Dominion of The Beast Masters

Chapter 81: Ashes



The silence that followed was deafening. Cassie gasped, covering her mouth, while Roger stepped forward instinctively.

Milo and Colin flinched in fear, gripping each other tightly. Mercury's eyes widened.

Eratz's head snapped to the side from the force of the slap, but he didn't move, not even flinch. Slowly, he turned his head back to face her, his red eyes cold, dead.

Liora's chest heaved, her hand still raised, trembling with the aftershock of the slap. Her face was twisted with fury, but there was a flicker of despair behind her eyes.

Marcus stood frozen, his mouth open as if he was about to speak but didn't dare utter a word.

Eratz's voice came out low, almost a murmur.

"Now that's more like you."

The room was silent, filled with tension, the crackling energy of a storm waiting to explode.

Suddenly, the sharp sound echoed in the room, and for a moment, everything seemed to stand still.

Everyone froze, stunned by the sudden shift in the air.

"Never... ever put your hands on him again," Cassie said, her voice breaking slightly as tears welled up in her eyes. "You don't deserve to call yourself his mother."

Liora's hand went to her cheek, her eyes widening in disbelief, and for a second, the fury in her was replaced with shock, but quickly, she recovered from the shock.

She straightened herself, her face contorting with rage as she patted her cheek where Cassie had slapped her. Her eyes turned deadly.

"You..." she began, her voice low and dangerous. "How dare you? You filthy little..."

She raised her hand again, but before she could attack, Eratz grabbed her wrist.

"Enough, You've been clowns for too long now. It's time to end this game... Liora."

Liora's eyes widened in shock as she looked at Eratz, her mouth opening and closing as if gasping for air. Marcus, standing behind her, suddenly stepped forward, his face twisted with anger.

"Don't you dare speak to your mother like that!" Marcus barked.

His voice shook with rage, but Eratz remained calm, unbothered by the outburst.

"I told you already, I don't have a mother anymore, neither a father," Eratz said, his calmness returning. "This is pointless. I don't want you in my life anymore. The past is the past. And you... you're my past. In my new life, you don't exist and you never will."

He turned his gaze toward the door, making his stance clear.

"I don't know why you're here now, but I have a guess. And whatever it is you came for, you're not getting it. Leave."

Liora's eyes widened in disbelief, and her face flushed red with anger. She wrenched her hand free from Eratz's grip and started talking.

"I suffered for you!" she cried, her voice rising. "I carried you for nine months! I gave birth to you! Do you know what that was like? You owe me everything! I sacrificed everything for you, and this is how you repay me? By abandoning your family? By siding with these... people? You ungrateful little..."

"Exactly," Cassie interrupted, stepping forward once more, her voice firm despite the tears in her eyes. "That's exactly why you're unforgivable."

Liora's eyes snapped to her, filled with rage. Cassie's words were cutting deep.

"A family is supposed to protect each other," Cassie continued, her voice gaining strength. "You don't just throw someone away because they're inconvenient. And what did you do? You turned your back on him. Your own son."

Liora let out a harsh laugh, her voice dripping with disdain.

"You're not part of this family, Cassie. You never were."

Cassie chuckled bitterly, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Of course, for someone who rejected her son, it's only natural to reject her sister, too."

Roger, who had been standing quietly beside Cassie, took a step forward, his voice soft but firm.

"Please, stop this," he said, his voice heavy with emotion. "We're a family. The children are watching. They don't need to see this."

Marcus turned to Roger, his face twisted in disgust.

"Don't act so righteous, Roger," he sneered. "You're only happy because you're benefiting from our son's wealth. Look at this house!" He gestured around the room. "While we're in debt because of you. We hired a detective to find him, spent everything we had on this journey!"

Roger sighed deeply, shaking his head. "There it is. You can't even hide your true intentions anymore." He looked at Marcus with a weary expression. "Eratz is your son. How do you even treat Kian and Lila? Do you..."

Before he could finish, Cassie let out another bitter laugh, her tears flowing freely.

"No," she said, her voice trembling. "She wouldn't. It's normal that she hates Eratz. He's the only one who ever took her family's side."

A deep, stunned silence fell over the room. Everyone turned to look at Cassie, their faces frozen in shock.

Roger whispered her name, but Cassie didn't stop. She was glaring at Liora, both of them crying now.

"You never changed," Cassie said, her voice shaking. "You always hated the blood running through your veins. You always hated being an Ishtarian."

"Shut up! Just shut up!" Liora, her face contorted with rage, shouted suddenly, cutting her off.

Her outburst echoed through the room, and for a moment, no one dared move.

All eyes were on her, including Eratz, who looked at her with disbelief. Liora, feeling his gaze, quickly turned her face away, hiding behind her hands.

Cassie, her voice still trembling, continued.

"You hated Eratz because he didn't take after his father's side. That's why, isn't it?"

"Shut up!" Liora screamed, her voice hoarse with anger. "You don't know what you're talking

about!"

She began pacing the room, her emotions spilling over uncontrollably.

"I sacrificed everything! I did everything for him! And you... you always managed to get on everyone's good side, didn't you, Cassie? Just like with our mother. You always had the perfect little family, the perfect little life. And me? I was stuck with everything! All the expectations, all the responsibilities! And what did I get in return? This? A son who turned his back on me?"

Cassie had several quick breathes, a sick smile showing her teeth.

"Oh... Poor you, maybe it would have been easier for you... If you weren't so disgusted by your own race!"

"You always cling to that Ishtarian shit like it's something special!" Liora's voice cracked. "But do you know what it's like? To walk through life with everyone looking at you like you're some kind of... animal? Do you think I wanted this blood?! Do you know what it's like to be

seen as nothing but a beast?! A fucking animal?!"

Her hands trembled as she spoke, her words growing more erratic.

"That's how they look at us. That's all we are to them... dangerous... unpredictable... animals! This skin and hair... they're only good when you're in an arena like a zoo animal!" Everyone in the room froze, their faces filled with shock as the true depth of Liora's hatred

came spilling out.

Mercury, who had been standing silently in the corner, suddenly stepped forward, her voiceNôv(el)B\\jnn

soft but filled with sadness.

"Please," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Stop now. It's enough."

Liora, tears streaming down her face, looked at Mercury with confusion and anger.

"Who are you? Who are you to tell me anything? Stay out of my family's business!"

Cassie let out another bitter laugh, her tears falling freely as she looked at Liora.

"Family? You dare use that word?"

Mercury shook her head, her voice gentle but firm.

"Both of you... stop. If you want to tear each other apart, do it far from the children."

Everyone's eyes turned to Milo and Colin, who were sobbing quietly in the corner. Kian and Lila, who had been standing in shock, looked at their mother with wide, frightened eyes. Liora's breath hitched, her whole body trembling violently. She looked down at her hands as if

they didn't belong to her, her fingers shaking uncontrollably.

Her face twisted in anguish, and a deep sob tore from her chest.

"No...no..." she whispered, her voice broken and hoarse. "This... this isn't how it was

supposed to be... I suffered... I suffered for you, Eratz... You can't do this to me... please..."

But Eratz remained silent, his gaze fixed on her.

After a moment, he let out a long sigh and turned to Marcus, his expression cold.

"It's time for you to leave."

Marcus, his face pale with disbelief, shook his head slowly.

"Eratz..." he murmured, as if searching for the right words.

But Eratz didn't wait for him to finish. He gave a small nod toward the door, his message

clear.

Marcus, realizing the futility of arguing, took Liora by the arm, supporting her as they made their way toward the door.

Kian and Lila followed, but as they reached the door, both of them looked at Eratz with wide,

pleading eyes.

But now, in this moment, Eratz couldn't move. His body felt heavy, rooted to the ground like

a stone.

His gaze remained empty, cold, dead. Kian's eyes were glassy, while Lila's lower lip trembled.

As they finally looked away and followed their parents out of the room, the door closed softly

behind them

Cassie collapsed into Roger's arms, her body shaking with sobs. Colin and Milo, still crying, clung to each other tightly.

Eratz stood frozen, his face expressionless.

Mercury, standing at the edge of the room, fought against the tears threatening to spill.

Her face hardened, but her eyes betrayed her. A single tear slid down her cheek, followed by another, until she wiped her face in vain, her hands shaking as she did.

Eratz stood still, as if he had turned to stone. His red eyes stayed locked on the door through which his parents had left, but his mind was far away.

It felt like a void had opened inside him, an emptiness he hadn't realized existed until now.

Everything he had manifested, the anger, the hurt, the rejection, disappeared in the naught. But in that void, something tugged at him.

He looked down and saw Colin's small hand gripping his. The sight of her teary face, her wide

red eyes filled with worry, brought him back from the dark place in his mind.

He gave her a gentle smile, though it didn't reach his eyes.

"I showed you a really bad scene, huh? Guess I'm really a failure as a big brother," he said

softly, patting her head.

Colin sniffled, wiping her tears on her sleeve. Milo clinged to his other side, looking up with

wide, sad eyes.

Eratz glanced at him, then at Mercury.

"I forgot to ask you to cover their ears... Sorry about that."

Mercury didn't say anything. Her lips trembled slightly, but she pressed them together.

Roger, trying to ease the tension, spoke up softly.

"Maybe we should go out for dinner, get our minds off this... You know, have a quiet night

somewhere... just us." He glanced at Cassie, still sobbing, her body shaking in his arms. "It might help."

Eratz looked at Roger and shook his head slowly.

"No," he said quietly. "Not tonight. I need to sleep early." He managed a small smile.

Everyone fell silent, their hearts breaking for him. They had never seen him like this, so closed

off, so defeated.

Even Milo and Colin, despite being young, could sense the depth of his exhaustion, both

physical and emotional.

"It's really okay. I'm just tired... I've been fighting a calamity bird you know." He chuckled.

Eratz began to walk toward his room, his steps paced. "Eratz..." Cassie's voice, choked with tears, called after him.

There was so much sadness, so much pain in the way she said his name. But he didn't turn. He

paused at the door to his room, his back still to them.

"I'm thankful for everything," he said softly. "I got to be your family. That's my biggest

treasure." And with that, he entered his room, closing the door behind him.

Cassie broke down completely, her sobs loud and muffled as she buried her face in Roger's

chest.

Roger held her tightly, his own tears silently falling as he patted her back.

Milo and Colin sat beside them, holding each other's hands as they cried quietly, the scene too

much for their small hearts to bear.

Mercury stood there, staring at Eratz's door. She had wiped her tears, but they kept coming, blurring her vision as she watched the door.

Inside his room, Eratz stood near the window, staring out at the city lights.

The dark room around him reflected the soft glow from the streetlights outside.

The cool breeze drifted in from the open window, and suddenly, there was a soft noise on the

window.

Eratz blinked and turned, just in time to see Mercury climbing through, a small, determined grin on her face and two cans of beers in hands. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice filled with confusion. Mercury sat down beside him, looking out at the view beyond the window.

"I wanted to surprise you," she said with a small smile. "We barely had time to celebrate our

calamity birds, and I figured you could use some company."

For a moment, they both looked out at the night. The city below was alive with lights, the

streets bathed in a soft glow.

The horizon stretched out, glittering and endless, mirroring the stars in the sky.

"It's a beautiful view," Mercury said quietly. "You chose a good place to stay. I didn't think an

apartment like this could feel so... peaceful."

Eratz didn't say anything, but a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

The silence between them was comfortable.

After a long pause, Mercury spoke again, her voice softer now.

"You know... I've been thinking about what you said. To me, You, Cassie, Roger, Colin, Milo...

You're my treasure too. You're my family."

Eratz remained silent, his eyes still focused on the distant lights. As Mercury spoke, she

shifted position slightly, as if trying to avoid something, too painful to confront directly. "It's not about blood," she continued, her voice gentle but firm. "It's about who's there for you when you need them. The people who stay, even when things get tough. That's your real family. And you've got that. You've got us. You have lost something, but you have won more.

And there's also a family in the agency, they're everywhere. We're not alone... You're not

alone." They sat in silence again, the night air cool and calming, the world outside their small window feeling both distant and comforting.

Mercury leaned her head back slightly, her voice dropping even lower, almost a whisper.

"Eratz... you're really strong. Stronger than me, stronger than anyone. It's so hard to keep

smiling through everything, but you do it so well." Eratz shook his head.

"I'm not that strong, Mercury."

"Maybe not," she replied, leaning back against him, her body resting against his. "But they

need you to stay strong. Cassie, Roger, Colin, Milo... me. We need you in our lives. We need to

see your light. That's what keeps everything moving."

As she spoke, a glistening crystal fell from Eratz's face and disappeared into the darkness.

Mercury leaned her head against his, her own tears falling silently, but she didn't turn around.

They sat there, back to back, the night's chill wrapping around them as the lights of the city flickered below.