Chapter 68: The Gathering Storm
The night had settled over the ruins, but no one felt at ease. The fire crackled, sending faint embers into the sky, but its warmth did little to fight off the **cold weight of realization** pressing down on the group.
The Vanguard.
A faction so secret even the Hidden Order feared to speak their name.
And now, **they knew about Sai.**
He sat on the edge of a crumbling stone wall, idly spinning a dagger between his fingers. His wounds were already healing, but the ache in his bones **remained.** The fight had taken more out of him than he wanted to admit.
Across from him, Valeria sat against the base of a pillar, still bound but **calm.** She wasn't struggling, wasn't trying to escape.
Because she didn't have to.
Sai could see it in her eyes—**she had already won.**
"You were waiting for this," Sai muttered.
Valeria's golden gaze flickered to him. "I suspected it would happen. The moment you survived the Abyss, it was only a matter of time before they came looking."
Sai exhaled slowly. "You could've warned me."
Valeria smirked faintly. "Would you have believed me?"
Sai didn't answer.
Because she was right.
Lena sat nearby, arms crossed, her chakrams resting against her knees. "So, let's get this straight. We've got the Hidden Order still breathing down our necks, abyssal nightmares crawling through the ruins, and now **a secret faction of god-level hunters** wants to erase Sai from existence. Did I miss anything?"
Ezren hummed. "That sums it up nicely."
Lena groaned, rubbing her temples. "I was joking."
Kael stretched, cracking his knuckles. "They can try." His golden abyssal eyes gleamed in the firelight. "I'd like to see them fail."
Sai smirked at the confidence, but deep down, **he wasn't so sure.**
The Vanguard hadn't fought like the Hidden Order.
They hadn't fought like **anything** he had ever seen before.
And that meant one thing.
**They had no idea how to beat them.**
---
### **A New Reality**
The silence stretched, heavy with unspoken thoughts.
Sai finally exhaled, standing. "Alright. No point in sitting here all night thinking about how screwed we are."
Lena raised a brow. "You got a plan?"
Sai rolled his shoulders. "Same as always."
Ezren smirked. "Wing it?"
Sai grinned. "Exactly."
Lena groaned again, but there was a hint of amusement behind it. "Why am I not surprised?"
Kael chuckled, resting his greatsword against the ground. "Then where do we start?"
Sai glanced at Valeria.
She met his gaze without flinching. "You already know the answer."
Sai narrowed his eyes. "The Abyss."
Valeria nodded. "The Vanguard won't stop hunting you. The only way to survive is to **understand what you've become.**"
Sai exhaled sharply. She was right. He had changed—**and not just because he had survived the Abyss.**
Something inside him **was different now.**
The way the mist moved when he walked. The way his wounds sealed faster than before. The way the Abyss had responded to him in that last fight—**like it was alive.**
Like it was **watching.**
Sai turned toward the ruins. The Abyssal Gate still stood, its black stone humming with dormant power.
He had left the Abyss.
But that didn't mean it had let him go.
---
### **The Decision**
Sai let out a slow breath. "Alright. We go back."
Lena stared. "Back?"
Sai nodded toward the gate. "To the Abyss."
Lena's expression twisted. "Sai. You barely made it out last time."
Kael grunted. "Not to mention, that thing nearly **ate your soul.**"
Ezren was quiet for a long moment before sighing. "But it's the only way."
Sai nodded. "Exactly."
Lena groaned, but didn't argue. "You're gonna get us all killed one day."
Sai grinned. "Probably."
Kael smirked. "Then let's make it a good death."
Ezren chuckled. "That's the spirit."
Sai turned back to Valeria. "And what about you?"
Valeria exhaled. "You already know the answer to that, too."
Sai studied her carefully. "You're not going to stop me."
Valeria's expression didn't change. "I could try. But it wouldn't make a difference."
Sai tilted his head. "Why?"
Valeria's golden eyes **watched him.**
Then, quietly—**almost too soft to hear—**she answered.
"Because you are already part of it."
Sai's breath caught.
Before he could speak, Valeria continued. "The Abyss didn't let you go. It's still inside you. And whether you realize it or not… **it's waiting for you to come home.**"
A chill ran down Sai's spine.
Lena glanced between them. "Okay. That's officially the creepiest thing I've heard today."
Ezren hummed. "She's not wrong, though."
Sai exhaled. He didn't want to think about what that meant.
Not yet.
"We move at dawn," he said.
No one argued.
And for the rest of the night, Sai sat beside the fire, staring into the flickering embers—**wondering if he had ever truly left the Abyss at all.**
---
### **The Descent**
The next morning, Sai stood at the edge of the Abyssal Gate, staring into its silent depths.
The others stood behind him—Lena, Kael, Ezren, Valeria.
No hesitation.
No fear.
Sai exhaled, stepping forward.
And as the darkness **rose to greet him,** he realized one thing.
**He wasn't afraid anymore.**