Everything was in pure silence but the snowfall sprinkling on the ground... Professor Layton was on his knees in the snow and staring in pure unadulterated horror at the mutilated ghost lying in front of him. It was Claire's spirit, or at least what's left of it! But how could that be possible?

The professor was completely consumed in his own horrifying thoughts... "This is not possible! This is simply... not... possible! She died in London, over a decade ago! How could this be her spirit, and why here, of all places in a different dimension, and in America no less? And the snowfall that surrounds this very room... A snow... angel? Why... so cold... I've become so cold inside. But this could not be a trick either... Few in America would know about my past, and fewer still could create this sort of fantasy... Then, this is real? But what if this is some post-mortem curse laid upon me by these other spirits for their own amusement? Then, this is not real? Real... Not real... Real... Not real... Discover the truth... The truly truthy truth... Truthy truthy... She's fading away again... So cold when she leaves... Need warmth... Shed the warmth of truth on the coldness of all the lies... Lies... Lies... Lies, lies, lies, lies, lies, LIES, LIES, LIIIIIIIEEEEEESSSSSSSS! HEEEEEEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The professor's faithful apprentice, Luke had a similar look of horror on his face. He watched helplessly as the professor was slowly losing all trace of his sanity! Luke felt too mortified to say or do anything, other than barely hold back a blood-curling scream! The professor's demented face and mannerisms had completely burned a terrifying image in the young apprentice's mind... The professor's eye was twitching, but had lost all other sense of emotion aside from that. His face appeared very sweaty despite the snow.

Luke did his best to regain his composure and reach out to touch the professor's shoulder, "Professah?"

As soon as Luke touched his shoulder, the professor's whole body twitched almost sporadically, and then had become very calm all of a sudden. Now, the professor's voice had gained some enthusiasm, "I believe I have the answer to this puzzle."

Luke's face turned to shock, "P-puzzle? What are you talking about?"

The professor's was speaking extremely fast, and completely monotone, "Energyistheanswertheanswertoalllifematterandtheuniverseallthingslivinganddeadhaveenergyenergyisforeverforeverandeverandever..."

Luke was shivering in fear for the professor, "Have you gone mad?"

The professor did not respond, and instead pulled out the silver vial that he found in the 'Necronomicon' book from earlier. He opened the vial and used it to contain the remains of the fading spirit in front of him. Once he had all of the spirit's remains collected in the vial, he turned to Luke with a twitching smile on his face, "Every puzzle has an answer."

Luke just shook his head in confusion, "Professah?"

The professor gripped the spirit-contained vial with both hands and stabbed himself through his heart with it!

Luke screamed, "Professah!"

Luke grabbed hold of the professor, as if it was a natural reflex. The professor's face now looks completely demented all over again, "Don't you see? People are energy... Spirits... are... energy..."

The professor's skin started to turn pale, and his body rapidly decayed. Luke could see the veins from beneath the wrinkling skin of his hands and face. And then...

Professor Layton laughed... A laugh louder than any ever heard before... or since.

Luke lost his grip on the professor and he collapsed onto the snow in a fit of hysteria, while his body continued to decay. His laughs slowly grew quieter over time, until seemingly drifted to sleep... The professor's body looked cold and dead...

Luke kneeled down upon the professor with a feeling of pity for him, "Professah..."

Luke then picked up the professor on his shoulders, not knowing if he was even alive, and resolved to take him to a hospital... or several...

()

Meanwhile, Travis had nearly left the spiritual portal triumphantly with the 'White Atlamillia' stone. He would be back in the basement of the snow tower. He stopped for a moment and took notice of the professor's contraption in the room, with a great hole in the ceiling.

"Did this place get bombed while I was gone?"

Travis didn't pay a second thought about it, as he had a very long day. He needed to get back to the city and get some sleep in a bush or something... He could mail the stone tomorrow. Travis stretched his arms out and yawned, before leaving the spiritual realm. When he returned to the basement of the snow tower, he noticed the big hole in the ceiling in this room too.

It was already getting dark outside, "You'd think there be some police here or something..."

Travis began to climb through the big hole above him until he heard a creepy, yet pleasant voice, "I can't tell you how pleased I am with you, Travis. I simply can't find the words..."

Travis turned around on a dime and saw a young man with short, blond hair and glasses that seemed to exemplify his piercing silver eyes. He wore a red tuxedo with a black tie and was holding a red and black checkerboard suitcase, "Uh... Hi?"

The strange man continued to praise Travis, "My dear Travis... Your labors shall be recorded in history forever..."

Travis began to think that this guy was suspicious, "Seriously, what's your deal! How do you know my... Wait... Your 'Dear' Travis? Are you on the pipe?"

"My apologies to you... I was so overcome with joy that I had forgotten... that we had never actually met in person... I am the man who sought your service regarding the White Atlamillia, and I can see that you performed your task quite admirably."

Travis scratched his head with one hand while holding the white stone in his possession with the other, 'You're the 'Silver' guy that hired me? So you're here to pay me?"

Silver nodded in approval and opened his suitcase, revealing a lot of money, "I am, upon receipt of the stone."

Travis knew that something was shady... It had to be, the way that Silver could recognize him without even meeting in person. Still, he already dealt with worse, and this Silver guy was alone. What more could happen anyway?

(I just know that there are readers thinking 'schmuck bait' right about now.)

Travis tossed the White Atlamillia in Silver hand, and Silver gazed upon it with a look of glee on his face. Silver approached Travis with the suitcase, "Very exquisite, despite it becoming... defective..."

Travis was confused, "Defective?"

Silver nodded, "I'm afraid it's quite true, Travis. I don't mean to sound ungrateful to you, but it would seem that the Snow Angel had completely blinded my once faithful Atlamillia."

Travis had a bad feeling about this, "Snow Angel? Once faithful Atlamillia? Seriously, what giv..."

Before Travis could finish, Silver twisted his wrist and released what appeared to be black snakes from his sleeve. The black snakes slithered quickly across the ground toward both the left and right sides of Travis and tied themselves to his arms and legs and restrained him! This had caused Travis to lose his balance and fall to the floor.

Silver slowly approached Travis and pulled a small needle from his coat pocket, "I am sorry to do this, but my research cannot begin without your undying support... The stone can no longer see the truth, and for that, I need your aid to let it see once more..."

Travis struggled to untangle himself, "What the hell is this?!"

Silver kneeled toward Travis and readied his needle in his hand, "The eye of a hunter..."

Without further warning, Silver stuck the needle right through Travis's left eye! Travis screamed in pain, while Silver twisted the needle slightly, and finally plucked Travis's eye out of his left socket!

Travis helpless gritted his teeth in pain, while blood drenched his cheek. Silver carefully stuck the optic nerve of Travis's eye onto the White Atlamillia with the iris facing outward, and allowed the blood to slowly soak the stone.

Travis watched Silver do this, and for once, had a look of horror on his face which broke his outward sense of arrogance. Once Silver was finished, he picked up the suitcase of money, and placed it right next to Travis, seemingly as a token of his gratitude.

Travis thought to himself, "This freak just stole my eye, and he's still paying me? Is this some kind of sick joke?"

Silver began to leave the basement, but turned to Travis for one more moment, "Why are you so upset? It was your own lust for monetary gain that had led you to this moment. Was it all worth it to you?"

With that, Silver left through the elevator of the snow tower, leaving Travis tangled in these 'snakes' and leaving him for dead...

Well, I've finally finished this chapter! It took me a while, with my new semester of college and my new games. By the way, I added a sentence in this story which is a sort of tribute to the ending of Apollo Justice, which is for the Nintendo DS. As always, feel free to review!