Hunter of the Lost Gates-Chapter 38 - : Heir to the Abyss

Sai sat in the ruins, his breath still uneven, his body feeling **wrong**—like it no longer fully belonged to him. The power that had surged through him in that void, the way he had **moved differently**, thought differently—it hadn't left him.

His system's notification still lingered in his vision.

**[New Title Acquired: Heir of the Abyss]**

The words felt **heavy.** He didn't fully understand what they meant, but one thing was clear—**he wasn't the same anymore.**

Lena stood nearby, arms crossed, staring at him with a mix of **concern and exasperation.** "Sai... what the hell just happened?"

Sai exhaled. "I don't know."

The Watcher, still standing in the distance, **tilted its head slightly**, observing him like a teacher watching a student take his first steps. "You have been marked," it said simply. "Acknowledged by the Abyss itself. There is no turning back now."

Sai frowned. "Marked for what?"

The Watcher's golden eyes gleamed. "To rule."

Sai's chest tightened. He let out a short, bitter laugh. "Yeah, no thanks."

Lena scoffed. "Yeah, that's gonna be a hard pass from both of us."

The Watcher did not look surprised. "It is not a matter of choice."

The air **shifted**, the ruins around them **reacting** to Sai's presence, as if something unseen had recognized him. He felt it in his bones—a **pull**, deep and instinctual.

Lena noticed the change, her brows furrowing. "Sai... what is that?"

Sai stood slowly, flexing his fingers. He could **feel it**, coiling beneath his skin.

The power.

It wasn't something he had stolen.

It had **always been there, waiting for him to accept it.**

And now... it refused to be ignored.

---

### **The Weight of a Throne**

Sai clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms as he tried to push back the overwhelming sensation running through his body.

This wasn't like the other times he had gained power from the Abyss. **This was deeper.**

The Watcher continued, its voice calm. "The Abyss does not choose lightly. You are its heir now, whether you accept it or not."

Sai gritted his teeth. "I never asked for this."

The Watcher studied him. "And yet, it was given to you."

Lena huffed. "Yeah, well, can we give it back?"

The Watcher simply shook its head. "No."

Sai let out a slow breath. "So what does this mean? What happens now?"

The Watcher's expression remained unreadable. "That depends on you."

Sai frowned. "That's not an answer."

The Watcher tilted its head slightly. "It is the only one that matters."

Lena let out a frustrated groan. "I swear, every ancient being we meet talks in riddles."

Sai ignored her, focusing on the shift in his own body. His system had gone silent again—**as if recalibrating to whatever had just happened.**

Something deep in his **core** had changed. He could feel the abyssal energy moving through him, but unlike before, it no longer felt **foreign.**

It felt like **his.**

Like it had **always been his.**

---

### **The Abyss Stirs**

Sai took a slow step forward, and the **ground beneath him trembled.** The ruins around them seemed to **breathe**, responding to his presence in a way they hadn't before.

Lena tensed. "Sai...?"

Sai exhaled, trying to suppress the instinctual pull inside him. "I think... I can control this place."

The Watcher nodded approvingly. "Good. Then it begins."

Sai narrowed his eyes. "What begins?"

Before the Watcher could answer—**a deep, distant sound rumbled through the Abyss.**

Not thunder. Not an earthquake.

A **heartbeat.**

Lena stiffened. "Tell me that was just in my head."

Sai's system **flashed back to life.**

**[Warning: Abyssal Pulse Detected.]**

**[The Deep One Stirs.]**

Sai's blood ran cold. "The Deep One?"

The Watcher's golden eyes gleamed. "You have woken more than just yourself, Heir."

Sai barely had time to process the words before **the shadows in the ruins shifted.**

And from the darkness, **they came.**

---

### **The Abyss Sends Its Hunters**

The air **cracked** as **massive figures** emerged from the ruins—hulking, abyssal creatures, their forms shifting like **living nightmares.** Their eyes glowed with the same golden light as the Watcher's, but there was **no intelligence there.**

Only hunger.

Sai's system reacted instantly.

**[Abyssal Hunters Detected.]**

**[Threat Level: High.]**

Lena pulled out her chakrams. "You just had to wake something up, didn't you?"

Sai readied his daggers, but something in his gut told him—**fighting them like before wouldn't work.**

He could feel the **new power coiling inside him**, untested, uncertain.

But if he didn't use it now...

They wouldn't survive.

---

### **The First Command**

The first Abyssal Hunter lunged, its **clawed limbs tearing through the air toward Sai.**

Sai didn't dodge.

He **raised a hand.**

And the moment he did—**the Hunter froze.**

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Lena gasped. "What the hell?"

The creature **struggled**, but something unseen bound it in place—**Sai's will.**

His system **flashed with something new.**

**[Abyssal Authority Activated.]**

**[Directing Lesser Beings...]**

Sai felt it, the **connection between himself and the creature.**

It wasn't just an enemy.

It was **part of the Abyss.**

And so was he.

He clenched his fingers—and the Hunter **collapsed into itself**, its body **disintegrating** into a swirl of abyssal mist.

Lena stared at him. "Sai... what did you just do?"

Sai let out a slow breath, his hand still tingling. "I think... I commanded it."

The other Hunters hesitated, watching him now. Not as prey.

As something **else.**

The Watcher nodded approvingly. "You are learning."

Sai turned to him, his mind **racing.** "What am I?"

The Watcher stepped forward, his golden eyes piercing through him.

**"You are the Abyss made flesh."**

Sai's heart **skipped a beat.**

Lena groaned. "I knew it. I knew we were in too deep."

Sai wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or scream.

Because for the first time since he had started this journey, he **wasn't chasing the Abyss anymore.**

**It was following him.**

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**To Be Continued...*