Chapter 105: The Mask of Misrule
🎭 Act I: A Shadow in the Hall
Ne Job was walking through the Bureau's Reflection Hall when Twinkle buzzed uneasily.
A faint laugh echoed — not joyful, but mocking.
Ao Bing frowned. "That's not Glimmer's laughter."
Taiyi Zhenren muttered, "Unprofessional."
Lord Xian appeared, grave.
> "Interns, beware. The Bureau of Misrule has sent their leader. He wears the Mask of Misrule. His plots are cunning, his tricks dangerous."
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🧠 Act II: The Villain Revealed
The Bureau of Misrule's leader stepped forward.
He wore a mask that shimmered with shifting expressions — laughter, sorrow, silence, anger.
He hissed:
> "Your miracles are fragile. I will twist them into chaos."
Ao Bing clenched his fists. "We'll stop you!"
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted his words.
Ne Job whispered, "We must face him."
Twinkle pulsed nervously.
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🎭 Act III: The Plot Unfolds
The Mask of Misrule unleashed traps:
- A scroll of joy that turned into cruel laughter.
- A scroll of patience that became endless delay.
- A scroll of courage that twisted into recklessness.
Ao Bing stumbled.
Taiyi Zhenren trembled.
Glimmer cried softly.
Ne Job stood firm.
He whispered, "Miracles are not tricks. They are truths."
Twinkle hummed.
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🧵 Act IV: The Battle of Miracles
The Reflection Hall became a battlefield.
Scrolls pulsed.
Miracles clashed.
Ao Bing hurled thunderfruit sparks.
Taiyi Zhenren annotated every move.
Glimmer giggled, distracting the villain.
Ne Job unrolled Miracle #340-L — the Labyrinth of Shadows.
The scroll pulsed.
Truth resonated.
The Mask of Misrule faltered.
His traps dissolved.
His laughter faded.
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🌈 Act V: The Resolution
The villain fled, his mask cracked.
But his voice echoed:
> "I will return. The Bureau will fall."
Ao Bing tossed confetti.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted the silence.
Glimmer hugged Ne Job.
Twinkle hummed triumphantly.
Lord Xian nodded.
> "Intern Ne Job, you have defended the Bureau against the Mask of Misrule. Well done."
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📜 Epilogue: A New Registry Entry
The next morning, a new entry appeared in the Miracle Registry:
> Miracle #350-M: The Mask of Misrule
> Status: Defeated, cracked, unresolved.
> Effect: Teaches that truth dissolves deceit, but villains return. Activated through courage and unity.
Ne Job added a note:
> "Some miracles are threatened by masks. But truth always cracks them."
Twinkle hummed.
And somewhere in the Bureau, a mask shimmered — waiting for its next plot.