Hunter of the Lost Gates-Chapter 12 - : The City of Those Who Knew

Sai's boots crunched softly against the cracked stone pavement as he took his first steps into the ruins.

The City of Those Who Knew.

That was the name the Lost Gate System had given this place.

It wasn't just another dungeon.

It was a forgotten civilization, buried inside a Lost Gate, erased from history.

Sai exhaled slowly, his gaze scanning the towering structures that loomed over him. The city had once been grand, with buildings stretching toward the sky, their architecture unlike anything he had seen before. But now, it was dead.

Stone pillars lay shattered across the roads, symbols carved into the walls flickered weakly, their glow fading like dying embers. The air was thick, carrying the scent of age, dust, and something... else.

Something wrong.

And then, there was the whispering.

A low, eerie hum echoed through the city. It wasn't words—more like fragmented thoughts drifting through the air, slipping just beyond comprehension.

Sai tightened his grip on his daggers.

He wasn't alone.

His system flickered.

[Lost Gate Identified: The City of Those Who Knew]

[Status: Unstable]

[Timeflow: Altered]

[Warning: Entities Detected]

Sai narrowed his eyes.

Entities.

It didn't say monsters.

That meant... people?

Or something worse.

He kept moving, his steps silent as he weaved between the broken structures. He needed to get his bearings before anything else.

But as he moved deeper, the city seemed to shift.

One moment, the buildings were crumbling ruins—the next, he swore he could see them standing tall, intact, as if time itself was flickering between past and present.

Then—movement.

Sai froze, his breath steadying.

A shadow moved across the far street, slipping between two buildings.

He wasn't imagining it.

Someone was here.

And they had seen him.

Sai exhaled slowly, his mind calculating his next move. He could either:

Follow the shadow and risk walking into a trap.

Stay hidden and observe, waiting for them to make the next move.

His instincts told him to stay low, but something about this place made him hesitate. If this was a forgotten city, then whoever was here might know more about the Lost Gates than he did.

And right now, he needed answers.

Making his decision, he flicked his dagger into a reverse grip and moved forward.

The buildings here were massive, their doorways lined with glowing runes. Some of them had collapsed, but others still stood, eerily untouched by time.

As Sai followed the path where the figure had disappeared, his Critical Sight activated on instinct.

For a brief second, he caught something—a faint glow leading toward an open archway. A trail.

Sai didn't hesitate.

He stepped inside.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the air shifted.

The whispers stopped.

The light from outside barely reached in, leaving only the dim blue glow of the runes to illuminate the massive chamber ahead.

And standing at the center—

Was a person.

Sai's breath caught.

It was a woman, wrapped in dark, flowing robes. Unlike the ex-Order agent who had given him the map, this one carried herself with an unnatural stillness.

Her back was turned to him, but she had already noticed his presence.

"You are not supposed to be here."

Her voice was calm, but layered with something else.

Something... ancient.

Sai didn't lower his weapons. "You knew I was coming."

The woman slowly turned.

Sai tensed.

Her eyes weren't normal.

They glowed, swirling with the same energy that pulsed through the city walls.

"You carry the mark of the Lost Gates," she said, tilting her head. "Yet you are not one of the Chosen."

Sai frowned.

"Chosen?"

The woman studied him for a moment, then exhaled softly.

"I see. You are still incomplete."

Before Sai could ask what she meant, she raised her hand.

The runes on the walls flared to life, their energy twisting through the air—and the chamber shifted.

The floor beneath Sai's feet vanished.

He barely had time to react before he was falling.

For a brief moment, there was nothing.

No sound. No air. Just endless space.

Then—light exploded around him.

Sai landed hard, rolling onto solid ground. His body ached from the impact, but he forced himself up, daggers raised.

And when he looked around—his breath stopped.

He was somewhere else.

The city was gone.

Instead, he stood in a vast hallway, lined with towering statues of armored figures. The ceiling stretched into infinity, its surface painted with moving images of hunters battling monstrous creatures.

And at the far end of the hall—

A massive doorway, sealed shut by golden chains.

Sai's system flickered.

[Lost Gate System Update]

[You have entered the Hall of Remnants.]

[Synchronization increasing...]

Sai exhaled sharply.

"What the hell is this place?"

Before he could take a step forward, a voice echoed through the chamber.

"You have stepped into the domain of the Forgotten."

Sai turned sharply.

At the center of the hall, standing between the statues—

Was a man.

Dressed in flowing, battle-worn robes, his face obscured beneath a hood, his presence commanding.

Sai didn't move.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

The man tilted his head slightly.

"A question you should be asking yourself."

The golden chains around the door shuddered, as if reacting to Sai's presence.

"You seek the truth, yet you do not realize it has already begun to consume you."

Sai clenched his jaw.

"Enough riddles. What is this place?"

The man lifted his hand—and for the first time, Sai noticed the mark on his palm.

A symbol identical to the one the system had burned into Sai's body.

"You are not the first to stand here."

The man's voice darkened.

"And you will not be the last."

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