Dominion of The Beast Masters

Chapter 111: The Beast and the Sage



Eratz leaned against the ledge, raising an eyebrow as Raya settled into the shadows with a calm, mysterious smile that seemed right at home in the night.

"I take it you knew I was here?" she asked, a palpable calm in her voice. "Your heart didn't miss a beat when you saw me."

He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

Eratz shrugged, still eyeing her with curiosity.

"I respect people's privacy," he replied. "Thought maybe you were meditating or... sleeping."

Raya rose gracefully, brushing off the folds of her simple robe as she stepped closer, her movements almost soundless. She tilted her head thoughtfully.

"Meditating, yes, perhaps... or maybe just... existing." She paused. "I imagine that's something you're used too, I can also feel that you're an endless stream of will."

Eratz gave her a bewildered look, his lips twitching into a smirk.

"What's happening here?"

Raya laughed softly, tilting her head.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Odd situation, isn't it?" she said, her voice low. "You're out here, thinking of your family, a part of you wanting to stay close. But fate pulls you somewhere else, keeps you moving forward."

"Fate," Eratz repeated, studying her. "How does fate work in all this?"

Raya paused, then faced him, her expression thoughtful.

"Everyone has a kind of fate," she said. "Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but the script can change depending on our will."

She leaned forward, stopping at the level of his chest, close enough to seem as if she were trying to sense something in him, to catch some deeper scent.

"In this soul," she murmured, "your script is nearly perfect. You feel closer to what I see in my deepest immersion."

Eratz blinked, unsure.

"Miss, that's bleach."

Raya laughed, the sound light but distant.

"I mean, farther than the skin, but bleach has several virtues, except for consumption, trust me," she admitted. "My soul is also an anomaly. I can't see this world, but sometimes, when I look deep enough, I see another world... on top of this one." She looked off into the distance. "It doesn't make much sense."

Eratz shook his head, both intrigued and perplexed.

"So, what exactly are you?"

"Just a beast master, like you," she replied

Like a secret code, this last sentence triggered a smirk on him.

"I see, a beast master, uh? So... that samurai beast of yours. Gotta say, it was impressive." His voice stayed casual, trying to sound merely curious. "Where'd you find it? It looked very human to me, can you summon it one minute?"

Raya's smile widened, and she gave a little nod.

"Curiosity... such a dangerous quality," she said lightly. "Some things are gifted by fate, others are drawn from the depths of the soul, but I would dig my own grave by showing my abilities to you now."

"Fair play," Eratz groaned. "So, was this one of those 'fate' deals?"

She seemed to consider this for a moment, then tilted her head thoughtfully.

"Depends... does fate work through skill, or skill through fate?"

Eratz let out a low sigh, giving her a look that was halfway between amused and exasperated.

"You don't have many friends, do you?"

Raya chuckled.

"Do you? I feel the same about you."

She studied him, without her eyes, as if her nose took this role.

"It's true, I can sense it," she murmured. "There's something you seek out there, something you know exists but haven't quite found yet. Modesty aside, I believe I can help you find it... for the sake of our past link."

"Our link?" Eratz repeated, his brow furrowing in confusion. "I've never met you before." "Neither have I," Raya replied easily, giving him a light smile. "But perhaps in some other world, we might've been like brothers."

Eratz's mouth opened, closed, then opened again as he tried to form a response.

"You... think you were my sister in some other life?" he finally managed, sounding thoroughly baffled.

"No, I think I was a boy," Raya replied easily

Meanwhile, across town, Crystal strolled down the bustling streets, surrounded by a few other students who were laughing and chatting.

The students around Crystal were buzzing with excitement, trading stories and hyping each other up as they strolled through the lively streets.

"One of these days, they'll see me on that stage, no question," one of them said, flashing a grin at Crystal.

"Yeah," another chimed in.

"Next tournament, they're not even gonna know what hit them. Just watch, I'm going all the way to the top," he added, nudging her with a smirk.

Crystal gave them a polite smile, nodding in agreement, but her gaze drifted away, only half- engaged in the conversation. Her eyes were scanning the street, following something invisible that the others seemed oblivious to.

Back on the rooftop, the conversation between Eratz and Raya had shifted to lighter topics.

They leaned against the ledge, overlooking the city with a shared appreciation of the view. "I'll admit, flying monsters are the best way to get around," Eratz was saying, his eyes scanning the skyline. "Fast, efficient, and the view? Unmatched."

Raya shook her head, amused. "Flying is efficient, I'll give you that, but it misses the point of

a journey."

He gave her a sideways glance. "Misses the point?"

"Yes," she replied, her voice thoughtful. "When you walk, you're part of the world around you. Every step connects you to the earth, the smells of the surroundings, the feel of the ground. The world isn't a blur passing by; it's a presence, grounding you with each step, and when you melt with it, you become the world."

Eratz observed her for a moment, his gaze lowering instinctively to a specific area and then, he noticed something odd, she was barefoot.

"Ahh, I see," he said, smirking as a thought struck him. "So that's why you're barefoot... To feel the ground beneath you, the ground you need to know what's around you, knowing what's around to protect yourself, that amazing ground..."

Raya frowned thoughtfully.

"You're really dangerous."

She tilted her head

"Anyway, what about you? What's drawn you up here?"

"Hunting my next meal," he said with a half-smile, then raised an eyebrow as scratched her

chin thoughtfully.

"Your menu must be quite... unique, then, if it brings you all the way up here."

"It's not the menu," he replied, grinning. "It's how you get it."

For a second, there was nothing but the quiet night around them. Then, with a casual

movement, Eratz extended his shadow.

Sparks danced within the shadow as it twisted, and suddenly, his Thunder Lycaon emerged, materializing with an electric crackle.

Raya held her breath, and she took in the beast's aura with genuine admiration.

"Your beast..." she murmured, as though recognizing something again. "It feels almost like a mirror of you. Its spirit... similar, somehow."

Eratz raised an eyebrow, glancing down at his Lycaon with a proud smirk. But before he could say anything, she added.

"Yes... the presence, this spike feeling... you resemble each other quite a bit... No, You look just

like him!"

Eratz blinked, his pride giving way to slight annoyance as the Thunder Lycaon turned to him, eyes glinting with an almost mocking intelligence. It bared its fangs in a grin. "Wrong order," Eratz muttered, rolling his eyes and shooing the Lycaon with a quick flick of

his hand.

The Thunder Lycaon let out a low, rumbling laugh, its body crackling with electricity before it leapt from the building, vanishing into the night in one swift, powerful bound.

The force of its leap sent a shockwave of energy rippling around, leaving a faint trail of sparks

in its wake.

Down in the bustling streets below, people paused mid-step, feeling the strange, electric

pulse.

Genova's students exchanged puzzled glances, murmuring in surprise at the sudden surge of

power.

The city had its mysteries, and for most of them, it was just another unexplained oddity.

But standing slightly apart from her group, Crystal reacted differently. Her eyes sharpened, lips curving into a small, satisfied smile as she gazed into the night.

"There you are," she whispered.