With a feeling of unease but also a hint of anticipation, the group returned to the hall with the stone gate. The door that was previously shut was now gone, replaced by a dark entrance that seemed to sinisterly question whether they truly had the courage to come in and uncover the truth.
As they approached, two ghostly guards emerged from the statues on either side of the entrance, bowing slightly to welcome them.
"Did anything come out when the door opened just now?" Lancelot took the initiative to ask, "Did any of you see it?"
"… A powerful force… was released…"
"… Bearing the aura of Peyton Derrick…"
"Peyton Derrick?" The companions exchanged glances with one another. Lancelot continued to probe, "Why is he here?"
"… It's not him… just a force…"
"… Extremely powerful, extremely evil…"
"… Like the cold anger of the Lord of the Dead…"
"This is getting more and more strange…" Bruto said, somewhat uncertain, "Did we mess something up?"
"… No…"
