Night gradually fell.
The great hall was unusually empty.
The beams of light that had streamed through the stained-glass windows high above during the day had long since faded.
Only a scattered few lamps remained within the hall, most of their light concentrated around one or two small lamps before the desk.
The tiny flame illuminated only a short distance.
Most places lay submerged in darkness.
After going out, the four statues stood silently along either side.
Not a trace remained of the flames that had burned during the day.
The nearly ten-meter-tall stone statues stood in the darkness like four small mountains.
When people had filled the place during the day, it had not seemed so noticeable.
Only now, with the hall empty, did its sheer size become apparent.
Even the slightest sound could carry far through the darkness.
Beneath the lamp before the desk, the old man who had been writing during the day still sat there.
The lamplight reached a little higher, illuminating his face-full of white beard and the scattered star-like patterns on his clothes.
The booklet from earlier lay open on the desk before him.
Three sets of footsteps entered through the hall's entrance.
Blue Knight walked at the front.
Lantern Knight and Silent Knight followed behind her.
Silent Knight wore armor interwoven with gray and black. It looked cumbersome, yet he made no sound as he walked.
The four gathered inside the hall, pulled out chairs, and sat down together.
The lamplight cast their shadows across the floor, stretching them long.
Blue Knight looked at the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander and asked, "Lord Astrologer, did any of the people brought here fit the one from your prophecy?"
The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander nodded.
"There were. This time, there were two exceptionally special ones."
Blue