Over the course of a thousand years.
There have been many legends about the Resurrection Stone.
The most famous story is naturally the tale of Death and the Three Brothers, where in that story the Resurrection Stone is a gift given by Death to Cadmus Peverell.
In the legend, it possesses the magical ability to transcend life and death. Of course, as verified by those who actually obtained the Resurrection Stone, it actually summons a presence that is more real than a spirit but more illusory than a body, based on the user's memory and impression of the deceased; it does not truly have the power of resurrection.
Perhaps the ancient wizards were not aware of this, or perhaps it was a misinterpretation by the author of the Poet's Bean Story Collection, yet there is still some truth to the story.
It indeed seems to carry a "curse," leading the holder towards death—the "spirit body" projected by the Resurrection Stone is essentially just a phantom of the deceased. These phantoms can only be seen by the corresponding user, and they guide the user towards death in various ways.
Rather than saying the Resurrection Stone revives the loved ones in one's heart, it might be more accurate to say that an evil spirit resides within it, prying into others' thoughts, and all its manifestations are merely to calculate others' lives.
For this reason, Ian has always held a rather rational view of the Deathly Hallows.
Just an alchemical creation, among the Three Sacred Artifacts of Death, only the Elder Wand truly possesses practical value, whereas both the Resurrection Stone and the Invisibility Cloak are somewhat misrepresented. Previously, Ian stopped Helena from attempting to destroy the Resurrection Stone to eliminate Tom, merely out of a curiosity to study the principles of how it was crafted.
"The Resurrection Stone came from here?"
Ian looked at the ring in Rowena Ravenclaw's hand, his tone somewhat incredulous. Not only him, but even Helena showed a face of disbelief.
Apparently, Ian wasn't the only one who didn't believe in the legend of the Three Sacred Artifacts.
"The Resurrection Stone, Elder Wand, and Invisibility Cloak all came from here." Rowena Ravenclaw's tone was very certain as she returned both the Resurrection Stone Ring and Slytherin's Pendant Box to Ian, showing little interest in such artifacts she deemed truly exceptionally originated.
"Death forged them?"
Ian still felt a bit skeptical.
To be honest, he had always suspected that the so-called Three Sacred Artifacts were not gifts from Death but were rather exceptional alchemical creations by the talented Three Brothers.
Just like the Magic Stone and other powerful alchemical masterpieces, the legend of it being a gift from Death could have merely been artistic embellishment built over years of storytelling.
Of course, it's also possible that the Three Brothers fabricated the tale to elevate the value of the Three Sacred Artifacts. After all, in the stories Ian knew about the past and future, Albus Dumbledore was the one who truly assembled the Three Sacred Artifacts, yet even this Hogwarts headmaster didn't ultimately conquer death.
It is therefore reasonable that Ian would look down upon the Three Sacred Artifacts, who would have thought at this moment Rowena Ravenclaw would present Ian with a whole new version of the legend.
"Who knows, I may have been here for a long time, but not that long." Rowena Ravenclaw chuckled lightly, not directly answering Ian's question.
"Then how can you be sure that the Three Sacred Artifacts of Death originated here, mother?" A curious Helena asked the question that lingered in Ian's mind even before he could.
"Because of the materials, my child." Rowena Ravenclaw casually picked up a stone from the ground, and indeed, the texture of the stone was remarkably similar to the Resurrection Stone.
This coincidence seems to also verify the detail in the story of Death and the Three Brothers where Death casually picks up a stone to make the Resurrection Stone handed to the brothers.
"That's just too outrageous!" Ian hadn't noticed this before; he also picked up a stone from the ground, and compared with the previous one, he could indeed only see additional alchemical inscriptions on the Resurrection Stone that he couldn't understand.
"What about the Elder Wood! There's no Elder Wood here! And the materials for the Invisibility Cloak!" Ian wasn't unwilling to believe in the existence of Death, he was just unwilling to believe that Death's creations were so underwhelming.
"The Elder Wand isn't without a wand core; it's just that its core comes from this Realm of the Dead, making it invisible to mere mortals, which is why the Elder Wand possesses ultimate power." Rowena Ravenclaw crushed the stone in her hand, and with a casual flick, the stone that might have forged a second Resurrection Stone turned to dust.
"I remember, Mother, you weren't one to pursue the legend of the Three Sacred Artifacts?" Helena's reaction was quite similar to Ian's, proving that not only Ian was this curious.
She was very surprised at Rowena Ravenclaw's knowledge about the Three Sacred Artifacts.
"Salazar studied this extensively, as he always had a passion for these matters." Rowena Ravenclaw's gaze fell upon the Pendant Box in Ian's hand.
"So, is the Invisibility Cloak really a cloak taken from Death's body?" Ian pinched the Pendant Box in his hand, his thoughts still clinging to the origin of the Three Sacred Artifacts.
Admittedly, the craftsmanship of the Three Sacred Artifacts is certainly exceptional; even the remnant soul of Voldemort that can corrode the Ravenclaw Crown has, in fact, left no residual impact on this Resurrection Stone Ring.