---
Chapter 198: The Mirror of the Eternal Labyrinth
---
Act I: A Chamber of Endless Paths
The Gallery opened into a chamber where corridors twisted in every direction, walls shifting like living puzzles.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing with a restless hum, its rhythm echoing the maze's uncertainty.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels like it wants to trap us."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here does not guide. It confounds."
At the center stood a mirror framed by shifting walls, its surface alive with countless paths branching outward.
It spoke in a voice layered and elusive:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal Labyrinth. I hold what confuses, what endures in choice, what carries truth through uncertainty."
---
Act II: The Weight of Confusion
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing truths carried by labyrinths.
- Ao Bing saw battles where courage meant walking paths without knowing the end.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls scattered across corridors, wisdom hidden in detours.
- Ne Job saw miracles wandering through uncertainty, inscribed into the Registry as journeys eternal.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the maze.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must walk without fear."
---
Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Labyrinths are mine to corrupt. I will twist choice into paralysis, and uncertainty into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Labyrinth, trying to fracture its paths into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "I cannot find the way!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls scatter into dead ends!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Labyrinth is not paralysis. It is discovery."
---
Act IV: The Trial of Labyrinth
The Mirror of the Eternal Labyrinth spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must walk."
Ne Job gazed into its branching surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of being lost forever.
He whispered:
> "I walk. Even when paths twist, I endure. Even when endings hide, I carry forward."
The mirror glowed brighter, its corridors steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with the maze.
Ao Bing's fists steadied.
Taiyi Zhenren's scrolls aligned.
The Mask recoiled, his corruption faltering.
---
Act V: The Clash
The Mask screamed, hurling shards of deception.
Illusions tried to twist labyrinth into paralysis, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in confusion!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves in detours!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Labyrinth is not paralysis. It is truth carried in discovery."
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, Eternal Bridge — joined with Eternal Labyrinth.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Paralysis became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every path restored.
Ne Job stood firm, labyrinth and truth united.
---
Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal Labyrinth calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant corridors.
It whispered:
> "Intern, labyrinth is not chaos. It is discovery 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 labyrinths today. But confusion always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.