19. APRIL FOOLS

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WARNING:This chapter was publishe on April Fules as a joke.Everything from this point forward is just a prank playedupon the readers. This should not be taken seriously.

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Good morning/afternoon/night! I just have one thing to say: it's here. It's finally here. Here it is. This is it.

This is a day I've been waiting for eight months. Eight months of hard work, eight months with several sleepless nights so I could finish the translation on time. Eight months of checking in my head the plot over and over again, along with it's side stories, the redaction, the grammar, the chapter's structure. Eight amazing months, in which I've met wonderful people, and I've made some great friends.

Eight months. Nineteen chapters. Almost 200K words.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have the honor, the privilege, the pleasure of presenting you Requiem for a Loud's final chapter. There won't be an epilogue, no continuation, no sequel, no spin-offs. This is it. The final chapter of a story I've both loved and hated.

This is my ending. It was clear right from the go. A perfect ending, the only logical way to go for me. Just like you, I also had to think whether I wanted him to live or to die. Both options had their appeal. Their good points. Their strengths, their weakness. So I had to find a middle point, something that had the best of both options, and I am super proud of the resolution I found. I think this finale is as epic as this story deserves.

This months I've been asked a lot of times if I was inspired by any personal experience to write this story. And it makes me uncomfortable to admit that I've been lying. I've made you guys believe that I didn't, that nothing in my life had inspired me to do this. But the truth is that Lincoln and I have more in common than most of you probably imagine. I've lived through him, I've related to this wonderful character created by Chris Savino. And… Well, I don't want to get you on the feels train before the cap even starts. I'm gonna tell you about this in the end notes. By that point, you'll heart will be aching so hard that a new feel attack won't really affect you.

There are so many things I'd like to say… So many things to be grateful for… So much to explain…

But sometimes you need to be direct.

Ladies and gentlemen, please be welcome to the last chapter. Enjoy it!

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Chapter 19: Requiem for a Loud

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The Loud house was never the same after that Monday morning.

It had all changed a week before, when the doctors had diagnosed Lincoln. His parents were the first to find out, followed close by the older sisters. Something had undoubtedly changed that day. The status quo had forever been altered, permanently. It was like the flame, that mystic and powerful energy that fed all family members had ran out of oxygen. The atmosphere never got to be the same inside those walls. The noise was not the same, the chaos was not as much, the happiness had evaporated.

However, not all had been lost. Following Lincoln's wishes, the younger sisters didn't find out right away what was going on. He preferred to keep them in the dark about it for a while, to protect them all from the dark truth. They were not ready to take the news, and he was not ready to deliver them.

Whether it had been the right choice or not was up to debate. The truth, however, was that keeping four sisters from finding the truth —three after Lisa found out by her own means—, the rest of the family had been forced to keep up a facade. A masquerade. They had to look happy, to act like they would usually act when they were near them. And that act kept alive the soft flame for another week. On the inside, they were all feeling like a withered rose, but on the outside they were as alive and happy as ever. Their little lie had kept the energy running high for a little bit more time.

After Lucy and the twins found out, though, there was no need for an act. That Monday, when Lincoln finally told the twins the truth, the atmosphere on the house changed drastically. The flame that had lost its warmth was finally consumed, turned off forever. The Loud house became just a poor mirage of what it had once been. All the family members were now dwelling in their grief and sorrow, and they didn't need to pretend that they were okay anymore.

Lincoln realized that the very first moment he arrived home from the park.

As soon as he and the twins opened the door and stepped inside, Lincoln knew that the house he had known no longer existed. At least, not right then. Suffice to say that when he got home he thought the whole family had gone out. That silence was alien to a house with eight people inside it. Soon, however, he found that almost all his sisters —except for Lisa— were laying on the living room couch.

They spend almost the entire day there. Lincoln, still affected by how hard it had been to tell his little sisters the truth, had neither the strength or the energies he needed to talk with them or to ask them to do something together. Slyly, he left the twins on the living room and then he went to his own room to think.

He started to wonder what had he done to deserve all that.

No one called him. No one went to check on him. He didn't even receive any messages from Clyde. He wasn't worried about his friend, to be honest. Clyde had texted him a lot when he was with his little sisters in the park, and he hadn't answered him, so it was understandable that maybe Clyde had desisted on his efforts to contact him. What he really was worried about was that his older sisters had completely changed their attitude in just a couple of hours. They had been depressed before, yes, but now it was like someone had completely broken them.

After dinner, Lincoln waited for his sisters to go to the bathroom to get ready for sleep. All of them were locked in four square meters, fighting each other for makeup, applying masks on themselves and trying to grab the tooth paste. All of them except for one, who had been smart enough to get ready before everyone else, so she didn't have to deal with that hecatomb.

Very carefully, Lincoln knocked on her door. He didn't touched the door knob, knowing that the security system could electrocute him.

"Come on in" said a voice from inside.

He slowly opened the door and went inside his sister's room. One of the beds was empty, with its owned too busy in the bathroom, probably brushing her hair exactly fifty times so she could have the perfect coiffure. On the other bed, Lori was laying down, facing up at the ceiling, staring at it like it was the dome of the Sistine Chapel.

When she moved her head and saw Lincoln, she quickly sat up, suddenly tense.

"Lincoln" she said, staring at him as her breathing became agitated.

He didn't like when his sisters did that. It was like they were staring at a ghost, not their brother.

"How are you? Are you okay? Do you need to…?"

"I'm okay, Lori" he interrupted her, sounding slightly pissed off. "You do know you don't have to treat me like I'm already on my deathbed, right?"

Lori looked positively impacted by those words. She looked at him for several seconds, not knowing what to say. Finally, she sighed and looked away from him. She didn't look happy.

"I'm sorry" she said, anyway. "It wasn't my intention."

"It's okay, I understand that… I mean, I know… Forget about it."

Brother and sister remained in the same room, looking in opposite directions, not knowing how to break the awkward silence that had surrounded them. When they felt like they couldn't keep ignoring each other, the two of them tried to talk at the same time, their words running over each other's.

"Why did you come…?"

"Why's everyone…?"

Their smiles returned to their faces, and they giggled at the funny situation.

"You first" Lori said, patting the spot right next to her on her bed. Lincoln walked there and sat net to his sister.

"I noticed that, since I came home today, all of you seem to be more cheerless than before I left" he commented, going straight to the point. "Did something happen?"

Lori's shaking sigh immediately confirmed him that something had definitely happened.

"Yes. Yes, something… something happened."

"What?"

Lori started to slowly shake her head. She closed her eyes, like she didn't want to see the episode in her mind.

"Lisa", she finally said.

"Lisa?" Repeated Lincoln, feeling the blood running away from his face, leaving him probably as pale as Lucy. "What happened to her?"

"She had this… this major breakdown. We started to hear screams and stuff crashing against the walls, and when we got to her room she was literally tearing her computed apart. We calmed her down and she… Lincoln, I had never seen her like that. So… devastated. We tried to ease her, but she told us… She said..."

She covered her face with her hands, unable to pronounce the words.

"None of us had said it out loud, but I think we all… We all had some kind of hope that, if there was someone that could do something about… I mean, she can make a person glow with just a cookie, she can create life from trash. Why couldn't she find a…?"

She couldn't finish the phrase, but Lincoln understood anyway. His expression was left unalterable. His breathing continued normally. But his eyes, even if they seemed to be fixed on Lori, were clearly lost. His eyes gave it all away.

"Oh" he simply said, softly nodding. "I get it."

"Did you know she was…?"

"Yes."

"And why didn't you tell us?"

"Because I didn't want this to happen. And because I didn't want… I didn't want to believe that she actually had a chance of succeeding."

Lori quickly moved until she was practically glued to him and put an arm around his shoulders, dragging him even closer.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. Don't worry, I… I should go to bed."

Lori didn't say anything. She moved her arm away and let him go, looking at the carpet. Lincoln stood up and walked to the door. He put his and on the cold, metal doorknob, but he didn't turn it. He just stood there, and then he used his sleeve to wipe his eyes.

"Lori" he said in a trembling voice.

"Yes?"

He slowly turned around, embarrassed, wiping his eyes one more time. He couldn't meet her eyes, so he looked elsewhere. His right hand closed around his left elbow.

"Can I… bunk in with you? For tonight?"

Before his brain could register what was happening, Lori had grabbed him by his shoulders and carried him onto her bed. She covered him with her blankets, she caressed his hair, and she wrapped her whole body around him, embracing him as tight as she could.

By the time Leni came into the room, several minutes later, Lincoln had already fallen asleep.

The following days were very hard for Lincoln.

Luckily enough, he spend a lot of time with his family. His mother was always coming to check on him, like a satellite spinning around him, always close, always keeping an eye out for him. His father also started to spend a lot of time at home, especially after the little "break" his boss gave him at work. The older siblings knew the truth, they knew he had been fired after he made a mistake that costed the company a big deal, but they couldn't just tell him so. They pretended that they believed him so he shouldn't be worried about finding a solution, and so the younger siblings wouldn't be any more worried than they already were. Lori, Leni and Luna were in charge of hiding all the empty alcohol bottles that started to appear on the kitchen every morning.

His sisters had a slightly improving on their state of mind, trying their best to spend as much time as possible with him. They were always fighting for his attention, for the possibility of spending more time with him. Lynn was constantly looking out for him, but she wasn't trying to use him as a sparring anymore. Everyday, she went to the mall and bought between two and four comic issues and asked him to read them together, making questions about all those different characters she knew nothing about and that Lincoln had studied for years.

However, Lynn's questions sometimes got lost under Lola's, who had abandoned her princess role and was now dressed as a maid, and she followed Lincoln everywhere he went, constantly asking him if he needed something. He ha been asking her for days to stop doing that, that there was no need, that he was more than willing to keep doing the butler role, but after numerous arguments, he had finally decided that he could play along with her, as long as it made her happy.

Lana had built a small shelter in the backyard, where she kept guarding the tree that she and Lincoln had planted. She only left her post to eat, sleep, and every once in a while just to run inside the house, give Lincoln a tight hug and then go back there again.

Luna also found her own little sanctuary in the garage. Her music returned as loud as ever, and this time Lincoln could enjoy it. Because even if she wasn't around him as much as the rest of his sisters, she came to him at least twice everyday, grabbed his hand, guided him to the garage and then she showed him a brand new song she had written for him. He knew his sister was a musical prodigy, but he could had never guessed that she might be able to write so many good songs in such a short time span. They were all beautiful, all happy upbeat songs about the wonderful times they had spent together, and Lincoln always ended up giving her the tightest hug ever.

Leni, as happy and kind as ever, was making makeup contest with him everyday, where she would put him makeup, would comb his hair in exotic ways, polished his nails and chose the best clothes for him, and he would do the same for her. They were always ending up like crazy clowns, but they had a lot of fun. He still couldn't figure Leni out, though. He didn't know what was going on inside her mind, but he wasn't about to complain.

Lincoln knew that all his sisters were trying to spend as much time as possible with him, but he also knew there was one that followed him closer than the rest, like a shadow. Wherever he may be, she followed him, always hidden, always in the dark. That's why every once in a while he asked whoever was with him to go to the kitchen to serve him a drink or something, so he would be left apparently alone. And during those moments, Lincoln walked into those dark corners, from where Lucy always came out to hug him and say one more time that she loved him more than any other mortal. Those fugacious hugs were being kept a secret for the rest of the family, but Lincoln knew that they meant a lot for Lucy. Nevertheless, he noticed that Lucy was definitely the most affected of all his sisters. Something dark was going on with her. He could feel it, yet he couldn't explain it.

On the other hand, it was pretty evident that Luan had relapsed once again into ignoring him. She greeting him, she hugged him everytime they met inside the house, but she spent the most part of the day locked inside her room. And Lincoln didn't need to be a genius to know what was she doing.

On that Thursday afternoon, after having visited Pop-Pop to break the new to him —which had been a sad episode like no other, one that Lincoln preferred not to remember—, he asked Luna to keep Luan entertained for an hour. That she tried her best to keep her in the garage for that time. The rock star had no problem fulfilling that mission, and he seized that time to make several travels from the girls' bedroom to the farthest corner of the backyard. After an hour, he had recollected all that he needed. He was emptying the content of the petrol can Lori had given him when she heard Luan's desperate scream from her room. He looked up and seconds later Luan looked out from her window.

She immediately saw Lincoln and realized what he was about to do. She let out a new scream before running her way downstairs into the backyard. Seconds later she was running right at him.

"Don't do it! Please, don't!"

After he finished soaking all the videotapes in gasoline, Lincoln threw the petrol can away and picked a lighter from his pocket. Luan stopped ten feet away from him, looking terrified at the lighter.

"P-Please… No..." she asked, on the verge of tears.

"Luan, you can't go on like this" he quietly said. "You spend all your time watching videos of me instead of spending that time with me."

"A-Alright… Let's go play, okay? We can play whatever you want. We can… We can make a food fight on the kitchen o-or setting up a prank for Lori. Huh? Do you want to do that?"

"No, Luan. What I want is to save you."

"Lincoln, I… Those… Those videos are all I have of you! I can only remember you through them!"

"That's not true, sis" said Lincoln, putting the lighter down and stepping closer. "That's not true at all. You don't need to obsess with videotapes to remember me. You're my sister, my funny and talented sister, and I love you."

"But..."

"Luan, bad things do happen. They will always happen. How you respond to them defines your character and the quality of your life. You can choose to sit on perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of your loss, or you can choose to rise from the pain and treasure all the things you have to move on" he solemnly said. "It's true that I will be here no longer, that I won't be able to be your assistant, or that you won't be able to test your pranks on me..."

"Please, don't say that..."

"...but I'll always be your brother. I… I want you to remember me. I want all of you guys to remember me, I don't want you to forget me. But not at this cost. I don't want you to live trapped in the tapes, to you to end up lost in the nebula of yesterday, locked in a spiral of endless sadness. I want you to move on, remembering with dearness all the times we had, but with your eyes set on the future."

"Lincoln..."

"I can't die if I'm not sure that all of you will be okay. And in your case, I can't go without knowing that you will be able to move on" he said, looking at her very seriously. "I need you to prove me that this won't affect you forever. You need to show me that you can move on. You need to do this for me."

And he offered her the lighter. Luan looked horrified at it. Her eyes started to dance between the lighter and her brother's face. The one she loved the most in the world, even more than she loved herself. With every look at his eyes, her face relaxed a little, until finally, with a sigh, she took the small object.

She walked closer to the giant mountain of tapes. With trembling fingers she turned on the lighter, and once the small blaze appeared, she threw it on the soaked videotapes.

The flame ignited immediately. A fire that started to emanate black smoke as soon as the magnetic tape was consumed. Luan had to take several steps back, for the impact of the heat on her face was threatening to burn her eyebrows. When she was sure that she wasn't in danger, she fell on her knees and started to cry.

Along with the smoke, Luan felt a little bit of her heart being lifted to the sky.

Lincoln knelt right next to her and hugged her. He patted her back, trying to ease her. He knew that thishurt her, but it was for the best. He just wanted the best for them all.

That same Thursday, when Phoebus started to hide behind the landscape on the horizon and the tall buildings of the city, coloring the sky like an oil painting, with a palette that would put shame on any canvas ever painted, half the Loud family found themselves busy with things to do. Rita took Lily, Lola and Lana to the doctor for a routine check, while Lynn Sr took Luna and Luan to the mall to buy something they wanted to keep as a secret, but Lincoln knew by the side glances they gave him that it was something for him.

Lincoln was at that moment sitting on the couch with Lynn, trying to teach her how to play with videogames. Lynn was a fast learner, but she still had a lot to learn before she could beat Lincoln. It was funny for him to see her mixed emotions: on one side, her incredible and incomparable competitiveness made her furious everytime she lost, but at the same time she was absolutely happy for being playing along with Lincoln, and every time he smile at her, she smiled back.

"I thing you had enough already" said Lincoln after his twentieth consecutive victory, putting the joystick aside.

"Alright, alright" admitted Lynn, saving her joystick too. "Just lemme go to the kitchen to grab some sodas, okay lil' bro?"

"Sure."

Lynn got up and walked to the kitchen, leaving Lincoln "alone" in the living room.

He was about to turn his head to look at the fireplace to tell Lucy that she could get out now, but she acted first. Before Lincoln could move, he felt two arms wrapping themselves around his neck and his sister's forehead pressing against his nape.

"I love you, Lincoln" she whispered.

He smiled. He could see her in the reflection on the TV screen.

"I love you too, Lucy."

"You were right" she continued. "Not even death can tear us apart. We will always be together."

Somewhat confused, Lincoln turned around to get a better look at her. Lucy was still embracing him. Her bangs hide her eyes, but Lincoln could still feel the intense gaze.

"Of course we will" he assured her. "I'm always gonna be with you, I told you already."

"I know" she answered, resting her forehead against his. "I know. You're the best brother a girl might have had."

"And you are one of the ten best girls that had ever lived in the entire universe" said Lincoln, smiling at her.

And to his utter surprised, Lucy smiled back. A tiny smile, but it was sincere and meaningful like no other. She gave him a little kiss on his cheek, and she quietly walked away, stairs up, probably heading to her room. Lincoln kept staring at her.

There was something odd…

"I'm back!" Announced Lynn, going back from the kitchen with tho glasses. She offered one to Lincoln and sat next to him once again, laying against his shoulder. "So, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"I could stay like this" she answered, snuggling against her brother a little more. "I don't need anything else."

"Let's stay like this, then" he suggested, turning his head to flash her a smile.

She did too, and they both stayed there in silence, with the TV turned off, enjoying each others company. They stayed like that for about five minutes, until Leni arrived.

"Oh, are you having a nap on the couch?" She asked both her younger siblings, looking interested. "I'd love to take one too, but Lori's like in a video call with Carol Pingrey and I can't even speak in there."

Lincoln smiled. His plan to make Lori and her old best friend to reconcile had been a success.

"We weren't about to take a nap" he told Leni, "we were just… getting a little rest."

"Oh."

"I could use a nap, though" he admitted.

"I'll get some blankets and a pillow!" Lynn quickly offered herself, standing up and walking to the stairs.

"Hey, Linky?" Asked Leni, nervously moving her left foot and putting her hands behind her back.

"Yeah?"

"I… Well, after you and Lynn wake up from your nape, do you think we could maybe, like, go out for a walk or something? I need… There's something I need to tell you."

Lincoln looked at her with interest. Was he about to find out about what Leni thought of this whole situation?

"Of course" he assured her. "Whatever you want. I'd also like to—"

"LUCY! NO!"

Lynn's scream made the whole foundation of the house shake. Lincoln jumped straight up, scared. They soon heard rapid stomping on the first floor, and seconds later a new scream, this time Lori's.

"LENI, OPEN THE DOOR AND START VANZILLA! NOW!"

"I… What?" Asked Leni, looking scared at Lincoln.

"T-The… Turn the rattling key-thingy so the car snores!" He said, being smart enough to talk in Leni so her older sister would understand.

She did, apparently, for she ran to the door, grabbed Vanzilla's keys and got into the family van in a matter of seconds.

Finally coming out of the paralysis that had invaded him, Lincoln tried to walk to the stairs to see what was going on, but just as he was getting there, his sisters ran all the way down. He saw it all in slow motion. Lori and Lynn moving desperately. Lori looked panicked, and Lynn was crying. The two of them were carrying a white bulge that Lincoln didn't recognized at first. Not until he saw the unmistakable black hair. When they walked past him, Lincoln saw that they had wrapped two towels around Lucy's wrist.

For an instant, his little sister's bangs moved, letting him see a semi-open eye. The gazes from the black haired girl and the white haired boy met, and in that instant, before her head fell limp against her shoulder, Lincoln saw her giving him a tiny smile.

He didn't hear Lori's scream of staying home to care care of Lisa. He didn't hear it, but he was too stunned to react and follow them. He just stood there, as his three sisters met with Leni in the van and then drove away from home. Lincoln couldn't move. He just did when he noticed the little red drops that had marked a scarlet trail from the stairs to the entry door.

He felt sick. He felt like he was about to throw up. He ran upstairs, trying to reach the bathroom, but a small figure got in his way.

"Lincoln, I require your assistance in my lab" Lisa solemnly said.

"Lisa… Not now. Didn't you hear what…?"

"It was to be now, older brother."

He stared at her. There was something odd on his little sister. How quietly she seemed to be breathing. The serene attitude. The way she had her hands behind her back, like an officer waiting to receive a medal. But above all things, Lincoln was surprised by the little genius gaze. Behind the glasses, her eyes seemed to be drilling holes into Lincoln. A deep look filled with a meaning unknown to Lincoln.

"It'll have to wait, Lisa. Lucy just tried to..."

"Judging by the quantity of blood on her room and the floor, I can say that she didn't damaged any vital blood conduct. A simple blood transfusion and proper psychological treatment should be enough to save her, without a doubt. Now do not worry, for any preoccupation or thoughts you may have now lacks of value and importance against what I'm about to show you" she said, still looking at him with those eyes.

Lincoln tried to guess what she might have been working on in her room. To be honest, he couldn't imagine what interesting experiment could generate such reaction on Lisa. That way of standing up, that tone of voice… It almost sounded like the Lisa he knew. The regular Lisa.

"Are you sure Lucy's not in danger?"

"Absolutely."

"Completely sure?"

"Positively."

"Okay… Okay. What do you have to show me?"

"Follow me" she hurried him up, walking into her room. "We don't have much time."

As soon as they entered the room, Lincoln noticed that Lisa still had most of her machines working. Only in a corner there was the broken computed Lisa had destroyed some days ago. Lincoln hadn't talked about it yet. He didn't want to put the finger on the sore spot. Lisa started to mess one of her drawers, looking for something.

"This incident with Lucy is the confirmation I needed" she simply said.

"Confirmation? Of what?"

"That I'm doing the right thing."

She turned to look at Lincoln with two objects on her hands. One of them quickly got Lincoln's attention. It seemed like one of Ace Savvy gadgets, some kind of gun with a hook that he used to climb on buildings or to grab things from a distance. Her other hand was closed, with a small object inside.

"The right thing?" Lincoln asked. "What are you talking about?"

Lisa walked closer and made a sign so he would duck. He did.

"I tried to save you" she said, with real pain in her voice. "I tried my best, but no matter how tests I ran, I couldn't find the way to cure you. I failed you."

Lincoln knew that this was a talk they eventually needed to have. And he knew what he had to say.

"Lisa, you don't—"

"I couldn't save you" she interrupted him, "and the pain of my failure will forever haunt me, for the rest of my life. But this family needs you. This family needs Lincoln Loud. And them I can save" she finally said, opening her hand to show him what she had in there.

Lincoln let out a gasp. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

He thought it had been a dream.

Lisa pressed a button on the watch, and seconds later, a green portal opened up in front of them. They could see their living room like they were watching it from their TV screen. No, not their living room. Another living room. And sitting on the couch, halfway eating his cereal was Lincoln Loud himself.

Another Lincoln Loud.

"I'm really sorry about this, Lincoln" Lisa said.

And before any of the two Lincolns could react, Lisa pushed the boy from his dimension through the portal, making him fall on his back. She immediately fired the gadget, and the hook with wire made several turns around the Lincoln that was sitting on the sofa, trapping him. An instant later, she pulled the wire, and the new Lincoln was dragged through the portal.

"WAIT! DON'T!" Yelled the Lincoln on the floor, trying to stand up.

"I will always remember you, Lincoln" said Lisa, before pressing a new button on the watch, closing the portal.

Lincoln fell on his knees on the carpet.

He was trapped in another dimension.

"What's up, bro?" Said the unmistakable voice of Luke, coming into the living room along with Lane.

"Oh, you dropped your cereal on the carpet!" Pointed out Lane. "Ooooooh, Loki's gonna kill you. 'Babe' is coming home tonight for dinner."

"No… No, no, no" said Lincoln, feeling a sudden pressure on his chest. He was breathing hard now, and his vision started to blur. "Levi… I need to find Levi!"

"Hey, what's your problem, dude?!" Complained Luke just as Lincoln shoved into him while running to the stairs.

On his way there, Lexx and Leif ran past him, almost tackling him. As he climbed the stairs, Lincoln felt the pressure on his chest rising, like there was someone sitting on top of his ribs, and he also started to feel a sharp pain on his left arm. He started to stagger on his way upstairs, walking in zig-zag, bumping against both walls on his right and left.

When he was about to reach the top, he suddenly stopped. His legs didn't respond him any more.

Loni appeared just in time.

"Hey, Lincoln. Are you okay?" He asked, confused.

Lincoln dedicated one of his last thought to those poor boys, who would never know what had happened to their real brother. Finally, his legs failed him, and Lincoln fell from the stairs, his body hitting every step.

He heard the screams, and then it all went black.

The last thing his brain was able to process was that, at least, his beloved sisters wouldn't have to suffer his death.

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Requiem for a Loudby Underrated Hero

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Holy shit, hahahaha, APRIL FOOLS!

Dang it, I can't believe I took the time to write all this junk just for a stupid joke. Hahaha, I've been thinking since December about "Hmm, it'd be cool to make a fake ending for April Fools". And since I got to do it in time, I decided to do the most stupid, lame, cringy final chapter I could possibly think of. Like, this is worst I could offer for an ending.

Everything I said in the first author notes was a joke. This is not the end, this ain't the chapter that finished it all, we have AT LEAST five more chapters, lol. And don't worry, I'm relatively healthy. Like, I could use a better diet, but other than that I'm really healthy. Maybe that was a bad taste joke, but I'm a fool, what did you expect?

Anyway, last week I told you I had an announce to make, and that's actually true: for personal reasons and out of need (I'm not gonna say "extreme need" because there are people who are having even rougher times than me, and I don't want to exaggerate), I've decided to give it a shot on Pa treon. For those of you who don't know, Pa treon is a platform for artist where people can support them, with voluntary donations every month or only once. There are different "rewards" depending on the donation. This rewards include PDF's of my stories, some "behind the scenes" (deleted scenes, other ideas, inspirations…), access to a private Discord chat where you can ask me whatever you want, and also the possibility to commission me to write stories of different lengths.

I'll launch the page five minutes before updating this cap, so you'll be the first ones to ever find out. I wont' be spamming this. This is the only time I'll ever mention it. I don't want to bother anyone. I don't want to victimize myself or explain her why am I doing this. But for those of you who may be interested or want to know why am I doing this, you can find me in that platform with this very same user, UnderratedHero. The only thing I'll say is that it's related to the amount of time I'll be able to have to keep writing Requiem and other stories.

Pretty smart, huh? Asking for money after making you lose precious time and making you hate me, hahaha. Well, I guess that's just to see who the loyal fans are. Like, those die-hard fans that will forgive me even after this terrible prank I did for April Fools.

I'll try to have the real 19th chapter ready ASAP, although that may be between 2-4 weeks. In a few days I'll change the story status back to "in progress", hahaha.

And now, to add more words to the document so the joke is more believable ("Wow, a 8K chapter! This must be real!"), I'll actually answer your reviews one by one:

MikeTheHuman113: What a coincidence indeed, haha. I'm glad you liked the dialogues, I work hard on them to sound… I don't know if "real", but at least interesting and believable. I assume this is not the ending you were expecting to get, right? Hahaha.

Omega Ultra: Oh, I get it. Sometimes I read something and the first time it's more of a "knowing what's going on"; but it's the later reads that gives me the "fully understanding what's happening". I understand what you say about the class. And about the tears. I honestly don't agree with a lot of people reacting the same way, but maybe that's just me and the story in my head, and what's actually written does make it look like that. We can always improve, hahaha.

Mikedonald: B-But I like onions!

Exotos135: Holy shit, you must be really disappointed that this was a joke, hahaha. But, uh… Dude, no one's forcing you to read this. It is a sad story, yes. If you don't find it worth reading, then… well, don't read it. I respect your opinions, but I think you're taking your bias on sad stories and you make it sound like that's how it works for everyone. Granted, not everyone loves sad stories, but there are people who really enjoy reading sad stuff. You say people don't want to read this story, and yet it was one of the highest chapter/reviews rate in the site. And I don't know if my bad English is making me misinterpret you, but… To be honest, I don't think you have a right to tell me what I can or can't write. If I want to write another sad story, then I will do it. And if no one likes it, then I don't care, I'll keep doing it. Because I love writing, no matter how "successful" the stories may be. If I didn't understand what you were trying to say, then I apologize, but it kinda felt like you don't like sad stories so you were trying to tell me to finish this as soon as possible and never write anything sad again.

Croople: I believe you. I had no reason to distrust you. But man, if your brain's melting you should see a doctor!

Lttlgreg: Aw, man, reviews like yours are what makes me feel guilty about this joke I did, hahaha. Such a nice review, and you were looking forward for the next chapter and I gave you a joke. I don't deserve you.

Sonicman501: I really appreciate your review. Thank you very much!

TGGDSD: I salute you too.

FanficFan920: I'm sorry :(

Shadow019: Thank you. Do you still think of me as a great writer, even after I betrayed your trust with this? Hahahaha.

Littlealexmartinez61910: Yeah, they're the most childish (Lisa's supersmart and Lily's a baby), and they seem to be pretty emotional, so their reactions needed to be like this. At least that's how I think it would be.

Jazz: Jeez, Jazz, I don't think it'll be a good idea to send this to Savino, hahaha. I would probably end up banned from attending all Nickelodeon events for a lifetime. But thank you for your kind words, I really appreciate them.

ThatGuyWhoReadsFanfiction: Thank you, man. Unfortunately, you'll still need to wait to find out the answer to that question. About releasing them at the same time, I try my best to do that. But the Spanish readers shouldn't have to pay the price for my slow translations, I think.

TheJayster49: Thank you for reviewing.

Guest: Were you already in the toilet when you started to cry? Or did you ran to the toilet? Hahaha.

LiterateClown: Kinda.

Celrock: I'm like you liked last chapter so much. So yeah, we're actually close, we've only got five more chapters or so. It's all coming down together now.

Onepieceranger123: It was a sad ending, if I may say so.

AshHeart: I don't know. Will you?

Dragontitan: Lincoln is just too pure for this world. He's the peak of selflessness, at least in this story. He's all worried about his family.

The Critik: I think this is the first time I scored a 15/10. I'm honored. And I'm glad you liked it. Like I said many times before, I'm not "proud" or happy of making people cry, but it means that the story has an impact of some sort, so I'm glad that you found it that good. Thank you.

Erica-phoenix16: No, thank you for reading :)

LoudSin: I'm glad you considered last chapter as the best one yet. That means the story's not decaying. And dude, if you want a Requiem for a Loud comic you'd have to pay a fortune. A 200K words story turned into a comic? That's like… many graphic novels, hahahaha.

STR2D3PO: You are absolutely right about everything. He needs to have moments with them all. We'll get to them, I promise (even if my word right now has lost all credibility, hahaha).

GojiraCipher: Wow, I really didn't know you guys had liked this chapter so much. There are a lot of comments saying chapter 18th was the best one yet, and that makes me incredibly happy. Thank you so much.

D-Structs: Thank you, man.

Samtastic 3,0: Was this the kind of Lincoln/Lisa interaction you were expecting? Hahahaha.

BoukenDutch: Well, I am an Argentinian author, after all. It makes sense to have the Spanish version first. Lily will have her "time", don't worry. Just to let you know: I wrote that Pop-Pop line (evidently skipping it) just to annoy you specifically, since I know you've been waiting for a Pop-Pop scene for a long time now. Oh, too bad, you'll miss this on April Fools then. Oh, well.

DeepDishes: I'm glad you experienced so many emotions on this chapter. That's always a good sign. I understand that the teachers telling the kids may be a bad move, but… well, they're gonna fin out eventually. And thank you for your kind words. They mean a lot to me.

Metime: Thanks m8.

ExMarkSpot: Yes! Probably!

Jonahhex5: It's not my intention to hurt you. I'm sorry. Well, not really. I'm glad the story makes you feel anything, ha.

ImpossibleJedi4: Thank you very much. I hope that the actual real ending will please you when it comes, hahaha.

Quizmaster: I'm glad to know that. Thank you!

Nameless Joe: 1) Wow, that's sad. I'm sorry. 2) What Rugrats reference?! Tell me, I didn't realize that. TELL ME!

Grim-XIII: Thanks! I'm glad you find it so good. Ask and you shall receive! ...although it's gonna take a while.

Gravity Fallout: We still have five more chapters or so to go, hahaha. You have time to get ready!

PurpleBoy1000: No, thank you, my dear reader!

ElectricLoud: The most heartbreaking? Maybe because there were two girls? Or because of their age? Anyway, a lot of people seem to think that way, hahahaha, so I guess it might as well be the most intense chapter of the story! Thank you so much for your reviews.

Guest: Why yes, Lisa is going through a lot. She's a four years old kid who thinks it's up to her to save her brother. That can't end well. Or can it? I'm glad you liked Lincoln's speech, I was kinda afraid of it being too… formal for a kid, hahaha. Thank you for your review.

ShadowBlaze625: Thanks, man. I loved every second of writing this chapter too, hahaha. The end will be only one, though. I have it planned. And I hope that you'll like it when it eventually comes.

Like A Pro: Thank you! And I'm glad you're this committed to your stories. Your ideas should be available for the whole world to read.

Sethsepticeye: Luan's chapter was one of my favorites. Thank you :D

Emperor of Performances: I agree. Poor little girls…

Hatoralo: I've been answering these reviews for over two hours now. It gets SO tiring… But it's a wonderful kind of tiredness. Thank you for your words.

TimmyTurnerFan: By the time you've reached this point you'll probably would have left more reviews, so I want to thank you right away for your amazing reviews. I really like your views and takes on everything that happens in the story. Thank you.

Frankling: Shady's back

Superdimentio77: Thank you, man. I'm glad you have that confidence in me, hahaha.

Lawny-Geo soul's friend: Pls don't die-hard

Harmony Avery: There will be more, don't worry!

Killer Assassin: I KNOW, RIGHT?!

Emmaelise401: A little more than that. More like 5/6.

Dead heart 9: Don't worry, I accept your late "happy birthday". I ran out of cake, though...