Chapter Text
„So, this is the truth, you have found out?“ a man sitting in the shadows asks another one. Even though the room was dark, with only a few candles to light it up, both could see enough. The bookshelf, the fancy-looking Furniture, and each other, although neither of their faces was clear to see. “...Yeah, it seems like it. I still can't believe it, though...” he answered, seemingly ever so slightly distressed about something. “So, what are you going to do now? If they have stolen all of your life... What will be your next step?” the other one asks, letting the men take a moment to think about it, before setting his goal. “I...want it back! So... I will take it back and also... teach them a lesson!” That said, the men walked over to a table where a mask was lying. A mask with a bright smile and slightly open Eyes, picking it up into his hands, determined to know what he is going to do now.
“Wow! So this is Monte d'Or?!” Luke couldn't contain his joy while walking through the lively streets, all while a festival was ongoing. People were cheering, Confetti flew through the air, and wherever you looked, circus performers were giving their all to perform a great show for the tourists and the people of the city. “Indeed...” Layton said, while looking around the place himself, seemingly a little absent-minded. For a moment, the little Luke looks up to his teacher before turning around again and being distracted right away by all the entertainment around him. “This is so amazing! Is that why people call it the City of Miracles?” he asks, while his mentor turns his view to him, so he won't lose the small child in the crowd. “That is right. It is quite astonishing how 18 years ago, this place used to be just an empty wasteland.” That shocks Luke, making him stop and turn around towards the Professor again. “Really?! How is that even possible?” he couldn't help but ask, yet while adjusting his hat, all the Professor could answer was, “ I do not know this either.”
- New Mystery: The Miracle of Monte d'Or-
-Monte d'Or is well known because it started as an oasis with one small inn and expanded into a large and prosperous city in the space of 18 years. How could such a city develop so fast?-
-Layton's Thoughts: Monte d'Or is quite impressive. Especially considering who built it from nothing.-
Continuing their walking around, the shows of everyone in the city keep Luke looking around in astonishment. “There's so much to look at here, Professor!” the little boy said while walking a few steps in front of his mentor. “Mh, Indeed. So much so that we might have lost Emmy in the crowd.” Layton remarks, noticing that they were short of one person in their traveling group. “What? But..I just saw her a second ago! Where could she have gone off to?” Luke wonders, now looking around in hope of finding her somewhere in the crowd. “And she told me to watch out not to get lost...” The little boy couldn't help but pound a little over how much she was teasing him when they first arrived in the city. “What now, Professor? The letter you received said some terrible things are happening here. What if Emmy gets into trouble?” for a moment the Professor thought about it before he said, “Well, either way it's quite troublesome if we lose each other that easily. Let's try to find her first, before we get to our destination. Angela can wait, I hope.” he desited, to which the small boy nods in agreement. “Alright, maybe Emmy isn't too far away. Maybe we can see her estate just past this street.”
Said and done, yet still no Emmy in View. But, both kept their eyes open and looked around as best as they could in the massive sea of humans having a good time. “But still... It is hard to believe bad things are happening in a place so bright and colorful, Professor?” The little boy had to admit that he couldn't really see anything bad happening while everyone was having so much fun around them. But his mentor, on the other hand, stays observant of his surroundings. “Never judge a book by its cover, Luke. Only a thorough analysis will reveal a thorough conclusion,” he advises him, with the boy nodding understanding. “Right, Professor! Let's keep our eyes wide open and find Emmy as quickly as possible!”
(Carnival Square)
Going a bit further, they notice something out of line, though. Not Emmy, but an odd clown, rapped in balloon strings, flying a few meters above the ground. Although it does look funny, it was clear to the two that it was not done on purpose. “Ungh... Oh, hello there! Heh heh.” The clown tries to smile a little in his misery. “Welcome to-urrgh Monte-nnngh... d'Or...” but it didn't quite make the situation look less hopeless. “Come to the-urmpf-circus! Clowns! Animals! Lots of... FUN!” Watching him like this felt quite wrong, so Luke right away asks him, “Can we be of some help, sir?”
“Oh, don't mind me. I just-nngh-need to release these balloons into the air. For the-grmph-children, you know! For the kids!” the struggling clown answers, at first still trying his best to get out of that mess of strings around his body. “If I don't get these balloons into the air, I'll never earn my clown nose!” That was when he held in for a moment, since he forgot an important part of the conversation. “Oh, where are my manners?! Unngh... I'm Stumble. Forgive me for not shaking your hand. Don't think me rude, please!” A few more times, the clown shakes around in his web of strings, making the Professor and Luke crack a little, unsure smile. “I'm Luke. Are you sure you don't need any help at all, Stumble?” The little boy offers his help, almost out of pity, to which the clown finally gives up and nods. “Perhaps you could help me here, if you're not in too much of a hurry...”
It took a little while, but with a few switches around, it was easy to free the Clown from the strings of his balloons. “Whew! What a relief! Thank you for that!” Stumble now holding on to the Balloon strings with one hand, while still flowing over the ground, just not stuck anymore. “No need to thank us, Stumble. Helping someone in need is its own reward.” The Professor answers, just happy to help, making the Clown, though even more impressed in the Process. “Oh wow! Humble on top of it! Not something you see every day! You looked a little lost just a little while ago. Maybe I can help you with directions. It's the least I can do!” The clown offers his help, which the two actually could need right now. “Well, not so much directions, but we lost someone in the crowd! A loudmou- I mean a tall young lady, ehm... with long curly brown hair and a yellow outfit. Have you seen her anywhere?” Luke right away asks if Stumble had seen the missing Assistant, making him think for a moment. “Oh yeah! I think I saw someone like this walking around the streets. I think I last saw her walk in that direction. But that might be some time ago, so I can't be of any more help, sorry.” Stumble told them, pointing over into the direction of an Alleyway, where not that many people were. “I see. That is alright, Stumble. Thank you very much for the help. Come, Luke, let's see if Emmy is still around there.” The Professor said, and the two went on their way, with the Clown waving after them. “Have a nice stay in Monte d'Or!”
Walking over to that Alleyway, the two had less trouble bumping into others, yet there was still no sign of Emmy. “Weird... Why would she come over here in the first place, though, Professor? This Alley looks a little spooky... N-Not that I am scared or anything!” Luke couldn't help but ask, all while staying as close to the Professor as possible. “Perhaps, she was just looking for a place where we could see her better. In a crowd, even she is hard to point out, so perhaps she might be still somewhere he-” but before he could finish that sentence, he almost ran into someone coming out of the alleyway. A young-looking man with fairly tanned skin and blond, short, combed-back hair, wearing a dark green Jacket with a dark blue polo shirt underneath and clean suit pants. “Oh, my apologies,” the young man said before walking past the Professor and small boy, making the two look wonder after him. “Wow. He came almost out of nowhere. I didn't even notice he was here!” Luke couldn't help but be surprised by this, but the Professor turned around, and before he could say anything, a loud noise took both of their attentions right back to the crowded street nearby. “Professor, what was that?!”
“It's-It's him! Run!” a man screamed, to which others fell into panic as well, turning the festival atmosphere into a scene of terror in seconds. “Frozen! Like stone!” another one in the crowd yelled out, while many tried to run away from a certain stop in the parade. “Stone?” Right away, the Professor senses every alarm bell in him go off, turning towards his apprentice. “Stay here, Luke!” he told him, before running off. “Ah! W-Wait! Professor! I come with you!” the little Boy yells, though, following right away as fast as he could, after a bit, even overtaking the Professor in the Process. All while the people around them panic, the Balloons holding up the big Clown puppet start to pop, one after the other, no longer able to hold the puppet up, it falls towards the street but also towards Luke, who couldn't stop in time, noticing the big shadow over him to late, but before the hand could fall on to him, the Professor rushes to him and was able to get him out of the way in time, holding on to the boy tight, while shielding him from the rough impact on the ground. Just when they both got themselves back up to their feet, right away, what was standing in front of them made them both gasp in disbelief. “What on earth...is going on here?” Layton could only say all while Luke took a few steps back and forth, looking unsure at the Statues of People standing where living people were before hand. “Statues...?”
“Hey! I'm trying to escape, here! Get out of my way, will you?!” one of the short Clowns yelled, all while running in the direction of where the Professor and Luke were standing, still quite in shock, but when that took them back to reality, looking at the Clown. “Please, sir, try to remain calm.” The Professor said to him, not moving one step from his place, making the Clown stop in his way, tipping nervously on his toes back and forth. “Calm?! Are you blind?! Those people have been turned to stone!” he yelled, before running around them now instantly, not wanting to stay and see what happens if he does. “Wha-?! How is that even possible?!” Luke still couldn't understand what was going on when someone's laughing from far above them caught his and the Professor's attention. “Wah! Professor, look up there!” the little Boy yelled out, pointing over to the roof of one of the fancy Buildings. “What in the...”
“One, two, three, four... Did you miss me, Mote d'Or?” a man announced over the whole Place, while walking up onto the edge of the roof. Wearing a complete white suit, with a big white Top hat and a Theater-like mask, that is smiling. “Ladies, gentlemen, and others, welcome! Please enjoy tonight's miracle with all your hearts! That is, if your heart has not turned into Stone yet! Hahahaha~...” he laughed before making the walk-cane disappear in his hands, all while wings appear in the same time on his back and with one delicate jump, he began to fly across the sky over the heads of the onlooker, making a few even run away, in fear he might do something, all while the Professor and Luke stand still, following him with their eyes, when...
“Professor! Luke! What are you waiting for? A written invitation?!” Emmy's voice took them out of their Rigidity, turning around to her, to see her on a horse. Right away, she points over to some of the horses, who were left behind from the parade, and that was all the Professor needed to know, nodding understanding. “Of course,” he said, before picking up Luke and running over to one of the horses, putting Luke on its back first before climbing on it as well. Simply after what happened, he couldn't just let the little boy all on his own, surrounded by Statues. Right away, he gives the horse the signal, and Emmy does the same, both now riding after the masked Gentleman. “Alright, Emmy! Follow my lead!” he told Emmy, and she nodded, more than ready. “Right!”
Riding on the Horses after the masked Gentleman, the two did their best to keep an eye on him, all while avoiding running into any objects around themselves, but also doing their best not to run over any of the people, panicking around, when seeing the masked Gentleman flying above their heads. “He really knows how to make people feel secure, that's for sure!” Emmy couldn't help but comment sarcastically, making the Professor glance slightly over to her before looking forward. “But he can't run-, eh, I mean, he can't fly away from us forever! He has to land soon, right?” Luke said in return, doing his best to hold on to the saddle as best as he could, with the Professor also having a firm grip on him so he couldn't fall off at any point in time. “We'll see about that! Huh?”
That was when all of a sudden something on the Gentleman seemed to have exploded, creating a huge smoke cloud around him and making it hard to see, but when the smoke started to clear, only a cloak remained, falling slowly to the ground, making the Professor and Emmy hold the Horses in shock. “Whoa, there!... This is...” The Professor was not sure what to say, all while Luke looked just as surprised at the Cloak, landing on the ground in front of them.
“He got away!” the Little boy said, frustrated about them not being able to do anything else about it anymore. “Yes, he had quite an advantage over us,” the Professor admits, adjusting his hat. “He may call himself a Gentleman, but there is nothing Gentle about what he did at all, if you ask me.” Emmy comments, just as frustrated over their loss this time around, even pounding a little. “But how... How did he do all these magical things? Turning people into stone and then even flying AND disappearing as well?! It's almost like... Like real Magic!” Little Luke couldn't help but feel confused and overwhelmed by everything, all while the Professor stayed calm on the outside, seemingly lost in thought. “...I suppose that is what we'll have to find out, my boy,” he could only answer, while rubbing his wrists unconsciously.
“Magic seemed to be the only explanation for the moment, and yet it disturbed me to see the Professor at such a loss. And that all began with one single letter...”