Chapter Text
“Thank you, Rosa,” Professor Layton said with a smile, looking towards the elderly housekeeper of Gressenheller. He was in his office, a fresh cup of tea in his hand. “The tea you serve is delicious enough to seep into your heart, as always,” he added, closing his eyes and taking a sip.
“Oh my, Professor. You are still so good with words,” the older woman giggled, placing a hand to her mouth.
“Not at all. It’s just the truth. You know I would never lie,” the gentleman said with a smile, resting back in his chair. It had been a quiet few years. There hadn’t been any calls for adventures in a while. Flora was at university, while Alfendi had just started at the Police Academy. Katrielle was in her final year of Primary School, Year 6, so the most Professor Layton was doing outside of teaching and lesson planning was helping Katry with her own school work.
“Then I’ll gladly accept that compliment,” Rosa said with a smile of her own.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. It was quiet, but quick. Layton frowned slightly. Whoever was at his office door seemed… worried.
“I’ve got it,” Rosa said, walking over to the door and opening it, before gasping. “Oh my! Pearl?” she asked.
The young woman smiled weakly at Rosa, despite her grey eyes being full of worry. Instead of the usually Spirit Medium acolyte clothing, she as wearing a light purple sweater with a pair of jeans that flared slightly at the hem. She still wore her light blue magatama around her neck, and her light brown hair was still pulled up into its pretzel shaped bun, with a dark purple bead weaved into the fringe framing her face. The weak smile faded from her face, and she began to nibble at her thumb nail.
“Hello, Rosa. Is Professor Layton here?” she asked. Rosa nodded, turning back to the man in the office.
“Professor, it’s Pearl,” she called, stepping back to let the younger woman in. Layton quickly looked up, his own eyes widening.
“Pearl? Is everything okay?” he asked. “I knew you and Luke were going to come to London soon, but—” he cut off as he studied Pearl’s body language, reading the worry she seemed to be carrying. “Come. Sit and tell me what’s going on,” he said in a soft voice. Pearl moved forward, sitting on one of the sofas, making an effort to stop chewing her thumb nail.
“It’s about Luke,” Pearl said softly. “I need your help finding him,” she added. Layton’s eyes widened, and he leaned forward.
“Find him? You mean he disappeared?” he asked, his own voice low with worry. Pearl nodded.
“Yes. He hasn’t come home for a few days. He left for work in the morning, but…” the woman trailed off. Professor Layton frowned in worry.
“When did you two come back to London?” he asked. Pearl thought for a moment.
“A week ago. He was transferred from the museum in California to one here. He was actually going to come visit you the other day as a surprise, but he got jumped, and the thieves made off with his book bag. Thankfully he wasn’t seriously injured, but he’d been pretty sore that day,” Pearl explained. As she talked, Rosa placed a cup of tea on the table in front of her.
“That boy, always finding trouble,” Rosa said in a fond voice, despite the worried frown on her face.
“Tell us how Luke disappeared,” Layton said, his focus solely on Pearl. Pearl sighed, a frown forming on her face.
“Luke was trying to solve some big mystery,” she said. “You know he was constantly doing that back in America, too, and I’d help him most of the time. But when we found a certain mystery, he pushed me away from it. It got worse when he got jumped, too,” she explained. “He locked himself up in his study, and worked on solving that mystery alone.” Pearl frowned and shook her head. “And Luke told me it frustrated him when his dad did the same thing, back in Misthallary.” Pearl sighed. “A few days ago, Luke disappeared completely. When he was late getting home from work, I just thought he was doing research again, but then he never came home that night… I went to the museum he works at. He’d been to work that day, and left when his shift was over. But no one has seen him since,” she said.
“All right,” Layton said, standing and moving closer to the young woman. “First thing’s first. Let’s check out Luke’s study,” he said.
“Yes, of course,” Pearl said, looking up at Layton with a small smile of relief.
“I’m going out, Rosa,” Layton called to the housekeeper.
“Oh, my. Wait a minute please,” she called back. “I’ll be ready right away.”
Layton and Pearl exchanged a confused look.
“Rosa?” Layton asked. The older woman looked back with a smile.
“I’m going too, Professor.”
“You, Rosa?”
“Right now, you don’t have an assistant, right, Professor? Allow me!”
“Oh? You sure sound confident,” Layton said with a smile. “All right, let’s go together.”
Pearl showed Layton and Rosa to the house she and Luke had moved in to. It was a two story, green house with white stone trimming and blue awnings. A white picket fence surrounded the property. It was about a twenty-minute walk from the University.
It was vastly different from Fey Manor, where she’d lived most of her life, but it was a house she and Luke had chosen together. Despite only living there for about a week, Pearl loved it. They hadn’t fully finished unpacking and decorating yet – only Luke’s study and the living room were fully put together – But Pearl loved it dearly.
“To think you and Luke lived so close by,” Rosa mused. Pearl nodded.
“It’s why he was walking to visit you that day,” she explained, moving to the door and unlocking it (another thing she had to get used to, since she never really locked and unlocked the doors of Fey Manor). Pearl led them into the house.
“Don’t mind the mess. We’re still unpacking,” she said, leading them upstairs, and to one of the closed doors, which she pushed open. “This is Luke’s study.”
It was a sizable room, with one window against the back wall, the white curtains over it open to let the light in. The floor was hard wood, with an old, light blue and white rug covering most of it. Pearl frowned at it again. When Luke had first set up the office, the rug had been under his desk, which was against the back wall, away from the window. But now it was in the center of the room, between the yellow and red striped couch that was against one wall, and the book shelves against the other. She’d also noticed the ladder to the attic was down last time she was in here, searching for clues as to where Luke could have disappeared to. Luke hated leaving the attic ladder down. It blocked the light from the window, and made the space feel more cluttered, he’d say.
She stayed by the door, watching as Layton moved further into the room and looked around.
He slowed to a halt, spotting the pictures hanging on the wall over the sofa. They were all old pictures Luke had saved and framed, from the first time he’d lived in London, before he moved to California and met Pearl.
“Luke…” Layton muttered, sounding worried.
“Oh, these are all the photos you took while solving mysteries together, right?” Rosa said with a bright smile. Layton smiled at her.
“That’s right,” he said.
“Luke told me all about your adventures together. Back when he was your apprentice,” Pearl said with a smile, coming over to look at them. “Those memories are some of his favorites.”
Layton smiled slightly at that, before moving over to Luke’s desk. He couldn’t help but smile at it. It was a little cluttered, but much neater than how Luke kept things when he was younger. He thought over that as his eyes scanned the items on top. There was a pile of archeology books (That’s right, he decided to specialize in linguistic Anthropology, Layton thought, noticing one of them had some kind of pictograph language on the spine, instead of an English title), a notebook, a pen, and a clock—
“Huh?” Layton muttered, noticing the clock was stopped. Pearl came over, and frowned down at it.
“I noticed this clock was stuck when I looked around this room,” she admitted. Layton nodded slowly, looking around the study more, before looking up, first at the ceiling by the light (Is that a crack?), then at the rug on the floor (What an odd design. Unless…), then at the ladder. Pearl looked at it, too, still wondering why Luke left it open.
“I see, so that’s how it is,” he muttered to himself.
“He hated leaving that ladder open. It cluttered the space too much, he said. But… I thought he might have left it open for a reason, so I didn’t close it when I came in here looking for clues,” Pearl explained. Layton looked at her, and smiled.
“Very good, my dear. I believe Luke left the study like this for a purpose. In fact, I believe I know his general location,” he added with a smile.
“Really!?” Pearl gasped excitedly.
“As expected of you, Professor,” Rosa said with a smile.
“Luke left clues in here? But I looked everywhere, and couldn’t figure it out!” Pearl said. Layton smiled at her.
“You noticed things out a place, and had the good sense not to fix them. You realized Luke left them like that on purpose. Luke stepped into a dangerous mystery. The reason why he got you away from it was to keep you safe. He thought that if he got in trouble, he would call for my help,” Layton explained. Pearl’s eyes widened.
The ladder, the clock, the rug… she knew they were all out of place… “This room… he left it as a puzzle to guide us after him!” Pearl exclaimed. Layton smiled warmly, and nodded.
“Honestly, my dear, if you knew London’s layout like Luke and I do, I have no doubt you would have found the solution to the puzzle on your own. You were just missing that one piece,” Layton explained. Pearl frowned thoughtfully, looking around.
“London’s layout?” she asked. Layton nodded.
“Up,” he said, pointing to the crack on the ceiling. Both women looked at it. “That crack will point to Luke’s whereabouts.”
“The crack? Luke planned to get that filled soon,” Pearl muttered with a frown.
“It’s a good thing he didn’t. Now, look down,” Layton said, pointing to the rug. Both women looked down at it, and Rosa gasped first.
“It’s a map!” she said.
“Correct. But you know the general layout of the streets around the Brittish Museum, allowing you to recognize it.” He looked over at Pearl. "Hence, your missing piece,” he added to her, who was staring at the rug with fresh eyes.
“I see! No wonder he liked this rug so much. It reminded him of home,” she said with a smile, before looking up at the crack again, trying to see where it was pointing to. “But I still can’t tell where…” she trailed off as her eyes fell first on the window, then the stopped clock. “Oh,” she gasped softly. Layton nodded with a smile.
“You realized it, too,” he said, walking over to the ladder. “The stopped clock gives us the time for the answer,” he said as he climbed up, and looked into the attic. There, on the angled ceiling, was a sky light.
Pearl moved around the room, turning off the lights and drawing the curtains closed, while Rosa compared the stopped watch to her own pocket watch. They waited for a few minutes, before Rose nodded.
“Professor, it’s time!” Rosa called.
Inside the attic, Layton opened the sky light. Sunlight streamed into the attic, and filtered through the crack. The three studied it as the light coming through the crack formed an arrow, pointing directly to one of the buildings.
“It points to the British Museum!” Rosa exclaimed. Layton nodded slowly.
“I’m sure that’s where Luke is,” he announced.
The group quickly made their way to the Museum in the Layton Mobile. As they entered, Rosa stepped away for a few minutes, before rejoining them.
“I requested a visit with the museum’s head of security, Officer Zachbarn,” she said. Professor Layton nodded with a smile.
“Thank you, Rosa,” he said.
“Luke is here?” Pearl muttered, looking around. It had been a few days since she’d last seen him, so if he was trapped here for some reason… her hands balled into fists. I hope he’s okay, she thought to herself.
“Are you Professor Layton?” a voice suddenly asked from the side. The trio turned to face a man who was walking over to them. He had a red ponytail and mustache, a tiny nose, and a large chin. He was wearing a maroon blazer with a gray turtle neck underneath. He smiled at them as he came closer. “It is a pleasure being able to meet you,” he said warmly, spreading his arms in a welcoming gesture. “I am the head of Security here, Donald Zachbarn.”
“The pleasure is mine, Officer Zachbarn,” Professor Layton said, shaking hands with the man. “This is Rosa and Pearl,” he added by way of introduction.
“Allow me to show you to my office,” the man said, giving Layton’s hand a firm shake, before leading them further into the museum and into the back, employees only area. Once they were settled in the office, Officer Zachbarn got down to business.
“So what would the famous Professor Layton want from us?” he asked curiously.
“My close friend, Luke Triton, has disappeared,” Professor Layton started. “His last known location was here, the British Museum. We were wondering if you knew anything.”
“Luke Triton?” the security officer repeated, looking thoughtful. Pearl, meanwhile, was looking around the office. She sensed that… something was off. But she couldn’t place her finger on it. “I’m sorry, I don’t know who that is,” the officer said with a shrug. “It would be impossible for me to remember every visitor.”
“He was trying to solve a mystery, came here, and then disappeared,” Layton said. Pearl glanced up at the chandelier, and gasped, finally realizing what was bugging her.
The crystals on it were uneven. Usually each crystal strand would have the same amount of crystals hanging from it, but not this one…
“Even if you tell me that, I don’t know what I don’t know,” Zachbarn said patiently, folding his hands together.
Was Luke here? And he left another puzzle? Pearl thought, looking around. Between her time spent with Luke, since they were teenagers, and helping Pheonix with his cases, she’d become apt at puzzle solving. Luke helped her learn to recognize them, and Pheonix had taught her to look at everything from every angle.
Professor Layton was right about Luke’s study. If she’d recognized the rug as a map, she’d have found her way here days ago. But here…
Her eyes fell onto the book shelf, and she stood, walking over to it.
“Pearl?” Professor Layton asked, surprised by her sudden movements.
“Professor, I think I’ve found something,” she said, turning to look up at the chandelier, silently counting each strand, before looking back at the bookshelf, and gasping as the message became clear to her. Professor Layton stood, walking over to stand next to her, and following her movements. A small smile crossed his face.
“Very good, dear. I see why Luke was so taken by you,” Professor Layton said with a smile.
“You two were rather quick,” Rosa said with a smile.
“What are you talking about?” Zachbarn demanded.
“Pearl has found Luke,” Layton said with a small smile.
“Professor Layton, what are you talking about?” the security officer asked with a befuddled smile, shaking his head.
“Zachbarn, you said you don’t know Luke. But you let Luke in this very room. Recently. You even left him alone for some time in here, too, if I’m not mistaken.”
“What? What’s your basis to say that?”
Layton looked back at Pearl.
“Would you like to explain, my dear?” he asked. Pearl nodded.
“Luke left a puzzle in this room. A message to us to help find him,” she explained. Zachbarn frowned and stood.
“What puzzle? Stop spouting nonsense!” he snapped, finally loosing patience. Professor Layton frowned, tugging his hat lower over his eyes.
“It is ungentlemanly to interrupt a lady when she is speaking, Zachbarn. You are the one spouting nonsense,” he said in a low voice. Pearl frowned, pushing up one of her sleeves.
“You know where Luke is!” she snapped.
“I don’t! Haven’t I told you already!? Why are you doubting me?” Zachbarn retorted.
“I’ll explain the puzzle then. Since we walked in, something had been bugging me. I finally realized it was the chandelier,” Pearl said, pointing up at it. Both Rosa and Zachbarn looked up at it. Zachbarn frowned slightly, seeming to just notice what was wrong with it. Rosa still looked a little puzzled.
“What’s wrong with it?” she asked.
“Usually, a chandelier like this would have the same number of crystals hanging in each strand. But not this one. And if each crystal represents a number, you can use it to find the message here,” she said, motioning to the bookshelf. Professor Layton nodded.
“Correct, my dear. You have to start from the side deeper into the room, and match them with the book’s labels…” he explained.
“And it says… ‘Luke is here’,” Pearl concluded.
“What!?” Zachbarn gasped.
“Now then, Zachbarn. Take us to Luke,” Professor Layton said, stepping closer to the man. Anger radiated off of the gentleman, his earlier smile gone.
“There’s no helping it, then. None of you will be leaving,” Zachbarn said, before snapping his fingers.
The door burst open, and four men wearing suites and hats barged in, blocking the doorway.
“Oh, my!” Rosa gasped, standing and moving over to where Pearl and the Professor stood.
“Take care of them!” Zachbarn yelled as he ran out of the room.
“This is the end for you!” one of the men cackled as he reached for Pearl.
“Don’t resist!” another said as he reached for Rosa.
Thankful that she learned self defense from Athena, Pearl grabbed the first man’s hand before it could close on her arm, and judo flipped him over her. The man landed on his back hard, all of his air leaving him in a loud wheeze. She turned to help Rosa, but noticed that the older woman had dodged the man’s attempt to grab her.
Layton quickly grabbed a fire poker from next to the fire place, wielding it like a sword. He thrust it into the chest of the first man that had approached him, before pointing it in the second man’s face, bringing him to a halt.
“We’re getting out of here!” Layton called to the two women.
“Right!” they called, turning and running out of the office. Layton made quick work of the remaining men, before following after them, keeping his makeshift weapon in his hand.
Just as they reached the Egyptian exhibit, Layton noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He called a warning, and darted forward, intercepting the baton that had been aimed for Pearl’s head with the fire poker. The man holding the baton growled, pushing hard and trying to over power the professor.
“You can’t use a gun in here,” Layton said, realizing why the men were only armed with melee weapons. He suddenly broke the stalemate, and kicked the man in the stomach, sending him backwards.
“Follow me!” he called to the women, running towards the steps that would lead to the ground floor. Pearl glanced back, making sure Rosa was keeping up with them, before following Professor Layton.
As they ran up the steps, Pearl heard more footsteps behind them and stopped, letting Rosa get past her, before focusing on her Spiritual Magic. The men who was chasing them nearly caught up, just as Pearl flung a blast of Spirit Magic at them. It hit the first man in the chest, sending him tumbling backwards into the men behind him, sending all of them back down the stairs.
She then turned in time to see Layton jump over the head of a man who had been at the top of the steps, who had aimed a punch at him. Layton came back down just behind the man, and used the butt end of the fire poker to slam him in the face, knocking him out cold and sending him rolling down the stairs to join the others.
“Now, let’s continue,” Professor Layton said with a smile, glancing back at the two women. Both nodded, following after him. They didn’t meet anymore of the men, thankfully.
Rather then go to the exit, Layton lead the two women further into the museum, searching for Zachbarn.
They found him in one of the closed exhibits. The room was dark, but they could hear the man panting for breath. Layton turned on the light.
“That’s as far as you go!” he called. Zachbarn quickly turned, spotting them with wide eyes. Professor Layton pointed the fire poker at the man, and Pearl’s clenched hands began to glow with Spiritual light.
“Tell us where Luke is!” Pearl demanded.
Zachbarn growled slightly, before looking between Layton’s makeshift weapon, and Pearl’s glowing hands. The anger drained from his face, and he sighed.
“All right, I’ll take you there,” he finally relented.
He led them back downstairs, and through another employees only door. Rather than a hallway full of offices, like before, this one lead through maintenance halls, down into what seemed to be the basement. Layton frowned deeply, while Pearl began to fidget with the hems of her sleeves.
She was worried. It’s been a few days. Have they been feeding him? What if he’s hurt? Why did he have to run off on his own like that!? She fretted.
Zachbarn finally stopped in front of a metal door that had a lock on the outside of it.
“We’re here,” he said, turning back to the trio.
“So this is where Luke is,” Professor Layton said with a small frown.
“Luke…” Pearl said, all of her worry poured into that one word.
“Don’t worry,” Layton said with a small smile to her. “I’m sure Luke is all right.” He then glanced over at Zachbarn, who seemed to be pulling something out from behind his back. “This is as far as you come with us… Don Paolo.”
Zachbarn jumped, the taser he was pulling from behind his back suddenly very visible.
“W-what!? You knew?” Zachbarn – no, Don Paolo – gasped. Layton finally turned to look at him.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t be able to see through that cheap disguise?” he said. Don Paolo growled, tossing the taser to the side, before ripping his disguise off, revealing his true face.
“You are always so annoying, Layton,” the man snapped. Pearl frowned deeply at that.
I thought Luke said Don Paolo and Layton were on better terms now? Then again, it’s been years since Luke last met him…
“And you are as careless as always, Don Paolo.” Layton reached into his pocket, pulling out a purple gem stone. “Also, I’ve taken the Relic Stone you were hiding in your room. The one I believe you had your thugs steal from Luke earlier this week when he was jumped.”
“W-what have you—” Don Paolo started, a growl in his voice.
“Wait, what’s a Relic Stone?” Pearl asked, looking down at the purple gem, then up a Professor Layton.
“How far do you plan to meddle in my business!?” Don Paolo yelled before Layton could answer Pearl. “Do you think I’ll leave just like that!?”
“Inspector Chelmey and Scotland Yard will arrive shortly,” Layton said, putting the gem back in his pocket, before pulling out a ring of keys. “Since you want the key to the door in the back alley, you’ll leave quietly, right?” He tossed the key ring to Don Paolo, who looked surprised for a moment, before scowling.
“I may leave now, but you’ll remember this, Layton!” the man snapped, before running off.
“Was that smart?” Pearl asked, looking up at Layton, who frowned slightly.
“Perhaps not, but I wanted to be rid of him before we rescued Luke, and that was the quickest way,” he explained. Pearl thought about that for a moment, before nodding in understanding.
“Now, let’s save Luke.”
He moved over to the door, unlocking it, before pushing it open. It was completely dark inside the small room. The sole occupant cringed at the sudden light, blinking the spots from his eyes, before looking up, spotting the three of them.
“As much as you want to solve a puzzle, one must never make a lady cry,” Layton said to his oldest and dearest friend. "That’s how an English gentleman should behave, Luke,” Layton said with a smile, tipping his hat to him.
Pearl quickly studied her husband as he pushed himself up from where he’d been sitting on the ground. He was a bit dusty and dirty, most likely from not being able to wash up for a few days, but he was uninjured, and that was the most important thing.
“Professor Layton! Pearl!” Luke gasped.
“Luke!” Pearl darted forward, throwing her arms around him.
“Pearl,” Luke repeated, this time in a much softer voice. “I’m sorry for worrying you,” he said. He then looked up as Professor Layton stepped closer. Pearl smiled, stepping aside.
“It’s been so long!” Luke said, stepping forward and hugging the older man, who had offered a hand for a handshake. Layton looked surprised for a moment, before smiling, putting his offered hand on Luke’s back instead.
“Luke. I never thought you would get involved in the Relic Stones’ mystery,” he said softly to the young man.
“I didn’t want to get you involved until the end,” Luke admitted, stepping back. Layton could see the reasons clearly in Luke’s face.
After all, it’d only been a few hours ago that he’d been thinking how peaceful his own life had finally become. He shook that away.
“Luke, I mean to solve that mystery with my own hands,” he said. “You know that, don’t you?”
“Yes, I know…” Luke said, looking down for a moment, before looking up. “I’m sorry, to me, this is a mystery I can’t leave alone either.”
Pearl looked between them, wondering what this was about. “Relic Stones? What is this about?” she asked, regaining their attention.
“Luke, you should explain it fully to her,” Professor Layton said. Luke nodded, before turning, taking Pearl’s hands.
“He’s right,” he sighed, before going into a full explanation of the Relic Stones: a legend of a series of jewels connected to some huge treasure. Apparently, they were also cursed to bring misfortune to anyone involved. Pearl glanced towards where Layton had pulled the Relic Stone from his pocket, believing that curse, especially with what just happened to Luke.
“That’s why I didn’t want you to get involved with this one,” Luke added softly, giving Pearl’s hands a squeeze.
Luke went on to explain the stones’ origins: how the first was found in a mine around a hundred and twenty years ago, and scientists couldn’t figure out what it was made from. How at some point, the stone suddenly glowed with a light that led them to the next one. And how the next one glowed and led to the next stone, and so on. No one knew how many stones there actually was, because the stones themselves were just continuously leading to the next one.
“The legend says that eventually, a stone will lead to a huge treasure, the Relics,” Luke finished.
“How many stones have they found so far? Where are they being kept?” Pearl asked. Luke stopped, looking at her for a moment.
“You know… I don’t actually know. I don’t think they’re being kept anywhere, actually. At least… nowhere that’s been recorded.”
“They’ve been lost. Seen as worthless once they’ve pointed to the next one,” Layton said thoughtfully, looking down at the stone in his hand. “The Relic Stones are said to be an unsolvable, eternal mystery.”
“Of course that would draw your attention,” Pearl said, glancing between the two men, which caused Luke to chuckle.
“There’s more to why we want to solve it,” he admitted, glancing at Layton, who nodded.
“It’s for Katry’s sake,” he said.
Pearl looked at Layton in confusion, thinking about the little girl.
“You’re daughter?” she asked. Luke had told her all about Katrielle Layton.
“Yes,” Luke said. “The mystery is deeply tied to her.”
Pearl frowned in confusion at that.
“This is a mystery we must solve no matter what, for Katry’s sake,” Layton said. Pearl looked between them, wondering if there’s was more to the story then she knew.
Then she realized that… she didn’t know who Katrielle’s mother was. Luke and Layton had never mentioned her.
“But...” Luke looked at Layton. “There’s no need for many people to get involved in this. Let me continue investigating it alone.”
“No,” Pearl snapped. Luke jumped, looking at her in surprise.
“I… what?” he stammered.
“I might not fully understand the whole story, but if this mystery is as dangerous as you say, there’s no way you’re doing this alone. I mean, look at what just happened,” she said, motioning to the small room they had found him in.
“She’s right, Luke. Besides, this is just as important to me as it is you,” Layton said with a warm smile. “I want to solve this with my own hands.”
Luke sighed, lowering his head.
“I’m sorry for acting on my own.” He gave Pearl’s hand another squeeze, looking over at her. “And for pushing you out.”
Pearl smiled coyly, an expression she picked up from her older cousin, Maya.
“It’s okay, as long as it doesn’t happen again,” she said. Luke smiled back at her with a small chuckle.
“As she said, it’s okay. But Luke,” Professor Layton stepped forward, putting a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “In order to solve this mystery, I will need your help.”
Luke’s head snapped up, a bright smile crossing his face.
“Do you mean that!?” he asked excitedly. Pearl let go of Luke’s hand and stepped back, next to Rosa, and giggled.
That was her favorite thing about Luke, after all. No matter how old he got, he still had that child like excitement at times, especially when it came to helping the Professor.
“I do,” Layton said with a smile.
“Then, we’ll go where the stone’s light leads!” Luke said brightly.
“Luke…” Layton dropped his hand from Luke’s shoulder, putting it to his chin thoughtfully, looking at the stone in his other hand again. “This is something I’ve been thinking about. What if the Relic Stones are not pointing to the next one?” he said.
“What do you mean?” Luke asked. Pearl suddenly gasped, realizing it.
“You said the stones were lost. Forgotten once the next one was found?” Pearl said. Layton looked over at her, and nodded.
“Yes. There’s nothing that leads you somewhere eternally,” he said. Luke looked between Layton and Pearl, before his own eyes lit up.
“It’s a loop!” he gasped. “Once you reach the last stone, it will just point back to the first one!”
“But because people kept treating the stones that lost their shine as worthless, they’d lose track of them. So, when the loop restarted, they didn’t realize they were finding stones that’d already been discovered!” Pearl said.
“The stone’s light is just going around in circles,” Layton said with a nod.
“To think, I didn’t see something so simple,” Luke said with a weak smile, looking embarrassed. Pearl giggled at that, shaking her head at him.
“It’s not just you. A lot of people didn’t apparently,” she said.
“That’s why this mystery remains unsolved after so many decades,” Layton added, chuckling as well.
“But then, if they’re not leading some big treasure, then what’s their purpose?” Luke asked, looking between Layton and Pearl.
“That’s what we need to figure out. Let’s see where the light leads us, and gather all the stones,” Layton said with a smile.
“Understood!” Luke said excitedly. Pearl smiled warmly.
“I want to help, too,” she said. Luke hesitated, looking at her with wide eyes. He took in her determined expression, and smiled warmly.
“Okay. Professor?” he asked, looking towards Layton. Layton looked between the two, and smiled.
“She said you two solved mysteries together before. I don’t see why that should change now,” he said, tipping his hat towards Pearl.
“I would like… to know more about how this is connected to Katrielle though,” she said. Luke and Professor Layton looked at each other, before nodding.
“Let’s get back to my office, first,” Layton said with a smile. Luke chuckled.
“Yeah, I’m kind of tired of this room,” Luke said with a laugh. Pearl giggled, taking his hand, and walking with him. Professor took the lead back to his car, and drove the four of them back to Gressenheller.