Chapter 25 – The Abyss Calls Again

Cain fell.

But this wasn't like before.

The first time, when the floating city had cast him into the Abyss, it had been a physical fall—his body plummeting through open air, crashing through ruin and decay.

But this time—this was different.

He wasn't just falling through space.

He was falling through something deeper.

The darkness stretched around him, endless, formless. Shadows coiled and unraveled, shifting between something tangible and something far worse. It wasn't just emptiness. It was memory.

It was waiting for him.

Cain twisted midair, trying to stabilize himself, but there was nothing to grab onto. His Titan Core burned inside him, its golden light flickering wildly as if struggling to anchor him to reality.

He gritted his teeth. He couldn't let this happen again.

A deep hum vibrated through the abyss, a soundless voice pressing against his skull. Not words, not language—pure intent.

"Return."

Cain's chest tightened. The pull was stronger this time.

The Forsaken weren't just trying to kill him. They were reclaiming him.

Cain's fists clenched. His entire life had been one fight after another. He had fought to survive in the slums of Elysium, fought to climb out of the Abyss, fought to keep his own power from devouring him.

And now?

Now they were trying to tell him he belonged to them.

"No," Cain growled through gritted teeth. "I don't belong to anyone."

The darkness shuddered.

Something shifted.

Cain felt the Abyss change around him, its formless void becoming something else.

And then, just like that—he stopped falling.

He hit solid ground.

The impact sent a shockwave of golden energy rippling outward, his Titan Core reacting violently to whatever this place was. Cain exhaled sharply, pushing himself to his feet. His boots met cold stone—but the world around him was still shrouded in deep black.

Then—light.

Not golden.

Not natural.

A deep, blue glow flickered ahead.

Cain's muscles tensed. The Forsaken were here. Waiting.

He took a cautious step forward. The air was thick, not like normal air, but something heavier, something pressing against his skin.

Then—the whispers returned.

"You were always meant to come back."

Cain inhaled sharply. His fists curled. "I was never yours."

The darkness shifted.

And they stepped forward.

The Forsaken moved as one, their forms emerging from the shadows like specters of a forgotten war. Their limbs stretched unnaturally, their cloaks rippling as if made of living shadow.

Cain braced himself.

Then—one of them spoke.

"Then why do you carry our fire?"

Cain's Titan Core surged in response.

His breath caught. The Forsaken reacted to it.

Not like enemies.

Like kin.

Cain shook his head. "I am not like you."

The tallest Forsaken tilted its head. No face. No features. But Cain could feel its amusement.

"Then why are you still here?"

Cain's jaw clenched. He knew what they were implying. He had felt the pull, the instinct, the whisper of recognition when they had first appeared.

His Titan Core had responded to them.

He forced himself to stand straighter. "Because you dragged me here."

The Forsaken did not move.

"Did we?"

Cain's stomach tightened.

No.

They hadn't.

His Titan Core had.

The realization struck him like a blade to the gut. He hadn't been taken.

He had answered the call.

The whispers grew louder. The Abyss trembled.

And then—the shadows parted.

Cain's breath caught.

Because ahead of him—a throne stood in the darkness.

Not like the Titan's throne from before.

This one was unfinished, fractured, waiting.

And at its base, something glowed.

A second Titan Core.

Cain staggered back.

The Forsaken moved in unison.

"Take your place, lost one."

Cain's heart hammered.

His Titan Core burned hotter.

He didn't understand.

He didn't want to understand.

But every instinct, every fiber of his being, knew one thing for certain.

If he touched that Core—

He would never be the same again.

And yet, despite every warning in his mind, despite every survival instinct screaming at him—

He wanted to.

The Abyss called his name.

And Cain didn't know if he could resist.