Chapter 76: The Abyss Reforged

The throne room **stood in ruins** around Sai. The black stone that once supported the **ancient seat of power** had collapsed into fractured slabs, and the throne itself—**the very symbol of dominion over the Abyss**—was nothing more than scattered fragments.

And yet, the **Abyss remained.**

No longer bound to the throne.

No longer seeking a ruler.

Because now—it had **one.**

Sai exhaled slowly, his breath **steady** despite the raw power pulsing through his veins. The black mist **coiled around his arms**, but it no longer clung to him like chains. It moved freely, fluidly, shifting with his thoughts—**an extension of him.**

His golden abyssal eyes **flickered softly** as he stared down at his hands, watching the mist **curl around his fingers**, responding effortlessly.

The Abyss was no longer a **force** he was fighting against.

It was **his to command.**

But he wasn't sure if that **terrified him** or made him feel…

**Whole.**

Behind him, the others stood in **stunned silence**, their faces pale, their eyes locked on him with a mixture of **awe and disbelief.**

Lena's voice was **hoarse** with shock.

"Sai…" She took a hesitant step forward. **"What… what did you just do?"**

Sai slowly turned toward her, the mist **parting around him** as if the Abyss itself made way for him now.

His eyes—**once fierce with exhaustion and defiance—**were steady. Clear.

**Golden.**

He met her gaze, voice **calm but certain.**

"I changed it."

Lena's eyes **widened slightly.** "Changed it?"

Kael took a slow, deliberate step forward, his massive frame **casting a long shadow** against the fractured stone. His golden abyssal eyes **narrowed slightly**, still gleaming from the fight.

"You destroyed the throne," he muttered, voice low and sharp. "But you're still…" His eyes flickered to the mist that **coiled around Sai's shoulders** like a cloak of living darkness. **"You're still connected to it."**

Sai met his gaze evenly. "I didn't destroy the Abyss," he said softly. "I **remade it.**"

Kael's fingers **tightened around his greatsword**, but he didn't move.

Ezren, who had remained silent up until now, **slowly lowered his dagger**, his abyssal eyes flickering with **careful curiosity.** He studied Sai for a long moment, as if he were trying to **see through him**, to understand what he had just witnessed.

Finally, he exhaled slowly. **"How?"**

Sai's eyes **darkened slightly**, and the black mist **swirled softly** around his feet.

He didn't answer immediately.

Because he wasn't sure if he **could.**

How did he explain that he had **rewritten the very essence of the Abyss?**

How did he describe what it felt like to **hold an entire reality in his hands** and reshape it with nothing more than a thought?

He glanced down at his **fingers**, watching the mist **curl and unfurl** at his command.

"I didn't take the throne," he murmured softly, his voice **barely above a whisper.** "I **became it.**"

The room fell **deathly silent.**

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Even the Abyss itself seemed to **still**, watching.

And then—**Valeria laughed.**

Softly at first. Bitter.

Then **louder.**

Sai's eyes **snapped toward her.**

The former Inquisitor sat slumped against a fractured pillar, still bloodied and bound, her silver hair **matted with dirt and sweat.** She coughed weakly, but her golden eyes were **sharp**, gleaming with something **between amusement and disbelief.**

Her voice was **hoarse**, but laced with bitter satisfaction.

**"You… stupid, reckless fool."**

Sai's gaze narrowed. "What?"

Valeria's **chest heaved softly** as she shook her head slowly, a faint, weary smile tugging at her bloodied lips.

"You didn't take the throne. You became it." She chuckled softly, voice strained with exhaustion. **"Do you even understand what that means?"**

Sai's **eyes hardened slightly**, but he didn't answer.

Because he didn't know.

Not entirely.

Valeria's smile **faded slightly**, her eyes sharp despite the blood on her face.

Her voice lowered.

**"The Abyss is no longer bound to a throne, Sai."** Her eyes narrowed. "Now it's bound to **you.**"

The words **hit him harder** than he expected.

Sai's **fingers twitched slightly**, the mist **responding instantly**, swirling violently for a brief moment before settling.

He exhaled sharply. **"…I know."**

But the weight of her words **still lingered.**

The Abyss was no longer **separate** from him.

It was part of him now.

And he realized, with a slow, **sickening certainty**, that **he couldn't escape it.**

Because he **was** the Abyss.

And the Abyss was **him.**

---

### **The Remnants of the Throne**

The mist **swirled around him softly**, responding to his movements with ease. He lifted his hand slowly, and the black tendrils **coiled around his wrist**, shifting, **waiting.**

Kael exhaled sharply, **breaking the silence.**

His voice was low. **"Can you control it?"**

Sai slowly **turned his hand over**, watching the mist **pulse faintly** in response, like a living thing.

He could **feel it** now—the Abyss itself. The shifting, moving, **unraveling fabric of reality** that no longer resisted him.

It moved with him.

For him.

And somehow—he knew.

The answer was clear.

He met Kael's eyes evenly.

"Yes."

Kael's grip on his sword **loosened slightly**, but he didn't look relieved. His eyes remained **sharp**, watching Sai carefully. **"But for how long?"**

Sai didn't answer.

Because **he didn't know.**

---

### **The Wound That Wouldn't Heal**

Lena slowly **stepped forward**, her fingers still trembling slightly from the battle. Her voice was **barely above a whisper.**

"Sai… is it over?"

Sai's golden abyssal eyes **flickered toward her.**

He could feel the **hope** in her voice—the desperate **need** for him to say yes. To tell her that the battle was won, that the Abyss was no longer a threat.

That they were free.

But he couldn't.

Because the **truth** was already sinking into his bones.

**The Abyss was never going away.**

Not completely.

Not ever.

And **now—it was his to carry.**

The wound in reality **hadn't been closed.**

It had simply been **given a name.**

**His.**

Sai slowly exhaled, forcing his voice to remain steady.

"…It's not over."

Lena's eyes **widened slightly**, her breath catching in her throat.

Kael's jaw **tightened.**

Ezren's abyssal eyes narrowed faintly, but he didn't look surprised.

Valeria chuckled weakly, slumping further against the stone. Her voice was **hoarse** but certain.

**"It will never be over."**

Sai's hands slowly **curled into fists**, the mist **tightening around him.**

Because he **knew** she was right.

The Abyss wouldn't simply vanish.

It wouldn't fade.

It would **stay with him.**

**Always.**

And he would **carry it.**

**Forever.**

---

### **The Abyss Follows**

The ruined palace **shuddered faintly**, the aftermath of their battle **settling into silence.**

The black mist **coiled softly** around Sai's legs as he turned toward his companions, his abyssal eyes **flickering with certainty.**

Ezren's voice was calm but sharp. **"So what now?"**

Sai exhaled slowly, **rolling his shoulders.**

The Abyss **swirled faintly** in response, **slipping through his fingers** like strands of smoke.

He smirked slightly.

"We leave," he murmured.

Kael raised a brow. "And after that?"

Sai's eyes **darkened faintly**, the mist **coiling tighter around his shoulders.**

His voice was calm. **Steady.**

But his golden eyes **gleamed with certainty.**

"Then… **we rebuild the world.**"

The Abyss **coiled around him** like a living shadow.

And this time—

**It followed him.**