"You chose to be locked in here? What do you mean? Why would anyone want to lock themselves in such a place? Now that the door is open, will you be able to leave? Tell me how I can help you get out of this place." Asked Rudra as he frowned, he could never imagine himself being in her situation. According to him, he would die rather than be trapped.
"Oh my child, I am just a soul who decided to take on the task of guiding people who ventured into this place. This place is not a trap for me; this is more like a duty that someone has to take. I took this duty on because that was my wish before dying. Even if I didn't take on this role, I am sure someone else would have. Although I can't explain to you the importance of this duty, I am sure you will find out eventually." Said the woman in a very gentle voice, just like a mother's.
In reply, Rudra just nodded; he didn't have anything to say as he was left speechless by all the revelations.
"Look at the bright side, now that you have appeared and the door is finally open. There would be no need for anyone to stay in this place as a guide," said the woman happily, hearing her Rudra sigh.
"So, you are something like a ghost? How did you die?" Asked Rudra, and he had not heard anything about a ghost until now, so he was fascinated by the woman.
"Heheehe... Well, you can call me a ghost if you want. However, the exact term would be something like soul or spirit. Once I was at the end of my life, I guided my soul to the 'Tear of Lumina' and was able to live in this form from then on. There is no reason for concern, as I died because of old age; I lived for a thousand years. When I reached that age, I decided that there was no point in growing stronger anymore. All of my disciples were already strong; they were perfectly capable of protecting the church and the empire even if I were gone. So, I decided to leave my mortal body." Said the woman with happiness as she remembered her past.
"Tho..A thousand years? Are you a human or something else? Forgive me if I am being rude." Asked Rudra as he was bewildered.
"HAHAHAH.... there is nothing to be sorry for. I guess you are too young and have not started learning about many things yet. Well, I am a human, of course, humans can also live for a very long time, even matching the lifespan of elves. Once you start getting stronger, you gain more life. For example, a normal human can only live up to 80 years or 100 years. However, an Apprentice Magus can live up to 150-200 years, depending on their level. Your life increases as you grow stronger." The woman explained, Rudra's mouth was agape, listening to her explanation. Rudra could just imagine how strong she was when she was alive after hearing her explanation.
'I want to be stronger as well....' Thought Rudra, although he wasn't tempted by the fact that he would live longer. He was just excited because there were so many things he still didn't know about this world. Deep down, he knew that if he wanted to unravel all the mysteries this world held, he had to grow stronger or else he would die like he did moments earlier.
"If I went inside the door, would I be able to save the people of the orphanage? Will I be able to survive?" Asked Rudra, and he seemed very disheartened as he mentioned the orphanage. He had no idea how long it had been since he entered this mysterious space, nor did he know if the orphanage was still safe. For all he knew, the orphanage was already destroyed. Rudra wanted to avoid thinking about the orphanage because his heart started aching just thinking about his only family this this world.
"What do you mean? I don't understand. What is going on outside?" Asked the woman.
"The Orphanage I grew up in is under attack by some unknown people claiming to be the followers of the Blood god. I was hiding inside the bell tower of the orphanage when I was suddenly transported here," said Rudra as he explained the situation to the woman.
"So, they have started moving once again, huh.... If you can return safely from inside the door, then I will have nothing left to do in this place. So before I disappear, I will help you protect your home." The woman said as she tried to reassure Rudra.
'I just have to return safely? If that can help me save my people, I will even jump into the pits of hell.' Rudra thought as he nodded in response to the woman. Even though he didn't know how everyone was doing in the outside world, all he could do was pray for them to be safe.
"Alright, if that's what I have to do to save them, I will do it," said Rudra as he finally took a step inside. The woman didn't say anything to Rudra after seeing his determined face; all she could do was pray for his success and hope for the best. Beyond the door, even the woman had never gone before, so she didn't know what was inside that place. She didn't even know if it was safe inside, so even as a guide, she had nothing to say to the departing Rudra.
Beyond the door, it was just pitch darkness; even the light that was shining outside the door couldn't illuminate the inside one bit. Without even knowing if there was a ground he would be able to stand on or not, Rudra still kept on walking ahead. He never even once looked back, because he thought he would lose his way. Rudra kept on walking for a very long time. He no longer knew if he was on the right path or if he was even walking or not. In this darkness, he could see nothing, hear nothing, as the silence was resounding. The silence was so bad that he was starting to hear his own blood flow. Even though fearful, he still kept on walking.
"We were never destined, huh? So, that is why when this boy entered the door shook so heavily. It was as if the door was shaking in joy. Joyous because someone who was destined had finally come. I wonder what this means, them appearing once more, the door opening, the prophecy that was foretold? How does this all link together?
The Blood God? There is no such god in this world. They must be the same group from my time. Why are they back again? Whenever they appear, the world suffers immensely. Last time when they appeared, the world was riddled with war and chaos; thankfully, we were able to push them back last time. But I wonder if the world is ready for it this time, a lot of lives will be lost, and children will have to fight. OH GODDESS LUMINA I, YOUR SERVANT BEG OF YOU PLEASE WATCH OVER THE WORLD, FOR WITHOUT YOU MANY OF YOUR CHILDREN WILL SUFFER."