Old acquaintances

Alger failed to grasp the deeper meaning of Neph's words. He seemed to have taken Amon as nothing more than a surname. Frowning in confusion, he began explaining the Amon Family's background:

"Even in the Fourth Epoch, an age filled with high-sequence powerhouses, the Amon Family's surname was taboo.

"Abraham, Antigonus, Amon, Jacob, and Tamara were the five great families that supported the founding of the Tudor Dynasty, second only to the Blood Emperor.

"Of these, the Amon Family was the most mysterious and left behind the fewest historical records. It seemed some power had distorted and concealed them.

"A piece of information once came from Nast, the King of the Five Seas: the Amon Family was a family of Blasphemers, and they possessed the secret of stealing the power of gods!

"Also, the Amon Family claimed to be descendants of the Ancient Sun God... Miss Pure White, could the Son of the Creator you mentioned be the founder of the Amon Family, their ancestor?"

Neph shook her head, then nodded. Turning toward Derrick, she explained:

"The Ancient Sun God was the Lord you once worshipped.

"As for the Amon Family... Mr. Hanged Man, have you ever seen an ant colony or a swarm of bees?"

Alger froze briefly, then nodded thoughtfully. Neph continued:

"Amon's existence is something like that. During the Fourth Epoch, he played the part of an entire family all by himself... Honestly, I suspect the dogs he kept, the birds that flew past, the insects that crawled by... all of them might have been him."

Her description sent a chill through everyone. Fors, the Magician, frowned and asked in bewilderment:

"Why would he do that?"

Neph spread her hands and answered, "One of his titles is the God of Mischief."

"..."

No one spoke. That title