(No POV)
The next day in the training room, Lincoln was performing repeated swings with a wooden sword made from Ironwood, his body dripping with sweat. The sword was heavy, but Lincoln had grown used to it.
"Hmm, I'll be visiting the ghouls today," Lincoln thought as he continued swinging the practice sword. "It would be rude to show up without a gift. Maybe I should bring a cake?"
After another hour of training, Lincoln decided to wash up and get ready.
An hour later at Grimwood's School
At Miss Grimwood's school, the ghouls had just finished their last class of the day and were waiting excitedly for Lincoln.
"Oh, I'm so glad classes are finally over," Winnie said as she looked out the window, her tail wagging with excitement.
"I know," Phanty added, floating through the air. "Classes always seem to go slower when you want them to end faster." The others nodded in agreement.
"Well, what's got you all so excited?" a voice behind them asked.
The ghouls turned their heads to see one of their friends—Tsuki, daughter of Godzilla. She was a white dinosaur-like kaiju with black spines on her back. She wore a red bow on her head and a pink tutu. Though young for a kaiju, she was still tall enough that her head touched the ceiling.
Next to her was a girl about the same age as Elsa and Phanty. She was a slim, light-green sea monster with curly blonde hair streaked with light azure and seaweed green. She wore a lime-green dress with a scale pattern. Her name was Gila, daughter of the Creature.
Beside her, barely paying attention, was a pink alien with green antennae for eyes. She wore a magenta space helmet, a blue dress, purple shoes, green gloves, and a green collar. Though not a monster, she was a Martian—her name was M1-2LY, though everyone called her Milly.
"Oh hey, girls!" Phanty greeted, floating over to them. "What are you three doing?"
"Nothing at the moment," Tsuki replied. "But you still didn't answer my question. What's got you all so excited?"
"Well, a new friend of ours said he'd visit today," Elsa replied, catching their attention.
"He? It's a boy?" Gila asked.
"Yeah, and surprisingly he's a year older than Winnie but looks Sibella's age," Phanty added. "He's also the one who made those small cakes we brought back."
"First off, those are called macarons," Tsuki corrected her. "Second, if he made them, then I need the recipe. Those were amazing." Tsuki drooled slightly at the memory.
"Hmph." The little alien wasn't impressed by all the excitement. She left to return to her room and continue working on her latest invention. While she got along with Tanis and considered her a friend, she refused to be surrounded by what she considered "incompetent, simple-minded creatures"—and Earth was full of them.
"Girls! I see him walking up to the gate!" Winnie exclaimed, her tail wagging even faster. The others perked up in excitement. "Miss Grimwood is out there too—and he's carrying a large box!"
Outside, a few moments ago
Lincoln emerged from the shadows of a small wooded area, carrying a large pastry box containing a special cake he had made. He approached the gate that led to the school but paused before touching it. The air around the gate—no, the land surrounding the school—seemed to pulse with a warning: keep out.
Unbeknownst to him, Miss Grimwood, who was heading out to greet him, had seen the entire thing and was deep in thought.
"Hmm, that's strange," she mused, watching with interest. "Ordinarily, anyone would still try to open the gate, but it appears Mr. Loud was able to sense the protective enchantments I've placed around the school."
"Why, hello there, Mr. Loud," Miss Grimwood greeted with a warm smile. "I'm happy to see that you kept your word and were able to visit."
"It's my pleasure, Miss Grimwood," Lincoln replied with a grin. "And please, call me Lincoln. Mr. Loud is my father." He chuckled, and she joined him with a small laugh.
She held out her hand and softly muttered a few chants. A faint glow enveloped Lincoln before quickly fading. Immediately, the strange warning presence he had felt vanished.
"Whoa," Lincoln said in surprise. "What was that?"
Miss Grimwood smiled at the look of wonder on his face. "Well, as you know, I'm currently teaching the children of many well-known monsters. There was an incident last year that required me to upgrade security. What I've just given you is a type of visitor's pass—it protects you from the enchantments placed around the school."
Lincoln nodded. That made sense. In the short time he'd known her, he could tell Miss Grimwood took the safety of her students very seriously. He wondered what this "incident" had been but decided not to press.
"Oh! I also brought this for everyone," Lincoln said, remembering the cake. "I hope that's okay."
"It's perfectly fine. We all loved the sweets you made last time—and one of my students, as well as our school chef, would love the recipe," she informed him as she led him inside.
As they walked, Lincoln's eyes wandered—not out of fear, but curiosity and excitement. Miss Grimwood asked about Lincoln's grandfather, and Lincoln shared stories from their last visit.
"Hahaha!" Miss Grimwood laughed as Lincoln described how he had to chase Pop-Pop through town. "That sounds like Albert! Once he gets in the mood for adventure, there's no stopping him!"
"Yeah, I'm just glad we managed to get away before the head nurse, Sue, could try anything," Lincoln said, recalling how she had tried to kick his grandfather out of the retirement home—only to be stopped by the other senior citizens.
"I'm glad too," Miss Grimwood said, frowning slightly at the thought of how her old friend had been treated. But she smiled again when she heard everything turned out fine. "I remember your grandfather once said, and I quote, 'You'll never see me in one of those old fossil homes!'"
Lincoln burst out laughing.
As they reached the entrance, the large door opened seemingly by itself—but Lincoln caught a glimpse of something unusual.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed, spotting a floating hand closing the door behind them.
Miss Grimwood chuckled. "Lincoln, this is my helpful assistant—Hans Hand."
Hans floated over and offered a handshake (or rather, a hand-shake), which Lincoln accepted.
"It's nice to meet you, Hans," Lincoln said, releasing him.
Hans made some strange gestures Lincoln couldn't interpret, but Miss Grimwood clearly understood.
"I know, Hans. It is a nice change of pace," she said.
"What did he say?" Lincoln asked.
"He said it's nice to meet someone who doesn't run away or faint at the sight of him," Miss Grimwood translated.
Hans pointed a finger as if to say, She's right, before floating off.
Miss Grimwood continued to lead Lincoln toward the common room where the ghouls eagerly awaited. But as they walked, a thought nagged at her.
"What could I be forgetting?" Miss Grimwood wondered.
With the Ghouls
The ghouls who had already met Lincoln were excited to see him again. For Tsuki and Gila, though, they were curious—wondering what kind of person he really was.
"I can hear footsteps—they're coming this way!" Winnie said excitedly.
"Geez, I've never seen you ghouls this hyped before," Tsuki observed.
"Tsuki's right. He must be someone special," Gila agreed. Then she casually added, "I wonder what kind of monster he is."
Suddenly, the ghouls who had met Lincoln before froze, their smiles vanishing as they turned pale. They all exchanged urgent looks.
"Gila… I think it's best if you go to your room for now," Sibella said quickly.
"Huh? What? Why?" Gila asked, confused, as Elsa suddenly started pushing her away.
"No time to explain—I just hope it's not too la—"
But it was.
Elsa opened the door with Gila in front, and the poor sea monster girl came face-to-face with Lincoln.
Gila's eyes widened as they focused on the figure in front of her—his pure white hair, healthy skin, sparkling white teeth… and his deep blue eyes.
Then she screamed.
"AHHHHH!" Gila shrieked and bolted back into the room, diving under the coffee table like she'd just seen death itself.
So that's what I forgot, Miss Grimwood thought grimly. They had all forgotten Gila's biggest fear.
"Gila, it's okay!" Phanty tried to reassure her. "He's a friend. He's nice!"
But Gila couldn't hear a word. All she could think about were the stories her dad told her when she was little: horrifying tales of humans—insatiable, fish-eating monsters who'd cook her without hesitation.
Now, one of those nightmare beings was standing in the same room, holding a box.
"He's going to chop me up and put me in there!" Gila thought, tears welling up in her eyes.
"My dad was right…"
Meanwhile, Lincoln just blinked, confused.
"Okay, I want to say that was the strangest greeting I've ever had… but honestly, it doesn't even crack my top ten."
"So… what happened?" he asked.
"Allow me to explain," Miss Grimwood said with a guilty sigh. She explained Gila's long-standing fear of humans, and Lincoln listened quietly, giving a soft, understanding smile as the others comforted the frightened girl.
"We're sorry, Gila," Sibella said gently.
"We completely forgot how you feel about humans."
"Yeah… we're really sorry," Tanis added, her voice full of guilt.
Seeing the sad look on the little mummy's face, Gila managed to swallow her fear—just a little—and reached out from under the table to pat Tanis on the head.
"I-it's f-fine, ghouls. All you d-did was i-invite a f-friend o-over," Gila stammered. "I-I'll j-just s-stay under h-here for now…"
The ghouls turned to Lincoln with apologetic eyes.
"We're sorry too," Winnie said, her ears drooping. "This… isn't how we thought this would go."
Lincoln smiled softly and patted her head. "It's okay. None of you need to apologize to me."
"But—" Tanis began.
"I said it's fine. The only one who should get an apology already got it—from you guys. That's enough."
The ghouls were relieved and happy to see how understanding he was. Miss Grimwood smiled too, quietly impressed by his maturity and grace.
Tsuki, who had been observing from the side, found the whole scene heartwarming. Gila, meanwhile, peeked out from under the table, still wary, watching the boy she once thought was a nightmare calmly comfort her friends.
When they all sat down on the couch, Lincoln made sure to sit far from Gila—but in a spot where she could see his hands and movements clearly, helping her feel safe. Only Miss Grimwood noticed this subtle, thoughtful gesture.
"Hey, so I'm guessing you're the friend they met the other day?" Tsuki said, trying to break the ice. "I'm Tsuki. Nice to meet you." She held out her clawed hand.
Lincoln smiled and shook it. "Nice to meet you. I'm Lincoln Loud."
"So did you really make those macarons yesterday?" Tsuki asked. "Because I loved them. I need that recipe."
"I did," Lincoln nodded. "Glad you liked them. I also brought a cake for everyone."
He motioned to the box he was holding. Winnie took it and placed it on the table—but she seemed to be struggling a bit.
"Is it heavy?" Lincoln asked, watching her drool slightly.
"No, it just smells really good," Winnie admitted, trying hard not to tear into it.
"Well then," Miss Grimwood chuckled, "we'll have it after dinner."
"Machikirenai!" Tsuki said, forgetting herself.
Lincoln raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Nihongo o hanashite iru ki ga shita." (I had a feeling you spoke Japanese.)
"Nihongo o shitte imasu ka?" (You know Japanese?) she asked, surprised.
"Sukoshi dake," (Only a little) Lincoln replied, though his fluency said otherwise.
The two continued chatting in Japanese until Winnie groaned, "Can you two speak English, please? My brain's melting over here."
"Oops. Sorry," Lincoln said, rubbing the back of his head.
Tsuki laughed. "Yeah, my bad. It was just so nice meeting someone who can speak Japanese."
"So how'd you know I spoke it?" she asked.
"Your name means 'moon' in Japanese, probably because your scales are pale like the moon. Also, you knew what macarons were—they're popular in Japan," Lincoln explained. "But I wasn't a hundred percent sure."
"Wow. You nailed it," Tsuki said, impressed. "My dad picked the name because of the moon."
"Who's your dad?" Lincoln asked, remembering they all had famous monster parents.
"Godzilla," Tsuki said proudly.
Lincoln's jaw dropped. "Godzilla!? The King of the Kaiju!?"
She nodded, a bit nervous.
"That's awesome," Lincoln grinned.
"For a second, I thought you'd be scared," Tsuki admitted. "Even other monsters fear him."
"Like I told the others—I'm not like most humans," Lincoln said. The ghouls smiled, remembering those words.
"And I know someone else who wouldn't be afraid of your dad."
"Oh yeah? Who?"
"My little sister, Lana. Honestly, she'd probably ask for an autograph."
Tsuki laughed. "Hahaha! If I ever meet her, I'll make my dad sign one!"
"I didn't know you had a sister," Sibella said.
"I've got a few," Lincoln said with a mischievous grin. "And being the middle child is a full-time job trying to keep them from destroying the house."
"It can't be that many," Phanty said. "Four? Five?"
"Try ten."
The room went silent. Even Gila, still under the table, gasped and peeked out.
"TEN?!"
"Yep," Lincoln said, struggling not to laugh.
Unbeknownst to them, a little Martian nearby was just as shocked.
"Note: Human earthlings appear to reproduce at alarming rates," Milly whispered into her wrist recorder.
Back in the room, the girls were still in shock. Even Miss Grimwood was stunned.
"That can't be real," Elsa said.
"It is," Lincoln said, pulling out a photo strip. "In order: Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lucy, Lana, Lola, Lisa, and Lily."
The ghouls stared at the photos, jaws dropped.
"Praise the mother…" Miss Grimwood thought, eyes lingering on Lucy's photo. Why does she feel so familiar?
"Wow…" Winnie breathed. "And you're the middle child?"
"Yep."
After they recovered from the shock, the girls gave Lincoln a tour: the art room where Tsuki showed her painting, the music room where Phanty played the organ, and more. Lincoln genuinely enjoyed every moment.
By the time he had to leave, the ghouls were sad to see him go. Tanis clung to his leg.
"Will you come back and visit again?" she asked.
Lincoln looked to Miss Grimwood, who nodded.
"Of course I will. It's a promise—and when I make a promise, I never go back on it."
The girls beamed at him.
If only everyone were just a fraction as kind as this young man, Miss Grimwood thought. Then monsters and humans would have never fought at all.
She watched as the young man who had made a special place in her students' hearts left with the promise to visit again.
Lincoln returned the next day to the ghouls' delight (though Gilda, now prepared for his visit, stayed away from him at all times), and then the next day, and the next. It continued until it was now the sixth day of Lincoln's vacation.
Lincoln was in the common room with the ghouls—excluding Milly, Gilda, and Winnie—as they told him stories about their old gym teachers.
"I still can't believe that Scooby and Shaggy taught here," Lincoln said in shock.
"Don't forget Scrappy," Phanty added.
Just then, Winnie entered the room carrying a book with a frustrated expression, but when she saw Lincoln, her face immediately lit up, and her tail began wagging with excitement.
"Awoo!" Winnie howled as she ran over to them.
"Hey, Winnie. I was wondering where you were," Lincoln said, noting that she was usually one of the first to greet him at the door.
Lincoln noticed the book in her arms, its cover adorned with a spell circle.
Her tail stopped wagging as she tried not to show how upset she was.
"Yeah, I've just been trying to brush up on my spellwork," Winnie admitted with a downhearted expression. "It hasn't been going well."
Lincoln and the others noticed the sadness on her face. They all knew how hard it was for Winnie to use magic. Lincoln adopted a thinking pose, clearly deep in thought.
Unknown to the group, Miss Grimwood stood just outside the door. She had seen Winnie's expression and was about to enter to comfort her, but stopped when she saw the look on Lincoln's face, curious to see what he was planning.
"Well, I can't do magic," Lincoln said, patting Winnie's head, "but I am a friend, and I can help. Why don't you try a spell in front of me? We can see what's wrong."
Winnie looked up at him, wanting to ask how that would help, but the kind smile on his face made her agree without question.
"Okay. I'll give it a try," Winnie said as she opened the book to a beginner-level spell that created a small ball of light.
She chanted the spell and held out her hands where the light should have appeared. As expected, nothing happened.
"See?" Winnie said as her ears drooped. "I'm just not good with magic."
As the other ghouls moved to comfort her, Lincoln asked a question.
"Did you imagine that it wouldn't work?"
Winnie looked up at him, confused.
"Well… I did think it wouldn't work," she admitted. "But I always hope that it will."
"Then how did you think it would work?" Lincoln asked as Miss Grimwood leaned in a little closer, wondering where he was going with this.
"I mean… what else is there to think about? Either the light appears or it doesn't, right?" Winnie replied, clearly puzzled.
"Try the spell again," Lincoln instructed. "But this time, before you chant it, close your eyes and listen to what I say."
"Do you really think it'll work this time after I just failed?" Winnie asked, doubt lingering in her voice.
"Yes," Lincoln said with unwavering certainty—so firm, so sincere, that Winnie couldn't argue with it. It was the same kind of certainty he had when he told her she could improve. She remembered that, and something about it gave her hope.
"Okay… I'll give it another go," Winnie said as she closed her eyes and held out her hands.
"Now focus. You want to envision a ball of light," Lincoln said, his tone steady and soothing. "But it won't just appear. You will create it."
Winnie—and everyone else—was hanging on his every word.
"Imagine your magic getting excited, forming the shape of a ball. The more excited it gets, the brighter it glows. Can you see it?"
In her mind, Winnie could see it. The way he described it made the image so vivid that it felt real. She chanted the spell again—and heard gasps.
Opening her eyes, she was shocked to see a small, glowing white ball of light, the size of a baseball, floating in front of her and following her hands.
"You did it, Winnie!"
"OMG, look! You did a spell!"
"I knew you could do it!"
As the ghouls surrounded her with praise, Winnie just stared at the floating light in awe.
"I… I did it," she whispered, before her tail began wagging faster than it ever had. "I DID IT!" she shouted. The ball popped and vanished as she lost focus—but Winnie didn't care. She had cast a spell.
"I'm so proud of you, Winnie."
Miss Grimwood chose that moment to make herself known as Winnie ran over to her.
"Miss Grimwood! Did you see? Did you see?" Winnie asked, practically bouncing. "I did magic!"
Miss Grimwood chuckled at the werewolf's excitement. "I did see, Winnie—and I think you owe a big thank-you to someone," she said, nodding toward Lincoln, who looked just as happy as Winnie did.
"Oh, it was the least I cou—" Lincoln started, but didn't get to finish before Winnie tackled him in a hug.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said as her tail wagged wildly. "You're the best big brother ever!"
Everyone froze in shock.
It took a moment before Winnie realized what she had just said. She jumped back, flustered, trying to explain herself.
"Wait—I didn't mean it like that! I mean, I did but—"
Before she could make a fool of herself, Lincoln gently patted her head.
"It's fine if you see me like an older brother," Lincoln said with a warm smile. "I'm touched that you think of me that way."
And he meant it. It truly warmed his heart to know that she thought so highly of him.
"Though I'm impressed you were able to help Winnie with her magic," Miss Grimwood said, trying to save Winnie from completely turning into a tomato from blushing. "How did you manage that?"
"The reason she was having trouble with her magic was imagery," Lincoln explained. "She didn't really understand how the spell worked. So when it failed, that failure was the only image she had in her mind when trying again."
"So you gave her something else to imagine, in a way that would help the spell work?" Miss Grimwood asked in understanding, as an idea slowly began to form in her mind.
"That's the gist of it," Lincoln confirmed, earning impressed looks from everyone.
"For someone who can't do magic, you sure know your stuff," Phanty said, floating to Lincoln's left side.
"Well, maybe he can," Sibella said, now on Lincoln's right. "It's rare for humans to be able to use magic, but not unheard of—like Miss Grimwood," she added, nodding toward their headmistress, a human woman who could use magic.
"Yeah! I bet he can use magic too," Winnie said, confident in him just as he had been confident in her.
"Well, it seems we should test that, shouldn't we?" Miss Grimwood said. "I've suspected he might be able to use magic, or at the very least, come from a magical bloodline. He seems to sense magic, after all."
"Really?" Tanis asked, then looked at Lincoln. "Did you have anyone in your family that did magic?"
"No, no I didn't—" Lincoln began, then paused. "Well… there was a rumor that my great-grandmother was a witch, so I can't really confirm or deny anything."
"Then why don't you try the spell for yourself?" Miss Grimwood offered. "Even if it doesn't work, I'll still be able to sense if any magic begins to stir."
Winnie handed Lincoln the book and pointed to the incantation. Outwardly, Lincoln appeared calm, but inside he was nervous.
"Silver and the others did say I'd be able to use magic," Lincoln thought. "But I haven't had any training yet, so will it even work?" He looked at the ghouls, all of whom gave him warm, encouraging smiles. "Even if it doesn't, it's nice that they believe in me."
Lincoln closed his eyes and imagined the same image he had described to Winnie. After a minute, he felt something stir within him as he chanted the spell.
He heard gasps. Opening his eyes, Lincoln expected to see a small ball of light like Winnie's—but nothing was there.
"Well, I guess it didn't—" he started, but then noticed everyone staring—stunned and silent.
"Are you all okay?" Lincoln asked, confused as he followed their gazes. "What are you all looking—?"
He stopped mid-sentence, struggling to comprehend what he saw.
Floating above him were fifteen pale blue balls of light.
The first five, the size of beach balls, rotated left in a wide circle.
The next five, the size of basketballs, floated inside that circle, rotating right.
The final five, the size of baseballs—just like Winnie's—hovered at the center, also rotating left.
Lincoln reached out toward one of them, but just before he could touch it, they all vanished with loud pops.
Turning back, he saw the group still staring in shock.
"Err… was that okay?" Lincoln asked, hoping someone would say something.
"Was that okay? WAS THAT OKAY!?" Phantasma shouted as she flew right up to him, their noses nearly touching. "That was incredible!!" she cried, pulling him into a huge hug that snapped the others out of their daze.
They all rushed in, showering him with praise and questions, while Winnie excitedly begged him to try a bigger spell next.
Miss Grimwood, meanwhile, had something more in mind.
"Now girls," Miss Grimwood said, getting their attention. "I know you're all excited—and so am I—but give him some space. Especially you, Phantasma; the poor boy needs to breathe."
Everyone turned to see Lincoln nearly smothered between Phantasma's ghostly chest. She let go quickly, blushing, as Lincoln gasped for air.
"I thought things go through ghosts?" Lincoln wheezed between breaths, much to Phanty's embarrassment.
"Hehe… sorry, Lincoln," she said, floating back. He waved it off, knowing she was just excited.
From the side, Sibella watched with a small frown, which didn't go unnoticed.
Tsuki leaned toward Winnie and Tanis and whispered, "Hey… do you think Sibella and Phantasma like Lincoln?"
Winnie grinned while Tanis giggled. "Oh, it's obvious," Winnie replied. "Let's just sit back and enjoy the show."
Tsuki was about to ask who Winnie thought would confess first, but her attention shifted back to Miss Grimwood, who summoned a crystal ball.
"Lincoln, if it's alright with you, I'd like to test your latent magical potential," Miss Grimwood said, hoping he would agree.
"Of course, if it's not too much trouble," Lincoln replied, happy for the opportunity.
"It's no trouble at all, dear," Miss Grimwood assured him. "Now, place both your hands on the crystal ball and close your eyes."
Lincoln did as instructed. Miss Grimwood placed her hands on top of his and closed her eyes as she reached out with her magic, creating a path to view the potential within him.
Inside the Mind
Miss Grimwood opened her eyes and found herself floating in a black void. There was nothing. Just emptiness.
"That's strange," she thought. "I sensed a large amount of magic in him, but there's nothing here?"
She was sure he had used magic, so she continued to search. Then—she saw it.
A small white light, like a distant star.
As she focused on it, a second light appeared—this one red.
Then a third—blue.
More and more began to appear. Each one different—some sharing the same color but with distinct magical signatures.
Within moments, the void was filled with lights, a kaleidoscope of glowing orbs. It looked like an entire universe had opened up before her.
It was…
"…Magnificent," Miss Grimwood whispered in awe.
But the lights began to grow brighter—so bright she had to shield her eyes.
Real World
Miss Grimwood nearly fell from her seat, overwhelmed by what she had witnessed. She quickly composed herself to avoid alarming the students.
"Is everything alright, Miss Grimwood?" Elsa asked, noticing her shocked expression.
"I'm fine, dear," Miss Grimwood reassured them. "Just… surprised by Lincoln's magical potential."
"Is it good?" Lincoln asked, worried.
Miss Grimwood looked at him, the idea that had been forming in her mind now fully realized.
"Yes, your potential is rather large," she said carefully, not wanting to reveal everything just yet. "But I would like to speak with you in my office, in private. Is that alright?"
Sensing the importance, Lincoln agreed, following Miss Grimwood while the ghouls watched with curiosity and concern.
In her office, Miss Grimwood sat behind her desk, and Lincoln took the chair across from her.
"Now, before we begin, I want to assure you—you've done nothing wrong," Miss Grimwood told him.
Lincoln let out a breath of relief. "Then why the private talk?"
Miss Grimwood gave him a warm smile.
"Because," she said gently, "I would like to offer you a place at my school."