Hunter of the Lost Gates-Chapter 33 - : The Whispering Dark

The temple doors groaned as they parted, revealing nothing but a yawning abyss beyond. A rush of **cold, stale air** swept past Sai and Lena, carrying with it the scent of **age and death.** The runes that had flickered on the surface of the door dimmed as if whatever power had once sealed this place had just been **extinguished.**

Lena exhaled sharply, tightening her grip on her chakrams. "I swear, if there's another ancient monster waiting in there, I'm blaming you."

Sai didn't respond. His focus was on the **darkness inside**—not just the absence of light, but something **deeper.** Something alive.

His system chimed.

**[Sealed Chamber Entered: The Whispering Vault]**

**[Warning: Unknown Entities Detected.]**

Sai took a step forward, his boots crunching against the dust-covered stone. Lena followed close behind, muttering under her breath. "I hate this. I hate this so much."

The darkness pressed against them, thick and heavy, swallowing the dim light of their weapons. The moment Sai crossed the threshold, he felt a **presence** slither through his mind—a whisper, faint yet insistent.

**"Turn back."**

Sai's steps faltered. It wasn't just in his head—**Lena heard it too.** She shivered, rubbing her arms. "Okay, that's creepy. Really creepy."

Sai pressed on. **Whatever was in here, it didn't want them to find it.**

That only made him more determined.

---

### **The Chamber of Forgotten Names**

The hallway stretched longer than it should have, the walls lined with **countless inscriptions,** each one etched into the stone in an ancient, unknown language.

Sai reached out, running his fingers across the symbols. The moment he touched them, his system reacted.

**[Deciphering Abyssal Script...]**

**[Records Unlocked: The Forgotten Oath]**

Words **flashed** in his vision.

*"We were the first. We were the last. We sealed the wound and paid the price. We are the Forgotten, and we will never return."*

A pit formed in Sai's stomach.

"These are... names," he realized aloud. "The names of the ones who sealed the Abyss."

Lena frowned. "Then why do I feel like they're still here?"

The moment she said it—**the whispers grew louder.**

---

### **The Forgotten Stir**

A sudden **gust of cold air** surged through the hall, sending dust scattering across the stone. Then—**the torches along the walls flickered to life.**

Sai's grip on his daggers tightened. **Something had changed.**

A new whisper crawled into his thoughts.

**"You seek the truth... but truth is a curse."**

The shadows around them **moved.**

Figures began to emerge from the darkness, stepping forward like broken reflections of people who had once lived. Their forms flickered between **solid and mist**, their faces hollow, **their eyes burning with blue fire.**

Lena tensed. "Oh, hell no."

Sai's system **blared with alerts.**

**[Entity Identified: The Forgotten]**

**[Status: Bound to the Abyss]**

The lead figure stepped forward, its voice hollow and distant.

**"You walk the path of the Oathbreakers. You should not be here."**

Sai stood his ground. "Then tell me why this place was sealed. Tell me what the Abyss really is."

The figures tilted their heads in eerie unison.

**"To know is to be consumed."**

Lena groaned. "I hate cryptic ghosts."

Then, the **Forgotten attacked.**

---

### **The Battle in the Vault**

Sai **dodged left**, barely avoiding a spectral blade that slashed through the air where he had stood. He countered instantly, his dagger **aiming for the creature's core.**

The blade **passed right through.**

Sai cursed. **No solid form. No physical body.**

Lena flung her chakrams, the weapons slicing through three of the Forgotten—but they simply **reformed,** untouched.

She swore. "Okay, that's not fair."

Sai's mind raced. **They weren't physical.** Attacking them like normal wouldn't work.

Then—his system flashed.

**[Abyssal Insight Activated.]**

The world **shifted**, and suddenly—**he saw it.**

Faint, flickering **threads of energy** connecting the Forgotten to the walls of the chamber, like chains anchoring them in place.

Sai narrowed his eyes. *They're not attacking us. They're defending something.*

He followed the threads, tracing them to **a massive, circular seal** at the end of the room, glowing faintly beneath layers of dust and time.

"That's it," Sai realized.

The **moment he moved toward it**, the Forgotten **screamed.**

The air **shook** as they surged forward, their forms shifting into **blades, claws, spears of raw energy.**

Sai **activated Phantom Step**, vanishing just before they could **strike.**

He reappeared **directly in front of the seal** and plunged his dagger into the center.

The effect was immediate.

The **entire room trembled**, the energy threads **snapping** like broken chains.

The Forgotten **let out a final, anguished cry**—then, one by one, they **dissolved into nothingness.**

Lena stood frozen, chakrams still raised. "...What just happened?"

Sai pulled his dagger free, turning to face her. "They were never meant to fight us. They were guards. Protecting this."

Lena crossed her arms. "Okay, but **what is it?**"

Sai's system flashed.

**[Abyssal Seal Identified.]**

**[First Binding: Broken.]**

His stomach sank.

"This... was a lock," he said slowly. "One of the seals keeping the Abyss contained."

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Lena paled. "And we just broke it?"

The air **shifted.**

A deep, **distant rumble** echoed through the vault, like something waking up after an eternity of sleep.

Then—**the door at the far end of the chamber began to open.**

A voice—low, ancient, and filled with power—spoke from the darkness beyond.

**"You have come far... but now, you stand before the Abyss itself."**

The shadows **twisted** as something **stepped forward.**

Sai's pulse **pounded.**

Lena whispered, "Oh. We're so dead."

Sai exhaled, raising his daggers.

"No," he muttered.

"We're just getting started."