---
Chapter 175: The Mirror of the Eternal Choice
---
Act I: A Chamber of Crossroads
The Gallery opened into a chamber shaped like intersecting paths, each corridor stretching into unknown horizons.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing with tension, its hum sharp and steady.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place feels like a decision waiting to be made."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here… it does not reflect. It asks."
At the center stood a mirror divided into countless fragments, each shimmering with a different possibility.
It spoke in a voice layered with countless tones:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal Choice. I hold what is decided, what is carried, what defines the path."
---
Act II: The Weight of Decision
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing choices that shaped their journeys.
Ao Bing saw battles where mercy or vengeance determined the outcome.
Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls where truth or silence changed the legacy of wisdom.
Ne Job saw miracles where compassion or indifference altered the Registry forever.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the crossroads.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must choose without fear."
---
Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Choices are mine to corrupt. I will twist decision into regret, and regret into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Choice, trying to fracture its paths into endless doubt.
Ao Bing staggered. "Every choice feels wrong!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls contradict themselves!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Choice is not regret. It is the courage to act."
---
Act IV: The Trial of Choice
The Mirror of the Eternal Choice spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must decide."
Ne Job gazed into its fractured surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid to commit, afraid to fail.
He whispered:
> "I choose. Even if I falter, I carry forward. Even if I fail, I endure."
The mirror glowed brighter, its fragments aligning into a single radiant path.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with the glow.
Ao Bing's fists steadied.
Taiyi Zhenren's scrolls cleared.
The Mask recoiled, his corruption faltering.
---
Act V: The Clash
The Mask screamed, hurling shards of deception.
Illusions tried to twist choice into paralysis, scattering the interns into endless hesitation.
Ao Bing staggered. "I cannot decide!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom collapses!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Choice is not paralysis. It is truth carried forward."
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 — joined with Eternal Choice.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Hesitation became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every choice restored.
Ne Job stood firm, decision and truth united.
---
Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal Choice calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant clarity.
It whispered:
> "Intern, choice is not chaos. It is the path you carry. 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 choice today. But hesitation always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.