Dominion of The Beast Masters

Chapter 82: Bonds Beyond Blood



The starry night filtered through the tall windows of the Crescent Moon Agency, casting a soft blue light across Victoria's office.

Zara sat at the desk, rifling through a stack of files, with glasses perched on the tip of her nose. She glanced over at Victoria, who sat behind the desk, sipping her tea.

"I've gone through the new applications," Zara began, her voice a little uncertain. "There are some solid candidates here. Fresh talent, a little rough around the edges, but with potential. I think with time, we can make great warriors out of them."

Victoria didn't respond immediately. She placed her cup down gently and gazed out the

window, her eyes narrowing slightly. After a moment, she spoke.

"Zara, do you think we should raise the bar a little?"

Zara blinked, caught off guard.

"Raise the bar? I mean, these candidates are already strong, and we need fresh blood, don't we?"

Victoria turned to face her, a teasing smile playing on her lips.

"We do. But we're no longer just looking to fill the roster, Zara. We're growing faster than ever. With the way everyone's been working, the agency is reaching new heights. Our aces are pushing us forward, and I want to help them. If we play our cards right, we can make waves in team competitions. I want to give them access to every opportunity, but for that... we need more people on the same level as Mercury, Eratz, Ryder, Kaida, and Catarina."

Zara let out a nervous laugh, adjusting her collar.

"Our aces, huh? You do realize we practically got two of them illegally, right? Unless a miracle conveniently comes out of now..."

Ring. Ring.

The phone on Zara's desk buzzed sharply, cutting her off. Zara looked down, surprised, as the sound echoed through the quiet office. She gave a puzzled look to Victoria who raised her eyebrows with a smug on the lips.

"Ah... a miracle," Zara sighed.

The following morning, at 5 AM in Eratz's apartment, Cassie quietly emerged from her bedroom, wearing a simple, comfortable short and a loose t-shirt.

She stopped near Eratz's room, her eyes red from a night of crying. Listening closely, she could hear soft snoring from behind the door. She sighed deeply, grateful for at least the small comfort that Eratz was resting after the emotional storm that had passed.

Her feet carried her to the kitchen, but as she entered, she was startled to see that someone was already there.

"Eratz?" she whispered.

Eratz stood at the stove, wearing a tank top and shorts, casually frying something in the pan. He turned to her with a soft smile. "Morning, Aunt Cassie. Come sit down. I'll make breakfast."

Cassie was stunned.

"But... I thought you were sleeping. I heard..."

"Oh no, that was Mercury," he interrupted, pulling a chair out for her. "I've been up for a while."

Cassie hesitated but took the seat. The kitchen was small, modern, with a soft hum of early morning peace. They were alone in the stillness of dawn, and the only sound was the sizzle of eggs on the pan.

Eratz led the conversation.

"I've been thinking," he said while flipping the eggs. "I want to take the league seriously. Challenge it, really push myself. Now, my beasts are perfect, for this level at least, so I want to do like before, and with many wins, the money will start rolling in."

Cassie nodded absentmindedly, though her heart was heavy, still thinking about last night. Her hands gripped her arms, trying to hold herself together as Eratz continued.

"I want to get us a bigger place too," Eratz said, glancing over at her. "Not an apartment, something better. A house, maybe. Closer to Colin's school."

Cassie smiled faintly, but she couldn't shake the sadness in her chest.

Eratz placed a beautifully plated breakfast in front of her with a grin.

"You know," he said, his voice playful, "I was planning to tell you and Uncle Roger something together. But if you keep making that face, I'll spoil the surprise early."

Cassie chuckled softly, rubbing her eyes.

"You should stop teasing me, Eratz. I'm the adult here. It's my job to be the tough one."

He sat down across from her, his eyes softening.

"I'm an adult too, Cassie. We've all been through a lot, but today, there's something important I need to say."

She looked at him, surprised by his tone.

"I want you to stay home today. Don't go to your maid job."

Cassie frowned.

"Eratz, I can't just not show up. I'll get fired."

Eratz leaned forward, resting his chin on the back of his hands.

"That's fine. Actually, that's exactly what I want. I want you and Uncle Roger to stop

working... forever."

Her eyes widened.

"What?"

He reached across the table, his hands warm on hers.

"I'll have enough now to support us all. More than before, so, I want you and Uncle Roger to

enjoy life. You've done enough."

Cassie sat frozen, her emotions a whirlwind. She shook her head.

"... No... Eratz, you can't... You shouldn't. We're okay. We don't need..."

But Eratz cut her off, his voice gentle yet firm.

"This isn't a debate, Aunt Cassie. I want you to rest now. You've taken care of me long enough, and it's time I repay you. You have no opinion there. From now on, we're getting rich. Vacations overboard, week-end in the beach, snowy shore in December... hey, I heard there's a town where there are only 3 hours of day and the rest is night, so there's always the neon lights. I want to see that."

As Eratz spoke, Cassie's eyes filled with tears, her hands trembling as she gripped the edge of the table, and suddenly, she stood up abruptly, knocking down the chair behind her.

"Eratz, no... you don't understand." Her voice cracked as she clutched her chest. "We're supposed to take care of you. That's what adults do. It's our job to make sure you're okay, to

protect you."

Her voice grew shaky, and the tears began to spill freely down her face.

"Every day, I feel guilty... for what Liora did to you... for what she said. I feel like I should have stopped it, that I should have done more. She's my sister, Eratz. My sister. And even after all the pain, after everything she's done... I can't help but feel... I can't help but feel responsible

for her."

Cassie's voice broke as she pressed her hands to her face, sobbing into her palms.

"Even after all of it... I can't stop thinking... that she's your mother. And no matter how much I hate her for hurting you, I still feel that guilt. I hate myself for not saving you from them, from her. She's your mother, Eratz. I should hate her for what she put you through, but I can't. She's still my sister. And that... that makes me feel like I've failed you even more. How did we end up here? How did everything go so wrong?"

Her voice quivered with guilt, with an overwhelming sense of failure.

She collapsed to her knees, her sobs filling the room, as all the emotions she had kept hidden

for so long spilled out at once.

Eratz silently stood, he quickly moved to her, pulling her into a tight, protective hug. "You've done more than enough, Cassie," he whispered. "You've given me more love and care than I ever thought I deserved. Don't blame yourself. None of this is anyone's fault."

He could feel her hands trembling as she clutched his shirt tightly, her sobs muffled against his chest. Eratz's grip only tightened.

"I love you, Cassie, you, Roger, Colin. More than you'll ever know. You saved me, and that's all that matters to me. If you feel bad for me, then remember that I'm always me. You can make me happy by letting me take care of you."

Cassie wept harder, her fingers clinging desperately to him as if letting go would mean losing him all over again. Her words came out broken, between sobs.

"I'm so sorry, Eratz. I'm so, so sorry for everything..."

He pressed his chin gently against her head, his breath warm and comforting. "There, there, let it go. You can't keep crying for someone who doesn't even feel his pain."

For a long while, they stayed there in the quiet embrace, Cassie finally allowing herself to cry out all her pain and Eratz holding her, not as a nephew, but as someone who had been saved by her love. A love he could never repay but cherished more than anything. Later in the Crescent Moon Agency Gym, the usual rhythm of clinking weights and the soft hum of machines fell off.

There was an electric charge in the air, the training had increased in intensity through the past weeks and there was a kind of restless tension that clung to the gym-goers as many glanced nervously toward the private training room with a note 'No one comes in here without being

brutalized'.

"Can't they just give us a peek?" someone muttered.

Adrian wiped the sweat off his brow as he jogged on the treadmill, side-eyeing the door.

Everyone wanted to know what was going on behind those doors, where the agency's best

were training. "They're probably just messing around in there." he groaned.

A heavy pulse of energy surged through the gym, shaking the equipment and sending everyone stumbling. Adrian barely caught himself, grabbing the treadmill's handles, his heart racing.

Around him, gasps and confused shouts filled the air as people scrambled to their feet. The sheer force felt like it had come from the depths of a storm.

"What the hell was that?" someone shouted as the crowd rushed toward the door of the aces'

training room.

Inside, Eratz stood at the center of the training room, his electric aura faintly crackling around him, casting an eerie glow. His eyes were wide with surprise, his body completely still as the ground beneath his feet began to crack under the pressure of his power. Kaida and Mercury had regained their balance, both grimacing as they wiped the dust off their clothes. Ryder, still down on one knee, rubbed his forehead, groaning.

"Nyaa! Boss, please stop!" Catarina bounced nervously around him, her cat ears twitching in sheer panic. "You've already mastered advanced beastification, you don't need to go harder! You're gonna destroy the whole gym!"

Eratz blinked, his face showing mild confusion, and then frowned slightly.

"You're exaggerating, I barely used any of my power. Once I open this door, it'll get

smoother."

Catarina practically shrieked, her tail puffing up in panic as she waved her arms frantically.

"No! You're gonna destroy the whole gym, I'm sure of it! You're monstrous enough already,

just stop!"

Eratz looked down at her, his eyes narrowing, unimpressed with her dramatics.

"Where's the 'nya'?"

Catarina froze mid-bounce, her eyes wide in realization. She straightened up immediately,n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Nyaa! Sorry, Boss! But seriously, your presence is everywhere, can't even eat in peace in the

toilet anymore! You're scaring me!"

Eratz tilted his head slightly.

"That was you?"

Catarina gulped.

"... M-Mew?"

Kaida, still recovering from the initial shockwave, couldn't help but laugh.

"Man, You really are something, but she's not wrong. We're working to improve the building

too, right? Maybe let's refrain from the physical training here."

Eratz simply shrugged, nonchalant.

"What's the point of training here then? We need to be strong enough to fight in the regional

league several times a week. The whole purpose of separating the talents was that we could

go all out on each other."

Kaida's eyes lit up, her competitive spirit flaring.

"I get you, relax. I also want to see this thunderbird, but not here. We should be able to do it in

a local arena."

Mercury nodded, crossing her arms.

"If we work hard enough, the agency would be able to build our own training arena, but that's

not tomorrow."

Kaida shook her head, smirking.

"I really envy you guys. By the way, you sure there wasn't also a firebird? Asking for a friend."

Mercury scoffed, crossing her arms.

"A firebird? If there was something like that it would have been the first to go down." She

said, pointing to herself.

"Oh? Wanna test that theory, sis? You've forgotten your last heatstroke?"

Kaida challenged a mischievous glint in her eye.

Ryder, sensing where this was heading, raised his hand in a mock surrender.

"Now, now, ladies... let's not turn this gym into a war zone. Again."

"Ryder," Catarina whined, her voice pleading. "Boss is bullying me!" Eratz rolled his eyes.

"I only supposed that since you're constantly in a beast form, maybe I could tame you if I

tried... 'Supposed'."

Catarina mewed in frustration, but suddenly, the door swung open, and Zara appeared,

breathless and grinning.

"Guys, I've got incredible news!"