The pouch was empty.
Amanda knew it before she even opened it.
She still did anyway—habit more than hope—pinching the fabric between her fingers and tipping it upside down over her desk. Nothing fell out. Not a shard. Not dust. Just the soft, accusing rustle of cloth.
She sighed and leaned back in her chair.
"Of course," she muttered.
The Vex hovered in front of her face, upside down, watching the pouch with narrowed eyes like it was personally offended. Its small sword dissolved into motes of light as it crossed its arms.
"No," Amanda said firmly. "Don't look at me like that. You ate them."
The Vex buzzed defensively.
She'd learned, very quickly, that emeralds weren't just food to it.
They were everything.
It didn't chew them the way animals chewed. The moment the green fragment touched its mouth, it shattered into shimmering particles—tiny cubes of light that dissolved into its body like rain soaking into dry ground, minda like Cotton Candy. The Vex would shiver afterward, glow brighter, wings humming happily.
And then—
Energy.
Too much of it.
It flew faster. Hit harder. Got louder.
Which was why Amanda had been rationing the emeralds carefully.
Had been.
"Look," she said, rubbing her temples. "You'll get more. I just… need to go ask."
The Vex perked up instantly.
"Yes," Amanda added, pointing at it. "Ask. Not steal."
It pretended not to hear her.
---
The walk back to Cubic Creatures felt longer than usual.
Amanda's legs were sore from training—running, mostly—and her shoulders still ached from where the Vex had insisted on "helping" by tugging her along at full speed. She adjusted the strap of her bag and tried not to think about how obvious her desperation probably looked.
She stopped short when the shop came into view.
Two men stood outside.
Bodyguards.
Big ones.
Black coats reinforced with mana-thread, boots polished, expressions bored but alert. They flanked the entrance like statues, eyes scanning the street.
Amanda's stomach tightened.
Please don't tell me—
She pushed the door open anyway.
The bell chimed.
Inside, the atmosphere was… tense.
A familiar voice carried across the shop, smooth and smug.
"I said I'd pay triple of whatever price you name," Zack Ryan said. "Can I get that squid?"
Amanda froze just inside the doorway.
Zack.
Of course it was Zack.
He stood near the counter, perfectly groomed, academy uniform tailored just a bit too well. His posture was relaxed in the way only someone who'd never been told no could manage.
Behind the counter, the shop owner—Eryx—stood calm and unmoved.
"I told you," Eryx said evenly, "the 'squid' is a Ghastling. And it's not for sale."
Zack scoffed. "Everything's for sale."
Amanda's fingers curled into fists.
Zack Ryan.
Son of the Lead Scientist of the Cities' Beast Treatment Department. The man in charge of diseases, mutations, advancement materials—anything processed, refined, approved.
Zack didn't earn things.
He acquired them.
He glanced around the shop again, eyes lingering on the floating shape near the counter.
The Ghastling.
It was… bigger.
Not massively so—but unmistakably larger than the last time Amanda had seen it. Its smooth body glowed softly, ribbon-like limbs drifting in the air. When Zack's gaze fixed on it, the Ghastling shifted.
Moved.
It floated forward.
Placed itself directly in front of Eryx.
And the Fire Dog.
Zack had summoned it without warning.
The Rottweiler-sized beast stood at his side, fur rippling with embers, jaws dripping sparks onto the floor that hissed on contact.
The Ghastling raised two of its front ribbons.
Not threatening.
Protective.
Amanda's heart skipped.
"Zack," she said before she could stop herself. "C-can you please stop?"
He turned, irritation flashing across his face—
Then confusion.
He didn't recognize her.
Of course he didn't.
His gaze slid over her, dismissive, already bored. "Do I know you?"
He said—forgetting she was his favorite 'friend' back in the Academy.
Amanda flinched.
Eryx's eyes flicked briefly toward her, then back to Zack.
"I won't sell her," Eryx said calmly. "And even if I did—which I won't—you're not the kind of owner she needs."
Zack's pride cracked.
Just a little.
His smile sharpened. "You don't get to decide that."
"I already have."
The Fire Dog growled.
The Ghastling's glow intensified, body expanding subtly, pressure shifting the air. It didn't hiss. Didn't attack.
It simply existed—and that was enough.
Zack clicked his tongue.
"Tch. Whatever," he said. "Enjoy your little shop."
He turned and left, bodyguards following without a word.
The bell chimed again.
Silence settled.
Amanda realized she'd been holding her breath.
---
"Oh," Eryx said suddenly, glancing at her. "A previous customer."
Amanda startled. "I—uh—yes. Hi."
"Are you in need of more emerald fragments to feed your Vex?" he asked casually. "I'll just put it on your tab. Come take them."
Her eyes widened. "I-I can pay! I-it's fine."
Eryx paused.
Looked at her.
Then smiled.
"…No," he said gently. "In fact, you can pay me by telling me your name."
Amanda blinked.
"…A-Amanda."
"Hello Amanda," he said. "My name's Eryx."
Something in her chest loosened.
He reached beneath the counter and produced a small pouch, placing it in her hands. Emeralds clinked softly inside.
Before she could react, the Vex appeared in a flash of blue light—
And immediately shoved its face into the pouch.
"Hey!" Amanda snapped. "That's before lunch!"
The Vex froze, emerald fragment halfway to its mouth.
Then chewed faster.
Eryx laughed.
Amanda groaned, mortified. "I'm so sorry. It's—"
"Unruly?" Eryx offered.
"Yes!"
He smiled wider. "Good. That means it's healthy."
Amanda hesitated, then looked back toward where Zack had stood.
"…Thank you," she said quietly.
"For what?"
"For not selling her," Amanda said. "He wouldn't have treated the Ghastling well. I know his type."
Eryx's smile softened.
"She's mine," he said simply. "And even if I were stupid enough to sell her—which I'm not—I wouldn't give her to someone who sees Beasts as trophies."
Amanda nodded.
The Vex hovered beside her, humming contentedly, emerald dust sparkling faintly in the air.
For the first time since graduation—
Amanda felt like she'd chosen the right door.