The puzzle from Miracle Mask.

Aww, Luke sleeps with a teddy bear.

Scene from Miracle Mask

Miracle Mask but make it Genshin<3

(Part of the PL Genshin!AU I’m doing with @daysneezes!!)

Hershel took a small sip of the tea he brewed earlier in the day, his Vision perched securely on the velvet ribbon of his top hat.

“What about this, Professor?”

A letter was suddenly thrust in front of him, obstructing his entire view. Already used to the rather unorthodox way his assistant carried herself, he leaned back to properly assess the piece of paper that now warranted his attention, reading it as she explained its content.

“I‘m afraid this one sounds more like something the adventurers should be handling, Emmy.”

He nodded to her, hoping she could see the regret in his smile. It was a rather enticing one, and he could see why it would catch her attention…but alas. He only had so much time to spare for those who required help from his…gifted abilities.

Emmy frowned, sharp eyes scanning over the words that covered the entire page once more before sighing.

“I suppose you‘re right. I‘ll see to it that the Guild is informed of this right away.”

“That would be much appreciated. Should they need our further assistance, let them know we would be more than happy to lend it to them.”

“But of course!”

The hour passed by in relative silence, both of them consumed by the work cut out before them. Emmy continued going through the rest of the letters he had approved for her to read, and after another bout of discussions, they agreed to divide a lot of them to the hands of the authorities and the Adventurer’s Guild, and kept the less dire ones for whenever Hershel had time to spare.

It was at that moment that Luke finally arrived, stumbling as he opened the door to his office. His leather satchel seems to be filled to the brim, his blue Vision as deep the seas hanging on for dear life on its side.

“Sorry I‘m late, Professor!” he cried, “But I had to help a family of ducks cross the road and the mailman left another batch of letters-”

“Now, now. Calm down, Luke. It‘s quite alright,” Hershel chuckled. “Come sit and have tea with me. You look like you’ve been through quite the ordeal.”

With a sheepish smile, the young boy crossed the room and handed the letters to Emmy, whining when he failed to dodge her playfully ruffling his hair.

The next hour passed by again comfortably, and Hershel was in the middle of writing back to one of his colleagues when Emmy‘s voice drew him back to the real world.

Or rather, the name she uttered.

“Professor, does the name Angela Ledore ring any bell?”

Time…stopped, for but a small moment. He inwardly shook his head, willing the memories from almost two decades ago out of his mind. 

“Why yes…of course. But where did you hear that name?”

More than a little curious and caught off guard, he blinked as Emmy slowly handed the letter in her hand to him.

“It was on the letter.” Something in his expression must have betrayed his inner turmoil, because the young woman continued: “It‘s not quite a name I‘m familiar with, nor is it any of the usual ones who would seek your expertise.”

Luke reached in before he could grab the letter, “Oh! Let me,” nimbly ripping the envelope with a letter opener and with a bright smile handed its content to him.

It was hard not to smile back at how eager the boy was to lend a helping hand. “Thank you very much, Luke,” he said warmly, resting a hand briefly on top of his head before directing his focus to the writing in front of him. 

When he finished, Hershel was silent. Wordlessly, he gave the letter to Emmy before walking to his open window, breathing in the fresh morning air to try and calm the anxiety creeping up his back.

I do hope you forgive me after all these years. I don‘t know who else to turn to.

We are in desperate need of your help, Hershel. 

“After all these years….” he muttered, gently taking off his hat and gazing at the glowing golden Vision staring back at him. Accusing. Unforgiving. He held back a flinch. Why, Angela?

“…Professor? Is everything alright?”

Ah, how careless of him.

“Everything’s fine, Luke,” he returned his hat where it belonged and sauntered to where both of them crowded around the enigmatic piece of paper. “My apologies, I didn’t mean to make you both worry. It‘s just…she’s an old friend of mine, and the content of her letter worries me.”

The frown on Emmy‘s face deepened, but she was not his assistant for nothing, knowing well what to prioritize and when. It was moments like these that he was truly glad to have her here. 

“So the Mask of Chaos…”

“What is that?” asked young Luke, wide eyes brimming with curiosity and hunger to know more. But before he could reply, Emmy seemed to have beaten him to it.

“According to Donald Rutledge in his book ‘Ancient Histories’, the mask bestows great power upon those who wear it. Legend says it was left by one of the old gods as a gift to humanity, but no one has been able to prove its existence thus far.”

“Indeed, the allure of omnipotence is as old as the Archons themselves.” He couldn‘t quite hide his surprise when he said: “You seem to know quite a lot about the mask, Emmy.”

The young woman grinned, the fiery red Vision fashioned into her bowtie twinkled along with her eyes. “Well, I did take a few courses here and there before applying to be your assistant. Jumping in blind into the world of archeology doesn‘t seem like the wisest decision, wouldn’t you agree?”

That…made perfect sense. “I see…”

“Did I leave something out, Professor?”

“Oh, no, no. You‘re absolutely correct.”

Luke continued to ask more about the Mask, and both he and Emmy alternated in explaining it to him, with Hershel more often than not simply adding useful trivias he still remembered from Randall‘s excited chatter many, many years ago.

An old, familiar pain ached in his heart, something difficult to dismiss, but Hershel was determined to lock it away for the time being, at least until he had his answers from Angela.

“So what is your relationship with Ms. Angela, Professor? Is she one of Professor Layton’s lost loves?” Emmy‘s spirits must have been lifted for her to tease him. It wasn‘t unusual for her to do so after a year of working together, and he had come to welcome it each time, albeit with a wry smile more often than not.

This time, however, he could only shake his head, a heavy weight burdening his chest, memories of night escapades and jovial laughter with a certain redhead lost in the callous hands of time and forced distances.

“Hardly,” he replied, hoping he did not sound as contrite as he felt then. “I’ve known her since my school days. Our relationship was…complicated, at best.”

Despite his attempt to do otherwise, this effectively dampened Emmy‘s countenance, her head bowing slightly in a show of apology. “I see.”

They agreed to set out in a few days, Luke having to ask his parents‘ permission, and Emmy freeing up both her and the Professor‘s schedules for the next few weeks and requesting approval from the Dean.

The guilt he felt at being absent from his students was something he had come to know well, and as usual, he made sure to let them know in advance, helping the substitute lecturer get up to date on his last sessions and materials.

Fontaine University had grown accustomed to its esteemed Professor‘s tendencies to conduct sudden research leaves, and this time it was no different. But the mere mention of the Mask of Chaos certainly helped in speeding up the process.

“We look forward to your findings, Hershel,” said Dean Delmona, nodding at him with pride. Hershel tipped his head with a polite curve of his lips.

“I will do my very best, sir,” he said. “And I do hope the agreed upon terms of confidentiality will be respected, as per usual.”

“Naturally, my dear boy,” he laughed, “we know how you operate. Don‘t let us get in your way.”

“Many thanks, sir.”