Amaterasu walked in between two hulking guards comprised entirely of sun fire.

She stared at them both in a discreet manner- peering into the very depths of their makeup and trying to understand them fundamentally.

Even though these beings were made entirely of sun fire, they didn''t recognize her authority in any way or form.

Even if she reached out with her mind, she couldn''t manipulate them the way she usually could other beings of flame.

That was scary. Troublesome. And annoying.

But really, what else should she have expected from that man''s eldest son?

A door in the hallway suddenly creaked open.

Coming out and carrying a stack of books was a dragon with short red hair whom she didn''t recognize.

But apparently her escorts did.

""Lady Claire.""

At the sight of the guards and the guest, Claire smiled innocently at all three of them. "Hello there, boys. Who''s this?"

"A mere guest here to see Lord Apophis. We bring her to the Golden Hall now." One of the guards answered.

Amaterasu could have swore.

She didn''t remember the last time anyone called her a ''mere'' anything.

Probably because none had ever dared to be so brazen in front of her.

"Amaterasu, right?"

Claire''s eyes sparkled knowingly behind her glasses. Whatever emotion was toiling around back there was one that the Shinto queen couldn''t quite decipher.

"...Yes." She replied curtly.

Claire''s pink lips curled up into a smile.

"...I''ll show her the way. You two can return to your posts."

""Yes, my lady.""

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The avatars spontaneously combusted and vanished from the hall without complaint. Leaving Claire alone with Amaterasu for the first time.

"Shall we go?" She beckoned.

Amaterasu could only nod in response.

As she followed Claire through the hall, she studied her from head to toe.

"Are you one of his?"

Claire giggled. "That''s a bit demeaning, don''t you think? I''m not his belt or something."

"My mistake." Amaterasu corrected. "I simply meant-"

"I know what you meant... and yes, I am." Claire confessed. "Does that surprise you?"

Amaterasu didn''t want to offend Claire by saying yes.@@@@

She wasn''t expecting for Apophis to be with someone so... ordinary.

Don''t get her wrong, Claire was impossibly beautiful. If she belonged to any other faction, she would be the starting point of many wars fought to possess her.

But Amaterasu was of a rare, exclusive group to have seen multiple Nevi''im before.

She pulled the item out of her sleeve anyway. It was an ornate hand-held mirror, at least 10,000 years old.

"Take it anyway, since I went through all of this trouble to prepare it."

She levitated the item over to Apophis. Rita plucked it out of the air.

Amaterasu wasn''t exactly surprised or offended by that. If she were honest, she halfway expected for her to destroy it instantly.

"I''ll take care of it then." Apophis said.

"See to it that you do." Amaterasu returned her arms to her sleeves.

The two sun gods stared at each other for a few more seconds before Apophis could no longer stand the awkwardness.

"So... Why have you come?"

Amaterasu took a deep breath and set her thin lips in a straight line.

Her bright orange eyes stared deeply into Apophis; searching for the first sign of a fabrication or lie.

"Why are you here?"

Apophis, Nita, and Claire all blinked slowly.

The serpent spoke slowly as if he were talking to a toddler. "You''re asking... why I am in my own castle?"

"Don''t patronize me." Amaterasu huffed. "You''ve been here the last two months. No god usual assumes their responsibility that long unless they''re depressed about something."

Apophis blinked again, though this time had more to do with surprise than stupefaction.

He didn''t know Amaterasu still paid that much attention to him.

Or maybe she had just noticed coincidentally because they were both sun deities.

"Besides, I know your family." Amaterasu continued. "Ayaana can barely function when all of you aren''t under the same roof. Abaddon isn''t any better. There''s no way they''re alright with you just staying here 24/7."

Apophis would have laughed if he didn''t find this situation so vexing.

"My father.. has decided not to pass the throne to me."

Amaterasu was an icy queen with perfect composure.

But hearing that had really floored her and caused her eyes to bulge.

Anyone with even a modicum of knowledge of Tehom''s politics expected that Abaddon would pass his throne to either Apophis or Thea.

They were not only among th most powerful, but the most even tempered too.

"Then.. your sister will-"

"No." Apophis shook his massive head. "Thea has her own realm. She doesn''t want the throne."

Amaterasu nodded slowly in understanding. "I''m sorry... I would say that I don''t know what that ancient blockhead is thinking, but I''m sure he just isn''t."

This time, Apophis actually did laugh in a twisted, hissing sort of way. The sound was oddly satisfying to listen to.

"You don''t need to apologize to me. I''m not sad that I won''t be given the throne." Apophis paused. "Well.. not anymore. My father raised a good point to me.

I only wanted to be his heir because it''s what everyone around me expected, and because I idolized him. But that''s not a good enough reason to want to rule.

I''m here because... I''m hoping to discover something that I can do. Something that I actually want for myself. And I hope that when I find it, I can go home and tell him proudly."

It was rare for Amaterasu to be out of words. But Apophis'' admittance had thrown her into a disorganized state.

This only made him laugh once again.

"That is the reason I am here, Taiyou. Is that a good enough reason for you?"