Act 2
Twenty-two years worth of memories flashed before Emmy— scenes from a lifetime that was not her own. It was as if she'd been strapped to a seat and forced to watch an extremely long film, unable to look away or even blink.
First came the baby memories. They were fuzzy and brief. Melina's father was always there; he bathed her, changed her, fed her, gave her toys, and taught her to love music from a tender age. Her mother was never present.
Next, Emmy felt like she was flicking through a photo album of Melina's school years. As a little girl, Melina constantly wanted to jump up on stage and sing her heart out. During high school, she met Janice and excelled in music lessons. Melina was saddened by Janice's decision to study archaeology at university, but thrilled when she received a scholarship for music and drama. The future seemed so bright...
But then fate stepped in.
Suddenly, Melina became very ill; terminally ill, the doctors warned.
The final few recollections were the clearest. Someone had once told her that people felt most alive in the face of death. Melina held on to these precious moments like she was drowning and they were gasps of air. She walked along the beach with her father. When she grew too weak to walk, she stood by the piano and sang while he played. When she could no longer stand, she sat in bed and discussed compositions with him. When she lost the energy to sit up, she rested against the pillows. Janice visited her often, and chatted about what they would do together when Melina recovered. Melina smiled at her faintly, nodding in agreement. They both knew these plans were never to be.
Melina's last gift to Janice was a purple pendant, the only piece of her mother she had ever known. Melina's last vision was of her broken father and her weeping best friend.
The memories ended there.
Out of the darkness, a grassy cliff by a sparkling sea appeared before Emmy. The turquoise-coloured sky was filled with fluffy white clouds. It was difficult to determine where the sky ended and the ocean began.
Several feet away from Emmy, a blonde girl was stood on the edge of the cliff, gazing out at the ocean. She turned to Emmy in shock and began, "Who are...?" But she disappeared before she could finish.
Emmy ran to the cliff-edge, standing exactly where the girl had been seconds ago. (Was it seconds?)
"Hello?" Emmy's voice echoed around her. "Where am I?!"
Mr Whistler had caught Emmy when her legs crumpled beneath her, and hauled her into the Detragon's chair.
The professor's attention was split between his captured apprentice and the flickering red dials above his assistant's head. Whistler wrung his hands together, staring at the green screen where a shape of Emmy's body had come up. Descole also observed the screen, unperturbed by Luke's attempts to kick him in the shin.
"It's happening again..." Nina whimpered into Grosky's shirtfront.
Ten minutes crawled by. Everyone held their breath. Descole knew that an onslaught of Melina's memories should be wrestling with Emmy's consciousness right now. Not much longer...
Eventually, there was a beeping noise and a bright arrow appeared on the screen, pointing from the shape of Melina to Emmy. From head to toe, the host's outline turned completely white.
There was no red cross indicating that the process had failed.
"Could it really be...?" Whistler uttered.
I open my eyes.
Wait... That shouldn't even be possible. I'd been so very unwell, and then I- I...
My quivering hand comes into focus... but I realise that it isn't my hand! The complexion is slightly darker than mine, the wrist isn't so slender, and the fist is covered with small white scars, as if it hit something hard recently. I raise both palms to my face— which also feels different. My fingers run through thick wavy dark hair...
Then I take in my surroundings. At least this room seems familiar...
"M...Melina?"
"Father...!" I gasp in relief as I recognise his voice. However, I do not recognise my own. This voice is deeper, with a feisty edge to it.
I'm alive again, except this body doesn't belong to me. What's happened to me?
"Is it really you?" Mr Whistler peered closely at the young woman before him.
Professor Layton gritted his teeth, composing himself. As wonderful as it would be to see Melina alive, people couldn't alter fate. Even after wishing it himself, the professor understood that death could never be reversed. He prayed Emmy was only pretending to be possessed, or that her true personality would break through soon. (Though, that hadn't been the case with Janice...)
Luke's eyes shone with tears. "E-Emmy, are you still in there?"
"We will have to test this suspicion," Descole said thoughtfully. He called, "Melina Whislter!"
Emmy's head turned in his direction.
"Do you know who I am?" Descole demanded.
The woman swallowed before giving him a hesitant nod. "Y-yes... You're Dr Michaels, the scientist who invited us to this castle on the island. You were working with my father to find a cure for my illness. B-but it was too late, I... I died..."
Descole smiled as she recalled the fake name he'd given to her and her father. "It seems we've accomplished our objective, Whistler."
"What am I doing in someone else's body?" Melina cried.
Mr Whistler soothed his daughter, waving a hand over Emmy's form. "Melina, this kind lady gave her life so that you could have a second chance."
Melina's eyes widened, a wistful expression crossing her features. Could it be true? Her disease had plagued her for so long... but now maybe she'd be able to walk, and dance, and sing again!
She slowly stood up and took three wobbly steps forward, like a toddler learning how to walk. The brunette woman was tall with long toned legs. Had she really been generous enough to offer her own body to Melina? Deep down Melina knew this wasn't right, but a tiny selfish part of her desperately wanted to stay inside this body. To be alive again.
Melina gasped, nearly tripping. The floor had suddenly started quaking... and the roof was sliding open over their heads.
"What the...?" Mr Whistler said. He looked up, as did everyone else in the room.
Lightning-quick, Descole shoved a yelling Luke off the platform and charged straight for Melina. She hadn't even let out a startled squeak before he'd grabbed her arm and yanked her in front of the Detragon's organ. Melina gaped at him, wary of the grey wolf behind her. (Hadn't Dr Michaels been trying to save her?)
By the time Whistler realized what had happened, a wolf was springing at him, pushing him down the steps. Amelia screamed and also leapt off the podium.
"Luke!" Professor Layton shouted to his dazed apprentice. Luke helped Layton pull the still unconscious Janice to the centre of the room. Inspector Grosky scooped up Nina when a wolf snapped at her. Seven snarling canines appeared, herding the humans into a tight cluster and circling them like hungry sharks.
"Descole, what are you doing?" the professor demanded.
That's his real name, Melina thought, distress creeping over her. But why would he lie to us?
"I require this young lady's voice," Descole answered. "If I am to accomplish my real goal here."
Layton frowned. "What are you planning?"
"To bring Ambrosia back to life!" Descole pointed to the elaborate white symbol above them. "The legend of Ambrosia is famous, but it was I who discovered the complete seal. Layton, are you aware of what the lines around that symbol mean?"
"They're music," the professor realized.
"Correct, Layton. It's Ambrosian music." Descole opened a book on the Detragon's keyboard. It contained an annotated sketch of the Ambrosian seal across a musical score. "That seal is the first key to unlocking Ambrosia. It is A Song of the Stars."
"Of the Stars?" Luke echoed.
"The second key is you, Melina," said Descole.
"What? How can I be a key?"
He turned to her. "The Ambrosian seal hides not just one key but two of them. Two songs that resonate in perfect harmony. A Song of the Stars and the Sea."
"A Song of the Sea," Layton breathed.
Descole reached for Melina's hand. Emmy probably would have slapped the scoundrel if he'd attempted to touch her. However, Melina was disorientated and scared. If Descole were to harm Melina, he would harm Emmy as well.
Descole explained, "When two songs are played together here, Ambrosia will rise once more."
"How could I not see it?" Mr Whistler growled. "All he ever wanted was the Ambrosia kingdom!"
"But just as I cracked the code, the one person who knew A Song of the Sea, the other key I needed..." Descole looked to Melina pointedly, "...could no longer sing it."
"I don't understand," Melina whispered. "The musical score has always been on the piano in my bedroom. Why couldn't you just learn A Song of the Sea and sing it yourself? You didn't need to do all this..."
"I have a theory that you are a reincarnation of the lost Ambrosian queen... or perhaps a descendant. However, even if the queen's memories- I suppose one could call it her soul- are present in another's body, then the kingdom should arise when the host performs A Song of the Sea." Descole smirked at the professor. "Your assistant makes a suitable host, wouldn't you say, Layton? Perhaps she isn't as strong as you believed!"
Laughing, Descole pulled a lever on the Detragon. Then an explosion went off.