Think of it as if in Problem Sleuth, when Sleuth unleashed the Sepulchritude (Colide), but instead of scaling from there to an actual ending, it just skipped to the epilogue where they open the door to the real world.
Friend got me Dark Souls 2: SotFS and I'm loving it so far (just got through Harvest Valley and killed the Covetous Demon). May actually purchase Dark Souls 3, the gameplay looks much faster paced which fits my playstyle better.