Here's the next chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it :)
Dikratsblim - Thank you, you are honestly too kind. I always look forward to your reviews.
I am also glad that you like Edgar and Aurora's relationship and it will certainly develop over the next few chapters. I am trying not to give too much away, because I don't want to spoil it for everybody, but thank you so much again and I hope you'll enjoy this next chapter.
djinn - Thank you, I'm glad that you enjoyed it.
atomical - I don't know, Highgate is quite hill-y and so is Notting Hill where there's also a nice Waterstones there. So, once we die on that particular hill we can visit it and then get some fish and chips after.
Part of me gets what you mean about Edgar and Aurora, so I will say this…they are soul mates, but not in a romantic way. Hope that makes sense. I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.
wellingtonlucas282 - No problem, I'm glad that you enjoy it.
Thank you all for reviewing; now on with the story. Enjoy!
Chapter 2: The Mysterious Girl
Airship
Sirens blared their warning cry. Their surroundings shuddered and jerked rapidly. The floor felt like it was going to give way beneath their feet.
The airship, the monstrous transportation used by Bronev and his army, was falling from the sky.
Layton led the way through the narrow corridors while Edgar ran after him whilst he carried the girl as gently as he could. The shouts and yells of the henchmen preparing for a crash landing echoed down the corridors; luckily for them, they were too busy to chase after them, meaning that they could slip back through the storage room and onto the balcony. Layton burst through the outside door and they were immediately hit by the rushing wind; they braced themselves and pushed themselves onto the balcony and to the railing that the Bostonius was tethered to…only to find that the rope had been detached, leaving it hanging off the side.
"Damn," Edgar muttered, looking up at the sky to see the airship missing within the thick grey clouds, "they must have detached it when the airship was going down to avoid being dragged down."
Layton looked over the side to see a forest of green pine trees below them before taking the rope in his hand, "We have to climb down. We should be low enough to jump onto the trees. Do you think you can climb down with her?"
"One moment," he said before he moved her so that he was over his left shoulder, "I think I can manage, but I'll have to go first."
Layton nodded and let him pass and climb over the railing. With one hand gripped tightly on the rope and one arm safely securing the girl, Edgar began to abseil down the rope followed quickly by Layton. If it wasn't for the protection of his leather gloves, Edgar reckoned that his hand would have been shredded and bloodied due to how fast he was sliding down the rope; however, he had to use every single morsel of his strength to maintain his grip; not only did have to hold his and the girl's weight, but he was constantly being pelted by the rushing wind. They slid down all the way to end of the rope; the tree tops a mere meter away from his foot. He was willing to wait for the airship to dip lower when he felt the girl begin to stir on his shoulder. The sight of being dangled dangerously over trees was a frightening way of waking up for anybody, so Edgar understood why the girl began to panic and squirm in his arm. She gave a startled yell and flailed about, almost accidentally kicking him the face in the process.
"Wait! Stop!" he cried out as Edgar struggled to hang onto her when suddenly, much to his Layton's horror, she slipped out of his hold and fell down into the thick forest below, "NO!" he yelled out as he watched her disappear amongst the leaves, but, before he could do anything, Layton cried out to him.
"Edgar! Watch out!"
He turned and saw that they were about to crash into the tree tops. There was nothing they could do; Edgar gritted his teeth and braced for the impact. The two dipped beneath the tree line and were immediately pelted by tree branches and sticks. Edgar made sure to hold an arm over his face to avoid anything stabbing him in the eye. They suddenly dropped further and were now out of the thicket; they swung across the forest swiftly as an arrow until the rope was caught on a thick branch and flicked off it and flew through the air for a few meters before they collided against another branch, knocking the wind out of both of them. They held onto it tightly and pulled themselves up slightly until their lower bodies were hanging twenty feet from the ground.
Edgar sighed as he latched onto the branch for dear life, his feet kicking the air helplessly, 'It's times like this that I really wished I had never gone to Misthallery,' he thought drearily.
Forest
"She must have fallen around here," Edgar said as he and Layton trekked through the dense forest, "I'm very sure of it."
"I don't doubt you," Layton hummed as he scoured his surroundings, "Let's keep looking. She could be injured."
"Got it," he replied before he cupped his hands over his mouth, "Mysterious girl! Mysterious girl! Are you here! Sorry that I don't know your name!"
Layton joined in as he stepped over a rotting log in his path, "We are here to help! We're not the ones trying to kidnap you!"
"Prof, that's exactly the sort of thing kidnappers would say."
"It's also the sort of thing that non-kidnappers would say."
"...Yeah, you're right," he cleared his throat, "We're not the ones trying to kidnap you! We're the other ones; the first ones! The handsome teenage heartthrob and the other three!" Edgar stopped and sighed in frustration, "This is getting us nowhere. If only we had Luke; he could probably talk to a nearby squirrel or something."
Layton frowned thoughtfully before he spotted something on the damp ground, "Edgar, look at this."
Edgar turned around and saw Layton crouched beside a large oak tree; he approached him and saw what he spotted. Sunken in the soft earth was a set of footprints leading from the tree and into the forest; he crouched down beside the professor and observed them as well with a curious look.
"They look freshly made," he muttered.
"And she doesn't seem to be limping," Layton added, "It is possible that she was uninjured in the fall."
"That's good to know," Edgar said in relief, "She's also heading in one particular direction. Does she know where she's going? Or did she just choose a random direction and started to follow it."
Layton hummed and stood up to his full height, "Let's follow them and find her quickly.
The two began to follow the footprints southeast, being careful not to step on them or to disturb the ground around them too much. They walked for what felt like miles, trekking through the misty woods and winding their way through the moss-covered trees. The sky over their heads began to turn a smoky grey as dark rain clouds began to roll in; the temperature seemed to drop steadily, forcing them to pull up the collars of their coats over their chins to keep warm. Suddenly, after an hour of silence, a familiar noise echoed throughout the forest, making them stop suddenly.
Chug-a-Chug-a-Chug-a-Chug-a-Chug! WHOOO WHHOOOOOOOOOO! Chug-a-Chug-a-Chug-a-Chug
Edgar frowned in confusion, "A steam train?" he uttered before they jogged towards the noise.
They finally broke through the tree line and out of the forest in time to see a train hauling several cargo cars behind it; it sped past them as quick as a flash before continuing its journey down the rusty track. With the absence of the train, they could now clearly see where they were; they were stood on the banks of a large foggy lake with mountains rearing up in the distance. The lake water was still and quiet; a cold shiver running down Edgar's spine gave him some idea how freezing the water was. The smell of fish hung in the air and alerted them to a small fishing town a couple miles down the railway track, hidden within the misty landscape.
"At least we found some sort of civilisation," Layton hummed as he observed the town "It's possible that the girl was heading towards it."
"If it was me, I would try to avoid it," Edgar muttered as he pinched his nose to block out the smell.
"Professor! Edgar!"
They turned and, to their surprise and relief, saw Sycamore and Emmy running towards them from up the tracks; they both slowed down as they got closer. Emmy sighed, worry evident on her face.
"Thank goodness, you two are here," she said.
"I wasn't sure if we would ever find you," Sycamore added with a small frown.
Emmy gave them a brief look over, "Are you two alright? Are you injured?"
"We're fine," Edgar reassured her, "Just thankful that we got out of that forest."
"I'm afraid I can't speak for the girl," Layton said, "We followed her footprints all the way here, but it seems the trail ends here."
Sycamore hummed and stroked his chin thoughtfully, "In any case, you did follow her to quite an interesting location," he told them as he turned and looked at the lake behind them, "We're currently on the edge of Lake Kodh, or Siren Lake, as the locals call it. It is said to be home to malevolent spirits who draw in the living and feed on their despair."
"Really," Edgar said as he looked over the lake, "I wonder if it has a gift shop."
"It's all superstition, of course," Sycamore continued, "I believe it arouse due to the unusually high number of airships that crash into the lake. The surrounding forest has also experienced more than its fair share of crash-landings."
"Speaking of crash landings, what happened to the Bostonius?" Edgar asked.
"Raymond managed to land it in the lake not too far away," Emmy replied, "He's trying to see if he could start it up again before we leave," she looked around and observed the town down the railway track, "We should probably continue our search for the girl. She must be feeling completely lost."
"I quite agree," Layton said, "Leads head to the town and ask around for any information about her whereabouts."
The four began to walk alongside the railway tracks towards the harbour town; as they got closer, they saw that the settlement was a cluster of old wood and stone buildings. It looked to be a dreary place with no colour or anything of interest; in fact, the most intriguing part of it was its stone brick railway station and even then, it only had the two small platforms. It was clear that the town made its commerce on fishing; they didn't doubt that the lake provided the town with an assortment of fish ready to export to larger cities.
"Behold the town of Kodh," Sycamore told them as they crossed over the tracks towards the town, "The landscape is beautiful...but it's reputation for accidents renders it unpopular as tourist destination. It is my opinion that an extraordinary secret is hidden in this humble burg."
"And what might that be?" Layton questioned curiously.
"You're an archaeologist, Professor. You have no doubt heard of the Azran civilisation."
Layton, Edgar and Emmy perked up as soon as he mentioned the Azran. Once more, this is the third investigation that they have encountered the ancient civilisation; no matter where they went, it always seemed to be involved in some way. The real question is whether it is following them or, perhaps, it was leading them to it.
"Of course," Layton said, "An ancient race who thrived long before the dawn of modern man."
Sycamore nodded, "That is correct. The girl offers indisputable proof of their existence. And an analysis if the fossil ice she was held in should give us an idea of when the Azran lived."
"So, in other words, this girl is the key to unlocking the secrets of the Azran civilisation," Emmy suggested, making Edgar frown in disapprovingly
"Indeed," Sycamore agreed with a wide smile, "I don't think we ended up here by accident. I believe the girl led us here somehow. If my theory is correct, there may be some manner of Azran relic in this town. It might even be the source of some kind of magnetic field that causes passing aircraft to malfunction."
"So, you're saying that she's trying to find this relic thing?" Edgar questioned.
"I believe so, yes. All this is mere speculation at the moment, though. To find the truth, we must find the girl," he concluded.
'I thought we were finding her to make sure she's safe,' Edgar grumbled in annoyance in his head before he took out his notebook and began jotting the latest mystery down.
New Mystery - Siren Lake: As its name suggests, the lake seem to be the site of a number of aircraft crashes. Although, why it does that is yet to be discovered. Sycamore suggests that it has something to do with the magnetic field, but it has to be a strong field if it completely destroys aircraft.
He pocketed the notebook and pen back into his pocket just in time to reach the edge of town. Before they could enter the narrow cobblestone lanes, Edgar heard the excited chatter of children; he looked over and saw two boys standing on a rotting pier overlooking the lake; one with black hair in a bowl cut and the other had two, oversized buck teeth.
"That was so cool!" the bucktooth one cried out, "That airship was gigantic! I never seen one so big crash into the lake before."
"I know right," he's friend replied, "Let's see if we can find somebody who would give us a tour of it," he said before the two jumped off the pier and ran off into town.
Edgar frowned slightly, 'So, they did crash. We have to be careful otherwise-"
"Watch out."
Suddenly, he was jolted out of his thoughts when Emmy grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him around the corner with Layton and Sycamore quickly following suit. He was confused at first, but then he saw what was wrong. Dragging themselves down the lane were the two soldiers from the village; the thin one with the pointed nose named Rook and the short, fat one named Bishop. They looked exhausted as if they had been walking for hours; their shoulders were slumped forwards, their head bowed forwards and their shoes and the cuffs of their trousers legs were caked in mud as if they had been trekking through a forest.
"Bah, lost them," Rook grumbled, "I'm sure they landed around here, though..."
"I can't believe they left us behind in Froenborg. My feet are so sore that I feel as if I'm walking to two large blisters," Bishop moaned, "Can we go somewhere to have a cup of tea before we start searching for the target."
"No, we can't," Rook snapped, "If we find them quickly then the boss would reward us."
"Ooh, I do like rewards. Let's go!" Bishop cried as he ran off.
"Oh, for goodness' sake!" Rook muttered as he ran off after him, "I thought you said you're feet hurt!"
The four of them watched them leave before sighting in relief at not being spotted by them. Emmy straightened herself up and frowned in slight concern.
"Damn, looks like they're already head and looking for the girl," she murmured, "We need to find her quickly."
"Who are they, anyway?" Edgar asked as they all stood up and headed further into town, "Mercenaries? Thieves?"
"They belong to Targent," Sycamore muttered in annoyance, "A secret organisation bent on unlocking the power of the Azran."
Edgar frowned at this, 'Targent? Targent?' he repeated in his head, 'Where have I heard the word before?'
Sycamore closed his eyes and hummed thoughtfully, "You remember the Golden Garden, the oasis you discovered in Misthallery. Its true name is the Garden of Healing. You will also recall the City of Harmony, the ruined structure which rose from the seabed around the island of Ambrosia. Finally, we have the Infinite Vault, an extremely complex mechanism situated just outside Monte D'Or. All three of these ancient sites were constructed by the Azran civilisation. They commanded technology far more advance than anything we could imagine. If anyone were to claim that technology for themselves, they would have the power to rule the world. All three of the Azran sites I spoke of are now under Targent's control," he told them, shocking the three of them completely, "Their examination of the Azran ruins led to the straight to Froenborg, just as my own research did."
"What I never heard about this!" Edgar cried out in alarm, "When did this happen? Are you saying that Arianna and Tony's lives are in danger. They still go to the Golden Garden."
Layton placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down, "No need to worry, Edgar. Arianna and Tony are saying at the Triton's for a few months while their mansion is undergoing refurbishments," he told him, making Edgar sigh in relief, "Although, I did wonder why they were carrying out the refurbishments. I suppose Targent wanted a convincing cover story for completely taking over the entire estate. This is all the more reason why we should find the girl."
They finally entered the town square where the train station was situated; it was by far the biggest building in the town square in comparison to the wonky wooden buildings that looked as if they were going to topple over like a house of cards at any moment. There were a handful of people going about their lives; transporting an assortment of fish, going into the dimly lit shops or just loitering around the small clock tower in the middle of the square. Dirt lanes weaved in between the houses in all directions, forcing them to stop and think about what to do next.
"We would have better luck if we split up," Sycamore suggested, "Professor Layton and I will take the north and western side. Emmy will take the harbour in the south and Edgar will take the eastern sector. Does that sound good?"
They all nodded in agreement and took off in the assigned directions. Edgar was slightly relieved that they split up as it gave him an opportunity to update some things in his notebook.
Mystery - Suspicious Men: It would seem that the uniformed men are part of an organisation called Targent whose goal is to uncover the power of the Azran. I feel like I have heard of the name Targent before. But where from?
New Mystery - Professor Sycamore: He may be a renowned archaeologist and an expert on the Azran, but it seems as if he too much for something that was speculative. Is there another reason for why he brought us here? And what is he relation to Targent?
He snapped his notebook shut and continued to wander around the small rickety town. He searched down alleyways, looked inside abandoned warehouses and sheds and even asked a few people for any information; all the while avoiding the Targent soldiers. He may have spent way too long talking to a pretty woman named Larissa before Emmy found him and chased him off before he could get distracted for any longer. It wasn't long until he reached the other end of Kodh and found himself on a dirt track that went over a railway crossing and up a giant hill that overlooked the lake.
He was about to journey further when he spotted another Targent soldier up ahead and immediately ducked down behind a stone wall. He poked his head over the side and watched as the soldier was interrogating a large man outside his wooden fisherman's house. The man was tall and burly with dark brown hair and a pointed beard; he had small beady eyes and large round nose. A flat cap covered his entire top of his head and he wore woollen gilet over a woollen red jumper and brown trousers. Judging by their body language, the Targent soldier seemed to be in the middle of interrogating the larger man over something while the town local looked as if he was going to knock him out at any second.
"I know she's round here somewhere,' the soldier barked, "You're not doing yerself any favours by protecting her, you know. Now, let's try this again... Tell me where the little missy is or I might take it upon meself to rearrange that honker of yours."
"I told you," the man growled, "I turned around, she was gone. Ran off to the market."
"Oh aye? So, what if I went looking near those boats, eh? What would I find there?" the soldier sneered as the larger man grimaced.
Edgar, having enough of this, got out of his hiding spacing and walked casually towards him. As soon as he got close enough to the soldier, he tapped him gently on the shoulder.
"Huh? What the-AH!" the soldier uttered as he looked around only to be met with strong punch to the side of his head.
The soldier twirled fully around by the hit; his eyes swirling in his head before he fell over backwards. Edgar caught him time and gave the large man a grin.
"You mind lending me a hand?"
"Of course not," the man said as he picked the soldier up by his feet, "I've got an old boat we can put him in."
"Thank you," Edgar gratefully said as the two began to carry the soldier to a nearby pier and laid the unconscious man down in an old, rotting boat that was moored to the pier, "The name's Edgar, by the way. I can't help but notice you don't seem too shocked that I knocked him out."
"I'm Boris," the man greeted as he untethered the boat and pushed him out into the lake with a kick, "Trust me, I was about to do the same thing before you beat me to the punch...literally," he said as the two watched the boat and the soldier drift off into the misty lake, "I suppose you're looking for that girl as well."
"Yes, have you seen her?" Edgar asked as they began to walk back to his fisherman's house, "It's really important if we do before those soldiers."
"I sure have. Odd-looking lass. Not ugly, but weird get-up," Boris hummed as he scratched his beard, "The girl was here looking for something. She was making a beeline for somewhere or other, when those bullies in uniforms showed up. She looked terrified, so I told her to hide while I sent them off track. But she's gone now, see?"
"Do you know which way?"
Boris shook his head, "Disappeared before I can tell her the coast was clear," he hummed once again and stared out into the lake, "She did seem interested in Siren Lake, though. She seemed mesmerised by it, her eyes would go cloudy and she'll just stare at it for long periods of time. You know, my grandmother used to tell me that this lake is thousands and thousands of years older than the first human who found this place. Local Celtic tribes believed that this was a sacred place to which an ancient god lived in; its misty waters were said to hold mysterious powers and allow aquatic creatures to live and thrive. That traditional way of thinking would have died out were it not for the first airships that attempted to fly over it; with every crash and emergency landing, the legend of Siren Lake seemed to become more and more substantial. We locals survive on it, depend on it for its abundance of fish, but even we are still weary of what lies beneath the surface. I don't know whether if there is a god that lives under the water or whether its malevolent or benevolent...all I know, is that, whatever is under there, doesn't want to be disturbed."
A chill ran up Edgar's spine at Boris' words; he looked out over the still waters himself and frowned in slight concern. A cold, dreaded feeling filled him as he watched the tide gently lap over the banks, making him shiver and the hairs to stand on the back of his neck. Perhaps, Boris was right; it doesn't matter what is hidden amongst the fog, what matters is that nobody should disrupt its peaceful silence.
"I see," Edgar murmured after a while, "How interesting?"
"Well, if you think that's interesting," Boris said, making him look away from the lake to see the large man open a window to his wooden shed to reveal a stand full of Siren Lake themed merchandise, "Then maybe you'll be interested some souvenirs. We got t-shirts, mugs, magnets, keyrings anything you need to remember your trip to Kodh," he said with a grin.
Edgar sweat dropped, "What do you know, they do have a gift shop."
"Edgar!" he turned around to see Emmy jogging towards him, "Have you found anything?" she asked.
"She was here...briefly. But it looks like we just missed her," he then pointed to the merchandise stand, "Oh and he's selling fudge for £8.99. Which is an absolute rip off, if you ask me."
"In their defence, they don't get many tourists," Emmy pointed out before she picked up a stick of fudge from the stand, "I would buy some if we were not on a serious case."
"That's a shame," Boris hummed, "I made them myself. They're specially made Siren Lake themed clotted cream fudge."
"Siren Lake themed?"
"Yep, they're salmon and eel flavoured."
…
…
…
…
Emmy placed the stick of fudge down on the stall, "You know what. I'm think I'm fine."
"Yeah, so am I," Edgar agreed as he put the five sticks of fudge he stole back.
Boris raised an eyebrow at that before his eyes caught sight of something behind them. His face turned pale, his eyes widened in shock and his jaw dropped; with a shaky hand, he pointed behind them.
"What on earth," he uttered in disbelief.
They spun around swiftly and followed his finger to the lake behind them. They squinted their eyes and tried to search through the thick fog…only to stare in absolute confusion. Hidden amongst the swirling mist, standing on the gentle surface of the lake, was the girl they had been searching for. She was walking on the cold water, venturing deeper and deeper into the unknown.
They ran off the find the professors as quickly as possible.
Shoreline
"Are you sure you saw her walking on water?" Sycamore asked the two assistants sceptically, "Perhaps the mist was performing tricks on your mind."
"We're definitely sure," Edgar insisted, "We both saw it."
"It certainly did look like she was," Emmy agreed with a nod.
After finding the professors and dragging them to the shoreline just outside Kodh, they had explained to them what they had just seen. While Sycamore found something like that hard to believe, Layton know that this was not something they would lie about. He currently stood on the small strip of sand and looked out over the lake while Edgar and Emmy were trying to convince Sycamore.
"It wasn't a trick or anything," Edgar insisted, "We also have another witness who can testify."
"Hmm, well, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for all of this," he told them before turning around and muttering to themselves, "Possibly a share delusion. Perhaps, they're young minds are still immature to be involved in complex cases."
"We can hear you, you moron," Edgar growled as Emmy glared at the back of his head.
"Professor Sycamore, I believe there is some truth in what my assistants are saying," Layton called out to them. He had walked a little further down the beach and stood on the shore just enough for the water to not touch the toe of his shoes, "Walking on water may be impossible, therefore there must be some sort of trick. Observe."
To their surprise, Layton took one step forwards into the lake; however, before his shoes could break the surface, it stopped on top of the water as if he was standing on it just like the girl did. Edgar walked up to him, crouched down and looked closely at his feet; his eyes widened in surprise as finally spotted what was going on.
"Ice?" he said out loud, "there's an ice path."
Layton was currently stood on a thin sheet of ice, no thicker than an inch, which extended across the surface of the lake from the shore to the centre. From a distance, you wouldn't have spotted it and, with the mist present, it made even harder to spot. Although, it was strange; something so thin and fragile wouldn't support an entire a person, right?
"Precisely," Layton confirmed, "I believe the girl used this to walk across Siren Lake as you claim."
Emmy kneeled down next to Edgar and wiped her finger across the top of the ice path, "Huh? It's cold, but it's not slippery," she hummed, "Slippery ice is caused by added pressure melting the ice. Ice itself is not slippery at all, but the layer of water on its surface."
"Which means…that this ice doesn't melt," Edgar hummed.
"Just like the type that was keeping the girl imprisoned," Sycamore said, as he scratched his chin, "Could it possibly be the same thing?"
"Let's head on," Layton said as he began to walk along the ice path, "I believe this is only the beginning of what we about to discover."
First Edgar, then Emmy and then finally Sycamore stepped onto the ice and began to 'walk on the water' into the dense mist. As they got travelled deeper, the temperature seemed to drop significantly to the point that they felt that were freezing over. They continued to walk in single file further and further into the mist until they couldn't see the town itself; suddenly, out in front of them, a figure appeared like a ghost amongst the mist.
The girl stood still upon the ice path, her long hair blowing gently in the wind. Her eyes were closed in a thoughtful expression; a look peaceful serenity evident on her face. That's until the pendent that hung on her forehead began to glow bright blue; her eyes snapped open and began to emit an ancient blue light. She raised her hands before and began to chant, in a low voice, an old, long forgotten language. Much to their shock, the water in front of her began to ripple; spinning faster and faster until a large whirlpool formed in the middle of the lake. The whirlpool began expand further and further until a large circular waterfall appeared and revealed something that hadn't seen the light of day for millennia. In the middle of the lake was an ancient monument made of yellowy-grey stone; it was cylindrical in shape with a round dome atop of it with pieces of what was left of the masonry poking out of it. It was clear that it used to be much grander back in its heyday, but centuries of water damage and neglect had damaged it into nothing but a ruin. There were holes in the stone walls, algae and other aquatic life were clinging it on to it and parts of the building had been completely destroyed.
"My word," Sycamore uttered, "An newly discovered ruin of the Azran."
"And it was under this lake for all this time," Emmy murmured thoughtfully.
Edgar looked over the building in wonder before he noticed that the girl was gone, "Hey, where did she go?" he asked in concern, "She didn't fall off, did she?"
"No, look," Emmy said, pointing to the edge of the waterfall where a set of stone stairs led down towards the building and to its entrance, "She must have gone inside."
"Then we must follow her," Layton hummed, "We don't want to lose her again."
Ruins
Stepping through the circular doorway and up a set of narrow spiral stairs, they entered the gloomy interior of the hidden ruin. Only a few mere glimpses of light poured in through the cracks above their heads, but it was enough to see that they were standing on a balcony hanging over a deep drop; the walls were made of large, grey slabs of stone with moss and algae growing in the cracks between them. Water, left behind from when the waterfall was formed, poured down from the top about thirty meters above their heads all the way down past the balcony and disappearing in the inky blackness at the bottom of the ruin. The balcony itself stretched out to the centre of the chamber where an odd looking statue was perched; it was a sandy, grey round arch with some of the stones, that were longer than the others, jutted out the side as if it resembled a rising sun over the horizon. Edgar breathed in the ancient air and was immediately reminded of the cave that they first found the ground; it was untouched, long-forgotten and foreboding. His eyes took a while to adjust, but he soon found the girl standing very still beneath the statue arch.
"Good grief," Sycamore whispered as he looked at his surroundings, "I never would have imagined this. I think these ruins are...responding to the girl."
Layton hummed and inspected the ruins as well, "So they, too, must be..."
"Azran, yes. No doubt about it," Sycamore confirmed.
Emmy gave a small chuckle, "Wow! So your theory was correct, Professor Sycamore."
"It would seem so. An ancient Azran structure with a powerful magnetic field that disrupts passing aircraft," the professor said, "Of course, that is just an unfortunate side effect. I should really like to know what the true purpose of this place is."
As the trio were discussing more about the ruin, Edgar slowly and cautiously walked towards the girl; he did not want to startle her out of, what he assumed, subconscious state.
"Hey," he whispered calmly, "Are you alright? You weren't hurt by the fall, were you? I'm sorry for dropping you," he softly said. She didn't respond and so he called out again, "We're not here to hurt you. We're your friends. We want to help you in any way we-"
The word got caught in his throat when the girl suddenly began to glow brightly; illuminating the chamber in a dazzling, ethereal light. She raised her hands before her and once again began to chant in the ancient language. Edgar took a step back in surprise when his eyes caught sight of something phenomenal above his head; the dome above them began to glow a bright, peaceful blue; illuminating an elaborate, primordial pattern that resembled eyes perched on top of the other. More and more of these patterns began to emerge from the walls around them; some were angular shapes, while others looked to be words or an old variation of hieroglyphics; it was beautiful to look at, but Edgar couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by it all.
Eventually, the girl turned around and looked back at them with her glazed over blue eyes. They were too shocked to speak or do anything in response. Layton and Edgar both frowned thoughtfully, their concern evident upon their faces. Finally, the girl spoke in perfect English once again, but her voice sound much more majestic than it had previously been as if she was possessed by an ancient goddess.
"I am the emissary of the Azran people: Aurora," she said as she slowly stepped towards them, "The time has come for the power of my people to be passed on. Our legacy to the world we left behind. If you wish to know our secrets...and your motives are pure...then all will be revealed," she raised her hands up before as if pointing to the chamber, "This dome will show you the way. Find the locations of the Azran keys. Prove that you are worth of our power."
And with the emissary's last words, the glowing faded away and the girl returned to normal. Her eyes closed and she would have collapsed upon the floor if Edgar hadn't run up to her and caught her in the last second. He laid her gently on the floor and held her head up slightly so that she was comfortable. The others gathered around them, making sure to give them enough space for them. Eventually and slowly, the girl's eyes began to flutter open and she looked each and every one of them in slight fear.
"I...what...where am I?" she started to sit up, but Edgar placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Easy now," he calmly said, "Take your time to recover and take deep breaths."
She gave him an unsure look, but nodded slowly nonetheless and began to follow his instructions. Once she was calm enough, she, with support from Edgar, got into a seating position and began to nervously play with her hands, acting completely different from before.
"So you were not aware," Layton hummed.
Emmy crouched down to her height and offered a friendly smile, "You called yourself Aurora just now. Is that your name?"
"Aurora? I-I don't know," she replied.
"Do you remember being trapped in the ice?" Sycamore asked curiously, making her look down at the ground anxiously.
"Me? Trapped in...ice?"
"You claimed to be the emissary of the Azran," Layton said, "Is it possible that you were sent by the Azran people as their messenger?"
"A messenger? No, I...I don't know!"
"Alright everyone, that's enough," Edgar sternly told them, "Aurora..." he turned back to the girl with a small smile, "Do you mind if I call you Aurora? Just for now."
The girl blinked up at him before she nodded, "I...I suppose."
"Thank you. Aurora clearly doesn't need to be interrogated right now. Let her take a few minutes, alright."
Layton cleared his throat and took a step back, "Of course, my apologies. It would seem that...Aurora's role as a messenger operates only on a subconscious level."
"The Azran have sent us their greatest puzzle yet in the shape of this girl," Sycamore said with a small smile, "It is up to rise to the challenge."
Edgar gave him a glare, "No, they sent a girl in the shape of...well, a girl. Don't treat her like she's anything else," he scolded, "Besides, rise up to what? What challenge?"
"The challenge on unlocking the power of the Azran; that's what the girl...I mean, Aurora said," Sycamore said as he inspected the walls, "This is amazing. We're on the cusp of discovery all the secrets of an ancient civilisation and it all starts with the walls of this dome."
"Yes, they must represent something..." Layton agreed as he searched the wall along with the other professor.
Aurora blinked in confusion at the two professors as they began to mutter and mumble theories to themselves; Emmy and Edgar sweat dropped at the two men and rolled their eyes.
"I...I'm not quite sure what's going on," Aurora admitted.
"Don't worry, I'm trying to figure it out myself," Edgar joked.
Emmy giggled, "You have to excuse them. They are very intelligent, but socially inapt for subjects other than archaeology."
"Archaeology?"
"Yeah, I guess that archaeology hadn't been introduced in your time," Emmy chuckled.
"It was probably called Novaology," Edgar said with a shrug.
Sycamore hummed as he inspected one shape on the wall of the dome, "The Azran people yearned for the skies, to go ever higher and always further. The most prominent character in their myths were the Great Riders of the Sky. It is a fair bet that the symbols on these walls refer to them."
Layton nodded, "Yes, '...Garsa upon her raven-feathered steed. In her hand, a black-bladed sword, sharpened on the edge of time, and in her heart-'"
"'The courage of an entire kingdom,' very good," Sycamore finished with a nod of appreciation, "You're familiar with Rutledge's 'Ancient Histories', then. It is the only mainstream work that discusses Azran myth."
Aurora shakily got to her feet and leaned on Edgar and Emmy for extra support, "There...there's a story about 'the Riders of the Sky' on these walls," she told them, much to their surprise, "Do you...do you want me to read it for you?"
The professors shared a surprised look before looking back at her.
"Please do," Layton encouraged.
"Only if you feel well enough," Edgar told her, "Don't force yourself."
Aurora gave him a soft, grateful smile before she cast her eyes to a set of words on the wall and began to read it out loud, "At the dawn of time, the world was one big continent, and the Celestial King sheltered all the lands beneath him ample wings. All living things served him. The king had five children, the Great Riders of the Sky, but they were proud and coveted their father's throne. The constant warring of the Riders exhausted the people and tainted the land. Roused at last to anger, the king drew his sword and made four strokes, slicing the land into ten continents. His children...he banished them to live on earth. The king sealed the sacred gates to the skies and scattered the five keys on earth, that his children might one day find them. Ever since that day. the king's children have gazed up at the skies, longing to fly again one day," she finished her story with a tired sigh and closed her eyes.
Sycamore smirked and stroked his chin, "Aha! Now I see it. The pattens on the walls must represent the earth. If we were to gather the five keys, we could unlock the gates to the skies or, in other words, the power of the Azran!"
"Incredible," Layton said as he looked up at the dome ceiling, "The story told of the Celestial King being enraged by his children's warring and divided the land with four strokes of his swords and creating ten continents," he spotted one pattern on the dome ceiling which resembled a man riding a horse; as he looked closer, he saw that there were four more of the scattered across the ceiling, "So, those are the Riders, hmm. I believe that we have to re-enact the story; if we split up the ceiling into ten parts with four lines, being sure that each rider is separated, we might uncover the keys' location. The five keys must lie at the points where the king's sword strokes meet."
"That's good and all, but that would be hard to do, by simply looking up," Edgar pointed out.
"Not to worry," Emmy said before she produced her camera from her bag and began to take snapshots of the ceiling, "I'll take a few photos and we can used that as a reference. We can work out the locations later once I printed them out."
"Very good, Emmy," Layton said.
"It's a metaphor..." Sycamore muttered to himself. They all turned to him and saw that he was still staring up at the ceiling with a longing look, "The Celestial King in the story represents the Azran civilisation. Which means the king's children, who were banished to earth, are...us, the distant heirs to their legacy."
Edgar couldn't help but feel uneasy by what he said; something in his words felt off as if they were a hidden agenda behind them. As he glared suspiciously at the man, Layton's eyes caught sight of a something on the wall to his right.
"Professor," he called out, catching Sycamore's attention, "Have you noticed the five oval symbols, like this one just here?" he asked, pointing a symbol that, indeed, looked like an oval with a line pattern on it, "Could they represent the keys?"
Sycamore hummed thoughtfully, "I believe so. They look rather like the artefacts Rutledge descriptively referred to as 'eggs'. Scholars have been pondering their function for years, but not one guessed that they might in fact be keys."
"They are aura stones," Aurora said, "Vessels capable of channelling the power of Azran."
"Aura stones, did you say?" Layton asked, "Did seeing the symbol trigger this recollection? Perhaps if we found these Azran relics, it would bring yet more back to you. You may in time fully regain your memory."
Sycamore nodded, "We will certainly need your help decrypting this puzzle. That is why Targent want you too, no doubt."
"Most certainly," Layton agreed, "There is no sense in staying here any longer. We must leave if we are to start our investigation."
However, before they could even turn towards the exit, Edgar stood before them and the way out and held out his hands, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on!" he cried, "What the hell is going on? First Sycamore brings us all the way central Europe to show us this 'living mummy' and now we've got an organisation who wants to kill us, a person who is more than a millennia years old and we are about to uncover secrets of a civilisation that was nothing more than a theory ten minutes ago. And now we're going on a bloody Easter egg hunt. This is a lot and it has barely been a day."
Sycamore raised an eyebrow at him, "What's your point?"
"My point is, why are we doing this? Putting our lives on the line for knowledge. I thought archaeology is proposing theories of historical events based on its remains, not go on a treasure hunt. Besides, Aurora just woke up and she needs to see a doctor or at least get a medical check up. Also, we need to keep her protected from Targent. We can't do that if we're dragging her all over the place."
"She will be protected," Layton insisted, "She is safest as long as she stays with us. I will not allow Aurora to be harmed in any way."
Emmy nodded, "I quite agree and the only way to keep her away from Targent is making sure they don't get ahead of us. We can only assume that they know about the keys as well so we have to beat the to the punch. If we don't get their first then they'll learn the secrets of the Azran and use if for...whatever they want. Aurora can help us stop them."
"The keys have hidden for over million years; I think they're fine," Edgar pointed out, "In fact, the only way that Targent have any chance of finding them is if we uncover them first."
"Mr Cipher, you don't understand," Sycamore said taking a few steps towards him, "This is my life's work. I have sacrificed years of my life in devotion to learning about the Azran. We are so close to touching the skies and venturing forwards just like the Riders from Azran myth. If we stop now, then the greatest puzzle ever to be created will never be solved," he sighed and gave him a determined look, "It is man's great ambition to leave the earth behind and know more of what lies behind the heavens...do you really want to stop before you even begun."
Edgar gave him a glare, "Some people are just happy as they are on earth with the things they have. The promise of adventure is exciting...but you have to remember what the cost is and ask yourself if this is really worth it," he sighed and pinched his nose. He raised his head and looked towards "Aurora...what do you want to do? Don't listen to what we said or feel obliged to do anything. Just focus on what you want."
Aurora seemed surprised by his question and frowned thoughtfully, "I...I don't know," she uttered, "I...I would quite like to retrieve my memories. And if I can get them back by recovering the keys...then I don't mind going on this...investigation as you call it."
Edgar couldn't help but feel a little disappointed by this answer; there was something wrong about all of this and he couldn't help but get the feeling that this is not going to end well. However...he did promise her and so he won't argue against her.
"Fine," Edgar sighed reluctantly, "But I'm only going to help Aurora retrieve her memories. I'm not putting my life in danger, because of some stupid egg key thingamajig and the Azran's legacy. As soon as things go wrong, I'm calling an end to this."
"And who put you in charge?" Sycamore snarked.
Edgar glared at him, "Nobody. But I know very well how to sabotage an airship. I can do it again."
"What?" Emmy asked in confusion.
"Long story."
"Then it's decided," Layton said, "Let us return to the Bostonius as soon as possible and get out before Targent arrives."
Shoreline
Edgar stepped off the ice path and onto the sandy beach of Siren Lake; he turned around and held up his arm for Aurora to take to help her step down. She still was a little shaky on her feet and seemed to jump at the slightest little noise; she shivered as the chilly wind blew over her and rubbed her arms and hands to combat it. Seeing this, Edgar took off his jacket and placed it around his shoulders; it didn't do much to fight of the cold, but Aurora gratefully took it and uttered a small thank you anyway. As the other stepped off the ice path, Sycamore hummed and scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"Travelling to each of the locations of the dome's wall will be quite an undertaking. As soon as we discover where the locations are, we need to do as much research on them as possible," he hummed, "Of course, we need more supplies, do some repairs to the Bostonius and countless other things."
Layton nodded in agreement, "Then may I suggest we head back to London. We can do all the tasks on our itinerary before taking off."
"Capital idea," Sycamore said.
"Yes, but what about getting to the Bostonius," Emmy pointed out, casting a look at the town, "the only way we can get through is by going through Kodh. Which, by now, is swarming with Targent soldiers."
Edgar frowned before he picked up a bit of driftwood and etched a renal shape in the pebbles, "Alright, I think I know what to do. Imagine that this is Kodh and we're here," he said as he drew an 'X' underneath the town, "Sycamore you go on ahead and get to the Bostonius and get it ready for take off."
"Of course," Sycamore agreed with a nod, "I'll start the repairs and inform Raymond of our destination," he said before he turned quickly walked away, making sure to be alert of any soldiers.
They waited until he had disappeared before Edgar took out something from the pockets of leather jacket Aurora was wearing. He turned back to them and handed them two rolls of firecrackers.
"Been a while since I used these. Let's hope they're not out of date," Edgar said.
Emmy shook her head, "Why am I not surprised that you have these?" she asked herself as she took one roll and Layton took the other.
"Emmy if you set your firecrackers here," he said etching an 'X' on the eastern side of Kodh, "and Prof you set your firecrackers here," etching an 'X' on the northern side of Kodh, "exactly two minutes after Emmy's sets hers off. When can draw the Targent soldiers away from the town centre."
"But there will still be soldiers on the western side," Emmy pointed out, "You'll just run into them."
"We won't be going to the western side," Edgar said, "I will take Aurora to the docks and find a boat that we can row to the Bostonius. Once you've fired the firecrackers, run back to the docks and we'll wait for you."
"You're going to steal a boat!?" Emmy cried, "We can't do that."
"I have to agree with Edgar here, Emmy," Layton mused, "Walking back will take too long and there's a possibility that we'll be chased after. If we take a boat, we can use the mist to cover our escape."
"Besides, I don't think Aurora is well enough to walk all the way back," Edgar added, offing towards Aurora who was still feeling shaky.
Emmy hummed unsurely but nodded, "Fine, we'll take a boat."
"Let's get going then."
As Emmy and Layton got to their position, Edgar gently led Aurora to the side of Kodh, just on its outskirts. They crept to the side of a house and Edgar peered around the corner down a main road; he growled in annoyance as he saw four Targent soldiers milling about in the streets, keeping a keen eye on everything and everyone who walked down the streets; hidden beneath their coats, Edgar could see the outline of a machine gun that was ready to unleash on them. He pulled away, took off his flat cap and put it on Aurora, much to her confusion, making sure it covered most the top half of her face.
"There're soldiers," he whispered to her, "We need to keep quiet."
"What do we do?" Aurora whispered back in concern.
"We'll wait for Emmy," he told her, "This road will take us past the market and straight to the docks. She should be ready right about-"
BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!
Suddenly, the town's tranquillity was smashed by the sound of rapid explosions coming from far away. The soldiers, and some of the locals, jumped in surprise at the noise; they all shared a look before silencing agreeing to following after where the noise had come from. Once the street was clear, Edgar gently took her by the hand and crept quickly; they passed the almost-empty marker, turned down a narrow alleyway before stepping on the wooden, rotting planks of the dockyard. At least nineteen boats were moored to the dock; eleven of them were fishing boats and too large for them to escape undetected, four of them looked as if they were going to fall apart and two of them were actually sunk into the water, leaving them two rowing boats left. Edgar chose the one closest to the open water and helped Aurora get seated on the stern while he began to untether it from the dock.
'We're almost done,' Edgar thought, as he loosed the mouldy rope around the dock cleat, "Once Prof ignites his firecrackers; they'll run back here and-"
Suddenly, he heard Aurora gasp in fright behind him; he glanced back at her and noticed a panicked look across her face. He was about to whisper back to her what was the matter when he heard a chilling, familiar sound above him.
Click!
Edgar tensed up and gritted his teeth.
It was the sound of a gun's hammer being pulled back into place.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here, Bishop," the familiar voice of Rook drawled.
"Yeah," the voice of Bishop agreed, "...Wait, who do we have?"
"It's one of the people we're looking for!"
"Oh...right."
He heard Rook clear his throat, "You think it was going to be that easy getting out of here, boy?" he sneered. Edgar slowly and cautiously looked around and up and growled as he saw a barrel of a handgun pointed at his forehead and the silhouettes of the soldiers beyond that, "You should know that Targent have one of the best soldiers in the world. We don't stop at anything until we reach our target."
Edgar frowned, "What...the hell are you wearing?"
He asked that, because both Rook and Bishop were both wearing an assortment of Siren Lake merchandise. They had 'I Love Siren Lake' t-shirts, blue baseball caps with a logo of a crashed airship on the front, a few badges on the lapels of their t-shirts and there was even a small snow globe sticking out of Bishop's trouser pocket. Edgar sweat dropped at the sight while Aurora tilted her to the side in confusion.
"We ain't wearing nothing unusual," Bishop sniffed.
"Yeah, we just found these things on the street and are taking them back as evidence," Rook added.
"You absolute liars! You totally stopped for souvenir shopping!" Edgar shouted at them.
Rook grinned, "And it looks like we found a couple of souvenirs to bring back to the boss," he darkly chuckled.
"SO, YOU ADMIT TO SOUVENIR SHOPPING!"
Rook glanced down at his partner, "What do you think, Bishop? You think the boss would reward us for not only killing one of his enemies, but bringing back the girl."
Bishop giggled in glee, "Oh, I'm sure he would," he agreed, as Edgar stepped in front of a terrified Aurora, "You know, this is a momentous occasion. Why don't we have each have a piece of fudge to celebrate."
The taller soldier glared at him, "For the last time, you are not getting a piece of my fudge."
"I just want one!" Bishop moaned.
"I don't care! If you wanted fudge then should have brought one."
"But I only had enough money for three things."
"You should have thought about that before you brought that stupid snow globe!"
"Snow globes are cool! Please just one piece!"
"No. You know what," Rook said before he produced the stick of fudge from his pocket and opened the packet, "I'm going to eat it now so you'll stop complaining."
"No, please don't!" Bishop cried.
Edgar glanced at the stick of fudge and remembered what was in it, "Yeah...I wouldn't recommend eating it."
"Shut it you!" Rook snapped at him, "Don't tell me that you want a piece as well?"
"...No, not really. Seriously, mate, don't eat that."
"Well, too bad," Rook said before he took a big bite of it, chewed it and swallowed it, "Because I was the one who caught you two, so I get to wallow in my victory."
...
...
...
Rook's face turned a pale green, his arms fell limp to his side and then he collapsed onto the deck in a heap, foam flowing out of his mouth as he released a pained filled groan. Bishop yelped in fright and got down beside him.
"ROOK! ROOK!" he yelled, grabbing the lapels of his t-shirt and shaking him about, "SPEAK TO ME, PARTNER! DON'T LEAVE ME!" he snapped his head towards Edgar and Aurora, "What did you do to him! Did you poison him!"
"Me!? I was the one trying to warn that idiot!" Edgar yelled back.
Bishop began to sweat nervously, "Is it possible that these people are more ruthless than we first realised," he uttered.
"I DID NOTHING!"
"It's fine," Bishop told himself, picking up the fallen stick of fudge and holding it up to his face, "All I have to do is give this to the doctor and he'll work out what sort of poison that boy used," he declared...before he ate the entire stick of fudge in one go.
...
...
...
...
"Oh no!" Bishop yelled, holding his hands up to the side of his face.
"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO THAT!?" Edgar cried at him furiously.
"It was a natural instinct," Bishop cried in panic, "Usually when I have fudge in my hand, I would eat it," he shouted before he hummed thoughtfully, "Huh? You know what, it ain't half bad. It does taste a little fishy though..."
That was all he said before he collapsed on top of Rook, making the other soldier wheeze out in pain as he kneed his stomach. Like Rook's, Bishop's face turned a pale green and foam began to flow out of his mouth. Edgar and Aurora stared at the soldiers in confusion before they sighed in relief; they could have got a lot worse.
They heard rapid footsteps thump against the wooden planks of the docks, they turned around and saw Layton and Emmy running down the dockyard towards them before stopping right next to their boat.
"They're distracted," Emmy sighed.
"Let us get out of here as quickly as possible," Layton added as they got in the rowboat as well, "I don't know how long until it would keep them preoccupied," he said before he and Emmy took notice of the passed out soldiers, "What...happen to them?"
Aurora pointed at Edgar, "They said that he poisoned them."
"Oh, I see," Emmy and Layton hummed at the same time.
"I did not!" Edgar cried before he glared at them, "And why do you two make it sound like this is a normal thing for me to do!? Just get in the boat!"
The professor sat at one oar while Edgar took the other; Emmy sat next to Aurora and gave her a warm smile; the girl responded with a small, shy smile of her own. Pushing away from the docks, Edgar and Layton began to row away from the town of Kodh and sailed into waters of the Siren Lake, making sure they are hidden amongst the grey, think fog.
Bostonius
Raymond greeted them at the door to the Bostonius and helped them step onto the airship deck before closing the door behind them shut. They felt relieved to finally be inside and in the warmth; the bitter temperature of the lake was becoming unbearable and Edgar and Layton's hands were going stiff by all the rowing.
While Raymond fetched Sycamore, Aurora curiously looked around the interior of the Bostonius in wonder; the last airship she had been on was Targent's and it was prison cell in comparison to this. Edgar and Emmy watched her from a distance and she looked over the framed pictures and the decorations around her; it must have looked completely alien and unusual, but they could tell by her body language that she was enjoying herself which made them smile happily.
They were disrupted eventually by Sycamore arriving from the back of the airship, wiping some grease off his hands with a dirty rag.
"Ah! Professor! Everyone! Perfect timing," he said as he allowed Raymond to take the rag, "Everything went smoothly, I hope?"
"Not entirely," Layton said, "But we were able to bring Aurora back unnoticed."
"Excellent," Sycamore said as he headed to the Bostonius' bridge controls, "Then they will be frantically searching for her. I say we take advantage of our good fortune and escape while we can."
"Our first destination will be London, as we discussed?"
"London, yes," Sycamore said as he began to start up the airship, "We are about to undertake a prolonged journey to unfamiliar lands! We must prepare accordingly. Considering the excitement of our last flight, it would be wise to have the ship thoroughly checked too. Anyway, we can discuss the particulars later. For now, let's take off."
As Sycamore prepared for take off, Edgar led Aurora to a seat and made sure that she was secure for the start of the flight. The girl looked nervously up at him.
"Excuse me, but where are we going?" she asked gently.
"London," he told her, as he took the seat next to her, "It's where I am from."
"Lon...don," Aurora repeated slowly.
"Indeed, we just need to some things," Emmy told her as she strapped herself into a chair, "After that, we can start our journey to find the keys and get your memories back."
Edgar frowned slightly at the thought of the journey; the whole thing still bothered him. Aurora took notice of his look and tilted her head at him puzzlingly.
"Excuse me..." she stopped and frowned thoughtfully, "...err..."
"It's Edgar. Edgar Cipher," he told her.
"Oh, of course, Edgar-Edgar Cipher," she said adorably, making him chuckle in amusement, "You seem...troubled by this. Do you not want to find the keys?"
Her question caught him off-guard for a few seconds; not really knowing how to answer her question. He sighed wearily and offered her a supportive smile.
"All I want is you to be safe, Aurora. And if you want to recover your memories then I'm more than happy to do so," he told her, "Please don't worry about me. Why don't I show you around London. I'm sure you'll love it."
Aurora blinked at him blankly; she didn't seem entirely convince by his answer but she nodded and looked forwards as the Bostonius began to pick up speed. Edgar gave her one last look before he turned back in his seat as well; he then remembered that he had yet to update his notebook and instantly took it out and began jotting down the latest revelations.
Mystery - The 'Living Mummy': The Azran seemed to have put Aurora in cryogenic sleep until she is awoken by a future civilisation. She seems to fall into two states: conscious and unconscious. While in her conscious state, she seems to have lost her memories of everything and act normally, but her unconscious state declares herself a messenger of the Azran people. The others seem to think of her as some sort of key; why are they not worried about her health?
Mystery - Siren Lake: Aurora's unconscious state revealed a long-lost ruin which dates back to the Azran. The ruin seemed to emit a magnetic force that interferes with passing aircraft. Is this the 'god' that lived in the lake that Boris mentioned?
After some thought, he started a new entry.
New Mystery - The Aura Stone: The Azran dome potentially revealed the locations of five egg-shaped Azran artefacts which are apparently keys of some sort. How it functions or the keys' locations have yet to be discovered...
Edgar stopped for a few seconds and glanced at Sycamore in the pilot's seat and then at Layton in the passenger seat and then at Emmy and Aurora; he hummed suspiciously and began writing again.
...but I honestly think that something is wrong with them. I'll stay silent for now, but if I see anything that might jeopardise Aurora's, Emmy's and Layton's lives, I will be forced to sabotage the investigation. I don't care about the Azran; I care for the friends that I have got.
He silent closed the notebook and put it his pocket; his heart feeling heavy with dread and anxiety. He decided to focus ahead as the Bostonius took off into the sky and flew along the clouds.
They were heading back to London. To familiar ground.
That's all for now.
Bit of a short one, but the next chapter is going to be more interesting.
Thanks everybody for reading :)
Omake: Edgar Vs Emmy Part 2
Layton's Office
Seventeen Days Later
Edgar grumpily opened the door to Layton's office and sighed irritably as he saw Emmy had already arrived and sitting on the sofa. The assistant turned looked up as well and gave an annoyed grunt as well before she continued colouring in her new pink motorcycle helmet with a bright yellow marker.
"Good day," she muttered.
"Hi," he grumbled in reply, casting a weary look at the slightly broken shelf before sitting down in his usual seat, "How long has it been since we…had start the game?"
"A month now," Emmy sighed, "and no one has won yet."
"No," Edgar said as he rubbed his head, "Should we just give up? It's clear that we are far too good at this game."
Emmy perked up at that, "Oh, can we? I hate this game so much. My tongue feels numb, I'm can't sleep and I feel far too stressed to do my work."
"I'm the same. This is worst game we ever come up with. I want to say more words! Let's just stop right now."
"Right now?"
"Yes."
"Agreed. Let's end it."
"Good."
The both smiled at each other nodded definitely; a sign that they have come to a firm agreement before they say in silence.
….
….
….
….
"…It would seem that you had not said a long word yet," Edgar slowly said.
"No," Emmy replied, "Nor have you."
They glared at each other competitively; their earlier peaceful agreement forgotten and replaced, once again, with petty rivalry. Before the two could do anything else, the office door opened and Layton's head popped around it.
"Hello, you two. Are you ready?"
They blinked in confusion.
"For what, prof?" Edgar asked.
"Why for the presentation I have prepared for my class," he explained as the colour drained away from their faces, "You said that you would both be giving it. Did you forget?"
Yes, yes they did.
"Of course, not," Emmy lied with a sheepish look, "How could we?"
"Yes, let's…do it," Edgar uttered with a small gulp, "what is the…what is it on?"
"A study of settlement expansion and its effect on commerce and trade in pre-Ptolemaic Egypt," Layton answered.
"Oh…right."
"Come on now," Layton ushering his assistants to follow him, "We mustn't keep them waiting any longer," he told them, causing them to give each other a nervous look, "There's no need to be timid. The presentation will only last an hour or so."
Three Hours Later
Layton opened the door to his office and stepped inside with a deep, unamused frown etched onto his face. Following behind were the sheepish-looking Emmy and Edgar who were looking everywhere other than their shared tutor. Layton turned around and gave them a disappointed look, but otherwise said nothing. Edgar cleared his throat and offered a small anxious smile.
"Well, what did you think?" he asked.
Layton cocked an eyebrow at the both of them, "Well, it was a lot less informative than I had planned for it to be. In fact, I don't think it made any sense whatsoever. It was as if you two were completely ignoring the script and just speaking about random subjects…for three whole hours."
"I would not say that," Emmy said nervously, "I mean, sure we may have made some stuff up on the spot, but I feel as if we kept it…on point."
Layton crossed his arms and gave them a serious glare, "Emmy, Edgar…are you still playing that game?"
"No."
"Course not."
"Would not dream of it."
Layton hummed before he reached for the jar on the coffee table and took out a Custard Cream biscuit before holding out to them, "What is this?"
…
…
…
"What is…what?"
"The object in my hand."
"It's…a jar."
"The other hand. Tell me what is the object that I am currently showing you two."
….
….
….
….
"No."
"Why not?"
"…Don't want to."
Layton sighed irritably, "Alright. Enough is enough. You two are both adults; you should know better than this. You promised me that if you wouldn't take your games too far and now it is effecting your work."
The assistants looked guiltily down at their feet at the Professor's piercing glare. Eventually, Edgar spoke up.
"We try to stop, but we are just too good at it."
Emmy nodded, "Yes, our pride is at stake. I can not let him have the…more up hand on me."
"You two are still doing it," Layton sighed before he held the biscuit up, "Oh right fine. Both of you, at the same time, tell me what this is. 3…2…1…"
…
…
…
"I'm serious you two. 3…2…1…"
"Biscuit!" Emmy and Edgar cried out before they sighed in relief.
"Oh thank God, I can speak longer words now," Edgar said with a blissful smile, "I feel so much better now."
"I do too," Emmy said with a grin, "I miss so many words. Algorithm, freedom, parachute, Devon, antidisestablishmentarianism!" she whooped in joy.
"llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch!" suddenly cried out, much to Emmy's surprise.
"I didn't know you can see that?"
"I learnt it especially for when I win the game as a sort of victory cry."
"Impressive."
Layton hummed happily, "Good, it looks like we can get on with our work," he said before he passed them and stepped outside his office, "I'm going to ask Dean Delmora if we can redo our presentation," he told them before offering them a small smile, "I don't mind you playing sometimes. I do like to see you getting along, but please do it in moderation."
"We promise, professor," Emmy chirped.
"We'll do better," Edgar reassured.
Layton gave a nod in appreciation before he closed the door behind him. Emmy and Edgar stood there in silence for a few seconds, not quite sure what to do now. Eventually, Edgar turned to her with a bright smile.
"Want to play a different game?"
"Sure," Emmy replied equally as eager.
"Okay," he said before he cleared his throat, "Right, I'll start. I was at an archaeological dig and I uncovered…some glasses from Halicarnassus."
"Oh right, I was at an archaeological dig and I uncovered some glasses from Halicarnassus and…treacle from Tikal."
"I was at an archaeological dig and I uncovered some glasses from Halicarnassus, treacle from Tikal and…a pot from Angkor Wat."
"I was at an archaeological dig and I uncovered some glasses from Halicarnassus, treacle from Tikal, a pot from Angkor Wat and…some brie from Mycenae."
"Big on their French cheeses in Mycenae, huh?"
"Apparently so."
The two continued their game for the entire day and the next day; neither of them wanting to back down, but not just because of their pride…but because they enjoyed their time together.
And that's something that is hard to stop.