Dominion of The Beast Masters

The crowd's roar was deafening, filling the massive arena as Kaida collapsed onto her back, utterly exhausted.

She had won, but she could barely muster the energy to celebrate.

Mercury lay unconscious on the ground, her body motionless, a stark contrast to the fiery cheers that echoed around her.

In the stands, Zara and Ryder both stood in stunned silence, their mouths hanging open in disbelief. Milo, usually so joyful, had his jaw dropped.

Colin, who had been jumping up and down just moments ago, slowly lowered her arms, her enthusiasm fading.

Her face fell, the brightness in her eyes dimming.

She turned to Roger, who wore a similarly sad expression.

Cassie, sitting beside them, clenched her fists and punched her chair softly, muttering a frustrated,

"Damn!"

In the infirmary, Eratz grit his teeth, fist clenched.

On the opposite side of the room, Catarina was dancing on her bed.

"That's my bestie, Kaida! She's unstoppable!" she cheered, hopping up and down.

Eratz glanced at her, his gaze sharp and intrigued. Catarina froze mid-dance, noticing his eyes on her.

She stammered, quickly jumping down from the bed.

"Uh, I-I mean, I know Kaida! We're best friendies, so... if anyone tries to hurt me, she'd totally come for revenge!"

She attempted a weak smile, backing away slightly.

Eratz rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to the screen, where the crowd continued to cheer.

Kenny, still kneeling on the ground in the arena, looked lost in his thoughts, staring blankly at the aftermath of the battle. His mind swirled with thoughts of failure, of how far he had fallen behind Eratz and others like him.

Later, Mercury's eyes slowly fluttered open. The first thing she noticed was the sterile scent of the infirmary, and the second was the dull ache coursing through her body.

She struggled to sit up, her vision blurry. Confusion settled over her, and she mumbled,

"Where am I? What happened? The battle... did I... did I win?"

Before she could process more, Zara rushed over, her face filled with concern.

"Mercury, are you okay?"

Ryder and Eratz stood nearby, their expressions less optimistic.

Mercury's eyes widened as she looked between them.

"What happened?" she repeated, her tone sharper now, panic rising in her chest.

Ryder hesitated before answering,

"You did your best, really..."

Eratz cut in with a sigh,

"It went terribly."

Her heart sank.

"No..." Mercury whispered, clutching her head, her fingers digging into her scalp as if trying to shake the reality away.

But the pain from the impact caused her to flinch, and she fell back onto the bed, grunting in pain.

"Be careful, Mercury!" Zara warned, reaching out to steady her.

But Mercury wasn't listening. She moaned in frustration, her voice thick with disbelief.

"I can't believe I lost... my first match... this can't be real. It's a nightmare."

Her fingers pressed hard against her forehead. She had trained for so long, fought in so many battles, and yet, when it mattered most, she had failed.

Her brain burned with disbelief as the weight of her defeat pressed down on her like a boulder.

Zara, Ryder, and Eratz exchanged glances. The atmosphere in the room felt heavy.

Ryder broke the silence first.

"I'm really sorry, Mercury. You gave it your all."

Zara, trying her best to cheer her up, added,

"You were incredible out there. It wasn't your day, but you'll come back stronger!"

But Eratz shrugged and said,

"The worst part is that the other girl didn't even bother to stick around. She's already left. Didn't feel like wasting her time here."

Both Zara and Ryder shot him disapproving looks, but before they could scold him, Mercury sat up again, her face contorted with frustration.

She forced a strained smile at Eratz.

"Fuck..."

"Stay down, You're not fine," Ryder said, stepping forward in concern.

"I'm okay," Mercury insisted, her words quick. "Everything's okay, really. It's fine."

She repeated the words like a mantra, though her body was trembling slightly from the strain. Her eyes were half-closed, exhausted.

"I was so used to easy battles... I forgot what it feels like to face someone who actually thinks."

Her voice cracked, and she let out a dry laugh.

"Groaning here isn't going to change anything. I lost. It's over. Right here, in the biggest arena I've ever fought in."

A sad, rueful smile tugged at her lips as she placed a hand on her forehead.

"But it's fine," she repeated softly.

She stood up, wobbling slightly on her feet, and nearly collapsed.

Zara rushed forward, catching her before she could fall.

"Mercury, please be careful!"

Mercury sighed, looking defeated yet resolute.

"I need to get stronger. Quickly."

She glanced over at Eratz, who smiled reassuringly.

"I've got something. Rest today, and tomorrow we'll talk about it."

Mercury nodded slowly and gestured for Zara to let her go.

"I'm fine, I just... need to go to the restroom."

Zara looked ready to protest, but Ryder gently placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

Mercury left the room, her steps slow and heavy. She made her way down the corridor and into the restroom.

Once inside, she turned the faucet on, splashing cold water onto her face.

The coolness stung her skin, but it wasn't enough to ease the burning sensation in her eyes.

As the water trickled down her face, she realized it was mixed with tears.

She punched the sink softly, whispering to herself,

"Fuck..."

The battle of the night was over, and most of the arena had emptied.

Back in the reserved seating area, Rowan, Eliza, the other teachers and the director gathered together. The tension was thick as the director folded her arms across her chest, her eyes narrowing in thought.

"I want to understand what happened tonight," she said, her voice sharp. "That boy, Eratz, what exactly happened when he was suspended?"

Eliza shifted uncomfortably, reminding the director.

"He was suspended for cheating, but he got expelled for sexual assault. There's nothing else to it."

Rowan, looking more contemplative, added quietly,

"But Eratz was brilliant in both practice and theory. There was something off about his suspension... something that doesn't make sense."

One of the other teachers, Professor Gardel, frowned, glancing between Rowan and Eliza.

"Did we accuse him too quickly? Did he ever actually admit to it, or did we just take the accusations at face value?"

Eliza shot Gardel a sharp look, her eyes narrowing.

"I did what was necessary. We had evidence that he was cheating, using the device to create and strengthen elemental spirits. That was the official report. We all saw it."

Gardel, however, wasn't convinced. "That's not what I saw tonight, he didn't just cheat his way to power. Karinite 4 can increase elemental power, not control monsters or trigger beastification. What we saw was a skilled, powerful beast master. There's more to this."

The murmurs among the other teachers grew louder, doubt creeping into their voices. Professor Kelsa added.

"Maybe we didn't give him a fair trial. Maybe we were too eager to get rid of him."

Eliza's face flushed with anger.

"Fair? We did everything by the book! The investigation was thorough. He had cheated, and assaulted a student."

"Maybe it was for the best. Let's not forget where he came from. With people like him, it was only a matter of time before something went wrong."

The room fell silent at Melcin's words. A tense, suffocating silence. Rowan and the other teachers exchanged uneasy glances, but Eliza's reaction was swift and furious.

"Excuse me? Are you implying that we made the right decision because of where he was from? Because if anyone here is the problem, Melcin, it's you. We didn't kick Eratz out because of his race! But the problem in your head... It's worse than anything he did!"

Melcin's eyes narrowed.

"Don't twist my words, Eliza. I'm not the one who ignored the facts. You led that investigation, you were the one eager to throw him out before anything else could surface. Maybe you were the one who felt threatened by him."

Eliza's face reddened, her fists clenched.

"I did my job! You're the one who refused to even consider the possibility that he could be innocent. You wanted him out from day one because of where he came from, because of your... your prejudices. You didn't care about the truth."

"I cared about protecting the academy!" Melcin snapped, his voice rising. "Someone like him? With that much raw power, with ties to people with beast blood? It was only a matter of time before he became a threat."

The accusations hung heavy in the air. The other teachers exchanged uncomfortable glances, but no one dared to interrupt the escalating argument.

Professor Gardel, sensing the tension, cleared his throat and tried to calm the situation.

"Let's calm down for a moment. We need to be rational about this, what we saw tonight... it forces us to reconsider the case."

But Eliza wasn't having it.

"Rational?" She turned on Gardel, her voice thick with frustration. "I did what I had to do. We had the evidence. We had witnesses. And I won't be made the scapegoat for something that was decided by all of us!"

Melcin scoffed.

"Oh, spare me, Eliza. You were the one pushing for his expulsion faster than anyone else. Don't pretend like you were following some noble cause."

"You're unbelievable," Eliza shot back. "Do you even hear yourself? You're standing there, acting like I'm responsible for Eratz's expulsion, when all you've ever cared about was his race."

Melcin's eyes flashed with anger.

"Maybe because his race mattered! We had students to protect, and he wasn't one of them. He was dangerous, and now, look at him. You saw what he did tonight. We all know he has no talent, so his genes must be the cause! Are you really going to stand there and tell me he's not a threat?

Someone with a power like that would have injured everyone by accident!"

"How is a fucking racist like you even allowed to teach in a learning environment?!"

Rowan, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke, his voice low and firm.

"That's enough. This isn't about race or background. It's about the truth. And the truth is, we might have been too quick to make a decision without fully understanding what was happening."

Melcin glared at him.

"And you're just as responsible, Rowan! You didn't speak up then, did you? You stood by and let it happen."

Rowan's face tightened.

"I regret that now. But we're not going to fix anything by pointing fingers."

The director, who had been watching the exchange in silence, finally raised a hand, silencing them.

Her voice was calm, but the weight of her words was dangerous.

"That's enough. I'll re-open the case. If Eratz really did cheat, we'll proceed with Kenny's case as planned. But if I learn that mistakes were made... there will be consequences. Some heads might fell.

Eliza, Melcin, come to my room tomorrow by 8 AM."

Her gaze swept over the staff, lingering on Eliza and Melcin before she turned on her heel and left the room.

The tension hung in the air, thick and uncomfortable. No one moved or spoke for a long time.

Meanwhile, outside the arena, the tension between Eratz's parents, Liora and Marcus, was escalating.

They had tried to force their way into the beast master zone inside, claiming to be Eratz's parents, but security had blocked their entry.

Liora, her face flushed with fury, was practically shouting at the guards.

"Do you have any idea who I am? That's my son in there! Let me through!"

The guards remained unfazed, their expressions stern.

"Ma'am, we need proper authorization. No exceptions."

Liora's temper flared, and she stepped closer, her eyes blazing with rage.

"Authorization? I don't need your damn authorization! I'm his mother!"

Marcus, standing beside her, placed a hand on her arm, trying to pull her back.

"Liora, enough. Let's handle this a different way."

But Liora shook him off, her anger boiling over.

"No, I won't! I've waited long enough! I need to see him!"

Marcus sighed, stepping forward as Liora continued to argue with the guards. He pulled out his phone.

"We'll find another way."

Liora turned to him, confusion briefly crossing her face.

"What do you mean?"

Marcus's eyes gleamed as he scrolled through his contacts.

"I'll hire a detective. We'll find out where he's living. Then, we'll deal with this on our terms."

Liora's fury gave way to a slow, sly smile.

"You always were the clever one."

Marcus smirked, pressing the phone to his ear.

"Leave it to me. We'll find him."