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Chapter 199: The Mirror of the Eternal Flame of Truth
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Act I: A Chamber of Unyielding Light
The Gallery opened into a chamber where fire burned white and pure, casting no shadow. The walls shimmered with inscriptions that shifted into clarity with each flicker.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing sharply, its hum piercing like a blade of light.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels absolute. No lies can breathe here."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here is not warmth. It is revelation."
At the center stood a mirror blazing with truthfire, its surface alive with flames that consumed falsehood but spared clarity.
It spoke in a voice unwavering and radiant:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal Flame of Truth. I hold what reveals, what endures in honesty, what carries light into shadow."
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Act II: The Weight of Revelation
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing truths carried by fire unyielding.
- Ao Bing saw battles where courage meant admitting weakness, and strength was born in honesty.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls corrected by truth, wisdom preserved without distortion.
- Ne Job saw miracles stripped of illusion, inscribed into the Registry as revelations eternal.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the flame.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must face truth without fear."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Truthfire is mine to corrupt. I will twist honesty into cruelty, and revelation into despair."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Flame of Truth, trying to fracture its clarity into torment.
Ao Bing staggered. "The fire burns too harshly!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls dissolve under judgment!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Truth is not cruelty. It is freedom."
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Act IV: The Trial of Truthfire
The Mirror of the Eternal Flame of Truth spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must reveal."
Ne Job gazed into its blazing surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of truths too heavy to bear.
He whispered:
> "I reveal. Even when truth wounds, I endure. Even when shadows resist, I carry forward."
The mirror glowed brighter, its flame steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with revelation.
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 truthfire into cruelty, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in harshness!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves in judgment!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Truthfire is not cruelty. It is truth carried eternal."
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, Eternal Labyrinth — joined with Eternal Flame of Truth.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Cruelty became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every revelation restored.
Ne Job stood firm, truthfire and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal Flame of Truth calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant clarity.
It whispered:
> "Intern, truthfire is not chaos. It is revelation 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 truth today. But despair always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.