[@Guardian Angel Haruki]

Sure! I was thinking about reasons for their items to be there, and while I want it to be vague at first, there can be a little known up front. So, I'm thinking they are greeted by an elderly wizard who explains their Soul Conduits used to belong to powerful figures throughout history, and he was hired by a mysterious group to collect them and summon souls to bond with each one. They try to question the wizard about the mysterious group, but he just says he did his part and teleports away.