Hunter of the Lost Gates-Chapter 8 - : Marked for Death

Sai's breath came in ragged gasps as he tore through the dense forest, dodging low-hanging branches and leaping over gnarled roots. His muscles burned, but he forced himself forward. He could still hear them behind him—the assassins giving chase, their movements sharp and relentless.

He had fought hard, but **this was a battle he couldn't win.**

Not against **three elite killers**—one of them a mage.

A flicker of silver flashed in the moonlight. **A dagger.**

Sai twisted mid-step, the blade **whizzing past his ear**, embedding itself into a tree trunk. His pulse hammered in his skull. He couldn't keep running forever.

He needed a plan.

Up ahead, the forest thinned, the trees opening to reveal a **cliffside**. Beyond it, darkness stretched for miles.

Sai cursed under his breath. **A dead end.**

Behind him, the assassins slowed, emerging from the trees like shadows.

They had him.

The leader—the mage—stepped forward. His wounded shoulder still bled from Sai's earlier attack, but he didn't seem concerned. Instead, he studied Sai with cold, calculating eyes.

*"You're wasting your energy,"* the mage said, his voice eerily calm. *"There's nowhere left to run."*

Sai's mind raced. His body screamed for rest, but he pushed the exhaustion aside. There had to be a way out.

*"Your survival is an anomaly,"* the mage continued. *"You were marked for erasure the moment you left the Lost Gate."* He raised a hand, mana swirling around his fingers. *"But don't worry. We will correct that mistake."*

Sai gritted his teeth.

He **wasn't** about to let them kill him.

Not now.

Not when he had **barely begun to understand what was happening to him.**

**Think, Sai.**

Then—**an idea.**

His eyes flickered toward the cliffside. It was steep, but not impossible to descend. A reckless plan, but **better than standing here and waiting to die.**

*"You're right about one thing,"* Sai muttered, flipping a dagger into a reverse grip.

The mage arched a brow. *"Oh?"*

Sai exhaled.

*"I'm not supposed to be alive."*

Then, before they could react—**he threw himself off the cliff.**

---

The wind howled past Sai's ears as he **plummeted** into the darkness. The rocky cliffside blurred in his vision, the air pressure pressing against his skin.

A normal fall from this height? **Instant death.**

But Sai wasn't normal anymore.

**Abyssal Step.**

He activated it at the last second, his vision **blurring** as he blinked five meters forward—**just enough to redirect his fall.** His body **slammed into a sloped rock formation**, sending him rolling down instead of crashing straight to the ground.

Pain erupted through his ribs. His arms burned from the impact.

But—**he was alive.**

He hit the ground hard, tumbling before forcing himself upright. His vision swam, his lungs heaving.

Above him, the assassins peered down from the cliffside.

They didn't follow.

Sai gritted his teeth, pushing himself forward. **He needed to disappear before they found another way down.**

He staggered into the **thick underbrush**, moving as fast as his battered body would allow. His surroundings changed—**the air growing colder, the darkness deeper.**

He didn't know how far he had fallen, but it felt like he had stepped into an entirely different world.

Then—

A new notification appeared before his eyes.

---

**[Warning: You are entering a Forgotten Zone.]**

**[The Lost Gate System is Reacting.]**

---

Sai slowed, his pulse quickening for a different reason.

A Forgotten Zone?

He had never heard that term before.

The air **hummed** with energy, thick with something unnatural. The ground beneath him was damp, the scent of old stone and moss filling the air.

Then, ahead of him, he saw it.

A **structure**, half-buried in the earth. Ruined stone pillars jutted from the ground, and an archway stood **half-collapsed**, covered in vines.

This place wasn't **normal.**

It felt like the Lost Gate—**but different.**

Deeper. Older.

Sai hesitated.

His instincts were torn. His mind screamed that this place was **dangerous**, but at the same time—**the System had reacted to it.**

Could there be **answers here?**

Before he could decide, another voice rang out.

*"I would not go any further if I were you."*

Sai **spun**, daggers raised.

A figure stood just outside the ruined archway, half-shrouded in shadow.

A **woman.**

She wore a long, dark cloak, her face hidden beneath a hood. Sai couldn't tell if she was friend or foe, but her presence felt **different** from the assassins.

Calm. Collected.

But also... **watchful.**

*"Who are you?"* Sai demanded.

The woman tilted her head. *"That's not the right question."*

Sai frowned. **He was too tired for riddles.**

*"Then what is?"*

The woman stepped forward, the faint glow of the mana veins in the ground casting light on her features.

*"Do you understand what it means to be marked?"* she asked.

Sai stiffened.

She **knew.**

*"You're with them, aren't you?"* Sai said coldly, shifting his stance. *"The Hidden Order."*

To his surprise, the woman **laughed softly.**

*"Them? No."* She shook her head. *"But they will come for you again. And next time, you won't escape."*

Sai's grip tightened on his daggers. *"Then why are you here?"*

The woman was silent for a moment. Then, she sighed.

*"Because you're not ready."*

Sai frowned. *"For what?"*

The woman turned her gaze toward the ruined structure behind her.

*"For what's coming."*

A cold feeling crept into Sai's chest.

R𝑒ad lat𝒆st chapt𝒆rs at free𝑤ebnovel.com Only.

This wasn't just about the Hidden Order anymore.

There was something **bigger.**

The woman studied him for a moment, then reached into her cloak.

She tossed something toward him.

Sai caught it instinctively—**a small metal insignia, engraved with unfamiliar runes.**

*"Find me when you're ready to learn the truth."*

Sai looked down at the insignia, his mind racing. When he looked up—

**She was gone.**

Not a trace left behind.

He stood there for a long moment, his heart still hammering.

He had barely escaped the assassins. He had stumbled into a place that **wasn't supposed to exist.**

And now, he had a lead—one that could change everything.

His fingers tightened around the insignia.

**Whatever was coming... he had to be ready.**