Chapter 77

Sai stood at the edge of the ruins, his golden abyssal eyes **fixed on the horizon**, where the black mist of the Abyss **lingered faintly** against the distant mountains. The shattered remnants of the palace loomed behind him—a fractured monument to the **choice he had made.**

The throne was gone.

But the **Abyss remained.**

No longer bound to stone or symbol.

**Bound to him.**

The black mist **swirled softly** around his feet, pulsing faintly with his heartbeat. It no longer resisted his movements or clawed at him like a cage. Instead, it **flowed freely**, **fluid and obedient**, shifting as he exhaled, as if it were breathing with him.

It **wasn't a prison anymore.**

It was **his shadow.**

Lena stood a few paces behind him, her arms **wrapped tightly around herself**, still trembling faintly from the battle. Her face was **pale**, her knuckles bloodless from how hard she was clenching her fists.

She hadn't spoken since he'd told them the truth.

Since he'd told her that the **Abyss would never be gone.**

That **he would never be free of it.**

Now, she stood there, watching him with **something in her eyes he didn't want to see.**

Not fear.

Something **worse.**

Pity.

Sai **exhaled slowly**, turning his head slightly.

"Don't," he murmured softly, his voice **barely above a whisper.**

Lena's brow furrowed slightly. "Don't what?"

His eyes remained on the horizon.

"Don't **look at me like that.**"

Her lips parted slightly, but she didn't answer right away.

Because **she knew.**

She couldn't **hide it.**

The hesitation in her breath. The faint, **pained flicker in her gaze.**

She knew he was different now.

And no matter how much she tried to **deny it**—

**She could feel it.**

Sai's golden eyes **flickered faintly**, and the mist **shifted around him** in response.

Even when he wasn't commanding it.

Even when he wasn't **thinking about it.**

It was still **there.**

Still part of him.

And he could see the **doubt** in her eyes.

Not in him.

But in **what he was becoming.**

He turned toward her slowly, his eyes **steady but tired.**

"Do you think I'm going to lose myself?" he asked softly.

Lena's throat **bobbed faintly**, but she didn't answer.

Because she didn't **need to.**

He could see the answer **in her eyes.**

And that **hurt more than the battle ever had.**

---

### **The Rift Between Them**

Lena's arms **tightened around herself**, her voice **barely a whisper.**

"You… you changed, Sai," she murmured. Her voice was soft, almost **fragile**. "You're… different now."

Sai's chest **tightened.**

He let out a slow, deliberate breath, forcing himself to **stay steady**.

Because he already **knew that.**

He could feel it.

The black mist **coiling through his veins**, moving under his skin **like blood**.

It didn't hurt.

It didn't **consume him.**

It simply… **was.**

Part of him.

And **he hated that she could see it.**

"Yeah," Sai exhaled softly, his voice **calm but raw**. "I know."

Lena's breath **caught faintly** in her throat. She shook her head slowly, her eyes glimmering faintly with something she was **trying to hold back.**

"Do you even feel like yourself anymore?" she asked softly.

Sai's eyes **narrowed faintly.**

Her words **hit harder** than they should have.

Because the answer **wasn't simple.**

He was still **Sai.**

He still felt the ground beneath his feet.

He still felt the **ache in his bones** from the battle.

He still felt **her presence**, felt the warmth in her voice, felt the faint, almost imperceptible way **she exhaled when she was trying not to cry.**

But he also felt **the Abyss.**

Felt its **pull.**

Its **weight.**

He wasn't human anymore.

Not fully.

And **he didn't know how to tell her that.**

So instead—he just smiled faintly.

"I'm still me," he murmured softly. **"Just… more."**

Her eyes **narrowed slightly**, but she didn't argue.

Because she could **feel the lie.**

---

### **The Burden of Power**

Kael's heavy boots **echoed softly** as he approached. His massive frame **cast a long shadow** over the broken stone, and his abyssal eyes—**golden and sharp**—locked onto Sai immediately.

But **he wasn't hesitant.**

He wasn't afraid.

He just **studied him carefully.**

Then—**he smirked faintly.**

"You still look like you," he muttered gruffly. **"Ugly as ever."**

Sai's eyes **flickered toward him**, and he let out a faint, **breathless laugh.**

Kael's gaze **hardened slightly**, but there was no pity in his eyes. No doubt.

Just **acceptance.**

"You're still in there, Sai," Kael said quietly. "I know you are."

Sai's throat **tightened faintly.**

Kael's voice was rough, but **certain.**

"And if you're not," he added with a faint grin, **"I'll just beat you back into yourself."**

Sai's eyes **softened faintly**, and for the briefest of moments, his lips **curled into a tired grin.**

He didn't thank him.

He didn't need to.

Kael just **nodded.**

And **that was enough.**

---

### **Ezren's Oath**

Ezren stood slightly apart from the others, his dagger **still in hand**, golden abyssal eyes **steady but unreadable.**

He watched Sai carefully, studying him the way **he always had**—like a predator watching another predator.

Sai met his gaze evenly.

Neither of them spoke.

But they didn't need to.

Ezren's fingers **tightened around the hilt** of his dagger for a fraction of a second.

Then—**he sheathed it.**

A deliberate gesture.

A silent oath.

**Trust.**

Ezren **nodded once**, his golden eyes sharp but steady.

And Sai understood.

Ezren wasn't afraid of what he had become.

Because if Sai ever **lost himself completely**—

**Ezren would be the one to stop him.**

And **Sai trusted him to do it.**

---

### **Valeria's Warning**

Valeria remained where she was, **slumped weakly** against the jagged stone. Her silver hair was **matted with blood**, her face pale and bruised from the battle.

But her golden eyes were **sharp.**

She watched Sai carefully.

No pity.

No hesitation.

Just **calculated certainty.**

Her lips **curled faintly** into a tired smirk.

"Enjoying the power, Sai?" she murmured, voice **raspy but mocking.**

Sai's golden eyes **narrowed slightly.**

"Not particularly," he muttered dryly.

Her faint smirk widened slightly.

"Good," she rasped. "Then maybe you'll **survive.**"

She slowly **turned her gaze toward the horizon**, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Because the Abyss will **keep testing you**. It won't stop. Not now."

Sai's **jaw clenched faintly.**

He didn't look at her.

Because he knew she was right.

The **Abyss wasn't finished with him.**

Not yet.

Maybe **not ever.**

---

### **The Road Ahead**

Sai turned back toward the horizon, his eyes **fixed on the distant ruins**, the mountains **looming in the distance**.

The world was still **broken.**

Gates still opened.

Monsters still walked free.

And now, the **Vanguard**—the hidden force that even the Hidden Order feared—**knew who he was.**

They would **come for him.**

They would **hunt him.**

But **he wasn't afraid anymore.**

Because the Abyss **was his now.**

And he would **make it follow him.**

Sai slowly exhaled, the black mist **coiling around his limbs**, swirling softly with his breath.

And with **one final glance** at the ruined palace, he turned away.

Without looking back.

Because the **world was waiting.**

And this time—

**The Abyss would walk with him.**