Here's the epilogue! Thanks for reading :)
Katsusando - Thank so much, I'm glad to hear from you again. Good luck with your exams, you're going to do great. I wish you all the best!
P.S: My tea drinking has gone down because of how hot it's getting. But I still manage one or two a day.
Djinn - Thanks so much as always. Yeah, the puzzles are difficult to describe, but I reckon that as long as I put a reference, readers can always check it out to see what I mean. Thanks again.
Dikratsblim - That's great to hear. Uni is pretty tough around this time of year, but at least it's over for now. Thank you so much for reading and reassuring me about the updates. I was on holiday for a week and my lack productive took a toll on my stories.
I always thought that, chronologically speaking, 'Azran' comes between 'Miracle Mask' and 'Curious Village' while 'PL vs PW' comes between 'Pandora's box' and the 'Lost Future'. But I guess it's up to interpretation.
wellingtonlucas282 - No problem, glad that you enjoyed it.
Thanks again.
Epilogue: The City of Miracles
Gallery Plaza
Dawn broke out over Monte d'or, it's new structure now bathed under the sun's warmth. Edgar, Emmy and Angela observed their surroundings in wonder, not quite believing what had happened.
"Wow! So this is what it's supposed to look like," Emmy mused, "It was quite destructive, I hope everybody is alright."
Edgar hummed thoughtfully, "It looks like most of the buildings are still standing. I think the only damage is the roads and the plaza. At least we're not buried under sand."
Angela frowned as she stared at the ground, "It was here," she mumbled, "It was under our noses the whole time."
Layton, however, was not taken in the new scenery, but rather staring down at a defeated Randall. His head was hung low and his teeth were gritted in anger, clearly showing that he has surrendered. Running down the street, Henry, Dalston, Sheffield, Grosky and, to Edgar's surprise, Mordaunt appeared before stopping short when they saw Randall. They cautiously approached, fearing that he had one more trick up his sleeve. Edgar, Layton, Emmy and Angela jumped down from the dais onto the plaza and approached as well. However, Edgar jogged to Mordaunt's side, a serious expression on his face.
"Where's Bonnie?"
"She's safe," Mordaunt reassured him, much to his relief, "We found her mother in the Scorpion Casino."
Edgar sighed in relief before he, out of nowhere, wrapped his arm around the moustached man's man shoulders, "Thanks so much. I'm so glad," he happily chirped.
He had no idea what came over him. He really wasn't one for physical contact, especially for middle-aged men like Mordaunt. However, weirdly enough, Mordaunt responded with a squeak and jumped out of his grasp before sputtering something on the lines of 'It was no problem at all', causing Edgar to laugh. Emmy, who witnessed what happened, looked on in bewilderment.
'A lot had happened in the past twenty fours hours,' she thought, 'but that was the weirdest thing I've seen all day.'
"Edgar," Layton called out, catching they young boy's attention.
He gave him a nod, signifying that he was ready to solve the case. Edgar glanced over at Randall and then back at him with a confirming nod before walking to his side. They turned to a still shocked Randall, who looked up as he was surrounded.
"Randall..." Layton said, "This is the true treasure of the Azran. The riddle we could not have solved eighteen years ago. We were distracted by tales of fortune, while the most valuable archaeological find lay elsewhere all along."
Randall, his breathing laboured as he took in the scenery, shook his head, "You did it...You solved the puzzle of Akbadain. Spectacular. I must hand it to you, Hershel."
"It was a joint effort," Edgar muttered distastefully.
"Indeed," Layton agreed, glancing over at his two assistants, "We all contributed."
"You and your...assistants skills magnified my own faults. Even in revenge...I am a failure."
Layton shook his head, "Nonsense. The important thing is that you're with us now."
Edgar didn't quite agree with that. He would say his failure was quite an important thing, considering what was going to happen to them. But he decided to not speak up, otherwise they would be here all day.
"Master Randall..." Henry hesitantly called out as he approached.
Randall turned to him aggressively and snarled at him, "Stay away from me! You stole everything from me! Everything!"
"That's not true!" Henry insisted as he took another step closer.
Randall was about to shout at him again, but Layton placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "You still don't see? Henry took nothing from you, Randall. You were used."
"Used?"
"Yep," Edgar said, "Played like a cheap fiddle."
"What are you talking about?" Randall questioned.
"Everything you were told in those letters was a lie. For a while now, we theorised that there was someone behind the Masked Gentleman," Layton announced as he walked to the middle of the crowd.
Edgar nodded and walked to the front as well, "The amount of planning to pull of all these miracles would have been substantial. Hiring actors, the props, the lights, making sure that everybody should be where they are supposed to be. It is clear that this was all organised and with this type of thing the culprit is always in the background, using you as a front."
"They would need to know everything about Monte d'Or like the back of their hand," Layton said.
"Have the funds to pay everybody off," Edgar added.
"And, of course, knows how to stay hidden in plain sight," Layton said before he leaned in close to Edgar's head, both of them keeping their eyes on the suspects around them, "Ready to propose our deduction?" he whispered.
"I think so, but I need confirmation," he whispered back.
"Oh, but you do, Edgar," Layton told him, "You have known for quite some time. You need to trust your instincts."
"What do you mean?"
"How many women are there present?"
He gave the professor and odd look, "Two," he answered.
"And who are they?"
He turned his eyes to Emmy, "Emmy, obviously, and..." he trailed off when eyes landed on the second woman in the crowd around them, although it wasn't the person he was expecting. He realised his instincts has been telling him all along, but he's been ignoring them, "...oh I see. That explains a lot."
Layton smiled, "Good, shall we proceed."
"Yes," he said with a content smile, "Let's."
The professor nodded before he spoke to the crowd, "Randall, here, was merely a puppet. There was somebody behind the mask; pulling the strings all along."
They looked all the people around them:
Dalston fiddled with his moustache.
Sheffield raised a curious eyebrow.
Henry looked nervously between Layton and Randall.
Mordaunt fidgeted slightly, not comfortable about the situation.
Randall gritted his teeth in anger.
Suddenly, Edgar and Layton spun around and pointed accusingly at one person, their faces filled with confidence.
"And that person is you..." they proclaimed, much to everyone's shock.
For the person was no other than..
...
...
...
...Angela Ledore.
Angela stepped back in utter surprise as they both pointed at her. However, the look of shock soon melted away as she smirked maliciously at them, almost as if pleased that they discovered her crimes.
"Oh, and just when I thought I was off the hook," she mused with a wicked grin.
Edgar glared at her, "I was almost fooled, to be honest."
"Indeed," Layton agreed, "I wish I could say it's been a pleasure...Descole."
The fake Angela cackled as she reached behind her back and pulled out a familiar black hat. In one swift motion, Angela placed the hat on her head and in a blink of an eye, Descole's disguise fell, revealing the masked criminal mastermind in his black suit and cape.
Descole chuckled darkly, "Well played, you two. Well played."
"Descole!" Emmy cried out, "It was you all along! But where's Angela?"
Layton adjusted his hat on his head, "I found Angela trapped in a room at the Reunion Inn," he explained.
Emmy frowned, "And where is she now?"
"Right here!" Edgar called out, somehow getting to Mordaunt's side and leaning his head on his shoulder, causing him to squeak in embarrassment, "I missed you so much, Angela. Please take off the disguise."
Mordaunt sighed before he reached for his neck and pulled of his mask, revealing Angela's beautiful face, much to Edgar's delight. However, before he could do anything, Edgar yelped as Emmy grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pulled him away from her.
"Not the time," she muttered crossly.
"So I can flirt with her after?"
"Or any other time," she added.
"A-Angela," Randall uttered as she took off the rest of her disguise.
She didn't respond to him, but just gazed sadly at Randall. Upset that they were meeting like this after all these years. Henry was just as perplexed. He had thought that Descole was Angela was all this time. Although, in his defence, he was a little too preoccupied with the running of the city.
"I asked her to wear a costume while we played Descole's little game," Layton explained while Emmy and Edgar shared a confused look.
"He just happen to have a realistic costume of somebody we met a few days ago," Emmy said.
Edgar shrugged, he didn't know either.
Descole smirked, "I see... you pretended to be taken in by my Angela disguise until this moment. You had been waiting for proof for all this time," he grumbled in disappointment as he waved at Randall, "I knew I never should have used this has-been bumpkin!"
Randall stared at the ground in despair, "I can't believe it."
"You're pitiful, Ascot," Descole growled, "I gave you back your life, and you failed," he looked back at Layton, "Tell me...how did you know?"
Layton hummed thoughtfully, "When we first arrived here, we spoke to the real Angela, but I definitely sensed a great unease in her. Angela had suspected Randall of being the Masked Gentleman all along. That was why she write me this letter. She was hoping that I would get to Randall before the police did. She thought that if I confronted him, I might be able to get through to him. Despite our history, Angela wasn't sure what I would do if I discovered that Randall was the Masked Gentleman. But the next time I saw her, there was something different about her demeanour. Her uneased had disappeared. Of course, I wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for Edgar, over there," he said nodding towards his assistant, "On our first meeting with Angela, Edgar was more...welcoming and friendly towards her, but when we met you disguised as Angela, he was much stern and more focused on the case."
Edgar shrugged, "There was just something off about you. Like you were less attractive or something. At times, I was even repelled whenever you tried to touch me."
"And here I was thinking you had taken what I said to heart," Emmy growled as she shot a glare at him, causing him to chuckle nervously.
"This was only confirmed when Edgar was able to deduce who were the women in the photograph at the Reunion Inn," Layton continued, "As well as when he entrusted Bonnie to Angela disguised as Mordaunt. If she wasn't, I doubt he would ever give the young girl to a complete stranger."
Emmy sighed and sweat dropped, "I can't believe that something so stupid had a use in this case."
Descole hummed as he looked at Edgar, "I see...so you can sense who's a woman despite a disguise. Quite a remarkable talent."
"No, it isn't!" Emmy shouted, "It's not a thing to be proud of!"
"Of course, there were other reasons that led to my deduction," Layton said, "You gave yourself away when you asked for the Mask of Order to solve the riddle of Akbadain."
"When I heard of Henry's mask, I needed to find someone to play the Masked Gentleman," Descole said, "Randall obliged. I had to convince Henry of the power of the Mask of Chaos with our dark miracles. If Henry believed that the Mask of Order could counteract the powers of the Masked Gentleman, well then...surely he would procure the mask rather than watch his dear city crumble, yes?"
"But you grew tired of waiting, didn't you," Emmy pointed out, "You disguised yourself as Angela so that you could get closer to Henry. But he still wouldn't reveal the location of the mask."
"And he couldn't because he didn't know where it was. Never had it," Edgar added.
Descole chuckled darkly once again, "Bravo, you three. But I'm afraid all of the deductive reasoning in the world won't change the fact that I've already won. You've actually done my work for me."
Layton, Emmy and Edgar frowned in confusion, "What are you on about?" Edgar questioned.
Descole grinned and tipped his hat to them, "This has been a pleasure. Many thanks!" he said before he cackled and threw a smoke bomb at their feet, causing them to cough and sputter, "Until next time!"
Once the smoke had lifted, Descole had vanished without a trace.
'Damn it, he got away again,' Edgar thought angrily as he looked around the area for any sign of the man. Eventually he sighed and took out his notebook, 'Ah well, I've got a feeling there will be a next time,' he muse as he jotted down the latest development.
Mystery Solved: Angela's Suspicious Behaviour
At some point, Angela was replaced by Descole which was...quite horrifying thinking back on it. He aimed to manipulate a clueless Henry into revealing where the Mask of Order is. Despite solving the case, I've got a sinking feeling that we hadn't entirely foiled his plans.
Randall shook his head utter disbelief, "All that time, he was using me? I feel like such a fool."
"Oh Randall..." Angela sighed as she began to make her way to him, "I can hardly believe it. I've been waiting so long for your return."
She stopped short when he glared at her, "How dare you! You never wanted me! You married Henry!"
"It's not-"
"Traitors!" Randall shouted at the both of them, "After everything I've done for you, Henry, you betray me like this!? You stole my ideas and my research! And if that wasn't enough..." he closed his eyes and sighed sadly, "...you stole...my love."
They group fell silent, lost for words over what he had said. However, while the majority of the people present were looking at him sadly, one person's blood began to boil. Edgar stomped over to Randall and, before anybody could do anything, punched him in the stomach, making him collapse to the ground and grunt in pain.
"Will you just, please, shut up for five seconds!" Edgar shouted at him, "Oh my God! You're so annoying!"
"Edgar!" Emmy cried out as she was about to run over to him.
However, Layton held up his hand, stopping his perplexed student. He shook his head at her and turned back to Edgar and Randall.
"W-what was that for?" Randall grunted.
"For being an absolute bastard! Do you know what the problem with you is? You're arrogant. Stupidly arrogant. When you decided to go to the ruins, did you even think about your friends?" he pointed at Henry, "You made him lie to your father so that if something went wrong, he would get the blame," he pointed at Angela, "she persuaded you not to go. Begged you to the point of crying. She cried, you piece of shit!" he then pointed to Layton, "finally, you forced him to go to dangerous ruins and almost got him killed. And why did you do all of that!? For glory!? For treasure!? And now you have the audacity to criticise them. Do you know how many people are traumatised because of you? Do you even care about them!?"
"Of course, I care!" Randall yelled back, "The reason I've done all of this is because I cared for Angela!"
Edgar snarled, "You think that assuming your friends betrayed you because a stranger told you is caring? You think taking revenge is caring? You think spreading terror and harming hundreds of innocent people is caring? No, Randall you don't care. If you cared you would have gone up to Henry and Angela and asked for an explanation. But no, you decided to begin your reign of terror, because you thought the worst and of course it had to be true because you're never wrong," he spat angrily, "You're a dick, Randall, so do the decent thing and just listen for once in your life," he turned away and stomped back to Layton, "Should I do the thing?"
"Yes, please, Edgar," Layton told him before Edgar jogged away to the right of the museum. He then walked up to Randall and gave him a serious look, "Excuse his language, but Edgar does have point. All of this could have been averted if you just listened. Otherwise, you would have known that Henry has been preparing...preparing for the day you return home."
"When I return?" Randall repeated, "What does that mean?"
"Randall, you should know about Monte d'Or."
"Oh, just leave me alone," Randall growled as he got up to his feet, "All of you!"
"When you disappeared, we didn't know if you'd ever return. We were destroyed. All of us," Layton explained, "Your parents took it especially hard. Their businesses failed, and the Ascot house fell into disrepair. All that time, Henry risked his life as he searched for you down in those ruins...but to no avail. In a strange twist of fate, he found the Azran treasure you were searching for all those years ago. Henry supported your parents with his newfound wealth, but he could not truly replace what they had lost. So he did what he could. He worked hard to build Monte d'Or, and he cared for your parents as if they were his own."
Randall was flabbergasted, "Henry...is this true?"
Before Henry could answer, Angela stepped up, "It is, Randall. Henry never stopped searching for you. He always believed that you would return someday. He spent a fortune sending search parties into those awful ruins. He built the Reunion Inn so that they would have a base near the ruins."
"The Reunion Inn?" Randall uttered.
Layton nodded, "I believe that was the first building established in Monte d'Or. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, the Reunion Inn thrived. That was quite a miracle, if you ask me. But not one without a rational explanation behind it. Henry announced several rewards for anyone who could find the man names Randall. These rewards were so large that word spread quickly and the Reunion Inn became a popular haunt. From there, the town prospered. Hotels and shops cropped up everywhere. A thriving city bloomed here in the desert and Monte d'Or became the city we know today."
"I...I can't believe it," Randall muttered as he held his head in his hands.
"One might say that Monte d'Or is built around the idea of your return, Randall. And that is the true miracle behind the city," he told him as Randall stared down at his feet, "It appeared as if Henry had stolen your family and your fortune. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, he spent his entire life preserving all that was yours."
Randall snapped his head up, "But Angela..."
Angela responded by reaching under the collar of her dress and pulling out the token necklace that he had given her before he left for the ruins. Randall's gasped when he laid eyes on it.
"Is...is that my...?"
"Randall, my marriage to Henry wasn't real," she told him sincerely before tucking the necklace away, "After I lost you, Randall, I didn't know how to go on. My parents kept pressuring me to get married. They wanted me to marry the richest man in town...Alphonse Dalston. I had given up so completely by that time that I probably would have agreed just so that they would leave me alone. But then Henry asked me. I will never forget it. He said 'Will you wait for Master Randall with me?'. Henry always believed you would come back. He helped me believe too. So we agreed to pretend to be married...until the day you returned. Henry vowed that he would protect and preserve everything of yours."
Layton nodded in agreement, "Henry never took anything from you. He protected everything from you."
Somebody whistled loudly, making Randall spin around to see Edgar again, pushing Mrs. Ascot in her wheelchair. He waved to them as he stopped right in front of Randall.
"Sorry it took a while. Navigating this place was a nightmare," Edgar said before he looked down at the elderly lady, "Mrs. Ascot. We're here now."
Mrs. Ascot opened her tired eyes and looked upon the shocked face of Randall. After a few seconds, a warm smile cross her wrinkled face.
"Randall, is that you?"
Her son took a step back in shock, "M-mother?"
"Oh Randall!" Mrs. Ascot happily cried as she leaned forward and took his hand, "You've come back! I thought I'd never see you again! Henry has been taking such good care of me. He'll always said you will return."
Randall hesitated for a few moments before he reached forwards and hugged his mother around her neck, "I understand..." he murmured as Mrs. Ascot hugged him back, "I can't believe you're really here."
As the mother and son embraced each other, Layton approached and took out something from his pocket, "Randall, I believe this is yours," he said showing him a rolled up piece of paper, "This document is proof of ownership for all properties attributed to the Ledore family. It reveals that the Ledore family fortune is, in fact, fully owned by a third party."
"A third party?" Randall questioned, leaning up to investigate the legal document.
"All of the land and money attributed to the Ledores is actually in the name of Randall Ascot," Layton explained.
"What!? I don't understand!"
"Henry, created a replica of the Mask of Chaos, but not to steal the glory that ought to have been yours. It was the symbol of Monte d'Or, a beacon that would draw your attention, wherever you were. Henry assumed you would seek out someone claiming to have the Mask of Chaos when you came back," Layton told him.
"However," Edgar continued, "When the Masked Gentleman appeared, the police were obviously going to be looking for any leads. If they decided to come a-knocking on the Ledore's door they will take Henry's mask as evidence and discover it was a fake. Although, I doubt it would've come to that considering the police here wouldn't find there way out of a room if the doors and windows wide open..."
"Oi!" Groksy and Sheffield yelled.
"...That is why Angela had to hid it before they could find it and claimed it had been stolen in order to preserve the symbol of Monte d'Or."
"And to keep Henry's beacon alive," Emmy added.
Layton gave his long-lost best friend a saddened look, "Randall, do you still feel that Henry has taken something from you?"
Randall looked around, now seeing the mistake he has made and looked down in horror, "What...have I done?"
Henry stepped up and offered him a small smile, "You weren't yourself. And now that you are, and back here with us...everything is going to be okay."
Randall slowly looked up in shame. All this time, he had been pursuing revenge for a crime that Henry never committed. He had sparked terror, caused panic and put him, Angela and Layton through hell over nothing. Edgar was right, maybe if he just listened none of this would even had happened.
"Henry-" he was about to say when suddenly the ground beneath them began to rumble.
The plaza began to crack as the earth beneath it fell away, revealing a deep chasm in its place. With a loud boom, a large chunk of the plaza spit under their feet, making everybody lose their balance. Dalston and Sheffield were the safest as they kept to the sides of the plaza. Angela, Layton and Henry were thrown to the ground. Edgar grabbed hold of Mrs. Ascot wheelchair and pulled her away before she can fall in. Grosky almost fell in, but managed to grab onto the ridge just in time and Emmy was able to pull him just in time. The only person who wasn't safe was Randall. The ground underneath him gave away and he yelled as he began to fall into the pit, but at the last second Layton ran up to the side and grabbed hold of his hand, leaving him to dangle over the side.
It was at that moment that Layton felt deja vu. He remembered that they were in the exact same position as they were in the ruins eighteen years ago. Randall hanging over the side while Layton doing his best to not drop him
'I'm sorry Hershel,' he recalled Randall saying, 'I let you down.'
Layton shook away the memory as he concentrated at what was going on. Randall sighed, not bothering to meet his gaze.
"You can let me go now, Hershel."
"Randall, you must...Just give me your other hand, Randall!" Layton cried.
"I can't. I've betrayed so many people. I'll never forgive myself. I don't deserve to lie...let me go."
Hershel gritted his teeth as he tried to pull him up, but his hand was slipping out of his, "Randall...I can't..."
Suddenly, another hand reached down and grabbed Randall's wrist, surprising them both. Henry was leaned over the side as well, trying his best to pull him up as well. His face was filled with conviction; there was no way he was going to ever let go.
"Henry?" Randall uttered.
"Master Randall! After all these years, there's no...there's no way...I'm letting you get away from us that easily!" Henry said through gritted teeth.
Randall's eyes widened in absolute disbelief as the two men began to pull him up to the side. Edgar, making sure Mrs. Ascot was safe, ran up and helped him up as well.
"Such a blood nuisance," he grumbled light-heartedly.
Finally back on solid ground, Randall cast his eyes down as guilt weighed heavily upon him.
"I'm so ashamed of what I've done and I don't deserve your kindness of your forgiveness. But why!? Why would you do all this for me!?"
Henry gave a small chuckle, "Master Randall, do you really not know? You've always looked out for me."
- Flashback Thirty Years Ago -
Randall's Room, The Ascot Estate
Tears rolled down the cheeks of a five year old Henry as the housemaid stood over him, he clutched the toy robot in his hands in guilt. He had only wanted to play with it for a few minutes. He wasn't going to steal it from his young master; it just looked so cool that his mind couldn't help himself. However, the maid, a stern woman in her forties, thought otherwise and began scolding him as soon as she caught him.
"That's young master Randall's toy, not yours! You remember your place!" she grabbed the robot out of his hands, making him cry harder, "Give that back this instant! Honestly, Henry. I don't know what you're thinking. Is this how you were taught? Are you some sort of common thief?" I have half a mind to report you to the master!"
It was at that moment a five year old Randall happened to past by the door to his room. He looked in curiously, seeing the maid shout at Henry while the young boy sobbed.
"I'm sorry!" Henry wailed, "I didn't mean to...I just wanted to paly with it!"
After a few seconds, Randall made up his mind and entered his room. The maid heard footsteps behind her and turned to see her master's son approaching.
"Oh hello! Sorry to disturb you, young master Randall," she greeted.
Randall frowned, "Why did you take Henry's toy?"
The maid frowned in confusion while Henry sniffed and wiped his tears away.
"Young master Randall, I think you're mistaken," the maid said, showing him the robot, "This is yours."
Randall took of her and immediately gave it to a puzzled Henry, "No, this is the robot I gave to Henry. Now then, if you'll excuse us," he said as he began to push the maid towards the door, "I have half a mind to report you to the master!"
"Oh, all right! I'm going," the maid grumbled as she was unceremoniously pushed out the door.
Randall closed the door behind her and turned back to a saddened Henry, who was holding the toy robot like it was the most precious thing to him.
"Master Randall, can you please forgive me for playing with your toy?" he softly asked.
"But it's yours now!" Randall laughed, much to the other boy's confusion.
"But it's your favourite."
"And now it's your favourite!" Randall chirped happily, "How many toys dies one boy need anyway? Come on! We're going on an adventure today!"
The young Henry gasped in joy as he clutched the robot to his chest, "Thank you, Master Randall! I promise to take care of it and always treasure it!"
Randall smiled, "That's good to know. Now let's find some more treasure," he proposed pointing out of his window, "What do you say?"
Henry nodded enthusiastically before the two boys left the room to pursue their next adventure."
-Flashback End-
"You taught me something invaluable that day, Master Randall..." Henry said, "...and gave me something to treasure. You treated me not just as an equal, Randall, but also as a brother. And that has always meant more to me than any amount of riches ever could. As the years went by, it became clear to me that our friendship was my most valuable treasure."
"I'm speechless..." Randall admitted.
"There's nothing more to say, Master Randall. We all know you would return. We just didn't think you'd take so long," he said with an amused smile.
A ghost of a smile graced Randall's lips before it disappeared again, "Henry, I'm so sorry."
"No more apologies. Welcome home," he said as he and Angela approached him and gave him a hug.
Randall was in tears. Pain, guilt and suffering was finally lifted off his shoulders as he welcomed the embrace. For the first time in ages, Randall felt like he belonged somewhere.
"Henry, Angela...I'm home," he softly said.
Eventually Dalston joined the group and then, although hesitantly, Layton as well. The adults who grew up together in Stainsbury were reunited once again. The loss and guilt that was all of them felt left and now they can begin again from the start. Emmy and Edgar watched on from the side-lines at the happy ending, however, Edgar knew better that it wasn't quite the end yet. He saw Grosky and Sheffield approach them and he sadly knew exactly what they were going to do. Grosky cleared his throat, catching their attention.
"Randall Ascot...I hate to break up the reunion," he said sincerely, "but we have to arrest you for disturbance of the peace, acts of terrorism, and risking the lives of countless people."
Their smiles dropped as soon as he said that; Randall's face fell in realisation.
"What no!" Angela cried.
"You can't do this!" Henry exclaimed.
Dalston shook his head furiously, "We just got him back! And now you want to take him away again!"
Sheffield grumbled, "We know it's hard for all of you, but we can't simply sweep everything under the carpet. It wouldn't be fair to the hundreds of people who had been effected by the Mask Gentlemen."
Layton stepped up, "Please officers. Is there anyway we can resolve this?"
"They can't," Edgar piped up, "Randall may have been mislead by Descole...but he was fully aware of his actions. He didn't have to be the Masked Gentleman and...frankly, I want him to go to prison..."
"Edgar!" Emmy shouted angrily.
"...Half an hour ago, he was about to bury Monte d'Or and everybody under sand," he firmly explained, "He was willing to commit mass murder," he looked up Randall, "I'm really sorry. I know you just got everything back, but I will never forgive you for what you did to Bonnie. If I hadn't been there on time, her death would be on your hands," he sighed sadly, "I know this is not what you want to hear, but this is the right thing to do. I wish the circumstances could be different."
After he said that, everyone realised that he was right. Randall needed to be arrested. It just wasn't fair for anybody in Monte d'Or to set him free after the weeks of torment. Henry, however, shook his head in denial.
"No, please. I know what Master Randall did was wrong, but can't we look passed it. Who's with me?" he asked desperately as he looked around. He was shocked to see that nobody spoke up in support. Edgar and Emmy sadly looked down at their feet and Angela, Dalston and Layton were not making eye contact, "Dalston, Angela. You agree with me, right? We've been waiting for so long." Neither of them looked at him so he turned to Layton, "Hershel, Randall is our best friend!"
Layton shook his head, "I'm sorry Henry, but Randall did commit those crimes."
"B-but-," Henry stammered before he felt a hand on his shoulder.
He looked around and saw Randall patting his shoulder with a reassuring smile, "It's fine, Henry. Thank you...but I need to pay for what I did."
"Master Randall-"
"You just need to wait a little bit longer for me, that's all. Do you think you can do that?"
Henry felt tears fall from his eyes. Despite how much he didn't want this to happen, he nodded sadly, "Yes, of course."
Randall smiled graciously and held up his wrists for Grosky to put the handcuffs on. Edgar saw the downtrodden looks on everybody here and shook his head.
'Honestly, the things I do for thins I do for these people,' he mentally sighed as he saw Grosky ready to clasp the handcuffs on Randall, "Ha! Grosky what on earth are you doing?"
The inspector gave him an annoyed look while everyone looked at him curiously, "What do you mean? I'm arresting him like you said I should."
Edgar laughed, "I may not know a lot about the law, except for how to break it, but I'm pretty sure you can't arrest a dead person."
Everyone gave him a bewildered look, "Dead person?" Grosky snapped.
"Yeah, Randall has been missing for eighteen years, right? Considering that a missing person will have to be lost for two years to be considered legally dead, Randall, in the eyes of the law, is as dead as a doornail," he gave a false sigh, "And at such a young age as well. Quite sad."
"Well, he clearly isn't dead is he?" the inspector grumbled.
"Oh really, then you should probably tell somebody that he isn't dead so you can arrest him. It might take a while, though. Imagine all that paperwork Scotland Yard has to go through: filling out forms, ticking boxes, hand cramps from all that writing. If you send out a message to the authorities now, I reckon that Randall has, hmmm, probably twenty fours until he's not dead," he said. Instantly everybody got what he was hinting it, "Twenty fours. You can do a lot in that time, but if only we have an entire city devoted to festivities and other fun things to do to truly...reconnect."
The two police officers shared a look before they shrugged.
"Well, since he's dead now, there isn't a lot we can do," Sheffield grumbled.
"I suppose so," Grosky agreed before turning to a shocked Randall, "Twenty fours hours, Ascot and not a second more."
Randall nodded as a bright smile crossed his face, "That would be great. Henry, why don't you show me around this great city?"
Henry smiled, "I would be honoured, Master Randall."
As the friend celebrated once more together, Emmy turned to Edgar with a knowing smile.
"You were intending to do that from the start, weren't you?"
Edgar gave her a half-smile, "Oh Emmy, you should know that I always four or five schemes and plans at all times," he said before he frowned seriously, "But I still meant what I said. I have no respect for Randall, whatsoever and I'm not doing this for him."
Emmy glanced over at the reunited friends, happily chattering to each other, "I see. You were doing it for the Professor, Angela, Henry and Dalston," she smiled prettily, "I believe that's good enough."
He blushed slightly, "Thank you," he murmured.
"Edgar," Randall called out with a friendly wave, "thank you for the opportunity. It really means a lot to me. Is there anyway I can repay you back? I know this won't make up for what I did but-"
"Actually," Edgar interrupted, "There is something."
Randall blinked in surprise, "Of course, what is it?"
"I get to escort Angela around for the day."
"Yes that's...wait, what?" Randall said.
In response, Edgar swiftly slid up to Angela and hooked his arm around hers, "Thanks! Let's go, Angela, my dear," he said before he began leading her away, "So I heard you were never married in the first place."
Angela sweat dropped, "How did you know? You weren't even here when I said that."
Everyone stared in utter bafflement as he led Angela towards the shopping district. Randall was especially gobsmacked, not quite processing what had just occurred in a matter of seconds. Layton and Emmy, meanwhile, looked on in disappointment.
"Oh Edgar, you were doing so well," Layton sighed as Emmy clenched her fists, readying them good use tonight.
Meanwhile, Edgar looked back at the group and saw they were out of earshot. He released Angela from his arm so they can walk independently.
"Sorry about that, I didn't want the others overhearing," he told her.
Angela cleared her throat, "It's fine. What do you want to talk to me about?"
"Well, I was just wandering what you are planning to do now. Randall's not going to be here for long, Henry and Dalston are going to be busy with Monte d'or and you're left all on your own. I'm just worried," he explained, "Sorry if this seems out of the blue, I just thought it'll be best to get it out of the way so you can spend the day with Randall and the others."
Angela nodded in understanding, "I see. Well, I haven't given too much thought about it, to be honest. It's true that things will be a lonely for a while."
"You can always stay in London with the Prof and I. Show you the sights, see a play, attend one of the Prof's really boring lecture on stratigraphy."
Angela giggled but shook her head no, "I don't think I'll be leaving Monte d'Or for a while," she sighed, "It has been my home for a long time. I'll be perfectly fine, Edgar. Thank you for your concern, but I may need time to think."
He nodded in understanding, "Right. Well, if you do need anything we're only a phone call away. I'm sure the Prof would appreciate it if you communicate more."
"I will. I promise."
"Good," he held his arm out for her to take, "Would you like to go the Stellar Circus. There are few rabbits that I need to make sure are alright."
"Bunnies!?" Angela gasped, her eyes lit up in excitement, "I adore bunnies! Of course, let's go!" she eagerly agreed as she took his arm.
This time, it was Angela who was dragging him instead.
Outskirts of Monte d'Or
Twenty fours had gone past and everybody enjoyed themselves. They all visited the circus, Tingly Town, the racetrack, the casinos and the arcades where Edgar was reunited with Bonnie and her mother. He was so glad to see that she was safe that he proceeded to win her every stuff toy from the game booths much to her delight. Although this did caused some headaches for game runners and her mother. Finally, at the end of the night, they all gathered around to watch the parade welcoming Randall home, everybody was abuzz with excitement, happy that they were safe and will no longer be haunted by the Masked Gentleman.
However, all good things must come to an end.
After packing and saying their goodbyes, Layton, Emmy and Edgar had left Monte d'Or and headed back to London. Randall had left early that morning with Grosky and couple of London police officers. It was a tearful farewell and it was clear that Henry and Angela were upset that he was gone after only just getting him back in their lives. It turned out that Randall was going to the same prison Whistler, the composer from their last adventure, is currently staying at and the young man couldn't help but think if all their enemies were going to end up there.
Now they were parked on a hill overlooking the new city of Monte d'Or and the arid landscape. Layton and Edgar leaned on the back of the Layton mobile, taking everything in and feeling the cool breeze on their faces. Emmy stood atop a nearby bolder, held her camera up to her eye and snapped a picture of the scenery with a graceful smile on her face.
"Quite the picture-perfect ending," she said as she jumped down from the boulder, "Everything seems to have turned out for the best."
Edgar raised an eyebrow, "What about Descole?"
"Fine, almost everything turned out for the best," she sighed.
Edgar hummed thoughtfully, "So the Azran Civilisation built all of this...I've been hearing a lot about the Azran recently."
"Oh really?" Layton inquired.
"Yeah, it's like wherever we go, we always happen to find something about the Azran or what they left behind," he frowned slightly and shivered, "It's weird. I feel like we're...heading towards something. Like we're collecting clues leading us somewhere. Do you know what I mean?"
"I think I do," Layton mused, "I was wondering the same thing."
Emmy chuckled, "I'm sure it's just a coincidence. What is really great is how Henry built all of this just for Randall. What other city can claim that it was built on a foundation of loyalty and friendship?"
Layton nodded in agreement before he stood up and headed to the driver's door, "We should probably leave now. I promised Dean Delmora we'll be back the day after tomorrow."
"Aww, I don't want to go back. I was having such a nice time in Monte d'Or," Emmy complained as she got into the car.
"We can always come back," Edgar said, "It's not like it's going anywhere."
He was about to get in as well, but stopped for a moment to look back at Monte d'Or. They had only spent a few days there, but it felt like it was way longer. It was a city that, against all the odds, flourished and grew like a beautiful desert flower. A city of joy, laughter, excitement and thrills around every corner. What made it better was the fact that it wasn't created for monetary gain or greed, but of hope and unwavering conviction to reunite loved ones and to find those who are lost. As Emmy said, it was a city built on loyalty and friendship and the belief that anything can happen. For, just like Monte d'Or, hope is found in bleakest and hardest of circumstances, like an beautiful oasis in the middle a desert.
And that is what made Monte d'Or so wonderful.
It was all rather miraculous to say the least.
And that's it!
Hope you enjoyed the epilogue.
Next up a few filler chapters before we can move on to the next arc and I'm excited to start writing. I want to especially thank the Youtuber 'Slyzer' for uploading a walkthrough of the game without commentary. Without them, writing this arc would have been much more difficult so thank you so much...if you happen to read this story.
See you next time :)
Layton Household
The sound of a banging rang out through the town house as Edgar hammered a nail into the wall of his room. Once he was happy, he put down the hammer on his bedside table and searched through his bag for something.
It was the morning after they arrived back in London and he was now unpacking all his stuff as he was too tired the night before to do it. Finally, he found what he was looking for and pulled the Mask of Chaos out of his bag, tied a string across the back and hanged it on the nail. He stepped back and admired his latest addition.
Of course, this wasn't the real mask.
This was the one Randall was wearing when he was the Masked Gentleman that he happened to pick up when nobody was looking.
I mean it wasn't pretty like he was using it anymore.
This wasn't the only souvenir he picked up (stole) on his adventures. On the same wall, he had hung up a framed picture of him and Layton with Arianna, Tony, Luke and Loosha in Misthallery. Below the photo, sitting on his cabinet, was the beaked mask that the Black Ravens gave him. Next to that was a framed photo of him, Janice and the rest of the members of the Crown Petone on the sandy beaches of Ambrosia. Beside that, also framed on the wall, was the music sheet in which the songs that raised Ambrosia from the sea was written on. Edgar was able to swipe it before the police could take it away as evidence. He was planning on getting the photo Emmy took of them at Monte d'Or to hang it along with the Mask of Chaos.
With a satisfied hum, Edgar turned away and picked up his bag when suddenly something fell out of it, landing heavily on the floor. He looked down and saw it was Emmy's copy of Rutledge's 'Ancient History'.
"Huh," he uttered when he picked it up off the floor, "Must have got mixed up when we were packing. I'll give it back to her tomorrow."
He was about to put it down on his bedside table, but after a moment, curiosity got the better of him and he opened the book and began flicking through the pages. As he predicted, it was filled with dull long paragraphs and images of uninteresting objects.
However, there was one thing that caught his eye. It was a drawing of some sort of structure made of dark green rings forming a concentric circle. Each inner ring looked like it burrowed further into the ground, making it look like a deep, endless pit. He raised an eyebrow at it and hummed when he read what Rutledge had called it. With the book still in his hand, he left his room and headed downstairs.
"Hey Prof!" he called out, "Have you ever heard of this 'vault' before?"
Unknown Location
Meanwhile, dark clouds gathered forebodingly over a patch of desert not too far away from Monte d'Or. The wind howled, thunder boomed, the animals took shelter and there was a dampness in the air.
All the signs of a storm.
A deadly storm.
Descole ignored these warnings as smiled wickedly down at his latest find. He and his elderly butler stood on a giant structure that bore resemblance to the one Edgar found in the book. However, the book failed to show how ginormous it was, at big as a football stadium and as deep as a valley. Ruins and inscriptions littered the sides and the inner rings of the building turned and twisted around as if it was alive. It was a dark place, one that know human has any right of knowing about.
Descole chuckled, "So then, it has come to pass and we shall see if the Azran were worth my trouble. I have sacrificed everything for this moment."
"Master," the butler grumbled in his heavy Scottish accent, "You've done it."
The masked criminal grinned, "Behold! The Infinite Vault of Akbadain!" he declared dramatically, taking in the sight of the great building, "It's quite beautiful, wouldn't you say?"
Suddenly, the grin was wiped of his face when he heard the sound of rumbling behind him. He would have said it was the thunder, but it sounded closer and it wouldn't stop. He turned around to see a sandstorm quickly approaching them, but there a dark shadows in it. He gasped when something broke through the storm. It was some sort of bulky grey vehicle with the blade of a bulldozer and a cannon of a tank. It was followed by another one and then two more, three more. There were hundreds coming at them in all directions. That was when he heard a whirring sound from the sky and saw dozens of helicopters fly from above and swarm the vault like flies to rotting meat. Soon enough, the entire building was surrounded by these vehicles.
"Hold your ground," Descole told his butler as soldiers in dark blue uniforms exited the vehicles and aimed their machine guns up at them.
Once they were all set up, a black car, much fancier then the vehicles around it, drove through and parked near on the outskirts of the building. Descole's eyes narrowed as he saw somebody step out from the passenger's door and looked up at them with a grisly smile. The man looked to be in his late sixties with fair skin, messy shoulder-length brownish-blond hair, and a shaggy beard and moustache. He wore a dark blue jacket over a red shirt and white trousers as well as sporting a pair of sunglasses that concealed his eyes. He smirked up at the annoyed Descole before he called out to him.
"You are trespassing! This site is now controlled by Targent! And we can't have you two blabbering about what you've seen!" he threatened as he casually put his hands in his jacket pockets.
Descole growled in irritation while his butler raised a weary eyebrow.
"Do we go quietly?" the butler asked.
"These cowards are not in charge here," Descole spat before calling out, "You are not recognised as any type of authority!" he clenched his fists, "zany you disgust me with your demented worldview! I will not let you steal that which I have earned!"
At his declaration, Descole leapt from the side of the vault towards the ground and executed an acrobatic roll to break his fall. He then swiftly sprinted towards the man and his army. The man grunted and snapped his fingers; instantly calling up three soldiers to step up in front of him and fired upon Descole with the machine guns. However, Descole skilfully dodged, rolled and avoided the bullets, not once stopping or fearing for his life.
Once he close enough, Descole threw away his cloak and leapt at the closest soldiers, kicking him square in the face. He then used the soldier as a springboard to leap in front of the man and throw a punch to his bearded face. But, to his surprise, the man nonchalantly moved his head to the right and evaded the jab. Now, seeing he was at a disadvantage, the man jammed his knee into Descole's stomach, grabbed him by his fluffy scarf, and tossed him over to the side like he was a rag doll.
Descole grunted in pain as he fell to the floor. He would've got up, but a swarm of soldiers had already tackled him to the ground. The man gutted as if he was disappointed with him.
"Descole. Oh Descole," he muttered as casually approached him.
The masked criminal struggled underneath the soldiers holding him down to the ground, trying to find a way to to get away.
"You cannot do this!" he spat as the man kneeled before his head that was pressed against the ground, "You have no right!"
The man chuckled darkly, "Au contraire, my boy. Actually, I have every right," he began to reach his hand down towards his white mask, "Now let's just have a look..."
Just as the man had wrapped his fingers around his mask, Descole's butler ran up without anybody noticing and threw a smoke bomb at their feet. The smoke bomb exploded, clouding the area instantly and allowing the butler to run in to assist his master. Once the smoke had cleared, Descole and the butler had vanished, much to the confusion of the soldiers holding him down. As they searched the area for them, the man grunted in irritation and looked down at Descole's mask still in his hand.
"He's of no concern," the man ordered his soldiers, "Forget him! Secure the last of the Azran ruins!"
His soldiers instantly scrambled to carry out his orders. They began setting up tents, scaffolding and digging equipment around the structure. The man watched on with a smirk on his bearded face, eager for the work to be done as soon as possible.
"Years of work," he said to himself, "well worth it. Misthallery's Garden of Healing, Ambrosia, the City of Harmony. And now, the infinite Vault of Akbadain. We finally have all three of the Great Legacies," he chuckled darkly, "And when I'm finished the power of the Azran civilisation shall be ours!"
Edgar Cipher will return in:
The Azran Legacy
