---
Chapter 200: The Mirror of the Eternal Spiral
---
Act I: A Chamber of Turning Paths
The Gallery opened into a chamber where the floor and ceiling twisted in spirals, endless coils of light and shadow winding inward and outward.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing with a cyclical hum, its rhythm echoing the chamber's turning motion.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels like it never stops."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here does not rest. It turns."
At the center stood a mirror framed by radiant spirals, its surface alive with infinite coils.
It spoke in a voice layered and eternal:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal Spiral. I hold what turns, what endures in cycles, what carries truth through renewal."
---
Act II: The Weight of Cycles
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing truths carried by spirals.
- Ao Bing saw battles fought in repetition, courage rising each time he fell.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls rewritten endlessly, wisdom preserved in cycles.
- Ne Job saw miracles looping through time, inscribed into the Registry as renewals eternal.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the spiral's rhythm.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must turn without fear."
---
Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Spirals are mine to corrupt. I will twist renewal into futility, and cycles into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Spiral, trying to fracture its turning into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "The cycle traps me!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls repeat into emptiness!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Spiral is not futility. It is renewal."
---
Act IV: The Trial of Spiral
The Mirror of the Eternal Spiral spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must turn."
Ne Job gazed into its coiling surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of endless repetition.
He whispered:
> "I turn. Even when cycles repeat, I endure. Even when endings return, I carry forward."
The mirror glowed brighter, its spirals steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with the cycle.
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 spiral into futility, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in repetition!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves in cycles!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Spiral is not futility. It is truth carried in renewal."
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, Eternal Flame of Truth — joined with Eternal Spiral.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Futility became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every cycle restored.
Ne Job stood firm, spiral and truth united.
---
Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal Spiral calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant coils.
It whispered:
> "Intern, spiral is not chaos. It is renewal 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 spirals today. But futility always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.