Let's Train Heroine

Lucan and Maris exchanged a glance, both understanding that the next trial lay before them.

"Looks like a puzzle," Lucan said, "And I don\'t think it\'s going to be easy." Lucan forget about puzzle, he tried to remember but he doesn\'t remember at all.

Maris approached the table, her eyes scanning the symbols. "Four elements... Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. Each section must correspond to one of the elements. But what\'s the puzzle?"

As if in response to her question, the room began to hum with a low, vibrating sound. The carvings on the door started to glow, and a series of stone panels rose from the floor around the room. On each panel, there were various objects—rocks, a basin of water, a torch with a flickering flame, and feathers.

Above the table, an hourglass appeared, filled with sand that immediately began to trickle down.

"We have to solve it before the sand runs out," Lucan muttered, eyeing the hourglass. "If we don\'t, something bad is going to happen."

It\'s not just bad but it\'s life threatening situation if they failed.

Maris nodded grimly. "I think you\'re right. Let\'s not waste any time."

They quickly divided their attention between the four sections of the table. Each section had a grid of nine squares, and beneath each grid was a hollowed-out depression, as if waiting for something to be placed inside. The symbols on the grid were a mix of cryptic runes and elemental markings, but their meaning was far from clear.

Lucan moved toward the Earth section first. The panel corresponding to it had several stones of different shapes and sizes. He picked up a smooth, round stone, examining it closely. "There\'s got to be a connection between these symbols and the objects," he said. "But what?"

Maris, meanwhile, focused on the Water section. The basin of water on its corresponding panel was still, but when she dipped her fingers into it, ripples formed, distorting the reflection of the chamber\'s ceiling above. She frowned, deep in thought.

"We have to align the symbols correctly," she said. "Each element must match with the right combination. If we make a mistake..."

Lucan didn\'t need her to finish the sentence. "Let\'s start with what we know," he suggested. "Earth is solid and unchanging. The stone should represent stability or something similar."

Maris nodded, shifting her attention to the symbols. "Water is fluid, adaptable. It must correspond to change or flow."

They began to work methodically, testing different combinations of symbols and objects. Each correct placement caused a faint glow to appear in the corresponding section of the table, but it wasn\'t long before they realized the true complexity of the puzzle.

Every time they placed an object incorrectly, the symbols would flash ominously, and the room\'s hum grew louder. The hourglass continued to drain, and with each passing moment, the pressure increased.

Lucan\'s brow furrowed as he struggled with the Earth puzzle. "This symbol looks like a mountain," he muttered, placing a small rock in the grid. The symbol glowed faintly, but the grid didn\'t complete. "Close, but not quite right."

Maris was having similar trouble with the Water section. She had arranged the symbols to represent a flowing river, but something was missing. "There\'s a pattern here, Lucan-sama, but I can\'t see it yet."

Lucan paused, stepping back to get a better view of the table as a whole. "Maybe we\'re thinking about this the wrong way. These elements don\'t just exist alone; they interact. Earth and Water, Fire and Wind—there\'s a balance. Maybe we need to connect the elements somehow."

Maris\'s eyes lit up with realization. "Of course! The elements aren\'t just individual forces; they complement and oppose each other. We need to find the balance between them."

Working together, they began to rearrange the objects and symbols on the table, considering how each element interacted with the others. Earth supported Water, which in turn could extinguish Fire. Wind could fan the flames, but it also shaped the land and carried water across great distances.

As they started to align the symbols with this new understanding, the corresponding sections began to glow brighter. The Earth section was completed first, with a combination of stones arranged to resemble a mountain surrounded by a fertile valley. The Water section followed, depicting a flowing river that carved its way through the land.

"Two down," Lucan said, his voice tense. "But the hourglass is nearly empty."

Maris moved to the Fire section, where the torch burned with an intensity that seemed to grow hotter as time passed. The symbols here were the most volatile, representing both the destructive and life-giving aspects of fire.

"The balance here is critical," Maris said. "Fire can bring warmth and light, but it can also destroy."

She carefully placed the torch in the center of the grid, surrounding it with symbols that depicted both creation and destruction. The Fire section glowed as it completed, the torch\'s flame steadying as if in approval.

"Just one left," Lucan said, moving to the Wind section. The panel here held a set of feathers, light and delicate, almost as if they could float away at any moment. The symbols depicted movement and stillness, the gentle breeze and the raging storm.

"This one\'s tricky," Maris said, eyeing the hourglass, which now had only a few grains of sand remaining.

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Lucan picked up one of the feathers, feeling its softness in his hand. "Wind is everywhere and nowhere at once," he said. "It\'s the breath of life, but also a force of change."

They worked quickly, arranging the symbols to depict both the calm and the storm, the stillness and the whirlwind. With seconds to spare, they placed the final feather in the grid. The Wind section glowed brightly, completing the puzzle.