I'm thrilled by the positive feedback I'm getting for this. Thank you! As far as the future of this story, I'm working on chapter 12 of the rough draft right now (which is still a ways before the end), so I've got a bit of material ready to type up and finalize. I also have a collection of artwork related to the AU that I hope to share with you soon. Thanks again for your support!
Chapter 004 – Replacing
Professor Layton stirred to the voice of his young apprentice calling out and shaking him awake. Again? At least this time he was comfortably in bed instead of slumped at a desk.
"Professor! Come on! You're going to be late!" Luke pleaded. Late? He didn't have any morning classes this term, and he was fairly sure he didn't have any meetings today either. Then again, there was a reason he always had Luke help track his schedule.
Hershel sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes, realizing he hadn't been haunted by those pervasive dreams that night. His mood lifted and he turned his attention to the young boy's declaration.
"Sorry, I'm up, my boy. But... I'm afraid you'll have to remind me just what it is I'm running late for." He shifted his head side to side, stretching his stiff neck.
"What do you mean? You overslept! It's almost time for your first class!"
What?
He didn't care how tired he'd been. The thought of sleeping so long as to be late for his first lecture (which was in the afternoon that day) simply didn't seem possible. Besides, that brought up another important question: if his class was due to start soon, what in the world was Luke doing at home instead of being at his own school?
The professor turned to face the boy and finally opened his eyes. Immediately, he decided this must be a prank. It was clearly still quite early in the morning and Luke... Luke was dressed in a blue uniform and black robe. Where in the world did he get that just a day after having dreamed it up?
"Okay, very funny my boy. Why don't you go ahead downstairs and I'll meet you and Flora in a short while for breakfast?" he smiled gently at the boy. Luke just stared back in confusion.
"Downst- What are you talking about? Breakfast just ended in the Great Hall and you never showed up!" Now it was Layton's turn again to be confused. Great Hall?
"Luke, if this is still part of your joke..."
"What joke? Are you sure you're feeling alright, Professor?" The boy's face was growing quite concerned. "You've been acting funny lately... a-and you missed dinner last night too! When was the last time you ate?"
"Missed dinner? My boy, we ate after the two of you dragged me home from the University. Surely you remember-" He paused, remembering the dream the two children had woken him from the night before. It had left off with Luke - dressed exactly the same as currently - panicking about... his missed dinner. A sense of dread washed over him as he realized the implications. He hadn't escaped the dreams after all. He was still having them. A quick glance around confirmed it.
This was definitely not his bedroom.
"Oh dear...," he muttered as he stared into space, concerned. Meanwhile, Luke was still staring at him.
"Professor! Your class!" he cried out with a look of urgency on his face. Layton felt lost. He didn't know the rules and setup of this dream world, but he knew somehow that dream-Luke would not let him ignore them. He'd have to play along until he woke up... but what was he supposed to do?
"Er, right... right." The professor swung his legs over the side of the bed and got up. He looked around, trying to get a sense of the room's layout. Luke saw his hesitation and grabbed the man's arm, leading him to a closet in the, well, what he imagined would pass for the corner if the room wasn't so oddly round.
"Go on. I'll go gather your notes for you! Are they in the usual place?"
"Ah, they... should be...," Hershel bluffed, hoping his imagination would be at least a little considerate to its current captive. Luke left the room and the professor turned to the closet. Opening it, he was greeted by a rather strange blue-and-black ensemble hanging right in front. After a moment of shock he was relieved to find a set of his normal attire farther back. He dressed quickly and soon heard a knock signaling the boy's return.
"Come on in Luke."
"I found your notes, Profe- why in the world are you wearing that?"
Layton blinked in confusion. "I almost always wear this."
"When we're in London! Oh never mind, come on!" Luke shoved the pile of papers into his mentor's hands and scanned the room in a hurry before making a beeline for what appeared to be the only clean teacup in the vicinity.
Meanwhile, the professor tried to sneak a quick glance through 'his' notes to see just what sort of mess lay ahead of him, only to get stuck on the first class's name. History of Magic? He'd seen mention of magic in the journal as well, and come to think of it, real-Luke's dream involved a whole class doing magic tricks if he recalled the boy's words correctly.
This was absurd. He was not one to believe in magic, so why did the subject keep appearing in his dreams? He decided to take the risk and ask his apprentice outright.
"Luke," he glanced again at the notes, making sure he'd read them right. "What is all of this nonsense about magic?
The boy practically did a double-take at his mentor's question and turned to face the man, eyes wide. "That's it, now I KNOW you're not feeling well! M-maybe this will help..."
Luke walked forward. Layton watched curiously as the boy handed him the teacup and retrieved a strange wooden stick from somewhere under his robe. Mumbling something under his breath, he tapped the stick on the rim of the cup.
The professor stared in shock at the cup. What had once been empty - only seconds before - was now filled completely with a substance that looked and smelled exactly like tea.
The silence was broken by a loud thump, a crash of glass, and a fearful shout from the boy.
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Meanwhile, back in London...
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Professor Layton stirred to the sound of his alarm clock going off. He mumbled unintelligibly under his breath and rose quickly, shutting the infernal device off in the process. He looked around in surprise. What was he doing at home? He almost never spent much time here during the school year and certainly didn't remember coming here the night before.
Noting the time, he dressed in a hurry before realizing something very important was missing. He searched frantically knowing the clock was ticking, but to no avail. The commotion his rushed scramble had been causing caught the attentions of his two companions, and soon they were standing in the doorway in wonder.
"Um, did you lose something, Mr. Layton?"
Hershel quickly looked up, startled by the unexpected voice. He couldn't believe his eyes. "Luke? Flora? What on Earth are you two doing here?" His face registered pure confusion.
"We live here, remember?" Luke joked, his nervous laughter dying quickly when he saw his mentor's expression remained unchanged. "Uh, Professor...?"
The man stared a moment longer before shaking his head and returning to his search.
"Never mind. What's important now is that we make it back to the school as soon as possible. Now where did I put-?" he trailed off as he kept searching. The two children looked at each other and shrugged.
"What are you looking for?"
"Maybe we can help you find it!"
Layton paused for a moment, then turned to face them, face flushed with a look of significant embarrassment. With one hand, he began fingering the brim of his hat as if fighting the urge to pull it down over his eyes.
"I-I'm ashamed to admit it, but somehow I seem to have, ah, misplaced my wand. Neither of you have seen it around anywhere by chance?"
"Your... wand, Professor? ... What kind of wand?" Luke racked his brain trying to figure out what his mentor could be referring to, and doubted it was any of the cleaning supplies that came to mind.
Layton raised his eyebrows. "You see me with it all the time, Luke." The two stared perplexed at each other until Flora broke the silence.
Um, I don't think either of us has any clue what you're talking about, Professor."
Layton straightened up and took on a pensive expression, suspicion rising in the back of his mind. After a moment of thought, he came to a decision.
"I see. Forgive me, but I need to check a few things quick." The children stepped aside to let their guardian pass and watched curiously as he began to take a quick tour of his home.
His inspection confirmed his fears. There was absolutely nothing 'special' about this house. Items that should have been there were not, instead replaced by their more mundane (and often inefficient) counterparts. Everything that needed power ran on electricity.
Hershel stood in the living room and noticed he had been followed by the other two. One last check was needed to be sure of his theory.
"Luke, Flora. This may sound strange, but it's of vital importance that you answer me seriously. Is there anything at all you find strange around this house? Anything different than you remember?"
He remained facing away with his head turned slightly towards his companions. His head was tilted and his hat and coat rendered his expression unreadable. The children looked to each other before responding.
"No, Professor. Only your behavior lately."
Layton closed his eyes and placed a hand under his chin. That settled it.
This was the world from his dreams.
Disclaimer: I own neither the characters nor the worlds depicted herein, but only the new way I've chosen to combine them and the story I tell. -nazo!nin