Flowers, like most plants, are socially inclined. If they grow together long enough, they even form interdependence on each other. Their survival is then dependent on the other.

~Blodeuwedd, Goddess of Flowers and Wisdom

2 months before Crow’s arrival in the Cursed Grove…

Acco woke sprawled over a tree with no clothes on. While he remembered his trial and was forced to run from Daemons, it wasn’t too bad. He looked down at his diamond-shaped Shield and saw a field of stars. It vaguely appeared to be a constellation, but not one that Acco had ever seen.

As a mutated Shield, it provided him a unique ability called Dimensional Mapping. It didn’t sound that

He knew as a mutated Shield it had a unique ability, and that was its dimensional mapping. On the surface, it seemed unimpressive because it mapped a thirty-meter radius around him. It didn’t register any animals or people, just terrain-related things—rocks, trees, and other vegetation. The exciting thing was that it mapped underground areas too.

Mentally, he tried to touch an underground cave to see if he could view it in more detail but suddenly found himself surrounded by darkness. It took several long seconds to realize he managed to teleport to a place he didn’t see with his own eyes.

Normally, a dark cave was no problem, but now he realized another issue—he’d lost all his worldly goods. His pack, filled with all his items, was gone. In fact, anything not Soul-Linked wouldn’t have come over with him. Somehow he knew this was Crow’s fault. Without him, he’d never have been drawn into this stupid event nor received a mutated Shield—well, that wasn’t so bad.

It was a shame he didn’t have a Shield before entering the tower, then he’d have had a Soul-Linked spatial treasure. Either way, it didn’t dampen his excitement over his mutated Shield’s ability. Thinking about his next steps, he knew there was only one option available to him.

Examining his Constellation, he felt two of the stars weren’t far away. Maybe a day’s hard travel. They had to help him because they were now his family. Or so he hoped. Crow’s black star and Mara’s star were the only two stars he recognized. Weirdly, while newer stars were lit up, he could sense several dormant ones. He’d never heard of a Constellation having reserved stars. It was as if they were positions waiting to be filled.

Grrrrr!

“Time to go!” Acco shouted.

His sense of danger was acute and something he’d spent years perfecting. It was all for his art of escaping. Even deep in thought, he’d instantly be able to bolt, and the second he heard the growling, he’d already teleported away. When it came to exploring, he was super curious, but he didn’t even glance at beasts before fleeing most of the time.

Thirty meters may not seem that far, but through the ground, that was pretty awesome. Without tools, Acco couldn’t see what was down there with him anyway, but leaping back to the surface was an effective escape route.

Once his feet touched the ground, he could feel a rumble beneath his feet. Survival instinct told him to jump again because thirty meters wasn’t all that far. Seeing a spot that was much further away, he activated his warping ability the traditional way.

As he vanished, the ground beneath where he stood crumbled, and a bear-like beast erupted from the ground. Dirt, rock, and foliage exploded outward while the beast turned to look for the creature that invaded its home. Its black button nose wiggled as it sniffed the air and its round ears twitched. Spinning, it turned to stare in the direction Acco jumped.

Acco spotted the groundhog beast at the same time it spotted him. His jaw dropped when he saw the beast dive into the ground, and a row of furrowed dirt was torn up as the creature aimed right for him. The thing moved so fast that Acco started to panic and warped several times in a row.

Spending a little time to recover, he felt he was safe, but maybe thirty minutes later, he felt the ground rumbling.

“What the hell!?” Acco shouted, unable to gain a chance for a breather. All he wanted to do was find some clothes and a place to bathe. This damned beast was ridiculous.

Maybe those two stars were in a town—it was worth a shot. Acco hopped half a dozen times in one go and felt a bit dizzy from mana deprivation. He’d overdrawn himself a little. Resting a bit, he knew the thing was still coming, but he just didn’t understand how it was tracking him. Technically, unless it could sense spatial ripples, it should be impossible to follow him.

In a daze, he almost missed the telltale signs of its approach. Frantically he warped and stumbled out onto a road. Frazzled by his frantic attempts at fleeing, he didn’t even pay attention to his lack of clothes or how crazy he appeared.

Looking over in a daze, he saw a wagon approaching with guards marching alongside it. He had to rub his eyes to confirm he wasn’t seeing things.

“Help!” Acco shouted out. The guards came at him with blades drawn, and now he regretted calling out to them and couldn’t understand their hostility. “Watch out! There is a beast—”

“You are the beast! How dare you expose yourself in front of our lady.”

Acco looked down, and his face flushed red as he tried to cover himself. The lead guard, the one he felt was in charge, raised his sword to strike Acco down but watched in horror as the ground exploded on the side of the road and a beast the size of a man chomped right through his arm. Those large teeth stained with blood made it even more terrifying than before.

Before anyone else could react, beast and man went to the ground, and its claw slashed the guard’s throat open. Finished with one prey, it leaped at the next, biting through the guard’s leg. Its claw swiped across the stomach of a third guard, spilling intestines all over the ground.

“Stop gawking, you damned fools!” A woman shouted from the wagon, and the guards finally activated their Shields and struck back. As agile as the groundhog was, it couldn’t avoid all the blades.

Acco had long been knocked into the ditch on the opposite side of the road. No wonder he couldn’t escape the damned thing. It was unnatural. Even the crystal on its head was irregularly shaped, which meant it was some kind of mutated beast.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

A flash of light caused a rainbow spectrum to appear before it disappeared. Acco wasn’t sure what he was seeing, but the thin sheet looked like thin glass, and the light hitting it refracted. If he hadn’t seen it from the side, he wouldn’t even have known the woman from the wagon attacked.

It was so thin that it could be comparable to an assassin’s garrote, but that type of control was only something he’d seen Crow manage to do. Even Crow wasn’t as skilled as this person was. Acco stared at the groundhog that continued to fight, but amazingly, its head had already been shorn off so cleanly that it didn’t realize it was dead yet.

The moment the magic blade did its work, the spell dissipated. The thin sheet turned back into water mist and settled to the ground. Acco felt wiped some of it from his face, making sure it really was water. He’d never seen anyone use the water element as something that deadly before. Most of those proficient with water ended up as healers.

After the groundhog died, its body still twitching, the guards turned toward Acco. The looks were mixed, and he couldn’t accurately judge the crowd, so he continued cultivating, afraid things might go sideways. He didn’t have a lot of talents, but no one compared to him when it came to escaping.

“Give him a robe. Bury the men. We leave in five minutes,” the miss inside the wagon commanded. Acco felt it sounded like that of a mature woman, and her spellcasting ability would seem to agree with that.

Some of the guards swore under their breath, angry at Acco, but not one of them disobeyed orders. He now had clothes, but they’d all seen his mutated Shield. A diamond-shaped Shield and unusual crest was the only eye-catching thing on his naked body.

“Miss? I’m very grateful to you, but as you can tell, I’ve just arrived. C-could you give me a weapon too? A dagger is fine.”

“What is your name?”

“Acco.”

“Just Acco?”

He knew it was a loaded question. Any hesitation would land him in trouble, so he could only spit out the first thing that came to mind. “Acco, son of Maddox.”

Crow shouldn’t have any complaints. That evil jerk gave him enough problems, so the least he could do was let him borrow his name.

“You don’t have the look of a druid.”

The response surprised Acco. He hadn’t expected the woman in the wagon would instantly recognize the name. Either she was well informed, or the Maddox clan was more well known than he’d thought. If people had an issue with the Maddox clan, he might have just made a colossal mistake.

“To be fair, miss, I arrived here naked. Not sure how I’m supposed to look.” Acco’s mouth was faster, and it was possibly even faster than his ability to flee. No way would he take a loss now that he’d committed to this lie.

Several guards chuckled before stopping themselves and looking fearfully at the wagon.

A long, narrow dagger stabbed the ground between Acco’s feet. A long knife was his preferred weapon, so it suited him even if the handle was a bit garish. Grasping the hilt, he pulled the long knife free to admire the craftsmanship.

A sting sensation started to turn his palm numb, and inwardly Acco began to curse. Outwardly, there was no change to his expression. Sliding the dagger into the sash of his robe, he turned his palm upward to take a look. There were three puncture wounds, and each of them was beading with blood. Looking toward the wagon, he held up his hand as if waving at them.

“W-what is this?”

“Don’t fight it. You are too valuable to kill. The drug will knock you out for a while. Consider yourself conscripted—”

Fwoomp. Acco disappeared.

“—dammit! Find him. He can’t have gone far.”

She was partly right. Acco arrived in a small cave beneath the road. It was twenty meters below the surface, so he hoped they couldn’t detect him. Knowing that it was a sedative, he just laid back and closed his eyes. He attempted to cultivate, but the little mana he’d restored drained off the moment he teleported. There wasn’t enough energy in him to resist the drug, and he succumbed to unconsciousness.

***

Mara woke and found herself on a cliff overlooking the Plunge. Her boobs hurt because of the awkward angle her naked body had slept. Looking down between her breasts, she saw a pavise Shield. The only reason she recognized the shape was that Crow mentioned it once. It was a tall shield that archers used to hide behind.

Staring at the Shield with her mouth agape, she had to wonder if the heavens had a sense of humor. Ironically, she often claimed she wanted to be Crow’s shield, and oddly, she was granted her wish. Maybe not so odd. Crow did tell her that his Source and heritage had taken on changes because he willed it a certain way. The manifestation of a pavise could have been her subconscious desire.

A lion’s maw was her crest, but she could only tell it was a lion by the purplish-black mane that flared out around it. Crow once mentioned she was like a void lion, and she trusted him. It made her wonder if this crest was that of a void lion. Most void beasts had a devouring effect, and her Shield was no different. Its deviant ability was that she could absorb the energy of any spell or technique used against her, including kinetic energy from physical attacks. That energy was converted into her mana that her Source could immediately own. It was kind of crazy that taking a beating would improve her cultivation.

Thinking about it, as long as she could stand by Crow’s side, she’d take all his suffering if she could. Mara knew she was helplessly in love with that crazy boy and knew she could withstand anything with him at her side. Crow was the first and only man she’d ever acknowledge. That was how deep her trust was in him.

The only thing on her body was the Soul-Linked spatial ring that Crow gave her. Jokingly, he claimed it was a symbol of their bond. Even boasting he’d get her a better one befitting the Mommy Queen. Mara knew that it wasn’t a joke despite the mirth in his eyes, and it was his awkward way of professing his care to her. She’d never give the ring back, but for now, she transferred everything out of it and into her Shield. Taking out some clothes, she quickly got dressed.

Looking out over the Plunge from her vantage point, she only felt awe. It was like a massive blade cleaved the land leaving an empty void. Even knowing that it was safe to jump off the edge, she felt fearful approaching the rim. The mountain cave she was in really had been sliced apart, and as she peered over the side, she could see the mountain was like polished glass alongside the Plunge.

She moved back, afraid of accidentally falling over, and sat down to cultivate. Unlike Crow, she didn’t have a plethora of spells and techniques, but she did take time to acclimate to her new power. Like the Clocktower, her entry into the tower was easy and without much drama. If Crow and Acco knew she was in a mountain cave without any beasts and a nice view, they’d probably both spit blood.

Leaving the cave, she found a nice goat path and followed it down the mountain until she reached a pleasant hamlet. A sheepherder waved pleasantly, and she waved back before making her way into the small village. Everyone was incredibly accommodating, even offering her a house to sleep in, as the previous owner had passed last winter. Dinner was a communal affair, and they all gathered. Some residents played a little music while others cleaned up. The youngsters ran around playing games.

Mara knew it was an idyllic life that she’d probably not experience for a long time. Ahead of her was bloodshed, turmoil, and a man who’d die for her happiness. A smile remained on her face as she fell asleep.

The smile remained on her face even after she woke an hour later. Two men entered the house with ill intent, but they had no idea what they had done wrong. Mara wasn’t a wolf, nor was she a crow or bear. She was a lioness, and two unwanted beasts had just entered her den.

“This mommy has been waiting for you,” Mara said sweetly before leaping up from the bed with her sword already drawn. Her battle roar woke the surrounding families, but they remained in their homes, afraid to leave. It was the last sound those two men heard before she tore them apart.

The next day, no one saw her, but they found the corpses of the two men. One of the men had a dagger stabbed into his crotch with a note attached.

A lioness would rather die than give up its pride.

The double meaning was accidental, and Mara wasn’t sure why she left that note. She didn’t want to kill and felt she owed an explanation to the villagers. Even though she was sure they knew what would happen, none of them warned her. Maybe it was her way of warning them back.

Either way, she never knew those words would one day become her creed. A motto by which she lived. People would learn to fear this proud woman, but that fear couldn’t compare to her pride—the people that walked shoulder to shoulder with her through heaven and hell.

A lion without its pride is no longer a lion but a poor excuse for an overgrown cat.