…Hello. Not sure if any of you know me very well. I mean, I'm much more prominent in the Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds fandom, and the only story I've ever written for this fandom is a one-shot a while ago called Brighter Future.
How ironic, then, that I've started writing something that's pretty much the exact opposite.
In this story, the "future" London actually exists, along with the time machine in the Clock Shop working (in a slightly different way). Oh, and don't worry, both Clive and Dimitri have roles in this story. Just not for a while.
So… yeah. I don't own Professor Layton. Take that! Er, uh, I mean, enjoy the (short) prologue!
Prologue
"Find 'im! 'E can't have gone far!"
He couldn't stop running. No matter how exhausted he was…
Splash.
No matter how many puddles he ran through - at this point he wouldn't be surprised if his clothes were completely soaked with a combination of water and blood…
"Boss! I can see him!"
He nearly swore. They shouldn't have been able to see him that quickly…
The young man ducked into an alley, running between the buildings until he found the place he was looking for. He quickly knocked on the door. The special knock; the only way the owners of the establishment would let someone in.
It was Spring who answered this time. The elderly woman ushered him in with a look of worry on her face, and shut the door tightly behind him.
"What's happened?" Spring asked.
"No time to explain," the young man replied. "Start up the time machine. The Family will be here any second!"
He tightened his grip on the thing in his right hand, the metal digging into his skin. He couldn't be caught by the Family now. Not before fulfilling her last wish. And if he succeeded… it wouldn't be her last wish.
She would be alive again.
"It's ready!" Cogg called, over the noise that the abnormally large clock in the backroom was making.
At the same time, the door burst open.
He jolted around, expecting to see Bostro and several other Family goons.
His assumption was wrong, and he stood frozen in disbelief.
The same top hat. The same outfit. Everything added up to when he had last seen this man.
Were those tears in his eyes?
Impossible. The man - no, the monster - in front of him could never show that sort of emotion. Only anger. It must have been the rain.
And yet… the usual coldness in his demeanor wasn't there. It was as if he actually cared about what had happened to Flora…
He bit the inside of his lip. His next few words would be crucial… "Why? Why do all of this?"
The coldness returned. "You wouldn't understand. Now, give me back the device."
He furiously shook his head. "Maybe there was a time when I would do anything that you asked. That is definitely not now. Not after everything you've done."
"As if your hands aren't stained as well, Luke?"
He flinched. He tried not to, but he couldn't help it. That was the first time in years that the man had called him by his first name… and his words also rang true. The image of the scientist he had stolen the device - a broken pocket watch - from, unconscious and with a massive wound on the side of his head came to mind first. Then there was the guard that he shoved down a staircase while trying to rescue her…
Luke shook his head. "I'm going to change all of that. I'll… I'll… I'll save this lost future! No matter what!"
He slammed his hand into the activation panel, and the last thing he saw before everything went dark was of his old mentor, trying to stop him from activating the time machine.
He would change the past, no matter what the consequences were. For London. For Flora. And most importantly… for the Professor.
To be continued…
So, if you couldn't tell by this chapter alone, this story is going to be dark, and very, very AU in most places. But this is only the beginning.
Depending on how much feedback this story gets, I'll update quickly. Otherwise I'll just retreat back to the Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds fandom, and this won't get updated that often. So, please review, favorite, and follow if you want to see more!