With a strange feeling, I stepped out of that pit. I think I had been there for two or three days, and finally, at that moment, I was in the open space of nature. The weather was very pleasant. The woman's voice destroyed all my good feelings again. She looked a bit annoyed as she stared at the woman.

"Hey kid, swordsmanship is not just about physical strength and skill. It also requires patience, focus, and the balance of mind and body. The first step in the path of swordsmanship is mastering oneself."

It didn't matter much to me. I had always been in this situation, so I preferred to adapt to the conditions.

****

Sura started the training with simple and basic movements. First, she taught me how to hold the sword and maintain my balance, and finally, she taught me defensive and offensive moves. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into a year. Under Sura's training, I had relearned most of the moves for the second time in my life. Alongside swordsmanship skills, being with this woman had also increased my patience and focus.

With endless fatigue in my legs, I slowly moved towards the place where Sura was standing. It was a very hot sunny day. Sura was standing on the peak of a high mountain, and in front of her was a vast plain with a view of the Angel Empire, the Carnelian Empire. I slowly climbed up the mountain and stood beside her. Sura's energy, like a cold shadow, froze my bones.

"Kid, I need to tell you something."

"About what?"

The woman pointed her finger at an unspecified point. I followed her finger to the Angel Empire's castle.

"The castle?"

"That's right, we need to find something that belongs to you from there."

"What do you mean? What belongs to me?"

She tilted her head and stared into my brown eyes. After a short pause, she opened her mouth.

"The sword in your sheath is strong, but it's not as strong as the sword your mother left for you."

"My mother's sword?"

I remember reading about it in a relatively large book with a black leather cover that looked old. *Anastasia* - a sword with the power to transform into any weapon and incredible divine magic within it. The center of the sword had a red jewel that gathered the mana of all the beings you defeated in battle. Even a small cut on the body would steal the mana from the core energy of that being. This sword, created by Lucifer, the angel cast out by God, for the demons, was passed down through the royal family of Diolin and reached my mother, but one day it disappeared, and everyone blamed my mother. And now I finally understood why that sword disappeared.

"What is it doing in the Angel's castle?"

"Well, I don't know that either. Your mother knew."

"But she's no longer here to answer."

"Besides your mother, there was someone else who knew about this."

"Who is that?"

"What do you think?"

"The Emperor?"

The woman gave a slight smile and didn't answer my question. She preferred to answer with silence.