Cain staggered back, smoke rising from his arm, while Nebula was thrown across the crater, sliding through the molten glass until he hit a jagged wall and didn't move.
For a long moment, Cain just stood there, panting.
Then, quietly—Nebula started laughing.
Not the smug, superior tone from before. This one was broken, wild, almost joyful.
He looked up, eyes shining through blood. "You still don't get it, do you?"
Cain didn't answer.
Nebula raised a trembling hand. "This isn't about you or me. It never was."
The air trembled again. A faint hum filled the crater, low at first, then rising until it became a vibration Cain could feel in his bones.
He turned.
The center of the crater—the exact spot where the molten creature had been obliterated—was glowing again. Not molten heat this time, but something else. Pure light.
Cain's gut clenched.
"What the hell did you do?"
Nebula's grin turned faint, blood dripping down his chin. "Killed the guardian."
"And?"
