Chapter 85: The Chains of Eternity
The **throne groaned violently** beneath Sai's weight, the ancient stone **cracking further** as he settled into it. The jagged veins of golden fire **splintered upward**, crawling over his limbs and chest like **living chains**, piercing through his skin, **embedding into his bones.**
He clenched his teeth, his fists **tightening against the cold, fractured arms of the throne**, but he didn't scream.
Not this time.
Because **he knew it was coming.**
The moment he had lowered himself onto the **forgotten seat**, he had felt it—**the prison closing around him.**
The throne wasn't **just a symbol of power.**
It was a **cage.**
And **he was its key.**
The veins of **gold and black fire** coiled around his limbs, winding tighter with every heartbeat, dragging him **deeper into the stone**, sealing him into the very fabric of the prison itself.
And **he let it.**
Because **there was no other way.**
He had seen the **Sealed Kings** stirring.
He had felt **their hatred** through the void, their **rage seething** behind their hollow golden eyes.
And he knew—**if he didn't take their place**, they would **break free.**
So he sat upon the throne.
And he **let the chains take him.**
---
### **The Forgotten Kings Rise**
The sky **fractured violently** overhead, the blackened clouds **splintering apart**, revealing a void of **shattered stars and molten fire**. The world **heaved and twisted**, the stone beneath the throne **splintering and falling away** into the swirling nothingness.
And the **Sealed Kings moved.**
Their massive forms, once **distant and unmoving**, now **stirred with violent purpose**, their eyes of molten gold **flaring brighter**, their limbs of jagged light and fractured stone **shifting and elongating**.
The first—the **King of Blackened Bone**, his form a twisting mass of **shattered skeletons and fractured fire**—**lunged forward**, his hands stretched wide, **claws of molten iron** reaching for Sai.
But the **chains tightened.**
The veins of **gold and black fire**—the throne's power—**lashed out violently**, forming massive chains of searing light.
They **whipped outward**, coiling around the **King's massive arms**, binding his limbs in place.
The massive being **roared**—a soundless cry of rage—as the chains **dragged him backward**, anchoring him into the prison once again.
The **second King**, a figure of **liquid gold and flame**, his face blurred and inhuman, his body constantly shifting between **form and formlessness**, **clawed violently at the void**, his limbs becoming **whips of molten fire.**
He **lashed at the chains**, trying to **shatter them** with raw power, his eyes **blazing with fury.**
But **they didn't break.**
Because **Sai held them.**
His hands **gripped the arms of the throne**, and the golden fire **surged through his veins**, binding him to the prison itself, **feeding the chains with his strength.**
And for every **ounce of power** the Kings released—
**The throne took more from him.**
**Draining him.**
**Binding him.**
**Breaking him.**
But Sai **didn't let go.**
Because he knew **he couldn't.**
Not if he wanted the **world to survive.**
---
### **The Prisoner of Time**
The **third King**—the one of **shattered light and fractured time**—slowly turned toward Sai, his form **constantly shifting**, flickering between **ages and centuries**, his limbs **blurring between mortal and god**, his eyes always **the same molten gold.**
He didn't lunge.
He didn't strike.
He simply **watched.**
And Sai felt it—the ancient king's **pity.**
Because the **third one knew.**
He had once sat **upon this throne.**
Once felt the **chains closing around him.**
Once bound the **other kings** into the prison with his own hands.
And now—**he was being freed.**
And Sai was **taking his place.**
The King of Time **slowly stepped back**, his fractured form **fading into the void**, pulled backward by the prison's power.
And he let it.
Without fighting.
Without struggling.
Because he knew.
There was **no escape.**
Not for them.
And not for **Sai.**
---
### **The Chains Hold**
The chains of **golden fire** tightened around the **three Kings**, pulling their massive forms **into the void**, binding them once again to the edges of the prison.
The fractured stone beneath the throne **splintered violently**, massive chunks of reality **breaking apart** and crumbling into the nothingness.
And as the last **King fell**, the **world went still.**
The screaming fire **faded.**
The black mist **stilled.**
And the **throne groaned softly** as the prison **sealed itself again.**
But this time—
**Sai was its lock.**
---
### **The World Without Him**
Far beyond the broken gate, **the others watched.**
Ezren stood at the edge of the crumbling plateau, his dagger still **flickering weakly** with blackened flame, his golden abyssal eyes **narrowed slightly**.
But he didn't **move.**
Because **he already knew.**
Kael stood beside him, his massive frame **still and unmoving**, his greatsword hanging loosely in his hand, the flames at its edge **flickering weakly**, already **fading.**
He stared at the **collapsed gate**, his eyes **dark and hollow**, his chest rising and falling with slow, heavy breaths.
But he didn't **speak.**
Because he knew, too.
Lena stood furthest from them.
She had **fallen to her knees**, her hands **pressed into the cracked stone**, her shoulders trembling violently.
She didn't scream.
She didn't cry.
She just **stared** at the place where Sai had vanished.
Her hands **shook violently**, her knuckles pale from how tightly she clutched the broken stone.
Because she could **still feel him.**
She could still **feel the bond** they shared—the faint flicker of his presence **lingering at the edge of her soul.**
But **it was fading.**
Like a flame slowly being **snuffed out.**
And she knew.
He was **gone.**
---
### **The Prison Holds**
Within the void, Sai sat **motionless** on the throne, his eyes barely open, his **golden irises dim and hollow**, the light in them **fading faintly** with every heartbeat.
His fingers **curled slightly** against the arms of the throne, but he couldn't feel them anymore.
He couldn't **feel his body.**
Only the **chains.**
They **coiled around his limbs**, winding through his bones, his veins, his soul—**pulling him into the stone** itself.
And he knew.
This was **forever.**
He was **the lock now.**
The one thing keeping the **Sealed Kings** bound.
The one thing keeping the **gates from shattering open**.
And **the world would never know.**
The hunters—the ones still fighting in the distant cities, the ones still battling the dungeons—**they would never know.**
That **he was the reason they were free.**
That **he had bound himself** to the prison so they could keep fighting.
They would **never see him again.**
And the world would **forget his name.**
But **he didn't care.**
Because **they would live.**
And that was **enough.**
---
### **The Chains Are Eternal**
The broken stars in the void slowly **dimmed**, the once-roaring storm of fire and light **fading into silence.**
The **chains of golden fire** remained, pulsing softly with each heartbeat.
The Sealed Kings were **bound once again.**
The gates would **not break.**
And **Sai would remain.**
Forever.
His hands slowly **unclenched**, his golden eyes **dimming softly** as he closed them.
He didn't fight.
He didn't struggle.
He simply **let it take him.**
Because this was the **last battle.**
And **he had already won.**