"That is because you have used up all of the spiritual power in your body. You must have exhausted all of the mana in your body. Exhausting all of your mana is sometimes dangerous; you don't seem to be suffering from any backlash. You must just be feeling extremely tired. Some rest and you will be able to function properly. Get some rest, leave the rest to me, I will handle everything." The voice explained.
"Remember, do not try to exhaust your power again if you are not in a life-or-death situation. This time, you were lucky as I was here; even if you suffered some backlash, I would have handled it." Said the voice, she seemed quite concerned.
"I will keep that in mind," Rudra replied. 'If I didnt give all I had in that fight, I would have ended up dead anyway. Getting killed because of a mere wind wolf after getting a second chance in life would have been very shameful. Hah, alas, I wonder who she is, healing me, bringing me back from death's door. Just how strong she must have been when she was still alive.' He mused.
"Just what was that place inside the door? Has anyone before me ever been indie that place? Who made this place?" Rudra murmured as he wanted to know the reason behind all of this.
"Unfortunately, as I was never able to venture inside the door, I do not know what lies beyond this point. With the limited knowledge I have, I do not know if there was anyone other than you who entered before you. From what I know, this place has existed for centuries; not many people in the world know of its existence." The woman said.
"As for your last question, I do not know if this place was created by someone, or if someone had created it. All I know is, some people in the world are after this place. Blood cult is one of them; they are not the only ones who want this. That's all I know, unfortunately." Said the woman, she seemed disappointed by the answers she had given.
"Will I be hunted down by the people who are after this place? If they find out I entered this place, will I be safe?" Rudra asked, seemingly quite concerned.
"No! No one will be able to know you entered this place. The only way they find out is if you tell them about this yourself. Lastly, they will no longer have the reason to search for this artifact; it will be destroyed as soon as we leave this space. This place has already served its purpose, so there is no need for this artifact to exist." Said the voice.
As she finished explaining everything to Rudra, something caught his attention as he saw something unbelievable from the corner of his eye. "Wait, just what in the world is going on?" Rudra said he was panicking as he saw many cracks form, covering the entire door.
"There is no reason to worry, as I mentioned before, this place has served its purpose. That is the reason why the doorway is disappearing, " said the woman, "This place is going to collapse soon, as there is no need for this artifact to exist. Let's begin by getting out first." Rudra nodded in response.
With the final bit of strength he had left, Rudra muttered. "Just who are you?"
The woman chuckled in response. "I used to be called Dolores Verdane. We talked for so long, yet you ask me for my name now. I guess there is no need for a name, to a dead soul." Rudra's eyes opened wide. He was beyond shocked; he knew very well just who this person was. She is the one who forged countless legends, one of the most respected and revered people in the long history of the Radiant Empire.
Tales of her achievements are still sung throughout, not just the Radiant Empire, even in most of the neighboring empires. She was also known as The Sunbound Valkarie, a title given to her because she brought a ray of hope along with her wherever she went. Just like the Sun that promised a new day, she was seen as a beacon by many.
A title she earned through her hard work and sacrifices she made during the warring era that ravaged the entire continent more than a millennium ago. A long time passed, yet she is still remembered i the hearts of adults and children alike.
Rudra always wondered what that era must have been like; there were not many literary descriptions describing the era inside the orphanage library. From what he knew, in that era, the rules of the continent were in shambles, and all of the powerful empires of that era were struggling to survive. Many unknown factions and corrupted beasts aimed to ravage these lands, and he got chills just thinking about the past he had never experienced. Rudra still wondered just how powerful and influential she must have been for her to be called by such a grand title and be remembered even now.
''''''''''''''''''''''
Just as the voice mentioned, the walls of the area where Rudra was in started forming cracks, and the spiritual power inside started going haywire. 'Did I just think about spanking the ass of THE Dolores Verdane?' Rudra mused as his forehead was covered in cold sweat.
As he had no strength in his body, he just lay there hoping that st. Dolores would be able to teleport him outside the artifact. He had no idea how he entered this place, so he was clueless about getting out as well. Just as he had hoped, he didnt even have to move a muscle in his body as he suddenly felt light and his vision became dark.
When he regained his vision, he was once again back inside the bell tower, while sitting on top of his own blood. He looked through the broken walls of the bell tower while praying he wasn't too late.
'Just what is going on? Why has everyone stopped moving? What in the world is going on?' Rudra mused as he started panicking. Everything in this world seemed to have come to a halt; it seemed no time had passed since he was transported inside the mysterious realm. 'Was this done by Dolores? Does she possess such immense power that she can stop time at her will?'
Confused, Rudra started questioning himself over and over again; his mind was in a mess at the moment.
[Negative, the keeper of the eternal passage is not strong enough; she does not hold such power.]
As if answering his questions, the voice of the book sounded in his head. He didn't know if he should feel grateful or wary that he was once more hearing the book's voice. 'The Keeper of the eternal passage? Was that the name of the place where I found you? Just what is the purpose of that place' asked Rudra, anticipating the answers.
[Affirmative, the space is called Eternal Passage. Access denied, the host does not meet the requirement, more information locked.]
Rudra seemed frustrated by the answer. 'Who stopped the time then?' Instead of dwelling, Rudra asked another question that ate at him since getting out.