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Chapter 228: The Mirror of the Eternal Tree
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Act I: A Chamber of Living Roots and Branches
The Gallery opened into a chamber where colossal trees of radiant light grew upward and downward at once, their roots piercing deep into unseen soil while their branches stretched endlessly toward the heavens. The air was alive with renewal, each leaf shimmering with quiet wisdom.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing with a vibrant hum, its rhythm echoing the pulse of growth and balance.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels like the whole world breathes here."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here does not wither. It endures."
At the center stood a mirror framed by luminous branches, its surface shimmering with eternal vitality.
It spoke in a voice calm yet vast:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal Tree. I hold what grows, what endures in balance, what carries truth into life."
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Act II: The Weight of Growth
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing truths carried by trees.
- Ao Bing saw battles where courage meant sheltering others, not striking them down.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls preserved in rings of age, wisdom layered across centuries.
- Ne Job saw miracles branching into silence, inscribed into the Registry as growth eternal.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the chamber's vitality.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must grow without fear."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Trees are mine to corrupt. I will twist growth into decay, and balance into despair."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Tree, trying to fracture its branches into rot.
Ao Bing staggered. "The roots choke me!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls crumble into dust!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Tree is not decay. It is renewal."
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Act IV: The Trial of Tree
The Mirror of the Eternal Tree spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must grow."
Ne Job gazed into its living surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of growth that might collapse.
He whispered:
> "I grow. Even when shadows rot, I endure. Even when despair presses, I carry forward."
The mirror glowed brighter, its branches steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with vitality.
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 tree into decay, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in rot!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves in broken rings!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Tree is not decay. 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, Eternal River, Eternal Mountain — joined with Eternal Tree.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Decay became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every branch restored.
Ne Job stood firm, tree and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal Tree calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant vitality.
It whispered:
> "Intern, tree 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 trees today. But rot always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.