Aurora stared. Surrounding her were 5 brave individuals, whom had sacrificed their lives for the sake of humanity. Had their breath not been taken, the world would have hit it's point of destruction, and all organisms would have been wiped dead by the golems.
It was strange how the Azran's own advancement in technology had led to this - how the end of their kind was their own fault. Yet these humans - these five seemingly insuperior humans - had stopped the golems with their bare hands and courage. They had done what the greatest civilisation had failed to do aeons ago. Maybe - just maybe - their courage was stronger than any mechanism the Azran had ever made.
Humans were the successors. Humanity was an admirable kind.
"Professor Layton!" Aurora cried, rushing to the professor's side. All five of the humans were slowly regaining consciousness, and each one looked happy to be alive. Aurora wanted so badly to comfort them all. To tell them their efforts had saved the world from destruction. To say she had finally witnessed the greatness of humanity. Yet the words refused to leave her throat. They stayed back, burning.
"Aurora..."
The girl turned. "What's the matter, Professor?"
She saw that he was gazing down at her arm - or what was left of it. A strong pink light was absorbing it, crackling it into dust along with the other limbs that made up her body. She was slowly but surely disappearing. The dreaded time had come.
Once all your duties have been attended to, Aurora, neither you nor the Azran sanctuary will have any purpose. You will have no need to stay on this earth.
"It's... It's really t-that time," Aurora remarked, clutching her stomach in attempt to conceal her pain, laughing to try and cure her shakes and sadness. "M-My body will soon cease to function," she said. "I thank you all for this wonderful experience."
Luke pushed through the rest of the group. "Y-You have to go? B-But... You don't deserve to die! Y-You helped us solve the final puzzle! If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be here right now! There must be something w-we can do to save you!"
"Luke..." The sanctuary continued to crumble around them. She didn't want anyone to get hurt; they had to be quick before their chance at escape was gone. With this in mind, she cleared the lump from her throat.
"Luke. With your help, I have performed the task I was set to do. But now that I have done this, I no longer have a purpose... This is my fate, of which I cannot change."
Tears spilled down the young boy's face as he gripped on tighter to Aurora's hands, not allowing her to slip away. "Of course you can change it!" he yelled. "If our fates were set in stone, what point would there be in us existing at all?!"
To Aurora's surprise, everyone nodded in agreement. They all closed their eyes and put their hands together, beginning to whisper something under their breaths.
"O, light of the Azran... We ask not for your gifts, as humanity can build it's own future. However... We have one wish that you can grant to assist us on our way - for Aurora's wish to be granted!"
Finally, there was a flash of light. One solitary flash of light.
Aurora fell unconscious.
"Aurora? Aurrooraaaa?"
"...Huh?"
W-Where... Who are all these people? There's Emmy here... But I thought I was dying! This body wouldn't work anymore, would it? Is this all...a dream? A nice but cruel dream?
She was so lost in thought she didn't notice the mutters behind her. A young couple started whispering things into each others ears, like "Did her grandmother choose her clothes?" and "Aw, but she's kinda' cute though". There were children who pointed at her from the tips of their seats, asking their parents if a princess was on the train, and even an old pair had some thoughts on the mysterious young lady sat behind them. Her attire did look strange... But that would all change soon - Emmy knew so.
"Oh, thank God you're awake! I didn't think you were going to wake up. As soon as we made that wish, you zonked out!" She laughed, but in a kind way that put Aurora at ease.
Throughout the adventure, Aurora acknowledged, Emmy had comforted her in all her anxiety and confusion. She had helped her feel more like...a girl. Not just some machine that had been frozen in ice for several millenia, but a girl! That's probably why it had shocked her so much when Emmy had revealed her true occupation as a member of Targent, an organization obsessed with finding the Azran's treasure.
It wasn't something that brought pleasure in rememberance. Aurora frowned looking upon it and Emmy caught wind of her expression. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Emmy... Why did you do it? Why did you betray the professor like that?"
"... I didn't have a choice, Aurora," she sighed. "Not at the time, at least. When I was very little, my parents passed away. We didn't have any close relatives, so Bronev seemed like the only person who would take me in... Yet his care came with a price. I had to become part of Targent, the organization he was leader of. I didn't think much of it at the time - all I wanted was a place to go - but if I had known all those years ago that Targent would have turned me like this, I would have refused."
"Oh... It must have been hard for you, seeing your parents pass...and having to do that to Professor Layton and Luke."
"Yes, it was. They were like my real family. They cared for me, more than Bronev ever did."
Emmy... She began to tremble, but tried to hide it. A shakily lifted hand dabbed at her wet eyes, that, as Aurora could see, were straining to try and hold back the tears of the worn woman. Aurora suddenly felt bad for bringing it up.
"I'm sorry, Emmy..."
"Nah." She sniffed. "Don't be." The colour was slowly coming back to her face and she could just force a smile - a wobbly smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Aurora, when you leave this train," she explained, "you will feel a rush of emotions. These emotions affect humans everywhere, in many different ways. They will lead you through your new life just as much as humans themselves will."
Yes... When I leave this train, a new life will begin...
...for the both of us.