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Chapter 197: The Mirror of the Eternal Bridge
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Act I: A Chamber of Connection
The Gallery opened into a chamber where luminous arches stretched across chasms of shadow, each bridge glowing faintly as if woven from light itself.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing with a steady hum, its rhythm echoing like footsteps across stone.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels like it wants to join what is divided."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here does not separate. It unites."
At the center stood a mirror framed by radiant bridges, its surface shimmering with paths that crossed divides.
It spoke in a voice calm and resolute:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal Bridge. I hold what connects, what endures across distance, what carries truth between worlds."
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Act II: The Weight of Connection
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing truths carried by bridges.
- Ao Bing saw battles won not by isolation, but by alliances forged.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls preserved through exchange, wisdom carried across cultures.
- Ne Job saw miracles crossing divides, inscribed into the Registry as bonds eternal.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the bridge's span.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must connect without fear."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Bridges are mine to corrupt. I will twist connection into betrayal, and unity into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Bridge, trying to fracture its span into collapse.
Ao Bing staggered. "The bridge crumbles beneath me!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls scatter into the abyss!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Bridge is not betrayal. It is union."
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Act IV: The Trial of Bridge
The Mirror of the Eternal Bridge spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must cross."
Ne Job gazed into its spanning surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of collapse, afraid of falling between worlds.
He whispered:
> "I cross. Even when divides widen, I endure. Even when shadows wait, I carry forward."
The mirror glowed brighter, its bridges steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with the span.
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 bridge into betrayal, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in collapse!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves in distance!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Bridge is not betrayal. It is truth carried in union."
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, Eternal Starfall, Eternal Horizon, Eternal Root, Eternal Crown, Eternal Gate, Eternal Tower, Eternal Anchor — joined with Eternal Bridge.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Betrayal became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every bridge restored.
Ne Job stood firm, connection and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal Bridge calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant spans.
It whispered:
> "Intern, bridge is not chaos. It is connection 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 bridges today. But betrayal always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.