Breaking the Limits

Chapter 9 – Breaking the Limits

The battlefield was engulfed in chaos.

Flames raged. Thunder roared. The sky trembled beneath the power of the Firstborns.

Kairo and Raizen stood on the brink—pushed beyond their limits by the warriors who wielded the origins of their power.

Their bodies screamed in pain. Their minds wavered.

But the battle was far from over.

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Kairo's Struggle – The Phoenix's Curse

Kairo's hands trembled as he struggled to his feet, his body covered in burns.

Across from him, Kaelith, the Firstborn of the Phoenix, stood completely unscathed.

Golden flames flickered around the ancient warrior as he watched Kairo with an unreadable expression.

"You're afraid," Kaelith said. "You've realized the truth, haven't you?"

Kairo gritted his teeth.

He could feel it—the truth burning inside him.

The more he fought, the more he relied on the Phoenix's flames…

The more he felt like he was losing himself.

His body burned hotter than ever before, but it wasn't just pain.

It was something deeper.

It felt like his very soul was catching fire.

Kaelith took a step forward. "You hesitate. And hesitation leads to death."

Kairo barely had time to react before Kaelith vanished—

And then reappeared in front of him.

A flaming fist slammed into Kairo's chest.

"GAAAH—!"

Kairo was sent flying, his back crashing through the rock-covered ground.

I can't keep up.

He's too fast.

Kairo groaned, his vision blurring from the pain.

Kaelith's voice echoed in his ears.

"If you do not embrace the Phoenix completely, you will never defeat me."

Kairo coughed blood and pushed himself up.

"Embrace it?" His golden eyes narrowed. "You mean let it take over?"

Kaelith's flames flared. "Yes."

Kairo clenched his fists.

The thought terrified him.

Letting the flames consume him? Wasn't that exactly what he had been warned against?

But then—

A memory surfaced.

His father's voice.

"You must never let the Phoenix consume you… but you must never fear it, either."

Kairo's eyes widened.

Fear.

That's what was holding him back.

He wasn't just fighting Kaelith.

He was fighting himself.

Fighting the flames inside him.

His own hesitation was the reason his power felt incomplete.

Kairo exhaled, and for the first time—

He let go.

The flames within him surged.

But this time, he didn't fight them.

He accepted them.

FWOOSH!

A golden inferno erupted around Kairo.

His wounds began to heal. His eyes glowed with raw power.

Kaelith's lips curled into a smile.

"Good."

---

Raizen's Struggle – The Storm's Judgment

Raizen's body felt like it was breaking apart.

Every muscle burned. Every nerve screamed.

Raikuro, the Firstborn of the Storm, stood before him—calm, unwavering, untouched.

"You still don't get it," Raikuro said. "The storm isn't just power. It's freedom."

Raizen growled, lightning crackling around him.

"Then why the hell won't it listen to me?!"

Raikuro's silver eyes sharpened.

"Because you don't believe in yourself."

Raizen froze.

Raikuro continued, his voice like rolling thunder.

"You seek power because you're afraid of being weak."

Raizen clenched his fists. "Shut up."

Raikuro ignored him.

"You don't trust yourself. That's why your lightning hesitates. That's why your attacks are incomplete."

Raizen's hands shook.

His mind flashed back to his past.

To the moment everything changed.

The burning village. The screaming. The blood.

The betrayal.

Raizen gritted his teeth. "I don't need your damn advice!"

His lightning exploded, surging with raw anger—

But Raikuro only sighed.

"Then you will lose."

And in an instant—

A bolt of pure lightning struck Raizen in the chest.

"AAAARGH—!"

Pain erupted through his entire body.

His vision faded. His mind blurred.

For a moment, it felt like everything was ending.

But then—

A voice spoke.

A voice from deep within him.

"Stop fighting yourself."

"Let go."

Raizen's eyes snapped open.

BOOM!

A storm unlike any before erupted from his body.

His lightning turned pure silver, crackling violently.

Raikuro's eyes widened.

Raizen floated in the air, his body glowing with storm energy.

For the first time—

He wasn't trying to control the storm.

He was becoming one with it.

Raikuro smiled.

"That's more like it."

---

The Awakening – True Power Unleashed

The battlefield shook.

On one side—

Kairo, wreathed in golden fire, his eyes shining with a newfound clarity.

On the other—

Raizen, his body crackling with pure lightning, the storm flowing freely through him.

Kaelith and Raikuro nodded.

"You have taken the first step," Kaelith said.

Raikuro smirked. "Now show us how far you can go."

Kairo and Raizen locked eyes.

No words were needed.

They launched forward.

The battle resumed—this time, with everything on the line.

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To be continued-

Next Chapter – The Power of the Firstborns!