⚔️ **CHAPTER 45 — Limits Tested**
The path ahead was narrow, uneven, and littered with obstacles that seemed designed to punish the weary. The mist swirled low, hiding sudden drops and hidden tripwires. Kael's body ached—muscles trembling from long travel, hunger gnawing at his stomach, and exhaustion pressing against every joint.
He slowed, breathing heavily, and for the first time, fear whispered something new: *Your body cannot hold you. Your mind is strong, but your flesh will fail.*
Caelin noticed the hesitation. "Kael… you're slowing. Don't let them see weakness."
Kael shook his head, grimacing. "It's not weakness… I just… I can feel it. My body—it's not enough. My mind can resist… my sword can guide… but I can't keep moving like this forever. What if we… fail because I can't match the strain?"
Caelin's gaze softened, but remained firm. "Then we adjust. Step by step. You're not alone, Kael. We endure together."
Kael exhaled, gripping his sword tighter. The Council's soldiers had regrouped ahead, hiding within the trees, their movements calculated, predatory. The commander's voice carried through the mist, sharp and cold.
"You falter, boy. Even the strongest mind is useless if the body cannot follow. Choose: push forward and risk collapse, or retreat and be trapped."
Kael's heart pounded. Hunger clawed at him. Fatigue made each step feel like lifting a mountain. He could feel the pull of the nightmares at the edge of his mind, subtle but insistent, whispering images of falling, being dragged down by exhaustion, letting Caelin down.
*Step by step. Together… but my body… can it hold?*
He glanced at Caelin, whose presence anchored him. The prince's movements were smooth, deliberate, steady. *I have to rely on him… we survive together.* Kael's Iron Mind flared, shielding his thoughts, but it could not carry his body. He had to accept his physical limits—or risk faltering completely.
The first soldier lunged. Kaelin intercepted, his blade precise. Kael followed, but his foot slipped slightly on the wet moss. A surge of panic flashed, a whisper from the nightmares: *You're failing.*
Kael shook it off, leaning on Iron Mind and the tether to Caelin. Caelin adjusted instinctively, guiding Kael's movement subtly with their synchronized rhythm. Together, they stabilized. Step by step. Breath by breath.
Kael exhaled sharply. "I… I can't keep going like this without caution. My body is weak… but my mind… my mind can hold. We can survive, but I can't push beyond this."
The commander's voice rang out, triumphant and sharp. "So, the boy admits his limits. Interesting. We shall see if his frailty will undo him before his resistance can save him."
Kael's stomach twisted with hunger, his muscles screamed, but he anchored himself. *Step carefully. Do not rush. Move deliberately. Iron Mind shields the mind, Caelin shields the body.*
Step by careful step, Kael advanced, relying on Iron Mind to block panic, using Caelin to compensate for exhaustion, keeping them both alive through the first wave of the Council's coordinated trap. The soldiers lunged and feinted, attempting to exploit Kael's weakening frame, but the synchronization between him and Caelin allowed them to remain stable, despite the toll on Kael's body.
By the time they reached slightly clearer ground, Kael's chest heaved, sweat dripping, muscles trembling. Hunger gnawed mercilessly. He sank briefly to one knee, gripping his sword for support.
Caelin placed a hand on his shoulder. "Your body may tire… but your mind carries us. That is strength enough, Kael. We endure together. Step by step."
Kael exhaled slowly, nodding, feeling the dual reality: his body was weak, but his Iron Mind and their bond could carry them further than he had imagined. The Council had tested him physically and mentally—but the real question loomed ahead: how far could the mind push the body before exhaustion demanded surrender?
The mist swirled around them, patient, hiding the Council's next move. And Kael, trembling but focused, realized the battle was far from over—and that he would have to balance the strength of his mind with the limits of his body in the trials to come.
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