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Chapter 173: The Mirror of the Forgotten Flame
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Act I: A Chamber of Ashes
The Gallery opened into a chamber where faint embers glowed in the dust, their warmth fading but never gone.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing faintly, its hum flickering like smoke.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place feels… extinguished."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here remembers fire, but only as ash."
At the center stood a mirror veiled in soot, its surface faintly glowing with hidden sparks.
It spoke in a voice weary yet enduring:
> "I am the Mirror of the Forgotten Flame. I hold what once burned, what was lost, what waits to be rekindled."
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Act II: The Weight of Memory
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing fires that once gave strength but were abandoned.
Ao Bing saw battles fought with passion, victories forgotten in time.
Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls written with fervor, their wisdom buried in dust.
Ne Job saw miracles blazing brightly, then fading into silence, erased from the Registry.
Twinkle pulsed faintly, resonating with the embers.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must remember what was lost."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Flames are mine to corrupt. I will twist memory into regret, and regret into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward the Forgotten Flame, trying to smother its sparks into ash.
Ao Bing staggered. "The fire is gone!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls crumble into dust!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Flame is not gone. It waits to be rekindled."
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Act IV: The Trial of Flame
The Mirror of the Forgotten Flame spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must rekindle."
Ne Job gazed into its ashen surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid to reignite what had failed.
He whispered:
> "I remember. Even when fire fades, I carry its spark. Even when lost, I rekindle."
The mirror glowed brighter, its embers flaring into steady light.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with the flame.
Ao Bing's fists steadied.
Taiyi Zhenren's scrolls cleared.
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 flame into destruction, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "The fire consumes me!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom burns away!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Flame is not destruction. It is renewal."
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 — joined with the Forgotten Flame.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Ash became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every fire restored.
Ne Job stood firm, flame and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Forgotten Flame calmed, its surface shimmering with renewed fire.
It whispered:
> "Intern, flame is not chaos. It is memory rekindled. 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 flame today. But ashes always wait."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.