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Chapter 190: The Mirror of the Eternal Starfall
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Act I: A Chamber of Falling Light
The Gallery opened into a chamber where stars drifted downward like rain, each spark dissolving into the floor before rising again.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing with a rhythm that echoed the descent and ascent of the lights.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels endless, like the heavens collapsing and reborn."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here does not hold still. It falls, yet rises."
At the center stood a mirror shimmering with countless falling stars, its surface alive with motion.
It spoke in a voice luminous and eternal:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal Starfall. I hold what descends, what endures, what rises again."
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Act II: The Weight of Descent
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing truths carried by falling light.
- Ao Bing saw battles where defeat became renewal, courage reborn in collapse.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls scattered like sparks, wisdom preserved in fragments.
- Ne Job saw miracles falling into silence, yet inscribed into the Registry as seeds of return.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the descent.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must fall without fear."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Starfall is mine to corrupt. I will twist descent into ruin, and ruin into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Starfall, trying to fracture its descent into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "The stars crush me!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls scatter into nothing!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Starfall is not ruin. It is renewal."
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Act IV: The Trial of Starfall
The Mirror of the Eternal Starfall spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must descend."
Ne Job gazed into its falling surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of collapse, afraid of endings.
He whispered:
> "I descend. Even when I fall, I rise. Even when I break, I endure."
The mirror glowed brighter, its descent steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with the starfall.
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 starfall into ruin, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in collapse!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves in fragments!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Starfall is not ruin. It is truth carried in descent."
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, Eternal Flameheart, Eternal Songfire, Eternal Silenceflame — joined with Eternal Starfall.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Collapse became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every descent restored.
Ne Job stood firm, starfall and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal Starfall calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant descent.
It whispered:
> "Intern, starfall is not chaos. It is renewal 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 starfall today. But collapse always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.