Disclaimer: All the rights to the Professor Layton belong to Level 5 games, not me! I would never own ANYONE of that amazing franchise.
The legend of the Dragon sapphire.
Sunrise quickly turned into daytime and daytime soon turned into sunset.
Professor Layton was still flying and he looked like he was enjoying every second of it. He loved to feel the wind catch at his wings, he loved to stroke the thin air with his claw as he held it out low so that, too, could become nice and cool from the air brewing around the area as the dragon and his apprentice flew through the skies above.
Luke was fast asleep on the Professor's back, having grown tired from the journey thus far and he curled up into a little ball to keep himself warm from the whipping wind currents the dragon Professor just loved to feel right now. He was snoring lightly but that was mellowed by the large amount of currents blowing in his and the draconian Professor Layton's faces right now.
The puzzle-enthusiast quickly glanced over his shoulder, twisting his long neck to do so, to check up on Luke. Just like the last time he checked Luke was still asleep and by the way he was squirming on occasion and giggling quietly could only mean that the only things in his head were pleasant dreams and things that would protect his young mind from evil. Luke was a growing young man who needed all the sleep and nutrients he could get right now considering the facts that he was already an excellent puzzle-solver enough to rival even himself.
Smiling softly at Luke, Professor Layton slowly turned his face back towards the sunset and he couldn't help but feel afraid by the sun setting. Unlike the sunrise this morning, the sky was already turning a dark shade of indigo mixed with a candy floss pinky colour and there was only a hint of peach colouring this time. Yet, despite its usual beauty, there was a certain air of impending doom the Professor could not shake.
A frown on his muzzle, the Professor gave a small growl to echo those worries. He didn't know what it was but he just didn't like the sunset for some strange reason. He tried to ignore it and carry on flying like normal...or something like that.
He had been flying over Monte d'Or for a long time now. He was planning on landing on the plaza but then he remembered that he didn't know how to land, he didn't even know if Randall really would be able to assist with this problem even though he had a profound knowledge of the true mythos of Dragons and about what had happened to them all those years ago. If he was correct in his assumptions then he should learn quite a bit about Fenrir too.
Why did the Professor seek out Randall's help?
Well, when Randall was a young boy he had a fascination with the beasts of lore and fable. When he read many books about the creatures, he always managed to deduce fact from fiction of what really happened and he also had many theories about them really existing once. Of course, being the skeptic, Professor Layton in his teens (as well as Randal's wife, Angela) always brushed them off as he would always say he never believed in such poppycock but...
his current appearance was more than enough proof to prove him wrong.
The Professor knew that Randall would probably know about his predicament, being such a dragon expert and all...
He gave a gentle growl when he looked longingly down below.
Even though the skies beneath him were filled with clouds that obstructed his vision of the world below a little bit, he could still make out the little bowl-shaped canyon filled with lights and stuff down below. It wasn't quite beneath him yet but he was most definitely nearing his destination.
He reached a claw up to his hat and gently grabbed the brim of the dark brown piece of headwear that was settled upon his head. He twisted it by the rim ever so slightly so it could sift against his head properly in an effort to keep it from falling off, should it be possible.
However, as the sun disappeared into the horizon and covered the skies in a dark blue hue dotted with little twinkling stars, the professor groaned through his nostrils and he craned his neck inward. He felt the muscles in his legs flare up and his spine was also having painful twinges every few seconds, making his mid-back twitch whilst he was still in midair.
He looked up at the skies ahead but discovered that his eyesight was very blurred. It was going in and out of focus like a camera lens and he also squinted his eyes sharply to try and see through the blurriness. He even swerved from side to side in the sky as he began to get dizzy and light-headed.
This happened so suddenly. What was happening now!?
The Professor gave a tight groan as his throat felt like it was being strangled. He now squeezed his eyes closed from the intense agony shooting through his body and he even failed to notice that he was falling out of the sky a second time!
He painfully twisted his neck towards his back and grabbed Luke off from there and he clutched him close to his chest, protectively cradling him as if someone was snatch him away should he hit the ground hard. He buried his muzzle against Luke's head in another last-second effort to protect the boy from harm as he braced himself for impact.
The last thing he felt was a sudden hard smack to the head and all at once his senses kicked in and worked one last time before they too faded out into the sleep he suddenly yearned for.
He could hear people screaming, the sounds strained in his failing ears, he could vaguely make out the forms of people standing over him, only making out the thin structures of their knees and not much else, and he could also oddly make out the familiar sight and smells of the Monte d'Or plaza; like the neon lights everywhere.
And, with one last strained plea for help, the professor blacked out.
"...hello?"
There was only darkness, the professor noticed. His world was dark and this could only mean at some point or rather he passed out. There was no sight, no smell and no sound except for that voice that echoed in his mind. He tried to register what it was despite being very barely alive to the world and he gave a gentle breath from the mouth.
He heard the voice again, clearer this time.
"Hershel. Hershel, old chum, can you hear me?"
Professor Layton recognised that voice...!
He tried to open his eyes but that seemed more tricky for some reason. He felt like a newborn baby tasked with doing this so menial task but he couldn't deny it, newborn babies didn't have problems with sight until they saw things for the very first time. He was an adult who had, indeed, seen many things and many wonderful sights but he also felt very weak.
He groaned a bit louder.
"Come on, Hersh, wakey-wakey~" The voice sung in a very teasing manner, making Hershel instantly want to scold this person for making a gentleman wake up when he didn't want to. He groaned even louder, raising a sleepy hand -or claw- to smack this person away but when he tried to he discovered that his entire body was numb...probably from the fall he had took...
The fall...Monte d'Or...the sapphire...
Oh no! Was Luke alright!? He preyed that his trusty apprentice number one was alright!
Finally the gentleman felt his muscles come to and he dragged open his eyes and finally got a view of his surroundings and the voice he heard was identified too.
He was in a sitting room, probably laying on a sofa, and it looked very familiar. Despite his vision being very cloudy and his head foggy, he could vaguely make out the forms of Angela, Henry and Randall standing over him with mostly concerned expressions on their faces as they looked towards him expectantly. He felt very comfortable but...he also felt cold. He couldn't explain the subtle coldness he felt but he knew that his collar was still cuffed around his neck and his sleeves were still sliding along his wrists. He even took note that his top hat was resting on top of a table beside him.
The lights were dimly lit, as if it were very late...probably about 9'o clock at most. And Angela and Randall were still clad in their pyjamas (kind of like Clark and Brenda were this morning) but they seemed totally awake.
Randal was mostly in his face, smirking tauntingly as he had clearly pulled up a seat to sit beside his best friend, and he even would constantly poke his face to try and wake him despite Angela's sternness and telling him not to do that, and Henry (wearing a full dressed tuxedo) was holding a trey filled with Medicine products that Angela would have applied.
"Ugghh..." Professor Layton groaned, his vision slowly coming into focus "Where...Where am I?"
Randal grinned happily and exclaimed "Hershel, your awake!" He held one hand to the gentleman's face and held up three fingers "...How many fingers am I holding up?"
The Professor gave a sour glare, clearly annoyed with his best friend for waking him up in such a way and asking such a simple question despite his blurry vision, and he remarked in a low grumble of a voice "Randal, I am sure you must be joking...you are holding three fingers up and don't think about making it difficult by simply putting up an extra finger that's supposed to twitch, I have a big enough migraine to deal wi-"
He stopped speaking when he looked down at his hands and realised that he wasn't a dragon anymore. His mouth gaped open as he gasped incredulously at the realisation: He wasn't a dragon anymore!
Angela stepped forwards, jokingly shoving Randal out of the way so she could check on the gentleman. She knelt down to meet him on eye contact and she asked in a soft voice "Hershel, how are you feeling? You took a nasty fall..."
The woman's face was etched with concern and worry. Professor Layton wasn't surprised to see that at all and was grateful for his friend's concern but he felt like something was wrong here. He couldn't put his finger on it, though.
He smiled weakly at her concern "I feel perfectly fine, Angela, thank you." He realised that his voice was somewhat croaky and he found that his throat was sore, probably because of the fact that the transformation and speaking through a growly voice had put a massive strain on his voice box. He cupped his neck and rubbed at it as if to try and massage his throat, giving a gentle grunt. He gave a sheepish smirk and added "I would like some tea, though...if that is alright."
Angela shook her head with a small smile of relief. At least Hershel hadn't changed despite the accident he had just been in. He did sound like his larynx had quite a bit of strain put on to it and somehow that made him sound like he had a cold. But there was something far more bizarre in the works and not only was it inhuman but it was simply impossible too.
Softly and without saying a word, she pushed the Professor down so he could lay deeper into the cozy material of the sofa and she grabbed at his wrist which was bare of any clothing other than the tattered remains of his sleeve cuff. She looked at it, impressed of the fact that even after that fall all the bruises the poor man had sustained were very fast-healing.
While she was concerned about that, Professor Layton was concerned about another thing entirely: he was naked.
Of course he had a blanket wrapped around him but otherwise he wasn't wearing anything but the tattered remains of his coat.
He covered his face with his palm and sighed deeply through the pure embarrassment he felt at that moment. With his hand to his face, he asked rhetorically "...Am I naked right now?"
He didn't bother peaking through his fingers to see if Randal and Henry were nodding. He knew far too well that he was clothe-less to a T. A gentlemen was always supposed to look presentable but now, for the first time, he felt a huge wave of humiliation wash over him as he pulled the blankets over himself to hide the cherry red taint to his cheeks and he buried himself beneath the wooly material. The professor of archeology sighed depressingly from under the blankets.
He was naked...that would explain the uncomfortable coldness he had, at least.
He knew he couldn't help it. He had transformed back from a dragon to a human so naturally he would be in the nude but still he felt really unclean.
Luckily, to ease his conscience, Henry came over towards the suddenly timid Professor and patted where he assumed his shoulder would be and he reassured him through wearing a gentle grin "Aw, don't worry Layton. That boy and Dalston went to get you some spare clothes. They should be back soon."
Shyly, the professor's muffled voice came from beneath the blankets "R-Really?"
Dalston knew too? At least he knew that he was surrounded by nice people who cared about his dignity. And it was a very good thing to know that Luke was unharmed, maybe he did provide some protection before the fall...
"Of course, Hershel!" Randall chipped in, smirking obliviously "The lad was more than happy to go after seeing your-"
"MASTER RANDAL!" Henry cut his friend off from his sentence, sternly.
But suddenly, an unsettling atmosphere began to set in as Angela glanced from Henry to Randal worriedly. She held on to Professor Layton's wrist and examined it carefully, looking it over for any scrapes or any more bruising it had sustained from earlier but she was also studying it carefully with a grim interest.
She lightly touched her finger against one of the bruises, making the professor cringe a bit in pain, and he peeled back some of the blankets (being careful not to actually be rude and expose everything) so his face could be shown and he asked with a stern expression on his rectangular face "What was that for, Angela?"
Angela said nothing but her innocent, pretty eyes were wide and filled with an uneasy disturbance. She wore a frown on her lips and her eyes were unblinking as she tried not to shudder and she repeatedly poked at the wounds Hershel had sustained.
"Hershel...These wounds are..." She trailed off, her expression blank, before she looked up at the Professor "they are disappearing right before my eyes."
The Professor blinked. Wounds disappearing? That's the first he heard of this! His curiosity getting the better of him, he glanced down at the arm Angela was gripping on to and saw that he had a few cuts and bruises but they were vanishing right before his eyes; healing within instants, more like.
It was kind of like...some form of lycanthropy or vampirism as those both had symptoms where wounds vanish and heal themselves within minutes after receiving them or even seconds. But it was something else entirely as well.
It took about a full minute and a half or so until those injuries healed completely and not once did Henry, Randal, Angela or the Professor blink. They just all stared in awe of what was happening here and they couldn't hope to understand it one bit.
Slowly, Randal asked as he put a comforting hand on his startled wife's shoulder and looked his friend straight in the eyes "...Hershel...what's happening to you?"
The professor swallowed a heavy lump, gulping nervously. He tightened his hold on the blankets he wore and he looked down for minutes at a time whilst thinking, these symptoms all told him that his transformation into this beast was far from over and he was going to turn into a dragon many more times before his body gave it a rest. But was he going to have more problematic symptoms? And how was he going to explain this situation?
However, a sudden squeak of a sound broke his silence and concentration and he bolted up instantly the second it jumped out of his vocal cords. It left a look of shock on his face.
"Hic!"
A/N: Uh oh...Professor Layton arrived in Monte d'Or but it seems that his problems are just beginning. And you know those symptoms the summary talks about? You'll find out what it's talking about in the next chapter.
Sadly I'm not very well today and my stomachs acting up, much to my dismay.
But I hope I'll get better tomorrow.
But back to the story: poor Professor Layton! I didn't really take pleasure in making the poor man suffer but it would explain some things. Besides I couldn't pull off a "Sonic Unleashed" and make it so the Professor's clothes grow with the transformation, that would be silly.
And now it turns out he has the hiccups...or what if it turns out these hiccups are more horrible than regular ones? I'll enjoy revealing to you all what that means, trust me.
I'll try updating tomorrow and, again, I hope to feel better.
Please don't forget to review.
-Chloemcg
