I Died and Became a Noble's Heir-Chapter 413: Pantheon - 13 Gods

Jack looked down at the dark coin, feeling its cosmic weight.

This thing represented power over a deity, the ability to compel truth from a being who operated on scales mortals couldn’t comprehend.

"Erebus’s Coin?" Jack repeated slowly. "This token is bound specifically to him?"

The God of Death lowered his hand from his face, his burning eye sockets fixed on the Black Token with what could only be described as wary respect.

"Yes. That token creates a binding contract with Erebus. When you use it, and notice I said when, not if, because that thing will burn a hole in your pocket until you do. It will summon him. Doesn’t matter where you are, doesn’t matter what he’s doing. The coin compels his presence and forces him to answer three questions truthfully."

"That sounds perfect," Jack said, his grip tightening on the token. "I can ask him why he tried to kill me, what his connection to Draven is, and..."

"And he can kill you the moment the third question is answered," the God of Death interrupted flatly. "The contract only protects you while you’re asking questions and receiving answers. The second that third answer leaves his lips, you’re fair game. And Erebus is a primordial god of darkness who already wants you dead. What do you think he’s going to do?"

Jack’s enthusiasm dimmed slightly. "Try to finish the job."

"Exactly." The god crossed his massive arms. "That token is incredibly valuable, but it’s also perilous. You’d better be strong enough to survive whatever comes after before you even think about using it. And I mean strong. Not ’oh I can fight Disaster-class demons’ strong. I mean ’I can throw down with a primordial entity and not get immediately erased from existence."

Jack tucked the token back into his storage, his mind already working through the implications. "How strong would I need to be?"

"Honestly? I don’t know if it’s even possible for a mortal to reach that level." The god’s tone carried genuine uncertainty. "But if anyone’s going to try, it’ll probably be you. Those SS-rank talents certainly help your chances."

Jack filed that information away for later consideration. The token was a tool, a weapon, but one he couldn’t use yet. Not until he was ready to face whatever Erebus would throw at him afterward.

"I need to ask you about someone else," Jack said, pivoting to the following critical question burning in his mind. His red eyes bored into the god’s burning sockets with intensity that made even Pho shift slightly. "You and Draven keep hiding things from me. No more half-truths. No more ’you’ll understand later’ bullshit."

The God of Death tilted his helmeted head. "That depends entirely on what you’re asking about."

"Tell me about Sarin."

The platform went dead silent.

The God of Death’s entire posture changed in an instant. The casual humor that had colored his voice vanished completely, replaced by something colder. His burning eye sockets blazed brighter, and the crimson veins in his armor pulsed with sudden intensity.

When he spoke, his voice carried a weight that made the air itself feel heavier.

"Where did you hear that name?"

Jack didn’t flinch under the god’s sudden intensity. "Draven’s memory orbs. I’ve found two so far."

The god’s helmet tilted fractionally. "Memory orbs. Of course. Draven and his elaborate teaching methods." There was something in his tone that seemed off. "What did the orbs show you?"

"More than I expected," Jack replied. "I didn’t just watch the memories. I lived them. I was inside one for three hours, inhabiting Sarin’s body. I ran from a titan with Draven and five others, your siblings, I assume. I felt Sarin combine fire and lightning into something that scarred a hundred-meter titan."

Jack’s hands clenched as he continued. "When I woke up, I thought it was just a vivid dream. But the titan in front of me had the exact scar I’d created in the memory. Same location, same pattern. The memory was real. I was there, experiencing what Sarin experienced, using power I don’t have."

The God of Death was completely still for several heartbeats. When he finally spoke, his voice carried genuine shock.

"You inhabited his body? Not just observed the memory, but actually experienced it as if you were him?"

"Yes," Jack confirmed. "For three hours, I was unconscious here, but in the memory, I was Sarin. I felt his power, heard his thoughts. I saw Draven, younger and more reckless than I’ve ever seen him. I saw you and the others fighting titans like it was just another day."

"That bastard," the god muttered, though it sounded almost admiring. "Draven’s not just showing you history. He’s training you through direct experience. Making you feel what Sarin felt, use what Sarin used, think how Sarin thought."

The god began pacing, his massive armored form moving with surprising grace. "That’s... actually brilliant. And incredibly dangerous."

"Why dangerous?" Jack demanded.

"Because experiencing someone else’s memories that directly can fragment your sense of self," the god explained. His tone became serious.

"Especially memories as powerful as Sarin’s. If you’re not careful, if you view too many too quickly, you might start losing track of where Jack Kaiser ends, and Sarin begins. Draven’s gambling that your personality is strong enough to withstand it."

Jack processed that warning, then pushed forward. "The memory cut off before I got any real answers. It didn’t explain who Sarin actually was, why any of it mattered, or what the hell happened between ’fighting titans together’ and whatever made Draven decide to scatter these memories across the world."

The god was quiet for a long moment, his burning eyes seeming to stare through Jack into some distant past. When he spoke again, his voice carried the weight of old grief.

"The orbs are probably scattered in places that will test you. Locations that require specific levels of strength or specific capabilities to reach. Draven would make sure you’re powerful enough to handle each successive revelation before you can access it."

"Why?" Jack pressed. "Why not just tell me everything?"

"Because some truths need to be experienced to be understood," the god replied. "And some of what happened with Sarin..." He trailed off, then started again. "Seeing certain memories unprepared could break a weaker mind. Or corrupt it. Or twist it into something that thinks it’s Sarin reborn. The orbs are probably designed to only activate when you’re strong enough, mentally and physically, to withstand their contents without losing yourself."

"Then tell me what the orbs haven’t shown me yet," Jack said. "Give me context for the fragments I’ve already seen."

The God of Death stared at him for what felt like an eternity. Then, slowly, he nodded.

"Alright. You’ve seen fragments, so you deserve context. But Jack, understand. What I’m about to tell you is information that cost us everything. It’s why Draven can’t help you directly right now. It’s why certain gods want you dead before you can fulfill whatever role the cosmos has planned for you."

He gestured broadly with one armored hand. "The memory you experienced. That was before. Before everything went wrong. Before the betrayal. Before the madness consumed him completely. Back when there were thirteen of us, not twelve."

Jack’s eyes narrowed. "Thirteen?"

"Yes." The god’s voice became heavy with regret. "The public history says twelve gods overthrew the Titans and established a new cosmic order. The Twelve Olympians, victorious over the older powers. That’s what mortals remember, what most gods will tell you if you ask. It’s cleaner that way."

"But it’s not true," Jack stated.

"No," the god confirmed. "In truth, there was a thirteenth. The strongest of us all. The most gifted. The most dangerous." He paused, and when he spoke the name, it carried power that made the air vibrate. "Sarin, the God of Elemental Convergence. Master of all seven fundamental forces."

"Seven?" Jack interrupted. "I only saw him use fire and lightning in the memory."

"Because that memory was from early in his development," the god explained. "Sarin didn’t start with all seven elements. He earned them, one by one, through study, practice, and sheer force of will. By the time he reached his peak, he commanded them all perfectly. Water, Earth, Wind, Fire, Lightning, Light, and Darkness. Not just affinity, like most beings. Mastery. True, absolute mastery of all seven at once."

The god’s tone shifted, becoming darker. "He was also completely, utterly, irreversibly mad."

Jack felt something cold settle in his stomach. "Mad how?"

"Brilliant and insane in equal measure," the god replied. "Sarin saw patterns in reality that the rest of us couldn’t perceive. He understood cosmic forces on levels we couldn’t comprehend. But that understanding came with a price. The more he learned, the more power he accumulated, the more his mind fractured under the weight of it all."