My first Professor Layton story! Hooray! This story will be about my OC and his quest to recover a sphere of extreme importance, one with the power to control time. The problem? Said sphere could be anywhere, and even any time. In fact, it could be in the middle of London...2000 years ago! He'll definitely need help looking for it. But where to turn? And who else wants it? Do they have good intentions?

Oh, and the rest of the story will be in 3rd person.

Prologue

An Ally

The Oculus.

I do not know how to explain it in regular terms. It is, however, a fundamental part of the universe itself. The Oculus can manipulate time, making it both incredibly useful and incredibly dangerous.

It is useful because it enables me to control how the time stream flows, removing inconsistencies and obstacles in its way.

It is dangerous because anyone who has ill intentions can easily do almost anything he wants, including destroy spacetime itself.

Fortunately, my ancestors and I, the Time Guardians, protect the Oculus and monitor the time stream. Thanks to us, the time stream has flowed perfectly for the last several millenia. Before then, during the Storm, the time stream frequently...well, perhaps it is better if I used the analogy of a body of water. The time stream was not linear; there were many different currents, each affecting the system as a whole. In some areas, whirlpools formed, and time went around in circles repeating itself. In others, the currents converged. And, of course, some currents were faster than others. Approximately 10000 years ago, the first Time Guardian, Theon, created the Oculus to restrict the flow of time. To the regular human being, it looks like a sphere. We who are gifted with Sight, however, can see its true shape; a pipe. A pipe through which travels time itself.

Now, I am the Time Guardian. Theochron. Unfortunately, the Oculus is not in my possession.

It is somewhere out there, somewhere, in some era, due to events that I would rather not elaborate about at this time.

And there are dark ones. Shadows. Wisps. Those who desire its destructive potential. Those who are filled with hate, or ambition, or greed. I can sense it. The Oculus is the ultimate weapon.

It is necessary to retrieve it. I must, or the world will plunge back into the Storm it once was.

But where to turn for help?

...Of course.

She will help me. After all, she has already visited the time stream before.

I believe she also has a friend. Well, perhaps he is more than just a friend, but it makes no difference.

What was his name? Ah, yes. Layton. Professor Hershel Layton.

How is he, I wonder?

Hershel Layton sat in his office, drinking a cup of Belle Classic. Poring over shoddily written essays, the Professor sighed, clearly in a contemplative mood.

Life had not been the same since Luke left. The Professor originally thought that he would get over the absence of others quickly, but a mere six months of loneliness proved that that was not the case.

The professor's work space had quickly turned into even more of a junkyard than before, if such a thing is possible. Newspapers and notes covered the floor ("Well, I was going to buy him a rug, but it seems that won't be necessary!" Dean Delmona joked), files were arranged haphazardly, and even the depressed professor himself deteriorated into a wreck.

Sometimes, while he was supposed to be grading tests, he thought about how Emmy would read some of the student-written paragraphs, only to burst out in laughter (or tears) at how badly the student failed. (One gem was the following: "The people of Ancient Rome loved beauty in architecture, as evidenced by their construction of the Parthenon.") And of course, one could never deny that she had skill in fighting. That roundhouse kick of hers...even thinking about it hurt.

Other times, he would miss the family he never knew: Bronev, Descole. All three of them were archaelogists. They would definitely have enjoyed their time together, had they lived normal lives. Their fascination for the ancient world was clearly a family trait.

Luke, the little boy-turned-gentleman, was also gone now. The professor's apprentice always showed enthusiasm and energy wherever he went, especially for food. The duo was always top-notch at cracking mysteries. Solving puzzles would never be the same without Apprentice #1.

But most of all, he missed a person who had been dead for many, many years. He had lost her forever, but then she came back.

Only to be dragged away for the second time. Life was indeed very, very cruel.

Oh Claire...will we ever meet again?

Clearly, he is not a happy man. But, whether he be happy or not, I still require his skills. And those of his friends.

I have two missions now. One, finding the Oculus. Two, giving Professor Layton the life a man like him deserves. It is not fair for such a selfless, heroic man to live such a bleak life. I will see what I can do. But first, I must find her.

I reenter the time stream, and find myself in a London alleyway. Thankfully, I can observe events despite not being in my physical form, as I cannot afford to be spotted. This is a delicate matter. I must intercept her as she is traveling through time, but not beforehand. Otherwise, future events will be affected, and time will collapse.

Looking down, I see her.

Goodbye, Hershel.

She looks at the saddened professor, tears in his eyes. She, too, wishes to cry.

But I have to go now.

She turned and walked down an alleyway, feeling herself slipping away. She hears Luke following her, but she can only think about Hershel.

The little time they shared was quite amazing. It was clear he had matured, as had she. However, they still remained much the same as they had been sixteen long years ago. The epic action on the Fortress of Madness, the touching moments while they were still at ground level-it all seemed like a fairy tale.

Except fairy tales end happily, don't they?

As it turned out, this one would, too.

I see her slip out of the time stream. I do not waste the opportunity.

"Claire."

She stops.

"Who are you?"

I pause. Does she know that I am the current Time Guardian? Does she even know what the role of a Time Guardian is?

Should I tell her?

I suppose so. I am asking her to help me, after all.

"Hello. I am the current Time Guardian, Theochron. I require your assistance."

Her shock is clearly visible, her mouth forming a large O.

"You're a Time Guardian?"

"You know what a Time Guardian is?" I asked, surprised.

"Of course! You control...whatever you call th-"

"The time stream."

"Right. The time stream."

"I am pleasantly surprised," I say. "Not many people know what a Time Guardian is, except for dedicated historians and archaelogists."

Claire smiled. "Well, I do have one as my boyfriend. He told me about Time Guardians after I mentioned being a test subject for Dimitri's time machine."

"I see. Well, that saves me from having to explain it, then."

"I always thought you were simply a myth," Claire admitted. "I suppose I've been proven wrong."

"Well, I'm not surprised about that. Many people of your type like dealing with cold, hard facts and gathered information. Not beliefs and alternate planes."

Claire laughed. "Very true. However, why do you need my help?"

Hershel Layton walked out of his office and got into his car, aka the Laytonmobile. Perhaps Flora already cooked dinner. Perhaps it was actually worth eating this time.

With a shake of his head, he gently pushed the gas pedal and drove down the street, turning left at the intersection.

High above, two pairs of eyes watched the man who would soon play a part in determining the fate of the world.