As Lou Zen accepted the mission, silence filled the ancestral hall. The flames of the torches flickered, casting shadows on the stone walls.
Second Elder, Lou He, stood up slowly. His eyes were heavy, and his voice cracked slightly.
"Lou Zen... this path you've chosen is dangerous. Please, be careful," he said, the sadness in his voice clearly visible.
Before Lou Zen could respond, the large doors of the ancestral hall creaked open.
A woman stood there. Her eyes were sharp, yet filled with fear. It was Lou Zen's mother.
She stepped into the hall with firm steps, ignoring the elders' gaze. Her voice trembled with emotion as she shouted:
"No! I won't let my Zen go!"
The entire hall turned silent.
She rushed toward Lou Jin, her husband, and looked up at him with fury and tears in her eyes.
"How can you send our only child into such danger?! Are you a father or a clan leader?!"
Lou Jin looked shocked at first — not by her words, but by her pain.
"Honey, please… try to understand. The Xin family is preparing to attack us. If Lou Zen doesn't go, they will crush us. We might lose everything… including him later anyway."
Her anger turned into sorrow. She shook her head.
"I don't care about the clan or war. I care about our son! I won't let you risk his life!"
Tears began to well up in her eyes.
Just then, Lou Zen stepped forward. He looked straight at his mother with determination.
"Mother..."
He knelt down and held her hand.
"If I don't go, Lou family will fall. The only way to protect everyone… to protect you, is to bring back that Black Sword. Please let me go. I promise… I'll return."
His mother's hands trembled. Tears rolled down her cheeks. For a moment, she wanted to scream, to stop him, to fight fate itself — but she knew deep inside… her son was no longer a child. He was walking the path of warriors.
She stepped back, wiped her tears, and nodded with a heavy heart.
"Then go… but return to me, Zen. Promise me."
Lou Zen held her hand tightly.
"I promise, Mother."
Lou Jin came forward and embraced his son. His usually cold and strong expression softened.
"My son… you carry the fate of our ancestors. Make them proud."
Lou Zen turned towards the elders, then the door.
He knelt at the exit of the hall, placed both hands on the ground, and whispered,
"Farewell, my family. I will return with the Black Sword… or not at all."
His mother turned away, unable to watch.
Her heart was breaking… but she let him go, because now he wasn't just her son.
He was the last hope of the Lou clan.
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