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Chapter 185: The Mirror of the Eternal Ocean
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Act I: A Chamber of Tides
The Gallery opened into a chamber where waves rose and fell across the floor, endless currents flowing in silence.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing softly, its hum ebbing like the tide.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels infinite."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here does not end. It flows."
At the center stood a mirror shimmering like water, its surface rippling with depth and horizon.
It spoke in a voice vast and resonant:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal Ocean. I hold what flows, what endures, what carries all into unity."
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Act II: The Weight of Flow
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing truths carried by the ocean.
- Ao Bing saw battles fought across waves, courage rising with each tide.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls preserved in salt and foam, wisdom carried across generations.
- Ne Job saw miracles flowing endlessly, inscribed into the Registry like rivers into the sea.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the tide.
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.
> "Oceans are mine to corrupt. I will twist flow into drowning, and unity into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Ocean, trying to fracture its currents into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "The tide pulls me under!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls dissolve in the waves!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Ocean is not drowning. It is unity."
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Act IV: The Trial of Ocean
The Mirror of the Eternal Ocean spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must endure the tide."
Ne Job gazed into its rippling surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of being lost in the vastness.
He whispered:
> "I endure. Even when waves rise, I remain. Even when currents pull, I carry forward."
The mirror glowed brighter, its tides steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with the ocean.
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 ocean into drowning, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in the tide!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves in the waves!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Ocean is not drowning. It is truth carried in unity."
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, Eternal Storm — joined with Eternal Ocean.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Drowning became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every tide restored.
Ne Job stood firm, ocean and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal Ocean calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant tides.
It whispered:
> "Intern, ocean is not chaos. It is unity 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 oceans today. But drowning always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.