The Wrong Mausoleum

When that low rumble sounded, Duncan's attention immediately shifted to the open space at the center of the plaza—

He saw the weathered, mottled stone slabs suddenly heave and churn like quicksand, while some immense structure gradually rose from deep underground. At first, only an ash-gray spire appeared in view. Moments later, an ancient and mysterious mausoleum, like a combination of a gigantic pyramid and palace, slowly emerged before his eyes.

Solemn and majestic, silent and ancient, the "mausoleum" of enormous ash-gray stones stood quietly in the distance, like time itself frozen and reflected in the dim chaos. Duncan stared at the colossal structure that had risen from the ground in surprise. Driven by curiosity, he carefully studied its style and construction, only to find that it did not quite match any architectural style he knew from the current city-state era.

Instead, it resembled the architecture of the Kingdom of Crete that he had occasionally seen in certain old books.

The saintly soul projections throughout the plaza also fell silent. Countless eyes were drawn involuntarily toward the massive Pyramid Mausoleum. An atmosphere of solemnity tinged with tension spread through the gathering place, leaving the entire plaza quiet.

Several minutes passed before some movement finally came from deep within the mausoleum, just as Vana and Morris began frowning in confusion and wondering whether something had gone wrong. The immensely heavy-looking stone Gate finally opened slowly with a deep rumble.

The doors swung open, revealing a dark corridor within.

The soul projections gathered in the plaza stared at the entrance. The deathly silence lasted for a long while before gradually turning into faint commotion and murmured discussion.

Listening to the hushed conversations from all around, Duncan realized that something seemed to be wrong. Frowning, he quietly asked Vana beside him, "What happened?"