Erik found himself standing before the door that opened into the belly of the structure. He waited a while, listening intently for any sign of anything wrong.
Nothing except the bustle of the city outside reached his ears instead. The fact that the stillness persisted reassured him, so he slowly opened the door and peered inside the stairway beyond it.
After descending the stairs, Erik stood in front of a different door. He could see through the openings in the door and noticed that the materials used in the corridor inside had changed from those used on the outside and in the attic. They went to planks of highly light wood, which appeared to be mahogany.
The corridor was lit thanks to some torch sconces placed in strategic locations that illuminated the walls and the floor, plus the sunlight penetrated inside through the glass windows on either side of the structure.
A heavy atmosphere was in the air like a veil of suspense permeating every corner of the hall.