Chapter 87: The Contest of Sacred Sorrow
š§ļø Act I: A Scroll Wrapped in Grey
Ne Job was shelving scrolls when he found one wrapped in soft grey parchment, tied with a ribbon that felt like rain.
Twinkle buzzed low and slow.
Ao Bing leaned over. "That scroll feelsā¦ heavy."
Taiyi Zhenren frowned. "That's Miracle #172-S. Archived as 'Dormant Grief.' It's only opened during the Contest of Sorrow."
Ne Job blinked. "There's a contest for sorrow?"
The scroll pulsed once and unrolled itself.
> Notice from the Department of Emotional Integrity:
> You are invited to the Contest of Sacred Sorrow.
> Theme: "Is sadness a miracle?"
> Judges: The Weeping Scrolls.
Lord Xian appeared. "Interns must defend sorrow not as weakness, but as wonder."
---
š§ Act II: Preparing for the Contest
The Bureau's Reflection Hall was transformed into a quiet amphitheater.
The Weeping Scrolls hovered, trailing soft mist.
Interns prepared their entries:
- Ao Bing: "Sorrow as Catalyst ā How Grief Sparked My Boldest Miracle."
- Taiyi Zhenren: "The Footnotes of Loss ā A Regulatory Framework for Mourning."
- Glimmer: "Sprite Tears and the Memory of Rain."
Ne Job sat quietly, holding Miracle #172-S.
It whispered:
> "I am not loud. I am not bright. But I am real."
Twinkle hummed in a minor key.
---
š Act III: The Contest Begins
Each intern presented their case.
Ao Bing spoke of a failed miracle that led to his most compassionate act.
Taiyi Zhenren cited scrolls that only activated after a loss.
Glimmer told a story of a sprite who cried so gently that flowers bloomed.
Ne Job stepped forward.
He didn't speak at first.
He unrolled Miracle #172-S.
It read:
> "This miracle does not fix. It does not cheer. It sits beside you and stays."
Ne Job whispered, "Sorrow is not a flaw. It is a companion. A quiet miracle that teaches us to feel."
The Weeping Scrolls pulsed.
---
š§µ Act IV: The Trial of Stillness
The judges imposed silence.
No words. No scrolls. Just presence.
Interns sat together.
Some cried.
Some held hands.
Some simply breathed.
Ne Job sat with a first-year intern who had lost her miracle partner.
He said nothing.
Twinkle hummed gently.
The Weeping Scrolls wept ā not out of sadness, but recognition.
---
š Act V: The Verdict
The Weeping Scrolls conferred.
One wrote: "Ao Bing: Brave. Honest."
Another: "Taiyi Zhenren: Thoughtful. Structured."
The third floated to Ne Job and wrote:
> "You did not explain sorrow. You honored it. You win."
Lord Xian nodded. "Intern Ne Job, you have shown that sorrow is not weakness. It is sacred."
Ao Bing offered a quiet nod. Taiyi Zhenren footnoted the silence. Glimmer wiped a tear.
---
š Epilogue: A New Registry Entry
The next morning, a new entry appeared in the Miracle Registry:
> Miracle #172-S: The Gentle Grief
> Status: Reflective, sacred, emotionally attuned.
> Effect: Offers quiet companionship in sorrow. Activates through presence, not repair.
Ne Job added a note:
> "Some miracles don't lift us up. They sit beside us until we're ready to rise."
Twinkle hummed.
And somewhere in the Bureau, a scroll waited ā not to fix, but to feel.