Maple High School Academy Year 1
The Soul Blower - Puzzle Pieces

Puzzle Pieces

"JACE!" LILY SHOUTed as she looked at Jace up ahead. A horse was neighing and raising its front legs, ready to attack Jace who was slumped on the ground.

Lily tried to wrap the horse with plants that spread on the ground. Exactly as he did when wrapped around the visual bull in the practice room. However, due to being too panicked, his focus became broken. So that he failed to move the plant as he wanted.

Without thinking, Lily immediately ran over to Jace, then grabbed the boy's hand until it was behind him. Lily becomes a shield to protect.

The horse almost raised its foot on Lily. However, it suddenly stopped when their gazes met. Lily who was still stricken with fear had now become a little confused. The eight-legged horse continued to observe Lily.

Wait a minute... eight-legged? Lily's eyes immediately fiddled to see what was in front of her right now. Could it be Sleipnir?

Jace was confused. The reason, just a moment ago the gray horse almost killed him with a continuous attack. And now? Just be quiet and look at Lily carefully. Goddamnit! Not only humans, but stallions also interested women, Jace's mind was upset.

The gray horse immediately snorted and advanced its face towards Jace, as if it knew what the blond man was thinking. The panicked Lily immediately got in the way. He looked at Jace as if to say 'What should I do?'. Jace just slicked his shoulders. Lily stared pleading, she was completely confused at this moment. Don't know what to do. Uneasily, Lily slightly shook the yellow glowing spinach she was holding. This attracted the attention of the horse.

Lily looked at Jace. The guy pointed his chin forward, giving Lily the code to immediately throw the spinach as far as possible for the horse to stay away briefly from them.

Lily nodded in understanding. Slowly wiggling the spinach rod to the right then to the left followed by the horse's gaze. He threw it as far away as possible after taking a swing. He immediately helped Jace get up. However, at that very second, the eight-legged gray horse returned carrying a yellow glowing spinach in its mouth.

The surprised look was clearly printed on Lily and Jace's face. The horse ran faster than the usual horse.

Sleipnir is able to run very fast to beat the speed of the wind.

Lily closed her mouth in disbelief. Sibyl's words floated back in her head. Grizzled. Manly. Huge. Legs eight. Tight running. Possibly ....

 Maya knocked quietly at the door in front of him. "Sibyl" whispered Maya.

Shortly after, the door opened. Showing a woman with a black cloth. Maya quickly enters and locks the door from the inside. The woman took off the black cloth that hid her body, replaced with a golden wooden statue.

Maya began to sit on a large log that lay inside the dark room. Opening the orange cloak he was wearing, he took out a shabby piece of paper from inside. Just empty shabby paper, not a single scribble.

Maya frowned for a moment. Turn the paper over and over again. To the point of patting his own forehead a little hard, "God I forgot!"

He took out a bottle of clear liquid from his pocket. Making friends with an alchemist meant having to be ready to befriend thousands of these kind of little bottles as well, the inner Maya. Then he poured a drop on the shabby paper he was carrying. A letter appeared slowly.

"I purposely made this, just in case no one could read this paper but us" Efron said upon returning from the potion chamber last night. He dropped a piece of paper to Maya, "You bring this paper to Sibyl tomorrow morning, drop this liquid to read it. I'm gonna go find a book that contains Tyr's aett."

Maya frowns in wonder, "Tyr's aett? Didn't Lily say it was Hagal's aett, huh? And the book is already there."

"No. I think Lily's estimate was wrong. I've read the book to the end, but I haven't found any leads at all." Efron took a short breath, "You just ask Sibyl for this hint. I found this on Tyr's aett."

Maya observes the writing that begins to appear. "If you want to win a war, then you have to win your own morals." Maya's thick eyebrows intertwined, indicating that she was confused. "What does this mean? This has absolutely nothing to do with the mission of returning you, after all we're not at war, are we? Sibyl, please explain something to me."

War does not always clash with swords.

Sibyl does not speak like a human. Of course, it was only a wooden statue. His mouth could not open, it could only slightly arch a smile. However, Sibyl's words are able to be heard by the inner person she is speaking to.

War does not always have to be with the enemy who looks in plain sight.

Sibyl started to approach Maya. Slowly his hand was raised, making a creaking sound like a door being opened. Sibyl pressed her hand slightly firmly against Maya's chest.

If it's in here against what your head thinks, then that includes war.

"That means ... My heart and my head are hostile to each other?" Maya looks plainly at the statue of Sibyl. "Hey! Why are you laughing? I solemnly asked," Maya protested when she heard Sibyl's booming laughter.

I thought any kid knew what I meant. You ever heard of inner war?

Hardly Maya slaps her forehead—again. How could he be so stupid like this? "It was fortunate that there was no Lily or Efron, let alone the Twitter Bird, Jace. So, nobody laughs at me— except Sibyl."

“I heard you, Maya.”

The gods will give victory to those who deserve it. Sibyl began to continue her explanation. Several times Maya and Efron asked, and Sibyl explained it patiently.

Victory is not always of the greatest and superior, but there are also of those who do redemption.

"Wait," said Efron. "What does redemption mean?"

Sibyl smiled. Those who have no pollution in their hearts, the gods will protect them. However, for those whose hearts are dirty, it is necessary to carry out the process of redemption. I think it's almost the same as punishment.

 "Efron, why did you even bring me here? If it is caught, Mr. Crionic, how? Really, that bald-headed Elf is so annoying," Maya grumbled along her foot stepping. Maya and Efron are now in the Colosseum. After hearing Sibyl's explanation, Efron hurried to invite Maya to come to this place.

"If you shut up, we won't get caught." Efron walked quickly down the marble floor.

Efron leads Maya into a dark passageway. There are some large stones that decorate the walls. The stone was inscribed with ancient symbols. Efron approached one of them, then blew away the dust that was blocking. "Take a look at this," pointed to Efron.

Maya looked back, "You're mocking me, aren't you?"

"Ck, just pay attention first."

Maya's head called, "This ... an inscription?"

Efron nodded. His hands traced letter after letter that was imprinted on the stone. "This text seems to contain the letters of Tyr's aett. I've heard my brother talk to his friend. In this paper store cosmic energy, also a magic."

"Don't the combination of rune letters really contain a lot of magic? That's why we learned the runes here."

"I'm not done talking yet" said Efron. "I'm no stranger to this writing. If not mistaken, this writing is often used for rituals to calm the spirits of the dead."

The Maya mouth is rounded to form the letter o. Nodding slightly, Maya looked at Efron back. "What does this contain?"

Efron refers to one word that is separate from the rest of the series. It is located on the right side and slightly upward and consists of five letters. "This, sueus, the meaning is unknown, but I am sure that this passage contains magic."

Efron's hand turned to designate a longer string of letters and ended in a letter shaped like a cypress tree. "Then, look at the shape. It was shaped like a stacked Tiwaz rune. From the book I read earlier, this has the meaning of a prayer or maybe even protection from a god named Tyr."

"Then what does all this have to do with our problems, Ef? I want to cry because I don't understand."

Efron scratched his non-itchy head. "It seems like my explanation is too convoluted."

Efron hid his dark bead and took a deep breath. "We have to help Lily win this thing" Efron said. "We need this magic, as well as its protection .. for Lily."

 "Oh my God, this horse is so adorable," cried Lily happily while rubbing Sleipnir's neck. After almost an entire night, Lily finally managed to bind the inner Sleipnir.

Not as easy as imagined. Several times Sleipnir seemed to want to attack, although sometimes acting sweet. This caused several injuries to both Jace and Lily's body.

Jace could barely even walk as the rebellious Sleipnir managed to stomp his left foot hard.

"Jace, can you walk back to the dormitory?"

Jace massaged his legs slowly, "I just need to get out of this forest, then I can board the flyboard to reach the dormitory. It seems like walking slowly won't matter."

"Then, what about Sleipnir? What do we have to take him like?"

Jace seemed to think for a moment. Shortly after flicking his finger, "We should look for daisy."

"Daisy flower? For ap—oh, I get it! We're gonna make a shrink potion, right?" Lily looks so excited, "You look like Efron when talking potions."

Jace flicked his palm lazily, "Obviously I'm better than your curly friend."

 "Ef, are you sure this magic spell will work?" Maya seemed hesitant to copy the runes imprinted on the stone inscription.

"Why? You ... do you feel like something bad is going to happen next?" Efron looked seriously at Maya.

"Come on," answered Maya uninspired.