Chapter 16 – The Hunters and the Hunted

The cloak shielded Cain from prying eyes as he moved through the outskirts of the settlement, but his instincts told him he was already on borrowed time. He had heard enough from the traders to know that Elysium had caught the scent of something wrong near the Abyss. If the Enforcers were being sent, then the hunt had already begun.

He needed to leave. Now.

He kept to the tree line as he put distance between himself and the settlement, his steps controlled, silent. His senses felt sharper than before, like the Abyss had trained his body to react before his mind even fully processed threats. It was a predator's instinct, and it was the only thing keeping him ahead of what was coming.

A faint vibration in the air made him pause.

Cain crouched low behind the cover of thick brush, his heartbeat slowing, his breath measured.

There—movement in the distance. A column of armored figures moved through the trees, their formation tight, disciplined. The moonlight reflected off their polished white armor, engraved with the sigils of the High Council. Enforcers.

And they weren't scouting. They were tracking.

Cain's grip on his satchel tightened. They weren't wasting time.

The floating cities rarely acted quickly unless something truly threatened their perfect, controlled world. That meant whatever had happened near the Abyss—whatever his presence had triggered—had sent alarms ringing through their ranks.

They weren't here to investigate.

They were here to eliminate.

Cain exhaled slowly, forcing his body to remain still as the Enforcers closed the distance. His mind ran through possible escape routes, but the way they were moving in a sweep pattern told him what he needed to know. They weren't just guessing.

They were following something.

And then, he saw it.

One of the Enforcers knelt in the dirt, fingers brushing over the ground. Even from a distance, Cain could see the faint flicker of golden energy pulsing beneath the soil, almost like an afterimage left behind.

His Titan Core.

It wasn't just inside him anymore—it was leaking into the world in ways he didn't fully understand.

The Enforcer stood, his voice carrying through the trees. "He's close."

Cain barely had time to move before they turned toward him.

His body reacted before thought, instincts honed from surviving in the Abyss taking over. He launched himself backward, rolling into the cover of thicker trees as the first bolts of energy seared through the air.

White-hot projectiles ripped through the foliage, scorching the bark of nearby trees. Cain hit the ground hard, exhaling as he twisted into a sprint.

Shouts rang out behind him.

"Target in motion!"

"Close the perimeter!"

Cain gritted his teeth. They were fast. Faster than normal soldiers, their movements refined, trained. Enforcers weren't just warriors. They were elites, executioners, the Council's personal reapers.

And they had just locked onto their prey.

Cain darted through the trees, his mind working at rapid speed. He couldn't outrun them forever. His Titan Core pulsed in response to the danger, energy curling at the edges of his fingers, eager to be used.

He was stronger than before. But he still didn't know how much stronger.

A flash of movement to his right—one of the Enforcers cut through the trees like a phantom, his white armor gleaming as he swung a blade charged with arcane energy. Cain barely twisted in time, the weapon slicing through his cloak instead of his neck.

Too fast. Too precise.

Cain pivoted sharply, driving an elbow into the Enforcer's ribs. The impact sent a pulse of Titan energy through his arm, the force far more than what a human should have been able to generate.

The Enforcer's armor cracked.

Cain barely registered the man's shocked expression before he turned and kept running.

The others weren't far behind. He needed cover.

A sharp incline loomed ahead, jagged rock formations rising between the trees. Cain adjusted his course, pushing his body faster as he reached the base of the rocky terrain.

Climbing was reckless—it exposed him. But staying on even ground with the Enforcers was suicide.

He jumped.

The Titan Core activated fully, energy flooding his legs, sending him higher than he should have been able to go. He grabbed onto the rocks, pulling himself upward with inhuman speed.

A barrage of energy bolts shattered the stone beneath him as the Enforcers opened fire again.

Cain didn't stop.

He reached the top of the outcrop, his boots skidding slightly on loose stone before he took off running again. He could hear the Enforcers repositioning below, adjusting their tactics.

They weren't going to let him escape.

Cain's mind raced. He had two choices—keep running and hope he found a way to break their formation, or fight.

Running would buy time, but not much. They had already found him once. They would do it again.

Fighting, though…

His fingers twitched. His Titan Core was awake now, responding faster than before. His battle against the Forgotten Ones had forced him to understand his power, to wield it deliberately rather than recklessly.

He turned.

The Enforcers were scaling the rocks behind him, their movements eerily flawless, in sync. Predators trained to kill anomalies.

Cain exhaled. Then I'll be their worst one yet.

The first Enforcer reached the top of the ridge—Cain moved instantly.

He dropped low, pivoting into a sharp kick to the soldier's chest. The Titan Core pulsed, amplifying the strike. The impact caved in the armor, sending the Enforcer hurtling backward into his squad.

The others hesitated for a fraction of a second. Cain didn't.

He lunged.

Golden energy flared as he closed the distance, his hands already curling into fists. The second Enforcer brought up his weapon, but Cain was faster.

He sidestepped the swing, his movements too sharp, too precise, and drove his palm into the man's helmet. The energy exploded outward. The Enforcer's body crashed into the ground below, motionless.

The others spread out, adjusting. Cain could hear their comms crackling. They were calling for reinforcements.

He didn't give them the chance.

Cain tore into them with a calculated fury, his Titan Core responding to his every command, his body moving in ways that felt impossible. He wasn't just reacting anymore—he was predicting.

He twisted between attacks, redirecting momentum, breaking through their defenses. His strikes were no longer just enhanced by Titan energy. They were executions.

One by one, the Enforcers fell.

By the time the last soldier dropped to his knees, gasping for breath, his helmet shattered, Cain stood among them, untouched.

The battlefield was silent.

Cain exhaled slowly.

He had held back. He didn't have to kill them.

Not yet.

But he had sent a message.

Elysium had sent hunters.

And they had failed.

Cain turned, pulling his hood back over his face as he disappeared into the night.

This was only the beginning.