Sharrkan stood before the great doors of the throne room, pondering how he could possibly tell his brother. Of course, Armakan most certainly would not approve of his decision to join Sinbad on his travels, but it was his life, damn it, and he would do what he wanted with it. A prince should choose how he lives, should he not?

If only it were so easy as to say, "Brother, I'm going to Sindria. Sinbad can't run a proper nation without my help." Armakan would probably disallow it out of spite if nothing else. Sharrkan bit his lip as he looked up at the golden, serpent-shaped handles of the door. He took a tentative step to grasp one, but his hand fell as quickly as it rose.

It was then that the doors opened towards him, being pushed from the other side, and Sharrkan had to step back in order to avoid being struck by the wide arc of such a large door. To his horror, it was none other than the young King of Heliohapt, Armakan Amun-Ra himself who walked out, accompanied by his personal guard, Anepou. Armakan, clad in jewelry that could only befit royalty, strode out into the hall as such, with Am-Mut, his pet snake, curled around his neck. Anepou moved silently behind him, and if one did not have the privilege to see the king so often, as Sharrkan unfortunately did, one may not even notice the existence of the man behind him, though he was nearly two heads taller than his king. Sharrkan was well acquainted with Anepou, as the tall, dark-skinned man's adept swordsmanship was what had sparked his own interest in swords. Though he wasn't considered a noble, Sharrkan deeply respected him as a fighter.

Upon seeing his little brother standing in the entry hall, Armakan smiled. "Brother," he said as he approached, his voice ringing out in the otherwise silent hall. "I was just looking for you. I… why are you just standing here all alone?" he asked.

"I-I was actually doing the same," he replied faintly.

Armakan nodded. "Good, good. Walk with me, would you? This is important."

Sharrkan did as he was asked and joined Armakan and Anepou as they strode down the spacious entrance hall of the palace. "What is this about?" he inquired of his elder brother.

"It concerns the dungeon that appeared just outside of the city two years ago."

"Vassago?"

"Precisely. Brother, do you know what happened to Sinbad and Kouen Ren when they came out having successfully conquered the world's first two dungeons?"

"They obtained wealth and power, didn't they?" he asked absent-mindedly. Sharrkan wasn't really paying attention to his conversation with Armakan. He was instead trying his best to come up with a plan of just how to tell his brother of his departure for Sindria.

"Indeed they did. So, let me ask you, have you ever wondered what would happen if somebody were to conquer Vassago?"

"I… uh… no, I haven't… But I imagine they would obtain wealth and power just as Sinbad and Kouen Ren did."

"And what would they do with that power, Sharrkan?" he persisted. They reached the steps to the palace and walked into the stale, hot air of Heliohapt. Ignoring the intense heat of the sun that beat down upon the city, the three of them began making their way down the immense staircase. Anepou moved quietly behind the two, making no move to interject in their conversation.

"I don't know, I've never really thought about it…"

"They would challenge the throne, brother!" Armakan grabbed his brother's arm, shaking him as if to send the words with more power than vocals alone could allow. "They would overrule us!"

"So what would you do? Make it forbidden to enter?" Personally, Sharrkan thought that that should have been done long ago. Not only had their father, the former king, sent thousands of men inside, but he himself had also gone into that cursed pyramid. None had ever returned. Sharrkan had once dreamed of bringing Sinbad to Heliohapt, and helping him conquer Vassago, but that was long ago, and he had since dismissed it as foolishness. Dungeons were nothing more than crypts to devour the weak and desperate.

"I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go conquer Vassago with me."

Sharrkan was caught off guard by that statement. Was Armakan serious? Each of the nine dungeons that appeared in throughout the world had ended thousands of lives, and only three of them had ever been conquered, and even then only by extremely capable individuals. Neither of the two boys were of age, but now Armakan wanted to go and throw both of their lives away.

"I know what you're thinking, Sharrkan, but it won't be just us. Of course, Anepou would join us," he explained as he gestured vaguely behind them. "He swore on his life that he wouldn't let anything bad happen to us. Besides, what would happen to our honor if we couldn't do it? That poser Sinbad conquered the world's first dungeon years ago when he was a child, and we have to capture Vassago before somebody else! How can we hope to hold the throne if somebody with more power than us wants it?!" Armakan glared intently at his brother, waiting for a response. It was obvious he was serious about this. Sharrkan looked worried. Anepou, while certainly a competent fighter, could hardly claim to be more effective than an entire army when it came to dungeon conquering, especially when serving as bodyguard for two adolescents. Was Armakan insane?

"Brother… I… You'll die if you go. If father couldn't do it–"

"Father was careless! What dungeon conquering is about isn't vast armies, it's small, fast groups! That's how Sinbad and Kouen did it, after all. Look, Sharrkan," he continued as they reached the bottom of the steps. "I need your answer now. Will you be the prince you were meant to be, guiding Heliohapt to a better future with the power of a conquered dungeon?" Armakan looked down on his brother, extending his hand towards him.

"B-before I give an answer, could we talk about what I wanted to ask you?"

"Can't it wait? This is important, Sharrkan! You can't run away from your duty!" Sharrkan took a step back at that statement, looking down and away from his brother and king.

"Armakan… I wanted to tell you that I'm leaving Heliohapt."

"Excuse me?" he lowered his arm, narrowing his eyes.

Sharrkan gulped. "I want to explore the world with Sinbad."

The king folded his arms and relaxed. "I knew letting you leave the country wouldn't be good for you. You've lost yourself out there, brother."

"You've lost yourself here, Armakan. I don't think you're ready to be king, and if you go into Vassago, you won't live to see the majesty in such a title. My answer is no. I don't want to die like father did, and I would advise you to stay away from there, too."

"I'm disappointed in you, brother," Armakan sighed, closing his eyes. "Of all things, cowardice was not a trait I had seen in you. I give you permission to leave Heliohapt."

"You-you do?"

"Yes. I hereby strip you of your title of Prince of Heliohapt and exile you from the country. You have three days to leave and you are never to return. You are no longer my brother."

"A-Armakan…"

"Get out of my sight!" Armakan hissed, turning away from his brother, facing the palace once again.

Sharrkan nodded gravely, turning to go without another word. He knew full well it would do no good.