Dominion of The Beast Masters

Chapter 150: Passing By... and Spilling Truths



Eratz's eyebrows rised in surprise.

"Ice girl? What ice girl?"

Rex gave him a puzzled look, then scoffed lightly.

"Yeah, a special person, she's still angry because she lost that match in Aurelia."

Eratz furrowed his brow, thinking hard.

"Ice girl... Aurelia..." His eyes widened as the realization hit him. "Sia?"

Rex's face lit up in surprise.

"Oh? Sia Verizion, yeah! You know her?"

Eratz nodded, still a bit taken aback.

"Yeah, I know her. And you too?"

Rex gave a nervous chuckle, his wings fluttering slightly as if shivering at the memory.

"Not a lot. I mean, who would? She's terrifying when she's angry, especially after that defeat, it was unbearable for weeks."

Eratz's eyes narrowed as he pieced it together. The way Rex had been comparing Raijinara to another beast, the familiarity he'd noticed... It suddenly clicked. Sia's ace, Nivalys.

"Oh... He meant the sabertooth beast," Eratz murmured, more to himself.

Rex nodded eagerly.

"Yes, that's the one! I've never seen a beast like it anywhere. It's unique, one of a kind. I even thought of looking for one myself, but when I asked her, she said the beast wasn't something you can hunt, it chose her."

Eratz's mouth dropped open slightly, stunned by the implication. He stared at Rex, trying to process what he'd just heard.

He remembered his connection with the Aetheri, how it was the creature reaching out to him rather than him taming it. Was that the same thing Sia experienced with Nivalys?

As the thoughts raced through his mind, another realization dawned on him. Eratz turned to Rex.

"Wait... Did you happen to see the name of that beast?"

Rex paused mid-air, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at Eratz with a curious, almost suspicious glint. He studied Eratz's face for a moment before answering.

"Well... it wasn't exactly me who saw it." He leaned in, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "It was one of my friends. Someone from my team. She said it had a name... something odd. Neuro... Neurolysis, I think?"

Eratz facepalmed.

"Oh my God..."

Rex gave a small, awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his head.

"It caused such a big stir when she mentioned. They took us to the higher-ups, real shadowy types, and told us not to tell a word of it. It was like dealing with classified intel. They even wanted to make us sign non-disclosure agreements right there. This is literally a state secret and we are forbidden... to speak... about it... to... any...one..."

His eyes widened.

For a long moment, they just stared at each other, the silence stretching painfully.

Rex broke first, a nervous bead of sweat forming on his forehead. He leaned in slightly, his smile strained.

"Alright, alright, listen," he said, his voice lowering to a pleading tone. "We're both mature adults here. I'm sure we can understand each other... So, remember that time you unleashed a hurricane in a foreign country?"

Eratz's face twisted into an expression of disappointment, his jaw dropping slightly, his eyes half-closed, and his head leaning forward.

"Cheh... What are you? You don't look like the guy I see in your matches."

Rex gasped.

"I don't look like... But! What? And so what?" He threw his hands up in mock outrage. "Am I fighting now? Is this a battlefield? What's the problem? I'm not responsible for your delusional fantasies about me! But since you look like a friend," Rex leaned in closer, giving Eratz a magnanimous smile, "I'll let what you did slide, and I graciously accept your proposal that we forget this conversation ever happened. It was just a natural storm," he winked. Eratz blinked at him, his lips twitching before he finally burst into laughter. He leaned back on Raijinara's mane, shaking his head.

"You know what, Rex? You're something else. Alright, fine. I'll play along." He paused, wiping a tear of laughter from his eye. "So, who's this friend of yours, anyway? The one who saw the beast? How does she look?"

Rex immediately shook his head, crossing his arms.

"Oh no, no, no. I'm not falling for that. I'm a wise man, Eratz. You're not getting a word about her out of me."

Eratz's eyes narrowed mischievously.

"Ah, come on, Rex. I just want to know. I bet she's tall, right? Likes to carry a big staff? Eat children at midnight? Or maybe she's one of those brooding types, always hiding behind a hood?"

Rex glared at him, his wings flapping faster in irritation.

"What have you been reading? She doesn't carry a staff, and she's definitely not the brooding type... Well, she does wear a hoodie, but it's more ab habit, she's not the extrovert type."

Eratz raised an eyebrow, leaning in.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Not an extrovert, with a hoodie, so the shady type... I bet she's got that short, fiery look, huh? The kind that could boss you around with just a glance."

Rex's face flushed slightly, his wings fluttering erratically.

"She's not short! And she doesn't boss me around... much. She's spicy, yes, but quite calm. "

Eratz couldn't help but smirk.

"Glasses?"

Rex frowned.

"How did you know? Yes, she looks like n intelligent girl, but she hate when you call her a

nerd."

"Uh-huh, sure." Eratz gave him a knowing look. "So, is she a fighter in your organization? Oh, and that organization, is that your agency?"

Rex froze, his expression shifting from flustered to a look of realization as he realized what

he'd just let slip.

"Pause, I think there's something wrong here..."

Eratz leaned forward, his smirk turning into a full grin.

"Oh, come on, I'm sure she's not that important after all, you're Rex, you wouldn't associate

with shady hoody girl."

Rex groaned, covering his face with one hand.

"Is this how you see your teammates? Let me tell you..."

"By all mean." Eratz nodded.

Rex's wings fluttered indignantly, and he crossed his arms tightly against his chest.

"My team, my agency, they're not just some random group thrown together for the sake of power and fame. We're a family. Every single one of them matters, not just for their skills, but because they stand by each other when it counts. We protect each other, no matter what."

He pointed a finger at Eratz.

"You think we're just some flashy crew? No. We're an association of people who've been

through hell together. We've fought battles that would've broken most teams apart. And as for the girl you're so curious about, her name's Arin, remember it. She's been through more than you could imagine. Because of her race, she faced prejudice and hardship at every turn. People looked down on her, mocked her, dismissed her like she was nothing."

He clenched his fists.

"But she's tougher than anyone I know. She fought through it all, never let it break her spirit. And if you or anyone else thinks they can make a joke out of that, I'll defend her with

everything I have."

Rex took a deep breath, his eyes burning with fierce loyalty, as he fixed Eratz with a

challenging stare.

Eratz's amusement faded slightly, replaced by genuine curiosity. He leaned in a bit closer.

"Arin... alright. So, your team, your agency... Why are they keeping this whole calamity beast thing a secret? On purpose?"

Rex nodded solemnly, his wings fluttering slightly as if mirroring his discomfort.

"I don't know for sure," Rex admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "But I think they want to avoid causing a panic. These new beasts are unpredictable. We can't pinpoint where they'll appear next, and apparently, it's getting worse. We've been tasked to hunt them down as soon

as they show up."

Eratz nodded, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Makes sense... So there might be a few around the world... but that thing... wait..."

Rex sighed, looking off into the horizon. "Exactly. We're trying to keep it under wraps, keep

things stable. But..."

Rex's gaze drifted back to Eratz, and the moment he saw a wide, illuminated, smile, he

flinched.

"A-Anyway! What brings you here, exactly?"

Eratz snapped back to reality, he shrugged casually, leaning back on Raijinara's feathery back.

"Oh, you know, just hunting. Nothing special."

Rex narrowed his eyes. He floated a bit closer, tilting his head.

"Hunting, huh? Why the storm then?"

Eratz grinned, his tone taking on a playful edge. He started speaking in a sing-song voice, much like Mercury earlier when she was in that particularly cheerful mood.

"Hunting, training, exploring... call it whatever you like, Rex! Just a beast master on a little

adventure, definitely not causing any trouble."

Rex's eyes widened, his suspicion deepening. "You're suspiciously happy for someone who nearly caused a natural disaster."

"Oh, come on," Eratz chuckled, waving a hand. "it's in the past, right? I mean, you're the one

who physically attacked me. What are YOU doing here? Is your agency around?"

Rex flinched, his wings twitching nervously.

"It was just a flash! I didn't do anything wrong!" He puffed up his chest, feigning confidence.

"And why do you talk so much about my agency? I'm alone, I was just... passing by."

"Passing by?" Eratz echoed, giving him a mockingly doubtful look.

Rex's face flushed, and he stammered.

"I-I was assessing the situation! Making sure it wasn't a wild beast." "Sure, sure," Eratz said, nodding with exaggerated seriousness. "Just like I was 'casually

hunting.""

Rex pointed a finger at Eratz, his wings fluttering faster, almost in a frantic dance of

irritation.

"Now listen here! I'm not the one who..."

Eratz cut him off with a sly, almost innocent grin.

"Relax, Rex. We're both just passing by, right? Nothing to worry about. I mean, Rex Goldwing,

my elder, the idol of beast masters everywhere, and the man who just spilled world-shaking secrets that could put your whole agency in hot water... would never waste his precious time stalking a guy like me, right?"

Rex blinked. He slumped slightly, letting out a dramatic sigh of defeat.

"You are an evil man," he groaned, shaking his head. "Alright, alright. Fine. We're just...

passing by." They stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.

The storm between them had vanished just as quickly as the one Eratz had summoned.

"Well then," Rex said, clearing his throat, trying to straighten his posture and salvage some dignity. "If you're really just hunting, I suppose I'll be on my way."

"Yeah, me too," Eratz agreed, giving a lazy two-finger salute. "I gotta say, Rex, I really like talking to you. You have no idea how much better I feel now."

Rex huffed, puffing out his chest slightly as he began to float away. His wings fluttered with

renewed grace, as if he were back on a grand stage.

"See?" he called out with a smirk. "I look a bit more like my battle self now, don't I? Just try not to cause another storm, alright?"

"I promise," Eratz called back, slowly turning Raijinara around. "It won't be another storm."

With a flash of lightning, Raijinara burst into the sky, carrying Eratz away in a brilliant streak

of light.

Rex watched the trail of sparks disappear, a fond, amused smile tugging at his lips.

He gave one last look over his shoulder and muttered to himself with a satisfied nod.

"... I talk so nice."