Of Louds And Goddesses: Tidings in the Dark

Chapter 9 (Back to School Pt 2)

Down in the Loud home, Lincoln was still asleep in his bed, tossing and turning uncomfortably as he seemingly found himself in a bad dream. As he dreamt, he found himself in the middle of a city under attack and being destroyed.

He looked around in confusion, hearing gunfire, the screaming of civilians and creatures, tanks, Great Hunger creatures, and creatures from something else that he couldn't recognize. All groups were in a seemingly endless war with each other with the Great Hunger and creatures of white and seemingly angelic in appearance. He couldn't comprehend what was happening in this warzone.

Vehicles exploded or were torn to shreds by the aliens.

"Hey! You there! Don't you think it's time you woke up?" spoke a young, female voice from behind. Lincoln turned around, seeing the silhouette of what seemed to be a blonde teenage girl. Before he could speak, the girl stepped back and readied an attack, her fist being enveloped by a chaotic, rainbow colored aura and threw a punch right at his face.

Right as it made contact with his face, everything went dark with Lincoln waking up right in bed. He sat straight up and looked around the sunlight lit room in fear, assessing what had just happened. He got out of bed, rubbing his head in confusion.

"What... What the hell just happened?"

Lincoln shuddered, looking at the time and realized it was about time for him to get dressed. He grabbed his glasses and began looking for clothes to put on. Once Lincoln had gotten ready, he looked around his room and noticed that Venus wasn't sleeping on the couch which had him slightly worried. He hoped she wasn't trying to crawl in the vents again. He didn't want to be late to school having to pull her out when he already had to help Lucy with that problem.

"Venus? You around? Hello? Please don't tell me you snuck out..."

"Snuck out?"

The Loud turned to the bedroom door, seeing Venus coming in with two plates of food. Both eggs with each plate having them cooked differently. One egg scrambled, and the other wasn't even cooked at all. She sat down and gave Lincoln his scrambled eggs with a fork. She sat down with her normal egg and crunched down on it, which made Lincoln a little bit grossed out.

"Oh. Good to see you up! Just uh... Why are you eating a raw-nevermind," he replied, eating his eggs. "Nice of you to wake up early! And thankfully you didn't move me to the floor to sleep on my bed this time."

"The thought did come to mind. But I had important matters to tend to. I had a meeting with an important individual from my home planet. Nothing too serious. I was just curious on how it was going."

"I see. Speaking of your planet, what was life like on it?" Lincoln asked. He hoped this didn't seem too awkward of a conversation topic. Just seemed that Venus wasn't much for talking no matter what. "Just curious is all."

"Life on my planet was peaceful. I stayed in my palace, resting at the heart of it all. I commanded my people and armies to eliminate any enemies that we encountered in the process. Simple but it worked. It's just how I like it."

"Maybe I could see your planet! I've always wanted to know what it's like in space. You're my first encounter with an alien species ya know," Lincoln said, his curiosity peaked with Venus simply shrugging at the question.

"Perhaps. It depends on how things on this planet unfold. If I am not found by my enemies, then I shall return with you being able to see it. If I am found, then I will have no choice but to stay and most likely have to spread my corruption on Earth for the inevitable war that will ensue."

Lincoln gulped at that last option. It only reminded him of his odd nightmare which he assumed was what would happen if Venus's nemesis came to Earth. Venus's statement put chills down his spine at the thought of Earth being under a timer, counting down until an alien war took place on his home, and as Venus's new champion, he'd obviously be at the center of it all.

Lincoln's phone buzzed which made him take his attention elsewhere. He turned it on and saw a text from his mother saying it was almost time for him to leave. The Loud instantly got into a panic as he hadn't packed his things yet. He got up, only for his purple haired companion to stop and hand him a backpack.

"I assumed you would want to leave as soon as possible, so I packed you things I guessed were important for this school thing. I looked around and noticed you take things called a bus. And given that I am also taking the role of a simple guard at your school, I shall accompany you as well," Venus told him. "Now, we should perhaps leave. Walking to your school would most likely prove to be an annoying task.

"Lincoln nodded and put on his socks and shoes, grabbed his backpack and headed out into the hallway with Venus. No one seemed to be up yet which was understandable but they were most likely still getting ready. However, before they headed out the door, Lincoln remembered one person who was supposed to tag along with him to school.

"Lucy! I needed to wake her up!"

"I'm in here," Lucy called out from above. The chunky goth stuck her head out of a vent and hopped out and landed into her older brother's arms. "Good morning."

"Morning Luce. Ready to head on to school?" Lincoln asked, giving Lucy a comforting hug.

"Not really."

"Same here." Lincoln replied, letting Lucy down to the ground and heading into the elevator. He noticed that Lucy looked slightly nervous despite her blank expression, something he picked up over the years was being able to read emotions a bit better. He gave her a pat on the head, letting her know that she'd be safe.

Venus didn't speak but simply stared at Lincoln's actions towards the little girl. The goddess was confused as to why her champion was giving her such affection when she didn't seem to offer any use to him. However one could chalk this up to her not understanding the idea of caring about loved ones on such a personal level. Perhaps it would be something that she'd soon comprehend with Lincoln's help.

She just needed to be interested in learning in the first place for it to work.