Chapter 96: The Burden Shared
đȘ¶ Act I: A Scroll That Felt Heavy
Ne Job was walking through the Bureau's Hall of Trials when a scroll dropped from the shelf. Unlike others, it was unusually heavy, as though it carried more than parchment.
Twinkle buzzed with strain.
Ao Bing leaned over. "That scroll feels like it weighs a mountain."
Taiyi Zhenren frowned. "That's Miracle #260-B. Archived as 'Shared Burden.' It is only opened during the Rite of Carrying."
Ne Job unrolled it.
Inside was a single line:
> "No burden is meant to be carried alone."
---
đ§ Act II: The Bureau Reacts
Lord Xian summoned the Department of Compassion.
"This scroll," he said, "is sacred. It demands that interns carry one another's burdens. Only then will its miracle awaken."
Ao Bing grinned nervously. "So we're supposed to lift each other's problems?"
Taiyi Zhenren muttered, "I prefer lifting footnotes."
Ne Job whispered, "It's about sharing weight."
Twinkle hummed softly.
---
đ Act III: The Ceremony of Carrying
The Reflection Hall was prepared.
Interns gathered, each holding a scroll that represented their heaviest burden.
The Shared Burden Scroll pulsed.
Rules:
- Each intern must reveal a burden.
- Another must carry it with them.
- The scroll will record the strength.
Ao Bing confessed he feared being forgotten. Ne Job carried it.
Taiyi Zhenren admitted he feared being wrong. Glimmer carried it.
Glimmer whispered she feared losing laughter. Ao Bing carried it.
Ne Job stepped forward.
He whispered, "I fear failing those who trust me."
Twinkle pulsed.
Ao Bing, Taiyi Zhenren, and Glimmer carried it together.
---
𧔠Act IV: The Trial of Weight
The hall dimmed.
Each intern felt the weight of another's burden.
Ao Bing staggered, but Ne Job steadied him.
Taiyi Zhenren trembled, but Glimmer held his hand.
Glimmer wept, but Ao Bing whispered jokes.
Ne Job felt his burden lighten as his friends carried it.
Twinkle hummed in harmony.
The Shared Burden Scroll glowed.
---
đ Act V: The Miracle of Strength
The scroll rewrote itself:
> "Strength is not in solitude. It is in sharing."
Interns wept softly.
Ao Bing tossed confetti â carefully.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted the silence.
Glimmer hugged Ne Job.
Twinkle hummed triumphantly.
Lord Xian nodded. "Intern Ne Job, you have shown that burdens are not meant to be carried alone."
---
đ Epilogue: A New Registry Entry
The next morning, a new entry appeared in the Miracle Registry:
> Miracle #260-B: The Shared Burden
> Status: Sacred, reflective, communal.
> Effect: Teaches strength through shared burdens. Activated by compassion and trust.
Ne Job added a note:
> "Some miracles don't lighten the load. They remind us to carry it together."
Twinkle hummed.
And somewhere in the Bureau, a scroll pulsed softly â waiting for someone willing to share.