Hi, here's the final chapter before the epilogue. Hope you'll enjoy.

wellingtonlucas282 - No problem, glad that you enjoyed it.

Dikratsblim - Thanks so much! Edgar's ability (although Emmy insists it is not an ability) will come up quite soon. I got the idea from Brock in the Pokemon series. He was able to tell a real Nurse Joy from a fake one. I'm sorry to hear that life's been tough as well as not updating as much as I would like, but I'm glad that you are still enjoying the story and everything. However, if you want to talk or anything then send a PM and I'll be happy to reply.

Sorry again for the wait and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

Djinn - Originally, Edgar was going to be the one hanging from the ropes above the hotel, but I realised that he could easily get out of it which the omake showed. I am having fun making these stories and I'm so glad everybody is enjoying them still. Thanks so much and I hope you'll enjoy the chapter.

Thank you all for reviewing :)


Chapter 9: The Final Miracle

The Reunion Inn

"Did you miss me?" Randall Ascot questioned as a malicious smirk crossed his face, "Judging by your reactions, I take a guess and say no."

Henry stepped forwards, his face filled with disbelief, "Randall...is that really you?"

"It is," Randall growled, "Unfortunately for you."

Edgar rolled his eyes, "Skip the dramatics, Lazarus. What are you doing here?"

Randall gave him a glare before turning back to Henry, "I have returned to take back everything you stole from me! The Azran treasure, my family fortune..." he glanced over at Angela who was too much in shock to move, "...and my Angela..."

'Gross,' Edgar, Emmy and Bonnie thought.

"...Henry, you will know the pain I have felt all these years."

Angela finally stepped forwards, "Randall, no! It's not like that!"

"Master Randall, please! You've got it all wrong!" Henry begged desperately, "Let me explain!"

Randall chuckled darkly, "Oh, I love to, but unfortunately, I'm not interested in your explanation! Eighteen years ago, I first explored the ruins of Akbadain. I was only a few steps from unlocking its secrets...before I fell victim to one of its many cunning traps. I fell deep into a ravine, where I could have died. But as fate would have it, an underground river broke my fall. The current washed me onto the banks of a remote village. The villagers nursed me back to health. I made a full recovery, but I could not tell the villagers anything about myself. My mind was a blank."

"You...you had amnesia?" Henry uttered.

(A.N: Usually when people mention amnesia it's always used as a convenient plot device in shows or films, so I had to look it up. There are many types of amnesia, but the one type that is closest to Randall's case is called dissociative amnesia which is caused by stress or trauma rather then just a hit to the head. Patients who suffer from it can lose large gaps in their memories or forget how to do certain trades that they already learn.)

Randall continued, "I worked in the village while I tried to recover my memory. Months went by, years went by...and eventually I gave up on trying to unearth my old life. That was until...I received that letter," his fists tightened in anger, "'I know all about you' it read. 'I know who took everything from you and I know how to get it all back'. The letter recounted my life in great detail. And it said that the one who had betrayed me was a man named...Henry," he glared at the other man, his eyes lit up in fury, "When I read that name, it was as though someone had turned a key in my mind. Everything came flooding back. I remembered all that I had...and all that had been taken from me. But the letter didn't end there. 'I have a plan to take revenge on this who have wronged you. You need only to don the garb of the Masked Gentleman and they shall cower before you!' So it was decided. I would have my revenge by taking back what was mine. And the letters continued; each one advising me on how to execute my plan as the Masked Gentleman. As each phase of my plan fell into place, I felt myself returning with it," he stretched out his arms dramatically, "The Masked Gentleman brought me back!"

Edgar leaned over to Layton, "Letters," he whispered, "Is he making this up or are we dealing with somebody else here?"

Layton hummed, "I don't know you yet, however I do fear the worst."

Randall tsked, "This closes my tale of woes. However, we still have a few more tears to shed. Henry, you shall bear witness as I ruin you, just as you ruined me!" he declared before he dropped a smoke bomb onto the ground, covering him from view.

Once the smoke had cleared up, the red-haired man had vanished.

"Randall!" Henry cried out, "We need to stop him now! He must have headed towards the entrance!" he cried out as he and Angela ran after him, closely followed by Mordaunt.

"We need to go after him as well," Emmy agreed, "Who knows what Randall is planning."

She and Layton took off after the others while Edgar picked up Bonnie and put her on his shoulders, "Sorry, about this Bonnie. We'll get you to your mother as soon as possible," he told as he ran carefully after them.

"Nae problem, thes is deid excitin'," she replied causing him to chuckle in amusement.

He then proceeded to take out his notebook and jot down what just happened, just in case he didn't have time later.


Mystery Solved: The Mask Of Chaos - Randall has been using the myth behind the mask to convince everybody to his 'power'. But now that he's got rid of it; what will he do now?


Mystery Solved: The Masked Gentleman - The Gentleman was revealed to be the missing Randall. Now that he has pushed up the daisies, he wants revenge on Henry and Monte D'or.


Edgar darted out of the doors and stopped short when he saw the others gathered around just outside. They were all staring up above the entrance and Edgar looked around to see Randall standing atop of the roof of the building. Randall stood on the edge, the entire city of Monte d'Or spread out in front of him. He could see every building, every street, road and alleyway lit up by dazzling neon lights. It was like a wall of pure light that lit up the night sky. If he looked closely, he could see the people having fun and he knew he will soon put an end to it all. He hummed in delight as the warm winds hit his face and ruffled his hair before he gave a devious smirk.

"I'm so delighted you all could make it!" he proclaimed looking down at him.

Angela covered her mouth in concern, "Oh no, what is he doing now?"

Without looking, Edgar reached out and patted her shoulder comfortingly, trying to ease her worry, "Don't worry Angela. We'll stop no matter what."

"Umm..."

He turned around as he heard a masculine hum and was surprised to see that he had his hand on Mordaunt's shoulder instead. The moustache man looking rather confused by what he was doing. Edgar took his hand off him in slight bewilderment and muttered a small 'sorry'. How did he mistake him for Angela?

'Actually,' he thought, looking at Mordaunt, 'Is it me or does he look...different. I swear he wasn't the same person we met earlier.'

"Randall!" This is madness!" Layton shouted up at him, snapping Edgar out of his stupor, "Come down here!"

Randall merely chuckled at the attempt before he glared darkly at Henry, "Take a look around...Henry. You stole everything from me. I treated you like a brother, and this is my reward? Allow me to return the favour," he declared before a shadow past over his eyes wickedly, "The destruction of Monte d'Or...WILL BE MY FINAL MIRACLE!"

BOOM!

They all jumped at the sound of an explosion ripped across the city. They turned around and gaped in horror as they saw the rocky walls that circled Monte d'or began to burst and break, allowing tonnes upon tonnes of sand to shoot through like water escaping from a dam.

BANG! BANG! BOOM! BANG! BOOM!

More and more of the wall began to break apart until there was nothing there at all. Nothing to stop the tidal wave of sand and dust from flowing towards the city and into the streets. The people closest to the edge of the city were the first to scream and run as sand flooded the streets. Some people ran towards the city centre, others tried climbing up lampposts and on top of cars as they tried to escape. But no matter what they did, they were all trapped as more and more of the desert began eat away at urban sprawl.

"Sand?!" Emmy gasped, "All that about destroying the town...he's trying to bury us in sand!"

Edgar saw the tidal wave of sand and the dust cloud that came with it and reached up to Bonnie's head and pulled her hat down over her mouth, "Keep it there. Try not to breath it in," he ordered firmly as he saw the sand and dust began to settle all around them.

Layton glared up at Randall, "Stop this immediately!"

He merely chuckled in reply, "Why, Hershel? You reap what you sow, don't you?"

"But there's hundreds of innocent people! They had nothing to do with this!" Edgar shouted, "Are you really just going kill them all just because of some stupid vendetta!"

"They are part of Monte d'Or and therefore play a hand in my sorrow," Randall glowered down at him, "Watch closely, Henry! Watch as your precious city sinks into oblivion! All roads leading out of Monte d'Or have been blocked. Embrace the final miracle! You will all share the fate of your beloved city and return to dust!"

And with that, Randall stepped backwards and out of their line of sight. His menacing chuckle cutting through the deep rumble of their sandy tomb getting closer and closer.

Edgar turned to Layton, "We need to get to high ground now!"

"There isn't a high ground," Henry muttered shaking his head, "This town was built on an oasis, and it lies in what is basically a big bowl. If there's no way up, there's no way out."

"Did you at least write a risk assessment when you built this bloody city!"

"How was I supposed to know this was going to happen!"

"That's the point of a risk assessment!"

"Enough you two!" Layton barked, "We all need to remain calm and head straight to the monument. I'll explain once we're there."

'Monument?' Edgar thought, 'Oh the monument just before the arcade.'

Edgar had almost forgot about the city monument, a large tomb-like structure made of grey stone which commemorated the city's founding. To be honest, it was rather easy to forget. It's drab and lifeless appearance was a contrast to its bright and vibrant surroundings and it seemed rather out of place. It's insignificance to everything around it was the reason why Edgar gave it a second thought...and also because the author forgot to mention it before.

(A.N: Whoops!)

With that in mind, Edgar was slightly confused as to why they were going there of all places. But there was something else that was more important now.

"Prof, I'm not going anywhere until I know that Bonnie is safe," he firmly told him.

Layton frowned slightly at this, but luckily Mordaunt stepped up, "Allow me, sirs, to find her a safe place."

Edgar hummed thoughtfully. He barely knew the man, but for some strange reason his instincts told him trust him. After a while, Edgar lifted Bonnie off his shoulders and passed her to the moustache man.

"Please look after her," he uttered.

Mordaunt smiled reassuringly, "I promise, sir" he told him before he ran off away from the hotel.

Edgar watched him leave with a concerned Bonnie in his arms for a while before he nodded at Layton, telling him that he's ready to go. Layton nodded as well and they, Emmy, Henry and Angela all took off towards the city's monument, the sand getting ever nearer.


Outside Tingly Town

The five of them ran though the roads of Monte d'Or. Panic was strife among the people as they tried to get shelter from the oncoming storm. Some were boarding up houses, groups of people were taking shelter in shops and the police were running around trying to deal with everybody. They past by Sheffield on top of a stand, ordering his men about and occasionally glaring at the sandstorm in worry. The roads were already covered by an inch thick of sand and it was growing by the second.

"It's chaos here too!" Emmy observed as they ran past.

"Well, at least we're not getting attacked by a giant robot again," Edgar said, "A nice change of pace."

"Please don't jinx us," she sighed in reply.

"Oi Layton!" From out the chaos, Inspector Grosky sprinted out and began running alongside them, "What is this sandstorm!? I can't see a thing!"

"Nice to know you are keeping up on things," Edgar muttered.

Layton turned around to him, "It's the-"

"It's the Masked Gentleman, isn't it?" Grosky interrupted, "I should have known. All right, he's got it coming this time. FOR THE YARD!" he shouted before he sprinted off again.

"And there he goes," Emmy muttered in amusement.

"I really hope he runs into a lamppost," Edgar added, "It would really brighten my day," he looked back at Sheffield again with a small frown before calling to Emmy, "I'm going to speak to Sheffield, all of you go on ahead and I'll catch up."

Emmy gave him a look, "Right now! What's so important!"

"I'm going to ask him where he's sending everybody. I need to know where Bonnie's mum is."

Emmy gave an annoyed sigh, "Fine, but make it quick. It's getting harder to see."

"I promise," Edgar said before he ran back through the crowds towards the police chief, "Oi Sheffield!"

The red faced man glared down at him from his stand, "Oh it's you boy. Have you seen Grosky? He should be here helping us."

"I think he ran off in that direction," he replied, pointing over his shoulder. Sheffield grumbled about him being a loose cannon in response, "Where are you sending everybody? Do you have like a main shelter or underground tunnels they can stay in?"

"I wish," Sheffield muttered, "But Monte d'Or is not built for that type of thing. We only telling people to stay indoors until the disaster is clear. But, as you can see, we not being successful."

Edgar glanced around and saw the police desperately trying to keep the public calm, "Are you the only senior office here? What happened to Bloom?"

"Last I heard, he was investigating the Reunion Inn. Although, we may suspect he's already left."

"Left the Inn?"

"Left the city," he explained much to his surprise, "Probably got scared and turned tail once he saw trouble."

'Really,' Edgar thought suspiciously, 'That's weird. The roads are blocked off so how did he know to leave before then. Better yet, why didn't he tell anybody. He doesn't seem like the sort of person to be careless,' he turned back to Sheffield, "Thanks. I need to go now."

He was about to turn and leave when the police chief called back to him, "Hey, I saw somebody dressed like the Gentleman heading towards the plaza earlier. He's not the actual menace is he."

Edgar raised an interested eyebrow, "Probably, we'll explain later. Bye!"

"Oi stop right th-"

But he had already ran off by that time, leaving Sheffield to deal with the crowds.

He ran south from Tingly Town, left and then right past the Scorpion Casino, through the arcade where people were huddled inside and then he arrived finally at the monument where the others were waiting patiently for him.

"We're all here, Professor!" Emmy uttered through deep breaths, "Now what?"

Edgar glanced over his shoulder at the wall of sand coming closer, "And make it fast. I say we've got five minutes until it reaches us."

Angela shook her head in despair, "If we only had the Mask of Order, we could counteract the Mask of Chaos and stop this," much to everyone's surprise, she glared at Henry, "Tell us where it is, Henry!" she demanded.

He was taken back by this, "What are you talking about, Angela?"

She turned to Edgar and gabbed a hold of his arm, "You must be on my side, Edgar. Henry has been acting suspicious for days and there is so much evidence piling up against him. He must know the location of the Mask of Order," she batted her eyelids up at him, "Please help me, Edgar. Get him to tell us where the mask is," she sweetly pleaded.

The teen responded by tearing his arm out of her grip and glaring down at her. His actions causing her to step back in shock, "I think we should listen to what the Prof has to say first. Then we can worry about the bloody mask," he coldly told her.

Angela frowned in anger, but didn't say anything else. Instead, she stepped back with a neutral expression on her face. Layton gave a curious look between the two before stepping forwards, "The Mask of Order is in a safe place. There's no need to worry."

"What!?" Angela uttered in confusion.

Layton straightened his hat on his head, "The only miracle that can save this town is a true miracle, but to do that, we will need to solve the final of Akbadain. If my theory is correct, we should be able to save Monte d'Or."

"Akbadain is miles from here in the middle of a desert," Edgar said, "What does it have to do with Monte d'Or."

"Can we also do this a little faster," Emmy requesting, casting a look at the sandstorm in the distance.

"You are correct, Edgar, but that's just the front door. The visitor's entrance, so to speak," he revealed before pulling out brown piece of folded paper out of his pocket.

He unfolded it carefully to show it was an old map depicting a large area of barren desert. In the centre there was a part of sunken earth which formed a perfect circle which was miles wide and long. Within the sunken part there were stone pillars, small hills and even a lake, but right in the dead centre was a gaping hole which was labelled 'oasis'.

"I found this old map of where Monte d'Or will be built on at the Reunion hotel and found it surprising. When I explored the ruins of Akbadain eighteen years ago, I made my way to the deepest chambers. But the treasure that I found there, though worth a great deal in gold, was of no great archaeological value. That treasure was really just another trap laid by the Azran to divert thieves from the true purpose of the ruins. Anyone satisfied with material riches would fail to look any further and never discover what's really hidden there. "

'Doesn't seem like a bad deal to me,' Edgar thought.

"And what is that?" Angela inquired

Layton reached into his pocket again and pulled out a piece of tracing paper. Drawn on it was some sort of intricately designed seal. It was circular in shape with an eight pointed star or sun in the centre, two wing-like marking branching off on either side and six circles on the top.

"Do you remember these markings, Henry?" he asked.

Henry took a closer look before nodding, "Yes, this was etched on the wall at the bottom of the ruins. I could never make out what they were though."

"Well, look at this," he said pointing to the old map again, "When the Reunion Inn was first built, this area was still an oasis in the desert surrounded by ancient ruins," he said pointing the centre, "This map shows the lie of the land before Monte d'Or was established. Using the oasis as the circle's centre, do you see how the ruins hint at the shape of the original structures."

He then put the tracing paper over the map with the centre of the seal resting on the centre of the map. To their surprise, it matched. Every ruin, landmark and other features on the map was covered by the seal's markings like the final piece to a giant puzzle board.

"It's the same shape as those markings!" Henry exclaimed.

"So that means that Akbadain and Monte d'Or are connected," Edgar uttered in fascination, "So if the ruins you were investigating was the front door then that would that beneath our feet is-"

"The real lost city of Akbadain," Layton finished, "Both sites are connected via underground tunnels."

"That's amazing, Professor!" Emmy cried as Angela simply nodded, to spellbound to form a proper response.

Layton put the two papers back into his pocket, "If we solve the puzzle of Akbadain, I believe that the hidden chambers will be revealed as they once were..."

'Once were?' Edgar pondered as he decided to note this development down.


Mystery Solved: Traces of Another Civilisation

Monte d'Or is built on the ruins of Akbadain, a lost civilisation that belonged to the fabled Azran. This would be interesting, but it doesn't solve the current problem of stopping Monte d'Or becoming a ruin as well. What does the Prof mean by raising it?


"...However, to order to do this, we need both masks: the Mask of Chaos and the Mask of Order."

But before he could continue, a familiar voice called out to them, "I thought I might find you in the eye of the storm. What's going on, Layton?" Dalston questioned firmly as made his over to them, "Where's all this sand coming from?"

'Why is everybody so surprised by the sandstorm? We're in a desert,' Edgar thought.

Layton shook his head, "I'm sorry, there's no time to explain, Dalston. But you should know the town is in grave danger."

Dalston slicked back his hair with his hand, "I can see that. Is the Masked Gentleman at it again? See what happens, Henry? See what happens when you try to sic the police on me for your own gain?"

"Dalston listen to me," Henry demanded, "Randall is the Masked Gentleman."

"Randall?" Dalston laughed, "Seriously? Have you finally lost it or is all this sand clouding your brain?"

"It's true, Dalston! Randall is alive!"

Dalston took a step back when Henry shouted at him. He glanced over to the others who nodded in confirmation; Randall was still alive. He looked back at Henry, his eyes widened in shock.

"Randall, alive? But...how?" he questioned.

"You can ask him yourself," Edgar told the two men, "The chief said he was heading to the Gallery Plaza."

"Then we have to stop him!" Henry decided before he ran off down towards the plaza.

Dalston stood still for a few seconds before he too ran off, "Henry, wait! I'm going with you!"

The two men ran off down the road and out of sight. Layton hummed thoughtfully as he watched them go before he turned back to his assistants and Angela.

"Now, let's look for the way to the ruins. According to the map and the markings, it should be around her somewhere."

Emmy nodded eagerly, "We have a better chance if we spilt up and search."

"Er...alright," Angela hummed uncharacteristically.

The four of them split up and search for some of entrance around the area. Secret doors in walls, uneven pavements, maybe even hidden in the foliage, but nothing was apparently clear.

'Right,' Edgar thought, 'Since, it's the entrance to an ancient civilisation, then it can't be anywhere that has been built recently,' he looked around and groaned, "This entire city was built with eighteen years, that's not going to narrow things down,' he sighed before he realised something, 'Wait, if everything had been built within the last two decades then how has nobody found it yet. That must mean the entrance is not obvious or hidden in plain sight. What is always overlooked in an urban centre?' he looked around the area one last time before walking around the monument.

That is where he found a circular manhole just behind the monument which was hidden among some bushes and trees. Leaning down for a closer look, he smiled excitedly before calling out to the others.

"I found it! Over here!"

Layton, Emmy and Angela instantly rushed to his side and stared down at the manhole cover.

"That's just a manhole cover," Emmy pointed out. However, as she leaned down to inspect it her eyebrows shot up, "Wait! Is that-"

"It's the same pattern as the one in the ruins," Angela murmured as she crouched down and traced her finger over the engraved lines of the manhole cover, "None of the other manhole covers in the city look like this."

"Then we must have our entrance," Layton agreed.

"Hidden in plain sight," Edgar added, pulling a crowbar out of seemingly nowhere "Somebody help me get this up."

Edgar and Layton used all the strength to lift the heavy cover out of its hole. It was difficult, the metal cover hadn't been moved for years and it took both of them to lift it up while Emmy and Angela rolled it over to the side, dripping on the ground with a heavy thud. They peered down the manhole and saw wooden stairs leading into a dark chamber. Emmy was the first to jump down, followed by Edgar, Angela and Layton. Emmy and Edgar took out their torches from their pockets and illuminated the round stone-slab chamber. The stairs descended along the walls until it came to a stop at a wooden platform a few meters down. At the bottom of the chamber laid a circular stone dais which was surrounded by stone steps on all sides, reminding Edgar of an ancient Greek amphitheatre. However, the dais and the steps were separated by a bottomless pit that formed a ring around the dais. The only way of getting onto it was by another set of stairs leading off from the platform. It was clear that this chamber has not been used in ages. The stone walls and the staircase were worn and broken, the air was murky and damp and tree roots grew wildly up the walls, hoping to see some sort of sunlight. They descended the stairs; none of them uttering a single word until Angela decided to break the silence.

"What are you planning to do without the Mask of Chaos, Hershel?" she asked.

"I have it right here," he informed, much to her shock.

"What? How?"

"I found it at the Reunion Inn, of course," he calmly told her, "The true Mask of Chaos, hidden in the archives, just as you had left it."

Emmy and Edgar looked around at her as soon as he said that while Angela blinked in surprise.

"I...beg your pardon?" she uttered in confusion.

"You hid the mask?" Emmy inquired.

The older woman frowned slightly, "Well...I..."

"I'll explain later," Layton interrupted, "We need to act fast if we are to save the city."

They continued to climb down the stairs until they reached the dais. Now that they were closer, they spotted a couple of interesting features. The first were the two pedestals on either side of the dais. Each one had some sort of engraving on the top of it as if something needs to be inserted into it. The second thing were the four odd symbols on the dais floor. Each of them were engraved on one circular stone slab and positioned to make a ring in the centre of the dais. The same symbols can be found along the outside of the dais.

"What is this place?" Emmy asked as she shone her torch all over the chamber.

"This is the final chamber of Akbadain, the one that Randall and I never found on our expedition..."

Angela moved her hand over one of the pedalstals in interest, "So it was here all along."

"And to solve this room's puzzle, we need both masks," Layton said as he walked to the centre of the dais, "And now I will show you where they are. Do you remember the message that Randall deciphered on the stone tablet years ago, 'Only the bearers of Chaos and Order may reveal our legacy. It is always the two halves that make the whole'. You see those pedestals over there? One mask must be placed on each one to trigger the mechanism. With that, we can unlock the secret of Akbadain and save Monte d'Or!"

Angela frowned irritably, "Hershel, stop speaking in riddles! Where is the Mask of Order!?"

Suddenly, Edgar's face lit up, "Oh! I get it! Now it makes sense!"

"What does?" Angela demanded, "What did you work out!?"

Edgar laughed and grinned at her, "You thought that Henry found the Mask of Order with the treasure and he's been hiding it. Well, he didn't because the Mask of Order is only partially real. In fact, the Mask of Chaos is partially real as well."

"Partially real?"

Edgar turned to Layton and held out his hand, "May I?"

"Of course," Layton said as he pulled out the Mask of Chaos from under his coat and handed it to him, "Remember, 'It is always the two halves that make the whole'.

Edgar inspected the mask in his hands before he reached to the star shaped symbol and pushed it. To their amazement, the symbol moved slightly. He continued to turn it and turn it until the mask made a soft clicking noise. He felt around the sides of the mask until a part of it shifted from the rest. Edgar pulled it up and to their shock, half of the mask broke off. In one hand was the mask's face and and forehead while in the other hand was the mask's eyes and brow.

"Ladies and gentleman, I give you the Mask of Chaos," he announced, holding up one half, "and the Mask of Order," he said, holding up the other half.

Layton nodded and took the real Mask of Order from him, "When they are united the bearers of chaos and order shall come," he said as he headed to one of the pedestals, "The Mask of Order has been right here all this time."

Edgar took the real Mask of Chaos and headed to the other pedestal while Angela watched in wide-eyed disbelief. Simultaneously, Layton and Edgar slotted the Masks onto their pedestals and they slotted in perfectly. Instantly, the edges of the plate that held the masks began to glow blue. The light travelled down the pedestals through the engravings until it reached the centre. The four symbol circles glow as well and then suddenly the entire centre section began to lift up to about their mid-sections.

"It was all so simple," Angela whispered in fascination.

"Edgar," Layton called out, "I need you to help me solve this final puzzle of Akbadain and save Monte d'Or."

The teen smiled and straightened his flat cap on his head, "My pleasure."


Puzzle Start!


From out of the central section, four mysterious pillars rose up, each having a different symbol and an arrow pointing in different directions. A soft click from behind them made the look to see the symbols around the dais lift up slightly as if they had been unlocked.

"So, what do we have to do?" Edgar asked from his side of the dais.

Layton hummed thoughtfully before he spotted an inscription on the side of the raised centre section, "Here. It says: 'The mechanism will activate when the arrows on each pillar point to the centre. The pillars only turn when two people step on opposing buttons at the same time. The button each person steps on will turn the corresponding pillar,'" he explained, pointing to one of the symbols along the edge of the dais.

"Great, this is more or less like guesswork," Emmy muttered from the side, "We don't have much time."

"Then we need to work this out quick," Edgar hummed.

"It also says we cannot step on the same button twice in a row," Layton continued, "Just be aware of that."

Edgar hummed as he studied the symbols and buttons. The pillars were organised like this: First symbol (A) is pointing right, Second symbol (B) is pointing down, Third symbol (C) is pointing up and the fourth symbol (D) arrow pointing left.

While the buttons are organised like this (from top and then around clockwise):

A, D, B, C, C, A, D, B

(A.N: Letters are replacing the symbols. I tried my best to make a diagram, but the website wouldn't allow me to do something so technical. If you would like a reference then it's Puzzle No 135.)

'Well, since there are only eight buttons and the Prof will have to press the opposite one to mine, there could only be four possible combinations,' he thought, 'Hmm, since symbol A is pointing right and symbol D is pointing left, we should avoid pressing on the top right and bottom left buttons first. Otherwise, they might move the long way round. So, my first step is either B-D, C-B or C-A,' he looked up at the Professor, "Can you press the left button (D) while I press the right button (B) first."

Layton nodded and the two pressed their specified buttons, causing the D and B pillars to move around by a quarter. Now B was facing left away from the centre and D was pointing up towards the centre. Edgar felt the button underneath him lock up beneath his feet.

'Pillar D is in the right position which means we need to avoid it as much as possible. However, since B is facing the opposite way, it needs to be moved twice back towards the centre,' he looked around at his feet, 'But I don't have another B on my side, meaning that the Prof will have to press the top left B twice. Since we can't press it twice in a row, we need to press it now and then another button and the come back to after,' he realised, "I think I've solved it. Go to the top left button, Prof."

Layton did so and Edgar when to his respected pillar, causing pillars B and C to mover around by a quarter. B was now facing up and C was facing right away from the centre.

"Now, the top button," Edgar instructed again.

Layton pressed on the top button and Edgar pressed on the bottom button, making pillars A and C to move around by a quarter. Now pillar was facing down to the centre while pillar C was facing down as well.

"Last one, press on the top left button again."

Layton pressed the button again and Edgar pressed the bottom right button at the same time. Pillars B and C moved around by a quarter so now they were both facing the centre. Suddenly, the pillars sunk into the centre piece again and the entire chamber began to rumble.


Puzzle Solved


The centre piece sunk into the floor again, making the entire dais grow brightly as it was unlocked. The rumbling grew ever powerful, almost making them lose their footing until, unexpectedly, the entire dais began to move upwards with them on it.

Meanwhile, in the city above, the storm was just about to fall upon the helpless people when suddenly the ground beneath them began to quake. Some screamed, thinking that it was an earthquake when suddenly they all felt the sensation of being lifted. The ground was moving up, entire buildings and complexes were gradually being lifted up into the air with the Reunion Inn growing the tallest while the outskirts were level to the edge of the basin. Roads broke apart, windows were smashed, but despite all the damage, the sandstorm came to a halt. Because Monte d'Or was built in a basin, sand could easily flow in and and create a storm, but Akbadain had lifted it so storms came to a stop and it drifty gently to the ground.

Monte d'Or was no longer built at the bottom of a basin; it had now became a city on a pyramid like mountain.

From the Gallery Plaza, Randall stared at his surroundings in confusion and anger, seeing the entire city being raised was unthinkable.

"What...what is happening?" he gasped as he stepped back in shock.

A part of the plaza behind him gave way, causing him to turn around in horror. From within the dark pit that was created, Layton, Edgar, Emmy and Angela were raised to the surface like it was an elevator much to Randall's disbelief.

"Behold Randall!" Layton called out to him, "The secret of the Azran. I discovered it...while you were busy seeking revenge. This ends here."

Randall growled in irritation before he sighed and bowed his head in defeat.

He had been beaten.

They had saved Monte d'Or.


Sorry for the late update. I've been quite busy lately.

Hope you enjoyed it! Don't worry because, I'm going to write the epilogue as soon as I published this chapter. Kind of like a double bill since it's the end of the arc.

Thanks for reading!