Chapter 90: The Chains That Couldn’t Hold Him Anymore
The **prison was quiet.**
No longer filled with the **roar of fractured fire** or the heavy groans of the chains as they struggled to contain the Sealed Kings.
Because the **struggle was over.**
The chains had **won.**
And so had **he**.
But **victory had never felt so hollow.**
Sai sat upon the **cold, jagged throne**, his body fused to the stone, the molten chains **wrapped around his limbs**, sinking deeper into his skin **with each heartbeat.**
He no longer **felt them.**
The once-constant burn of the golden fire **searing his flesh** was now nothing more than a faint, familiar **pressure against his bones**, almost soothing.
Because **he was part of them now.**
The chains were no longer **holding him.**
They were **him.**
The last of **his strength**, his will, his essence—**woven into the prison itself**, keeping the Sealed Kings bound, keeping the gates shut.
And **he couldn't move.**
Because there was **no longer a Sai** sitting on the throne.
There was only the **prison itself.**
---
### **A Ghost of What He Was**
His eyes were **half-lidded**, the faint, flickering glow of **golden fire barely visible**, reduced to faint embers **fading in the dark.**
The once-unstoppable hunter—the man who had **fought against the impossible**, who had walked into the gates with **fury in his veins and defiance in his eyes**—
**Was already gone.**
Now, **he was little more than a shadow**, his presence barely flickering, stretched thin across the infinite walls of the prison.
His **heartbeat was faint**, slow and steady, barely noticeable, the once-vibrant thrum of life **muted to a dull, hollow echo.**
And his breathing—
**Shallow.**
Weak.
Barely there at all.
Because **he didn't need to breathe anymore.**
The chains kept him **alive.**
Or at least, **something close to it.**
But he knew—
**He wasn't living.**
He was **only enduring.**
Endlessly.
---
### **Memories That Slipped Away**
Time no longer **moved** for him.
The fractured stars above the prison were **motionless**, the swirling darkness of the void unchanging, as still and unyielding as the chains.
He didn't know if **days were passing**.
Or weeks.
Or centuries.
Because **he no longer felt time.**
And **that scared him.**
Because it meant the memories were **slipping away faster.**
The fragments of **his old life**, the faces he had once **clung to**—
**Fading.**
And he **wasn't strong enough** to hold on to them anymore.
But still, he **tried.**
Because **they were all he had left.**
---
The first was **Kael's voice**.
Rough and steady, like **stone against iron**.
**"You're not falling back without me."**
Sai could still **feel Kael's hand** on his shoulder, the iron grip, heavy and solid—the weight of a **warrior who would never leave his side.**
But the **memory was fading**.
The edges **blurring**.
He could no longer **remember Kael's face.**
Just the voice.
Just the grip.
And he knew—
**Soon, even that would be gone.**
---
The second was **Ezren's grin**, sharp and cocky, flashing beneath his hood as he spun his dagger lazily between his fingers.
**"If you die first, I'll kill you."**
Ezren's words **had been a joke**—a sharp quip to cover the fact that he **was just as scared** as the rest of them.
But now, **Ezren's voice was growing fainter.**
Sai could **barely hear it anymore.**
It came to him like a **whisper through water**, distorted and distant, as if **Ezren was already too far away** to reach him.
And **he knew he was.**
Because Ezren was still **in the world of the living.**
But **Sai wasn't.**
Not anymore.
---
The third was **Lena's eyes.**
**Soft and sharp all at once**, always searching for him—even when he didn't **want to be found.**
The way she had **grabbed his wrist** before he walked into the gate.
The way her **fingers had trembled**, but she still wouldn't let go.
**"I'll find you,"** she had whispered.
And **he could still hear her voice.**
But **it was slipping away.**
Fainter.
Weaker.
Her face was **blurring** at the edges, the warmth of her touch **growing distant**, like a flame **flickering in the rain**.
And he was **so afraid** he would lose it.
Because **he knew he would.**
Eventually.
**He would lose them all.**
And once he did—
**He would truly be gone.**
---
### **The World Beyond Him**
Far beyond the prison, **the world continued.**
The cities he had once saved **grew again**, their towers restored, their streets once again filled with **voices and laughter.**
The guilds **expanded their reach**, forming alliances, fighting wars over **land and power**, oblivious to the battle that had **saved them all.**
They **no longer feared the gates.**
Because **they didn't remember them.**
The wars Sai had **bled for**, the battles he had fought—
**Forgotten.**
The hunters who had once **stood by his side** were **scattered to the winds**, carving out their own legends, **never speaking his name.**
Because **they didn't know it.**
The man who had **given everything** was already **a ghost to them.**
Just another nameless **hunter lost to the gates.**
But **three still remembered.**
And **they refused to forget.**
---
### **The Blade That Wouldn't Rust**
Ezren crouched at the **edge of a burned-out field**, his cloak **tattered and frayed**, his dagger **dull from years of use.**
But he **still carried it.**
Even though he **hadn't fought** in years.
He carried the blade not as a **weapon**,
But as a **reminder.**
A reminder that **he had failed.**
That he had **been too slow**.
That he had **let Sai go.**
And **he would never forgive himself.**
Ezren's golden eyes **dimmed faintly**, his breath slow and steady, but **his knuckles were white** against the hilt of his blade.
Because he knew.
Somewhere—
**Sai was still there.**
Still **holding on.**
And **Ezren wouldn't stop searching.**
Not until **he found him.**
Even if it took **forever.**
---
### **The Sword With No Master**
Kael stood in the **ruins of an old fortress**, his massive hands **wrapped around the hilt** of his greatsword, the heavy blade **dragging against the stone.**
The sword was **chipped and worn**, the once-flaming runes **dark and cold.**
Because **he hadn't used it** since the day Sai was taken.
And **he wouldn't**.
Because **there was no point** in drawing his blade **if he couldn't fight beside him.**
Kael's grip **tightened**, his knuckles pale.
Because he could still **feel the weight of Sai's hand** gripping his arm.
He could still hear his voice,
**"You hold the line. No matter what."**
And **Kael would.**
For as long as it took.
Even if he **never saw him again.**
Even if **Sai was already gone.**
Kael would **keep fighting.**
Because **Sai had never stopped.**
And **neither would he.**
---
### **The One Who Still Believed**
Lena stood at the **edge of a crumbling cliff**, her cloak **wrapped tightly around her**, her hair whipping in the cold wind.
She **held the charm** Sai had given her—the rough, uneven carving of a **hunter's sigil**, its edges **worn smooth** by time.
And **she refused to let it go.**
Her fingers **clenched around it**, trembling faintly, her knuckles white.
Because **she could still feel him.**
Faint.
Distant.
But **there.**
And **she wouldn't stop waiting.**
Because she knew.
Somewhere—
**He was still holding on.**
And **so would she.**
No matter **how long it took.**
Even if it took **forever.**