Dominion of The Beast Masters

Inside, the room was unnervingly pristine. The bed was empty.

Carefully tied restraints hung limply from the sides of the bed, their ends neatly tucked as if mocking the chaos now erupting. The sheets were smooth and unwrinkled, as though no one had ever laid there.

But it was what lay in the center of the bed that drew all attention: an emerald gem, glowing faintly, its surface smooth and flawless.

Tamara's eyes widened in disbelief, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing. Her breathing quickened, and her hands clenched into fists at her sides. She let out a guttural yell, her voice raw and filled with fury.

"What the hell?!" she bellowed, the sound reverberating through the room.

Victoria stepped in behind her, slower, more hesitant. Her usually steady composure cracked as her body visibly trembled. Her wide eyes scanned the room, taking in every detail: the restraints, the untouched sheets, the glowing gem.

"What the…" Victoria whispered, her voice trembling.

She took a step closer to the bed, her hands shaking as she reached out to touch the gem. The emerald was cool to the touch, perfectly normal save for its faint glow. Victoria held it carefully, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Where is she?" Victoria's voice cracked as she turned to the doctor who had followed them inside. "What happened here?"

The doctor shook his head, his face pale.

"We don't know. We checked on her regularly. Her vitals were stable. Everything was normal. And then…" He gestured helplessly at the empty bed. "When we came in for the morning check, she was just… gone. All that was left was that gem."

Tamara's breathing was ragged, her hands gripping the edge of the bed tightly. Her mind burned as she stared at the glowing gem in Victoria's hands.

"Gone? That's your explanation?" Tamara's voice was sharp, cutting through the doctor's feeble excuses. "You're telling me a patient just vanished into thin air? With no alarms, no witnesses, nothing?!"

The doctor's mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. He looked as lost as they felt.

Suddenly, Victoria's phone vibrated in her pocket. She hesitated, her fingers fumbling as she pulled it out. When she saw the number on the screen, her jaw dropped.

Somewhere else, walking casually down a bustling street, Kallistra's voice came through the phone, cheerful and teasing.

"Oh, good. I felt your presence on the gem, so I figured you'd be back in my room by now. Hello, Vicky. Hello, Tamara."

Tamara's eyes blazed with fury. She lunged toward Victoria, trying to grab the phone, but Victoria moved swiftly, dodging Tamara who tripped over the bed and landed heavily on it, pulling the neatly tucked sheet with her.

Scrambling to her feet, she marched back to Victoria, who held the phone between them so both could hear.

"Where are you?!" Tamara yelled. "I'll drag you back by your ass if I have to!"

Kallistra's laugh was light and melodic, but it carried an edge of mischief.

"Oh, Tamara, always so dramatic. I'm somewhere between the sky and the ground, eating a delicious ice cream. You'd love it here. Very peaceful."

The doctors in the room exchanged confused glances, unsure if they should speak. But Tamara and Victoria were too stunned to respond to them. Instead, Tamara growled, her fists clenched tightly.

Victoria's voice was strained as she asked.

"How did you get out? Kallistra what is this?"

Kallistra's voice turned playful.

"Oh, nothing special, I was in a coma, but I feel better now. Well, joke aside, I wasn't exactly unconscious. My spirit was… let's say, disconnected. Maybe overusing that mighty dragon power did it. Teehee." She giggled, clearly enjoying herself. "I managed to regain control, though, and woke up during the night. Then I felt like I didn't like my room so I left. Easy as pie."

Tamara's knuckles trembled.

"What... the... fucking..."

"Oh, by the way, I heard everything you said during my forced vacations," Kallistra said, a grin evident in her tone. "And I can't believe how much you defended my right to live. So touching! I've decided to retire as a beastmaster. I think I'll enjoy life from now on, exploring and discovering all the little babies I brought into the world."

Tamara snatched the phone from Victoria, her voice a low growl.

"You're not going anywhere! Where the hell are you?!"

Kallistra's laugh was brighter this time.

"And what are you going to do? Hunt me down? Drag me back? Oh, Tamara, don't make me laugh. I'm feeling very fine now, and that means the dragon is, too. You should focus on your next battle. You know, the one where Eratz sent you straight to retirement home? Maybe think of me every time it hurts."

Tamara's fury was palpable, her face flushed with rage, but before she could retort, a quiet, trembling sound broke through the tension.

Victoria was wiping her tears with her arm, her voice barely a whisper.

"You're… alive…"

Tamara's anger faltered as she turned to her. The room was quiet, even Kallistra became quiet on the other side. A few moments passed and no one spoke before Tamara murmured.

"Vicky?"

Victoria nodded slowly, her voice steady but laced with emotion.

"I'm fine. I'm just… relieved. I thought you were dead, Kallistra. I thought…" Her voice broke for a moment, but she took a deep breath and continued. "Thank God you're alive."

The room fell silent. Even Kallistra seemed momentarily shaken. When she finally spoke, her voice was softer, hesitant.

"Vicky…"

Victoria straightened her voice firm but kind.

Victoria straightened her voice firm but carrying an unmistakable softness.

"Kallistra, you're free to go. No one will come after you. We won't report you… no one will know. You have my word."

She paused, her grip tightening around the emerald gem as if drawing strength from it. Her next words came slower, heavier.

"Live your life, Kallistra. Do what you said, explore, discover, enjoy the freedom you've wanted. But… please," her voice cracked as raw emotion seeped into her tone, "don't ever push us into that kind of ultimatum again. Don't try to alter the world. Don't force us to stand against you again. If you do… if you take that path, you'll leave us no choice. The next time will be the last, and I don't want that, Kallistra. I don't want to see any of us fighting like that ever again."

There was a long, heavy silence. Even Kallistra seemed at a loss for words. Her silence on the other end of the line was deafening, a stark contrast to her usual confident tone.

After what felt like an eternity, Kallistra's voice returned, forcing herself to sound playful, but it came out strained and uncertain.

"If we... pretend to everyone that I was possessed by the dragon, I won't have to run away anymore," she offered, a weak attempt at humor.

Tamara growled.

"Like hell, we will!"

Kallistra's laugh returned, lighter this time.

"Fair enough. Take care of yourselves, Vicky. And Tamara, try not to explode too often. You're getting wrinkles. Catch you soon."

With that, the line went dead.

The two women stood in silence for a moment. Tamara's anger simmered, but it was tempered by the relief that lingered in the air.

Victoria, still holding the emerald gem, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, a warm smile on the lips.

"She's really gone," Victoria said softly, her voice carrying a mix of relief and lingering worry.

Tamara crossed her arms and shot Victoria a sharp look. "And how exactly are you planning to explain this to everyone?"

Victoria exhaled slowly, her gaze falling back to the emerald gem in her hand.

"I'll need a lot of excuses to make them swallow this," she admitted.

Tamara growled under her breath, shaking her head.

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

Victoria glanced at her, the corners of her lips twitching into a faint, tired smile.

"Always has been. You were the tough one, and Kally the smart one. There's only one room left for me."

Tamara rolled her eyes, she crossed her arms, looking at the window, trying as best as she could to hide her smile.