CHAPTER 79: THE EIGHTH GOD

Alex blinked, the titles echoing in his head. Seven Sacred Houses... divine order... these were terms he’d never heard, words that carried weight he couldn’t yet comprehend.

His mind flitted back and forth, trying to piece together what this all meant, until Viktor’s question snapped him into focus.

"Tell me, Alex," he said, his voice heavy with years of burden, "what do you know about the Seven Guardian Gods?"

He took a steadying breath, forcing his thoughts into order, not wanting to sound ignorant.

"I know what everybody knows," Alex said carefully. "Two hundred years ago, something catastrophic was about to happen to Earth, but seven Gods chose to sacrifice themselves for us... for humanity’s sake."

"Exactly," Viktor said, his single word carrying bitter gravity.

He struggled to sit up straighter, pain etching deep lines across his face.

"After that sacrifice, most of Earth’s population began worshipping them. They became our official gods, the foundation of our spiritual and social order."

He paused, breathing shallowly, then continued with effort. "The Seven Sacred Houses rose alongside them, each representing one of the gods and maintaining the balance between mortal society and the divine."

Alex listened, still trying to reconcile sacred houses, gods, and this newfound reality. Viktor’s eyes burned with the intensity of someone compelled to speak a truth long buried.

"But..." His voice cracked under the weight of revelation. "During a secret mission with my team, we discovered a hidden laboratory. It was operating under the shadow of House Blackthorne itself, a place thought untouchable."

Damien shifted uneasily. Andre closed his laptop, their focus entirely consumed by their leader’s confession.

"What we found..." Viktor’s voice broke. "Notes, research papers, mountains of data... evidence of something truly blasphemous."

He gestured weakly toward the invisible weight of knowledge that had undone him. "Research on an Eighth God. Reports suggesting that, contrary to legend, the seven had not sacrificed themselves... they were killed by the eighth."

The silence in the room was suffocating. Alex could see Dimitri’s hands clench, Andre staring blankly at the floor, Damien’s jaw tight with barely contained rage.

Viktor’s breathing became ragged, but his eyes remained fixed on Alex. "We decided to bring this evidence to Anastasia Blackthorne herself, the head of House Blackthorne, my superior for fifteen years."

A hollow laugh escaped him. "At first, she seemed shocked. She told me to give her all the evidence and promised strict action. I believed her... I trusted her words, thought justice would be served."

His hand trembled slightly as he brushed it across his face, fatigue etched in every line. "But days passed. Nothing happened. No investigations, no arrests... only silence."

He swallowed hard, his voice dropping to a whisper. "And then it hit me... the subtle weakness, the way my powers faltered. I had been poisoned. Not by chance... but deliberately. Every moment I used my strength, every action I took, it was slowly killing me."

"The realization... it wasn’t just betrayal. It was a calculated trap. And worse, I understood then that I was entangled in something far larger than I’d imagined... something that could destroy all of us if we didn’t act carefully."

Alex’s stomach tightened.

Viktor’s gaze flickered to his men, grief and loyalty etched across his face.

"When we sensed her conspiracy, we fled. Some of her operatives discovered our escape and pursued us. I fought them... each battle worsening my condition, and yet we made it to Blackwood territory. The old tensions between our Houses... gave us a brief reprieve."

A weight hung over the room as Viktor’s words sank in. Alex could see the devastation wrought on these men.

Soldiers who had lost a battle? No.

Believers who had learned everything they had served, sacrificed, and protected was a lie.

Viktor’s voice softened, almost a whisper, but the conviction remained. "We served faithfully. We believed in the cause, in the sacred order, in protecting humanity from chaos. But they... they care only for their power, their greed. Not balance. Not life."

Alex absorbed it all... the betrayal, the fear, the desperation. These were not men defeated by ordinary enemies.

They were men who had discovered that the very foundation of their world was rotten.

"She was confident," Viktor whispered, "that without the proper antidote... I would die. And the antidote... can only be obtained from... the Big Seven families."

The Big Seven - the families that controlled most of the world’s hidden power structures. The Blackwoods were one of them.

Then it hit Alex. They weren’t after him... not directly. Their interest was in his connection to the Blackwoods.

Someone had clearly dug into his background, traced his ties, and wanted leverage. But how much had they discovered? And what did they know about Victoria and him?

He studied each of them carefully, trying to read their expressions, searching for any hint of knowledge.

Nothing obvious.

For now, he decided it was best not to push. Let this question remain... unanswered, at least for the moment.

"So here we are," Viktor concluded, his voice barely audible now. "Dying man... seeking help from... someone who might have connections... we cannot access."

Viktor’s eyes, fierce despite his frailty, locked on Alex. "And now... you understand why we came to you. Because if anyone can help us navigate this... it’s someone who can verify it all for themselves."

"The question now," Viktor whispered, his voice almost imperceptible, "is whether you will help a dying man... or whether the games of gods and monsters are too dangerous for you to touch."

"Why should I believe any of this?" Alex asked quietly.

Viktor managed a weak smile. "Because," he whispered, "you’re going to... verify it yourself... before you decide to help us."

He gestured to Andre. "Show him... the files we recovered."

Andre turned his laptop toward Alex, revealing detailed research documents, laboratory reports, and archaeological data that would take hours to properly examine.

"Everything we found," Damien said quietly. "Every piece of evidence. You can verify it all."

Viktor’s eyes closed briefly, the effort of his explanation having drained him completely. But when he opened them again, they held a clarity that cut through his physical weakness.

***

Author’s Note:

I know what you’re thinking... Seven Gaurdian Gods? Divine Order? Seven Sacred Houses? Yeah... it’s a lot. But don’t panic. You’ll get the full picture soon. All the secrets, the hidden truths, and the messy, dangerous history behind it will come out in the next few Chapters.