Arrival

[Amaterasu]

"My life is what I make of it, and you won't force me to do anything", Amaterasu parroted. She wiped the tears with her sleeve, even though new ones came, and still looked at the ground without coming back to her feet. "So... what you told me when you first met me is just that? You brought me here because I interested you? Or have you a goal you're not telling...?"

Whether it was the deity's supernatural force acting in the room, or simply his words, the thought of this being a new journey in which she was bound neither by duty nor by goals, was uplifting. Hope-inspiring. She found that her tears dried and her mind cleared much faster than she had expected. Or, to continue the metaphor, the glass vase was broken, but the shards were swept aside and an empty space waited to be filled.

Suddenly she was very aware of where she was, and more importantly who surrounded her. Oki still had his hand on her back but she could tell that he was shocked to see her breaking down like that. With deep breaths she forced her feelings back. Then she wiped her tears again, and this time there wasn't more. She was making things awkward for everyone, and someone of her standing should not cry like this. Not in front of everyone.

"Then... allow me to ask you something different. In the Omniverse... are there evils out there who are stronger than the horned warlock that I encountered when we helped the Hero Teucer? Are there greater dangers, bigger threats to the realm? And... and if so, who or what are they?"