(No POV)
"L-Lincoln?"
Lucy couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her brother looked completely different. He was taller and seemed to have put on muscle. His chipped bucktooth was gone, now replaced with a set of straight, healthy teeth. His face had lost all its baby fat, now more defined and carrying a mature look.
What really made Lucy nervous was his outfit. Not that it looked bad—he looked great. She had always suspected that a little black would look good on Lincoln. Still, she had a soft spot for his classic orange polo and blue jeans look. A small part of her had even hoped he'd eventually go goth like her, but she never wanted him to change just for her. Now, though… her brother was walking up to her looking like he belonged to a gang, and the way he wore the outfit made it seem natural—like this had always been him.
Lucy glanced to her side and saw Haiku still frozen, her eyes wide and sparkling with a love-struck expression. Looking around the cafe, Lucy noticed multiple girls wearing the same expression.
"What is happening? Haiku was wrong—so wrong. This is a big change. And now I can't help but worry…"
Just then, Lincoln reached their booth.
"Hey Lucy, I'm not late, am I?" Lincoln asked casually.
"N-No," Lucy stuttered. "I actually thought you'd be a little later."
"Yeah, I made some new friends—just moved into town. They gave me a lift," Lincoln replied, thinking back on his encounter with the Hex Girls.
(Flashback)
After being dragged back to the van, Lincoln gave them the address to the cafe, and they set off. On the way, they got to know each other better. The girls told Lincoln about their tour stops and even showed him pictures from their journey.
Lincoln, in turn, shared the chaotic tales of life in Royal Woods and his enormous family. When he showed them a picture of all his sisters, they nearly flipped.
"I can't believe you have ten sisters!" Dusk said, her expression caught somewhere between awe and shock.
"I just have one question—" Luna (Hex) started, but was quickly cut off.
"If it's what I think it is, then yes—my parents have heard of protection and birth control. And no—they clearly didn't use any," Lincoln said flatly.
A stunned silence followed.
"You get asked that a lot, don't you?" Thorn asked, narrowing her eyes.
"More than you could ever know," Lincoln replied.
Another moment of silence passed… then they all burst out laughing.
Soon, they arrived at the cafe. As Lincoln stepped out of the van, Thorn grabbed his hand.
"Wait, Lincoln—take these," she said, handing him a ticket and backstage pass.
"The concert's in three days. We hope to see you there."
"Are you sure you want to just give me these?" Lincoln asked. The concert had been sold out for weeks.
"Of course—that's why we're giving them to you," Dusk added warmly.
"Well, if you're sure—thanks! And if you girls ever want to hang out, give me a call," Lincoln offered as he took out his phone.
"Well, look at you, giving three beautiful girls your number," Luna (Hex) teased. "You planning to ask us on a date?"
She said it playfully, though she—and the others—held a glimmer of hope.
Lincoln blushed slightly but responded calmly, "No, that's not what this is."
Dusk pouted playfully. "Aww, so you don't think we're beautiful?"
Lincoln started getting nervous… but then, almost instantly, he calmed down, looked each of them in the eyes, and said:
"Of course you're all beautiful. In my eyes, each of you is a rare beauty I'd be a fool not to see."
That line hit hard. The girls blushed furiously. He said it with a straight face—and meant every word.
"W-We've got to go, but it was great meeting you," Thorn stammered.
"Yeah, we can't wait to see you again," Luna (Hex) added, while Dusk nodded.
Lincoln watched the van drive off and thought to himself:
"Man, I can't believe how much fun I had just getting clothes. Though their faces were red for nearly the whole time… I hope they're not coming down with something."
Typical dense Lincoln.
(Flashback Over)
"I had fun," Lincoln said casually, as Lucy silently panicked inside.
"Lincoln never has fun shopping…" she thought. And now he had friends from out of town?
"So… are these new friends the reason for your new outfit?" Haiku asked, now regaining her composure—though a blush still lingered on her pale cheeks.
"No, I just wanted to try something different. This feels more like me. Though I did buy some of the outfits they picked," he added, gesturing to the shopping bags. "So what are you girls doing?"
"We're discussing a new book," Haiku answered. "This cafe is actually a reading cafe. Great for some peace and fresh-baked goods. But if you're reading one of their books, you have to be really careful not to damage or stain it—big fines."
"Well, good thing I brought my own," Lincoln said. "Since you girls waited for me, let me buy the snacks."
After taking their orders, Lincoln went to the counter. Lucy leaned toward Haiku and whispered.
"What am I going to do, Haiku? This wasn't supposed to be a big change. This is a BIG change."
"I see what you mean," Haiku whispered back. "From the last time I saw him… it's like he's a completely different person."
"We just have to keep an eye on him… see what else he does."
"You seem to have that covered pretty well so far," Lucy added slyly, her eyes behind her bangs glinting as she gave Haiku a side-eye smirk.
Haiku blushed and turned away, not denying the implication.
Soon, Lincoln returned with three plates: red velvet for Lucy and Haiku, and lemon cake for himself. He also brought them Earl Grey tea.
Two hours later…
Despite their best efforts, Lucy and Haiku could barely focus on the book.
For Lucy, it was Lincoln's book that drew her attention. It was a brown leather tome with four black markings—symbols, no title.
*"When he said he brought a book to read, I thought it'd be a comic… not that."
Haiku, on the other hand, was completely distracted by Lincoln himself—his posture, the way he drank tea, the way his lips gently closed around the fork when he took a bite of cake. She couldn't stop staring.
Finally, Lucy broke the silence.
"Lincoln?"
He looked up. "Yes, Lucy?"
"I was wondering… what's the book you're reading?"
Lincoln paused, then replied. "You know how different religions have different beliefs on how the world came to be?"
They both nodded.
"Well, this book is about how they're all connected. In a way."
Lucy and Haiku exchanged glances, nodded again, and turned back to him.
"Would you tell us?" Haiku asked.
After a moment's thought, Lincoln nodded.
The Tale of the Four Great Brothers
Long ago, in the endless void, a surge of power brought forth four beings—brothers. The first of their kind: GOD, DEMON, WOLF, and DRAGON.
In the void, they trained, grew stronger, and eventually created a beautiful world together. But when they tried to divide it evenly among themselves, resentment grew.
"Why should I only get a piece, when we made it together?"
Their arguments turned to war. Each blow they struck unleashed catastrophic energy. The world they had created shattered—and they could no longer recreate it. They could not combine their power again without trust.
So, they went their separate ways, each traveling in a different direction to build their own realms. Eons passed. Yet… they missed each other.
To honor one another, each brother created a lesser version of himself—a species to carry his name.
Eventually, tired of existence and longing for their first creation, the brothers each forged a Goddess. These goddesses, powerful beyond imagination, would rule in their place.
The brothers returned to their origin point—and miraculously arrived at the same time. No words were spoken. No apologies. Only an embrace.
And as they embraced, their energy surged again—expanding the multiverse endlessly.
Thus ends the tale of the Four Great Brothers.
When Lincoln finished, he noticed Lucy and Haiku staring, wide-eyed, stunned silent. Just as they were about to ask questions, Lincoln got a text.
"Looks like Mom wants us to start heading home," he said.
"That's okay. My mom will be here soon anyway," Haiku said. "Would you like a ride?"
Before Lincoln could respond, Lucy answered for him, "We'd love one. Thanks, Haiku."
"Well, as long as it's okay with your mom, I won't turn it down," Lincoln said as he stood up.
"Where are you going?" Lucy asked.
"Bathroom," Lincoln replied simply.
A few minutes later…
Lincoln returned—only to find Lucy and Haiku missing. He looked around the cafe and spotted them outside through the window.
And what he saw made his blood boil.
Hank and Hawk—two burly jerks from school—stood over Lucy, who had been shoved to the ground. Haiku, trying to help her up, was thrown down as well.
As Lincoln made his way to the door, only one thought echoed in his mind:
"They will pay."
(Lucy POV)
It had only been a few minutes since Lincoln went to the bathroom. Haiku and I had stepped outside to wait for her mom when we bumped into those two jerks—Hank and Hawk.
They recognized me. They remembered Halloween. I had scared them so bad they dropped all the candy they stole from little kids.
I tried to go around them—but one of them shoved me down. Haiku tried to help… and got the same treatment.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Hawk sneered.
"You and your siblings cost us a lot of candy last Halloween," Hank added, cracking his knuckles. "Now it's payback time. And guess what? You're all alone."
As I braced for the beating… suddenly, a fist came flying out of nowhere and slammed into Hank's face, knocking him to the ground.
"OW!" Hank cried. "Who did that?!"
I turned to look—and saw the fist's owner.
It was Lincoln.
I opened my mouth to tell him to run.
"It doesn't matter how different you look, Lincoln's never been able to fight," I thought—
but the expression on his face left me shaking.
His face was twisted in an expression of utmost fury as he charged at them. He jumped and kneed Hawk in the face, then turned around, grabbed Hank by the collar of his shirt, and started beating his face in.
Hawk slowly recovered and saw his friend taking a brutal beating. That's when he found a thick tree branch lying nearby—like a bat. The look on his face worried me as he picked it up and charged at Lincoln. I was about to shout out to warn him when Lincoln suddenly turned around and caught it with one hand. Then he kicked Hawk in the stomach, followed by an uppercut with his other hand, dropping Hank. He took the branch-like bat in both hands and broke it in two with little effort.
That got them scared. Lincoln started walking slowly toward them. They looked like they wanted to run—and might have actually done so—but before they could take a single step, Lincoln spoke.
"Don't move," he said.
And the way he said it—it wasn't an order or even a warning. It was an unspoken promise that disobeying him would lead to even more pain.
"So what makes you think you can hurt my little sister and friend?" Lincoln asked, in a tone I had never heard from him before.
"W-we're sorry! W-we won't do it a-again!" Hank stammered, as he and Hawk started to wet themselves.
Lincoln looked at them for a moment before speaking again.
"If I see you bully or mess with anyone ever again," he said, staring directly into their eyes with a cold, controlled fury,
"I won't hold back. Do I make myself clear?"
They both nodded quickly, now too scared to speak. And as soon as Lincoln turned to walk toward me, they ran off in absolute terror.
Once Lincoln reached me and Haiku, his anger melted into concern.
"Are you both alright?" he asked, pulling us into a protective hug.
I didn't answer. I just hugged him back. And as I did, I felt that familiar feeling—safe, warm, and comforted.
"Just like his hugs always feel."
And in that moment, I realized something: even with all the changes he's going through, he's still the big brother who cares for me.
That thought made me relax, a small smile forming on my face.
I turned my head slightly to glance at Haiku, who was also caught in the hug—with a bright red face and a blush that was only getting darker.
"Oh, this is going to be fun to tease her about," I thought, already running through several ideas on how to get these two together.