Dominion of The Beast Masters

Chapter 8: Diverging Destinies



Life with Cassie, Roger, and Colin had taken on a warm, steady rhythm. Every afternoon, he trained hard, pushing himself, but by the night, he and Colin would wander through the clearing, visiting nice spots Eratz found during his training.

One afternoon, as Eratz was getting ready for training, he noticed Colin peeking at him from behind the door.

"Hey, Colin, you spying on me again?"

Colin blushed and stepped out, fiddling with her fingers.

"I wasn't spying! I just... wanted to see if you needed help."

Eratz chuckled.

"Yeah, sure. You would totally going to help me fight these scary monsters, huh?"

"I could if you just let me."

She puffed out her cheeks, pretending to be annoyed. Eratz bent down a little, getting closer to her eye level.

"Maybe one day, but for now, it's still a bit dangerous for you to come with me."

"I can handle it."

"I know you can," Eratz said gently, his teasing tone softening. "But I need to become a monster when I train, and I don't want you to see me like that."

Colin's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Yeah, well, it's not that hard here, the monsters aren't a big deal anymore... it's a little problematic if I want to hunt bigger target. But it won't be a problem for long."

*******

Meanwhile, back at Genova Academy, Kenny was living his best life. After achieving well in the academy, he received his second elemental spirit, water this time. He was now one of the best beast masters at the academy.

In the training grounds, Kenny disposed of a trump card, a fire bird, his first beast tamed. With his beast ruling the air, his water spirit created waves around him, and his fire spirit attacking the enemy, he was unreachable for most students. Everyone watched in awe as he commanded the three creatures with ease.

Professor Rowan, standing at the edge of the field, watched Kenny with a thoughtful expression. The woman beside him, the one who had helped accuse Eratz, nodded satisfied.

"Kenny's done well for himself, hasn't he?" she said with a smirk. "A true star. He's going to shock the world if he keeps that progression."

Rowan's face tightened.

"He's good but... He's too depending on his beasts. Eratz used to train differently. He tried to fight alongside them."

"Beastification? Please, don't tell me you're still thinking about that boy. He could pull that because he was cheating. Kenny's the real deal." The woman scoffed.

Rowan sighed heavily, regret tugging at his heart.

"Eratz was special. He had something, he shared the same view and... it wasn't really the beastification, but he was getting close to it... He could use his fire spirit in ways no one else could. I'm not sure Kenny will ever have that if he keeps relying on his beasts."

The woman rolled her eyes.

"Doesn't matter. Kenny's the future now, and not a cheater."

Rowan said nothing more, but inside, he felt the sting of loss. He tried to forget everything about Eratz, but his shadow was always over any prowess a student could pull.

Even though he was labeled as a 'cheater' and 'agressor', Rowan couldn't shake the feeling that they had lost something important when Eratz had been expelled.

Lunchtime at Genova Academy was always a lively affair, especially when Kenny was around. Today, he sat in the academy park with Lisa, Crystal, and some of their friends, enjoying the sunshine and attention. His fire bird stretched its wings nearby, clearly meant to impress.

"Kenny," Crystal said, leaning into him slightly, "You think you'll do good for the next tournament? I heard the competition is tougher this year."

Kenny smirked, full of confidence.

"I'm not worried. My fire bird and water spirit will take care of everything. I've prepared the best strategy to win."

Lisa nodded slightly.

"You've got the best chances to win, I'm sure you can do it if you get serious."

Kenny's friends were observing the scene, the boys a little annoyed. Kenny had officially started dating the two of them.

It wasn't a rare occurrence to see someone with more than a companion, but usually it took one to be very wealthy or highly ranked in society, in normal situations that is.

The top beast masters were celebrities with a formidable fortune, so as the one with the best future, Kenny was obviously a perfect contender for that future, and it had the consequence of attracting many people around him, mostly girls with no talent, wishing to hang out with someone with talent and a bright future.

"Didn't you lose the Grushia grand tournament last month?" A boy asked.

Kenny's face darkened.

"That was a fluke, you idiot. I didn't even have my water spirit and this bird. I'll win this time, no problem."

The group fell silent, Kenny's sudden reaction seemed to make things a little uncomfortable.

Trying to change the mood, he turned to Lisa's best friend, sitting next to him, and accidentally brushed her hand with his own.

"Oh, sorry about that."

The girl quickly pulled her hand away, looking uncomfortable.

"It's fine." she mumbled.

But Kenny leaned in slightly, grinning. "Unless it wasn't an accident."

The joke fell flat. Crystal frowned, and Lisa shot him a disappointed look. The other boys and

girls around the table shifted awkwardly, exchanging glances.

Kenny was getting used to girls hanging around him, and he knew their wish to date him, making him a flirting machine, especially in front of Lisa and Crystal. But he wasn't aware of the hesitation growing among girls after his defeat at the tournament.

Lisa cleared her throat, her voice cold. "Kenny, let's just eat."

Kenny, realizing he had crossed a line, tried to laugh it off.

"I was just joking, relax."

But the mood had already soured. Lisa and Crystal exchanged a glance

At the same time, Eratz's parents were in the middle of making plans of their own. They sat at

the dinner table, discussing their other children.

"We're going to send them to the formation center," Eratz's father said firmly. "They'll

enroll in Genova Academy soon after."

Eratz's mother nodded in agreement. "They'll succeed where this brat failed. They're not like

him, they took your genes."

Her voice was cold, and as always, there was no mention of Eratz, except to remind themselves of his failure. "No more animals in this family. They'll be better."

They had already dismissed Eratz as a lost cause, choosing instead to place all their hopes in

his younger siblings.

Later, back at home with Aunt Cassie, Uncle Roger, and Colin, things were much brighter. The family was busy packing for an exciting trip.

Colin was going to attend a new school in the city, and Eratz would be able to hunt larger prey and take part in Beast Master battles.

Aunt Cassie, as usual, was the heart of the chaos. She dashed around the house, stuffing

clothes into bags and laughing.

"Papa, you sure you need this many books? I mean, what are you gonna do? Open a library?"

Roger chuckled, shaking his head.

"It's for the trip, Cici, it's going to be long in car."

Colin, who was busy folding her clothes neatly, looked up at them.

"But... Why do we have to leave? We won't come back again?"

Cassie paused, her face softening as she looked at Colin.

"You're going to school, sweetheart. It's in place very far, we need to change house. And your

big bro needs a best place to meet people his age. Just remember, it's okay to be nervous. New

places are always a little scary at first."

Colin nodded, biting her lip.

"I... I see." Eratz walked over and ruffled her hair gently.

"You'll be fine. And if anything scares you, we're right there."

Cassie smiled, her eyes twinkling.

"He's right, Colin. Besides, I'm more worried about the city surviving your brother than then/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

other way around. A boy like this, with these muscles and this cute little face, girls are going

to get crazy over there, remind me to buy you big clothes to hide all these weapons."

Eratz chuckled.

"The only 'girls' I hangout with right now are among my monsters, and they hate when I take

off my shirt."

They all shared a laugh, the warm, light-hearted mood filling the room as they finished packing. The excitement of the upcoming adventure filled the air, each of them knowing that

this was the beginning of a new chapter.

As they sat down together for dinner, Aunt Cassie raised her glass.

"To new journeys, and whatever lies ahead."

Roger nodded.

"Together, and filled with joy and happiness."

Eratz, Colin, Roger and Cassie all clinked their glasses together.