Hunter of the Lost Gates-Chapter 10 - : Whispers of the Abyss

Sai stood in the dim glow of the **Forgotten Zone**, his breath uneven, his grip tight around his dagger. The **Fragment of the Abyss** had been destroyed, yet the weight in his chest remained.

He glanced at the system notification still lingering before him.

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**[You have destroyed a Fragment of the Abyss.]**

**[Synchronization has increased.]**

**[Lost Gate System Synchronization: 20%]**

---

**20%.**

Every time this number increased, something **changed.**

First, he had gained **Time Reversal**, allowing him to redo fatal mistakes.

Then, **Critical Sight**, showing him enemy weak points.

**Abyssal Step** had given him brief bursts of movement, and now **Shadow Step** let him evade attacks entirely.

But at what cost?

His abilities were growing, but so was his connection to **whatever was buried inside these gates.**

And now, someone—or something—was watching him.

Sai exhaled sharply and forced himself to focus. His body ached from the battle, but he needed to **move.** He didn't know if more fragments lurked in the ruins, and he had no intention of waiting around to find out.

---

The air felt different as he made his way back toward the entrance. The silence of the ruins pressed against his ears, thick and heavy.

He passed the ancient carvings again, their meanings still swirling in his mind.

**[The Abyss was never meant to be opened.]**

What had the first hunters sealed away?

Why did these dungeons—these **Lost Gates**—keep appearing?

Sai frowned.

The Hidden Order wasn't just erasing dungeons. **They were trying to stop people like him from entering them.**

That meant they knew something.

And if they wanted him dead for stepping inside one...

Then **he needed to know what they were hiding.**

A new goal formed in his mind.

He would find **another Lost Gate.**

And this time, he would uncover its secrets **before the Order could erase it.**

---

Sai reached the entrance of the ruins just as the air **shifted.**

His body **tensed instantly.**

Something was here.

He turned slowly, his eyes scanning the darkness. **Nothing moved.**

But his instincts screamed at him.

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Then—**a voice.**

*"You survived."*

Sai whirled, daggers raised—

A **figure stood at the entrance**, watching him.

It was the **woman from before**.

The one who had given him the insignia.

Sai's breath steadied, but he didn't lower his guard.

*"What do you want?"* he asked.

The woman tilted her head. *"You didn't run."*

*"Didn't see the point."*

*"Good,"* she said. *"That means you're ready to listen."*

Sai narrowed his eyes. *"Listen to what?"*

The woman took a slow step forward.

*"The truth about what's hunting you."*

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Sai didn't speak. He let her words hang in the air, waiting for her to continue.

*"The Lost Gates,"* she said, *"are pieces of something much older than the dungeons hunters know."*

*"The Abyss."*

Sai's chest tightened. He had seen that word **in the ruins**—and now she was confirming it.

*"The first hunters thought they could seal it away,"* she continued, her voice calm. *"But you've seen it, haven't you?"*

Sai's fingers twitched.

The **shadows** that had attacked him. The feeling of being **watched**.

*"You destroyed a Fragment,"* the woman said. *"That means it's waking up."*

Sai clenched his jaw. *"What is?"*

The woman's **gaze darkened.**

*"The thing that was sealed inside the Abyss."*

Sai's mind raced.

*"You're saying... there's something alive in there?"*

*"Not alive,"* the woman corrected. *"But not dead either."* She took another step toward him. *"And if it wakes up completely, this world will burn."*

Sai exhaled, his mind struggling to keep up.

*"So the Order is trying to stop that from happening?"*

The woman's expression didn't change. *"Yes. But their methods are..."* She paused. *"Flawed."*

Sai could already guess what she meant.

The **Order wasn't just stopping the Abyss from awakening.**

They were **killing anyone who got too close.**

Like him.

Sai folded his arms. *"And you? Where do you fit into all this?"*

For the first time, the woman hesitated.

*"Let's just say I was one of them."*

Sai's body tensed.

*"You were in the Order?"*

*"Once,"* she admitted. *"Until I saw what they were truly hiding."*

She met his gaze.

*"And now I need someone who can do what I cannot."*

Sai frowned. *"And what's that?"*

She reached into her cloak, pulling something out.

A **map**.

She tossed it to him.

*"Find the next Lost Gate before they do."*

Sai caught it, his mind racing.

Another **Lost Gate.**

If he found it first, he might uncover more about the Abyss—about why the Order was so desperate to erase these places.

He hesitated. *"Why give this to me? Why not do it yourself?"*

The woman smiled faintly.

*"Because I'm already being hunted."*

Sai stiffened.

The **Order was after her, too.**

She turned away, her figure blending into the darkness. *"I'll find you when the time is right."*

Then—**she was gone.**

Sai exhaled, staring at the map in his hands.

His path had just changed.

He was no longer just **running**.

Now—he was **hunting.**

If there was **another Lost Gate**, he had to find it before the Order erased it.

His fingers clenched around the paper.

**No more waiting.**

He turned toward the forest, the night air pressing against his skin.

It was time to uncover the truth.

Before it was too late.

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