I finnaly found my missing puzzle piece, it's you.

A young and lovely Elena met sweet, well-mannered and friendly Junho who does not know his identity. She decided to help him recover his memory and accidentally fell inlove with each other. At the very last puzzle Junho disappeared, and Elena met the new guy unintentionally. Will meeting the new guy reveals the truth behind Junho's disappearance? Or another puzzle to connect?


A novel entitled Psyche's Devotion

Kalau dilihat-lihat mereka seperti berenang, namun dalam es yang membeku. Sungguh unik, dan menarik. Tapi sekarang bukan waktunya untuk berakrobat, karena mereka berdua memang sedang berjuang menyelesaikan masalah yang menyusahkan sekarang ini.

Lyosha menunjuk ke arah pengait itu, Moriz mengangguk dan segera mendekat. Kali ini Lyosha tidak akan ceroboh, jadi dia hendak meminta pendapat Moriz dahulu sebelum bertindak kali ini. 

Moriz menimbang-nimbang, lalu dia memegang pengait itu. Setelah ia merasa yakin, ia lalu menggerakkan pengait itu dengan perlahan. 

Dan ajaibnya es tersebut perlahan meleleh menjadi air kembali. Dan hanya dalam hitungan waktu tiga menit seluruh es yang ada di sana sudah mencair seluruhnya menjadi air. Di susul dengan menyusutnya air itu, mengalir entah ke mana. Sementara mereka berdua dibuat keheranan. Bagaimana tidak heran, tadi Lyosha menggerakkan pengait itu tapi mereka malah membeku, sekarang Moriz yang menggerakkan pengait itu tapi malah es itu mencair dan airnya menyusut.

"Apa-apaan ini?" Lyosha nampak kesal. "Apa airnya pilih kasih karena aku pengguna kekuatan magis api?"

Moriz menggeleng pelan, "Ku rasa bukan begitu." Ia menatap Lyosha serius. "Ke arah mana kau menggeser pengait ini?"

"Er....Ke arah kanan," jawab Lyosha ragu-ragu.

"Kau yakin?" ujar Moriz.

"Aku sangat yakin tentang arah aku menggeser pengait itu. Tapi aku ragu kepada mu, kenapa kau menanyakan itu." Lyosha menatap Moriz heran.

"Hm, ku rasa permasalahannya di situ. Kau salah menggeser pengait itu. Tadi aku menggesernya ke bawah. Bisa saja kan karena itu?" Moriz melipat tangan di dadanya.

Semenit mereka berdua diam, lalu melirik ke arah tembok di samping mereka. Lalu keduanya tersentak, mereka mendapatkan suatu ide.

"Aku rasa aku tak perlu menanyakannya lagi padamu. Karena kita sepertinya sepemikiran." Moriz menatap tembok itu dengan senyuman cerah.

"Ya, nampaknya begitu. Hm, semoga saja benar-benar terbuka," sahut Lyosha. "Astaga aku malas melakukannya, kau saja."

"Kau ini," sahut Moriz. "Tak apa, cobalah. Ini bukan tentang siapa yang menggeser. Kau hanya salah arah tadi."

Lyosha menatap malas pengait itu. Dia takkan menggeser ke arah kanan lagi. Lalu dengan perlahan ia mengembalikkan pengait itu ke tengah dan menggesernya dengan perlahan ke arah atas.

"Oh ayolah lebih cepat," ujar Moriz sambil mengetuk-ngetukkan jarinya di lengannya.

"Sabarlah sedikit! aku sedang berhati-hati!" seru Lyosha.

Setelah pengait itu digeser, tak ada tanda-tanda apapun. 

"Tak terjadi apa-apAAAAAA!!" Moriz berteriak karena terkejut.

Jantung Lyosha pun rasanya hampir lepas. Bukan karena ketakutan, tapi karena terlalu kaget. Padahal suara sedang tenang-tenang saja. Tapi tiba-tiba ada suara dentuman yang menggelegar. Suara itu berasal dari tembok di hadapan mereka sekarang ini. 

Kemudia potongan bata di tembok itu bergerak satu persatu. Gerakannya aneh, ada yang berputar, ada yang horizontal, dan adapula yang vertikal dan diagonal. 

"Kan sudah ku bilang," ujar Lyosha malas.

"Bukan!" sanggah Moriz. "Sepertinya ini bukan tembok, melainkan pintu. Kita lihat saja apa yang akan ditunjukkan tembok ini."

"Entahlah," jawab Lyosha sekenanya. Dia sibuk memandang tembok dihadapannya tersebut.

Ketika selesai bergerak, mereka berdua mendapati sebuah gambar acak di bagian tengah tembok tersebut. Lyosha dan Moriz menatap satu sama lain, lalu menatap kembali tembok tersebut.

"Puzzle kah?" tanya Lyosha. "Dilihat dari bentuknya ku rasa ini puzzle, menurutmu?"

"Iya, aku juga berfikiran begitu. Mari kita susun puzzle ini!" ajak Moriz. Dibalas anggukan kepala oleh Lyosha.

Mereka awalnya hendak menyusun puzzle itu dengan cara melepas bagian kepingan gambar itu lalu memasangnya kembali. Tapi tidak berhasil karena kepingan itu menempel kuat, yang berarti mereka harus menyusunnya dengan cara menggeser kepingan gambar puzzle tersebut.

"Seperti sebuah lukisan. Bagus juga ya," puji Moriz. "Coba lihat! ini seperti gumpalan awan," tunjuk Moriz pada sebuah bagian gambar puzzle tersebut.

"Ya, sangatlah indah. Seperti gambaran tempat yang berwarna terang dan didominasi warna putih. Hei lihat! kalau bagian yang ini seperti taman. Astaga, apa kau sadar kalau nampaknya tempat yang ada dalam gambar ini seperti taman di atas langit? atau mungkin di surga," ujar Lyosha. "Persepsi ku jadi semakin aneh dengan tempat ini."

Mereka lalu mempercepat kegiatan menyusun puzzle tersebut. Mereka tidak tahu apa yang akan terjadi kalau mereka terlalu berlama-lama di sana tanpa menyelesaikan puzzle itu. Mereka juga ingin segera menyelesaikan ini semua dan terbebas dari segala keanehan yang ada di tempat ini.

Puzzle itu bukan seperti puzzle biasa yang hanya terdiri dari sepuluh atau dua puluh kepingan acak. Tapi terdiri dari seratus tiga belas kepingan acak. Niat sekali rupanya Lyosha sampai menghitung semua kepingan yang ada.

Kepingan puzzle itu juga sangat indah, bermanik-manik dan berwarna cerah. Sungguh suatu hiburang yang menyenangkan dan menyulitkan, di tempat yang menyeramkan seperti ini.

Mereka dengan cepat menyusun satu persatu bagian puzzle itu. Namun ada-ada saja yang membuat mereka kebingungan. Setelah menyusun menyelesaikan beberapa puluh bagian kepingan puzzle pasti bagian setelahnya akan tidak sesuai dengan yang ada.

"Nampak seperti ada yang janggal. Mungkin saja ada yang hilang," ujar Lyosha sambil memegang dagunya sendiri.

"Iya, meskipun sudah terlihat sesuai. Kita nampaknya salah memasang bagian puzzle ini. Tak heran, karena terlalu banyak kepingan pada puzzle ini." Moriz mengacak lagi bagian puzzle yang berada di sudut kanan kotak puzzle itu.

Mereka lalu berusaha lebih fokus mengusun puzzle itu. Namun selalu saja gagal pada bagian terakhir yaitu sudut sebelah kanan puzzle tersebut.

"Oh ayolah kita butuh kepingan puzzle yang hilang." Moriz mulai mencari-cari bagian tersebut dipenjuru lorong labirin tempat mereka berada kini.

"Kalau begini apa kita cari tempat lain sa...." Mata moriz mengerjap berkali-kali melihat sisi kiri tembok itu bergeser terbuka. "Bagaimana bisa?"

"Aku...aku menyumpalnya dengan robekan baju ku," jawab Lyosha. 

Moriz melirik puzzle pada tembok besar itu pada bagian ujungnya disumpal oleh robekan kain kecil milik Lyosha.

"Hanya begini?" tanya Moriz, ujung matanya berkedut-kedut. "Menyusahkan saja...ya sudah! mari kita lanjutkan ke tempat seterusnya."

"Hehehe, kau kesal ya?" Lyosha menatap Moriz jahil. "Baiklah, ayo."

Mereka berdua telah masuk ke sisi bagian tembok yang telah terbuka itu. Meninggalkan lorong kosong tersebut beserta puzzle tadi. Namun sumpalan kain pada puzzle itu lepas. Namun dari dalam bagian puzzle itu muncul kepingan puzzle yang sebenarnya. Terlihat gambar yang serasi dengan seluruh pemandangan indah lukisan dalam puzzle tersebut.

Kepingan yang muncul itu menggambarkan dua sosok insan yang sedang berdiri menikmati taman indah sambil merangkul pinggang satu sama lain. Sosok pria itu memakai pakaian serba putih seperti setelan mewah dengan rambut berwarna hitam. Sedangkan si wanita memakai pakaian dress merak pada bagian rok selutut, berwarna hitam. Wanita itu berambut pendek berwarna keemasan atau pirang. Entah siapa dua insan yang ada di gambar tersebut, namun pastinya mereka orang yang berhubungan dengan orang yang ada di penglihatan Liana tatkala tes tahapan kedua kemarin itu.



  

Liana yang merupakan seorang Orph dikucilkan oleh masyarakat Ellenia. Namun suatu berita menggemparkan tersebar. Sebuah sekolah ilmu magis terbesar yang bernama Tummulotary Academy membuka kesempatan bagi para Orph untuk menjadi peserta didik di sana. Sekarang Liana berjuang untuk bisa menjadi peserta didik dari Tummulotary Academy. 

Namun Liana juga punya cita-cita lain. Yaitu, menguak kisah masa lalunya, dan mengetahui jati dirinya yang sebenarnya. 

Dengan usaha kerasnya ini, bisakah Liana menggapai cita-citanya? akankah Liana mengungkap siapa dirinya yang sebenarnya dan bagaimana masa lalunya itu?



Cover by : Audreana ivy.
You can see her story : Home of Ardor

Shen Luo'an mendekat untuk melihatnya.
Itu adalah sebuah puzzle sembilan keping, sangat sederhana.
Namun, untuk anak berusia dua tahun, puzzle tersebut tidaklah mudah.
Shen Luo'an melihatnya sekilas dan merasa tak percaya lalu bertanya, "Xiao Yuexiao menyelesaikannya sendirian?"
"Iya!" Shen Zhilie berkata dengan sedikit bersemangat. Dia kemudian memandang Shen Luo'an dan berkata, "Aku yang membeli ini untuknya, sebelumnya aku telah memberikan puzzle itu kepadanya dan dia segera mulai mengerjakannya. Bocah itu sedang mengerjakan puzzle enam belas keping sekarang. Ayo kita lihat bersama-sama!"
Shen Luo'an merasa sangat bangga dan bersemangat ketika mendengar ini.
Dia berjalan mengikuti Shen Zhilie ke ruang bermain Xiao Yuexiao. Di sana, mereka melihat bocah laki-laki itu berbaring di lantai sedang asyik bermain dengan mainannya.
Ketika melihat Shen Zhilie dan Shen Luo'an masuk, Xiao Yuexiao mendongak untuk menatap mereka dan tertawa riang lalu berseru, "Ayah! Paman!"
"Kau sedang main apa?" tanya Shen Luo'an sambil berjalan mendekat dan berjongkok di sampingnya untuk melihat-lihat.
Xiao Yuexiao menatap ayahnya dan kemudian mulai menunjuk ke puzzle itu lalu dengan patuh menjawab, "Paman."
"Paman yang memberikan ini padamu?" tanya Shen Luo'an. Dia kemudian membelai kepala anak laki-laki itu dengan lembut dan bertanya, "Apa kau menyukainya?"
"Ya, aku suka." kata Xiao Yuexiao sambil menyeringai.
Shen Luo'an menoleh dan melihat kalau Xiao Yuexiao sudah hampir selesai dengan puzzle itu.
Keempat sudut puzzle tersebut sudah diselesaikan dengan baik.
"Sudahkah kau menyelesaikan puzzlenya?" tanya Shen Luo'an.
Shen Yuexiao memandangi puzzle di hadapannya lalu mengulurkan tangan untuk mengambil kepingan puzzle di tangan ayahnya. Dia kemudian menggelengkan kepalanya dan hanya berkata, "Belum."
Selanjutnya, dia meletakkan kepingan puzzle yang dipegangnya ke tempat yang seharusnya pada puzzle enam belas keping yang berada di lantai.
Shen Zhilie dan Shen Luo'an mengamati bocah itu tanpa bersuara, terpesona oleh kemampuannya. Tak lama kemudian, mereka menyadari bahwa dia telah menyelesaikan semua tepi puzzle itu dengan sempurna, semua kepingannya diletakkan dengan benar.
Dalam waktu singkat, dia meletakkan kepingan puzzle terakhir yang kemudian memperlihatkan gambar seekor serigala besar berwarna abu-abu yang menarik. Puzzle itu diselesaikan dengan sempurna, tanpa kesalahan apa pun.
Shen Luo'an tampaknya telah menduga hal ini dan terlihat sangat tidak percaya. Di sisi lain, Shen Zhilie hanya tertawa terbahak-bahak dan berkata, "Kak, lihat ini."
Shen Zhilie menunjuk ke sebuah rumah lego di sudut ruangan. Itu adalah sebuah vila kecil yang tinggi dan indah dengan detail yang begitu rumit.
"Aku baru membawa pulang semua mainan ini hari ini. Lihat betapa baiknya dia membangun rumah itu." kata Shen Zhilie.
Shen Zhilie terlihat sangat bangga saat mengatakan ini. "Seperti yang sudah kubilang. Keponakanku tidak mungkin lebih bodoh dari anak-anak lainnya." 
"Siapa bilang Xiao Yuexiao bodoh?" Shen Luo'an bertanya sambil mengangkat alisnya. "Dia selalu pintar. Ada kalanya dia bisa mengingat detail-detail dan fakta kecil meskipun aku hanya mengatakannya sekali saja. Kau juga sering bermain dengannya, bukan? Kau tidak sedikit pun peduli tentang keponakanmu, namun kau berani mengatakan hal seperti itu?" 
Shen Zhilie merasa sedikit canggung dan dia terbatuk-batuk pelan lalu mencoba untuk membela diri, "Ya, aku baru sadar. Anak-anak dari keluarga lain juga cukup pintar. Lihatlah anak perempuan Ou Ming. Dia satu tahun lebih muda dari Xiao Yuexiao tapi dia sudah tahu bagaimana menggunakan kamar mandi sendirian. Dia juga pandai bicara dan sangat cerdas."
"Anak perempuan cenderung lebih cepat berbicara. Otak mereka juga akan berkembang lebih cepat. Tapi perkembangannya hanya sebatas pada pertumbuhan fisiknya. IQ Xiao Yuexiao jauh lebih tinggi dari teman-temannya." balas Shen Luo'an.
"Hmm … anak adik ipar perempuanku juga cukup pintar. Maksudku anak laki-laki Li Jinnan." kata Shen Zhilie.
"Oh?" kata Shen Luo'an.
"Dia berbicara dengan lancar dan pelafalannya juga sangat jelas." lanjut Shen Zhilie.
"Apa dia tahu cara menyelesaikan Kubus Rubik?" tanya Shen Luo'an.
"Astaga … bagaimana aku bisa tahu?" jawab Shen Zhilie, tercengang.
"Xiao Yuexiao sudah tahu bagaimana menyelesaikan Kubus Rubik. Dia bahkan bisa memperbaiki sendiri mainannya yang rusak," jawab Shen Luo'an dengan acuh tak acuh, membuatnya sangat jelas bahwa dia sedang menyombongkan kemampuan putranya. "Anak ini seperti aku. Dia tidak suka banyak bicara tetapi pikirannya jelas jauh lebih tajam dibandingkan dengan orang yang banyak bicara seperti kau." 
"… Jadi kau bahkan meluncurkan serangan pribadi sekarang?" tanya Shen Zhilie.
"Benarkah?" kata Shen Luo'an sambil melirik Shen Zhilie. "Tapi bukankah aku mengatakan yang sebenarnya?"


Di kehidupan sebelumnya, mereka telah menikah selama lima tahun. Pria itu merupakan segalanya untuknya, tetapi dia dibuang seperti sepasang sepatu usang.
Setelah kelahirannya kembali, dia memberi pria itu sebuah surat kontrak cerai terlebih dahulu—
“Bercerai setelah satu tahun, syarat-syarat kontrak tersebut adalah sebagai berikut: suami dan istri tidak boleh berbagi kamar atau tempat tidur. Keintiman adalah hal terlarang? "
Pria itu menaikkan alisnya.
Siapa yang tahu bahwa setelah dia mabuk pada suatu hari, sambil bersandar pada kepala tempat tidur, pria itu melabuhkan matanya yang dalam pada dirinya. "Kamu melanggar kontrak, Nyonya Li."

"It is here, so I guess all monsters can drop the puzzle pieces for language bloodline skill," said Cade as he was happy with his discovery. 

The language skill needed 20 puzzle pieces just like the language skill from the toad. Cade smiled because it won't take long for him to get twenty of them. 

When Cade looked at the leader skill, he wondered about what it can do. He saw the same one from the big blue tongue toad but that leader skill was for the big blue tongue toad and the one he can get from the slime was for the slime. 

By the name of the skill, Cade wondered if he can be a leader of a group of slime if he were to learn the skill? 

Looking at more of the list of the puzzle, Cade found another familiar puzzle. The slime essence, slime key and slime core. The essence and key needed 100 puzzle pieces while the core needed 1000 puzzle pieces. 

"They must be something really big. Since slime is easy to defeat, should I collect them all and see what I can do with them?" thought Cade. As he had finished looking at the list of drops, Cade chose to get the first part of the figure puzzle to increase his stat. 

With all of that done, it was time for Cade to continue hunting the slime and he suddenly realized how stupid he was. He opened the system and chose the map function. He completely forgot about it. 

When the map opened, Cade can see everything lurking around him. Apparently, just like he thought, no one was around him. He can see a few red dots around though and when he touched the dot, the system said it was slime. 

"So, red mean they are hostile," said Cade as this was his first time seeing the red dot. Actually, that was his second time using the mapping function. He had totally forgot about it. 

With the mapping function, it made it easier for Cade to know the direction and then came to his realization about the reason the level limit increased that fast. 

Maybe the explorers were using the mapping function to locate the slime and find the right way to the floor boss room. 

Cade went to the slime he detected through the map and when he arrived at the location, he appraised the slime and to his surprise, the appraisal showed more information about the slime. 

Name: Slime
Grade: E
Level: 1
Max Stat: 10 per stat
Total Stat Points: 10

"Whoa~ what with this sudden information about the slime? Is it because I kill one? That's right, this happen to the iron ore too. Before I dug the ore, the system only showed me the name of the ore but after I dug the ore, more information can be seen," said Cade.

Cade deduced that it was because Cade obtained the ore and killed the slime that more information about them were available. 

Looking at the slime information, it was a bit different from the past. When the system appraised the monsters before the update, all it shown were the name, grade and level but now, Cade can see the maximum amount of stat it can have as well as the total stat they had. 

Cade got curious of other monsters' stat. Once he had enough looking at the data, Cade went and attack the slime. Just like before, one hit to the core and the slime was killed. Cade chose the second part of the puzzle and complete a figure of the slime. 

Cade absorbed the puzzle and he was a bit disappointed at the amount of stat he got. He only got 10 stat points. Compared to the 35 stat points he got from the toad, that was too low. 

He used all ten stat points on his endurance stat increasing it to 33 points. Cade wanted to raise his vitality and endurance stat first before he considered raising other stat. 

His reason was because he wanted to last longer in a fight. He felt really soured when he lost the fight against the humanoid toad that quickly. He did not contribute anything to the fight and he even needed the help from others to save him. 

He was too useless and he hated that feeling. He was abandoned because he was deemed useless and at his current stat, his family proved to be right. 

As for other stats, he can rely on his equipment especially strength because his weapon was far stronger and more than enough to deal with monsters up to level 20 if they were grade D or below.

Cade had completed one of his objectives and it was time for Cade to continue to complete what he came there for. The slime language bloodline skill. 

With the mapping function, Cade breezed through the dungeon towards the slime he found and killed them. Since they were hostile, he did not feel guilty killing them.

All the killed he made; Cade choose the language skill puzzle piece as his drop. Thanks to the mapping function, it was easy for Cade to locate the slime and his hunting had become faster than when he was in the big tongue toad dungeon. 

He just needed to walked a bit and the map will locate the slime, he headed to them, killed them and got himself his chosen drop. 

It only took Cade about half an hour to kill 20 slimes and collected all 20 pieces of puzzle for the slime language bloodline skill. 

Cade was elated as that was his first time completing a 20 pieces puzzle or maybe he was the first in the universe. From his knowledge, the highest amount of puzzle that was completed was 12 pieces and that puzzle needed 15 years to complete. 

However, Cade knew that that was untrue because the normal bloodline skill needed 10 puzzle pieces and many founders of the big family had the full bloodline skill that Cade cannot found once in any of the monsters he killed. 

Imagine if the normal skill needed 10 puzzle pieces, the full skill will surely need more than that. It just that they never publicize it. Normal human won't even know about the amount of puzzle pieces need and the same goes for explorers too. 

Cade was lucky to get his link growth skill and was able to increase his luck and by chance knew more about the puzzle pieces. If not, he will be as clueless as everyone else. 

Now that he had all the puzzle pieces for the slime language bloodline skill book, the system asked him if he wanted to combine them and Cade said yes. 

Bright light shone but it did not last long. Only a few seconds. Completely different compared to the complete figure puzzle. 

He remembered that time when he was with Jonathan and he cannot absorb the complete puzzle and it kept shone without stopping until Jonathan absorbed the complete puzzle. 

The skill book for the slime language bloodline skill was on his hand. The skill book was thicker than normal skill book. 

[Learn the slime bloodline skill – slime language?] asked the system. Cade said yes.

[Are you sure?] asked the system again. Cade said yes again. 

[Really?] asked the system one more time. 

"??? Yes… Why is the system asking me three times?" said Cade one more time and the skill book disintegrated into lights and it entered Cade's body. Cade felt like something was happening to his body. He can feel it. 

Usually, when learning a skill from the skill book, nothing will happen. The system asked if they wanted to learn the skill and boom, the skill will be in the list of skill. That was it. 

However, Cade can feel something changing in his body and he did not know why. "Is this because this is a bloodline skill?" Cade wondered. The changes happened for 10 minutes when it suddenly stopped. 

After that, Cade felt like usual like nothing had changed. Cade checked his body and nothing was changing. He actually felt a bit scared that he will turn into a slime or something because the skill name was bloodline though everyone knew that the skill was named like that because of its ability to be passed down to the next generation.

Once he confirmed that nothing was changing in his body, he sighed in relieved. When he felt something was changing inside himself, he was scared shitless but he tried to maintain his calm demeanor. 

Cade wanted to try checking his skill when suddenly the system let out another notification. 

[Your body now contain the gene of the slime. Due to this, your body is unsuitable to learn another monster skill as well as getting another monster bloodline skill. Fret not, you will be fine]

Cade stared blankly at the notifications. Once he came to his senses, instead of talking or thinking, he immediately went to his skill list and saw the slime language skill. Cade immediately touched the skill and wanted to delete it, however…

[The skill is permanent] said the system.

"…" 

"…" 

"…"

In an age of magic, space travel and explorations, humans had far surpassed what they were capable of in the past. 

In a small planet located in a small star sector, a young man name Cade was living his life peacefully. 

One day, Cade was playing around with cardboard and he suddenly awakened his system. However, an accident happened and the cardboard he played with became part of his power. 

Followed Cade's journey in making his name as an explorer in the universe.

The drool hanging out of his mouth was long as Robert's story about his passion for completing the jigsaw puzzle sets. Feeling hard done by with what had happened, Robert wanted to shed a tear, but his way of living and the fighter in him was not having it, so he came up with another idea when pressured with the challenge of convincing Theo that solving jigsaw puzzles are chic. 
"Hmm, what can I do to motivate him?" Robert thought to himself. 
Theo stared at him, dead in his face, and this little moment turned into a staring contest between the two divergent thinkers. They made all sorts of wacky faces to come out the victor, such as taking their hands to widen their eyes while sticking out their lips to crossing their eyes and opening their mouth like a hippo with their tongue hanging out of their mouth.
Then it finally hit him as the light bulb over his head lit up. 
"OH!" exclaimed Robert when he glimpsed over in the kitchen from the living room and saw the cupboards. That made him remember a prank or trick you may say that his father had played on him a long time ago. 
The prank in question was when his father hid one of the puzzle pieces. Before giving him to complete one of the puzzles off, and this was before his first win. 
His father purposely took a long time to solve the set because he knew the victory had already been his.
 When Robert had realized that one of the pieces was missing, he said to his father, "I have won by default because a piece is missing." His father looked into the box, then glanced around the room and replied with, "I do not see any missing piece." 
"Are you blind? There is no puzzle piece in here," Robert said as he grabbed the puzzle box. 
His father began to crack up, and it infuriated Robert even more since he felt that he was about to cross the finish line first and capture his first win. Irritably asking, "Why are you laughing!" 
"That is your problem, kid. Not mines."
"Huh?"
"You took one look at the puzzle set believing that all the pieces will be there, thinking everything was already, you began putting it together. But it's impossible to finish something that is incomplete right? The listen to take from this is nothing as it seems in life, and things will always be missing. So, it is your job to either keep it incomplete or find what is missing to make it whole."
"But... that is unfair."
"Oh, I have a lot of pieces to put together. You can go take your default win if you want, kid."
That night Robert looked far and wide for the hidden puzzle piece within the house. He searched tirelessly around the house, turning it upside down. While his father finished his jigsaw puzzle set little by little at a snail pace. 
After a great deal of time had passed, his father was one piece away from putting it all together to complete the set. He watched over at Robert and blurted out, "Phew! all this winning is making me thirsty."
"Hey, kid?"
"Hmph!"
With a massive grin on his face, as he politely asked, "Can you please take the red cup from the cupboard and bring some water for this old man?"
Although Robert was pissed off that he could strangle a cat, he still respected his desires and went for a cup of water. But that did not let his father escape the menacing glares he got while Robert was on his way for the water. 
When he opened the cupboard door and lifted the red cup, the little all-so important puzzle piece was. His father blasted out in laugher as he told him to hurry up before he loses the contest yet again. 
Robert sprinted with all his might, like Usain Bolt in the hundred meters to his unfinished puzzle. But unlike Bolt, he still lost to his father. 
*sips water*
**
"Ah! Good times, I have to bring that up with him next time he calls." Said Robert, while thinking out loud. 
"Mm-hmm, it was.... ah." 
He turned around to witness a Theo who seated upright, taking in every word of the story. 
"So, you like it when I am frustrated and now happy, huh?" 
Theo started to giggle as he asked him if there were more stories to tell. Robert browed across his brain to locate more puzzle scenarios with his father. Then there it was once again, the light bulb over that head of his.
He strung up, "I got it!" 
Robert dashed upstairs as if he had found the last piece of a puzzle set. 
"Hold on, I will be right back!" he yelled while running. 
Not long after going up the flight of stairs, he came back down at the same pace. He returned with one of his old jigsaw puzzles set, with a portrayal of R2-D2 and C3PO on in the Millennium Falcon on it. 
"This one was my favorite growing up, still is, to be honest."
 "Who woulda thunk it?" 
"Hey, I thought you were listening to that part of the story, and where did you learn that?"
"Hehe! From Jellymint on Adventure Buddies, and Linus was listening to your story."
"Anyways, let us put on our Inspector Gadget hats and get cracking."
Robert threw all of the puzzle pieces on the center table in the living room. When Theo saw all the scattered pieces on the table looking like one big mess, he said, "The puzzle broke."
Robert chuckles,
"I guess it broke. Well, then we have to fix it if that is the case, right?"
"It seems like too much work, ugh," Theo said as he fell onto the fluffy carpet.
Here we go again, with like father; like son. As Robert took a similar approach to his old man when he told Theo, "Oh, but I wanted to see the picture of the cool looking robots, oh how amazing those robots are with their robotic bodies. Just so awesome does robots are, huh sigh."
Theo instantly rose from the carpet and asked, "How amazingly awesome are they?"
Robert, in the most dramatic way ever, put his hand on Theo's shoulder as he took a deep breath through his nose and exhaled through that same nose and said in a very monotoned voice, "Super amazingly awesome."
"I want to see the robots, Dada." 
Yes, Theo had fallen right into his trap. 
"Let us get to work and puzzle this unpuzzled puzzle. Then
one, as well as the other, sat down together, trying to solve the jigsaw puzzle set as Robert was seated on the couch while Theo stooped on the carpet. They both were parked at their seats for about two hours, occasionally getting up to use the toilet and get beverages from the refrigerator. 
Even though Robert could have completed the set in less than five minutes, he left most of the work for Theo to figure it out. 
"This one goes here."
"Nope"
"Here for this one..."
"Nah."
"And the next one goes right there."
"Wait.... *chuckles* Unfortunately not."
*Hmph* "This is too hard...ughhhh"
Theo was on the blink of submission as he began to believe that solving the puzzle was getting to be difficult. But being the great father that he is, Robert made an effort to cheer him up by helping him out. 
"There are a lot of tips that I can give to you since it's your first time solving a jigsaw puzzle set."
*Yay* "Thanks please"
He told Theo how to make use of the end puzzle pieces. By doing this first, you can get the border of the entire set. With this outline, it will make it loads easier to complete the hundred-piece jigsaw puzzle set. 
 "Is this an end piece?"
"Yep"
His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree on the 25th of December, with the expression "Aah!" coming out his mouth. 
"Ya see, it is better to have an outline of things before you begin to do it. Remember what your Mama told you, it is better to work...."
"Smarter and not harder."
"Exactly."
Even though Theo got advised to find the end pieces first and put them together by Robert, he still had a rough time with the set. 
Robert glanced at him as he detected that Theo seemed as if he was on the urge of giving up once again. So being as witty as a fox evading a hunter, Robert came up with some other cunning idea to motivate Theo to finish the puzzle. 
"Haa! Too bad for the unfixed robots. They have to remain there, forever broken without a brave robotic wizard to assemble them."
"Huh..."
"How sad it must be for them to endure this mistreated and soon they may be abundant, left it their broken Robo world with nothing to look forward to in the morn, noon and night. How tragic it must feel not knowing if you will never be able to touch your copper arms or not be able to roll on your wheels ever again."
"I...…can be a robotic wizard."
"How I truly feel broken-hearted for what is their fate. *Exhale* At least I have something in common with my friends R2-D2 and C3PO. How awful that they have to stay like this and endure this type of pain, but oh no no no, I know you, Theodore will rise to the occasion. Ah, what are you doing?"
While deep in the course of his motivational speech, Robert saw him murmuring to stuff Imp. He was at sea with what was happening. He felt down since he was not able to finish his passionate speech. 
Theo's response was even more disappointing as he stated, "Yea, Linos said that this whole thing sounds like a drag."
"Ah…ah WHAT?!"
"How was your first-time solving puzzle sets Dada?"
Being flustered by the questions because, for some strange reason, he was not expecting Theo to ask it, he replied with.
"Well…. urm you know, it was easy peasy lemon squeezy, ha-ha."
However, what Robert said was actually "a little lie," he likes to call it. Because the first attempt at solving a jigsaw puzzle set was like watching a tiger trying to cross an ice bridge, it doesn't look pretty, but you can admire its determination as it accepts the challenge and will do what it has to with all of its might. 
He called it stupid countless times and said it made no sense because it does nothing for a person, but every time he had opened his mouth. He picked up another puzzle piece to find out whether it could fit or not. The true essence of the "eye of the tiger." 
Robert was enraptured by robots and any that deals with technology, so the Star Wars puzzle made him excited. That inspired Robert to such a great deal that he went on ahead to study Information Technology in college in the US, and it is where he met his two best friends, Asta Ings and Dilliano Yami.  
The place in which the three friends came up with the manufacturing of hi-tech gadgets such as drones, etc. Three of them always tinkered with electronics in their college after classes, so chemistry among them was never an issue. The trio finishes college to establish their own company, taking the first letter in, all of their last names to produce DIY-Tech. 
Asta had a nose that could sniff out profits like how a dog can sniff out a buried bone, Dilliano was so good at the wiring that you won't put it past him to wire an entire building by himself, and Robert was a jack of all trades when it comes to technology.
However, Robert tended to be homesick and miss his parent while being away for a lengthy period. 
"Eureka!" suddenly uttered Robert as he jumped up from the couch. 
"Eek!"
"Sorry for scaring you, bub…."
Robert had finally come up with the perfect way to let Theo complete the jigsaw puzzle set.
He thought to himself before spouting out the reason to finish the set for Theo.
"There is no way he is not going to bat an eyelid for this one."
Robert's confidence in himself was solemnly over the roof as he told Theo, ".... But you do realize that if we do not finish the puzzle set, then our two robot friends won't be able to go home to their family, right?"
"What Mr. Robert has a family?"
"Oh, for sure. Everyone has a family."
"Uh oh! Mr. Robot would not be able to go to his Mama and Dada..."
"I'm sorry to tell you this, but no, Mr. Robot won't get to see them. Sigh..."
He soon got up as if he was on his way to pack up the jigsaw puzzle set and cleverly said, "Oh my, they love their Mama and Dada too."
That made young and innocent Theo worried about "Mr. Robert" not being able to go home to his mother and father.
"I guess I should put this away...…"
"WAIT!!"
"Eh...?"
Theo got up with bright-eyes and bushy-tailed as he declared, "We have an important mission to complete, Captain Dada."
"Whew, I guess we have a job to do, Commander Theodore."
Robert had a little victory celebration in his head, silently shouting, "Finally!"

Children’s imagination is known to run wild, but Theo’s creative power always seems to have neither boundaries nor limits. 
Due to the unableness, to go out and about in society. Theo’s father, Robert, came up with an amusing idea to keep Theo’s fictitious thinking entertained throughout this period of isolation. We journey along with Theo on his Pure Adventure around the house to track down all fifty of the hidden puzzle pieces. Witnessing the numerous difficulties, he comes across in achieving his goal of gathering every puzzle piece to complete the set. 
With the aid of an advanced prototype VR headset, Theo found it in the attic where his father had hidden it. Turning Theo’s house into a whole new world to explode with his imaginary friend, Linos, and guides his mind into a Pure Imagination made him travel from feat to feat. 
An odyssey that takes him to all kinds of contrasting scenes. Such as a Halloween party, a Caribbean island, a race around the Metropolis of Motor City, and more. He meets a shedload of fascinating characters that gives young Theo life lessons and morals along the mind trip.

Shen Luo'an moved closer to take a look.
It was a small puzzle with nine grids, so it was very simple.
However, for a two-year-old child, it isn't easy.
Shen Luo'an took one glance at it and in disbelief, asked, "Did Xiao Yue'er complete this by himself?"
"Yes!" Shen Zhilie said rather excitedly. He then looked at Shen Luo'an and said, "I bought this for him and earlier on, I had passed the puzzle to him and he immediately started working on it. The little chap's fixing up the sixteen grid one right now. Come on, let's go take a look!"
Shen Luo'an, felt extremely proud and excited when he heard this.
He tagged behind Shen Zhilie as they made their way to Xiao Yue'er's nursery room. There, they saw the little boy sprawled out on the floor engrossed in playing with his toys.
When he noticed Shen Zhilie and Shen Luo'an entering the room, he looked up at them and laughed merrily before calling out, "Daddy! Uncle!"
"What are you playing with?" Shen Luo'an asked as he walked over and squatted down beside him to take a look.
Xiao Yue'er looked at him and then proceeded to point at the puzzles before obediently replying, "Uncle."
"Did Uncle give this to you?" asked Shen Luo'an. He then caressed the boy's head gently and asked, "Do you like it?"
"Yes, I like it," said Xiao Yue'er with a grin.
Shen Luo'an glanced at the puzzle and realised that Xiao Yue'er was almost done with it.
The four corners of the puzzle were already completed properly.
"Have you completed the puzzle?" asked Shen Luo'an.
Shen Yuexiao looked at the puzzle in front of him and proceeded reached out for the puzzle piece in his father's hand. He then shook his head and simply said, "No."
Subsequently, he pieced the puzzle that he had grabbed to where it was supposed to be on the sixteen-piece puzzle set on the floor.
Shen Zhilie and Shen Luo'an watched him in silence, awed by his ability. Soon, they realised that he had completed all sides of the puzzle perfectly, all the pieces were fitted correctly.
Within a short period of time, he was fixing up the last piece of the puzzle which features an eye-catching image of Wolffy, the Big Grey Wolf. The puzzle was completed perfectly, without any error.
Shen Luo'an seemed as if he had expected this and looked to be in complete disbelief. On the other hand, Shen Zhilie simply laughed out loud and said, "Brother, look at this."
Shen Zhilie pointed at a lego house in the corner of the room. It was a tall and beautiful little villa with such intricate detailing.
"I just brought all these toys home today. Look how well he has built the house," said Shen Zhilie.
Shen Zhilie looked extremely proud when he said this. "Like I said. My nephew can't possibly be dumber than other kids," he said.
"Who said that Xiao Yue'er was dumb?" Shen Luo'an asked as he raised his eyebrows. "He has always been very smart. There were many times when he could remember little details and facts even though I've only told it to him once. You often play with him as well, don't you? You're not the least concerned about your nephew and yet you have the cheek to say such a thing?" questioned Shen Luo'an.
Shen Zhilie felt slightly awkward and so he coughed lightly before trying to defend himself, "Well, I just realised. Kids from other families are also pretty smart. Look at Ou Ming's daughter. She's one year younger than Xiao Yue'er but she already knows how to use the bathroom by herself. She's also articulate and very quick-witted."
"Girls tend to be quicker in learning how to speak. Their brains will also develop faster. But the development is only limited to its physical growth. Xiao Yue'er's IQ is much higher than his peers," countered Shen Luo'an.
"Well... My sister-in-law's son is also pretty smart. I'm referring to Li Jinnan's son," said Shen Zhilie.
"Oh?" said Shen Luo'an.
"He speaks smoothly and he enunciates clearly," continued Shen Zhilie.
"Does he know how to solve the Rubik's Cube?" Shen Luo'an asked.
"Gosh... How would I know?" Shen Zhilie replied, dumbfounded.
"Xiao Yue'er already knows how to solve the Rubik's Cube. He can even fix his own broken toys," replied Shen Luo'an nonchalantly, making it extremely evident that he was bragging about his son's capabilities. "This child's just like me. He doesn't like to talk much but his mind is definitely much sharper compared to talkative people like you," continued Shen Luo'an smugly.
"...So you're even launching a personal attack now?" Shen Zhilie asked.
"Am I?" said Shen Luo'an as he took one glance at Shen Zhilie. "But aren't I speaking the truth?" he continued.


In her previous lifetime, they had married for five years. He meant everything to her, but she was thrown away like an old shoe. 

After her rebirth, she gave him a divorce contract preemptively— 
“Divorce after one year, the terms of the contract are as follows: husband and wife shall not share a room or bed. Intimacy forbidden?” 
he raised his eyebrow. 

Who knew that after she got drunk one day, leaning on the headboard, he rested his deep-set eyes on her. "You broke the contract, Mrs, Li."

Wei Na came home with a packaged, custom made video game. The game was super expensive, so she expects a lot from it. She was never a video gamer, but her husband -to-be is the ultimate champion.

"Heh, let's see if he could win this one." She checked the time on her watch. 'He should be getting off work now. Ah! I want some dumplings and egg drop soup! Let me message him.'

Text Message to Hubby: 

Wei Na: "Babbbeeeeee, can you stop by the Chinese restaurant on your way home? I want dumplings and egg drop soup!"

Bin Guan: "Sure. Anything else? You have 15 minutes before I reach the restaurant."

Wei Na: "No, no. Just those two dishes are fine."

Bin Guan: "Let's see... Mushroom tofu soup, salted chicken congee, duck Thai salad..."

Wei Na's mouth watered as she texted, "Stop!!!!"

Bin Guan: "What? Mrs. Bin, you've been craving more foods around midnight, so I'm making sure you didn't want other stuff~ I'm doting on my wife~"

Wei Na: "Hmph, I want all of the above dishes plus glass noodles in spicy tofu soup. I'll eat you poor and let you cry a whole mountain for teasing me! I'll make you get fat with me too!"

Bin Guan: "Hahahaha, alright. Your delivery is on its way. (kiss emoticon)"

Wei Na sent him three lines of hearts before rubbing her tummy, "I'm hungry too. Just wait a little bit more."

- Half an hour later -

Wei Na hopped to the entrance and helped carry a bag of food to the dining table. After successfully keeping the food safe and steady on the hard surface, she turned around and hugged him around his nape. "Before the meal, welcome back darling~~ Mwahhhh"

She gave him a peck on the lips and told him to wash up before eating. She too washed her hands with liquid soap before having her meal. Seeing the table full of food, she cupped her cheeks and licked her lips, forgetting about the video game she wanted to make him verse her in. 

Her smile was full of happiness. As she ate, she rubbed her cheeks with her finger that had a bit of sauce on it. He chuckled and wiped the stain off the apple of her cheeks using his thumb, "Aiyo, a grown up already and eating just like a kid. Cute."

She blushed from his remark and continued eating her food. Wei Na finished her meal before Bin Guan did and remembered that she wanted to tell him about the video game that she bought today. "I wanted to show you something~"

She walked towards the wrapped package on the couch and had him open it. Quickly, he finished his last bite and started unwrapping. He stared at the package with a dull face, "Huh?"

She walked over after seeing his weird expression, "What? That's your fav-....." The store messed up her order and replaced the video game with a jigsaw puzzle. He looked at her bewildered face and thought that she was upset that he didn't like the gift, so he acted like he was receiving an Oscar award. 

"Ohh! I love this puzzle! Honey, how did you know I've been into puzzles lately? Hahahaha, let's put these pieces together after cleaning up!" He pulled her on his lap and kissed her lips.

She took the puzzle out of his hands and raised he brows, 'Did I order it wrong? Did I not say I wanted the video game? I even paid for it too!!! No, let me secretly check the receipt and call them if there was a mistake.'

While Bin Guan washed the dishes, she double checked her receipt and felt disappointed to see that the store indeed made a mistake, 'Tch. If this was a regular gift, then it would've been fine. But they messed my plan up! Sigh...I'll give them a call now.'

She stepped out to a balcony and called the company to complain about her order. Since it is rare for a customer to spend so much money on one product, once she told them her name, they recognized her. 

Manager: "I am very sorry about any inconvenience this has caused you. The item that you have received must have been another custom made by another customer. If you wish for a refund, we will deposit the money back to your account."

Wei Na rubbed her temple, feeling irritated, "I already opened the Jigsaw puzzle. Can you check for me what the puzzle says, so this time I can actually continue with my plan smoothly? I would like a refund and make the purchase the puzzle that I have in possession."

Manager: "The puzzle had the same words that you originally wanted for the video game. Since it is out company's mistake, please accept the puzzle as our gift for you. We will execute the refund back to your account and that will take up to three days. Is that alright with you? Once again, I am very sorry for any inconvenience that this has caused you."

Wei Na sighed, "Okay. Thank you for your time and patience. I'll check my account again in a few days to make sure the transaction has processed. Have a good night."

After the call ended, she walked back to the living room where Bin Guan had prepared a platter of sliced fruits for her. She smiled, "How did you know I wanted fruits?"

He fed her a piece of seedless grape, "Because I know. Shall we begin with the puzzle?"

She showed a faint smile and nodded, "Mm.."

Sensing that something felt off, he asked her if she was feeling unwell. She shook her head , "Nothing. It's just that I was expecting something else to be in this package. Anyways, let's continue."

He had his arm around her waist while doing the puzzle, "You know, it doesn't matter if it is a puzzle or knitting or anything else as long as you're the one doing it with me."

Her bright smile appeared, "Sweet talker."
Finally, they reached the last two pieces of the puzzle and she said, "Darling, how about we complete the puzzle at the same time?"

"Sure. Anything you want." As their fingers left the completed puzzle, her eyes teared up slightly. She looked at him as he covered his smile and giggles, "Oh my god... oh my god.. oh my god!!!!" He jumped up from his seat and paced around the living room with a joyous smile that looked like Spring. 

Catching his breath, he knelt down beside her and placed his ears on her lower abdomen. 

"Silly, you can't hear anything just yet. Still early." She laughed at his excited reaction.

"Shhhh.. maybe if we stay quiet enough we can hear a little tiny bit!" Her fingers combed his hair lightly as he listened closely to her tummy. 

On the table, the completed puzzle said, "You're going to be a daddy!"

He couldn't stay calm at all, but then again, this was their first baby.

The warmth of the sunlight that was shining through the window landed on the girl's flawless face. Her eyelashes fluttered rapidly as her hands clenched onto her blanket tightly. She chanted, "No! No! Don't.. please.. I beg you stop! Ahh!!" She gasped for breath as she wiped the layer of cold sweat off her forehead. She looked at her phone and laid in bed after realizing that she was in her apartment. 'I'm safe.. it's alright.. safe..' After calming down, she took a quick shower and looked into the mirror. "Yang Ya Nuo! you got this! New day, new beginning!" She got dressed in a male school uniform and applied her makeup and wig. Within the next 15 minutes, her beautiful jade like face transformed into a handsome young man's face. "Aha! That should do it! Handsome like always. Breakfast time~" 
Since young, Ya Nuo learned how to change her voice to sound like a male's voice in case she needed it one day. Unlike girls at her age who liked to hang out with friends and go shopping, she only loves one thing, food! She works three part time jobs and is attending a famous school on a scholarship that covers full tuition. 
She cheerfully walked to the kitchen to see what's there to make for breakfast. When she opened the fridge, she saw nothing, but a piece of sausage inside. Sigh.. "I paid for rent and ran out of money to restock for grocery."
Ding Dong
"Who is it?" she said in a grumpy tone.
"Yo!" Xu Huan Hei greeted her with a hand wave.
"Is it time already? There's still half an hour before the usual time you come to get me for school." 
"Nope! But I do have something I want to discuss with you." he smiled dazzlingly. He was the school's second most popular guy that every female wished to date. The number one ranked male student was Ya Nuo. These two met each other at a young age, but due to some reason Huan Hei never found out about her female gender. 
"I'm hungry. Let's talk food first."
"Here~ i already prepared a bag of groceries and two bacon, egg, and sausage for you" he winked.
Ya Nuo smirked, "Oh? Seems like it's something important hmm? Alright, let me enjoy my breakfast as we discuss your 'favor.'"
In the middle of enjoying her bacon, egg, and sausage, she suddenly spit out the mouthful of food onto Huan Hei. 
"will you be my girlfriend?" he asked confidently.
"Are you crazy?? I'm a guy! 100% male!"
"But you are so pretty, even girls say you have feminine features. I'm sure with a little makeup you'll look very cute!"
"... what's your reason?"
"A girl keeps pestering me and chasing after me to get into a relationship with her. I told her for the past two years that I'm not interested in any relationships, but she refused to listen. I accidentally slipped out and said I actually have a girlfriend... so she asked to meet her.. and I didn't have anyone that is trustworthy enough for this job."
"No."
"Pretty please"
"No!"
"Come on~ I'll buy you lunch~"
"I'm not that cheap."
"Fine, 3 months worth of lunch and groceries!"
"Deal."
In the meantime, at a luxurious restaurant, a man with gray hair sipped his wine, "Did you guys find her yet?"
"No.. sir"
"Then why are you here? Go! Find her and bring her here! Don't come back and report bullshit to me!"
"Yes!"

*THERE IS NO RAPE OR ANY SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THIS NOVEL. BUT WARNING OF 18+ CONTENT*

The book cover is not mine, credits go to the original author. This novel is an original written by me, so please don’t post it anywhere else.

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