The task at hand was clear. To stop the golems, they had to step into the beams of light. But…
"Wait! If you do this… If you step into the beams of light, you will die!" Aurora exclaimed.
Luke gasped in shock and horror. He wanted to save the world, but he still had his whole life ahead of him. He didn't want to die yet. None of them did.
"Are you… Are you still willing to do it?" the Azran emissary continued, voice shaking. "The decision is yours, and yours alone. Will you take this chance to save humanity?"
For a moment, there was silence, as no one moved.
Luke was the first to make his decision. He turned and walked towards the light. He had been scared to do what was necessary many times before, but he knew this was what he had to do.
"Luke," Professor Layton murmured.
"It's the only way to save everyone," the boy replied simply. "Professor, I have to do it!"
This display of courage motivated the others to act, aside from Bronev.
Hershel Layton couldn't believe he was allowing a young boy, not even an adolescent yet, to sacrifice himself. What would Clark say…? He had allowed Luke to get into dangerous situations before, but he had always ensured that his self-proclaimed apprentice made it out in one piece.
But this wouldn't be the first time he had failed a friend. Randall had survived their trip to the Akbadain ruins when they were seventeen, although he hadn't been aware of that fact until recently, yet that didn't change the fact that Layton had failed him. Angela, too, because he had promised to keep her boyfriend safe, and yet he had allowed him to fall to what should have been his death. Randall had survived, defeating the odds, but Layton hadn't tried to find his friend, instead leaving him open to manipulation due to his memory loss. However, this was of no importance, not anymore. If he needed to die here, so the world would survive… It was for the greater good.
Emmy Altava, traitor… She didn't have the right to think of herself as Professor Layton's assistant, not anymore. She had truly enjoyed working with him, yet she threw it all away when she chose to remain loyal to Uncle Leon instead. Betraying her friends for this… It was wrong. She had made a terrible mistake. She had thought Uncle Leon was all she had left in the world, but she could've still had her two friends that she had come to see almost as family, Layton and Luke, if she hadn't done that terrible thing. It hurt far more than death ever could. And on top of that, she had contributed to the awakening of the Azran legacy that was now destroying the world. It was far too late now to fix her mistakes but perhaps… Perhaps this was close enough.
Nobody was perfect, but Jean Descole knew he had far more than his fair share of crimes to atone for. He shouldn't have let himself become so blinded by his desire for revenge. Imprisoning innocents, destroying a large portion of Misthallery, cruelly manipulating people, kidnapping girls to host the memories of the only one who could sing A Song of the Sea properly, turning one friend against another, nearly burying Monte d'Or… The list went on and on, but in burning letters at the very top was the one his conscious regretted the most. I tried to kill my brother. That was followed by I hid my identity from my brother and used him. In his desire to get revenge on the Azran, Targent, and the man who he had once considered his father, he had become exactly like those he despised. He had begun attempting to atone for his atrocities when he saved Luke from being burned to a crisp, but that was just the beginning. He hadn't been sure why he survived that—he knew he had been dying, and even now he was barely alive—but now he knew, he had to endure one last trial before the end.
One look at Bronev was enough to convince Aurora that he wasn't going to be any help. The man was too shocked by the true nature of the Azran legacy he had spent his life working for. So she announced, filled with determination, "I'll help you too." This was her fault, after all. Without her help, none of these people would have made it here. They had helped her, and she had led them to their doom.
Four people stepped into the burning pink rays. They were filled with agony, excruciating pain the likes of which no human could tolerate for long. It was like being burned alive, but they would endure it. They had to, for the world. Even Descole, weak from his injuries, forced himself to stay.
Luke shouted encouragingly, "We can do it!"
However, Aurora was faced with some difficulties. She ran to the light, hit it like a brick wall, and bounced off. She stood again, tried to force her way in, but was flung away.
"Aurora!" Layton was concerned.
"It's not working for me, Professor!" Aurora was distraught. These people were sacrificing themselves, and it would be for nothing because she wasn't being allowed to do the same. Unless…
"I was so close," Bronev lamented. "I dedicated my life to archaeology… To finding the most precious treasure that mankind could ever hope for… And yet… And yet…" He had ruined everything. His dedication broke his family apart, and he had become a monster and ruined the lives of many, most of all his sons, who he should have been caring for… And now...
"Bronev!" His younger son's voice broke into his thoughts. "Listen to me! Our mission here… was not… pointless!"
"Hm?" Bronev turned to Theodore—but he was going by the name Hershel now, wasn't he?—with his confusion visible on his face. It was worse than pointless, wasn't it? Not only did he fail to find the treasure he hoped for, but even if they got out of here alive, they wouldn't have anything to return to, at this rate.
"Others can learn from this," Hershel insisted. "They don't have to repeat the mistakes of the past. Humanity can move on, look to the future! Mankind… doesn't have to end here!"
"No… It doesn't." Little Hershel, always the gentleman, even in times like this… His reasonable words brought Bronev back to his senses and now he realized what he had not before. His sons and Emmeline, and even the little boy that called himself Layton's apprentice… They were all suffering. He should join them. Maybe he hadn't been a very good parent—okay, he definitely hadn't—but he couldn't let them die in vain now. None of them deserved to die at all; this was all his fault. At least this way, he could see Rachel again... This in mind, he threw himself into the light.
With one person in each of the five beams, the pain intensified. Screams ripped themselves from five throats (although Descole sounded like he would rather bite off his tongue than scream aloud) for what seemed an eternity but was only a few seconds, then the torture faded along with the agonized shouts and glaring pink lights.
Even as the golems lost their function and began dropping from the sky outside, five lifeless bodies hit the floor.
They had redeemed themselves. More than, in some cases.
A/N: This scene in the game was so full of feels… When someone suggested I write about "redemption", this was what came to mind, naturally. I feel a little bad for just taking the scene from the game but I added a little to it and I personally like how it turned out.
Review please?