Ethan never imagined his luck would be so absurdly strong.
Two natal flame seeds—something not even one in ten million spirit beasts might possess.
It was as though the heavens had spilled their fortune; like the luck of a dozen ancestral lines had finally come due all at once.
With Ashira safely in possession of two flame seeds, the guilt Ethan felt about accepting one for himself vanished.
He reached into his storage and drew forth a slim bottle carved from cold jade, the kind used by ancient alchemists to store the most volatile treasures.
With solemn care, he guided one of the azure flames—the very heart of the blue phoenix—into its crystalline depths. The seed danced and flickered, casting shifting blue-green shadows against his face.
"Thank you," Ethan murmured, stroking Ashira's feathery head in gratitude.
"Gu Gu~" Ashira chirped, cozying up to Ethan's side in a display of birdish affection.
