Hunter of the Lost Gates-Chapter 43 - : The Heir’s Burden

The Forgotten **knelt** before Sai, their hollow forms flickering like candlelight in a storm. The weight of their presence pressed against his mind, whispering secrets in a language only the Abyss understood.

Lena took an uneasy step closer, her chakrams still in hand. "Sai... what did you just do?"

Sai didn't answer immediately. His heart pounded in his chest, his breath slow and controlled. The Abyss had reacted to his words—not as a **servant obeying a master**, but as **something recognizing its own.**

Ezren watched silently, his golden abyssal eyes unreadable. The Warden of the Hidden Order had tested Sai, pushed him, forced him to break past his limits.

And now, Ezren had **his answer.**

Sai had changed.

He wasn't just another hunter anymore.

He wasn't even just an abyssal warrior.

**He was the last heir to something ancient, something powerful, and something infinitely dangerous.**

The Forgotten's voices layered together, their whispers overlapping.

**"The Abyss stirs. The Betrayer's shadow moves once more."**

Sai's jaw clenched. "Who is the Betrayer?"

The whispers **shifted.**

**"The one who tried to consume what was never his. The one who shattered the First Throne. The one who is waiting."**

Sai's system **flashed an alert.**

**[New Record Unlocked: The Betrayer of the Abyss]**

**[Final Archive Unsealed.]**

Sai exhaled sharply, his vision flickering.

Another **vision**.

Another **truth waiting to be uncovered.**

And this time, there was no resisting it.

---

### **The Past That Should Have Stayed Buried**

Sai's body **went cold.**

The world around him **vanished**, replaced by a battlefield that should not exist.

**A city stood before him.**

But it was **not ruins.**

Not yet.

The Abyssal City—**before it fell.**

Massive black spires stretched into the sky, glowing veins of abyssal energy running through them like lifeblood. The streets were lined with warriors, their weapons gleaming, their eyes filled with something Sai had never associated with the Abyss before.

**Hope.**

But that hope was about to be **extinguished.**

Because in the distance, a **tear in reality itself split open.**

And **something came through.**

Sai couldn't see its form.

Couldn't understand what it was.

It was **not just a creature.**

It was **a presence.**

A force that didn't belong in this world.

And leading it—

**A man clad in abyssal gold, his eyes burning with unnatural fire.**

Sai's breath **hitched.**

The Betrayer.

The man who had **brought ruin to the Abyss.**

The warriors of the Abyssal City stood their ground. Their leader—the Abyssal King—**stepped forward, weapon drawn.**

Sai could hear his voice.

*"We will not fall."*

And then—

**The world broke.**

---

### **The Truth of the Abyss**

Sai **snapped back to reality,** gasping for breath. His body felt **heavy**, like he had just lived through a war that had happened centuries ago.

Lena grabbed his arm, steadying him. "Sai! Are you okay?"

He swallowed hard, nodding. But his mind was still **reeling** from what he had seen.

Ezren's gaze was sharp. "You saw it."

Sai exhaled. "Yeah. I saw it."

The Betrayer wasn't just a legend.

He had been **real.**

And he hadn't just tried to take the Abyss.

**He had almost succeeded.**

Sai turned back to the Forgotten. "The Betrayer... is he still alive?"

The whispers darkened.

**"He is waiting."**

A shiver crawled down Sai's spine.

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Lena's face paled. "Sai. Please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking."

Sai ignored her. He turned to Ezren.

"You knew about this," Sai accused. "That's why you were testing me."

Ezren inclined his head slightly. "I needed to see if you were strong enough to survive what's coming."

Sai clenched his fists. "And?"

Ezren's lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile.

"You're not ready."

---

### **The Shadow on the Horizon**

The air **shifted.**

The Abyss itself **reacted.**

And then—**the world trembled.**

Sai stiffened. "What the hell was that?"

Ezren's golden eyes flickered. "Something is moving."

Lena gritted her teeth. "Something like... what?"

The Forgotten's whispers grew **louder.**

**"The Betrayer's Will stirs."**

A pulse of abyssal energy **rushed through the ruins,** slamming into them like a shockwave.

Sai staggered back, his system **flaring with warnings.**

**[Unknown Force Detected.]**

**[Unstable Abyssal Rift Forming.]**

Sai's stomach twisted.

Something was **coming through.**

Ezren **drew his sword.** "Prepare yourselves."

The abyssal creatures **howled**, sensing the danger.

And then—**the sky cracked open.**

---

### **The First Herald Arrives**

A tear in reality **split apart**, unveiling an abyssal rift that churned like a living thing.

Sai's instincts screamed at him to **move**, but he was **frozen.**

Something—**no, someone—stepped through.**

A figure wrapped in abyssal armor, **taller than any human should be, its presence suffocating.** Its golden eyes **burned like fire**, but its face was obscured by a twisted helmet, cracked and broken.

Sai didn't need an introduction.

He **felt it.**

**A Herald of the Betrayer.**

The figure **tilted its head slightly**, gaze locking onto Sai.

Then—**it spoke.**

**"The Heir has awakened."**

The voice **reverberated through the Abyss**, layered, echoing with countless whispers.

Sai's grip tightened on his daggers. "Who are you?"

The Herald exhaled slowly.

**"I am the First of Many."**

Ezren stepped forward, his golden abyssal aura rising. "And you are not welcome here."

The Herald's head turned slightly, considering him. Then, **it laughed.**

**"You cannot stop what is already in motion."**

The abyss around them **twisted violently**, reacting to the Herald's presence.

Sai's system **blared a new warning.**

**[Threat Level: Unknown.]**

**[Abyssal Disruption Increasing.]**

Sai **gritted his teeth.** "If you think we're just going to let you waltz in here, you're dead wrong."

The Herald raised a hand. The Abyss **shook.**

**"Then let us begin."**

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