CHAPTER 80: TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Alex leaned back in his chair, processing everything Viktor had told him. The weight of revelation settled in his mind as he began to understand just how different this world was from what he’d imagined.

"Wait," Alex said, breaking the heavy silence. "If you need help from one of the Big Seven families, why not go directly to them? Why come here, to hospitals that won’t treat you?"

Damien shifted uncomfortably, exchanging a glance with Viktor before answering.

"We can’t," Damien said, his voice heavy with frustration. "There’s something called the Sacred Order Agreement between the families. If we approach any of the Big Seven directly, they’re obligated to hand us over to Blackthorne."

"It’s an old treaty," Viktor added weakly. "No family can harbor another family’s people without permission. Even enemies."

Damien’s jaw tightened. "That’s probably why Blackthorne didn’t put more effort into hunting us down immediately. They’re playing with us, letting us feel helpless. They know we have nowhere to run."

The fourth team member, who’d remained silent until now, spoke up with barely contained anger. "They want us to suffer before we die. Make an example of what happens to those who betray them."

"Pavel," Damien warned quietly.

Viktor’s breathing became more labored as he continued. "If I die, they all die. They’re not powerful enough to protect themselves against Blackthorne operatives without me. And Blackthorne knows this."

Alex nodded slowly. "And the hospitals? They could provide the antidote?"

"Theoretically, yes," Damien replied, "but they need permission from a family head... direct authorization. And this hospital has the best chance of treating Viktor."

"But," Damien continued, his voice filled with helplessness, "they won’t risk treating foreigners with questionable documentation without proper backing."

As the implications sank in, Alex reached inward, calling out to Lilith.

"Hey, Lilith... what about an antidote? Can I buy it from the system shop?"

Her voice answered smoothly, carrying a calm conviction. "Yes, you can. But it won’t come cheap... ten thousand points."

Then, after a measured pause, she pressed on. "But think of the return. People like Viktor are rare. Save him now, and you gain more than gratitude... you gain a powerful ally when you step into the real world. An ally worth far more than the points you’ll spend."

Damien noticed Alex’s distant expression and felt anxiety creep into his chest. What if Alex refused? They had no other options, no backup plan.

"We can compensate you," Damien said quickly, desperation bleeding through his professional composure. "Whatever way you want."

Alex’s focus snapped back to the room. He studied each face carefully, weighing risks against potential gains.

"Okay, I’ll try to get the antidote. " He said slowly. "But I’m not sure they’ll actually give it to me."

Relief flickered across their faces... at least there was some hope of getting the antidote.

"However, there would be conditions. You’d work for me. All of you. Same treatment you were getting at Blackthorne."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Pavel’s face flushed red. "You want to make us slaves again?"

"Pavel, shut up," Damien snapped, but his own expression was tense.

"You’re asking for a lot," Damien said carefully.

Alex met his gaze steadily. "I’m risking a lot."

"And maybe, if you prove yourselves, you’ll get more than just survival out of this. You might even find advancement... opportunities Blackthorne would never have given you."

Viktor studied Alex with newfound respect despite his weakness. This young man wasn’t naive after all.

"We could work for you," Damien said slowly, "for one year. If we decide to stay after that, we’ll stay."

"Two years," Alex replied without hesitation.

The room fell silent again. Damien looked to Viktor, who closed his eyes briefly before nodding almost imperceptibly.

"Two years," Viktor whispered, his voice barely audible. "Agreed."

Alex stood, straightening his jacket. "I’ll have an answer in three days. Don’t go anywhere."

As he moved toward the door, Pavel called out. "And if you can’t deliver?"

Alex paused at the threshold, looking back over his shoulder.

"Then you’ll die, and I’ll have learned something valuable about the limits of my connections."

The brutal honesty of his words left the room in stunned silence.

***

Alex stepped out of Viktor’s room and pulled the door shut, careful not to make a sound. The corridor stretched out in front of him, but his mind was still reeling.

The Blackwoods weren’t just rich. They weren’t just an old-money family with political ties and shiny foundations.

They were one of the Big Seven... entities operating on a scale he’d never even imagined. Compared to that, his old idea of wealth and influence felt like pocket change.

His shoes clicked softly against the floor as he walked toward the elevator, each step landing heavier than the last.

Sacred Order Agreements. Divine hierarchies. Poisoned operatives left to die slowly, just to make an example.

He started rethinking everything with this newly gained perspective.

Alex’s jaw tightened as faces rose unbidden in his mind. Marcus. Robert.

Their smug laughter in the halls, the casual cruelty they wore like perfume, the way they’d treated him like dirt because he wasn’t one of them.

He could still feel the sting of their mockery, the humiliation that had once consumed every waking thought.

Back then, revenge had meant teaching them a lesson. Exposing their lies, ruining their reputations, making them choke on the same shame they’d forced down his throat. That had been enough. That had been the dream.

But after tonight... that all felt pitiful.

Marcus and his little entourage weren’t just spoiled bullies with too much money.

They were tied to families like the Blackwoods... families who played with lives the way children played with toys.

If Marcus had been untouchable before, now Alex understood why.

His power wasn’t his own. He was a pawn of something far bigger, a machine of wealth and legacy designed to grind people like Alex into dust without ever noticing.

And yet... the anger didn’t fade. If anything, it sharpened, honed to a lethal edge.

No. He wasn’t abandoning revenge. He was upgrading it.

Marcus, Pierce, all of them... they would fall.

But not through cheap tricks or schoolyard games. If Alex was going to strike, it had to be with a blade sharp enough to cut through the families that sheltered them.

That meant tearing down every childish plan he’d once scribbled in his head and rebuilding from the ground up.

A plan strong enough to stand against gods and monsters alike.

And maybe Viktor and his men, broken as they were, could be the start of that plan.

The elevator arrived with a soft chime. Alex stepped inside and caught his reflection in the brushed steel wall.

He barely recognized the man staring back... because everything he thought he knew had been gutted and rebuilt in less than an hour.

"Hey, Lilith," he muttered as the doors slid shut. "Explain the power system. All of this... everything I clearly don’t know."

Her answer came instantly, casual, maddening. "Nope."

His jaw tightened. "What do you mean, nope?"

"I can," she said, smug amusement dripping from every word, "but I won’t. Better if you find out yourself."

Alex dragged a hand through his hair. "You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m ready to spend ten thousand points on people I barely know, based on information that’s rewritten my entire reality. And you won’t give me so much as a roadmap?"

"Exactly why you shouldn’t get one," she replied, almost sounding pleased. "Discovery shapes understanding. Learn by doing, not by being spoon-fed."

He clenched his fists, heat prickling behind his eyes. "Easy for you to say. You’re not the one stumbling blind through a world of gods and monsters, where families order deaths with signatures and ancient treaties."

"And that frustration," Lilith countered smoothly, "will make you sharper. More careful. You’ll actually understand instead of just memorizing."

The elevator dinged and the doors opened on the pediatric floor. Alex stepped out, but his mind was still grinding like an overworked machine.

His relationship with Victoria... suddenly ten times more dangerous. His place in whatever power structure actually ruled the world... completely unknown.

And Lilith... the only one who might explain things... refused to tell him anything.

He walked toward Nina’s room, forcing his breathing to slow, forcing his face into calmness.

Inside were the Morrisons, people still living in the world he’d thought was real just hours ago.

People who stressed about hospital bills and had no clue that their daughter’s treatment had been arranged by someone tied to powers that could topple nations.

Normal people. Living normal lives.

Lives that felt precious now. Fragile in ways they could never understand.

Alex rested his hand on the door handle. Whatever came next, he’d be walking it blind. Just him, his instincts, and whatever pieces of truth he could scrape together.

He took one long breath, then opened the door and stepped back into a world that no longer looked the same.