Gaga's pupils shrank. It immediately stopped recording and, with a flicker, melted into the shadows in the corner.
A moment later, the metal door was pushed open, and a figure walked in.
Edmund was wearing a dark gray robe, holding a glass of red wine.
His face was devoid of expression, his eyes as still as a pool of stagnant water.
He walked to the stone altar and set down the wine glass.
His gaze fell upon the open tome, his fingers unconsciously tracing the edges of its pages.
A long time passed.
He suddenly spoke, his voice low, as if talking to himself.
"Just one last step..."
He bent down and took out a crystal vial from a hidden compartment beneath the stone altar.
The vial contained a dark red liquid, thick as blood.
Deep within the liquid, something could be seen vaguely squirming.
Edmund uncorked the vial and slowly poured the liquid onto the runes covering the altar's surface.
HISSS...
