"I thought I would never see you again." Zack's mother said as she hugged him.

Both of them stood still for a few seconds in front of the surprised gaze of her pupils.

"I'm not going to lie, that's what I thought too, but some things had happened," Zack said before realizing that there were other people around apart from his mother."I will tell you about that later."

"Yeah, sure. We have a lot to talk about until we catch up." she said with a big smile on her face before turning toward her pupils." Let's end today's lesson. When you get home, practice for at least an hour and come back here tomorrow so we can continue. "

"Yes, Master." All the kids quickly straightened before replying to her.

Soon after, all of them left the garden, and Zack and his mother entered the home so they could talk more comfortably.

"Now, tell me everything. How has everything been? "his mother asked.

"Well, you see," Zack said before explaining to her how his last years had been until the moment he got his arm wounded.

"And are you alright?! Does it hurt? Do you still have any of the corruption inside of your body?" his mother began to ask worriedly.

"Don't you worry, I'm mostly fine. Apart from losing the ability to use my arm in combat, there aren't a lot of differences from before, "he said, trying to calm his mother.

After hearing that, she stayed silent for a few seconds before asking.

"And how do you feel about that? Your fighting skills have been your priority since you asked me to teach you how to use your swords when you were nine. I'm sure that it must have been pretty difficult days for you."

After hearing that, Zack realized that his mother knew him too well, and he wouldn't be able to keep anything from her, so he decided to tell her everything.

"They were pretty difficult indeed. I thought a few times about doing things that went against my morals before accepting the truth and coming to the new continent. "Zack said while lowering his head.

"So you came to the new continent to live a more peaceful life now that you aren't able to fight like before?" his mother asked.

"No, that's not the reason. I plan on adapting my fighting techniques so they work with a one-handed sword. " Zack said.

"Why are you here then? If you are thinking about continuing fighting, I'm sure that you wouldn't leave your group without a reason. " His mother asked, confused.

"The reason I'm here..." Zack said before finally deciding to tell his mother everything." I have received a message from Heaven."

"What?!" his mother asked incredulously, her eyes wide open.

"I swear it's the truth. I was told to come to the new continent and "walk through sand and fire until I reach my deserved rest," whatever that means." Zack told her.

For a few seconds, she stayed quiet, trying to process the information that Zack had just given her.

"Thought sand and fire, you said? Could it be the Yanan desert?" she suddenly asked.

"The Yanan desert? What's that? "

"The Yanan Desert is a nearby region that is located toward the center of the continent. In it, there is not much apart from sand and magical beasts that control fire and earth energy, so it fits the description of what you need to do," she explained before worry appeared on her face. "The problem is that it is a very dangerous place. Not only are the magical beasts powerful and have terrain advantages, but just the conditions of the area are a challenge for anyone that is not prepared enough. Because of that, not a lot of people have ventured into it, so it has become an unexplored area even if the surrounding ones have already been mapped."

"I see," Zack said, as a pensive expression appeared on his face." Well, I don't plan on going there immediately, so I have time to prepare for the expedition and even try to find some people to go with, so there shouldn't be a lot of problems."

After that, both of them continued talking for hours. They hadn't met in years, so they had a lot to talk about.

She told him about her arrival on the new continent and how she created the dojo.

According to her, there were a few dojos around the city even though the Ventar Academy existed. This was because a lot of people didn't like the way martial arts were taught in the academy, and managing to become a disciple in a dojo was much easier than in the academy, so a lot of people sent their children to them so they could learn how to fight and some basic cultivation.

When it got dark, Zack was about to leave, but his mother offered him to stay at her home, which he decided to accept.