“What are you doing?” Mara asked.

“Scanning with Spatial Mapping. I’ve upgraded my ability, and even formations can’t block the mapping unless they are extremely powerful,” Acco explained.

“Why?”

“We can’t stay here and wait for him to wake. That thing was tracking him. I’m positive of it.”

“He’s right,” Song Xue claimed. “I’m not sure why it is after him, but my guess is it’s his bloodline—your bloodline.”

“How do we do this?” Mara asked. “Other than Crow, I’m the only one with the map memorized.”

“Which direction are the stairs? I’ll make a direct line for it using the caves along the way.”

Mara looked around and then pointed in a direction southeast of the chasm. “Go that way. The stairs of ascension are roughly that direction, but I’m aiming you more east because as long as you reach the ascension wall, it’ll be fine.”

“I’ll bring you all inside and keep Lily with me. She can be the go-between if you need to tell me anything.”

A few minutes later, Acco had Crow slung over his shoulder, with Lily sitting on his other. Aiming himself southeast, he began warping from location to location. When he got tired, he’d find an enclosed cave and rest.

Subconsciously, he was clenching his new hand. He’d grown it back, but it still felt weird, like it didn’t belong to him. So when under stress, he noticed he’d continually clench it into a fist.

Every time he was ready to warp, he ensured he had enough mana to warp again immediately. It was better to be safe than sorry. Almost two days went by with only one big scare. He warped right into a spider web that filled the entire cavern, but luckily the spider was long gone.

“When is this bastard going to wake up?” Acco mumbled to himself. He knew Crow spent a lot of his mana, so it wasn’t surprising he was out cold, but he wasn’t light.

Acco felt sore from carrying Crow, and it was a shame he couldn’t directly enter his own Soulscape. He tried using the Constellation to jump to another person within it, but that only worked because Crow created a channel between his Soulscape and the outside. The distance was too great without that channel, and Acco lacked the power to jump between.

In the time since he met Crow, his gains were impressive. The Constellation he lost probably couldn’t come close to the genius that is Crow, and by association, Acco improved significantly. He had a new set of techniques that elevated an Astrologer’s natural affinity toward space. His primary skills were Star Barrier, Spatial Mapping, Star Slide, and Space Lock.

Star Slide was the mainstay of an Astrologer but paired with Spatial Mapping, he could warp anywhere within his Spatial Map. Previously, it required line of sight, but now it was so much better.

Acco derived Star Barrier and Space Lock from the Constellation Barrier book he gained from the Clocktower. It was his interpretation of the technique. Barrier used space as a shield to block attacks, and the Lock was the same thing, only it locked the space around whatever he wanted, like an opponent’s hand. While it was in effect, they couldn’t move whatever it trapped inside. It had other uses beyond that.

Previously, he only used daggers and short swords, but over the last few years, Song Xue taught him how to use a Chain Blade. Outwardly, it looked like a normal dagger, but with a twist of his wrist, he could release the blade from the hilt and shoot it forward. The chain attached was only three meters long, but it was quite a nasty surprise for unsuspecting victims.

He attempted to find a similar chain blade that was Soul-Linked like Song Xue’s Flying Blizzard Claw, but weapons like those were hard to find. Even with Darkstar’s resources, they only came across a few Soul-Linked items, and none suited him.

Activating Spatial Mapping, he looked for another place to jump but didn’t immediately warp. The reason was his ability wasn’t like proper mapping but scanned for open space—areas void of any physical objects. It only gave him the vaguest of outlines, but he was slowly learning to control it. If he held it for a few minutes and waited, he could see when objects moved through a previously empty area. In this way, he could detect if something was nearby.

This method wouldn’t work when he was fleeing, but it was best to wait in a situation like this. With the Scath everywhere, it was dangerous to run about without considering the area. Besides, he didn’t have the night vision that Crow and Song Xue did. His Spatial Mapping could help him observe the surrounding area to an extent, but it lacked the clarity necessary for survival. Nightstones were helpful, but they were also like a beacon in these dark caverns.

Growing up on a ship out at sea, he didn’t like confined places like these all that much. He felt constrained. After a few hours of jumps, he found a secure room and dumped Crow onto the floor.

Acco had a dozen sandwiches in his Shield that he got from Nadia, so he sat down and started eating. Three Nightstones lit up the place enough for him to monitor Crow and eat, but it created strange shadows.

“Behind you,” Crow croaked, and Acco reacted without thinking. The Chain Dagger was strapped diagonally to his chest with the hilt pointed down. In a smooth, practiced motion, he grasped his weapon and slashed sideways while snapping his wrist. The Chain Blade whipped back behind him in an arc, and he felt it biting into flesh. With a deft hand, he yanked back his arm, and the blade returned to its hilt.

Turning around, Acco saw an eyeless beast scrabbling at the ground in its death throes. Its paws were abnormally large, and its nose was extremely pink. The beast was the size of a small man, and his attack disemboweled it.

“Some kind of mole,” Crow explained.

“Finally awake?” Acco asked, and Crow laughed. Realizing he had asked a dumb question, Acco shrugged and continued to eat his sandwich.

“You’ve changed,” Crow said. “I’m sorry we haven’t had much time to talk.”

“I’ve changed?” Acco spat out some bread crumbs as he spoke.

“Well… mostly changed.”

“How so?”

“You’ve become hardened. Grown up.”

“Fuck you. We’re the same age.”

“We are, but our life experiences are different. I had to grow up a lot earlier than most. You were a little spoiled when we first met you. But you were decent at getting into places you shouldn’t,” Crow grinned at the Astrologer.

“It was the hand that did me in,” Acco said after thinking about it for a while. “I never realized why you obsessed about those scars on your hands so much. Now I know.”

“Oh? What do you know?”

“Pain. It reminds us of who we are and what is important,” Acco said softly. “That day was the worst and best of my life. I finally realized what family means and paid the price for my recklessness. My scar is the hand that doesn’t feel like mine. Sometimes I wake up looking at it and have the urge to chop it off.”

Crow stared at his friend and regretted not talking to him sooner. He didn’t realize Acco was suffering to this extent. He stood up and walked over to the Astrologer, placing his hand on his shoulder.

“Wh-what is that for?”

“I’m trying to say thank you. Thank you for saving our family. I know I boss you around a lot, but that’s only because I consider you one of us. I trust you.”

Acco stood up and stared at Crow. Neither of them spoke for several long moments.

“I…,” Acco started to speak and wasn’t sure what to say. “I should thank you. I’ve realized recently that while I won’t stop giving you shit, I’m grateful you adopted me into this makeshift group. Even if all the women are your wives… so many wives,” Acco sighed. “One day, I’m bringing my wives in. Lots of them. More wives than you’ll ever have.”

“Pfft,” Crow laughed. I doubt you’ll survive just one wife, but I wish you the best, buddy.