Hunter of the Lost Gates-Chapter 45 - 46: Assembling the Lost

The battlefield was **silent**, but the weight of what had just happened **pressed down on Sai like a crushing force.** The Herald of the Betrayer had **retreated**, but the battle had not been a victory—it had been **a warning.**

A promise that something worse was coming.

Sai exhaled, his breath heavy. His fingers still tingled from the **power he had just wielded.**

He had done the impossible.

He had **closed an Abyssal Rift.**

Ezren watched him with those sharp, golden eyes, his posture calm but **tense.** Lena, standing a few feet away, finally broke the silence.

"Okay. So. That just happened."

Sai barely nodded. "Yeah."

Lena rubbed her temples. "You know what this means, right?"

Sai knew.

It meant the Abyss wasn't just **awakening.**

It meant **the Betrayer knew who he was now.**

And next time, it wouldn't just be a Herald.

---

### **A Throne No One Wants**

Ezren took a step forward, his abyssal aura still flickering faintly around him. "You wielded a Domain."

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Sai looked at his hands. "I... yeah. I think I did."

Ezren's expression remained unreadable. "That is not something that happens by accident."

Sai glanced up. "So what, you think I planned it?"

Ezren tilted his head slightly. "No. But the Abyss does not give power lightly."

Sai frowned, memories of the battle still flashing in his mind. The way the Abyss had **shifted** when he reached for it, how it had responded to his command like a living thing. **Like it had been waiting.**

Lena crossed her arms. "So what does that mean? He's the next Abyssal King?"

Ezren exhaled. "It means he is past the point of return."

Sai clenched his fists. "I never had a choice, did I?"

Ezren's gaze didn't waver. "No."

The words settled in Sai's chest like **a weight he wasn't ready to carry.**

He had spent his entire life **fighting to survive**, struggling against a world that had never cared if he lived or died.

Now?

The Abyss had **chosen him.**

And the worst part?

He wasn't sure if he could walk away even if he wanted to.

---

### **The Next Move**

Lena let out a long breath. "So. Now what?"

Sai ran a hand through his hair, his mind still racing. "The Betrayer is coming. We don't have time to sit around and wait for him to send something worse."

Ezren nodded. "Agreed. But power alone will not be enough."

Sai met his gaze. "Then what do we need?"

Ezren's voice was calm, steady. "An army."

Sai's stomach twisted. **An army.**

That was the one thing he had never wanted.

He had seen how the great hunter guilds operated—**power struggles, betrayals, people willing to kill just to climb a little higher.**

And now, he had to **build something of his own?**

Lena gave him a look. "Sai. You hate authority. You *really* hate leadership. You suck at talking to people."

Sai exhaled sharply. "Yeah, I know."

Ezren studied him. "Then perhaps it's time you learned."

Sai **scowled.** "And where exactly am I supposed to find an army?"

Ezren's lips curved into the smallest hint of a smirk. "That is not the right question."

Sai frowned. "Then what is?"

Ezren's golden abyssal eyes gleamed.

**"The right question is—who is already waiting for you?"**

---

### **The Forgotten Awakening**

Sai didn't have to ask what Ezren meant.

The answer was already **in front of him.**

The **creatures of the Abyss**, still standing in the ruins, still waiting for their next command.

The same creatures he had thought were nothing but wild beasts—**but they had followed him.**

Fought for him.

And when he had spoken, they had **listened.**

Sai's pulse quickened.

Lena let out a slow exhale. "You're telling me we're gonna use *them*?"

Ezren nodded. "They are already yours. You simply have not accepted it yet."

Sai stared at the abyssal creatures. Some were massive, their forms shifting like living shadows, claws and fangs gleaming under the dim light. Others were **humanoid**, remnants of the Forgotten, their abyss-touched forms flickering in and out of existence.

And they were **watching him.**

Waiting.

Sai took a deep breath.

And then, for the first time, he truly **spoke to them.**

"You're all still here." His voice was calm, but it carried through the Abyss. "You didn't leave. You didn't run. You fought beside me."

The creatures didn't respond with words.

But they didn't have to.

Sai could **feel** their answer.

The Abyss was **not just a place.**

It was **alive.**

And they were part of it.

He swallowed. "I don't know what's coming. But if you stand with me, I won't turn away from this fight."

The Abyss **stirred.**

Abyssal energy **pulsed outward**, crackling through the air.

The creatures **knelt.**

One by one, they **lowered their heads.**

Lena took a step back. "Sai... what did you just do?"

Sai exhaled slowly. "I think... I just got my army."

---

### **A War to Come**

Ezren watched the scene unfold, his expression unreadable.

Sai turned to face him. "Is this enough?"

Ezren was quiet for a moment before nodding. "It is a start."

Sai clenched his fists. "Then what's the next step?"

Ezren's gaze was sharp. "You need allies."

Sai frowned. "I thought we just got an army?"

Ezren shook his head. "An army is not enough. You need people who will fight *with* you, not just *for* you. The Abyssal creatures will follow your command, but you need strategists. You need generals. You need those who can hold the line when the time comes."

Sai exhaled. "So where do I find them?"

Ezren's smirk returned. "That is up to you, Heir."

Sai sighed. "Of course it is."

Lena grinned. "Looks like we're making a recruitment trip."

Sai ran a hand through his hair.

He had never wanted to lead.

But if he didn't, the Abyss would fall.

And the Betrayer would **take everything.**

Sai exhaled sharply. "Then let's get to work."

The Abyss **stirred beneath him.**

And the next war **began.**