Upon opening the door, Tyler instinctively took cover by the exterior wall.
He gripped the willow-leaf dagger, holding his breath, keen not to miss any sound from within the room.
Prior to this evening, when considering locked rooms, Tyler had anticipated the worst-case scenario: the moment he opened the door, “Ghost Elle” would burst out and instantly kill him.
However, after employing his ability “Precognitive Death Scene”, Tyler assured himself that he wouldn’t die here tonight, giving him more courage to unlock this door leading to the unknown.
Nevertheless, Tyler wasn’t reckless just because he knew he wouldn’t die for another five days. He understood well that the “future” is not immutable. If he were to change his usual behavior after knowing the “Future of Death”, there could be a deviation from that future, potentially triggering a new way of dying.
In an extreme case, if Tyler were to slit his own artery with the dagger, he would quickly bleed to death. “Future Death Scene” was not a get-out-of-jail-free card for him.
Thus, Tyler continued to cautiously wait for the “person” inside the room to make a move, assuming there really was a person.
·
Five minutes had passed.
Ten minutes had passed.
The once locked room remained eerily silent, with only the chirping insects outside and Silly Nissen’s shouting accompanying Tyler.
(Silly Nissen: Shall we…go in? There shouldn’t be any “ghosts”…right-o?)
The sound of Silly Nissen’s chattering teeth echoed in her speech. Although he couldn’t see her, Tyler could easily imagine her trembling.
Frankly, Tyler was somewhat nervous too. He wasn’t afraid when dealing with people, as their attack methods are predictable, and he could buy some time with his mind-reading ability. However, “ghosts” are different. They might attack like wild animals or demons, perhaps even possessing special abilities unknown to him.
(Tyler: We’ll only know if there are “ghosts” once we go in.)
Tyler glanced at the word “T” carved into his palm, which somewhat steadied his heartbeat.
No matter what was to occur, “Ghost Elle” couldn’t possibly be more terrifying than “failing his mission and not being able to save his parents.”
With a deep breath, Tyler tightened his grip on the dagger, and as he ignited the luminous magic stone, he quickly moved. If “Ghost Elle” were indeed lurking in this pitch-black room, then at least this suddenly lit magic stone would cause her to lose her vision for a few seconds.
“Exhale…”
“Inhale… Exhale…”
After several bouts of respiration, illumined by the luminescent magical stone, Tyler discerned an eerie emptiness within the room, devoid of a single humanoid figure.
(Has someone concealed their presence… or could it be…)
Tyler cautiously ventured into the room, swiveling continuously in an attempt to avoid a sudden attack from his blind spots. He noted the room bore resemblance to a warehouse, with shelving units lining the walls of the rectangular space.
The shelves, barren of items, were enveloped in a dense layer of dust, as was the floor, suggestive of an extended period since any soul had ventured here.
(An idle, vacant room, perhaps… But then… why the lock?)
Having circumspectly scrutinized the entire room, Tyler was confident of no concealed individuals. At this juncture, Silly Nissen started her insolent chatter.
(Silly Nissen: Ah, Tyler, didn’t you just-o declare that emotions irrelevant-o to the mission are not worth the time?)
(Silly Nissen: Now that-o the confession points are within reach, why are you still prying into Elle’s affairs?)
(Silly Nissen: You are just-o worried about Avril, and that’s why you’re investigating this room, aren’t-o you?)
(Silly Nissen: Kekeke, am I right? Don’t-o you have anything to say, Tyler, the pure and innocent virgin Tyler~)
Tyler chose to dismiss Silly Nissen’s provocation. He squatted down and noticed another set of faint footprints on the floor, besides his own, although blurred by time and thus, impossible to identify, even with his appraisal ability.
Following the barely discernible footprints, Tyler found himself at the edge of a large rug in the middle of the room. The footprints appeared to go up to the rug and then pivot back. 𝗈𝒱𝑙xt.𝗰𝑶𝓶
(An empty room like this, locked without reason…)
(Avril certainly opened this room more than two years ago, yet she has no memory of it… She even thinks her sister locked it…)
After mulling over these thoughts, Tyler exited the room to ensure Avril was not about to return. He then ventured back into the locked room and secured the door from the inside.
(Silly Nissen: Eh? Tyler, have you lost-o your mind? Why… why are you locking yourself inside?)
(Tyler: If Avril comes back, at least she won’t instantly discover that I’ve opened the room.)
Tyler returned to the edge of the rug, held his breath, and painstakingly began to peel it from its original position.
Despite his careful movements, dust swirled in the air. When the dust eventually settled, an unanticipated sight met his eyes: a square panel, seemingly designed to be lifted, concealed beneath the rug!
(Silly Nissen: Eh—! Oh my god-o! Could there be a secret chamber beneath this room?)
Although he had predicted such a revelation, Tyler could not help but feel his heart thrumming at a frantic pace.
The real secret, it appeared, was hidden beneath this panel.
·
Tyler employed the Universal Stone to illuminate the intricate details upon the hatch, discerning a lock nestled within it.
(The second key, its purpose lies here…)
With key inserted and turned, an audible click sounded, and the hatch sprung slightly ajar.
(Silly Nissen: Could it-o be, that beneath, “Ghost, Ghost Elle” is hidden? The air is so stifling below, it’s hardly a hospitable living condition…)
The timorous voice of the foolish loli paradoxically emboldened Tyler. The advantageous terrain was his, should any “entity” attempt to escape from the underground chamber, he’d promptly seal the hatch, blocking their path.
In the “accompaniment” of the trembling voice of the foolish loli, Tyler slowly unhinged the hatch. A short ladder leading down to the subterranean chamber presented itself to his sight.
Without delay, Tyler illuminated the chamber interior with the Universal Stone. The structure of the underground chamber was rather square, shelving units arranged within. He could grasp the overall layout at a glance… crucially, there were no traces of “human” presence.
However, due to the horizontal boards obstructing the shelves, Tyler was unable to discern the exact contents from his vantage point above. Hence, he sheathed his dagger for the time being, gripping the luminescent Universal Stone, he gingerly descended into the chamber.
(These are… leather, fabric, and similar materials?)
A swift scan around, Tyler made a preliminary confirmation of the items on the shelves. Nothing seemed particularly noteworthy.
He exhaled a sigh of relief. As long as “Ghost Elle” wasn’t encountered, the situation remained manageable.
However, this thought was thoroughly uprooted mere minutes later.
The “clues” capable of unveiling the truth were already neatly displayed before Tyler’s eyes, he just hadn’t yet deciphered their meaning.
These “witnesses,” forever silenced, were about to utterly overturn Tyler’s perception of Avril, Elle, and the Ira Village, that he’d formed over these past few days.