Chapter 149: Gold and Lightning

Chapter 149: Gold and LightningEratz straightened up, forcing himself to sit. He squinted, trying to get a better look at the man hovering in the air before him.

The long golden hair cascading down his back, the face both calm and wise, and the shimmering butterfly wings were unmistakable.

It was Rex Goldwing, known in the beast master world as Goldust. One of the finest beast masters on the continent, with a reputation forged through countless battles, including a few exhibition matches at the world tier. His presence here was a shock.

Eratz's eyes widened. Why was he here?

Rex floated closer, his expression a mix of exasperation and concern.

"Do you even realize what you've done?" Rex snapped, his tone sharp, scolding like an irritated teacher. "I've never seen someone so reckless... What were you even thinking?!" Eratz, still dazed from his earlier experience, could barely keep up with the barrage of reprimands. He stared blankly at Rex, his mind racing, barely registering the man's words. He blinked, the haze of confusion lifting slightly as he realized something.

"You have no sense of caution," Rex continued, his voice rising. "Throwing your power around like it's a toy! What were you thinking? Do you realize how m..."

"Damnit!" Eratz's voice cut through Rex's lecture like a blade.

His shout was so sudden and filled with anger that Rex nearly flinched out of the air, his wings fluttering in surprise.

"What... what's gotten into you?" Rex stammered, his calm facade cracking slightly.

Eratz's expression twisted into a scowl.

"You! It's you! Damn it! You're what's gotten into me!" he shouted, his voice filled with frustration. "I was right there, I could touch it! You ruined everything!"

Rex blinked, clearly rattled. He raised his hands in a placating gesture, his calm demeanor faltering.

"Now, now, calm down, hold on a second," he said hurriedly, his voice losing its earlier confidence. "I wasn't trying to..."

"Calm down? You attack me, you destroy my training and now you're asking me to calm down? What's wrong with you?" Eratz snapped, cutting him off again. He leaned forward on Raijinara's back.

Rex's eyes widened, and he shrank back slightly, his golden wings trembling. He gestured frantically at the sky, his calm demeanor completely shattered now.

"I-I was only trying to help," he mumbled, sounding more like a scolded child than a legendary beast master. "Look at the storm around you!"

"What.... storm...." Eratz followed Rex's gesture and finally took in the scene.

The entire sky had darkened, swirling with thick, roiling clouds that stretched as far as the eye could see. Bolts of lightning cracked violently through the blackened sky, illuminating the landscape with a harsh, blinding light.

The wind howled like a wild beast, whipping the trees into a frenzied dance, and the distant roar of thunder rumbled.

"This storm!" Rex cried, pointing at the dark, swirling clouds that stretched across the horizon.

Eratz blinked, then looked down at Raijinara. The bird flew smoothly, unbothered, as if it was just another day.

"Oh... crap," he muttered under his breath.

Without wasting another second, he gently tapped Raijinara's back.

The beast seemed to sense the urgency in his touch and screeched, a powerful cry that echoed across the sky, and spread its wings wide.

A bright, electric glow enveloped its body, pulsing outward like ripples on a pond. Gradually, the storm began to calm. The dark clouds thinned, the violent winds lost their bite, and the lightning that had been cracking like a whip softened to distant flickers, the chaos dissolving into a quiet, deep blue.

The first stars of the evening peeked out, and the night sky returned, calm and serene.

Eratz gave a sheepish look around, while

Rex, still floating nearby, watched the scene unfold with a blank expression.

The silence stretched between them, the storm.

Raijinara turned slightly, positioning Eratz's back to Rex, who cleared his throat dramatically.

"Ahem..."

Eratz let out a groan, tilting his head back.

"Argh..."

Rex floated a little closer, his arms crossed.

"You know... if you're feeling a bit guilty, that's already half forgiven," he said.

Eratz rolled his eyes, leaning back against Raijinara's feathery mane.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," he muttered. "I didn't realize what I was doing. I went a bit overboard, alright?"

Rex raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Oh, overboard, you say? It would be an understatement. You were a natural disaster everywhere. What's that beast of yours? Well, question for later... First..." He paused, giving Eratz a pointed look. "Don't you think there's something... missing here."

Eratz frowned, looking genuinely puzzled.

"What? You want excuses? I just said I got carried away. I didn't mean to create a storm. Isn't that enough... unless... there's no victim, right?"

Rex gave a dramatic sigh, placing a hand on his chest like he'd been wounded. "Oh, I checked the area, and thanks God the danger zone was too high to cause big damages... But there is a victim of your actions, only one."

Eratz squinted at him.

"... Me?"

Rex closed his eyes in exasperation.

"Not in a philosophical way. A certain shout that crushed my spirit perhaps?"

Eratz blinked, then realization dawned, and he groaned louder.

"Oh, come on! You want me to apologize for yelling at you?"

Rex gave an exaggerated shrug, his wings fluttering faster.

"What's wrong with that? I wanted to help you and you snapped at me!"

Eratz's face twisted in annoyance.

"I didn't know what I was doing and you attacked me first, what was I supposed to do?"

Rex put his hands on his hips.

"Attacked?! Just flashed you a little bit in self offense. You came out of nowhere and you unleashed a chaos, you know for how long I've been chasing you?"

Rex adjusted his position, floating a bit closer, his hands now resting on his hips. "Where do you even come from? And what's that beast you've got there?" He gestured at Raijinara. "I've never seen a bird like that before in Ferindale."

Eratz's eyes widened in surprise. "Ferindale?" he blurted out, caught off guard.

Rex nodded, looking almost pleased with himself.

"Yes, Ferindale, the motherland of the Ferindians, wind flute music, the roasted Flarefruit,

that you eat it while watching the Skyglide Races, with our captain, Ferry Cario..." He paused, narrowing his eyes as he noticed Eratz's blank stare. "Wait... you didn't realize you crossed

the border?"

Eratz's mind raced.

'Ferindale? I crossed the entire border without noticing?'

He'd been pushing Raijinara to its maximum speed, for a long time, and due to his mental training he stopped focusing on the world around.

He couldn't even tell how long it lasted. Sёarᴄh the ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Ferindale was on the south of Aurelia, with Lugina being close to the border, it was

imaginable that he had reached it without noticing, but there was something bigger taking

his attention.

Despite his speed, this guy had managed to not only chase him down but also strike him mid-

flight.

He glanced at Rex.

"Yeah, you're really something," Eratz admitted, almost to himself.

Rex, catching the shift in tone, puffed up slightly, his wings fluttering as he leaned even

closer, peering at Raijinara with a look of genuine curiosity.

"This bird... It looks strangely familiar..." He tilted his head, but before he could get closer, Raijinara turned, facing him directly.

The bird's eyes glowed with an electric crackle, a low rumble of thunder resonating from its

body.

"Whoa, easy there," Rex said, pulling back a little.

Eratz placed a calming hand on Raijinara's neck, muttering something soothing under his

breath.

"Relax, it's fine," he said to his bird before turning back to Rex with a casual shrug. "It's nothing special, just a normal bird from Aurelia. Common, really."

Rex's eyes narrowed.

"A normal bird from Aurelia, you say?" He leaned back slightly, giving Eratz a dubious look.

"Do I look like an idiot to you?"

Eratz held Rex's gaze for a moment, his face blank, considering the question. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Rex's voice shot up.

"Don't you dare!" Rex shouted, pointing a finger at him. "I wasn't born yesterday! Ok, so Aurelia, so you're from the north, eh?" He squinted, scrutinizing Eratz's face and then Raijinara again. "It's strange... You really do look familiar, and this bird..." He hesitated, his

eyes widening in realization. "Hold on a minute..."

Eratz flinched, suddenly on high alert. 'Did he figure it out?'

Rex leaned in closer, his expression turning serious.

"What's the name of that bird?" he asked, his voice lower now, almost suspicious.

Eratz hesitated. There was something odd about Rex's line of questioning. He felt like he was

being tested, but he couldn't figure out why.

After a brief pause, he decided to play it safe and gave a fake name.

"It's... uh, a stormtalon. Just a new breed, nothing special."

Rex's brows knitted together, clearly doubtful.

"A stormtalon, huh? I thought they were only blue... But, so it's a common name, you say?"

He glanced at Raijinara again, still looking skeptical. "Strange... It really reminds me of her

beast." Eratz's eyes widened, the words hitting him like a physical blow. He leaned forward abruptly.

"Her beast?! What do you mean, her beast? Whose beast?" He grabbed the edge of Raijinara's feathers, his voice sharp. "Where have you seen a beast like this before?!"

Rex recoiled slightly, his wings fluttering in a nervous, erratic motion. He stammered, fearing

to get yelled at again.

"The... the ice girl! She has a beast with a unique name."