Dominion of The Beast Masters

Chapter 51: Obsessions



The morning light filtered into the hotel lobby, giving it a warm, soft glow. Eliza stood in the middle of the hallway, arms crossed, her gaze fixed on Rowan.

She was frustrated, her patience wearing thin as Rowan sighed for the third time.

"I'm telling you, Rowan, I should go alone to look for Eratz. You stay here and train Kenny, help him with his hunting, be a good mentor for God's sake!"

Rowan looked at her, equally annoyed.

"And I'm telling you, Eliza, if I let you go on your own, you won't do it. You'll wander off neglect the task the same way you're neglecting him." He waved his hand dismissively, shaking his head.

"I can't trust you with this task."

Eliza's eyes narrowed, and she took a step closer to him.

"Oh, please. Like you have any idea how to look for Eratz in a town this big. We've been wasting our time and the expedition is putting the students' learning at risk. We can't keep going like this."

Rowan opened his mouth to argue back, but before he could, they heard a familiar voice.

"Excuse me," Lisa said, approaching them. Her voice was soft, and she looked slightly uncomfortable interrupting. "Sorry to intrude, but I need to ask you something."

Rowan and Eliza turned to look at her, both sets of eyebrows raised. Lisa took a breath, her eyes darting nervously between them.

"It's about Kenny. He's suddenly getting really interested in getting stronger again. He's planned to spend all day watching arena matches, and I was wondering if maybe I could help with the search for Eratz instead."

Both Rowan and Eliza blinked, clearly surprised.

"Wait," Rowan said, his curiosity piqued. "Kenny's interested in training? He wasn't before... What, you mean he's suddenly dedicated to work harder? Where did that come from?"

Eliza arched an eyebrow, her annoyance growing.

"What's gotten into him, Lisa? We're supposed to be looking for Eratz, and you're telling me it's useless? Kenny is suddenly better?"

Lisa hesitated for a second before answering, choosing her words carefully.

"I think he might have seen someone impressive... and maybe got motivated?"

Eliza looked skeptical, tilting her head. "Seen someone? Eratz? When? How? Where would he have seen him? We've looked everywhere the whole day yesterday, where did he see him? It's not like you're just walking around out there, right? You were tasked to visit..."

She stopped and exchanged a look with Rowan, their eyes widening as realization dawned. "The arenas!" they both said in unison, the pieces falling into place.

Kenny and Julian were already at the arena, sitting in the stands, watching as the crowd started to gather.

It was still early in the morning but there was already a buzz of excitement in the air. Julian groaned, slouching in his seat. "Why did we have to come so early? It's been hours." Kenny shot him a glare.

"I didn't want to miss her. Besides, I see you, man, I'm not letting you screw this up for me." He crossed his arms, his gaze fixed on the entrance to the arena floor.

Julian snickered, nudging Kenny. "You're really into her, huh? The mighty Kenny, acting like a lovestruck fanboy."

Kenny just scowled, ignoring Julian's taunts.

Lisa arrived at the stands with Rowan and Eliza, her eyes scanning the crowd.

They didn't know exactly where Kenny was sitting, but Lisa had a strong feeling that he wouldn't be there once a particular match with a specific fighter was over.

The roar of the crowd suddenly grew louder, and Lisa turned her attention to the arena floor.

Mercury made her entrance, stepping confidently onto the battlefield. The cheers were deafening.

Eliza's brow furrowed, her frustration boiling over.

"Lisa, we're supposed to be looking for Eratz, why are we wasting our time on someone else?"

Lisa shifted uncomfortably, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I think Kenny might be interested in this girl too. Maybe she's the reason he's been acting differently..."

Lisa swallowed nervously, feeling a knot forming in her stomach. She had hoped to help find Eratz while Kenny's new obsession would be the perfect excuse to slip out, but now it seemed like things were spiraling.

Eliza looked at Lisa, her annoyance flaring.

"So, let me get this straight, you dragged us all the way here to watch some girl fight in the arena? And you think Kenny's interest in her is a good reason to waste our time?"

Lisa shook her head, her voice shaking slightly.

"No, I mean, I thought if Kenny was interested, maybe there was something important about her." She paused, her mind racing. "And... maybe Kenny is more interested in her than he is in

finding Eratz."

Eliza's expression shifted slightly, her interest piqued. She exchanged a look with Rowan,

who sighed. Her gaze fell down again on Lisa

"What have you been up to since we came here?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Rowan watched, his gaze moving between Lisa and Eliza, a sigh escaping his lips.

"Alright, let's calm down and just see what's going on here."

On the arena floor, Mercury faced off against her opponent, another young woman, who looked equally confident.

The opposing beast master used aerial monsters, combining their flight abilities with her own beastification to take to the skies.

Mercury, however, remained grounded, summoning her panther Seraph.

The battle was intense, the aerial monsters swooping in with coordinated attacks while Mercury commanded her beast to leap and counter their assaults.

The fight seemed evenly matched, with the aerial advantage giving Mercury's opponent an

upper hand.

Mercury found herself being pushed back, cornered by the relentless attacks from above.

She glanced up at her opponent, feeling the tension rising. She wanted to end this quickly so she could head back to the agency and finally see Eratz after a few busy days.

"... Alright, I'll just use it."

Her lips curled into a smile, her eyes narrowing as she took a step forward. The air seemed to ripple, and a sudden shift swept across the arena.

She looked up at her opponent, her gaze sharp and focused.

The atmosphere changed. It felt heavier, as if the very air had thickened, making it harder for

her opponent to stay aloft.

Mercury took another step, her aura spreading across the battlefield.

The crowd erupted, some spectators cheering in excitement. They recognized the technique, a

field spell.

Kenny and Julian exchanged incredulous looks, while Eliza and Rowan leaned forward, their

interest piqued.

"Is this really happening?" Rowan whispered, his eyes wide.

"It's..." Eliza began, her voice trailing off.

The woman in the air struggled, her movements slowing as she felt herself being weighed

down.

Around her, small bubbles began to form, floating in the air, and her eyes widened in

realization.

She was in an aquatic zone, one where the air had been altered to mimic the properties of

water.

Mercury clenched her fist, water swirling around her hand, gathering strength. With a swift motion, she shot an Aqua Beam, a concentrated jet of water aimed directly at her opponent.

The impact was immediate, a powerful explosion of water engulfing her opponent, sending her plummeting to the ground.

The crowd erupted in cheers, the entire arena filled with the sound of excitement and awe.

Rowan watched, his eyes wide with admiration.

"This generation really is blessed with prodigies," he muttered.

Lisa remained silent, her gaze fixed on Mercury. She was stunned by this display of power

especially at this level.

She remembered Mercury from the day before, but the contrast between the fashionista and the warrior was stunning.

With the power that Mercury possessed, the excuse that Kenny might have been interested in

her for that was starting to make sense, sadly for her.

After the match, Mercury made her way out of the arena, her body still buzzing from the adrenaline of the fight. She pulled out her phone, hesitating for a moment.

She wanted to call Eratz, to taunt him about her victory, to see if he wanted to go together to the agency. But then she hesitated, her finger hovering over his contact.

"What am I doing?" she muttered to herself, her brow furrowing. "We're going to meet at the agency in a few minutes anyway. It'd be weird to call him now."

She sighed, pocketing her phone, her thoughts still lingering on him.

She wanted to see him, but she didn't understand why it felt so urgent to contact him, maybe

just to ask him to hangout after? But then again, they would meet at the agency.

Suddenly, a voice called out from behind her.

"Hey! That was an amazing match!"

Mercury turned, her expression immediately shifting to one of irritation as she recognized his

face.

Kenny stood there, a wide grin on his face, clearly pleased with himself.

"Congratulations, I mean, that trick you used? I've never seen anything like it. You've got

some real talent."

Mercury sighed, her eyes narrowing. She crossed her arms, her stance shifting to one of clear

disinterest.

"What do you want?" she asked bluntly, her voice cold.

Kenny blinked, caught off guard by her lack of enthusiasm.

"Uh, I just wanted to say you did great, you know? I mean, that technique, it was amazing,"

he said, trying to recover.

Mercury looked at him, her gaze flat and unimpressed.

"I don't need your compliments. If you're done, I have places to be."

She turned on her heel, ready to leave.

"Wait," Kenny called after her, a hint of desperation in his voice. "I'm serious. You're really

something special. I just... I wanted to get to know you better."

Mercury paused, glancing back at him, her eyes like ice.

"I don't, leave me alone." She turned again, walking away without a second thought. Kenny stood there, his smile faltering as he watched her leave. The rejection stung more than

he expected, frustration and determination welling up inside him. He clenched his teeth, his fists tightening at his sides.

He remembered the words of the girl who defeated him at the tournament, how she had belittled him, made him feel small. He wasn't going to let that happen again.

"I'll show you," he muttered under his breath, watching Mercury's back. "I'll become someone worth noticing. You will drop on for leg in front of me." A grin returned to his face.

He was used to challenges, but this felt different.

It wasn't just about winning a match anymore, not even being the best. The girl he couldn't

reach, the sacred place he couldn't see, the forbidden fruit he wasn't allowed to eat was more tempting that any snack he got till now.

Imagining this unbreakable tower knelling in front of him made his adrenaline rush in. From afar, Eliza had been watching the entire interaction unfold. She leaned against the wall,

a sly grin tugging at her lips as she observed Kenny's reaction. She had her suspicions before,

but now it was clear.

"So that's what this is all about. This is going to be interesting."