was all my fault, all the destruction, all the damages, all the people that got hurt… It's all on me. It wasn't Luan that failed to keep Diablo safe. I lied to her and freed him."

"No, wait, he's lying," Luan said, turning to look him in the eye. "He wasn't just trying to help his friend, he was helping me. I asked him to cover for me so I could do my show. I'm the one that lied to the Exorcist Guild, letting someone else do my work for me. If I hadn't neglected my responsibilities, none of this would have happened."

"No! It's not your fault, I should have done what you asked me instead of lying!"

"I shouldn't have asked you anyway! It was wrong for me to do it!"

"Your happiness is more important than your work!"

"My work is to help people that can't help themselves! It's my responsibility!"

"Why are you arguing with me?" He complained, shocked at her attempts to keep him from taking the blame. "I don't want you to get in trouble for what I did!"

"Well, I don't want you to get in trouble because of me!"

"No one's getting in trouble," Akara said with a soft smile.

The two siblings turned to look at her.

"While it is true that the easiest solution would have been for you to simply reject your work and let another Exorcist deal with it, your brother is right in that you're not in the best place right now. You're having doubts about your place in this world, and that's not a trivial issue. Luan, everyone struggles at some point trying to figure out what they want to do in life with their Archetype. Our Archetypes are part of our potential, but they don't, nay shouldn't dictate our lives. It's a common crossroad everyone faces at some point. I don't blame you for being confused."

She then turned to look at Lincoln.

"And you, child, shouldn't feel responsible for Diablo's breakthrough. He's one of the oldest entities known to man, a conniving, deceptive creature that has manipulated the minds of wise and brave people all the same. The job of our Guild isn't to keep him from returning indefinitely, but rather to be prepared to face him when he inevitably manages to escape. You're not to blame for falling prey to his manipulation: you're a victim of his schemes. And if Luan's words are to be trusted, then you have contributed to his imprisonment once again. So worry not; no punishment will be handed to either of you."

Luan sighed in relief and rapidly thank her for her kindness, but Lincoln looked rather disturbed by that resolution.

"So is that it?" He asked. "I lied and got a demon out in the world and in return I get a pat on the shoulder?"

"Do you want to be punished?" Akara questioned him with a raised eyebrow.

"No, but… I mean…" he hesitated. "I messed up. I… Look around you!"

He extended his arms, pointing at the destruction that had wrecked the streets and buildings.

"The whole neighborhood is destroyed!"

"Lincoln, the town is always getting destroyed when combat Archetypes fight Soulless," Lori told him. "Don't worry about it, it's part of the job. Plus, we were involved, so our insurance companies and sponsors will take care of it."

"Hehe, yeah, um, about that," Lynn said, rubbing her wrists and looking away. "My insurance told me the other day that I maaay have pushed their budget to the limit, kinda."

The hero squinted her eyes, while the martial artist gave her an apologetic smile.

"Well… still… people got hurt," Lincoln said.

"No, they didn't!" Leni said, giving him a big, warm smile. "I talked to everyone! The spooky ghosts and skeletons didn't get to hurt anyone. I made sure of it!"

Lincoln sighed in frustration. Why wouldn't anyone allow him to ask for some accountability for his mistakes?

"Well, Sid got hurt," he finally said, exasperated.

And just then, Sid sat up.

"EEEEK!"

Lori and Lynn both dashed to grab Luan's robes and cover Sid, their faces flushed red.

"Am I dead?" The Assassin asked with half-lidded eyes and a groggy voice, lolling her head in her attempt to turn to look at the Loud sisters around her. "Are you pretty angels?"

"She seems fine to me," Leni pointed out. "I like her."

"Can't you give her a magic shirt or something?!" Lynn asked her.

"Nope!"

"Uh, where's Lincoln?" Sid asked with the voice of a freshly awakened 500-years-old mummy. "I… remember him and… and being horny."

Everyone seemed to miss the way one of her hands absentmindedly rubbed her forehead —where two demonic horns had protruded from minutes earlier—, and instead all eyes were set on Lincoln. Akara's with surprise. The Loud girls' with anger and jealousy that was only lost to the boy.

"I don't like her," Leni said.

"Lincoln, we're literally gonna talk as soon as we get home."

"Stinkoln, I'm going to kick your ass as soon as we get home."

"Uuuugh!" Sid yawned, stretching her arms up and forcing Lynn to raise Luan's robes to save Lincoln a nosebleed. "Mmm. I… feel like Lincoln really did a number on me."

The Harem King boy covered his face with his hands.

"I won't pry in your personal life," Akara said, looking at Lincoln. "But if you're worried about her health, I'd say your girlfriend's doing fine."

"SHE'S NOT MY/HIS GIRLFRIEND!"

The High Priestess recoiled from the Louds yelling at her in unison. "I see. Huh. I guess kids these days don't need the same commitments we did back in the day."

"I changed my mind, I don't want accountability," Lincoln said, taking a peek at his sisters from in between his fingers. "I just want to go home."

He lowered his arms, and a sharp pang of pain struck him in his wounded shoulder.

"And also get a doctor to check this for me," he grunted, trying his best not to let some tears fall.

All traces of anger and jealousy were lost, and the girls soon did their best to help and nurture their wounded little brother.

"Are you sure you're good?" Luan asked him.

Later that night, Luan was helping Lincoln with his plate of dinner in the comfort of his room. They were both covered in bandages, but Lincoln's shoulder had suffered a nasty wound that even the Healer Archetypes had suggested would require a few weeks to fully heal on its own. He was now lying on his bed, finishing his dinner to the best of his ability with his right arm kept still on a sling.

"Yeah, I'm good. Thank you," he told her.

"Pfft, me? Why are you thanking me?"

"Cause, you know… You saved me. You saved us all."

She put his plate and empty glass on the desk and sat next to him. "I could say the exact same thing back to you."

"I… created the problem and then gave you some of the tools to fix it," he said, shrugging his good shoulder. "I don't know if that's something worth thanking me for."

"You did your best," she told him. "And your best was enough to save my life. Multiple times, by the way."

"I guess being around you all has taught me a thing or two."

They smiled at each other, and for a little while, words seemed to be unnecessary. They stayed next to each other in silence, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. It was a silence born out of a complete understanding and synchronization in their feelings and minds. They were both on the same page. They didn't need words to communicate how they felt.

Even though their feelings were troubled, Lincoln's in particular. He found himself enjoying every second with Luan sitting so close to him. He felt safe, happy, cozy, wishing she'd hug him. She probably would if he dared ask, but all of a sudden, and ever since the connection they had earlier that day, he couldn't understand his feelings anymore.

They were the same feelings he'd always felt, that much he knew. He loved her the same way he'd been loving her for as long as he could remember, and certainly even before that. He loved her just like how he loved each and every one of his sisters. No disrespect to his parents, grandparents, or even his friends, but his sisters were his entire world. He'd once joked with Clyde about how hard it'd be for him to ever get a girlfriend; it wouldn't be easy for any girl to accept merely one-eleventh of his heart as the absolute most he could offer them. His love for them would never be in doubt.

The nature of that love, however, had Lincoln confused. He'd never, ever stopped for one second to take a step back and analyze his feelings. They were there, they'd always been there. It only felt natural. They were family, they were his everything, and in the case of his older sisters, they were the best role models ever. They were precisely what he wanted to become. Successful. Strong. Beloved. Capable. Heroic. It was only natural that he felt admiration for them, wasn't it?

But then he'd felt Luan's feelings for him. To his surprise, they were exactly as strong as his were for her. And only then, when he sensed the same admiration and utter adoration aimed at him did he begin to wonder how much could fraternal love stretch before it crossed an uncrossable line. Before it stepped into territory he wasn't entirely sure on what it entailed, but that he had an instinctual apprehension for. He just knew he shouldn't be there, wherever that was.

It confused him. It made him feel weird. He hated that he couldn't even understand his own feelings. But how could something seemingly wrong…

"Luan?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

…feel so right.

She looked shocked for a second like she didn't expect those words to come out from his mouth. Her expression quickly softened, one hand pressed itself against her chest like her heart was swollen with extra love, and soon her arms found their way around his neck, carefully pulling in for a tight hug.

"I love you too, Linc. I really do."

Her breathing tickled the back of his neck, and he held her as tight as he could with just one arm wrapped around her waist. He closed his eyes and relished the intimacy, their breathing synchronizing, their hearts entangled in a complicated mess he'd have, at some point, to begin to unravel. But that time wasn't right then, and he selfishly allowed himself to forget about these doubts and questions and just focus on what felt right.

They stayed together until Luan excused herself, saying she needed to go to bed and get ready for the next day, where she'd have to file a report to the Exorcist Guild and deal with the press.

Lincoln stood up and walked her to his door.

"You're not going to bed?" She asked.

"No. There's something I need to deal with before that."

"So what are we looking at exactly?" He asked, walking around the hologram.

"These, right here, are your regular energy readings, the ones I've been taking and cataloging regularly for years," Lisa explained.

"Pfft, energy readings… gimme a break. This is you," Lynn said, pointing at the obviously Lincoln-shaped glowing body in the middle of the room, but then moving her hand to gesture at the nebulous, cosmic-like wild shape that emanated from his body like a stylish smoke screen. "And this is your everyday aura. That's what it's called, Lisa. I thought we'd been over this."

The little genius rolled her eyes, but Lincoln was too busy looking at his aura.

He'd seen Lisa handling some graphics before about his aura. They'd always been two-dimensional bar graphics with many inputs and value sets. This was the first time he'd seen a three-dimensional projection, and he had fun walking around the 1:1 holographic model of his own body.

"So this is what we all look like to you all the time?" He asked Lynn.

"Of course not, dork. The aura is usually invisible. I can sense it, sure, but I would need to actually focus on it to be able to see it. It'd be awful if everyone around me looked like a walking cloud."

"Huh. I guess that makes sense."

He kept staring at his aura before he thought back to Lynn's earlier words. "You said this is my everyday aura. So it's always the same?"

"Yup. Since we were kids." Lynn then cocked her head to a side and looked up in deep thought. "Well, I guess it's much stronger now. It used to be fainter, quieter. More, uh… rounded, I guess? Softer, that's it, I think. Now it's a bit more all over the place. But it happens to everyone, don't worry. And I could still recognize yours in a Colosseum full of people."

"Would you, really?"

She looked down, meeting his eyes. He could tell she tried to give him a confident, bragging grin, but it melted into a genuine, caring smile.

"Of course, Stinkoln. I know your aura better than anyone else's," she said, and Lincoln had to look away to keep his complicated feelings from getting even more complicated. He still made no efforts to hide his smile.

"Your aura readings, as Lynn would put it, are as unique for each individual as their fingerprints or DNA sample. Unique. Unalterable…"

She then made a pause, making Lincoln turn to look at her.

"Is that a dramatic pause?" He asked. "It looks like a dramatic pause."

Lisa grinned.

"...or so we thought," she finished at last, before pressing a button on a remote control.

Suddenly, the holographic, glowing, orange aura changed. New arms of light seemed to emerge from the center of the body with a cadmium yellow tone to them. It seemingly merged with the rest of the aura, making it look like a brand new, homogenous one, but still recognizable as a deviation from the original.

Lynn crossed her arms over her chest, looking away with an annoyed expression.

"What is this?" He asked, examining the new aura presented in front of him.

"These are the readings we got at the hospital today. What you see is the remnants of—"

"There were still chunks of Luan's aura on yours," Lynn finished impatiently.

Lisa gave her a look that, to Lincoln's surprise, was less reproachful and more understanding, almost like she pitied her for some reason.

"Luan's aura?" He asked.

"Yeah," Lynn said, before sighing and stepping closer to point out at the hologram. "These here? They're clearly part of Luan's aura. They're exactly the same. And this was at the hospital; when I saw you right after the battle was over, your aura had… more of her in it."

She seemed disappointed, almost hurt for some reason. Maybe she felt bad for missing the big action?

"It's so cool that you can see people's auras," he told her, trying to cheer her up. "That's a great ability! And the way you can tell who they belong to! That's like a whole superpower on its own!"

His small compliment seemed to do wonders for her. She smiled, and her hands dropped from being crossed over her chest to casually lay on her hips.

"Well, you guys are family, of course I can recognize your auras!" She said, waving a hand like it was no big deal. "But this is super weird, actually. I've seen martial artists sharing their power before. There are a bunch of techniques where you give someone else part of your power to help them do a stronger attack. But it's always like adding clay to a baseball. You can tell where the patches are. Your thing with Luan, Leni, and Lori? It's like the auras… hug each other or something."

"There's a whole different level of compatibility, is what she's trying to say," Lisa explained. "Every time you've genre shifted, from the readings I've managed to get, you found a way to create a symbiotic, seamless union between your aura and the energy you borrow from our sisters. It merges with a level of synchronization that, by all available information and what Lynn has been able to tell me, shouldn't be possible."

"How so?" He asked.

"As I previously stated, auras are a unique signature of energy that our bodies produce. They're tied to what we colloquially refer to as our soul, where the information about our Archetype is recorded. It's what the Index checks to read and determine our Archetypes. The aura is supposed to be immutable. And yet, yours is capable of quite literally embracing other people's auras, creating a new reading that temporarily merges both essences."

He tried to understand everything, but the concepts were hard to grasp. He still tried his best. This was the explanation he needed, the one he wanted. His chance of finally getting a better understanding of his Archetype, his abilities, and how they worked.

"Can you tell me how that happens?" He asked, hoping for an answer.

"I've no hecking clue," Lynn admitted.

"The available information is still not sufficient enough to figure out the exact mechanics of your Genre Shift," Lisa answered. "However, based on certain tendencies, and after analyzing your and our sister units' testimonies, I believe it's safe to say that there is a key, emotional component that's a requirement for a successful Genre Shift. In other words: a strong, emotional bond is required between two parties to allow the auras to merge together."

Lincoln nodded but remained silent.

"Obviously, there's more to it than that, as you wouldn't have otherwise experienced what we can refer to as a failed Genre Shift with Luan. We don't have readings from that specific timeframe, but according to Lynn, she didn't feel a difference in your aura yesterday."

"Not at all," she confirmed. "Ever since you did the Tuxedo Linky stuff and Lisa showed me your aura mixed up with Leni's, I've been paying more attention to you."

She gulped, and for a second, Lincoln could have sworn her cheeks were a different shade of pink.

"Yesterday you were your regular self. Nothing different that I could sense."

"Huh. That's so weird…"

"It is quite the puzzle to solve," Lisa agreed. "I find it fascinating. In your own words, the transformation didn't come with any form of powers or skills, did it?"

"No. Usually… when it's done right, at least, it's like my body knows what to do. And I can do awesome stuff. But when I tried to change into an Exorcist, I had new clothes and a gun and everything, but I didn't know what to do, and I couldn't do anything really."

"And yet, Luan mentioned that once you completed a perfect Genre Shift, it was a completely different story, correct?"

"Oh, yeah, absolutely. It felt so natural."

"Luan also mentioned that your second shift looked much closer to what an actual Exorcist looks like. Any idea why that could be?"

Lincoln took a minute to think about his answer.

"The first time, I turned into what I thought an Exorcist would be. You know, like in the movies. Someone with a trench coat and a gun to kill ghosts."

"Why would a gun kill a ghost?" Lynn asked, frowning.

"I don't know, I thought that's how it'd go!" He defended himself.

"Interesting. So you turned into what you thought the Archetype would be, which as it stands, derailed far from what it actually is. The second time, and according to what you and Luan told me, you turned into an actual Exorcist form, although one you were unfamiliar with."

"Yeah… Yeah, it was a lot different from what I thought an Exorcist would be." He turned to look at Lynn. "It kinda felt like I was Genre Shifting with you, for a second!"

He meant it as a compliment, but he saw her gritting her teeth.

"What about your Genre Shifts with our other sisters?" Lisa inquired.

"Well… I didn't Genre Shift with Lori, I just gave her part of my power. With Leni, I just… turned into a guy with a Tuxedo. And with Luna, I don't even know what I turned into. I just know I had a guitar with me."

Lisa checked her notes, writing something down with a pencil before scratching her chin.

"This is but a starting hypothesis, but it would appear that your attempts at forcing a Genre Shift caused you to turn into your mental image of what an Archetype entails, whereas whenever you were in danger, you tapped into the very essence of the Archetypes, adopting it even if you're not familiar with them."

Lincoln tried to process her words, and when he did, his shoulders dropped.

"So… you mean I can't Genre Shift at will?" He asked with disappointment drenching his every word. "I can only use it if I'm about to die?"

"I can't say that for sure. It's a possibility, but I believe there might be additional requirements we haven't figured out yet. All we know for sure is that something was different between your attempts at forcing a Genre Shift, and the times it happened naturally. If we can figure out what was missing, then you may be able to find the key to unlock Genre Shifting at will."

"Well, if you need strong feelings for someone to be able to Genre Shift with them, today's your lucky day," Lynn said, taking a step forward and puffing out her chest. "Your beautiful, favorite sister is willing to let you practice with her."

"Genre Shifting?" Lincoln asked, sounding delighted at her proposition.

"Among other things…"

"Actually," Lisa said, humming and stepping closer to her older siblings, "that does sound like a good idea."

"Really?" Lynn asked, before quickly shaking her head. "I mean, duh! Of course it is!"

"It is quite evident that Lincoln's Archetype is, at its core, an ability that works by transmuting and manipulating auras. Something unheard of by all available data. My equipment is capable of making readings and comparing variables, but the study of souls, or auras, is one that the scientific community is severely unprepared for."

She then pointed a finger at Lynn.

"You, however, have an Archetype that is fueled directly by your aura. And you can sense, see, understand, and recognize them, and even manage to channel its power to fuel your techniques."

"Then maybe you can teach me how to understand them," Lincoln hopefully said, looking at Lynn with a glimmer of hope. "Lynn, please, could you teach me how auras work? How to control them? Maybe that's what I'm missing to be able to Genre Shift at will!"

The martial artist looked stunned for a second, her mouth hanging open.

"Uh… You want me to teach you? Like, me, to actually train you in how to work with auras?"

"Yeah! And…"

He hesitated for a second, looking away from Lynn, and feeling his shame weighing down on his shoulders.

"And also… So, uh, when I was fighting Diablo, he mentioned how my body wasn't trained enough to handle the power of Luan's Archetype. I wasn't fast enough. I couldn't react as fast as I should have. And that's probably because… you know… I'm weak," he admitted, scratching his neck with his good hand. "All of you guys, you're all so strong and good at what you do. Me? I'm just a kid. I can't even do a single pull-up. Maybe if I was stronger… Maybe I could do a better job at protecting you guys."

Almost like she tried to actively prove his point, Lynn moved at supersonic speed, faster than his eye could follow. She picked him up in a tight hug, their cheeks pressed together so hard her freckles would leave a mark on his face, and lifted him three inches from the floor.

"Oh, hohoho! Jackpot!" She said, happiness and joy radiating from her every pore. "I'll teach ya how to control your aura, you'll see! And I'll get you fit and in shape in no time! It's perfect! We get to spend time together without Lori getting all 'Lynn, you shouldn't hog him that much, Lynn, you're not his only sister, Lynn, you can't keep wrestling with him without your shirt on'!"

"You do what now?" Lisa asked, frowning at Lynn's words.

"But now we have the perfect excuse!" Lynn said, ignoring her younger sister. "And once you master your Genre Shift, you'll turn into a Martial Artist as strong as me! And I'll FINALLY have a good partner to spar! Ooooh, we're gonna have so much fun! We can start tomorrow at—!"

"...eeeEEEEEEEEK!"

She stopped her ranting and, for the first time since her outburst, she took a look at Lincoln. He looked… Well, she wanted to say happy, but even with rose-tinted glasses, she could tell he was actually quite in pain and had been letting out a very sharp, soft shriek for the last minute.

And then she realized she'd been hugging him from his injured shoulder.

"Oh, shoot!" She said, immediately dropping him to the ground, where he fell on his good side and stayed there. Lisa gave Lynn one of her trademarked unimpressed looks, and Lynn merely blushed before letting out a nervous laugh. "Hehe. Sorry. My b. Um, maybe we can delay the training until your shoulder heals."

"That'd be a couple of weeks away." Said the scientist.

"Weeks?! But that's, like, more than a couple of days!"

Lisa stared at her. "You're not wrong."

"Oh, man! That stinks!" Lynn groaned and clenched her fists so hard a knuckle cracked with a miniature shockwave that moved Lisa's wig an inch. "Alright, Stinkoln, I guess we'll wait until you get better. But don't bail on me, bro! I can see the pattern, and I'm the next one. If you skip to Lucy I'll kick your ass!"

"...eeeeeeeekkkk."

"Thank you for letting me stay here until they fix my apartment, Nini!"

"Don't call me that," Ronnie Anne said, blushing at the nickname only her family used on her. "Of course, you can stay here for as long as you need."

As she said that, she finished tucking an extremely tired Sid into the bed they'd be sharing in Ronnie Anne's room for the next couple of days. She'd gone to the hospital as soon as her mother learned the news about the short-lived but oh-so-scary incursion of Hell, and after some quick calls within the hospital, she found out that Sid Chang was being checked in the Supernatural Possessions and Encounters Ward —SPEW, as doctors liked to call it.

Ronnie Anne had been so scared. Sid was her best friend. Maybe even her only friend, all things considered. She couldn't fathom the idea of her getting hurt, or worse. She'd waited right until they confirmed she had no lasting effects or injuries and discharged her to go rest. Unfortunately, her entire home had been destroyed by the demons, so she needed a new place to rest. Her parents and her little sister Adelaide had gone to Sid's grandma's house, but they'd let their child bunk over with her best friend for a couple of days while repairs were taking place.

The young Bruja had no problem sharing her small room with her bestie. They'd had sleepovers multiple times, and they were used to going to bed together. She just wanted to make sure Sid was okay, that she wasn't hurt or scared. Her friend was so tired, she could barely walk, and Ronnie Anne was now finishing tucking her in.

"Thanks, Ronnie," Sid said, her eyes half-lidded.

"You're welcome. Just make sure to get some rest, alright?"

"Sure," she yawned, letting her heavy eyelids fall and putting on a smile. "G'night, Ronnie."

"G'night, Sid."

"G'night, Charlie."

The magical, translucent orb spun around over her head and used its powers to adjust the pillow under her head.

Ronnie Anne stared at the ghost, still trying to make sense of why it had to stay with Sid instead of going back to the Afterlife or wherever it belonged. She shook her head and stood up. By the time she looked back again at Sid, she was already snoring.

"I'll go get ready myself for bed," she told the ghost, whom she still didn't fully trust. "Make sure nothing happens to her, alright?"

The orb swirled around in the air, and Ronnie Anne had no clue what that meant. She decided to take it as a 'yes' however and proceeded to leave the room and head out to the tiny, cramped balcony of the small apartment.

The cold night breeze brushed against her arms, and she shivered, but instead of going back inside or getting a hoodie, she remained there, her eyes lost in the horizon, her mind traveling far beyond what she could see. Thinking. Worrying. Realizing.

It was all Lincoln's fault.

He'd been there with Sid the day before. He'd been doing… stuff with her, whatever it was. And now a demon army had attacked the city starting on Sid's house, and the leader of the ghosts had possessed her friend. Worst of all? Ronnie Anne had seen the news later that day, and he was there. Hiding behind his sisters, holding the unconscious and blanket-covered body of Sid.

Was she naked? The hospital had given Sid a gown, and now she was wearing one of Ronnie Anne's old pajamas. Where were her clothes? Had Lincoln seen her naked?

Had he done anything with her?

She clenched her fists on the cold steel of the balustrade, and her eyes filled with tears. Why? Why did he have to turn out to be a Harem King? Why couldn't he be something normal? Something else? Anything else? Why did he have to become a chick's magnet?

Ronnie Anne wasn't stupid. She'd seen the way that Stella girl stared at him. The sly, curious looks Girl Jordan gave him when no one else noticed. She even noticed the way Sid blushed and got all flustered when they talked about him. Were they all in love with him? Was that part of his powers?

Were his powers the reason why she'd fallen in love with him?

She felt a knife sinking into her heart at the mere possibility. It'd taken years for her to come to terms with the fact that she'd fallen in love with the dork she had constantly made fun of in Elementary school. It had been such a wild ride. She had to accept the fact that she loved him. Deeply. Like she'd never loved any other boy before. And how could she not fall in love with him? He was funny, smart, charismatic, caring, thoughtful, attentive, charming, handsome.

Ronnie Anne had never been good at confronting or managing her feelings. As soon as she realized she loved Lincoln Loud, she'd doubled down on her teasing. She didn't want to give him any reason to think she had deeper feelings for him. She didn't want him to find out. Because if her secret came out in the open, then he'd have to choose: would he reciprocate those feelings, or would he reject them?

And Ronnie Anne's heart wasn't tough or strong enough to handle rejection. That's why she bottled up her love. Why she never let him know that she wanted nothing more than spending their afternoons together, holding hands, holding each other, kissing, hugging, intertwining their bodies and souls. She was too afraid of being disappointed.

Even then, she'd found courage from within. She'd spent the entire summer readying herself to confess her feelings to him on the first day of school. She'd come clean, and she'd have her answer. Maybe he would reject her, and she could just keep herself busy in Archetype Academy so she would never have to cross him again. But maybe he'd love her back, and her life would change for the better.

Of course, her life changed for the worse when the Index revealed him as a Harem King. Someone destined to… what? Get a bunch of girls to fall in love with him? To… to do things with him? She couldn't tolerate it. She couldn't accept it. She didn't want to think that her feelings for him would be artificial, created by his powers. It didn't feel right. It couldn't be. She'd love him for so long… there was no way they were manufactured.

No, she loved him for who he was, regardless of his Archetype. That much he knew. But what about the rest of the girls? Would they all fall prey to his powers? She couldn't handle that. She wouldn't be able to share him, no. She didn't deserve that.

He didn't deserve that. As much as Ronnie Anne hated the situation and how much she channeled her rage onto Lincoln, she knew that he was as much of a victim as she was. He had no control over his Archetype. He wasn't —as far as she knew— actively using his powers to get girls to like him. He was still the same dork she'd fallen in love with. He was respectful to girls; heck, he'd grown up with ten sisters! Of course he didn't look at girls like trophies!

It wasn't his fault. It was his Archetype. His Archetype would ruin his life. Her life. Their life. Everyone's life. She needed to help him. She needed to save him from himself. She would find a way to make sure that he would only be with a girl that loved him for who he was, not because of a stupid Archetype that made people fall in love with him. She would keep him as pure and kind and loyal as she knew he was.

But how?

"Hoot hoot! Hoot hoot! Ronnie Anne!"

The Bruja looked up at the night sky, straight into the full moon that bathed her with argent light. A small black silhouette approached her. Two feathered wings flapped in the air, carrying the bird on its flight towards the balcony. Ronnie Anne groaned, sighing when he recognized the bird. And knowing what was about to happen, she stepped aside, just in time to dodge the bird running into the wall.

"Ouch!" The bird said, shaking his head.

"What are you doing here, Sergio?" She asked, picking the bird up and letting it pech on the balustrade.

The parrot had feathers of all different colors, from red to orange, to blue, and it looked at Ronnie Anne with an almost offended look.

"Is that how you treat family? Hoot hoot!"

"You're not an owl, you're a parrot."

"I'm a messenger owl, croak! I mean, hoot hoot!"

"Did Uncle Carlos send you?" She asked, trying to get this over with.

"Nope! I have a letter from your Abuela!" He said, raising a claw to show a piece of red paper attached to it.

"Abuela Rosa?" Ronnie Anne asked, cocking her head. It wasn't common for her grandma to send her letters. What could the old Bruja want?

She picked up the letter and opened it up. As soon as the red ribbon was undone, the entire paper folded magically into the shape of a mouth, and it began to speak with Abuela's voice.

"Is it recording? Is it on? Mija! Is this thing on? Oh, okay! Hello, cariño!" The elderly woman said with so much happiness in her voice. "How is my young little Bruja doing? I hope you're having a great time in school! Ah, I remember when your Uncle Carlos managed to get a scholarship to Archetype Academy. And now, you're the second in the family to get your education there! We're all so proud of you, Mija! I hope you're making tons of friends and learning a lot!"

Ronnie Anne winced. Her grades were average and her social circle was nonexistent.

"But you know, the Academy isn't the only place where you can learn your trades! Back in my day, we just learned how to use our Archetypes in the covens and guilds! So if you ever need help understanding the ways of a Bruja, just send me a message on your cauldron and I'll teach you anything you need! Spells! ¡Hechizos! Curses! Potions! Anything you want, Mija! Your abuela will always be glad to help you. ¡Nos vemos! ¡Te quiero mucho! Goodbye!"

The letter then began to fold unto itself once again, turning around and forming a new mouth, this time similar in shape and size to Ronnie Anne's.

"Do I have to record a message back?" She asked Sergio, and the paper mouth floating in front of her moved along with her lips.

"It's already recording! Hoot hoot!"

Ronnie Anne took a deep breath. Something in her abuela's letter had struck a chord with her. She remembered her old lectures from her grandma, who kept trying to get her to learn about her Bruja Archetype (which her entire family knew she'd grow up to have, given her proclivity to attract black cats and use brooms to hover-skate around the house) and all the crazy magic stuff she could do.

For the longest time, she was either apathetic or even lowkey embarrassed by her grandma's suggestions. They all seemed either lame, sounded like homework, or were legitimately embarrassing to discuss. Thus, she'd always politely declined her abuela's lessons.

Now, however, she had bigger worries than being embarrassed. She had much more dire circumstances around her. Much more important things to fix.

She had a friend to save from himself. And that was worth the embarrassment.

She cleared her throat and leaned forward to the magic letter.

"Hola, Abuela," she said, looking at the paper mouth moving along with her voice. "Thank you for writing to me. I miss you guys. Everything's good in the Academy. I… have a lot of friends. Bunch of friends, yeah. You wouldn't believe it, hehe. So, uh, I was thinking… I, uh… I think I could use some lessons. I've been getting better at casting my Bruja spells. I'll show you when we go back to the city on Christmas. But I could use some lessons in other stuff, like, you know… Hexes, and potions… Maybe even…"

Last time to retreat. After this, there would be no turning back. Could she actually go through with this crazy plan she'd just started scheming a mere minute ago? Could she handle the embarrassment of discussing this with her grandma? Was this even something she wanted to deal with?

She pictured Lincoln once again. His cute, freckled smile. His deep, loving eyes.

Yes. It was worth everything. He was worth everything. She'd save him. She'd do this.

For Lincoln.

"...maybe you can even teach me how to do those Love Potions you told me about?"