Chapter 86: The Price of Salvation
The **air was still**.
The fractured void that had once **roared with fire and fury** was now silent, a vast, endless expanse of **ashen black and molten gold**, stretching infinitely in all directions.
The broken stars, once **splintering violently** across the sky, had faded into pale, flickering embers, barely visible through the swirling haze of nothingness.
And **Sai sat alone**.
Motionless.
Unmoving.
The massive throne of **jagged stone and golden veins** groaned faintly beneath his weight, its surface **fractured and splintered**, but it held.
And so did **he.**
The **chains of fire** still bound him—**coiled around his limbs**, his chest, his legs—searing bands of golden-black flame **woven through his very soul**, anchoring him to the throne.
He could feel them **tightening** with every breath.
Every heartbeat.
They pulled at him constantly, draining him bit by bit, feeding the prison with **his strength, his will, his existence.**
But he didn't **fight them.**
Because he knew **there was no point.**
He had **chosen this.**
**No escape.**
No hope of freedom.
No future.
Just **eternity in the dark**, bound to the prison, his power **the only thing holding the gates shut**, keeping the world safe.
And **no one would ever know.**
---
### **The Chains Do Not Loosen**
Sai's hands rested limply on the arms of the throne, his fingers **half-curled**, motionless. His once-strong grip—the same hands that had **held blades and tore through monsters**—were now pale and lifeless, **drained of warmth.**
The golden fire that once **blazed in his eyes** was faint now, **dull and dim**, barely flickering.
His chest rose and fell in slow, uneven breaths, but **he barely felt it.**
Because **he wasn't really breathing anymore.**
Not in the way he once had.
His body was still **intact**, his limbs still whole, but **he wasn't human** anymore.
He was **the lock.**
The **prison itself.**
And every second he sat there, **he felt less and less.**
The warmth he had once **fought to hold onto** was already slipping away.
His memories of **Kael's steady voice**, of **Ezren's sharp grin**, of **Lena's eyes searching for him in the dark**—they were already **growing distant.**
Not gone.
But **fading.**
And somehow, **that was worse.**
Because he had **known the throne would take his freedom.**
He had known it would **bind him.**
But he hadn't known it would **steal his memories too.**
**One by one.**
And he was **helpless to stop it.**
---
### **The World That Forgot Him**
Beyond the prison, the **world moved on.**
The hunters who had once **fought by his side**—the men and women who had stood against the gates—**no longer spoke his name.**
The survivors of the guild wars **buried their dead**, rebuilt their cities, and turned their eyes toward **the future.**
The gates were **sealed**.
The monsters no longer **poured into the world**.
The wars that had once **torn through the continents** had ended.
And **the people rejoiced.**
Because they didn't **know the price.**
They didn't know **about the throne**.
About the **man bound to it.**
They didn't know that **their peace was paid for** with his name, his life, and **his soul.**
And **they never would.**
---
### **The Hands That Remember**
Far from the prison, **in the ruins of the distant frontier**, three figures still walked.
**Ezren.**
**Kael.**
And **Lena.**
They traveled **the empty roads**, through the shattered cities and broken valleys—**always searching**, never stopping.
Because **they knew.**
Even if the world **forgot him**.
They never would.
Ezren stood on the **edge of a crumbled fortress**, his hood drawn low, his golden eyes **dim and weary**. His dagger still rested at his side, **untouched and dull**, the edge no longer gleaming with fire.
Because he hadn't **used it** since the day they lost him.
He had fought for **so long**, his blades cutting through the endless hordes of the dungeon gates—**but he hadn't drawn them since.**
Because the battle was over.
And **the only man he had ever trusted** to watch his back was gone.
Ezren's fingers **tightened faintly** at his sides as he stared out over the desolate ridge, his gaze fixed on the distant mountains.
And he wondered—
**Was he still out there?**
Still **breathing**?
Still **fighting**?
Or had he **faded completely?**
Ezren didn't **pray.**
He never had.
But **he did now.**
Not for victory.
Not for vengeance.
Just for **one more day** with him.
Even if he knew **it would never come.**
---
### **The Weight of the Blade**
Kael knelt by the **remnants of a burned-out village**, his massive hands **pressed against the soil**, his head bowed slightly.
The blade of his **greatsword rested at his side**, its edge cracked and broken.
He didn't **carry it anymore.**
He still **sharpened it** from time to time.
But he never **lifted it.**
Because **there was no need.**
The fight was over.
The **gates were shut.**
And the man he had fought beside—the one who had **saved him more times than he could count**—wasn't there to **fight with him.**
Kael's eyes were **distant**, his breath slow and steady, but his hands **trembled faintly** against the earth.
Because **he could still feel it.**
The weight of **Sai's hand gripping his arm** before he walked into the gate.
The **sound of his voice**—low and steady—telling him:
**"Keep them safe."**
And Kael had.
He had **kept the others safe.**
But **he hadn't saved Sai.**
And **he never would.**
Kael's fingers slowly **curled into fists**, his knuckles pale against the cold stone.
And **he didn't stand.**
Because **he couldn't.**
Not yet.
Not without him.
---
### **The One Who Waits**
Lena sat by a **withered tree**, its leaves long dead, its branches gnarled and blackened by the fires of a battle long past.
She sat with her **arms wrapped around her knees**, her eyes **fixed on the distant horizon**, watching the stars slowly **fade into morning.**
Her hands trembled faintly, the **small charm Sai had given her** clutched tightly between her fingers.
She had carried it **for years**, long before they had fought the dungeons.
Before the **kings had risen**.
Before the **gates had shattered.**
And now—**it was all she had left of him.**
She **held it close**, her fingers trembling slightly, her knuckles pale.
Because she could still **feel him.**
Somewhere.
Faint and distant.
Like a candle **flickering on the edge of a dying wind.**
And she **refused to let it go.**
Because if she did—
**He would be truly gone.**
And **she wasn't ready** for that.
---
### **The Chains Will Hold**
Far beyond the broken world, **Sai sat on the throne**, his golden eyes barely flickering, the fire in them **faint and weak.**
But **he was still there.**
The prison still **held.**
And he still **remembered them.**
Even as the chains **drained him**, even as **his memories grew faint**, even as he became **less and less himself**—
He still remembered **their faces.**
**Kael's steady hands.**
**Ezren's sharp grin.**
**Lena's eyes, always searching.**
And even when **he forgot everything else**,
Even when the world **forgot him**—
**He wouldn't forget them.**
And **he never would.**
Because the **chains may have bound him.**
But **they couldn't take them away.**
Not yet.
And not **ever.**