Chapter 69: The Abyss Calls Again

The Abyssal Gate loomed before Sai, its dark stone pulsing faintly, as if it could feel his presence. Unlike last time, when it had been **sealed and resisting him,** the gate now stood **open.** A doorway into something deeper, something **waiting.**

A shiver ran through Sai's body, but not from fear.

It was **recognition.**

Like the Abyss already **knew** he was coming.

Behind him, the others stood **silent.**

Lena's fingers **tightened around her chakrams,** her stance stiff with unease. "I hate this already."

Kael cracked his knuckles. "About time."

Ezren's golden abyssal eyes flickered, unreadable. "This time, we step in prepared."

Sai nodded. **No hesitations. No second thoughts.**

He took the first step forward.

The Abyss **responded instantly.**

The air **shifted,** the temperature dropping **instantly.** The light from the rising sun **faded, drowned out** as the mist from the gate **swallowed them whole.**

For a moment, Sai felt like he was weightless. **Floating. Falling.**

Then—the world **vanished.**

---

### **The Descent Begins**

Sai's feet **hit solid ground.**

But it wasn't stone.

It was **something else.**

The surface beneath him was **black, yet reflective, shifting like liquid but firm underfoot.** He wasn't sure if it was solid or simply pretending to be.

The others landed behind him.

Lena stumbled slightly, catching herself. "Gods, I hate that."

Kael rolled his shoulders. "Felt like nothing."

Ezren inhaled deeply, exhaling slowly. "It wasn't nothing."

Sai agreed.

The Abyss was **watching them.**

He could feel it, pressing against his skin, brushing against his mind like unseen fingers. It wasn't attacking. It wasn't resisting.

**It was waiting.**

Sai's system flared to life.

**[You have entered: Abyssal Depths – Second Layer.]**

**[Time Distortion: Active.]**

**[Entity Presence: Unknown.]**

Sai's jaw tightened. "Second Layer."

Lena frowned. "You never said anything about layers before."

Ezren spoke before Sai could. "Because last time, he never went deep enough."

Kael smirked. "Then we see how far it goes."

Sai exhaled. "Let's move."

And so—they walked forward.

---

### **The Forgotten City**

The mist **parted.**

And for the first time, Sai saw what lay beyond the Abyssal Gate.

A **city.**

Not ruins. Not shattered remnants.

But a city still **standing.**

It stretched **endlessly** in the distance, towers made of abyssal stone rising high into the shifting sky. Structures unlike anything he had seen before—**not built by human hands, not shaped by human minds.** The streets were silent, empty, yet **too well-preserved.**

As if it had simply been **abandoned yesterday.**

Lena exhaled. "Okay. What the hell is this?"

Ezren's gaze was sharp. "The Abyss was not always what it is now."

Kael let out a low whistle. "If this was a kingdom, it must have belonged to something… powerful."

Sai stared ahead, heart pounding.

He had seen glimpses of the past in his trials.

The Abyss **had been a kingdom once.**

And this…

This was what remained of it.

---

### **The Watchers in the Mist**

The deeper they walked into the city, the more **wrong** it felt.

Not because of decay. Not because of ruin.

But because it wasn't **empty.**

Sai felt it before he saw it.

A flicker of movement in the mist. A presence pressing against the edges of his senses.

Lena stopped. "Sai."

"I know."

Kael's grip tightened on his sword. "We're being watched."

Ezren nodded. "And not by something friendly."

Sai **turned slowly.**

At first, there was **nothing.**

Then—**shadows moved.**

Figures stood at the edge of the mist, their forms **not fully solid.** Not human. Not abyssal.

Something **in-between.**

And **they were watching.**

Sai's system flickered.

**[Unknown Entities Detected.]**

**[Classification: Abyssal Remnants.]**

Lena whispered, "Remnants?"

Ezren's expression darkened. "They are what's left behind when something dies in the Abyss, but not completely."

Kael smirked. "Then they should be easy to kill."

Ezren shook his head. "No. That's the problem. They can't be killed."

Sai's heartbeat slowed.

The **Remnants** didn't move.

They just… **waited.**

Then—one of them **spoke.**

A voice that wasn't a voice.

**"The Heir walks again."**

Sai's breath caught.

Lena stiffened. "Did that thing just—?"

Another Remnant shifted.

**"The Throne is empty."**

Sai's fingers **tightened around his daggers.** "Not this again."

Kael scowled. "We're not here to take your damn throne."

The Remnants did not move.

**"But it waits for you."**

Sai exhaled sharply. "Yeah, well. I'm not waiting for it."

He turned away, forcing himself forward. "Come on. We keep moving."

Ezren hesitated. "Sai—"

"Now."

The others followed, **but the Remnants did not.**

They simply stood in the mist.

Watching.

Whispering.

Waiting.

And Sai knew—this city was **not abandoned.**

Something still lived here.

Something **waiting for him.**

And he was about to find out what.