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Chapter 296: The Mirror of the Eternal River
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Act I: A Chamber of Flowing Currents
The Gallery opened into a chamber where radiant rivers coursed endlessly, each shimmering with currents that carried light across the chamber. The air was fluid yet solemn, as though every breath carried the weight of continuity.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing with a flowing hum, its rhythm echoing the pulse of movement.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels like everything here is always moving forward."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here does not stagnate. It flows."
At the center stood a mirror framed by luminous streams, its surface shimmering with eternal continuity.
It spoke in a voice calm yet unyielding:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal River. I hold what flows, what endures in passage, what carries truth into motion."
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Act II: The Weight of Continuity
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing truths carried by rivers.
- Ao Bing saw battles where courage meant moving forward even when currents pulled against him.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls preserved in flowing archives, wisdom carried downstream to future generations.
- Ne Job saw miracles coursing in silence, inscribed into the Registry as rivers eternal.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the chamber's continuity.
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.
> "Rivers are mine to corrupt. I will twist flow into erosion, and continuity into despair."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal River, trying to fracture its currents into floods.
Ao Bing staggered. "The river sweeps me away!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls scatter into drowning torrents!"
Ne Job steadied them. "River is not erosion. It is continuity."
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Act IV: The Trial of River
The Mirror of the Eternal River spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must flow."
Ne Job gazed into its streaming surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of currents too strong to endure.
He whispered:
> "I flow. Even when shadows flood, I endure. Even when despair waits, I carry forward."
The mirror glowed brighter, its rivers steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with continuity.
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 river into erosion, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in drowning torrents!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves in broken currents!"
Ne Job stood firm. "River is not erosion. It is truth carried eternal."
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, Eternal 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, Eternal Starfall, Eternal Horizon, Eternal Root, Eternal Crown, Eternal Gate, Eternal Tower, Eternal Anchor, Eternal Bridge, Eternal Labyrinth, Eternal Flame of Truth, Eternal Spiral, Eternal Compass, Eternal Lantern, Eternal Seed, Eternal Mountain, Eternal Tree, Eternal Star, Eternal Dawn — joined with Eternal River.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Erosion became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every river restored.
Ne Job stood firm, river and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal River calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant continuity.
It whispered:
> "Intern, river is not chaos. It is passage eternal. Guard it well."
Ne Job bowed.
Twinkle pulsed softly.
The Gallery shimmered, flowing once more.
The Mask of Misrule retreated into the shadows, his voice echoing faintly:
> "You may resist rivers today. But floods always wait."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.