The Phoenix soul: A legend Arises

Chapter 32 "Igniting Limits"

The night was heavy with silence, broken only by the faint rustle of leaves in the breeze. Thrain lay awake, his mind restless as the Bijins stirred beside him. Recently, they had discovered something peculiar, they could contact him telepathically. Their bond had grown so deep that they found themselves connected in ways even Thrain hadn't anticipated. They'd been testing it playfully for days now, teasing him with sudden thoughts and questions.

But tonight was different. Tonight, he couldn't indulge their games. Sliding out of bed with practiced quiet, he left them resting and slipped into the cool night. His destination was clear, the rock where the Phoenix once appeared, the same place Daelan had claimed as their training ground. The darkness around him felt alive, as if the world itself was bracing for what was to come. This wasn't just another night for wandering; it was a step toward becoming something more.

"Took you long enough. Why didn't you come sooner?" Daelan asked, stretching lazily atop the rock, his tone casual, as if he'd been meditating for hours.

"Well, you never mentioned a specific time," Thrain replied, folding his arms. "And since you apparently stalk me, I figured you'd wait until I was ready."

Daelan chuckled. "Haha, nice one. So, anything from your father yet?"

Thrain shook his head, his expression hardening. "No, I haven't spoken to him. No summons, nothing."

"Either way, let's get started," Daelan said, stretching his arms. "I'm not exactly the greatest tutor, but I'll teach you what I can. The rest? Well, maybe you'll just watch and figure it out on your own."

Thrain shot him a look of mild disgust.

Daelan smirked, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. Relax. I was kidding, I'll do my best."

…

"Hands up. Stand still," Daelan ordered as he approached, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Thrain complied, though his expression was skeptical. "What are you doing now?"

Daelan placed a hand on Thrain's stomach, directly over his core. "Relax. I'm your uncle, not a threat."

Thrain stiffened. "That's not exactly reassuring."

Daelan smirked but didn't look up. "I'm checking your mana flow, seeing how balanced it is. Most people's aren't, thanks to all this nonsense about relying on anger. It works, sure, but it's unstable. Let's see where you stand…"

He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly before stepping back, visibly impressed. "Balanced. Perfectly stable. Already? How the hell did you manage that?"

Thrain gave Daelan his usual confused look.

"Alright, let me simplify it," Daelan said, folding his arms. "Have you ever felt like you were burning up from the inside? Painful, overwhelming, almost unbearable?"

Thrain nodded slowly and started to explain, recounting the sensations in detail.

Daelan raised a hand, cutting him off midway. "Yes, yes, that's enough. What you're describing is evolution. You evolved. It doesn't make you inhuman, well, in your case, who knows? You've got that Phoenix connection going on. But for most, it's just a natural leap forward. Think of it like leveling up, your body, mana, everything becomes more balanced, more refined. It's like stepping into a higher realm of potential."

"Okay... so what now?" Thrain asked, folding his arms.

"Now?" Daelan smirked. "Now things get interesting. With your evolution, training will be easier. We'll train at night because if you strengthen yourself at your weakest, you'll be even more powerful under the sun."

Thrain raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly are we doing that?"

"We're going to drain our mana completely and see how long you can hold out," Daelan said casually.

"How?" Thrain asked, his skepticism evident.

"Like this."

Daelan stepped forward, took a deep breath, and suddenly unleashed a deafening roar of flames from his mouth. The fire erupted in a massive wave, scorching the air as it spread wildly. The display of power was raw, intense, and almost otherworldly. After a few moments, Daelan stopped, visibly fatigued and panting heavily.

"You out of mana yet?" Thrain asked, slightly impressed but trying not to show it.

"No, not yet," Daelan admitted between breaths. "But I'm definitely drained those big flames are exhausting. The mana flows through your veins like energy, and pushing it out at that scale? Yeah, it's tiring. Now, it's your turn. Burn it all out."

Thrain frowned. "I don't even know how to do that... dragon thing you just pulled off."

"Oh, you mean the Dragon's Roar?" Daelan said with a chuckle. "Don't worry about that. Just do whatever you can. Pour everything out until your flames start flickering. That's when you'll know you're almost empty."

…

The two continued unleashing massive torrents of flames, their combined power shaking the air with deafening soundwaves. The inferno lit up the night sky, visible from a distance. Luckily, they were far enough from populated areas, but the sheer scale of their training was bound to attract attention. Sooner or later, guards might investigate the enormous bursts of fire erupting within the kingdom's borders.

After thirty minutes of relentless output, Daelan finally called it. "This isn't working. We're barely scratching the surface of our reserves. We need something that burns mana faster."

Without hesitation, he shifted his flames to green, their intensity immediately increasing, their destructive power evident. Thrain followed suit, his flames turning to the brilliant and rare blue hue. These flames consumed mana at an accelerated pace, and it didn't take long for the effects to show.

Eventually, Daelan was the first to collapse, breathing heavily, his flames extinguished. Thrain, surprisingly, lasted just a few moments longer before his own flames sputtered out, and he too hit the ground, exhausted.

"You've got a lot of mana, kid," Daelan said, still catching his breath as they lay side by side on the cold rock.

Thrain smirked weakly. "Guess that's a good thing... right?"

"Yeah," Daelan replied, still catching his breath. "According to the scrolls, he said the blue flames drained his mana far more than the regular ones. He could also wield other flames, like the green."

"By he, you mean Thrain, my namesake," Thrain said, narrowing his eyes.

"Exactly," Daelan confirmed.

"Are you sure we're not just the same person?" Thrain asked, his tone laced with skepticism. "Maybe he got reincarnated or something? Because all your stories are creeping me out. How is our attitude so similar? And I've been experiencing some weird stuff, like instincts about fighting, techniques just appearing in my head. It's like I already know things I've never learned."

Daelan gave him a long, thoughtful look. "You might be onto something, kid. Or... maybe it's just fate trying to play a trick on us. Either way, you're carrying his name and his power, whether it's reincarnation or destiny, you better make it count."

…

"Get up," Daelan commanded, his voice sharp but not without a hint of encouragement. "Let's make good use of the mana we just wasted."

Thrain groaned as he pushed himself up, the weight of exhaustion still clinging to him. "What now?" he asked, brushing off the dust.

"Now," Daelan began, stepping forward with an almost predatory focus, "I'm going to teach you something that separates a skilled wielder from a reckless fool. Explosion."

"Explosion?" Thrain repeated, his curiosity piqued.

"Yes. You probably don't know this, but when you're out of mana, like you were in that foolish fight with the master, there's still a way to push through. Explosion is a forced release of flame a last-ditch move where you condense every ounce of willpower and residual energy into a precise, highspeed ignition. When done correctly, the flame erupts outward in a burst of destructive force, propelling you or obliterating whatever's in its path."

Thrain tilted his head. "So... basically a bomb? That sounds simple enough."

Daelan smirked darkly. "Simple? Far from it. This isn't some parlor trick. If you execute it poorly, you'll combust from the inside out. Your veins, your core, everything. One wrong spark, and you'll blow yourself apart before the flame even escapes."

Thrain's expression hardened as the gravity of the technique sunk in. "Sounds... risky."

"It is. But it's also one of the most powerful tools you'll ever have. Explosion isn't just about raw power; it's about precision, timing, and control when you're running on fumes. It's your way of telling your enemy, 'I'm not done yet,' even when every ounce of logic says you should be. And for someone like you, who's planning to overthrow entire systems? You'll need this."

Daelan turned and extended his arm, gathering a faint glow of green flames at his fingertips. "Watch closely," he instructed. In an instant, he whipped his arm forward, the flames condensing into a small, concentrated spark before detonating in a thunderous roar. The ground cracked beneath the force, and a gust of wind rushed past them, carrying the smell of scorched earth.

Thrain shielded his face, his heart pounding from the sheer intensity of the blast.

"That," Daelan said, turning back to face him, "is what happens when you master it. Now it's your turn. Let's see if you've got the guts to control destruction."

…

Thrain stepped forward, his hands trembling slightly as he focused on summoning the technique Daelan had demonstrated. He condensed the flames deep within him, but as they began to gather, Daelan's eyes widened in alarm. Instead of the normal red sparks forming, blue sparks crackled violently around Thrain's hands, and his veins began to glow with pulsating blue dots as if the flames were trying to escape but couldn't.

"Stop! You're about to" Daelan didn't finish his sentence. He darted forward, his speed almost inhuman, and struck Thrain hard at the base of his neck and his lower back in quick succession. The impact forced Thrain to collapse to his knees, coughing violently as thick clouds of smoke poured from his mouth like a chimney.

"You were going to explode!" Daelan snapped, his voice firm but laced with concern. "Blue flames don't behave like the others. Their explosions are on a different scale, they don't just destroy, they consume. And sometimes, they heal. But either way, it's on a magnitude that's impossible to fully control."

Thrain groaned, still coughing as smoke spilled out. His eyes flicked up to Daelan, narrowing. "You didn't think to warn me about that earlier?"

"I didn't think you'd pull the blue flames on your first attempt! Do you know what could've happened?" Daelan's voice softened slightly as he continued. "I've read about the last wielder of the blue flames. He could release flames from every pore of his body. Every direction. It could heal kingdoms or level them. But no one ever mastered it. And trust me, don't even think about trying to unlock that part of it. Not yet."

When the smoke finally stopped pouring from Thrain's mouth, he collapsed onto his back, groaning in frustration. "I thought I was going to die."

"You almost did," Daelan said bluntly, helping him back up. "Now try again. But this time, stick to red flames."

Thrain hesitated but nodded, concentrating once more. Again, he reached deep into himself, but no matter how hard he tried, the red flames refused to surface. Instead, the blue flames roared to life once more, this time bursting outward in a concentrated beam. The energy smashed into the rock beneath their feet, cracking it apart and sending small shards flying in every direction.

Daelan raised his arms to shield himself from the debris, glaring at Thrain. "I told you to use the red flames!" he scolded.

"I tried! I just… couldn't," Thrain admitted, his voice tinged with frustration and exhaustion.

Before Daelan could respond, both of them noticed a flicker of light in the distance. The unmistakable glow of approaching flames began to reflect on the dark horizon.

"Great, they finally arrived," Daelan muttered, his tone shifting to one of dry amusement. He cracked his knuckles.