Chapter 155: The Mirror of Forgotten NamesAct I: A Silent SurfaceThe Gallery stretched deeper, its corridors hushed.
Ne Job paused before a mirror that seemed blank, its surface dull, refusing to reflect anything at all.
Twinkle buzzed uneasily.
Ao Bing frowned. "It doesn't show us."
Taiyi Zhenren tilted his scroll. "It hides something."
The mirror whispered faintly, like a sigh carried on wind:
"I am the Mirror of Forgotten Names. I hold what is lost, what is erased, what is abandoned."
Act II: The Weight of MemoryThe interns leaned closer.
The mirror rippled, revealing faint shadows of names once spoken, now forgotten.
Ao Bing saw comrades who had vanished from his battles.
Taiyi Zhenren saw scholars whose scrolls had been burned.
Ne Job saw miracles erased from the Registry, their entries faded into silence.
Twinkle pulsed softly, recording fragments.
The mirror whispered:
"To guard me, you must remember what others forget."
Act III: The Mask's IntrusionFrom the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
"Forgotten names are mine. I will twist memory into oblivion, and oblivion into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward the Mirror of Forgotten Names, trying to erase its whispers entirely.
Ao Bing shouted, "He's stealing them!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "Evidence vanishes!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Names are not lost. They are remembered in truth."
Act IV: The Trial of NamesThe Mirror of Forgotten Names spoke:
"Intern, to protect me, you must recall what has been erased."
Ne Job gazed into its surface.
He saw Twinkle, once nearly lost.
He saw minor miracles, overlooked but vital.
He whispered:
"No name is forgotten. Every name is part of harmony."
The mirror glowed, its surface brightening.
Whispers became voices.
Names returned, echoing through the Gallery.
The Mask recoiled, his corruption faltering.
Act V: The ClashThe Mask screamed, hurling shards of deception.
Illusions tried to erase the interns' own names, twisting them into silence.
Ao Bing staggered. "I can't hear myself!"
Taiyi Zhenren clutched his scroll. "My name is fading!"
Ne Job stood firm. "We are remembered. We are truth."
The awakened mirrors — Patience, Friendship, Courage, Sorrow, Endless Paths — joined with Forgotten Names.
Their light struck the Mask's illusions.
Names returned, strong and clear.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every name restored.
Ne Job stood firm, remembrance and truth united.
Act VI: The Mirror's GiftThe Mirror of Forgotten Names calmed, its surface shimmering with countless voices.
It whispered:
"Intern, no name is truly lost. Guard memory well."
Ne Job bowed.
Twinkle pulsed softly.
The Gallery shimmered, stable once more.
The Mask of Misrule retreated into the shadows, his voice echoing faintly:
"You may resist memory today. But forgetting always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.