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Chapter 187: The Mirror of the Eternal Flameheart
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Act I: A Chamber of Living Fire
The Gallery opened into a chamber where the walls pulsed with warmth, flames rising and falling like a heartbeat.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing fiercely, its hum resonating with fire's rhythm.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place burns… but it feels alive."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here is not destruction. It is devotion."
At the center stood a mirror blazing with crimson light, its surface alive with fire that did not consume but embraced.
It spoke in a voice fierce yet tender:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal Flameheart. I hold what burns within, what endures as devotion, what carries love into eternity."
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Act II: The Weight of Devotion
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing truths carried by fire of the heart.
- Ao Bing saw comrades who fought not for glory, but for loyalty.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls written with passion, wisdom preserved through devotion.
- Ne Job saw miracles born of compassion, inscribed into the Registry with warmth.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the flame.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must burn without fear."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Flameheart is mine to corrupt. I will twist devotion into obsession, and love into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Flameheart, trying to fracture its warmth into ruin.
Ao Bing staggered. "My loyalty consumes me!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom burns away!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Flameheart is not ruin. It is devotion."
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Act IV: The Trial of Flameheart
The Mirror of the Eternal Flameheart spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must burn."
Ne Job gazed into its blazing surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of being consumed by passion.
He whispered:
> "I burn. Even when fire overwhelms, I endure. Even when shadow waits, I carry devotion."
The mirror glowed brighter, its flame steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with the blaze.
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 flameheart into obsession, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in fire!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves in passion!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Flameheart is not obsession. It is truth carried in devotion."
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, Eternal Ocean, Eternal Sky — joined with Eternal Flameheart.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Obsession became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every devotion restored.
Ne Job stood firm, flameheart and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal Flameheart calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant warmth.
It whispered:
> "Intern, flameheart is not chaos. It is devotion 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 flameheart today. But obsession always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.