The overwhelming pressure surrounding the castle only grew stronger with every step Vivian and Dennis took. Even after leaving the others behind, neither of them lowered their guard for a single moment. Before advancing any further, Vivian checked the telepathic link they had established earlier.
"Everyone still connected?"
"Yeah, we're all here," one of the members replied, followed by several others confirming the same.
Dennis glanced at Vivian. "They're all connected."
Vivian gave a slight nod before the two continued toward the castle. As they drew closer, she suddenly raised her hand, signaling Dennis to stop. Without exchanging another word, they quietly moved behind a large weathered boulder overlooking the castle gate and carefully observed the area ahead.
The entrance stood completely exposed. There were no guards, no patrols, not even the slightest sign that anyone was watching over the castle. It was far too quiet.
Vivian slowly closed her eyes and sharpened her mana perception, allowing her senses to spread across the surrounding area. She searched every corner she could reach, hoping to detect even the faintest trace of another presence. Yet no matter how carefully she looked, she couldn't sense a single person.
Only that overwhelming pressure remained.
It lingered over the entire castle like an invisible weight, constant and unmoving. It didn't feel like someone was releasing it intentionally, nor could she trace it back to any particular location. It simply existed, as though the castle itself had been swallowed by that terrifying presence.
"I can't sense anyone," Vivian murmured as she opened her eyes.
Dennis kept his gaze fixed on the castle. "Maybe they're hiding inside. Maybe no one is outside."
"...Maybe."
Although his explanation sounded reasonable, something about the silence continued to bother her. Every instinct told her something was wrong, but there was nothing she could point to that justified turning back.
Keeping their weapons ready, Vivian and Dennis stepped out from behind the boulder and cautiously made their way across the empty courtyard. Their footsteps echoed softly through the vast front yard as they approached the castle gates, yet the deeper they walked, the more unsettling the silence became.
Both Vivian and Dennis cautiously approached the castle gate, their eyes scanning every corner for even the slightest movement. The silence was unnerving.
"We could climb the walls instead," Dennis suggested quietly. "Or find another way inside."
Vivian shook her head. "There's no point. I still can't sense anyone outside the castle. If someone's waiting for us, they're inside."
Dennis gave a reluctant nod. Together, they stepped toward the massive gate. It had already been left wide open, almost as if someone had been expecting them.
The moment they crossed the entrance, a wave of cold air greeted them. The castle was in ruins. Countless stone pillars had cracked with age, some reduced to rubble while others barely remained standing. Dust covered the floor, and vines had begun creeping through the broken walls, giving the once majestic fortress the appearance of an abandoned relic.
"...This place has been abandoned for years," Dennis muttered as he looked around.
Vivian's eyes swept across the surroundings. "No... someone's here."
She couldn't explain why, but that overwhelming presence hadn't disappeared. If anything, it felt even closer than before.
The two continued deeper into the castle until they reached the main hall. Darkness filled the vast chamber as rows of extinguished torches lined the walls. Long wooden tables and scattered chairs sat untouched beneath layers of dust, making it seem as though the hall had been deserted for decades.
Dennis frowned. "What's going on...?"
"I don't know," Vivian admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "But whatever I'm sensing... it's somewhere inside this castle."
They searched the hall together before stepping into a long corridor that eventually opened into the castle's central courtyard. From opposite ends of the corridor, they caught sight of a lone figure standing across the yard.
"Dennis... is that you?" Vivian called out.
"Yeah, it's me," Dennis answered.
Vivian let out a quiet breath. "Good."
She studied the empty courtyard for another moment before making her decision.
"We're wasting time searching together. Split up and investigate the castle. If either of us finds anything, contact the other immediately through telepathy." She paused for a moment before adding, "The rest of Aegis stays outside until I say otherwise."
Dennis nodded without hesitation.
"Don't do anything reckless."
"You too."
With that, the two headed in opposite directions, leaving the silent courtyard behind as the castle swallowed them once again.
The two spent the next several minutes searching every room they came across. One after another, they pushed open old wooden doors only to find empty bedrooms, abandoned storage rooms, and long hallways coated in dust. Every corner of the castle looked as though it had been untouched for years.
Dennis glanced around another vacant room before letting out a quiet sigh. "At this rate, we'll be here until sunrise."
"We're not leaving until we've searched everything we reasonably can," Vivian replied without slowing down. "If there really is someone here, they're hiding for a reason."
Dennis leaned against the doorway for a moment. "Or maybe there isn't anyone. Maybe we're chasing shadows."
Vivian stopped and looked back at him. "You felt that pressure outside too."
"...Yeah."
"Then trust your instincts. Mine are telling me the same thing."
Dennis didn't argue any further. He simply nodded and continued following her through the castle.
After clearing the first floor, the two climbed a worn stone staircase leading to the second floor. The upper level wasn't any different. Broken windows allowed cold wind to sweep through the corridors, while faded paintings and torn banners hung lifelessly along the walls. Every room they searched was just as empty as the last.
"I don't get it," Dennis muttered. "If someone's really here, where are they?"
Vivian remained silent for a few moments before answering.
"I don't know... but that presence hasn't disappeared."
She paused near one of the shattered windows and slowly closed her eyes once more, extending her perception throughout the castle, searching for the source. The result was exactly the same.
Nothing.
No footsteps.
No heartbeat.
No trace of another person.
Only that same crushing presence lingering somewhere beyond her reach.
"...Let's head back down."
Dennis quietly followed behind as they returned to the first floor. The deeper they walked, the more uneasy Vivian became. Everything they had seen told her the castle had been abandoned long ago, yet every instinct in her body refused to accept that conclusion.
"There has to be more to this place," she said quietly. "We're missing something."
They continued down another corridor until Vivian suddenly came to an abrupt stop.
"Dennis."
He turned toward her.
Set into the stone floor ahead of them was a massive iron hatch. Dust had settled around its edges, but unlike everything else in the castle, it showed almost no signs of decay.
The two carefully approached it together.
Vivian gripped the heavy metal ring and slowly pulled.
The hatch creaked open, revealing a narrow staircase that descended into complete darkness.
Dennis stepped closer and peered inside.
"...How deep does that go?"
There was no answer.
The staircase continued downward until it disappeared into the darkness, its end nowhere in sight. It felt less like a basement and more like an endless descent beneath the castle itself.
Vivian stared into the abyss for several silent moments before speaking through telepathy.
"Everyone, come inside the castle."
A brief silence followed before the replies echoed back one by one.
"We're on our way."
Without taking her eyes off the staircase, Vivian added one final instruction.
"Stay together. No one goes anywhere alone until we regroup."
One after another, the remaining members of Aegis entered the castle before regrouping around the massive hatch. Their footsteps echoed through the silent halls as they gathered around Vivian, each of them staring into the darkness below.
Dennis turned toward her.
"Captain... do you still feel that pressure?"
Vivian's eyes remained fixed on the staircase. "Yeah. But I still can't tell whether it's coming from beneath the hatch or somewhere else inside the castle. It's so overwhelming... I can feel it throughout my body."
A brief silence followed before another voice broke it.
"By the way..."
Everyone turned toward Nyra.
[ Nyra | 4-Star Warrior | Rank #13 | Hexcaster ]
"I don't feel anything," she said, looking between Vivian and Dennis. "What pressure are you talking about, Captain?"
Vivian's expression changed immediately.
"You... don't feel it?"
Dennis looked just as surprised. "Wait... none of you can feel that pressure?"
The rest of the team exchanged confused glances before slowly shaking their heads.
"I don't sense anything."
"Me neither."
"It's just an abandoned castle."
For the first time since entering, uncertainty crossed Vivian's face. She and Dennis had both felt the same crushing presence from the moment they approached the castle, yet not a single other member of Aegis seemed capable of sensing it.
Nyra frowned slightly. "Captain... whatever you and Dennis are feeling, the rest of us can't detect it."
Vivian lowered her gaze toward the open hatch once again. Her mind raced through every possibility, but none of them explained what was happening. The abandoned castle... the strange dolls they had found earlier... and now a presence only the two of them could sense.
None of it could be a coincidence.
After a long silence, she finally made her decision.
"This castle isn't abandoned."
Every member looked toward her.
"Stay alert. We continue the investigation."
Her eyes settled on the staircase disappearing into the darkness.
"We're going down."
"You sure?" Dennis asked.
She nodded.
"I can't detect anyone down there."
Vivian looked around at the group before speaking.
"We're going in."
One after another, the members of Aegis jumped through the hatch, landing on the ancient stone floor below. The underground chamber stretched far beyond what any of them had expected. Towering pillars disappeared into the darkness above, while endless corridors branched off in every direction. It was far too vast to be a simple basement.
Vivian snapped her fingers.
"Bat."
A young man stepped forward.
[ Bat | 4-Star Warrior | Rank #2 | Vampire Specialist ]"An anomaly among vampire specialists, possessing senses far beyond those of ordinary warriors."
"Clear out the darkness. Tell us what you can see."
Bat slowly surveyed the chamber, allowing his enhanced vision to adjust before looking farther into the distance.
"There are rows of pillars..." he said after a moment. "It keeps going. Maybe another section of the castle... or a storage area." He narrowed his eyes. "...No. It's much too large to be storage."
Vivian nodded.
"Everyone stays together. Cover each other."
Bat silently disappeared into the darkness while the others remained where they were, carefully watching every direction. Several long moments passed before his voice echoed through the chamber.
"It's clear!"
Only then did Dennis climb down carrying several burning torches taken from the castle above. He handed one to each member until the underground hall was finally illuminated by flickering orange light.
Vivian accepted the last torch.
"Smart thinking."
Dennis rubbed the back of his neck.
"Figured we'd eventually need them."
The underground chamber was far larger than any of them had imagined. Even with every torch lit, the light barely reached the nearest pillars before darkness swallowed everything beyond. Ancient stone columns stretched toward the unseen ceiling, their surfaces cracked with age as loose dust drifted down every now and then. Somewhere in the distance, the faint screech of bats echoed through the chamber, followed by the sound of pebbles rolling across the floor.
Vivian slowly looked around before raising her torch. "Don't wander too far. Stay where someone can always see you. If anything feels unusual, don't investigate it alone."
The group quietly spread out.
One warrior walked toward what appeared to be an old dining hall, brushing years of dust from a long wooden table with the back of his hand. The wood beneath had long since rotted, collapsing the moment he applied the slightest pressure.
"...Guess nobody's been eating here."
A few meters away, another member crouched beside a rusted suit of armor leaning against the wall. He nudged it with the tip of his boot.
The entire thing collapsed into a pile of corroded metal.
"So much for ancient treasure."
A couple of members chuckled before continuing their search.
Dennis wandered through another corridor lined with broken statues. Most had lost their heads, while the few that remained seemed worn beyond recognition. One statue still had a face, but time had eroded it until only a faint smile remained. Dennis stared at it for a second before quietly looking away.
"...This place gives me the creeps."
"It should," Vivian answered from behind him. "A place like this doesn't stay hidden for no reason."
Meanwhile, Nyra stood perfectly still in the center of the chamber, her eyes closed as she once again searched the entire underground structure.
After nearly a minute, she slowly opened them.
"Nothing."
Vivian turned toward her.
"Nothing?"
"I searched every corridor I could reach. They all connect to more rooms, but they're empty. No footprints. No signs of a struggle. Nothing."
The underground chamber slowly fell silent again as every member continued searching their assigned section. The occasional sound of boots scraping against the old stone floor echoed through the darkness, mixing with the distant screech of bats hidden somewhere beyond the reach of the torches. Every now and then, small fragments of stone broke loose from the ceiling and bounced across the floor, reminding everyone just how ancient the structure beneath the castle truly was.
Vivian remained standing near the center of the chamber, quietly watching her surroundings while the others searched. She couldn't explain why, but the overwhelming presence she had been sensing since approaching the castle still lingered around her. It hadn't grown stronger or weaker. It simply remained there, pressing against her body as if silently waiting for something.
"Captain!" one of the members called from a nearby hallway. "Found another corridor. It loops back around to this chamber. Nothing unusual."
"Same here," another voice answered from farther away. "Just more empty rooms."
Bat returned after checking another section of the underground hall and shook his head. "Nothing. Every passage connects back to this room somehow. It's like the entire underground level was built around this chamber."
Vivian looked around once more before lowering her torch slightly. "...Keep searching."
Several minutes passed.
The member who had wandered into the old kitchen brushed another layer of dust from a wooden shelf before picking up one of the ceramic plates resting on it. The surface was cold and rough beneath his fingers, but surprisingly intact despite the castle's condition. He turned it over a few times before placing it back exactly where he had found it.
"Still don't get it," he muttered. "Everything else is falling apart, but these dishes barely have a crack on them. Doesn't even look like anyone's eaten here for years... maybe decades."
The short-tempered warrior, Deep laughed from the next room.
"I'm telling you, Captain, this place is empty. We've searched almost everything there is to search."
[ Deep | 4-Star Warrior | Rank #131 | Earth Style Swordsman ]
A few others chuckled.
"Maybe you and Dennis were just imagining things."
"Yeah. Doesn't feel like there's anyone living down here."
Dennis didn't respond.
He stood quietly beside Vivian, his eyes fixed on the endless darkness beyond the pillars.
"I know what I felt," he said after a long silence.
Vivian slowly nodded.
"So do I."
The laughter gradually faded as everyone returned to searching. Once again, nothing but silence filled the underground chamber.
Then...
A sharp scraping sound echoed from the kitchen.
It wasn't loud.
Just enough to make everyone stop moving.
The member inside frowned and slowly turned around. Moments earlier every plate had been resting peacefully on the shelves.
Now one of them was moving.
It slid across the wooden shelf by itself before drifting through the air and pressing itself against the far stone wall.
"...Captain?"
Before anyone could answer, another plate began to move.
Then another.
One after another, dozens of ceramic plates silently floated through the kitchen, each stopping at a different point on the wall. No one dared move. Every member of Aegis stood frozen as the plates slowly shifted into place, almost as though an invisible hand was arranging them with impossible precision.
"Captain..." the warrior whispered, his voice trembling slightly. "You... should see this."
Within seconds, everyone rushed into the kitchen.
They arrived just in time to watch the final plate settle into position.
None of them spoke.
The plates had formed a perfect circle against the stone wall. Inside that circle, three bold lines stretched from top to bottom, connected by a smaller horizontal stroke near the center, resembling both a shield and the symbol every warrior in the kingdom knew by heart.
The crest of...
Aegis.
For several long seconds, nobody said a word.
Even Vivian couldn't take her eyes off it.
"This place..." Dennis couldn't find words.
[ Dennis | 4-Star Warrior | Rank #33 | Wind style, Combat and Acrobats specialist ]
No one had an answer.
A faint crack suddenly echoed through the room.
Then another.
Tiny fractures spread across the surface of every single plate at the same time, weaving through the symbol like cracks across frozen glass. Before anyone could react, the entire formation shattered apart with a deafening crash, sending hundreds of porcelain fragments crashing onto the stone floor.
The room fell silent once again.
Only this time...
No one laughed anymore.
Everyone stood still, in silence, no words exchanged.