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Chapter 226: The Mirror of the Eternal River
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Act I: A Chamber of Flowing Light
The Gallery opened into a chamber where rivers of radiant light coursed endlessly, weaving through the air as if gravity itself had been rewritten. The currents shimmered with motion, carrying fragments of memory and possibility.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing with a flowing hum, its rhythm echoing the pulse of continuity.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels alive, like it never stops moving."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here does not hold. It flows."
At the center stood a mirror framed by luminous streams, its surface shimmering with eternal current.
It spoke in a voice calm yet unstoppable:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal River. I hold what flows, what endures in passage, what carries truth into continuity."
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Act II: The Weight of Flow
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing truths carried by rivers.
- Ao Bing saw battles where courage meant moving forward, not resisting the tide.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls preserved in currents, wisdom carried across generations.
- Ne Job saw miracles flowing into silence, inscribed into the Registry as currents eternal.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the chamber's rhythm.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must flow without fear."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Rivers are mine to corrupt. I will twist continuity into erosion, and passage into despair."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal River, trying to fracture its currents into emptiness.
Ao Bing staggered. "The river drags me under!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls scatter downstream!"
Ne Job steadied them. "River is not erosion. It is renewal."
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Act IV: The Trial of River
The Mirror of the Eternal River spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must flow."
Ne Job gazed into its shimmering surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of currents that might sweep him away.
He whispered:
> "I flow. Even when tides overwhelm, I endure. Even when shadows resist, I carry forward."
The mirror glowed brighter, its rivers steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with continuity.
Ao Bing's fists steadied.
Taiyi Zhenren's scrolls aligned.
The Mask recoiled, his corruption faltering.
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Act V: The Clash
The Mask screamed, hurling shards of deception.
Illusions tried to twist river into erosion, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in currents!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves downstream!"
Ne Job stood firm. "River is not erosion. It is truth carried eternal."
The awakened mirrors — Patience, Friendship, Courage, Sorrow, Endless Paths, Forgotten Names, Silent Echoes, Shattered Promises, Hidden Truths, Eternal Doubt, Living Light, Boundless Hope, Unbroken Unity, Eternal Harmony, Final Resolve, Infinite Resolve, Last Question, First Dawn, Endless Return, Forgotten Future, Silent Dawnfall, Eternal Song, Endless Silence, Forgotten Flame, Eternal Return, Eternal Choice, Hidden Dawn, Eternal Oath, Eternal Memory, Eternal Threshold, Eternal Light, Eternal Shadow, Eternal Balance, Eternal Dawnfire, Eternal Storm, Eternal Ocean, Eternal Sky, Eternal Flameheart, Eternal Songfire, Eternal Silenceflame, Eternal Starfall, Eternal Horizon, Eternal Root, Eternal Crown, Eternal Gate, Eternal Tower, Eternal Anchor, Eternal Bridge, Eternal Labyrinth, Eternal Flame of Truth, Eternal Spiral, Eternal Compass, Eternal Lantern, Eternal Seed — joined with Eternal River.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Erosion became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every current restored.
Ne Job stood firm, river and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal River calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant flow.
It whispered:
> "Intern, river is not chaos. It is renewal eternal. Guard it 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 rivers today. But erosion always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.