Cain fell through the fracture.
The world around him shattered like glass, the golden battlefield and the broken throne dissolving into fragments of burning light. His Titan Core roared in resistance, golden flames flaring wildly, but the force pulling him deeper was stronger than him.
For the first time in his life, his power wasn't enough.
He hit the ground hard.
Or at least, he should have.
Instead, he landed in nothingness. The space around him was empty, shifting, neither dark nor light. There was no gravity, no air, no sky. Only endless void.
And then, he heard the footsteps.
Cain spun around, instincts flaring, golden embers swirling around his fingers. His Titan Core burned erratically, reacting to the presence approaching through the void.
It was him.
Again.
But not the shadowed version from before.
This one was fully formed, a perfect reflection.
Same face. Same build. Same golden eyes.
But the difference was immediate.
The Cain standing before him wasn't just mirroring his stance.
He was mirroring everything.
The way his flames flickered. The way his breathing steadied. The subtle twitch in his fingers before he clenched them into a fist.
Cain froze.
This wasn't just an illusion.
This was him.
But whole.
Stronger.
Unbroken.
Cain exhaled slowly, his golden flames pulsing outward in a steady rhythm. His Titan Core wasn't rejecting this. It wasn't resisting.
It was acknowledging.
The other Cain smirked.
"Now you understand."
Cain narrowed his eyes. "You talk too much."
His reflection tilted its head slightly.
"And you fight too little."
Cain didn't hesitate. He moved first.
Golden fire erupted from his fists as he launched forward, his Titan Core flooding his limbs with raw power. He struck hard, aiming straight for the reflection's chest—
But the other Cain matched his speed exactly.
Their fists collided, sending a shockwave through the void. The golden fire around them twisted, merging and splitting, unable to tell them apart.
Cain didn't stop. He twisted mid-air, sending a knee toward his opponent's ribs, following with a sharp elbow strike to the jaw.
The reflection moved at the same time.
They mirrored each other perfectly—attack for attack, counter for counter.
Cain gritted his teeth as he ducked under a strike that was identical to his own. He spun, slamming a kick toward his opponent's side, but the reflection caught his foot, twisting sharply and sending him hurtling backward.
Cain crashed into the emptiness, flames flickering around him as he skidded to a stop.
His reflection didn't press the attack.
It waited.
"You're not ready."
Cain pushed himself up. His Titan Core was burning hotter than ever, but it wasn't because he was losing.
It was because—for the first time—he wasn't holding back.
Cain breathed in deeply. He had fought so many enemies—Forsaken, Warbringers, beasts in the abyss. But this?
This was different.
This was a fight against himself.
Not just the part that had been lost.
Not just the part that had been sealed away.
The part that had been denied.
Cain exhaled slowly, golden embers swirling around his hands. "Then let's see how much I need to catch up."
His reflection smiled.
"Come then."
The void trembled.
Both of them moved at once.
The space around them collapsed inward, golden fire clashing against golden fire, two Titans colliding with the force of a dying star.
Cain's fists met his reflection's blows in rapid succession, each impact ripping through the void itself. His movements sharpened, his instincts refining in real-time, adapting, learning from himself.
Every strike, every counter, every shift in stance—he was getting faster.
Stronger.
Closer.
Cain gritted his teeth as he broke through a defensive block, twisting into a powerful downward strike—
And for the first time—his reflection missed a step.
Cain's fist collided with its chest, sending the other him staggering back.
A crack split through the void.
Cain's Titan Core roared in triumph.
His reflection glanced down at his chest, where a faint fracture of golden light had formed.
Then, it smiled.
"That's it."
The space around them collapsed entirely.
Cain barely had time to react before everything shattered.