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Chapter 184: The Mirror of the Eternal Storm
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Act I: A Chamber of Tempest
The Gallery opened into a chamber where winds howled without end, lightning flickered across the walls, and thunder rolled like a heartbeat.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing erratically, its hum caught in the storm's rhythm.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels alive, but furious."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here does not calm. It rages."
At the center stood a mirror swirling with clouds and lightning, its surface alive with ceaseless motion.
It spoke in a voice booming yet steady:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal Storm. I hold what rages, what endures, what cleanses through fury."
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Act II: The Weight of Fury
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing storms that carried truth across ages.
- Ao Bing saw battles fought in chaos, yet courage born in the tempest.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls written in thunder, wisdom preserved in upheaval.
- Ne Job saw miracles carried by lightning, inscribed into the Registry with power.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the storm.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must endure fury without fear."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Storms are mine to corrupt. I will twist fury into destruction, and destruction into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Storm, trying to fracture its power into ruin.
Ao Bing staggered. "The tempest consumes me!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls scatter in the wind!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Storm is not ruin. It is cleansing."
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Act IV: The Trial of Storm
The Mirror of the Eternal Storm spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must endure."
Ne Job gazed into its swirling surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of being torn apart by fury.
He whispered:
> "I endure. Even when winds rage, I remain. Even when lightning strikes, I carry forward."
The mirror glowed brighter, its tempest steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with the storm.
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 storm into destruction, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in chaos!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves in thunder!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Storm is not destruction. It is truth carried in fury."
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, Endless Oath, Eternal Memory, Eternal Threshold, Eternal Light, Eternal Shadow, Eternal Balance, Eternal Dawnfire — joined with Eternal Storm.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Chaos became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every storm restored.
Ne Job stood firm, tempest and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal Storm calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant fury.
It whispered:
> "Intern, storm is not chaos. It is cleansing 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 storms today. But ruin always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.