Chapter 1

Luke held his sweater in his hands as he waited in the hallway of the hospital. The material now showed as much red as blue, stained with fresh blood. Luke's eyes welled up with tears as he clutched the garment, staring into the bloodstain. This was all his fault...

1 hour earlier...

"This rain is horrible!" Luke complained.

"We won't suffer it for long." The professor said with a smile. "And we are lucky enough to have umbrellas."

"Yes... I am glad of that." Luke admitted. "But the puddles are enormous! My shoes are soaked!"

"We'll have you home soon." The professor assured. "Then you'll be able to dry off."

Luke held his blue umbrella close to his head. Layton was right, an umbrella was truly a blessing at the moment. The rain was pouring down violently. Luke's greatest wish was to enter his dry house, change into his pajamas, and enjoy several helpings of his mother's cooking. It was this wish that gave him the strength to endure the storm.

But it soon became apparent to Luke that he would have to walk the rainy road for a little longer. A young woman came into view, shivering in the rain. The professor noticed and automatically became concerned.

"Are you alright, Miss?" He asked politely. The woman lit up at the sight of the professor and his umbrella.

"Oh! Sir, would you terribly mind if I walked under your umbrella? It's so dreadful to walk home in this weather!" The professor smiled.

"Of course! Where may I escort you to?"

"Professor!" Luke scolded. "We're trying to get somewhere!"

"Now Luke," The professor said instructively. "A gentleman must always put a lady's needs first."

"I suppose you're right..." Luke admitted. The woman then stepped under the professor's umbrella.

"I won't need to go far." She explained. "I'll show you the way."

The woman led Luke and Layton a bit farther down the street, then onto a deserted road. Luke started to feel uncomfortable with the situation. Something seemed to be wrong... Was it? No, there was no threat to be seen here. Luke chalked it up to having been in too many dangerous scenarios with the professor. This wasn't one of those. This was just a good deed on a normal day.

But Luke's bad feeling returned as the woman led them into a dark alley. Even the professor started to feel uneasy.

"Do you really want to take this route?..." He finally asked.

Suddenly, the woman bolted away. Before Layton or Luke could react, they were each shoved and pinned against a wall of the alley. Several men crowded them. Luke realized in horror that his bad feeling had been correct.

"Check their pockets!" One of the men yelled.

"No!" Luke cried fearfully. The man who had pinned him held a knife to his throat.

"Shut up, squirt!" The crook threatened. "If you don't stay still-"

Luke was suddenly free. The professor had burst out of another thug's grip and tackled the man who was holding Luke.

"Luke, RUN!" The professor yelled, struggling with the attacker on the ground and drawing the attention of the rest of the gang. Luke didn't think before he sprinted away in utter terror.

It didn't take long for the gang to get the professor immobilized again.

"This coulda' been easy for ya!" One of the men, presumably the leader, yelled menacingly. "But now that you've stolen another victim from us, yer gettin' hurt!"

"There's no need for that!" Layton protested. "Take whatever you- argh!" The professor was cut off by a sharp punch to the jaw, followed by a kick from behind that knocked him to the ground. Several heavy blows continued to land on his body. His vision soon turned red from the blood dripping over his eyes. The pain seemed to be unending.

He couldn't escape this. It seemed like a tragic joke, that Hershel Layton could make it out of so many dangerous adventures unscathed only to meet his end at the hands of a few muggers in an alleyway. But there was no way out. Hershel felt his mind begin to separate from his body, away from the alley and the pain. His red vision began to turn white, and a familiar figure came into view.

"Claire..." Hershel muttered. He could see her, in her white lab coat and glasses, exactly the same as the last time he'd seen her. He reached for her...

Suddenly, the white view turned to blackness.

Luke came out of his hiding place when he heard the noise stop. He hurried to get to the professor, hoping that his mentor was alright.

Layton's apprentice was stunned with shock when he made it to the alley. The rain fell atop the sprawled out form of Professor Layton, now bruised and bloodied past recognition.

"PROFESSOR!" Luke shouted in horror. He rushed to his friend's side, kneeling in puddles of water that were mixing with blood. Luke practically ripped off his sweater, applying it to the gushing wounds. "Stay with me, professor!" Luke begged in tears. "I don't want to lose you!"

The professor was unconscious, so he shouldn't have heard Luke's cries. But somehow, in his silent mind, he did.

Stay tuned for chapter 2!