Chapter 38 – The Path of No Return

Cain stepped forward, his breath slow and measured, his Titan Core seething beneath his skin. Every step he took on the broken battlefield felt heavier, the weight of unseen forces pressing against him, testing him, waiting for him to falter.

But he didn't.

The figure behind him—the one who wore his face—had stepped aside, allowing him to pass. They no longer spoke, no longer gave cryptic warnings.

Because there was nothing left to say.

Cain knew the truth now.

He had been stolen from himself. His name, his power, his purpose—all of it ripped away, buried beneath a life of struggle, of clawing his way up from the abyss without ever knowing why.

And now, he was taking it back.

The path ahead was unlike anything he had seen before. It wasn't made of stone, wasn't carved from earth. It was woven from golden fire, shifting and alive, stretching into the distance where a massive, unseen force pulsed like a beating heart.

Cain's muscles tensed as he moved forward. His Titan Core ached, sensing what lay ahead. It wasn't just power—it was his power.

And something was guarding it.

The battlefield behind him faded, swallowed by the endless void. There was no turning back. The path only led forward.

The further he walked, the more the air thickened, charged with an ancient energy that resonated with his very being. It wasn't oppressive—it was familiar.

Like a part of him had always belonged here.

Then, he saw it.

A structure stood at the end of the path. Not a temple. Not a fortress. A tomb.

Massive, its form carved from blackened stone, streaked with gold that pulsed in time with his Titan Core. Runes covered its surface, flickering between light and shadow, shifting as if reacting to his presence.

This wasn't just a place where something had been left behind.

It was a prison.

Cain's fists clenched. They had locked it away.

His name. His power. The piece of himself that had been stolen.

And he wasn't alone.

A figure stood in front of the tomb's entrance.

They weren't shrouded in shadows. They weren't twisted like the Forsaken.

They were whole.

A warrior.

Titan armor gleamed beneath the shifting golden light, etched with battle scars, proof of wars fought long before Cain had ever drawn breath. The figure stood tall, unmoving, hands resting on the hilt of a colossal blade stabbed into the ground before them.

They were waiting.

Cain stopped a few paces away, his breath steady, his Titan Core burning hotter than ever.

The warrior lifted their gaze, locking onto him with golden eyes that burned like suns.

"You are late."

Their voice was deep, weighted, filled with something Cain couldn't quite place.

Expectation.

Regret.

Recognition.

Cain tensed, his instincts screaming. This wasn't just a test. This wasn't just another enemy in his way.

This was a final barrier between him and what had been taken.

"Who are you?" Cain asked, his voice steady.

The warrior tilted their head slightly, a flicker of something close to amusement in their gaze.

"I am the last of those who remained," they said. "The one who stood when the others fell."

Cain's Titan Core flared violently, something deep inside him stirring in recognition.

He knew this warrior.

Not by name. Not by memory.

But by what they represented.

"You were left behind," Cain murmured.

The warrior's fingers tightened on the hilt of their blade.

"As were you," they said.

Cain exhaled sharply. "I came to take back what's mine."

The warrior studied him for a moment. Then, they smiled—not cruelly, not mockingly.

"You say that as if it was ever yours to begin with."

Cain's chest tightened, his flames flaring in response. "It was taken from me."

The warrior nodded. "And yet, if you were not meant to lose it, why was it taken so easily?"

Cain growled, golden energy erupting from his body. "You think I'm not worthy of it?"

The warrior slowly lifted their blade, its edge glowing with a golden light that matched his own.

"I think," they said, stepping forward, "that if you want it back—"

They shifted into a stance so perfectly honed it made Cain's pulse quicken.

"You will have to prove it."

The air collapsed inward.

Cain barely had time to brace himself before the warrior moved.

One moment they were standing still.

The next—their blade was already swinging toward his throat.