Hunter of the Lost Gates-Chapter 39 - : The Abyss Follows

The ruins felt different now. The air no longer just **hung heavy** with abyssal energy—it **obeyed.** Every shadow seemed to bend toward Sai, as if acknowledging something within him.

Lena shifted uneasily, her chakrams still raised, watching the **frozen abyssal creatures** that had once been hunting them. They no longer attacked. They no longer moved.

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Because **Sai had stopped them.**

He had reached out—not with his daggers, not with his system, but with something **else.**

And the Abyss had listened.

Lena's voice broke the silence. "Sai... what the hell just happened?"

Sai exhaled slowly, flexing his fingers. The tingling sensation of power still coursed through his veins, **unfamiliar yet natural,** as if he had always been capable of this but had never known how to reach for it.

"I commanded them," Sai said, still not quite believing it himself.

Lena's eyes widened. "You *what*?"

Sai turned to face her, his voice quieter this time. "I didn't fight them. I didn't kill them. I just... **told them to stop.** And they did."

Lena looked at the abyssal creatures—massive, hulking things with shifting forms, claws as long as swords, and eyes that burned with the same golden abyssal fire as the Watcher.

They should have **ripped him apart.**

But now, they just **stood there**, waiting.

Lena let out a slow, unsteady breath. "Sai, this—this isn't normal. You're controlling them."

The Watcher, silent until now, took a step forward. "He is not controlling them."

Sai glanced at the hooded figure. "Then what am I doing?"

The Watcher's golden eyes gleamed. "You are **claiming what is already yours.**"

---

### **A Throne No One Wanted**

Sai felt his stomach tighten at the Watcher's words. He had heard variations of this before—**"The Abyss has chosen you."** **"You are its heir."** But now, standing here, staring at the abyssal creatures that had obeyed his silent command, it was finally sinking in.

This wasn't **just** about power.

This was **about control.**

And that terrified him.

Lena seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Sai... I know we don't always think things through, but this? This is big. If you can do this..." She gestured at the frozen creatures. "What does that make you?"

Sai clenched his fists. He didn't want to say it.

Because he already knew the answer.

The Watcher, however, had no hesitation. "It makes him the **next Abyssal King.**"

The words **slammed** into Sai like a physical blow.

Lena flinched. "No. Nope. No way. That's not happening." She turned to Sai. "Tell me that's not happening."

Sai didn't answer.

Because for the first time... he wasn't sure.

---

### **The Abyss Does Not Forget**

The creatures still hadn't moved. They remained still, waiting, watching. Sai could feel their **presence in his mind**, like a thousand flickering flames waiting for direction.

He turned back to the Watcher. "What happens if I reject this?"

The Watcher studied him for a long moment before answering. "Nothing."

Sai blinked. "Nothing?"

The Watcher nodded. "The Abyss is not a throne to be seized. It is **a will to be answered.** If you walk away, it will not stop you."

Lena looked relieved. "Great! Then let's walk away."

The Watcher continued. "But... the Abyss does not forget."

Sai's jaw tightened. "Meaning?"

The Watcher's voice was steady. "It has already acknowledged you. It has already **marked** you. Whether you accept it or not, you will never be free of it."

Sai exhaled sharply.

So he could walk away. He could refuse whatever this was. But the Abyss would always be **part of him now.**

Would it wait for him to return?

Or... would it find someone else?

A shiver crawled down his spine.

The idea of this **power**—this *influence*—falling into the wrong hands made his stomach churn.

If he walked away...

Who would step in?

---

### **The Hunters Rise**

Before Sai could answer, the air **shifted violently.**

The abyssal creatures—**his creatures**—**snapped their heads toward the horizon.**

Lena tensed. "That's not good."

Sai felt it too. A **pulse of something else.** Not from the creatures. Not from the ruins.

From **outside.**

His system **flashed a warning.**

**[Hostile Presence Detected.]**

**[Threat Level: Apex.]**

Sai turned just as the sky above the Abyss **split open.**

And **they arrived.**

Black-armored figures, descending in eerie silence, **their weapons gleaming with abyssal fire.**

The **Hidden Order.**

Sai's breath caught. "They found us."

Lena cursed. "You've got to be kidding me!"

The lead figure landed first, stepping forward with **calm, practiced confidence.** Sai immediately recognized him—**Ezren Vale, the Warden of the Order.**

The man's face was concealed by his sleek black helmet, but Sai could still feel his **cold, burning gaze.**

Ezren spoke, his voice smooth yet deadly. "You should not be here."

Sai stepped forward, daggers still in hand. "Yeah, well, I hear that a lot."

Ezren tilted his head slightly. "You misunderstand." He gestured toward the abyssal creatures still standing motionless behind Sai. "You should not be **capable** of this."

Sai's heart pounded.

Ezren wasn't just here to **kill him.**

He was here to **understand him.**

And that made him **twice as dangerous.**

---

### **A War of Wills**

The abyssal creatures **growled**, sensing the **threat.** Sai didn't have to say anything—they reacted to his emotions, his instincts.

Ezren didn't flinch. "You do not understand what you are playing with."

Sai exhaled. "Then why don't you tell me?"

Ezren was silent for a long moment. Then, he said, "The last time someone stood where you do now, the world burned."

Lena let out a sharp breath. "Fantastic. Good to know."

Sai kept his stance firm. "I'm not them."

Ezren tilted his head again. "That remains to be seen."

And then—**he attacked.**

---

### **The First Battle of the Abyssal Heir**

Ezren **moved like a shadow**, faster than Sai had ever seen before. His blade **sliced through the air**, a streak of abyssal energy trailing behind it.

Sai barely dodged, activating **Phantom Step** to blink out of the way.

But Ezren **anticipated it.**

He twisted mid-strike, his second blade slashing toward Sai's ribs.

Sai raised his dagger just in time—**but the force behind the attack sent him skidding backward.**

Lena leapt into action, her chakrams whirling, but **Ezren's soldiers descended upon her instantly.**

Sai's system **flashed red.**

**[Combat Engagement: Apex-Level Opponent.]**

Sai exhaled sharply, flexing his fingers.

The abyssal creatures behind him were **waiting.**

They could fight. They **wanted** to fight.

And all Sai had to do...

Was give them the order.

Ezren lunged again, but this time—**Sai didn't dodge.**

Instead, he raised a hand.

And **the abyss answered.**

The creatures **roared**, surging forward in a wave of abyssal energy, meeting the Hidden Order **head-on.**

For the first time, Sai saw **surprise in Ezren's posture.**

Sai smirked.

"I think you're the one who doesn't understand."

Ezren's grip on his sword tightened. "So be it."

And the **battle for the Abyss began.**