Chapter 51: The Weight of a Throne

The Abyssal Gate **hummed** like a beating heart.

Sai stood before it, staring up at the massive black stone, its surface flickering with abyssal runes. They pulsed slowly, like something **breathing beneath the surface.** Not fully open, but no longer fully sealed.

**The Abyss was waiting.**

Lena shifted beside him, arms crossed. "So. We opened the gate. Now what?"

Sai exhaled. "Now we prepare."

Kael, his sword resting on his shoulder, scanned the ruins. "The Hidden Order will not let this stand."

Ezren smirked. "Then let them come."

But even as he said it, Sai could **feel it.**

The Abyss was **shifting.**

Something was **coming.**

And it wasn't just the Hidden Order.

---

### **A Warning from the Abyss**

Sai's system flickered to life.

**[New Notification: Abyssal Disturbance Detected.]**

**[Unknown Entities Approaching.]**

His jaw tightened. **Unknown?**

That wasn't good.

Lena noticed his expression. "Sai?"

Before he could answer, a sudden **pulse of energy** rippled through the ruins, sending a shiver down his spine.

The Abyss **stirred.**

Then—**a voice.**

Low, layered, echoing from the gate itself.

**"You are not ready."**

Sai's breath caught. "Who—"

But before he could finish, the ground beneath them **shook.**

---

### **The Arrival of the First Watcher**

Abyssal mist **poured** from the gate, thick and heavy, curling like smoke. Then, a **figure** stepped through.

It was tall—**too tall.** Its body was humanoid, but elongated, its face hidden beneath a deep hood. No eyes. No mouth. Just **a shifting void where a face should be.**

Ezren's smirk faded. "Well. That's new."

Sai's system **flashed.**

**[Abyssal Entity Identified: Watcher of the First Lock.]**

**[Threat Level: ???]**

Sai's grip tightened on his daggers. **Watcher of the First Lock?**

The figure took a slow step forward. The ground beneath it **cracked.**

Then, it spoke.

**"You have awakened the Gate."**

Sai swallowed. "Yeah. And?"

The Watcher **tilted its head.**

**"Then you must be tested."**

The Abyss **roared.**

And the Watcher **attacked.**

---

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

The Watcher **moved like a shadow**, flickering forward faster than Sai could track.

His instincts **screamed.**

He barely dodged as **a wave of abyssal energy slammed into the ground where he had been standing.** The impact sent **jagged black cracks** racing across the stone.

Lena cursed. "Okay, I hate this already."

Kael stepped forward, raising his sword. "Then let's end it quickly."

He lunged—**but the Watcher caught his blade.**

With **one hand.**

Kael's golden abyssal eyes **widened.**

The Watcher **tilted its head.** Then, with a flick of its wrist, it sent **Kael flying.**

Sai's mind **raced.**

This thing was **different.**

It wasn't just powerful—it was **testing them.**

Sai activated **Abyssal Step**, flickering forward, his daggers aimed for the Watcher's **core.**

The moment his blade made contact—**he saw it.**

---

### **The Vision of the Past**

**A battlefield of shadows.**

Warriors clad in abyssal armor, fighting against something **unseen, something monstrous.**

At the center of it all—**a throne.**

Empty.

Waiting.

Then—**a figure.**

Cloaked in golden abyssal fire, standing before the throne.

Sai's breath caught.

**The Betrayer.**

The moment he recognized him, the vision **shattered.**

And Sai was back in the present, daggers **locked against the Watcher's grasp.**

It **leaned closer.**

And whispered—**"You see now."**

Then, it **threw him back.**

---

### **The Awakening of the Abyss**

Sai hit the ground hard, his breath knocking out of him.

Lena rushed to his side. "Sai! Are you—"

He pushed himself up, heart **pounding.**

Because he understood now.

The Abyssal Gate wasn't just a **seal.**

It was a **throne.**

And whoever opened it…

Was expected to **sit upon it.**

Sai clenched his fists. **No.**

He wouldn't be a **king.**

But the Watcher was still **waiting.**

Kael, wiping blood from his lip, exhaled. "Sai. Orders?"

Sai's eyes burned with abyssal fire.

He wasn't **running.**

He wasn't **hesitating.**

He was **fighting.**

Sai exhaled.

Then, he **gave his first true command.**

"Kill it."

And the **Abyss answered.**